memeorandum: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Issues an Executive Order to Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 for Federal Contractors (The White House)

12:25 PM ET, April 27, 2021

Top Items:

Sean Illing / Vox:

“Wokeness is a problem and we all know it” — James Carville on the state of Democratic politics. — I called James Carville hoping to get his thoughts on President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office. — He obliged — then, one question in, brushed aside the exercise to talk instead …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, HotAir, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway and Mediaite

Albert Hunt / The Hill:
Imperative that Democrats figure out what went wrong in 2020

Discussion: Raw Story and HuffPost

FiveThirtyEight:
Which States Won — And Lost — Seats In The 2020 Census?

Discussion: RedState, The Jeffrey Lord, Bloomberg, Democracy Docket and HotAir

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Which states gain and lose in the new census report? Here are 3 takeaways.

Discussion: Tangle, CNN, Politico, New York Times, Outside the Beltway, NPR, The Cook Political Report, HotAir, Patterico's Pontifications, National Review and Washington Examiner

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: Tucker's mask meltdown, and who got tix to Biden's big speech — DRIVING THE DAY — IS TUCKER CARLSON LOSING HIS MIND?: OK, some of you will argue that he lost it long ago. But as careful students of his evening show, we've noticed that Carlson has gradually become more unhinged in recent weeks.

Discussion: Vox, FiveThirtyEight, The Hill, RedState, IJR, Mediaite, NRCC, Bloomberg, The Daily Caller, Reuters, The Guardian, Florida Politics, The Atlantic, thedispatch.com and MyNorthwest.com, more at Mediagazer »

Brad Reed / Raw Story:

Battle over Jan 6th Capitol riot commission erupts at GOP retreat: report — The Republican Party retreat that occurred in Florida over the weekend apparently didn't bring about the party unity that many GOP leaders had hoped for. — Politico reports that Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) …

Discussion: Axios

Melanie Zanona / Politico:

McCarthy-Cheney divide deepens at GOP retreat — ORLANDO — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said it's imperative for Republicans to stay united if they want to take back the majority. But cracks are widening in his own relationship with one of his top deputies over former President Donald Trump.

Discussion: BizPac Review, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner, Breitbart and New York Post

American Greatness:

I Won't Take the Vaccine Because It Makes Liberals Mad — My newly formed and well-developed opinion on vaccines is this: If those bastards want me to get the jab, I'm not going to do it, because it annoys them. — I will never allow myself to be injected with Big Pharma's mass-produced mystery juice …

Discussion: New York Magazine, The Moderate Voice, The Intellectualist, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Nicole Perlroth / New York Times:

Daniel Kaminsky, Internet Security Savior, Dies at 42 — If you are reading this obituary online, you owe your digital safety to him. — Daniel Kaminsky, a security researcher known for his discovery of a fundamental flaw in the fabric of the internet, died on Friday at his home in San Francisco.

NBC News:

After 100 days out of office, Trump's support softens in NBC News poll — WASHINGTON — Out of office, off of Twitter, still complaining about the election results — the last 100 days or so haven't been kind to Donald Trump, our new national NBC News poll finds.

Discussion: The Hill, Political Wire, Insider and Breitbart

Jim Tankersley / New York Times:

Biden Seeks $80 Billion to Beef Up I.R.S. Audits of High-Earners — The president's “American Families Plan,” which he will detail this week, will be offset in part by a tax enforcement effort that administration officials believe will raise $700 billion over a decade.

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, Insider, The Hill, The Guardian, Forbes, New York Post, NPR, CBS News and Townhall

CNN:

Murkowski challenger wrote in support of ‘ex-gay’ organization and posts on evils of ‘addictive’ witchcraft and ‘Twilight’ — (CNN)Kelly Tshibaka, a Republican Senate candidate seeking to challenge Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski in 2022, once wrote in support of an “ex-gay” …

Discussion: Raw Story

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:

Rich Investors Make a Poor Case Against Biden's Tax Plan — With spring blooming, COVID cases falling, and the economy rebounding, many Americans are feeling optimistic about the future. Yet the “Biden boom” is not benefiting all equally. And as life returns to normal for the middle class …

Discussion: The Hill, The Big Picture, Bloomberg, Althouse and Foreign Policy

Ben Steverman / Bloomberg:
America's Ultra-Rich Fear Biden Will Close Their Favorite Tax Loopholes

Discussion: New York Post

New York Times:

John Kerry denies ever having discussed Israeli strikes in Syria with Iran's foreign minister. — John Kerry, a former secretary of state, said on Monday that he had never discussed covert Israeli airstrikes in Syria with Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, contrary to Mr. Zarif's claim in a leaked conversation.

