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President Biden jumped into the 2024 presidential race this week, joining about a half-dozen other declared candidates. Yet, the 2020 election is still making headlines, and both news reports involve recordings made in the wake of that contentious election. In a recording from Jan. 2, 2021, made by a former Fox News producer, we hear Sen. Ted Cruz advocating the creation of a congressionally appointed electoral commission to make a credible assessment of unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. He adds that he had organized 11 senators to object to the electoral certification as the mechanism to establish such a commission. Another recording, from December 2020, indicates that Donald Trump was present at a White House meeting where his allies met to discuss a plot to unlawfully access voting machine software in Michigan and Georgia. It is often said of Trump that whatever he’s accusing others of, he’s probably guilty of himself. That certainly seems to be the case here. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor
Ed. Note: Just two issues left before Topline goes on a brief hiatus. Our last issue will be on May 2, then we’ll be back soon with a new and improved Topline. Any feedback to share? Let us know.
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Sudan ‘staring into the abyss’ as humanitarian situation worsens —Axios
Taliban kill mastermind of suicide bombing at Kabul airport —Associated Press
Kevin McCarthy changes debt limit bill to lure votes from holdouts —Bloomberg
National push to bolster security of key election technology —ABC News
Decisions on possible indictments in Trump Georgia investigation expected this summer —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alaska Supreme Court, in landmark ruling, says partisan gerrymandering violates state constitution —Anchorage Daily News
North Dakota governor signs 6-week abortion ban into law —Associated Press
Seven arrested in protest supporting Montana state lawmaker who argued against anti-trans bill —CNN
Donald Trump’s civil rape case goes to trial in Manhattan —NPR
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‘We now have to finish the job’
President Biden officially announced his campaign for reelection on Tuesday, with a launch video featuring grainy footage of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America—and we still are,” he says, warning that “MAGA extremists” want to take away Americans’ basic freedoms. Touting his accomplishments in his first term, Biden says, “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer.” The video makes it clear that Biden sees Donald Trump as both his likely opponent and a lethal threat to America—and, thus, the very issue he is building his campaign around. Again. —CBS News
Democrats say “meh.” According to a CBS News/YouGov survey, registered Democrats like and approve of Biden, think his job performance warrants reelection, and believe he can beat Trump. But…well, they’re just not all that enthused by his candidacy. Nearly half of them don't want him to run at all, overwhelmingly citing his age as a reason (he’ll be a few weeks shy of 82 years old by the time the 2024 election rolls around). They simply say it's “time for someone new.” But most Democrats say they will likely back Biden for the nomination, regardless of whether they think he ought to run. —CBS News
Biden’s saving grace. In short, he’s probably running against Trump, so that already advantages him. Even among Republicans, about 44% don’t want Trump to run for reelection, according to a new poll from the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Across party affiliation, about 70% of American adults don’t want Trump to seek another term in the White House, including 63% of Independents. Trump’s support among his 2020 voters is deep, but controversies and criminal charges will make expanding his base of support a challenge. —USA Today
A friendly warning. As another presidential election cycle bears down, Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow has some tough love for her fellow Democrats: don’t pay so much attention to D.C. “We gotta stop looking at Washington as the only thing that matters,” she says. By ignoring what’s happening in the states, she continues, “before we know it we’ve lost two thirds of…state legislatures, like we did starting in 2009.” That’s when former President Barack Obama’s two terms in office began, but Democrats saw their numbers in governorships and state legislatures hollow out. Point well taken. —The Washington Post
MORE: DeSantis explains his slide in the polls against Trump during Japan trip —Insider
Good riddance, Tucker
Pro-democracy advocates around the nation breathed a pleasantly surprised sigh of relief on Monday when Fox News announced the departure of its top-rated host, Tucker Carlson. Though no formal explanation was given, the move appears to be related to the discrimination lawsuit filed against Fox by Abby Grossberg, a producer fired by the network last month. Grossberg alleges she was bullied and subjected to antisemitic comments while working on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” She also said she was coerced by company lawyers to give misleading answers in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against the network. No public comment from Carlson yet, but reportedly Fox News has some dirt on him if he plans to attack the network. —The Los Angeles Times
MORE: Don Lemon ‘stunned’ after ousting at CNN —The Hill
French: The biggest threat to gun rights? Gun idolatry
“Gun rights carry with them grave responsibilities. They do not liberate you to intimidate. They must not empower your hate. They are certainly not objects of love or reverence. Every hair-trigger use, every angry or fearful or foolish decision, is likely to spill innocent blood. Moreover, every one of these acts increases public revulsion over gun ownership generally. The cry for legal and moral reform will sweep the land. America will change, and gun rights will diminish. And the gun owners and advocates who fail to grasp the moral weight of their responsibility will be to blame.” —David French in The New York Times
David French is a New York Times columnist, attorney, and author of “Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.”
