memeorandum: Can Biden emerge from his ‘cocoon’? (Politico)

12:20 PM ET, February 10, 2024

Top Items:

Can Biden emerge from his ‘cocoon’? — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — WORKING WEEKEND — The Senate remains in session today as it grinds through a series of procedural hoops toward passage of the $95 billion supplemental spending bill delivering aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Politico:

White House frustration with Garland grows — The president believes the special counsel investigating his handling of classified documents went beyond his remit. And part of the blame is being placed on the AG. — Joe Biden has told aides and outside advisers that Attorney General Merrick Garland …

Discussion: HotAir, Daily Mail, New York Post, Daily Caller News Foundation, PoliticusUSA, RedState, BizPac Review, Raw Story, Mediaite, Political Wire, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Times, Diane Ravitch's blog, Townhall, Joe.My.God., Just An Earth-Bound Misfit, I, The Daily Beast and Off Message

Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:

February 9, 2024 — Yesterday, Special Counsel Robert Hur, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in January 2023 to investigate President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents before he was president, released his report. It begins: “We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter.

Discussion: Associated Press and The Guardian

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Question Is Not If Biden Should Step Aside. It's How. — Joe Biden should not be running for re-election. That much was obvious well before the special prosecutor's comments on the president's memory lapses inspired a burst of age-related angst. And Democrats who are furious …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner and HuffPost

New York Times:

In Private Remarks to Arab Americans, Biden Aide Expresses Regrets on Gaza — In a closed-door meeting, the aide offered some of the administration's clearest notes of contrition for its response to the Gaza war, a sign of rising Democratic pressure on President Biden.

Discussion: HotAir, Mondoweiss, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Sputnik News, Eschaton, New York Post, The Times of Israel, Associated Press, ABC News, Business Insider, Twitchy, CNN, Power Line, NBC News, DNyuz and The American Conservative

Mike Memoli / NBC News:

‘Cheap shot’: Biden allies go on the attack against the special counsel and the media — The White House depicted the report as partisan and the media coverage as unfair. — WASHINGTON — The Biden campaign and the White House have landed on an initial strategy for responding …

Discussion: Axios, The Hill, Power Line, ABC7, Frontpage Mag and New York Times

Washington Post:
‘Hair on fire’: Democratic worries grow over claims about Biden's memory lapses

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Political Wire, BizPac Review, The Dispatch, The Hill, Axios, Politico, New York Times and Newsbusters

New York Times:
White House Calls Special Counsel Report on Biden Politically Motivated

Brianna Herlihy / Fox News:
Hawley says Garland should invoke 25th Amendment if DOJ declines to charge Biden: ‘One or the other’

Ryan Lizza / Politico:
Biden faces his ‘Comey moment’

emptywheel:
Robert Hur's Box-Checking

Discussion: CNN, Slate, Washington Examiner, Las Vegas Review-Journal, National Review, The Mahablog, Associated Press, DNyuz, Fox News and Reuters

Matthew Xiao / Washington Free Beacon:
WATCH: ‘This Is Terrible,’ Democratic Strategist Says of Biden's Press Conference

NBC News:
Could Democrats replace Biden as their nominee?

Discussion: Fox News, Frontpage Mag, New York Post, RedState, Washington Examiner and BizPac Review

Yair Rosenberg / The Atlantic:
What Biden's Critics Get Wrong About His Gaffes

Discussion: Associated Press, Bloomberg, Fox News, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Newsbusters, The Federalist, Slate, Benzinga, Boston Herald, New York Post, Digby's Hullabaloo, HuffPost, The Hill and Semafor

Alex Gangitano / The Hill:
White House goes on attack against special counsel over Biden age, memory

C. Stewart Verdery Jr / The Hill:

History confirms Republicans rejected a once-in-a-lifetime immigration opportunity — Immigration politics may be the most important to winning and losing elections in America. Add the substance around immigration reform and border security and it is one of the most complicated policy issues facing America as well.