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Post, Washington Times, RedState, The National Pulse, IJR, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Liberty Unyielding, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, pjmedia.com and Sean Hannity

Josh Hammer / New York Post:
John Kerry is skirting the line of treason with Iran

Discussion: HotAir, New York Sun, Breitbart, National Review, Media Matters for America, RedState and New York Times

Politico:
GOP tears into Kerry amid Iran controversy

Discussion: pjmedia.com, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Responsible Statecraft, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times, National Review, Boston Herald, BizPac Review, The Bulwark, The Times of Israel, Bloomberg, Power Line, The Hill, Newsbusters, Washington Free Beacon, Fox News and Washington Times

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Tucker Carlson Tells Fox Viewers to Call the Cops if They See Kids Wearing Masks Outdoors — The Fox News star implored his loyal viewers to openly harass and mock anyone they see wearing a face mask outdoors because “it's repulsive.” — Raging against face masks on Monday night …

Discussion: Forbes, Mock Paper Scissors, No More Mister Nice Blog, Insider and CNBC

Tucker Carlson / Fox News:
We should start asking people to stop wearing masks outside, it makes us uncomfortable

Discussion: Mediaite, Breitbart, Townhall, BizPac Review and The Guardian

Kelly Weill / The Daily Beast:

Last-Ditch Plot to Undermine Biden's Election Goes Full QAnon — A so-called audit of the 2020 election in Arizona was always going to be crazy. This is something else. — An ongoing “audit” of the 2020 presidential election in Maricopa County, Arizona, is taking its cues straight …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Raw Story and Insider

Marc Caputo / Politico:
‘Never heard of them’: Arizona GOP audit firm unknown even in home state

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Arizona Republic, HuffPost and Insider

Travis Waldron / HuffPost:

A Radical Right-Wing Dream To Rewrite The Constitution Is Close To Coming True — It could lead to a dramatic overhaul of the nation's foundational text...or an all-out constitutional crisis. — Six weeks before Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, more than 100 state lawmakers gathered …

Human Rights Watch:

Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution — Crimes Against Humanity Should Trigger Action to End Repression of Palestinian — (Jerusalem) - Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Reuters, UPI, Foreign Policy and Just Security

Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:

No, officials are not handing out Harris's picture book to migrant kids — “After learning officials are handing out Kamala Harris' book to migrants in facilities at the border, it's worth asking... Was Harris paid for these books? Is she profiting from Biden's border crisis?”

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Wrap, Mediaite, Forbes, Raw Story, HotAir, Newsweek, Joe.My.God., The Daily Caller, New York Post, The American Independent, TheBlaze and Breitbart

Kate Smith / CBS News:

CDC says vaccine guidance for pregnant people has not changed despite director's comments — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention walked back a statement its director made on Friday about the agency's recommendation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy …

Discussion: The Federalist and Twitchy

Zolan Kanno-Youngs / New York Times:

D.H.S. will review how it identifies and addresses extremism and white supremacy in its ranks. — The Biden administration launched an inquiry on Monday into how the Department of Homeland Security identifies and addresses white supremacy and extremism in its ranks, part of a larger effort …

Discussion: CNN, Raw Story, Associated Press, Joe.My.God. and National Review

Sahil Kapur / NBC News:

How Barack Obama's eight years shaped Joe Biden's first 100 days — WASHINGTON — The early days of Joe Biden's presidency reveal a man who remembers the Obama presidency — and doesn't necessarily want to repeat it. — Both presidents inherited a crisis-ravaged economy …

Discussion: CNN, Roll Call and National Journal

Henry Olsen / Washington Post:
As Biden reaches his 100-day mark, his approval ratings suggest he's no FDR

Discussion: Politico

David Corn / Mother Jones:

In Sworn Testimony in Inauguration Scandal Case, Donald Trump Jr. Made Apparently False Statements — On February 11, Donald Trump Jr. sat in front of his computer for a video deposition. He swore to tell the truth. But documents and a video obtained by Mother Jones—and recent legal filings …

Discussion: The Intellectualist and Raw Story

Epicurious:

The Planet on the Plate: Why Epicurious Left Beef Behind — In an effort to encourage more sustainable cooking, we won't be publishing new beef recipes on Epicurious. — For any person—or publication—wanting to envision a more sustainable way to cook, cutting out beef is a worthwhile first step.

