memeorandum: Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and John Kasich expected to join forces for first night of Democratic convention (CNN)

8:05 PM ET, August 8, 2020

Top Items:

Trump signs four executive orders after economic relief talks with Democrats collapsed — The orders aim to temporarily extend unemployment aid and eviction protections — President Trump on Saturday signed several executive orders that he said would provide economic relief to millions of Americans …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, CNN, NPR, Common Dreams, Forbes, The Wrap, UPI, Power Line, Slate and Raw Story

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press:

Trump seems ready, willing to bypass lawmakers on virus aid — BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — Ready and willing to bypass elected lawmakers, President Donald Trump seemed set to claim the power to defer payroll taxes and extend expired unemployment benefits after negotiations with Congress on a new coronavirus rescue package collapsed.

Discussion: Politico, One America News Network, Breitbart, The Hill, CANNONFIRE and Florida Politics

NBC News:

Trump signs executive orders on coronavirus economic relief — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed four executive orders Saturday for coronavirus economic relief, upending negotiations with Congress after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on Friday. — The executive orders defer …

Discussion: Reuters

New York Times:

Pelosi Is Playing Hardball on Coronavirus Relief. She Thinks She'll Win. — Emboldened by Republican divisions and a favorable political landscape, the speaker is refusing to agree to a narrow relief measure, unbothered by charges that she is an impediment to a deal.

Discussion: Raw Story

Nancy Cook / Politico:

‘Like Groundhog Day’: Republicans fret over Trump's fading fortunes — President Donald Trump is in an August, coronavirus-induced slump — and his team is feeling it. — The White House's negotiations with Capitol Hill over a fourth economic stimulus package fell apart on Friday …

Discussion: Reuters, ABC News, Associated Press, One America News Network, TheBlaze, Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Wall Street Journal: Trump Authorizes Extending Special Unemployment Benefit at $400 a Week

CNN:
Fact check: At his golf club, Trump nonsensically accuses Democrats of election ‘cheating’

Discussion: Vox, KRON4 and UPI

Jeff Mason / Reuters:
Trump to sign executive orders for coronavirus stimulus

Discussion: Breitbart

Marisa Schultz / Fox News:
Trump orders $400-per-week unemployment payments amid COVID crisis, hits Dems for stonewalling

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Fox Business

Jonathan Allen / NBC News: Failure wasn't an option on coronavirus aid. It was the only option.

Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
Trump expected to sign executive orders on coronavirus relief

Discussion: Reuters

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump antagonizes GOP megadonor Adelson in heated phone call — When President Donald Trump connected by phone last week with Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson — perhaps the only person in the party who can cut a nine-figure check to aid his reelection — the phone call unexpectedly turned contentious.

Discussion: The Hill, The Moderate Voice, New York Post, The Mahablog, Outside the Beltway, The Week and Raw Story

Anita Kumar / Politico:

Trump aides exploring executive actions to curb voting by mail — This past spring, President Donald Trump began a full-fledged assault on voting by mail, tweeting, retweeting and railing about massive fraud and rigged elections with scant evidence. — Then the Republican apparatus got to work backing up the president.

Discussion: Law & Crime, Common Dreams, Associated Press, Raw Story, American Prospect, Washington Post and The Dispatch

Washington Post: Their mail was not delivered for days. Now these Minneapolis residents are worried about their votes counting.

New York Times:

How Kristi Noem, Mt. Rushmore and Trump Fueled Speculation About Pence's Job — After Ms. Noem, the South Dakota governor, flew to Washington on Air Force One, speculation about her ambitions ensued. She made a second trip to smooth things over with Mike Pence.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Week

Mark Walker / New York Times:
‘If We Get It, We Chose to Be Here’: Despite Virus, Thousands Converge on Sturgis for Huge Rally

Discussion: Daily Kos and New York Post

Robert Draper / New York Times:

Unwanted Truths: Inside Trump's Battles With U.S. Intelligence Agencies — Last year, intelligence officials gathered to write a classified report on Russia's interest in the 2020 election. An investigation from the magazine uncovered what happened next. — In early July of last year …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week and Raw Story

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

No Wrist Corsages, Please — Has America grown since 1984, or will the knives still be out for Biden's running mate? — WASHINGTON — On the cusp of Joe Biden teaming up with a woman, I am casting back to my time covering the first woman who was a serious contender for veep.

