memeorandum: Trump's 2020 Bullying of Michigan Election Officials Is Blatant Authoritarianism (Matt Lewis/The Daily Beast)

6:10 PM ET, December 22, 2023

Top Items:

Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:

Supreme Court sidesteps decision on Trump presidential immunity claim in federal election interference case — Trump is claiming broad immunity for actions he took in office, including efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results for which he faces criminal prosecution.

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Supreme Court Won't Hear Case on Trump's Immunity Defense for Now — Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecuting former President Donald J. Trump, had urged the justices to move with extraordinary speed, bypassing a federal appeals court. — The Supreme Court declined on Friday to decide …

Discussion: Vox, El País, Raw Story, Associated Press, The Federalist, The Hill, Washington Times, SCOTUSblog, The Guardian, CNN and Axios

Kierra Frazier / Politico:

Trump vows a peaceful transfer of power if reelected — Trump insisted that he peacefully turned over power to Biden in 2021, though he's been indicted for his role in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. — If reelected president in 2024, Donald Trump vowed Friday …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Raw Story, Washington Times and The Messenger

Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show:

Former President Donald Trump On President Biden, Support for Israel, The War In Ukraine, Campaign 2024, and What a Second Trump Term Would Look Like — Former President Trump Donald Trump joined me this morning: — Audio: — 12-22hhs-trump — Transcript:

Discussion: ABC News, NBC News, Bloomberg, The Messenger, New York Post, HuffPost, The Daily Caller, PoliticusUSA, Mock Paper Scissors and Political Wire

Lara Seligman / Politico:

Trump hints at possible picks for Pentagon chief in a second term — The GOP frontrunner brought up Christopher Miller, who once said he couldn't wait to leave DOD. — Former President Donald Trump on Friday dropped hints about who he would pick to lead the Pentagon if he wins a second term.

Discussion: New York Times

Matt Lewis / The Daily Beast:

Trump's 2020 Bullying of Michigan Election Officials Is Blatant Authoritarianism — If you're still brushing off the ex-president as some kind of harmless rascal and diagnosing his critics as suffering from “derangement syndrome”—you might be the problem.

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Raw Story and USA Today

Jess Bidgood / The Boston Globe:

'He's the only one that's speaking the truth': Trump's fans trust nothing — except him — CORALVILLE, Iowa — Joannie Firkins, 63, does not trust the COVID vaccine. She does not trust the Internal Revenue Service. She does not trust the results of the 2020 election and she certainly does not trust President Biden.

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Trump: 'I'm not a student of Hitler'

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Washington Times, Newsday, Raw Story, New York Post and Washington Post

John Santucci / ABC News:
Trump allegedly pressured Michigan election workers not to certify 2020 vote: Report

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia officials ask FBI to investigate emails from pro-Trump election skeptic

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Raw Story and The Messenger

Sarah Ellison / Washington Post:
Disqualifying Trump may be legally sound but fraught for democracy, scholars say

Discussion: The Forward, Fox News, Althouse, Public, The Post Millennial and Politico

The White House:

A Proclamation on Granting Pardon for the Offense of Simple Possession of Marijuana, Attempted Simple Possession of Marijuana, or Use of Marijuana — In Proclamation 10467 of October 6, 2022 (Granting Pardon for the Offense of Simple Possession of Marijuana), I exercised my authority under …

Discussion: USA Today, NPR, Rolling Stone, Reason, New York Magazine, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, UPI, Mediaite and Business Insider

Associated Press:
Biden pardons thousands convicted of marijuana charges on federal lands and in Washington

Discussion: The Hill, TIME, Axios, Chicago Tribune, Washington Times, Bloomberg, New York Post, Reason, CBS News, NewsNation, ABC News, USA Today and WUSA

Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast:

