memeorandum: Pope says Ukraine should have ‘courage of the white flag’ of negotiations (Philip Pullella/Reuters)

6:35 PM ET, March 9, 2024

Top Items:

Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:

Biden says he regrets referring to ‘an illegal’ during his State of the Union address — The president used the term to describe Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan who crossed the border into the U.S. and has been charged with the murder of Laken Riley. — President Joe Biden on Saturday told MSNBC …

Dan Pfeiffer / The Message Box:

How Trump Fumbled his Attack on Biden's Age — Donald Trump and the Republicans smelled blood. President Biden had recently been on the defensive about his age. A series of polls released over the weekend heightened Democratic concerns. The Republicans knew the press would treat …

Discussion: DOWNWITHTYRANNY! and Mediaite

Mike Allen / Axios:

“Smokin' Joe Biden”: Campaign builds on SOTU buzz … - “Donald Trump believes the job of the president is to take care of Donald Trump,” Biden says. … - By the end of this month, the campaign expects to surge from 100 staff members in the seven battlegrounds to 350+, with 100+ field offices, per the AP.

Discussion: USA Today, Nielsen, RedState, Twitchy, HuffPost, HotAir, The Hill, Associated Press, Mediaite, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Los Angeles Times, Fox News and DNyuz

New York Times:

The Biden-Trump Rerun: A Nation Craving Change Gets More of the Same — Americans love a candidate who promises something new. But when a sitting president runs against a former one, can either claim the mantle of change? — The promise of change has been a powerful force in presidential campaigns …

Discussion: CNN and The Daily Caller

Tara Suter / The Hill:

UAW president doubles down on support for Biden after State of the Union shoutout — United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain doubled down on his support for President Biden following a shout-out from the president in his State of the Union speech. — “Joe Biden has a history …

Discussion: MSNBC, Twitchy, MLive.com and Economic Hardship …

MSNBC:

EXCLUSIVE: Biden says he regrets calling migrant an ‘illegal’ during State of the Union speech — During an exclusive interview with Jonathan Capehart, President Biden says he regrets using the term “illegal” when referring to the alleged killer of Laken Riley during his State of the Union speech …

Discussion: HuffPost, Breitbart and PBS NewsHour

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Early polling of Biden's State of the Union doesn't quite match the hype

Discussion: RedState, The Gateway Pundit, DOWNWITHTYRANNY!, Mock Paper Scissors and The Hill

Sophia Cai / Axios:
Inside Trump's TikTok flip-flop

Ross Douthat / New York Times: Why It's Hard to Explain Joe Biden's Unpopularity

Filip Timotija / The Hill:
RFK Jr. slams Biden's State of the Union address as ‘hyper-partisan’

Discussion: Daily Kos, Erick Erickson's Show Notes and Fox News

The Hill:
Gingrich: Biden's most inspirational State of the Union moment was ‘when he left’

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Fox News

Nicholas Nehamas / New York Times:
New Biden Ad Pokes Fun at His Age: 'I'm Not a Young Guy. That's No Secret.'

Discussion: The Hill, Bloomberg, Digby's Hullabaloo, Florida Politics, New York Post, The Guardian, NBC News, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, CBS News, Blue Virginia, DNyuz, USA Today and Crooks and Liars

NBC News:
Trump hosts hard-line Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán at Mar-a-Lago

Discussion: MeidasTouch, CNN, Politico, Mediaite, RTÉ, BizPac Review, The Hill, Lawyers, Guns & Money, DNyuz, RADAR, Agence France-Presse, The Mahablog, Fox News, HuffPost, Associated Press, Ned Hamson's Second Line View …, Washington Examiner and Raw Story

Dan Rather / Steady:
President Biden Upends the GOP Narrative

Discussion: RedState, BizPac Review, New York Magazine, nationalinterest.org, New York Times, The Bulwark, Jacobin, Deadline, CNN, Fox News, The Hill and New Republic

Ron Filipkowski / MeidasTouch:
Trump Getting DESTROYED on Truth Social Over His Vaccine Post

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, New York Times and American Greatness

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

Katie Britt's false linkage of a sex-trafficking case to Joe Biden — The Fact Checker … — Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.), in the Republican response to the State of the Union address, March 7 — If you were watching Britt's speech on Thursday night, you likely would have thought …

Discussion: Raw Story, HuffPost, al.com, Forbes, The Daily Beast, DNyuz, Political Wire and Roll Call

Rebecca Picciotto / CNBC:

Biden rebutter Sen. Britt blasted for recycling 20-year-old sex traffic story to attack border policy — In her rebuttal to Biden's State of the Union, Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama used what appears to be a sex trafficking victim's experience from the early 2000s to condemn President Joe Biden's current border policy.

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Magazine, The Guardian and Digby's Hullabaloo

Ken Bensinger / New York Times:

Questions Arise About Britt's State of the Union Response — The Alabama senator used a story about sex trafficking to criticize the Biden administration's border policies. But it wasn't fully accurate. — In her rebuttal to President Biden's State of the Union speech Thursday night …

Discussion: MeidasTouch, Mediaite, DNyuz, NPR, Political Wire and New York Magazine

Kevin Manahan / New Jersey Online:

Was Trump supporter Katie Britt caught in whopping lie about graphic sex trafficking story? — During her widely panned Republican response to the State of the Union Address on Thursday night, Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama told a graphic sex-trafficking story about a woman who was sexually abused …

Discussion: Bloomberg.com, Raw Story, DNyuz and Rolling Stone

Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Biden said Republicans oppose women's rights — Katie Britt's “tradwife” response proved him right

Discussion: Slate, New York Magazine and Washington Post

Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:

Inside A Secret Society Of Prominent Right-Wing Christian Men Prepping For A ‘National Divorce’ — A trove of documents obtained by TPM reveal the society's inner workings. — A secret, men-only right-wing society with members in influential positions around the country is on a crusade …

Philip Pullella / Reuters:

Pope says Ukraine should have ‘courage of the white flag’ of negotiations — Pope Francis has said in an interview that Ukraine should have what he called the courage of the “white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia that followed Moscow's full-scale invasion two years ago and that has killed tens of thousands.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Forbes, vaticannews.va and The Daily Caller

Bloomberg.com:
Pope Francis Says Ukraine Should Negotiate End of War With Russia

Discussion: New York Times and Associated Press

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

Robert De Niro Goes Off on ‘Total Monster’ Trump and His Fans In Epic Rant on Bill Maher — Calls Him Every Name In The Book — Acting legend Robert De Niro went on a blistering rant about former President Donald Trump and his supporters, sounding the alarm on a new Trump term and calling him a string of derogatory names.

Discussion: Twitchy, The Hill, al.com, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, DNyuz, Fox News, RADAR and Deadline

Lori Rozsa / Washington Post:

DeSantis faces pushback in Florida as voters tire of war on woke — Conservative lawmakers rejected a host of new culture wars proposals in the legislature — The bill banning rainbow flags from public buildings in Florida sounded like a sure bet. — State Rep. David Borrero (R) …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Sun-Sentinel

Teri Kanefield:

Invented Narratives and the Outrage Industry — The Outrage Industry — Even if you are not caught up in the Outrage Industry, it affects you because it affects us all. — The Outrage Industry influences how we talk about politics with our friends and family—and why some people avoid talking about politics.