memeorandum: Pressured by record migrant crossings, White House weighs tough concession in border talks with Congress (CBS News)

10:05 AM ET, January 7, 2024

Top Items:

Special counsel probe uncovers new details about Trump's inaction on Jan. 6: Sources — Aides allegedly said Trump was “not interested” in doing more to stop the riot. — In a video message posted to Twitter on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, President Donald Trump addresses supporters participating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story, emptywheel and PoliticusUSA

Dave McKinney / Chicago Sun Times:

Donald Trump didn't sign loyalty oath for Illinois ballot that pledges not to ‘advocate the overthrow of the government’ — In 2016 and 2020, before the Jan. 6 insurrection, Trump did sign. President Joe Biden, who signed it, questioned why Trump “can't bring himself to sign a piece …

Discussion: Raw Story and New York Times

Cate Cadell / Washington Post:

Trump skips Illinois loyalty oath promising not to overthrow government — Republican polling leader Donald Trump did not sign a loyalty oath requested of candidates for election in Illinois that asks, among other things, to swear that they won't support overthrowing the government …

Dave McKinney / WBEZ Chicago:

Trump did not sign Illinois' loyalty oath that says he won't advocate for overthrowing the government — The pledge, a vestige of the McCarthy Red Scare era, is not mandatory, but has been signed by candidates for decades, including by Trump in 2020 and 2016.

Discussion: USA Today, Mock Paper Scissors, HuffPost and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Trump mocks Biden over stutter — Making fun of Biden's childhood speech impediment marks the latest crass form of politics that Trump has exhibited throughout his career — Donald Trump ridiculed President Biden over the economy, immigration and foreign policy before turning to personal mockery during an Iowa event on Friday night.

Discussion: Raw Story and Metro.co.uk

Washington Post:

Trump tries reappropriating ‘insurrection’ on Jan. 6 anniversary — In campaign speeches surrounding the third anniversary of the attack, the former president defended people charged in the riot and repeated baseless claims that left-wing or government interlopers caused the breach

Discussion: USA Today, The Hill, The Nation, Political Wire, Axios and The Messenger

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

Trump Takes Aim at Haley as Primary Enters Final Phase in Iowa — Nearly a week before the state's caucuses, a frenzy of campaigning belies a seemingly static G.O.P. race, with former President Donald J. Trump the prohibitive front-runner. — Donald J. Trump's escalating attacks on Nikki Haley …

Discussion: The Messenger, Politico, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Florida Politics, Washington Examiner and CBS News

Tyler Pager / Washington Post:
Obama, worried about Trump, urges Biden circle to bolster campaign

Discussion: Axios, Why Evolution Is True, inews.co.uk, RedState, Washington Examiner, USA Today, Outside the Beltway, Israpundit and The Messenger

NBC News:
Republican secretary of state threatens to kick Biden off the ballot as Trump payback

Discussion: Las Vegas Review-Journal, New York Post, Business Insider, RedState, The Daily Caller, Political Wire, The Messenger and Fox Business

Washington Post:
How the GOP's rewriting of Jan. 6 paved the way for Trump's comeback

Discussion: emptywheel, Iowa Capital Dispatch, The Daily Beast, The Hill, The Messenger, New York Magazine, Politico, Washington Examiner, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, Media Matters for America, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Althouse

Washington Post:
Trump's promotion of debunked election report reveals divisions in his circle

Discussion: Raw Story and Chicago Tribune

Politico:

Pentagon didn't inform Biden, White House for days about Austin's hospitalization — The news came as a shock to top staff, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan. — The Pentagon did not tell President Joe Biden and other top officials about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization …

Politico:

The Lloyd Austin fallout is growing: 'Someone's head has to roll' — The defense chief is facing criticism for keeping his bosses in the dark. — At a White House meeting last week, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, noticed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was absent.

Discussion: The National Pulse+ and CBS News

NBC News:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hospitalized amid Middle East missions

Discussion: Modern Diplomacy, Reuters, Associated Press, New York Post, Mediaite, Task & Purpose, USA Today, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Twitchy, Washington Examiner, Must Read Alaska, East Bay Times, Bloomberg and ABC News

U.S. Department of Defense:
Statement from Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder on Secretary of Defense Austin

Discussion: PJ Media, UPI, HotAir, National Review, The Gateway Pundit, The Messenger, Reuters, Associated Press, USA Today, Breitbart, The Hill, The Japan Times, CBS News, New York Times, CNN and Fox News

Wall Street Journal:
Hospitalized Pentagon Chief Was in Intensive Care Unit

Discussion: Associated Press and Political Wire

CBS News:

Pressured by record migrant crossings, White House weighs tough concession in border talks with Congress — Pressured by the record levels of migrant crossings reported in December, the Biden administration is weighing whether to restrict a key presidential immigration authority …

Discussion: Deseret News

Associated Press:

The US sees a drop in illegal border crossings after Mexico increases enforcement — Daniel Bermudez's family had fled Venezuela and was headed to the U.S. to seek asylum when the freight train they were riding through Mexico was stopped by immigration officials.

Discussion: HotAir, Washington Examiner and Voice of America

Wall Street Journal:

Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX — Some executives and board members fear the billionaire's use of drugs—including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms and ketamine—could harm his companies — Elon Musk and his supporters offer several explanations …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and New York Post, more at Techmeme »

CBS News:

CBS News poll finds fewer Americans expecting economic slowdown now — Most Americans continue to rate the economy negatively, but sentiment has been slightly improving of late, and Americans now think the longer-term outlook appears more stable. Related to this, more are now noticing lower gas prices.

US Department of Justice:

Three Years Since the Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol — Saturday, January 6, 2024, marks three years - or 36 months - since the attack on the U.S. Capitol that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of affirming the presidential election results.