memeorandum: Ron DeSantis strips more than $32m in Florida arts funding (Richard Luscombe/The Guardian)

10:05 PM ET, June 30, 2024

Top Items:

Biden's Family Tells Him to Keep Fighting as They Huddle at Camp David — President Biden is trying to figure out how to tamp down Democratic anxiety after last week's disastrous debate performance. — President Biden's family is urging him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite …

Discussion: Raw Story, Reuters, The Hill, Politico, Breitbart, DNyuz, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, Associated Press, Washington Times, Mediaite, National Review, PoliticusUSA and Business Insider

CBS News:

Increasing numbers of voters don't think Biden should be running after debate with Trump — CBS News poll — For months before the first debate, the nation's voters repeatedly expressed doubts over whether President Biden had the cognitive health enough to serve.

Discussion: Politico, Fox News, Bloomberg, Mediaite, Washington Times, The Hill, Washington Examiner, USA Today, DNyuz, RedState, Semafor, NOTUS, The Daily Caller, CNBC, New York Post, Democracy Corps, Mother Jones, PoliticusUSA and Wall Street Journal

Karissa Waddick / USA Today:

Historian who predicted 9 of the last 10 election results says Democrats shouldn't drop Joe Biden — WASHINGTON - Allan Lichtman, the historian who has correctly forecast the results of nine out of the 10 most recent presidential elections argued on Saturday that replacing President Joe Biden could cost Democrats the 2024 election.

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

Lauren Sforza / The Hill:

Biden campaign raises more than $33M since debate with Trump — President Biden's campaign has raked in more than $33 million since his debate with former President Trump last week despite some backlash about his performance. — In an email on Sunday, a Biden campaign official …

Discussion: Axios, UPI, Fox News and CNBC

Andrew Solender / Axios:

Democrats escalate pre-debate Biden avoidance strategy … - “I don't ever want to see him here,” the lawmaker said of Biden, adding that “every single donor — and I'm only calling major donors — is furious and wants him to step aside.” — A senior House Democrat …

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Biden and Harris's Absurd Case for Complacency … After absorbing the initial waves of shock from Thursday night's debate debacle, allies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have begun whispering to the media their reasons why the Democratic ticket must consist of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Discussion: Business Insider, The Atlantic and Politico

Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:

Rep. Jamie Raskin says ‘honest and serious conversations are taking place’ about Biden's political future after debate — Raskin's remarks are a break from what most top Democrats have said publicly in their defense of Biden following the presidential debate.

Discussion: ABC News, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, PJ Media, Washington Examiner and Mediaite

Mia McCarthy / Politico:

Fetterman calls ‘abandon Biden’ campaign dumb, says it helps Trump — The Pennsylvania Democrat also defended Biden after his disastrous debate performance. — Sen. John Fetterman said progressives saying they will abandon President Joe Biden over his response to the Israel-Hamas war is ‘the dumbest shit’ he's ever heard.

Discussion: Fox News and NPR

Axios:
Behind the Curtain: What scares Democrats most

Discussion: HotAir, Mailchimp, DNyuz, The Hill, Fox News, Washington Examiner, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, CBS News and NBC News

Lew Blank / Data For Progress:
In Post-Debate Poll, Voters Think Biden Is Too Old to Be President Yet Alternative Candidates Perform Similarly Against Trump

Discussion: The Free Press, OutsideTheBeltway, Politico, The Guardian and Rolling Stone, more at Mediagazer »

Tara Suter / The Hill: Pelosi on Democrats calling for Biden to step down: 'I'm not doing it'

Marc A. Caputo / The Bulwark:
‘Mental Masturbation’: Trump Camp Dismisses Dem Talk of Shoving Biden Aside

Discussion: Public, CBS News and Fox News

ABC News:
Biden campaign argues president dropping out would ‘lead to weeks of chaos’

Discussion: The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali, Washington Post, CBS News, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit and The Guardian

Clea Caulcutt / Politico:

Le Pen's far right set for big win in first round of French election — Early projections show National Rally on course for victory in the vote for a new parliament as Emmanuel Macron's election gamble backfires. — PARIS — France is facing what until recently was an unthinkable nightmare for Europe …

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, Forbes, Associated Press, Business Insider, New York Post, RedState, Fox News, New York Times, Breitbart, DNyuz, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Examiner and Washington Post

Henri Astier / BBC:

France's far right makes big gains in first round of parliamentary election — Summary — France's far right National Rally (RN) has made big gains in the first round of the parliamentary election, exit polls suggest — Celebrating her party's early success, Marine Le Pen says …

Discussion: USA Today, Al Jazeera, The Times of Israel, DNyuz, Variety, Sputnik News, Semafor, CBS News, Associated Press, Breitbart and Reuters

Richard Luscombe / The Guardian:

Ron DeSantis strips more than $32m in Florida arts funding — Political allies are also surprised at move, which cancels nearly entirety of state's funding and will affect economy — Ron DeSantis stripped more than $32m in arts and culture funding from Florida's state budget over his hatred …

Discussion: Raw Story

Alex Thompson / Axios:

Top aides shielded Biden from staff, but couldn't hide the debate … - “It's time for Joe to go.” … - “I know many of these people and how the White House operates. … - Reached by phone, West said he wrote the post because “the debate was not the first bad day, and it's not gonna be the last.”

Discussion: National Review, Breitbart, freebeacon.com, RedState, New York Post, Power Line, New Jersey Online and The Daily Caller

John Vandiver / Stars & Stripes:

US military bases in Europe raise security threat levels — STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. military bases in Europe were put on a heightened state of alert over the weekend as installations urged vigilance among their members. — At U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart …

Discussion: Breitbart, The Hill, CNN, RedState, New York Post, DNyuz, NewsNation and Fox News

Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:

Paid operatives linked to a GOP firm are helping Cornel West in Arizona — After Republican operatives were discovered working for West in North Carolina, someone is paying to help get the progressive candidate on the ballot in another battleground state. — A dozen paid operatives registered Sunday …