A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
Must Watch
I want to bring your attention today to a tremendous bit of investigative reporting from the indefatigable Phil Williams of NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.
At its heart, the story is about what happens when QAnon conspiracy theories infect the upper ranks of local law enforcement.
The case study Williams uncovers is in Millersville, Tennessee, just north of Nashville, where the police chief (who is also the interim city manager) and assistant police chief have taken to far right podcasts to advance some of the most outlandish QAnon ravings, including Pizzagate.
They claim the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has cut them off from accessing law enforcement search tools while TBI conducts an audit of the Millersville police department. Williams’ reporting suggests TBI does have some concerns about the department, but TBI wouldn’t comment.
But none of my summary fully captures the many layers of Williams’ extensive long-running investigation, like this gem of line: “Then, there’s the child sex predator sting run by Millersville with a group of MAGA activists — a sting also now being investigated by the TBI.” Oh, boy.
As Williams himself said: “I have never seen anything like this.”
MUST WATCH: My investigation of the conspiracy cops in Millersville, Tennessee, gets even stranger. Asked about the reason for my investigation of his department, the chief says: "The only thing I can think is: you are a pedophile or you are covering for somebody that is." https://t.co/TPR9QkuLGb pic.twitter.com/iEuBDrB61u
— Phil Williams (@NC5PhilWilliams) August 13, 2024
Spot The Racism
Could Get Ugly In Georgia Again
TPM’s Khaya Himmelman: What To Know About the MAGA-Run Georgia Board Trying to Delay Election Certification
By The Numbers
- Big Swing: The latest update to the Cook Political Report Swing State Project Survey shows Kamala Harris leading or tied with Donald Trump in all but one of the seven swing states surveyed. Harris leads Trump 48%-47% in the seven states (AZ, GA, MI, NV, NC, PA, and WI) combined. In the last iteration of the survey, in May, Trump was ahead of or tied with Biden in all seven states and led by three points overall.
- One Data Point: More Republicans than Democrats were registering to vote in Pennsylvania and North Carolina all year until Kamala Harris entered the race, when the advantage flipped and Democratic registrations began outpacing Republican ones.
- Non-College-Educated Whites: The internals of the latest NYT/Siena poll show Trump’s margin among non-college-educated whites in the Blue Wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin have shrunk from +25 against Biden to +14 against Harris:
2024 Ephemera
- MN-05: Squad member Ilhan Omar (D-MN) won her primary.
- WI-Sen: As expected, Eric Hovde won the GOP primary, setting up a general election race against Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D).
- Politico: Biden harbors lingering frustration at Pelosi, Obama, Schumer
Tracking The Trump Campaign Hack
- Good question: Why newsrooms haven’t published leaked Trump campaign documents
- WaPo: Suspected Iranian hacks are latest round of U.S. election interference
- Marcy Wheeler: After Serving as a Pawn for Russia, Roger Stone Became a Pawn of Iran
Boom
A federal magistrate judge in Washington, D.C., has disqualified attorney Stefanie Lambert from continuing to represent former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in Dominion Voting System’s massive civil lawsuit over being falsely implicated in the 2020 Big Lie.
Lambert, who is facing criminal charges in Michigan for illegally accessing voting machines after the 2020 election, repeatedly disclosed discovery information in the Dominion case to outside parties in violation of court rules and orders, the judge found.
“Lambert’s repeated misconduct raises the serious concern that she became involved in this litigation for the sheer purpose of gaining access to and publicly sharing Dominion’s protected discovery,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya wrote.
Quote Of The Day
(Trump)’s unfit to serve, he can’t get anywhere near the White House. But if somehow they win, they can actually appoint two or three more justices. And they’re going to be, like, in the Aileen Cannon, they don’t follow any precedent, they’re just going to do Trump’s bidding type. And they’re going to be young, and they’re going to be on that bench for 30 or 40 years.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, speaking at a private fundraising event in Los Angeles
‘I Will Not Be Intimidated’
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was the victim of two swatting attacks at her Detroit home, one Saturday and another Monday, she revealed this week.
Coda To The Persecution Of Indiana Abortion Doc
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has dismissed his lawsuit accusing the state’s largest hospital system of violating patient privacy laws when Dr. Caitlin Bernard told a newspaper that a 10-year-old Ohio girl had traveled to Indiana for an abortion.
For Your Radar
Jury selection in the federal criminal trial of former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is set to begin Sept. 9.
The Trump Grift-Industrial Complex
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Frist!
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Is not defacing US currency a crime?
“The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.” ― George Carlin