memeorandum: Trump or Biden? Voters in North Carolina could pick as soon as next month (Jane C. Timm/NBC News)

3:50 PM ET, August 4, 2020

Top Items:

Trump's bag of tricks comes up empty against Biden — On a Saturday in late July, Rudy Giuliani was having lunch with Donald Trump at the president's golf course in Virginia. Both men were in unusually good spirits. Giuliani, the president's sometimes lawyer who is representing Trump …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, Progress Pond and Balloon Juice

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

The 9 Wildest Answers in Trump's Interview With Jonathan Swan — President Trump's campaign spent the past several weeks trying to center the presidential campaign on cogency. His message has combined spreading baseless claims that Joe Biden is trying to get out of debating him and offering …

Discussion: New Republic, Washington Post, The Signorile Report and Political Wire

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

How to interview a serial liar and narcissist who is unfit to be president — President Trump's peculiar brew of relentless dishonesty and utter shamelessness often acts as a shield against his interviewers. The lies tumble out at such a furious pace, and the display of corrupt motives is so blatant …

Discussion: The Bulwark and Raw Story

David Nather / Axios:

Watch the full “Axios on HBO” interview with President Trump — In this episode of “Axios on HBO”, President Trump discusses his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the upcoming election and much more with National Political Correspondent Jonathan Swan. The interview was filmed on Tuesday, July 28 and aired Monday, Aug. 3 on HBO.

Discussion: Washington Post, Task & Purpose, CNN, Raw Story, WHDH-TV, Essence, The Root, The US Sun, Mediaite, New York Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Times and Law & Crime

Inae Oh / Mother Jones:

The 3 Worst Moments From Trump's Newest Axios Interview — For the second time in less than a month, President Donald Trump sat down for a mildly tough interview, which aired Monday on HBO, during which he was confronted with facts and some of his most glaring falsehoods were appropriately challenged.

Discussion: Townhall, Vox, National Review, Slate and Outside the Beltway

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

Trump actually doesn't appear to understand how bad the pandemic is — President Trump came prepared, or so it seemed. — When he sat down for an interview with Axios's Jonathan Swan last week, Trump held a number of loose sheets of paper, each with a graph that, he clearly believed …

Discussion: Raw Story and Common Dreams

Sam Baker / Axios:
Trump: Coronavirus is “under control”

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Beast, National Review, IJR, Variety, The Hill and POLITICUSUSA

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Republicans Lead Senate Races in Alabama, Kentucky and Texas, With South Carolina Tied — Polling underscores roadblocks to a filibuster-proof majority for Democrats — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) leads Democrat Amy McGrath by 17 points, 53% to 36%.

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, Washington Times, Balloon Juice and Washington Post

USA Today:

Poll shows Mitch McConnell with large lead over Democratic Senate rival Amy McGrath — A new survey by independent polling firm Morning Consult shows Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a commanding lead in his bid for a seventh term in Kentucky, leading 53% to 36% over his Democratic challenger Amy McGrath.

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: Nothing is decided — DRIVING THE DAY — HERE'S AN AMAZING FACTOID almost two weeks into the talks aimed at producing a Covid relief bill: The two sides have not resolved a single issue. Let us say this another way: Speaker NANCY PELOSI and Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER …

Discussion: Reuters, The Hill, CNN, Raw Story, New York Times and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »

Howard Koplowitz / al.com: Poll: Tommy Tuberville leads Doug Jones by 17 points in Alabama Senate race

Jamie Lovegrove / Post and Courier: Poll: Graham, Harrison neck-and-neck in SC's US Senate race while Trump leads Biden

J. David Goodman / New York Times:

N.Y.C. Health Commissioner Resigns After Clashes With Mayor Over Virus — The resignation of Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the commissioner since 2018, came after Mayor Bill de Blasio stripped her agency of a key virus tracing program. — New York City's health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot …

Discussion: The Federalist, Politico, ABC News, Townhall, Axios, IJR, Political Wire, The Daily Caller, The Hill and Gothamist

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
NYC health commissioner resigns, citing de Blasio's handling of coronavirus pandemic

Discussion: Redstate and Raw Story

Teo Armus / Washington Post:

Colorado police apologize over viral video of officers handcuffing Black girls in a mistaken stop — Sunday morning was meant to be a girls outing for the Gilliams, as cousins, sisters, aunts and nieces piled into an SUV to go get their nails done together in suburban Denver.

