memeorandum: Clinton aide may have ‘delivered favors’ for friends, IG finds (Sarah Westwood/Washington Examiner)

9:50 AM ET, August 4, 2015

Top Items:

Donald Trump Dominates Republican Field in Pre-Debate Bloomberg Poll — Billionaire Donald Trump is lapping the Republican field, a new Bloomberg Politics national poll shows, as two prominent governors, Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio, rank in the top 10 ahead of the first presidential debate.

Discussion: CBS News, New York Times, Politico, Political Wire, OnPolitics, Oliver Willis and FiveThirtyEight

Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:

Unhappy Voters Shake Up Presidential Race — Unsettled electorate gives a lift to antiestablishment candidates, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds — Pollsters Fred Yang and Bill McInturff sit down with WSJ's Jerry Seib to break down the new poll numbers on the 2016 candidates …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNBC and Taylor Marsh

John DiStaso / WMUR:

WMUR poll: Donald Trump surges to top of GOP primary field in NH — Outspoken business exec leads Jeb Bush, 24 percent to 12 percent — For the first time in the 2016 Republican presidential primary campaign, there is a clear Granite State frontrunner. Business executive Donald Trump's …

Discussion: Political Wire, CNNMoney and Real Clear Politics

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

Fox News Poll: New high for Trump, new low for Clinton — Businessman Donald Trump continues to gain ground in the race for the Republican nomination. What's more, the number of GOP primary voters saying they would at least consider backing Trump has more than doubled in the last two months.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Week, The Right Scoop and Political Wire

Peter Nicholas / Wall Street Journal:
Hillary Clinton Loses Ground With White Women — WSJ/NBC Poll

Discussion: Hot Air

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

Biden challenge to Clinton would face high hurdles — Vice President Biden would have to clear high hurdles to defeat Hillary Clinton if he launched a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. — The biggest one? Carving out a niche — and a reason for his candidacy …

Discussion: Political Wire

John Dickerson / Slate:

Raw Emotion — Joe Biden's “end of summer” decision is near. — A discussion about whether Vice President Joe Biden should run for president gets deep pretty fast. Any talk about ambition, a life's purpose, and the end of a career must take into account of all the woe Biden has had to face in his life.

Discussion: Liberal Values, Mediaite and Allen B. West

Michael Falcone / ABC News:

The Note: Donald Trump on Top — NOTABLES —TRUMP TAKES TOP HONORS (AGAIN): Fresh Bloomberg News and CBS News polls out this morning are the third and fourth major surveys in the last 24 hours to show Donald Trump leading GOP rivals, Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, by at least 11 points, ABC's RYAN STRUYK notes.

Discussion: National Journal, Weekly Standard and Washington Free Beacon

John Cassidy / New Yorker:
Why Biden Would Be a Serious Contender

Discussion: The Week, Hot Air, Fox News and The Atlantic

Chris Grillot / New Orleans Times-Picayune:

NOFD investigating car fire at Planned Parenthood construction site — The New Orleans Fire Department is investigating an Aug. 1 car fire at the South Claiborne Planned Parenthood construction site. (DINAH ROGERS) — The New Orleans Fire Department is investigating a car fire Saturday …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Oliver Willis

Brian Beutler / The New Republic:
The Campaign Against Planned Parenthood Is Causing a Headache for Republicans

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Daily Kos, Slate, Hullabaloo and Forbes

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
Republican effort to strip Planned Parenthood funding stalls in Senate

Discussion: CNN, Jezebel, RH Reality Check and Washington Free Beacon

Eliza Collins / Politico:
Hillary Clinton comes out in support of Planned Parenthood

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Hill, Patterico's Pontifications, The Daily Signal and LifeNews.com

New York Times:

President Obama's Tough, Achievable Climate Plan — President Obama's Clean Power Plan, announced on Monday, is unquestionably the most important step the administration has taken in the fight against climate change. — It imposes the first nationwide limits on carbon dioxide pollution from power plants …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Hill, Daily Kos and Washington Post

Coral Davenport / New York Times:
5 Questions About Obama's Climate Change Plan

Discussion: New York Times, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Washington Post, The Hill and Slantpoint

Matea Gold / Washington Post:

