Top Items:
Bloomberg:
Biden Eyeing Capital Gains Tax as High as 43.4% for Wealthy — People earning $1 million would pay 39.6% plus Obamacare levy — Total tax rates for New Yorkers, Californians could top 50% — President Joe Biden will propose almost doubling the capital gains tax rate for wealthy individuals …
Discussion:
CNBC, Breitbart, Reuters, Forbes, Louder With Crowder and Washington Times
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Dan Primack / Axios:
Stocks fall on reports that Biden wants to hike taxes on capital gains — Stocks fell Thursday following media reports that President Biden wants to nearly double the capital gains tax paid by wealthy Americans. — Inside the numbers: Biden reportedly is considering a proposal of a 39.6% top rate …
Discussion:
Forbes
John Futty / The Columbus Dispatch:
‘No opportunity’ to de-escalate: Use-of-force experts say Columbus officer obeyed training in shooting Ma'Khia Bryant — An Ohio criminal-justice professor who studies the fatal use of force by law-enforcement officers didn't hesitate to render an opinion after watching body-camera video …
Discussion:
New York Post, National Review, The Philadelphia Inquirer, allsides.com, HotAir and BizPac Review
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Washington Post:
Fatal police shooting of Black teenager in Columbus sparks new outcry
Fatal police shooting of Black teenager in Columbus sparks new outcry
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CBS News, The Western Journal, The Daily Beast, HotAir, IJR, The Root, Fox News, spiked and Twin Cities
Heather Mac Donald / City Journal:
A Troubled Rule of Law
A Troubled Rule of Law
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics, Media Matters for America, The Federalist, Crime Prevention … and Fox News
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
We should soon stop catering to the vaccine holdouts — When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced a “pause” in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of a tiny number of instances in which women developed blood clots after getting the shot, many recoiled in horror.
Discussion:
Poynter, NBC News and Digby's Hullabaloo
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Washington Post:
Health officials lean toward resuming Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine — but with a warning — The action would mirror that of European regulators, who concluded the shot's benefits outweigh the risks — Federal health authorities are leaning toward recommending that use …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Children's Health Defense, New York Post, New York Times, HotAir and Fox News
CNN:
With Trump's backing, Walker freezes Senate GOP field in Georgia — (CNN)Former President Donald Trump's backing of football great Herschel Walker to run for the Georgia Senate seat has been enough to effectively freeze the GOP field in place — even though some Republicans privately worry …
Erica Pandey / Axios:
America scrambles for restaurant workers — Vaccinations keep climbing, and restaurants are ready to roar back this summer. But eateries from Miami to Martha's Vineyard to Los Angeles are facing the same problem: not enough workers. — The big picture: Millions of restaurants are hiring all at once and …
Tara Parker-Pope / New York Times:
Do We Still Need to Keep Wearing Masks Outdoors? — Science shows that the risk of viral transmission outside is very low. The “two-out-of-three rule” can help you decide whether to mask up. — As more people get vaccinated and spring weather and sunshine beckon us outdoors …
Discussion:
New York Post, Reason and The Daily Beast
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Jim Tankersley / New York Times:
Biden Will Seek Tax Increase on Rich to Fund Child Care and Education — The president's American Family Plan, which remains in flux, does not currently include an effort to expand health coverage, as administration officials had previously planned. — WASHINGTON — The next phase …
Discussion:
The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Human Events, Insider, Forbes and Americans for Tax Reform
Oriana Gonzalez / Axios:
Senate passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill — The Senate voted 94-1 on Thursday to pass legislation that aims to improve anti-Asian hate crime tracking and identification. — Why it matters: It's a rare bipartisan endorsement of a bill by the 50-50 Senate, and comes in the wake of a spike of anti-Asian hate crimes over the last year.
