memeorandum: Washington used to abhor talking about mental health. No more. (Myah Ward/Politico)

7:45 AM ET, April 17, 2023

Top Items:

The Truth About Clarence Thomas's Disclosures — He reported carefully on his inherited real estate. ProPublica's reporting was slipshod and incurious. — Clarence Thomas lost his beloved maternal grandparents barely a month apart in the spring of 1983.

Discussion: Dallas Morning News

Chris Geidner / Law Dork with Chris Geidner: Clarence Thomas's problems are also a John Roberts problem

Ariane de Vogue / CNN:
Clarence Thomas to amend financial disclosure forms to reflect sale to GOP megadonor

Discussion: Politico, HuffPost, Forbes, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Political Wire

Project On Government Oversight:
POGO Calls for DOJ to Investigate Clarence Thomas, Seek Civil Penalties

Discussion: Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, Raw Story and Alternet.org

Philip Allen Lacovara / The Hill:
Clarence Thomas should follow the Abe Fortas precedent and resign gracefully

Discussion: Washington Post and Twitchy

Dean Obeidallah / The Dean's Report:
A Special Counsel must be appointed to investigate Clarence Thomas

Discussion: Insider

Adam Nichols / Raw Story:
Clarence Thomas claimed up to $750k from defunct real estate firm: report

Discussion: USA Today, KLBK | KAMC, Insider, Bloomberg, PoliticusUSA, CNBC, Alternet.org, Joe.My.God. and Daily Kos

Wall Street Journal:

Fox News, Dominion Prepare for Battle in $1.6 Billion Defamation Trial — Jury set to consider if network is liable for broadcasting false election-fraud claims; Fox is pushing to settle dispute — Fox News is set to find itself Monday in a place it has spent two years trying to avoid …

Washington Post:

Dominion v. Fox trial delayed for settlement talks, people familiar with the matter say — Two people familiar with the case said the sides are scheduled to meet Monday to determine if a last-minute deal can be brokered — The beginning of the much-anticipated defamation case between …

Discussion: Joe.My.God., New York Times, HuffPost, Bloomberg, Mediaite, The Hill and Political Wire

Dennis Romero / NBC News:

Start of trial in Dominion lawsuit against Fox News delayed — The trial start was moved from Monday to Tuesday, the Delaware Superior Court said. Dominion is suing Fox News for saying its voting machines rigged the 2020 election. — The start of the trial in Dominion Voting Systems' civil lawsuit …

Discussion: UPI

Deadline:
Fox News-Dominion Defamation Trial Delayed; Speculation Of Settlement Talks; Judge To Reveal More On Monday

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, ABC News, CNBC and Raw Story

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Fox News Is on Trial, and So Are Falsehoods About 2020

Discussion: Raw Story, The Guardian, Robert Reich, Los Angeles Times, CNN, The Wrap, Hartford Courant, Mother Jones, Associated Press, NBC News, Mediaite, CBS News and Alternet.org

Wall Street Journal:

Social-Media Account Overseen by Former Navy Noncommissioned Officer Helped Spread Secrets — An American administrator of the Donbas Girl blogger network uses a pro-Russian persona across online platforms — A social-media account overseen by a former U.S. Navy noncommissioned officer …

Discussion: Insider, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire

Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story:

Pentagon leak promoted by pro-Russian network run by former Navy noncommissioned officer on US soil — The Wall Street Journal revealed that one of the people that helped promote and spread the leaked Pentagon documents was a former Navy noncommissioned officer on U.S. soil who developed a pro-Russia network on social media.

Discussion: Just Security

Malcontent News: A Russian Disinformation Empire in Oak Harbor, Washington

Robyn Dixon / Washington Post:

Russia sentences Kara-Murza, Putin critic and Post contributor, to 25 years — RIGA, Latvia — A Russian court sentenced Vladimir Kara-Murza, a longtime opposition politician and Washington Post Opinions contributor, to 25 years in prison on Monday on charges of treason for criticizing Russia's war on Ukraine.

