memeorandum: Ethics panel launches Gaetz investigation over Cohen tweet (Kyle Cheney/Politico)

8:35 PM ET, June 28, 2019

Top Items:

A New Racist Campaign Against Kamala Harris Is Taking Shape — Not long after Sen. Kamala Harris challenged Joe Biden's record on race during part two of the first Democratic debate last night, a barrage of tweets questioned her race and US citizenship. While these claims erupted …

Discussion: The Daily Beast

New York Times:

Donald Trump Jr. Shares, Then Deletes, a Tweet Questioning Kamala Harris's Race — WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, shared a tweet from a far-right supporter during the Democratic debate on Thursday night that quickly ignited a question online: Was Senator Kamala Harris …

Frank Rich / New York Magazine:

Kamala Harris's Debate Performance Should Scare Trump — Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, the fallout from the first Democratic debates. — Over this week's two nights of debates …

Ezra Klein / Vox:

Kamala Harris was the Democrat you could imagine taking on Trump — How Harris shut down Joe Biden and transformed her candidacy, plus four other takeaways. — Sen. Kamala Harris is the closest Democrats have to a potential consensus candidate. She doesn't suffer from the enmity …

Discussion: Politico, New York Magazine, Breitbart, VICE, NBC News and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

Frank Bruni / New York Times:

And Now, the Dream of a Harris-Buttigieg Ticket — Two new Democratic stars outshone Biden and Sanders on the debate stage. — The big question going into Thursday night's debate was whether Joe Biden, the clear front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, would stumble.

David Brooks / New York Times:

Dems, Please Don't Drive Me Away — The dynamic pulling the party leftward. — I could never in a million years vote for Donald Trump. So my question to Democrats is: Will there be a candidate I can vote for? — According to a recent Gallup poll, 35 percent of Americans call themselves conservative …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The American Conservative, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, twitchy.com, Mother Jones, The Hill, alicublog and The Root

New York Times:

A Day After Bruising Debate, Biden Pushes Back Against Criticism on Civil Rights — CHICAGO — A day after a bruising debate in which Senator Kamala Harris laced into his history on civil rights, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. provided a lengthy and vigorous defense of his record …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, educationrealist, CNN, Washington Post, New York Times and The Wrap

Gabriel Debenedetti / New York Magazine:

Live Polling of the Debates: Good News for Harris, Warren, Biden, and Substance — While 20 Democratic presidential candidates debated over four hours on Wednesday and Thursday night, a group of 210 voters convened by leading party pollster Stanley Greenberg offered their live impressions …

Discussion: The Week

Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Dem debates spark fundraising gusher for breakout stars

Discussion: Washington Post, One America News Network, Political Wire and Vox

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
'My Time Is Up. I'm Sorry.'

Discussion: Refinery29 and CityLab

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Kamala Harris's takedown of Joe Biden was more lethal than it seems

Discussion: Hullabaloo, VICE, Reason, The Mahablog, Daily Kos, Breitbart, CNN and Vanity Fair

Jessie Hellmann / The Hill:
Harris clarifies private insurance stance: ‘No, no’ I don't think it should be eliminated

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, HuffPost, Common Dreams, IJR, twitchy.com and Breitbart

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:

Joe Biden loses support of top campaign fundraiser in Bay Area after comments on segregationists and Hyde amendment — KEY POINTS — Former Vice President Joe Biden lost a key financial supporter after his comments on working with segregationists and flip flopping on the Hyde Amendment.

Discussion: HuffPost, Politico, Associated Press, Mercury News, CNN and Liberty Unyielding

Domenico Montanaro / NPR:
LISTEN: Biden Supported A Constitutional Amendment To End Mandated Busing In 1975

Discussion: Above the Law, Washington Post and Vox

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Biden addresses one problem, but bigger ones remain

Discussion: ABC News

Brian Stelter / CNN:

Harris, Biden face-off is highest-rated Democratic primary debate in history — New York (CNN Business)Thursday night's Democratic debate featuring Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and eight other candidates was the highest-rated Democratic match-up in Nielsen ratings history.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, The Week, Shareblue Media and LGBTQ Nation, more at Mediagazer »

Alexander Nazaryan / Yahoo News:

Conservative organization using claims of ‘secret list’ of liberal judges to rally Republican base — WASHINGTON — The Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative organization instrumental in the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation fight, is now calling on 2020 Democratic candidates to release …

Elizabeth Warren / Medium:

Revitalizing Diplomacy: A 21st Century Foreign Service — American security and prosperity depend on robust diplomacy. Our diplomats are the front line of our engagement with the world. They serve in over 270 posts worldwide, many in difficult or dangerous locations.

