memeorandum: U.S. Sen. Rick Scott's epic fail at GOP campaign job: squandered millions, crap candidates (Diane Roberts/Florida Phoenix)

6:40 PM ET, September 12, 2022

Top Items:

Justice Dept. Issues 40 Subpoenas in a Week, Expanding Its Jan. 6 Inquiry — Over the past week, it also seized the phones of two top Trump advisers, a sign of an escalating investigation two months before the midterm elections. — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has issued …

Discussion: Rolling Stone and Talking Points Memo

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

GOP senators led by Graham slam Trump Jan. 6 pardon promise — Former President Trump's promise to grant pardons to the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is running into strong opposition from Senate Republicans. — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump's closest allies …

Discussion: RedState, The Gateway Pundit, American Greatness, IJR and Just The News

CNN:
January 6 committee set to meet in person on Tuesday as it debates whether to invite Trump and Pence to appear

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Political Wire

Dean Obeidallah / MSNBC: Let's hope this ruling against ‘Cowboys for Trump’ founder has a ripple effect

Politico:
Pence, defied subpoenas, and a final report: The Jan. 6 panel's endgame

Discussion: Raw Story, Insider and ABC News

Washington Post:

John Fetterman needs to debate more than once for U.S. Senate — Debates about debates between candidates running for office are tedious, as barbs are traded over the number of matchups, the timing, the ground rules. But the one being played out in Pennsylvania between Lt. Gov. John Fetterman …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Fox News, Townhall, The Daily Caller, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Daily Wire, The Guardian and IJR

Diane Roberts / Florida Phoenix:
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott's epic fail at GOP campaign job: squandered millions, crap candidates

Discussion: HotAir, HuffPost and The Hill

New York Times:
Democrats' Midterm Dilemma: How to Back Biden, Yet Shun Him, Too

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill, Common Dreams, Washington Post, The Daily Wire, Vox, New York Magazine, Washington Examiner, Fox News and Punchbowl News

NBC News:

Texas woman arrested on charges she made death threats to judge in Mar-a-Lago documents case — A Texas woman has been arrested for allegedly making death threats against Aileen Cannon, the judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's court fight against the Justice Department …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Insider, Mediaite, Raw Story and CNBC

Zach Everson / Forbes:

Checks & Imbalances: See Who Else Has Visited Trump's Mar-A-Lago Office — Today we report on Steve Bannon's latest indictment, look at crypto legislation and catch up with Lev Parnas. — Donald Trump stored classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, including in his office, according to recent court filings by the Justice Department.

Washington Post:
Trump lawyers suggest seized Mar-a-Lago documents may not be classified

Discussion: The Guardian, Townhall, Associated Press, Raw Story, Reason, CNN, Fox News, New York Times, ABC News, The Daily Caller, Insider, PoliticusUSA, Al Jazeera, WTOP News, USA Today, CNBC, Rolling Stone, Just The News and CBS News

Politico:
Trump fights back against DOJ in dispute over classified records

Discussion: Reuters, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Above the Law, National Review, New York Post and The Gateway Pundit

Wall Street Journal:
Trump Lawyers Dispute Classified Status of Seized Mar-a-Lago Documents

Discussion: Reuters, NBC News, CBS News, Voice of America, Roll Call, The Federalist, Bloomberg and Washington Post

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

Yes, the Polling Warning Signs Are Flashing Again — Democrats are polling well in exactly the places where surveys missed most in 2020. — Ahead of the last presidential election, we created a website tracking the latest polls — internally, we called it a “polling diary.”

Discussion: New York Magazine, HotAir, The Daily Caller, National Review, Outside the Beltway, Townhall, Mediaite, RedState and Althouse

Associated Press:

Ukraine makes more gains, pushes back to border in places — Ukrainian troops reclaimed more territory from Russia on Monday, pushing all the way back to the northeastern border in some places as part of a lightning advance that forced Moscow to make a hasty retreat from occupied land.

Max Boot / Washington Post:

The 4 factors that explain Ukraine's extraordinary military success — Last week, I wrote that Ukrainian forces had the initiative and Vladimir Putin was losing his “war of choice.” Little did I know how true that was. When I wrote that column, attention was focused on Ukraine's offensive in the south toward Kherson.

Discussion: Insider, New York Times and The Daily Beast

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Is Putin facing defeat? The ‘End of History’ author remains confident. — In mid March, less than a month after Russia invaded Ukraine, political scientist Francis Fukuyama offered a striking prediction: Ukraine will win. — Six months later, Ukraine is on the offensive …

Discussion: spiked and The Guardian

Jeremy Herb / CNN:

Exclusive: 'I'm just not going to leave': New book reveals Trump vowed to stay in White House — Former President Donald Trump repeatedly told aides in the days following his 2020 election loss that he would remain in the White House rather than let incoming President Joe Biden take over …

Jed Graham / Investor's Business Daily:

Biden Approval Rating Gets Big Bounce From Young Americans — President Joe Biden's approval rating bounced higher over the past month, helped by lower gas prices and a series of legislative wins, a new IBD/TIPP Poll finds. Younger Americans, in particular, rallied around Biden following approval …

Discussion: Political Wire

Oliver Wright / The Times:

Biden can bring his Beast — but other dignitaries face taking bus … President Biden will have dispensation to take his armoured Beast to Westminster Abbey for the Queen's funeral next week, while lesser world leaders will have to make do with a shared bus.

