memeorandum: Trump Media shares plunge more than 15% after company files to issue additional DJT stock (Kevin Breuninger/CNBC)

11:55 AM ET, April 15, 2024

Top Items:

It's Time to Play to Win — Pushing the advantage against Iran and a new poll that shows the new normal. — BUCKLE UP—Donald Trump's first criminal trial starts today. The jury—when they manage to seat one—will consider whether Trump falsified business records to cover up hush-money payments …

Discussion: Telegraph, Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic

Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:

I Was a Skeptic of the Stormy Daniels Prosecution. I Was Wrong. — The prosecution of Donald Trump starting in New York this week is on firm legal ground. — When Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought criminal charges against Donald Trump in 2023, I was highly skeptical of his decision.

Discussion: Public Notice, The Hill, Power Line, Deadline, Digby's Hullabaloo, New Yorker, Washington Post, Israpundit, Axios, AM New York, The Independent, Press Herald, The Post Millennial and Voice of America

Nick Robertson / The Hill:

Trump rages at judge hours before hush money case begins — Former President Trump railed against the judge in his criminal hush money case early Monday, just hours before the first criminal trial against a former president is set to begin. — Recalling complaints he has made for months …

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Examiner, New Republic, The Guardian, WHTM-TV, Mediaite, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, UPI, New York Post and USA Today

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

How to pick a jury that can judge Donald Trump — Tailoring questions to probe prospective jurors' political biases and opinions of the former president is more art than science. — Former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York begins Monday with an immediate and fundamental challenge …

Discussion: Washington Post, NBC News, New York Magazine, Associated Press, Metro.co.uk, Raw Story, New York Post, New York Times, Civil Discourse …, The Daily Beast, Axios and USA Today

New York Times:

Trump's Criminal Trial to Begin in Manhattan With Jury Selection — Hundreds of Manhattanites have been summoned to court so that prosecutors and defense lawyers can choose 12 who will decide the fate of Donald J. Trump. — The first criminal trial of an American president will begin Monday …

Erica Orden / Politico:
How a hush money scandal turned into a criminal case: The whirlwind history of People v. Trump

Discussion: The Guardian, Vox, Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera, USA Today, Axios and New York Daily News

Michael Tomasky / New Republic:
We May Finally Get to Write: “Convicted Felon Donald Trump”

Discussion: Deadline, more at Mediagazer »

Nick Robertson / The Hill:
Trump attorney calls hush money case a ‘6-week-long media extravaganza’

Discussion: HuffPost

Washington Post:
COULD YOU JUDGE TRUMP IMPARTIALLY?

Discussion: NPR, Althouse and Associated Press

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:

Trump Media shares plunge more than 15% after company files to issue additional DJT stock … This photo illustration shows an image of former President Donald Trump reflected in a phone screen that is displaying the Truth Social app, in Washington, DC, on February 21, 2022.

Discussion: Gizmodo, Raw Story, Quartz, Mediaite, Mock Paper Scissors and Washington Post

Washington Post:

Federal criminal investigation opened into Key Bridge crash — The FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on the massive container ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month — a probe that will look at least in part at whether the crew left …

Yaroslav Trofimov / Wall Street Journal:

Israel Repelled Iran's Huge Attack. But Only With Help From U.S. and Arab Partners. — Working with partners, it fended off worst of Iranian strikes; what comes next will test powers in the Middle East and beyond — Saturday's Iranian strike on Israel was huge by any standard.

Evan McMorris-Santoro / NOTUS:

Iran's Attack on Israel Has U.S. Politicians Scrambling … As the world waits to see what will come next between Israel and Iran, politicians in America are scrambling to determine their own next steps. — The roiling Israel policy debate has remained near the center of U.S. politics …

Discussion: Townhall, The Guardian, NBC News, UPI, The Hill, USA Today, Washington Post, The Atlantic, New York Times, Politico, Washington Examiner, Blue Virginia, Axios, NPR and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell

Politico:
US to Israel: Don't do something you'll regret

Discussion: Semafor, Washington Post, NBC News, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Diplomatic,, RedState, Washington Examiner, CNN, israelhayom.com, Twitchy, Breitbart, Power Line and Reuters

Olivia Reingold / The Free Press:
American Anti-War Activists Cheer for Iran's War

Discussion: HotAir, Fox News, New York Post, RedState, CNN, New York Daily News, FRSO, The Post Millennial, Atlantic Council, Instapundit, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit and Althouse

Ian Millhiser / Vox:

The Supreme Court effectively abolishes the right to mass protest in three US states — It is no longer safe to organize a protest in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas. — The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will not hear Mckesson v. Doe. The decision not to hear Mckesson leaves …

Discussion: SCOTUSblog

Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court rejects BLM activist's bid to evade police officer's lawsuit

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CBS News, The Hill and Reuters

Associated Press:

Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern — Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern: The presidential candidates have conflicting ideas about how much to reveal about their own finances and the best ways to boost the economy through tax policy.

Discussion: Robert Reich, The White House and Americans For Tax Fairness

Kwan Wei Kevin Tan / Business Insider:
Mark Cuban says he's proud to pay $288 million in taxes this year, unlike a certain former president

Discussion: New Jersey Online

Gavin Bade / Politico:

Trump trade advisers plot dollar devaluation — Advisers close to the former president — particularly his former trade chief Robert Lighthizer — are considering policies that would weaken the dollar relative to other currencies, which could juice U.S. exports but also fuel inflation.

Erika Solomon / New York Times:

Far Right's Ties to Russia Sow Rising Alarm in Germany — As cases proliferate, opponents fear the Alternative for Germany party is becoming a tool of Russian influence operations to undermine support for Ukraine. — To enter a secret session of Germany's Parliament, lawmakers must lock their phones and leave them outside.

Riley Rogerson / The Daily Beast:

GOP Lawmakers Are All-In on Trump—a Conviction Be Damned — FIFTH AVENUE FAITHFUL — We asked more than 20 Republicans in Congress whether they were comfortable with the GOP nominee potentially being a convicted felon. Only one expressed any issue with it.