memeorandum: Three months out, the presidential election is still being overshadowed (NBC News)

11:55 AM ET, August 3, 2020

Top Items:

As Trump leans into attacks on mail voting, GOP officials confront signs of Republican turnout crisis — President Trump's unfounded attacks on mail balloting are discouraging his own supporters from embracing the practice, according to polls and Republican leaders across the country …

Discussion: Raw Story, Popular Information and POLITICUSUSA

David Siders / Politico:

Trump campaign nears point of no return — Time is running out on Donald Trump. — While there are still 92 days until Election Day, the president has as little as half as much time to begin closing the gap with Joe Biden, according to interviews with nearly two dozen Republican and Democratic Party officials and strategists.

Discussion: Raw Story

Quint Forgey / Politico:

Trump threatens lawsuit to block mail-in voting in Nevada — President Donald Trump threatened legal action Monday after Nevada's Legislature passed a bill to mail ballots to all active voters, suggesting the measure would make it impossible for Republicans to win there in November's general election.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Breitbart, POLITICUSUSA and The Hill

Jesse McKinley / New York Times:

Why the Botched N.Y.C. Primary Has Become the November Nightmare — Nearly six weeks later, two congressional races remain undecided, and officials are trading blame over the mishandling of tens of thousands of mail-in ballots. — Election officials in New York City widely distributed mail …

Detroit Free Press: Here's how Michigan ensures your absentee ballot is secure

Sam Metz / KRNV:
Nevada passes bill to mail all voters ballots amid pandemic

Discussion: Fox News, Law & Crime, Mediaite, Raw Story and CANNONFIRE

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

These Conservatives Have a Laser Focus: ‘Owning the Libs’ — On The Federalist and in Fox News appearances, some of President Trump's supporters don't really defend him. They attack the critics. — When President Trump ran for office four years ago, a conservative writer …

Ben Smith / New York Times:

How the Media Could Get the Election Story Wrong — We may not know the results for days, and maybe weeks. So it's time to rethink “election night.” — Picture this Thanksgiving: Turkey, football (maybe), tenser-than-usual interactions with relatives. And perhaps a new tradition …

Discussion: Breitbart and Twitchy, more at Mediagazer »

Domenico Montanaro / NPR:

2020 Electoral Map Ratings: Trump Slides, Biden Advantage Expands Over 270 Votes — Loading... It's hard to believe that the hole President Trump dug for himself could get deeper, but it has. — A record and widening majority of Americans disapprove of the job he's doing when it comes …

Discussion: The Guardian

Washington Post:

Trump administration examining options for unilateral action if no coronavirus deal is reached with Congress — Negotiations continue on Capitol Hill, but the parties are far apart — The Trump administration is looking at options for unilateral actions it can take to try to address …

Discussion: Mediaite, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, KOIN-TV, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and KRON4

detroitnews:

Republican Michigan senator critical of Gretchen Whitmer tests positive for COVID-19 — Lansing — A Michigan senator who has been a vocal critic of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's handling of COVID-19 says he tested positive for the virus after going through a screening process because of his service in the Army National Guard.

Discussion: Raw Story

Tracy Connor / The Daily Beast: Pol Who Opposed Michigan Gov. Whitmer's Lockdown Has Coronavirus

Liz Peek / Fox News:

Biden's VP choice - this is why he's dithering — The contenders on Biden's short list all have impressive bios - and serious shortcomings — Joe Biden is dithering. He was supposed to tap his running mate the first week of August, but has now postponed the announcement to Aug. 10.

Politico:
Biden VP short-listers jockey as search enters final round in secrecy

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios and The Root

Houston Chronicle:

Thousands of Texans are getting rapid-result COVID tests. The state isn't counting them. — The government's official data on the coronavirus outbreak is startling: More than 4.6 million cases in the U.S. More than 440,000 in Texas. More than 70,000 in Harris County.

