memeorandum: Far Right's Ties to Russia Sow Rising Alarm in Germany (Erika Solomon/New York Times)

9:15 AM ET, April 15, 2024

Top Items:

US to Israel: Don't do something you'll regret — In private calls and public moves, President Joe Biden and his aides are pointing to reasons to look for an off-ramp. — The Biden administration's main message for Israel following Iran's aerial assault comes down to this: Stop and think.

Discussion: Semafor, Politico, NBC News, Washington Post, The White House, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Diplomatic,, Al-Monitor, RedState, Washington Examiner, CNN, israelhayom.com, Twitchy and Breitbart

Evan McMorris-Santoro / NOTUS:

Iran's Attack on Israel Has U.S. Politicians Scrambling … As the world waits to see what will come next between Israel and Iran, politicians in America are scrambling to determine their own next steps. — The roiling Israel policy debate has remained near the center of U.S. politics …

Discussion: NBC News, The Hill, UPI, The Guardian, USA Today, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Politico, Washington Examiner, Blue Virginia, Axios, New York Times, NPR and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell

Yaroslav Trofimov / Wall Street Journal:

Israel Repelled Iran's Huge Attack. But Only With Help From U.S. and Arab Partners. — Working with partners, it fended off worst of Iranian strikes; what comes next will test powers in the Middle East and beyond — Saturday's Iranian strike on Israel was huge by any standard.

Discussion: Vox, Israpundit, The Sun, RedState, New York Times, The Hill, The Atlantic, Al-Monitor, New York Post, Haaretz and Breitbart

Olivia Reingold / The Free Press:
American Anti-War Activists Cheer for Iran's War

Discussion: HotAir, RedState, CNN, New York Daily News, Fox News, The Post Millennial, FRSO, Atlantic Council, Instapundit, Reuters and The Gateway Pundit

Reuters:
Israel's Netanyahu vows victory after Iran strikes, fears of wider conflict grow

Politico:
US tells Israel it won't join counter-strike on Iran, urges caution

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

How to pick a jury that can judge Donald Trump — Tailoring questions to probe prospective jurors' political biases and opinions of the former president is more art than science. — Former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York begins Monday with an immediate and fundamental challenge …

Discussion: New York Magazine, NBC News, New York Times, Just Security, Raw Story, New York Post, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, Civil Discourse …, abc7NY, Axios and USA Today

Erica Orden / Politico:

How a hush money scandal turned into a criminal case: The whirlwind history of People v. Trump — It was nicknamed the “zombie” case. Now it's finally going to trial. — On Monday, nearly eight years after Donald Trump allegedly orchestrated a scheme to pay a porn star to keep quiet …

Discussion: Vox, USA Today, Axios, Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera, UPI, The Guardian, AM New York and New York Daily News

Nick Robertson / The Hill:
Trump attorney calls hush money case a ‘6-week-long media extravaganza’

Discussion: HuffPost

Associated Press:

Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern — Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern: The presidential candidates have conflicting ideas about how much to reveal about their own finances and the best ways to boost the economy through tax policy.

Discussion: Americans For Tax Fairness, The White House and Robert Reich

Kwan Wei Kevin Tan / Business Insider:

Mark Cuban says he's proud to pay $288 million in taxes this year, unlike a certain former president — Mark Cuban says he'll be paying $288 million in taxes to the IRS. — “I pay what I owe,” Cuban wrote on X. — The billionaire says he's “proud to pay my taxes every single year,” unlike one ex-president.

Erika Solomon / New York Times:

Far Right's Ties to Russia Sow Rising Alarm in Germany — As cases proliferate, opponents fear the Alternative for Germany party is becoming a tool of Russian influence operations to undermine support for Ukraine. — To enter a secret session of Germany's Parliament, lawmakers must lock their phones and leave them outside.

Washington Post:

Federal criminal investigation opened into Key Bridge crash — The FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on the massive container ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month — a probe that will look at least in part at whether the crew left …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Reuters, The Post Millennial, Baltimore Sun, ABC7, Fox News, New York Post and NewsNation

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Senate spotlight: A Trump Republican's China problem — November's election will not only determine which party controls the White House but also the United States Senate. Currently, the Democratic caucus holds a narrow 51-49 advantage. Control of the chamber will come down to a handful of competitive races.

Shia Kapos / Politico:

Democrats descend on Chicago as specter of '68 convention looms — Protests over Israel-Gaza war expected as party nominates President Joe Biden. — Democrats from across the country are converging in Chicago this week to lay the groundwork for their upcoming convention …

Discussion: American Prospect

Eric Schmitt / New York Times:

Pentagon Reviews Events Before Attack That Killed 13 U.S. Troops in Kabul — A team conducted new interviews to address lingering questions about the bombing in the final days of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan. — A new Pentagon review of the events leading up to the bombing …

Discussion: ABC News, Associated Press, Fox News and Task & Purpose

Hans Nichols / Axios:

Scoop: Teamsters make another move toward GOP … - In the past, the PAC has given overwhelmingly to Democrats, but Hawley has made a point to align himself with the labor movement, joining picket lines with the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers. — In total, Hawley's …

Giulia Carbonaro / Newsweek:

Donald Trump's Rambling Rally Speech Raises Questions — Donald Trump's mention of the “beautiful” Battle of Gettysburg during a campaign rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, on Saturday got the former president some attention on social media, with users wondering what his rambling “rant” was about.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, New Jersey Online, Raw Story, HuffPost, Digby's Hullabaloo and Mediaite