memeorandum: CFTC Staff Withdraws No-Action Letter to Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Regarding a Not-For-Profit Market for Certain Event Contracts (CFTC)

11:20 PM ET, August 4, 2022

Top Items:

Emily Cochrane / New York Times:

Sinema Agrees to Climate and Tax Deal, Clearing the Way for Votes — The Arizona Democrat had been her party's last remaining holdout on the package, now slated to move forward on Saturday and pass the Senate within days. — WASHINGTON — Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona …

Adam Shaw / Fox News:
Republicans eyeing votes on immigration, border security in upcoming reconciliation ‘vote-a-rama’

Discussion: Washington Examiner, FiveThirtyEight, The Hill and New York Post

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: USA Today, Insider, New York Post, Talking Points Memo, Vanity Fair, Raw Story 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

Eric Bradner / CNN:
Cheney says DOJ not prosecuting Trump if there's evidence could call into question the US as ‘nation of laws’

Discussion: The Hill

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.

Insider:

Sandy Hook parents' lawyer says Alex Jones' phone leak contains ‘intimate messages with Roger Stone’ — Alex Jones' cellphone leak includes “intimate messages” with Roger Stone, a lawyer said. — The House committee investigating the Capitol riot wants the phone's contents, the attorney added.

Discussion: Insider, Salon, Associated Press and Mediaite

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: New York Times, Associated Press, Rolling Stone, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

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.

John Stoehr / The Editorial Board: Alex Jones' spontaneous cell death

Steve Benen / MSNBC:

Viktor Orbán's racism not a deal breaker for the right in the U.S. — Viktor Orbán's recent racism offered Republicans an opportunity to distance themselves from the authoritarian Hungarian. They've done the opposite. — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's anti …

Discussion: NPR, CBS News, The Atlantic and NBC News

Alexandra Hutzler / ABC News:

Why are conservatives welcoming Hungary's divisive Viktor Orban at CPAC? — The authoritarian leader sparked outrage over comments on “mixed-race” nations. — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks as he and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer (not pictured) hold a joint press conference …

Discussion: HuffPost, Al Jazeera, New York Times, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Politico, Raw Story, Washington Times and CNN

Ishaan Tharoor / Washington Post:
Orban at CPAC brings the ‘far-right international’ into focus

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times and Chicago Sun Times

Washington Post:
Amid ‘mixed race’ speech blowback, Orban echoes Trump in Dallas

Discussion: The Hill, USA Today, The Forward and Just The News

David Smith / The Guardian:
Orbán urges Christian nationalists in Europe and US to ‘unite forces’ at CPAC

Discussion: New Republic and Big League Politics

Laura Bassett / Jezebel:

4,500 Tips About Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Were Punted to Trump White House, FBI Director Admits — Bama RushTok Is Back, Baby — Alex Jones Must Pay Sandy Hook Parents Over $4 Million, Jury Decides — Ron DeSantis Suspended a County Prosecutor Who Pledged Not to Go After Abortion Providers

Reuters:

Furious China fires missiles near Taiwan in drills after Pelosi visit — China deployed scores of planes and fired live missiles near Taiwan on Thursday in its biggest drills in the Taiwan Strait, a day after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a solidarity trip to the self-ruled island.

Discussion: The Guardian, Bloomberg, CNN, Washington Post, KDFX-TV, Breitbart, TASS, WTOP News, Ringside at the Reckoning, The National Interest, Kyodo News+, Louder With Crowder, The Daily Caller, Washington Times and The Hill

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

Discussion: Voice of America, Washington Examiner, Kyodo News+, Wall Street Journal, National Review, Washington Post, Empire and Communication, Bloomberg and Fox News

Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Delays Minuteman III Missile Test Amid Tensions Over Taiwan

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

Financial Times:
South Korean president snubs Nancy Pelosi as China tensions rise

Discussion: Fox News, Reuters, RedState, New York Post, UPI, Breitbart, The Diplomat, The Daily Beast, Korea Joongang Daily and Washington Post

Lachlan Markay / Axios:

Scoop: Republicans' last-minute Cheney lifeline — A handful of Republican operatives are quietly mounting a last-ditch effort to rescue Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from a Trump-backed primary challenge, Axios has learned. … - Cheney — the vice chair of the House Jan. 6 committee — could be the next casualty.

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Former Vice President Dick Cheney rips ‘coward’ Trump in election ad for daughter Liz

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

Democracy Now:

Breaking: Ex-Black Panther Albert Woodfox Dies at 75; Survived 43 Years in Solitary Confinement — This is viewer supported news. Please do your part today. — This is viewer supported news. Please do your part today. — Albert Woodfox, who was held in solitary confinement longer …

Discussion: The Guardian and CBS News

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: Washington Times and The Daily Caller

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: The Federalist, Ace of Spades HQ, The Daily Caller, Louder With Crowder, RedState, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Politico, IJR and Twitchy

Washington Post:

Four critically injured after lightning strike near the White House — The four adults were found at the center of the Lafayette Square just before 7 p.m. Thursday. — Four people were hospitalized with critical injuries Thursday evening after an apparent lightning strike in Lafayette Square …

Discussion: NBC News, HuffPost, CNN, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Insider, Sputnik News, WTOP News, TheBlaze, New York Post, KDFX-TV and Just The News

Jerusalem Demsas / The Atlantic:

The Billionaire's Dilemma — Usually when rich people rage against the possibility that someone less wealthy might become their neighbor, nobody bats an eye. Why would they? NIMBYism is the dominant fact of American urban geography. But in recent years, a number of very rich people …

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 …

Dareh Gregorian / NBC News:

Kari Lake, Trump-backed election denier, wins GOP primary in Arizona governor's race — Kari Lake, a 2020 election denier who was backed by former President Donald Trump, has won the Republican primary for governor in Arizona, beating Karrin Taylor Robson, a candidate endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence, NBC News projects.

Discussion: Politico, CNN, Fox News, ABC News, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, The Daily Caller, NewsNation and Just The News

Lawrence Mower / Tampa Bay Times:

DeSantis removes Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren — “Our government is a government of laws, not a government of men,” DeSantis said. — TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday removed Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren from office for what he said was Warren's disregard …

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

Discussion: Jezebel, Wall Street Journal, American Greatness, TheBlaze, Balloon Juice, Intelligible Noise, Washington Examiner and CNN

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: Task & Purpose, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Hill, The Diplomat and The Daily Beast

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: NPR, Instapundit, CBS News, HuffPost, Sacramento Bee, Big League Politics, The Hill, RedState, Union-News, Common Dreams, The Federalist, Twitchy, HotAir, Fortune and Just The News

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.

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

CFTC:

CFTC Staff Withdraws No-Action Letter to Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Regarding a Not-For-Profit Market for Certain Event Contracts — Washington, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Division of Market Oversight (DMO) today announced it is withdrawing CFTC Letter No. 14-130 effective immediately.

Discussion: Imperfect Information

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 …

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, Ace of Spades HQ, Big League Politics, HotAir and Twitchy