memeorandum: Mnuchin's plan to buy TikTok has some insiders bewildered (Washington Post)

1:35 PM ET, March 30, 2024

Top Items:

Phillip M. Bailey / USA Today:

Donald Trump faces backlash after sharing video featuring a hogtied Joe Biden — Former President Donald Trump is facing intense criticism for what Democrats say is a new low this weekend after sharing a video on his social media website that has an image of President Joe Biden hogtied.

Discussion: Politico and TMZ.com

Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:

We Need to Talk About This — Today's widely discussed Trump post on Truth Social isn't just another instance of bad behavior. It's not just a shrug of the shoulders and a resigned sigh of, “What are you going to do?” Far too often, people resignedly accept Trump's behavior because they believe there's no alternative.

Discussion: Raw Story and Balloon Juice

Azi Paybarah / Washington Post:

Donald Trump shares image of Joe Biden with hands and feet tied — Former president Donald Trump disseminated on social media on Friday an image of President Biden with his hands and feet tied, the latest example of the Republican candidate's use of increasingly violent rhetoric and imagery this campaign season.

Discussion: New York Times, CNN, The Moderate Voice, The Daily Beast, Raw Story and Public Notice

Megan Lebowitz / NBC News:

Trump shares video with image depicting Biden tied up in the back of a pickup truck — The former president has previously used violent images and rhetoric as he seeks a return to the White House. — Former President Donald Trump shared a video on social media Friday that included an image …

Discussion: RedState, The Guardian and Business Insider

J.D. Wolf / MeidasTouch:
Trump Posts Image of Joe Biden Kidnapped And Bound With Rope

Discussion: Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Guardian, PoliticusUSA, Vox, Diane Ravitch's blog, Mediaite, Ultimate Newswire, New York Times and Political Wire

Politico:

Trump's weaknesses with GOP voters go beyond the suburbs — Primary results from more than 1,000 counties show clear warning signs for Trump with Republican voters in exurbs and small towns. — The battle for Trump-skeptical Republican voters isn't just about the suburbs.

Discussion: Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo, Associated Press, PoliticusUSA, NBC News, The Texas Tribune and The Daily Beast

Mary Jo Pitzl / USA Today:

Arizona Republican lawmakers want to scrap early voting, question could be on November ballot — The Arizona state Legislature is considering asking Arizonans if they want to vote like it's 1990. — A measure before the state Senate would invite voters to abolish early voting and add …

Discussion: Associated Press and Spotlight PA

Stef W. Kight / Axios:
Why there's no big wave of immigrants voting illegally

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Greg Sargent / New Republic:

MAGA's Ugly, Hateful Response to Bridge Horror Is About to Get Worse — One of the ugliest features of MAGA politics is the eagerness to seize on large scale accidents, disasters, and pandemics to spread conspiracy theories, invent new culture-war obsessions, and pit one region of the country against another.

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Raw Story, MinnPost, Fox Business and Fox News

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

Revisiting Florida 2000 and the Butterfly Effect — The evidence is strong that Al Gore would have won had it not been for an infamous ballot design in Palm Beach County. — We're still in a post-primary lull before the campaign starts to heat up — and before Donald J. Trump goes on trial.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Washington Post:

Mnuchin's plan to buy TikTok has some insiders bewildered — His proposal to buy the app without its algorithm from its Chinese owner has drawn skeptical reactions, including from those he's pitched — Former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin is telling rich investors he has a plan to take over TikTok …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Meryl Kornfield / Washington Post:

Cesar Chavez's family tells RFK Jr. to stop using activist's name, image — The family of labor activist Cesar Chavez sent a letter to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday, warning him to stop referencing the late patriarch in election campaigns or face potential legal action.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, NBC News, The White House and The Hill

Benjamin Oreskes / Los Angeles Times:
RFK Jr.'s campaign is celebrating Cesar Chavez Day. The labor icon's family is not having it

Discussion: CBS News, UPI, Democrats, MeidasTouch and PoliticusUSA

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:

The Unhinged Arguments the Supreme Court Is Fielding on Trump Immunity — BUNKER MENTALITY — “Friend of the court” arguments are coming from across the political spectrum—and are showing the potential consequences of siding with Trump on immunity. — Retired American generals vehemently …

Discussion: Raw Story and Ultimate Newswire

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Donald Trump, Blasphemous Bible Thumper — On this holy weekend, one man is taking the Resurrection personally. — Donald Trump is presenting himself as the Man on the Cross, tortured for our sins. “I consider it a great badge of courage,” he tells crowds. “I am being indicted for you.”

Discussion: Raw Story, Althouse, Ultimate Newswire and Breitbart

NPR:

California fast-food workers will get $20 minimum wage, starting Monday — California fast-food workers cooking Big Macs or whipping Frappuccinos will start making a minimum wage of $20 an hour on Monday. For many, this means a 25% raise. — The new state minimum uniquely focuses …

Discussion: CBS News, Daily News and Reason

Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:

Republican-appointed judges raise alarm over Trump attacks on law — Federal D.C. Judge Reggie B. Walton warned Trump's attacks on hush-money trial judge and others could lead to violence. Reagan, Bush-appointed judges decry Jan. 6 revisionism, threats. — A Republican-appointed judge …

Discussion: Associated Press, Press Herald, The Dispatch, Raw Story, Ultimate Newswire, Mediaite, Washington Examiner and The Hill

CNN:
Federal judge warns of Trump's attacks in extraordinary rebuke

Discussion: The Hill, MSNBC, New Republic, Forbes, NBC News, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, PoliticusUSA, Law & Crime and Raw Story

Sara Boboltz / HuffPost:
Ex-Federal Judge Blasts Judiciary And Entire Nation For Not Calling Out Trump More

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and The Hill

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Half of senior staffers in Congress are so fed up that they may quit — Capitol Hill aides worry that lawmakers have increased their bombast so much that it makes it harder to do their jobs — When it comes to job satisfaction, members of Congress aren't the only ones considering calling it quits.

Discussion: Raw Story