memeorandum: In the GOP alternate universe, JD Vance is charming and popular (Amanda Marcotte/Salon)

1:25 PM ET, September 5, 2024

Top Items:

US conservative influencers say they are ‘victims’ of Russian disinformation campaign — Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson addressed allegations that a company they were associated with had been paid to publish videos with messages in favour of Russia — A number of high-profile …

Discussion: Mediaite, emptywheel, The Daily Dot, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit, more at Techmeme »

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

A new reminder that Russian interference was never a ‘hoax’ — It just succeeded in a way that Russia could never have predicted. — Ten years ago, two Russian nationals, Aleksandra Krylova and Anna Bogacheva, spent a month touring the United States. Their itinerary included stops across the country …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, The Post Millennial, Joe.My.God., Voice of America, NPR, RedState, NewsNation and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

William Kristol / The Bulwark:

Liz Cheney Comes to Play — No throat-clearing fiddle-faddle to start today: Too much good stuff to get to! Happy Thursday. — Cheney's Endorsement Was No Accident —William Kristol — Liz Cheney spoke yesterday at Duke University, a very fine school known for being a five-time NCAA national men's basketball champion.

Discussion: RedState and The Gateway Pundit

Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:

Long tonight, folks, but it's been quite a day. And even still, I did not mention the day's horrific shooting at a Georgia school. — Today, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a series of proposals to help entrepreneurs create small businesses. Like President Joe Biden …

Discussion: American Prospect, Democrats and NBC News

NBC News:

Russian money was funneled to right-wing creators through a pro-Trump media outlet: prosecutors — The indictment on Wednesday of two RT employees includes allegations that the duo implemented a nearly $10 million plan to fund an unnamed Tennessee-based company as one of their “covert projects”

Discussion: Axios, CNN, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Türkiye Today, Mother Jones, Washington Examiner, New York Post, New Republic, RedState, Defense One, LGBTQ Nation, The Tennessean, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Guardian and The Post Millennial, more at Mediagazer »

Brittney Melton / NPR:
Details on Georgia school shooting suspect. And, Russian media hired U.S. influencers

Discussion: The Cyber Express and IJR

CNN:
Harris breaks with Biden on capital gains tax, proposing a smaller increase

Discussion: The Hill, CNBC, New York Times, Quartz, Axios, Daily Caller News Foundation, Semafor, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Politico, Bloomberg, USA Today and Washington Examiner

Annie Karni / New York Times:
Liz Cheney, a Top G.O.P. Trump Critic, Says She Will Vote for Harris

Katherine Doyle / NBC News:
Trump campaign threatens to fire staff who leak to the press

Discussion: Mediaite and Raw Story

NPR:
How Russian operatives covertly hired U.S. influencers to create viral videos

CNN:
Liz Cheney says she is voting for Harris for president

Bloomberg:
US Says Kremlin-Backed Plot to Meddle in Election Disrupted

Ella Lee / The Hill:

Hunter Biden asks to change plea to guilty in federal tax case — Video Player is loading. — Play Video — Unmute — Current Time 0:00 … Stream Type LIVE — Seek to live, currently behind liveLIVE — Playback Rate — Chapters — Chapters — Descriptions

Discussion: CNN, Reuters, HuffPost, Fox News, The Guardian, Deadline and The Post Millennial

Washington Post:

Hunter Biden offers plea in tax case, in effort to avoid second trial — The president's son proposed an Alford plea, in which he maintains he is innocent but acknowledges the evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict. — LOS ANGELES — President Joe Biden's son Hunter tried …

Discussion: CNBC, freebeacon.com, USA Today, CBS News, Politico, Mediaite, NBC News, Washington Examiner and New York Times

NBC News:

Hunter Biden intends to change his plea in federal tax charges — The president's son was indicted in December on three felony and six misdemeanor counts alleging that he failed to pay his taxes over several years. — LOS ANGELES — Hunter Biden intends to change his plea …

Greg Sargent / New Republic:

Finally: Top Journo Erupts at Media for Ignoring Trump's Mental State — For many months, media critics and liberal Democrats have insisted that Donald Trump's mental unfitness for the presidency is—or should be treated as—a big and important news story in and of itself.

New York Times:

Harris or Trump? The Prophet of Presidential Elections Is Ready to Call the Race. — Featuring Allan Lichtman — Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are scheduled to debate on Sept. 10, but the 2024 presidential election is already in the bag — at least according to Allan Lichtman …

Discussion: The Bulwark, CNBC, The Daily Beast, The Hill, New York Post, So What and USA Today

David Gardner / The Daily Beast:

Kamala Harris Accuses Donald Trump of Trying to Muzzle Her in TV Debate — LET ME SPEAK! — With both presidential candidates looking for an advantage before next Tuesday's showdown, the Harris campaign has complained that her mic will be muted when Trump is talking.

