memeorandum: Putin rattles his atomic saber by ordering nuclear weapons drills (Pierre Emmanuel Ngendakumana/Politico)

10:35 AM ET, May 6, 2024

Top Items:

Playbook: GOP eyes some Santos payback — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — BREAKING OVERNIGHT — Gaza cease-fire talks appear to have collapsed following a Hamas rocket attack yesterday that killed three soldiers at an Israeli checkpoint …

Erin Doherty / Axios:

Trump interferes with House GOP messaging on Cuellar indictment … - The National Republican Congressional Committee plans to accuse Democrats of a double standard if they stay mum on Cuellar following their pressure on ex-Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to resign, Politico reports.

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story, Politico, Daily Kos and Washington Examiner

Andrew Solender / Axios:

Scoop: House GOP homes in on Biden as top 2024 punching bag … - In addition to citing Biden's underwater national approval, the memo posits that he is unpopular in evenDemocratic-leaning swing districts. — “We expect Democrats to wake up and furiously backpedal away from Biden in the fall.

Discussion: Twitchy and NRCC

Nick Robertson / The Hill:
‘If Roe v. Wade can fall, anything can fall,’ says Jeffries in stressing importance of elections

Discussion: WFLA-TV and Washington Examiner

Axios:

Behind the Curtain: 6% of six states … - Those were the battlegrounds disputed by Donald Trump after the 2020 election. … - A seventh state, North Carolina, is included in some swing-state polls. … Republicans think they're winning. The swing-state map is a big reason why.

Discussion: Newsday

USA Today:

It's a tie: Biden 37%-Trump 37% as Hispanic, Black and younger voters shift - Exclusive — Susan Page Sudiksha Kochi Rachel BarberUSA TODAY — It couldn't be closer. — Six months before Election Day, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are tied 37%-37% …

Discussion: HotAir, The Hill and ABC News

AJ McDougall / The Daily Beast:

Kristi Noem Cries ‘Fake News’ After Disastrous Interview on CBS — DOGGED BY SCANDAL — The South Dakota governor complained that the host of “Face the Nation” had interrupted her “once every 25 seconds”—something that would never happen to, say, Gretchen Whitmer.

Discussion: Rolling Stone, Business Insider, RedState, IJR, Mother Jones, New Jersey Online, PoliticusUSA, The Dakota Scout, Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo and Mediaite

Nandika Chatterjee / Salon:

Kristi Noem's animal cruelty is hurting the GOP financially — With Noem posing a threat to all walks of animal life, fundraising is taking a hit — A May 4th Colorado GOP fundraiser, where Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., was supposed to speak, was canceled due to threats sparked by her admission of killing her 14-month-old dog, Cricket.

Discussion: The Daily Beast

Maggie Astor / New York Times:
Kristi Noem Suggests Biden's Dog Should Have Been Killed, Too

Discussion: Business Insider, CNN, Washington Times, TMZ.com, New Jersey Online, Raw Story, New York Post, NBC News, Washington Examiner, CNBC, AllSides Balanced and WFLA-TV

Public Notice:

Hunter Biden's revenge — Smear campaigns have consequences. — ∙ Paid … Have you noticed that after years of saturation coverage, Fox News hosts have suddenly cooled it on the Hunter Biden stuff? There's a reason for that. — Last week, Fox News pulled the six-part series …

emptywheel:

400 Rich People Pay $40K to Hear Trump Glorify Cop Assailants — On Saturday, a bunch of people paid a lot of money — at least $40,0000 apiece, and one or two people took Trump up on an offer to speak if they gave $1 million — to hear Trump glorify cop assailants.

Discussion: Raw Story, USA Today and Washington Post

Brett Samuels / The Hill:
White House: Trump Gestapo comment echoes ‘appalling rhetoric of fascists’

Discussion: USA Today, Frontpage Mag, Axios, HuffPost, RedState, CBS News, Associated Press, Reuters, The Guardian and AllSides Balanced

Dr. Thomas K. Lew / USA Today:

Congress voted against funding a cure for cancer just to block a win for Biden — Some Republicans, refusing to give President Joe Biden a ‘win,’ voted against the renewal of funding for cancer research. Vote for those who do not politicize Americans' health. — I'm afraid I have some bad news.

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Congressman praises racist heckling. Will his corporate backers stand by him? — On Thursday, Jaylin Smith, a graduate student at the University of Mississippi, participated in a small, non-violent protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Smith and the other protesters were greeted …

Discussion: Phi Delta Theta, HuffPost, New Jersey Online, TIME, CNN, WPR and The Daily Beast

Associated Press:

Money isn't enough to smooth the path for Republican candidates hoping to retake the Senate — Frustrated by the seemingly endless cash flowing to Democrats, Republicans aiming to retake the Senate have rallied around candidates with plenty of their own money.

Jim Hᴏft / The Gateway Pundit:

'Is My Name Not Trans Enough? " - Dana White Blasts Netflix as ‘Liberal F*cks’ Live on Air for Limiting His Time to Roast Tom Brady at Netflix Special (VIDEO) — UFC President Dana White is no stranger to controversy or speaking his mind, and he proved it yet again at the Netflix special, ‘The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady.’

Discussion: Breitbart and The Daily Caller

Pierre Emmanuel Ngendakumana / Politico:

Putin rattles his atomic saber by ordering nuclear weapons drills — Russia announced Monday it has started preparing for nuclear weapons exercises, accusing Western officials of making “provocative statements and threats” by deepening their support for Ukraine.

Discussion: Reuters, The Daily Beast, Associated Press, Bloomberg and Washington Examiner

CNN:

RNC chief counsel resigns after two months — The Republican National Committee's chief counsel Charlie Spies has resigned two months after accepting the position. — Spies' departure follows weeks of growing tension with RNC officials, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Washington Post and NBC News