memeorandum: Mike Johnson faces internal GOP dissent on Israel bill (Andrew Solender/Axios)

6:05 PM ET, February 4, 2024

Top Items:

Trump floats ousting RNC chair after brutal 2023 — Former President Trump, in a stunning public rebuke of a longtime ally, suggested on Fox News today that Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel should get the boot. … Trump's comments are a sign of him flexing muscle …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, NBC News, The Hill, Washington Times, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Sun-Sentinel, Mediaite, Fox News, Florida Politics and DNyuz

Asher Notheis / Washington Examiner:
Nikki Haley targets Trump during Saturday Night Live appearance for refusal to debate

Shauneen Miranda / Axios:
Trump name drops Tim Scott, Kristi Noem while discussing VP contenders

Discussion: Washington Examiner, RedState, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, The Hill, Political Wire and Washington Times

Sophia Cai / Axios:
Trump's team worries about a hollow victory in Nevada

Discussion: MUTH'S TRUTHS, The Guardian, The North State Journal, New York Post and Politico

Mark Murray / NBC News:

Poll: 20-point deficit on handling economy highlights Biden's struggles against Trump — The president's approval rating has fallen to a new low in NBC News polling, as Trump narrowly leads in a 2024 general election matchup. — Despite a growing economy and little opposition for his party's nomination …

Discussion: Axios, The Message Box, RedState, Mediaite, New York Post, National Review, Wide World of News, Twitchy, Progress Pond, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner and Breitbart

Jonathan Martin / Politico:

Forget No Labels. Biden's Third-Party Peril is on the Left. — LOS ANGELES — Memo to Democrats: It's not Nancy Jacobson who's disrupting President Joe Biden's speeches most every time he appears in public and it's also not Nancy Jacobson floating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. $15 million to help him get on general election ballots.

Discussion: New York Post

Mark Murray / NBC News:
How a Trump conviction changes the 2024 race in our latest poll

Discussion: Fox News, Breitbart, RedState, New York Post, Forbes, The Hill, USA Today, Political Wire and WBTW-TV

Amanda Yen / The Daily Beast:
Biden Says This Is the ‘Weirdest Campaign Ever’ as Trump Suggests He's an Elvis Lookalike

Discussion: New York Post, DNyuz and The Hill

Corbin Bolies / The Daily Beast:

George Stephanopoulos Cuts Off GOP Senator After He Suggests Trump Could Defy SCOTUS — Senator, thanks for your time this morning," George Stephanopoulos said before Sen. Vance's mic was cut off. — ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos would not tolerate another word from Sen. J.D. Vance …

Discussion: HuffPost, Raw Story, ABC News, Newsbusters, Breitbart, Politico, DNyuz, Crooks and Liars, Mediaite and Political Wire

Ellie Cook / Newsweek:

Tucker Carlson Being Spotted in Moscow Sparks Frenzied Speculation — The reported appearance of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in the Russian capital has sparked intense speculation over the purpose of the conservative media personality's visit to Moscow.

Discussion: Politico, RedState, Vanity Fair, Mediaite, Crooks and Liars, The Gateway Pundit and Political Wire

Alia Shoaib / Business Insider: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene defends the prospect of Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin amid rumors he is in Moscow

Amanda Yen / The Daily Beast:

Ann Coulter: Best Thing Trump Could Do for America Is ‘Die’ — The one-time MAGA supporter became a born-again anti-Trumper in recent years, admitting she was “a very stupid girl” to support Trump in the early days of his ascendance. — Ann Coulter didn't mince her words when asked …

Discussion: DNyuz and UPROXX

Erin Doherty / Axios:

Scoop: Nikki Haley's fundraising takes off while GOP tries to end her campaign — Nikki Haley had an eye-popping month of fundraising in January, hauling in almost as much cash as the prior three months combined, Axios has learned. — Why it matters: The Haley campaign has the money to keep …

Discussion: Political Wire and The Hill

Russell Contreras / Axios:

House Dems say Texas' Greg Abbott inciting potential border violence — Democratic U.S. House members are accusing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) of inciting violence at the U.S.-Mexico border by using bigoted language about a border “invasion” and encouraging a rightwing convoy to come to the region.

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, New York Times, CBS News, NBC News, NewsNation, Political Wire, Mother Jones and Reuters

Elizabeth Weise / USA Today:

They hoped solar panels would secure the future of their farm. Then their neighbors found out — GARDNER, Kansas − Donna Knoche made her way up to the podium at the Johnson County Commission hearing on June 6, 2022, her new yellow shirt crisp and her voice steady.

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

The Guardian:

The Observer view: the list of Brexit wins is in. It's short and feeble — Department for Business and Trade has cherry-picked statistics to suggest the project has been a success — In the run-up to the 2016 referendum, Conservative campaigners sold Brexit as the answer to all of the country's problems.

Andrew Solender / Axios:

Mike Johnson faces internal GOP dissent on Israel bill — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing criticism from both the right flank of his party and Ukraine hawks for the standalone Israel aid package the House plans to vote on this week. … - Mills and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, TASS, Political Wire, Breitbart, USA Today, CBS News, The Guardian, CNBC, Roll Call, RedState and The Daily Caller

Trisha Ahmed / Associated Press:

South Dakota tribe bans governor from reservation over US-Mexico border remarks — A South Dakota tribe has banned Republican Gov. Kristi Noem from the Pine Ridge Reservation after she spoke this week about wanting to send razor wire and security personnel to Texas to help deter immigration …

Discussion: USA Today, The Hill, Fox News, UPI, Axios, New York Post and RedState

Corbin Bolies / The Daily Beast:

Nikki Haley Flails When Confronted by Her Own Secession Comments — The GOP candidate had said last week that states could secede if they felt the need to do so. — Nikki Haley, fresh off her Civil War history refresher on this week's Saturday Night Live, appeared to remember …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Post, Politico and The Daily Caller

Lauren Sforza / The Hill:

Jeffries on House Republicans: ‘Wholly owned subsidiaries of Donald Trump’ — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) blasted House Republicans on Sunday for being “wholly owned subsidiaries of Donald Trump.” — Jeffries discussed the bipartisan Senate negotiations …

Discussion: Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, PoliticusUSA, Axios, Rolling Stone and Breitbart