Top Items:
Marshall Cohen / CNN:
Navy probe finds contractor charged in Capitol insurrection was well-known Nazi sympathizer — (CNN)An Army reservist charged with storming the US Capitol was a well-known White supremacist and Nazi sympathizer at the Navy base where he worked as a contractor, and was even rebuked for sporting a distinctive …
Discussion:
The Sun, Raw Story, The Times of Israel and Eschaton
Politico:
Biden eyes Gene Sperling to serve as Covid rescue plan czar — President Joe Biden is eyeing Gene Sperling for a role to oversee the implementation of the administration's coronavirus relief plan, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans. — The White House could announce …
Discussion:
Bloomberg and Political Wire
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New York Times:
Desperation as Migrant Traffic Piles Up — Mexico is struggling to deal with a new wave of migrants expelled from the U.S. while even more come north hoping to cross. Shelters that were empty four months ago are now having to turn many away. — CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico …
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Camilo Montoya-Galvez / CBS News:
Backlog of migrant children in Border Patrol custody soars to 4,200, with 3,000 held past legal limit
Backlog of migrant children in Border Patrol custody soars to 4,200, with 3,000 held past legal limit
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, National Review, UPI and Political Wire
Tonya Riley / Washington Post:
The Cybersecurity 202: White House weighs new cybersecurity proposals after two major hacking campaigns — The White House is ramping up coordination with the private sector to address the ongoing fallout from a major breach of Microsoft software leaving thousands of American organizations vulnerable to hackers.
Discussion:
Defense One
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Elizabeth Dwoskin / Washington Post:
Massive Facebook study on users' doubt in vaccines finds a small group appears to play a big role in pushing the skepticism — Internal study finds a QAnon connection and that content that doesn't break the rules may be causing ‘substantial’ harm — Facebook is conducting a vast behind …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Raw Story, The Verge and Washington Monthly, more at Techmeme »
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
Prosperity Over Vengeance — The future of American democracy depends on Joe Biden's ability to show that even when the Republican Party loses, Americans who vote Republican do not. — Staff writer at The Atlantic — Donald Trump was a punishment. — Conservatives saw him that way, and Trump saw himself that way, too.
Discussion:
Louder With Crowder, The Bulwark, FiveThirtyEight, New Republic, Blue Virginia, Bloomberg, Politico and Alternet.org
Jared Kushner / Wall Street Journal:
Opportunity Beckons in the Mideast — The Biden administration called Iran's bluff early. It should continue to play the strong hand it was dealt. — The geopolitical earthquake that began with the Abraham Accords hasn't ended. More than 130,000 Israelis have visited Dubai since President Trump hosted …
Discussion:
The Hill, Breitbart and Just The News
Kadia Goba / Axios:
Vaccine brawl riles House — Uncertainty about why only 75% of the House is confirmed as vaccinated against the coronavirus is fueling a debate about when the chamber can return to its normal rules of operation. — Between the lines: The other 25% of members have either refused to get the vaccine …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Alternet.org, Balloon Juice and Insider
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
New Suitor May Enter Fray for Tribune Publishing — A Maryland hotel magnate who had a deal to buy The Baltimore Sun is now weighing a bid for all of Tribune's newspapers that could thwart a hedge fund's plan. — A deal that would reshape the American newspaper industry has run …
Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
Texas GOP launches avalanche of bills to curtail voting — Texas Republicans are rolling out a slew of restrictive election bills, taking particular aim at early voting after Democrats enthusiastically embraced the practice last year. — More than two dozen GOP-sponsored elections bills …
Discussion:
New York Times
BBC:
US remains top arms exporter and grows market share — The US has increased its global share of arms exports to 37% during the last five years, according to a Sweden-based research institute. — Increased exports by the US, France and Germany were offset by declining Russian and Chinese exports.
