memeorandum: Senate Democrats don't believe Biden's bad polls, either (Axios)

3:00 AM ET, May 20, 2024

Top Items:

Farnaz Fassihi / New York Times:

Helicopter Carrying Iran's President Has Crashed, State Media Reports — Rescuers are trying to locate the helicopter on which President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian were traveling, state media reported. Their status is unknown.

Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:

Iran's president, foreign minister and others found dead at helicopter crash site, state media says — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after an hourslong search through a foggy …

Discussion: Reuters, The Daily Beast, Politico, Mehr News Agency, Washington Post, The Times of Israel, Interesting Engineering, Associated Press, New York Times, UPI, New York Post, Human Events, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, RTÉ and Al-Monitor

Arsalan Shahla / Bloomberg:

Iran State TV Says ‘No Sign of Life’ at Helicopter Crash Site — Raisi was in Iran's East Azerbaijan province to inaugurate dam — President's entourage includes foreign minister, also missing — Iranian President Raisi Missing After Helicopter Crash

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times, UPI, Tasnim News Agency, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Al-Monitor, NBC News, The Sun, prima donna …, Washington Post, Breitbart, Fortune and Fox News

Myah Ward / Politico:

Trump at NRA convention floats a 3-term presidency — The former president has more recently shut down the proposition of seeking a third term, which is barred by the Constitution. — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday floated the idea of a third term if he wins in November.

Victoria Bekiempis / The Guardian:

Trump floats idea of three-term presidency at NRA convention — During a bombastic speech in Dallas, GOP frontrunner asks: ‘Are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?’ — Donald Trump flirted with the idea of being president for three terms - a clear violation of the US constitution …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

U.S. Department of Defense:

Joint Statement From the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of National Defense of the Republic of Niger — Representatives of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of National Defense of the Republic of Niger met from May 15 to 19, 2024, in Niamey, Republic of Niger …

Discussion: UPI, Washington Post, CBS News, Task & Purpose and New York Times

Axios:

Senate Democrats don't believe Biden's bad polls, either … - “No, I do not think that they are accurate,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) told Axios. … - “The polls showed that I was down when I entered my race. … - Now, Democrats say the polls are missing key voter dynamics on their side.

Discussion: Conservative Brief

Maeve Reston / Washington Post: After years of Democratic dominance, Nevada could be slipping from Biden's grasp

Victoria Bekiempis / The Guardian:

Biden vows to fight ‘poison of white supremacy’ at Morehouse speech — Speech warmly received at historically Black college despite backlash from students in weeks leading to address over war — Joe Biden told graduating students of Morehouse College that American democracy has failed the Black community …

Discussion: NPR, Axios, Associated Press, NBC News, The Daily Beast, New York Times, RedState, Reuters, Fox News, Louisiana Illuminator, Business Insider, USA Today, UPI, New York Post, WFLA-TV, Mediaite, Al Jazeera and Politico

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
At Atlanta fundraiser, President Biden tells supporters that Georgia shows the “power of the vote”

Discussion: New York Post, Hartford Courant, The White House, RedState, Washington Examiner, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Twitchy and Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal:
Biden and Trump Hunt for Breakthrough Moment in Stagnant Election

Discussion: Conservative Brief, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Examiner, BizPac Review, CBS News and Washington Post

Kaia Hubbard / CBS News:

Hungary's far-right PM Viktor Orbán has made “some smart decisions,” Sen. J.D. Vance says — Washington — Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, rumored to be one of former President Donald Trump's vice-presidential contenders, said Sunday that the U.S “could learn from” …

Discussion: New York Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mediaite

Andrew Solender / Axios:

Democrats tee up showdown with GOP over non-citizen voting … - This dynamic has played out repeatedly in the 118th Congress - with House Republicans using their majority to try to overturn progressive D.C. laws and squeeze Democrats in the process. — Republicans' campaign apparatus …

Discussion: Associated Press

New York Post:

RFK Jr. lists voting address at Westchester home — that's in foreclosure and neighbors have never seen him — Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lists his residence to vote as a tony Westchester County address — which is in foreclosure proceedings for non-payment, court records show.

Discussion: Democrats

Washington Post:

Lawyer preparation suggests Trump won't testify in New York trial — Awaiting final word from the mercurial defendant, the judge is proceeding as if Trump will not take the stand. — After brashly declaring he wanted to testify in his criminal trial, it appears increasingly unlikely …

Discussion: Telegraph, Business Insider, Raw Story and RedState

Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:

Sen. Marco Rubio won't commit to accepting 2024 election results — Rubio blamed Democrats for opposing “every Republican victory since 2000. Every single one.” — Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, widely seen as a potential vice presidential pick for former President Donald Trump …

Discussion: HuffPost, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, Mother Jones, Florida Politics, The Guardian, New York Post, The Post Millennial, The Daily Caller, Democrats, PoliticusUSA, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, USA Today, Mediaite and Crooks and Liars

CBS News:

Full transcript of “Face the Nation,” May 19, 2024 — On this “Face the Nation” broadcast, moderated by Margaret Brennan: — Sen. J.D. Vance, Republican of Ohio — Sen. Gary Peters, Democrat of Michigan — Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit