memeorandum: Voters do not want a Biden-Trump rematch. A third option might appeal. (George F. Will/Washington Post)

11:50 AM ET, April 28, 2023

Top Items:

Stephanie Kirchgaessner / The Guardian:

Revealed: Senate investigation into Brett Kavanaugh assault claims contained serious omissions — The 2018 investigation into the then supreme court nominee claimed there was ‘no evidence’ behind claims of sexual assault — A 2018 Senate investigation that found there was “no evidence” …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Raw Story, Alternet.org and Forbes

CNN:

The DeSantis-Trump Division — “Hold off on the [Ron] DeSantis thing.” — That was the order from top Breitbart editor Matt Boyle in the company's internal Slack channel last week, instructing staffers at the far-right outlet to pause stories on the Florida governor ahead of an expected 2024 run.

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:

Trump Could Definitely Beat Biden — Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 Republican primary is not certain. But it now looks more than merely likely. — The former president boasts more than twice as much support as Ron DeSantis, leading the Florida governor by a 51-to-24 percent margin …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Liberal Patriot, Townhall, Fox News, RedState, Just The News, Trending Politics Conservative, The Hill, Political Wire, Florida Politics and New York Post

Allan Smith / NBC News:
Top Republican convinced Trump can help take back the Senate: ‘He wants to win’

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Examiner and New York Times

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Biden vs. Trump in 2024? Don't Be So Sure

Discussion: Insider, NBC News, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Wide World of News, Breitbart, HuffPost, CBS News, The Daily Caller, Trending Politics Conservative and Bloomberg

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post:
Kamala Harris must keep walking a tightrope for Biden's reelection bid

Discussion: RedState, The Hill, Fox News, The Root, Just The News, Political Wire, The Daily Caller, CNBC, KTVX-TV, Associated Press and Washington Examiner

Matthew Kassel / Jewish Insider:
Establishment Republican donors reckoning with Trump's staying power

Discussion: Semafor

Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:

In N.H. stop, Trump embraces woman convicted in Jan. 6 case — The former president has steadily escalated his advocacy for people charged in the Capitol riot. — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former president Donald Trump on Thursday praised and embraced a woman convicted of defying police orders on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021.

Discussion: New Republic, HuffPost, Insider, Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., New York Times, NBC News, The Guardian, Bloomberg, NBC4 Washington, Politico, Political Wire and Raw Story

Julie Kelly / American Greatness: Outcome of Proud Boys Trial Could Decide Trump's Fate

CNN:
Former Vice President Pence testifies to federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump and January 6

Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
Five Questions with Brandi Buchman on the Proud Boys Trial

Discussion: emptywheel and American Greatness

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:
A second firm hired by Trump campaign found no evidence of election fraud

Discussion: The Independent, PoliticusUSA, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

Alex Thompson / Axios:

Biden's age trap: Risks of running at 80 — Polls show that most voters of most ages wonder the same thing: Can President Biden really win the White House again at nearly 82 — and run it competently into age 86? … But there are so many unknowns to rolling into your mid-80s with more power than anyone on Earth.

Discussion: HotAir, New York Post, Fox News, RedState, The Western Journal, Washington Post, Political Wire, Insider and IJR, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

Florida's book-ban frenzy targets Nora Roberts, and she's not happy — Tiffany Justice, co-founder of the right-wing book-purging organization Moms for Liberty, offered a righteous-sounding answer when asked this past weekend on “CBS Sunday Morning” what sort of book she wants to see remain in schools.

Wall Street Journal:

DeSantis's Miscalculation: ‘Disney Is Playing the Long Game’ — The conflict between Florida's governor and Iger's entertainment giant has turned into a drawn-out legal battle. Some Republicans question the strategy. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested it would be a short fight …

Discussion: them., Forbes, Bloomberg and Fox 8 Cleveland WJW

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

The Memo: Republicans worry DeSantis has erred in Disney feud — Whispers are growing louder among Republicans that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has miscalculated in his battle with Disney — a struggle that has already gone on for more than a year and has no end in sight.

