Top Items:
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump antagonizes GOP megadonor Adelson in heated phone call — When President Donald Trump connected by phone last week with Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson — perhaps the only person in the party who can cut a nine-figure check to aid his reelection — the phone call unexpectedly turned contentious.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, New York Post, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story and The Week
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Anita Kumar / Politico:
Trump exploring executive actions to curb voting by mail — This past spring, President Donald Trump began a full-fledged assault on voting by mail, tweeting, retweeting and railing about massive fraud and rigged elections with scant evidence. — Then the Republican apparatus got to work backing up the president.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Raw Story, The Dispatch and Washington Post
Nancy Cook / Politico:
‘Like Groundhog Day’: Republicans fret over Trump's fading fortunes — President Donald Trump is in an August, coronavirus-induced slump — and his team is feeling it. — The White House's negotiations with Capitol Hill over a fourth economic stimulus package fell apart on Friday …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Raw Story, TheBlaze and Lawyers, Guns & Money
New York Times:
How Kristi Noem, Mt. Rushmore and Trump Fueled Speculation About Pence's Job — After Ms. Noem, the South Dakota governor, flew to Washington on Air Force One, speculation about her ambitions ensued. She made a second trip to smooth things over with Mike Pence.
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Mark Walker / New York Times:
‘If We Get It, We Chose to Be Here’: Despite Virus, Thousands Converge on Sturgis for Huge Rally
‘If We Get It, We Chose to Be Here’: Despite Virus, Thousands Converge on Sturgis for Huge Rally
Discussion:
Daily Kos and New York Post
Robert Draper / New York Times:
Unwanted Truths: Inside Trump's Battles With U.S. Intelligence Agencies — Last year, intelligence officials gathered to write a classified report on Russia's interest in the 2020 election. An investigation from the magazine uncovered what happened next. — In early July of last year …
Toluse Olorunnipa / Washington Post:
Calling it a ‘peaceful protest,’ Trump flouts coronavirus guidelines with golf club gathering — The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights — BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Just before 7 p.m. Friday evening, members of President Trump's private golf club here began streaming into a gilded ballroom by the dozens.
Discussion:
The Hill, Slate, IJR, The Daily Beast and Twitchy
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Andrea Widburg / American Thinker:
President Trump wittily shuts down a snarky reporter — Whether he's studied them or not, President Trump is a master at cutting leftists down using the Rules for Radicals that Saul Alinsky drafted to help further a leftist agenda. At a press conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster …
Discussion:
The Western Journal, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit and Power Line
CNN:
Fact check: At his golf club, Trump nonsensically accuses Democrats of election ‘cheating’ — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump turned a hastily scheduled Friday night “news conference” at his New Jersey golf club into a surreal kind of campaign rally — uttering the usual boasts and false claims …
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
No Wrist Corsages, Please — Has America grown since 1984, or will the knives still be out for Biden's running mate? — WASHINGTON — On the cusp of Joe Biden teaming up with a woman, I am casting back to my time covering the first woman who was a serious contender for veep.
Discussion:
Power Line, Twitchy, Washington Times, New York Post, Althouse, Fox News, The Hill, Instapundit, Mediaite and Balloon Juice
Washington Post:
TikTok's fate was shaped by a ‘knockdown, drag-out’ Oval Office brawl — Trump advisers Mnuchin and Navarro fought over TikTok as Silicon Valley dealmakers tried to get closer to Trump — Last week, as leaders in Silicon Valley, China and Washington raced to seal the fate …
Discussion:
The Verge, Investor's Business Daily, New York Times, Tennessee Star, Wired, TikTok and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Calum Best / The Bulwark:
Jerry Falwell's Zipper Has Been Down for Years — His bizarre Instagram picture is just the latest in a long line of bad decisions that have harmed Liberty University. — The board of trustees of Liberty University announced on Friday that the president and chancellor of the university …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Pulpit & Pen News
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Michael Stratford / Politico:
Falwell placed on ‘indefinite leave’ from Liberty University
Falwell placed on ‘indefinite leave’ from Liberty University
Discussion:
CNN, Slate, New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast and Raw Story
Adam Shaw / Fox News:
Trump says US will be ‘very careful’ after intel community warns of election interference from rival nations — 'We're going to look at it very closely.' — President Trump on Friday said the U.S. will be “very careful” after the intelligence community warned that China, Russia and Iran are seeking to interfere in the 2020 election.
