memeorandum: Two unhinged GOP congressmen accuse Democrats of staging neo-Nazi riot in Charlottesville (Eric Boehlert/Shareblue)

11:45 PM ET, August 21, 2017

Top Items:

Trump Sets U.S. Strategy but No ‘Blank Check’ for Afghan War — WASHINGTON — President Trump put forward on Monday a long-awaited strategy for resolving the nearly 16-year-old conflict in Afghanistan, but he declined to specify either the number of troops that would be committed …

Discussion: Washington Post, Breitbart, FiveThirtyEight, Taylor Marsh, Splinter and Axios

Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:

Trump announces change of heart on Afghanistan — America's longest war is about to get longer. — President Donald Trump on Monday pledged a new strategy in Afghanistan, while refusing to divulge troop numbers, as he said the office of the president had changed his instincts to pull out of the nearly 16-year-long war.

Discussion: Axios

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Trump's Afghanistan flip-flop — This post has been updated with The Post's reporting. — President Trump is expected to announce a limited troop increase as a part of his new strategy in Afghanistan. And as many were quick to point out, that's a big flip-flop for a man who for years called for withdrawal from that war.

Discussion: Townhall.com, ABC News, New York Times, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, VICE News, CNBC, Politico, Politicus USA, CNN, Hit & Run and IJR

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
'It's a hard problem': Inside Trump's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan

Discussion: Mother Jones

Associated Press:
Sixteen years of U.S. warfare in Afghanistan have left the insurgents …

Discussion: Politico

David Nakamura / Washington Post:
Trump announces new strategy for Afghanistan that calls for a troop increase

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNBC, Politicus USA, CBS New York and IJR

Ford Springer / The Daily Caller:

It's High Time Barron Trump Starts Dressing Like He's In the White House — I've been on the Barron Trump train from the start, but it's about time the president's son starts dressing the part. — Barron is the youngest son of Donald Trump and the only child the president shares with Melania Trump.

Discussion: IJR, Mediaite and Raw Story

Amy B Wang / Washington Post:

‘20 seconds of burning’: Friends partly blinded after watching solar eclipse warn of dangers — It was a clear day when Louis Tomososki's science teacher mentioned that a partial solar eclipse would be visible from their hometown of Portland, Ore., that afternoon.

Discussion: Slate, USA Today, New York Times, Gizmodo, Vox, The Week and VICE News

Esme Cribb / Talking Points Memo:

Trump Looks At The Sun During Solar Eclipse Despite Shouted Warning — President Donald Trump's administration on Monday took a moment in the afternoon to observe the first total solar eclipse to pass over the United States from one coast to the other since 1918.

Discussion: The Atlantic, Raw Story, Politicus USA, The Week, Mother Jones, Joe.My.God., TMZ.com and Gizmodo

Chris Cillizza / CNN:
Yes, Donald Trump really did look into the sky during the solar eclipse

Discussion: New York Daily News, Q13 FOX News and VICE News

Allan Smith / Business Insider:
Trump looked at the solar eclipse without glasses despite a shouted warning from an aide

Discussion: Washington Post

Gary Langer / ABC News:

Only 28% approve of Trump's response to Charlottesville (POLL) — President Donald Trump moves out of his difficult Charlottesville week and into his national address on Afghanistan policy tonight with a poor but stable job performance rating and still-weaker grades for his handling …

Discussion: Business Insider, Axios, The Week and Mediaite

Washington Post:
Poll shows clear disapproval of how Trump responded to Charlottesville violence

Discussion: Politicus USA

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
Survey: 9 percent call neo-Nazi views acceptable

Discussion: twitchy.com

Kevin Johnson / USA Today:

Exclusive: Secret Service out of money to pay agents because of Trump's frequent travel, large family — WASHINGTON — The Secret Service can no longer afford to pay hundreds of agents it needs to carry out an expanded protective mission - in large part due to the sheer size of President Trump's family …

Discussion: Washington Post, Shareblue, The Atlantic, Daily Wire, Raw Story, The Hill, Mother Jones, Hullabaloo, The Root, Vox, Axios, TheBlaze, vice, TalkLeft, Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice, IJR, NBC News, Politico, The Guardian, New York Magazine, RedState, Mashable, Mediaite, FOX2now.com, VICE News, Daily Kos, AOL, Gizmodo, Shakesville, Splinter, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Joe.My.God. and The Week

Facebook:

Let There Be No Confusion — I was struck by the tone Heather Heyer's parents took at her memorial service. Here they are suddenly grieving and saying goodbye to their daughter, taken by an act of domestic terrorism. And instead of turning to anger, they call for healing and forgiveness.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, IJR and Talking Points Memo

Associated Press:
The Latest: Ryan defends tax breaks for Taiwan company

Discussion: Axios and ABC News

Alison R. Parker / Shareblue:
Paul Ryan issues 434 words on Charlottesville, and none of them are “Donald Trump”

Discussion: IJR and Daily Wire

Jordain Carney / The Hill:

McConnell: ‘Most news is not fake’ — (R-Ky.) defended the media on Monday, just hours after President Trump lashed out at “fake news” on Twitter. — “My view is that most news is not fake, but I do try to look at a variety of sources,” McConnell said at a Louisville Chamber of Commerce event …

