memeorandum: 3 Expert Shoemakers Say Ron DeSantis Is Probably Wearing Height Boosters (Derek Guy/Politico)

3:00 PM ET, October 31, 2023

Top Items:

House Republicans: No Aid for Israel Unless Rich Tax Cheats Get a Break … A few years ago, Representative Mike Johnson, now Speaker of the House, told an audience that democracy is bad. “By the way, the United States is not a democracy,” he explained. “Do you know what a democracy is?

Discussion: HuffPost, Semafor, Fox News, Digby's Hullabaloo, Not the Bee, The Hill, The Messenger, House Committee … and Political Wire

NBC News:

In his first act, Speaker Mike Johnson uses Israel aid to pick a fight with Joe Biden — The newly minted Republican speaker is seeking to pay for aid to Israel by slashing $14.3 billion from IRS funds in the Democratic president's signature law. — WASHINGTON — In his first major move …

Washington Post:
House GOP demands IRS budget cuts along with Israel aid

Discussion: Raw Story, Reason, The Bulwark, Politico, Daily Caller News Foundation, HuffPost, The Messenger and The Hill

NBC News:
House Israel aid bill includes $14.3 billion by slashing IRS funds

Discussion: The Hill, The Messenger, HotAir, CNN, Roll Call, BizPac Review, Letters from an American, New York Post, Crooks and Liars and CBS News

Derek Guy / Politico:

3 Expert Shoemakers Say Ron DeSantis Is Probably Wearing Height Boosters — The internet has questions about the governor's boots. So I asked the experts. — In the last few weeks, posts mocking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' strangely shaped cowboy boots have racked up millions of views …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Vanity Fair, RedState, Breitbart, Forbes, Newsweek, New Republic, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Political Wire, The Post Millennial and Florida Politics

Kelby Vera / HuffPost:
Ron DeSantis Turns Down Chance To Squash Lifted Shoe Speculation

Discussion: BizPac Review, The Post Millennial, Twitchy, The Messenger, Breitbart and Florida Politics

Brian Stelter / Vanity Fair:

“It Was Always Going to End Badly”: The Untold Story of Tucker Carlson's Ugly Exit From Fox News — Fox never explained that abrupt firing of cable news' biggest star, allowing conspiracy theories to fester. Now, in his new book, Network of Lies, Brian Stelter explores the myriad factors contributing to Carlson's cancellation.

Discussion: The Hill, Politico, Digby's Hullabaloo, Poynter and The Messenger, more at Mediagazer »

Lisa Emmanuel / CNN:

Hedge fund billionaire Leon Cooperman, in rare public rebuke of a Republican candidate, says Trump ‘belongs in jail’ — New York CNN — Leon Cooperman, the hedge fund billionaire who has famously clashed with Sen. Elizabeth Warren over her proposed wealth tax, is cautioning voters …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Messenger, Raw Story, Political Wire and World Bank

Yasmeen Serhan / TIME:
Biden's Gaza Stance Spurs Stunning Drop in Arab American Support

Discussion: The Hill, The Messenger, Reuters, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and Louder With Crowder

Peter Hamby / Puck:
Dean Phillips' Prairie Home Rebellion

Discussion: Insider, Washington Examiner, Political Wire, Roll Call and New York Times

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Democrats' all-purpose message for 2024: Defeat MAGA chaos

Discussion: New Republic, Hackwhackers, Political Wire, Fox News and The Hill

Alec Dent / The Messenger:

Former GOP Rep. Kinzinger Says Family Member Disowned Him Via ‘Certified Letter’ — Kinzinger, a prominent Republican critic of Trump, said his family took issues with his refusal to support the former president — Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said he was disowned by some family members …

Discussion: Political Wire, The Daily Caller and The Bulwark

Nick Robertson / The Hill:

Kinzinger says family disowned him over loss of Hannity's trust — Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said he was disowned by his family after he left Congress and “lost the trust” of Fox News host Sean Hannity. — “So, I had family that sent a certified letter disowning me,” Kinzinger said in a CNN interview Monday.

Discussion: Mediaite, Political Wire and HuffPost

Andrew Solender / Axios:

Senate Dems plan to subpoena conservative justices' billionaire patrons … - “[I]t is imperative that we understand the full extent of how people with interests before the Court are able to use undisclosed gifts to gain private access to the justices,” the senators said.

Discussion: United States Senate Committee …, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, CBS News, BizPac Review, The Root, Daily Caller News Foundation, Hackwhackers, HuffPost, Associated Press, Washington Times, The Hill, NBC News, Bloomberg, Washington Post and The Messenger

Maegan Vazquez / Washington Post:

Rep. Earl Blumenauer to retire after nearly three decades in Congress — Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who has spent nearly three decades in Congress, announced Monday night that he does not plan to seek reelection next year. — “I have dedicated my career to creating livable communities …

Discussion: Oregonian and Political Wire

Nigel Jaquiss / Willamette Week:
Earl Blumenauer Will Not Run for Reelection

Discussion: Roll Call, UPI, Politico, Associated Press, Political Wire, The Hill, HuffPost and The Messenger

Melissa Gira Grant / New Republic:

Mike Johnson Has a Dangerous Victim Complex — “Christ calls us to be ‘wise as serpents and harmless as doves,’” wrote Mike Johnson on a Creationist website in 2015. Johnson, who became speaker of the House last week, was counseling his fellow Christians on how to live in a new and …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Atlantic, Raw Story, Newsbusters and Deseret News

CNN:

CNN Poll: Trump dominates South Carolina GOP primary, with Haley a clear but distant second — Former President Donald Trump currently holds majority support in the early primary state of South Carolina, where his strongest challenger is Nikki Haley, the state's former governor, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, Florida Politics, Political Wire, The Daily Beast, CBS News, WSPA-TV and FITSNews

Rachel Schilke / Washington Examiner:

Top UN official in New York resigns and accuses body of supporting Israel — Craig Mokhiber, United Nations Human Rights office director in New York, has resigned from his position in protest of Israel's counterattacks in the Gaza Strip, calling it “a text-book case of genocide.”

Discussion: The Messenger and The Guardian

Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:

America's Rifle Fetish Is Destroying Its Sense of Freedom — In Anthony Mann's 1950 western “Winchester '73,” a rare and much-desired Winchester rifle brings misery and death to the unlucky souls who manage to bring it into their possession. In the West as brought to you by Mann …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Washington Post:

N.C. Gov. Cooper: Republicans' new map ‘will be challenged’ — Good morning, Early Birds. We're curious if there are any politicians in either party sporting more impressive costumes than Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who dressed as Albus Dumbledore. Send us your nominations: earlytips@washpost.com.

Discussion: Florida Politics, The Daily Caller and Political Wire

Peter Stone / The Guardian:

Top Trump allies facing charges lose lawyers after failing to pay legal bills — Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell, who pushed false claims about the 2020 election, face six- and seven-figure bills — A trio of top Donald Trump allies who have racked up huge legal expenses …

Discussion: Raw Story

Alfred Ng / Politico:

‘Wholly ineffective and pretty obviously racist’: Inside New Orleans' struggle with facial-recognition policing — Records obtained and analyzed by POLITICO reveal the practice failed to identify suspects a majority of the time and is disproportionately used against Black people.

Politico:

Harris had a contingency plan for campus protests over Israel — The vice president, like other Democrats, is feeling some heat from her base. — Former aides to Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign are collecting signatures for a letter urging the vice president to “seek an immediate ceasefire” …

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, CNBC Television on YouTube, RedState, Twitchy, Breitbart, GB News and HuffPost

ED News:

Biden-Harris Administration Continues Efforts to Provide Debt Relief for More Student Loan Borrowers — U.S. Department of Education releases draft regulatory text that would provide much-needed debt relief to borrowers across the country — Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov

Discussion: HuffPost, The Hill, BizPac Review, ABC News, NBC News, U.S. Department of Education, NBC Boston, USA Today, Insider, WCSH and Politico

ED News:
U.S. Department of Education Announces Withholding of Payment to Student Loan Servicer as Part of Accountability Measures for Harmed Borrowers