memeorandum: Pence on whether Trump should bow out if indicted: It's up to him (Lisa Kashinsky/Politico)

9:25 AM ET, March 17, 2023

Top Items:

Katherine J. Wu / The Atlantic:

The Strongest Evidence Yet That an Animal Started the Pandemic — A new analysis of genetic samples from China appears to link the pandemic's origin to raccoon dogs. — For three years now, the debate over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has ping-ponged between two big ideas …

Discussion: Forbes and Twitchy

Benjamin Mueller / New York Times:

New Data Links Pandemic's Origins to Raccoon Dogs at Wuhan Market — Genetic samples from the market were recently uploaded to an international database and then removed after scientists asked China about them. — An international team of virus experts said on Thursday that they had found genetic data …

NBC News:

Once a darling of defense hawks, Ron DeSantis retreats — When Ron DeSantis first ran for a U.S. House seat in Florida in 2012, the retired Navy officer earned the support of one of the Republican Party's most prominent defense hawks. — John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador …

Discussion: The Hill

Olivia Beavers / Politico:
'You think I'm crazy?' Florida GOP sweats Trump vs. DeSantis

Discussion: Rolling Stone

Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
Florida 2024: Trump and DeSantis in Two-Way Race for GOP Nomination

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill and USA Today

Associated Press:
Trump vs. DeSantis: Rivals' very different styles on display

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, Fox News, NBC News and Sputnik News

Nate Cohn / New York Times:
DeSantis, on Defense, Shows Signs of Slipping in Polls

Discussion: Florida Politics and Los Angeles Times

Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
DeSantis Will Betray Ukraine for MAGA Votes

Discussion: Washington Press, Resolute Square, Deseret News, Washington Post, Alternet.org, Tangle, New York Magazine, Tampa Bay Times and National Review

Simon Rosenberg / Hopium Chronicles:
The Republicans Have A DeSantis Problem

Discussion: Resolute Square, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Alternet.org and Puck

Margaret Hartmann / New York Magazine:
Ron DeSantis Eating Pudding With His Fingers Will End His 2024 Bid

Discussion: Raw Story, The Daily Beast, Slate, Fox News, PoliticusUSA, Metro.co.uk, Twitchy, Newsbusters, Louder With Crowder, Political Wire, RedState, Vanity Fair and Mediaite

Marc Thiessen / Washington Post:
Ron DeSantis's pandering on Ukraine is dangerously wrong

Discussion: NBC News and Washington Examiner

CNN:

EXCLUSIVE: Dozens of Mar-a-Lago staff, from servers to aides, are subpoenaed in classified documents probe — At least two dozen people - from Mar-a-Lago resort staff to members of Donald Trump's inner circle at the Florida estate - have been subpoenaed to testify to a federal grand jury that's investigating …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Hill, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, National Review, Washington Examiner, The Daily, New York Post, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Insider, The Mahablog, Raw Story and Alternet.org

ABC News:
Investigators seek to question attorney about phone call with Trump in classified docs probe: Sources

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, PoliticusUSA, CBS News, Washington Press and Raw Story

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:

As a Possible Indictment Looms, Trump's Team Plans to Attack — If the former president faces criminal charges, his campaign plans to begin a broad offensive against Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney and a Democrat, accusing him of political bias.

Discussion: NBC News, Raw Story, HuffPost, Insider, USA Today and YouGov

Colby Hall / Mediaite:

‘Donald Trump Hates America!’ Joe Scarborough Disgusted by Trump Calling the US ‘Greatest Threat to Western Civilization Today’ — Joe Scarborough called out Donald Trump's apparent hatred for America and went off on the constant criticism from the former president and many Republican allies of the former president.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Wrap

Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:

Pence on whether Trump should bow out if indicted: It's up to him — KEENE, N.H. — Mike Pence is declining to call on Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race if, as expected, the former president is indicted next week. — Instead, Pence said on Thursday, the decision is Trump's to make.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post, WKRG-TV and CBS News

Michael Luciano / Mediaite:
Asked If Trump ‘Incited an Insurrection,’ Pence Says ‘There Were Many Causes’

Discussion: Washington Examiner and CounterPunch

CNN:

Poland becomes first to pledge fighter jets to Ukraine — Poland on Thursday pledged it would send four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the first NATO member to do so, in a significant move in Kyiv's battle to resist Russia's onslaught. — President Andrzej Duda said the planes …

Associated Press:
Slovakia agrees to give Ukraine fleet of Soviet warplanes

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Just Security, New York Times, The Guardian and Axios

CNN:
Exclusive: Chinese-made drone, retrofitted and weaponized, downed in eastern Ukraine

Discussion: Reuters, Washington Post, Reuters, Bloomberg, Axios, Wall Street Journal, Politico and Sputnik News

Dan Friedman / Mother Jones:

Steve Bannon Is Neck-Deep in Guo Wengui's Allegedly Fraudulent Business Empire — In late November 2021, Steve Bannon appeared in a live broadcast on GTV, a media outlet that he'd helped his friend Guo Wengui launch a year earlier. Bannon used the appearance to celebrate HCoin, a supposed cryptocurrency that Guo was selling.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Insider, Media Matters for America, Letters from an American, Fortune, Al Jazeera and Balloon Juice

Evan Osnos / New Yorker:

What Secrets Does the “Donald Trump of Beijing” Know? — The case against Guo Wengui could expose more about America's politics than China's. — The American adventure of Guo Wengui started eight years ago at a penthouse on Fifth Avenue, and it has ended there—for now, at least.

