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Concerns about Biden’s reelection swamped by fear of Trump in swing voter focus groups
Concerns about Biden’s reelection swamped by fear of Trump in swing voter focus groups, Michael Scherer, Emily Guskin, and Scott Clement, Washington Post
“Whatever the step above panicked is, that is what I feel about Trump,” said one of the voters, who picked Trump in 2016 then Biden in 2020.

Nearly all of the 15 gathered swing state voters described feeling negative emotions when they saw President Biden on a television or computer screens — “confused,” “concern,” “worry,” “sad,” “sorry” and even “panicked.”

Every single one said they wished Biden and his old Republican foe Donald Trump were not running for reelection. Several offered dire assessments of Biden’s mental and physical capacities, calling him too old or speculating about the possibility of dementia.

But as the focus group moderator steered the conversation to the possibility of a Biden rematch next year with Trump, the mood clearly shifted among these voters, who had all cast a ballot for Trump in 2016 and then Biden in 2020. Nine of the 15 said they would vote again for Biden, three said they would go back to Trump and three said they would either not vote or find a third-party candidate.
The challenges that Ron DeSantis faces in any presidential run go beyond Donald Trump.
The challenges that Ron DeSantis faces in any presidential run go beyond Donald Trump., Astead W. Herndon, The New York Times
The political fortunes of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have reversed over the past six months. After his re-election as Florida’s governor, DeSantis looked like a strong potential presidential candidate while Trump grappled with legal and personal challenges. Now, Trump leads in opinion polling, DeSantis has struggled to solidify his star status and, in some corners, there’s a growing sense that Trump’s nomination for president is inevitable.

I would caution against that feeling, no matter how it looks for Trump at the moment. After months of reporting on the early stages of the 2024 presidential race, I’ve seen how narratives can miss important factors shaping the race. And that is how conventional wisdom starts to take shape in a way that’s divorced from evidence or data. (See: expectations of a Republican wave in last year’s midterm elections.)

DeSantis is expected to formally enter the race as soon as tomorrow.
7 news outlets reimagining political journalism in smart ways
7 news outlets reimagining political journalism in smart ways, Perry Bacon, Jr, Washington Post
Political journalism is in crisis. Over the past few months, BuzzFeed News, FiveThirtyEight, Vice and a number of other outlets that specialize in political news have substantially cut staffing and coverage. Even CNN and The Post have laid off journalists. And the political media is struggling to cover an increasingly radical Republican Party without seeming to be on the side of the Democrats.

But there is good news, too. Several new or expanding outlets are addressing some of political journalism’s long-standing shortcomings: insufficient coverage of state and local government and of people who aren’t White and upper-income; an over-prioritization of elections over policy; a failure to recognize that the courts are a central front in today’s political conflicts.
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Mar-a-Lago prosecutors sought records of Trump Organization deals
Mar-a-Lago prosecutors sought records of Trump Organization deals, Devlin Barrett, Washington Post
The April subpoena also sought information about a deal to host golf events.

Special counsel Jack Smith issued a subpoena in April to Donald Trump’s company seeking any records going back to 2017, when he became president, of any business deals struck in seven foreign countries, according to a person familiar with the matter.

But the inquiry produced little that wasn’t already publicly known, this person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation.
CNN needs a new chief. Here’s the ideal candidate.
CNN needs a new chief. Here’s the ideal candidate., Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
“To hold the powerful accountable is not just a slogan; it is vital,” [Christiane] Amanpour told the graduates. “And when we do it well, it makes a huge difference. And when we don’t, it makes an equal but opposite difference.” She recalled the decision to not allow Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.) a platform unless he reached the “basic evidence level required in a court of law.” She continued, “Maybe less is more, maybe live is not always right.” Relevant to the upcoming campaign, she also warned about covering “one man’s well-trodden globally known disinformation and propaganda machine” and someone who is believed to have sought to cause the “overturn and overthrow [of] the legitimately elected government of the United States.”

As someone frustrated with the mainstream media’s lack of candor about Trump, its incessant effort to normalize MAGA radicals and its refusal to report what is so readily apparent (e.g., Trump’s irrational ramblings), I thought this distillation of what the media should be doing was a bracing gust of fresh air. And that got me thinking: Why isn’t someone who was there at CNN’s founding and who understands the true mission of journalism running the show — literally?
Ron DeSantis will launch his presidential bid with Elon Musk
Ron DeSantis will launch his presidential bid with Elon Musk, Dasha Burns and Matt Dixon, NBC News
The Florida governor will announce he is running for president on Twitter Wednesday evening in a conversation with Musk.

The relationship could be a significant boost for DeSantis by giving him an introduction to, and credibility with, Musk’s massive following — including his 140 million Twitter followers. But it could prove a burden should DeSantis become distracted by the tycoon’s many controversial comments.

The launch will closely tie together the billionaire tech mogul with one of the Republican Party’s rising stars. Musk has been an admirer of DeSantis, who also regularly chides corporate media. Last year, Musk said he would support the governor if he were to run for president.

The announcement will coincide with a retreat for high-end fundraisers pledged to support DeSantis in Miami. Bundlers will gather at the Four Seasons hotel from May 24-26, receiving briefings from campaign staff, combined with time to call around to raise money for the campaign.

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