memeorandum: Democrats in Congress Have Started to Win Back Voters' Trust (Eli Yokley/Morning Consult)

7:30 PM ET, August 4, 2022

Top Items:

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Jury finds Alex Jones caused $4 million in damages to two Sandy Hook parents — New York (CNN Business)Right-wing talk show host Alex Jones will have to pay the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim a little more than $4 million in compensatory damages, a jury decided Thursday …

Discussion: NBC News, CBS News, HotAir, Washington Examiner, New York Post, KXAN-TV, TheBlaze and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Anna Merlan / VICE:

A Copy of Alex Jones' Cellphone Will Be Turned Over to the January 6 Committee ‘Immediately’ — The phone data was accidentally given to a lawyer for the parents of children killed at Sandy Hook. — Anna Merlan — After Wednesday's revelation that an attorney for Alex Jones accidentally turned …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Wrap, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Rolling Stone and The Daily Beast, more at Mediagazer »

Matt Labash / Slack Tide:

Mr. Jones and Me — Is the Alex Jones joke over? Or is it still on the rest of us? — In my former incarnation as a serial profile writer, I developed a high tolerance - and sometimes even an affinity - for rogues, creeps, and colorful liars. Which is why it makes sense that I'd get along with Alex Jones, if only for an evening.

Discussion: Morning Shots

Elizabeth Williamson / New York Times:

Alex Jones Trial Live Updates: Jurors Award $4.1 Million in Damages — A jury said Alex Jones must pay $4 million to the parents of a boy killed at Sandy Hook. — AUSTIN, Texas — A jury in Texas awarded the parents of a child killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, NPR, Financial Times, TMZ.com, The Root, Deadline, The Guardian, Insider, Rolling Stone and ABC7

Chuck Lindell / Austin American-Statesman:

Alex Jones trial verdict: Jury awards $4.1 million in first phase of Sandy Hook case — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay the parents of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis damage awards totaling $4.1 million, an Austin jury determined Thursday — far below the $150 million requested.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Texas Tribune and Vox

Associated Press:
Jan. 6 panel has asked for Alex Jones' texts, Sandy Hook attorney says

Discussion: Bloomberg, New York Times, CNN, UPI, CBS News, KXAN-TV, Forbes, The Moderate Voice, The Guardian, The Mahablog and Talking Points Memo

CNN:

Exclusive: Trump lawyers in talks with Justice Department about January 6 criminal probe — (CNN)Former President Donald Trump's legal team is in direct communication with Justice Department officials, the first sign of talks between the two sides as the criminal probe into January 6, 2021 …

Discussion: Insider, Talking Points Memo, Vanity Fair, Raw Story, Associated Press and Bloomberg

Dan Mangan / CNBC:

Trump likely to be criminally charged in DOJ election probe along with other former White House officials, Obama AG Holder says — Former President Donald Trump “probably” will be indicted on criminal charges along with former White House officials as part of a Justice Department investigation …

Discussion: Political Wire

Lawrence Mower / Tampa Bay Times:

DeSantis suspends Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren — “Our government is a government of laws, not a government of men,” DeSantis said. — TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren for not prosecuting certain crimes.

Discussion: Florida Politics, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, One America News Network, Breitbart, Reason, HotAir, Raw Story, American Greatness, RedState, The Daily Caller, Todd Starnes, Ace of Spades HQ, NewsNation and The Western Journal

Steve Contorno / CNN:

DeSantis suspends Tampa prosecutor who took stance against criminalizing abortion providers — (CNN)Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday suspended Tampa's elected prosecutor, Andrew Warren, for pledging not to use his office to go after people who seek and provide abortions or on doctors …

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, Fox News, ABC News, 19FortyFive, Al Jazeera, Forbes, Washington Times, LGBTQ Nation, Insider, Florida Phoenix, Florida Politics and The Federalist

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:
DeSantis Suspends Tampa Prosecutor Who Vowed Not to Criminalize Abortion

Discussion: WUSF Public Media, NBC News, Florida's Voice, Wall Street Journal and Just The News

Anders Hagstrom / Fox News:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspends ‘Soros-backed’ state attorney who refused to enforce abortion ban

