memeorandum: Man set fire trying to protect marijuana operation, officials say (Veronica Rocha/Los Angeles Times)

2:20 PM ET, August 11, 2015

Top Items:

Donald the Whiner — Donald Trump is given to superlatives, so let's do him the honor of pronouncing him the most fabulous whiner in all of American politics. — By Trump's own account, he's the baddest, smartest thing going, except if you ask him a challenging question …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, p m carpenter's commentary, Business Insider, Washington Post and The Daily Caller

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Trump: ‘I am the most fabulous whiner’ — Businessman Donald Trump acknowledged Tuesday that he is a whiner. — Trump said he agreed with conservative author Rich Lowry that the celebrity real estate tycoon-turned GOP presidential candidate is “the most fabulous whiner in all of American politics.”

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and The Week

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Ted Cruz: ‘Foolish’ for GOP to criticize Trump — He says that it is dangerous to dismiss a candidate with this type of drawing power. — FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday warned that the Republican presidential candidates who are slamming Donald Trump do so at their political peril.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, Independent Journal Review and The PJ Tatler

Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
Donald Trump: ‘I keep whining and whining until I win’

Discussion: RedState, Weekly Standard, LifeNews.com and Althouse

Dylan Byers / Politico:
Donald Trump and Fox strike a truce

Discussion: Daily Kos

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
Donald Trump and Roger Ailes Make Up — For Now

Jeremy Diamond / CNN:

Nancy Reagan invites 16 candidates to CNN debate — Washington (CNN)Former First Lady Nancy Reagan is inviting 16 Republican presidential candidates to participate in the CNN/Reagan Library presidential debate on September 16. — Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who participated in the debate …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and OnPolitics

Rasmussen Reports:

Has ‘The Donald’ Peaked? — Donald Trump remains the leader in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but his support has fallen by a third over the past week-and-a-half. Carly Fiorina is now near the front of the pack. — The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Trump …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Political Insider blog, Hot Air and National Review

Reuters:

Exclusive: Trump's Republican support holds strong post-debate - Reuters/Ipsos poll — There is no sign that Donald Trump's raucous first presidential debate is hurting his support among party voters, with the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showing he still has a big lead over his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.

Discussion: TheBlaze.com, Hot Air, Shark Tank, Washington Post and CBS DC

Cassandra Vinograd / NBC News:

Armed ‘Patriot’ Group Roams Ferguson With Assault Rifles — Heavily-armed members of a controversial right-wing “patriot” group added an extra dose of unease to protests in Ferguson, Missouri, early Tuesday. — The Oath Keepers organization says its members — all former military …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Infowars, KSDK-TV, ThinkProgress, Guardian, Refinery29, USA Today and NPR

Bill Chappell / NPR:

More Than 20 Arrested In Ferguson; Armed ‘Oath Keepers’ Walk Streets — New demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., led to a standoff with police and the arrests of 23 people Monday night, one day after a vigil for Michael Brown was marred by gunfire. The arrests came as police in riot gear tried …

Discussion: Salon, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and NBC News

Scott Malone / Reuters:
Heavily armed ‘Oath Keepers’ inject new unease to riot-hit Ferguson

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Infowars and Raw Story

Washington Post:

Rick Perry stops paying all of his staff as fundraising dries up — This post has been updated. — Rick Perry's presidential campaign has stopped paying all of its staff as the Republican former Texas governor's fundraising has dried up, campaign officials and other Republicans familiar with the operation said late Monday.

Michael Falcone / ABC News:
The Note: Bush and Clinton At War

Discussion: Washington Post, The Federalist and BizPac Review

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:
Hillary Defends ‘Incredibly Impressive’ Megyn Kelly from ‘Outrageous’ Trump

Discussion: Boston Herald, American Spectator, LifeNews.com, Addicting Info, Hot Air, Townhall.com and CNNMoney

Anne Gearan / Washington Post:
Clinton: Trump is offensive to women but so is Rubio and the rest of the GOP field

Discussion: Daily Kos and Shakesville

Joan Walsh / Salon:
So now they care about sexism? The ugly hypocrisy of the right's reaction to Trump's Kelly slur

Discussion: Daily Kos, Hullabaloo and msnbc.com

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Sanders pulls crowd of 27,500 in LA — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) attracted another huge crowd at a rally for his presidential campaign in Los Angeles on Monday night. — The Sanders campaign, citing Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena officials, said 27,500 people were inside the venue …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Liberaland, Booman Tribune, The Gateway Pundit and American Power

ABC News:
Bernie Sanders Speaks to Packed Crowd of 27,000 in Los Angeles

Discussion: Yahoo Politics

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Bernie Sanders retreats before Black Lives Matter protestors

Discussion: LifeNews.com

Bill / The Hill:

Bill Press: Schumer proves unworthy to lead Democrats — He tried to hide it, and so far he's been successful. — Clearly by design, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) released a statement declaring his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal on Thursday night, while 24 million Americans …

Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg View:
White House Should Leave Politics Out of Iran Deal

Discussion: CNN and Washington Free Beacon

Matt Vespa / Townhall.com:
Liberals Are Not Happy About Schumer's Defection On Iran Deal

Discussion: Mondoweiss, RedState, Common Dreams, Washington Free Beacon and Salon

First Draft / New York Times:

Lawrence Lessig to Explore a Run for President as a Democrat — Lawrence Lessig, the Harvard professor and democratic theorist, in 2014. — Some people land gyrocopters on the lawn at the Capitol to protest big money in politics. Lawrence Lessig, the Harvard professor and democratic theorist, is thinking of running for president.

Discussion: Politico, The TickerThe Ticker, Raw Story and The Week

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Larry Lessig Believes Democracy Is Screwed. So He's Running For President To Save It.

Discussion: Slantpoint and Mediaite

Greg Lukianoff / The Atlantic:

The Coddling of the American Mind — Something strange is happening at America's colleges and universities. A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense.

Discussion: Power Line, Hit & Run and Instapundit

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

State by State, Democratic Party Is Erasing Ties to Jefferson and Jackson — WASHINGTON — For nearly a century, Democrats have honored two men as the founders of their party: Thomas Jefferson, for his visionary expression of the concept of equality, and Andrew Jackson, for his populist spirit and elevation of the common man.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Justin Glawe / The Daily Beast:

Anger Outruns the Facts in Ferguson — A year after Michael Brown's death, protesters remain as furious as ever at police and refuse to say if a cop can ever be justified in using force. — FERGUSON, Missouri—If there is any growing national sense of weariness over the unrest and protests in Ferguson …

Discussion: Mediaite

Hillary Clinton / Medium:

The New College Compact … For millions of Americans, a college degree has been the ticket to a better life. My grandfather worked his entire life in a lace mill, but my dad made it to college. He was able to start his own small business, and that made a huge difference in our lives.