Discussion: RedState, Miami Herald, Wired, New York Daily News, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, American Greatness, CNN and Fox News

Steve Contorno / CNN:
DeSantis and Florida GOP look to upend public record laws as they attempt to shield his travel and other records ahead of likely White House bid

Discussion: Political Wire and NBC News

Nate Jones / Washington Post:

Newly released White House photos capture the day bin Laden was killed — A cache of newly released government photographs reveals key moments inside the White House during the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, including images of top officials shaking hands after learning that bin Laden …

Discussion: Political Wire

New York Times:

Montana Governor's Nonbinary Son Calls on Him to Reject Transgender Bills — The governor's son, David Gianforte, told The Montana Free Press that he had asked his father to not sign “immoral” bills pertaining to the L.G.B.T.Q. community. — As debates over transgender issues embroil Montana's legislature …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Hill, Twitchy and The Guardian

Associated Press:
GOP uses state capitol protests to redefine ‘insurrection’

Discussion: The Guardian, BizPac Review, The Daily Beast and Washington Press

New York Times:
A Transgender Lawmaker Is Exiled as Montana G.O.P. Flexes New Power

Discussion: UPI, Althouse, Washington Post, Montana Free Press, Daily Montanan, VTDigger, New York Post, Associated Press, The American Independent, Fox News and HuffPost

Washington Post:

Conservative dissenters block abortion limits in Nebraska, South Carolina — Strict new abortion restrictions failed to advance in two conservative-dominated legislatures on Thursday, signaling a mounting fear among some Republicans that abortion bans could lead to political backlash.

Discussion: The Hill, Digby's Hullabaloo, Fox News, Associated Press and LifeNews.com

New York Times:

Abortion Bans Fail in South Carolina and Nebraska — South Carolina and Nebraska, two conservative states that have been pushing to ban abortion, on Thursday both failed to pass new bills prohibiting the procedure, preserving wide access to abortion in those states and handing surprise victories to abortion rights advocates.

Discussion: CNN, CBS News, Associated Press, Post and Courier, Fox News, Axios, New Republic, Twin Cities, National Review, The Daily Caller, Forbes, Montana Free Press and LifeNews.com

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:

Federal Reserve Board announces the results from the review of the supervision and regulation of Silicon Valley Bank, led by Vice Chair for Supervision Barr — The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced the results from the review of the supervision and regulation of Silicon Valley Bank …

Discussion: Financial Times, Bloomberg, NPR and Mercury News

Jeanna Smialek / New York Times:
Fed Slams Its Own Oversight of Silicon Valley Bank in Post-Mortem

Discussion: WPRI-TV, Semafor, AAF, Bloomberg and NPR

Axios:

Scoop: DeSantis dines with Miriam Adelson, other major GOP donors in Israel — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dined with Miriam Adelson — former President Trump's top financial backer in 2020 — and other major GOP donors in Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to two sources who attended the dinner.

Discussion: Semafor, The Forward, Haaretz, USA Today and Fox News

Politico:
DeSantis' $110M ticket to the White House

Discussion: Washington Examiner and New York Times

Erin Griffith / New York Times:

Snap's Sales Fall for First Time as a Public Company — Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, reported on Thursday that its revenue had fallen for the first time since it went public as the app maker struggled to adjust to a difficult economic environment. — Revenue for the first quarter …

Discussion: One America News Network, TechCrunch, Variety, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, more at Techmeme »

US Department of Justice:

Rensselaer County Officials Indicted for Civil Rights Conspiracy — For Immediate Release — U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York — Alleged to Have Conspired to Cast False and Illegal Ballots in Elections Held in 2021, in Violation of Rensselaer County Voters' Rights

CNN:

Accused Pentagon leaker's violent rhetoric raises fresh questions about top secret vetting process — New details about the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of leaking a trove of classified documents online reveal how multiple red flags went unheeded and weren't enough to prevent …

Discussion: CBS News, USA Today, The Hill, SpyTalk, PBS NewsHour, Bloomberg, New Republic, Raw Story and NPR

Adam Rawnsley / Rolling Stone:

Stephen Miller Is Taking Legal Action Against the M&M Company — The former Trump official is apparently furious about the candy's maker's diversity efforts, and he's taking it up with the federal government — TUCKER CARLSON MAY be gone from Fox, but MAGA world is going after his greatest nemesis: the green M&M.

