memeorandum: A federal judge said Trump probably committed a crime. The DOJ can't ignore that. (George T. Conway III/Washington Post)

9:15 AM ET, March 31, 2022

Top Items:

Justice Dept. expands Jan. 6 probe to look at rally prep, financing … The criminal investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has expanded to examine the preparations for the rally that preceded the riot, as the Justice Department aims to determine the full extent of any conspiracy …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., File411's Newsletter, Raw Story, The Hill, POLITICUSUSA, Washington Times and Political Wire

New York Times:

Justice Dept. Widens Jan. 6 Inquiry to Range of Pro-Trump Figures — Federal prosecutors have been seeking documents and testimony about the fake electors scheme and the planning for the rally just before the storming of the Capitol. — Give this article- - - Read in app

Discussion: Washington Post, Truthsmack, Bloomberg and Raw Story

George T. Conway III / Washington Post:
A federal judge said Trump probably committed a crime. The DOJ can't ignore that.

Discussion: CNN, Raw Story and Common Dreams

Politico: Inside Pence-world's preparation for a Jan. 6 legal showdown

Hugo Lowell / The Guardian:

Revealed: Trump used White House phone for call on January 6 that was not on official log — Trump's call to Republican senator should have been reflected in presidential call log on day of Capitol attack but wasn't — Donald Trump used an official White House phone to place at least …

Discussion: Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA, more at Mediagazer »

Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:

Turmoil at CBS News over Trump aide Mick Mulvaney's punditry gig … CBS News's decision to hire former Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney as a paid on-air contributor is drawing backlash within the company because of his history of bashing the press and promoting the former president's fact-free claims.

Discussion: Insider, HuffPost, Common Dreams, Mediaite, Hollywood Reporter, TheBlaze, Raw Story, Vanity Fair and Public Notice, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:
January 6 committee member says panel is ‘triangulating’ to get ‘fulsome picture’ of Trump's actions

Discussion: Washington Times and World Socialist Web Site

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
When Will the Elite Political Media Start Treating the Republican Party Like The Threat It Is?

Discussion: Letters from an American

Rebecca Rubin / Variety:

Chris Rock Responds to Will Smith's Oscars Slap at Standup Show: 'I'm Still Kind of Processing What Happened' … What's on Chris Rock's mind? — It's a simple yet valid question, one that the world is wondering after Will Smith slapped the comedian on live television during the Oscars on Sunday.

Discussion: Louder With Crowder, Deadline, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller, CNBC, NPR, Whiskey Riff, Washington Examiner, TMZ.com, WBUR News, The Daily Wire, The Sun, The Hill, Insider, New York Post, NBC Connecticut, Breitbart and Page Six

Beatrice Verhoeven / Hollywood Reporter:

The Academy Begins Disciplinary Proceedings Against Will Smith, Says He Refused to Leave Ceremony — The actor could face suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions under the Academy's Standards of Conduct, according to the statement issued after a meeting of the board of governors.

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, Variety, TMZ.com, The Hill, Deadline, New York Times, Associated Press, New York Post, The Daily Caller, HotAir, The Wrap, Rolling Stone, Breitbart, The US Sun, RedState, CBS Philly, Townhall, Jezebel, Althouse, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, IndieWire, The Wrap, Mediaite, The Daily Wire, Deadline, TheBlaze, The Sun, CBS News and Insider

Antony J. Blinken / United States Department of State:

X Gender Marker Available on U.S. Passports Starting April 11 — The Department of State has reached another milestone in our work to better serve all U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender identity.   In June, I announced that U.S. passport applicants could self-select …

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, The White House, Joe.My.God. and Department of Homeland …

Fadel Allassan / Axios: U.S. to issue gender-neutral “X” passports

Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News:

CNN says Giuliani ‘tried to generate media attention’ with Hunter Biden laptop in 2020 as network spiked story — CNN's top brass was caught telling staff to ignore the New York Post's reporting during the 2020 election — Project Veritas releases another batch of damning CNN recordings

Miranda Devine / New York Post:
The media avoided the ties between Joe Biden and Hunter's laptop

Discussion: AND Magazine, Washington Post, Washington Times and 2nd Smartest Guy in the World

Washington Post:
Inside Hunter Biden's multimillion-dollar deals with a Chinese energy company

Karol Markowicz / New York Post:

I'm quitting Disney after seeing it boast about pushing ‘gender theory’ — The Walt Disney Co. just refuses to let it go. — On Tuesday, Christopher Rufo, known for his exposés on schools and corporations under the critical-race-theory spell, released internal Disney videos …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Flashing Green, The Western Journal, Breitbart and Daily Mail

Houston Keene / Fox Business:
Disney won't say if it's keeping princes and princesses as ‘boys and girls’ gets chopped

Discussion: Conservative Brief and Human Events

Carl Zimmer / New York Times:

Ivermectin Does Not Reduce Risk of Covid Hospitalization, Large Study Finds — “At some point it will become a waste of resources to continue studying an unpromising approach,” one expert said. — Give this article- - - Read in app — The anti-parasitic drug ivermectin …

Discussion: New England Journal …, Bloomberg and Joe.My.God.