Joe Rogan Corrected On-Air for Blaming Trump Gaffe on Biden — The podcaster was caught off guard by a live fact-check from his own team that revealed it was Trump—not Biden—who made the gaffe in question. — Joe Rogan has done it again. But this time, even his own producers couldn't help …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hill, Variety, HuffPost, Raw Story and The Messenger

Journal Sentinel:

Wisconsin Supreme Court rules legislative maps unconstitutional, orders new boundaries for 2024 vote — Molly Beck Jessie OpoienMilwaukee Journal Sentinel — MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Republican-controlled state Legislature to draw new legislative boundaries ahead …

Discussion: Associated Press, NBC News, New York Times, The Messenger, RedState, Talking Points Memo, One America News Network, Daily Caller News Foundation, WISC-TV, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and Daily Kos

Michael Barfield / Florida Center …:

Police have recovered second Ziegler sex video, sources say — A sex video involving Sarasota School Board member Bridget Ziegler and an unidentified woman has been recovered by police as part of the ongoing criminal investigation of a rape allegation made against Bridget's husband …

Discussion: The Messenger, Balloon Juice, Raw Story, Daily Kos and Mock Paper Scissors

Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:

Ron DeSantis' super PAC cancels remaining ad reservations as another group aims to fills the void — Never Back Down, which has been the main outside group backing DeSantis, will focus on its field operation, while Fight Right will handle TV ad spending. — Never Back Down …

Discussion: New York Times, CBS News, The National Pulse+, Raw Story, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Messenger, Washington Post and New York Magazine

Washington Post:
Pro-DeSantis super PAC cancels ads in Iowa and New Hampshire

Discussion: Bloomberg, New York Post and Washington Times

New York Times:
How DeSantis's Ambitious, Costly Ground Game Has Sputtered

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart, The Spectator World, The Dispatch, CBS News, Florida Politics and Bloomberg

Abené Clayton / The Guardian:

California town proposes ban on Pride, Black and women's history celebrations — Far-right council members in Huntington Beach introduce agenda item to switch focus to US wars and America's independence — The southern California city of Huntington Beach, a bastion of conservative voters …

Discussion: The Messenger, Raw Story and Los Angeles Times

Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:

When her family needed money, Nikki Haley found a lucrative path — The candidate's public policy positions — hawkish and pro-business — created well-paid private opportunities when she abruptly resigned from government in 2018 — Nikki Haley was representing the United States on the world stage …

Discussion: Raw Story

Politico:

Democrats sue New Hampshire over GOP-backed election law — President Joe Biden's campaign is supporting the legal challenge, which was first shared with POLITICO. — The Democratic National Committee is suing New Hampshire officials over a Republican-backed election law that it claims …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, The Messenger, Fox News and Election Law Blog

Alex Thompson / Axios:
Scoop: Biden campaign plots late push ahead of South Carolina primary

Discussion: New York Times, Fox News, New York Magazine and The Messenger

Mary Ilyushina / Washington Post:

Raunchy celebrity party in Russia draws outrage over ‘nude illusion’ theme — RIGA, Latvia — A raunchy celebrity-filled party in Moscow has drawn the ire of Russian politicians and fervent Christian Orthodox activists who are urging law enforcement to punish the event's guests and organizers …

Discussion: Business Insider, The Messenger and Althouse

Alexander Tin / CBS News:

New COVID variant JN.1 surges to 44% of cases, CDC estimates — even higher in New York, New Jersey — The new COVID-19 variant that scientists call JN.1 now makes up about 44.1% of COVID-19 cases across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Friday …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, NDTV, ABC7, Forbes, NBC News, Deseret News and Metro.co.uk

Politico:

Trump allies and MAGA luminaries move to kill off the Haley-for-VP buzz — Haley's rise has prompted speculation she'd be a logical running mate for Trump. — Donald Trump's allies, MAGA media influencers and even his son are sending the Republican frontrunner a message as he begins …

Discussion: CBS News, PJ Media, Boston Herald, The Post Millennial, USA Today and The Messenger