Discussion: CNNMoney, IJR, Mother Jones, Mashable, The Week, Business Insider, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Politicus USA, New York Times, Mediaite, RedState, Joe.My.God. and ABC News

Negassi Tesfamichael / Politico:
McConnell undercuts Trump's claim: ‘Most news is not fake’

Discussion: Breitbart, Liberal Values, The Gateway Pundit, Politicus USA, Axios and TheBlaze

CNN:

Trump nominee Sam Clovis: ‘As far as we know’ homosexuality's a choice, ‘logical’ LGBT protections could lead to legalization of pedophilia — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)Sam Clovis, Donald Trump's pick to be chief scientist for the Department of Agriculture, has argued that homosexuality …

Discussion: The Hill, IJR, Daily Kos, Splinter, Raw Story, Towleroad, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire

Houston Chronicle:

Houston man charged with trying to plant bomb at Confederate statue in Hermann Park — Museum District area evacuated as agents search home — A Houston man has been charged with trying to plant explosives at the statue of Confederate officer Richard Dowling in Hermann Park, federal officials said Monday.

Discussion: RedState, Todd Starnes, The Gateway Pundit, The Lid, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, IJR, Axios and twitchy.com

Mark Berman / Washington Post:
Texas man charged with trying to bomb a Confederate statue in Houston

Discussion: New York Times

Eric Boehlert / Shareblue:

Two unhinged GOP congressmen accuse Democrats of staging neo-Nazi riot in Charlottesville — Republicans embraced tin foil hat conspiracies and claimed Democrats lured white supremacists to Virginia in order to stage violence. — Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)

Discussion: Idaho Statesman, AOL and Raw Story

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

That Russian Guy Who Attended The Trump Tower Meeting Is Almost Definitely a Spy — A month and a half ago, the New York Times obtained emails in which Donald Trump Jr. set up a meeting in Trump Tower with Russian officials who were promising him sensitive information, on his father's opponent, that would help the Trump campaign.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Raw Story and New York Times

Arizona Republic:

Phoenix Trump rally … Gov. Doug Ducey will greet President Donald Trump on the tarmac after Air Force One touches down Tuesday afternoon for his first presidential visit to the Grand Canyon state. — But the Republican governor, who like many in the GOP has diplomatically sidestepped Trump …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Shareblue and Talking Points Memo

Omaid Faizyar / RealClearDefense:

Did China Hack the Seventh Fleet? — Today the USS McCain collided a merchant vessel, marking the 4th incident in the past year at the Navy. The timeline is as follows: … These ships share similarities, they are all based in Yokosuka Naval Base, and the USS McCain & USS Fitzgerald …

Discussion: CNBC, JustOneMinute and New York Times

Josie Cox / The Independent:

Breitbart News: Nearly 2,600 advertisers have pulled advertising from the far-right website — On Friday, Steve Bannon, known for his nationalist views, returned to head up the site after leaving the White House — More than 2,500 advertisers have reportedly stopped advertising …

Discussion: The Hill, Media Matters for America, The Week and Joe.My.God., more at Mediagazer »

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:

All the Light Trump Was Not Supposed to See. But He Peeked. — Of course he looked. — Monday's solar eclipse — life-giving, eye-threatening, ostensibly apolitical — summoned the nation's First Viewer to the Truman Balcony of the White House around 2:38 p.m. — The executive metaphor came quickly.

Peter Hasson / The Daily Caller:

EXCLUSIVE: Keith Ellison Reveals Nancy Pelosi's Real Views On Single-Payer [VIDEO] — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is more supportive of pursuing a single-payer health care system than she's willing to publicly admit, deputy Democratic National Committee chair and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison …

Discussion: Power Line, IJR and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:

Van Driver in Barcelona Attack Is Killed by Police — SUBIRATS, Spain — The fugitive believed to have driven the van in last week's terrorist attacks in Spain was shot dead by the police on Monday in a village outside Barcelona after a Europeanwide dragnet, the police announced.

Discussion: Telegraph, TheBlaze, Business Insider, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, BBC and The Local

Matt Stevens / New York Times:

Christopher Cantwell, White Nationalist in Vice Video, Braces for Charges — By at least one measure, Christopher Cantwell, a self-described white nationalist, said he believed his decision to be interviewed in a Vice News report had “worked out magnificently.”

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story and Daily Kos

Daniel W. Drezner / Washington Post:

White House aides can't stop talking about President Trump like he's a toddler — The Trump-as-toddler Twitter thread, explained and curated — It started, as all 2017 stories about American politics start, with a garden-variety snarky tweet: … The point of the tweet was to push …

Discussion: Business Insider and Shareblue

The Daily Beast:

Jeffrey Lord, Fired Pro-Trump CNN Figure, In Talks With Breitbart … It's been nearly two weeks since Jeffrey Lord, the former Reagan administration official and pro-Trump political commentator, was sacked from his contributor job at CNN. — The abrupt firing, officially due to Lord tweeting …

Discussion: IJR, Raw Story and Mediaite