memeorandum: Russians Again Targeting Americans With Disinformation, Facebook Says (Sheera Frenkel/New York Times)

3:50 PM ET, September 1, 2020

Top Items:

Facebook takes down Russian operation that recruited U.S. journalists, amid rising concerns about election misinformation — The social media giant acted against a small network of pages and accounts that directed users to a fake left-leaning news site called Peace Data

Discussion: Political Wire and Raw Story

Sheera Frenkel / New York Times:

Russians Again Targeting Americans With Disinformation, Facebook Says — The company said it had been warned by the F.B.I. that a so-called troll farm in St. Petersburg set up a network of fake user accounts and a website. — The Russian group that interfered in the 2016 presidential election …

Barbara Ortutay / Associated Press:

Facebook axes small Russian troll network ahead of election — OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Facebook said Tuesday that it removed a small network of accounts and pages linked to Russia's Internet Research Agency, the “troll factory” that has used social media accounts to sow political discord …

Discussion: The Daily Beast and One America News Network

Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:
As election looms, Russian trolls are targeting Americans again, Facebook says

Discussion: Radio Free Europe/Radio …, more at Techmeme »

Ben Collins / NBC News:

Trump's ‘plane loaded with thugs’ rumor matches months-old conspiracy theory — The conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump pushed on Monday that a plane “almost completely loaded with thugs” was set to disrupt protests was almost identical to a rumor that went viral on Facebook three months ago.

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Deadline, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, The Stranger, The American Independent, Raw Story and Mediaite

Charles Sykes / The Bulwark:

The Essence of Late Stage Trumpism — “People that you've never heard of. People that are in the dark shadows. People that...” - Donald J. Trump, the actual president of the United States. — World War II began 80 years ago. The day was commemorated by W.H. Auden in a poem named, appropriately enough, “September 1, 1939”.

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, Raw Story, Politico and No More Mister Nice Blog

Makena Kelly / The Verge:

Biden campaign launches official Animal Crossing: New Horizons yard signs — It's the campaign's latest foray into online organizing — Starting today, September 1st, Animal Crossing: New Horizons players will be able to deck out their island homes with official Joe Biden yard signs as part …

Discussion: IJR, Input, Mashable, Mediaite, Bloomberg, New York Post and Twitchy

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

Biden Expected to Surpass $300 Million Raised in August, Shattering Record — The fund-raising total would exceed previous monthly hauls and is more than double what the former vice president raised in July. — Joseph R. Biden Jr. is expected to report a record-breaking haul of donations for August …

Discussion: The Hill, Political Wire, The Daily Caller, Breitbart and Redstate

Simon Lewis / Reuters:
Democratic presidential candidate Biden raised record haul of over $300 million in August - report

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Arizona Stands Out From a Mostly Static Presidential Race in Battleground States — State-level polling trends reveal little recent change in 2020 contest, but Biden now leads by 10 in Arizona — Amid unrest in Kenosha, Wis., Biden leads Trump by 9 points, 52% to 43%.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, ABC News, Washington Times, Raw Story, MyNorthwest.com, Political Wire and Balloon Juice

Larry Flynt / The Daily Beast:

My Final Farewell to the Falwells — The Hustler publisher, who won a landmark First Amendment legal battle against Jerry Falwell Sr., writes about Jerry Falwell Jr.'s fall from grace—and the Trump of it all. — When I heard that Jerry Falwell Jr. had resigned the presidency of Liberty University …

Discussion: Raw Story

Ruth Graham / New York Times:
Liberty Will Investigate University's Operations Under Jerry Falwell Jr.

