memeorandum: Anti-party in a ghost town: Trump's undead GOP holds an un-convention (Andrew O'Hehir/Salon)

6:40 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 Guardian, Daily Caller News Foundation, Mediaite and Politico

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

Axios:

DNC's mad dash to finalize virtual voting plan for Biden nomination … - The goal is to use their convention week to talk up their candidate and tear apart former President Trump. — Behind the nasty public debate on whether Biden should be nominated early, there are private conversations …

Discussion: Election Law Blog, CNN, Washington Examiner and Associated Press

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: Washington Examiner, The Hill, Axios, Politico, New Republic and DNyuz

Kimberly Leonard / Politico:
Rubio says if Biden exits the race, he should also resign as president

Discussion: Tampa Bay Times

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

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:
Sharpton Says He Told Biden That Staying in Race Could Imperil His Legacy

Discussion: CBS News and Mediaite

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

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

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

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, The Times of Israel and The National Pulse

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
The End of Biden's Candidacy Approaches

Discussion: Slate, The Mahablog, New York Post, Politico, CNN, Just Security, Diane Ravitch's blog, Fox Business, Breitbart and RedState

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:
Democratic delegates erupt over Biden's nomination in private chats

Discussion: Raw Story, freebeacon.com and DNyuz

CNN:
Pelosi privately told Biden polls show he cannot win and will take down the House; Biden responded with defensiveness

Discussion: NBC News, New York Times, NPR, Salon, NOTUS, CNBC, Reuters, Axios, Fox News, Mediaite, New Republic, RedState, USA Today, The Daily Caller, Truthout, The Bulwark, Business Insider, The Daily Beast, Politico, HotAir, freebeacon.com, Twitchy, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Reason, Palo Alto Online, IJR, New York Post, OutsideTheBeltway and HuffPost

Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:
The VP is clearly the stronger candidate

Discussion: Althouse

Jeff Mason / Reuters:
Exclusive: Biden is working towards what's best for US - Sen. Hickenlooper

Discussion: The Atlantic, Raw Story, The Hill, The National Pulse, Washington Times, USA Today and RedState

New York Times:
Live Updates: Expectations Rising Among Democrats That Biden Will Reconsider

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, RedState, New York Post, Los Angeles Times and Lou Dobbs

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

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: The Hill, Raw Story and New Republic

Axios:

What Secret Service and FBI told Congress about attempted Trump assassination … - FBI and Secret Service officials briefed House lawmakers on Wednesday on their preliminary findings. — The Secret Service said they identified the building used in the assassination attempt as …

Discussion: Politico and Daily Caller News Foundation

Emma Colton / Fox News:
Blackburn slams Secret Service chief for ‘celebrating herself’ at RNC after Trump assassination attempt

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

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 …

Dan Mangan / CNBC:

Hunter Biden cites Trump ruling in seeking dismissal of gun and tax cases … Lawyers for Hunter Biden on Thursday asked federal judges in California and Delaware to dismiss the criminal tax and gun cases against him in their courts, citing a recent opinion by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas …

Discussion: NBC News, Axios, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, New York Post and PoliticusUSA

Tierney Sneed / CNN:
If the Trump classified documents case is reinstated, Judge Aileen Cannon would be difficult to remove

Discussion: Raw Story and WHDH-TV

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: Washington Post, USA Today, Talking Points Memo, News18 and Let's Address …

CNN:

Investigators now believe account on gaming site in would-be assassin's name is fake — Investigators now believe that the Steam account in the name of the man who shot at former President Donald Trump over the weekend is fake, a US official briefed on the matter told CNN.

Discussion: Associated Press, RedState, Greensburg Tribune-Review, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, New Jersey Online and The Gateway Pundit

Andrew O'Hehir / Salon:

Anti-party in a ghost town: Trump's undead GOP holds an un-convention — Donald Trump's Republican Party has no history, no principles and no ideology — because it's just a front — MILWAUKEE — I don't know whether the folks who tried to sell “vegan barbecue” from a booth in the strip …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

Natalie Allison / Politico:

A changed Trump? Some allies detect an ‘existential’ shift after the shooting — The question is how long it lasts. — MILWAUKEE — In the days since he survived a would-be assassin's bullet, Republicans who have observed and spoken with former President Donald Trump say they have detected …

Associated Press:

Rally shooter had photos of Trump, Biden and other US officials on his phone, AP sources say — WASHINGTON (AP) — The 20-year-old Pennsylvania man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump had photos on his phone of the former Republican president, President Joe Biden and other officials …

Discussion: New Republic, The Hill, Washington Post, Fox News and DNyuz

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, CBS News, Associated Press, WFAA-TV and Originally Reported …

Jack Birle / Washington Examiner:

Lou Dobbs dead: Trump announces conservative commentator's death at 78 — Political commentator Lou Dobbs has died at the age of 78, former President Donald Trump announced. — Dobbs, known for hosting shows on CNN and Fox News, was a supporter of the former president, who announced his death in a post on Thursday.

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

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, The Hill, RedState, HotAir and Political Wire