memeorandum: Bush, McCain and Romney presidential staffers unite behind effort to elect Joe Biden (Politico)

9:35 AM ET, August 27, 2020

Top Items:

The Kenosha Shooting Suspect Was In The Front Row Of A Trump Rally In January — The law-enforcement obsessed 17-year-old who was charged with shooting and killing two people and injuring another in Kenosha during protests for Jacob Blake appeared in the front row at a Donald Trump rally in January.

New York Times:

Tracking the Suspect in the Fatal Kenosha Shootings — Footage appears to show a teenager shooting three people during protests in Wisconsin. We tracked his movements that night. — A teenager who walked among protesters in Kenosha, Wis., carrying a military-style semi-automatic rifle …

Discussion: Raw Story, ABC7, MinnPost, BBC, The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller, NBC Chicago, Twitchy and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:

Immigrants in Trump-Led Ceremony Didn't Know They Would Appear at RNC — Two women say they didn't mind being featured as they became citizens; critics accuse president of using them, politicizing government functions — Sudha Narayanan and Neimat Awadelseid looked forward to Tuesday …

Discussion: New York Times, Raw Story, Slate, Washington Post, ABC News, Mediaite, The Hill, The Week, Vox and USA Today

New York Times:

How Chaos in Kenosha Is Already Swaying Some Voters in Wisconsin — As residents see fires and looting, some worry that local Democratic leaders are failing to keep control of the situation. — John Geraghty, a 41-year-old worker in a tractor factory, has barely paid attention to the presidential race or the conventions.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Federalist, WKOW, Althouse, Al Jazeera, Chicago Sun-Times, Breitbart, The US Sun and Just The News

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: More than 100 Bush-McCain-Romney alums go for Biden — DRIVING THE DAY — IT'S THURSDAY, and President DONALD TRUMP will close the Republican convention this evening from the White House. And, as the GOP seeks to rally around TRUMP 68 DAYS before Election Day, here's what the world looks like:

Discussion: Washington Post

Dan Mihalopoulos / NPR:

Alleged Kenosha Shooter Fervently Supported ‘Blue Lives,’ Joined ‘Local Militia’ — Despite wearing a full replica police uniform — complete with tie, bomber jacket and trooper hat — Kyle Rittenhouse looked a lot more like a Halloween trick-or-treater than an actual cop in the photo taken in 2017.

Discussion: Mashable and Raw Story

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
An inescapable echo between Trump's campaign rhetoric and the deaths of protesters in Kenosha

Discussion: Associated Press, The Nation, Raw Story and Bloomberg

Natasha Korecki / Politico:
'It's playing into Trump's hands': Dems fear swing-state damage from Kenosha unrest

Discussion: National Review and Fox News

Jose Del Real / Washington Post:
Woman who became a citizen on TV did not know she would be part of Republican National Convention

Discussion: Reuters and The Hill

HuffPost: Trump's White House Convention May Be Coercing Staffers Into Violating The Hatch Act

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Kristi Noem says ‘Democrat-run cities’ are being ‘overrun by violent mobs’

Discussion: The Hill and The Daily Caller

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

3 takeaways from the third night of the Republican National Convention — The Republican National Convention held its third of four prime-time sessions on Wednesday night, with Vice President Pence headlining and a younger generation of lesser-known Republicans featured on the undercard.

Discussion: National Review, Breitbart, The Wrap, The Week and Reuters

Quint Forgey / Politico:

Kellyanne Conway: Hurricane adds uncertainty to Trump speech — White House counselor Kellyanne Conway suggested Wednesday that President Donald Trump might postpone his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention due to concerns about Hurricane Laura's potentially devastating impact on the Gulf Coast.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Associated Press, The Daily Caller and The Hill

Axios:
Trump's former spy chief: Being called a “nationalist” is not an insult

Discussion: Washington Post and Breitbart

Rashaan Ayesh / Axios:
Pence addresses Kenosha in RNC speech: “The violence must stop”

Discussion: AFP, New York Times, Mediaite, New York Post, ABC30, Breitbart, Washington Times, Vox, Fox News, ABC News, IJR, Politico, Townhall, Associated Press, Variety, New York Times, Bloomberg, Financial Times and Reuters

CNN:
Pence reinvents Trump's presidency on a disorienting night of crises

Discussion: Raw Story, МИА, Politico, TheBlaze and IJR

Axios:
25-year-old GOP candidate: “In times of peril, young people saved this country”

Discussion: New York Post, Breitbart, The Hill and The Daily Beast

Paul Steinhauser / Fox News:
Pence accepts VP nomination, warns voters 'you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America'

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, Chicago Sun-Times, ABC30, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, NPR, Al Jazeera and Washington Times

Michael Croley / New York Times:
Fact-Checking Night 3 of the Republican National Convention

Discussion: The Guardian, Forbes and Bloomberg

Lara Seligman / Politico:
Richard Grenell claims he watched Trump ‘charm’ Germany's Angela Merkel

Discussion: Washington Blade and ABC News

CBS News:
Pence hits Biden and makes case for Trump on third night of RNC

Discussion: Reason, New York Times, ABC News, VICE, NBC News, The Daily Caller, CBS Chicago, The Moderate Voice and Fox News

Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
RNC speech serves as farewell address for Kellyanne Conway

Discussion: Axios, Washington Post, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Fox News, ABC30 and Politico

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

Over 100 Ex-Staff Members for John McCain Endorse Joe Biden — The group endorsement of Mr. Biden is the latest effort from anti-Trump Republicans to lure conservatives and moderates away from the president, who often clashed with the former Arizona senator.

