memeorandum: Social Media Is a Mess. Government Meddling Would Only Make It Worse. (Jeff Kosseff/New York Times)

8:40 AM ET, December 14, 2023

Top Items:

Biden impeachment inquiry authorized by House Republicans, despite lack of evidence — The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to formally authorize its ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, as Republicans unite behind the effort even though they have yet to find evidence of wrongdoing by the Democrat.

Karoun Demirjian / New York Times:

Senate Passes Defense Bill, Steering Clear of Far-Right Policy Dictates — The $886 billion legislation is the product of bipartisan negotiations between the House and Senate in which right-wing restrictions on abortion, transgender care and diversity initiatives were jettisoned.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Messenger, Raw Story, WHDH-TV, UPI, Axios, New York Post, The Kyiv Independent, KEYT-TV, Breaking Defense, The Daily Caller, Associated Press, KNWA FOX24, Politico, Washington Times, TASS, Political Wire and The Hill

Politico:

Playbook: The politics that could make or break a border deal — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — WHAT YOUR MEDIA FRIENDS ARE TEXTING ABOUT — The Economist's James Bennet is out with a very buzzy, nearly 17,000-word piece on the culture war roiling …

Discussion: Punchbowl News, The Daily Caller, Slate and CBS News

The White House:

Statement from President Joe Biden on Baseless House Republican Impeachment Stunt — The American people need their leaders in Congress to take action on important priorities for the nation and world. — On Tuesday, I met with the President of Ukraine, who is leading his people in a battle for freedom against Russian aggression.

Discussion: Letters from an American, RedState, CBS News, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, USA Today, Tennessee Star, PoliticusUSA, Blaze Media, NBC News, Salon and New Republic

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
A revealing exchange on the GOP's speculative impeachment inquiry

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Raw Story and Business Insider

Bloomberg:
Republican Senators Say They're Weighing Biden's Immigration Offer

Discussion: HotAir, Fox News and Washington Examiner

Billy House / Bloomberg:
House Republicans Authorize Biden Impeachment Inquiry

Marshall Cohen / CNN:

Exclusive: Recordings describe 2020 Oval Office photo-op where Trump was briefed on fake electors and January 6 — Before a group of supportive lawyers entered the Oval Office for a photo-op with then-President Donald Trump in December 2020, they were given a clear instruction …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo, Daily Kos, Raw Story and The Messenger

Bloomberg:

Trump Pulls Ahead in Michigan as Union, Women Voters Sour on Biden — Biden now trails Trump in seven swing states on economic concerns, the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult Poll shows. — Donald Trump has pulled ahead of President Joe Biden in must-win Michigan as voters remain pessimistic …

Discussion: Morning Consult Pro, Raw Story, Political Wire, The Hill, Fox News and Washington Examiner

Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:

Is it time for a second look at Kamala Harris? — With Biden's polling worse than ever, the Kamala question deserves a serious answer. — ∙ Paid — Speaking at a fundraiser in Massachusetts last week, Joe Biden reportedly said that “If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running, but we cannot let him win.”

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:

Fox Board Member Paul Ryan Slams Trump, Hails Cheney and Kinzinger: 'Trump's Not a Conservative, He's an Authoritarian Narcissist' — Former House Speaker Paul Ryan tore into Donald Trump in a recent interview, denouncing the former president as an “authoritarian narcissist,” …

Discussion: The Messenger, HuffPost, The Gateway Pundit, Politico, The Hill and Political Wire

Carlos Lozada / New York Times:

Liz Cheney's Checkered History — Deep in her new book, “Oath and Honor,” Liz Cheney points out that the likeness of Clio, the Greek muse of history, is found in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall. “Clio is depicted riding in the chariot of time, making notes in the book in her hand,” …

Liz Cheney / Wall Street Journal:
Checks and Balances Won't Stop Trump

Discussion: Raw Story and The Bulwark

Nikki McCann Ramirez / Rolling Stone:
GOP Rep. Explains Impeachment Push: ‘Donald J. Trump 2024, Baby!’

Discussion: USA Today, Civil Discourse …, HuffPost, Mediaite, Raw Story, Florida Politics, Fox News and Business Insider

Kate Brumback / Associated Press:

Lawyer Fani Willis calls proposed pause on Trump's election case ‘silly notion’ — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis rejected the idea that her prosecution of Donald Trump could amount to election interference. Willis, who obtained a sweeping indictment against Trump and 18 others in August, is seeking an August trial date.

