memeorandum: Biden suggests commercial aircraft will fly at 21,000 miles an hour in next decade (Naomi Lim/Washington Examiner)

10:55 PM ET, April 8, 2021

Top Items:

Gaetz Paid Accused Sex Trafficker, Who Then Venmo'd Teen … In two late-night Venmo transactions in May 2018, Rep. Matt Gaetz sent his friend, the accused sex trafficker Joel Greenberg, $900. The next morning, over the course of eight minutes, Greenberg used the same app to send three young women varying sums of money.

Discussion: The Hill, Insider, CNN, The Intellectualist, Mediaite, Raw Story, Florida Politics, Fox News, Orlando Sentinel, NBC News, Washington Examiner, Forbes, The Sun and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:

Indicted Matt Gaetz Associate Is Expected to Plead Guilty, Lawyers Say — The associate could cooperate with prosecutors, giving them information about Mr. Gaetz's relationships that investigators are examining for possible sex trafficking violations. — ORLANDO, Fla. …

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, Orlando Weekly, Vanity Fair, Insider and Poynter

Politico:

Gaetz-tied group threatens to sue reporters writing on his Trump relationship — The Logan Circle Group warned journalists they risked a lawsuit if they didn't retract reports that Trump was distancing himself from the embattled congressman. — Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fa.). Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images

Discussion: CNN, Insider, Mediaite and The Intellectualist

New York Times:

Biden Announces Action on Guns, Saying ‘This Is Just a Start’ — Representative Matt Gaetz's communications director has also resigned amid a federal sex trafficking investigation. President Biden inaccurately described “loopholes” in federal regulations of firearms during a speech outlining his first actions to combat gun violence.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Insider, Forbes, Raw Story, The Hill, Vox and Mediaite

Orlando Sentinel:

Joel Greenberg paid $7,500 to Anthony Sabatini while Seminole Tax Collector — Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County Tax Collector at the center of a sprawling criminal probe into everything from stalking to wire fraud to sex trafficking, used taxpayer money to pay $7,500 in legal fees to state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, records show.

Discussion: Fox News

Ross Ibbetson / Agence France-Presse:
Punchy billboard appears overnight in Matt Gaetz's home state of Florida as he denies sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl

Discussion: Raw Story

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Key figure in Matt Gaetz probe likely cooperating with federal prosecutors

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Law & Crime, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Orlando Weekly, USA Today, Washington Post, Raw Story, New Republic, The Week, Vanity Fair and New York Post

Washington Post:
Gaetz associate likely to strike plea deal with prosecutors in sex-trafficking case

Discussion: Congressman Matt Gaetz, The Daily Caller, Townhall, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, HotAir, Associated Press, Florida Politics and Insider

Tom McLaughlin / Northwest Florida Daily News:
Hub City Florida billboard takes a pot shot at U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz

Discussion: The Hill

CNN:
Matt Gaetz associate likely to strike plea deal, attorneys say

Washington Post:

Manhattan district attorney seizes evidence from Trump executive's former daughter-in-law — NEW YORK — Investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, acting on a grand jury subpoena, took possession of financial records Thursday morning from the apartment of Jennifer Weisselberg …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Insider, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, CNN, CNBC and The Hill

Kara Scannell / CNN:
Mueller fraud investigator brought in to help Vance's probe of Trump Org.

Discussion: Law & Crime, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, HotAir, The Intellectualist and The Week

Meg Kinnard / Associated Press:

AP source: NFL player Phillip Adams killed 5, then himself — COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The gunman who killed five people including a prominent doctor in South Carolina was former NFL player Phillip Adams, who killed himself early Thursday, according to a source who was briefed on the investigation.

Discussion: CNN, WBTV-TV, WCBD News 2, East Bay Times, The Daily Beast, TheBlaze, Faithwire, WAVY-TV, CBS News, CBS New York, KTLA, Insider, The Daily Caller, The Root, The Week, Associated Press, The Hill, TheGrio, Law & Crime, The Sun, Deseret News and Washington Examiner

Luke Broadwater / New York Times:

In New Book, Boehner Says He Regrets Clinton Impeachment — Former Speaker John Boehner, Republican of Ohio, writes that the drive to remove President Bill Clinton was a politically motivated move he wishes he had repudiated. — WASHINGTON — Former Speaker John Boehner, Republican of Ohio …

Discussion: Raw Story, National Review and POLITICUSUSA

Gina Kolata / New York Times:

Kati Kariko Helped Shield the World From the Coronavirus — Collaborating with devoted colleagues, Dr. Kariko laid the groundwork for the mRNA vaccines turning the tide of the pandemic. — She grew up in Hungary, daughter of a butcher. She decided she wanted to be a scientist, although she had never met one.

