Top Items:
New York Times:
Georgia Officials Review Trump Phone Call as Scrutiny Intensifies — The office of Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, has initiated a fact-finding inquiry into Donald Trump's January phone call to Mr. Raffensperger pressuring him to “find” votes.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Raw Story, Reuters, Associated Press, TheGrio, POLITICUSUSA and Vanity Fair
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Linda So / Reuters:
Exclusive: Georgia Secretary of State opens investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn election — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Georgia Secretary of State's office has formally opened an investigation into former U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the state's 2020 election results, an official in the office told Reuters.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Politico, CNN, The Hill, Reuters, Mock Paper Scissors, TheBlaze, Hackwhackers and IJR
Natasha Korecki / Politico:
Biden's strategy for Trump's impeachment: Sit back and STFU — Washington may be consumed by Donald Trump's impeachment trial this week, but the White House has a decidedly different view of it: Impeachment? What impeachment? — The Biden team has shut down question after question …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Axios, ABC News, Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, The Independent, UPI and Crooked Media
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Washington Post:
It's not a typical trial. Lawyers in the Trump impeachment case will argue big constitutional questions.
It's not a typical trial. Lawyers in the Trump impeachment case will argue big constitutional questions.
Jim Acosta / CNN:
Trump tells aides he thinks he'll be acquitted as he remains fixated on ‘accountability’ for GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach
Trump tells aides he thinks he'll be acquitted as he remains fixated on ‘accountability’ for GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach
Discussion:
Politico, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, Fox News, NBC News, National Review and Daily Montanan
Douglas W. Kmiec / The Hill:
Donald Trump should be convicted unanimously by secret ballot
Donald Trump should be convicted unanimously by secret ballot
Discussion:
Senate Democratic Leadership, Mediaite, Washington Post, Roll Call, NPR and Raw Story
Haley Victory Smith / Washington Examiner:
Trump impeachment lawyer doesn't plan to raise ‘polarizing’ election fraud claims during trial
Trump impeachment lawyer doesn't plan to raise ‘polarizing’ election fraud claims during trial
Discussion:
Politico and Wall Street Journal
Washington Post:
Democratic lawmakers splinter over criteria for $1,400 stimulus payments as Biden relief bill advances — Democratic lawmakers are increasingly divided over the criteria for the next round of stimulus payments, splintering the caucus even as they aim to quickly pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, USA Today, POLITICUSUSA, Townhall, The White House, GovExec.com, Insider, Daily Kos and The Sun
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Politico:
House Democrats settle income debate for direct payments
House Democrats settle income debate for direct payments
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, HuffPost, The Hill, Forbes, KCLO-TV, Washington Times, Vox and Political Wire
Peter Hamby / Vanity Fair:
“I Think People Will Get Tired of Him”: For Donald Trump, Sarah Palin's Fall Shows the Limits of Media Obsession — The former Alaska governor dominated coverage while she was seen as a GOP kingmaker and potential presidential candidate—until reality (or at least reality TV) set in.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Raw Story
Maggie Miller / The Hill:
Hackers breach, attempt to poison Florida city's water supply — Officials said Monday that a hacker had breached and attempted to poison the water supply for the city of Oldsmar, Fla., last week, but had been unsuccessful. — Pinellas County, Fla., Sheriff Bob Gualtieri announced …
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Times, VICE, Washington Examiner and CBS News, more at Techmeme »
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Arian Campo-Flores / Wall Street Journal:
Hacker Changed Chemical Level in Florida City's Water System — Public wasn't in danger, Pinellas County sheriff says; investigation has been launched — A water-treatment plant in Oldsmar, Fla., was hacked, and the intruder briefly increased the amount of lye used to treat water to a dangerous level, authorities said Monday.
Discussion:
Tampa Bay Times, Wired, Breitbart, MyNorthwest.com and Fox News
Jonah E. Bromwich / New York Times:
Manafort Can't Be Prosecuted in New York After Trump Pardon, Court Rules — The Court of Appeals let stand a lower-court ruling that the Manhattan district attorney's prosecution of Paul Manafort was barred by the double jeopardy rule. — The Manhattan district attorney's attempt …
Discussion:
The Hill, Reuters, CNBC, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Week and Raw Story
New York Times:
China Blocks Clubhouse App After Brief Flowering of Debate — For a little while, the social media platform Clubhouse provided the rare opportunity for cross-border dialogue on contentious topics free from the country's usual tight controls. — One by one, the chatroom participants took …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, National Review and Glenn Greenwald, more at Techmeme »
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Gromer Jeffers Jr / Dallas Morning News:
Rep. Ron Wright dies after battle with COVID-19 — Reelected in November, the Republican lawmaker had been fighting cancer. … U.S. Rep Ron Wright of Arlington died Sunday night after a battle with COVID-19. He was 67. — His family and spokesperson confirmed Wright's death Monday morning.
