memeorandum: SPECIAL REPORT: RNC bookings “underwhelming” and a “failure,” event venues and restaurants raise concerns (Dan Shafer/The Recombobulation Area)

10:10 AM ET, June 27, 2024

Top Items:

Playbook: The most important night of the 2024 election — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — POSTED MOMENTS AGO — Who is to blame for the crisis gripping The Washington Post? WILL LEWIS, the CEO with an increasingly scarred reputation?

Discussion: Business Insider, NBC News, Washington Post, Charleston City Paper, Associated Press, Raw Story, CNN, UPI, WAGA-TV and ABC News

Zachary Basu / Axios:

Scoop: Biden seizes debate limelight for “Project 2025” push … - The Trump campaign points instead to the Agenda47 website for policies explicitly endorsed by former President Trump. … - Google search interest in “Project 2025” surged earlier this month, and a John Oliver segment …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post and Greensburg Tribune-Review

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

What to Watch at the First Trump-Biden Debate — Both candidates have been eager for this rematch, with President Biden aiming to focus on their starkly different visions for America, and Donald Trump keen to attack his rival's record. — The candidates are the same. The circumstances are very different.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Bloomberg, Slate, HuffPost, CBS News, The Guardian and Al Jazeera

Politico:
Trump debate playbook: Skip mock debates, fundraise and undermine the results

Discussion: New York Times, Raw Story, New Republic, Breitbart, Washington Post, NPR, USA Today and NBC News

Asawin Suebsaeng / Rolling Stone:
Trump Allies Urge Him Not To Be a ‘Raging Asshole’ at Debate

Discussion: The Federalist, New York Post, Boston Herald, Florida Politics, New Republic, Spectrum News NY1, PoliticusUSA, USA Today, Al Jazeera and Washington Examiner

New York Times:

Corruption Law Allows Gifts to State and Local Officials, Supreme Court Rules — The court, which has limited the sweep of several anti-corruption laws, distinguished after-the-fact rewards from before-the-fact bribes. — The Supreme Court limited the sweep of a federal law on Wednesday aimed …

Discussion: Washington Post, Reason, Raw Story and Althouse

Ian Millhiser / Vox:

The Supreme Court rules that state officials can engage in a little corruption, as a treat — On a 6-3 party-line vote, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that state officials may accept “gratuities” from people who wish to reward them for their official actions, despite a federal anti-corruption statute …

Alex Aronson / Slate:
John Roberts Stood Up the Senate. Why Is He Getting Away With It?

Discussion: Congressman Jamie Raskin and New Republic

Hassan Ali Kanu / American Prospect:
The Supreme Court Blesses a Form of Bribery

Discussion: SCOTUSblog, The Lever, Washington Times, Courthouse News Service, Law & Crime, ABC7, Raw Story, Chicago Tribune, East Bay Times and Rolling Stone

Edith Olmsted / New Republic:
Ketanji Brown Jackson Blasts “Absurd” Supreme Court Bribery Ruling

Discussion: HuffPost, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Raw Story

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:
Supreme Court wipes out anti-corruption law that bars officials from taking gifts for past favors

Discussion: The Hill, Boing Boing, The Guardian, Associated Press, Raw Story, Chicago Sun Times, RedState and SCOTUSblog, more at Mediagazer »

Nate Silver / Silver Bulletin:

The presidential election isn't a toss-up — As our model launches, either Biden or Trump could easily win — but the odds are in the ex-president's favor. — ∙ Paid … We hope all of this will prove to be worth your time — and money — and you can sign up using the link below.

