memeorandum: Vanita Gupta, Biden associate attorney general nominee, backed by city police chiefs (Brooke Singman/Fox News)

2:00 PM ET, February 26, 2021

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: New York Magazine, Insider, Vox, Rolling Stone, NBC News, NPR, Reason, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, HotAir and Digby's Hullabaloo

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

‘Plan B’ for $15 minimum wage unveiled — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Friday announced Democrats' “Plan B” to raise the minimum wage after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that an earlier proposal from House Democrats to raise the federal minimum wage $15 an hour did not meet special budgetary rules.

Discussion: Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, Roll Call, The Daily Caller and OutKick

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, Politico, CNN, CBS News, Breitbart, National Review, KYMA-TV, The Hill, IJR, The Week, CNBC, UPI, Balloon Juice, Bloomberg and FOX 46 Charlotte

Senator Josh Hawley:
Hawley Announces Legislation To Require $15 Minimum Wage for Billion-Dollar Corporations

Discussion: Washington Examiner, IJR, BizPac Review, New York Post, POLITICUSUSA, The Daily Caller, The Guardian and The Daily Poster

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Pelosi Statement on Senate Parliamentarian Ruling on Minimum Wage

Politico:
House set to pass Biden's $1.9T pandemic relief package

Discussion: New York Times, CNBC, USA Today, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The 19th, Salon, Reuters, WSAV-TV, Palmer Report and KTLA

Niv Elis / The Hill:
Hawley, Sanders both backing corporate tax to get $15 minimum wage

Discussion: CNBC, Washington Examiner and Al Jazeera

Politico:
Biden's minimum wage increase runs afoul of budget rules

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: Fox News, Talking Points Memo, The Hill and Raw Story

Jake Lahut / Insider:
Ted Cruz's colleagues mocked him by putting memes of his Cancun trip in the Senate gym locker room: ‘Bienvenido de Nuevo, Ted!’

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Thomas Barrabi / Fox News:
CPAC speaker Ted Cruz: What to know about the Texas senator

Discussion: RedState

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: The Hill, RedState, Mediaite, Snopes.com, Hackwhackers, Crooks and Liars, The Daily Boulder, Homeless on the High Desert and The Poke

Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
This golden statue of Trump at CPAC is a perfect metaphor for the state of the GOP

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, The Intellectualist and Crooks and Liars

Tyler Olson / Fox News:
Is Trump the GOP's future? Here's what CPAC attendees think

Discussion: The Hill, Florida Politics, Raw Story and New York Post

Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
There's nothing conservative about CPAC

Discussion: USA Today, Raw Story and New York Times

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.

Discussion: The Hill and HotAir

Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:

Saudi crown prince approved 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, U.S. intelligence report concludes — Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the operation that led to the brutal 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a long-withheld U.S. intelligence report made public Friday.

Discussion: CNBC, NBC News, Forbes, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Just Security, New York Post, The Intellectualist, Bloomberg, HuffPost, The New Arab, ABC News, CBS News and Middle East Monitor, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:

Biden administration has released declassified Khashoggi report — Washington (CNN)The US intelligence report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi says that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman approved the operation to capture or kill the Saudi journalist.

Discussion: Politico, Insider, The Hill, Mediaite, ABC13 and Mercury News

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Former GOP lawmaker: Republican Party ‘engulfed in lies and fear’ — Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) argued in a pre-taped interview that ran Friday that the Republican Party has lost its way and become “engulfed in lies in fear.” — Curbelo and former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

NBC News:
He's back: Trump set to address CPAC in bid to extend his lease on the GOP

Discussion: CNN, Axios, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Sun-Sentinel, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, USA Today, Florida Politics, Raw Story, ABC News, Media Matters for America, IJR, The Week, NRSC, Daily Kos and Politico

Grace Segers / CBS News:
GOP Congressman Peter Meijer says Trump “destroyed” his legacy after January 6

Discussion: Insider and Raw Story

Lindsay Wise / Wall Street Journal:
How Rick Scott Is Trying to Bridge the Trump-McConnell Divide

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Bangor Daily News and Associated Press

New York Times:

U.S. Airstrikes in Syria Target Iran-Backed Militias That Rocketed U.S. Troops in Iraq — President Biden ordered retaliatory strikes against the militias whose attacks in Erbil this month killed one foreign contractor and wounded a U.S. service member. — WASHINGTON — The United States …

Discussion: National Review, Politico, Defense One, Just Security, WINK NEWS, TheBlaze and New York Magazine

Abraham Mahshie / Washington Examiner: Biden mum on strikes against Iranian-backed militias in Syria as Democrats call for explanation

CNN:
US carries out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian backed militia structures

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: Raw Story, VICE, Insider, The Intellectualist, Crooks and Liars, emptywheel and The Week

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: The Hill, The Texas Tribune, The Daily Caller, Insider, Washington Times, New York Post, The Week, BizPac Review, Forbes, HuffPost, Mediaite, The Daily Boulder, Fox News, Raw Story and Boing Boing

David Gilbert / VICE:

QAnon Isn't So Sure Trump Will Magically Become President Again on March 4 — Influencers within the conspiracy movement are trying to reverse course on a belief that Trump will become president again on that date. — DG — National Guard troops have been deployed …

Discussion: New York Times and Political Wire

WNBA.com:

WNBA Approves Sale of Atlanta Dream to Larry Gottesdiener —Former Dream Player Renee Montgomery to be Member of Ownership Group- — Atlanta, Georgia (February 26, 2021) - The WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors have unanimously approved the sale of the Atlanta Dream to Larry Gottesdiener …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Sports Illustrated, TMZ.com and Raw Story

Marissa Lang / Washington Post:

As fractures emerge among Proud Boys, experts warn of a shift toward extremist violence — As members of the Proud Boys arrived at the foot of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, they gathered as a unified front, donning bright orange beanies and tactical gear and carrying flags and megaphones used …

Discussion: Raw Story

Christopher Mathias / HuffPost:
CPAC Canceled An Anti-Semite. Here Are The Extremists They Didn't Cancel.

Discussion: The Daily Dot and Orlando Weekly

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 …

Discussion: Raw Story

Vanity Fair:

“We're Not Opening the Dementia Thing”: Inside Team Biden's Freakout Over Julia Louis-Dreyfus's Trump Jokes — At the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Veep's showrunner clashed with organizers over the HBO star's act—an episode revealing how the Biden campaign tried to tamp down any drama on its road to the White House.

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 …

Anthony D'Alessandro / Deadline:

‘Superman’ Reboot In The Works At Warner Bros With Ta-Nehisi Coates Writing, J.J. Abrams Producing — Deadline has confirmed that author Ta-Nehisi Coates is writing a Superman reboot feature for Warner Bros and DC, which J.J. Abrams is producing under his Bad Robot label. — Hannah Minghella will serve as producer.

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 …

William Wan / Washington Post:

How this summer could bring the pandemic relief we're longing for — Coronavirus cases could increase in spring with variants. Summer may bring some normalcy. But the virus is almost certainly here to stay. — It's been months since David Rubin's children have seen their 87-year-old grandmother …

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

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: LGBTQ Nation, PinkNews, Raw Story, The Daily Beast, WEB OF EVIL and Media Matters for America