memeorandum: Big oil quietly walks back on climate pledges as global heat records tumble (Dharna Noor/The Guardian)

1:35 PM ET, July 16, 2023

Top Items:

Here's who won, and lost, and face-planted in the presidential money race last quarter — Nearly every candidate's fundraising came with a caveat. — Ron DeSantis has money problems. — Tim Scott is on a bit of a spending binge. — Rich candidates are parting with their money, while also-rans are struggling to break through.

Discussion: The Messenger, NBC News, Florida Politics, Raw Story, Balloon Juice, Washington Post, CNN, Washington Examiner, The Hill and The Daily Caller

NBC News:

Ron DeSantis fires roughly a dozen staffers in a campaign shake-up — The Florida governor has struggled to break into Trump's lead and his campaign has been burning through money. — Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign has fired roughly a dozen staffers — and more are expected …

Discussion: New York Post, Mother Jones, USA Today, Deadline, Florida Politics, The Gateway Pundit, The Messenger, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Political Wire and HotAir

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

DeSantis campaign sheds staff amid cash crunch — Fewer than 10 staffers were let go Thursday, according to a person familiar with the campaign. — Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign is shedding staff as it navigates a cash crunch. — Fewer than 10 staffers were let go by the Florida …

Discussion: New York Times, Insider, National Review, ABC News, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Florida Politics, The Guardian, The National Pulse+, Just The News, New York Post, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Sacramento Bee and Bloomberg

Politico:

Playbook: DeSantis in disarray? — Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — NEW J-MART FROM ATLANTIC CITY — “No-Show Republicans Shun NGA”: “There are 26 Republican governors. Three of them showed up here this week at the annual summer meeting of the National Governors Association.

NBC News:

Ron DeSantis' campaign finances have some flashing warning signs — Most of DeSantis' money came from donors who “maxed out” and can't give again, as small donations have been a struggle for Trump's GOP challengers. — WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped out top donors …

Discussion: Insider, CNN, The Hill, New York Post, Mother Jones, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Associated Press and Political Wire

CNN:
Ron DeSantis to sit down with CNN's Jake Tapper for an exclusive interview Tuesday

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Florida Politics and Sun-Sentinel

Ruby Cramer / Washington Post:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests covid was designed to spare Jews, Chinese people — Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advanced a dangerous conspiracy theory this week that the coronavirus could have been a bioweapon “deliberately targeted” to spare Ashkenazi Jews …

Discussion: Associated Press, CNN, Breitbart, Victory Girls Blog, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, Public, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Hill, Balloon Juice, NBC News, Politico, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, New York Post and National Review

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Covid Remarks Raise Questions of Antisemitism — The long-shot candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination has a history of embracing conspiracy theories. His latest comments claimed the virus spared certain ethnic and religious groups.

Discussion: The Hill, New York Post, Althouse, Twitchy, RedState, The Messenger, TMZ.com, The Gateway Pundit, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mother Jones

Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:

Trump's outbursts met with silence so far by prosecutor, judge — Other defendants might get in trouble for publicly calling the prosecutor a deranged drug user. Not Donald Trump. — Since his indictment last month on charges of withholding classified documents, former president Donald Trump …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Western Journal and The Messenger

ABC News:

7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes near Alaska Peninsula, prompting tsunami advisory — A tsunami advisory was in effect in some coastal areas, NWS officials said. — A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck near the Alaska Peninsula late Saturday. — The quake prompted the National Weather Service …

Discussion: KTUU, Associated Press, UPI, ZeroHedge News, Fox News, Metro.co.uk, KRON4, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Reuters and TASS

Benjamin Lindsay / The Wrap:

Democratic Lobby Group Airs Steamy Sex Scene Takedown of GOP: ‘Keep Republicans Out of Your Bedroom’ (Video) — The political ad comes from Progress Action Fund and asks Ohioans to vote no on the controversial State Issue 1 — In what might be the subjectively raciest political ad ever …

Discussion: HotAir

Dharna Noor / The Guardian:

Big oil quietly walks back on climate pledges as global heat records tumble — Energy firms have made record profits by increasing production of oil and gas, far from their promises of rolling back emissions — It was probably the Earth's hottest week in history earlier this month …

Discussion: Cafe Hayek, The Hill and The Daily Caller

Brett Samuels / The Hill:

Trump praises judge overseeing his classified documents case, saying she ‘loves our country’ — Former President Trump praised the judge overseeing his classified documents case as his legal team seeks a postponement of his trial in Florida. — Trump's motion for a continuance of the trial …

Discussion: The Messenger and Washington Times

Washington Post:

Personal debts said to scuttle nomination of Biden's acting cyber director — The rationale for not permanently nominating Kemba Walden to be national cyber director has stunned colleagues — The acting White House national cyber director was told in recent weeks that she would not be considered …

Discussion: Reuters

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, Washington Post, The Messenger, Bearing Arms, ABC News, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Just The News, The Hill, New York Daily News and Metro.co.uk

MacKenzie Ryan / The Guardian:

Biden stability beats Trump volatility in 2024 match-up, experts suggest — Political scientists read the Republican runes and suggest Trump will win the nomination - but how would he fare in a 2020 rematch? — s it stands, political scientists expect Donald Trump to win the Republican nomination for president.

Discussion: Raw Story and The American Spectator

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:
No Labels releases proposals to guide third-party presidential ticket

Discussion: ABC News and New York Times

Steven Shepard / Politico:
The Electoral College is the big factor in a third-party nightmare for Democrats

Discussion: CNN, Outside the Beltway, Washington Examiner and National Review

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: The Gateway Pundit, The Messenger, New York Times, Florida Politics, NBC News and Politico