Discussion: Mediaite, Louder With Crowder, Insider, RedState, Fox News, New York Post, Twitchy, Power Line and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »

Andrew Kerr / The Daily Caller:

BLM Co-Founder's Jail Reform Group Dropped $26,000 At Luxury Malibu Beach Resort — A Los Angeles-based jail reform group led by BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors dropped nearly $26,000 for “meetings” at a luxury Malibu beach resort in 2019, campaign finance records show.

Discussion: RedState, New York Post and Twitchy

Sun Yu / Financial Times:

China set to report first population decline since 1949 — Officials are preparing response to census data that should have been released weeks ago — China is set to report its first population decline since records began in 1949 despite the relaxation of the government's strict family planning policies …

Discussion: National Review

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Manchin pumps brakes on Biden infrastructure plans — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is emerging as the chief obstacle to quick passage of President Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure package that Democrats want to move through Congress sooner rather than later.

Discussion: New York Times, HotAir and Los Angeles Times

John Wagner / Washington Post:

Biden to speak to nation on coronavirus response as CDC weighs updated mask guidance — President Biden plans speak to the nation Tuesday about his administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic on a day when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to unveil …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and ABC News

Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
The refugee cap the Biden administration touted — then ditched — is back on the table

Discussion: HotAir, CNN and The Federalist

U.S. Department of Justice:

Colorado Man Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of Children in Guatemala — A Colorado man was sentenced today to 60 years in prison for production, transportation, and possession of child pornography. — Alvaro Castillo, 64, of Englewood, was convicted by a federal jury of three counts …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and The Daily Caller

Joseph Massey / The American Mind:

A Letter to the Cancelled — Some things can't be taken away. — On the day my ostracism began, the #MeToo movement was at a fever pitch. The poetry world—a stagnant substratum of the larger literary community—didn't have its own scandal yet, and the pressure was building.

Daniel Dale / CNN:

Fox News host admits his show was wrong about Biden limiting red meat consumption — Washington (CNN)A Fox News anchor admitted on air on Monday that his show was inaccurate when it claimed on Friday that President Joe Biden is trying to require Americans to sharply reduce their consumption of red meat.

Discussion: Washington Post, thedispatch.com, Mediaite, Forbes, Raw Story, Vanity Fair, The Message Box, New York Times, HuffPost, The Wrap and The Daily Beast, more at Mediagazer »

Jim Waterson / The Guardian:

Rupert Murdoch scales back plan for News UK TV channel — News UK chief Rebekah Brooks says focus will be to reach audiences via shows on streaming platforms — Rupert Murdoch has drastically scaled backed plans for a new opinionated television service in the UK, after concluding …

Discussion: The Hill

Joel Clement / The Hill:

Biden deletes Trump's climate negligence with a single event — While there is no question that America, and the world, lost valuable time for climate action during the negligent Trump years, many climate experts were also concerned that the damage to America's diplomatic reputation …

Discussion: Foreign Policy, The American Spectator and Children's Health Defense

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:

A private school in Miami, citing false claims, bars vaccinated teachers from contact with students. — A private school in the fashionable Design District of Miami sent its faculty and staff a letter last week about getting vaccinated against Covid-19. But unlike institutions that have encouraged …

Discussion: Washington Post, Snopes.com, Crooks and Liars, CBS Miami, Joe.My.God., Lawyers, Guns & Money, Insider, The Daily Beast, Raw Story and The Hill

The White House:

FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Issues an Executive Order to Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 for Federal Contractors … Today, President Biden is issuing an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage to hundreds of thousands of workers who are working on federal contracts.