memeorandum: Iowa voters voice support for Trump as he claims total immunity from election interference (NBC News)

5:00 PM ET, January 9, 2024

Top Items:

Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:

Trump warns of ‘bedlam,’ declines to rule out violence after court hearing — The former president spoke after his lawyers argued he should be immune from prosecution for trying to overturn the 2020 election — Republican polling leader Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened unrest …

Discussion: HuffPost, Raw Story, New York Times, Metro.co.uk, Al Jazeera, Mediaite, Political Wire and BizPac Review

Greg Sargent / New Republic:

How Trump's Unhinged Immunity Demand Could Unleash a Second-Term Crime Spree — Donald Trump and his lawyers are making an extraordinary demand in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals: They want Trump granted immunity from criminal charges related to his subversion of the 2020 election …

New York Times:

Trump's Claim of Immunity Reaches Appeals Court — Judges Seem Skeptical of Trump's Claim of Immunity — Judges heard from a lawyer for Donald J. Trump who argued that a president could face criminal charges only if impeached and convicted first, even if the case involved the assassination of a political rival.

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, The Messenger, Washington Post, Election Law Blog, New York Daily News, Althouse, Outside the Beltway, CBS News, Politico, Twitchy, CNN and Diane Ravitch's blog

John Sakellariadis / Politico:

Georgia court weighs voting machines at heart of Trump election fraud claims — A Georgia trial will cast a spotlight on the security of the state's voting machines, which have long come under attack by the former president and his allies. — A federal court will begin hearing arguments Tuesday …

Discussion: The Messenger and The Guardian

NBC News:

Iowa voters voice support for Trump as he claims total immunity from election interference — Former President Donald Trump voluntarily appeared in court just six days before the Iowa caucuses in a pitch to convince Republican voters that he is a victim— a pitch that has won over some Iowa voters.

Discussion: ABC News, NewsNation and The Hill

Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill:

Trump team argues assassination of rivals is covered by presidential immunity — Former President Trump's legal team suggested Tuesday that even a president directing SEAL Team Six to kill a political opponent would be an action barred from prosecution given a former executive's broad immunity to criminal prosecution.

Discussion: HuffPost, New York Times, Washington Times, Law Dork, emptywheel, Fox News, KFOR-TV, UPI, The Messenger, Semafor, WOI, Raw Story, The Post Millennial, Deadline, Fox 8 Cleveland WJW and Bloomberg

Alex Gangitano / The Hill:

'He doesn't give a damn about people:' Biden campaign hits Trump comments on economy crashing — President Biden's reelection campaign bashed former President Trump on Tuesday after he said he hoped the U.S. economy crashed in the next 12 months, arguing he doesn't care about people.

Discussion: The Messenger, Forbes, New York Times, Breitbart, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, CNBC, BizPac Review, New York Post, WisPolitics, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, USA Today, Raw Story and The Wrap

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
5 ways the Supreme Court may try to defuse its newest Trump bomb

Discussion: CT Mirror, New York Times, The Messenger and IJR

Chris Stein / The Guardian:
Trump doubles down after DC hearing: 'Most people agree that we're entitled to immunity' - as it happened

Discussion: CBS News, The Hill, Above the Law, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, Digby's Hullabaloo, Fox News, The Messenger, The Post Millennial and Daily Kos

ABC News:
Trump immunity hearing live updates: Lawyer warns of ‘frightening future’ if Trump wins case

Washington Post:
Trump trades Iowa rallies for day in court in preview of campaign to come

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Times, ABC News, USA Today and Politico

Ariel Edwards-Levy / CNN:

CNN Poll: Haley trims Trump's lead to single digits in New Hampshire — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has trimmed former President Donald Trump's lead in the Republican primary race in New Hampshire to single digits, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire.

Sophia Cai / Axios:
Ramaswamy's campaign shows signs of unraveling

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Free Beacon, Breitbart, NBC News, Associated Press, The Messenger and Variety

Cameron Easley / Morning Consult Pro:
Trump's Iowa Support Grows Ahead of Next Week's Caucuses

Discussion: The Daily Caller and WOI

James Pindell / The Boston Globe:
The Nikki Haley surge in New Hampshire may have peaked, Globe poll finds

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Daily Caller News Foundation, Florida Politics, The Hill, The Messenger, The Spectator World, Politico, CBS News, Washington Post and Political Wire

University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository:
Haley Within Striking Distance of Trump in New Hampshire 1/9/2024

Discussion: Fox News, Reuters, Boston Herald, Florida Politics, USA Today, The Messenger and CBS News

NBC News:

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin diagnosed with prostate cancer — Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December and underwent a minimally invasive procedure, officials from Walter Reed said in a statement Tuesday. — WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was diagnosed …

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, Fox News, The Messenger, HuffPost, The Hill, The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, CNBC, NPR, Axios, Bloomberg, CBS News, Reuters, CNN, UPI, Associated Press, Progress Pond, Semafor, KGW-TV, The National Pulse+, Metro.co.uk, NewsNation and The Post Millennial

New York Times:
Austin Was Hospitalized for Complications From Prostate Cancer Surgery

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Examiner, The Hill, The Messenger, Al Jazeera, RedState, Washington Post and Bloomberg

Punchbowl News:

1/9/2024 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … Former President Donald Trump is on the path to the GOP presidential nomination. Speaker Mike Johnson is in an increasingly perilous position with his right flank. — Does it sound like Congress is going to approve a border security and immigration deal?

