memeorandum: After Sandy Hook, they voted no. Now these senators want new gun laws. (Washington Post)

4:15 PM ET, December 27, 2023

Top Items:

Zach Schonfeld / The Hill:

Trump demands recusal of Maine secretary of state in 14th Amendment determination — Former President Trump on Wednesday demanded the Maine secretary of state recuse herself from her upcoming decision on the former president's ballot eligibility under the 14th Amendment, citing her past statements about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Discussion: The Messenger, New York Post, The Daily Caller, The Maine Wire and Truthout

Rolling Stone:

Trump Demands MAGA Group Give Him ‘Millions.’ That's Not Legal, Experts Say — Trump wants a cut from a think tank raising money to support his agenda and staff his administration, sources tell Rolling Stone. … At least that's how former President Donald Trump sees it.

Discussion: Raw Story

Daniel Barnes / NBC News:

Special counsel Jack Smith seeks to block Trump from making ‘political attacks’ during trial — Smith also asked the court to prohibit Trump from blaming law enforcement for the attack on Jan. 6, 2021. — WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith filed a motion Wednesday …

Discussion: HotAir, Raw Story and New York Daily News

Marshall Cohen / CNN:

Michigan Supreme Court rejects ‘insurrectionist ban’ case and keeps Trump on 2024 primary ballot — The Michigan Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot based on the US Constitution's “insurrectionist ban.”

Danny Hakim / New York Times:

A Fake Trump Elector in Michigan Told Prosecutors of Regret, Anger — The Trump supporter is the only one of the 16 fake Michigan electors who has agreed to cooperate with the authorities and had charges against him dropped. — One of the Republicans in Michigan who acted as a fake elector …

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, HuffPost, Political Wire and Election Law Blog

Axios:
Exclusive data: Trump lowers his own social media punch

Discussion: New York Times, The Messenger, The Hill and Raw Story

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:
Trump Is Testing the Bounds of Presidential Immunity—and Losing

Discussion: Salon, RedState, Raw Story, New York Daily News, Business Insider and HuffPost

Patrick Marley / Washington Post:
Michigan Supreme Court allows Trump to appear on 2024 primary ballot

Discussion: Townhall, CBS News, California Globe, One America News Network, Politico, IJR, New York Daily News, Raw Story, The Messenger, Washington Examiner and Grabien News

New York Times:
Trump Is Not the Only Reason to Fix This Uniquely Dangerous Law

Discussion: Raw Story

The Guardian:
FBI investigating threats directed at Colorado supreme court justices after Trump ruling

Discussion: 77 WABC, Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, DNyuz, The Post Millennial, FOX31 Denver, Associated Press, National Review, CBS News, UPI, USA Today, New York Post and HuffPost

Eric Bazail-Eimil / Politico:
Trump shares cryptic ‘dictatorship’ word cloud on Truth Social

Discussion: The Messenger, Truthout, The Independent, HuffPost, NBC News, Sun-Sentinel, New Republic, DNyuz, Raw Story, CNN, Althouse, Axios, REALITYCHEX.COM, Twitchy, The Daily Beast, The Hill and Business Insider

Holly Otterbein / Politico:

John Fetterman isn't the politician you thought he'd be — and he doesn't care — John Fetterman's had a rollercoaster of a year. — In January, he was sworn into office as Pennsylvania's new Democratic senator despite suffering from a debilitating stroke on the campaign trail.

Discussion: ABC27, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Messenger, IJR, Fox News and Business Insider

Dan Ladden-Hall / The Daily Beast:

Trans Actress Accuses Delta Staff of ‘Human Rights Violation’ in Viral Row — Tommy Dorfman claimed one of the airline workers had “intentionally” referred to her with the wrong pronoun. — Transgender actress Tommy Dorfman accused Delta Air Lines workers of committing a “human rights violation” …

Discussion: RedState

Maura Zurick / Newsweek:
Viral Video of Trans Actress Being Misgendered by Delta Staff Sparks Debate

Discussion: Blaze Media, TMZ.com, Washington Examiner, Page Six, RedState, Louder With Crowder, The Daily Caller, The Messenger, IJR, The Gateway Pundit and The Post Millennial

William Grimes / New York Times:

Tom Smothers, Comic Half of the Smothers Brothers, Dies at 86 — Though he played a naïve buffoon onstage, he was the driving force behind the folk-singing duo's groundbreaking TV show. — Tom Smothers, the older half of the comic folk duo the Smothers Brothers, whose skits and songs on …

Discussion: Reuters, National Comedy Center, DNyuz, PoliticusUSA, Variety, CBS News, WHDH-TV, The Sun, New York Post, Associated Press, WHTM-TV, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Rolling Stone, Althouse and Press Herald

Mike Barnes / The Hollywood Reporter:
Tom Smothers, Comedian, Musician and Scourge of CBS Censors, Dies at 86

Discussion: The Hill, UPI and Billboard

Caroline Petrow-Cohen / Los Angeles Times:

Nobody's ever lost their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Will Trump be the first? — (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) — Hollywood Hills resident Andrew Rudick is on a mission. — Over the last three years, he's submitted public records requests, retrieved case documents …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jacob Knutson / Axios: Thousands — and some city officials — want Trump's Hollywood star removed

David Strom / HotAir:

30% of Young Americans Think Osama bin Laden was “A Force for Good” — If this doesn't creep you out, you need to seek help from a psychologist. They have drugs for that. — Three in ten Gen Zer's think that Osama bin Laden was a force for good, and a similar proportion of Black Americans think the same.

Discussion: Washington Times

Wills Robinson / Daily Mail:
One in five young Americans has a POSITIVE view of Osama Bin Laden: Disturbing Daily Mail poll results also reveal three in 10 Gen-Zers think the views …

Discussion: Breitbart and Instapundit

Michael Hirsh / Politico:

The Biden Administration Is Quietly Shifting Its Strategy in Ukraine — For two years, Biden and Zelenskyy have been focused on driving Russia from Ukraine. Now Washington is discussing a move to a more defensive posture. — President Joe Biden has shifted from promising the U.S. would back Ukraine for …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and New York Post

Natalie Allison / Politico:

'You're asking me about risk of embarrassment?': Why Asa Hutchinson is still running for president — He is testing the limits of just how long an accomplished conservative can withstand rejection and rebuke from his own party's base. — Asa Hutchinson, left, greets customers …

Discussion: The Hill, The Messenger and National Review

Brooke Singman / Fox News:

Melania Trump spends Christmas with ailing mother, missing Mar-a-Lago celebration — It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother,' a source tells Fox News Digital — Read this article for free! — Plus get unlimited access to thousands of articles, videos and more with your free account!

Discussion: Page Six, Breitbart, Mercury News, The Daily Caller, The National Pulse+, New York Post and DNyuz

Danika Fears / The Daily Beast:
Melania Thinks It's Time to ‘Leave Her Mark on History’

Discussion: Page Six, Balloon Juice, The Gateway Pundit, Metro.co.uk and Political Wire

Washington Post:

After Sandy Hook, they voted no. Now these senators want new gun laws. — Reflecting on a decade of mass killings and surging AR-15 sales, four current and three former senators recant some or all of their 2013 positions on gun laws in emotional interviews with The Post

Discussion: The Messenger, The Hill and Mediaite

Connor O'Brien / Politico:

Alabama lawmakers vow to keep fighting on Space Command, and it could involve Trump — “We've got two paths, both of which are good,” House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers said. — Despite President Joe Biden's decision this summer to reverse a Trump-era move and keep U.S. Space Command in Colorado …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and The Messenger

Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:

Judge denies DOJ request to pause lawsuit challenging Alabama ban on trans care for minors — A federal judge in Alabama denied the Biden administration's request to pause a lawsuit challenging the state's transgender care ban while other courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, consider similar challenges in other states.

Discussion: The Messenger, 9to5Mac, Washington Examiner, UPI, Fox Business, CBS News and Truthout, more at Techmeme »

Jonathan Larsen / Salon:

GOP congressman traveled to Uganda to support anti-LGBTQ death penalty law — Rep. Tim Walberg co-chairs the National Prayer Breakfast — and urged Uganda to “stand firm” on “death to gays” law — In a little-noticed October speech in Uganda, Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich. …

Discussion: Truthout, DNyuz and Raw Story