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Hill, Washington Times, Raw Story and Fox News

McCain Alums / McCain Alums for Joe Biden:

McCain Alums endorse Joe Biden for President — More than a slogan, “Country First” is a creed by which to live — Working for John McCain was an honor, and his example of public service remains a lasting influence on us. His motto, “country first,” and his frequent call on Americans …

Discussion: Fox News, IJR, The Hill and POLITICUSUSA

Politico:
Bush, McCain and Romney presidential staffers unite behind effort to elect Joe Biden

Discussion: American Greatness and Real Clear Politics

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Trump calls for drug tests before Biden debate — President Trump says he will call for drug tests for both former Vice President Joe Biden and himself before the first candidates' debate on Sept. 29. In an Oval Office interview Wednesday, the president expressed suspicion at what he said was a sudden …

Discussion: Sabato's Crystal Ball, Political Flare, IJR, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Forbes, Mediaite, Raw Story, Fox News, The Hill, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, The Week and New York Post

Financial Times:

TikTok chief Kevin Mayer quits after Trump threatens to ban app — Former Disney executive resigns just months after appointment by Chinese video platform — Kevin Mayer has quit TikTok just months after becoming chief executive of the Chinese video app accused by the Trump administration …

Discussion: Variety, Associated Press, The Verge, Deadline, The Week and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »

Mike Isaac / New York Times:
TikTok Chief Executive Kevin Mayer Resigns

Discussion: Mashable and TechCrunch

Liza Lin / Wall Street Journal:
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer Quits as Trump Pushes Chinese App to Sell U.S. Business

Discussion: National Review, TheStreet, NPR, The US Sun and CNBC

Russell Brandom / The Verge:

Facebook chose not to act on militia complaints before Kenosha shooting — Multiple users reported the account for inciting violence, but were told it did not violate platform policy — In the wake of an apparent double murder Tuesday night in Kenosha, Facebook has faced a wave of scrutiny …

Discussion: The US Sun, Vox, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Gizmodo, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Reason, Daily Kos and The Mahablog, more at Techmeme »

jsonline:
Kyle Rittenhouse, charged in Kenosha protest homicides, considered himself militia

Discussion: Chicago Tribune, Axios, INSIDER, Washington Post, The Week, The Wrap, Local News I Racine County Eye and Raw Story

Anita Kumar / Politico:

Don Jr. robocall urges supporters to vote by mail — Donald Trump Jr. is urging voters to cast absentee ballots in robocalls detected across the nation Wednesday — even as his father continues to rail against widespread mail-in voting. — The robocalls, which reference …

Discussion: Stop robocalls …, Breitbart, The Hill and Political Wire

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
Trump says election workers, not USPS, could lead to 2020 miscount

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner and Political Wire

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff / New York Magazine:

Melania Trump's Ex-BFF Tells (Almost) All An insider's account of falling out with the First Lady. — Excerpted from Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship With the First Lady, by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff — I'd heard Melania Trump speak before. But I'd never heard her sound like this.

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Turmoil consumes Chamber of Commerce as it backs Democrats — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is poised to endorse nearly two dozen freshmen House Democrats for reelection, triggering a revolt within the right-leaning organization and drawing fierce pushback from the group's powerful GOP donors.

Discussion: NBC News and Raw Story

Des Moines Register:

Iowa counties can't set up drop box systems for absentee ballots, secretary of state says — The Iowa Secretary of State's Office says county auditors cannot set up drop boxes to accept absentee ballots this fall — something several auditors say they did during this year's primary election.

Alex Nitzberg / Just The News:

Wisconsin authorities say there was knife in Jacob Blake's vehicle — Blake admitted he had a knife in his possession, which was found in the driver's side floorboard, police say. — Jacob Blake, the man wounded by a police officer In Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday, had a knife in his car …

Discussion: Local News I Racine County Eye, NPR, INSIDER, Axios and The Hill

Jane Lytvynenko / BuzzFeed News:

RNC Video Showing Rioters In “Biden's America” Is Actually Spain — On the first night of the Republican National Convention, the party aired a segment featuring Catalina and Madeline Lauf warning of dire consequences if Democratic candidate Joe Biden is elected president.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Paul Wiseman / Associated Press:

More than 1 million Americans file for unemployment, again — FILE - In this April 30 ,2020 file photo, a barber shop shows closed and hiring sign during the COVID-19 in Chicago. On Thursday, Aug. 27, just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week …

Discussion: ABC30

Megha Rajagopalan / BuzzFeed News:

China Secretly Built A Vast New Infrastructure To Imprison Muslims — China rounded up so many Muslims in Xinjiang that there wasn't enough space to hold them. Then the government started building. — Copy … China has secretly built scores of massive new prison and internment camps …

Associated Press:

Trump's big night: Expect talk of GOP progress, Dem anarchy — WASHINGTON (AP) — Four years ago, Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party's nomination for president with a dark convention speech that painted a dystopian portrait of America in decline and offered a singular solution: himself.