memeorandum: Biden in crisis — The president is isolating at his Delaware shore home as Democratic support appears to crumble around him. (Politico)

5:15 PM ET, July 18, 2024

Top Items:

Obama tells allies Biden needs to seriously consider his viability — The former president, hugely influential in the party, has told associates that Biden's path to victory has significantly shrunk. — Former president Barack Obama has told allies in recent days that President Biden's path …

Axios:

Behind the Curtain: Top Dems now believe Biden will exit … - The president is being told that if he stays in, former President Trump could win in a landslide and wipe away Biden's legacy and Democrats' hopes in November. … - Democrats fully expect polls after the Republican National Convention …

NBC News:

'We're close to the end': Biden world braces for the possibility that the president steps aside — As Trump is about to give a major speech accepting the GOP nomination for president, Biden is off the campaign trail with COVID. — WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's political world is collapsing.

Discussion: Reuters, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Mediaite, Daily Caller News Foundation, USA Today, Politico and Washington Post

Politico:

Biden in crisis — The president is isolating at his Delaware shore home as Democratic support appears to crumble around him. — REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware — President Joe Biden's reelection bid appeared to be nearing the point of collapse on Thursday, amid a cascade of warnings …

Discussion: Washington Post, The National Pulse and RedState

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:

The End of Biden's Candidacy Approaches — At the start of the day yesterday, it was conceivable that Joe Biden might manage to hold on to the Democratic nomination for president. But this morning, things seem to be slipping out of his grasp. — The blows to Biden were both procedural and political …

Discussion: The Mahablog, New York Post, New York Times, Just Security, Breitbart, Politico, Fox Business, Semafor and Los Angeles Times

CNN:

Pelosi privately told Biden polls show he cannot win and will take down the House; Biden responded with defensiveness — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi privately told President Joe Biden in a recent conversation that polling shows that the president cannot defeat Donald Trump and that Biden …

Politico:

Biden allies retaliated against a Dem who called for him to step aside — The decision to remove battleground Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten from a coordinated campaign was reversed after POLITICO contacted the Biden campaign. — Democrats in Michigan cut off a vulnerable House Democrat …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, MLive.com, New York Post and Mediaite

Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:

The VP is clearly the stronger candidate — The case for Kamala Harris, from a former hater — I did not support selecting Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate in 2020. — My reasons for this were pretty boring. It's genuinely difficult to make it to the top of the political pyramid …

Discussion: Althouse

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:

Sharpton Says He Told Biden That Staying in Race Could Imperil His Legacy — The message of the call, which Rev. Al Sharpton said took place on Monday, represents a break from the solid core of support influential Black leaders have shown toward President Biden.

Discussion: Mediaite

Kimberly Leonard / Politico:

Rubio says if Biden exits the race, he should also resign as president — Sen. Marco Rubio said Thursday that if President Joe Biden withdraws from the 2024 race then he should also resign from the White House. Rubio (R-Fla.), who was on the short list to be Donald Trump's running mate …

Discussion: New York Daily News

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:

Democratic delegates erupt over Biden's nomination in private chats — Messages shared between Democratic delegates and activists in California, the biggest and one of the bluest states, lay bare the infighting over their nominee's fitness for a presidential run.

Discussion: Raw Story, Fox News, freebeacon.com and Washington Examiner

Emily Crane / New York Post:
Biden now being ‘receptive’ about possibility of giving up 2024 re-election campaign: new report

Discussion: HotAir, Fox News, Forbes, CNN, Al Jazeera, The National Pulse, Florida Politics and The Japan Times

Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:
Sununu says ‘I told you so’ on Biden

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Fox News

Jonathan Karl / ABC News:
Schumer privately urged Biden to step aside in 2024 election: Sources

Politico:
Playbook: The walls close in around Biden

Discussion: RedState, Slate, News18, Diane Ravitch's blog, Washington Times, Power Line, The Times of Israel, Mediaite, The Spectator World, Semafor and NC Newsline

CNN:
Biden is trying to salvage his campaign. Democrats say things are only getting worse

Discussion: HuffPost, HotAir, Magnolia Tribune, Florida Politics, The Gateway Pundit, NOTUS and New York Post

Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer:

America will never be the same after Milwaukee's tent revival for the cult of Donald Trump — MILWAUKEE — I came to the American Heartland to cover a political convention, but all I found was a tent revival, Brother Trump's Traveling Salvation Show.The Republican National Convention took …

Discussion: WisPolitics

Robert McCoy / New Republic:

MAGA Enters Racist Meltdown Mode Over J.D. Vance's Wife … The past week has seen an outpouring of hate from the far right over the wife of Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance. The unremarkable fact that Vance is married to Usha Vance, a woman of Indian heritage, has become a fixation for white nationalists online.

