memeorandum: Staffers Allege Jamie McLeod-Skinner's Driver Feared Physical Violence From Her (Sophie Peel/Willamette Week)

11:55 AM ET, January 11, 2024

Top Items:

Latest GOP split: Senate leaders hold out as House brass goes all-in for Trump — The former president's allies warn it's a risky move, depending on “how much Donald Trump wants to keep a grudge.” — Most Senate GOP leaders are confronting a dilemma they hoped to avoid …

Discussion: Business Insider, The Daily Caller, U-S-NEWS.COM, Daily Kos, ABC News, Breitbart and The Messenger

Charlie Mahtesian / Politico:

Don't Be So Certain Trump Has the Nomination Locked Up — Here's the path for a Nikki Haley upset. — Contrary to conventional wisdom, Nikki Haley doesn't have to win New Hampshire, or even South Carolina — she just has to keep it close enough to keep donors and voters convinced there might …

Discussion: New York Times, The Atlantic, No More Mister Nice Blog, NewsNation, New Jersey Monitor, Washington Times, New York Magazine, Business Insider, Washington Examiner and El País

Ron Dicker / HuffPost:

Trump Reacts To Woman Telling Him He ‘Personally Demeaned’ So Many Ex-Associates — The former president was confronted by a DeSantis supporter at the Fox News town hall and tried to spin his way out of it. — LOADING — Donald Trump on Wednesday wriggled out of a town hall question …

Discussion: Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, Axios and The Messenger

Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:

New Hampshire 2024 Poll: Haley Gains, Trump Loses Support but Maintains Lead — Haley is Second Choice for 52% of Christie Voters — A new Emerson College Polling/WHDH New Hampshire survey finds former President Donald Trump leading the Republican Primary with 44% support, followed by Nikki Haley with 28%.

Discussion: Florida Politics and ABC News

New York Times:

Will You Vote for Trump Again? — It's the question weighing on Republicans across the country. But Iowans get to decide first. We listened as they grappled with their choices. — By Jennifer MedinaPhotographs by Jordan Gale — There is no way around it: The Iowa caucuses on Monday …

Discussion: Raw Story and CBS News

Washington Post:
Chris Christie caught on hot mic, says Nikki Haley will ‘get smoked’

NBC News:
'I know who it's going to be': Trump hints he's made up his mind about his VP pick

CNN:
Chris Christie ends 2024 presidential campaign

NBC News:
‘A spiritual battle’: Pastors embrace Trump's grievances in prayers at his rallies

Discussion: The Hill, The Messenger and Raw Story

Bloomberg:
Chris Christie to Exit 2024 Race Days Before Iowa Republican Caucus

Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
George Conway: Trump legal team's immunity argument ‘made absolutely no sense’

Discussion: The Bulwark, HuffPost, American Prospect, New Yorker, New York Times, Mediaite and Raw Story

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:

Bomb Threat Made at Home of Judge in Trump's Bank Fraud Trial — A bomb squad rushed to Justice Arthur F. Engoron's house on Long Island, a source told The Daily Beast. — The danger surrounding Donald Trump's bank fraud trial in New York escalated just hours before its final hearing on Thursday …

Discussion: USA Today, CNBC, Breitbart, Raw Story, New York Daily News, The Messenger, Rolling Stone and NBC 7 San Diego

NBC News:

Judge in Trump's civil fraud trial faces bomb threat ahead of closing arguments — The bomb squad was called to Engoron's home and was investigating Thursday morning. It is unclear whether Engoron was home at the time. — Nassau County police on Thursday have responded to a bomb threat …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Axios, Business Insider, New York Times, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, Semafor, The Guardian, Law & Crime, Raw Story and New York Post

CNN:
Trump can't speak during closing arguments in NY civil fraud trial, judge says

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Musk uses megaphone to promote misleading claims about voting, push for severe restrictions — This week, Elon Musk has repeatedly promoted false and misleading claims about voting to his 168 million followers on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.

Discussion: NBC News and Breitbart

Mike Spies / ProPublica:

Secret Recording Shows NRA Treasurer Plotting to Conceal Extravagant Expenses Involving Wayne LaPierre — Audio obtained by The Trace and ProPublica reveals, in real time, the gun lobbying group enacting a plan that would conceal payments for fancy hotels, limousines and other luxury expenses connected to its longtime CEO for a decade.