Axios:

Two Americas Index: Democracy deniers … - They're also a reality check against President Biden's speech that portrayed threats to democracy as solely driven by Republican supporters of former President Trump who refuse to accept that he lost the 2020 election.

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Commentary Magazine and Election Law Blog

Washington Post:

Trump backers flood election offices with requests as 2022 vote nears — The requests for records related to the 2020 election have complicated preparations for November, which some officials say may be the point — Supporters of former president Donald Trump have swamped local election offices across …

Discussion: Common Dreams and Political Wire

Dawn Ennis / Forbes:

Ex-Trans Activist Chloe Cole In Her Own Words: 'I'm Autistic' — Note: A version of this report first appeared in The Los Angeles Blade. Following publication, activist Chloe Cole tweeted that she is autistic, as both an explanation for why she sometimes struggles with her responses …

Ewan Palmer / Newsweek:

Donald Trump's Surprise Visit To Washington D.C Sparks Arrest Speculation — Donald Trump made a surprise and unannounced visit to Washington D.C. on Sunday, prompting speculation and rumors about the reason for his trip. — A video of Trump arriving at Dulles Airport in Virginia …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Western Journal, Human Events, The Gateway Pundit and The Moderate Voice

Ryan Cooper / American Prospect:

The Supreme Court Is Vulnerable on Abortion — Thanks to ‘Dobbs,’ a majority of Americans are ready to put limits on its power. — Abortion rights activists protest outside the Supreme Court in Washington, June 24, 2022. — Perhaps the biggest obstacle to Supreme Court reform …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and Balkinization

CNN:

Extreme California heat knocks key Twitter data center offline — Now, he's detailing his main concern with Twitter — Extreme heat in California has left Twitter without one of its key data centers, and a company executive warned in an internal memo obtained by CNN that another outage elsewhere …

Discussion: Gizmodo and Los Angeles Times

Haley BeMiller / The Columbus Dispatch:

Tim Ryan, J.D. Vance neck and neck in new Ohio Senate poll — With less than two months to go before Election Day, Ohio's U.S. Senate race is far from settled. — A USA TODAY Network Ohio/Suffolk University poll released Monday showed J.D. Vance and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan virtually tied …

Discussion: Fox News, The Hill and Political⚡Charge

Matt Sullivan / Rolling Stone:

Stephen Curry Is Putting It All on the Line — The NBA superstar has changed the game of basketball for the better. Now, can he help change America? — STEPHEN CURRY HAS come a long way since the curious case of the government plot from outer space. Five years ago …

Discussion: HuffPost, Mediaite, Jezebel, The Hill and Mercury News

Gianna Melillo / The Hill:

Texas bar cancels drag brunch after threats — Bar management reports they received aggressive phone calls and hateful comments. — Story at a glance — A bar in Texas canceled a Disney-themed drag event after receiving threats and hateful comments.

Discussion: Dallas Observer and Breitbart

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:

Trump's Latest Court Filing Attempts Legal Sleight of Hand — Trump's lawyers are arguing in the classified documents saga that he had the power to declassify those documents, but not necessarily that he did. — For weeks, former President Donald Trump has been raving on social media …

Discussion: emptywheel and Raw Story

New York Magazine:

The Sordid Saga of Hunter Biden's Laptop — The most invasive data breach imaginable is a political scandal Democrats can't just wish away. — Imagine the entirety of your digital existence plotted out before you: your accounts and passwords; your avatars; your contacts …

Discussion: Mediaite and Althouse

Steve Neavling / News & Views, Detroit Metro Times:

Prominent Republicans join coalition to support Whitmer for reelection — The formation of the group comes as the Michigan Republican Party struggles to unify ahead of the November election … More than 150 Michigan Republicans banded together to launch a group supporting …

Discussion: Detroit Metro Times and Blue Virginia

Philippe Naughton / The Daily Beast:

Man Murdered Wife, Shot Daughter After Being Sucked Down ‘Q Rabbit Hole,’ Family Confirms — Igor and Tina Lanis were “loving and happy people” until Trump lost the 2020 election. “My Qdad snapped and killed my family this morning,” his daughter posted on Reddit.

Discussion: PennLive, Law & Crime, Detroit News, VICE and Raw Story

Liz Schwartz / Shorenstein Center:

Brian Stelter Joins Shorenstein Center as Fall 2022 Walter Shorenstein Media & Democracy Fellow — The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School is pleased to announce that Brian Stelter will join the center as the Fall 2022 Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow.