Top Items:
Politico:
Emboldened Pelosi takes hard line as relief talks drag on — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stood up before a room full of Senate Republicans noshing on lunch Tuesday, compelled to make a declaration about Speaker Nancy Pelosi. — “There were press reports that Mark is indecisive and I'm owned by Nancy …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
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Roy Neel / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Last Gasp Could Be a Supreme Court Justice in January — The potential for a last-minute conservative SCOTUS appointment by a defeated Trump and a defanged McConnell is real and frightening. — Close your eyes and picture Jan. 3, 2021: The Capitol is teeming with 35 newly sworn-in Senators …
Politico:
‘I want to get an outcome’: McConnell defends strategy as he faces GOP grumbling — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell knows where he needs to take his fellow Republicans on coronavirus relief — but he's not sure how many will follow him there. — Facing a deeply divided Senate GOP conference …
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
In Stimulus Talks, McConnell Is Outside the Room and in a Tight Spot
In Stimulus Talks, McConnell Is Outside the Room and in a Tight Spot
Discussion:
Politico, Denver Post, WTOP and Washington Post
John Wagner / Washington Post:
Pence calls Chief Justice John Roberts a ‘disappointment to conservatives’
Rashaan Ayesh / Axios:
Rand Paul: Republicans should apologize to Obama for complaining about spending
Rand Paul: Republicans should apologize to Obama for complaining about spending
Discussion:
Breitbart and New York Post
Heather Kelly / Washington Post:
For the first time, Facebook removes post by Trump containing coronavirus misinformation — The company is has faced pressure to better moderate its site amid a massive advertiser boycott. — Facebook on Wednesday said it removed President Trump's post of a video clip from a Fox News interview …
Discussion:
National Review, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Fox News, The US Sun, NBC News, IJR, The Root, Bloomberg, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Hill, WAVY-TV, The Verge, Just The News, Contemptor, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze, more at Techmeme »
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New York Times:
Trump's Bank Was Subpoenaed by N.Y. Prosecutors in Criminal Inquiry — The subpoena, sent to Deutsche Bank, suggests that the inquiry into President Trump's business practices is more wide-ranging than previously known. — The New York prosecutors who are seeking President Trump's tax records …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Fox News, CNBC, Daily Kos, The US Sun, Balloon Juice, The Guardian, Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA
New York Times:
The Unique U.S. Failure to Control the Virus — Slowing the coronavirus has been especially difficult for the United States because of its tradition of prioritizing individualism and missteps by the Trump administration. — By David LeonhardtGraphics by Lauren Leatherby
Dmitri Mehlhorn / The Bulwark:
How to Steal an Election — Four ways Trump can still win, 89 days out. — If you want the bad news all at once, the TL/DR is this: — (1) Trump can use normal tactics to win outright or make the race closer. — (2) COVID problems with election administration can take up to 6 percent off of Biden's margin.
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Harry Enten / CNN:
New polls suggest Trump's position has stabilized — (CNN)There's little doubt that former Vice President Joe Biden has the upperhand against President Donald Trump at this point. Biden has led in poll after poll nationally and in almost every poll in the core six battleground states …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Monmouth University …, FiveThirtyEight and The American Independent
Miranda Devine / New York Post:
Joe Biden's mental ability is a campaign issue that can't be ignored — He might be riding high in the polls, but Joe Biden's mental acuity increasingly is an issue in the election campaign, and growling at reporters who ask about it is no way to alleviate voter concerns.
Discussion:
Fox News
CNN:
Trump singles out Texas and Florida for help with coronavirus response — (CNN)President Donald Trump agreed to continue paying for the full cost of National Guard troops deployed to help with the coronavirus response in just two states — Texas and Florida — after their Republican governors appealed directly to him.
Kat Stafford / Associated Press:
Joe Biden launches new national ad aimed at Black Americans — DETROIT (AP) — Joe Biden's Democratic presidential campaign has launched a new national ad focused on Black Americans, urging them to stand up to President Donald Trump the way their ancestors stood up to “violent racists of a generation ago.”
