memeorandum: Trump the Front-Runner? Not So Fast. (Jonathan Martin/Politico)

5:45 PM ET, April 13, 2024

Top Items:

Myah Ward / Politico:

Majority of voters think Trump committed ‘serious federal crimes,’ according to NYT poll — The new poll comes as jury selection will begin in Trump's New York trial on Monday. — A majority of voters believe former President Donald Trump has committed “serious federal crimes,” …

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill and Washington Examiner

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

Biden Shrinks Trump's Edge in Latest Times/Siena Poll — The president's popularity has ticked up slightly, though voters still view Donald J. Trump more favorably and have dour views of the economy. — President Biden has nearly erased Donald J. Trump's early polling advantage …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Business Insider, WHTM-TV, PoliticusUSA, The Post Millennial, USA Today, No More Mister Nice Blog, Digby's Hullabaloo, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Caller, New Jersey Online, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Politico

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

A Closer Look at a Slight Shift in the Polls — An average of recent surveys, including the Times/Siena poll, finds President Biden inching closer to Donald Trump. — Is President Biden gaining in the polls? There have been signs of it ever since his State of the Union address last month …

Discussion: Axios and The Hill

Paul Kane / Washington Post: Voters think the nation is going off rails — just not in their state

Maha El Dahan / Reuters:

Vessel seized in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran tensions, shipping firms say — Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, days after Tehran said it could close the crucial shipping route and warned it would retaliate for an Israeli strike on its Syria consulate.

Barak Ravid / Axios:

Biden returns to the White House as imminent Iranian attack on Israel is possible … - Israel Defense Forces' home front command announced a state of alert starting 4pm ET Saturday and added that all schools and education institutions will be closed Sunday — another sign of an imminent attack.

New York Post:

Iran launches hundreds of suicide drones in ‘significant escalation’ against Israel — Iran has launched an attack against Israel using hundreds of suicide drones, the Jewish state has confirmed. — Axios journalist Barak Ravid, citing a senior Israeli official, reported that hundreds of drones were headed for Israel.

Jonathan Lemire / Politico:

Biden cuts short weekend trip amid rising tensions in Middle East — The president returned a day earlier than planned from Delaware. — President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to his Delaware beach home to return to the White House where he will monitor events in the Middle East.

Discussion: Reuters, Deadline, Politico, RedState, The Guardian, Twitchy, CBS News and New York Post

Chris McGreal / The Guardian:

Republicans in swing state Wisconsin unenthused by Trump: ‘A bad candidate’ — Fervent Trump supporters from last elections air doubts over abortion and the man himself in state where turnout will be key — Terri Burl has come full circle. — The local Republican party official …

Jonathan Martin / Politico:

Trump the Front-Runner? Not So Fast. — As foreign leaders trek to Mar-a-Lago to restore their ties to the once and future president, they might be surprised to learn that the election isn't as sealed as they seem to think. — Just as the stock market's record gains this year have been driven …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo and USA Today

Washington Post:

Mike Pence pushes a post-Trump path for conservatives and GOP — The former vice president, who decided not to endorse his old running mate, believes many in the conservative movement have lost their way to populism — Mike Pence became vice president by bearing witness to Donald Trump …

Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Trump boosting efforts to wrest Pennsylvania back to GOP victory

Discussion: NPR, Fox News, Washington Examiner and Associated Press

Jared Gans / The Hill:

Biden wins Wyoming Democratic caucus — President Biden is the winner of the Wyoming Democratic presidential caucus, Decision Desk HQ has projected. — Biden is already the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, having mathematically clinched the nomination last month.

Discussion: Associated Press and ABC News

Andrew Solender / Axios:
Infuriated Democrats grapple with GOP vote to blast Biden

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Informed Comment and IJR

Andrew Solender / Axios:
House Republicans fume over “messaging” votes

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Mahablog, MSNBC, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic, Business Insider, Washington Post, NBC News and ABC News

Misty Severi / Washington Examiner:

Trump wields endorsement to try and remove one of two pro-impeachment Republicans left in the House — Former President Donald Trump wielded his endorsement in a Washington House race on Friday to try and remove one of the two Republicans left who tried to impeach him in 2021.

Discussion: Washington Times, Breitbart, The Hill, NBC News, The Daily Beast and The Post Millennial

Benjamin Guggenheim / Politico:

‘The 401(k) industry owns Congress’: How lawmakers quietly passed a $300 billion windfall to the wealthy — Greased by lobbying and campaign cash, tax breaks for retirement savings are one thing Congress agrees on. But they also blow out the deficit and add to income inequality.

CNN:

Trump will juggle appearances in courtroom and on campaign trail as hush money trial begins — Former President Donald Trump's appearance in a New York courthouse Monday for jury selection in his criminal hush money trial will kick off a weekslong juggling act between the courtroom …

Discussion: Politico, New York Post, Washington Times, Raw Story and Forbes

Mohammad Tayseer / Bloomberg:

Jordan Temporarily Closes Airspace, Citing Regional Risks — Jordan is temporarily closing its airspace to incoming, outgoing and transit flights on Saturday, citing growing risks in the region, the state-run Al Mamlaka news agency reported. — Jordan's Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission …

Discussion: Reuters

New York Times:

Donald Trump Says He Will Testify in Hush-Money Trial — Jury selection begins Monday in the prosecution of Donald J. Trump on charges of covering up a sex scandal. He said he would try to sway jurors personally, though he has backed away in the past. — Donald J. Trump …

Discussion: NPR, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, Greensburg Tribune-Review, Vanity Fair, BizPac Review, Raw Story, Fox News, Business Insider, CNBC, Associated Press, NBC News, Michigan Advance, Mediaite and Politico

Associated Press:
Judge declines to delay Trump's NY hush money trial over complaints of pretrial publicity

Discussion: CNBC, The Hill, ABC News, Washington Examiner, New York Daily News, BizPac Review, Axios, Fox News, RedState, Business Insider, USA Today, Raw Story, Daily Kos, MeidasTouch and Politico

NBC News:

Judge rejects Hunter Biden's bid to dismiss the federal gun charges against him — The judge denied all of Biden's attempts to have the case thrown out. — The federal judge overseeing a case involving gun charges against Hunter Biden rejected efforts by the president's son to have the case dismissed.