Discussion: Daily Mail, RedState, The Daily Beast, Politico and LifeNews.com

Kirby Wilson / Tampa Bay Times:
Who is Andrew Warren? Meet the Tampa prosecutor Ron DeSantis just removed

Discussion: Florida Politics, Intelligible Noise, WFLA-TV, CNN, Balloon Juice and Washington Examiner

Politico:

Wray: Allegations ‘troubling’ about FBI agent covering up Hunter Biden information — FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Thursday that allegations of an FBI agent's partisan social media posts and efforts to suppress information in the investigation into Hunter Biden's business activities were “deeply troubling.”

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner and Washington Times

Kevin Johnson / USA Today:
'It's crazy': FBI Director Christopher Wray expresses deep concern for rising violence in US

Discussion: Washington Times

Spencer Brown / Townhall:
'What Are Y'all Doing?': Cruz Scorches FBI Director for Targeting Patriotic Symbols

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Examiner, The Federalist, UPI, RedState, Politico, The Daily Caller, Louder With Crowder, IJR and Twitchy

Emma Graham-Harrison / The Guardian:

Hey, that's my house: US aid worker realises Zawahiri villa is his old home — The Kabul property hit by a US drone was familiar. It turned out Dan Smock had something in common with al-Qaida's leader — Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul — he balcony in Kabul where the head of al-Qaida was killed was a spot Dan Smock knew well.

Discussion: The Hill, Task & Purpose, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Diplomat, The Daily Beast, rolling dumpster fire and CNN

Luis Martinez / ABC News:
How the Hellfire missiles took out al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri with minimal collateral damage

Discussion: The Dispatch

Washington Post:

As monkeypox strikes gay men, officials debate warnings to limit partners — Sex is a major driver of the global outbreak. But health officials and longtime HIV activists say calls for abstinence don't work. — SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of gay men clad in leather, latex …

Discussion: Sacramento Bee, NPR, Big League Politics, Common Dreams, RedState, Twitchy, HotAir, The Federalist, Just The News, NewsNation, 17-Minute Date and The Daily Caller

Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Monkeypox is ‘a public health emergency,’ U.S. health secretary declares

Discussion: The Hill, Politico, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Insider, Reuters, Bloomberg, New York Times, Mediaite, CBS News, Mercury News, Union-News, Fortune, The Verge and STAT

HuffPost:

Democrats Plan Saturday Vote On Inflation Reduction Act — Passing the bill would represent a partial fulfillment of a major part of Joe Biden's domestic policy agenda. — WASHINGTON ― Senate Democrats plan to hold a procedural vote Saturday on their major domestic policy bill known …

Discussion: NPR, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Politico, KDFX-TV, Roll Call, Fox News and Political Wire

A.B. Stoddard / The Bulwark:

The Distinct Shame of Senate Republicans — Think about what Republican senators must have known when they voted not to convict Trump during the second impeachment. — Watching the House Select Committee on January 6th hearings I was struck by one overriding question.

Discussion: Overtime, Bernard Goldberg's Commentary, The Guardian, Robert Robb and New Republic

David Smith / The Guardian:

Orbán urges Christian nationalists in Europe and US to ‘unite forces’ at CPAC — Hungary's prime minister delivers opening address to American conservatives at CPAC in Texas — Viktor Orbán, the autocratic leader of Hungary, has urged Christian nationalists in Europe and the US to …

Discussion: The Atlantic and Big League Politics

Alexandra Hutzler / ABC News:
Why are conservatives welcoming Hungary's divisive Viktor Orban at CPAC?