New York Times:

Partial tally in Amazon union drive favors ‘No’ votes. — With about half the ballots counted late Thursday, votes against unionization had a more than 2-to-1 advantage over those in favor, according to a live broadcast of the counting that was tallied by The New York Times.

Discussion: Raw Story, The Guardian, TheBlaze, New York Post and Al Jazeera, more at Techmeme »

Jay Greene / Washington Post:
Emails show Amazon pressed Postal Service for mailbox outside warehouse before union vote

Discussion: Insider, Common Dreams, TechCrunch, NPR, Payday Report and Chicago Sun-Times

Brad Esposito / Nieman Lab:

“The idea that we can change anything, I have given up on”: NBC News' Brandy Zadrozny on documenting the “depressing” internet — “Suddenly, the stupid stuff on the internet, the scary stuff on the internet, became just so mainstream and important. And that totally should not be.”

Naomi Lim / Washington Examiner:

Biden suggests commercial aircraft will fly at 21,000 miles an hour in next decade — President Joe Biden has caused confusion after predicting some commercial airplanes could fly at speeds of up to 21,000 miles per hour in the next 10 years, faster than the hypersonic weapons under development by the military.

Discussion: Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit

Jim Geraghty / National Review:
You Can't Ignore Physics, Joe

Discussion: RedState, New York Post and Twitchy

CNN:

Scathing watchdog report reveals Capitol Police had expired ammo and ineffective shields during riot — Mother of injured officer to riot accomplices: How dare you? — (CNN)A scathing report by the US Capitol Police watchdog obtained by CNN reveals that there were even more law enforcement failures prior …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Dave Gilson / Mother Jones:

Trump Put a Right-Wing Radio Host in Charge of a National Park. Emails Show the Chaos That Ensued. — Click the highlighted text for more. — Last December 7, Michael Savage kicked off his radio program by railing yet again against the “demonic” and “fascist” governors who had locked down their states to slow the spread of COVID.

Discussion: Raw Story

Noah Bierman / Los Angeles Times:

Politicians dread the sting of #KHive, the fervent online fans of Kamala Harris — When Rep. Ro Khanna started pressing Vice President Kamala Harris to use her procedural power to push a national minimum wage hike a few weeks ago, he found himself targeted by a swarm of online Harris supporters.

Discussion: Politico

CBS News:

“60 Minutes” on its story about vaccine distribution in Palm Beach County — CBS News issued a statement Wednesday that defended a “60 Minutes” segment that aired Sunday, April 4, on the early vaccine rollout in Palm Beach County and pushed back against claims made in recent days by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Discussion: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, HotAir, spectator.us, The Daily Caller and Poynter

Teo Armus / Washington Post:

Video shows Texas GOP official seeking ‘army’ of volunteers to monitor polls in mostly Black and Hispanic Houston precincts — In a leaked video of a recent presentation, a man who identifies himself as a GOP official in Harris County, Tex., says the party needs 10,000 Republicans for an “election integrity brigade” in Houston.

Discussion: The Hill and Common Dreams

Emily Anthes / New York Times:

Has the Era of Overzealous Cleaning Finally Come to an End? — This week, the C.D.C. acknowledged what scientists have been saying for months: The risk of catching the coronavirus from surfaces is low. — When the coronavirus began to spread in the United States last spring, many experts warned of the danger posed by surfaces.

Discussion: SFist and HotAir

WTOP:

Capitol riot defendant ‘viciously’ beaten in D.C. jail, lawyer says … A Capitol riot defendant was “viciously and savagely” beaten by a guard in a Washington, D.C. jail and may lose sight in one eye because of his injuries, one of his lawyers told the CBS affiliate in the city, WUSA-TV.

Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News:

YouTube faces backlash as progressive journalist claims tech giant ‘trying to push us off the platform’ — Status Coup's Jordan Chariton says YouTube's suppression of independent journos favors mainstream outlets — Scalise blasts Big Tech crackdowns: 'These aren't mistakes'

Sherman Smith / Kansas Reflector:

Kansas Senate Majority Leader had 0.17 blood alcohol level in wrong-way pursuit — TOPEKA — Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop reeked of alcohol, struggled to speak or walk, and threatened the Kansas Highway Patrol officer who stopped him in the early hours of March 16 for driving the wrong way on Interstate 70 in Topeka.

