memeorandum: Melinda French Gates's Philanthropy Will Include Abortion Rights (Melinda French Gates/New York Times)

5:15 PM ET, May 28, 2024

Top Items:

Dems in full-blown ‘freakout’ over Biden — One adviser to major Democratic donors keeps a running list of reasons Biden could lose. — A pervasive sense of fear has settled in at the highest levels of the Democratic Party over President Joe Biden's reelection prospects …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, HotAir, Washington Free Beacon, CNBC, The Daily Caller, PJ Media, RedState, Breitbart, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, KSNG-TV, Mediaite, New Jersey Online, acecomments.mu.nu and Fox News

Brian Beutler / Off Message:
Biden Beat Trumpflation And The Trump Crime Wave

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Baltimore Sun, PJ Media and Wall Street Journal

Rasmussen Reports:
54% of Democrats Now Approve of Dumping Biden

Discussion: Power Line and Breitbart

Politico:
Trump trial ends, Biden alarm accelerates

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Times, CBS News and Outside the Beltway

New York Times:
Eyeing Trump, but on the Fence: How Tuned-Out Voters Could Decide 2024

Discussion: Business Insider

Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
The first Biden-Trump debate of 2024 features new fights between old rivals

Discussion: Orlando Sentinel, The Daily Caller and Washington Examiner

New York Times:

Live Updates: Defense Urges Jurors Not to Believe ‘Lies’ in Trump's Criminal Trial — Closing arguments have begun in the trial of Donald J. Trump, who faces 34 felony counts in connection with a hush-money payment to a porn star before the 2016 election. The jury could have the case by Wednesday.

Discussion: Axios, HotAir, Gizmodo, New York Post, Semafor, Forbes, Washington Post, Law & Crime, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, NBC News, The Bulwark, CBS News, The Mahablog and Political Wire

Charles R. Davis / Salon:

“Full panic mode”: Experts say Trump mad he's “finally being treated like any other defendant” — Trump on Truth Social complained that the rules in his trial are the same as “virtually every criminal court” — Donald Trump is not behaving like someone who expects to be found “not guilty.”

Discussion: USA Today, Rolling Stone and Raw Story

New York Times:
Trump Leans Into an Outlaw Image as His Criminal Trial Concludes

Discussion: Raw Story, Slate, Digby's Hullabaloo and Punchbowl News

Isabella Murray / ABC News:

DNC to nominate Biden and Harris to bypass Ohio ballot issues — The move came before the Ohio Senate addressed Biden appearing on the ballot. — This is a breaking news story please check back for updates. — The Democratic National Committee will move to conduct virtual party proceedings …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, WSVN-TV, Ohio Capital Journal and Plain Dealer

Patrick Svitek / Washington Post:

DNC prepares to nominate Biden via ‘virtual roll call’ before convention — The move is designed to ensure the Democratic nominee will meet a certification deadline to appear on the ballot in Ohio. — The Democratic National Committee is preparing to nominate President Biden …

Discussion: CBS News, NBC News, USA Today and Associated Press

Morgan Trau / Ohio Capital Journal:
Ohio House agrees to Biden ballot fix compromise if ‘anti-democratic’ Senate provisions removed

Discussion: Politico and Punchbowl News

Frank LaRose / Wall Street Journal:
Don't Blame Me for Biden's Ballot Problem

Discussion: ABC News, Chicago Sun Times, Ohio Capital Journal, Washington Examiner, The Hill and IJR

Hannah Rabinowitz / CNN:

Judge Cannon rejects request for gag order against Donald Trump in classified docs case — Federal Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday rejected special counsel Jack Smith's request for a gag order against Donald Trump in the classified documents case, saying that prosecutors' efforts to confer …

Discussion: Politico, NBC News, New York Times, CBS News, The Guardian, Raw Story, USA Today, Axios, acecomments.mu.nu, Washington Examiner, Forbes, Fox News, emptywheel and PoliticusUSA

NBC News:

‘You are gangsters’: Robert De Niro clashes with pro-Trump protesters — After a press conference outside the Manhattan courtroom where Trump is on trial, De Niro mixed it up with a crowd of protesters who called him a “little punk” whose “movies suck.” — NEW YORK — President Joe Biden's …

Emma Colton / Fox News:
Robert De Niro claims Trump ‘could destroy the world’ outside Manhattan court

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, Washington Post, Breitbart, New York Post, Louder With Crowder, Forbes, RedState, New Jersey Online, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite and IJR

Rosie Manins / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Republican member of Fulton elections board won't certify primary results — Her lawsuit seeks detailed voting data and a ruling that her duties are discretionary — A Republican member of the Fulton County elections board refuses to certify primary election results unless given access …

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

EXCLUSIVE: Florida educators trained to teach students Christian nationalism — Training materials produced by the Florida Department of Education direct middle and high school teachers to indoctrinate students in the tenets of Christian nationalism, a right-wing effort to merge Christian and American identities.

Discussion: Raw Story, 24sight News and Talking Points Memo

Harry Davies / The Guardian:

Revealed: Israeli spy chief ‘threatened’ ICC prosecutor over war crimes inquiry — Mossad director Yossi Cohen personally involved in secret plot to pressure Fatou Bensouda to drop Palestine investigation, sources say — The former head of the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency …

Discussion: The Times of Israel, Mediaite, Al Jazeera, The New Arab, Middle East Monitor and israelhayom.com

New York Times:

Marco Rubio Wants to Be Trump's Vice President. He Doesn't Want to Audition. — The last time the Florida senator lived in Donald J. Trump's orbit he was mocked and defeated. As he returns, he's trying to do it on his terms. — Senator Marco Rubio, the Republican of Florida …

Discussion: Vanity Fair and Talking Points Memo

Karen Townsend / HotAir:

Theatre Apologizes for Actor Richard Dreyfuss Exercising His First Amendment Rights — A theatre in Massachusetts apologized for doing an event with actor Richard Dreyfuss on Saturday night. The nattering nabobs on social media are trying to cancel Dreyfuss so The Cabot Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts issued an apology.

Discussion: The Guardian, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Boston Globe, Page Six, Vanity Fair, Fox News, CBS News, World of Reel, Mediaite, New York Post, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, RedState, Variety, The Daily Beast and TMZ.com

Brittany Gibson / Politico:

Republicans irked that Herschel Walker is sitting on millions in unspent campaign funds — They say his money could go a long way to help the GOP. — Few are clamoring for Herschel Walker's return to politics since he flamed out in his Georgia Senate bid nearly two years ago.

Discussion: Business Insider, Raw Story, Washington Examiner and IJR

Melinda French Gates / New York Times:

Melinda French Gates's Philanthropy Will Include Abortion Rights — Many years ago, I received this piece of advice: “Set your own agenda, or someone else will set it for you.” I've carried those words with me ever since. — That's why, next week, I will leave the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Hill, Fortune, The 19th, Axios, LifeNews.com and CBS News

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

The Texas GOP takes the party's hostility to democracy to a new level — Who says people should matter more than land area? — One of the more remarkable responses to Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election has been the vilification not of voter fraud but, instead, of voting.