Top Items:
Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:
Some Democrats want to fire the Senate parliamentarian who scuttled $15 minimum-wage plans. It's been done once before. — As Democrats sought to use budget reconciliation to keep Republicans from filibustering a minimum-wage increase in the Senate, the decision on whether to allow the measure …
Discussion:
NBC News, Digby's Hullabaloo, HotAir, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, The Week, The Hill, The Daily Beast and New York Post
RELATED:
Jacqueline Alemany / Washington Post:
Power Up: Liberals mount pressure campaign to overrule Senate parliamentarian on minimum wage — It's Friday. You've just about made it. We stand with SMK and this is the Power Up newsletter. — On the Hill — CUE THE DRAMA: The Democratic Party's liberal wing is mounting …
Discussion:
Fox News, Bloomberg, Politico, CBS News, CNN, CNBC, Associated Press, Breitbart, KTLA, The Week, National Review, Balloon Juice, IJR and FOX 46 Charlotte
Politico:
Biden's minimum wage increase runs afoul of budget rules — The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that President Joe Biden's minimum wage hike violates arcane budget rules that could jeopardize the rest of his $1.9 trillion relief package, dealing a blow to progressives in a highly anticipated decision …
Emily Cochrane / New York Times:
Top Senate Official Disqualifies Minimum Wage From Stimulus Plan
Top Senate Official Disqualifies Minimum Wage From Stimulus Plan
Discussion:
The Hill, UPI, HuffPost, Politico, BuzzFeed News, Insider, The Gateway Pundit, The Week and NPR
Erica Werner / Washington Post:
Minimum-wage increase imperiled in covid relief bill by Senate official's ruling
Minimum-wage increase imperiled in covid relief bill by Senate official's ruling
Discussion:
The Week, CNBC, Breitbart, Deseret News, The Hill, The Daily Caller, KTLA, Mediaite, Bangor Daily News, Hackwhackers and Associated Press
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump shares plans for new super PAC in Mar-a-Lago meeting — Former President Donald Trump told political advisers Thursday that he's chosen longtime ally Corey Lewandowski to run a yet-to-be-formed super PAC as part of his expanding post-presidential political apparatus, according to multiple people familiar with the discussion.
Discussion:
Fox News, Talking Points Memo, The Week and Raw Story
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Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Former GOP lawmaker: Republican Party ‘engulfed in lies and fear’
Former GOP lawmaker: Republican Party ‘engulfed in lies and fear’
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and POLITICUSUSA
Reed Richardson / Mediaite:
Donald Trump Jr. Blasts Republicans Who ‘Lose Gracefully,’ Praises His Father for Showing ‘You Can Actually Push Back’
NBC News:
He's back: Trump set to address CPAC in bid to extend his lease on the GOP
He's back: Trump set to address CPAC in bid to extend his lease on the GOP
Discussion:
Axios, Media Matters for America, CNN, Insider, New York Times, NRSC, Bloomberg, ABC News, Al Jazeera, Sun-Sentinel, The Nation, USA Today, Florida Politics, Raw Story, Politico, IJR, The Week and Daily Kos
Axios:
Boehner goes off script, tells Cruz to “go f**k yourself” — John Boehner has been going off script while recording the audio version of his new memoir, using expletives and asides not in the book — such as the former Republican House speaker saying, “Oh, and Ted Cruz, go f**k yourself.”
Discussion:
HuffPost, The Week, Insider, Forbes, Mediaite, The Hill, BizPac Review, Fox News, Raw Story and Boing Boing
The Daily Beast:
Three Percenter Truck at Capitol on Jan. 6 Belongs to Hitler-Quoting Rep's Husband — At least one baseball-bat wielding man tied to the far-right militia group has been arrested for his alleged role in the insurrection. … A pickup truck parked at the United States Capitol and bearing …
Discussion:
VICE, Insider, Raw Story, Crooks and Liars, emptywheel and The Week
Carol E. Lee / NBC News:
Cruz received a special ‘welcome back’ message in Senate gym — Sen. Ted Cruz's colleagues had a little fun at the Texas Republican's expense when he returned to Washington this week following his infamous trip to Cancun. — When senators arrived at the Senate gym on Wednesday morning …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and The Hill
CNN:
US carries out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian backed militia structures — (CNN)The US military struck a site in Syria on Thursday used by two Iranian-backed militia groups following rocket attacks on American forces in the region in the past two weeks, according to a US official.
Discussion:
Reason, Jihad Watch, KYMA-TV, POLITICUSUSA, Washington Times, The New Arab, The Week, Houston Public Media, TASS, Mediaite, Raw Story, Trish Intel, Political Wire and UPI
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New York Times:
U.S. Airstrikes in Syria Target Iran-Backed Militias That Rocketed U.S. Troops in Iraq
U.S. Airstrikes in Syria Target Iran-Backed Militias That Rocketed U.S. Troops in Iraq
Discussion:
National Review, Associated Press, Politico, Twitchy, WINK NEWS, TheBlaze and New York Magazine
Missy Ryan / Washington Post:
Biden administration conducts strike on Iranian-linked fighters in Syria
Biden administration conducts strike on Iranian-linked fighters in Syria
Discussion:
Informed Comment, Breitbart, ABC News and Grand Forks Herald
Mike Memoli / NBC News:
Past marijuana use won't automatically disqualify Biden White House staff — WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is issuing new guidelines Friday meant to address an unexpected hurdle it faced as it aimed to quickly fill key White House positions: recreational marijuana use.
Brad Reed / Raw Story:
‘Worshipping the golden jackass’: CPAC mocked for displaying giant gold Trump statue — The Conservative Political Action Conference is set to begin this weekend, and early indications are that much of it will be dedicated to worshipping former President Donald Trump.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Crooks and Liars, Homeless on the High Desert, The Daily Boulder and The Poke
Jeannie Suk Gersen / New Yorker:
Seeking the True Story of the Comfort Women — How a Harvard professor's dubious scholarship reignited a history of mistrust between South Korea and Japan. — In January, I was outlining an article I hoped to write about a recent judgment by a South Korean court ordering Japan to pay compensation …
Associated Press:
Some local GOP leaders fire up base with conspiracies, lies — A faction of local, county and state Republican officials is pushing lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories that echo those that helped inspire the violent U.S. Capitol siege, online messaging that is spreading quickly …
Michael Kruse / Politico:
‘Nobody Listened To Me’: The Quest to Be MTG — ALPHARETTA, Ga.—Marjorie Taylor Greene smacked her gum as she pretended to listen to a man in a dress read a book about a unicorn. — It was late April of 2019. She sat in the rear of a room at the public library here near her home in this suburb north of Atlanta.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, WEB OF EVIL, Media Matters for America, HuffPost, Palmer Report and CNN
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
The Campaign to Cancel Wokeness — How the right is trying to censor critical race theory. — It's something of a truism, particularly on the right, that conservatives have claimed the mantle of free speech from an intolerant left that is afraid to engage with uncomfortable ideas.
Discussion:
Althouse
New York Times:
Attacks on Asian-Americans in New York Stoke Fear, Anxiety and Anger — Hate crimes involving Asian-American victims soared in New York City last year. Officials are grappling with the problem even as new incidents occur. — Maggie Cheng could stand to watch the video only once.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Hackwhackers
Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
The Coronavirus Is Plotting a Comeback. Here's Our Chance to Stop It for Good. — Many scientists are expecting another rise in infections. But this time the surge will be blunted by vaccines and, hopefully, widespread caution. By summer, Americans may be looking at a return to normal life.
Politico:
Harris gets a crash course on foreign policy — After insisting for the last few months that she didn't need a clear-cut portfolio in the Biden administration, Vice President Kamala Harris is now trying to carve out a niche in foreign policy, with the president's encouragement.
