memeorandum: The inmates elect their new asylum leader (Aaron Rupar/Public Notice)

11:30 AM ET, October 26, 2023

Top Items:

Playbook: What's in store for Speaker Johnson — Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — LATEST IN MAINE — Lewiston Sun Journal: “At least 16 people were killed and dozens more injured in multiple shootings here Wednesday night, in what is likely the deadliest shooting in Maine's history.”

Discussion: Raw Story, Today's Edition Newsletter and The Messenger

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

What everyone should know about the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson — Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby — On Wednesday, after weeks of chaos, House Republicans unanimously selected Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the new Speaker. Compared to the previous Republican candidates …

Discussion: Wisconsin Examiner and Washington Post

Aaron Rupar / Public Notice:

The inmates elect their new asylum leader — Also: Bellingcat's Eliot Higgins on the golden age of Twitter disinformation. — ∙ Paid … The latter part of this newsletter features a Q&A with Bellingcat's Eliot Higgins. But before we get to that, I want to share some quick thoughts on the new House speaker.

Discussion: The Guardian, emptywheel, Los Angeles Times, Election Law Blog and The Hill

Charlie Sykes / The Bulwark:

And the Winner Is... ... the most hated man in Congress. — “If you don't think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement and where the power in the Republican Party truly lies, then you're not paying attention,” — Matt Gaetz to Steve Bannon Wednesday morning.

Discussion: The Messenger, HuffPost, The Guardian and The Daily Beast

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

A fifth-string speaker suits up for House Republicans — It happened on Day 22 of House Republicans' slapstick quest to find a new speaker, as they were bickering their way toward nominating Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, their fourth-string choice for the position, who would be shot down just a few hours after he was chosen.

Discussion: NOLA.com and CBS News

Erik Wasson / Bloomberg:
Republican Speaker Nominee Mike Johnson Has a Plan to Avoid a November Shutdown

Discussion: CBS News, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Washington Monthly, Politico, RedState, Washington Post, New York Post, Washington Times, Raw Story and Roll Call

John Fund / New York Post:
Mike Johnson lucked into speaker job — but he has talent to pull it off

Discussion: New York Times and Power Line

CNN:
New speaker of the House Mike Johnson once wrote in support of the criminalization of gay sex

Discussion: Mediaite, Axios, The 19th, No More Mister Nice Blog, LGBTQ Nation, Los Angeles Times, NPR, TIME, HuffPost, New Republic, Bloomberg, Politico, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, Iowa Starting Line and Media Matters for America

Politico:
'I've prayed for each of you': How Mike Johnson led a campaign of election denial

Discussion: The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The Hill, Breitbart, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Raw Story and New York Times

Dan Pfeiffer / The Message Box:
The New Speaker is Everything Voters Hate about the GOP

Discussion: HuffPost, Sacramento Bee, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fox News, Orange County Register, Politico, ABC News, Mother Jones, Washington Post, The Hill, The Guardian and The Nation

Will Steakin / ABC News:
How new House Speaker Mike Johnson spent years fighting against gay rights

Discussion: New York Magazine, The Messenger, Mock Paper Scissors and Media Matters for America

The White House:
Statement from President Joe Biden on the Election of Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House

Discussion: Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, ABC News, Axios, Washington Times, The Hill, Washington Examiner and PBS NewsHour

Politico:
How Mike Johnson's main strength will become his biggest liability

Discussion: Letters from an American, The Messenger, New York Daily News, The Dispatch, Washington Times, New Yorker, The Hill, New York Post, New Republic and RedState

Washington Post:
Mike Johnson played a central role in trying to overturn the 2020 vote

Discussion: The Messenger, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Reuters, NBC News, The Guardian, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, CBS News, Washington Times, El País and NPR

Washington Examiner:
House elects Mike Johnson as speaker after three weeks at an impasse

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Political Wire, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal and The American Spectator

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
The Far Right Gets Its Man of the House

Discussion: Washington Post

NBC News:
Who is Mike Johnson? Five things to know about the Republican nominee for speaker

Discussion: Forbes, Townhall, NPR, Washington Post, IJR, New York Times, Semafor, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Roll Call, The American Conservative, Raw Story, Vox, The Hill and The Gateway Pundit

John Knefel / Media Matters for America:
Mainstream media ignores new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's history of anti-LGBTQ extremism

Discussion: NBC News, Raw Story, WUSA, Wall Street Journal, Twitchy and LGBTQ Nation

New York Times:
Johnson Played Leading Role in Effort to Overturn 2020 Election

Discussion: New York Magazine, Politico, Media Matters for America, Reason, The Dean's Report, The Daily Beast, New Republic, Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Florida Politics, Raw Story, HuffPost, Bloomberg, Denver Post, Washington Post, LGBTQ Nation, Wall Street Journal and al.com

Lewiston Sun Journal:

At least 16 dead, dozens wounded in Lewiston shootings; police give few details on overnight search for gunman — A commercial man lift falls off trailer and blocks Route 4 in Rangeley — Hundreds of new laws take effect in Maine Wednesday. Here's what you need to know

Reuters:

Maine mass shootings: Police scour Lewiston for suspect — Hundreds of police fanned out across the state of Maine hunting for a man wanted in connection with mass shootings at a bar and a bowling alley in the town of Lewiston, as news outlets reported a death toll ranging from 16 to 22, with dozens more wounded.

Bloomberg.com:
At Least 16 Killed in Maine Shootings With Suspect at Large

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, The Daily Beast, CBS News, The Messenger, The Guardian, TMZ.com, WUSA, Fox News, USA Today, Breitbart, abc7NY, Bloomberg, WISH-TV, Rolling Stone, Insider, New York Post, The Sun, Reuters, FOX 11 Los Angeles, UPI, One America News Network, Heavy.com and Variety

Zach Schonfeld / The Hill:

ACLU sides with Trump, argues Jan. 6 case gag order is unconstitutional — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday urged the judge overseeing former President Trump's federal 2020 election criminal case in D.C. to reevaluate her gag order, arguing it is unconstitutionally over-broad and vague.

Discussion: Mediaite, ACLU, American Greatness, The Guardian, Althouse, IJR, CNBC, Washington Examiner and Twitchy

NBC News:
Judge orders Trump to take the stand in N.Y. fraud trial, fines him $10,000 for violating gag order again

Politico:
Special counsel urges judge to reimpose Trump's federal gag order

Discussion: Law & Crime, USA Today, Raw Story, CBS News, The Messenger, Associated Press and Washington Post

CNN:
Exclusive: Fulton County DA has discussed plea deals with at least 6 more Trump co-defendants

Discussion: Raw Story, Insider and The Messenger

S.V. Date / HuffPost:
The One Simple Trick For Avoiding Prison Could Be Slipping Out Of Reach For Trump

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Bloomberg and The Messenger

Adam Klasfeld / The Messenger:
Trump Hit With $10,000 Fine for Gag Order Violation After Judge Puts Ex-President on Witness Stand and Finds Him ‘Not Credible’

Discussion: New York Times, The Daily Beast, Politico, Raw Story, HuffPost, RedState, CBS News, PJ Media and BizPac Review

Summer Concepcion / NBC News:

Colo. judge rejects Trump's bid to toss lawsuit aimed at keeping him off 2024 ballot — The lawsuit seeks to bar the former president from the state's 2024 ballot over his connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. — A Colorado judge on Wednesday denied the latest attempt …

Discussion: CNN and Raw Story

The United States Senate Committee on Finance:

Justice Thomas Did Not Repay Substantial Portion of $267,230 Loan, Finance Committee Investigation Reveals; Failed to Report Forgiven Debt on Ethics Filings, Raising Questions About Tax Compliance — Documents Show Businessman Forgave the Loan, which Thomas used to Purchase a Luxury RV

Discussion: UPI, The Guardian, Forbes, HuffPost, Daily Kos, Insider and Raw Story

Washington Post:
Clarence Thomas's RV loan was forgiven, Senate committee report says

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and NPR

Abha Bhattarai / Washington Post:

U.S. economy grows at blockbuster pace in third quarter — GDP grew at an annual rate of 4.9 percent from July to September, the highest reading since 2021 — The U.S. economy grew by an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter, the strongest pace since 2021, as spending …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The White House, NBC News, Breitbart, NPR, UPI, PoliticusUSA, New York Times and The Daily Caller

Zach Schonfeld / The Hill:

Bowman pleads guilty to misdemeanor for pulling fire alarm in House office building — Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor for falsely pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building last month ahead of a key House vote. — Bowman appeared …

Politico:
D.C.'s attorney general charges Jamaal Bowman for triggering fire alarm

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Caller, National Review, RedState and The Hill

J. David Goodman / New York Times:

Texas Lawmakers Vote to Let Local Police Arrest Migrants — The proposal, which has now cleared both houses of the Legislature, poses a direct challenge to the federal government's authority over policing the borders. — In a direct challenge to federal power over immigration …

Discussion: GB News and KXAN-TV

Brady Leonard / Washington Examiner:

DeSantis is right about terrorist sympathizers — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) took a hard stance against foreign nationals in the United States promoting terrorism. Since the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left over 1,400 civilians dead, people have been protesting in major American cities in favor of Hamas.

Frank S. Zhou / The Harvard Crimson:

Harvard Creates Task Force for Doxxed Students Amid Backlash Over Israel Statement — Harvard will establish a task force to support students experiencing doxxing, harassment, and online security issues following backlash against students allegedly affiliated with a statement that held Israel …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, Twitchy, BizPac Review, IJR and National Review

Trip Gabriel / New York Times:

Virginia Republicans Look to Neutralize Abortion as an Election Issue — The state's governor, Glenn Youngkin, has a strategy to win the state. If it halts Democrats' momentum on the issue, it could be a model for the party in 2024. — Abortion has been a losing issue at the polls …

Discussion: ProPublica