memeorandum: Some of my GOP colleagues have lost their moral compass on Ukraine (Chris Sununu/Washington Post)

3:50 PM ET, March 19, 2023

Top Items:

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: Fox News, ABC News, CNN, The Daily Beast, Newsbusters, Washington Press, PoliticusUSA, Alternet.org, The Hill, Joe.My.God. and Washington Times

Politico:

Why an indictment may help Trump — and threaten the GOP — Donald Trump long predicted that his MAGA followers would rush to his defense if an indictment against him materialized. What became clear over the weekend was how quickly the rest of the Republican Party might follow.

Discussion: Alternet.org, The Atlantic, National Review, BizPac Review, Rolling Stone, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, The Guardian, Raw Story, NBC News, The Hill, RedState, The Times of Israel, Metro.co.uk and Iowa Capital Dispatch

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: The Hill, Washington Examiner and Fox News

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

Discussion: Raw Story and Human Events

New York Times:

Trump Grand Jury Could Hear From Critic of Prosecution's Star Witness — The grand jury considering the hush-money case against Mr. Trump might hear the testimony of lawyer Robert J. Costello, a critic of the ex-president's fixer. — A Manhattan grand jury that is expected to vote soon …

Discussion: The Guardian, Insider, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, The Hill and HuffPost

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 …

Michael Rothfeld / New York Times:

Inside the Payoff to a Porn Star That Could Lead to Trump's Indictment — Manhattan prosecutors investigating a payout to Stormy Daniels may be poised to make Donald J. Trump the first former president ever to be criminally indicted. — Rothfeld, an investigative reporter on the Metro desk …

Discussion: Axios, Reuters, The Moderate Voice, FITSNews and Washington Examiner

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

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

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

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

Francesca Ebel / Washington Post:

‘Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich’ — Russian conscripts decry ‘criminal orders’ — In a dimly lit room, a dozen or so men in Russian military uniforms, their faces concealed by dark balaclavas, stood around a man reading out a letter addressed to President Vladimir Putin.

Amy B Wang / Washington Post:

Sen. Warren calls for lifting deposit insurance cap, blasts Fed — A longtime critic of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell, she also urged the Fed to pause its rate hikes — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Sunday called on Congress to lift the federal insurance levels …

Discussion: Fortune, National Review, The Hill, CBS News, Politico and Washington Times

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 …

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

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Why white Christian nationalists are in such a panic — You might find it strange that a large segment of the Republican base thinks Whites are the true victims of racism and that Christians are under attack. After all, America's biggest racial group is still Whites; the most common religious affiliation remains Christianity.

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: The Daily Caller, Fox News and Just The News

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 …

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

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

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 …