Top Items:
Maria Halkias / Dallas Morning News:
Griddy customers face $5,000 electric bills for 5 freezing days in Texas — In our deregulated market, Griddy and some other power suppliers charge customers wholesale variable rates. Those plans are relatively new — and left customers frustrated after the storm.
RELATED:
Leticia Miranda / NBC News:
As Texas deep freeze subsides, some households now face electricity bills as high as $10,000 — As the Texas power grid collapsed under a historic winter storm, Jose Del Rio of Haltom City, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, saw the electricity bill on a vacant two-bedroom home he is trying to sell slowly creep up over the past two weeks.
Discussion:
BizPac Review, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, KXAN-TV, The Intellectualist, KHOU-TV, Washington Examiner and New York Post
Washington Post:
U.S. investigating possible ties between Roger Stone, Alex Jones and Capitol rioters — The Justice Department and FBI are investigating whether high-profile right-wing figures — including Roger Stone and Alex Jones — may have played a role in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach as part of a broader look …
Discussion:
Insider, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo, The Intellectualist, emptywheel, Raw Story and Political Wire
Wall Street Journal:
The Texas Freeze: Why the Power Grid Failed — The state's electricity system was considered a model. This week's outages revealed shortcomings in the market structure. — A fundamental flaw in the freewheeling Texas electricity market left millions powerless and freezing in the dark this week during a historic cold snap.
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Heather Golden / The Bulwark:
Failing Government, Freezing Texans — A cold and chaotic week in Galveston. — VOLUNTEERS HAND OUT CASES OF WATER BOTTLES TO GALVESTON RESIDENCE AT THE SCHLITTERBAHN WATERPARK PARKING LOT ON FEBRUARY 19, 2021 IN GALVESTON, TEXAS. - A FIERCE AND DEADLY WINTER STORM THAT WREAKED HAVOC …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Insider, New Republic and The Daily Beast
Madlin Mekelburg / Austin American-Statesman:
ERCOT officials spent 40 seconds on winter storm preparedness at Feb. 9 meeting
ERCOT officials spent 40 seconds on winter storm preparedness at Feb. 9 meeting
Discussion:
KSAT-TV
Ashleigh Carter / NowThis News:
AOC & Beto O'Rourke Fundraise, Provide Relief For Texas While Ted Cruz Jets Off To Mexico — Two politicians are helping to provide resources for residents in Texas who went days without electricity, heat, or running water, while the state's own Sen. Ted Cruz (R) is under fire for flying to Mexico with his family.
Discussion:
The American Independent, Raw Story and Rewire News Group
RELATED:
Sonam Sheth / Insider:
United Airlines says it's investigating the leak of Ted Cruz's Cancun flight information
United Airlines says it's investigating the leak of Ted Cruz's Cancun flight information
Elizabeth Elizalde / New York Post:
Ted Cruz's family seen soaking up the Cancun sun while Texas shivers
Ted Cruz's family seen soaking up the Cancun sun while Texas shivers
Discussion:
The Boston Globe
Marc Caputo / Politico:
Cruz family's Cancun trip rattles their private school
Cruz family's Cancun trip rattles their private school
Discussion:
New York Times, Lead Stories, The Guardian, Insider, Salon and Raw Story
Amanda Carpenter / The Bulwark:
On Cancun and the Insurrection — What is the point of being a United States Senator anyway?
On Cancun and the Insurrection — What is the point of being a United States Senator anyway?
Discussion:
New York Times, Daily Kos, CNN, USA Today, Insider, UPROXX, Washington Post and Bulwark+
Amy Gardner / Washington Post:
State GOP lawmakers propose flurry of voting restrictions to placate Trump supporters, spurring fears of a backlash — GOP state lawmakers across the country have proposed a flurry of voting restrictions that they say are needed to restore confidence in U.S. elections, an effort intended …
RELATED:
Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for restrictive new voting laws
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for restrictive new voting laws
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Root, Daily Kos, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, BizPac Review and TheBlaze
Zachary B. Wolf / CNN:
The ‘big lie’ on voter fraud is still with us
The ‘big lie’ on voter fraud is still with us
Discussion:
Raw Story, TheGrio and Washington Post
Politico:
Trump gears up for war with his own party — There's no longer a chief of staff to screen his calls and he keeps no predictable working hours. So an unspoken rule has governed Donald Trump's calendar since he left Washington last month: To sit down with the former president …
Discussion:
National Review, The Gateway Pundit, The Federalist and Raw Story
U.S. Department of Justice:
WWII Nazi Concentration Camp Guard Removed to Germany — Man is the 70th Nazi Persecutor Removed from the United States — Today a Tennessee resident with German citizenship was removed to Germany for participating in Nazi-sponsored acts of persecution while serving as an armed guard at a Nazi concentration camp in 1945.
Dean Obeidallah / MSNBC:
Biden says the world needs to defend democracy. That starts at home. … In his speech to our European allies on Friday, President Joe Biden bluntly stated that we are “at an inflection point” between those who believe “autocracy is the best way forward” and those who think democracy is.
