memeorandum: BlackRock, MSCI Face Congressional Probes for Facilitating China Investments (Wall Street Journal)

9:00 AM ET, August 1, 2023

Top Items:

Biden Shores Up Democratic Support, but Faces Tight Race Against Trump — A New York Times/Siena College poll found that President Biden is on stronger footing than he was a year ago — but he is neck-and-neck in a possible rematch against Donald Trump. — President Biden is heading …

Discussion: Fox News, The Hill, National Review, Just The News, No More Mister Nice Blog, NBC News, Breitbart, RedState, Townhall, IJR, Raw Story and Washington Post

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Trump has ‘my Kevin’ trapped. New data on Fox News viewers shows why. — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is under intense pressure from the right to do all he can to protect Donald Trump from justice and accountability. The former president's backers want McCarthy (R-Calif.) …

Discussion: The Messenger, HuffPost, Breitbart, Mediaite, Raw Story, IJR, RedState and National Review

Shia Kapos / Politico:
No Labels to GOP donors: We are your anti-Trump alternative

Discussion: New York Times and Raw Story

Nate Cohn / New York Times:
Why Trump Is So Hard to Beat

Bill Allison / Bloomberg:
Charles Koch-Tied Group Seeks to Block Trump From GOP Nomination

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CNN and Political Wire

New York Times:

Trump PAC Down to $4 Million Cash on Hand After Legal Fees — The scramble to cover legal bills for former President Donald J. Trump and his associates has prompted what appears to be the largest refund in federal campaign finance history. — Former President Donald J. Trump's political action committee …

Discussion: Politico, New York Magazine, Florida Politics, Vanity Fair, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, PoliticusUSA, The Daily Caller, CNN and CBS News

Roger Sollenberger / The Daily Beast:
Trump's New Legal Fund Is a Lean, Mean Grift Machine

Discussion: Raw Story, Associated Press, PoliticusUSA, Daily Kos and CNN

Dustin Racioppi / Politico:
Chris Christie super PAC raises nearly $6 million for 2024 campaign

Discussion: The Hill and Political Wire

Washington Free Beacon:

House Democrat Says Hunter Biden Called His Father During Business Meetings — Joe Biden claimed he ‘never discussed business’ with Hunter — Hunter Biden often called his father, Joe Biden, on speakerphone during business meetings, a Democratic lawmaker said Monday …

United States House Committee on Oversight …:
Comer Statement on Devon Archer's Testimony

CNN:
Former business partner says Hunter Biden sold ‘illusion’ of access to Joe Biden, source says

Natalie Allison / Politico:

DeSantis' latest comments slammed by anti-abortion group as ‘unacceptable’ — The rebuke from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a tough one for the governor, who signed major abortion restrictions into law. — The nation's leading anti-abortion group on Monday called Gov. Ron DeSantis' failure …

Discussion: The Messenger, SBA Pro-Life America, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, NBC News, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, The Daily Signal, Florida Politics, Political Wire and The Guardian

Alex Roarty / Miami Herald:
‘We gotta get DeSantis indicted’: Ally quips DeSantis would benefit from prosecution, too

Discussion: Raw Story, Bloomberg, Breitbart, Forbes, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, UPROXX, Reuters, NBC News, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and Politico

David Weigel / Semafor:

‘This belongs in the Smithsonian’: Inside the meme video operation that swallowed Ron DeSantis' campaign — The Scoop — Senior aides to Ron DeSantis oversaw the campaign's high-risk strategy of laundering incendiary videos produced by their staff through allied anonymous Twitter accounts …

Discussion: Florida Politics, Rolling Stone, New York Post and Political Dictionary

Patrick Svitek / The Texas Tribune:

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson “briefly detained” by officers at rodeo near Amarillo — The Amarillo Republican, a doctor, was trying to help somebody experiencing a medical emergency in a chaotic situation, his office said. The sheriff is reviewing the incident.

Discussion: The Messenger and Political Wire

Matt Young / The Daily Beast:
Ex-Trump Doc Detained at Rodeo While Assisting on ‘Chaotic’ Medical Emergency

Discussion: Raw Story

Sara Moniuszko / CBS News:

Leprosy could be endemic in Central Florida, CDC says. What to know about the disease. — Leprosy — also known as Hansen's disease — is becoming endemic in the southeastern United States, rising evidence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.

Discussion: WFLA-TV and New York Post

Olafimihan Oshin / The Hill:
Leprosy cases surging in Central Florida: CDC

Discussion: The Capitolist and Metro.co.uk

Associated Press:

Biden decides to keep Space Command in Colorado, rejecting move to Alabama — President Joe Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the Trump administration to move it to Alabama. The choice ended months of thorny deliberations …

Conrad Hoyt / Washington Examiner:

Memphis police arrest gunman outside Jewish school and prevent ‘potential mass shooting’ — Memphis police officers prevented a “potential mass shooting” when they shot and detained a gunman attempting to enter a Jewish school in the city on Monday, the department's police chief said.

Discussion: CNN, Memphis Police Department …, Fox News, NBC News, One America News Network, Associated Press, CBS News, The Hill and The Messenger

Wall Street Journal:

BlackRock, MSCI Face Congressional Probes for Facilitating China Investments — Americans' retirement funds are unwittingly fueling Chinese firms the U.S. has flagged over security and human-rights issues, lawmakers say — The world's largest asset manager and a top stock-market-index compiler …

Discussion: The Messenger and Reuters

Brad Dress / The Hill:

Who's buying up land around major Air Force base in California? ‘We have no idea’ — A mysterious investment company is buying up large tracts of land around a California air force base, raising questions about who is behind the firm — and its intentions — amid growing fears …

Tom Lavelle / Center for Countering Digital Hate:

Letters from the lawyers: Musk threatens CCDH with brazen attempt to silence honest criticism. — Last week we got a letter from Elon Musk's X. Corp threatening CCDH with legal action over our work, exposing the proliferation of hate and lies on Twitter since he became the owner.

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:

Trump's Rape Trial Testimony Is Already Coming Back to Haunt Him — The Manhattan DA wants to use Trump's deposition in the E. Jean Carroll rape lawsuit to show how desperate he was to keep sexual allegations against him secret. — The Manhattan district attorney seeking to jail Donald Trump …

Discussion: Raw Story

Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:

Could Jared and Ivanka Return to the Trump Campaign Fold? — The couple has publicly steered clear of politics, but some recent sightings have Trumpworld buzzing. “If he's president again,” says a former administration official, “Jared needs to protect his turf.”

Discussion: The Guardian, Raw Story, Insider and UPROXX

Joan Biskupic / CNN:

John Roberts can't get a Supreme Court ethics code. Alito's interview shows why — When the Supreme Court left for its summer recess in June, the justices were at a stalemate on adopting a formal ethics code. — Chief Justice John Roberts has been seeking unanimity among the nine justices …

Discussion: New York Times, Vanity Fair, Slate, Los Angeles Times and Daily Kos

Al Weaver / The Hill:

Katie Britt recovering at home after ‘sudden onset of numbness’ in face, condition not life-threatening — Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) announced on Monday night that the senator is receiving outpatient care after experiencing a “sudden onset of numbness” in her face and is expected to need “several weeks” of recovery.