Discussion:
CBS News, Forbes and The Daily Caller
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Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Bill to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans passes Senate with bipartisan support
Bill to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans passes Senate with bipartisan support
Discussion:
ABC News, HuffPost and Washington Examiner
Alex Rogers / CNN:
Senate overwhelmingly passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill
Senate overwhelmingly passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill
Discussion:
ABC News, Vox, CNBC, Mediaite, UPI, Political Wire, ABC17NEWS and The Intellectualist
Bloomberg:
GOP Counters Biden With $568 Billion Infrastructure Plan — Plan focuses more on roads, opposes corporate tax hikes — Electric vehicles, unspent money targeted to pay for plan — Senior Senate Republicans offered a $568 billion counter to President Joe Biden's $2.25 trillion jobs package Thursday …
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, The Hill, Axios, NPR, POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire
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Tony Romm / Washington Post:
White House signals cool reception to Senate Republicans' calls to trade spending cuts for debt ceiling increase
White House signals cool reception to Senate Republicans' calls to trade spending cuts for debt ceiling increase
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner and The American Independent
Celine Castronuovo / The Hill:
Activists dump cow poop to protest Biden climate plan
Activists dump cow poop to protest Biden climate plan
Discussion:
Associated Press, Breitbart, RedState, BizPac Review, IJR and The Gateway Pundit
Washington Post:
Investigation suppressed by Trump administration reveals obstacles to hurricane aid for Puerto Rico — A watchdog report uncovers bureaucratic hurdles the Trump administration erected for the struggling island to receive aid after Hurricanes Irma and Maria — The Trump administration put …
Discussion:
Latino Rebels, The Guardian, WISH-TV, CNN, Talking Points Memo, ABC17NEWS and The Hill
Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
Pelosi offers equal subpoena power, even partisan split on Jan. 6 commission — Talks for the commission had stalled after disagreements over its makeup. — US Capitol riots: Tracking the insurrection — On Jan. 6, rioters coming from a pro-Trump rally broke into the U.S. Capitol …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Fox News, Politico and Reuters
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Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic:
Navalny Has a Lesson for the World — When Alexei Navalny boarded a plane to Moscow on January 17, he turned his life into a metaphor. He knew it, his wife knew it, and everybody else on the plane knew it. So did the millions of people who had watched his documentary videos …
Discussion:
Associated Press and Hackwhackers
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Politico:
Black Democrats urge party to shift its voting rights push — Democrats have spent months touting an expansive proposal that would reshape U.S. elections. But with the bill's Senate prospects growing more dire, key members of the Congressional Black Caucus are pushing to narrow their strategy.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, IJR and NBC News
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Robert Draper / New York Times:
Liz Cheney vs. MAGA — The Wyoming congresswoman challenged Republicans to turn away from Trump after Jan. 6. Instead, they turned on her. — The regular conference meetings of the Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives, held most weeks behind closed doors in the Capitol Visitor Center …
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, The Federalist and Washington Post
John McCormack / National Review:
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly's Commitment to Keep SCOTUS at Nine Justices, Even if Roe Is Overturned — In the Capitol on Tuesday, I asked Arizona senator Mark Kelly about Massachusetts senator Ed Markey's bill to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court from nine to thirteen.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico and UPI
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The Big Lie has gotten so bad that even some Republicans are running from it — The Big Lie of 2020 is conventionally defined as the claim that the election was stolen from Donald Trump. But it's broader than that. It also encompasses a softer version of this idea: The insultingly disingenuous baloney …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, New York Times and Political Wire
Politico:
Pentagon investigated suspected Russian directed-energy attacks on U.S. troops — The Pentagon has briefed top lawmakers on intelligence surrounding suspected directed-energy attacks against U.S. troops, and officials identified Russia as a likely culprit, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, New York Post, The Daily Caller and HotAir
Jana Winter / Yahoo News:
The Postal Service is running a ‘covert operations program’ that monitors Americans' social media posts — The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans' social media posts, including those about planned protests, according to a document obtained by Yahoo News.
Discussion:
Children's Health Defense, Washington Post, New York Post, RedState, National Review, Breitbart, Human Events, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Portland Mercury, BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit, The RFAngle, Louder With Crowder, We Love Trump, HotAir, Occupy Democrats, Townhall, The Sun, Page Array, Newsbusters, The Federalist, The National Pulse, TheBlaze, Washington Examiner, Joe.My.God. and The Daily Caller
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
RNC chair McDaniel floated possible Michigan governor run — Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told party officials Wednesday that she's considered stepping down from her post to challenge Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022. — McDaniel's remarks came during …
Discussion:
The Hill, RedState, IJR, Joe.My.God. and OutKick
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
Why the World Can't Trust America on Climate — America has finally kicked its climate-denial habit. — I know, you've heard that one before. Twenty-eight years ago today, a Democratic president announced that the U.S. would “take the lead in addressing the challenge of global warming …
Discussion:
CNN, New Statesman and New York Times
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
Jake Paul Promised Them Fame. Was It Worth the Price? — A look behind the scenes at life in the Team 10 house. — In the vast world of YouTube villains, there may be none as famous as Jake Paul. — The 24-year-old Vine star turned vlogger has polarized viewers with videos …
BuzzFeed News:
“Hindsight Is 20/20”: An Internal Report Shows How Facebook Failed To Prevent The “Stop The Steal” Movement — Last month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of a House of Representatives committee that his company had done its part “to secure the integrity of the election.”
Kyle Kondik / Sabato's Crystal Ball:
Checking in on Biden's Approval Rating as Hundred Days' Mark Nears — Steady on average, but individual pollsters vary greatly — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — Joe Biden's approval rating has been steady and positive, though many other presidents had better early numbers.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Jacob Bogage / Washington Post:
Biden's USPS nominees face confirmation hearing as Democrats consider paths to oust DeJoy — Even if all three are confirmed, giving Democrats an edge on the governing board, it remains to be seen whether the majority would be in sync when it comes to the postmaster general
Raya Jalabi / Reuters:
The legal war between the Saudis and their former spymaster — DUBAI (Reuters) - The family of a former top Saudi intelligence official who is living in exile and locked in an international feud with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman say they have become pawns in the kingdom's efforts to bring the spy chief home.
Axios:
World leaders brace for historic Trump Facebook ban decision — The upcoming decision from Facebook's independent Oversight Board on whether to uphold or reverse Facebook's indefinite suspension of former President Trump's profiles has policymakers on edge.
Sam Biddle / The Intercept:
U.S. Marshals Used Drones to Spy on Black Lives Matter Protests in Washington, D.C. … The U.S. Marshals Service flew unmanned drones over Washington, D.C., in response to last summer's Black Lives Matter protests, documents obtained by The Intercept via the Freedom of Information Act show.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.