memeorandum: With Russia a campaign issue, Clinton gains on foreign affairs (CNN)

12:05 PM ET, August 2, 2016

Top Items:

GOP Rep. Richard Hanna: I'll vote for Clinton; first House member to cross party line — U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, says he will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president. Hanna said the GOP nominee, Donald Trump, is unfit to serve. The three-term congressman is shown speaking July 18 …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Political Wire, AOL, Independent Journal Review, Outside the Beltway, WND and Balloon Juice

Richard Hanna.JPG / Syracuse Post-Standard:

Rep. Richard Hanna letter: We should all be done with Donald Trump (commentary) — U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, a three-term Republican from Oneida County, represents the 22nd Congressional District. Hanna is shown speaking last month to firefighters in Binghamton. (Provided photo)

Discussion: Washington Post, Mother Jones, Politico, Guardian, Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Business Insider and CNN

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:

GOP Rep. Says He'll Vote For Clinton: Trump Is A ‘National Embarrassment’ — Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) on Tuesday became the first Republican member of the House to openly say that he plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in November. — Hanna, who is not running for re-election this year …

Discussion: Joe.My.God., The Week and Daily Kos

NBC News:

Poll: Clinton Support Spikes Following Democratic Convention — Following the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton now leads Donald Trump by 8 points — 50 percent to 42 percent — up from a single-point difference last week, according to the latest NBC News| SurveyMonkey poll.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, RedState, CNBC, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Hot Air, TVNewser, Joe.My.God. and AOL

Matea Gold / Washington Post: Clinton campaign had best fundraising month yet, with $63 million haul in July

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Clinton campaign reports nearly $90 million raised in July

Discussion: Daily Kos and Washington Post

Ted Johnson / Variety:
Leonardo DiCaprio to Host Hillary Clinton Fundraiser (EXCLUSIVE)

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Deadline and Guardian

Ali Vitali / NBC News:
Trump Calls Clinton ‘The Devil,’ Boasts About Meager $35 Million July Fundraising Haul

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Politico

Daily Mail:
'She's the devil!': …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and WND

Stuart Rothenberg / Washington Post:

Will GOP officials jump ship on Trump? — The last couple of weeks have been nothing short of disastrous for the Republican Party. — No, Donald Trump's position in the race hasn't worsened dramatically, nor did the Democratic convention wash away Hillary Clinton's many political warts.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

NBC News:

First Read: A Last Exit Ramp for the GOP? — First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. — A last exit ramp for the GOP? — Donald Trump's confounding war with a Gold Star family …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, CNN, USA Today, Media Matters for America and National Review

CNN:

With Russia a campaign issue, Clinton gains on foreign affairs — Washington (CNN)Hillary Clinton's post-convention bump extends to enthusiasm about voting and trust on a slew of issues, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll. And on the most prominent foreign policy issue of late …

Discussion: Political Wire, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Washington Monthly

Bret Stephens / Wall Street Journal:
To the Go-Along Republicans — Memo to Paul Ryan …

Discussion: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Paul Nehlen and Politico

Ben Shapiro / Daily Wire:
Democrats, Stop Your Unearned Moral Superiority: Hillary's As Bad As Trump

Discussion: JustOneMinute

Lori Geary / WSB-TV:
Clinton, Trump deadlocked in latest Georgia poll

Discussion: Washington Post, Booman Tribune, Political Insider blog, Politicus USA and WXIA-TV

KUTV-TV:

Utah could vote Democrat for president for first time in 5 decades — (KUTV) The Republican and Democrat national conventions are over and as the dust starts to settle, it looks like Hillary Clinton has a chance to carry Utah in the U.S. presidential election.

Discussion: Political Wire

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

That poll showing Clinton leading in Utah? It doesn't exist. — The only fitting way for the 2016 campaign to end, after all of the tumult and bizarreness that we've seen over the past 20 months, is for there to be some dramatic result on Election Day. An electoral college tie, maybe.