Discussion: Washington Post

Carolyn Y. Johnson / Washington Post:

A coronavirus vaccine won't change the world right away — Soaring hopes for a shot may spark resistance to simple strategies that can tamp down transmission — In the public imagination, the arrival of a coronavirus vaccine looms large: It's the neat Hollywood ending to the grim …

New York Times:

Scientists Worry About Political Influence Over Coronavirus Vaccine Project — Operation Warp Speed has moved along at a rapid clip. But some people involved in the approval process fear pressure to deliver an October surprise for President Trump. — In April, with hospitals overwhelmed …

Discussion: The Federalist, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Eschaton and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
How Trump's corruption may doom any attempt at an ‘October surprise’

Discussion: Raw Story

Arlinda Smith Broady / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

COVID cases, exposure have 260 Gwinnett school employees not working — The largest school district in the state reported Sunday that 260 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine because of possible exposure as they prepare for the new school year.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Raw Story

Jon Hilsenrath / Wall Street Journal:

Homicide Spike Hits Most Large U.S. Cities — Journal analysis shows double-digit increases in 36 of 50 biggest cities amid pandemic, though other types of violent crime fell — A sharp rise in homicides this year is hitting large U.S. cities across the country, signaling …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE

CBS News:

Biden increases Texas staff and resources in bid to win Lone Star state — Everything's bigger in Texas — including, as of Monday, Joe Biden's campaign staff. — On Monday the Biden campaign announced a slate of staff hires aimed at flipping the historically conservative Lone Star state …

Discussion: Raw Story

Daniel McGraw / The Bulwark:

‘The Craziness Is Exhausting People’ — How Trump could lose the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. — With just over 90 days left until the election, it's worth taking a close look at the political trends in one of the regions most important to the outcome of the 2016 election and potentially …

Discussion: Raw Story

Ed Yong / The Atlantic:

How the Pandemic Defeated America — Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. — Image above: A masked worker cleans a New York City subway entrance. — How did it come to this?

Discussion: Washington Post

Reuters:

Exclusive: Trump gives Microsoft 45 days to clinch TikTok deal — NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump only agreed to allow Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) to negotiate the acquisition of popular short-video app TikTok if it could secure a deal in 45 days, three people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Reason, CNBC, The Hill and New York Post, more at Techmeme »

The Official Microsoft Blog:
Microsoft to continue discussions on potential TikTok purchase in the United States

Matthew Haag / New York Times:

One-Third of New York's Small Businesses May Be Gone Forever — Small-business owners said they have exhausted federal and local assistance and see no end in sight after months of sharp revenue drops. Now, many are closing their shops and restaurants for good.

Matt Taibbi / Reporting:

Kansas Should Go F— Itself — Author Thomas Frank predicted the modern culture war, and he was right about Donald Trump, but don't expect political leaders to pay attention to his new book about populism — The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism

Discussion: Instapundit

Marlow Stern / The Daily Beast:

John Oliver Unloads on ‘Idiot’ Trump for Endorsing ‘Demon Sperm’ Doctor — The “Last Week Tonight” host was beside himself that the president of the United States has repeatedly defended a wacky doctor who believes ailments are caused by demon sperm. — On Sunday night, John Oliver took …

Discussion: Contemptor

Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:

Another fake Pelosi video goes viral on Facebook — New York (CNN)Facebook's fact-checkers on Sunday labeled as “partly false” a video that it said was manipulated to make it appear as if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was drunk or drugged. The video had been circulating on Facebook since Thursday …

Melanie Zanona / Politico:

Republicans prep for leadership battle if Trump goes down — The maneuvering for power in a possible post-Trump world has already broken out among House Republicans — a worrisome preview for the GOP of potentially chaotic leadership fights this fall. — The party's long-simmering divides …

Discussion: Raw Story

Amanda Carpenter / The Bulwark:

The Blind Oracle of Noonan — The wistful, naïve pronouncements of the speechwriter-turned-columnist. — Good news! All of us who are worried about President Trump and the future of the Republican party can pack it up. Peggy Noonan, our cherished Reaganic oracle …

Elizabeth Drew / New York Times:

Let's Scrap the Presidential Debates — They've become unrevealing quip contests. — Ms. Drew is a journalist based in Washington. — Nervous managers of the scheduled 2020 presidential debates are shuffling the logistics and locations to deal with the threat of the coronavirus.

Discussion: Ballotpedia, Breitbart and Twitchy