memeorandum: Vatican excommunicates ex-ambassador to U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, declares him guilty of schism (CBS News)

1:25 PM 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: New York Times, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Digby's Hullabaloo, Blaze Media and The Gateway Pundit

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Varying Treatment of Biden and Trump Puts Their Parties in Stark Relief — Republicans and Democrats live in radically different universes, interpreting the same set of facts through radically different lenses. — One of America's political parties has a presidential candidate who is really old and showing it.

Discussion: Washington Post and RedState

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 …

Chris Pandolfo / Fox News:

Biden ramps up campaign spending ahead of make or break interview — President Biden has so far resisted mounting pressure to drop out of the 2024 race, announcing a $50 million media blitz that will target battleground state voters ahead of a make or break interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Friday.

Discussion: RedState

Politico:

Playbook: The biggest interview of Joe Biden's life — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — DEMOCRACY IN THE U.K. — The Labour Party is back in power after 14 years in the political wilderness following a landslide election victory …

Discussion: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, more at Mediagazer »

Edward-Isaac Dovere / CNN:
Democrats start moving to Harris as Biden digs in

Discussion: RedState, New Republic and Forbes

New York Times:
Major Democratic Donors Devise Plans to Pressure Biden to Step Aside

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

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

WBUR:
Moulton: Biden should exit election ‘and let new leaders rise up’

Discussion: New York Times, Fox News, New York Post, Boston.com, Boston Herald, ABC News, Washington Times and Blaze Media

Ashanti Martin / WURD Radio:
keyboard_arrow_right — Listeners: — Top listeners: — skip_previous play_arrow skip_next

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Times, Breitbart, Business Insider, Vanity Fair, RedState, Blaze Media, Alternet.org, New York Times, New York Post, The Times of Israel, Bloomberg, Metro.co.uk, Politico, Forbes, The Daily Beast and Mediaite

New York Times:
Biden Tells Governors He Needs to Sleep More and Work Less at Night

The Daily Beast:
Trump Turns Kamala F-Word Rant into Ad: ‘No Tax on Tips’

Discussion: Raw Story and Breitbart

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

Discussion: The Sun, Telegraph, The Political Insider, The Root, New Republic, The Times of Israel, UPI, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Cointelegraph, The Daily Caller, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Business Insider and Forbes

Greg Sargent / New Republic:

MAGA Gov Candidate's Ugly, Hateful Rant: “Some Folks Need Killing!” — Mark Robinson, the extremist GOP nominee for governor in North Carolina, appeared to endorse political violence in a bizarre and extended rant he delivered on June 30 in a small-town church. — “Some folks need killing!”

Discussion: Raw Story and Alternet.org

Amanda Marcotte / Salon:

Project 2025 was supposed to boost Donald Trump's campaign — but it may be backfiring instead — Trump's authoritarian game plan is breaking through the post-debate noise and it's starting to scare people — When Project 2025 was released, a number of progressives expressed surprise …

Discussion: Axios, Raw Story, Snopes and Los Angeles Times

Kathleen Culliton / Raw Story:

MAGA ‘freak out’ starts as Trump game plan threatens to ‘backfire’: analyst — A controversial campaign tactic is backfiring on former President Donald Trump as powerful celebrities warn of a imminent authoritarian regime that could put an end to “recreational sex” as part of a “fascistic game plan …

Discussion: Mediaite

Aaron Rupar / Public Notice:

Charlie Sykes on the GOP's Trump cult — “In the minds of MAGA world, he has never lost. There have been no defeats.” — ∙ Paid … President Biden is obviously in a quite precarious position right now, but that doesn't change the fact that a majority of voters are anti-Trump.

Alex Thompson / Axios:

Biden staff “miserable,” alarmed as pressure builds … “Even if you're trying to focus on work, nothing is going to break through or get any acknowledgment” from bosses. — A high-ranking Democratic National Committee official told Axios: “The only thing that can really allay concerns …

Discussion: HotAir, Fox News, Twitchy, Breitbart, New Republic, The Guardian, Alternet.org, Raw Story and Washington Post

Olivia Nuzzi / New York Magazine:
The Conspiracy of Silence to Protect Joe Biden

Discussion: Townhall, HotAir, Reuters, PJ Media, OutsideTheBeltway, Rolling Stone, Fox News, RedState, National Review, Read Max, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, The Free Press, Business Insider, Althouse, Twitchy and Alternet.org

Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:

Ex-Trump Staffer Alleges Campaign Settled Seedy Suits in Bombshell Filing — ‘TELL ME THE TRUTH’ — The texts, allegedly between A.J. Delgado and Jenna Ellis, claimed Donald Trump's campaign paid off a number of lawsuits for what could be a high-profile adviser.

Discussion: New Republic and Raw Story

CBS News:

Vatican excommunicates ex-ambassador to U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, declares him guilty of schism — A firebrand conservative who became one of Pope Francis' most ardent critics has been excommunicated by the Vatican. — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò …

Discussion: New York Times, Raw Story, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit and Press Herald

Washington Post:

Tempers flare as Trump team revises abortion plank for Republican platform — The former president wants the platform to endorse leaving the issue to the states rather than a federal ban in the wake of Roe v. Wade's demise. — Top advisers to Donald Trump have begun to discuss draft language …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Raw Story and Alternet.org

emptywheel:

Brazil Charges Coup-Plotter Bolsonaro for Saudi Gifts as Trump Org Unveils New Saudi High Rise — Brazilian authorities will charge Jair Bolsonaro with money laundering for keeping $3.2 million in diamonds given to him and his spouse by the Saudi government.

Discussion: Semafor and Middle East Monitor

Associated Press:
Brazilian police indict ex-President Bolsonaro in undeclared diamonds case, sources say

Discussion: New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Semafor, Fox News, Washington Examiner and Press Herald

Dr. Sanjay Gupta / CNN:

It's time for President Biden to undergo detailed cognitive and neurological testing and share his results — When the 46th President of the United States took the debate stage a week ago, it became apparent, even from his first answer, that this would not be the performance he hoped for.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, New York Post and Mediaite