Discussion: Political Wire

Tucker Higgins / CNBC:

Man who carried Confederate flag to Capitol during Jan. 6 riot indicted — Kevin Seefried, who was photographed carrying a Confederate flag in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots in Washington, has been indicted by a grand jury on five counts related to obstruction, entering restricted property and disorderly conduct.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit and Raw Story

Jeff Burlew / Tallahassee Democrat:

Florida Elections Commission general counsel arrested on child porn charges — Eric Lipman also served as an officer with a nonprofit soccer league for boys and girls aged 4-17. — View Comments — The general counsel for the Florida Elections Commission was arrested Wednesday on charges …

Discussion: The Hill and Florida Politics

Doha Madani / NBC News:

1 dead, 5 others shot in Texas industrial park shooting; suspect in custody … At least one person is dead and five others were shot — four in critical condition — in a shooting at an industrial park in Bryan, Texas, and the suspect is in custody. — Officers responded to a call reporting …

Discussion: CBS News, FOX 26 Houston and Raw Story

Stephen Gutowski / Washington Free Beacon:

Biden Gun Speech Filled With Falsehoods — President Joe Biden made numerous false and misleading statements while unveiling a package of gun-control actions on Thursday. — Biden falsely described how federal firearm laws work as he called for Congress to amend those laws.

Discussion: Fox News, The White House, Washington Post, Townhall, RedState, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Iowa Capital Dispatch, BuzzFeed News and Washington Times

Steve Marowski / MLive.com:

Student responsible for racist graffiti that was found in Albion College dorm, officials say — ALBION, MI — Albion College and the Albion Department of Public Safety say a student is responsible for racist graffiti found in a dorm last weekend. — Albion police brought the 21-year-old Black male …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller and Liberty Unyielding

Jonathan Mattise / Associated Press:

Hagerty talks elections with Trump after affirming Biden win — NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In his first week, Tennessee's freshman U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty watched in horror as the Capitol riots unfolded around him and decided to back down from his plans to oppose the electoral college results …

Discussion: Raw Story

Zachary Petrizzo / Salon:

White nationalist “groyper” movement links up with anti-vaxxers, threatens use of weapons — “Manipulate my DNA or inject satan juice, nah, I'm good,” wrote a follower of young white nationalist Nick Fuentes — Young white nationalist leader Nicholas Fuentes and his “groyper army” …

New York Times:

After Pandemic, Shrinking Need for Office Space Could Crush Landlords — Some big employers are giving up square footage as they juggle remote work. That could devastate building owners and cities. — As office vacancies climb to their highest levels in decades with businesses giving …

Ezra Klein / New York Times:

Four Ways of Looking at the Radicalism of Joe Biden — It's unexpected, but it's not inexplicable. — Joe Biden didn't wake up one day and realize he'd been wrong for 30 years. — I covered him in the Senate, in the Obama White House, in the Democratic Party's post-Trump reckoning.

Discussion: The Hill, Insider, Foreign Policy, Ballotpedia News, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Daily Caller, Bloomberg and Mother Jones

MJ Franklin / New York Times:

For Him, the Delight Is in the Digging — Patrick Radden Keefe has investigated human smuggling, government espionage and the Northern Ireland conflict. With “Empire of Pain,” he takes on the Sackler family and the opioid crisis. — Patrick Radden Keefe has always been interested in secrets.

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Washington Post

Washington Post:

Facebook and Twitter must ban all anti-vaccine accounts — Letitia James is the attorney general of New York. William Tong is the attorney general of Connecticut. — President Biden has announced that every adult in the nation will be eligible for the covid-19 vaccine as of April 19.

Natalie Allison / The Tennessean:

Gov. Bill Lee signs permitless carry bill into law as Tennessee joins 18 other states — Tennessee is officially one of 19 states where permitless gun carry will be the law. — Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed a bill allowing most adults to carry a handgun without a permit …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Hill, WVLT and Insider

Rich Lowry / National Review:

That Time Stacey Abrams Suppressed the Vote — The activist started Jim Crow 2.0 in Georgia. — y the time the reader of the Stacey Abrams book Our Time Is Now gets to page 89, he is numb with the relentless contentions that any effort to make the Georgia elections system more secure or economical …

Associated Press:

Expert: Lack of oxygen killed George Floyd, not drugs — MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — George Floyd died of a lack of oxygen from being pinned to the pavement with a knee on his neck, a medical expert testified at former Officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial Thursday, emphatically rejecting the defense theory …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Denver Post, abc7NY, Washington Examiner and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Paul Caron / taxprof.typepad.com:

Bar Exams May Soon Be Easier To Pass, As States Eye Changes — Bloomberg Law, Bar Exams May Soon Be Easier to Pass, as States Eye Changes: — Several states say they could make their bar exams easier to pass as a way to address racial diversity problems and access-to-justice issues entrenched in the legal profession.

Discussion: Power Line