memeorandum: Covid-19 cases tied to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota have reached across state lines (Harmeet Kaur/CNN)

8:50 AM ET, August 22, 2020

Top Items:

McCollister endorses Biden, invites other Nebraska Republicans to join — Sen. John McCollister of Omaha said Friday he's joining a number of fellow Republicans in deciding to formally endorse Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in his bid to unseat Republican President Donald Trump.

Eric Bradner / CNN:

Biden's campaign says it raised $70 million during DNC watched live by 122 million people — Biden: ‘Light is more powerful than dark’ — (CNN)Joe Biden's campaign, the Democratic National Committee and their joint fundraising committees raised $70 million over the party's four-day convention this week …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, Bloomberg, The Guardian, The Week, Boston.com and Washington Post

Neal Rothschild / Axios:

Michelle Obama won the Democratic convention — No speaker at the Democratic National Convention came close to generating as much online enthusiasm as Michelle Obama, according to NewsWhip data shared exclusively with Axios. — Why it matters: By these measures, the most effective messenger …

Discussion: Associated Press, Real Clear Politics and Just The News

Joe Concha / The Hill:
Biden draws highest TV ratings of Democratic convention, but down from 2016

Discussion: Axios, Fox News, Townhall, Breitbart, Sean Hannity and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:
Democrats to stage week of counterprogramming to Republican convention

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill and Bloomberg

Meghan Roos / Newsweek:
GOP Vermont Gov. Says He Won't Vote for Trump But ‘Would Consider’ Supporting Biden

Discussion: Townhall, HillReporter.com and Breitbart

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
Joe Biden, America's Un-Trump

Discussion: ABC News, Redstate, Associated Press, Just The News, Al Jazeera, The Yeshiva World and The Hill

The Daily Beast:

National Enquirer Chief David Pecker Out After AMI Merger — The tabloid king has been dethroned as the financially troubled American Media Inc. merges with a company that markets face masks and vitamin supplements. — American Media Inc.'s longtime chairman and chief executive David Pecker …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Ben Smith / New York Times:

National Enquirer Chief David Pecker Loses Top Job in Company Merger — As the longtime media executive moves to an adviser role, American Media, the parent of The National Enquirer, has been renamed A360Media as part of a planned merger with a logistics company.

Discussion: Variety, more at Mediagazer »

Associated Press:

David Pecker out as CEO of National Enquirer parent company — NEW YORK — David Pecker is stepping down as CEO of the National Enquirer's parent, ending a reign that saw the company entangled in a campaign-finance scandal that sent President Donald Trump's personal lawyer to jail.

Discussion: PR Newswire and The Hill

U.S. Department of Justice:

Former Army Special Forces Officer Charged in Russian Espionage Conspiracy — Former Green Beret Allegedly Conspired to Provide National Defense Information to Russian Intelligence — A Gainesville, Virginia, man was arrested today for conspiring with Russian intelligence operatives …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and Just The News

Adam Goldman / New York Times:

Ex-Green Beret Charged With Spying for Russia in Elaborate Scheme — Prosecutors said he provided classified information to Russian intelligence operatives for years, betraying the United States. — WASHINGTON — A former Army Green Beret captain was accused on Friday of violating espionage laws …

Discussion: Raw Story and WCCO | CBS Minnesota

NBC News:
Former Green Beret charged with spying for Russia

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Bloomberg, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and Washington Times

U.S. Department of Justice:
Former Army Green Beret Charged in Russian Espionage Conspiracy

Discussion: Newsbusters, Law & Crime, Sputnik News, Task & Purpose and TASS

Ben Jacobs / New York Magazine:

Kanye West's Presidential Campaign Is Both Proceeding and Unraveling — The last 48 hours have presented a series of new challenges for Kanye West's haphazard campaign for president. — In a span of two days, West was booted from the ballot in five states: Illinois, Montana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

CNN:

Appeals court sets September 1 hearing on deadline for Trump's financial records subpoena — (CNN)A federal appeals court denied President Donald Trump's attempt to halt the enforcement of a subpoena for his financial records but at the same time set a rapid schedule for oral arguments in the case …

Discussion: NBC New York, Bloomberg, Political Wire and Sputnik News

NBC News:
Trump files emergency motion to block release of his tax returns

Discussion: Axios, Reuters, POLITICUSUSA and The Gateway Pundit

Washington Post:

Ex-CIA director John Brennan questioned for 8 hours in U.S. Attorney John Durham's probe, a Brennan adviser says — Former CIA director John Brennan was interviewed for eight hours Friday by the federal prosecutor specially assigned by Attorney General William P. Barr to review …

Discussion: Breitbart, Politico and Twitchy

Jordan Libowitz / CREW:

CREW Gets Hope Hicks' Financials — Late on Friday, CREW received Hope Hicks' financial disclosure forms filed when she reentered the Trump administration. The forms show that her time away from the White House was lucrative for the once and future senior Trump aide.

