memeorandum: GOP Congresswoman Blamed Wildfires on Secret Jewish Space Laser (Jonathan Chait/New York Magazine)

12:35 AM ET, January 29, 2021

Top Items:

GOP Congresswoman Blamed Wildfires on Secret Jewish Space Laser — Axios has a small squib about “The Mischief Makers,” a handful of idiosyncratic congressional backbenchers who make trouble for their respective party leadership. The leading Democratic mischief-maker is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez …

Axios:

Scoop: GOP ignored its early fears about Marjorie Taylor Greene — During previously unreported meetings last summer, House Republican leaders discussed — but then largely set aside — fears that QAnon-supporting conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene would end up a flaming trainwreck for their party.

Discussion: USA Today, Raw Story, National Review, The Hill, Mock Paper Scissors, The American Independent, IJR, Washington Post, Fox News and The Week

CNN:

Marjorie Taylor Greene removes social media posts amid scrutiny of past controversial comments — (CNN)Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has removed dozens of Facebook posts from 2018 and 2019 in which she endorsed fringe conspiracy theories and repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians.

Discussion: Washington Post, Business Insider, Denver Post, RedState, The Independent, Deseret News, The Intellectualist, Crooks and Liars, Raw Story, HuffPost and NPR

Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:
Marjorie Taylor Greene penned conspiracy theory that a laser beam from space started deadly 2018 California wildfire

Washington Post: Hostility between congressional Republicans and Democrats reaches new lows amid growing fears of violence

Under the Hood:

An Update on Market Volatility — This past year, we've seen the financial markets become a voice for the voiceless. We've seen a new generation of people come into the markets, sparking conversations about what it means to be an investor. Our customers have shown the world that investing …

Discussion: Bloomberg, RedState, New York Times, CNBC, Politico, Mic, Chicago Sun-Times, Breitbart, TechCrunch, Law & Crime, 9to5Mac and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Matt Taibbi / TK News:

Suck It, Wall Street — In a blowout comedy for the ages, finance pirates take it up the clacker — In the fall of 2008, America's wealthiest companies were in a pickle. Short-selling hedge funds, smelling blood as the global economy cratered, loaded up with bets against finance stocks …

Discussion: Washington Post, True News Hub and CNN, more at Mediagazer »

Matt Levine / Bloomberg:

How Will the GameStop Game Stop? — Plus a little AMC. — Matt Levine is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering finance. He was an editor of Dealbreaker, an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and a clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Techdirt, Above the Law and Slate, more at Techmeme »

George Prayias / The Rush Limbaugh Show:
GameStop Story Illustrates What I've Told You About the Elites

Discussion: Reuters, Townhall, Liberty Unyielding and We Hunted The Mammoth

Robert Kuttner / American Prospect:
What We've Learned From the Robinhood Affair

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CNN, National Review, Breitbart and CNET

Jordan Pearson / VICE:
Robinhood Stops Users From Trading GameStop Stocks, Other Reddit YOLO Picks

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Janet Yellen Received $810K In Speaking Fees From Hedge Fund Embroiled In GameStop Saga

Discussion: NBC News, Townhall, RedState, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Trending Politics, Popular Information, New York Post, The National Pulse and The Intellectualist

Financial Times:
Robinhood taps banks in rush to restore GameStop trading

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION

Alexis Goldstein / Markets Weekly:
What happened with GameStop? — It's not David vs Goliath. It's Goliath vs. Goliath, with David as a fig leaf

Discussion: NBC News, VICE, American Prospect, CNBC, Vox and Common Dreams, more at Techmeme »

Drew Florio / Kevin McCarthy for Congress:

Statement Following Meeting With President Trump … Follow Kevin … 661-324-6914 — PO Box 12667 — Bakersfield, CA 93389 — *By adding your name, you become a member of Team Kevin McCarthy. By the choice of communication channels you either choose/agree to receive emails or text messages or both.

