memeorandum: Newsflash: America Actually Doesn't Need a Defense Secretary (David Strom/HotAir)

11:00 AM ET, January 8, 2024

Top Items:

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Democrats question whether Biden should agree to debate Trump — Democratic lawmakers are leery about the prospect of President Biden debating former President Trump, fearing that putting the two on stage together would only elevate the likely GOP nominee. — Trump has skipped every …

Discussion: Off Message, National Review, The Daily Caller, The Post Millennial, The Federalist, Althouse and The Messenger, more at Mediagazer »

Alex Gangitano / The Hill:

Biden campaign raises $1M online in 24 hours after Jan. 6 speech — President Biden's reelection campaign raised more than $1 million through online fundraising alone in the 24 hours after the president's Jan. 6 anniversary speech, according to numbers exclusively provided to The Hill.

Discussion: New York Post, UPI, The Messenger, Crooks and Liars and Newsbusters

Mariana Labbate / The Messenger:

Trump Says He Will Attend Presidential Immunity Hearing — The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 9 — Former President Donald Trump early Monday morning announced he will atend his presidential immunity hearing in D.C. in person on Tuesday. — “Of course I was entitled …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, NBC News, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Raw Story, Axios, Reuters and The Post Millennial

Hans Nichols / Axios:

Landrieu to join Biden's campaign as national co-chair — Mitch Landrieu, the former New Orleans mayor who has been helping President Biden implement his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, is leaving the White House to be a national co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign, Axios has learned.

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, HotAir, The Hill, The Messenger, UPI, The White House, PJ Media, New Republic, Fox News, Washington Examiner, RedState, NBC News and The Daily Caller

Associated Press:

Biden will visit church where Black people were killed to lay out election stakes and perils of hate — WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden wants Americans to grasp the extraordinary stakes of this year's presidential election, as he sees them. As part of that effort …

Discussion: The Hill, NBC News, USA Today, The Messenger and Politico

David Strom / HotAir:

Newsflash: America Actually Doesn't Need a Defense Secretary — Lloyd Austin was in the hospital for days; apparently, nobody knew. He was in intensive care and is still hospitalized. He was unable to perform his duties for much of that time, suggesting he was drugged or unconscious.

Discussion: USA Today, Robert Reich, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Fox News, PJ Media, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, ABC News and New York Post

NBC News:
Deputy learned of defense secretary's hospitalization 2 days after taking over his duties

Discussion: The Hill, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Roll Call, Power Line, Taipei Times, New York Times, The Post Millennial, The Guardian, Associated Press and Bloomberg

Politico:
'He's a cipher': How Austin's need for privacy just backfired

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Althouse, One America News Network, Modern Diplomacy, Washington Examiner, Twitchy and The Hill

CNN:
Deputy defense secretary was not told Austin had been hospitalized when she assumed his duties

New York Times:

Trump Is Connecting With a Different Type of Evangelical Voter — They are not just the churchgoing, conservative activists who once dominated the G.O.P. — Karen Johnson went to her Lutheran church so regularly as a child that she won a perfect attendance award. As an adult, she taught Sunday school.

Discussion: Althouse, Raw Story, WOI and New Yorker

Thom Hartmann / The Hartmann Report:

Rightwing Billionaires & Trump Want a Nation Where Everything is For Sale — Donald Trump and his fellow rightwing billionaires have a plan for America. They want to turn the United States from a prosperous, middle-class nation into a country of paupers, where bribery is common and the wealthy can get away with anything.

Marianna Sotomayor / Washington Post:

Hoping to govern in 2024, House Republicans fear a repeat of last year — 2023 was marked by threats of a government shutdown, a speaker's ouster and a messy fight to replace him. Now House Republicans are trying to make the case that they deserve to stay in charge.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Digby's Hullabaloo and The Hill

CNN:

House Republicans plot swift impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas as moderates signal support — House Republicans are plotting to swiftly impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas early this year, as key swing-district Republicans express fresh openness …

Discussion: Fox News, The Federalist, The Messenger and Political Wire

Politico:

Johnson strikes his first bipartisan deal — a $1.7T funding accord — Ahead of a government shutdown cliff on Jan. 19, angst among House Republicans could still derail efforts to avert a funding lapse. — Congressional leaders have clinched a deal on overall budget totals that could pave …

Discussion: New York Daily News, Breitbart, New York Post, IJR, CBS News, KSLTV.com and RedState

Elizabeth Elkind / Fox News:
House, Senate release bipartisan agreement on government funding as shutdown deadlines loom

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill, El País, UPI, USA Today, The Messenger, CBS News, Mediaite, Daily Kos, PoliticusUSA, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NPR, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Raw Story and Twitchy

Jacob Bogage / Washington Post:
Congressional leaders reach deal that would avert government shutdown

Discussion: The Hill, NBC News and ABC News

Kevin Freking / Associated Press:
Congress reaches spending deal that could help avoid government shutdown

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Fox News, Punchbowl News, NPR, The Hill, CBS News, Reuters, Bloomberg, National Review, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Axios, Roll Call and The Messenger

Zach Montellaro / Politico:

The changing congressional map is shifting the fight for control of the House — With primaries in some states just weeks away, there are still big unresolved questions of what some districts will look like. — The partisan tilt of a handful of districts could still change dramatically …

NBC News:

House Republicans release report recommending Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress — The report comes after the president's son defied a subpoena to testify behind closed doors and offered to testify at a public hearing instead. — House Republicans on the Judiciary and Oversight …

Discussion: CNBC, Fox News, National Review, The Daily Caller and Washington Examiner

Mariana Alfaro / Washington Post:

Boebert's ex-husband calls police after fight with congresswoman — The representative from Colorado denies allegations that she punched her former spouse — Police were called to a restaurant in Silt, Colo., on Saturday night after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and her ex-husband Jayson …

Discussion: Denver Gazette, Bloomberg.com, Balloon Juice, Raw Story, The Guardian and USA Today

Noelle Phillips / Denver Post:
Silt police investigating incident involving U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert and her ex-husband

Discussion: The Messenger, Plain Dealer, CBS News, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and Raw Story

Roger Sollenberger / The Daily Beast:
Lauren Boebert's Ex Called The Cops After Physical Fight in Public on Saturday Night

Discussion: Raw Story, Fox 8 Cleveland WJW, The Colorado Sun, Business Insider, Politico, New York Post, TMZ.com, KTSM 9 News, UPROXX and The Messenger

Nahal Toosi / Politico:

The US Is Dealing With an Israeli Leader Who's Losing Control — Benjamin Netanyahu is waging a war while struggling to avoid prison, salvage his legacy and keep his political partners happy. — Benjamin Netanyahu, whom many Israelis simply call “Bibi,” is Israel's longest-serving prime minister …

Joshua Yaffa / New Yorker:

What Could Tip the Balance in the War in Ukraine? — In 2024, the most decisive fight may also be the least visible: Russia and Ukraine will spend the next twelve months in a race to reconstitute and resupply their forces. — On December 29th, Russia fired more than a hundred and fifty missiles …