Discussion: Raw Story and New York Post

Jesse Pound / NBC News:

Wall Street rides to the rescue as 11 banks pledge $30 billion to First Republic Bank — A group of financial institutions has agreed to deposit $30 billion in First Republic Bank in what's meant to be a sign of confidence in the banking system, the banks announced Thursday afternoon.

Elizabeth Spiers / New York Times:
I Was an S.V.B. Client. I Blame the Venture Capitalists.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, AIER, Reuters, Marketplace, Bloomberg, Noahpinion and Financial Times

Mary Kekatos / ABC News:

Utah governor signs bill banning abortion clinics across the state — The clinics have to close by the end of the year or when their license expires. — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed a bill into law banning abortion clinics in the state, making it the latest to restrict the procedure since the

Discussion: Abortion, Every Day, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Rolling Stone, The Hill, Salt Lake Tribune, CBS News, Jezebel, Albuquerque Journal, The Daily Caller, Associated Press and UPI

Christi Carras / Los Angeles Times:

Jack White pens poetic ode to Meg White after White Stripes drummer was maligned — Jack White dedicated a poem on Wednesday to his former wife and bandmate, Meg White, after a journalist posted a disparaging tweet about the White Stripes drummer that went viral.

Discussion: Pitchfork and Rolling Stone

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:

Trump-commissioned report undercut his claims of dead and double voters — A report buried by the former president's campaign and obtained by The Post did not back up his claims of fraud and did not provide evidence to overturn the 2020 election — When Donald Trump called Georgia Secretary …

Discussion: Letters from an American, Forbes, Raw Story, Vanity Fair and Washington Examiner

Marisa Sarnoff / Law & Crime:

Federal appeals court blocks enforcement of Florida ‘Stop W.O.K.E. Act’ — Public university professors in Florida may continue to share their opinions about racism, sexism, and discrimination in the classroom — at least for now — after three federal judges upheld a ban on enforcement …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Just The News

Andrew Atterbury / Politico:
DeSantis' anti-woke law remains blocked in Florida colleges

Discussion: CNN, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Common Dreams, Rolling Stone, Florida Politics, Washington Examiner and The Capitolist

Steven Nelson / New York Post:

Hallie Biden revealed as ‘new’ Biden family member who got China cash — WASHINGTON — President Biden's daughter-in-law Hallie is the mysterious “new” Biden family member who got paid Chinese cash in 2017, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer revealed exclusively to The Post Thursday.

Bart Jansen / USA Today:
House GOP: Hunter Biden, others got $1.3M from business associate linked to China

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, New York Post and NBC News

Jesse Eisinger / ProPublica:

Regulatory Failure 101: What the Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank Reveals — It's an all-too-familiar cycle: First comes the boom, then the breathtakingly speedy bust, and then the bailout. Now we're in the moment where everyone wonders where the financial regulators were. — Co-published with The Atlantic

Jason Garcia / Popular Information:

Ron DeSantis' crackdown on “woke” banks could help a big Ron DeSantis donor — Today's bonus newsletter is written by Jason Garcia, an amazing corporate-accountability reporter who focuses on Florida. He also has his own newsletter, Seeking Rents. For more of Jason's indispensable reporting, subscribe.

Discussion: Seeking Rents and Just The News

Washington Post:

Officials notify Trump allies whose Social Security numbers were posted online — Good morning and welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! I'm filling in for Tim this morning. If you're in Washington, make sure you go outside early today. — Reading this online?

Discussion: Forbes, more at Mediagazer »

Will Stewart / Daily Mail:

Russia's former President Dmitry Medvedev 'has promised Wagner $15million if it assassinates Italy's defence minister' — Il Foglio paper said Italy's intelligence service intercepted Medvedev's order — Medvedev was president between 2008 and 2012 and a former prime minister

Discussion: Euractiv

Tim Lister / CNN:

Secret document reveals Russia's 10-year plan to destabilize Moldova — A secret plan drawn up by Russia's security service, the FSB, lays out detailed options to destabilize Moldova - including supporting pro-Russian groups, utilizing the Orthodox Church and threatening to cut off supplies of natural gas.

Discussion: Moldova Matters and Euractiv

Holly Ramer / Associated Press:

Pence defends joke about Buttigieg ‘maternity leave’ — The husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday he hasn't heard from Mike Pence in the days since the former vice president mocked his family, but will continue to hold him accountable for his words.