Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump's Personal Assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, Steps Down — President Trump's personal assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, whose office sits in front of the Oval Office and who has served as the president's gatekeeper since Day 1 of his administration, resigned on Thursday, two people familiar with her exit said.
Discussion:
CNN, Axios, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, The Week, Raw Story, Political Wire and Washington Times
RELATED:
Nancy Cook / Politico:
Trump's executive assistant resigns from White House
Trump's executive assistant resigns from White House
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
New report details Comey plan to ambush Trump with Moscow sex allegation — A just-released Justice Department inspector general's report provides new details on a January 2017 plan by then-FBI Director James Comey, top bureau officials, and the nation's intelligence chiefs to spring …
Discussion:
Fox News, RedState and twitchy.com
RELATED:
Benjamin Wittes / Lawfare:
What That Comey Email Report Really Says — The inspector general of the Justice Department has determined that it is misconduct for a law enforcement officer to publicly disclose an effort to shut down his investigation. — Michael Horowitz would probably not describe his findings that way.
Discussion:
New York Times, Front Page Magazine and The Daily Caller
Jonathan Turley / The Hill:
James Comey wants an apology? This is myth becoming madness — Two years ago, former FBI Director James Comey came out with a book that celebrated himself as a paragon of “ethical leadership,” a subject that he later taught at the College of William and Mary.
David Harsanyi / New York Post:
James Comey is proof the ‘deep state’ is something to fear
James Comey is proof the ‘deep state’ is something to fear
Discussion:
Breitbart
Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
Sneaky, Leaky James Comey
Fox News:
Comey's violations: Read DOJ watchdog's list of all the times ex-FBI boss broke the rules
Comey's violations: Read DOJ watchdog's list of all the times ex-FBI boss broke the rules
Discussion:
RedState, Axios, Daily Wire, American Military News, The New Neo, Politico and One America News Network
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
The DOJ's inspector general buries the real news
The DOJ's inspector general buries the real news
Discussion:
Mother Jones, CNN, Reason, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Week and Raw Story
Washington Post:
As he campaigns for president, Joe Biden tells a moving but false war story — HANOVER, N.H. — Joe Biden painted a vivid scene for the 400 people packed into a college meeting hall. A four-star general had asked the then-vice president to travel to Kunar province in Afghanistan …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Free Beacon, Breitbart, twitchy.com, Splinter, Fox News, NB Blog, The Guardian, Spectator USA, The Daily Beast, New York Post, Contemptor, CNN, Task & Purpose, Mediaite, Axios, Commentary, Hot Air, The Week, The Daily Caller, PJ Media Home and The American Conservative
RELATED:
Jamie Lovegrove / Post and Courier:
Biden says in SC that ‘essence’ of war story is accurate despite report of false details
Discussion:
Hot Air, Small Dead Animals, Washington Free Beacon, Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, The Week and Bloomberg
Katie Glueck / New York Times:
Joe Biden Dismisses Report That He Told False War Story
Joe Biden Dismisses Report That He Told False War Story
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Jack Crowe / National Review:
Biden Fabricates Emotional War Story While Campaigning in New Hampshire
Biden Fabricates Emotional War Story While Campaigning in New Hampshire
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications, Fox News, Daily Wire and Splinter
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Trump cancels trip to Poland, says he is staying in the U.S. to monitor Hurricane Dorian — President Trump announced Thursday that he is canceling a planned trip to Poland and will remain in the United States to monitor Hurricane Dorian, which is headed toward a potential landfall in Florida …
Discussion:
Politico, One America News Network, Townhall and VICE
RELATED:
Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
Trump Cancels Poland Trip as Hurricane Bears Down on Florida
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Tampa Bay Times, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo and Florida Politics
Steve Contorno / Tampa Bay Times:
Trump's Mar-a-Lago is in the projected path of Hurricane Dorian
Trump's Mar-a-Lago is in the projected path of Hurricane Dorian
Discussion:
Fox News, Florida Politics and Fortune
Tina Nguyen / Vanity Fair:
Aides Admit Trump Was Faking Those “Phone Calls” With China — The president was reportedly “eager to project optimism that might boost markets,” which should hearten the Chinese. — At last week's G7 summit in Biarritz, Donald Trump gave an entire network of world leaders whiplash when he declared …
Discussion:
Political Wire, The Week, Hullabaloo and Hot Air
RELATED:
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
The Trump team is now lying about lying
The Trump team is now lying about lying
Discussion:
Washington Post, Patterico's Pontifications, BizPac Review and ThinkProgress
Brian Niemietz / New York Daily News:
Mugshots show White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham after drunk driving arrests in 2013 and 2015 — Being Donald Trump's spokeswoman can drive a person to drink, but Stephanie Grisham had a record of drunk driving long before she got the job in June.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Hannah Gais / Splinter:
Leaked Emails Show How White Nationalists Have Infiltrated Conservative Media — Conservative institutions in the Donald Trump era have often sought to portray themselves as shocked and appalled by the so-called “alt-right.” White nationalists have also engaged in their own efforts …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, more at Mediagazer »
Brianne Pfannenstiel / Des Moines Register:
DNC will reject Iowa's virtual caucus plan, sources say, throwing the state's first-in-the-nation status into question — The Iowa caucuses are not first because they're important, they're important because they're first. Register opinion editor Kathie Obradovich gives a brief history lesson on the Iowa caucus.
Mike Cason / al.com:
Gov. Kay Ivey apologizes for racist skit from time at Auburn — Gov. Kay Ivey is contacting state legislators, and apologizing for her role in a racist student skit from her time as an Auburn student. — Ivey was president of her Alpha Gamma Delta pledge class at Auburn.
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Post, Politico, CNN, The Auburn Plainsman, NPR, Alabama Political Reporter, Slate, Fox News, ThinkProgress and VICE
RELATED:
Brian Lyman / The Montgomery Advertiser:
Gov. Kay Ivey apologizes for appearing in racist sketch as Auburn undergrad
Gov. Kay Ivey apologizes for appearing in racist sketch as Auburn undergrad
Discussion:
The Root, Splinter, Patterico's Pontifications and Mediaite
New York Times:
Sick Migrants Undergoing Lifesaving Care Can Now Be Deported — LOS ANGELES — Maria Isabel Bueso was 7 years old when she came to the United States from Guatemala at the invitation of doctors who were conducting a clinical trial for the treatment of her rare, disfiguring genetic disease.
Discussion:
Axios
RELATED:
Suzanne Gamboa / NBC News:
Trump administration seeks to deport children with life-threatening illnesses
Trump administration seeks to deport children with life-threatening illnesses
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, The Verge and Political Wire
Will Wright / Lexington Herald-Leader:
Donald Trump Jr. touts Bevin to a mostly-empty arena in Kentucky coal country — Donald Trump Jr. spoke to a mostly-empty arena in Pikeville Thursday afternoon, hoping to muster support within a historically Democratic county for the reelection of Republican Gov. Matt Bevin.
Justin Fox / Bloomberg:
Most Canadians Are Now Better Off Than Most Americans — Middle-class people in the U.S. are losing ground to their peers in other rich countries. — Everybody knows that the U.S. version of capitalism is rougher and tougher than is the norm in other affluent countries.