Discussion: Fox News, IJR, National Review and The RFAngle

Politico:
Trump may poison the party, but Republicans have decided they need him

Discussion: Associated Press, Mother Jones, The Daily Caller and Daily Kos

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
RNC invites Trump to speak at spring meeting

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
McCarthy Seeks Thaw With Trump as G.O.P. Rallies Behind Former President

Discussion: Raw Story, Wall Street Journal and Forbes

Michael Warren / CNN:
Trump targets Cheney as he unites with McCarthy

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Forbes and Mediaite

Dartunorro Clark / NBC News:

Arizona GOP lawmaker introduces bill to give Legislature power to toss out election results — The Republican chair of Arizona's state House Ways and Means Committee introduced a bill Wednesday that would give the Legislature authority to override the secretary of state's certification of its electoral votes.

Discussion: Business Insider, Arizona Republic and NPR

Sabrina Eaton / Plain Dealer:

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan won't run for U.S. Senate next year — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Champaign County GOP Rep. Jim Jordan on Thursday announced that he won't run for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Republican Rob Portman's upcoming retirement, a decision that opens the field …

Discussion: Washington Times, Politico, USA Today, fox8.com, Associated Press, Conservative News Today, CNBC, Fox News, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, The Hill and New York Post

CNN:
Jim Jordan won't run for Ohio US Senate seat in 2022

Discussion: Fox News, Talking Points Memo, Mock Paper Scissors, HotAir and Gothamist

Henry J. Gomez / BuzzFeed News:
This Doctor Became The Face Of Ohio's Coronavirus Response. Some Democrats Want To Make Her A Senator.

Discussion: IJR

Politico:

‘Betrayed’: Republicans urge Biden to change course on stimulus — When a bipartisan Senate coalition helped clinch a coronavirus relief bill last year after months of gridlock, it was supposed to be a model for governing in the Biden era. But now Democrats' surprise takeover of the Senate threatens to leave the group behind.

Discussion: CNN, POLITICUSUSA, Breitbart, Washington Times, BuzzFeed News, Bloomberg and Washington Monthly

HuffPost:
Democrats Poised To Ditch Republicans To Pass Big COVID-19 Relief Bill

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post, CNN, New York Times, Washington Times, Raw Story, GV Wire and The Daily Caller

Dan Diamond / Washington Post:

U.S. handling of American evacuees from Wuhan increased coronavirus risks, watchdog finds — The special counsel also criticized the HHS general counsel's office for its ‘attempts to shame the whistleblower.’ — As the first American evacuees from Wuhan, China, touched down at a California military base …

Discussion: Raw Story

Associated Press:

Man who wore horns at riot willing to speak at Trump's trial — PHOENIX (AP) — The lawyer for an Arizona man who took part in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns is offering to have his client testify at former President Donald Trump's upcoming impeachment trial.

Discussion: Business Insider

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Democrats need to accept the implications of GOP radicalization — Democrats have a tendency to engage in a kind of two-step. When they grow frustrated with GOP radicalism, they angrily denounce it — while simultaneously telling themselves that if it can be overcome in the short term, it will be rendered a dead letter forever.

Discussion: The Atlantic, New York Times, Business Insider, The Independent and Daily Kos

Sam Levine / The Guardian:
Republicans considering more than 100 bills to restrict voting rights

Discussion: Just The News, The American Independent, The Hill, Lawfare and Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sen. Mike Lee / Washington Examiner:

The Constitution does not authorize a general impeachment power — The Supreme Court is the highest tribunal in the United States for all cases and controversies arising under the Constitution. But not all legal issues reach the court, and even if they do, it takes years for them to do so.