Discussion: Liberty News, Raw Story and The National Interest

David Lauter / Los Angeles Times:

Trump has slipped among key groups that backed him in 2016 — President Trump's support has eroded among key groups of voters who backed him in 2016 — a major reason why he continues to trail former Vice President Joe Biden and a prime motivator for the president's reelection strategy …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, The Hill and Mediaite

Roger Sollenberger / Salon:

Trump campaign aide was paid $20,000 a month by Bannon nonprofit linked to alleged fraud — Trump campaign's shell game: No reported payments to campaign manager Bill Stepien or drama-prone aide Jason Miller — Senior Trump campaign official Jason Miller appears to have been paid about $20,000 …

Discussion: Political Wire

Margaret Talev / Axios:

Exclusive: Bloomberg group warns Trump will appear to win big on election night — A top Democratic data and analytics firm told “Axios on HBO” it's highly likely that President Trump will appear to have won — potentially in a landslide — on election night, even if he ultimately loses when all the votes are counted.

Discussion: The National Pulse, Vanity Fair, Althouse, CounterPunch, Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Mackenzie Mays / Politico:

California lawmaker brings newborn to Assembly floor after being denied proxy vote — SACRAMENTO — While remote voting was allowed in the California State Senate on Monday, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, who gave birth in late July, said Assembly leadership denied her request to vote by proxy despite Covid-19 concerns.

Discussion: The Hill

Politico:
A newborn baby and cursing lawmakers: California's legislative session ends in chaos

Discussion: Fox News

Sam Baker / Axios:

Axios-Ipsos poll: A harsh verdict for government's coronavirus response — Most Americans think the federal government is making the coronavirus pandemic worse, according to the latest installment of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index. — Why it matters: This is a pretty searing indictment …

Discussion: The Hill, POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire

Margaret Talev / Axios:
Axios-Ipsos poll: Most expect quick election results

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Hill and Political Wire

The Daily Beast:

Trump White House Warns Colleges: Don't Send Your COVID-Infected Students Home! — In a call on Monday, top officials on the coronavirus task force made it clear that they realize sending students back to school has created a risk of cascading outbreaks. — Top White House officials rang …

Discussion: Associated Press, Raw Story and Slate

The Times of Israel:

Pompeo nixed filming campaign ad in Israel after Jerusalem speech furor - report — Commercial said canceled after accusations US secretary of state broke the law by filming message for Republican National Convention while on official trip — Plans were scrapped for US Secretary …

Jared Holt / Right Wing Watch: Far-Right Columnist Pat Buchanan Declares Moderate Republicans ‘Lost the Battle’

Washington Post:

U.S. says it won't join WHO-linked effort to develop, distribute coronavirus vaccine — The Trump administration said it will not join a global effort to develop, manufacture and equitably distribute a coronavirus vaccine, in part because the World Health Organization is involved …

Discussion: Political Wire

Julie Zauzmer / Washington Post:

D.C. committee recommends stripping the names of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Francis Scott Key and others from city government buildings — A committee reporting to D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser recommends renaming dozens of public schools, parks and government buildings in the nation's capital …

Discussion: Townhall

Meduza.io:

Russian Darkweb shares personal data of nearly every voter in Michigan, plus a million more voters in four other states — Russian Internet users have shared the personal data of nearly every voter in Michigan (7.6 million of the state's 7.8 million voters), as well as the information …

Discussion: kommersant.ru, Techdirt and Detroit Metro Times

Taegan Goddard / Political Wire: Russian Journalists Find U.S. Voter Data on Hacker Site

Paul LeBlanc / CNN:

Pence was on standby to ‘take over’ during Trump's unannounced Walter Reed visit, new book reports — Washington (CNN)Vice President Mike Pence was put on standby to temporarily assume the powers of the presidency during President Donald Trump's unannounced visit to Walter Reed hospital in November 2019 …

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Monthly, The Hill, Forbes, Deadline, IJR, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Townhall, POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire

Quint Forgey / Politico:
Trump: I did not have ‘mini-strokes’ — President Donald Trump denied Tuesday that he had a …

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios, CNN and Raw Story

Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:

Trump Needs His Own Sister Souljah Moment — The president must condemn those responsible for violence and disavow those who act in his name. Easy, right? — I want to make a prediction about the election in November. — Here it is: If Joe Biden wins, it will be, in part …

