memeorandum: Biden, in Israel, hits notes of loyalty, emotion — and caution (Matt Viser/Washington Post)

10:20 AM ET, October 19, 2023

Top Items:

Bradley S. Klein / Public Notice:

MAGA Republicans are normalizing violent threats — Public Notice just celebrated its second birthday. Click the button to take advantage of our special anniversary offer. — Click to redeem 2nd anniversary offer — It scarcely drew the attention of the media last month …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Guardian, The Hill, Raw Story and FIRST DRAFT

Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks:

Miller-Meeks Statement on Speaker Vote and Death Threats — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, I voted to support Jim Jordan's candidacy for Speaker of the House. I voted for Jim Jordan for the greater good of the House Republican party, based on our Conference meeting and the test Speaker ballot that was cast earlier this week.

Discussion: The Hill, Agri-Pulse Communications …, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post, Raw Story, Axios, New York Post, Roll Call, HuffPost, KTSM-TV, NBC News, The Messenger, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Crooks and Liars and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Jim Jordan won't be the next speaker — Good morning, Early Birds. We'd like to applaud Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) for incorporating a reference to the Whigs — the extinct 19th-century political party — into his tweets about the speakership fight. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) is still funnier, though.

Discussion: Raw Story, Townhall, CBS News, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, HuffPost, Associated Press, Forbes, The American Conservative, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Fox News, UPI, Political Wire and Wall Street Journal

Punchbowl News:

10/19/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM — It seems as if reality is finally beginning to creep into Rep. Jim Jordan's (R-Ohio) orbit. … On Tuesday, 20 GOP lawmakers voted against Jordan. A day later, he lost 22 Republican votes. — Put simply, the votes aren't moving toward Jordan, they're moving away from him.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, Politico, GovExec.com, Florida Phoenix, Missouri Independent, Axios, Raw Story, RedState, The Guardian, PoliticusUSA and NBC News

Jonathan Martin / Politico:

Why the GOP Can't Unite — It's two parties under the same roof, and the only solution is a coalition — between themselves or with Democrats. — “No one in our conference wants to see any type of coalition government with Democrats,” Jim Jordan (center) told reporters after the first vote Tuesday.

Politico:

Why the McHenry bubble might pop — Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — OVERNIGHT — “Russia Detains a U.S. Journalist,” by NYT's Ivan Nechepurenko: “ALSU KURMASHEVA, who holds dual U.S.-Russian citizenship and works in Prague …

Discussion: Roll Call, Punchbowl News, Washington Post, Axios and Political Wire

Jane Coaston / New York Times:

Why House Republicans Can't Function, According to a House Republican — The House of Representatives has been enmeshed in chaos since the former Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out on Oct. 3 by members of his own conference. Steve Scalise then ran for the speakership but withdrew …

Discussion: The Hill, Roll Call, The Federalist, HuffPost, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian and Rolling Stone

Politico:

Senate fills the void as House GOP burns from within — It's an unintended consequence for House conservatives: The Senate minority leader who many of them abhor is, for now, the most influential leader in the congressional GOP. — With the House effectively shut down …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, The Hill, One America News Network and Raw Story

Politico:
Dems consider McHenry

Discussion: Axios, The Hill, Washington Post and Political Wire

Annie Karni / New York Times:
Republicans Fear Jordan Speaker Bid Could Cost Them House Majority

Discussion: The Messenger, Associated Press, The Hill, Washington Post, Digby's Hullabaloo, Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, Daily Kos, Semafor, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, The Atlantic, Popular Information and Washington Times

Washington Post:
Live updates Jordan failing to secure votes needed for speaker on second ballot

Newt Gingrich / Gingrich 360:
Speaker McHenry — If the House Republicans cannot resolve the speakership in the next few days …

Discussion: CBS News, CNN, Washington Times, Roll Call, The Guardian, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill and IJR

Bloomberg:

Trump Is Winning Over Swing-State Voters Wary of Biden's Economic Plan — Voters in seven states trust Trump more on economy, poll shows — Suburban women swing-state voters are a bright spot for Biden — Donald Trump is leading President Joe Biden in several key swing states …

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller, Florida Politics, HuffPost, RedState, Washington Examiner, Zandar Versus The Stupid and Sabato's Crystal Ball

Press / Morning Consult Pro:

Morning Consult | Bloomberg News: How Biden vs. Trump Perform on Swing-State Ballots … This survey, which identifies key issues in the 2024 election and measures how much voters trust Biden vs. Trump on these issues and how Biden vs. Trump perform on a ballot in swing states …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill and Bloomberg

Yuliya Talmazan / NBC News:

American journalist detained and charged in Russia — Alsu Kurmasheva's detention follows the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is still awaiting trial on espionage charges. — A U.S. journalist has been detained in Russia, her employer said, the second such case since the w ar in Ukraine started.

