Top Items:
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
RELATED:
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, New York Post, Children's Health Defense, HotAir, New York Times 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 …
Axios:
Russia announces end to massive troop buildup near Ukraine — Russia's defense minister said Thursday that massive military exercises near the border with Ukraine had been completed, and that he had ordered troops to return to their permanent bases by May 1, according to state media.
Discussion:
Insider, NBC News, ТАСС, The Daily Beast, ABC17NEWS, BBC, UPI, CBS News, Associated Press and The National Interest
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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
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 …
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, The Philadelphia Inquirer, National Review, HotAir, The Sun and Townhall
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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:
Axios, NPR, POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire
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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, The Daily Beast and spectator.us
RELATED:
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:
The Guardian, WISH-TV, CNN, Talking Points Memo, ABC17NEWS and The Hill
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:
Insider, Human Events, Forbes and Americans for Tax Reform
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
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:
Washington Post, Raw Story, The Federalist and The Hill
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:
Washington Post, Children's Health Defense, New York Post, RedState, Portland Mercury, National Review, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, Breitbart, Raw Story, We Love Trump, Human Events, Louder With Crowder, BizPac Review, The RFAngle, HotAir, Townhall, The Sun, Occupy Democrats, Page Array, Newsbusters, The Federalist, The National Pulse, TheBlaze, Washington Examiner, Joe.My.God. and The Daily Caller
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
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, Joe.My.God. and OutKick
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
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:
Talking Points Memo, IJR and NBC News
Nicholas Rowan / Washington Examiner:
Activists dump ‘bulls—’ at White House ahead of Biden climate summit — Climate activists on Thursday morning dumped wheelbarrows full of manure at the White House, ahead of President Joe Biden's climate summit with more than 40 world leaders. — The activists, affiliated …
Discussion:
Louder With Crowder
RELATED:
Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:
Left-wing group dumps cow poop at White House entrance, demands Biden take climate action
Left-wing group dumps cow poop at White House entrance, demands Biden take climate action
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and IJR
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
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.
Tim Marchman / Popping Tins:
Welcome to Popping Tins — This is a newsletter about tinned seafood; in its inaugural issue, Bela-Olhão Lightly Smoked Sardines in Olive Oil are reviewed. — 5 hr ago — Long written off in the United States as a food of grim necessity when not actively reviled …
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:
Washington Times
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.
New York Times:
Sexual Assault Allegations Against Biographer Halt Shipping of His Roth Book — W.W. Norton, citing the accusations that the author, Blake Bailey, faces, said it would stop shipping and promoting his new best-selling book. — Earlier this month, the biographer Blake Bailey was approaching …
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.
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
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
GOP Stands Up to ‘Cancel Culture’ by Criminalizing Dissent — In January, Ron DeSantis argued that combating the repression of political speech was “the most important legislative issue” of 2021. — During an appearance at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Florida governor delivered …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Week, Daily Kos and Law & Crime
Jason Rantz / MyNorthwest.com:
WA Dept of Health lets providers deny vaccines to white people for equity — The Washington State Department of Health lets providers deny vaccines to white people in a race-exclusionary system they claim creates equity and removes barriers. It does neither.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and NOQ Report
Heather Mac Donald / City Journal:
A Troubled Rule of Law — The pervasive sense that cities would burn if Derek Chauvin were not convicted raises questions about whether the jury's verdict was reached dispassionately. — Public safety — Politics and law — The Social Order — America's cities did not burn last night.
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Real Clear Politics, Crime Prevention …, The Federalist and Fox News
Lara Jakes / New York Times:
Biden Preparing to Declare That Atrocities Against Armenia Were Genocide — The designation for the World War I-era killings would further fray U.S. relations with Turkey, but it is a risk the president appears willing to take to further human rights, officials said.