Discussion: New Republic, Real Clear Politics, Slate, NBC News, CounterPunch, Reuters, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Federalist, Balloon Juice, Redstate, The Hill, Washington Examiner and Townhall

Isaac Arnsdorf / ProPublica:

Now in Government Food Aid Boxes: A Letter From Donald Trump — Democrats say the letter violates the law against using government resources to campaign. It's just the latest example of President Trump using his office to boost his reelection hopes.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight and Political Wire

Ronald Brownstein / CNN:

Biden's GOP endorsements show the cracks in Trump's coalition — (CNN)Joe Biden is attracting more crossover endorsements from prominent members of the opposing party than any other presidential candidate from either side in decades. That doesn't guarantee the former vice president victory in November …

Discussion: Washington Post, Bloomberg, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, Newsbusters, American Prospect, Fox News, CounterPunch, New York Post, Political Wire and Daily Kos

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Totally Real Source Reveals How Trump Discovered the Planeload of Looters — Last night, in an interview with Laura Ingraham, President Trump made an astonishing charge. “We had people get on a plane from a certain city this weekend,” he said. “And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded …

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Washington Post and Political Wire

David Siders / Politico:

An unlikely state tightens up — Minnesota, which once looked like a vanity project for Donald Trump, is suddenly emerging as a critical test of his effort to turn his campaign around. — Interviews with more than a dozen officials and strategists from both parties in recent days depict …

Discussion: The Federalist, The Hill and FiveThirtyEight

Ben Jacobs / VICE:

Kanye West's Campaign Is Filled to the Brim With GOP Operatives — A lawyer linked to the campaign worked to make women have vaginal ultrasounds before getting an abortion. Another shared “White Lives Matter” content. — BJ — Kanye West's presidential campaign still hasn't filed …

Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:

Cop Who Charged Black Senator With ‘Injuring’ Confederate Statues Nurtured A Long Grudge — Portsmouth Police Department Sgt. Kevin McGee was under investigation for authoring a heated letter blasting Virginia Sen. Louise Lucas (D) and others. — A Portsmouth, Virginia, police sergeant ― …

Discussion: Raw Story

C. Ryan Barber / LAW.com:

Flynn Loses Bid to Force Trial Judge to Quickly Dismiss Criminal Case — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that Flynn had not demonstrated a need for an intervention preventing U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan from proceeding with an inquiry into the Justice Department's retreat from the prosecution.

Jesmyn Ward / Vanity Fair:

Jesmyn Ward on Her Husband's Death and Grief During COVID-19 — The acclaimed novelist lost her beloved husband—the father of her children—as COVID-19 swept across the country. She writes through their story, and her grief. — My Beloved died in January.

David Reddish / Queerty:

Gay Trumper Richard Grenell lands new job...working for an anti-LGBTQ legal group — Not long after declaring Donald Trump the most pro-gay president in American history (yeah, right), former US Ambassador Richard Grenell has announced his latest employment gig.

New York Times:

It Has Come to This: Ignore the C.D.C. — The agency's new guidelines are wrong, so states have to step up on their own to suppress the coronavirus. — Harold Varmus is a former director of the National Institutes of Health. Rajiv Shah is the president of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Discussion: National Review

Marc Lacey / Nieman Reports:

Journalists Need to Remember that Not All News Readers are White — Dear Journalism: Audiences of national media have too long been presumed to be white. A New York Times editor argues it's time to change that — ARTICLE BY — Every journalist needs to imagine a reader, someone to tell the story to.

Discussion: Vanity Fair

Dave Levinthal / Business Insider:

Legal insiders brace for a world where Trump loses in November and the ex-president faces down a slew of reinvigorated court fights — More than a dozen legal experts and practitioners tell Insider that President Donald Trump's many legal fights are primed to cause him headaches should he lose the 2020 presidential election.

NBC News:

Last 24 hours reveal the stark differences between Trump and Biden — WASHINGTON — In one of the most revealing 24 hours of the general election and the sprint to Election Day, one presidential nominee condemned violence and destruction from all sides of the political spectrum.