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, Fox News, Althouse, 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
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
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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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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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.
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, The Wrap, New York Post, CNBC, NBC News, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, Foreign Policy 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 »
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.
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.
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.
BuzzFeed News:
Dozens Of NYPD Officers Swarmed The Home Of A BLM Protester But Didn't Make An Arrest — Derrick Ingram, a Black Lives Matter protester with the group Warriors in the Garden, livestreamed on Instagram dozens of police officers trying to enter his home. Hours later, police retreated without making any arrest.
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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
Adam Shaw / Fox News:
Joe Arpaio loses bid to win back Arizona sheriff's job, narrowly losing GOP primary — Arpaio lost by more than 6,200 votes — Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Friday lost his bid to reclaim the post he held for more than two decades, narrowly losing to a former aide in the Republican primary.
Discussion:
Associated Press
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