Discussion: BizPac Review

The Intercept:

Crypto Cash Is Powering Kyrsten Sinema's Reelection Campaign … After leaving the Democratic Party last year, Kyrsten Sinema will run for reelection to the U.S. Senate as an independent in 2024, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal earlier this month.

Discussion: Reuters

Ellie Hall / BuzzFeed News:

TikToker Kat Abu Is So Happy Tucker Carlson Got Fired — The 24-year-old senior video producer watches “conservatives for work but makes fun of them for pleasure.” — Katherine Abughazaleh, better known to her fans as Kat Abu, was glowing. — It was Monday afternoon …

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Jill Lawrence / The Bulwark:

Lindsey Graham Wants a National Abortion Ban. Here's What He Overlooks. — A new lawsuit reveals harrowing cases of women living under Texas laws banning abortion. — Senator Lindsey Graham has been pushing since 2015 for a national ban on abortion. “It's a human rights issue.

Victoria Balara / Fox News:

Fox News Poll: Voters favor gun limits over arming citizens to reduce gun violence — Half worry about being a victim of gun violence, including many in gun-owning households — After a series of mass shootings this spring, including the killing of several students at a private Christian school …

Discussion: Insider, The Hill and Political Wire

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Voters do not want a Biden-Trump rematch. A third option might appeal. — Before an assassin in 1935 ended his dreaming and scheming, Democrat Huey Long, Louisiana's governor-turned-senator, articulated dissatisfaction with the two major parties. A demagogue of considerable intelligence and no scruples …

Ben Casselman / New York Times:

Wages Continue to Grow, Good for Workers but a Worry for the Fed — Compensation for workers rose 5.1 percent from a year earlier, good news for employees but a troubling sign for the Federal Reserve. — Wage growth remained strong in early 2023 — good news for workers trying to keep …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Associated Press and The Hill

The Guardian:

Ron DeSantis in Guantánamo: how questions about his past haunt the Florida governor — As a young navy lawyer, the Republican was posted to the notorious prison camp. What he did there - and his role in the investigation of three deaths - remains controversial

Discussion: The Independent, The Daily Caller and Twitchy

Marina Pitofsky / USA Today:

Marjorie Taylor Greene faces criticism after saying a stepmother is ‘not a mother’ — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is facing criticism from her Democratic colleagues after telling a stepmother she's “not a mother”. — The conversation unfolded as Randi Weingarten …

Discussion: The Hill, American Experiment, The Wrap, Yahoo News, Mediaite, Alternet.org, PinkNews, Daily Kos, Twitchy, Political Wire, The American Independent, Joe.My.God., ABC News, Raw Story and Rolling Stone

Mike Gonzalez / Washington Examiner:

This Michigan community refuses to let the Left bulldoze it — Ever hear of Ottawa County, Michigan ? It's the epicenter of the “War on Woke,” the great battle of ideas on which the future of the American republic might hinge. — Ottawa is, of course, one of many, many epicenters.

Ian Millhiser / Vox:

A new Senate bill would curb Trump's worst judges — There is a solution to America's Matthew Kacsmaryk problem. — The United States has a Matthew Kacsmaryk problem. — A longtime activist for the Christian right, Kacsmaryk is the Trump-appointed judge who tried earlier this month to ban mifepristone …

Discussion: The Hill, Reuters, Raw Story and The Nation

Polly Politico / Politico:

The Award for Thirstiest Member of Congress — Goes to ... Presenting the first-ever Thirsties, for those who excel in Washington's signature art form: trying to get on your TV screen tonight. — Hollywood has the Oscars. Broadway has the Tonys. Washington hasn't had its own awards — until now.