Discussion: Vox and Politico

MJ Lee / CNN: Elizabeth Warren pledges not to give ambassadorships to wealthy donors if elected

Alex Pareene / New Republic:

Take Marianne Williamson Seriously — The Democratic debate last night wasn't actually America's introduction to Marianne Williamson. She has multiple New York Times best-selling books and was a regular fixture on The Oprah Winfrey Show for many years. In 1997, Mother Jones covered …

Discussion: CBS News, The American Spectator, Spectator USA, CNN, Rolling Stone, Daily Wire, No More Mister Nice Blog and Gizmodo

Joe Concha / The Hill:
Andrew Yang says microphone was ‘not on’ at times during Democratic debate

Discussion: Breitbart, Politico, Big League Politics, Spectator USA, The Wrap, The Week, CNN and The Daily Caller

Molly Jong-Fast / The Bulwark: The Intergalactic Presidency of Marianne Williamson

John Wagner / Washington Post:

Jimmy Carter says Trump wouldn't be president without help from Russia — Former president Jimmy Carter said Friday that he believes a full investigation of the 2016 election would show that President Trump prevailed because of Russian interference on his behalf and otherwise would not be in office.

Discussion: Axios, Breitbart and Reuters

Veronica Stracqualursi / CNN: Jimmy Carter suggests Trump is an illegitimate president

Sarah Cammarata / Politico:
Jimmy Carter says a full investigation would show Trump lost in 2016

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox, Joe.My.God., TheBlaze and Washington Free Beacon

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Ethics panel launches Gaetz investigation over Cohen tweet — The House Ethics Committee announced Friday that it is investigating Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for a February tweet in which he threatened to release embarrassing personal information about President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Discussion: Axios, BuzzFeed News, Shareblue Media, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller and Mediaite

Emily Singer / Shareblue Media:
Matt Gaetz is afraid someone will throw pee at him

Discussion: Roll Call, Joe.My.God. and Florida Politics

The Hill:

Trump offers to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in DMZ — President Trump on Friday said he would be willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea after the Group of 20 summit that's taking place this weekend in Japan.

Discussion: RedState, The Sun, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite

David Nakamura / Washington Post: In a tweet, Trump appears to invite Kim Jong Un to meet him at the Korean demilitarized zone

Aaron Klein / Breitbart:

E. Jean Carroll Joked About Sex in Bergdorf's Department Store Years Before Alleged Trump Rape — NEW YORK — Author and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll referenced sex inside Bergdorf Goodman in a column published about two years before the timeframe in which she claimed to have been raped …

Discussion: Vanity Fair, The American Spectator, New York Times and checkyourfact.com

Elaina Plott / The Atlantic:
Another Allegation—And Trump's Allies Just Don't Care

Discussion: Washington Post and ABC News

Andrew Sullivan / New York Magazine:

The Democratic Candidates Are in a Bubble on Immigration — There is now a photograph that sums up everything wrong about America's broken and overwhelmed immigration system. You've seen it, and it is hard to let it leave the mind or the conscience. Together with the accounts of horrifying abuse …

Discussion: The American Conservative

Slate:

John Roberts Played This Supreme Court Term Perfectly — When Justice Anthony Kennedy retired a year ago, it was obvious that Chief Justice John Roberts—nobody's median anything—would become the court's center of gravity, while remaining its center of gravitas.

Discussion: Politico

Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
Roberts's Rules of Misrepresentation

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

J. Breen Mitchell / WFMJ-TV:

Vindicator announces it will stop production — After more than a century, The Vindicator will permanently cease production. — According to sources, the paper's final issue will be published in mid-August. — The announcement came Friday afternoon, just days after the newspaper marked its 150th anniversary.

Discussion: Plain Dealer, more at Mediagazer »

Ted Nesi / WPRI-TV:

Kennedy: I now support Trump impeachment inquiry — EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Congressman Joe Kennedy III announced Friday he now supports opening an impeachment inquiry against President Trump, becoming one of the most high-profile House Democrats yet to break with Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the charged question.

Discussion: BostonGlobe.com, Mediaite and Daily Kos

Ari Berman / Mother Jones:

7 Months After Florida Approved an Expansion of Voting Rights, the Governor Just Gutted It — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law on Friday denying the right to vote to anyone with a past felony conviction who owes money to the state. Critics call it a modern-day poll tax …

Discussion: Washington Post

Meagan Flynn / Washington Post:

Ken Cuccinelli, head of citizenship service, blames migrant father for drowning deaths captured in photo — Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said on CNN on Thursday night that a widely circulated photograph of a migrant father and his 23-month-old daughter …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Slate, Shareblue Media, Washington Times, VICE and CNN

Abigail Summerville / Wall Street Journal:

Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes to Face Trial Next Year on Fraud Charges — August 2020 trial date set for former biotech entrepreneur, her top deputy — SAN JOSE, Calif.—Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of disgraced blood-testing startup Theranos Inc., will face trial in federal court …

Discussion: TechCrunch