Discussion: Townhall, Twitchy, Althouse, Power Line, Just The News, New York Post, Mediaite, Fox News, Balloon Juice, The Hill, Instapundit, Washington Times and The Wrap

CBS News:

97,000 children reportedly test positive for coronavirus in two weeks as schools gear up for instruction — Nearly 100,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks of July, a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics finds.

Wall Street Journal:

Twitter, TikTok Have Held Preliminary Talks About Possible Combination — Microsoft still seen as front-runner in bidding for video-sharing app's U.S. operations — Twitter Inc. TWTR -1.46% has had preliminary talks about a potential combination with TikTok, the popular video-sharing app …

Discussion: The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Washington Post:

TikTok's fate was shaped by a ‘knockdown, drag-out’ Oval Office brawl — Trump advisers Mnuchin and Navarro fought over TikTok as Silicon Valley dealmakers tried to get closer to Trump — Last week, as leaders in Silicon Valley, China and Washington raced to seal the fate …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, Investor's Business Daily, The Verge, Tennessee Star, Wired, Bloomberg, TikTok and The Indian Express, more at Techmeme »

Jaclyn Peiser / Washington Post:

A protester tried to ID a police officer on Twitter. Now he faces a felony — along with four who retweeted him. — When Kevin Alfaro noticed a masked police officer befriending a counterprotester who had threatened him at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Nutley, N.J., on June 19, he whipped out his phone and took a picture.

Discussion: Law & Crime, The Verge and New Jersey Online

Jon Queally / Salon:

“Friday Night Massacre” at US Postal Service: Postmaster General boots top brass ahead of election — The Postmaster General — a major Trump donor — suddenly ousted the Postal Service's top officials … Government watchdogs, Democratic lawmakers, and pro-democracy advocates declared it a …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Axios and Slate

The Economist: The postal service has become vital to America's elections

Toluse Olorunnipa / Washington Post:

Calling it a ‘peaceful protest,’ Trump flouts coronavirus guidelines with golf club gathering — The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights — BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Just before 7 p.m. Friday evening, members of President Trump's private golf club here began streaming into a gilded ballroom by the dozens.

Discussion: Slate, IJR, The Hill, The Daily Beast and Twitchy

Andrea Widburg / American Thinker:
President Trump wittily shuts down a snarky reporter

Discussion: New York Post, The Western Journal, Power Line and The Gateway Pundit

Calum Best / The Bulwark:

Jerry Falwell's Zipper Has Been Down for Years — His bizarre Instagram picture is just the latest in a long line of bad decisions that have harmed Liberty University. — The board of trustees of Liberty University announced on Friday that the president and chancellor of the university …

Discussion: Slate, Raw Story, Pulpit & Pen News and Politico

David Slotnick / Task & Purpose:

The Air Force just awarded a contract to develop a hypersonic Air Force One — Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Business Insider. — The Air Force One of the future might get a major speed boost. — An aerospace company called Hermeus on Thursday announced a contract …

Discussion: The Drive

commercialappeal:

Memphis woman, who said she is recovering from COVID-19, evicted in Raleigh — Leslie Nelson, a 56-year-old Raleigh resident, was evicted from her home of several years Thursday. Nelson, who struggled to breathe while talking to The Commercial Appeal, said she is recovering from COVID-19.

CNN:

Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and John Kasich expected to join forces for first night of Democratic convention — (CNN)The first night of the Democratic National Convention is currently expected to bring a message of unity featuring Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former first lady Michelle Obama …

Discussion: Twitchy, Politico and The Hill

Matthew Keyes / Campus Reform:

Clemson prof: Trump and ‘anyone who still calls themselves a Republican’ is ‘racist’ — A Clemson University professor wrote that Trump and “anyone who still calls themselves a Republican” is “xenophobic and racist.” — The professor also asked for the home address for the author …

Discussion: Power Line