memeorandum: Palestinian death toll has risen past 8,000, Gaza's Health Ministry says (Associated Press)

3:10 PM ET, October 29, 2023

Top Items:

Rip / TMZ.com:

‘FRIENDS’ STAR MATTHEW PERRY DEAD AT 54 ... After Apparent Drowning — EXCLUSIVE — 874.1K … UPDATE — 6:02 PM PT — More details are surfacing about the circumstances surrounding Matthew Perry's death ... as sources tell us he actually died at his own house after some physical activity this morning.

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

The Devil's Bargain Mike Pence Could Not Escape — The former vice president tied himself to Donald Trump in the 2016 campaign and it may have cost him a political future. — The decision by Mike Pence to end his presidential campaign on Saturday was a bow to what had finally become inevitable.

Discussion: The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, Political Wire, The Hill, The Messenger, NBC News and Insider

emptywheel:

Mike Pence Simplifies the Gag Order Dispute — If my Irish Daylight Savings calculation and PACER operations are correct, Donald Trump submitted his reply to DOJ's opposition to a stay on the gag Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed at around 8:50PM ET last night. … The filing includes the kind of sophistry John Lauro excels at.

Discussion: National Review and Digby's Hullabaloo

Jill Colvin / Associated Press:
Mike Pence drops out of 2024 presidential race: ‘No regrets’

Michael Hauser Tov / Haaretz:

After Fury, Netanyahu Deletes, Apologizes for Post Blaming Security Chiefs for Hamas Attack — In a post overnight Saturday, Netanyahu asserted that he never received forewarning about Hamas' deadly attack. He earlier said ‘After the war everyone will have to answer to hard questions...Right now, my task is to save the country’

Discussion: UPI, Fox News, NBC News, Israpundit, Breitbart, FDD, Politico, Political Wire, Washington Post, NPR and The Messenger

Associated Press:

Palestinian death toll has risen past 8,000, Gaza's Health Ministry says — Thousands of people broke into aid warehouses in Gaza to take flour and basic hygiene products, a U.N. agency said Sunday, in a mark of growing desperation and the breakdown of public order three weeks …

Discussion: The Hill, Vox, The Daily Beast, NewsNation, The Forward, Politico, Associated Press, The Times of Israel, NPR, TASS, The Messenger, New York Post, Reuters and BBC

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

National security adviser defends Israel's efforts to defeat Hamas — “We have taken the position that Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorist attacks,” Sullivan said. — U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan defended Israel's campaign against Hamas on Sunday …

Discussion: CBS News, Fox News, The Hill, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Reuters, ABC News and CNN

New York Times:

Jenna Ellis Could Become a Star Witness Against Trump — When Jenna Ellis last week became the most recent lawyer to join in an accelerating series of guilty pleas in the Fulton County, Ga., prosecution of Donald Trump and his co-conspirators, she offered a powerful repudiation of the …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Federalist

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

‘This is not cancel culture’: DeSantis defends call to ban pro-Palestinian groups at Florida colleges — “You have a right to go out and demonstrate, but you can't provide material support to terrorism,” he said. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his call to ban pro-Palestinian groups …

Discussion: New York Post, Rolling Stone, NBC News, National Review and The Messenger

Steve Contorno / CNN:

DeSantis allies earn big paychecks on the front lines of his culture fights — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently recounted blow by blow at an Iowa sports bar his takeover of a tiny liberal arts school, describing how he turned Sarasota's New College from a “Marxist commune” …

Discussion: Political Wire

Brakkton Booker / Politico:

Andy Kim is making a big bet on breaking New Jersey Democratic politics — The mild-mannered congressmember has early momentum that will test the party's established power structure. — Andy Kim is trying to do something rare in New Jersey politics: win by casting himself as a soft-spoken outsider.

NBC News:

Halloween weekend shootings leave at least 3 dead, over 40 injured after multiple mass shootings — Mass shootings in Indianapolis, Tampa and Chicago are being investigated by authorities. — At least 3 people are dead and over 40 have been injured after multiple mass shootings across …

Discussion: ABC News, Fox News, Associated Press, The Messenger, New York Post and ABC13

Annie Gowen / Washington Post:

After setback, antiabortion forces struggle before key Ohio vote — CINCINNATI — Students hoping to get others to vote “no” on an upcoming Ohio amendment to ensure abortion rights took the soft approach at a recent event at the University of Cincinnati. — The signs in their booth were alarmist …

Discussion: Associated Press and Politico

NBC News:

Full Jayapal: ‘There are racists within the Netanyahu government’ — Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, addresses her position on the Israel-Hamas war and reacts to Rep. Dean Phillips' (D-Minn.) primary challenge against President Joe Biden in an exclusive interview with Meet the Press.

Discussion: HuffPost, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Politico, New York Post, Washington Times, The Messenger and Political Wire

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Expel George Santos? Some fear terrible precedent despite his terrible record — The truth-averse Republican faces a vote later this week over expulsion, part of growing number of political ethics battles in the House — Congressional bureau chief — Let's stipulate up front …