RELATED:
Jack Dutton / Newsweek:
Mitt Romney Tears Into Donald Trump Again Amid GOP Civil War
Mitt Romney Tears Into Donald Trump Again Amid GOP Civil War
Discussion:
Bangor Daily News
Bryan Schott / Salt Lake Tribune:
Lee says Romney shouldn't be punished for impeachment vote
Lee says Romney shouldn't be punished for impeachment vote
Discussion:
Deseret News, IJR, All Republicans …, The Daily Beast and The Hill
Matt Vespa / Townhall:
We Have Another Fauci Reversal...This Time on the COVID Vaccine — I honestly don't know what to say anymore. It's like we've never seen viruses before COVID. How can news of a vaccine being effective against spreading a virus be...actual breaking news? Of course, vaccines do that.
Discussion:
Twitchy
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Tim Miller / The Triad:
The Republicans UnCivil UnWar — Mitch versus Trump? LOL no. — 1. The UnBattle of Ohio — A dour, sullen, unsmiling, political hack. This was former president Donald Trump's assessment of Mitch McConnell in a press release this week. Politico reported that Trump was persuaded …
Discussion:
The Week, No More Mister Nice Blog and Raw Story
Robyn Dixon / Washington Post:
In a Russian court, Alexei Navalny loses again but still has the last word — MOSCOW — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny lost in court Saturday — twice — but again used his time in the dock to expound on why he stands against President Vladimir Putin, no matter the personal risk.
Discussion:
New York Times
Reuters:
Exclusive: New York City tax agency subpoenaed in Trump criminal probe — (Reuters) - The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has subpoenaed a New York City property tax agency as part of a criminal investigation into Donald Trump's company, the agency confirmed on Friday …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Hill, The Daily Beast, Insider, Bloomberg, Raw Story and Political Wire
Declan Walsh / New York Times:
Erik Prince, Trump Ally, Violated Libya Arms Embargo, U.N. Report Says — Mr. Prince offered to supply weapons, drones and mercenaries to a Libyan militia commander seeking to overthrow the government, according to U.N. investigators. — NAIROBI, Kenya — Erik Prince …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Raw Story, HuffPost and The Intellectualist
Cathy Young / The Bulwark:
The Trouble with Biden's Answer on China — The president's town hall remarks were taken out of context, but still leave a lot to be desired. — After President Biden's CNN Town Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wednesday night right-wing Twitter was in a righteous outrage: the President …
RELATED:
The White House:
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Texas Disaster Declaration … Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Texas and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms beginning …
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Post, CNN, CBS News, Insider, Associated Press, Slate, FEMA.gov, UPI, National Review, POLITICUSUSA, Al Jazeera, KRON4, New York Post, Vox and The Texas Tribune
RELATED:
Duncan Agnew / The Texas Tribune:
As Texans endured days in the dark, the state failed to deliver vital emergency information
As Texans endured days in the dark, the state failed to deliver vital emergency information
Discussion:
The Week, The Hill and Zandar Versus The Stupid
Sky News Australia:
‘Never before’ has the leader of the free world been ‘so cognitively compromised’ — It is clear US President Joe Biden is not up to the task he has been “sworn in to do”, according to Sky News host Cory Bernardi. “Never before has the leader of the free world been so cognitively compromised …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Johnny Diaz / New York Times:
Extreme Cold Killed Texans in Their Bedrooms, Vehicles and Backyards — At least 58 people died in storm-affected areas stretching to Ohio, victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, car crashes, drownings, house fires and hypothermia. — SAN ANTONIO — Carrol Anderson spent much of his life …
Discussion:
Mother Jones and CBS News
Alexander Burns / New York Times:
Democrats Beat Trump in 2020. Now They're Asking: What Went Wrong? — Disappointed by down-ballot losses, Democratic interest groups are joining forces to conduct an autopsy of the election results. Republicans do not yet seem willing to reckon with the G.O.P.'s major defeats.
Discussion:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Insider, Columbian, NBC News and IJR
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Biden's top doctor nominee made more than $2 million doing pandemic consulting, speeches — Tapped to be surgeon general, Vivek Murthy's financial entanglements draw scrutiny before his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday — As Vivek H. Murthy advised Joe Biden on the pandemic during …
Harper Neidig / The Hill:
Six more alleged Oath Keepers charged over Capitol riot — Federal prosecutors announced charges on Friday against six people affiliated with the right-wing paramilitary group Oath Keepers for their roles in the Capitol riot last month. — All six were arrested this week in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio.
Discussion:
Big League Politics and WTOP
John Fritze / USA Today:
Report: Federal judge says assailant who attacked her family had dossier on Justice Sonia Sotomayor — WASHINGTON - A federal judge whose son was killed and husband was wounded in an attack on their home last year says the assailant was also planning to target Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Marc Novicoff / Slow Boring:
Stop marketing race-blind policies as racial equity initiatives — The country is already sold on a left-of-center economic agenda. Why complicate it? — 3 hr ago — This piece is written by Marc The Intern, not the usual Matt-post. — In a recent New York Times op-ed …
Associated Press:
Biden's 1st month was about erasing the mark of ‘former guy’ — WASHINGTON (AP) — When Joe Biden walked into the Oval Office for the first time as president a month ago, his pens were ready. Already. — Lining a fine wooden box, they bore the presidential seal and an imprint of his signature …
Matthew Wilson / Campus Reform the #1 Source …:
Cornell charges students $1,800 for racially-segregated rock climbing class, frantically scrubs website when confronted — Cornell University altered the course description of a racially-segregated physical education course offered to students during the Spring 2021 academic semester after Campus Reform reached out for comment.