Discussion:
National Review, CNBC, Axios, HuffPost, Politico, Roll Call, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, Forbes, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, The Week, Townhall, KRON4, Raw Story, Mock Paper Scissors, UPI and Hackwhackers
Kimberly Wehle / The Bulwark:
Call. Witnesses. — There was a crime. There is a trial. There should be witness testimony. — Democrats are no longer under the thumb of Mitch McConnell. If they want to call witnesses to testify in the second impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump, they can. — But what's more: They should.
Discussion:
CNN, CBS News, Law & Crime and Deadline
Aaron Sibarium / Washington Free Beacon:
New York Times Meltdown Plays Out in Private Facebook Group — “'We do not tolerate racist language regardless of intent' might be the most racist statement I've ever read” — The “resignation” of star New York Times science writer Donald McNeil Jr. has sparked a furious …
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Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Describing a Slur Is Not the Same As Using It
Describing a Slur Is Not the Same As Using It
Discussion:
spiked
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
Lou Dobbs is lashing out at Fox on Twitter for dropping his show — Lou Dobbs is not taking his cancellation by Fox lying down. — On Friday night, Fox News Media management canceled “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” the most-watched show on Fox Business Network. No reason was given …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Reason and NewsHounds blog, more at Mediagazer »
Ewan Palmer / Newsweek:
Why QAnon Followers Think Donald Trump Will Be Sworn Back In as President on March 4 — After more than three years of Donald Trump not taking down satanic pedophiles and the “deep state” working against him, losing the election, then failing to order mass executions at Joe Biden's inauguration …
Tess Owen / VICE:
This is the Proud Boys Supporter Who Filmed Attacks on the Media at the Capitol Riot — Meet Gabriel Brown, a live streamer from Long Island who's involvement in far-right activism goes back to the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. — TO
Discussion:
Raw Story
Ways and Means Committee:
Chairman Neal Announces Markup of COVID-19 Relief Measures — The Ways and Means' proposals comprise half of the $1.9 trillion Democratic COVID-19 relief package — SPRINGFIELD, MA - Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) announced the Committee …
Discussion:
Politico
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Josh Boak / Associated Press:
Analysis: Child poverty a hidden focus of virus relief plan
Analysis: Child poverty a hidden focus of virus relief plan
Discussion:
KTLA
New York Times:
Using Connections to Trump, Dershowitz Became Force in Clemency Grants — The lawyer Alan M. Dershowitz, who represented the former president in his first impeachment trial, used his access for a wide array of clients as they sought pardons or commutations.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Intellectualist and Raw Story
CREW:
Jared and Ivanka made up to $640 million in the White House … Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump reported between $172 million and $640 million in outside income while working in the White House, according to an analysis of financial disclosures by CREW. It is impossible to tell the exact amount …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Vanity Fair, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill and Mediaite
Jennifer Epstein / Bloomberg:
Harvard's Sunstein Joins Biden's DHS to Shape Immigration Rules — Progressive groups had raised concern about Sunstein's record — His wife is Biden nominee for international development agency — Former Obama administration official Cass Sunstein on Monday joined the Department …
Discussion:
The National Pulse, Daily Kos and Foreign Policy
Chris Hayes / The Atlantic:
The Republican Party is radicalizing against democracy. This is the central political fact of our moment. Instead of organizing its coalition around shared policy goals, the GOP has chosen to emphasize hatred and fear of its political opponents, who—they warn—will destroy their supporters and the country.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Ben Adlin / Marijuana Moment:
Judge Voids South Dakota's Marijuana Legalization Initiative, Finding Voter-Approved Measure Was Unconstitutional — A South Dakota state judge has ruled that last year's voter-approved initiative to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and over is unconstitutional and cannot go forward, though advocates plan to appeal.
