memeorandum: Hawaii's Power Play: SB 2471 Takes on Citizens United (Katie Phang)

Trump's Justice Department scrubs its website of news releases about Jan. 6 defendants — The Department of Justice is acknowledging it has removed from its website news releases about criminal cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, calling the information about the prosecutions “partisan propaganda.”

NBC News:

Justice Department deletes press releases on charges against Jan. 6 rioters — The Justice Department confirmed that it had deleted the press releases as part of “stripping DOJ's website of partisan propaganda.” — The Justice Department has removed press releases detailing the charges …

Alan Feuer / New York Times:

Trump Administration Chips Away at Last Traces of Broad Inquiry Into Jan. 6 — Two recent moves aligned the department ever more closely with President Trump's own efforts to whitewash the events of that day. — The Justice Department has moved on two fronts to chip away at some of the last traces …

Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News: Jan. 6 prosecutor, Trump administration targets sue over ‘weaponization’ fund

Luke Broadwater / New York Times:

Defiant After Bad Week, Trump Pushes Ahead on Politically Unpopular Ideas … By pretty much any estimation, President Trump has had a very bad week. — New poll numbers show his approval rating has hit a second-term low. He is weighing whether to restart a bombing campaign in an unpopular war against Iran.

Discussion: Politico

Mike Zapler / Axios:

Even Republicans are souring on Trump's economy — President Trump promised an economic golden age when he returned to office last year. — Instead, voters are in their crankiest mood in years about their financial outlook — and the pessimism is spreading even to Republicans.

Washington Post:

Trump's $1.8 billion payout fund isn't required to reveal how it actually works — Controversy has raged over the fund, but basic details about it remain unknown. — Summary — The Trump administration's announcement that it would set up a nearly $1.8 billion fund to deliver payouts …

Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:

The slow-motion humiliation of RFK Jr — This special Saturday edition of Public Notice is made possible by paid subscribers. Become one 👇 — 💊 Subscribe to PN 💊 — Last week, Trump's Food and Drug Administration just about tore itself apart in a paroxysm of confusion and chaos.

Clare Zhang / AIP:

Republican Lawmakers Suggest Cutting Off Funding for National Academies — A letter from 11 Republican representatives has caught the White House's attention. — The White House signaled interest early this month in investigating whether the National Academies of Science, Engineering …

Katie Phang:

Hawaii's Power Play: SB 2471 Takes on Citizens United — Hawaii is giving Citizens United a run for its money — “This is one of the most important political stories in America that's barely being talked about right now: MeidasTouch host Katie Phang breaks down Hawaii's bold …

New York Times:

Trump Weighs His Options in Carrying Out New Strikes in Iran — There is no shortage of targets if he decides to strike: Energy facilities left untouched, the deep underground nuclear storage site at Isfahan and missile sites that appear to have been dug out.

Cassandra Dumay / Politico:

The White House wants to eliminate housing funds. Republicans aren't having it. … “I am disappointed to see [the Office of Management and Budget] propose the elimination of these important programs,” Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee chair Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) …

Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:

How Fred Trump's Mysterious KKK Riot Arrest Resonates Almost a Century Later — Trump may not have been part of a Klan contingent that brawled with the police in 1927, but the violent moment shows the roots of political tensions that linger today. — Antifascists were fighting with their far-right rivals.

NBC News:

Ted Cruz says GOP senators were ‘screaming’ at Todd Blanche during ‘anti-weaponization’ fund briefing — The private meeting came hours before the Senate postponed a critical vote to advance a partisan funding bill for ICE and Border Patrol. — Screaming, yelling and accusations of self-dealing.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

The Guardian:

US green card applicants will now have to return to home countries to apply, DHS says — Change criticized by advocates marks the latest significant move by the Trump administration on immigration policy — Foreigners seeking to adjust their immigration status in the United States …

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Post and The Hill, more at Techmeme »

Discussion: CNN

Daniel Dale / CNN:

Fact check: 28 separate false claims Trump made this week — Donald Trump Fighting disinformation Joe Biden The Middle East — There is so much going on in the news that it can be easy to overlook the fact that the president continues to tell a whole lot of lies.

Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:

‘It has undermined whatever credibility the DNC had left’: Dems fret over chair after autopsy … Longtime party activists are beginning to reach out to donors and elected officials to put pressure on Martin to step down and are brainstorming potential replacements, per two people involved …

Dustin Volz / New York Times:

Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as Director of National Intelligence — Tulsi Gabbard had a difficult tenure in the Trump administration and was seldom seen in the room when the president made important national-security moves. — Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence …

Discussion: GovExec.com, Reuters and Wall Street Journal