memeorandum: Oklahoma lawmakers pass bill banning abortions after ‘fertilization’ (Amy B Wang/Washington Post)

10:45 PM ET, May 19, 2022

Top Items:

Rich McHugh / Insider:

A SpaceX flight attendant said Elon Musk exposed himself and propositioned her for sex, documents show. The company paid $250,000 for her silence. — A flight attendant for SpaceX said Elon Musk asked her to “do more” during a massage, documents show. — The billionaire founder exposed …

Discussion: HotAir, The Verge, The Daily Beast, Mercury News, RedState, New York Post, The Wrap, Fortune, Raw Story, Rolling Stone, Mediaite, Electrek, Bloomberg, Jezebel, The Daily Wire and Lawyers, Guns & Money, more at Techmeme »

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Elon Musk says he doesn't plan to donate to GOP super PACs in upcoming elections — despite feud with Biden

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Post, Deseret News, The Hill and Mercury News

Matt Viser / Washington Post:

A look at the time Tucker Carlson asked Hunter Biden for a favor — The Fox News host often ridicules the president's son, but years ago, the two were close — Tucker Carlson and his wife were looking to get their son a leg up in his college application to Georgetown University when they turned …

Discussion: New York Magazine, HotAir, Lawyers, Guns & Money, POLITICUSUSA and Twitchy

NBC News:
Analysis of Hunter Biden's hard drive shows he, his firm took in about $11 million from 2013 to 2018, spent it fast

Discussion: New York Post, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, Mediaite, The Daily Wire, Townhall, Twitchy and Ace of Spades HQ

Politico: The words Biden DID say — Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people …

Garrett Ross / Politico:
POLITICO Playbook PM: The Maloney mess gets messier

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Post, The Daily Caller and Punchbowl News

Amy B Wang / Washington Post:

Oklahoma lawmakers pass bill banning abortions after ‘fertilization’ — Oklahoma lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill that would ban abortions from the moment of “fertilization,” which if signed into law would effectively prohibit almost all abortions in the state.

Lis Smith / Washington Post:

Opinion This is not the time to change how we talk about abortion — Democratic strategist Lis Smith was a senior adviser to Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign, and is the author of the forthcoming book, “Any Given Tuesday.” — We need to talk about how we talk about Roe.

Discussion: Townhall

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Former FBI official recounts alleged lie at heart of Sussmann trial — A former top official at the FBI told a federal jury on Thursday that he was “100 percent confident” that Michael Sussmann, a prominent cybersecurity lawyer, said he wasn't acting on behalf of any of his clients when he gave …

Discussion: Fox News

New York Post:
James Baker buries Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann in probe

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Power Line, RedState, CBS News, WTOP News, Washington Times, The Daily Wire, The Daily Caller and Bloomberg

Jeff Mordock / Washington Times:
Judge in Clinton lawyer trial denies prosecution request to remove juror over ties to defendant

Discussion: The Daily Wire and New York Post

Katie Benner / New York Times:
Key Witness in Durham Case Offers Detailed Testimony of 2016 Meeting

Discussion: New York Post, Raw Story and Washington Post

Insider:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez confirms she's engaged to her longtime partner, Riley Roberts: 'Yep! It's true' — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez confirmed to Insider that she's engaged. — AOC met her longtime partner, Riley Roberts, when they were students at Boston University.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, remarkboard.com, The Guardian, Mediaite, Jezebel, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Washington Times, Bloomberg, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and Rolling Stone

Judy Kurtz / The Hill:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engaged to longtime boyfriend Riley Roberts

Discussion: New York Magazine, Insider and The Daily Wire

NBC News:

Trump washes hands of Perdue in Georgia as his campaign limps into final stretch — Dark on TV. Trailing badly in polls. Written off by Republican political insiders nationally and in Georgia. — Former Sen. David Perdue's once-spirited primary challenge to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appears …

Discussion: Raw Story, WSB-TV and Vanity Fair

Tyler Pager / Washington Post:

Pentagon spokesman Kirby moving to White House in senior communications role — Pentagon spokesman John Kirby will move to the White House in a senior communications role, according to two people familiar with the personnel move. — Kirby's move to the White House comes after Karine Jean-Pierre took …

Discussion: Associated Press, CNN, Washington Examiner and The Hill

Josh Wingrove / Bloomberg:
Biden's Student Loan Plan Is Personal for 30 Top Aides With Millions in Debt

Discussion: New York Magazine, Twitchy and Political Wire

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Scoop: Bill Barr in discussions to cooperate with Jan. 6 committee — President Trump's attorney general Bill Barr is in active discussions with the Jan. 6th investigative committee to appear for a formal transcribed interview, according to two sources with direct knowledge.

Discussion: Breitbart, CNBC and Raw Story

CNN:
Former Attorney General William Barr tentatively agrees to give sworn testimony to January 6 committee

Discussion: The Hill and CBS News

Politico:

Jan. 6 committee evidence includes official White House photos from day of Capitol riot — Congressional investigators have obtained a batch of official White House photographs, including images taken on Jan. 6, 2021, according to two sources familiar with the evidence.

Discussion: Raw Story

Hugo Lowell / The Guardian:
Congress members led ‘reconnaissance tours’ of Capitol before attack, evidence suggests

NBC News:

Michigan election chief: Trump suggested I be arrested for treason and executed — Jocelyn Benson said she was told that the former president made the remark in a White House meeting. A Trump spokesman accused Benson of lying. — Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's top election official …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, HotAir, Insider, The Gateway Pundit and Raw Story

Holly Otterbein / Politico:

Oz, McCormick unleash army of lawyers in Pa. Senate race — PHILADELPHIA — Dr. Mehmet Oz is still ahead by a whisker in Pennsylvania's razor-thin Senate GOP contest. But David McCormick is slowly chipping away at his lead, and both sides are preparing for a drawn-out vote-counting process marked …

Discussion: Raw Story, Insider, Washington Monthly, RedState and Election Law Blog

Tina Nguyen / Puck:
Trump Forgot How to Spell MAGA

Discussion: Power Line, Raw Story and Washington Post

David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:
McCormick camp predicts victory over Oz in tight Pennsylvania GOP Senate count

Discussion: Washington Post, PennLive, Raw Story, New York Times, WITF and Articles Archive

Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:

These 14 states had significant miscounts in the 2020 census — Loading... For the 2020 census, all states were not counted equally well for population numbers used to allocate political representation and federal funding over the next decade, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released Thursday.

Discussion: Rolling Stone, The Gateway Pundit, Tilting At Windmills, The Daily Caller and National Review

Michael Wines / New York Times:
Census Likely Miscounted the Population of 14 States, a Review Finds

Discussion: HotAir

Aaron Parsley / People.com:

Kellyanne Conway Writes in New Book of Husband's ‘Cheating by Tweeting’ and Ivanka Trump's Supportive Gesture — “I was having a hard time competing with his new fling,” Conway writes in an excerpt of her memoir Here's the Deal of her husband's habit of criticizing President Trump on Twitter

Discussion: Insider, HuffPost, Vanity Fair, Mediaite, Raw Story and Washington Examiner

Dylan Smith / Yellowhammer News:

Mitch McConnell-aligned super PAC drops $2M against Mo Brooks in U.S. Senate race — Alabama's 2022 race for the U.S. Senate has proven that there is no love lost between U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Discussion: Political Wire

Aria Bendix / NBC News:

The symptoms and causes of monkeypox infections, which CDC calls an ‘emerging issue’ — First case of monkeypox identified in U.S. as outbreak grows in Europe — New cases of monkeypox were reported in the U.K., Spain, Portugal, Italy and the U.S. this week, a rare occurrence …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Vox and who.int

Amy Walter / Cook Political Report:

Can Democrats Turn Things Around? — With just under six months to go until the November elections, the political environment looks as bleak as ever for Democrats. The President's job approval ratings remain mired in the low 40s, inflation has proven to be stubborn and persistent …

NBC News:

Stefanik's echo of ‘great replacement’ rhetoric offers clues to her national ambitions — and her changing district — OGDENSBURG, N.Y. — In the wake of Saturday's mass shooting in Buffalo, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has drawn national attention for echoing the kind of white nationalist …

Discussion: The Hill

Sam Brodey / The Daily Beast:

Vengeful Madison Cawthorn Vows ‘Dark MAGA’ Takeover — “The time for gentile politics as usual has come to an end,” the defeated Republican wrote, presumably not in reference to the politics of non-Jews. — Less than 48 hours after his shocking defeat in North Carolina's primary election …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, al.com, Washington Examiner, New York Post and Political Wire

Kelly Jensen / BOOK RIOT:

Barnes & Noble Being Sued in Virginia Beach Over GENDER QUEER, COURT OF MIST AND FURY — Last week, Virginia Beach (VA) schools voted to remove Gender Queer from shelves. It came after school board member Victoria Manning complained about it and several other books within the schools.

Discussion: Holy Bullies … and WAVY-TV

Jessica Dupnack / WJBK-TV:

Birmingham private school assignment compares Barack Obama to monkeys — Worksheet lists former President Obama with monkeys at private Birmingham school — This month, the curriculum passed out to students instructed students to pick from a gallery of photos labeled apes, monkeys, and lemurs.

Discussion: TheGrio and Raw Story

Amanda Marcotte / Salon:

Fetus-powered street lamps? Republicans ramp up outrageous anti-abortion lies ahead of Roe's demise — During a House hearing, the GOP demonized patients and doctors with QAnon-style conspiracy theories — It was only one half-hour into Wednesday's congressional hearing on abortion access …

Discussion: HuffPost, CBS News, Daily Kos, Slate, Forbes and Mediaite

David Gilbert / VICE:

CPAC Head Promotes Abortion Ban to Stave Off ‘Great Replacement’ — “If you're worried about this quote-unquote replacement, why don't we start there. Start with allowing our own people to live.” — DG — BUDAPEST, Hungary — The GOP has come up with a solution for the “great replacement” …

Discussion: HuffPost, Mediaite, Vox and WBUR, more at Mediagazer »

Patrick Smith / NBC News:

Dancing with Putin: Has Europe finally had enough of politicians making big money from Russia? — Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Western politicians and business leaders have rushed to leave their lucrative boardroom roles at Russian companies in protest and in order to isolate the country as punishment for the war.

Discussion: New York Times and Politico

MPR News:

Minnesota GOP chair Hann apologizes for antisemitic image — The chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota apologized Thursday for an image that was projected at the party's state convention of George Soros manipulating the strings of puppets with the faces of two prominent Jewish Democrats.

Discussion: Raw Story and Minnesota Reformer