Charles Koch's focus on ‘injustices’ is fueled by an unlikely partnership — DANA POINT, Calif. — Last month, billionaire industrialist and conservative donor Charles Koch was meeting in his Wichita office with Michael Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund …

Discussion: Daily Kos and Jezebel

Philip Eliott / TIME:
Charles Koch Mocks Common Measure of Prosperity

Discussion: Hit & Run, Hot Air and Instapundit

Neetzan Zimmerman / The Hill:

Harvard Lampoon tricks Trump with fake endorsement — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears to be the latest victim in the longstanding rivalry between storied humor publication The Harvard Lampoon and its more staid alter ego, The Harvard Crimson.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite and Raw Story

Mariel A. Klein / Harvard News:
'Poonsters Prank the Crimson—and Dupe Donald Trump

Discussion: The Week

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

Here Are the Polls Fox News Will Use to Select the Candidates for the First GOP Debate — Fox's team of election analysts is currently crunching numbers to set the field. — Shares … Tomorrow around 5 p.m., Fox News executives are scheduled to gather in Roger Ailes's second-floor conference room …

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, Talking Points Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story, Mock Paper Scissors, Mediaite and The Last Refuge

Steven Shepard / Politico:
New polls suggest Rick Perry out of debate

Discussion: Fox News, New York Times and Talking Points Memo

Eli Stokols / Politico:

New Hampshire Voters First Forum: 5 takeaways — For some GOP candidates, the desperation is beginning to show. — MANCHESTER, N.H. — The candidate forum that drew 14 Republican presidential candidates to New Hampshire Monday night served as a practice round ahead of the first official GOP primary debate …

Discussion: Washington Post, USA Today and Hot Air

Gov. Jeb Bush / UnionLeader.com:
Here are the participants in tonight's 2016 Voters First Presidential Forum

Discussion: Washington Post and Daily Kos

KC Downey / WMUR:

2 killed in tent collapse at Lancaster fairgrounds, initial reports say — Approximately 15 people injured in accident — Initial reports said two people were killed when a circus tent collapsed at the Lancaster fairgrounds as severe weather moved through the area Monday evening.

Discussion: Associated Press and WREG-TV

Los Angeles Times:

2 immigrants in U.S. illegally are named to Huntington Park commissions — Julian Zatarain always assumed the doors of City Hall were closed to him because he is here illegally, arriving from Sinaloa in 2007 when he was 13. — The 21-year-old college student found other outlets for service …

Discussion: ImmigrationProf Blog

Debbie Meron / CBS Los Angeles:
Huntington Park Councilman To Appoint 2 Undocumented Immigrants As Commissioners

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and The Right Scoop

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:

Scott Walker just got punked at a New Hampshire pizza shop — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Maybe it should have been a tip-off that the two 20-somethings were so overly excited to meet Scott Walker. Like dramatically excited. The young woman was literally bouncing with excitement.

Discussion: The Week, Addicting Info, New York Times and Prairie Weather

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Sen. Chuck Schumer enlists famous cousin Amy to pitch guns bill — Sen. Chuck Schumer teamed up with another Schumer — actress and comedian Amy — on Monday to push for stricter gun-control laws. — The two Schumers held a news conference in New York to unveil a new proposal drafted …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Raw Story and Guardian

Amy Schumer / USA Today:
Amy Schumer, Sen. Schumer tackle gun violence

Discussion: Addicting Info, Jezebel, American Spectator, Gothamist, The Week, Entertain This! and Mashable

TMZ.com:

Gwen Stefani Files For Divorce from Gavin Rossdale — FILES FOR DIVORCE — From Gavin Rossdale — EXCLUSIVE — Gwen Stefani has filed for divorce from her husband Gavin Rossdale, TMZ has learned. — Gwen cites irreconcilable differences in her divorce petition, which seeks to end their 13-year-marriage.

Discussion: Access Hollywood, The Daily Caller, CBS DC, The Week, Guardian, The Huffington Post and Jezebel

Sam Biddle / Gawker:

Call Donald Trump's Cell Phone and Ask Him About His Important Ideas — Last month, American reality show entertainer turned American political system entertainer Donald Trump publicized presidential rival Sen. Lindsey Graham's cell number, urging his supporters to “try it.”