Top Items:
New York Times:
Firing of U.S. Ambassador Is at Center of Giuliani Investigation — Prosecutors want to scrutinize Rudolph W. Giuliani's communications with Ukrainian officials about the ouster of the ambassador, Marie L. Yovanovitch. — Two years ago, Rudolph W. Giuliani finally got one thing …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Washington Times, The Sun, Insider, KTAB, The Federalist, IJR, TheBlaze, Raw Story, The Hill, The Daily Caller and Talking Points Memo
RELATED:
Washington Post:
FBI warned Giuliani, key Trump ally in Senate of Russian disinformation campaign targeting Biden — The FBI warned Rudolph W. Giuliani in late 2019 that he was the target of a Russian influence operation aimed at circulating falsehoods intended to damage President Biden politically ahead …
Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:
Rudy Accuses Federal Prosecutors Of ‘Spying’ In New Tucker Carlson Meltdown Interview — Rudy Giuliani gave his first interview on Thursday following the FBI searches of his home and office, telling Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the DOJ had “spied on me.”
Discussion:
Politico, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, Insider, Fox News, The Wrap, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller
Simon Shuster / TIME:
Long Before Raiding Rudy Giuliani's Home, Investigators Sought ‘Everything’ From His Associates — By the time federal investigators searched the Manhattan home of Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday, they had amassed a trove of evidence from his associates in Ukraine, focusing most intently …
Discussion:
CNN, Salon, The Sun, Raw Story, New York Post, UPROXX and Vanity Fair
Betsy Woodruff Swan / Politico:
Ukrainian ex-lawmaker says he spoke to FBI about Giuliani
Ukrainian ex-lawmaker says he spoke to FBI about Giuliani
Discussion:
HuffPost, USA Today, Raw Story, TMZ.com, Joe.My.God., Washington Post and Gizmodo
The Daily Beast:
Bombshell Letter: Gaetz Paid for Sex With Minor, Wingman Says — PEN PALS … The Daily Beast has obtained a confession letter that Joel Greenberg wrote after asking Roger Stone to help him obtain a pardon. — A confession letter written by Joel Greenberg in the final months …
Discussion:
Insider, Raw Story, Florida Politics, UPROXX, Mock Paper Scissors, New York Post and Political Wire
RELATED:
Marc Caputo / Politico:
Gaetz, Greene plan national tour to call out RINOs — Matt Gaetz is going on tour. With Marjorie Taylor Greene. — Rocked by a steady stream of leaks about a federal investigation into alleged sex crimes, the Florida congressman is planning to take his case on the road by holding rallies across …
Emily Brooks / Washington Examiner:
Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene launching rally series
Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene launching rally series
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story
Tucker Carlson / Fox News:
The Biden administration will use the force of law to crush political dissent
The Biden administration will use the force of law to crush political dissent
Discussion:
BizPac Review, Insider, Washington Examiner and Human Events
Eve Crawford Peyton / Slate:
I Was 12 When We Met — Blake Bailey was my favorite teacher. Years later, he forced himself on me. Why did I seek his approval for so long? — More than 20 years before I got up the courage to send an open letter to the New York Times accusing my former English teacher Blake Bailey …
RELATED:
Slate:
Blake Bailey's Students Worshipped Him. They Trusted Him. When They Grew Up, He Preyed On Them. — Before he was Philip Roth's biographer, Blake Bailey taught the eighth grade. His students say he made them feel special. They worshipped him. They trusted him. He used it all against them.
Discussion:
Deseret News
Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:
‘A lot of confusion’: Virginia Republicans stumble over their own voter ID requirement … WASHINGTON — As Republicans across the country insist more laws are needed to protect election integrity, Virginia Republicans have found themselves in a bit of a voter ID quagmire.
Discussion:
Virginia Mercury and NBC4 Washington
Daniel L. Schmutter / New York Post:
Court-packing isn't just a bad idea — it's downright unconstitutional — Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) are proposing a bill to “pack” the US Supreme Court by adding four new seats. The obvious aim is to dilute the power of the current conservative majority.
Discussion:
Reason
RELATED:
Nicholas Rowan / Washington Examiner:
Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett join liberals in immigration case
Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett join liberals in immigration case
Discussion:
National Review and Washington Free Beacon
Marie Fazio / New York Times:
The World Knows Her as ‘Disaster Girl.’ She Just Made $500,000 Off the Meme. — Zoë Roth, now a college senior in North Carolina, plans to use the proceeds from this month's NFT auction to pay off student loans and donate to charity. — The name Zoë Roth might not ring any bells.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Verge, Slashdot and Gothamist, more at Techmeme »
Deadline:
Joe Biden's Address To Congress Snares 22.6M Viewers In Near Final Numbers; Way Down From Trump As ABC Tops Broadcast & Cable - Update — UPDATED, 12:56 PM PT: Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress drew 22.6 million viewers across seven major networks.
Discussion:
Townhall, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Western Journal, Forbes, The Hill, Washington Examiner, HotAir and CNN
Jen Fifield / Arizona Republic:
Arizona election auditors are running ballots under UV light. What could they be looking for? — While there hasn't been much transparency from the contractors attempting to audit Maricopa County's general election results, they are shining a light on the ballots. But why?
Discussion:
Human Events and Twitchy
RELATED:
Mike Hixenbaugh / NBC News:
Texas enabled the worst carbon monoxide poisoning catastrophe in recent U.S. history … By Mike Hixenbaugh, Suzy Khimm, Perla Trevizo, ProPublica/The Texas Tribune, Ren Larson, ProPublica/The Texas Tribune and Lexi Churchill, ProPublica/The Texas Tribune
RELATED:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Joe Rogan walks back anti-vaccination comments — Joe Rogan back-pedaled on statements he made on his podcast last week when he suggested young people who are healthy do not need to get the coronavirus vaccine. — Why it matters: Rogan's comments drew swift backlash from critics, including multiple Biden officials.
Discussion:
The Sun, CNN, Insider, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and BizPac Review, more at Mediagazer »
David Martosko / Newsweek:
U.S. Capitol Police to Be Sued for $10 Million for Killing Unarmed Rioter — The family of Ashli Babbitt—the only person shot during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol—plans to sue the U.S. Capitol Police department, and the officer who shot her, for at least $10 million, their attorney said.
Discussion:
New York Post, Fox News, RedState, Insider, The Western Journal, The Daily Caller, Law & Crime, Joe.My.God. and Twitchy
RELATED:
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt's family to seek $10 million from USCP in lawsuit
Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt's family to seek $10 million from USCP in lawsuit
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Politico:
U.S. probing suspected directed-energy attack on government personnel in Miami — U.S. officials are investigating a suspected directed-energy attack on federal government personnel in Miami last year, as well as at least two other incidents involving U.S. officials on American soil, according to people familiar with the investigation.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Florida Voting Rights: Republican Bill Adds New Limits — The bill, which Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign, is the latest Republican effort to restrict voting after the 2020 election. It will make Florida the first major swing state won by Donald Trump to pass such a law.
Discussion:
Insider, Mother Jones and Political Wire
RELATED:
Amy Gardner / Washington Post:
Florida legislature approves measure that curbs mail voting and use of drop boxes
Florida legislature approves measure that curbs mail voting and use of drop boxes
Discussion:
NBC News, Politico, ABC News, CBS Miami and Florida Phoenix
Benjamin Din / Politico:
Pence ties himself to Trump, in first public speech since leaving office — Addressing a conservative Christian group, the former vice president touted accomplishments, bashed the Biden administration and largely skipped over the Jan. 6 insurrection. — Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks …
Discussion:
CBS News, USA Today, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, National Review, Insider, New York Times and Bloomberg
RELATED:
Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:
What Covid-19 Vaccine Skeptics Have in Common — Identifying those psychological traits may help health officials convince the sizable minority of Americans who don't want a coronavirus vaccine. Simply sharing information hasn't worked. — For years, scientists and doctors have treated vaccine skepticism as a knowledge problem.
Deanna Paul / Wall Street Journal:
Manhattan District Attorney Candidates Walk Tightrope on Trump Probe — Contenders won't talk about the office's highest-profile investigation but are pointing to experience with white-collar crime cases — Candidates for Manhattan district attorney have an unusual problem …
Ron Charles / Washington Post:
The Philip Roth biography is canceled, Mike Pence's book could be next — and publishing may never be the same — Judge the book, not the author. — That old saying was always more pretense than rule, but this week, it's in the trash bin. — Tuesday afternoon, W.W. Norton announced …
Discussion:
Reason and Balloon Juice
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Exclusive: Biden's $400,000 tax cap for individual earnings, not joint filers — President Biden's promise not to raise taxes on Americans who make less than $400,000 only applies to individuals — not married couples filing jointly, a White House official clarified to Axios on Wednesday.
Discussion:
DJHJ Media, Washington Times, Bloomberg, HotAir, Insider and Politico
NBC News:
As forgeries spread, CDC tells states to pull vaccination card templates from web — Specific directions showing how to forge Covid-19 vaccination cards have proliferated on conspiracy, pro-Trump and anti-vaccination forums throughout the internet in recent weeks, as users have exploited a largely makeshift verification system.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Wall Street Journal:
Tim Scott's GOP Revival Message — A powerful rebuttal to Joe Biden's big government agenda. — By The Editorial Board — The worst job in Washington is delivering the out-of-power party's rebuttal to a President's address to Congress. Invariably the poor soul looks small in comparison …
Discussion:
Hartford Courant, CBS News, The Hill, Politico, The Daily Caller, Human Events, Salon, CBS Philly, ABC News and WWLP-TV
Alayna Treene / Axios:
Scoop: Hillary Clinton, Condi Rice concerned about Afghan troop withdrawal — Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee they're worried about President Biden's plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, with Rice suggesting the U.S. may need to go back, Axios has learned.
Chrissy Clark / The Daily Wire:
WATCH: Professor Berates Student For Calling Police ‘Heroes’ — A professor at Cypress College in Southern California berated a student during a Zoom class for calling the police “heroes.” — During a communications class, Braden Ellis gave a presentation about “cancel culture” and why it is …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Adam Kredo / Washington Free Beacon:
Zarif Had No Knowledge of Israeli Strikes Until Kerry Told Him, Translation Reveals — Leaked audiotape of Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif indicates he had no knowledge of covert Israeli military strikes before former secretary of state John Kerry provided him with the information …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and JNS.org