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Ukraine funding package moves closer to Senate passage — The Senate voted Friday evening to push a $95.3 billion package funding Ukraine, Israel and other national security priorities closer to passing the upper chamber, even though many Republican senators are upset the legislation …

Discussion: Bernard Goldberg's Commentary

David McAfee / Raw Story:

‘Yikes’: Internet erupts after ‘Dementia Trump’ makes several verbal slip-ups at NRA rally — Donald Trump Friday was hit with a stream of criticism for several verbal slip-ups at an event for the NRA in Pennsylvania. — The former president slurred when saying the word “subsidies,” said …

Discussion: The Spectator World, The Daily Beast, Associated Press, Blue Virginia, Breitbart, The Hill, PennLive, Mediaite, Fargo | KFGO, Rolling Stone, The Gateway Pundit, Democrats, NBC News, WisPolitics, Press Herald, CBS News and WHTM-TV

Meridith McGraw / Politico:
Trump promises NRA that if elected, ‘no one will lay a finger on your firearms’

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Benzinga, Raw Story, Political Wire, USA Today, PennLive, The Hill, Breitbart and Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Julia Johnson / Washington Examiner:

McCarthy confident in McDaniel and bristles at Gaetz suggestion of leading RNC — LAS VEGAS — Former House Speaker and California GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy said Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is equipped to continue leading the party.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Political Wire, CNN, MeidasTouch, The Hill, New York Times and Daily Kos

New York Times:
Chief Witness Against Gaetz Is Cooperating With House Ethics Investigation

Discussion: Raw Story, ABC News, The Hill, The American Spectator, Washington Examiner, New York Daily News, View from the Wing and Joe.My.God.

Kirby Wilson / Tampa Bay Times:
Matt Gaetz stopped at airport security for having a Taser, report says

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:

New Jan. 6 footage appears to show rioter firing a gun in the air during Capitol attack — John Emanuel Banuelos was previously identified by NBC News as a Jan. 6 rioter who told police he had a weapon that day. New footage appears to show him firing it. — WASHINGTON — Newly unearthed footage …

Discussion: Raw Story

Laura Paddison / CNN:

Critical Atlantic Ocean current system is showing early signs of collapse, prompting warning from scientists — A crucial system of ocean currents may already be on course to collapse, according to a new report, with alarming implications for sea level rise and global weather …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Guardian and New York Daily News

Steven Shepard / Politico:

What the Long Island special election tells us about the battle over the suburbs — The race between former Rep. Tom Suozzi and Mazi Melesa Pilip could provide clues for both parties on immigration and crime as they gear up for 2024. — The nation's suburbs are moving toward Democrats.

Discussion: ABC News and Associated Press

Franco Ordoñez / NPR:

Republicans see Latino voters in Nevada as key to retaking the White House in 2024 — LAS VEGAS - Shuffling through jeans on a clothing rack in her small store at a Latino market, Christy Rosales says she hopes Trump returns to office. — The 40-year-old native of Colombia complains …

Discussion: nationalinterest.org and Los Angeles Times

Fox News:

Conservative firebrand announces run for key battleground Senate race being targeted by Dems … A conservative firebrand has officially filed to run for the Montana Senate in the heated contest to unseat Democrat Sen. Jon Tester. — Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., made the long awaited announcement Friday …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Raw Story, RedState, Punchbowl News, Washington Times, The Hill, CNN and The Daily Caller

Andrew Solender / Axios:
Leading GOP hardliner spurned by Trump in tough Senate fight

Liz Skalka / HuffPost:
Republican Larry Hogan Is Running For Senate In Maryland

Zoë Richards / NBC News:

Texas woman sentenced to 3 years in prison for death threats to judge in Trump's documents case — Tiffani Shea Gish of Houston had pleaded guilty in November to leaving threatening voicemails for U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. — A Texas woman accused of making death threats …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, US Department of Justice, The Mercury News, Law & Crime, Associated Press, Raw Story and BizPac Review

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:

Democrats file FEC complaint against Robert Kennedy Jr. and allied super PAC — The Democratic National Committee accused third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday of violating federal election law by unlawfully coordinating with a supportive super PAC in a $15 million effort to collect signatures for state ballot access.