memeorandum: We are being defeated in a digital war - but there is still time to fight back (Haroon Ullah/Globe and Mail)

10:05 AM ET, January 7, 2018

Top Items:

Haroon Ullah / Globe and Mail:

We are being defeated in a digital war - but there is still time to fight back — Last year, Russia and its allies engineered a rift between truth and lies, fact and fake news, humans and bots - and the bots are winning. They're winning because social-media firms profit from all traffic …

Seth Abramovitch / Hollywood Reporter:

Michael Wolff Reflects on a Wild Week and Trump's Anger: “I Have No Side Here” (Q&A) — The Hollywood Reporter columnist and author of the sensational White House tell-all ‘Fire and Fury’ opens up about his new notoriety, that infamous Ailes-Bannon dinner party and the process …

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Press, IJR, Mediaite and Reuters

CNN:

Source: Bannon was going to defend Trump until Trump attacked him — Trump: Steve Bannon cried when he got fired — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)Steve Bannon was only minutes away from attacking “Fire and Fury” author Michael Wolff over quotes attributed to the former White House chief strategist …

Discussion: KQED News, British GQ, The Hill, The Guardian, Washington Press, American Greatness, Deadline, Vox, The Gateway Pundit, IJR and twitchy.com, more at Mediagazer »

Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Breitbart editor fires back at Trump over Bannon attack: ‘Outrageous’

Discussion: RedState, Washington Press and CNN, more at Mediagazer »

Jennifer Van Evra / CBC News:

Sarah Silverman's response to a Twitter troll is a master class in compassion — After a troll lashed out at Silverman, she found him help for his pain. — Sarah Silverman may be known for her biting comedy, but her recent exchange with a Twitter troll is being held up as a model of compassion.

Discussion: Mashable and Althouse

Eddie Scarry / Washington Examiner:

Why hasn't Michael Wolff's dementia-Trump ever been seen in public? — President Trump is on TV and in newspapers more than any human on earth, and yet Michael Wolff, based on his time gossiping, has convinced the national media that grandpa got away and is now drooling in the Oval Office.

Dom Amato / Associated Press:

Burlington man charged with motel machete attack — SHELBURNE, Vt. (WCAX) A Burlington man faces attempted murder charges after allegedly attacking a woman with a machete. — “It's pretty scary yes,” said Carl Mcmahon. — Mcmahon is staying at Harbor Place in Shelburne.

Discussion: Jihad Watch, The Daily Caller, WPIX 11 New York and Seven Days

Jeffrey Toobin / New Yorker:

Donald Trump and the Rule of Law — There's been a bomb cyclone of revelations from and about the White House since New Year's Day. But there's a pattern. It all stems from President Trump's contempt for the rule of law. The week began with a tweet from the President that …

Discussion: NBC News, NPR, New York Magazine, Hullabaloo, CNN, The Guardian, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Issie Lapowsky / Wired:

Pro-Kremlin Twitter Trolls Take Aim at Robert Mueller — THE DENSE NETWORK of pro-Kremlin Twitter accounts tracked by the group Alliance for Securing Democracy has spent the last year spreading chaos and discord about topics as diverse as NFL players refusing to stand during the national anthem …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Haley Byrd / Weekly Standard:

Did a Republican Senator Actually Meet with a Psychiatrist About Trump's Sanity? — The “meeting” isn't quite what Politico made it out to be. — On Wednesday night, before Washington was completely consumed by Michael Wolff's West Wing tell-all, Politico published a piece feeding into a different frenzy …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, RedState, twitchy.com and 89.3 KPCC

Avi Selk / Washington Post:
Here are the people closest to Trump who might doubt his mental fitness

Discussion: CNN, Raw Story, Washington Press, Mediaite and Power Line

Tara Culp-Ressler / ThinkProgress: GOP leaders happily stand by Trump as he becomes increasingly unhinged

Darryl Fears / Washington Post:

Official who improperly helped Redskins owner cut down trees picked as National Park Service deputy director — A former National Park Service official who improperly helped Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder cut down more than 130 trees to improve a river view at his Potomac, Md. …

Avery Anapol / The Hill:

More than $100K raised for Moore accuser whose home was destroyed in suspicious fire — In less than 24 hours, more than $120,000 was raised in a GoFundMe for the Roy Moore — accuser whose house burned down in a suspicious fire. — Former Obama staffer Katie Jacobs Stanton started …

Discussion: RedState, Politicus USA and Vox

USA Today:

President Trump's Twitter-fueled foreign policy: Not as bad as you might think. — Yes, Trump is a maverick and populist. But thanks to him, 2017 witnessed less of a dramatic departure from the norm in foreign policy than has been alleged. — With each new barrage of foreign policy tweets …

Discussion: RedState

The Times of Israel:

Report: Ex-Iranian president Ahmadinejad arrested for inciting unrest — According to Arab paper, former leader's comments against Rouhani government amid rallies have led authorities to seek to place him under house arrest — Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been arrested …

Discussion: Jihad Watch, Power Line, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller and New York Times

James Fallows / The Atlantic:

How Actual Smart People Talk About Themselves — I've never met or interviewed Donald Trump, though like most of the world I feel amply exposed to his outlooks and styles of expression. So I can't say whether, in person, he somehow conveys the edge, the sparkle, the ability to connect …

Discussion: Althouse