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Post, News18, Let's Address …, Right Wing Watch and Newsweek

Andrew Prokop / Vox:
J.D. Vance's radical plan to build a government of Trump loyalists

Discussion: OutsideTheBeltway, Robert Reich, HuffPost, USA Today and New York Times

Stef W. Kight / Axios: The GOP's big, mysterious enemy: “They”

Wired:

J.D. Vance Left His Venmo Public. Here's What It Shows — The Republican VP nominee's Venmo network reveals connections ranging from the architects of Project 2025 to enemies of Donald Trump—and the populist's close ties to the very elites he rails against.

Discussion: New Republic and Raw Story

Emma Colton / Fox News:

Blackburn slams Secret Service chief for ‘celebrating herself’ at RNC after Trump assassination attempt — 'Cheatle can run, but she can't hide,' Sen Marsha Blackburn says — MILWAUKEE — Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn doubled down on her demand for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle …

Discussion: HotAir, CNN, One America News Network, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, USA Today, The Daily Beast, TMZ.com, The National Pulse, Washington Times, The Daily Signal, Raw Story, Forbes, New York Times, HuffPost, New York Post and The Gateway Pundit

Max Matza / BBC:
Trump gunman seen as threat before attack but was lost in crowd

Discussion: CBS News, New York Times, One America News Network, San Diego Union-Tribune, Metro.co.uk, IJR, Breitbart and News18

CBS News:
U.S. Secret Service director agrees to testify to House lawmakers after Trump assassination attempt

Discussion: New Republic, Politico, The Federalist, Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Townhall, Reuters, Washington Times, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, The Sun and DNyuz

Jacob Knutson / Axios:

Biden administration cancels another $1.2B in student debt … - PSLF allows public employees, such as teachers, firefighters, members of law enforcement, and people who work for nonprofit organizations, to apply for forgiveness after making 10 years' worth of payments on their federal student loan balance.

Discussion: ED News, Plain Dealer and IJR

The White House:
Statement from President Joe Biden on $1.2 Billion in Student Debt Cancellation for 35,000 Borrowers

Discussion: NPR, freebeacon.com and UPI

Akayla Gardner / Bloomberg:
Biden Forgives $1.2 Billion in Student Loans in Latest Relief

Discussion: Washington Examiner, KGW-TV, Business Insider, abc7NY, News18, Forbes, DNyuz, Fox Business, CNBC and CBS News

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:

Jamie Raskin, a Key Democrat, Urged Biden to Reconsider Campaign — Mr. Raskin, a congressman from Maryland, was a key member of the panel that investigated the Capitol riot. In a lengthy letter, he compared President Biden to a tiring baseball pitcher. — Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland …

Discussion: The Hill, Axios and Politico

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Pelosi Tells Biden She Is Pessimistic About His Re-election Chances

Discussion: Raw Story

Victor Goury-Laffont / Politico:

Macron wins shock vote to keep coalition hopes alive — PARIS — Emmanuel Macron's party formed a last-minute agreement with right-leaning lawmakers to win a key vote in parliament on Thursday that opens the door to the French president playing a greater-than-expected role in forming the country's next government.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Semafor, Associated Press and New York Times

Associated Press:

Housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children engaged in sexual abuse and harassment, DOJ says — The largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children has engaged in the “severe, pervasive, and unwelcome” sexual abuse and harassment of children in its care, the Justice Department alleged Thursday.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Originally Reported …

Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:

July 2024 Swing State Polls — Trump Leads Biden in Swing States and National Poll as Biden's Support Declines — New polling conducted July 15-16 by Emerson College Polling and sponsored by Democrats for Next Generation finds former President Trump leading Biden in seven swing states and in a national poll.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Examiner, HotAir, The Hill, RedState, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and IJR

Megan Messerly / Politico:

Trump brags about ending Roe. No one's talking about it in Milwaukee. — Heading into the final day of the Republican Party's first national gathering since the Supreme Court's landmark decision, the issue has barely received a passing mention. — MILWAUKEE — Overturning Roe …

Discussion: Washington Examiner