Discussion: TheDenverChannel.com, Associated Press, KUSA-TV, Daily Kos, Fox News, Law & Crime, The Root, The Daily Beast and Mediaite

Washington Post:

Michigan ballots tangled in mail delays in advance of Tuesday primary — Mail problems marred the delivery of absentee ballots in Michigan in the run-up to Tuesday's primary in the state, testing election administrators and ramping up fears of political pressure on the U.S. Postal Service just three months before Nov. 3.

Discussion: Fox News, Reuters, The Hill, Reason, VICE, Daily Kos, Raw Story and Political Wire

Carl Campanile / New York Post:
Judge orders New York State to count previously invalidated mail-in ballots

Discussion: Redstate, Townhall and New York Times

Stef W. Kight / Axios:

Trump is registering more new voters than Democrats in key states — The Trump campaign and RNC have now registered 100,000 new voters in the 2020 cycle, more than doubling their numbers from 2016 and shrinking Democrats' registration advantage in key swing states, according to new Trump Victory data provided exclusively to Axios.

Discussion: Townhall and Breitbart

Wall Street Journal:

Kodak Loan Disclosure and Stock Surge Under SEC Investigation — Probe focuses on company's announcement of $765 million government loan to make drugs at its U.S. factories — The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the circumstances around Eastman Kodak Co. KODK 1.44% 's announcement …

Discussion: Common Dreams

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

U.S. Satisfaction at 13%, Lowest in Nine Years — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' satisfaction with the way things are going in the U.S. continues to tumble since it started trending downward at the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Currently, 13% of U.S. adults are satisfied …

Discussion: Axios

Andrew Feinberg / The Independent:

Mary Trump has a stark warning about the political ambitions of Ivanka and Don Jr - and the possibility of a Trump dynasty — In an interview with The Independent, the president's niece says that she expects Donald Jr to try for office, but Ivanka could end up as vice president

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

When Covid Subsided, Israel Reopened Its Schools. It Didn't Go Well. — As countries consider back-to-school strategies for the fall, a coronavirus outbreak at a Jerusalem high school offers a cautionary tale. — JERUSALEM — As the United States and other countries anxiously consider …

David Lauter / Los Angeles Times:

Trump's base starting to erode, new poll shows — President Trump's support among Republicans and other conservative voters has begun to erode amid the continued coronavirus pandemic and its associated economic havoc, a new poll from UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies shows.

Discussion: The Hill

Knight Foundation:

American Views 2020: Trust, Media and Democracy — OVERVIEW — There is a widening gulf between American aspirations for and assessments of the news media. With each passing benchmark study, the American people render deeper and increasingly polarized judgments about the news media …

Discussion: The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Jeffrey Toobin / Penguin Random House:

True Crimes and Misdemeanors — Buy the Audiobook Download: — Apple- Audible- downpour- eMusic- audiobooks.com — ABOUT TRUE CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS — From CNN chief legal analyst and bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin, a real-life legal thriller about the prosecutors …

James LaPorta / Associated Press:

Navy SEALs cut ties with museum over Colin Kaepernick video — DELRAY BEACH — The commander of the Navy SEALs said the unit will suspend its support of the National Navy SEAL Museum, a nonprofit organization not overseen by the military after videos surfaced online of dogs attacking …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Politico:

White House eyes executive orders to upend virus negotiations — The White House is considering a trio of executive orders aimed at shaking up coronavirus relief negotiations with Democrats, a sign of frustration within the Trump administration at the sluggish pace of the talks …

Discussion: The Hill

David Nather / Axios:

Exclusive: Trump declines to praise John Lewis, citing inauguration snub — President Trump dismissed the legacy of the late Rep. John Lewis in an interview with “Axios on HBO,” saying only that Lewis made a “big mistake” by not coming to his inauguration. — The big picture …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Guardian, NPR, New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Hill, POLITICUSUSA, Breitbart and Contemptor

Ryan Grim / The Intercept:

A New Hamilton Book Looks to Reclaim His Vision for the Left … We have arrived at a place where we all, by now, have an opinion of the musical “Hamilton,” whether we've seen it or not, or, at least, we have a strong opinion about people who have opinions of the musical “Hamilton,” whether we or they have seen it or not.

Nicholas Grossman / Arc Digital:

Who, in 2020, is a “Good Republican”? — In — July 2018, conservative writer David French argued in National Review that NeverTrump conservatives should support “Good Republicans” — candidates who are competent and ethical (i.e. not Trumpy) — in the midterm elections.

Charles Davis / Business Insider:

US police used excessive force at least 125 times in the 10 days after the police killing of George Floyd, according to a new report — Foto: John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images PORTLAND, OREGON, USA - JULY 23: Federal police under the orders of Donald Trump launch tear gas …

Discussion: The Root

Politico:

Kansas set to decide Kobach's fate — and possibly the Senate's — Republicans are about to learn if they have a serious problem in Kansas — and another major threat to their teetering Senate majority. — In Tuesday's primary, GOP voters will decide between hard-line conservative Kris Kobach …

Discussion: National Review, Fox News, National Journal, The American Independent, Reuters, New York Times and NPR

Rachel Rosenthal / Bloomberg:

Tech Companies Want You to Believe America Has a Skills Gap — But what they really want is a steady supply of cheap, dependent IT workers. — Weeks before she lost her job, Judy Konopka's desk was already clear. Gone were the photos and plants, the vintage typewriter and illustrated calendar.

Discussion: Breitbart

Ariana Pekary:

Personal news: why I'm now leaving MSNBC — “Just quit.” — That's the advice Alec gave a year and a half ago when I expressed concerns about my job. — “You just quit. It's that simple.” — “Stay at MSNBC at least until the midterms,” Jeffrey said a couple years back.

Discussion: Fox News, National Review, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, Redstate, The US Sun, Mediaite, Twitchy, Townhall, Outside the Beltway, New York Post, The Hill, Just The News and The Daily Caller

Anna Fifield / Washington Post:

Trump views China's Communist Party as a threat. Young Chinese see it as a ticket to a better future. — CHANGSHA, China — The overwhelming humidity of the Chinese summer was not enough to stifle the ardor of the crowds of 20-somethings honoring Mao Zedong, the founding father of Communist China.

Discussion: Townhall and Twitchy

Julia Musto / Fox News:

Trump set to sign landmark Great American Outdoors Act — The act will provide repairs to park infrastructure and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund — President Trump is set to sign the Great American Outdoors Act on Tuesday morning - bipartisan legislation that's …

Discussion: Associated Press, Breitbart and Wall Street Journal

Gabriela Schulte / The Hill:

Poll: 82 percent of voters support a national face mask mandate — A vast majority of voters support the idea of a national mask mandate, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds. — Eighty-two percent of registered voters in the July 26-27 survey said they'd support a national mandate to wear facial coverings …

The Daily Caller:

EXCLUSIVE: Karen Bass Denies Links To Nation Of Islam, Despite Photos And Event Appearances, But Doesn't Disavow Radical Group — California Rep. Karen Bass, a top contender to be presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's 2020 running mate, denied having ties to the Nation of Islam …

Discussion: Fox News, TheBlaze, NBC News and Townhall