memeorandum: Malta's ex-PM Muscat faces corruption charges in court (Reuters)

10:15 AM 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 Guardian, IJR, Fox News, RedState and Wall Street Journal

Politico:

Trump trial ends, Biden alarm accelerates — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — FULL-BLOWN ‘FREAKOUT’ — Chris Cadelago, Sally Goldenberg and Elena Schneider take the pulse of top Democratic strategists and elected officials and report that …

Discussion: New York Times, Outside the Beltway, Sun-Sentinel and CBS News

New York Times:

Eyeing Trump, but on the Fence: How Tuned-Out Voters Could Decide 2024 — Politically disengaged Americans are increasingly Trump-curious, but President Biden has a shot at winning some of them back. Reaching them in a changed media environment will be his challenge.

Discussion: Business Insider

Jonathan Allen / NBC News:

The first Biden-Trump debate of 2024 features new fights between old rivals — Biden has had a consistent playbook and team for preparing for debates, while Trump has taken a far less traditional approach. — WASHINGTON — Four years ago, Joe Biden rehearsed for debates at a lectern in the basement of his Delaware home.

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Frank LaRose / Wall Street Journal:

Don't Blame Me for Biden's Ballot Problem — It's my duty as Ohio's chief elections officer to uphold the law. — In Ohio we say that if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. The same can be said lately of our politics. — The Democratic Party's antics after its failure …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Ohio Capital Journal, IJR, Chicago Sun Times and Twitchy

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: Middle East Monitor, Al Jazeera, The Times of Israel, Mediaite and The New Arab

New York Times:

Trump Leans Into an Outlaw Image as His Criminal Trial Concludes — Preparing for a potential verdict in Manhattan, the former president has increasingly aligned himself with fellow defendants and people convicted of crimes. — Over the past week, Donald J. Trump rallied alongside …

Discussion: Raw Story and Punchbowl News

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: Talking Points Memo and Raw Story

Nidal Al-Mughrabi / Reuters:

Israeli tanks advance into Rafah's centre despite global outcry — Israeli tanks advanced to the centre of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, witnesses said, three weeks into a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city that has stirred global condemnation for its continued civilian toll.

Discussion: The Guardian, The Times of Israel, Middle East Monitor, The National, Al-Monitor, Semafor, New York Post, Associated Press and New York Times

The Daily Beast:

Trump Just Sold His $10M Jet to One of His Megadonors — JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS — The sale, executed earlier this month, was reportedly worth about $10 million. — After nearly half a billion dollars in legal judgments against him this year, Donald Trump's company opted to offload …

Discussion: The Bulwark, Breitbart and Raw Story

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: IJR

Alan Wong / Bloomberg:

Hong Kong Makes First Arrests Under New Local Security Law — Suspects accused of inciting hatred of Beijing on social media — Ex-organizer of Tiananmen crackdown vigil among those arrested — Hong Kong's national security police arrested six people using a new security law for the first time …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, Fox News and Reuters

Reuters:

Malta's ex-PM Muscat faces corruption charges in court — Maltese prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged former prime minister Joseph Muscat with corruption over a 2015 public health contract as hundreds of supporters cheered for him outside a courthouse in Valletta.

Discussion: Politico

Oscar Medina / Bloomberg:

Colombia Court Rejects Petro's Plan to Delay Royalty Tax Refund — Government will repay taxes on royalties to mining companies — Investors are concerned about the nation's fiscal accounts — A top Colombian court rejected the government's request to postpone paying …

Discussion: Reuters