Discussion: HotAir, CNN, Townhall, New York Times, Washington Post, The Hill, HuffPost, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, Fox News, RedState and Robert Reich

Will Steakin / ABC News:
ABC News releases rules for Sept. 10 debate between Harris and Trump

Discussion: Associated Press, Vanity Fair, KFTC-TV, NBC News, New York Times, Al Jazeera, Axios, HuffPost, Deadline, Twitchy and Townhall

Michael Gold / New York Times:
Trump Questions Fairness of Next Week's Debate at a Town Hall

Discussion: RedState, The Hill, Althouse, NBC News and Politico

Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:

JD Vance personifies the joylessness of MAGA — 🚨 This special, five-edition week of PN is made possible by paid subscribers. If you aren't one already, please sign up to support our independent coverage. 🚨 — 📊 Subscribe to Public Notice 📊

Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
In the GOP alternate universe, JD Vance is charming and popular

Discussion: Raw Story, USA Today, Fox News, Chicago Tribune and New Republic

Axios:

Trump campaign shifts as its path to victory narrows … - Trump's also refocusing on other states — North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada — where he had significant polling leads before Harris made them competitive. … - Trump held rallies in Minnesota, Virginia and even deep-blue New Jersey …

Discussion: The Hill, The Guardian, Alternet.org, Washington Examiner, Boston Herald, Raw Story, RedState, NBC News and Associated Press

Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:
New Hampshire is the latest sign of Donald Trump's shrinking map

Discussion: New Republic, Wide World of News, Raw Story, NewsNation, Washington Examiner and Associated Press

NBC News:

Harris raised over $300 million in August, extending cash windfall — Money has been pouring into the Democratic presidential campaign since President Joe Biden stepped aside from the 2024 election in July. — Vice President Kamala Harris' political operation raised more than $300 million …

Discussion: Donald J. Trump …, Joe.My.God., Politico, Daily Caller News Foundation, Bloomberg, One America News Network, New York Post, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, RedState, The Hill, Associated Press, Reuters and Newsday

Matthew Cantor / The Guardian:

The strangest insult in US politics: why do Republicans call it ‘the Democrat party’? — For almost a century, opponents have removed the ‘ic’ from ‘Democratic’. Is it doing them any good? — The Democratic party? Robert F Kennedy Jr's never heard of it.

WTVF-TV:

TBI agents raid Millersville Police Department, home of town's ‘conspiracy cop’ as probe intensifies — MILLERSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents raided the Millersville Police Department on Wednesday, executing a search warrant as the criminal investigation …

Aimee Picchi / CBS News:

Trump's wealth shrinks by $4 billion as DJT shares hit a record low — Former President Donald Trump's personal stake in Trump Media & Technology Group topped more than $6 billion in March when its shares soared after making their public market debut. Nearly six months later …

Discussion: Salon, Bloomberg, Fortune, Raw Story, NJTODAY.NET, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Times, New Republic and CNBC, more at Mediagazer »

NBC News:

Hostage families press Biden admin to make a deal with Hamas that doesn't include Israel — A U.S. official said a unilateral deal is unlikely, but the administration has compiled a list of prisoners held by the U.S. whose release might interest Hamas. — WASHINGTON — The families …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, JNS.org, Voice of America, The Times of Israel and Jewish Insider

Barak Ravid / Axios:
Hostage killings and new demands cast doubt in White House that Hamas wants a deal

Discussion: HotAir, The Daily Caller, Reuters, The Times of Israel, JNS.org, CBS News, New York Times and Gatestone Institute

Ruth Ben-Ghiat / Lucid:

The Real Reason Donald Trump Insults the U.S. Military — Welcome back to Lucid, and hello to all new subscribers. Our next Q&A is Friday, Sept. 6, 1-2pmET. Our guest will be Jonathan Metzl, the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry and director of the Department of Medicine …

Ally Mutnick / Politico:

New poll has bad news for Democrats in key Senate race — If Republicans oust Tester in Montana, it could deliver the party control of the Senate. — Vulnerable Democratic Sen. Jon Tester trails his GOP opponent by 8 points in a new independent poll of Montana's Senate race …

Discussion: Fox News, MediaRoom, Axios, Townhall, Washington Examiner, Washington Post and Maryland Matters

Richard Luscombe / Mother Jones:

Florida Fires Worker Who Exposed Ron DeSantis' Plan to Bulldoze State Parks — James Gaddis tanked a secretive scheme to build hotels and golf courses on preserved land. — Florida's department of environmental protection has fired a whistleblower who exposed and sank governor Ron DeSantis' secretive plan …

Discussion: Florida's Voice, Climate Desk, The Daily Caller and there is a cord. it is real.

Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:

Michigan Republicans enlist extremist who opposed abortion for rape victims because “God put them in this moment” — Michigan Republicans have been featuring extremist commentator Garrett Soldano as a speaker at numerous campaign events. — Solando has stated that he opposes abortion …

Steve Karnowski / Associated Press:

That photo of people wearing 'Nebraska Walz's for Trump' shirts? They're distant cousins — A sister of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz says she doesn't recognize the people wearing “Nebraska Walz's for Trump” T-shirts in a photo that is making the rounds on social media.