memeorandum: DeSantis sharpens criticism of Trump, dismisses mocking nicknames (Kelly Kasulis Cho/Washington Post)

6:45 AM ET, March 22, 2023

Top Items:

Sources: Special counsel claims Trump deliberately misled his attorneys about classified documents, judge wrote — The judge said there could be indications of criminal violations, per sources. — Prosecutors in the special counsel's office have presented compelling preliminary evidence that former President

Discussion: Mediaite, New York Post, Forbes, Joe.My.God., Fox News, Raw Story, Rolling Stone, Washington Examiner and Political Wire

Politico:

Trump denounces ‘crime-fraud’ ruling forcing attorney to testify in documents probe — Former President Donald Trump is fighting a federal judge's determination that his communications with attorney Evan Corcoran — amid a grand jury probe of Trump's handling of classified documents — likely contain evidence of a crime.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Raw Story and abc7NY

CNN:

Justice Department convinces federal judge Trump used his attorney in furtherance of a crime in classified docs probe — The Justice Department has convinced a federal judge that former President Donald Trump used one of his defense attorneys in furtherance of a crime or fraud related …

New York Times:

Trump Claims He's Ready for Perp Walk if Indicted — Those who have spent time with Donald Trump in recent days say he has often appeared significantly disconnected from the severity of his potential legal woes. — Donald J. Trump claims he is ready for his perp walk.

Discussion: Insider

Washington Post:

Trump campaign prepares for ‘new normal’: Running under indictment — The former president's team is pressuring other Republicans to show support, basking in favorable coverage from right-wing media and collecting checks. But advisers privately acknowledge many potential risks.

Discussion: CBS News, CNN and al.com

New York Times:

The Legal Intricacies That Could Make or Break the Case Against Trump — To try to convict the former president of a felony, prosecutors might attempt to connect state election law to a federal election. — It is the kind of case that emboldens prosecutors and mesmerizes juries …

Discussion: Persuasion, Breitbart, The Dispatch, NBC News and Reason

Robert Reich / Raw Story:

Trump's campaign 2024 campaign strategy revealed — and it's even worse than his first 2 campaigns — On Saturday morning, the former guy posted in all caps on his Truth Social platform that he expected to be “ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK” and called for his supporters to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

Discussion: USA Today and New York Times

Politico:

Trump waits, DeSantis jabs, Scott preps — Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — Yesterday came and went without the arrest of DONALD TRUMP. — Meanwhile, the contours of the 2024 Republican presidential race continue to evolve — even as the political …

Discussion: Miami Herald and Forbes

Michael C. Bender / New York Times:
Trump's Potential Indictment Could Alienate Some G.O.P. Voters in 2024

Discussion: The Hill, Politico, NPR, The Guardian, BizPac Review, New York Magazine, Just The News, Washington Examiner, CNN, Raw Story, NewsNation, Fox News, Alternet.org, Breitbart, IJR, Florida Politics and Associated Press

Alexi McCammond / Axios:
Democrats see downside in Trump's N.Y. case

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Beast, Washington Times, WKRG-TV, The Daily Caller, NBC News, RedState, Washington Post, Fox News, Progress Pond, IJR, Associated Press and PBS NewsHour

Piers Morgan / New York Post:

Ron DeSantis rips Trump's character, chaotic leadership style — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has finally taken the gloves off and launched a blistering attack on his former mentor President Donald Trump. — In an exclusive wide-ranging interview with me airing on Fox Nation's …

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:

DeSantis, Doubling Down, Presses Questions About Trump's Character — In an interview with Piers Morgan, the Florida governor sought to strike a clear contrast with Donald Trump, calling himself a low-drama “winner.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the closest prospective rival …

Discussion: HuffPost, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, The Last Refuge and RedState

Kelly Kasulis Cho / Washington Post:
DeSantis sharpens criticism of Trump, dismisses mocking nicknames

Discussion: Wide World of News and Insider

Wesley Parnell / Politico:

MAGA protesters in Manhattan crowded out by anti-Trump rivals — NEW YORK - Demonstrators who want a Donald Trump indictment far outnumbered MAGA supporters Tuesday morning outside the Manhattan Criminal Court, where the former president is expected to be charged as early as Wednesday.

Discussion: VICE, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, The Dean's Report, Washington Post and PIX11

Erica Orden / Politico:
Everything you should know about the potential Trump indictment

Discussion: NewsNation, New York Times, The Dispatch, Fox News, Deseret News, Washington Post and WGN-TV

Shawn Cohen / Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Trump will NOT be arraigned this week.’ …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Western Journal, CNN, Washington Examiner, RedState, The Post Millennial, NBC News, NBC New York, TMZ.com and New York Magazine

Patricia Hurtado / Bloomberg:
Bomb Threat Called In to New York Court Where Trump Hearing Held

Discussion: Law & Crime, Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, Reuters, abc7NY, Washington Press, Joe.My.God., The Daily Caller, Metro.co.uk, Forbes, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, PIX11 and Washington Examiner

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Graham warns Trump arrest would ‘blow up our country’

Discussion: New York Times, New Republic, Denver Post, The Moderate Voice, Joe.My.God., USA Today, The Post Millennial, New York Post, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and Breitbart

CNN:

Exclusive: Communications between Stormy Daniels and Trump attorney turned over to Manhattan DA — Communications between adult-film star Stormy Daniels and an attorney who is now representing former President Donald Trump have been turned over to the Manhattan district attorney's office, Daniels' lawyer told CNN.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Raw Story, Insider, Vanity Fair and Alternet.org

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Tracking the 2024 Republican Primary: DeSantis' Support Dips, Tying Record Low — Former President Donald Trump began his presidential campaign with the bulk of the Republican electorate behind him, but his grip is being put to the test ahead of the 2024 nominating contests.

