memeorandum: Covid: Putin says Sputnik vaccines ‘reliable as Kalashnikovs’ (BBC)

8:20 AM ET, May 7, 2021

Top Items:

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:

Forced to Choose Between Trump's “Big Lie” and Liz Cheney, the House G.O.P. Chooses the Lie — “Liz is a living reproach to all these cowards,” a friend of Cheney's said, but the cowards have the votes. — On January 11, 2017, Donald Trump held his first Presidential press conference following …

Discussion: American Greatness, USA Today, Associated Press, Florida Politics, The Daily Caller, Informed Comment, Raw Story, The Week, LifeZette, Zenger News, The Hill, Iowa Capital Dispatch and Daily Kos

Tina Nguyen / Politico:

MAGAworld pans Stefanik — Donald Trump has called Elise Stefanik “a new Republican star,” a “smart communicator” and — perhaps his highest praise — “tough.” — But the MAGA faithful aren't so sure. — Within minutes of Trump's endorsement of the New York congresswoman for GOP conference chair …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CNN, New York Times, The Week, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, HotAir, Slate, Forbes and USA Today

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: Scarred DeSantis staffers form a support group — DRIVING THE DAY — There may be turbulence ahead for Rep. ELISE STEFANIK as she wrestles the GOP leadership post from Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) next week. DONALD TRUMP is sold on the New York Republican after her unbending show …

Discussion: CNN, Slate and Florida Politics

David Siders / Politico:

How Trump is hunting down the GOP's leading families — In his attempt to exercise full dominion over the Republican Party, Donald Trump has reserved a special fury for the dynasties that helped shape it. — In the civil war between Donald Trump and the GOP's waning establishment …

Discussion: Fox News, ABC News, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, Michael-In-Norfolk, The Dispatch and RealClearPolitics

Matt Viser / Washington Post:
Biden once asserted Republicans would have an ‘epiphany.’ Now he admits he doesn't understand them.

Discussion: McClatchy Washington Bureau, Digby's Hullabaloo, CNN, Associated Press, Mediaite, Breitbart and NBC News

Politico:
She built her career boosting GOP women. Now Elise Stefanik is elevating herself

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, Mediaite and Los Angeles Times

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

BREAKING: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won't run for reelection — By J.D. Capelouto - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wilborn P. Nobles III - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Greg Bluestein - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — In a stunning announcement Thursday night …

Discussion: WSB-TV, Raw Story, USA Today, TheGrio, NPR, The Hill, Fox News and BizPac Review

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The Jolt: Why Keisha Bottoms isn't running for election - and who might jump in now — Politics is a fickle beast. In the span of two years, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has gone from one of President Joe Biden's most prominent surrogates — important enough to get vetted as a potential VP pick …

Discussion: UPI, New York Post and The Hill

Sarah Rumpf / Mediaite:

Tucker Carlson Doubles Down on Batsh** Vaccine Fearmongering, Blames Biden For His Inability to Understand Facts — Fox News' Tucker Carlson gets great ratings, frequently beating the competition in his timeslot. You'd think that he would have a vested interest in keeping his audience members alive …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Daily Beast

Oliver Darcy / CNN:
Sean Hannity used to rule Fox. But in the post-Trump era, Tucker Carlson is king

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Molly Jong-Fast / The Daily Beast: Tucker Carlson May Be America's Biggest Public Health Problem

Axios:

Institutionalizing Trumpism — Republican officials are rendering an unequivocal verdict: They want to cement former President Trump's politics and policies into the foundation of the GOP for many years to come. — Why it matters: The debate over Trump's post-election hold on the GOP is over …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Salon, The Week and Real Clear Politics

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Liz Cheney Confronts a House of Cowards

Discussion: Raw Story and Real Clear Politics

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
When Trump's Next Coup Happens, the Republican Party Will Fully Support It

Discussion: The American Spectator, The Atlantic, Washington Post, The Bulwark, The Week, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Townhall, Los Angeles Times and Lawyers, Guns & Money

The Daily Beast:

Melinda Gates Warned Bill About Jeffrey Epstein — After a secret meeting between the couple and the wealthy sex offender, Melinda was furious and told friends she wanted nothing to do with Epstein, The Daily Beast has learned. … Melinda Gates met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein alongside …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Daily Caller and The Atlantic

Adam Edelman / NBC News:

Twitter suspends account that was posting Trump statements — Twitter suspended an account on Thursday that appeared to be circumventing their ban on former President Donald Trump by posting messages he shared on his own website. — The move was more evidence that the social media behemoth …

Discussion: BBC, spiked, The Daily Caller, Politico, Talking Points Memo, 77 WABC, Reuters, Townhall, Washington Examiner, TheBlaze, IJR, Fox News, Insider, UPI, The Week, One America News Network, Breitbart and The Western Journal