Discussion:
Politico
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Jon Queally / Salon:
“Friday Night Massacre” at US Postal Service: Postmaster General boots top brass ahead of election — The Postmaster General — a major Trump donor — suddenly ousted the Postal Service's top officials … Government watchdogs, Democratic lawmakers, and pro-democracy advocates declared it a …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Greensboro and Mediaite
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Edward-Isaac Dovere / The Atlantic:
This Is Exactly What Susan Rice Feared — A few days before Donald Trump's inauguration, then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice held a press briefing in her office to talk about the threats she saw on the horizon as Barack Obama's presidency drew to a close.
New York Times:
Chris Dodd, an Insider From Biden's Past, Is Helping Him Pick His Future — As Biden works to win over progressive voters, he has empowered a Washington uber-veteran long trailed by allegations of personal and financial indiscretion. — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. knew how to flatter an old friend.
Discussion:
Politico
Amanda Mull / The Atlantic:
America's Authoritarian Governor — America has botched its coronavirus response in so, so many ways since the pandemic began. Even in a country that stands apart from the world for its horrific failures, there have been as many leadership bungles as there are states: Some failed to heed early warnings.
New York Times:
Pelosi Is Playing Hardball on Coronavirus Relief. She Thinks She'll Win. — Emboldened by Republican divisions and a favorable political landscape, the speaker is refusing to agree to a narrow relief measure, unbothered by charges that she is an impediment to a deal.
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Bobby Allyn / NPR:
TikTok To Sue Trump Administration Over Ban, As Soon As Tuesday — TikTok is planning to sue the Trump administration, challenging the president's executive order banning the service from the United States. — The video-sharing app hugely popular with the smartphone generation TikTok …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, WAVY-TV, Lawfare, New York Post, The Wrap, CNBC, NBC News, Foreign Policy, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP and New York Times, more at Techmeme »
Steven Levy / Wired:
Bill Gates on Covid: Most US Tests Are ‘Completely Garbage’ — The techie-turned-philanthropist on vaccines, Trump, and why social media is “a poisoned chalice.” — For 20 years, Bill Gates has been easing out of the roles that made him rich and famous—CEO, chief software architect …
Discussion:
Townhall, TheBlaze, The Verge and Marginal REVOLUTION, more at Techmeme »
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
Identity Politics Conservatism — Conservative elites trying to come up with the next stage of Trumpism are out of touch with what Republican voters actually want. — Trumpism — I keep telling people that Trump is forever and no one believes me. — I get that. I don't want to believe me, either.
Beth Fukumoto / Washington Post:
I was a Republican, and I drew my red line too late. I'll answer for my choices for years to come. — Beth Fukumoto served three terms in the Hawaii House of Representatives and is a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
David Slotnick / Task & Purpose:
The Air Force just awarded a contract to develop a hypersonic Air Force One — Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Business Insider. — The Air Force One of the future might get a major speed boost. — An aerospace company called Hermeus on Thursday announced a contract …
Discussion:
The Drive
commercialappeal:
Memphis woman, who said she is recovering from COVID-19, evicted in Raleigh — Leslie Nelson, a 56-year-old Raleigh resident, was evicted from her home of several years Thursday. Nelson, who struggled to breathe while talking to The Commercial Appeal, said she is recovering from COVID-19.
Matthew Keyes / Campus Reform:
Clemson prof: Trump and ‘anyone who still calls themselves a Republican’ is ‘racist’ — A Clemson University professor wrote that Trump and “anyone who still calls themselves a Republican” is “xenophobic and racist.” — The professor also asked for the home address for the author …
Discussion:
Power Line
New York Times:
Away From Gridlock in Washington, Trump Puts on a Show for His Club — The president held what was billed as a news conference. But there was almost no news, he again said the virus would disappear and his audience seemed at times less the nation than his golf club members.
Discussion:
Twitchy
Jon Levine / New York Post:
NYC Councilman Paul Vallone credits Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 recovery — A Democratic New York City Councilman says hydroxychloroquine saved his life after a near-fatal run-in with COVID-19 in March. — Paul Vallone, who represents northeast Queens, took the drug along with a standard flu Z-pack …