memeorandum: ACLU prepares to fight Trump's planned DEI purge (Alex Thompson/Axios)

12:45 PM ET, July 3, 2024

Top Items:

Katie Rogers / New York Times:

Biden Told Ally That He Is Weighing Whether to Continue in the Race — The president's conversation is the first indication that he is seriously considering whether he can recover after a devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday. — President Biden has told …

Discussion: CNN, CNBC, Business Insider, HotAir, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Metro.co.uk, RedState, KOIN.com, Rolling Stone, The i Paper, Raw Story, Mediaite, Alternet.org, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, PoliticusUSA, GB News and Global News

Kyle Kondik / Sabato's Crystal Ball:

Electoral College Rating Changes: Upper Midwest Moves After Biden's Debate Disaster … KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — President Biden's debate performance was so bad that it has forced us to reassess some of our assumptions about the race. — Michigan and Minnesota move to more competitive categories in our ratings.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill and OutsideTheBeltway

Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:

The pundit class needs to get a grip — PN is a reader-supported publication made possible by paid subscribers. Appreciate our independent journalism? Then please sign up to support us. — 💭 Subscribe to Public Notice 💭 — After President Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance …

Discussion: Chicago Tribune and Washington Examiner

Axios:

Behind the Curtain: Democratic rage at Biden rises … Some of these members believe the White House wants to shield Biden from people who'd try to argue why he should drop out. — “I don't know who's making decisions,” said one House Democrat who's exasperated with the West Wing.

Discussion: New Republic, Fox News, The Dispatch, The Daily Caller, IJR, Raw Story, The Spectator World, New York Magazine, Business Insider, New York Times, NBC News, The Hill, Washington Examiner and Washington Post

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

A shift in how Democrats talk about Biden's dropping out — It's subtle, but it's unmistakable. While the Biden campaign says this isn't on the table, big-name Democrats suggest it should be. — No elected Democrats (besides Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas) want to be the ones to tell President Biden …

Discussion: Reuters, New York Post, Associated Press, LifeNews.com, New York Times, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit, ABC News, NOTUS, NPR, HuffPost, The American Conservative, New Republic, Mother Jones, RedState and USA Today

CBS News:

Trump gets edge over Biden nationally and across battlegrounds after debate as Democrats' turnout in question — CBS News poll — The race for president has shifted in Donald Trump's direction following the first 2024 presidential debate. Trump now has a 3-point edge over President Biden across …

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill, RedState, WPRI.com, New York Daily News, Raw Story, Mediaite, The Guardian and New York Post

Kadia Goba / Semafor:

On private call, Democrats weigh ‘comatose or dead’ Biden and alternatives — The Scoop — Top Democratic consultants debated Wednesday, before an audience of large Democratic donors, whether they could push Joe Biden from the race for president — and whether Vice President Kamala Harris …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New Republic, RedState, New York Times, Fortune, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, Reuters, Breitbart, The Daily Beast, Fox News and Washington Post

Nate Silver / New York Times:

Doing Nothing About Biden Is the Riskiest Plan of All — After last week's debate disaster, some Democrats are trying to circle the wagons to protect President Biden, noting that Barack Obama lost his first debate as an incumbent president, too. — But this one doesn't pass the smell test.

Discussion: Reason, Silver Bulletin, Raw Story, Vox, Fox News and Washington Examiner

NOTUS:

Inside the GOP Effort to Make Sure Biden Is the Democratic Nominee — “We would make it extraordinarily difficult” for Democrats to replace Joe Biden on the ballot, a Heritage Foundation leader told NOTUS. — Copy — President Joe Biden's Democratic allies could get a boost to keep …

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story, Election Law Blog, Alternet.org, Twitchy and CNN

New York Times:

Big Donors Turn on Biden. Quietly. — Some of the president's past supporters want a new candidate, but they are leery of going public. — Wealthy Democratic donors who believe a different nominee would be the party's best chance to hold the White House are increasingly gritting their teeth …

Discussion: Washington Post

Washington Post:

Obama voices concerns after shaky debate, offers Biden his advice — The former president told allies that Biden's already-tough path to reelection grew more challenging after his debate performance on Thursday. — Former president Barack Obama has privately told allies who have reached …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Examiner, New Jersey Online, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Raw Story, New York Post, Breitbart, The Atlantic and Variety

Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:

A Group of Business Leaders Call on Biden to Step Aside — As Democratic donors increasingly warm to a change, a coalition of politically active executives is among the first to publicly speak out. — A group of business leaders is calling on President Biden to step aside …

Elena Schneider / Politico:
Biden campaign sends all-staff memo seeking to calm fears about his candidacy

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Blaze Media, Florida Politics and Puck

NBC News:
As Biden team suggests there can be no alternative, DNC rules provide a path

Discussion: New Republic, Forbes, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, ABC News and The Nation

Nandita Bose / Reuters:
Kamala Harris top choice to replace Joe Biden if he steps aside, sources say

Discussion: RedState, Breitbart, The Guardian, New York Post and Fox News

New York Times:
Biden's Team Scrambles to Contain First Democratic Defections

Discussion: OutsideTheBeltway, Sanity Clause, CNN, Roll Call, Fox News, Rolling Stone, Washington Examiner, Forbes and Political Wire

Axios:
Scoop: Inside House Democrats' anti-Biden vent session

Discussion: PJ Media, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, RedState, Raw Story, The Hill, HuffPost, CNBC and HotAir

Victor Nava / New York Post:
Twenty-five House Democrats reportedly preparing to call for Biden to end re-election effort: ‘The dam has broken’

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, HotAir, Twitchy, Reuters, Fox News, Washington Times, The Political Insider, American Greatness, RedState, Louisiana Illuminator, One America News Network, The Guardian, Power Line and New Jersey Online

New York Times:
Biden's Lapses Are Said to Be Increasingly Common and Worrisome

Bangor Daily News:
Donald Trump is going to win the election and democracy will be just fine

Owen Lavine / The Daily Beast:
Poll Suggests Michelle Obama Would Beat Trump by 11 Points

Discussion: Fox News, MSNBC, USA Today, Telegraph, RedState, Breitbart, The i Paper, nationalinterest.org, The Daily Beast, Politico, Mediaite, GB News, The Intercept, Reuters and The Hill

KATU-TV:
KATU Exclusive: Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez says “Biden is going to lose to Trump”

Discussion: Breitbart, The Hill and Washington Examiner

Reuters:
Biden faces growing doubts from Democrats about his 2024 re-election

Discussion: USA Today, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Business Insider, HotAir, Bangor Daily News, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, HuffPost, Twitchy, GB News, Denver Post, Forbes, RedState, The Daily Beast and Politico

James Franey / New York Post:
Longtime Dem donor rips Biden for ‘deceiving’ voters, demands he quit 2024 race ‘immediately’

Discussion: Breitbart, RedState, Daily Mail and Business Insider

Colleen Long / Associated Press:
Biden heads out on public events blitz as White House pushes back on pressure to leave the race

Toluse Olorunnipa / Washington Post:
Biden team seizes on his history of resilience to justify staying in race

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Associated Press, CBS News and HuffPost

Michael C. Bender / New York Times:
Trump Continues to Delay Naming a Running Mate, Amid Biden Debate Fallout

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Examiner and NBC News

Media Matters for America:

Heritage Foundation president celebrates Supreme Court immunity decision: “We are in the process of the second American Revolution” — Newsmax's Dick Morris urges viewers to buy shares of the network, saying Trump is “going to be working very closely with Newsmax because he has no choice”

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, HuffPost, Alternet.org, Digby's Hullabaloo, Pharyngula and Mediaite

Dan Ladden-Hall / The Daily Beast:

Man Behind Project 2025 Just Said the Quiet Part Out Loud — SMELLING BLOOD — Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts gave what appeared to be a disturbing warning to the left. — The president of the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday declared that a new revolution is already underway in the U.S. …

Discussion: USA Today, Raw Story and New Republic

NBC News:

She won a Pulitzer for exposing how the country's poorest state spent federal welfare money. Now she might go to jail. — “The rabbit's got the gun now,” said a lawyer for former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, who is trying to force reporter Anna Wolfe to reveal her sources.

Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:

Don't Be Hysterical, Ladies. Daddy Chief Justice Knows Best. — Last week, finding himself furious at the court's per curiam decision to hold off on deciding a big abortion case about the kinds of miscarriage care states may withhold from pregnant women in emergency rooms, Justice Samuel Alito excoriated his colleagues for punting.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Daily Beast

Reuters:

Trump hush money sentencing delayed to September, weeks before US election — Donald Trump's sentencing for his conviction on criminal charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star was delayed on Tuesday until Sept. 18, less than seven weeks before the U.S. election.