memeorandum: Sununu on possible Trump arrest: ‘Democrats have misplayed this’ (Julia Mueller/The Hill)

2:20 PM ET, March 19, 2023

Top Items:

Erica Orden / Politico:

Manhattan DA Bragg privately warns of intimidation after Trump calls for protest — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg offered a private retort to Donald Trump's message Saturday urging supporters to protest his expected indictment, telling office employees in an email that …

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:

ABC's Jon Karl Confronts Pence With Stunning Audio of Trump Defending ‘Hang Mike Pence!’ Chanters: He's ‘Justifying’ People ‘Calling for You to Be Hanged!’ — Former Vice President Mike Pence faced an intense interview from ABC News's Jon Karl — during which he was forced to directly respond …

Discussion: CNN, The Daily Beast, The Hill, PoliticusUSA, Rolling Stone and Washington Times

Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:

March 18, 2023 — Rumors that he is about to be indicted in New York in connection with the $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels have prompted former president Donald Trump to pepper his alternative social media site with requests for money and to double down on the idea …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

ABC News:

Pence indicates he won't challenge all aspects of special counsel's subpoena, as more details emerge — The former vice president spoke with ABC News' Jonathan Karl for “This Week.” — Former Vice President Mike Pence indicated that he is not challenging all aspects of the subpoena — issued last month

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill and Fox News

Politico:

Why an indictment may help Trump — and threaten the GOP — Trump allies quickly turned the impending charges against the ex-president into a litmus test for the rest of the Republican field. — Donald Trump long predicted that his MAGA followers would rush to his defense if an indictment against him materialized.

Discussion: CNN, BizPac Review, Raw Story, NBC News and KFOR-TV

Washington Post:
Mike Pence, unmoored from Donald Trump, finds his old voice

Discussion: Human Events

Brittany Shepherd / ABC News:
EXCLUSIVE: Pence says prospect of Trump arrest is ‘a politically charged prosecution’

Discussion: HuffPost, NBC News, HotAir, RedState, New York Post, Political Wire, Joe.My.God., BizPac Review, National Review, Bloomberg, Politico, Just The News and The Hill

Andrea Vacchiano / Fox News:
Trump 2024 opponent Vivek Ramaswamy slams possible looming indictment: ‘Dark moment in American history’

Discussion: Breitbart, One America News Network, Insider and New York Post

Luke Clausen / Iowa Capital Dispatch:
Pence, in Iowa, characterizes potential Trump prosecution as ‘politically motivated’

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:

Covid Politics Leave a Florida Public Hospital Shaken — Staff members of Sarasota Memorial Hospital are bewildered by critics who continue to wage a campaign against federal guidelines on Covid treatment. — SARASOTA, Fla. — The turmoil at Sarasota Memorial, one of Florida's largest public hospitals …

New York Times:

Businesses in Phoenix Struggle As Homelessness Crisis Continues — As homelessness overwhelms downtown Phoenix, a small business wonders how long it can hang on. — Reporting from Phoenix — He had been coming into work at the same sandwich shop at the same exact time every weekday morning …

Harry Enten / CNN:

Voters of color are a big reason Trump leads the GOP primary — Former President Donald Trump holds an average double-digit advantage over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in national 2024 Republican primary surveys. That, in itself, isn't notable given Trump, the frontrunner, has been ahead of DeSantis …

Discussion: Raw Story

Mark Landler / New York Times:

Rishi Sunak Charts Post-Brexit Role With Pivot From ‘Global Britain’ — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has dropped Boris Johnson's bombastic approach to foreign policy, echoing the new British leader's personal style and reflecting the country's changed global status. — Reporting from London

Andrés R. Martínez / New York Times:

Putin Makes Surprise Visit to Occupied Ukraine — State media said the Russian leader flew by helicopter to Mariupol, site of one of the bloodiest battles since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia traveled to Mariupol, a surprise visit to the Ukrainian city …

Discussion: Reuters, CNN, Joe.My.God., Associated Press, Insider, Washington Post, UPI, Fox News, The Hill, Metro.co.uk, The Times of Israel, NBC News, Bloomberg, The Guardian, TASS, Politico, Al Jazeera, Just The News, New York Post, Daily News and National Review

Steve Karnowski / Associated Press:

GOP donor faces trial on charges of sex trafficking minors — A formerly well-connected Republican donor, accused of plying petite, vulnerable teenage girls with cash, liquor and gifts, goes on trial Tuesday on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. Anton “Tony” Lazzaro is charged …

Henry J. Gomez / NBC News:

How Midwest roots shaped Ron DeSantis' political values and perspective — YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — In 1960, political scandal erupted at the Board of Elections in Mahoning County, Ohio. The Republican secretary of state, furious because voting machines hadn't worked properly during the May primary …

Ray Hartmann / Raw Story:

Alex Jones is transferring millions to family and friends to thwart creditors: report — The families of Sandy Hook shooting victims are finding themselves victimized once again by Infowars conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones, the New York Times reported today.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, KFOR-TV and New York Times

Carol E. Lee / NBC News:

TikTok now has 150 million active users in the U.S., CEO to tell Congress — When TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before Congress on Thursday, he plans to unveil new internal data that suggests the popular video-sharing app is far more enmeshed in Americans' daily lives than anyone realizes.

Discussion: Fox News and New York Times, more at Techmeme »

Rachel M. Cohen / Vox:

Stop requiring college degrees for jobs that don't need them — Employers are finally tearing down the “paper ceiling” in hiring. — When President Joe Biden recently touted the hundreds of billions of dollars invested into American manufacturing in the last two years …

Discussion: Politico

Jessica Piper / Politico:

George Santos never filed a key financial disclosure. Enforcement has been lax for years. — A financial disclosure form that now-Rep. George Santos was supposed to file in 2021 might have offered key insight into the embattled congressman's finances at a pivotal point in his campaign.

NBC News:

Trump-DeSantis drama casts a shadow over House GOP retreat in Florida — WASHINGTON — House Republicans head to Florida this week for their annual retreat — straight into the belly of the beast of the 2024 presidential primary campaign. — The Sunshine State is home to both former President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

Tara Copp / Associated Press:

Higher cancer rates found in military pilots, ground crews — A Pentagon study has found high rates of cancer among military pilots and for the first time has shown that ground crews who fuel, maintain and launch those aircraft are also getting sick. The data had long been sought …

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Caller and Just The News

Max Fisher / New York Times:

20 Years On, a Question Lingers About Iraq: Why Did the U.S. Invade? — Two decades after the Bush administration said it wanted to disarm weapons of mass destruction and free Iraqis, the debates rages on about who knew what when, and which motive mattered most.