memeorandum: Is There a War Coming Between China and the U.S.? (Thomas L. Friedman/New York Times)

11:10 AM ET, April 28, 2021

Top Items:

White House proposes $1.8 trillion package that would dramatically expand education, safety net programs — Universal preschool and free community college are among a plethora of initiatives that would be paid for by tax increases and IRS changes. — The White House on Wednesday unveiled …

Discussion: New Republic, KFOR-TV, Mediaite, Popular Information, IJR, Roll Call, Electoral-vote.com and Crooks and Liars

The White House:

Fact Sheet: The American Families Plan … Today, President Biden announced the American Families Plan, an investment in our kids, our families, and our economic future. — In March, the President signed into law the American Rescue Plan, which continues to provide immediate relief to American families and communities.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Hackwhackers, Daily Kos, Townhall, The Hill and Axios

CNN:
Here's what's in Biden's $1.8 trillion American Families Plan

Discussion: Bloomberg, Vox, UPI, Outside the Beltway and USA Today

Adia Robinson / ABC News:
'It's a huge moment, a huge night': White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Biden's joint address

Discussion: Politico, The Crime Report and Crooks and Liars

John Wagner / Washington Post:
Biden to deliver first address to a joint session of Congress

Discussion: Bloomberg, Real Clear Politics, Wall Street Journal, Politico, NBC News, Fox News, New York Times, Associated Press, CBS News, Talking Points Memo, NPR, IJR and USA Today

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Biden to unveil $1.8 trillion plan for children and families — here's what's in it

Discussion: Washington Post, Reason, Bloomberg, HotAir, National Review, IJR and Forbes

Axios:

Scoop: Biden's secret talks with GOP — Top White House officials have quietly been meeting — on the Hill and over the phone — with Republican senators who drafted a counterproposal to President Biden's infrastructure plan, multiple sources tell Axios. — What we're hearing …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Daily Caller

Politico:

Inside Biden's bubble: How an insular White House has kept drama and leaks at a minimum — When President Joe Biden sat in one of his first Oval Office briefings to discuss the earliest acts of his presidency — impending executive actions — he brought only five people into the room.

Discussion: The Federalist and FOX News Radio

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:
Joe Biden Will Call For Drug Price Legislation In His Address To Congress

Discussion: Washington Post, CBS News, NPR, The Hill, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and Balloon Juice

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

A New York Post story about Kamala Harris triggered conservative outrage. Almost all of it was wrong. Now the reporter has resigned. — A longtime New York Post reporter said she has resigned after being “ordered” to write a false story that claimed undocumented minors were being welcomed …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, ArkansasTimes, Raw Story, Mediaite, BizPac Review, CNN, TheBlaze, Vanity Fair, Insider, MSNBC and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »

Daniel Dale / CNN:
New York Post temporarily deletes, then edits false story that claimed Harris' book was given out in migrant ‘welcome kits’

Discussion: IJR, Raw Story, Orange County Register, Snopes.com, HuffPost, RealClearPolitics, POLITICUSUSA, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Post, Insider, Daily Kos, Media Matters for America and Joe.My.God.

Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
NY Post Reporter Quits: I Was ‘Ordered’ to Write False Story About Kamala Harris

Discussion: HuffPost, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and HotAir

Tim Elfrink / Washington Post:

D.C. officer who suffered heart attack on Jan. 6 calls out Trump for downplaying ‘brutal, savage’ riot — On Jan. 6, D.C. police officer Michael Fanone was swarmed by a pro-Trump mob and dragged down the Capitol steps, suffering a mild heart attack and a concussion as he was shocked with a stun gun and beaten.

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, Joe.My.God., Mediaite and Michael-In-Norfolk

CNN:

DC police officer: 'It's been very difficult' seeing elected officials trying to whitewash brutal insurrection — Washington (CNN)A DC Metropolitan Police officer who was brutally assaulted while defending the US Capitol during the January 6 insurrection said Tuesday evening that it's …

Discussion: Raw Story, Insider and Mediaite

Gabby Orr / CNN:

‘Not an easy transition’: Inside Trump's unconventional first months out of office — Palm Beach, Florida (CNN)Most Mondays and Tuesdays, former President Donald Trump skips golf to confer with aides about the week ahead. — Together they decide which Republican candidates he will meet …

Discussion: Insider and The Hill

Mike Spies / New Yorker:

The Secret Footage of N.R.A. Chief Wayne LaPierre's Botched Elephant Hunt — The chief executive has cultivated his image as an exemplar of American gun culture, but video of his clumsy marksmanship—and details regarding his Rodeo Drive shopping trips—tells another story.

Discussion: New York Post, TMZ.com, Crooks and Liars, USA Today, The Intellectualist, New York Times, Washington Post, HuffPost, The Hill, Insider, The Wrap, Raw Story, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Mother Jones and Balloon Juice

CNN:

CNN Poll: Majority of Americans approve of Biden and his priorities in first 100 days — (CNN)On the cusp of the 100-day mark of Joe Biden's presidency, a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS finds 53% of Americans approve of the way he is handling the job and say he has had the right priorities …

Discussion: The Hill and POLITICUSUSA

Ben Leonard / Politico:
Joe Biden gets his 100-day report card

Discussion: Townhall, Fox News, Washington Examiner, The Hill, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, National Review, Liberty Unyielding, CNN, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Post, The Bulwark and Blue Virginia

Peter Suciu / Forbes:

New Debate Over Masks Trending On Social Media Following Rant By Tucker Carlson — On Monday morning the issue of masks to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus was making the rounds on social media - but it was far from a debate. As with so many issues that have divided the country …

Discussion: Salon

Michael Luciano / Mediaite:
‘Evil’ and ‘Psychotic’: Chris Hayes Hammers Tucker Carlson for Telling Audience to Call Cops on Kids Wearing Masks Outdoors

Discussion: The Hill, POLITICUSUSA and Vanity Fair

Tom Scocca / Slate:
Thanks, but I'm Going to Keep My Mask on Outdoors

Discussion: CNSNews, Columbia Journalism Review, CNBC, RedState and HotAir

Daniel Victor / New York Times:

Ten Years Ago, Ed Balls Tweeted ‘Ed Balls.’ How Is It Still Funny? — A decade is an eternity in internet years. But people still haven't forgotten the British politician's errant tweet, and he's still playing along. — LONDON — Ten years ago on Wednesday, a politician who was a significant figure …

Will Wright / New York Times:

California Man Dies After Officers Pin Him to Ground for 5 Minutes — The death of Mario Arenales Gonzalez came one day before a former Minneapolis officer was convicted of murdering George Floyd. Body camera footage was released on Tuesday. — Body camera footage was released on Tuesday …

Discussion: CBS News, The Hill, HuffPost, Al Jazeera, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, The Uprising, Insider, Fox News and NPR

Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:

Fauci: Joe Rogan's COVID-19 comments ‘incorrect’ — Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease doctor, early Wednesday shot down recent comments from Joe Rogan after the popular podcaster suggested young, health Americans do not need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Discussion: Politico, The Wrap, Media Matters for America, The Daily Caller and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »

Marianna Sotomayor / Washington Post:

Biden will pledge to tackle immigration overhaul in address to Congress, while signaling openness to more targeted deal — President Biden will recommit himself to overhauling the immigration system Wednesday during his first address to Congress, while signaling openness to Congress passing smaller parts …

Discussion: The Hill, Associated Press, CBS News, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, CNN, USA Today, Raw Story, Real America's Voice News and Morning Consult

Paul Steinhauser / Fox News:
Republican Ted Budd jumps into NC Senate race, taking aim at ‘the radical left’

Discussion: CNN, Politico, Roll Call, The Hill and New York Times

Laurie McGinley / Washington Post:

Biden administration expected to announce plan to ban menthol cigarettes — A prohibition on menthol cigarettes is a priority for Black health advocates and anti-tobacco groups, which note that African Americans have been disproportionately harmed by the product

Center for American Progress Action FundCenter …:

For 100 Days, Congressional Republicans Have Undermined the Country and Demonstrated Their Unfitness To Govern — While President Joe Biden has received high marks for delivering on the priorities of the American people over his first 100 days in office, Republicans in Congress have spent …

Discussion: Raw Story, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, NBC4 Washington and Electoral-vote.com

Molly Jong-Fast / The Daily Beast:

Matt Gaetz May Be the Only Man Who's Too Gross for Newsmax — HIM TOO … Finally, there's a network for men who wore out their welcome at famously woke Fox News. — Just before his incredibly torrid sex trafficking scandal broke, Matt Gaetz told Axios that he was thinking of “taking early retirement” and joining Newsmax.

Discussion: Raw Story

Jeff Zeleny / CNN:

How the Biden presidency looks from one pivotal Pennsylvania county, 100 days in — Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (CNN)Carol Erker vividly remembers the emotion that washed over her after Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Even as she worried about the pandemic and the Oval Office that Biden was inheriting …

Discussion: The Sun, HotAir and HuffPost

Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg:

Are Democrats Too Woke for Voters? — Possibly. But the reality is that slogans and rhetoric make very little difference in elections. — Tuesday's big flap was an interview at Vox with James Carville, who accused Democrats of being too “woke” and using “faculty lounge” language instead of rhetoric voters like.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Bulwark and The Jeffrey Lord

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

Is There a War Coming Between China and the U.S.? — 阅读.体中文.閱讀.體中文. — If you're looking for a compelling beach read this summer, I recommend the novel “2034,” by James Stavridis, a retired admiral, and Elliot Ackerman, a former Marine and intelligence officer.

Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press:

Navy SEALs to shift from counterterrorism to global threats — WASHINGTON (AP) — Ten years after they found and killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. Navy SEALs are undergoing a major transition to improve leadership and expand their commando capabilities to better battle threats from global powers like China and Russia.

Joe Concha / The Hill:

Get woke, go broke: Pious, political Oscars crashes, loses tens of millions of viewers — The year was 1998. The venue: the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles for the 70th annual Academy Awards. — The movie everyone was buzzing about on the red carpet was “Titanic,” …

Discussion: The Sun, Althouse, Washington Examiner, New York Post and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

‘This Is a Catastrophe.’ In India, Illness Is Everywhere. — As India suffers the world's worst coronavirus crisis, our New Delhi bureau chief describes the fear of living amid a disease spreading at such scale and speed. — NEW DELHI — Crematories are so full of bodies, it's as if a war just happened.

Discussion: HotAir, Twitchy and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Sen. Ted Cruz / Fox News:

Biden's State of the Union update - here's the truth you won't hear from the president — Let me sum up Biden's speech in three words: boring, but radical — Ted Cruz: The Democrats' agenda is ‘power forever’ — President Biden will address a joint session of Congress Thursday night …

Discussion: IJR

Brandon Mulder / PolitiFact:

Ted Cruz's dubious claim that GOP didn't “rig” SCOTUS confirmations — • Cruz's comment ignores that Republicans gave diametrically opposite treatment to President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland and President Donald Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett.

Discussion: Townhall, RedState, Raw Story and TheBlaze

Washington Post:

West Virginia is offering an incentive to get vaccinated: Money — How its GOP governor came up with a plan to give a $100 savings bond to every young person who gets the shot — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) told his staff last week he wanted every idea they had.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and NPR