memeorandum: The hard right is getting closer to power all over Europe (The Economist)

11:40 AM ET, September 16, 2023

Top Items:

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, Political Wire, Althouse, ABC News, Jacobin, The Post Millennial, National Review and Raw Story

NBC News:

'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

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: TODAY.com, Mediaite and Palmer Report

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

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

NBC News:
Trump reacts to Putin's praise: ‘I like that he said that’

Discussion: PennLive, Mediaite, The Hill, UPROXX, Raw Story and Political Wire

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, Raw Story, Insider, Associated Press and New Republic

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: NBC Chicago and The Hill

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

There's Videotape! Annals of Feral Lauren Boebert ... THE BACKCHANNEL — Ever since she managed to get reelected last year by only a few hundred votes, words been out that she'd have to put some time into securing her seat if she wanted to remain in Congress.

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

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

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

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

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Japan Times, Twitchy, The Hill, 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

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

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

New York Times:

Special Counsel Obtained 32 Private Messages From Trump's Twitter Account — Newly unsealed court papers shed additional light on a legal fight whose existence was revealed last month. — The federal prosecutors who charged former President Donald J. Trump with a criminal conspiracy …

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

Marc Caputo / The Messenger:
Trump Beats DeSantis as Florida GOP Scraps ‘Loyalty Oath’ for Primary

Discussion: CNN, The Floridian, Breitbart, Florida Politics and Raw Story

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, The Hill and Nebraska Examiner

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

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

Samantha-Jo Roth / Washington Examiner:

UAW strike: Republican senators pin blame on Biden — Republican senators are blaming the Biden administration for the United Auto Workers' strike, attempting to drive a wedge between the union and President Joe Biden's push for electric vehicles. — About 13,000 workers walked …