memeorandum: NY lawmaker: Talks between Biden officials and Mexico ‘too little, too late’ (Nick Robertson/The Hill)

3:20 PM ET, December 28, 2023

Top Items:

Haley blames a ‘Democratic plant’ for Civil War question that tripped her up — The former South Carolina governor also said that the war was, indeed, about slavery. — Hours after declining to do so, Nikki Haley said on Thursday morning that she believed slavery was, indeed, the cause of the Civil War.

Meg Kinnard / Associated Press:

Nikki Haley, asked what caused the Civil War, leaves out slavery. It's not the first time — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was asked Wednesday by a New Hampshire voter about the reason for the Civil War, and she didn't mention slavery in her response — leading the voter to say he was “astonished” by her omission.

Matt Lewis / The Daily Beast:

Nikki Haley's Slavery Gaffe Shows How Scared She Is of MAGA Republicans — In the dumbest of enforced errors, the GOP primary challenger fumbled an easy question about the Civil War, then tried to blame it on a “Democratic plant.” … We're just over two weeks out from the first votes …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Lawyers, Guns & Money and IJR

Washington Post:

Nikki Haley acknowledges Civil War ‘about slavery’ after facing backlash — NORTH CONWAY, N.H. — Nikki Haley on Thursday acknowledged the Civil War was “about slavery,” after facing swift criticism for making no mention of it when asked about the cause of the conflict at a town hall.

Discussion: ABC News, The Messenger, Mediaite, The Hill, Little Green Footballs, Raw Story, CBS News and Mock Paper Scissors

Politico:
Haley declines to say slavery was cause of Civil War

Discussion: Newsweek, acecomments.mu.nu, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, Daily Breeze, The Hill, HotAir, Instapundit, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner, ABC News, The Messenger, USA Today, Althouse, Election Law Blog and Political Wire

Will Carless / USA Today:

Ex-GOP student leader's links to Jan. 6 Capitol riot and a neo-Nazi web site — The young man is seen running with the crowd of Trump supporters toward the U.S. Capitol early in the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021. He wears a thigh-length dark blue coat, his face almost fully covered with a mask.

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:

Jan. 6 riot suspect revealed as Trump administration employee who praised Hitler: report — A full-time employee of the Trump administration appears to have taken part in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to a new analysis. — USA Today reported that Oliver Krvaric, who was working at the time as a …

Jake Lahut / The Daily Beast:

Dems Target GOP State Lawmakers With Jan. 6 Credentials — Democrats are going after Republicans who came to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 to cheer on overturning the election. … In Donald Trump's Republican Party, being in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, is far from a mark on a candidate's record—it's more like a credential.

Discussion: Reason, Raw Story and 77 WABC

PhillyBurbs:

Bucks County mom behind conservative school movement charged with assault, giving teens alcohol — Chris Ullery Bethany RodgersUSA TODAY NETWORK — A former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor candidate and outspoken voice in the conservative “parental rights” school movement has been charged …

Discussion: Mother Jones and Raw Story

Chris Harris / The Messenger:

Seattle Supporters Watch Black Lives Matter Garden Leveled After It Was Overrun by Drug Users, Homeless — The garden was established by community organizers and demonstrators during the summer of 2020, to memorialize those individuals of color who have been killed with police bullets

Discussion: Washington Examiner and New York Post

Daniel Beekman / The Seattle Times:

City removes Seattle's Black Lives Matter memorial garden — Seattle Parks and Recreation workers used construction vehicles Wednesday morning to remove a community garden that was originally planted in Cal Anderson Park spontaneously, as part of 2020's Black Lives Matter protests.

Discussion: Breitbart, Louder With Crowder, The Post Millennial and IJR

Tiana Lowe Doescher / Washington Examiner:

The conservative pin-up calendar is harmless kitsch, not pornography — In the dumbest possible online nontroversy that has been branded #Calendargate, a handful of conservatives — and disproportionately, conservative women — are apoplectic over a calendar featuring photo shoots of various right-wing bloggers and “influencers.”

Discussion: Mediaite and Twitchy

Washington Post:

India targets Apple over its phone hacking notifications — NEW DELHI — A day after Apple warned independent Indian journalists and opposition party politicians in October that government hackers may have tried to break into their iPhones, officials under Prime Minister Narendra Modi promptly took action — against Apple.

Discussion: The Hill, Semafor, Al Jazeera and TechCrunch, more at Mediagazer »

Helen Rummel / USA Today:

FTC sues Grand Canyon University, alleging misleading advertising, illegal telemarketing — The Federal Trade Commission is suing Grand Canyon University and its president over what it says were deceptive advertising practices. — In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, the FTC accused Grand Canyon University …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Daily Caller News Foundation, Fox Business and New York Post

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Colorado Republican Party Says It Asked Supreme Court to Keep Trump on Ballot — The party's petition urged the justices to review a ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court, which said the former president had engaged in insurrection and is ineligible to hold office.

Discussion: Bloomberg, New York Post, The Daily Caller, New Jersey Online, Axios, Washington Examiner, Political Wire, Denver Post and HotAir

Nicholas Riccardi / Associated Press:
Trump ballot ban appealed to US Supreme Court by Colorado Republican Party

Discussion: HuffPost, Politico, Daily Breeze, RedState, JONATHAN TURLEY, The Post Millennial, The American Spectator, The Daily Caller, Fox News, The Messenger, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, The Guardian, New York Daily News and Detroit Free Press

CNN:
Colorado GOP asks US Supreme Court to overturn ruling disqualifying Trump from 2024 ballot

Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Colorado Republicans ask Supreme Court to hear Trump ballot eligibility dispute

Lauren Irwin / The Hill:

Christie says Trump will ‘burn America to the ground’ — Chris Christie is stepping up his rhetoric attacking GOP presidential frontrunner and rival former President Trump, releasing a new ad declaring Trump will “burn America to the ground.” — Christie, the former New Jersey governor …

Discussion: CBS News, IJR, New York Post, The Daily Caller and Fox News

CNN:
Christie pushes back on calls for him to drop out in 7-figure New Hampshire ad buy

Discussion: NBC News, RedState, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Althouse, Raw Story, CBS News and The Messenger

Annie Linskey / Wall Street Journal:

Biden Knew Carter Was in Trouble in 1979. Now He's in the Same Boat. — Both presidents faced inflation and foreign-policy challenges as they sought a second term — WASHINGTON—When an unpopular Democratic incumbent president was struggling to build support for a second term …

Discussion: Instapundit, The Daily Caller and Washington Examiner

Lisa Friedman / New York Times:
Biden Begins Weeklong Vacation in Caribbean to Ring in the New Year

Discussion: Breitbart, Mediaite, Business Insider, The Messenger, New York Post, Mercury News and Twitchy

Dan Diamond / Washington Post:

America has a life expectancy crisis. But it's not a political priority. — The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration had an urgent message last winter for his colleagues, brandishing data that life expectancy in the United States had fallen again — the biggest two-year decline in a century.