memeorandum: World population up 75 million this year, standing at 8 billion on Jan. 1 (Mike Schneider/Associated Press)

11:40 AM ET, December 29, 2023

Top Items:

Patrick Marley / Washington Post:

Donald Trump removed from Maine primary ballot by secretary of state — Maine barred Donald Trump from the primary ballot Thursday, making it the second state in the country to block the former president from running again under a part of the Constitution that prevents insurrectionists from holding office.

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:

Why Trump May Find Himself in Jail Sooner Than He Thinks — Donald Trump is doing his best to delay as many cases as possible. But there's a simple reason Trump may find himself behind bars sooner than he thinks: Trump himself. — The countdown is on for Donald Trump's D.C. trial in March.

Discussion: Raw Story and 77 WABC

Donald J. Trump For President 2024:

Trump Campaign Statement on Maine Secretary of State Ruling — “The Maine Secretary of State is a former ACLU attorney, a virulent leftist and a hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat who has decided to interfere in the presidential election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden.

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller, Maine Morning Star, National Review, Blaze Media, NPR, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider and Must Read Alaska

Zach Montellaro / Politico:

Maine strips Trump from the ballot, inflaming legal war over his candidacy — Activists and voters have filed numerous lawsuits around the country claiming the former president is barred from office under the “insurrection clause.” — Maine's top election official ejected former President Donald Trump …

Maine.gov:

Maine Secretary of State Decision in Challenge to Trump Presidential Primary Petitions — Secretary of State Shenna Bellows issued the attached decision regarding three challenges brought by Maine voters to the nomination petition of Donald J. Trump, for the Republican primary for the President of the United States.

Chris Cameron / New York Times:
Trump Rivals Criticize Maine Decision in His Defense

Discussion: Townhall, The Messenger, The Hill and Political Wire

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Supreme Court Urged to Move Fast on Trump's Ballot Eligibility

Discussion: The San Francisco Standard, Breitbart, Blaze Media, HuffPost, The Daily Signal, IJR, PHL17.com, American Greatness, Washington Examiner and The Hill

Nick Robertson / The Hill:
Elder reacts to states barring Trump from ballot: 'It's going to set the country on fire'

Discussion: The Messenger, Reuters, Robert Reich, The Daily Caller, RedState, Associated Press, American Greatness, Al Jazeera, Daily Kos, Political Wire and FOX 2

Houston Keene / Fox News:
Colorado to include Trump on 2024 primary ballot as state GOP appeals to Supreme Court

CNN:

Exclusive: Recordings, emails show how Trump team flew fake elector ballots to DC in final push to overturn 2020 election — Two days before the January 6 insurrection, the Trump campaign's plan to use fake electors to block President-elect Joe Biden from taking office faced a potentially crippling hiccup …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Messenger, New York Times, Raw Story, Election Law Blog, Business Insider, Mediaite, Mock Paper Scissors and Political Wire

Lauren Irwin / The Hill:

Democrats go after GOP's ‘anti-history record’ with billboard ads — The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has launched four billboards in Iowa attacking Republican presidential candidates for their “anti-history record” as they spend the weekend campaigning in the Hawkeye state.

Discussion: The Messenger, Raw Story and Crooks and Liars

Brakkton Booker / Politico:
'She's toast': Republicans of color disappointed by Haley's slavery misstep

Discussion: AFP, NPR, Washington Post, Raw Story, USA Today, The Hill, Vanity Fair, Al Jazeera, The Daily Beast, abc7NY, ABC News, Breitbart, Florida Politics, Daily Breeze, The Messenger, Associated Press and New Republic

Washington Post:
Nikki Haley acknowledges Civil War ‘about slavery’ after facing backlash

Matt Lewis / The Daily Beast:
Nikki Haley's Slavery Gaffe Shows How Scared She Is of MAGA Republicans

Discussion: RedState, Washington Post, Business Insider, Washington Examiner, The Messenger, CNN, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Politico

Jo Yurcaba / NBC News:

Ohio's Republican governor vetoes trans care restriction and sports ban — Gov. Mike DeWine is one of only a few Republican governors to veto a restriction on transition-related care for minors or a ban on trans student athlete participation. — Ohio's governor vetoed a bill Friday …

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios, Washington Examiner, The Messenger, CBS News, Fox 8 Cleveland WJW, Fox News and Blaze Media

Heidi Przybyla / Politico:

Public Christian schools? Leonard Leo's allies advance a new cause — A tight-knit group of activists tied to Leo's non-profit network are rallying around an Oklahoma effort to create a public Catholic school. — POLITICO illustration by Emily Scherer/Photos by AP, Getty Images, iStock

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo and Raw Story

Marley Jay / NBC News:

The ‘wealth transfer’ from boomers won't save Gen X and millennials — Experts say baby boomers will give more than $50 trillion to their heirs. But for many, health care costs will claim the bulk of that wealth. — The story goes that baby boomers are going to give tens of trillions …

Mary Kekatos / ABC News:

7 of the biggest medical breakthroughs in 2023 — There were major breakthroughs in Alzheimer's and sickle cell treatment. — From the first-ever RSV vaccines to the first drug fully approved to treat Alzheimer's disease, here are seven of the biggest medical breakthroughs in 2023.

Alex Morales / Bloomberg:

Sunak's Approval Rating Hits Record Low Among UK Conservatives — Premier's rating falls to minus 26.5 as Cabinet also flags — British prime minister must hold election within 13 months — Rishi Sunak's approval rating among members of his own Conservative Party ended 2023 on a record low …

Discussion: Conservative Home and Political Wire

Mike Schneider / Associated Press:

World population up 75 million this year, standing at 8 billion on Jan. 1 — The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year's Day it will stand at more than 8 billion people, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Census.gov, Daily Caller News Foundation, Axios, UPI and CBS News

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: New York Post, The Daily Caller, The Messenger, New Republic, Digby's Hullabaloo, Raw Story, The Daily Beast and Mother Jones

Nick Robertson / The Hill:

Rep. Lucy McBath to switch districts due to Georgia redistricting — Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) announced Thursday that she will pursue election in Georgia's 6th District in 2024 after a federal judge approved a GOP-led redistricting plan, which changed her current 7th District seat to favor Republicans.

Discussion: USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ABC News, New York Times and The Messenger