memeorandum: Netanyahu says Israel ‘will do our best’ to evacuate civilians ahead of Rafah operation (Miranda Nazzaro/The Hill)

11:35 AM ET, February 26, 2024

Top Items:

Three Theories for Why Trump's Primary Results Are Not Matching Expectations — He has underperformed the polls in each of the first three contests. — It's still early in the primary season, but a whiff of a possible polling error is already in the air.

Discussion: Raw Story, The Moderate Voice, Fox News and New York Magazine

Douglas E. Schoen / The Hill:

Trump's colossal legal fees are draining his campaign at the worst time — If President Joe Biden has any advantage going into the 2024 presidential election, it's that former President Donald Trump's legal fees and primary challenges are a significant drain on the Trump campaign's finances.

Discussion: Sacramento Bee and National Review

Tiana Lowe Doescher / Washington Examiner:

The vibes veepstakes — In an alternate universe, Donald Trump's choice for running mate would be obvious enough. Like Joe Biden and Barack Obama before him, the former president could theoretically complete his ticket and unify the party in one easy step by selecting his most formidable primary challenger …

Politico:

Playbook: Spending talks go off the rails — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — RUN IT BACK — “The prospect of a second Trump presidency has the intelligence community on edge,” by Erin Banco and John Sakellariadis: “Former top officials …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post, Townhall, Mock Paper Scissors, The Daily Caller and Senate Democratic Leadership

Politico:

The prospect of a second Trump presidency has the intelligence community on edge — Trump sought major changes at the intel agencies in his first term; former officials say he could be more radical in a second. — Former top officials from Donald Trump's administration are warning …

Discussion: The Bulwark, Raw Story, The Dispatch and Political Wire

NBC News:

Russia's 2024 election interference has already begun — Moscow is spreading disinformation about Joe Biden and other Democrats to lessen U.S. military aid to Ukraine and U.S. support for NATO, former U.S. officials and cyber experts say. — Russia is already spreading disinformation …

Discussion: Mock Paper Scissors, Election Law Blog, BizPac Review, Mediaite and Washington Examiner

Juan Williams / The Hill:
Trump has kept up his old, creepy affections for Putin

Discussion: Raw Story

Jay Kuo / The Status Kuo:
Status Report: Warning Signs for Trump

Natalie Allison / Politico:
Koch network stops spending on Nikki Haley's presidential campaign

NBC News:

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel announces her resignation — Former President Donald Trump has already endorsed a new slate of leaders at the Republican National Committee ahead of the general election. — WASHINGTON — Ronna McDaniel said Monday that she will step down next month as chairwoman …

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Ronna McDaniel, the R.N.C.'s Top Official, Plans to Step Down on March 8

Discussion: New York Post, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, NBC News, CBS News, Forbes, RedState, Mediaite, The National Pulse+, Political Wire and NewsNation

Kierra Frazier / Politico:
Ronna McDaniel to step down as RNC chair next week

Discussion: The Hill, NPR and UPI

Anders Hagstrom / Fox News:
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to resign after Super Tuesday

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, ABC News, USA Today and The Post Millennial

Chauncey DeVega / Salon:

Trump's CPAC speech showed clear signs of major cognitive decline — yet MAGA cheered — A confused Donald Trump kept up his threats of retribution during this weekend's conservative confab — Donald Trump was in his full glory over the weekend at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference.

Discussion: UPI, Digby's Hullabaloo, USA Today, RedState, CPAC Digital and WLT Report

Just Security: American Autocracy Threat Tracker

New York Times:

Biden Will Make Rare Visit to Southern Border on Same Day as Trump — The president, on the defensive over immigration, is planning to travel to Texas on Thursday, when Donald J. Trump is also set to visit a border city. — President Biden is planning to make a rare visit to the southern border …

Discussion: Fox News, USA Today, Bloomberg, acecomments.mu.nu, Townhall, ABC News and Wall Street Journal

Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
Michigan 2024 Poll: Trump 46%, Biden 44%

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Daily News, The Hill, CNN and Political Wire

MSNBC:
‘More unhinged’: Former Trump aide sounds alarm, reveals why she'll vote for Biden

Discussion: HuffPost, The Hill and Raw Story

Michael R. Sisak / Associated Press:

Donald Trump appeals $454 million judgment in New York civil fraud case — Donald Trump has appealed his $454 million New York civil fraud judgment, challenging a judge's finding that Trump lied about his wealth as he grew the real estate empire that launched him to stardom and the presidency.

Discussion: Reuters, The Guardian, MeidasTouch, The Hill, Bloomberg, Axios, CNBC, Associated Press, Raw Story, Daily Caller News Foundation and Washington Post

Joseph Goldstein / New York Times:

$1 Billion Donation Will Provide Free Tuition at a Bronx Medical School — Dr. Ruth Gottesman, a longtime professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is making free tuition available to all students going forward. — The 93-year-old widow of a Wall Street financier has donated $1 billion …

Discussion: PIX11

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Smoke and mirrors: What Republicans are really saying about IVF — On February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are “children,” and fertility clinics that destroy frozen embryos could be sued under Alabama's Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.

Discussion: Business Insider, The Status Kuo, The Daily Beast, Politico, Plain Dealer, New York Daily News and The Hill

Alex Thompson / Axios:

Exclusive: Hunter Biden sees his sobriety as key to keeping Trump from winning … - “Most importantly, you have to believe that you're worth the work, or you'll never be able to get sober. … “I have always been in awe of people who have stayed clean and sober through tragedies and obstacles few people ever face.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, Fox News, New York Post, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, RedState, IJR, Mediaite and JONATHAN TURLEY

Liz Dye / Public Notice:

How Comer and company learned to love Russian disinformation — This free edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers. If you aren't one already, hit the button below and sign up to support our unbossed journalism. — 📈 Subscribe to Public Notice 📈

Discussion: Washington Times, The Post Millennial and emptywheel

Ibrahim Dahman / CNN:

Palestinian Authority prime minister and government resign — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and his government have submitted their resignations, he announced Monday. — “I would like to inform the honorable council and our great people that I placed …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Associated Press, USA Today, UPI and Fox News

Ali Sawafta / Reuters:
Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh resigns

Discussion: The Times of Israel, The Guardian, Bloomberg, The Japan Times and Al Jazeera

Annie Karni / New York Times:

Republican Opposition to Birth Control Bill Could Alienate Voters, Poll Finds — A survey conducted by Americans for Contraception shows the overwhelming popularity of birth control, and suggests voters are primed to punish Republicans for opposing a measure to protect access to it.

Miranda Nazzaro / The Hill:

Netanyahu says Israel ‘will do our best’ to evacuate civilians ahead of Rafah operation — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said Israeli forces have a plan to evacuate civilians out of harm's way in the Gaza city of Rafah and eliminate the forces of the militant Palestinian group Hamas in the southern city.