MORE: Washington bans sale of AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles, effective immediately —The Seattle Times
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Another SCOTUS headache
Pass the aspirin. According to a new report, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch made up to $500,000 from a 2017 real estate sale, but did not disclose the identity of the buyer: the chief executive of a law firm with extensive business before the high court. The executive who bought property, Brian Duffy, works at the firm of Greenberg Traurig, which has been involved in “at least 22 cases before or presented to the court”—including filing amicus briefs or representing parties—while Gorsuch was on the court. In the 12 cases in which Gorsuch’s opinion is recorded, he sided with Greenberg Traurig clients eight times and against them four times. This is the second such case to raise ethics concerns this month, following reports that Clarence Thomas received unreported gifts from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. Stay tuned. —The Guardian
RELATED NEWS:
Company with ties to GOP megadonor and longtime friend of Justice Thomas had business before Supreme Court —CNN
Sen. Dick Durbin: Clarence Thomas shows a clear ‘conflict of interest’ —NBC News
Chief Justice Roberts declines Senate invitation to testify on Supreme Court ethics —The Hill
Details about multimillion dollar stock holdings concealed in abortion pill judge’s financial disclosures —CNN
Judge stays on Catholic bankruptcy despite church donations —Associated Press
Lyons: The irrationality of mutually assured cultural destruction
“Human beings are rational actors. It’s been said in many ways by many wise people that ‘A nation divided cannot stand.’ Necessity will inevitably force difficult conversations. The inevitability of mutually assured destruction will eventually produce leaders dedicated to easing rather than stoking conflict. This is the time for building up.” —William Lyons in Knox News
William Lyons is director of policy partnerships for the Howard Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Tennessee. He also served as chief policy officer for Knoxville mayors Bill Haslam, Daniel Brown, and Madeline Rogero.
MORE: The threat of civil breakdown is real —Politico
Pruitt: Two-party politics exclude too many Americans
“Ranked-choice voting offers greater competition and helps elect a consensus candidate who is incentivized to work in a bipartisan manner and solve real problems without the fear of getting primaried or punished by his or her party. The people who fight this the most are the Democratic Party, Republican Party, and lobbyists. It's time for the people to speak up, to demand change, and to work hard to make change happen. It will not be an easy task, but it has been accomplished in several states, and it works. If we want to keep our democracy thriving for future generations, change must happen.” —J. Doug Pruitt in Duluth News Tribune
J. Doug Pruitt is a writer and Duluth News Tribune contributor.
MORE: Poll: Most Americans don't want Biden or Trump to run —Axios
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Say this much for Donald Trump: When he speaks, he looks the audience right in their eyes.
So, too, does Joe Biden.
Which is something Ron DeSantis does not.
Look at his television appearances. His eyes are often darting around, or off to the side, not looking straight on.
Is this just a manifestation of the poor people skills he demonstrated when Joe Biden was commiserating with, even embracing, victims of the recent Florida storms, while DeSantis stood off to the side, seemingly lacking in empathy for the people who elected him?
Voters in the New Hampshire primary and Iowa caucuses famously want to connect with the candidates who seek their support. People who have known DeSantis since high school have said he was very good at reaching out to fellow students who could help him, while ignoring those who couldn't.
We shall see. —Jim V., New York
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The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Renew America Foundation.
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