CNN:

'He's an embarrassment': Republicans threaten to primary Cawthorn over controversial antics — Madison Cawthorn had a rough week 05:00 — (CNN)Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina is throwing his weight behind a primary opponent to freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn — an extraordinary broadside …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Althouse, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Forbes, BizPac Review, The Wrap and Washington Post

Trip Gabriel / New York Times:
Cawthorn Draws Criticism From Republicans Over Cocaine and Orgies Comments

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

Biden Plan Would Release a Million Barrels of Oil a Day From Reserve — WASHINGTON — President Biden is considering a plan to release one million barrels of oil a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for as long as 180 days, a move that would add a large amount of oil to the global market …

Discussion: Washington Post, Bloomberg, Punchbowl News, POLITICUSUSA, HuffPost, Kevin Drum, Insider, TheBlaze and Political Wire

Nidhi Verma / Reuters:
EXCLUSIVE U.S. warns India, others against sharp rise in Russian oil imports -official

Discussion: РИА …, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg

BBC:

French intelligence chief Vidaud fired over Russian war failings — The head of French military intelligence, Gen Eric Vidaud, is losing his job after failing to predict Russia's war in Ukraine, reports say. — Seven months after he took on the role, one report said he was blamed for …

Discussion: NDTV, The Atlantic, The Nation and Political Wire

The Daily Beast:

Dems Are Livid at Clarence Thomas but Have No Idea What to Do About It — Revelations that Ginni Thomas was actively trying to overthrow the 2020 election has enraged Democrats who have called for everything from inquiries to Justice Thomas' impeachment. — Congressional Democrats are united …

Discussion: Raw Story, TheGrio, The Hill and Insider

David Horowitz / Front Page Magazine: The Lynching of Justice Clarence Thomas

Washington Post:

Ukraine has widened the breach between U.S. and Persian Gulf countries … Russia's invasion of Ukraine has heightened existing strains in the Biden administration's relationships in the Middle East, even as it has brought new unity to NATO and transatlantic ties.

Discussion: Irina Slav on energy, Euractiv, The American Conservative, The Hill and World Socialist Web Site

Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:
Biden meets with parents of American detained in Russia

Discussion: NDTV, Politico and Cafe Hayek

New York Times:
U.S. intelligence suggests that Putin's advisers misinformed him on Ukraine.

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Pence rolls out policy platform, staking out new ground separate from Trump — Former Vice President Mike Pence is taking another step toward running for the White House in 2024 — and leaning into his split with former President Donald Trump. — Pence is releasing a 19-page policy platform …

Discussion: Raw Story

Kelly Laco / Fox News:
Pence group launches ‘Freedom Agenda’ to promote American prosperity, stop the ‘radical left’

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Los Angeles Times:

Concerns about Bruce Willis' declining cognitive state swirled around sets in recent years — Just days before Bruce Willis was scheduled to turn up on the set of one of his latest action films, the director of the project sent out an urgent request: Make the movie star's part smaller.

Discussion: New York Post and EL PAÍS in English

Molly Beck / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Attorney who backs election decertification enters Attorney General race to investigate doctors who won't prescribe ivermectin — MADISON - A Chippewa Falls attorney who is a key player in a movement to take the impossible step of decertifying the 2020 election is running for Attorney General …

GOV.UK:

Foreign Secretary announces sanctions on Putin's propaganda — Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced 14 new sanctions on Russia propagandists and state media. … - Liz Truss announces 14 new sanctions, including Russian propagandist Sergey Brilev and Kremlin funded TV-Novosti - who own RT

Discussion: Politico and Мед …

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:

Scoop: FEC fines DNC and Clinton for Trump dossier hoax — The Federal Election Commission has fined the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for lying about the funding of the infamous, and discredited, Russian “dossier” used in a smear attempt against Donald Trump weeks …

New York Times:

In Hungary, Viktor Orban Remakes an Election to His Liking — The populist prime minister, a hero to many American conservatives, has changed voting rules and legalized ‘voter tourism’ as he stands for re-election — BUDAPEST — During the dark winter of the 2020 coronavirus wave …

Discussion: Politico and Bloomberg