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10:00 AM ET, February 17, 2021

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Antonia Noori Farzan / Washington Post:
Texas mayor tells residents to fend for themselves during power outage: ‘Only the strong will survive’  —  By Tuesday morning, the residents of Colorado City, Tex., were getting anxious.  More than 24 hours had passed since a deadly Arctic blast knocked out power across the state …
RELATED:
The Texas Tribune:
No, frozen wind turbines aren't the main culprit for Texas' power outages  —  Lost wind power makes up only a fraction of the reduction in power generating capacity that has brought outages to millions of Texans across the state during a major winter storm.  —  Copy link
Will Englund / Washington Post:
The Texas grid got crushed because its operators didn't see the need to prepare for cold weather  —  Republicans blame frozen wind turbines, but the problem was much bigger than that  —  When it gets really cold, it can be hard to produce electricity, as customers in Texas and neighboring states are finding out.
The Texas Tribune:
“We're in it alone”: Power outages leave millions of Texans desperate for heat and safety  —  Texas residents said the storm — and ensuing partial collapse of the state's power system — sapped what mental reserves they had left after eleven months of a global health crisis that has cost thousands …
Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blames wind turbines, Green New Deal policies for outages.  Critics call that ‘a lie.’  —  As millions of people across Texas struggled to stay warm Tuesday amid massive cold-weather power outages, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) directed his ire at one particular failure …
Dallas Morning News:
ERCOT officials say they have no idea when Texas' power outages will end  —  The grid operator told lawmakers that it will be days before people have full electricity, but they provided no details. … Texas' power grid operators can't predict when outages might end, Electric Reliability Council of Texas officials said Tuesday.
Bloomberg:
Frozen Wind Farms Are Just a Small Piece of Texas's Power Woes
Jason Whitely / WFAA-TV:
Texas power outages: How the largest energy-producing state in the US failed in freezing temperatures
Wall Street Journal:   Texas Power Outages to Drag Into Third Day as Deep Freeze Persists
Salena Zito / Washington Examiner:
Texas grid trouble offers warnings about Biden's anti-energy policies
Discussion: Instapundit
Robinson Meyer / The Atlantic:
The Weekly Planet: The Big Idea From Bill Gates's New Climate Book
Discussion: Marketplace and The Nation
Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
CNN And NBC Both Paid $35,000 To Left-Wing Activist For Footage Of Fatal Capitol Shooting  —  A left-wing activist facing criminal charges for his involvement in the Capitol riots received $35,000 from both CNN and NBC for footage he recorded of a Trump supporter being fatally shot inside …
RELATED:
Politico:
Trump attacks McConnell in fiery statement  —  Former President Donald Trump issued a caustic and highly personal statement against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, effectively declaring war on the Kentucky Republican for failing to back his attempts to undermine the 2020 election.
RELATED:
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Only the truth will keep Trump away  —  And now he's really gone, acquitted under the rules yet condemned by the facts, nursing his grievances and planning his comeback from isolation at Mar-a-Lago.  For the country, the question is how to ensure that Donald Trump remains there while the nation tries …
HuffPost:
Brent Bozell IV, Son Of Prominent Conservative Activist, Charged In Capitol Riot  —  Online sleuths looked into Bozell because he wore the sweatshirt of a Christian school where he previously served as a girls' basketball coach.  —  Leo Brent Bozell IV, the son of conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III …
RELATED:
Tom Dreisbach / NPR:
Son Of Prominent Conservative Activist Charged In Capitol Riot  —  Leo Brent Bozell IV, the son of a prominent conservative activist and media critic, has been charged for his alleged involvement in the Capitol insurrection.  —  In an affidavit filed in the case, which remained under seal until Tuesday …
Discussion: UPI and Raw Story
Christopher Dinsmore / Baltimore Sun:
The Baltimore Sun to be acquired by nonprofit from Tribune Publishing  —  Returning The Baltimore Sun to Maryland hands, the state's largest newspaper and its affiliates will be acquired by a nonprofit formed by businessman and philanthropist Stewart Bainum Jr. that would operate the media organization for the benefit of the community.
RELATED:
Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:
Hedge fund Alden to buy Tribune Publishing in deal valued at $630 million
Wall Street Journal:
Hacker Claims to Have Stolen Files Belonging to Prominent Law Firm Jones Day  —  Firm disputes network breach, says its file-transfer company was compromised  —  A hacker claims to have stolen files belonging to the global law firm Jones Day and posted many of them on the dark web.
RELATED:
News Corp:
News Corp and Google Agree To Global Partnership On News  —  Long-term Deal Involves Payment For Premium Content For Google News Showcase;  —  Will Yield Substantial Benefits For Journalism And Society  —  News Corp announced today that it has agreed to an historic multi-year partnership …
CNN:
‘Hell or high water:’ Manchin tells Biden he won't back push to skirt Senate rules on relief bill  —  (CNN)West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has privately informed President Joe Biden that he won't join any Democratic efforts to force through provisions in his economic rescue package if they are ruled …
Discussion: Political Wire
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Former President Trump faces serious criminal, civil investigations after White House  — Former President Donald Trump might have easily avoided conviction at his second impeachment trial — but he could find it a lot tougher to beat several serious criminal and civil probes that he's now facing.
Discussion: New Republic, Daily Mail, Deadline and VICE
Tracey Tully / New York Times:
Trump Era in Atlantic City Will End With 3,000 Sticks of Dynamite  —  An implosion of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, the last vestige of the former president's once-dominant brand in Atlantic City, N.J., is scheduled for Wednesday morning.  —  ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — It will not be the biggest or the best implosion ever.
James Barber / Military.com:
Take a First Look at the Awesome New Air Force One  —  National Geographic Channel has just premiered a new documentary special called “The New Air Force One: Flying Fortress” about the brand-new $5.3 billion Boeing 747 that's about to go into service for President Joe Biden.
Washington Free Beacon:
The Post-Trump GOP  —  Florida's DeSantis offers one possibility for the party's future  —  Republicans in search of a promising politician capable of assembling a post-Trump coalition need look no further than Florida governor Ron DeSantis.  —  A pugnacious populist by disposition …
Olivia Beavers / Politico:
Democrats defend some GOP members against Q label  —  The calls for civility within the GOP are being wiped away after Donald Trump attacked Mitch McConnell as a “dour, sullen, unsmiling political hack.”  —  More on that in a minute.  But first...  SCOOP: The House Democratic campaign arm's plan …
Jamie Lovegrove / Post and Courier:
After expanding majority, Republicans look to take more control over SC elections  —  COLUMBIA — Fresh off a successful 2020 campaign with an expanded majority, Republicans in the South Carolina Statehouse are eyeing changes to the state's election agency that could give their party more influence over the process in the future.
Megan Menchaca / The Texas Tribune:
How to help and get help in Texas as the winter storm causes power outages  —  Local organizations are providing warming shelters and resources, while nonprofits are asking for donations and volunteers.  —  Copy link  —  Winter Storm 2021  —  Millions of Texans are without power …
Tracy Jan / Washington Post:
Internal report cites HUD for lead poisoning in East Chicago children.  More could be at risk.  —  The housing agency's inspector general flags missed opportunities to alert residents, jeopardizing their health  —  The Department of Housing and Urban Development has for years neglected …
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Unified is officially out of excuses for keeping elementary schools closed  —  Schools have been reopening across the country for months now, illustrating that students can return to classrooms with little risk if the proper precautions have been taken.
Discussion: New York Times and KTLA
Lloyd J. Austin III / Washington Post:
The U.S. can't meet its responsibilities alone.  That's why we believe in NATO.  —  Lloyd J. Austin III is the defense secretary.  —  President Biden made it clear two weeks ago that diplomacy will be our primary means of engaging with the world, and it must be our first tool of choice.
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
He became one of the Navy's first Black four-star admirals.  The military has work to do on diversity, he says.  —  The young midshipman heard the question but kept walking as he neared a group of White students at the Naval Academy.  —  “You know, the only reason you're here is the quota system, right?” one of them asked.
Rebecca Traister / New York Magazine:
The Crisis Candidate Maya Wiley believes she can be a better progressive mayor for our traumatized city than her former boss Bill de Blasio.  —  Maya Wiley's parents, both activists, raised her and her brother, Dan, to be resilient.  In 1973, when Maya was 9 and her brother 10, their father, George Wiley, bought a small boat.
Dallas Morning News:
Who paid for Texas AG Ken Paxton to travel to DC for the Jan. 6 rally?  We asked.  He won't answer  —  The state paid for the attorney general's second in command to travel to Washington the week of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, but said the agency did not fund Paxton's trip.
 
