memeorandum: Maybe Nominating Bloomberg for President Isn't a Crazy Idea (Jonathan Chait/New York Magazine)

11:40 AM ET, January 9, 2020

Top Items:

Molly Ball / TIME:

'We've Upped the Ante.' Why Nancy Pelosi Is Going All in Against Trump — Nancy Pelosi isn't wild about the question. The impeachment of President Donald Trump is under way, and I've asked the Speaker of the House if she thinks it's the most important thing she'll ever do.

Discussion: Townhall, Breitbart and Mediaite

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:

Rep. Stefanik tweets altered photo of Pelosi in GOP fundraising appeal — Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) tweeted a petition and fundraising appeal that included what appeared to be an altered photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, drawing a retweet Thursday morning from President Trump.

Discussion: IJR, Breitbart and The Daily Caller

Allan Smith / NBC News:

Top House Democrat: ‘Time to send’ articles of impeachment to Senate — “I think it is time to send the impeachment to the Senate and let Mitch McConnell be responsible for the fairness of the trial,” Smith said. — House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said Thursday that …

Discussion: Townhall, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hill and HuffPost

Paul Rosenzweig / The Atlantic:
Trials Are for Evidence — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …

Discussion: Raw Story

Associated Press:
McConnell, Pelosi stand firm as impeachment remains frozen

Discussion: New York Post, Fox News, Townhall, The Federalist and The Hill

Devan Cole / CNN:
Top House Judiciary Republican makes unfounded claim that Democrats are ‘in love with terrorists’

Discussion: The Root and HuffPost

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Graham predicts Senate will take up impeachment trial next week

Discussion: Politico and Breitbart

Detroit News:

Poll: Biden, Bloomberg hold largest leads against Trump in Michigan — Former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg hold the best chances among the leading Democratic presidential hopefuls of defeating President Donald Trump in Michigan, according to a new statewide poll.

Discussion: Washington Times, The Hill, New York Times and Public Policy Polling

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

Bernie emerges as growing threat to Biden — CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — When Bernie Sanders attacked Joe Biden recently, the former vice president dismissed his former Senate colleague with a contemptuous brush-off. — “You guys expect me to take Bernie's comments seriously?

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill and Blue Delaware

John F. Harris / Politico:

‘He Is Our O.J.’ — Explain yourself, I asked readers who are indignant about President Donald Trump's impeachment shortly before the holiday break. I wasn't asking merely for a defense of Trump, but for an honest illumination of what defenders would think if the essential facts …

Discussion: Raw Story

Julie Pace / Associated Press:
Booker: Impeachment trial could be ‘big blow’ to my campaign

Discussion: NBC News, Twitchy and The Hill

Brian Slodysko / Associated Press:
Democrats' contempt for Trump fuels an online cash surge

Discussion: Washington Post and Axios

ABC News:

Defense Secretary Esper privately warned lawmakers against debating war powers — The suggestion enraged GOP Sen. Mike Lee who called it “insane.” — On the eve of a House vote Thursday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged Congress not to debate limits to President Donald Trump's power …

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

GOP senator who erupted over Iran briefing shares awful new details — If President Trump made the decision to assassinate the supreme leader of Iran, would he need to come to Congress to get authorization for it? — The Trump administration won't say. — That remarkable claim …

Discussion: Law & Crime, Raw Story, The Hill and New York Times

Allan Smith / NBC News:
Pence says sharing intel with Congress could ‘compromise’ sources

Discussion: Washington Post, Associated Press, Raw Story, The American Independent, New York Post and The Week

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Paul fires back at Graham over Iran criticism: ‘He insults the Constitution’

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Kos, CNN and NPR

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Rand Paul, Mike Lee rip administration over ‘insulting and demeaning’ Iran briefing

Discussion: Fox News, Vanity Fair, Mediaite, JONATHAN TURLEY, Raw Story, The Daily Caller and Politico

NBC News:
‘Insulting and demeaning’: Two GOP lawmakers rip Trump administration after Iran briefing

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Hill, Alternet.org, The American Independent, Talking Points Memo, Reason, Mediaite and CANNONFIRE

Sara Carter / Sara A. Carter:
Terrorists In Iraq Fearing U.S. Targeting: Are Fleeing and Hiding After Soleimani Killing

Discussion: Redstate

Susan Page / USA Today:

Exclusive: Americans say Soleimani's killing made US less safe, Trump ‘reckless’ on Iran — Americans by more than 2-1 say the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani has made the United States less safe, a nationwide USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds, amid broad concerns about the potential consequences ahead.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, The Week, Common Dreams and Raw Story

Shay Khatiri / The Bulwark:
Trump's Treatment of U.S. Allies Comes Home to Roost

Discussion: Raw Story

USA Today:
Iran may stand down, as Trump says, but cyber and terror attacks are the real threat

Discussion: Bloomberg, Slate and The White House

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Maybe Nominating Bloomberg for President Isn't a Crazy Idea — Not long ago, my teenaged kids and one of their friends asked me what I thought about Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign. The question momentarily took me aback, since even though I spend hours a day following campaign coverage …

Discussion: New York Times and Scripting News

Wall Street Journal:

Boeing Jet Was on Fire Before Crash, Iran Says; Investigators Consider Hostile Act — Ukrainian officials arrive in Tehran to help determine the cause of the crash that killed 176 people — The Ukraine International Airlines flight that crashed after takeoff from Tehran was on fire …

Newsweek:

Iranian missile system shot down Ukraine flight, probably by mistake, sources say — The Ukrainian flight that crashed just outside the Iranian capital of Tehran was struck by an anti-aircraft missile system, a Pentagon official, a senior U.S. intelligence official and an Iraqi intelligence official told Newsweek.

