memeorandum: Trump's GOP Delegate Hunt Doubles as Legal Strategy in Jan. 6 Case. And Beyond. (Marc Caputo/The Messenger)

12:50 PM ET, December 30, 2023

Top Items:

Here's What SCOTUS Should Do With the Trump Ballot Cases — The real answer is nothing. But if they decide to take them up, here is how they should decide them. … The U.S. Supreme Court needs to understand that the disqualification of former President Donald J. Trump under Section 3 …

Discussion: Forbes, CNN, Raw Story, National Review, Politico, Las Vegas Review-Journal, New York Times, Metro.co.uk and El País

Marc Caputo / The Messenger:

Trump's GOP Delegate Hunt Doubles as Legal Strategy in Jan. 6 Case. And Beyond. — In the mind of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, the primary polls and history don't lie: he'll be the Republican nominee, and all his major primary rivals will likely drop out after he wins all four early states.

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite

Melissa Quinn / CBS News:

Trump doesn't have immunity from Jan. 6 civil suit brought by U.S. Capitol Police officers, appeals court says — Washington — A federal appeals court on Friday allowed a lawsuit brought by a group of U.S. Capitol Police officers against former President Donald Trump to move forward …

Discussion: Daily Mail, Instapundit, Forbes, Raw Story, RedState, The Messenger, Washington Examiner and Political Wire

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

How the Supreme Court May Rule on Trump's Presidential Run — The legal issues are novel and tangled, experts said, and the justices may be wary of knocking a leading presidential candidate off the ballot. — The Supreme Court, battered by ethics scandals, a dip in public confidence …

Discussion: ABC News, Raw Story, Semafor, The Daily Caller, Political Wire, Breitbart, Business Insider and Deadline

Emily Brooks / The Hill:

GOP rep warns House has final say over election after states deem Trump ineligible for ballots — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) issued a warning to states moving to keep former President Trump off the presidential ballot, saying the House of Representatives has the final say over whether electors …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Messenger, Washington Examiner, Politico, IJR, New York Times, The Mahablog and New Republic

David Frum / The Atlantic:
Suddenly, Trump Is Interested in Democracy

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, New York Post, Washington Post, Forbes, Raw Story, ABC News, CBS News, Louder With Crowder, Wall Street Journal, National Review, HotAir and Politico

Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:

December 29, 2023 — When asked at a town hall on Wednesday to identify the cause of the United States Civil War, presidential candidate and former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley answered that the cause “was basically how government was going to run, the freedoms …

Matthew Hennessey / Wall Street Journal:

Nikki Haley's Civil War Battlefield — The GOP presidential candidate made a political mistake with her initial comments. But she wasn't wrong. — Nikki Haley made a mess. — Part of the job of running for president is being able to think on your feet and answer weird questions that come out of the blue.

Discussion: Florida Politics, Power Line and RedState

Mychael Schnell / The Hill:

Marjorie Taylor Greene creates multiple headaches for new Speaker — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is reviving her rabble-rousing ways, creating new headaches for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as he settles into his role leading the House GOP conference's razor-thin majority.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Raw Story and Political Wire

Jane C. Timm / NBC News:

6 states are rethinking how they run their primaries in 2024 — Most of the states considering changing their primary election systems are looking at ways to open the process to more voters. — At least six states are considering changing their primary election systems in 2024 …

Associated Press:

Judge blocks most of an Iowa law banning some school library books and discussion of LGBTQ+ issues — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked key parts of an Iowa law that bans some books from school libraries and forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, UPI, Des Moines Register, The Messenger, Washington Examiner, Axios, The Hill, New York Times and Bloomberg.com

Brendan Bordelon / Politico:

When Silicon Valley's AI warriors came to Washington — Effective altruism is increasingly described as a cult. But as the movement's billionaire adherents pour money into D.C., its obsession with the AI apocalypse is remaking the capital's tech policy landscape.

Victor Nava / New York Post:

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley becomes latest ‘swatting’ victim after false report of shooting at his home — Legal scholar Johnathan Turley has become the latest victim of “swatting” as a 911 call was made falsely reporting someone was shot at his Virginia home. — “Yes, I was swatted this evening.

Discussion: The Post Millennial, Twitchy, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, RedState, The Hill and Fox News

Jacob Knutson / Axios:

Haley says as president she would pardon Trump if he's convicted of crimes — Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said if she is elected president, she would pardon former President Trump if he's convicted of a crime, saying the amnesty would be “in the best interest of the country.”

Discussion: New York Post, NPR, KOMO, ABC News, IJR, New Republic, The Hill, Washington Examiner and The Messenger

Axios:

Ohio's Republican governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) vetoed a bill on Friday that would have prevented minors from receiving gender-affirming health care and restricted transgender girls' ability to participate on school sports teams.

US Department of Justice:

New Jersey Man Charged With Attempting To Provide Material Support To Al Shabaab — For Immediate Release — U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York — Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew G. Olsen …

Discussion: USA Today, The Times of Israel, The Daily Caller, Reuters, Associated Press, New York Post, The Post Millennial, UPI, NBC News, The Hill, abc7NY and The Messenger

Misty Severi / Washington Examiner: New Jersey man faces terrorism charge after allegedly being motivated by Oct. 7 attack on Israel

Aaron Katersky / ABC News:

Michael Cohen admits fake cases in early release bid came from Google AI program — The former Trump attorney pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2018. — Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, arrives at New York State Supreme Court, Oct. 25, 2023, in New York.