Discussion: New York Times, Monmouth University …, Washington Examiner, Insider, The Guardian, New York Post, Mediaite, Breitbart, RedState, The Daily Caller and Ace of Spades HQ

David Badash / Raw Story:

Florida GOP lawmaker who wrote 'Don't Say Gay' bill facing up to 35 years after pleading guilty in COVID fraud case — Joe Harding, the now-former Florida Republican lawmaker who authored the extremist “Don't Say Gay” bill could face up to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday afternoon …

Discussion: NBC News, Associated Press, Holy Bullies …, UPI, US Department of Justice, Florida Politics, New York Post, CNN, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fox News and Washington Times

Julius Krein / American Affairs Journal:

How to Understand the Well-Being Gap between Liberals and Conservatives — In a recent essay for Social Science & Medicine-Mental Health, epidemiologist Catherine Gimbrone and coauthors identified a significant gap in depressive attitudes between liberal and conservative teens.

Discussion: HotAir

Patrick Ruffini / The Intersection:
The shape of polarization in America

Discussion: Washington Post

Rebecca Falconer / Axios:

TikTok CEO to tell Congress app ban would hurt U.S. economy — TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will tell lawmakers Thursday that banning the app in the U.S. would hurt American businesses and the country's economy, according to newly released remarks prepared for his testimony before Congress.

Sydney Morning Herald:

Murdoch succeeded where Putin failed. Time for a Fox hunt — Rupert Murdoch - Australia's biggest media mogul - succeeded where Vladimir Putin failed. He turned Americans against each other, promoting anger, hatred and lies. Murdoch knew Donald Trump's claim that the election was stolen …

Ben Goggin / NBC News:

Anti-porn bills in 8 states could force device makers to censor sexual material — Eight states are weighing anti-pornography bills that would force phone and tablet manufacturers like Apple and Samsung to automatically enable filters that censor nude and sexually explicit content.

Robert Reich / The Guardian:

To prevent more bank runs, the Fed should pause rate hikes — Inflation is receding, albeit slowly, so there's no reason to risk more financial tumult. Will the central bank see it that way? — The global financial system is facing a crisis of confidence.

Discussion: New York Times, Marketplace, The Hill, CBS News, WPRI-TV, CoinDesk, Grid News, Slow Boring, Breitbart, Deseret News and KTLA

Jeanna Smialek / New York Times:
A Big Question for the Fed: What Went Wrong With Bank Oversight?

Discussion: The American Spectator, GovExec.com, Al Jazeera, The Hill and CNBC

Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:

Pick One: Conservatism or Trump — Those are our only two choices — we cannot have both of these things. — Conservative Americans must choose. Do they want Donald Trump to play a central role in Republican politics, or do they want to win elections and achieve the policy outcomes …

Discussion: HuffPost and Media Matters for America

Brooke Singman / Fox News:

House Judiciary report: ‘No legitimate basis’ for Biden admin to target parents at school board meetings … EXCLUSIVE: Subpoenaed documents showed there was “no legitimate basis” for the Biden administration to use federal law enforcement and counterterrorism resources on school board-related threats …

Discussion: RedState, Washington Times and Just The News

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

Here's the real lesson from the showy Xi-Putin meeting — Pentagon strategists have always divided the world into East and West, with U.S. regional forces under European Command or Indo-Pacific Command. But looking at the embrace of Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin this week …

Discussion: Reuters, The Guardian, Puck, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Responsible Statecraft, CBS News, Fox News, Bloomberg, New York Times and Insider

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

The Supreme Court has been paying Michael Chertoff's firm for 5 years — For five years, former federal appeals court judge and Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff has been secretly advising the Supreme Court on security matters, Chertoff confirmed to Congress in a letter released Tuesday.

Discussion: CoinDesk, The Hill and CNN

Chris Casteel / The Oklahoman:

Oklahoma Supreme Court finds ‘limited right’ to abortion in state constitution — The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the state constitution includes “an inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to save her life.”

Discussion: Associated Press, Center for Reproductive Rights, New Republic, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner and Fox News

Brendan Pierson / Reuters:
Oklahoma top court finds right to abortion to preserve mother's life

Discussion: Washington Post, LifeNews.com, Center for Reproductive Rights, Slate, RedState and KAMR

Minyvonne Burke / NBC News:

Lori Vallow won't face death penalty, Idaho judge rules — An Idaho woman will not face the death penalty if convicted in a case involving the killings of her two youngest children, a judge ruled Tuesday. — Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for both Lori Vallow and her husband …

Discussion: New York Daily News, Fox News and Law & Crime

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Tucker Carlson Desperately Tries to Walk Back Trump ‘Hate’ — Recently unearthed text messages reveal that the Fox News star hates Trump “passionately.” Carlson is now saying he actually loves the ex-president. — Fox News star Tucker Carlson really wants his MAGA-loving viewers to forget …

Discussion: HuffPost, Alternet.org, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Western Journal, The Hill and BizPac Review

NBC News:

In heated Wisconsin Supreme Court debate, candidates tangle over ‘fake elector’ scheme — In their only debate of the closely watched contest, liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz slammed her conservative opponent, Daniel Kelly, as a ‘true threat to democracy.’