memeorandum: California sued over climate change policy — by the nation's biggest gas utility (Sammy Roth/Los Angeles Times)

2:40 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 Post, Progress Pond, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA and Balloon Juice

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

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: Washington Post, The Signorile Report and Political Wire

Sam Baker / Axios:

Trump: Coronavirus is “under control” — President Trump said in an interview with “Axios on HBO” that he thinks the coronavirus is as well-controlled in the U.S. as it can be, despite dramatic surges in new infections over the course of the summer and more than 150,000 American deaths.

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

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
How to interview a serial liar and narcissist who is unfit to be president

Discussion: The Bulwark and Raw Story

David Nather / Axios:
Exclusive: Trump declines to praise John Lewis, citing inauguration snub

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

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, 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.

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

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

Discussion: 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, Fox News, KUSA-TV, Daily Kos, Law & Crime, The Root, Mediaite and The Daily Beast

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: Daily Kos, Common Dreams, 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

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

Discussion: Reuters, Fox News, ncsl.org and The Daily Caller

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

Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News: MSNBC producer resigns from network with scathing letter: They block ‘diversity of thought’ and ‘amplify fringe voices’

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 …

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.

Janet Hook / Los Angeles Times: Whither Trumpism? With the president's reelection uncertain, Republicans battle over their future

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 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

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, CNN, Raw Story, New York Times and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »

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

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 …

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, NBC News and Townhall

Sammy Roth / Los Angeles Times:

California sued over climate change policy — by the nation's biggest gas utility — Southern California Gas Co. is taking its battle with state officials over climate change policy to court, arguing in a new lawsuit that the California Energy Commission has failed to promote natural gas as required by state law.

John Caniglia / Plain Dealer:

FBI raids offices at downtown One Cleveland Center building tied to Ukrainian oligarch — CLEVELAND, Ohio — The FBI on Tuesday raided the Cleveland offices of a real estate company tied to a Ukrainian oligarch that owns several downtown buildings. — FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:

Census Cuts All Counting Efforts Short By A Month — The Census Bureau is ending all counting efforts for the 2020 census on Sept. 30, a month shorter than previously announced, the bureau's director confirmed Monday in a statement. That includes critical door-knocking efforts …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, GovExec.com, Colorado Newsline, The Leadership Conference …, Slate, News Releases …, The Hill and KETK.com

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 …

Morgan Phillips / Fox News:

NSA Adviser Robert O'Brien returns to work after recovering from coronavirus — O'Brien will resume in-person duties after two negative COVID-19 tests in a row and a week of being asymptomatic — National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien has returned to work at the White House after contracting a …

Discussion: The Hill

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, Reuters and NPR

Jaclyn Peiser / Washington Post:

‘Shame on all of you’: Viral obit blames Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for man's covid-19 death — Much of David W. Nagy's obituary, which ran in his local paper in Jefferson, Tex., on July 30, recounted his painful death from the novel coronavirus at age 79 and named his surviving family members.

Discussion: Common Dreams

Alex Shephard / New Republic:

Hugh Hewitt Has Always Been a Hack — Over the last four years, the conservative pundit Hugh Hewitt has gone to extraordinary lengths to pretend that Donald Trump does not exist. Hewitt does acknowledge the existence of some version of Trump. This Trump is a serious and sober-minded fellow …

Discussion: New York Magazine

CNN:

The US sent Brazil millions of hydroxychloroquine doses. Months later, they're still in storage — What happened to 2M doses of hydroxychloroquine US sent Brazil — Sao Paulo (CNN)It was the kind of gift that should have come with a return slip. — The Trump administration's donation …

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 …