Discussion: USA Today, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Committee to Protect … and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »

Guy Faulconbridge / Reuters:
Russia detains Radio Free Europe journalist with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship

Discussion: The Messenger, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, The Guardian, France 24, Associated Press, Bloomberg, UPI, The Daily Beast, New York Times, ThePrint and Politico

Colin Moynihan / New York Times:

Man Who Spread Misinformation on Trump's Behalf Sentenced to 7 Months — The man, Douglass Mackey, spread internet memes meant to fool people into not voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016. — A digital-age dirty-trickster who used Twitter posts that looked like Hillary Clinton ads …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Verge, Courthouse News Service, Boing Boing, Washington Examiner, RedState, Breaking911, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and ABC News

US Department of Justice:
Social Media Influencer Douglass Mackey Sentenced after Conviction for Election Interference in 2016 Presidential Race

Discussion: The Messenger, Associated Press, The Federalist, Raw Story, The Daily Caller and New York Daily News

Lauren Sforza / The Hill:
Social media influencer charged with election interference in 2016 sentenced to prison

Discussion: UPI, US Department of Justice, Human Events and The Gateway Pundit

Mattathias Schwartz / Insider:

Exclusive: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was an FBI informant — Peter Thiel has worn many hats over the years: Silicon Valley founder, Trump megadonor, cryptocurrency booster, democracy skeptic. — But there is yet another facet to Thiel, one that has remained secret until now: FBI informant.

Discussion: Political Wire

NPR:

Here's the available evidence of what happened at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza — Video and photographic evidence, along with eyewitness accounts, are providing some clues about Tuesday's massive explosion at Gaza's Al Ahli Arab Hospital, which Palestinian officials say killed hundreds.

Discussion: Why Evolution Is True, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, TimesNow, The Sun, CNN, The Hill, IJR, Reuters and CBS News

Akbar Shahid Ahmed / HuffPost:

'I Couldn't Shift Anything': Senior State Department Official Resigns Over Biden's Gaza Policy — Josh Paul, who spent a decade in State's bureau overseeing arms sales, exclusively spoke with HuffPost after quitting over the U.S. approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, New York Post, Al Jazeera, Politico, Middle East Monitor and The Messenger

Kyle Melnick / Washington Post:

Forget dating apps. Sen. Grassley's office has produced 20 marriages. — Alex and Molly Severn held hands near the front of an Iowa church a few years ago, excited for the pastor to pronounce them husband and wife. But for a moment, Molly thought the pastor was going to ruin her wedding.

Megan Brenan / Gallup:

Media Confidence in U.S. Matches 2016 Record Low — WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 32% of Americans who say they trust the mass media “a great deal” or “a fair amount” to report the news in a full, fair and accurate way ties Gallup's lowest historical reading, previously recorded in 2016.

Discussion: The Hill

Jillian Smith / WTTG-TV:

Hundreds arrested after Pro-Palestinian demonstrators flood Cannon Rotunda, Capitol complex — WASHINGTON - A pro-Palestinian protest is underway on Capitol Hill as demonstrators are occupying the Cannon Rotunda and large crowds are growing around the Capitol complex.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Federalist, Fox News, HotAir, The White House, Breitbart, GB News, NewsNation and American Greatness

Jeffrey Toobin / New York Times:

Donald Trump Is Going to Get Someone Killed — Donald Trump's life has been a master class in the evasion of consequences. Six of his businesses have declared bankruptcy but he is still acclaimed as a business visionary; he's been married three times but is still beloved by evangelicals …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Andrew Kerr / Washington Free Beacon:

Inside Black Lives Matter's Long History With Hamas-Friendly Activists — Black Lives Matter chapters across the country made waves last week when they excused and explained away Hamas's attack on Israel. — A coalition of 26 local chapters called the attacks a “desperate act of self-defense.”

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Jewish Journal

Matt Viser / Washington Post:

Biden, in Israel, hits notes of loyalty, emotion — and caution — In an extraordinary moment, an 80-year-old president flies into a war zone — In an emotional speech carried live across Israel and around the world, President Biden sought to embody America's ties to the Jewish state …

Discussion: CNN and RedState