memeorandum: Will Trump provoke a crisis of legitimacy for the US supreme court? (Sidney Blumenthal/The Guardian)

3:40 PM ET, December 26, 2023

Top Items:

Anat Shenker-Osorio / New York Times:

A Trump Conviction Could Cost Him Enough Voters to Tip the Election — Recent general-election polling has generally shown Donald Trump maintaining a slight lead over President Biden. Yet many of those polls also reveal an Achilles' heel for Mr. Trump that has the potential to change the shape of the race.

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo, Raw Story, USA Today, The Daily Caller and The Japan Times

Stephen Collinson / CNN:

Trump augurs divisive year in angry Christmas rant — Most global political, spiritual and national leaders mark Christmas with a plea for peace, or by stressing the virtues of family and unity. — That's not Donald Trump's style. — The ex-president unleashed an online torrent of fury and bitterness …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New Republic, The Daily Beast, Fox News, Mock Paper Scissors, DNyuz and Mediaite

Kristen Soltis Anderson / New York Times:

How Trump Is Running Differently This Time — A wrecking ball. A bull in a China shop. A “chaos candidate.” During Donald Trump's whirlwind rise to the presidency, his opponents and critics frequently noted his penchant for havoc. Surely, they believed, voters would not want to steer the country toward disorder and mayhem.

Discussion: Fox News, The Messenger, Raw Story, Washington Examiner and The Hill

Marina Pitofsky / USA Today:

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene targeted in swatting attempt on Christmas Day — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was targeted by a swatting attempt at her Georgia home on Christmas Day. — The Republican lawmaker shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday that …

Kayla Gallagher / The Messenger:
GOP Rep. Brandon Williams ‘Swatted’ on Christmas: ‘Left With Homemade Cookies’

Discussion: The Daily Caller, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, National Review, The Hill, Mediaite, DNyuz, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Washington Times and The Post Millennial

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:

Police increase patrols around Colorado justices' homes after Trump ruling — The Denver Police Department said Tuesday it is investigating reports of threats or harassment against the Colorado Supreme Court justices and has increased patrols around their residences.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Messenger, CNN, CBS News, UPI, New York Post, Axios and Mediaite

ABC News:
Police increase security for Colorado Supreme Court justices in wake of Donald Trump ruling

Discussion: The Messenger, National Review and USA Today

Richard Pollina / New York Post:

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis faces backlash for cringy ‘Feliz Navidad’ rendition as migrant crisis surges — Colorado Governor Jared Polis is drawing harsh criticism for his “Feliz Navidad” holiday message as the state struggles for resources while battling a significant immigration crisis …

Discussion: Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Metro.co.uk, Mediaite and The Messenger

Luke Gentile / Washington Examiner:
Jared Polis slammed for cringe-filled ‘Feliz Navidad’ performance amid immigrant crisis

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Twitchy, The Gateway Pundit and RedState

Carter Sherman / The Guardian:

Ohio grand jury to decide whether to charge woman who miscarried for ‘abuse of a corpse’ — Brittany Watts's water broke prematurely and she miscarried at home; when she went to the hospital a nurse called the police — A grand jury is set to decide whether an Ohio woman who miscarried …

Discussion: Raw Story

Sidney Blumenthal / The Guardian:

Will Trump provoke a crisis of legitimacy for the US supreme court? — The court can only rescue Trump from the Colorado ruling by shredding originalism and textualism. Will it? — Donald Trump's packing of the supreme court, to which he appointed three members, to create …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jake Swearingen / Business Insider:

An avalanche of money is coming to kick Lauren Boebert out of Congress — Lauren Boebert was nearly unseated by Democrat Adam Frisch in 2022, and he's running again in 2024. — He's raised more money than all but two members of Congress, and the most of any non-incumbent.

Discussion: TIME and Raw Story

Politico:

The latest front in the Gaetz vs. McCarthy fight: House primaries — Gaetz keeps supporting candidates in primaries where McCarthy has already backed someone else. — Republicans are desperate to avoid nasty primaries next year. But the architect of Kevin McCarthy's ouster from the speakership has other plans.

Discussion: Raw Story and RedState

Politico:

Georgia offered Medicaid with a work requirement. Few have signed up. — Only 1,800 people enrolled — and critics blame the paltry expansion on an overly complex program with too many hurdles for people to clear. — A GOP experiment forcing low-income people to work to qualify …

Discussion: The Messenger

U.S. Department of Defense:

Statement from Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on U.S. Strikes in Iraq — Today, at President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq.

Discussion: Associated Press, France 24, Reuters, CBS News, National Review, DNyuz, The Messenger, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Al Jazeera, ABC News, Bloomberg, UPI, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, KSDK-TV, The Sun, The Hill, Press Herald, NewsNation, Fox News, The Japan Times and KTLA

The White House:
Statement from NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson on U.S. Strikes in Iraq

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Reuters, Axios, Middle East Monitor, The Post Millennial, USA Today, DNyuz and IJR

Zach Schonfeld / The Hill:

Appeals court wipes conviction for ex-congressman — A federal appeals court panel wiped ex-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry's (R-Neb.) conviction of lying to the FBI about an illegal campaign contribution, ruling Tuesday that he was not tried in the proper venue. — Last year, a jury sitting …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Business Insider, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Bill Scher / Politico:

Which 2028 Presidential Wannabe Had the Best Year? — Ambitious politicians spent 2023 jockeying for the presidential race on the horizon. — POLITICO illustration by Emily Scherer/Photos by Getty Images, AP — Donald Trump's road to victory in the 2016 presidential election began in March 2011 …

Discussion: The Daily Beast

Reuters:

Rapper Ye, the former Kanye West, apologizes in Hebrew for anti-Jewish remarks — The rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, issued an apology in Hebrew to the Jewish community on Tuesday for his past antisemitic remarks, saying he sought forgiveness and regretted any pain that his words had caused.