memeorandum: Saudis' Biden snub suggests crown prince still banking on Trump's return (Julian Borger/The Guardian)

12:30 PM ET, April 24, 2022

Top Items:

The Belarusian railway saboteurs who helped thwart Russia's attack on Kyiv — When Russian troops first streamed across the Belarusian border into Ukraine for what they had assumed would be a lightning assault on Kyiv, they were intending to rely on the region's extensive rail network for supplies and reinforcements.

Discussion: nationalinterest.org

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

Joe Kahn can be a great New York Times editor — I know him. Here's why I think he might be the man for this perilous moment. — Unlike The Washington Post, whose last three top editors came from other news organizations — the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and the Associated Press …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Trip Gabriel / New York Times:

He Fuels the Right's Cultural Fires (and Spreads Them to Florida) — Christopher Rufo helped make critical race theory a conservative rallying cry. Now he sees L.G.B.T.Q. issues as an even more potent line of attack. — Give this article- - - Read in app

Discussion: Reason to Believe

Julian Borger / The Guardian:

Saudis' Biden snub suggests crown prince still banking on Trump's return — Refusal to help US punish Russia and $2bn investment in Kushner fund signal crown prince's displeasure with Trump's successor — Saudi Arabia appears to be banking on Donald Trump's return to office by refusing …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jason Lee Steorts / National Review:

Fight Club Conservatives, Gangster Government, and the Rule of Law — In his excellent discussion of Fight Club Conservatives, my NR colleague Phil Klein quotes Newsweek opinion editor Josh Hammer, who tweets of the State of Florida's revocation of Disney's special district …

Michael H. Brown / Washington Post:

Orrin G. Hatch, longest-serving Republican in Senate history, dies at 88 — Orrin G. Hatch, a conservative Utah Republican who came out of political nowhere to win a U.S. Senate seat in 1976 and ended his career 42 years later as the longest-serving Republican in the chamber's history …

Discussion: Reuters, CBS News, Associated Press, Outside the Beltway, UPI, USA Today, The Western Journal, Bloomberg and Political Wire

Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:
Orrin Hatch, Longtime Senator Who Championed Right-Wing Causes, Dies at 88

Discussion: Salt Lake Tribune, NBC News, Deadline, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, KTVX-TV, Townhall and The Daily Wire

Andrew Miller / Fox News:
Orrin Hatch, longtime Utah Republican senator, dead at 88

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, Breitbart, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, USA Today, Roll Call, The Daily Caller, KRON4, The Wrap, Insider, RedState, HuffPost, TheBlaze, Washington Times and WTOP News

Bryan Schott / Salt Lake Tribune:

D.C. police officer says Sen. Mike Lee opposed Jan. 6 investigation to cover up his actions — Lee argued an independent investigation into the insurrection would be too partisan. — Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020, accused Sen. Mike Lee of lying about his reasons …

Financial Times:

Putin abandons hopes of Ukraine deal and shifts to land-grab strategy — Russian president was considering settlement with Kyiv last month but now sees no prospect of that — Vladimir Putin has lost interest in diplomatic efforts to end his war with Ukraine and instead appears set on seizing …

New York Post:

Wynn Bruce dies after lighting himself on fire outside Supreme Court — A climate activist who lit himself on fire on Earth Day outside the United States Supreme Court Building has died, according to reports. — Wynn Bruce, 50, of Boulder, Colorado, died Saturday, a day after he set himself ablaze …

Discussion: We Love Trump, Althouse and Fox News

New York Times:

Filing Provides New Details on Trump White House Planning for Jan. 6 — Testimony disclosed by the House committee investigating the riot showed that Mark Meadows and Freedom Caucus members discussed directing marchers to the Capitol as Congress certified the election results.

Discussion: The Full Belmonte, Letters from an American, USA Today, POLITICUSUSA and Washington Post

Nina Golgowski / HuffPost:

Elizabeth Warren Calls Out Kevin McCarthy As A ‘Liar And Traitor’ — “That is really the illness that pervades the Republican leadership right now. That they say one thing to the American public and something else in private,” she said. — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) …

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, Washington Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and Raw Story

Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
McCarthy's push to ascend to House speaker relies on Trump

Discussion: Insider, Politico, Wide World of News, Los Angeles Times and CBS News

Sarah Mimms / BuzzFeed News:

Republicans Have Picked An Election Denier To Run Michigan's Elections — WASHINGTON — Michigan Republicans endorsed Kristina Karamo, a first-time candidate who has spread lies about the 2020 election, to run all the state's elections as the party's candidate for secretary of state.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Bridge Michigan and Associated Press

Miles Parks / NPR:
Michigan GOP moves forward with 2020 election-denying secretary of state and AG

Discussion: Detroit Free Press, CBS News, Michigan Advance, Bridge Michigan and NBC News

Lindsay Whitehurst / Associated Press:

Utah Democrats back independent as US Senate candidate — Utah Democrats pulling hard to defeat Republican Sen. Mike Lee took the unusual step Saturday of spurning a party hopeful to instead get behind an independent, former presidential candidate Evan McMullin

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Kim Bojórquez / Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah Democrats back independent Evan McMullin for U.S. Senate in a historic vote

Discussion: Deseret News, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Raw Story and Associated Press

Roger Cohen / New York Times:

Live Updates: Voting Underway as France Chooses Between Macron and Le Pen — Here's what you need to know: — Macron and Le Pen spar in an increasingly divided France. — PARIS — In the course of a visit this past week to Saint-Denis, north of Paris, where the poverty rate is about twice …

Discussion: Reuters, Outside the Beltway, Metro.co.uk and The New Arab