Discussion: Fox News, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, Florida Phoenix, Raw Story, Daily Kos and The Messenger

Jonathan Turley / The Daily Beast:
Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mayorkas' Failures Are Not Impeachable

Discussion: The Hill, Business Insider, The Bulwark, El País, The Floridian, The Gateway Pundit, USA Today, Washington Examiner, New York Times, American Greatness and RedState

Nick Visser / HuffPost:
Rep. Steny Hoyer To Seek 23rd Term In Congress, Ending Retirement Speculation

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, Fox News, Politico, The Messenger and IJR

Lauren Irwin / The Hill:

RFK Jr. won't attend birthday party fundraiser after celebrity blowback — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won't attend a birthday party fundraiser, his campaign said, after multiple celebrities who had been announced as attendees denied that they ever planned to attend.

Discussion: Mediaite and The Messenger

Cristina Corujo / CBS News:
RFK Jr. backs out of his own birthday fundraiser gala after Martin Sheen, Mike Tyson said they're not attending

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Page Six and The Daily Beast

Scott Lemieux / Lawyers, Guns & Money:

5th Circuit announces takeover of Department of Energy — Here we go again: — As silly as the finding of standing is, the 5th Circuit's position on the merits that any regulation issued by a Democratic administration is “arbitrary and capricious” is even worse!

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

BREAKING: Filing alleges ‘improper’ relationship between Fulton DA, top Trump prosecutor — Fani Willis hired alleged romantic partner as special prosecutor, court motion says — District Attorney Fani Willis improperly hired an alleged romantic partner to prosecute Donald Trump …

NBC News:
Trump co-defendant alleges ‘improper’ relationship between Fani Willis and fellow Georgia prosecutor

Discussion: The Guardian, Bloomberg, Newsbusters, Breitbart, Raw Story, New York Post, U-S-NEWS.COM, HuffPost, RedState, The Daily Caller, The Messenger, The Daily Beast and Washington Examiner

Catherine Kim / Politico:

Pizzagate, QAnon and the ‘Epstein List’: Why the Far Right Is Obsessed with Sex Trafficking — An expert on conspiracy theories explains why MAGA figures are embracing the latest twist in the Jeffrey Epstein saga. — A day before the so-called Epstein list was supposed to drop …

Discussion: Public, American Greatness and Daily Mail

Tori Otten / New Republic:

Roger Stone Plotted Assassinating Democrats, Bombshell Report Says — Explosive new audio of Roger Stone reveals the longtime Trump ally was trying to plot the assassinations of two outspoken Democratic congressmen. — A few weeks before the 2020 election, Stone told a member …

Discussion: Iowa Starting Line, BizPac Review, The Guardian, Crooks and Liars, Raw Story, The Daily Beast, PoliticusUSA and Election Law Blog

Daniel Marans / HuffPost:

Dave McCormick-Led Hedge Fund Shed Hundreds Of Jobs After Pocketing State Money — The Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania has run as an expert in job creation. — LOADING — Dave McCormick, an extremely wealthy hedge fund manager running as a Republican for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania …

Meryl Kornfield / Washington Post:

Asa Hutchinson reminds Iowans who forgot him: 'I'm still running' — The former Arkansas governor has carried on with a campaign that has barely registered a blip in the first GOP caucus state — WAUKEE, Iowa — Asa Hutchinson surveyed the beer and burger joint.

Discussion: Political Wire

Stephen Neukam / The Messenger:

Democratic Donors Bought Hunter Biden's Artwork, Gallery Owner Tells House Investigators — Sources with direct knowledge of the interview of a New York art dealer said Hunter Biden's artwork was sold to two or three Democratic donors — A New York art dealer who sells Hunter Biden's work …

Discussion: Fox News and New York Post

Chris Perez / Denver Westword:

Lauren Boebert's Ex-Husband Gives His Side of Restaurant Fight Story: “I Was Telling Her I Want Her Back” — Jayson Boebert says that he regrets calling the police Saturday following his public spat with Colorado's most infamous lawmaker. … “I wish this all hadn't happened.”

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire