memeorandum: Chris Christie raises $1.65 million during second fundraising quarter (Fredreka Schouten/CNN)

6:35 PM ET, July 15, 2023

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RFK Jr. says COVID was ‘ethnically targeted’ to spare Jews — Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dished out wild COVID-19 conspiracy theories this week during a press event at an Upper East Side restaurant, claiming the bug was a genetically engineered bioweapon that may have been …

Associated Press:

At least 4 killed in mass shooting in small Georgia city outside Atlanta, spokeswoman says — The shooting occurred at around 10:40 a.m. in Hampton, a city south of Atlanta, officials said. — HAMPTON, Ga. — A county government official in Georgia says at least four people have been killed …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, The Messenger, CBS News, New York Daily News, Metro.co.uk, One America News Network, Fox News, WGN-TV and NewsNation

Fredreka Schouten / CNN:

Chris Christie raises $1.65 million during second fundraising quarter — Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie raised $1.65 million over the first 25 days of his candidacy through June 30, according to the former New Jersey governor's latest fundraising report.

Discussion: New York Times, Just The News, The Hill, Fox News, NBC News and Florida Politics

Kelly O'Donnell / NBC News:

Christie campaign raised $1.65 million in 25 days to close out second quarter — The super PAC backing the former New Jersey governor also brought in nearly $6 million. — Chris Christie's presidential campaign will report raising $1.65 million in the second quarter …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, CNN, Bloomberg, New York Post, Washington Post and Political Wire

Tim Carman / Washington Post:

A gay couple ran a rural restaurant in peace. Then new neighbors arrived. — Deep Reads features The Washington Post's best immersive reporting and narrative writing. — As soon as she spotted the lifeless vermin, Tiffany Foster had a hunch about how it appeared near the trash bins behind …

Ray Hartmann / Raw Story:

DeSantis asked by GOP officials in Florida to ban vaccine as ‘biological weapon’ — The Brevard County Republican Executive voted by a supermajority this week to call upon Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban sale and distribution of Covid “and all related vaccines” in the state, Florida Today reported.

Discussion: New York Times and Joe.My.God.

Lawrence Mower / Tampa Bay Times:

Veterans quit DeSantis' Florida State Guard over militialike training — One retired Marine Corps officer called the police on instructors, alleging abuse. — Emma Rose BrownMiami Herald — When the first recruiting class of Gov. Ron DeSantis' new Florida State Guard showed up for training …

Discussion: The Guardian, Joe.My.God., Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Times, Diane Ravitch's blog, The Messenger, Florida Politics and Raw Story

Steven Shepard / Politico:

The Electoral College is the big factor in a third-party nightmare for Democrats — Battleground states may actually be the least likely places for non-major party candidates to draw support. — Democrats are rightly spooked by the prospect of credible third-party candidates this cycle.

Discussion: National Review and Washington Examiner

William Vaillancourt / The Daily Beast:

GOP Rep Flip-Flops on ‘Asshole’ Abortion Bill: Just Travel — ‘CONSISTENT’ — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) was grilled Friday on why she voted in favor of an amendment that she had previously characterized as a move that equates to “being assholes to women.” Appearing on CNN Primetime …

Discussion: The Guardian, HuffPost, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos, Politico, HotAir and New Republic

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:

No Labels releases proposals to guide third-party presidential ticket — “Strike a balance” on abortion access. Promote “all-of-the-above” energy production. Act now to address Social Security solvency. Stop releasing asylum applicants into the country.

Discussion: New York Times

NBC News:

DeSantis visits Dairy Queen in Iowa after Trump's ‘Blizzard’ flub — The GOP presidential candidate used the campaign stop to praise the state's governor, who angered Trump this week when she declined to weigh in on the primary race. — BOONE, Iowa — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped …

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Insider, HuffPost, Florida Politics, The Gateway Pundit, WFLA-TV, Politico and Fox News

James Davey / Reuters:

UK defence minister Wallace to step down as lawmaker at next election — British defence minister Ben Wallace will not stand as a member of parliament (MP) in the next UK national election, he told The Times newspaper on Saturday. — Wallace, MP for Wyre and Preston North …

Discussion: The Hill, The Sunday Times, BBC, Politico, The Sun, The Guardian, Metro.co.uk and Bloomberg

Amy Walter / Cook Political Report:

Three Things To Watch This Summer That Could Impact The GOP Primary Race — By any reasonable measure, the news this summer hasn't been slow. — Congress and the White House agreed on a debt ceiling deal in early June. Two weeks later, Special Counsel Jack Smith announced a 37-count indictment …

Discussion: NBC News, Daily Kos and Raw Story

Nick Robertson / The Hill:

Russia investigating if North Korean test missile crashed in its waters — The Russian government is investigating whether a missile test-fired by North Korea on Wednesday ended up in its territorial waters in the Sea of Japan. — Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said the country …

Discussion: TASS, UPI and Metro.co.uk