Discussion:
CBS News
American Greatness:
Kavanaugh and Barrett's Share of the Shame — The Trump-appointed justices' alliance with the liberal wing of the Supreme Court is not a betrayal of Republicans or the president who appointed them. It's a betrayal of the Constitution. — With Election Day looming and early voting underway …
Christopher Mathias / HuffPost:
CPAC Canceled An Anti-Semite. Here Are The Extremists They Didn't Cancel. — Bigots, insurrectionists and conspiracy theorists are on the agenda at the annual gathering of American conservatives, including former President Donald Trump. — The theme of the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference is “America Uncanceled.”
Discussion:
The Daily Dot and Orlando Weekly
Jodi Shaw / New York Post:
Toxic wokeness taints a campus and causes liberal staffer to resign — In 2018, Smith College student Oumou Kanoute accused the school of racial profiling, saying she was approached by a security officer for “eating while black.” A subsequent investigation found that not only was Kanoute dining …
Discussion:
Fox News, The US Sun, JONATHAN TURLEY, Power Line and Daily Mail
Ed Kilgore / New York Magazine:
Republican Senators Haven't Represented a Majority of Voters Since 1996 — As we wait for the Senate parliamentarian to let us know if 41 senators will be able to block a minimum wage increase that a comfortable majority of Americans supports, it's as good a time as any to be reminded …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Daily Caller, Rolling Stone and Wall Street Journal
Michael Hendrix / City Journal:
On the Ground … Results, Not Headlines — Many heartland states have outperformed more prominent counterparts in the fight against Covid-19. — Covid-19 — On the day that New York governor Andrew Cuomo won his Emmy, the governor of West Virginia announced a plan to vaccinate his state.
The Bulwark:
Navalny Walks in the Footsteps of the Great Russian Dissidents — His name should become as familiar in the free world as Solzhenitsyn, Sakharov, and Sharansky. — RUSSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST ALEXEI NAVALNY DURING A HEARING INTO AN APPLICATION BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERAL PENITENTIARY SERVICE …
Axios:
Scoop: Schumer wants to freeze stimulus changes — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is privately saying he can pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus package but wants to avoid any last-minute changes jeopardizing its trajectory, three sources familiar with the talks tell Axios.
Stef W. Kight / Axios:
Scoop: Border officials project 13,000 child migrants in May — A Customs and Border Protection staffer told top administration officials Thursday the agency is projecting a peak of 13,000 unaccompanied children crossing the border in May, sources directly familiar with the discussion told Axios.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Federalist and Big League Politics
John Harwood / CNN:
Murkowski to meet with Tanden on Monday as confirmation remains on the rocks — (CNN)Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska will meet on Monday with Neera Tanden, the Biden administration's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.
Discussion:
KYMA-TV
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
The Republican Party Is Now in Its End Stages — We are living in a time of bad metaphors. Everything is fascism, or socialism; Hitler's Germany, or Stalin's Soviet Union. Republicans, especially, want their followers to believe that America is on the verge of a dramatic time …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Bulwark+, Raw Story and The Mahablog
Bloomberg:
Saudi Crown Prince Implicated in Khashoggi Murder, U.S. Finds — Intelligence report will be declassified as soon as Friday — Prince has denied involvement in the columnist's killing — A U.S. intelligence report expected to be declassified as soon as Friday implicates Saudi …
Discussion:
NBC News, CNBC, Washington Post, Raw Story, HuffPost, The New Arab, New York Times, ABC News, Insider, The Times of Israel, CBS News, New York Post and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
Brad Polumbo / Foundation for Economic Education:
Biden's Proposed Tax Hike Would Have 3 Huge Consequences, Study Finds — President Biden is pushing a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending package which he claims will boost the economy. But a new study warns that one other key policy Biden has proposed would hurt the economy and have at least three major consequences for workers.
Discussion:
Instapundit
BBC:
Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads — Parts of Brazil's Amazon rainforest are being illegally sold on Facebook, the BBC has discovered. — The protected areas include national forests and land reserved for indigenous peoples. — Some of the plots listed via …