memeorandum: After a Pandemic Pause, ICE Resumes Deportation Arrests (Miriam Jordan/New York Times)

2:15 PM ET, September 13, 2020

Top Items:

Biden gains edge in Arizona over Trump and has big lead in Minnesota — Battleground Tracker poll — Every four years it can seem like the path to the presidency runs through the same list of well-trodden battleground states. But this time, we're on some newer turf: Democrats are contesting …

Discussion: Politico, The Hill and POLITICUSUSA

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

Fox News Poll: Biden-Trump a 5-point race in post-convention poll — Both tickets have secured the backing of their key voting blocs — The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket is ahead of the Donald Trump-Mike Pence ticket by a 51-46 percent margin. That 5 percentage-point advantage sits right …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, New York Post and The Hill

Kendall Karson / ABC News:

Deep skepticism for Trump's coronavirus response endures: POLL — Trump's approval on the coronavirus lands at 35% in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll. — Most Americans are skeptical of President Donald Trump's performance on the coronavirus pandemic — disapproving of his response …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, The Hill and ABC7

Chris Jackson / Ipsos:
Ipsos - News & Polls : News - Most Americans say President Trump moved too slowly on coronavirus pandemic

Discussion: Political Wire and The Hill

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:

Mike Bloomberg to spend at least $100 million in Florida to benefit Joe Biden — Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg plans to spend at least $100 million in Florida to help elect Democrat Joe Biden, a massive late-stage infusion of cash that could reshape the presidential contest in a costly toss …

Discussion: Reuters, Vox, Mother Jones, POLITICUSUSA, NBC News, The Hill, CNN, New York Post, Althouse, Fox News, Breitbart, The Guardian and Conservative Review

Axios:

Bloomberg to spend $100 million to help Biden win Florida — Billionaire Mike Bloomberg plans to spend at least $100 million to help Joe Biden win Florida in November's election, the Washington Post reports. — Why it matters: Taking Florida would be a knockout blow for Biden …

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, New York Post, NPR and Raw Story

Marc Caputo / Politico:
Bloomberg to spend up to $100 million to beat Trump in Florida

Discussion: NBC News and Florida Politics

Associated Press:
Bloomberg to spend at least $100M to help Biden in Florida

Discussion: Bloomberg, Associated Press, The Daily Caller and TMZ.com

John Harwood / CNN:

As he fends off more revelations, Trump is running short of time and targets — (CNN)Judging from earlier scandals, revelations about President Donald Trump's deceit about coronavirus and derogation of fallen soldiers won't repel many of his supporters. — But that doesn't mean the revelations don't hurt him.

Discussion: Washington Times, The Daily Caller and Raw Story

Shadi Hamid / The Atlantic:

The Democrats May Not Be Able to Concede — This is the era of expecting the worst while hoping for the merely tolerable. Some might say that the worst is already happening—economic disaster and 190,000 dead from a pandemic—while the president and his surrogates insist, in a feat of self-delusion, that the “best is yet to come.”

Discussion: ABC News, National Journal, Redstate, The Hill and The Message Box

Harry Enten / CNN:

Why Biden's national lead matters — (CNN)Poll of the week: A new Monmouth University poll finds that former Vice President Joe Biden holds a 51% to 44% lead over President Donald Trump among likely voters. Among registered voters, it's Biden 51% to 42% for Trump.

Discussion: Raw Story

Politico:

Mormons rejected Trump as blasphemous. Now he likely can't win without them. — In 2016, Mormons rejected Donald Trump in numbers unheard of for a Republican nominee — viewing the thrice-married, immigrant-bashing Republican as an affront to their values.

Discussion: Raw Story

Capi Lynn / Oregonian:

The desperate fight to save his family ends in tragedy — SALEM — Chris Tofte blew past the blockade, his green Jeep Cherokee aimed for the bowels of the raging Beachie Creek fire. — It was around 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, and he was desperately searching for his wife, son and mother-in-law.

Matthew Cappucci / Washington Post:

California's wildfire smoke plumes are unlike anything previously seen — Smoke plumes have reached 55,000 feet in height, with embedded thunderstorms, lightning and possible tornadoes — More than 3.1 million acres have burned in California this year, part of a record fire season that still has four months to go.