Discussion: Political Wire

Chris Queen / PJ Media:

The Plot Thickens in the Fani Willis Corruption Allegations — These Fani Willis allegations are getting crazier by the day. By now, I'm sure you've read Athena Thorne's intrepid report on the accusations that Willis hired an attorney with whom she is supposedly carrying on an extramarital affair …

Discussion: The Western Journal, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, RedState, Twitchy, HotAir, The Guardian and The Hill

Politico:
Jan. 6 committee helped guide early days of Georgia Trump probe

Discussion: The Messenger, The Daily Caller, American Greatness, Breitbart, The Post Millennial, New York Post and BizPac Review

Katherine Doyle / NBC News:
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene files complaint about Georgia prosecutor who charged Trump

Discussion: Rolling Stone, Blaze Media, The Messenger, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

Beth Mole / Ars Technica:

US verges on vaccination tipping point, faces thousands of needless deaths: FDA — Top regulatory officials call for clinicians to speak up and drown out misinformation. — The US may be heading to a “dangerous vaccination tipping point,” with immunization rates falling so low …

Discussion: MIT Technology Review

New York Times:

Kim Reynolds Has Another Account, @Kimberl26890376, and Opinions About Donald Trump — In recent months, the Republican governor of Iowa has used a secondary account on X to share her unfiltered feelings on the Republican presidential primary race. — Not long after the calendar turned to 2024 …

Discussion: Raw Story and Bloomberg

Sophie Peel / Willamette Week:

Staffers Allege Jamie McLeod-Skinner's Driver Feared Physical Violence From Her — The new allegations, however, mark the first public claim that the congressional candidate laid a hand on an employee. — Expand — Three former campaign workers for U.S. congressional candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Politico:

American intel officials warn of risk of Hezbollah attacking U.S. — Hezbollah has more capability to strike inside the U.S. than other terrorist groups like ISIS, officials say. — U.S. officials assess that there's a rising risk Lebanese Hezbollah militants will strike Americans in the Middle East …

Discussion: New York Post, The Western Journal, Axios, Fox News, American Greatness and Washington Post

Ian Haworth / Washington Examiner:

Donald Trump must share in Anthony Fauci's ignominy — This week, former decadeslong director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and professional human manifestation of “the science,” Anthony Fauci, was grilled on COVID-19. — A Republican-led House select subcommittee hearing …

Discussion: The Messenger

Josh Christenson / New York Post:
COVID ‘6-feet’ social distancing ‘sort of just appeared,’ likely lacked scientific basis, Fauci admits

Discussion: Twitchy, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, RedState, IJR, Wall Street Journal, The Post Millennial, Breitbart, National Review, The Messenger and Reason

Dan Merica / The Messenger:

Biden Grows Battleground State Operation As Campaign Continues to Ramp Up — The hires reflect how the Biden campaign's focus is squarely on the general election, and how he is pulling from past Democratic campaigns, not only his 2020 bid — Joe Biden's presidential campaign …

Discussion: USA Today

Duane Patterson / HotAir:

John Fetterman Tells South Africa to Sit This One Out Regarding ICJ Suit Against Israel — The day will come when Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman returns to the form we feared in 2022. Thankfully, today is not that day. — Our friend Salena Zito interviewed the junior senator …

Discussion: RedState, The Times of Israel and Louder With Crowder

Dan Ladden-Hall / The Daily Beast:

Two Dead in Overturned Vessel Off Alaskan Island Where Netflix Show ‘Outlast’ Filmed — Three others were rescued, the Coast Guard said. — Two people died and three others were rescued Tuesday evening when a vessel overturned in frigid waters near an island in Alaska where Netflix's survivalist reality show Outlast was filmed.

Discussion: United States Coast Guard News, The Messenger and New York Post

Sam Brodey / The Daily Beast:

North Carolina Guv Frontrunner Had Secret Meeting With Ginni Thomas After Jan. 6 — The leading GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina is very public on his thinking about overturning the 2020 election. But his private meetings are telling, too.

Discussion: Raw Story

Irina Anghel / Bloomberg:

Brexit Cost the UK Economy £140 Billion, London Mayor Says — Study suggests UK has 2 million fewer jobs due to EU divorce — Sadiq Khan says ‘mature approach’ needed to forge closer ties — London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Thursday will blame Brexit for costing the UK economy £140 billion …

Discussion: Politico and Reuters