Eugene Volokh / Reason:
Impeaching Officials While They're in Office, but Trying Them After They Leave

Discussion: National Review

Douglas Perry / Oregonian:

‘Charming’ D.B. Cooper suspect Sheridan Peterson dies at 94, spent years dedicated to political causes — Sheridan Peterson, long considered a suspect in the D.B. Cooper skyjacking case, died Jan. 8 in California. He was 94. — The California native served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II …

Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:

New York Times's star coronavirus reporter was disciplined for ‘repeating a racist slur’ to students — The publication says it investigated complaints made about longtime health reporter Donald McNeil Jr.'s behavior on a 2019 trip with students — The New York Times on Thursday said it investigated and …

The Daily Beast:
Star NY Times Reporter Accused of Using ‘N-Word,’ Making Other Racist Comments

Discussion: New York Times, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Mediaite, New York Post and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »

Stephen Groves / Associated Press:

Noem refuses to say whether Biden victory was free and fair — PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem refused to acknowledge Thursday that Democrat Joe Biden defeated her close Republican ally Donald Trump in a free and fair election, instead using the opportunity to criticize Biden's actions since taking office.

Discussion: New York Times, CNN, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams and Political Wire

Sean D. Naylor / Yahoo News:

Mattis: Trump ‘fomented’ Jan. 6 Capitol assault — Former Defense Secretary James Mattis said Thursday the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol was “fomented” by former President Donald Trump, and exemplified the “internal threats” faced by the U.S. that should be viewed “with every bit as much gravity …

Discussion: Washington Post, Salon, Washington Examiner, Sputnik News and Raw Story

Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:

Trump officials moved most Bureau of Land Management staffers out of D.C. More than 87 percent quit instead. — The decision to relocate BLM headquarters to Colorado and redistribute jobs in the West prompted 287 employees to retire or find other jobs — The Trump administration's decision …

New York Times:

Body Camera Footage Shows Capitol Rioters Trampling Over Woman — Video obtained by The Times provides a police officer's view of the deadly battle to defend a key entryway from the surging mob. — As 34-year-old Rosanne Boyland lay dying on the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 6 after being crushed by a mob …

Chris Stirewalt / Los Angeles Times:

Op-Ed: I called Arizona for Biden on Fox News. Here's what I learned — The New York Evening Express was no great shakes as a newspaper. But in 1886, when the New York Times ran the obituary of one of the Express' former owners, Erastus Brooks, it had to give credit where it was due.

Discussion: CNN, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Sputnik News, Power Line, Twitchy, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Post, Deadline, The Hill, The Wrap, TVNewser and Mediaite

Politico:

'For Christ's sake, watch yourself': Biden warns family over business dealings — In the midst of his campaign for president, Joe Biden took his younger brother, Frank, aside to issue a warning. — “For Christ's sake, watch yourself,” Biden said of his brother's potential business dealings …

Discussion: Breitbart, Sputnik News, The Lid, HotAir, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

Covid-19 Live Updates: Vaccine Stocks Dwindle in the E.U. — President Biden took executive action to expand health care access by strengthening the Affordable Care Act and reopening enrollment. He also moved to protect reproductive rights and expand abortion access.

Discussion: Townhall, Breitbart, Fox News, Vox, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, The Hill, The Daily Caller, NOQ Report, ABC7 and THE CITY

New York Times:

Ella Emhoff Signs to IMG Models — The second daughter follows the inauguration poet Amanda Gorman to IMG. — Amanda Gorman is not the only breakout star to have emerged from the inauguration as the fashion world's latest influencer-in-waiting. — One week after the Miu Miu coat she wore …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Fox News, Washingtonian, KRON4, Page Six, Mic and The Week

Lara Seligman / Politico:

Pentagon halts Trump appointments to advisory boards — The Pentagon has suspended the processing of a number of former President Donald Trump's last-minute appointees to defense advisory boards as the new administration looks to weed out loyalists to the former president.

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story, Trending Politics, Butterflies and Wheels and Political Wire

Politico:

Biden to NYT: Drop dead — Welcome to POLITICO's 2021 Transition Playbook, your guide to the first 100 days of the Biden administration. — JOE BIDEN and Republicans are united on at least one thing: They can't stand The New York Times editorial board. — The august newspaper of record …

Discussion: Fox News, Media Matters for America and The Daily Caller

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

GOP senator stocks office with 13 former Trump staffers — As Trump administration alums face a tough job market after the Capitol riot, one new Republican Senate office has turned into a full-employment factory for Trump officials looking for their next gig.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Raw Story and Mock Paper Scissors