Sue Halpern / New Yorker:

How the Trump Campaign's Mobile App Is Collecting Massive Amounts of Voter Data — Since the Trump campaign set up a shell company called American Made Media Consultants, in 2018, an entity it describes as a “vendor responsible for arranging and executing media buys and related services at fair market value …

Megan Messerly / The Nevada Independent:

Trump sows doubt on election integrity with false assertions at Douglas County rally amid coronavirus pandemic — President Donald Trump sought to undermine confidence in the electoral process in Nevada during a rally in Minden Saturday evening, falsely telling a packed crowd of supporters …

Discussion: Vox, Reno Gazette-Journal, Washington Times and The Hill

Wall Street Journal:

Warren Buffett Silent So Far in 2020 Presidential Election — Omaha district that billionaire investor calls home could play role in close White House race — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett was an active fundraiser and campaigner for the past two Democratic presidential nominees.

Axios:

L.A. mayor: “Talk to a firefighter if you think that climate change isn't real” — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Sunday rebuked President Trump over his claims that the California wildfires are simply a result of poor forest management, telling CNN's “State of the Union” …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Times, The Hill, Breitbart and New York Times

Rebecca Falconer / Axios:

Peter Strzok: Trump orbit has “pervasive pattern of contact” with Russians — Former FBI agent Peter Strzok said on NBC's “Meet the Press” Sunday that Rudy Giuliani's work with a Ukrainian lawmaker who was sanctioned by the U.S. last week for pro-Russian election interference is part of a …

Discussion: New York Daily News, Washington Times, Conservative Review, NBC News, The Hill and Breitbart

Meredith Deliso / ABC News:

All Michigan State students asked to quarantine due to ‘exponential growth’ of COVID-19 — Cases rose once students returned to the area for the fall, officials said. — All local Michigan State University students have been asked to self-quarantine immediately for the next two weeks to contain the …

Discussion: The Hill

Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:

Minnesota Seemed Ripe for a Trump Breakout. It Has Not Arrived. — Minnesota was a near miss for Donald Trump in 2016. But new polling shows him well behind where he finished four years ago in a state he views as a prime pickup opportunity. — DULUTH, Minn. — For a campaign event …

Discussion: NPR, New Yorker, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, NBC News, Raw Story and Fox News

Spencer Hsu / Washington Post:

Court-appointed adviser in Michael Flynn case says Justice Dept. yielded to corrupt ‘pressure campaign’ led by Trump — A retired federal judge accused the Justice Department on Friday of yielding to a pressure campaign led by President Trump in its bid to dismiss the prosecution …

Kimberly Kindy / Washington Post:

More than 200 meat plant workers in the U.S. have died of covid-19. Federal regulators just issued two modest fines. — Federal regulators knew about serious safety problems in dozens of the nation's meat plants that became deadly coronavirus hot spots this spring but took six months to take action …

Michael Goodwin / New York Post:

The Democrats' partisan damage — First, it was the United Arab Emirates and Israel making peace. Then it was Serbia and Kosovo agreeing to set aside political disputes to sign an economic deal. And now Bahrain and Israel are set to sign a peace treaty.

Zachary Petrizzo / Mediaite:

Roger Stone Wants Daily Beast Reporters To Be Arrested Over ‘Seditious’ Activities — Longtime President Donald Trump advisor and convicted felon Roger Stone floated the idea of arresting Daily Beast staff members and shutting down their offices if the news organization engages in “seditious” …

Discussion: The Guardian, The Daily Beast, Raw Story and Washington Monthly

Mary Papenfuss / Yahoo News:
Roger Stone Calls For Trump To ‘Declare Martial Law’ To Seize Power If He Loses

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, CANNONFIRE, Balloon Juice and Political Wire

Jacob Magid / The Times of Israel:

US assured UAE it won't back Israel annexation before 2024 at earliest, ToI told — UAE prioritized receiving assurances from Washington, sources say, given that Netanyahu has made clear he won't advance controversial move without US support — NEW YORK — The Trump administration gave …

Discussion: Bloomberg