Mike Isaac / New York Times:

Facebook Says It Won't Back Down From Allowing Lies in Political Ads — The company was under intense pressure to adjust its policies. But in this presidential election year, no big changes are planned. — SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook said on Thursday that it would not make any major changes …

Discussion: National Review, Axios and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Rebecca English / Daily Mail:

Harry and Meghan to step back as senior royals — Harry and Meghan quit as senior Royals, announcing they will split their time between the UK and North America, and are understood to have done so without discussing the matter with other Royals.

Discussion: The Guardian, Vanity Fair, The Week, Reuters, The Sun US, Breitbart, Telegraph, The Daily Beast and New York Times

Piers Morgan / Daily Mail:
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sit alongside the Queen at Buckingham Palace in June 2018

Discussion: The Guardian, Fox News and The Sun US

Molly Jong-Fast / The Daily Beast:

Was This Ex-Fox News Anchor Benched for Accusing Trump? — Courtney Friel appeared in none of her regularly scheduled KTLA anchoring slots the weekend after publicly accusing the president of making a pass at her. — Last Friday, KTLA weekend anchor Courtney Friel gave a revealing interview with the New York Daily News.

more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

Mnuchin seeks delay of proposed disclosure of Secret Service spending on presidential travel until after election — The Trump administration is seeking to delay a Democratic effort to require the Secret Service to disclose how much it spends protecting President Trump and his family when they travel …

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Slate, The Week, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, CNN, Hullabaloo, Law & Crime and Talking Points Memo

Jake Sherman / Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Pelosi is on the brink of sending the impeachment articles

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Vox and Raw Story

Mike Allen / Axios:

Watch: Anti-Trump Lincoln Project targets evangelical voters with new video — “MAGA Church,” the first digital video from the Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans, takes aim at President Trump's standing with evangelical voters —interspersing clips of him talking about faith with videos of him speaking crudely.

Ted Hesson / Reuters:

U.S. appeals court stays judge's ruling blocking military funds for border wall — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court on Wednesday put on hold a lower court ruling that blocked President Donald Trump's administration from using $3.6 billion in military construction funds …

Discussion: Townhall and The Daily Caller

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:
Trump touts court ruling allowing military funds for border wall construction

Discussion: Associated Press

New York Times:

The Mystery of Teen Vogue's Disappearing Facebook Article — The online magazine deleted a glowing story about Facebook after questions were raised about whether it was an ad. — On Wednesday, Teen Vogue published an article on Facebook's efforts to safeguard political speech.

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, Mediaite and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Reis Thebault / Washington Post:
Article or ad? Teen Vogue removes glowing Facebook story without explanation.

Discussion: The Drum, The Smoke Eater, Mashable and Teen Vogue

Greg Farrell / Bloomberg:

NYC Bar Association Asks Congress to Investigate AG Barr for Bias — A rare rebuke of a U.S. attorney general by a bar association — Group says Barr has ‘disregarded’ his duty to be impartial — The New York City Bar Association has asked Congress to investigate U.S. Attorney …

Discussion: Axios and Raw Story

Steve Inskeep / New York Times:

It's 1856 All Over Again — Immigration. Race. Demographic change. Political demagogy. That year's presidential race had it all. What can it tell us about 2020? — Mr. Inskeep is a co-host of “Morning Edition” on NPR and the author of a book about John C. Frémont.

Discussion: Raw Story and Progress Pond

Variety:

Harvey Weinstein Strikes Out in Attempt to Get New Judge in Rape Trial — Harvey Weinstein struck out in his attempt on Thursday to get a new judge assigned to his rape trial in New York. — Attorneys for the movie mogul accused Justice James Burke of being prejudicial …

Robert F. Worth / New York Times:

Mohammed bin Zayed's Dark Vision of the Middle East's Future — The enigmatic leader of the U.A.E. may soon emerge as the region's most powerful figure. What does he really want? — Richard Clarke was in Abu Dhabi one morning in 2013 when his phone lit up. “You busy?” a familiar voice said.

Chelsea Janes / Washington Post:

Pete Buttigieg wins first endorsement from a black member of Congress — Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg received his first endorsement from a member of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday when former Maryland lieutenant governor Anthony G. Brown announced his support for the outgoing mayor of South Bend, Ind.

Discussion: Bloomberg

Bill Scher / Politico:
Iowa Matters Less Than Ever in 2020

Discussion: Ballotpedia, 2020 Presidential … and Dallas Morning News

David Smith / The Guardian:

Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump ‘knew they were lying’ over ploy to sell condos, book claims — President's son and daughter knowingly used figures that exaggerated how well the condos were selling to lure more buyers — Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump took part in a fraudulent scheme to sell units …

Discussion: Political Wire and Trump, Inc.

Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:

Warner Bros. Signs Deal for AI-Driven Film Management System (Exclusive) — The studio has made a pact with Cinelytic to use its project management system that was launched last year. — Resistance is futile. Warner Bros. has become the latest studio to publicly embrace artificial intelligence.

Discussion: Wired and The Verge