memeorandum: Israel at war: IDF operates in Gaza, frees captive soldier (Reuters)

3:40 PM 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: The Bulwark, Vanity Fair, Raw Story, Media Matters for America, The Signorile Report, 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: Associated Press, ABC News, The Messenger, Civil Discourse …, Washington Post, Vox, The Hill, USA Today, FOX31 Denver, The Post Millennial, Colorado Public Radio, Roll Call, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, The Colorado Sun, Political Wire, Insider and The Guardian

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: Des Moines Register, Fox News, Washington Times, National Review, Politico, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, The Hill, One America News Network, The Messenger, New Jersey Globe, Associated Press and Political Wire

Politico:

Playbook: Johnson makes money moves — Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — NEW JMART — “Joe Biden's Big New Hampshire Blunder,” by Jonathan Martin: “President JOE BIDEN was hoping to preempt a nuisance primary challenge that could embarrass him before the general election.

Discussion: The Daily Signal, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Messenger, The Hill and CNN

Wall Street Journal:

Why Trump's Drastic Plan to Slash the Government Could Succeed — Republican presidential front-runner wants to fire federal employees, assert control over independent agencies and wrest spending authority from Congress — WASHINGTON—For decades, conservatives have tried—and largely failed …

Discussion: Raw Story

Brianne Pfannenstiel / Des Moines Register:
Donald Trump builds on big lead as Nikki Haley pulls even with Ron DeSantis in Iowa Poll

Discussion: Washington Examiner, USA Today, The Messenger, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, Raw Story, Associated Press, National Review, New York Post, PJ Media, The Daily Caller, New York Times, The Post Millennial, The Dispatch, Florida Politics and Political Wire

Mike Murphy / The Bulwark:
You Are Helping Trump — THE PRE-PRIMARY YEAR is winding down and clarity is coming to the Republican presidential race.

Discussion: Raw Story

Isaac Schorr / Mediaite:
Vivek Ramaswamy's Unfavorable Rating Surges in Iowa as Voters Get to Know Him

Discussion: The Messenger

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Trump flubs Iowa city for South Dakota city in campaign misstep

Discussion: Newsweek, Washington Times, Politico, Washington Examiner, The Daily Beast, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Messenger and Crooks and Liars

Hannah Knowles / Washington Post:
Spurned by moderates and MAGA: How DeSantis's coalition has deflated

Discussion: Mediaite and The Messenger

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, Raw Story, Political Wire, PoliticusUSA, USA Today and Washington Times

Washington Post:
Mike Johnson's first big test

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CBS News, Big League Politics and Political Wire

Ella Lee / The Hill:

Rep. Eric Swalwell to testify in Trump 14th Amendment disqualification trial — Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is expected to testify in a Colorado trial aiming to determine whether former President Trump is eligible to be on the state's 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment's “insurrectionist ban.”

Discussion: Washington Examiner and The Daily Caller

Summer Concepcion / NBC News:
Trial begins on whether Trump should be kept off the 2024 ballot in Colorado

Discussion: UPI, NC Newsline, The Federalist, Mercury News, Forbes and The Guardian

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

Discussion: Mother Jones

Jesse Bedayn / Associated Press:

Outraised and embattled, Lauren Boebert heads back to Colorado with a revamped campaign strategy — Retreating from the turmoil in Washington, D.C., Rep. Lauren Boebert arrived in bucolic southwest Colorado to turmoil of a different sort — the lingering impact of an embarrassing moment …

Discussion: Insider and Raw Story

Josephine Harvey / HuffPost:

‘Chilling’: Dem Lawmaker Says She Had Election-Denying Exchange With Mike Johnson — Rep. Madeleine Dean said Johnson managed to become House speaker because “very few people knew him or knew what he stands for.” — LOADING — Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) described new House Speaker Mike Johnson …

Discussion: Salon, The Weekly Sift, Raw Story, Political Wire, The Colorado Sun and Boston Herald

Roger Sollenberger / The Daily Beast:

Lawyer for Former George Santos Treasurer Says He Was Also Duped — A lawyer representing one of George Santos' former treasurers says he was also lied to—and the false information he provided to the media wasn't his fault. — When George Santos' congressional campaign came under federal investigation …

Discussion: Raw Story

Reuters:

Israel at war: IDF operates in Gaza, frees captive soldier — 1,400 Israelis murdered since October 7, including 315 soldiers • Four out of 239 known hostages released by Hamas, one rescued — Mossad chief Barnea flies to Qatar to secure hostage release

Discussion: The Hill, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Jerusalem Post, Breitbart, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, GB News, The Sun, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion and The Messenger

Brent D. Griffiths / Insider:

Kelly Johnson, who is married to House Speaker Mike Johnson, practices a form of Christian counseling that classifies people into ‘choleric’, ‘phlegmatic,’ and other ancient personality types purportedly ordained by God — Kelly Johnson, the wife of House Speaker Mike Johnson, was a Christian therapist.

Discussion: PinkNews

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: New York Times and Fox News

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.

Adam Klasfeld / The Messenger:

Judge Postpones Ivanka Trump's Testimony For a Few Days in Civil Fraud Trial — The former president's daughter is now scheduled to take the witness stand on Wednesday, Nov. 8 — instead of this coming Friday — JWPlayer — Ivanka Trump's testimony in her family's civil fraud trial …

Discussion: CBS News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion and Daily Kos

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:

Kevin McCarthy gets MAGA primary challenger — Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is getting a primary challenger in his reelection race for his House seat representing the state's 20th congressional district. — David Giglio, who previously lost a congressional bid for the state's 13th district …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Political Wire

Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:

DOJ seeks 10 years for Trump appointee who assaulted officers on Jan. 6 — “Hell yea I'm going. I'm a Trump appointee. I better be there,” Federico Klein wrote ahead of the Capitol attack. — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is seeking 10 years in federal prison …

Discussion: Political Wire

Patrick Svitek / The Texas Tribune:

Attorney General Ken Paxton's securities fraud trial set for April 15 — The charges stem from accusations that in 2011 Paxton tried to solicit investors in a McKinney technology company without disclosing that it was paying him to promote its stock. The attorney general has pleaded not guilty.

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, KXAN-TV, KHOU-TV, The Messenger and Political Wire

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: Politico, Deseret News, Raw Story, Fox News and Financial Times