The Big Cheese, the Big Guy, and the Big Week
Here’s what Semafor’s media newsletter reported late Sunday night about the Wide World of News:
Washington’s elite are reading Mark Halperin’s DC tipsheet, according to two sources. Several prominent White House reporters are fans, as is the editor-in-chief of Politico, a regular reader.
Which reminds me that if you are also a fan of this daily diary of the American Dream, you should consider paying for it, with a voluntary paid subscription or a contribution (or both).
To subscribe:
If you wish to contribute a different amount of your choice to the cause, you have these options:
* Buy me a tart cocktail or five (at Tokyo prices….), tax and server tip included, by clicking here.
* Buy me a cup of coffee (or a week’s worth) by clicking here.
* Check. Send a simple email to markhalperintalk@gmail.com and ask where you can send a check.
• PayPal. markhalperinnyc@gmail.com
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Thanks to Semafor for the acknowledgement and to you for the support.
Mark
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Massive, massive news week ahead, with an expected/possible Biden-Harris ’24 re-elect announcement, Speaker McCarthy’s break-or-make whip test on the debt ceiling, Governor DeSantis overseas, and Trump Trump Trump.
But, in one of the news dodge’s few remaining traditions, the Monday news cycle is starting slowly. Some major organization’s websites feature stories up high that are literally two or three days old.
So, here are your essential reads, embedded in a series of binary choices for you to make.
Have at it!!
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As the fresh NBC News poll says 70% of “us” don’t think Mr. Biden should run again and the Associated Press has a clever story about how an official announcement of a candidacy won’t actually change much of anything (except fundraising!), which of these two stories matters more:
A. The major Washington Post takeout, in which the paper interviewed scores of battleground state grassroots Democrats about their unprecedented reservations about the incumbent:
OR
B. The major New York Times takeout, in which the paper interviewed a passel of elite Democrats about their unprecedented reservations about the incumbent:
One wealthy donor had considered circulating a letter this year to urge Mr. Biden not to run before the person was dissuaded by associates because it would have been for naught and have served to embarrass Mr. Biden, according to a person familiar with the episode who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. Some contributors have described being in a state of suspended and suppressed angst: fully yet nervously behind Mr. Biden.
The correct answer is A and B.
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Which four paragraphs matter most in the Wall Street Journal write up of Ron DeSantis’ Monday meeting with Japan’s prime minister:
A. The first four:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wasn’t a candidate for president, but he got a welcome worthy of an American political VIP Monday in Japan, his first stop on an around-the-world tour.
Striding into the prime minister’s office holding the hand of his wife, Casey, Mr. DeSantis held a roughly 40-minute meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He said they discussed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s provocations and the Chinese Communist Party—the sort of issues presidents worry about.
“We were able to discuss the security challenges in the region and we discussed, obviously, Japan moving to bolster its defenses,” Mr. DeSantis said. “I was able to educate a little bit on what’s going on in Florida and he was very impressed with that.”
Mr. Kishida, politely greeting his visitor, repeated two frequent DeSantis talking points. The Japanese leader said Florida was one of the first states to recover from Covid-19 and was one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S.
OR
B. The final four:
Although he is widely covered in U.S. media, Mr. DeSantis’s renown has yet to spread across the Pacific. Many Japanese responded with bafflement at the name.
A Japanese reporter at the prime minister’s residence hastily scanned Mr. DeSantis’s Wikipedia page on his phone, commenting with surprise that the governor was only 44 years old. Others remarked on Mrs. DeSantis, who didn’t say anything but stood out in a white pantsuit with a colorful floral print.
Mamoru Sato, 70, who works for a Tokyo anime studio, didn’t recognize Mr. DeSantis when shown his picture.
“I believe few Japanese know him,” Mr. Sato said. But he said it would be better if younger people became national leaders. “We could say the same thing for Japan as well,” he said.
The correct answer is A and B.
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Which portion of a new Associated Press story speaks more to Ron DeSantis’ chances of beating Donald Trump for the Republican nomination:
A.
As of Friday, the [main DeSantis Super PAC] said it had installed at least six paid staffers on the payroll in each of the first four states on the Republican presidential primary calendar: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Each state features a director, political director and a field director, among others.
OR
B.
He made one trip to Iowa last month, but he hasn’t returned since, even as his rivals flock to the first-in-the-nation primary voting state. DeSantis was notably absent this weekend as Iowa’s religious conservatives gathered for the state’s Faith and Freedom Coalition spring meeting.
Steve Scheffler, the Republican National Committee member who leads the group, described DeSantis as “a pretty appealing” potential candidate. He said the Florida governor paid to help sponsor the event and had representatives on site, but he still encouraged DeSantis to spend more time with Iowa voters — especially in the rural parts of the state.
“It’s going to need to happen sooner than later,” Scheffler said.
The correct answer is A and B.
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Which indignity is pissing off Miranda Devine more:
A. Hunter Biden might be living at the White House.
OR
B. Mayor Adams came very late to the Inner Circle dinner.
The correct answer is A and B.
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At whom is the Wall Street Journal ed board more outraged over the 2020 Hunter Biden laptop disinformation:
A. The Dominant Media.
OR
B. The apparent conspiracy between Team Biden and the intel community.
The correct answer is A and B.
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Which Team DeSantis attack on Donald Trump will be forgotten first:
OR
B. Trump’s past praise of Florida under the Sunshine State topper.
The correct answer is B.
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Which changes to the McDonald’s burgers is most likely to win back customer hearts and stomachs and wallets:
A. “Better, softer buns.”
OR
B. “A better sear on the patties.”
The correct answer is “consistently melted cheese” and “more Big Mac sauce.”