memeorandum: The unlikely demographic that's fueling post-election conspiracy theories (Lyz Lenz/MSNBC)

12:45 AM ET, November 22, 2024

Top Items:

CNN:

EXCLUSIVE: Ethics committee told of second sexual encounter between Matt Gaetz and 17-year-old at party, sources say — The woman who says she had sex when she was a minor with then-Rep. Matt Gaetz told the House Ethics Committee she had two sexual encounters with him at one party in 2017, sources familiar with her testimony tell CNN.

Marc A. Caputo / The Bulwark:

'You Don't Have the Votes': How Trump Barred the Gaetz — DONALD TRUMP GIVETH. And he taketh away. — Eight days after making the snap decision to nominate Matt Gaetz to be the nation's next attorney general, Trump phoned him Thursday morning to tell him he wouldn't get confirmed, according to a source briefed on the conversation.

Erica Orden / Politico:

Out: Matt Gaetz. In? These 6 contenders to be Trump's next AG nominee. — Some of the people Trump already considered for the post — plus some new names — could be on the list. — Back to the drawing board. — Matt Gaetz's announcement Thursday that he was withdrawing his name …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Daily Mail

Megan Lebowitz / NBC News:

Trump announces Pam Bondi as new attorney general pick hours after Matt Gaetz withdraws — Bondi previously served as Florida's attorney general. — President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that his new pick for attorney general is Pam Bondi. — Bondi previously served as Florida's attorney general.

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

Historically brief, but Gaetz's Cabinet bid still did a lot of damage — No candidate for the Cabinet has been named so soon after an election and then withdrawn as rapidly as Gaetz. — If it seems like only a week ago that President-elect Donald Trump named then-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Times, USA Today, New Jersey Online, New York Times, NBC News, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, CBS News, The Hill and Daily Kos

Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:

Matt Gaetz withdraws his bid for attorney general amid sexual misconduct allegations — Trump's choice had been hindered by sexual misconduct allegations and a House Ethics Committee investigation. — Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Thursday announced that he would withdraw himself …

Associated Press:

Trump chooses loyalist Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Matt Gaetz withdraws — President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, turning to a longtime ally after his first choice, Matt Gaetz …

Rolling Stone:

Trump Allies Were Worried Gaetz Would Be ‘Most Blackmail-able’ AG Ever — Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be attorney general. Trump allies worried he had far too many skeletons in his closet … The former Florida congressman's historically short stint as a presidential pick came …

Discussion: The Independent, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, One America News Network and Scripps News

New York Times:
Matt Gaetz's Withdrawal Follows Revelations in Sex-Trafficking Inquiry

Discussion: HotAir, Washington Post, The Hill, Default, Salt Lake Tribune, Bangor Daily News, Trending Politics …, Washington Times, Roll Call, USA Today, Megyn Kelly, Raw Story, The Post Millennial, NOTUS, Townhall, New Republic, Talking Points Memo and Rick Wilson's Substack

Politico:
‘Black mark’: Lawmakers seethe over Ethics' Gaetz report imbroglio

Discussion: Punchbowl News, Forbes and The Transom

Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Gaetz withdrawal from AG nomination is among quickest in history

Discussion: TPR and Raw Story

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Trump AG pick Matt Gaetz says he's withdrawing

Isaiah Thompson / Nonprofit Quarterly:

HR 9495: Bill Threatening Nonprofits Passes House — Editor's Note: This article will continue to be updated as more news about HR 9495 is released. — A bill, HR 9495, which would allow a presidentially appointed treasury secretary to unilaterally strip a nonprofit of its status if deemed a …

Discussion: Mother Jones, HuffPost, Associated Press and New Republic

Lois Parshley / The Lever:

GOP Takes First Steps To Shut Down Climate Groups — Democrats just helped Republicans give President-elect Donald Trump the potential power to shut down nonprofits under the guise of fighting terrorism — while GOP lawmakers have quietly revealed a new blueprint for defunding organizations they disagree with.

Noah Hurowitz / The Intercept:
The House Just Blessed Trump's Authoritarian Playbook by Passing Nonprofit-Killer Bill

Discussion: The Guardian, Raw Story, Michigan Advance, Washington Times, UPI and New York Times

Associated Press:

Brazilian police indict former President Bolsonaro and aides over alleged 2022 coup attempt — Brazil's federal police said Thursday they indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people for allegedly attempting a coup to keep him in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, Axios, The Guardian, WHEC.com, TPR, Trending Politics …, Fox News, Payday Report, Reuters, Associated Press, UPI and Al Jazeera

Associated Press:

Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump's pick for defense secretary — A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave …

Politico:
Scoop: The YIMBYs are coming — to Congress

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Colleen Long / Associated Press:
Several of Trump's Cabinet picks — and Trump himself — have been accused of sexual misconduct

Discussion: WHEC.com and Slate

Lexi Lonas Cochran / The Hill:

South Dakota Republican introduces bill to eliminate Department of Education — Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced legislation on Thursday to eliminate the Department of Education, a move that would have the support of President-elect Trump. — The proposal would get rid of the federal agency …

Discussion: ABC News, South Dakota Searchlight, USA Today and Fox News

Katie Glueck / New York Times:

Senator Bob Casey Concedes to David McCormick in Pennsylvania — Mr. Casey, a three-term Democrat, bowed out of his race against Mr. McCormick, a Republican who led narrowly amid a recount of votes in one of the nation's top Senate races. — Senator Bob Casey, a three-term Democrat …

Discussion: Bob Casey for Senate and The Federalist

Brandi Buchman / HuffPost:

Judge Schedules Hearing For Rudy Giuliani After Workers Say He Won't Stop Smearing Them — Remarks by Rudy Giuliani about the women on his podcast prompted the call for the contempt hearing just a day ago. — A civil contempt hearing is now on the books in Washington, D.C., for Rudy Giuliani …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Hill

Anthony Adragna / Politico:

Schumer explains reported GOP deal on judges — The office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is defending a reported deal where Democrats ceded four appeals court nominations in favor of confirming more of President Joe Biden's lower-level federal judicial appointees.

Discussion: The Hill, Axios, Associated Press, HuffPost, Daily Caller News Foundation, Fox News, Washington Times, Roll Call, CNN and RedState

Joedy McCreary / USA Today:

Ambulances were at Mar-a-Lago for Vance motorcade, not for Trump | Fact check — A Nov. 21 post on X, formerly Twitter (direct link, archive link) claims President-elect Donald Trump left his Florida home in an emergency vehicle. — “Now trump in an ambulance out of mar a Lago with vans full …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Post Millennial and Raw Story

Politico:

‘I think Elon may get frustrated fairly quickly’ — Rep. Ro Khanna casts doubt on Elon Musk's new Department of Government Efficiency and its small-government ambitions. — Elon Musk's bold plans to slash jobs and spending across federal agencies may run headlong into lawmakers …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Hill and CBS News

Associated Press:

US intelligence warns defense companies of Russian sabotage threat — U.S. intelligence officials warned American defense companies on Thursday to increase security precautions following several acts of sabotage in Europe that officials have blamed on Russia.

Discussion: Daily Caller News Foundation, Bloomberg and New York Times

Axios:

1 big thing: 🇺🇦 Ukraine's lame-duck danger — Tensions between Moscow and the West have reached new heights over the past several days: — The war in Ukraine has veered into volatile new territory, ignited by a final push — in Washington, Moscow and Kyiv …

Wall Street Journal:

ICC Issues War-Crimes Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant Over Gaza War — Court alleges use of starvation as a weapon and direction of attacks against civilians — The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Middle East Eye, Jewish Insider, The Gateway Pundit, ScheerPost.com, HuffPost, New Republic, Foreign Policy, CBS News, RedState, HotAir, WHEC.com and Al Jazeera

Katelyn Fossett / Politico:

'I Think He's Completely Unfit': Michael Pollan on Why RFK Jr. Might Be Right about Processed Food But Wrong About Most Everything Else — A Q&A with the food reform advocate about the common ground he has with RFK Jr. — and why he does not want him to be HHS secretary.

Benjamin Oreskes / New York Times:

Anthony Weiner's Latest Redemption Tour Starts With a Haircut — The disgraced New York politician is considering a run for City Council. But even in an era of political comebacks, this might be pushing it. — Anthony Weiner walked in mostly unnoticed, quickly taking his place in a barber's chair …

Discussion: New Republic and The Independent

Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:

RFK Jr. compared Trump to Hitler and praised descriptions of his supporters as ‘Nazis’ — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, has a long history of scathing critiques against Trump, labeling him a “threat to democracy,” a …

Discussion: Daily Mail, Vanity Fair, The Independent, Rolling Stone, Mediaite and Raw Story

Dave Lawler / Axios:

Charted: Harris' popular vote gap with Biden … - Harris won far fewer voters than Biden in New York City, Chicago and L.A., and ran behind Biden in blue areas generally, a New York Times analysis shows. … But both were also unusually high-turnout elections.

Discussion: HuffPost, Power Line and San Diego Union-Tribune