memeorandum: Colorado Trial Will Consider Whether the 14th Amendment Disqualifies Trump (Maggie Astor/New York Times)

10:55 AM ET, October 30, 2023

Top Items:

How Trump's Verbal Slips Could Weaken His Attacks on Biden's Age — Donald Trump, 77, has relentlessly attacked President Biden, 80, as too old for office. But the former president himself has had a series of gaffes that go beyond his usual freewheeling style.

Discussion: Media Matters for America, The Bulwark, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, Breitbart and New York Post

Maggie Astor / New York Times:

Colorado Trial Will Consider Whether the 14th Amendment Disqualifies Trump — While some prominent constitutional experts argue that a clause in the amendment applies to former President Donald J. Trump after Jan. 6, that view is far from universal among legal scholars.

Discussion: Civil Discourse …, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Associated Press, Colorado Public Radio, Political Wire and The Guardian

Summer Concepcion / NBC News:

Trial begins on whether Trump should be kept off the 2024 ballot in Colorado — The lawsuit alleges Trump violated his oath of office in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, leading up to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. — A Denver court will hear arguments Monday in a lawsuit seeking …

Discussion: Denver Post, Forbes and The Guardian

Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
Judge reinstates Trump gag order in Jan. 6 case

Discussion: Reuters, The Messenger, Raw Story, BizPac Review, The Hill, UPI, The Guardian, CNN and Insider

Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Federal Judge Reinstates Gag Order on Trump in Election Case

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, Mediaite, Political Wire and The Messenger

New York Times:
Trump's Children Are Set to Take the Stand at His Fraud Trial This Week

Discussion: Mother Jones

Darren Samuelsohn / The Messenger:
Trump's Gag Order Reinstated in D.C.

Discussion: CNN, PoliticusUSA, Politico, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Forbes, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, NBC News, Raw Story, Bloomberg, Political Wire and Breitbart

Brianne Pfannenstiel / Des Moines Register:

Donald Trump builds on big lead as Nikki Haley pulls even with Ron DeSantis in Iowa Poll — A Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows 43% of likely Republican caucusgoers pick Trump as their first choice for president, with DeSantis and Haley tied for second at 16%

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, The Messenger, Wall Street Journal, The Dispatch, The Post Millennial, PJ Media, The Daily Caller, Florida Politics, Mediaite and Political Wire

Mark Murray / NBC News:

Trump maintains commanding lead in Iowa poll — Nikki Haley is tied with Ron DeSantis for second place in the NBC/Des Moines Register/Mediacom survey as Trump's backers remain the most committed. — Former President Donald Trump now leads his nearest Republican rivals by nearly 30 points in Iowa …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Reuters, Des Moines Register, The Hill, Politico, The Messenger, The Daily Caller, New Jersey Globe, Political Wire, Associated Press and Fox News

Hannah Knowles / Washington Post:

Spurned by moderates and MAGA: How DeSantis's coalition has deflated — Centrists have recoiled at DeSantis's entreaties to the Trump base. At the same time, he has lost ground with Trump supporters. — BEDFORD, N.H. — Some moderate Republican voters here recoiled at ads …

Discussion: The Messenger

The Daily Beast:

Trump Forgets Which City He Is in During Iowa Campaign Speech — WHO? WHAT? WHERE? — The correct name was eventually whispered into the former president's ear on stage. — Though Donald Trump often makes fun of Joe Biden for his old age, Trump himself apparently forgot …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Politico, The Messenger, Associated Press, Lawyers, Guns & Money, HuffPost, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Post Millennial, Breitbart and Crooks and Liars

Burgess Everett / Politico:

McConnell goes all out as Ukraine fight fractures GOP — His intense lobbying effort puts the Senate GOP leader at odds with his new House counterpart, Speaker Mike Johnson. — Mitch McConnell is abandoning his typically cautious style when it comes to aiding Ukraine …

Discussion: The Hill, The Messenger, Punchbowl News, Raw Story, CNN, Political Wire, PoliticusUSA, USA Today and Washington Times

Washington Post:
Mike Johnson's first big test

Discussion: CBS News, Big League Politics and Political Wire

Ben Jacobs / Vox:
“Lord of the Flies”: The House's chaotic next era, explained

Discussion: Raw Story

Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:

The Christofascism of Mike Johnson — The new House speaker is an opposition researcher's goldmine. … It took Mike Johnson just a couple days last week to rise from a relatively obscure Louisiana congressman to House speaker. Suffice it to say his background and policy positions …

Discussion: Fox News

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Speaker Mike Johnson's corporate backers — Last Wednesday, Republicans selected Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the next Speaker of the House. Johnson is the most radical member ever selected as Speaker, championing a host of far-right causes. Some experts describe Johnson's views …

Discussion: PinkNews, Financial Times, Politico and Fox News

CBS News:

Hundreds storm airport in Russia in antisemitic riot over arrival of plane from Israel — Hundreds of people stormed into the main airport in Russia's Dagestan region and onto the landing field Sunday, chanting antisemitic slogans and seeking passengers arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv …

Discussion: Reuters, NPR, TMZ.com, TASS, The Daily Caller, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Fox News, The Times of Israel, Mediaite, The Messenger, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Algemeiner.com

Jerusalem Post:
Russians storm airport in attempt to attack passengers of Israeli flight

The White House:

FACT SHEET: President Biden Issues Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence — Today, President Biden issued a landmark Executive Order to ensure that America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of artificial intelligence (AI).

Discussion: The Verge, Associated Press, Deadline, PoliticusUSA, PR Daily, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Bloomberg, UPI, NBC News, The Messenger, The Hill, Politico, Variety, Semafor, Washington Times and CityAM, more at Techmeme »

University Statements:

Antisemitic threats to our community — Dear members of the Cornell community, — Earlier today, a series of horrendous, antisemitic messages threatening violence to our Jewish community and specifically naming 104 West — the home of the Center for Jewish Living — was posted on a website unaffiliated with Cornell.

Discussion: USA Today, NBC News, HotAir, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Cornell Daily Sun, Twitchy, IJR, WSVN 7News, Washington Post, The Cornell Review, The Times of Israel, Reason, The Messenger and WIVT

Washington Examiner:

The kids are not all right — Images from college campuses nationwide in the wake of Hamas's massacre of Israeli civilians are disturbing. Marchers chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The slogan “Divest from Zionist genocide now” illuminated on a college library.

Chris Geidner / Law Dork:

Clarence Thomas, his luxury R.V., and his magical mystery disappearing loan — The latest news on Justice Clarence Thomas's disregard for ethics is a remarkable affront to the Supreme Court, his colleagues, and the country. — The Senate Finance Committee announced this past week …