Discussion: Associated Press, Raw Story, Axios, The Hill, WHDH-TV, Forbes, Washington Examiner, Fox News, WUSA, Political Wire, Daily Kos, The Messenger and Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Politico:
Supreme Court will review scope of obstruction law that Trump is charged with breaking

Steve Reilly / The Messenger:
Expediting Trump Appeals Court Review Will 'Vindicate the Public's Interest,' Special Counsel Jack Smith Argues

Discussion: NBC News, Bloomberg, Raw Story, emptywheel, Law & Crime and Daily Caller News Foundation

Business Insider:

Trump fraud-trial judge evacuated from Manhattan courthouse soon after testimony ends — The Trump fraud trial is nearing its end in a lower Manhattan courthouse. — More than 10 weeks of testimony wrapped on Wednesday with a verdict expected in a month.

Discussion: NBC News, Raw Story, abc7NY, New York Post, The Daily Beast, Associated Press and The Messenger

Sid Garcia / ABC7:

Protest calling for cease-fire in Gaza shuts down SB 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles — The CHP says 75 people were arrested. — A protest on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles prompted a shutdown of southbound lanes as demonstrators called for a cease-fire in Gaza. — KABC

Discussion: NBC Los Angeles, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Los Angeles Times, HotAir, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, CBS News, Orange County Register, KTLA, Mediaite, Not the Bee, The Universe As A Causal Set and NewsNation

Thomas Barrabi / New York Post:

GOP critics decry ‘regulatory harassment’ as FCC denies Elon Musk's Starlink $900M in subsidies — Republican critics raged after the Federal Communications Commission rejected nearly $900 million in subsidies for Elon Musk's Starlink internet service - a move they decried as a vindictive play by the Biden administration.

Discussion: The Messenger, RedState, Mediaite, Twitchy, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, TechCrunch, Reuters and The Verge

New York Times:

In Annual News Conference, Putin Says His War Aims Have Not Changed — The Russian leader has been taking questions for nearly two hours, albeit in a closely controlled setting. When asked about Ukraine, he suggested that Western support for the country was drying up.

Discussion: The Hill, Fox News, NBC News, The Guardian and Althouse

Jeff Kosseff / New York Times:

Social Media Is a Mess. Government Meddling Would Only Make It Worse. — This term, the Supreme Court will reconsider America's laissez-faire approach to regulating the internet, and in doing so it will address vital and new First Amendment questions. Can states stop social media sites from blocking certain content?

Justin Rohrlich / The Daily Beast:

Carnegie Mellon Student Sues Over Prof's ‘Cruel Campaign of Antisemitic Abuse’ — Yael Canaan says her architecture instructor at one point suggested she ponder “what Jews do to make themselves such a hated group.” — A Carnegie Mellon University architecture student says she was subjected to a …

Discussion: Fox News and Bloomberg

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:

It's the Beginning of the Disastrous End for Rudy Giuliani — Rudy Giuliani screwed up his professional license in 2021. This is the year of his financial ruin. Next year could end with him in prison. — Rudy Giuliani, the disgraced politician once known as “America's Mayor” …

Discussion: Raw Story

James LaPorta / The Messenger:

One US Marine Dead, Dozen More Hospitalized After Training Accident in California — The Marines were traveling in an amphibious combat vehicle, designed to operate on the sea and on land, at the time of the accident — A United States Marine is dead while more than a dozen others were taken …

Discussion: Military.com, One America News Network, The Daily Caller, Los Angeles Times, Task & Purpose, Times of San Diego, KVUE-TV, KTLA and Fox News

Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:

‘COME AND TAKE IT, USDA’: House Republicans Passionately Defend Milk — “We want only the most nutritional option for Santa,” argued Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). “Whole milk is the unsung hero of his Christmas journey.” — LOADING — Congress is running out of time to pass major legislative priorities …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, Washington Times, The Guardian, Social Justice In America and Washington Examiner

David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:

The GOP's Refusal to Fund Ukraine's Defense Is an Absolute Scandal — MAGA Republicans are Vladimir Putin's best friends, and they work against the U.S.' national security. … The damage has been done. The message has been sent. — Russia's fifth column, also known as the MAGA Republicans …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The American Conservative, Talking Points Memo and Bloomberg

Tom Krisher / Associated Press:

Tesla recalls nearly all vehicles sold in US to fix system that monitors drivers using Autopilot — Tesla is recalling nearly all vehicles sold in the U.S., more than 2 million, to update software and fix a defective system that's supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when using Autopilot.