Discussion: CNN, The Moscow Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Guardian, UPI, Joe.My.God., NPR, Al Jazeera and The Sun

Sky News:

Vladimir Kara-Murza: Russian opposition leader jailed for 25 years after treason conviction — One of Vladimir Putin's biggest critics has been jailed in Russia for 25 years after being found guilty of treason. — Vladimir Kara-Murza, 41, a father of three and former journalist who holds Russian …

Kathryn Armstrong / BBC:
Vladimir Kara-Murza: Russian opposition figure jailed for 25 years

Discussion: The Guardian

KC Defender / Kansas City Defender:

“This Is A Hate Crime”: Kansas City Black Family Demanding Justice After A White Man Shoots Black Boy, Ralph Yarl, In The Head Twice For Ringing Doorbell Of The Wrong Home, White Man Released By Police Hours Later — Community members are demanding justice after a white man in Kansas City shot a black boy …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Insider, Raw Story, The Sun, NBC Connecticut, CBS News, NBC News, FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, New York Post and New York Daily News

Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:

McCarthy's pitch to shrink food aid drawing skepticism from fellow Republicans — The House Speaker will propose new restrictions on the nutrition program formerly known as food stamps as part of House Republicans' debt limit negotiations with the White House.

Discussion: Raw Story, Reuters and Alternet.org

Kyle Swenson / Washington Post: Iowa to spend millions kicking families off food stamps. More states may follow.

Max Tani / Semafor:

Meet the Murdochs' newest star — Writing the house biography of Tucker Carlson is the sort of challenge that could make even the most loyal News Corp. hand a little nervous. Carlson is Fox News's franchise player, but he's also a skilled political operator who has managed to keep both Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch at bay.

MSN:

Republican state officials in Louisiana ask lawmakers to ban the study of racism at universities, citing divisive ‘inglorious aspects’ of US history — kbalevic@insider.com (Katie Balevic) — The Louisiana GOP wants to prohibit the study of racism at state colleges and universities.

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Louisiana Illuminator

Juan Perez Jr / Politico:

Why GOP culture warriors lost big in school board races this month — “Don't assume that a blanket message on critical race theory or transgender issues is going to claim every district,” one GOP activist said. — Amid all the attention on this month's elections in Wisconsin and Illinois …

Doug Sosnik / New York Times:

The ‘Diploma Divide’ Is the New Fault Line in American Politics — The legal imbroglios of Donald Trump have lately dominated conversation about the 2024 election. As primary season grinds on, campaign activity will ebb and wane, and issues of the moment — like the first Trump indictment …

Luke Broadwater / New York Times:

How Jim Jordan, a Fighter Aligned With Trump, Wrestled His Way to Power — The Ohio Republican defines himself by his penchant for punching back, whether against allegations that he was derelict in a sex abuse scandal or attempts to prosecute the former president.

Punchbowl News:

4/17/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM — Happy Monday morning from Washington and New York. … McCarthy will be speaking about the debt limit, government funding and his desire to reach a deal with President Joe Biden to cut spending. … And there's an enormous amount to do.

Discussion: NBC News and The Hill

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Sexton responds, constituents call for resignation — On Thursday, Popular Information reported that Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) secretly purchased a $600,000 home in Nashville. Sexton and his family live in the Nashville home year-round, raising questions about whether Sexton …

Myah Ward / Politico:

Washington used to abhor talking about mental health. No more. — John Fetterman's return to the Senate brings to a crest a national conversation long in the works. — For six weeks, while Sen. John Fetterman received treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed Medical Center …

Discussion: NewsNation

Montgomery Advertiser:

At least four dead in mass shooting at teen's birthday party in Dadeville — DADEVILLE — At least four people were killed and numerous injured when a gunman opened fire late Saturday night at a sweet 16 birthday party in a downtown Dadeville dance studio. — Gunfire erupted just after 10:30 p.m., law enforcement confirmed.