memeorandum: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can't count on family support to take on Biden (Edward-Isaac Dovere/CNN)

2:55 PM ET, April 16, 2023

Top Items:

Clarence Thomas has for years claimed income from a defunct real estate firm — The misstatements, which began when a family business transferred its holdings to another company, are part of a pattern that has raised questions about how the Supreme Court justice views his obligation …

Discussion: Bloomberg, CNBC, Alternet.org, Rolling Stone, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and Daily Kos

William Thornton / al.com:

Dadeville birthday party mass shooting: 4 dead, 20 reportedly injured — Four people are dead and as many as 20 reportedly injured following a shooting at a birthday party in Dadeville Saturday night, according to multiple reports. — The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reported …

Discussion: Alabama Reflector, Fox News, UPI, The Gateway Pundit, WRBL-TV and Crooks and Liars

Elizabeth White / WRBL-TV:

More than 20 shot at Dadeville gathering, investigators on scene — DADEVILLE, Ala. (WRBL) - A celebration turned violent in downtown Dadeville Saturday night as a shooting left more than 20 people injured according to law enforcement on the scene. — According to witnesses …

Discussion: Associated Press, USA Today, New York Post, New York Daily News, Insider, WFLA-TV, al.com, Just The News and Law & Crime

WSFA-TV:

Multiple deaths, injuries in Alabama birthday party mass shooting — ALEA confirms 4 people have died and multiple others are injured — DADEVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) - State and local officials called a 10 a.m. news conference to provide updates on an Alabama mass shooting that took the lives of four and injured multiple others.

Discussion: NPR, Associated Press, Breitbart, WRBL-TV, New York Times and Fox News

The Hill:
‘Multitude of injuries,’ 4 killed in Alabama birthday party shooting

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press, al.com, MyStateline.com, Metro.co.uk, Florida Phoenix, New York Post, Insider Paper and WHNT-TV

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Why Liberals Should Hope DeSantis Beats Trump … I am not, to say the least, a fan of Ron DeSantis. I was one of the first writers to notice his emerging authoritarian ambitions and unnerving success in discovering illiberal uses of state power to intimidate his enemies.

Discussion: RedState, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story and No More Mister Nice Blog

Mike Allen / Axios:

Scoop: DeSantis super PAC strafes Trump in first TV ad — Video — The super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis today debuts its first TV ad, charging straight at former President Trump with the loaded question: “What happened to Donald Trump?” — Never Back Down, the pro-DeSantis group …

Discussion: The Hill, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Florida Politics, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Joe.My.God. and RedState

Ross Douthat / New York Times: Why DeSantis Has to Run — The resurgence of Donald Trump in the 2024 primary polls …

New York Times:

How a Campaign Against Transgender Rights Mobilized Conservatives — Defeated on same-sex marriage, the religious right went searching for an issue that would re-energize supporters and donors. The campaign that followed has stunned political leaders across the spectrum.

Discussion: Political Wire

Joseph Menn / Washington Post:

Russians boasted that just 1% of fake social profiles are caught, leak shows — The estimate is contained in a document that is part of a trove of top secret material leaked in a Discord chatroom — SAN FRANCISCO — The Russian government has become far more successful at manipulating social media …

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

Fox News Is on Trial, and So Are Falsehoods About 2020 — A jury in Delaware will be asked to weigh the limits of the First Amendment. Another question in the case is whether the network will pay a financial penalty for disseminating election lies. — WILMINGTON, Del. — On Monday …

Discussion: CNN, CBS News, New York Daily News, Mother Jones, Raw Story and Associated Press

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
Here are five things to watch in the Fox-Dominion trial

Discussion: Mediaite, Fox News, ABC News, NBC News, Raw Story, NPR and Insider

Eduardo Medina / New York Times:

2 Dead in Louisville Chickasaw Park Shooting — The gunfire in a Louisville park came as hundreds of people were outside enjoying a warm spring night. It comes just days after a mass shooting in the same city. — Two people were dead and four others injured after a shooting at a park in Louisville …

Discussion: Fox News

Stephen Neukam / The Hill:
2 dead, 4 injured in Louisville shooting days after mass shooting at bank

Discussion: CBS News, CNN, The Times of Israel, New York Post and Fox News

Natalie Allison / Politico:

Trump turns from past to future at RNC donor retreat — The former president traded his election grievance rhetoric for a forward-looking vision for party and country, according to a copy of his Nashville remarks obtained by POLITICO. — NASHVILLE — Donald Trump stood …

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Wide World of News, Political Wire, Alternet.org, Mediaite and Financial Times

Edward-Isaac Dovere / CNN:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can't count on family support to take on Biden — The Kennedys have been through a lot. They don't want to go through this. — No name has appeared on more ballots or lawn signs. Even across branches of the family that have grown distant and divided since …

E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:

Gun absolutists don't trust democracy because they know they're losing — Gunned-down children don't seem to change the political equation on guns. Neither do dead teachers. Are parents petrified to send their sons and daughters to school? Tough. I expect the next new slogan on right-wing T-shirts will be: “Arm the Kids!”

Discussion: New York Daily News

CBS News:

Most want abortion pill to remain available — CBS News poll — A big majority of Americans want to see the abortion pill mifepristone remain available. Even some who are more generally opposed to abortion hold this view. — On a broader level, American women feel access to reproductive health care …

Discussion: NBC News

Mirna Alsharif / NBC News:

Parody hitman website nabs Air National Guardsman after he allegedly applied for contract mercenary jobs — Josiah Ernesto Garcia eventually agreed to kill someone for $5,000 while in conversation with an undercover FBI agent, authorities said. — An Air National Guardsman was arrested …

Discussion: UPI, Louder With Crowder, New York Post and Task & Purpose

Washington Post:

Nikki Haley's campaign vastly overstated her fundraising — Instead of the $11 million touted by her campaign, Haley brought in about $8.3 million, not all of which can be used for her presidential bid — Earlier this month, Nikki Haley's presidential campaign touted an impressive number …

Discussion: CNN, Politico, New York Times, NBC News, Political Wire and Bloomberg

Sara Fischer / Axios:

NYT editor says paper won't “lead the boycott of Twitter” — The New York Times does not plan to stop using Twitter, its top editor said Saturday, despite the fact that Elon Musk, the company's owner, has taken seemingly targeted actions against the Times, and has called the outlet's work “propaganda.”

more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:
A year ago, Musk asked, ‘Is Twitter dying?’ He may have his answer.

Discussion: Mercury News, more at Techmeme »

Jared Gans / The Hill:

Baldwin says Texas judge was part of ‘extreme Republican’ effort to ban abortion — Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said the Texas judge who ruled against the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of mifepristone is part of an “extreme Republican” effort to ban abortion.

Discussion: The Guardian and Washington Examiner