Discussion: The Week and Salt Lake Tribune

New York Times:

Mr. Trump and Spineless Republicans — Just when it seems that Donald Trump could not display more ignorance and bad judgment or less of a moral compass, he comes up with another ignominy or two. This weekend he denigrated the parents of a fallen American military hero and suggested …

Media Matters for America:

Trump vs. Khan: How Smearing Everyday Americans Became A Right-Wing Media Tradition — Who picks a campaign fight with Gold Star parents who have paid the ultimate sacrifice? — That's the dominant campaign question being asked from so many different quarters as Donald Trump continues …

Discussion: Politico, The San Diego Union … and The Bob and Chez Show

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Trump: My Position On Keeping Terrorists Out Is What Bothered Khizr Khan

Discussion: Hot Air, Washington Post, Daily Kos, New York Magazine and Little Green Footballs

New York Daily News:
The risk of bloody-shirt politics: Khizr Khan, Ghazala Khan, Patricia Smith, Cindy Sheehan and our politics

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Reuters:
Trump campaign asks Capitol Hill to back him in Khan controversy

Discussion: The Nation, Tennessean.com, Balloon Juice, Washington Post, CNN, Politico, Political Insider blog, Media Matters for America, Breitbart, Daily Kos, The Hill and CNBC

New York Times:

Donald Trump Avoided Draft With a Heel Problem, but the Details Are Murky — Back in 1968, at the age of 22, Donald J. Trump seemed the picture of health. — He stood 6 feet 2 inches with an athletic build; had played intramural football, tennis and squash; and was taking up golf.

Discussion: The Atlantic, AOL, The Colorado Independent, Daily Kos, The Week, Politicus USA, New York Magazine, Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and The Mahablog, more at Mediagazer »

Nick Gass / Politico:

Eric Trump: Ivanka wouldn't allow herself to be subjected to sexual harassment — Ivanka Trump would not put herself in a position to be sexually harassed in the way that Fox News chief Roger Ailes is accused of doing, Eric Trump said of his older sister Tuesday, as he tried to explain …

Discussion: Guardian, Raw Story and Mediaite

Kirsten Powers / USA Today:
Trump and feminists should quit blaming Roger Ailes' victims: Kirsten Powers

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Atlantic, Business Insider, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Right Wing Watch, Talking Points Memo, Media Matters for America, The Week, BNR and Guardian

Wall Street Journal:

NYPD Commissioner William Bratton to Announce Resignation — Bratton, 68, will be replaced by Chief of Department James O'Neill. — New York City police Commissioner William Bratton will announce on Tuesday that he is resigning and will be replaced by Chief of Department James O'Neill …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Fox News and Business Insider

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Rush Limbaugh renews contract — Rush Limbaugh, the country's best-known conservative talk radio host, has renewed his contract with radio distributor iHeartMedia. — The company called it a “long-term, multi-platform agreement,” but did not disclose any details about the length or value of the contract.

Discussion: New York Times and Shot in the Dark

Alison Knezevich / Baltimore Sun:

Baltimore County police fatally shoot woman in Randallstown barricade … Baltimore County police say they shot and killed a woman Monday after an hours-long standoff at a home in Randallstown. — A 5-year-old boy involved in the barricade was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound, but it was not clear who shot the child.

Discussion: NBC News, CNN, ThinkProgress, AOL, LawNewz, The Daily Caller, The Root and Bearing Arms

Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:

Mother of service member booed over Khan question at Pence rally — CARSON CITY, Nevada — The woman, in a quiet voice, stood before the crowd of hundreds at a town hall-style event here with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and announced that her son serves in the Air Force. The crowd applauded.

Discussion: RedState, Salon, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and The Week

Robert Snell / Detroit News:

FBI: Detroiter built up arsenal, talked of an attack — Detroit — A Detroit man who allegedly bought high-grade explosives from an undercover agent after amassing an arsenal of weapons and talking about carrying out an attack was charged Monday following an FBI counterterrorism investigation.

Discussion: Jihad Watch and WND

Cristiano Lima / Politico:

Trump blasts New York Times: 'They don't write good' — Donald Trump took aim at yet another venerable news outlet Monday night, saying that The New York Times “is just absolutely a disaster” and “so unfair” to his campaign. — “The media is very unfair.

Discussion: Political Wire

Fred Barbash / Washington Post:

Former Ivy League athlete suspended for alleged sexual assault wins important — and surprising — court victory — Can a male student held responsible by a university for an alleged sexual assault successfully make the case that his fate was the result of sex discrimination against him?