memeorandum: Speaker McCarthy steps into the breach as his conference toils (Washington Post)

12:35 PM ET, September 16, 2023

Top Items:

'It was a very nice note: Trump says he left Biden a message when he departed the White House — Former President Trump talks about his views on a potential vice president, the note he left for President Biden and whether age should be an issue for voters.

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller, Political Wire, Washington Post and Lucianne

Steven Shepard / Politico:

Trump's become a runaway train in the GOP primary. Here's why. — A POLITICO analysis shows Trump's supporters are more conservative and more assured in their candidate than voters backing other Republican candidates. — They're more conservative than other Republicans. More likely to be men.

Discussion: Insider, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Washington Post, RedState, Lucianne, Associated Press, HuffPost and Florida Politics

Martin Pengelly / The Guardian:

Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis turns on ‘malignant narcissist’ ex-president — Ellis, one of 18 Trump associates charged in Georgia election subversion case, says she 'simply can't support him' again — Jenna Ellis - the Donald Trump lawyer who like the former president faces criminal charges …

Discussion: Political Wire

Washington Post:

Trump keeps distance from impeachment inquiry while assailing Biden — The former president has shown more interest in lobbying to expunge his own impeachments — Former president Donald Trump often shows more interest in expunging his impeachments than impeaching President Biden.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Chicago Sun Times, Althouse, ABC News, Jacobin, The Post Millennial and National Review

Inyoung Choi / NBC News:

Trump says he likes ‘the concept’ of a female VP pick — In an interview with NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, the former president talked about a running mate, age limits for presidents and the letter he left for Biden. — Former President Donald Trump said he hasn't yet given …

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story, TODAY.com and Palmer Report

Politico:

Florida Republicans reject DeSantis for Trump in loyalty pledge fight — “People will be pissed if we keep Trump off the ballot,” said one state GOP member. — ORLANDO — The latest contest between former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida came down to a loyalty pledge.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Examiner, Fox News, The Messenger, USA Today, Orlando Sentinel, Raw Story, New York Post, The Hill, NBC News, Twitchy and Political Wire

Mark Alfred / The Daily Beast:
Trump Explains Melania's Absence on the Campaign Trail

Discussion: Washington Examiner, NBC News, Bloomberg, The Guardian, PennLive, The Hill, New York Magazine, UPROXX, Raw Story, Variety, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, PJ Media, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, The Messenger and HuffPost

Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing / Politico:

Boebert, caught on video, apologizes for inappropriate behavior at ‘Beetlejuice’ show — The congressmember had denied acting inappropriately until surveillance video surfaced showing her disrupting the performance. — Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert apologized after she and a male companion …

Discussion: Erick Erickson's Show Notes, Advocate, NBC Chicago and The Hill

Zachary Petrizzo / The Daily Beast:

Lauren Boebert Now Admits She Vaped in Theater: 'I'm Truly Sorry' — “There's not a person walking the face of this planet that hasn't had a moment of weakness and fallen short and I think people will get that,” Boebert told The Daily Beast. — Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) …

Discussion: UPROXX, KUSA-TV, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Insider, Associated Press and New Republic

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
There's Videotape! Annals of Feral Lauren Boebert ...

Discussion: Jezebel, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, New York Post, HuffPost and The Sun

ABC News:

Special counsel seeks ‘narrowly tailored’ gag order against Trump, citing ‘disparaging and inflammatory attacks’ — The court filing accuses Trump of engaging in a campaign of disinformation. — Special counsel Jack Smith and his team have requested a federal judge in Washington, D.C. …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, American Wire News, Daily Caller News Foundation, UPI, The Daily Caller, CNN, Lucianne and Fox News

New York Times:
Special Counsel Obtained 32 Private Messages From Trump's Twitter Account

Discussion: CNBC, Washington Post, Politico, Raw Story, The Last Refuge, The Hill, Bloomberg, CBS News, Forbes, Rolling Stone, NBC News, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and Lucianne, more at Techmeme »

NBC News:
Special counsel asks for ‘narrow’ gag order for Trump in election interference case

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Messenger, Raw Story, The Hill, New York Post, Breitbart, The Guardian, National Review, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, New Republic, Rolling Stone, The Daily Caller, UPI and NBC 7 San Diego

Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Special Counsel Seeking Gag Order on Trump in Election Case

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Japan Times, Twitchy, The Gateway Pundit, Palmer Report, Raw Story, Lucian Truscott Newsletter, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, NewsNation, Politico, ABC7 and Political Wire

Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill:
Special counsel warned Trump could ‘precipitate violence’ if told of Twitter search warrant

Discussion: RedState, Raw Story, Associated Press, The Guardian, Election Law Blog and Political Wire

Myah Ward / Politico:

Ramaswamy wants to end the H-1B visa program he used 29 times — The GOP candidate pledges to get rid of a the system he calls “indentured servitude.” — GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to “gut” the system for H-1B temporary worker visas if he wins the White House.

Washington Post:

Speaker McCarthy steps into the breach as his conference toils — The next two weeks will put the California Republican to the test of whether he can unite Republican lawmakers and avert a government shutdown — After a drawn-out fight to attain the speakership in early January …

Discussion: The American Independent and The Hill

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:

Inside Trump's Gambit to Get Rid of a Judge by Suing Him — Trump is attempting to at least slam the brakes on the New York AG case against him by taking on the judge. It's extremely unlikely to work for a number of good reasons. … For nearly a year, Donald Trump has been forcefully trying …

Discussion: Raw Story, Daily Kos, CNN and Bloomberg

The Economist:

The hard right is getting closer to power all over Europe — It does not need to join governments to affect policymaking — Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. — In sint-genesius-rode, a well-to-do commuter town in the hills south of Brussels, a crowd of 50 or so gathered …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Ken Buck / Washington Post:

My fellow Republicans: One disgraceful impeachment doesn't deserve another — Ken Buck, a Republican, represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District in the House. — The House is back in session, and Americans are getting an up-close look at Washington's dysfunction.