Eli Steinberg / The Forward:
No One Cares About Attacks Against The Orthodox Because You've Been Dehumanizing Us For Decades — You've all heard the story: A Haredi Jew violently assaulted in broad daylight somewhere in New York City. It happens so often now, with what is almost a chilling regularity …
Discussion:
twitchy.com and CBS New York
RELATED:
Rebecca Liebson / New York Times:
Uproar Over Anti-Semitic Video Produced by Republicans in N.Y. County
Uproar Over Anti-Semitic Video Produced by Republicans in N.Y. County
Discussion:
CNN, electionlawblog.org and The Forward
Eve Fairbanks / Washington Post:
Conservatives say we've abandoned reason and civility. The Old South said that, too. — Conservatives say we've abandoned reason and civility. The Old South used the same language to defend slavery. — After the El Paso shooting, Ben Shapiro — a popular conservative podcaster …
Discussion:
RedState, Commentary and The Resurgent
New York Times:
How a Ring of Women Allegedly Recruited Girls for Jeffrey Epstein — After Mr. Epstein's suicide, his inner circle of girlfriends, employees and other associates is now under scrutiny by prosecutors. — Haley Robson was a 16-year-old South Florida high school student when an acquaintance …
Discussion:
Gothamist and New York Post
ESPN:
No distractions: An NFL veteran opens up on his sexuality — Ryan Russell is a three-year NFL veteran. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015 after a successful college career at Purdue. He played one season with the Cowboys and two for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He started seven games for the Bucs in 2017.
Discussion:
Washington Blade, Outsports, Fox News, Chicago Sun-Times, The New Civil Rights Movement, The FADER, The Source and TMZ.com
NBC News:
Ex-aide to James Mattis claims Pentagon is holding up his memoir — In a lawsuit, Mattis' former communications director claims the Pentagon has prolonged review of his manuscript “to benefit” the former secretary. — A top aide to former Defense Secretary James Mattis filed …
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Post, The Atlantic, CNN, Raw Story, Slate and Vanity Fair
Nate Cohn / New York Times:
Two Polling Methods, Two Views of Trump's 2020 Re-election Chances — Is the president basically like other presidents, or is he uniquely divisive? — There are two major theories about President Trump's standing heading into his re-election campaign. Over the last few months …
Andy Metzger / CommonWealth Magazine:
Kennedy holds 17-point lead over Markey in poll — MORE THAN A YEAR out from the 2020 US Senate primary, Massachusetts Democratic voters strongly favor Congressman Joe Kennedy over Sen. Ed Markey, according to an online poll conducted last weekend. — When respondents were pressed to make a choice …
Hamed Aleaziz / BuzzFeed News:
The Trump Administration Wants To Start DNA Testing Undocumented Immigrants In Government Custody — The Trump administration wants to expand its DNA testing program by enabling Customs and Border Protection officials to extract genetic material from undocumented immigrants in its custody …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Axios, The Week and Splinter
Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
Why white evangelicals should panic — Much white evangelical support for President Trump is based on a bargain or transaction: political loyalty (and political cover for the president's moral flaws) in return for protection from a hostile culture. Many evangelicals are fearful that courts …
Aaron Bandler / Jewish Journal:
Second Chasidic Man Attacked with a Rock in NY — A second Chasidic man was attacked with a rock in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the span of less than a week on Aug. 29, COLlive.com reports. — The victim, who has not been identified, was in his truck waiting for the traffic light to change …
QU Poll:
Release Detail — August 29, 2019 - Majority Of Voters Say Climate Change Is An Emergency Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; 72% Say Congress Needs To Act To Reduce Gun Violence — A majority of registered voters nationwide, 56 percent, say that climate change is an emergency, while 42 percent do not.
Sonam Sheth / Business Insider:
US spies say Trump's G7 performance suggests he's either a ‘Russian asset’ or a ‘useful idiot’ for Putin — Current and former spies are floored by President Donald Trump's fervent defense of Russia at this year's G7 summit in Biarritz, France. — “It's hard to see the bar anymore since it's …
Discussion:
Washington Press
Jessica Campisi / The Hill:
Fox News's Shepard Smith pushes back on Trump: 'There's no new wall ... not true' — Fox News chief anchor Shepard Smith on Wednesday disputed President Trump's recent remarks about border wall construction, saying on air that “there is no new wall.” — Smith's remarks were in response …

