memeorandum: Congress should warn Trump's lawbreakers that there will be consequences (Jennifer Rubin/Washington Post)

2:30 PM ET, August 31, 2020

Top Items:

Maxine Bernstein / Oregonian:

Man under investigation in fatal shooting after pro-Trump rally allegedly took loaded gun to earlier Portland protest — A 48-year-old man who was accused of carrying a loaded gun at an earlier downtown Portland protest is under investigation in the fatal shooting Saturday night of a right-wing demonstrator after a pro-Trump rally.

Discussion: National Review, Power Line, The Federalist, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, New York Post, The US Sun, TheBlaze, The Post Millennial, Redstate, New York Times and Joe Biden for President

Lee Brown / New York Post:

Man suspected in deadly Portland shooting calls himself ‘100% ANTIFA’ — An ex-military man who calls himself “100% ANTIFA” and ready for “war” is being investigated over the death of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a “supporter” of the right-wing Patriot Prayer group who was part of a caravan …

Discussion: The Federalist and Reason

Andy Ngo / The Post Millennial:
‘I am 100% Antifa’: Alleged Portland shooter was previously arrested—and released—for bringing illegal loaded gun to a riot

Discussion: Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Big League Politics, Twitchy and The Federalist

My Oregon News:
Governor Kate Brown Announces Unified Law Enforcement Plan to Protect Free Speech, Bring Violence to an End in Portland

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart, Fox News, NPR, Associated Press, New York Post, UPI, Axios and KOIN-TV

Miranda Devine / New York Post:
BLM ‘activists’ celebrated as Trump supporter was killed

Discussion: The US Sun, Washington Times, Raw Story, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, Townhall and TheBlaze

Leo Shane III / Military Times:

As Trump's popularity slips in latest Military Times poll, more troops say they'll vote for Biden — The latest Military Times poll shows a continued decline in active-duty service members' views of President Donald Trump and a slight but significant preference for former Vice President Joe Biden …

Discussion: The Guardian, The Hill, Axios, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Washington Times, Bloomberg, POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire

Ann Marimow / Washington Post:

Michael Flynn case does not have to be immediately dismissed, appeals court rules — A federal judge can scrutinize the Justice Department's decision to drop the criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled Monday …

Discussion: Bloomberg, CNBC and IJR

Zachary Basu / Axios:

Appeals court denies Michael Flynn's request to immediately drop case — The full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an 8-2 ruling on Monday denying former national security adviser Michael Flynn's petition to force a federal judge to immediately drop his criminal case, as requested by the Justice Department.

Discussion: ABC News, Associated Press, Townhall, BuzzFeed News, National Review, Fox News, Reuters, Talking Points Memo, New York Post, Breitbart, Just The News and KTLA

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Judge deals setback to Flynn's attempt to end DOJ case against him

Discussion: NBC News, Power Line, Washington Times and UPI

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Swift Boat mastermind to launch massive super PAC to boost Trump — Senior Republicans are launching a massive super PAC this week to bolster Donald Trump's reelection in the final stretch of the campaign — a move that comes as the president has been pummeled by Joe Biden on TV.

Discussion: Washington Times, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Just The News, Raw Story and Political Wire

NBC News:

Poll: Third party voters from 2016 are backing Biden 2-to-1 — WASHINGTON — One of the major differences between 2016 and 2020 is that this year's presidential contest features a smaller third-party vote than four years ago, and Gary Johnson/Jill Stein voters from 2016 are breaking more toward Joe Biden than they are Donald Trump.

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA and Axios

Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Inside Biden's edge

Discussion: Raw Story and The Daily Beast

Washington Post:

New Trump pandemic adviser pushes controversial ‘herd immunity’ strategy, worrying public health officials — One of President Trump's top medical advisers is urging the White House to embrace a controversial “herd immunity” strategy to combat the pandemic, which would entail allowing …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Daily Kos and Political Wire

Ed Mazza / HuffPost:

‘Zombie’ Herman Cain Tweets That Coronavirus ‘Not As Deadly’ As Media Said — The former presidential candidate died of the virus in July, but his family continues to tweet conspiracy theories from his account. — The Twitter account formerly used by the late Herman Cain fired off …

Discussion: Mediaite, Gothamist and Political Wire

Jack Davis / The Western Journal:
CDC Now Says 94% of COVID Deaths Had an Underlying Condition

Discussion: NPR, The Hill, Activist Mommy, The US Sun, Informed Comment, Axios, KCLO-TV, The Gateway Pundit and OutKick

CNN:
Twitter removes QAnon supporter's false claim about coronavirus death statistics that Trump had retweeted

Discussion: Breitbart, DCCC, The Gateway Pundit, Mercury News, New York Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, The Post Millennial, KOIN-TV, Reason, Townhall and Twitchy

Alexi McCammond / Axios:

Biden to say Trump has “fomented” violence — Joe Biden will give a speech Monday in Pittsburgh that will attempt to draw a contrast between himself and President Trump on the issue of law and order, arguing that there would be more violence in America if Trump is re-elected.

Associated Press:
In Pittsburgh, Biden to blame Trump for violence nationwide

Discussion: Washington Times, KTLA, The Hill, Breitbart, DCReport.org, Bloomberg, The US Sun, Forbes and NBC News

Mike Allen / Axios:

Trump mulled “settling” with Mueller amid Russia investigation — One of the crazy nuggets in a deeply reported book by the N.Y. Times' Michael Schmidt — “Donald Trump v. the United States,” out tomorrow — is that President Trump mulled the idea of “settling” with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Discussion: Associated Press, Politico and The Hill

Jan Wolfe / Reuters:
U.S. appeals court denies House bid to enforce subpoena to ex-White House lawyer McGahn

Discussion: Axios

Wall Street Journal:

How Trump Sowed Covid Supply Chaos. ‘Try Getting it Yourselves.’ — A landmark White House move left states to secure medical equipment themselves, causing problems that still haven't abated — Sergio Melgar, the chief financial officer for the largest health-care system in central Massachusetts …

Ben Smith / New York Times:

I'm Still Reading Andrew Sullivan. But I Can't Defend Him. — He's one of the most influential journalists of the last three decades, but he's shadowed by a 1994 magazine cover story that claimed to show a link between race and I.Q. — PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — The only restaurant open late …

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, Outside the Beltway and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Trump campaign accepts donations from neo-Nazi leader — In 2017, Trump famously described participants in a white supremacist march as “very fine people.” Now, as the 2020 presidential campaign barrels toward its conclusion, the Trump campaign is accepting thousands in donations …

Discussion: Daily Kos and Political Wire

Tom Sykes / The Daily Beast:
Trump Campaign Knowingly Accepting Contributions From Notorious Neo-Nazi Morris Gulett and Other Racists

Discussion: Raw Story

Mike Levine / ABC News:

Melania's ex-friend: Trump family tainted by ‘deceit, deception’ — “It was amateur hour then, and it's amateur hour now.” — A former adviser and close friend of first lady Melania Trump's is now blasting the entire Trump family as a callous clan tainted by “deceit” and “deception,” …

Discussion: The Hill, Mercury News, The US Sun, Good Morning America, POLITICUSUSA, IJR and Raw Story

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Oversight panel set to subpoena DeJoy amid clash over Postal Service — The House Oversight Committee is preparing to issue a subpoena for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, accusing him of ignoring the panel's demand for documents related to Postal Service mail delays and contacts with White House officials or the Trump campaign.

Discussion: Reuters, Axios and Raw Story

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

PPP Poll: Georgia's a toss-up in White House race — Also: Most Democrats plan to vote early — A poll commissioned by Stacey Abrams' voting rights group found President Donald Trump and Joe Biden are neck-and-neck in Georgia and that most Democrats plan to vote early rather than cast their ballots on Election Day.

Discussion: Politico and Political Wire

Liz Clarke / Washington Post:

John Thompson, coach who built Georgetown basketball into national power, dies at 78 — John Thompson, the Washington native who elevated Georgetown University basketball to national prominence, earned Hall of Fame honors and carved a place in history as the first African American coach …

Discussion: Sports Illustrated, NPR, ABC News, KTLA, Snopes.com, New York Post, The US Sun, Associated Press and TMZ.com

USA Today:

Don't get too excited about Biden's lead in the polls: a close election is dangerous — Imagine how you will feel on January 20, 2021 watching Donald Trump getting sworn in for a second term. Many of those arrayed around him on the dais on the West Front of the Capitol are familiar faces …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

In Massachusetts, Markey Outflanks Kennedy by Running as Bold Insurgent — Edward Markey, 74, entered Congress before Joseph Kennedy III was born. But in their Senate race he has harnessed the energy of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the ascendant left, much to Mr. Kennedy's frustration.

Discussion: Fox News and Financial Times

David Folkenflik / NPR:

Voice of America Journalists: New CEO Endangers Reporters, Harms U.S. Aims — A group of veteran journalists for the Voice of America delivered a letter of protest Monday denouncing their parent agency's new CEO, Michael Pack, and alleging Pack's remarks in a recent interview prove …

Discussion: Vox, Axios and Associated Press, more at Mediagazer »

Aiden Pink / The Forward:

U.S. pro-Israel groups failed to disclose grants from Israeli government — More than half of all American states have passed laws designed to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. No advocacy group was more important to this push than the Israel Allies Foundation …

Politico:

Biden forced to play on Trump's turf as campaign turns to racial strife — The chaotic scenes in Kenosha, Wis. and Portland, Ore., are redefining the contours of the presidential race — shifting the immediate debate over how to quell the clashes, who should own the unrest and which candidate …

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News, Patterico's Pontifications, New York Post and Washington Times

Ryan Goodman / Just Security:

Bill Barr's Hidden Truths About Justice Department's Rule of Forbearance in an Election — With unprecedented numbers of Americans starting to cast early votes in the presidential election come mid-September, many eyes are on what Attorney General William Barr and his colleagues in the Justice Department will do.

Discussion: Raw Story

Brendan Pierson / Reuters:

Bannon co-defendant expected to plead not guilty to border wall fraud — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brian Kolfage, the U.S. Air Force veteran charged alongside former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon with defrauding donors in a scheme to build the president's signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border …

Discussion: Fox News and One America News Network

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Congress should warn Trump's lawbreakers that there will be consequences — With about two months to go until Election Day, President Trump has abandoned any pretense of following, let alone enforcing, the laws he has sworn to uphold. — He directed government employees to assist …

Discussion: Raw Story, CounterPunch and The Hill

Ben White / Politico:

Trump tries to dance around a devastating backdrop — In the nine weeks left in the 2020 campaign, President Donald Trump has an especially daunting task: Convince a skeptical American public that the coronavirus-ravaged U.S. economy is actually roaring back and will soon return to the status …