Discussion: Washington Post, HuffPost, New York Times, Bloomberg, Politico, Washington Examiner, USA Today, Raw Story, Washington Times, CNN and The American Conservative

ABC News:

DOJ charges current, former police officers in connection with raid that killed Breonna Taylor — The department is investigating the Louisville Police Department. — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday that the Department of Justice has filed charges against four former …

Discussion: Washington Post, U.S. Department of Justice, The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo, CBS News, Associated Press, FOX 56 News, The Gateway Pundit, USA Today, MJR News, Wall Street Journal and The Daily Caller

Jim Heintz / Associated Press:

WNBA's Griner convicted at drug trial, sentenced to 9 years — KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted Thursday in Russia of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison following a politically charged trial that came amid soaring tensions between Moscow …

The White House:
Statement by President Joe Biden on the Sentencing of Wrongfully Detained American Brittney Griner

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, Rolling Stone, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Insider, The Root, The Spun, Mediaite, Sports Illustrated, The Western Journal, Mother Jones, Townhall and PBS NewsHour

Miriam Jordan / New York Times:

G.O.P. Governors Cause Havoc by Busing Migrants to East Coast — Thousands of migrants have been arriving on buses sent by the governors of Texas and Arizona. Many have ended up in homeless shelters and on the streets. — WASHINGTON — Lever Alejos arrived in the nation's capital last week …

Discussion: Fox News, HotAir, Ace of Spades HQ, Big League Politics and Twitchy

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Delays Minuteman III Missile Test Amid Tensions Over Taiwan — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the delay to avoid further inflaming relations with China, a defense official said — What's Next for Taiwan as U.S.-China Tensions Rise … The Biden administration postponed …

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, New York Post, Townhall, Politico, Sputnik News, Financial Times, Fox News, Twitchy and The Guardian

Olivia Olander / Politico:
U.S. orders aircraft carrier to remain in the region amid China-Taiwan tensions

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Fox News, Empire and Communication and Louder With Crowder

Josh Hammer / Newsweek:

Why Is Everyone Talking About the Claremont Institute? — , NEWSWEEK OPINION EDITOR AND HOST, “THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW” — On Wednesday, Elisabeth Zerofsky of The New York Times Magazine published a lengthy essay titled, “How the Claremont Institute Became a Nerve Center of the American Right.”

Discussion: New York Times

Hannah Natanson / Washington Post:

‘Never seen it this bad’: America faces catastrophic teacher shortage — Rural school districts in Texas are switching to four-day weeks this fall due to lack of staff. Florida is asking veterans with no teaching background to enter classrooms. Arizona is allowing college students to step in and instruct children.

Discussion: Kevin Drum, ArkansasTimes, Wikidworld and Joanne Jacobs

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

The Trumpists are winning. Here are 3 hidden reasons to fear them. — As the noxious dust settles from this week's GOP primaries, some big storylines are coming into view: The Trumpists are ascendant, and in their hands, the threat of Trumpism will far outlast Donald Trump himself.

Discussion: CBS News and Axios

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Democrats in Congress Have Started to Win Back Voters' Trust — Republicans still retain an edge on economic issues — but it's shrinking — Congressional Democrats are trailing their Republican counterparts in voter trust on key issues such as the economy and inflation …

Discussion: The Hill and IJR

Slate:

The Big Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Another Jan. 6 Has One Potentially Fatal Flaw — On Wednesday, the Senate Rules Committee took a crucial step in acting to fix an almost 150-year-old statute that governs presidential elections to try to prevent a replay of the sort of attack on democracy we saw on Jan. 6, 2021.

Discussion: Washington Post

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:

Former Vice President Dick Cheney rips ‘coward’ Trump in election ad for daughter Liz — Former Vice President Dick Cheney assailed ex-President Donald Trump as a “coward” and a threat to America in a new campaign ad for his daughter, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

Discussion: Associated Press, HotAir, ABC News, Fox News, Politico, Washington Post, CNN, Insider, USA Today, The Hill, Bloomberg, New York Post, HuffPost, Twitchy and Uniic Media

Associated Press:

Primaries bring big losses for incumbent GOP state lawmakers — MADISON, Wis. (AP) — As Wisconsin's longest-serving Assembly speaker, Republican Robin Vos has presided over efforts to restrict abortions, weaken unions, expand gun rights and push back against COVID-19 mandates.

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, ABC News, Insider and Wall Street Journal

Joseph G. Allen / New York Times:

Here's What School Covid Policies Should Look Like This Year — Dr. Allen is an associate professor and director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He has written for Times Opinion previously about pandemic school closures and difficult outstanding questions about Covid.