memeorandum: Wylie ISD apologizes for school assignment that likens police officers to KKK, slave owners (Allison Harris/FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth)

9:55 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 and Boston.com

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, Sean Hannity, Breitbart and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

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 and Twitchy

Olivia Gazis / CBS News:

Former CIA Director John Brennan interviewed for 8 hours in Durham probe — Former CIA Director John Brennan was interviewed for eight hours on Friday by U.S. Attorney John Durham as part of Durham's ongoing review of the origins of the investigation launched into Russia's 2016 election interference …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Politico

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

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

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, Newsbusters, Just The News and Task & Purpose

Adam Goldman / New York Times:
Ex-Green Beret Charged With Spying for Russia in Elaborate Scheme

Discussion: U.S. Department of Justice, 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 …, Washington Times and Sputnik News

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

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: Redstate, Louder With Crowder, IJR, The Hill, Fox News, Breitbart, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, Bloomberg, Axios and Twitchy

Luke Barr / ABC News:
Trump says he wants police at polling sites. Experts say that's unlawful.

Discussion: Washington Post and The US Sun

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

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

Dennis Welch / KASW-TV:
Sen. McSally urges supporters to donate to her campaign instead of buying a meal

Discussion: Arizona Republic, The Hill and New York Post

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, UPI, Boston.com, Just The News, KCLO-TV, IJR and The Hill

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

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

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.

Thomas Barrabi / Fox Business:

Navy SEAL banned by Delta over mask flap wants meeting with CEO — Robert O'Neill, the retired Navy SEAL credited with killing terrorist Osama Bin Laden, said Friday he would like the opportunity to speak with Delta CEO Ed Bastian Bastian to reach a resolution after the airline banned …

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 …

Washington Post:

President Trump's attempt to bypass Congress on stimulus is offering only limited economic relief — Just two weeks after President Trump approved executive actions aimed at bypassing stalled stimulus negotiations with Congress, only one state has said it is paying new jobless benefits …

Discussion: Financial Times, NBC Connecticut, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Bangor Daily News

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 and Mother Jones

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

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 …

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.