Adam Kinzinger / Washington Post:
My fellow Republicans, convicting Trump is necessary to save America — Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, represents Illinois's 16th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. — Winston Churchill famously said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”
Discussion:
TheGrio, NPR, The Hill and New York Times
Jerry Lambe / Law & Crime:
Law Professor Cited 15 Times by Trump's Legal Team Says Impeachment Memo Was Filled with ‘Flat-Out Misrepresentations’ of His Work — Donald Trump's defense team was accused of flagrantly misrepresenting the work of a constitutional scholar when asserting that the former president's impeachment is unconstitutional.
Discussion:
Fox News, National Review, littlegreenfootballs.com, Raw Story and Mother Jones
Kang-Xing Jin / About Facebook:
Reaching Billions of People With COVID-19 Vaccine Information — We're running the largest worldwide campaign to promote authoritative information about COVID-19 vaccines by: — Helping people find where and when they can get vaccinated — similar to how we helped people find information about how to vote during elections
Discussion:
New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, Vox, TechCrunch, NBC Bay Area, The Verge, Al Jazeera, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, WABC, CNN, TheBlaze, Cyprus Mail and The Week, more at Techmeme »
Daniel Strauss / The Guardian:
‘This fever will break’: Republican Jeff Flake on the slow fade of Trumpism — Anti-Trumpists are growing but very slowly - convicting Trump in his impeachment trial would help speed things along, says Flake — By now, Jeff Flake thought this would all be over.
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, The Editorial Board and Big League Politics
The Guardian:
North Korea upgraded nuclear missile programme in 2020, says UN diplomat — Confidential UN report reveals Pyongyang was acting in violation of international sanctions — North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes throughout 2020 in violation …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera
Christopher Kang / USA Today:
Biden can advance racial justice, but only if Democratic senators ditch an old tradition — Republicans blocked Obama's judicial nominees with ‘blue slips’ but ignored the custom for Bush and Trump. Shelve it now to diversify the courts. — President Joe Biden has made clear …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Federalist and HotAir
Jane Greenhalgh / NPR:
My Mother Got Vaccinated. Is It Now Safe To Visit? — It's been more than a year since I've seen my mother. Like many families, we live a fair distance apart and the pandemic has put a stop to our visits. I was supposed to visit last April to celebrate her 90th birthday …
Politico:
Inside Bidenworld's plan to punish the GOP for opposing Covid relief — Democrats are plowing forward with plans to pass a massive Covid-19 relief package. And if Republicans don't join them, they won't forget it. — Already, there's talk about midterm attack ads portraying Republicans …
Jill Lawrence / USA Today:
Trump legacy: Personal responsibility is for suckers and GOP means ‘Grievances On Parade’ — Trump's Senate impeachment trial and fake victims Josh Hawley and Marjorie Taylor Greene symbolize the Republican descent into whiny entitlement. — It seems like every day is Festivus in today's Republican Party.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Truthout, IJR, Reason, New York Post, Raw Story, WGN-TV, NBC News, New York Magazine and UPI
Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist:
The 3 Worst Things About That Terrible Jeep Super Bowl Ad — How could a major corporation not see how propagandistic it comes off to suggest that when Republicans win a national election, that's divisive, but when Democrats win one, that's unifying? — In a generally weak year …
Discussion:
New York Post, CNN, Washington Examiner, National Review, HotAir, Fox News, alicublog, The Moderate Voice, The Mary Sue, Instapundit and Detroit News
Alexander Nazaryan / Los Angeles Times:
Review: Andy Ngo's new book still pretends antifa's the real enemy — Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy — There is an alternate universe out there in which we never have to ponder, let alone read, “Unmasked,” provocateur Andy Ngo's supremely dishonest new book …
Marilynn Marchione / Associated Press:
New variants raise worry about COVID-19 virus reinfections — Evidence is mounting that having COVID-19 may not protect against getting infected again with some of the new variants. People also can get second infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus if they mounted a weak defense the first time, new research suggests.
Politico:
Magistrate judge orders release of top Proud Boys organizer charged in Capitol insurrection — A federal magistrate judge in Seattle on Monday ordered the release of top Proud Boys organizer Ethan Nordean, rejecting prosecutors' call to detain him pending trial for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Discussion:
CNN, NBC News, The Intellectualist and Raw Story