memeorandum: Battleground Map Shows Signs of Expansion for Trump as Biden Struggles (John McCormick/Wall Street Journal)

7:20 AM ET, July 5, 2024

Top Items:

Behind the Curtain: Trump's Kamala Harris plan … President Biden insisted again Thursday in an unscripted remark, after a supporter at a Fourth of July event on the White House South Lawn yelled that they needed him, and to keep up the fight: “You got me, man! I'm not going anywhere.”

Discussion: CNN, Blaze Media, The Gateway Pundit, Donald J. Trump …, Alternet.org and HotAir

John McCormick / Wall Street Journal:

Battleground Map Shows Signs of Expansion for Trump as Biden Struggles — Minnesota, New Hampshire and Virginia, which typically back Democrats in presidential elections, are being closely watched — The 2024 battleground map is showing signs of possible expansion into traditionally blue states …

Discussion: RedState

The Daily Beast:

Trump Turns Kamala F-Word Rant into Ad: ‘No Tax on Tips’ — LET'S ROLL — The Daily Beast revealed Trump's foulmouthed verdict on his Democratic rival and his possible replacement. But Trump focused on the tip he gave his caddy. — First Donald Trump was caught on video …

Discussion: Raw Story, Breitbart, Blaze Media, The Times of Israel, IJR and The Guardian

Gil Duran / FrameLab:

Criminal Trump is clearly unfit for office — It's been a brutal week for American democracy. President Joe Biden's surprisingly poor performance in the presidential debate has thrown many in the Democratic Party into full panic mode. — In the aftermath of the debate …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Washington Examiner

Jacob Knutson / Axios:
GOP revs up political attacks on Harris

Discussion: Washington Post, Channel 4 News and RedState

Michael C. Bender / New York Times:
How Biden's Struggles Are Factoring Into Trump's V.P. Selection

Discussion: Florida Politics and Forbes

Frank Bruni / New York Times: There Is Apparently No Accountability — Ever — for Donald Trump

Ken Thomas / Wall Street Journal:
Biden Tries to Prove He Is Still Democrats' Best Bet

Discussion: RedState

Associated Press:
Biden at 81: Often sharp and focused but sometimes confused and forgetful

Discussion: Fox News, RedState, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, HotAir and Twitchy

Axios:
Behind the Curtain: Kamala Harris' epic edge

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Digby's Hullabaloo, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Bloomberg and 90.5 WESA

Olivia Nuzzi / New York Magazine:

The Conspiracy of Silence to Protect Joe Biden — The president's mental decline was like a dark family secret for many elite supporters. — President Joe Biden walked before a row of flags and took his place at a lectern stamped with the presidential seal.

Discussion: The Free Press, Reuters, Althouse, Twitchy, RedState and Alternet.org

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:

Disney heiress, wealthy Democratic donors say they won't finance the party until Joe Biden drops out … President Joe Biden is facing an uprising from some his own party's wealthy donors, including an heiress to the Disney family fortune, who say they will no longer fund …

Discussion: The Hill, The i Paper, Semafor, The Guardian, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, KSNG-TV, Mediaite, Sputnik News, Axios, New York Post, Business Insider, The Hollywood Reporter and New York Times

New York Times:

Major Democratic Donors Devise Plans to Pressure Biden to Step Aside — The president appears intent on remaining on the ballot, while wealthy donors are discussing plans to put their money elsewhere. — After several days of quiet griping and hoping that President Biden would abandon …

Discussion: Sputnik News, Washington Examiner, Blaze Media, New York Magazine, Breitbart and Mediaite

New York Times:

Biden Tells Governors He Needs to Sleep More and Work Less at Night — The president's opening remark to a group of key Democratic leaders — that he was in the race to stay — chilled any talk of his withdrawal, participants said. — President Biden told a gathering of Democratic governors …

Discussion: NBC4 Washington, NBC News, Reuters, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, The Daily Beast, ABC News, RedState, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times and Bloomberg

Edward-Isaac Dovere / CNN:
Biden tells Democratic governors he needs more sleep and plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m.

Discussion: New York Post, The Times of Israel, UPI, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Patterico's Pontifications, The Daily Caller, Cointelegraph, Business Insider, Washington Times, Forbes, Raw Story, Mediaite and NBC News

Jonathan Martin / Politico:
Governors Undermine Efforts by Congressional Democrats to Nudge Biden Aside

Discussion: NPR, Alternet.org, Twitchy, One America News Network, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Townhall and Bangor Daily News

Associated Press:

Brazilian police indict ex-President Bolsonaro in undeclared diamonds case, sources say — Brazil's Federal Police have indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro for money laundering and criminal association in connection with undeclared diamonds the far-right leader received from Saudi Arabia during …

Discussion: emptywheel, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Fox News and Press Herald

Matthew Chapman / Raw Story:

‘Bitter old man’: Trump shredded for egocentric and rambling July 4th rant — Former President Donald Trump kicked off the Fourth of July with a lengthy screed on Truth Social praising himself and lobbing insults at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris …

Discussion: Politico and Breitbart

Sidney Blumenthal / New Republic:

If Joe Biden Were as Ruthless About Immunity as Donald Trump ... Picture if you can, imagine if you will, this Oval Office address by President Biden: — Good evening, my fellow Americans. With the close of the current session of the Supreme Court, I want to report to you on my compliance …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Moderate Voice

Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
Strongman, Weak State

Discussion: New York Times, NPR and The Atlantic

Alex Griffing / Mediaite:

‘We Must Not Fail’: Cheney Offers Stark 4th of July Warning About Trump And His Threats to ‘Unravel Our Republic’ — Ex-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) offered a stark message for July 4th as the country ponders President Joe Biden's mental fitness and the likelihood of Donald Trump returning to the White House.

Soo-Hyang Choi / Bloomberg:

South Korean Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Stabbing Party Leader — Lee Jae-myung survived the January attack after surgery — Assailant didn't want to see Lee become president, police say — A South Korean court sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for stabbing the leader …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, New York Times, NK News and Reuters

Financial Times:

Viktor Orbán to meet Vladimir Putin after Kyiv trip — Hungary's PM seeks to broker peace talks after opposing western support for Ukraine in Russia's invasion — Viktor Orbán is expected to meet Vladimir Putin on Friday just after the Hungarian leader's first wartime visit …