memeorandum: GOP laying early plans for its own Hunter Biden probes (Politico)

1:00 PM ET, April 6, 2022

Top Items:

Execution of Village Mayor Becomes Symbol of Russian Brutality in Ukraine — A beloved mayor and her family helped townspeople resist Russian occupation. They paid for it with their lives. ‘Why were they killed? Because they were Ukrainians’

Discussion: New York Post, The Daily Caller, United States Department … and Insider

The White House:

FACT SHEET: United States, G7 and EU Impose Severe and Immediate Costs on Russia — Today, the United States, with the G7 and the European Union, will continue to impose severe and immediate economic costs on the Putin regime for its atrocities in Ukraine, including in Bucha.

Discussion: Associated Press, NPR, The Daily Beast, NBC News, CNN, New York Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, Bloomberg, The Moscow Times, New York Times, Associated Press, CBS News, NPR, New York Post, Metro.co.uk, Forbes, New Republic, BBC, president.gov.ua, Just Security, The Rooney Report and Insider

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

EXCLUSIVE: Koch group says U.S. should deliver partial “victory” to Russia in Ukraine — In an internal email obtained exclusively by Popular Information, Stand Together, the influential non-profit group run by right-wing billionaire Charles Koch, argues that the United States should seek …

Lawrence Freedman / Comment is Freed:

The Russo-Ukraine War: Phase Two — On 24 February as they began their invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces began shelling Mariupol, a port city of over 400,000 inhabitants. The next day they began to advance to its outskirts. By 2 March the city was surrounded and the shelling had become routine and deadly.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post and UPI

Robert Burns / Associated Press:

Russia's failure to take down Kyiv was a defeat for the ages — WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyiv was a Russian defeat for the ages. The fight started poorly for the invaders and went downhill from there. — When President Vladimir Putin launched his war on Feb. 24 after months of buildup on Ukraine's borders …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Vatican News and Daily Kos

Christina Wilkie / CNBC:

U.S. sanctions Putin's adult children, bans all new investment in Russia — The United States on Wednesday announced it would impose a wide new slate of sanctions on Russia that includes first-time individual sanctions on the two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CNN:
Russian troops leave behind trail of dead civilians, flattened apartment blocks, and V signs in Ukraine's Borodianka

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Al Jazeera

Mike McIntire / New York Times:
Why Tracking Putin's Wealth Is So Difficult

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Washington Post and Foreign Affairs

CNN:
It's too soon to say Putin has given up on capturing Kyiv, despite strategy shift, Western officials warn

Discussion: HotAir, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, NBC News and National Review

Washington Post:
A weary Zelensky challenges U.N. to act with graphic video for diplomats

CNN:

January 6 committee obtains emails that former Trump attorney John Eastman sought to keep secret — Washington (CNN)The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol has obtained a cache of emails that right-wing lawyer John Eastman had sought to keep secret.

Discussion: American Greatness, HuffPost, New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Associated Press and Raw Story

ABC News:

Trump White House lawyer expected to appear before Jan. 6 committee — Eric Herschmann defended President Trump during his first impeachment trial. — Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann is expected to appear Wednesday before the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the Capitol attack …

Hunter Walker / Rolling Stone:
Exclusive: Jan. 6 Committee Interviews Longtime Steve Bannon Associate Alexandra Preate

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Boston Herald, New York Times, Raw Story, UrduPoint News and Althouse

Politico:
Court orders Jan. 6 defense lawyer disbarred

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Raw Story

Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Ivanka Trump testified for 8 hours before House panel investigating Jan. 6 riot

Discussion: The Guardian, Axios, The Status Kuo, UPI, CBS News, Insider, Forbes, Breitbart, UrduPoint News, Bloomberg and NPR

Politico:

GOP laying early plans for its own Hunter Biden probes — DOJ is already investigating how the president's son handled his overseas business dealings. Republicans — particularly in the House, where they're eyeing a majority — want their own oversight, never mind the Trump parallels.

