memeorandum: Rally shooter had photos of Trump, Biden and other US officials on his phone, AP sources say (Associated Press)

5:45 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, New York Post and Washington Post

Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:

Sununu says ‘I told you so’ on Biden — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has been saying for a long time that President Joe Biden wouldn't be the Democratic nominee. A lot of folks wrote that off. But now, as pressure builds within the Democratic Party to get Biden off the ticket?

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Fox News

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, CNN, 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

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, Mother Jones, Associated Press, Business Insider, CNBC, USA Today and The Gateway Pundit

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

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

Discussion: Althouse

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

Discussion: Mediaite

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

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, Florida Politics, The National Pulse and The Japan Times

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

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

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:
Jamie Raskin, a Key Democrat, Urged Biden to Reconsider Campaign

Discussion: The Hill, Axios, Politico and DNyuz

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

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

Discussion: Raw Story

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

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

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

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: The Hill, New Republic and Raw Story

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, Daily Caller News Foundation and New York Times

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

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 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

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, WFAA-TV and Originally Reported …

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:

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: Washington Post, New Republic, Fox News and DNyuz

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, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and IJR

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 …