 
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 More Items: 
CNN:
Right-wing justices think religion is under siege. Will the full Supreme Court follow?
Discussion: Raw Story
Derek Thompson / The Atlantic:
Why COVID-19 Cases Are Falling So Fast
Lisa Rein / Washington Post:
Biden's new VA chief inherits oversight office from Trump viewed as abetting corruption
Torey Van Oot / Axios:
Scoop: Doug Wardlow announces run for Minnesota's attorney general
Discussion: Raw Story
Greg B. Smith / THE CITY:
Secret NYPD Misconduct Records Jump Closer to Release Under Court Ruling. But de Blasio's Not Making Them Public Just Yet
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
The GOP Is Now the Party of Thugs, Terrorists, Racists and Dopes
 Earlier Items: 
New York Times:
Biden Faces Deadline on Withdrawal From Afghanistan
Discussion: Vox
Matt Viser / Washington Post:
Biden heads out of D.C. for town hall and first major presidential trip
Daily Sentinel:
The tao of Steve  —  Regular readers of The Daily Sentinel will recognize the name Steve Zansberg.
Jerry Iannelli / The Appeal:
LOS ANGELES D.A. GEORGE GASCÓN LEAVES CALIFORNIA'S POWERFUL D.A. ASSOCIATION
Discussion: CalMatters
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch:
As the NYT Tech Guild goes on strike, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas offers the AI company's services to the NYT to help ensure election coverage is available

Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
Around 75% of the largest US newspapers aren't endorsing anyone for president this year, as publishers try not to annoy any sliver of their remaining customers

William Earl / Variety:
Heretic's directors say they put a message in the credits that “no generative AI was used in the making of this film” to warn Hollywood about the danger of AI

 
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