Discussion: The Guardian, BizPac Review, USA Today, RedState, Washington Times, Mediaite, Breitbart, New York Post, The Daily Beast, Fox News, Washington Examiner and IJR

Quinnipiac University Poll:
Trump Pulls Ahead In Presidential Race, Vast Majority Of Voters Plan To Watch Debate, 16% Open To Changing Choice For President, Quinnipiac University …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Politico, Breitbart, Mediaite, New York Times, Forbes, acecomments.mu.nu and The Hill

New York Times:
Republicans Rally Behind Trump After Conviction, Times/Siena Poll Finds

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Slate, New York Post, USA Today, NewsNation, Fox News, AllSides Balanced, New Republic, Washington Post and RedState

Bloomberg:

Supreme Court Poised to Allow Emergency Abortions in Idaho — Opinion was briefly posted on the court's website and removed — Hospitals would be allowed to protect pregnant mother's health — The US Supreme Court is poised to allow abortions in medical emergencies in Idaho …

Chris Geidner / Law Dork:

Errant SCOTUS abortion case document posting sparks confusion — On Wednesday afternoon, Bloomberg sent shockwaves throughout the country, reporting that a document appeared on the opinions page of the U.S. Supreme Court's website briefly Wednesday morning that, for all intents and purposes …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Breitbart, Politico, SCOTUSblog, Associated Press, Raw Story, NBC News, ABC News and Bloomberg

Associated Press:

A coup attempt is feared in Bolivia as troops pour into the streets — LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Armored vehicles rammed into the doors of Bolivia's government palace Wednesday as a top government official warned of a coup attempt and President Luis Arce said “irregular” deployment of troops was taking place in the capital.

Jed Rosenzweig / LateNighter:

25+ Years of Daily Show Clips Gone as Paramount Axes Comedy Central Site — First on LateNighter: One of the richest repositories of late-night videos is no longer. — ComedyCentral.com had been home to clips from every episode of The Daily Show since 1999, and the entire run of The Colbert Report …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Variety, TVLine and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »

Ed Morrissey / HotAir:

SCOTUS Puntalooza: Court Rejects Challenge to Government-Directed Censorship — Consider today a very disappointing day at the Supreme Court. Not only did the court publish only two of the outstanding opinions in unresolved cases this term, they also chose to punt on one of the most important.

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Biden Administration's Contacts With Social Media Companies

USA Today:

EXCLUSIVE: VA Senate candidate says he was ‘blown up’ in combat. His record doesn't show that. — Elizabeth Beyer Tom Vanden BrookUSA TODAY — WASHINGTON — The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia, a decorated Navy veteran, has made repeated references to becoming disabled after he was …

Discussion: Human Events

Associated Press:

7 in 10 think Supreme Court justices prioritize ideology: AP poll — WASHINGTON (AP) — A solid majority of Americans say Supreme Court justices are more likely to be guided by their own ideology rather than serving as neutral arbiters of government authority, a new poll finds …

Discussion: Fox News and Bangor Daily News

Aaron Rupar / Public Notice:

How right-wing media is legitimizing a nonsensical and nonexistent lawsuit — This is a special joint edition of Public Notice and Judd Legum's Popular Information. You can subscribe to Popular Information here. — On June 20, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced on X …

Discussion: Missouri Independent and Breitbart

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:

What Trump And Biden Really Mean When They Fight About Electric Vehicles — The argument is about a lot more than Detroit and cars. — LOADING — President Joe Biden sketched out his vision for the future of America's auto industry during a visit to Detroit in late 2021.

Adrienne LaFrance / The Atlantic:

What Kind of ‘Psycho’ Calls Dead Americans ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’? — Trump's denial of his own well-documented remarks is a tell. — Perhaps you've noticed lately that Donald Trump, a man not known for subtlety, has been testing the limits of the Streisand effect.

Luc Cohen / Reuters:

Honduras ex-President Hernandez sentenced to 45 years in prison on US drug conviction — Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was sentenced by a U.S. judge on Wednesday to 45 years in prison for his conviction on drug and firearm offenses. — The sentence means Hernandez, 55 …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Associated Press, CNN, UPI, CBS News and Bloomberg

Cory Doctorow / Pluralistic:

Pluralistic: Cleantech has an enshittification problem (26 Jun 2024) — Cleantech has an enshittification problem: Who's gonna make a 25-year purchase from a startup with six months' worth of runway? — Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. — This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019

Natasha Turak / CNBC:

‘A disastrous event’: All-out war between Israel and Hezbollah could devastate both sides … The near-daily exchanges of fire along Lebanon's border with northern Israel have intensified at an alarming rate in recent weeks, spurring escalating threats between Israel and Hezbollah and forcing …