Discussion:
Al Jazeera
Jason Morris / CNN:
Officials located December recording of Trump call in a trash folder on Georgia investigator's device — (CNN)Officials in the Georgia Secretary of State's Office located a recently released recording of former President Donald Trump's call to a state investigator in a trash folder on her device …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Washington Examiner
New York Times:
As Cuomo Reels, Pleas for Political Support Come From His Vaccine Czar — Larry Schwartz, whom Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo put in charge of the state's vaccination efforts, called some county executives about support for the governor. — At the height of the pandemic, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called upon …
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Washington Post:
New York's vaccine czar called county officials to gauge their loyalty to Cuomo amid sexual harassment investigation
New York's vaccine czar called county officials to gauge their loyalty to Cuomo amid sexual harassment investigation
Discussion:
Fox News, New York Post, HotAir, Twitchy, Alternet.org, Axios, The Sun, CBS New York, NPR, Associated Press, USA Today, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, National Review, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Fox Business, Insider, NBC New York, The Hill, Gothamist, Washington Examiner, CNBC, Law & Crime, Politico, The Week and Mediaite
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
‘We want to be educated, not indoctrinated,’ say Trump voters wary of covid shots — The responses of focus group participants suggest they can be persuaded — but perhaps not by politicians, including the former president. — Be honest that scientists don't have all the answers.
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
‘Clear and present danger’: Republicans fret about Greitens' comeback — Disgraced former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is moving closer to a 2022 Senate bid, alarming top Republicans who worry he will jeopardize the party's grip on the seat and imperil their prospects of seizing the majority.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast
Washington Examiner:
Congressional Democrats push a job-killing law even Californians couldn't stand — In the 2020 election, 63% of California voters backed President Biden. On the same ballot, those voters essentially repealed a job-killing state law that Biden and Democrats now want to impose on a national level in the form of the PRO Act.
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Biden's conspicuous silence on the Cuomo scandal — Based on everything we know about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's psyche, it's impossible to imagine him resigning unless he knows he has no way out. The only Democratic figure who could plausibly persuade Cuomo to resign is President Biden.
Discussion:
Forbes, Associated Press, LifeNews.com, The Sun, Townhall and Fox News
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Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Stimulus Bill as a Political Weapon? Democrats Are Counting on It. — The $1.9 trillion package is a big bet by the party that it will restore a sense of normalcy by the 2022 elections and that voters will defy history and reward Democrats with more seats in Congress.
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Beast, Washington Post and Associated Press
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Piers Morgan Can't Wait to Bring the Worst of America Home — British TV executives see opportunity — and money to be made — in bringing American cable-style clashes to their screens. — When Piers Morgan stormed off the set of “Good Morning Britain” last week as a Black colleague chided him for …
Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Biden, Harris and others to promote relief plan's benefits — WASHINGTON (AP) — Let the sales push begin. — President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour this week to highlight the benefits of his $1.9 trillion plan to defeat the coronavirus and boost the economy.
Zachary Warmbrodt / Politico:
‘Most influential voice’: Warren's network spreads throughout Biden administration — Wall Street was relieved when Sen. Elizabeth Warren was passed over for the leadership of the Treasury Department. But now the financial industry faces another threat: President Joe Biden is enlisting …
Bloomberg:
Biden Eyes First Major Tax Hike Since 1993 in Next Economic Plan — Tax increases would help fund long-term U.S. recovery program — Corporate, capital-gains levies targeted for hikes, aides say — President Joe Biden is planning the first major federal tax hike since 1993 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, The Hill and IJR
Jennie Wetter / The Hill:
New Arkansas abortion law a sign of the times — Earlier this week, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a new law barring abortions “except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency.” This near-total ban on abortion clearly violates the rights spelled out in Roe v. Wade.
Matt Frendewey / Washington Examiner:
School is coming back. But many parents have moved on — The schools open-versus-closed debate has raged since the earliest days of the pandemic. Early on, there were indications that the system, which was often regarded as antiquated prior the pandemic, was ill-suited to respond …