memeorandum: Exclusive: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches unlikely presidential bid backed by 14% of Biden voters (Susan Page/USA Today)

2:35 PM ET, April 19, 2023

Top Items:

A $787.5 Million Settlement and Embarrassing Disclosures: The Costs of Airing a Lie — Fox News's late-stage agreement with Dominion Voting Systems came with a rare acknowledgment of broadcasting false claims by the conservative media powerhouse. — Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

Washington Post:

Fox News still faces $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic — Fox News's legal troubles related to the 2020 presidential election are far from over, despite its massive settlement with Dominion Voting Systems announced Tuesday afternoon. — The media company also faces …

TIME:

The Dominion Settlement Is Just the Beginning of Fox and Rupert Murdoch's Nightmare — Forget the repetitive media chatter debating the political and societal wins and losses over the historic record $787.5 million settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems …

Discussion: CBS News, Reuters, New York Times, Power Line, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Forbes and Hackwhackers, more at Mediagazer »

Adam Klasfeld / Law & Crime:
Don't get it twisted: Fox's $787.5M defamation deal is record-setting, massive and painful, experts say

Discussion: The Nation, Raw Story, New York Times and The Wrap

Washington Post:
Fox News, Dominion settle defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
There's a big hole in the Dominion-Fox News settlement

Max Tani / Semafor:
Ex-Fox News Political Director: “Who gets fired?”

Discussion: New York Times, HuffPost, Raw Story and The Daily Beast

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Putting the massive Fox News settlement in perspective

Discussion: Media Matters for America and Raw Story

Richard L. Hasen / Slate:
Why It's Fine that Fox and Dominion Settled

Discussion: VICE, Political Wire, Lawfare, Financial Times, El País and The Guardian

Sally Goldenberg / Politico:

DeSantis is in a rut. His trek to D.C. didn't help. — At a big moment for him, the Florida governor was overshadowed by rival Donald Trump's string of endorsements. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis values being in control. Presidential candidate-in-waiting DeSantis is losing it.

Politico:

Playbook: How Trump ambushed DeSantis in D.C. — Presented by The U.S. Chamber of Commerce — With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — POPPING THIS MORNING — We've gotten our hands on a “confidential discussion draft” of a debt ceiling proposal being circulated …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Nation, The Hill and The Guardian

Washington Post:
DeSantis group plans field program, showing the expanding role of super PACs

Discussion: Politico, Kentucky Lantern, Raw Story and OpenSecrets.org

Wall Street Journal:
Donald Trump Sides With Disney

Discussion: New York Times, Axios, Semafor, Vanity Fair, Orlando Sentinel, HuffPost, HotAir, Vox, New York Daily News, Washington Examiner, Twitchy, Power Line, RedState, USA Today, Just The News, CBS News, LGBTQ Nation, Florida Politics, The Hill and Joe.My.God.

Kiara Alfonseca / ABC News:

So-called 'Don't Say Gay' rules expanded through 12th grade in Florida — Classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity is limited. — The Florida Board of Education has voted to — expand restrictions — on classroom instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Discussion: Fox News, New Republic, Joe.My.God. and NBC 6 South Florida

Anthony Izaguirre / Associated Press:

'Don't Say Gay' expansion requested by DeSantis approved — The Florida Board of Education on Wednesday approved a ban on classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the law critics call “Don't Say Gay” at the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis as he gears up for an expected presidential run.

Discussion: Reuters, Washington Post, The Hill, New York Daily News, Alternet.org, The Daily Caller, Insider, The Guardian, Fortune and National Review

Ana Ceballos / Miami Herald: Florida officially limits gender, sexual orientation instruction in all school grades

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Red-State Voters Give Democrats Tester, Manchin Opposite Marks Ahead of 2024 — 58% of Montana voters approve of Tester, while 55% of West Virginia voters disapprove of Manchin. — Among the 59% of Montana voters who disapprove of Biden, 42% of them give Tester positive marks.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill and The Daily Caller

Wall Street Journal:
Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin Fail to Attract Small Donors for Potential Re-Election Campaigns

Discussion: Alternet.org, OpenSecrets.org and Sludge

Politico:
GOP drops $1M on Manchin as Justice preps run

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Examiner, Washington Times and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Inside the secret list of websites that make AI chatbots sound smart — AI chatbots have exploded in popularity over the past four months, stunning the public with their awesome abilities, from writing sophisticated term papers to holding unnervingly lucid conversations.

Discussion: Gizmodo, Althouse and Metro.co.uk, more at Techmeme »

Liz Crampton / Politico:

Democratic governors lose their grip as Republicans nab supermajorities — A steady number of GOP wins and party-flipping have created a particularly challenging environment for Democratic governors in Kentucky, Kansas, Louisiana and North Carolina. — Kansas Rep. Heather Meyer …

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post and FiveThirtyEight

Matthew Brown / Associated Press:
Montana shelves GOP proposal to alter US Senate primary

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post, The Hill, FiveThirtyEight and Roll Call

Karen Freifeld / Reuters:

Ex-Trump Organization CFO Weisselberg released from jail — Former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was released from jail on Wednesday, according to New York City Department of Correction records. — Weisselberg was sent to New York's Rikers Island jail …

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Graham Kates / CBS News:
Allen Weisselberg, former Trump Organization CFO, released from jail

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, New York Post, Just The News and New York Daily News

Susan Page / USA Today:

Exclusive: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches unlikely presidential bid backed by 14% of Biden voters — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches his unlikely bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday with the support of 14% of voters who backed President Joe Biden in 2020, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds.

