memeorandum: ‘Wanting to be famous’: How Vivek Ramaswamy sought podcast stardom prior to White House run (ABC News)

12:20 PM ET, August 21, 2023

Top Items:

Christopher T. Sununu / New York Times:

Gov. Chris Sununu: This Is How to Beat Trump — This week, Republican primary candidates for president will have a chance to make their case before a national audience — with or without Donald Trump on the debate stage. To win, they must break free of Mr. Trump's drama, step out of his shadow …

Discussion: The Hill, The Messenger, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Courthouse News Service, The Federalist, Raw Story, Rolling Stone, Reuters, Washington Times, TheBlaze, RedState, Florida Politics and Political Wire

NBC News:

Iowa poll: Trump challengers face huge climb to stop him in first GOP contest — Among likely GOP caucusgoers, 65% believe Trump hasn't committed serious crimes, while the survey also shows strong numbers considering DeSantis and Scott. — Former President Donald Trump starts …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CNBC, Washington Post, The Hill, RedState, Politico, The Messenger, USA Today, National Review, New York Post, Washington Times and Florida Politics

Sidney Blumenthal / The Guardian:

Trump's legal woes are part of his quasi-religious mythology of martyrdom — These criminal entanglements are not only means but ends - not a sideshow, but the heart and soul of Trump's campaign — n 16 or perhaps 17 July 2024, in Milwaukee, the Republican national convention will likely nominate …

Discussion: The Bulwark

Politico:

Playbook: Harris fights her biggest foe: Washington's view of her — Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — JUST POSTED — It's the first 2024 NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of the cycle by esteemed Iowa pollster ANN SELZER.

Discussion: Insider and The Messenger

Associated Press:
Trump and his allies double down on election lies after indictments for trying to undo 2020 results

Discussion: Raw Story, HuffPost, New York Times and Political Wire

Des Moines Register:
Iowa Poll: Donald Trump holds commanding lead in first test of 2024 Republican caucus field

Discussion: Fox News, Insider, New York Times, The Messenger, USA Today, The Hill, Mediaite, The Guardian, National Review and Political Wire

Katherine Doyle / NBC News:
Trump confirms he will skip the first GOP debate — and maybe future ones, as well

John Hendrickson / The Atlantic:

Vivek Ramaswamy's Truth — The Millennial outsider Republican says he wants a revolution. To get there, he'd gut the federal government. — vivek ramaswamy leaned forward in his leather seat aboard the Cessna 750. He was fiddling with his pen, talking about Donald Trump. It was the final Friday in July.

Discussion: Raw Story

ABC News:

‘Wanting to be famous’: How Vivek Ramaswamy sought podcast stardom prior to White House run — “He's been wanting to be famous for a long time,” one former aide told ABC News. — In early 2023, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy summoned a small group of conservative operatives to discuss …

Discussion: The Messenger

The White House:

Statement from President Joe Biden on Tomorrow's Visit to Maui — My heart, my prayers, and my focus are on the victims of the Maui wildfires and their families. I know how profoundly loss can impact a family and a community and I know nothing can replace the loss of life.

Discussion: Reuters, NBC News, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, The Western Journal, UPI, WFLA-TV, ABC7 and Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Biden Visiting Hawaii to Inspect Wildfire Damage — After remaining secluded since Friday, the president will break away from his vacation for a brief trip to Maui, where flames have demolished a town and killed more than 100 people. — President Biden is set to break away from his summer vacation …

Discussion: CNBC, CNN, New York Daily News, The Moderate Voice, The Daily Signal, NewsNation and Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Stef W. Kight / Axios:

Scoop: Inside Trump's new plan to limit immigration — Former President Trump wants unprecedented restrictions on immigration and the border if he's elected in 2024 — such as screening prospective immigrants for “Marxist” ideologies and a naval blockade to target drug smugglers, Axios has learned.

Discussion: National Review, Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Chris Geidner / Law Dork with Chris Geidner:

Judge blocks Georgia's ban on hormone therapy for transgender minors — A federal judge in Georgia on Sunday issued a ruling that blocks the state from enforcing its new ban on hormone therapy for transgender minors while the case proceeds. — U.S. District Judge Sarah Geraghty …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Bill Mahoney / Politico:

New district lines will scramble key New York House races — The interminable legal fight over redistricting in New York will likely leave both parties unclear which races will be competitive until sometime next spring. — ALBANY, N.Y. — Candidates are eager to run in competitive House seats in New York next year.

Sahil Kapur / NBC News:

As the 2024 election revs up, Asian Americans rise as a powerful voting bloc — They're America's fastest-growing demographic, and they delivered a turnout jump in swing states that proved crucial to Joe Biden's victory in 2020. Both parties have taken note.

Discussion: The Atlantic

Liz Dye / Public Notice:

How Hunter Biden's plea deal became a huge cluster — The irony is that if anyone is being treated unfairly, it's Hunter. … On July 26, what was supposed to be a routine plea hearing for Hunter Biden in federal court in Delaware turned into a protracted circus, culminating …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, HotAir, New York Magazine, The Federalist, PJ Media, Power Line, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, CNN and Washington Post

Washington Post:

Youngkin retools message for new elections with ‘Parents Matter’ talks — SALEM, Va. — Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) sat next to an American flag and a huge sign reading “Parents Matter” as a woman in the audience complained at length that social media and college had “brainwashed” …

Discussion: The Messenger, NPR and Washington Examiner