memeorandum: House Democrats launch probe of Trump's dinner with oil executives (Maxine Joselow/Washington Post)

1:15 PM ET, May 14, 2024

Top Items:

Live Updates: Cohen Says He Sought to Influence Election With Payment ‘on Behalf of Mr. Trump’ — Michael D. Cohen, Donald J. Trump's former fixer, described Mr. Trump confirming a plan to pay him back for buying the silence of a porn star, Stormy Daniels. Mr. Trump faces 34 felony counts related to the reimbursement.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, Salon, Mediaite, Law & Crime and UPI

Associated Press:
Star witness Michael Cohen says Trump was intimately involved in all aspects of hush money scheme

Natalie Allison / Politico:
With eyes shut, Trump endures testimony from his nemesis

Discussion: WWLP-TV, New York Times and Fox News

Axios:

Biden's polling denial: Why he doesn't believe he's behind … - That bedrock belief has informed Biden's largely steady-as-she-goes campaign — even as many Democrats outside the White House are agitating for the campaign to change direction, given that Biden is polling well behind where he was four years ago.

Discussion: Forbes, The Daily Caller, RedState, New Jersey Online, Daily Kos, NBC News, Los Angeles Times, Fox News, New Republic, Las Vegas Review-Journal, New York Daily News, New York Times and The Guardian

Katie Rogers / New York Times:
Biden Promised Normal. Do Voters Want His Version of It?

Discussion: Steady, Roll Call and NewsNation

Financial Times:
FT-Michigan Ross poll: Biden's election hopes fall as prices rise again

Discussion: Breitbart and Washington Examiner

ABC News:

DOJ requests judge order Steve Bannon to begin prison sentence — An appeals court upheld Bannon's contempt of Congress conviction last week. — Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump, speaks at the Turning Point Action conference in West Palm Beach, Fla., July 16, 2023.

Discussion: Axios, CNBC, Washington Examiner, New Jersey Online, Raw Story and Law & Crime

Axios:

Mike Johnson expected to join Trump at N.Y. criminal trial … - North Dakota Gov. Burgum, a Trump VP contender, is also expected in court on Tuesday, Axios has learned. — So is fellow VP contender Vivek Ramaswamy, his spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Monday.

Discussion: USA Today, Business Insider, Fox News, Roll Call, New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Hal Brown's Stressline, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Mock Paper Scissors and Arizona Republic

Elizabeth Elkind / Fox News:
Speaker Johnson to attend Trump trial in Manhattan in show of support

Discussion: Washington Examiner, ABC News, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, CBS News, Associated Press, Deadline, PoliticusUSA, Rolling Stone, RedState and New York Times

Matt Gertz / Media Matters for America:

Fox News and the MAGA media are lining up their shot at American democracy — With the presidential election less than half a year away, evidence is everywhere that the right is planning to end the American experiment in representative government if it fails to legitimately return Donald Trump to the White House.

Heather Digby Parton / Salon:
Republicans ready for a Trump loss

Discussion: Above the Law and Raw Story

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Louisiana lawmakers insist child rape victims must carry their pregnancy to term — Former President Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, boasts that he “broke Roe v. Wade.” In the aftermath, according to Trump, “states are working very brilliantly” to impose various restrictions …

Discussion: Washington Post

Sareen Habeshian / Axios:
Louisiana bill would place abortion pills on same list as opiates

Discussion: WCMH-TV, Ohio Capital Journal, Hackwhackers, The Federalist, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Pluribus News, Crooks and Liars and Mock Paper Scissors

Vernal Coleman / ProPublica:

Even When a Cop Is Killed With an Illegally Purchased Weapon, the Gun Store's Name Is Kept Secret — Under the Gun: How Gun Violence Is Impacting the Nation — As America emerged from the pandemic, communities continued to experience a rising tide of gun violence.

Bloomberg:

Ken Griffin Waits to See Trump's VP Pick Before Backing Him — Griffin declined to name who he'd like as Trump's running mate — The Citadel CEO is a prolific donor to Republican candidates — Ken Griffin, one of the most prolific supporters of Republicans across the US …

Discussion: Reuters

Aaron Sibarium / Washington Free Beacon:

MIT Hired Six New Diversity Deans. Two of Them Are Serial Plagiarists, Complaint Alleges. — In dissertation titled ‘Cite a Sista,’ Tracie Jones-Barrett stole an entire passage on ‘ethical considerations’ from her classmate — In June 2021, a year into the cultural aftershocks of George Floyd's death …

The White House:

FACT SHEET: President Biden Takes Action to Protect American Workers and Businesses from China's Unfair Trade Practices — President Biden's economic plan is supporting investments and creating good jobs in key sectors that are vital for America's economic future and national security.

Discussion: New York Times, CNN, The Verge, nationalinterest.org, Daily Caller News Foundation, Atlantic Council and UPI, more at Techmeme »

Human Rights Watch:

Gaza: Israelis Attacking Known Aid Worker Locations — End Unlawful Attacks, Ensure Accountability — Israeli forces have carried out at least eight strikes on aid workers' convoys and premises in Gaza since October 2023, even though aid groups had provided their coordinates …

Discussion: Politico, CBS News, Sky News, NPR, Raw Story, The Guardian, The Times of Israel and Al-Monitor

Maxine Joselow / Washington Post:

House Democrats launch probe of Trump's dinner with oil executives — Lawmakers demand details of a Mar-a-Lago dinner where Trump promised to ease regulations on the oil industry while asking executives to steer $1 billion to his 2024 campaign. — House Democrats are launching an investigation …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Politico:

Playbook: The 2024 campaign heads to the House floor — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — CLICKER — “Trump's Lawyers Are Making Major Mistakes,” by Ankush Khardori: “Put simply, [DONALD] TRUMP's legal team has made several considerable …

Discussion: Axios, Punchbowl News, Missouri Independent, Washington Post, Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Atlantic

Ed Kilgore / New York Magazine:

Do Americans Remember the Actual Trump Presidency? — One of the remarkable things about the 2024 presidential election is that for the first time since 1912 voters will have a choice between presidents who served back-to-back in the immediately preceding eight years.

Discussion: Good Politics/Bad Politics, New York Times, The Federalist, Tusk, Washington Examiner and Daily Caller News Foundation

Jeff Cox / CNBC:

Wholesale prices rose 0.5% in April, more than expected … WATCH NOW — Wholesale prices jumped more than expected in April, putting up another potential roadblock to interest rate cuts anytime soon. — The producer price index, a gauge of prices received at the wholesale level …

Discussion: Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, UPI, The Daily Caller, Fortune, Fox Business and Fargo | KFGO

Kelly Rissman / The Independent:

Tennessee woman denied abortion after fetus' ‘brain not attached’ slams state ban — State lawmakers 'don't see the mourning and the grieving that these moms' experience after getting a heartbreaking diagnosis, Breanna Cecil tells , Kelly Rissman — A Tennessee woman who was denied …

KOMO:

2 Democratic candidates named Bob Ferguson withdraw from WA governor's race — SEATTLE (KOMO) — Washington Attorney General (AG) Bob Ferguson addressed recent developments in the state's governor's race Monday morning, days after two people named Robert Ferguson joined the ballot.

Discussion: Fox News, NPI's Cascadia Advocate and The Daily Caller

Brianna Atkinson / WUNC:

UNC-Chapel Hill BOT votes to divert DEI funding, redirecting it to campus public safety — The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees has voted to divert $2.3 million away from diversity, equity and inclusion programs and into “public safety.” — The unanimous vote occurred at a special Board of Trustees meeting Monday morning.