Discussion: The Federalist, Mediaite, Political Wire and Breitbart

Fox News:
Biden wrote college recommendation letter for son of Hunter's Chinese business partner, emails reveal

Discussion: HotAir, RedState, BizPac Review, New York Post, Breitbart, JONATHAN TURLEY, The Daily Wire and Florida Politics

Fox News: CNN, MSNBC dismissed Hunter Biden's laptop as ‘Russian disinformation’ until liberal narrative was deflated

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Congressional Republicans Now Lead Generic Ballot Among Child Tax Credit Recipients — 46% of voters who received the expired pandemic-era benefit say they'll back a Republican in the midterms — Voters who received expanded child tax credits payments in 2021 ended the year more likely …

Discussion: Twitchy

HuffPost:

What's A Woman? GOP Senators Stumble On Their Own Question To Ketanji Brown Jackson. — Some mentioned body parts. Some cited chromosomes. Others didn't want to talk about it at all. — WASHINGTON ― Republicans mocked Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson last month …

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story and Al Jazeera

Ashton Pittman / Mississippi Free Press:
Sens. Hyde-Smith, Wicker Voting ‘No’ On Ketanji Brown Jackson For Supreme Court

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, UpCurrent and Colorado Newsline

Kate Riga / Talking Points Memo:

Roberts Joins Liberals In Opinion Criticizing Conservative Majority's Use Of Shadow Docket — Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberals in a dissent Wednesday perhaps most striking for its final paragraph: a critique of the conservative majority's frequent use of the shadow docket …

Discussion: Bloomberg, CNN and Raw Story

ABC News:

AG Garland vows to hold those responsible for ‘atrocities in Ukraine’ accountable — “We have seen the mass graves,” Merrick Garland said. — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday expressed outrage over the “horrible images” of killed civilians in Ukraine and said the U.S. is working …

Discussion: The Guardian, Politico, Bloomberg and Raw Story

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:
DOJ charges Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev with sanctions violations

Discussion: CNN

William A. Galston / Wall Street Journal:

How Will Inflation End? — Larry Summers forecasts a major recession and high unemployment. — Inflation is now, incontestably, the leading issue for the electorate, and voters are giving the Biden administration low marks for handling it. This is a political crisis for Democrats …

Discussion: Wide World of News

Matt Egan / CNN:
Deutsche Bank is the first big bank to forecast a US recession

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Board of Governors …, The Hill, Breitbart, Washington Post and Instapundit

Andrea Widburg / American Thinker:

Proof has emerged from the White House that Biden's presidency is over — Barack Obama was at the White House yesterday, making it clear, as did others at the reception held in Obama's honor, that Biden's presidency is over. Watching Obama suck the oxygen out of the room made me wonder …

Chad Wolf / Washington Examiner:
The deliberate plan behind the border crisis

Discussion: Fox News, Politico and Washington Post

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:

False election claims dominate party for Trump, allies at Mar-a-Lago — PALM BEACH — Former president Donald Trump and a coterie of his top allies, donors and paying club members gathered at his palatial beachfront club Tuesday night for a reunion of sorts: to sip Trump-branded wine …

Discussion: Raw Story

Tim Miller / The Bulwark:

The Republican Party Is Trump Steaks — Truth Social, the president's latest private sector scam to flop was promoted relentlessly by official GOP accounts. — It's been an inauspicious start for TRUTH Social, the former president's new Twitter knock-off, helmed by bovine ex-Congressman Devin Nunes.

Discussion: Insider, Washington Examiner, CBS News and Talking Points Memo

Samantha Cole / VICE:

Police Records Show Women Are Being Stalked With Apple AirTags Across the Country — Motherboard obtained reports of stalking, harassment, and abuse using Airtags, targeting victims of intimate partner violence. — Samantha Cole — One year ago this month, Apple unveiled the AirTag …

more at Techmeme »

U.S. Department of Justice:

Justice Department Announces Court-Authorized Disruption of Botnet Controlled by the Russian Federation's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) — Operation Copied and Removed Malware Known as “Cyclops Blink” from the Botnet's Command-And-Control Devices, Disrupting the GRU's Control Over Thousands of Infected Devices Worldwide.

more at Techmeme »

Sylvie Corbet / Associated Press:

Macron leads polls but turnout a big question in French vote — PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron is the clear favorite in France's presidential race, yet a big unknown factor may prove decisive: an unprecedented proportion of people say they are unsure who to vote for or don't intend to vote at all …

Discussion: The New Arab, Jacobin and UrduPoint News

Giorgio Leali / Politico:
How Marine Le Pen closed the gap on Emmanuel Macron

Discussion: Jacobin, The New Arab, Breitbart and YouTube

LZ Granderson / Los Angeles Times:

Stand back, because Lindsey Graham keeps flip-flopping like crazy — Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is expected to be confirmed this week after a bipartisan group of senators voted on Monday to advance her nomination. So far only three Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine …

Discussion: Raw Story

Washington Post:

Democrats find themselves on the defensive over gas prices … When Rep. Mike Levin is back home, the California Democrat tells voters about the three P's he says are to blame for gas prices topping $6 a gallon: the pandemic, Vladimir Putin and alleged price-gouging by oil companies.

Washington Post: Worried Democrats poised to pin blame for high gas prices on oil companies