memeorandum: Democrats hammer Republicans over Social Security as conservative candidates grab the ‘third rail’ (Sahil Kapur/NBC News)

11:15 AM ET, August 28, 2022

Top Items:

Michael Stern / Just Security:

Assessing Trump's Claim of ‘Executive Privilege’ on FBI Access to MAL Docs — The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and former President Donald Trump are locked in a long running dispute over records taken from the White House in January 2021.

Washington Post:

Inside Trump's war on the National Archives — The agency has been hit with a wave of threats and vitriol since the FBI retrieved scores of classified records from Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club — In the nearly three weeks since the FBI searched former president Donald Trump's Florida home …

Discussion: Axios, Daily Kos, Raw Story and Political Wire

Ronald G. Shafer / Washington Post:

‘Mutilated by rats,’ burned, trashed: 200 years of presidential papers lost — Before the Presidential Records Act of 1978, presidents owned their papers. Now all presidents, including Donald Trump, must turn them over to the National Archives. — When President George Washington left office in 1797 …

Glynn A. Hill / Washington Post:

BYU bans fan, relocates volleyball match after racist incident — A volleyball match was relocated and a spectator was banned from Brigham Young sporting venues after a Black player on Duke's team became the target of racial slurs during a game Friday at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.

Discussion: Raw Story and Associated Press

David Shepardson / Reuters:

Duke volleyball game in Utah moved after racist abuse hurled at Black player — Duke University women's volleyball match on Saturday was moved to an alternate location in Provo, Utah, after racial slurs were hurled at a Black player from the crowd during Friday's match with BYU, school officials said.

CBS News:

GOP seat lead shrinks as Biden approval ticks up — CBS News Battleground Tracker poll — Republicans head into the fall still in position to gain enough House seats for a majority, but a tumultuous summer has made their advantage appear a little smaller today — with a trend so far pointing toward narrow gains instead of a wave.

Discussion: The Hill

Washington Post:

Once unthinkable, Democrats now see narrow path to keeping the House — While Democrats acknowledge they still face major hurdles, there has been an unmistakable mood shift, according to interviews with candidates, strategists and officials — Democrats are voicing growing confidence …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Recovering Republican and Raw Story

Dan Balz / Washington Post: Trump is turning the midterms from a referendum into a choice

Lauren Gambino / The Guardian:

‘The US could lose the right to vote within months’: Top official warns on threat to democracy — Jena Griswold urges Americans to pay attention to crucial but often overlooked races for secretary of state — Colorado's secretary of state, Jena Griswold, is warning anyone who will listen …

Brooke Singman / Fox News:

Judge announces ‘preliminary intent to appoint a special master’ to review Trump records seized by FBI — The ruling follows Trump's motion seeking an independent review of records seized by the FBI — What did we learn from DOJ's Mar-a-Lago affidavit? — FIRST ON FOX: A federal judge …

Discussion: New York Post, National Review, Townhall, New York Magazine and NewsNation

New York Times:
Judge Signals Intent to Appoint Special Master in Mar-a-Lago Search

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNN, Washington Post and Mercury News

Chloe Folmar / The Hill:
Judge announces intent to appoint special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents

Discussion: Associated Press, The Colorado Sun, Insider, CBS News, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Just The News and Political Wire

Sahil Kapur / NBC News:

Democrats hammer Republicans over Social Security as conservative candidates grab the ‘third rail’ — WASHINGTON — When Blake Masters was running for the Republican nomination for Senate in Arizona, he floated what he called a “fresh and innovative” idea. — “Maybe we should privatize Social Security.

Brad Lendon / CNN:

US sends two warships through Taiwan Strait, in first transit since Pelosi trip — China fires missiles towards Taiwan strait in drill after Pelosi visit — Two United States Navy warships have entered the Taiwan Strait in what is the first US naval transit in the waterway since US-China tensions spiked …

Discussion: Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, Associated Press, The Hill, Reuters, Fox News, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Trends Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, WTOP News and TASS

NBC News:

Black Covid long-haulers felt invisible to the health care system, so they formed their own support groups — Chimére L. Smith, 40, thought her bout with Covid in March 2020 would pass within two weeks, as most mild cases do. But the Baltimore English middle school teacher found …

CNN:

A once-bullish GOP now sees a smaller House majority in its future, presenting a challenge to McCarthy — Democrats closing the enthusiasm gap but the midterms will still be an “uphill battle” — House Republicans are starting to grow pessimistic about their chances of winning a massive majority …

Olivia Olander / Politico:

Sanders answers debt relief criticism: ‘The solution is not to deny help’ — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday lamented conservative criticism of President Joe Biden's plan for student debt forgiveness. — “I know it is shocking, George, to some Republicans that the government actually …

Discussion: ABC News and The Hill

Rachel Sharp / The Independent:

Ted Cruz mocked for blasting ‘slacker baristas’ after Biden scraps some student loan debt — Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders posted a video on Twitter educating the Texas senator about some of the Americans - such as nurses - struggling because of crippling student loan debt

Discussion: Press Enterprise and Occupy Democrats

Ryan King / Washington Examiner:

WATCH: Karl Rove says Secret Service could have ratted Trump out over classified docs — A Secret Service member tasked with safeguarding former President Donald Trump may have been the one to spill the beans about the classified material at Mar-a-Lago, according to Karl Rove.

Discussion: Politico