Discussion:
The Hill and The Guardian
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Molly Duffy / The Gazette:
Trump campaign uses unauthorized and altered Gazette photo to criticize Biden
Trump campaign uses unauthorized and altered Gazette photo to criticize Biden
Discussion:
The Hill, Althouse, POLITICUSUSA and IJR
Gary Sheffield, Jr / OutKick:
Joe Rogan Expresses Discomfort Surrounding Joe Biden Campaign
Joe Rogan Expresses Discomfort Surrounding Joe Biden Campaign
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
New York Times:
Blame for Beirut Explosion Begins With a Leaky, Troubled Ship — The bleak tale of chronic negligence started over six years ago, when an indebted vessel and its volatile cargo pulled into port. It ended on Tuesday in a giant explosion. — CAIRO — The countdown to catastrophe …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Robin Wright / New Yorker:
After Twin Explosions, an “Apocalypse” in Lebanon
After Twin Explosions, an “Apocalypse” in Lebanon
Discussion:
The Federalist, The Dispatch and New York Times
Annie Karni / New York Times:
Member of Conservative Think Tank Takes On Reporter Duties on Air Force Two — Instead of a member of the White House press corps, the role of pool reporter was filled by Robert B. Bluey, a vice president at the Heritage Foundation. — WASHINGTON — When Vice President Mike Pence traveled …
Discussion:
The Daily Signal and Twitchy
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Ezra Klein / Vox:
How inequality is changing the Republican Party — and breaking American politics — President Donald Trump shakes hands in 2017 with then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, as Vice President Mike Pence beams. Bill Clark-Pool/Getty Images — A new book tries to untangle the relationship between …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Our nation is in a free fall. But sure, let's talk about Hillary's emails again. — Nearly 5 million covid-19 cases in the United States. One-hundred fifty-seven thousand dead. Thirty-two million out of work. Tens of millions facing eviction, foreclosure and hunger. — What do we do now?
Discussion:
Raw Story, Fox News, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Redstate, Roll Call and TheBlaze
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Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast:
Meghan McCain Won't Commit to Voting Biden Over Trump — “I'm not saying who I'm voting for, but I'm not voting for Trump,” “The View” host said nonsensically on “Watch What Happens Live” Wednesday night. — Meghan McCain officially signed off of The View for the summer last week.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
The Trump campaign's latest contest is a scam. Here's proof. — This week, the Trump campaign has been heavily promoting a contest to win a “VIP Dinner” with Trump in Southhampton, New York, on August 8th. Advertisements on Facebook touted the dinner as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to share a meal with Trump.
CNN:
Kanye West's bizarre ‘campaign’ is designed to help Trump — Kanye West announces he's running for president — John Avlon is a senior political analyst at CNN. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion on CNN. — (CNN)We need to talk about Kanye.
Discussion:
Althouse, The US Sun, Daily Kos, Breitbart and The Hill
NBC News:
Biden dominates the electoral map, but here's how the race could tighten — WASHINGTON — When you're leading a presidential race nationally by double digits, you're set to exceed 300 electoral votes. — And that's where we have Joe Biden in our first battleground map of 2020 …
US Congressman Rodney Davis:
Davis Statement on His Positive COVID-19 Test — f t # e — U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill) released the following statement on his positive COVID-19 test:
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CNN, Reuters, Just The News, New York Post, Decatur, IL Patch, NPR, Politico, The Hill and Axios
Molly Ball / TIME:
How COVID-19 Changed Everything About the 2020 Election — In the 2020 that might have been, nobody is sick and politics is the center of the universe. — The Democratic Party has just nominated Joe Biden and his running mate at its mid-July convention in Milwaukee, while Republicans …
Sarah Dadouch / Washington Post:
'I have no idea how I'm not dead': A Post correspondent recalls doomful night in Beirut — Sarah Dadouch, a Beirut-based correspondent for The Washington Post, shared her experience of Tuesday's explosions with The Post's Siobhán O'Grady. The account was condensed and edited for clarity.
David Crary / Associated Press:
‘See you in court’: ACLU files nearly 400 cases versus Trump — NEW YORK (AP) — The day after Donald Trump's election in November 2016, the American Civil Liberties Union posted a message to him on its website: “See you in court.” — As president, Trump hasn't personally squared off …
Rob Stein / NPR:
Fauci Reveals He Has Received Death Threats And His Daughters Have Been Harassed — Dr. Anthony Fauci says that he has received death threats and his daughters have been harassed as a result of his high-profile statements about the coronavirus pandemic. — “Getting death threats …
CBS News:
Georgia second grader tests positive for coronavirus after first day of school, forcing class to quarantine — Two suburban Atlanta school districts that began in-person classes Monday with mask-optional policies face more questions about COVID-19 safety protocols after on-campus pictures showed students packed shoulder-to-shoulder.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, Raw Story and Eschaton
Barbara Sprunt / NPR:
WATCH: Biden Says He Wouldn't Stand In The Way Of A Trump Prosecution — Joe Biden says that he believes prosecuting a former president would be a “very unusual thing and probably not very ... good for democracy,” but he would not stand in the way of a future Justice Department pursuing criminal charges …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
Natalie Jackson / Sabato's Crystal Ball:
Poll-Based Election Forecasts Will Always Struggle With Uncertainty — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — We have no idea how much uncertainty exists in pre-election polls. That leads to very complex poll-based forecast models. — The general public lacks the expertise necessary …
Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:
Developed countries ‘ban’ mail-in voting, US would be ‘laughing stock’: Report — Most developed countries, especially in Europe, ban mail-in voting to fight vast fraud and vote buying that had threatened the integrity of their elections, according to an exhaustive review of voting rules and histories in over 30 major nations.
Discussion:
Townhall