Kylie Atwood / CNN:

Trump remains largely silent on reported poisoning of Russian dissident as Europe, US lawmakers offer support — (CNN)The Trump administration has not made any substantial statement on the suspected poisoning of Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, in sharp contrast to European reaction …

Discussion: New York Post and The Week

Financial Times:
Alexei Navalny given all clear to be evacuated from Russia

Discussion: The Guardian, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Sky News, МИА, Breitbart, The US Sun, Associated Press, NPR, ABC News, UPI, Reuters and The Indian Express

Vladimir Kara-Murza / Washington Post:
The world must pay attention to the suspected poisoning of Alexei Navalny. My own case shows why.

Discussion: Forbes, New York Times, Politico, New Yorker and Foreign Policy

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:

‘It was great’: In leaked audio, Trump hailed low Black turnout in 2016 — In a private meeting inside Trump Tower days before his inauguration, Donald Trump told a group of civil rights leaders something most Republicans wouldn't dare publicly acknowledge: lower turnout among Black voters did …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hill and Raw Story

Luke Barr / ABC News:

Trump says he wants police at polling sites. Experts say that's unlawful. — The president was responding to a question from Sean Hannity. — A day after Donald Trump told Sean Hannity he wanted law enforcement officers at polling places, a chorus of experts including multiple secretaries …

Discussion: The US Sun and Washington Post

Averi Harper / ABC News:
Biden to ABC's Robin Roberts: 'I don't want to defund' the police, but Trump does

Discussion: Fox News, The US Sun, The Hill and Breitbart

Washington Post:
Trump's suggestion of deploying law enforcement officials to monitor polls raises specter of voting intimidation

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Patterico's Pontifications and Raw Story

Harmeet Kaur / CNN:

Covid-19 cases tied to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota have reached across state lines — (CNN)Coronavirus cases linked to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota last week have now reached across state lines to Nebraska, public health officials said.

Discussion: The Hill

Michael Casagrande / al.com:

New restrictions coming to Alabama campus, Greek houses amid ‘significant’ COVID increase — University of Alabama Fall 2020 First Day — Changes are coming to the University of Alabama COVID-19 plan three days into the new semester. — The school on Friday announced a moratorium …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Mariam Khan / ABC News:

House set to vote on USPS bill amid mail-in voting controversy — Pelosi: “In a time of a pandemic, the Postal Service is Election Central.” — The House is set to vote on a bill related to the ailing U.S. Postal Service in an unusual Saturday session amid an ongoing political controversy over mail-in voting.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Reuters, KCLO-TV, Boston.com, Just The News, IJR and The Hill

Eddie Scarry / Washington Examiner:
The postmaster general just robbed Democrats of their dumb Postal Service mystery

Discussion: The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Raw Story, The Yeshiva World and Mother Jones

KASW-TV:

McSally asks supporters to ‘fast a meal’ so they can donate to her campaign — In an audio clip, Sen. Martha McSally asked supporters to “fast a meal” so they can donate to her campaign but her people said it was just a joke.

Discussion: Raw Story, HillReporter.com and Political Wire

Evan Simko-Bednarski / CNN:

Court orders Donald Trump to pay legal fees in Stormy Daniels suit — (CNN)A California Superior Court judge has ordered President Donald Trump to pay $44,100 to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, to reimburse her attorneys' fees in the legal battle surrounding her nondisclosure agreement.

Redfield & Wilton Strategies:

Latest US Swing States Voting Intention (16-19 August) — Share our research: — The latest US swing states poll by Redfield & Wilton Strategies finds that Joe Biden is ahead of Donald Trump in five out of six swing states. Nonetheless, for the first time since we started polling …

John Verhovek / ABC News:

Biden to ABC's David Muir: ‘I would shut [country] down’ to prevent spread of COVID-19 if scientists recommended — Biden, Harris' first joint interview airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC — Former Vice President Joe Biden said in an exclusive interview with ABC “World News Tonight” …

Discussion: IJR, The Hill, Fox News, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Bloomberg, New York Post, Axios and Twitchy

Sam Levin / The Guardian:

‘Severe inhumanity’: California prisons overwhelmed by Covid outbreaks and approaching fires … California's raging wildfires have created a crisis at multiple state prisons, where there are reports of heavy smoke and ash making it hard to breathe, unanswered pleas for evacuation …

Discussion: Earther

Jacqueline Thomsen / LAW.com:

After Admitting to False Statements in Court, Trump DOJ Agrees to $200K Settlement With Arnold & Porter — Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge last month that officials made “inaccurate or misleading statements” in defending a ban on New Yorkers from certain DHS programs.

detroitnews:

Michigan election officials call Detroit's primary voting problems ‘appalling,’ ‘alarming’ — Lansing — All four members of the State Board of Canvassers on Friday blasted problems with counting ballots in Detroit's primary election as “alarming” and “concerning,” and one asked whether Secretary …

Sam Levine / The Guardian:

Trump campaign fails to show evidence of vote-by-mail fraud, filing reveals — Donald Trump's campaign failed to produce any evidence of vote-by-mail fraud in Pennsylvania after a federal judge ordered it do so, according to a 524-page court filing obtained by the Guardian.

Discussion: HillReporter.com, Mother Jones and Raw Story

Dartunorro Clark / NBC News:

Brayden Harrington says DNC appearance boosted his confidence, wants to help others who stutter — Brayden Harrington, the teen who shared his story on the final night of the Democratic National Convention about how Joe Biden helped him with his stutter, told NBC News Friday it has boosted …