Discussion: Fox News, National Review, ABC News, Associated Press, The Hill and CNN

Evan Mealins / The Tennessean:

Capitol riot: Nashville's ‘zip-tie guy’ guilty on all charges — A federal court Tuesday handed down guilty verdicts for the Nashville man best known as “zip-tie guy” and his mother for the pair's role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. — Eric Munchel, who infamously brandished zip ties …

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Political Wire, Associated Press and WKRN-TV

NBC News:

Boyfriend of N.Y. woman who was gunned down in the wrong driveway recalls her final moments — Blake Walsh said he was heartbroken after Kaylin Gillis, his girlfriend of four years, was fatally shot Saturday while they looked for a party. — SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — The boyfriend of a New York woman …

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill, Insider, Frontpage Mag, NBC New York, New York Daily News, New York Post, CBS News, CNN, NPR, The Black Wall Street Times and BizPac Review

Shannon Ryan / ABC13:

Man arrested after 2 Woodlands Elite cheerleaders were shot outside HEB near Austin, police say — Police say Payton Washington was one of two Woodlands Elite cheerleaders hit when someone opened fire near a grocery store outside Austin. One man is in custody.

Discussion: KXAN-TV, ABC News, NBC News, KLTV-TV, The Daily Beast, alicublog, The Hill, New York Daily News, MyNorthwest.com, Metro.co.uk, Associated Press, UPI, CBS News, Insider, The Daily Caller, Law & Crime, Digby's Hullabaloo, NPR and New York Post

Jana Winter / Rolling Stone:

DHS Official Has Office Raided, Covered in Crime Scene Tape — The head of the office that tracks cross-border threats — including fentanyl and cartel activity — was walked out by security and questioned on Monday, sources tell Rolling Stone — THE DEPARTMENT OF Homeland Security intelligence official …

Discussion: Raw Story

Snejana Farberov / New York Post:

Ex-Biden official Sam Brinton to undergo mental health evaluation in luggage theft case — Sam Brinton, the disgraced former Biden administration official accused of stealing luggage on at least two separate occasions, has agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation as part of a Minnesota's adult diversion program.

Discussion: Daily Mail, The Daily Caller, Fox News and Washington Times

Katherine Doyle / NBC News:

Biden will meet with ‘Tennessee Three’ at the White House — Biden invited state Reps. Reps. Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson and Justin J. Pearson, who faced expulsion over gun control protests, to the White House “to continue that conversation.” — WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will meet …

Discussion: Politico, Bloomberg, USA Today, Associated Press, The Hill and Political Wire

Nathan Tankus / Politico:

Biden Can Steamroll Republicans on the Debt Ceiling — And Fed Chair Jay Powell won't interfere. — The threat of a real debt ceiling crisis is growing rapidly. House Republicans are still pushing steep spending cuts that the White House won't countenance, even as the GOP remains deeply divided on a strategy.

Discussion: New York Times

Carol Robinson / al.com:

Dadeville birthday party shooting: 2 teen brothers arrested for reckless murder — Dadeville birthday party shooting — Two teenage brothers have been charged with four counts of reckless murder in the Saturday night shooting at a Dadeville birthday party that killed four young people and injured 32 others.

Discussion: ABC News, Alabama Reflector, UPI, WGN-TV, Just The News, NewsNation and WHNT-TV

Alice Miranda Ollstein / Politico:

Abortion pill maker sues FDA to preserve access — The lawsuit from GenBioPro, which makes the generic version of the drug, comes as SCOTUS action looms. — The company that makes the generic version of a common abortion pill sued the FDA on Wednesday, hoping to bar the agency from rolling …

Discussion: NPR, New York Times and CNN

CNN:

McCarthy eyes $1.5T debt limit increase in push for key vote next week — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told his leadership team that he wants to release bill text Wednesday detailing his party's plan to raise the national debt limit for one year and is pushing for a floor vote next week …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Politico, HuffPost, Deseret News, Washington Times and Semafor

Associated Press:

Maine quadruple murder suspect was recently released from prison — Joseph Eaton, 34, was released Friday from the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, where he had been sentenced in March 2021, a state official said. — BOWDOIN, Maine — A Maine man who police say killed four people …

Discussion: The Guardian, Reuters, New York Daily News, The Daily Caller, MyNorthwest.com, Metro.co.uk, CBS News, Forbes and Associated Press

Barak Ravid / Axios:

Scoop: Austin told Gallant the U.S. is taking steps to prevent future leaks — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin privately tried to reassure his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant that the Biden administration is taking steps to prevent future leaks of classified information after a trove …

Gordon Corera / BBC:

Ukraine war: The Russian ships accused of North Sea sabotage — Russia has a programme to sabotage wind farms and communication cables in the North Sea, according to new allegations. — The details come from a joint investigation by public broadcasters in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Guardian, Insider Paper, Metro.co.uk, Cyprus Mail and Politico

Ashton / NPA:

South Carolina 2024 Presidential Primary Poll Findings — National Public Affairs conducted a poll among likely 2024 Presidential primary voters from April 11 to April 14, 2023. We collected responses from 538 voters via landlines, text-to-web and online panel.