Joe Concha / The Hill: Social media's ban on Trump: Our ‘silence of the lambs’ moment

Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:
Facebook told to investigate its role in insurrection

Discussion: mailchi.mp

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

F.E.C. Drops Case Reviewing Trump Hush-Money Payments to Women — The case had examined whether Donald Trump violated election law with a $130,000 payment shortly before the 2016 election to a pornographic-film actress by his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Discussion: The Week, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Law & Crime and Washington Examiner

Jordan Williams / The Hill:
FEC drops investigation into Trump hush money payments

Discussion: KIFI-TV and Washington Times

Carla Marinucci / Politico:

Jenner has hangar pains after Hannity interview — OAKLAND — Move over French Laundry, there's a new social media obsession: Hangar Guy. — GOP recall candidate Caitlyn Jenner may have played right into Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's hands when she lamented on Fox News …

Discussion: National Review, Twitchy, Occupy Democrats, Raw Story and CBS News

Becky Sullivan / NPR:

New Study Estimates More Than 900,000 People Have Died Of COVID-19 In U.S. — A new study estimates that the number of people who have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. is more than 900,000, a number 57% higher than official figures. — Worldwide, the study's authors say …

Discussion: Institute for Health Metrics …, The Week, TheBlaze and Washington Examiner

Helen Branswell / STAT:
New analysis finds global Covid death toll is double official estimates

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Common Dreams, Forbes and Mock Paper Scissors

Trip Gabriel / New York Times:

Virginia G.O.P.'s Choices for Governor: ‘Trumpy, Trumpier, Trumpiest’ — As the party prepares to pick its nominee this weekend, the race embodies the collapse of Republican power in a state that has tilted more sharply to Democrats than perhaps any other. — MIDLOTHIAN, Va. — One candidate brands himself a “conservative outlaw.”

ABC News:
‘Trumpy, Trumpier and Trumpiest’: Virginia GOP to vote on nominee for governor in post-Trump era

Discussion: Washington Times, The Dispatch and Insider

Insider:

Scientists have taught bees to smell the coronavirus. They can identify a case within seconds. — Dutch scientists have trained bees to smell COVID-19. — Every time the bees were exposed to an infected sample, they stuck out their tongues. — The animals could be a low-tech solution for identifying COVID-19 cases.

Jane C. Timm / NBC News:

Texas Democrats waging all-night fight against restrictive election bill — Texas Democrats are waging an all-night fight against a restrictive election bill, vowing to file more than 100 amendments in an effort to derail or limit the impact of legislation that would create criminal penalties …

Discussion: CBS News, Fox News, FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth and Dallas Morning News

New York Times:
Florida and Texas Join the March as Republicans Press Voting Limits

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Associated Press, HuffPost, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth and Washington Times

Jane Mayer / New Yorker:

The Secret Papers of Lee Atwater, Who Invented the Scurrilous Tactics That Trump Normalized — An infamous Republican political operative's unpublished memoir shows how the Party came to embrace lies, racial fearmongering, and winning at any cost. — It's a Washington axiom …

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

BuzzFeed News:

Facebook Is Worried Starbucks May Delete Its Page Over Hateful Comments — Facebook is scrambling to prevent Starbucks from leaving its platform after the world's largest coffee company said it was dismayed by hateful comments left on its posts about racial and social justice issues.

Brandon Gillespie / Fox News:

Jen Psaki admits Biden taking impromptu reporter questions is ‘not something we recommend’ — Biden's press secretary also claimed that she often says to the president, 'Don't take questions.' — White House press secretary Jen Psaki admitted in a CNN podcast published Thursday …

Discussion: CNN, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, Townhall and TheBlaze

CNN:
The Axe Files with David Axelrod

Discussion: The Western Journal, RedState, Breitbart, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and Washington Examiner

David Voreacos / Bloomberg:

‘We Build The Wall’ Co-Founder Kolfage Indicted in Tax Case — Kolfage charged in Florida after facing New York indictment — Trump pardoned Bannon in ‘We Build the Wall’ fraud case — Brian Kolfage, whose work with Stephen Bannon to raise money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall resulted …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, CNN, Raw Story and Insider

Louis Keene / The Forward:

‘They Own The Media’: New Van Morrison song amplifies antisemitic trope — Legendary singer-songwriter Van Morrison released a new song on streaming platforms Thursday whose title espouses a classic antisemitic trope. — The lyrics of the song, “They Own The Media,” never indicate who the pronoun in its title refers to.

David Scheer / Bloomberg:

Dimon on Raising Taxes: 'Just Throwing Money, It Doesn't Work' — JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon urged lawmakers to spell out — very specifically — targets for building roads, funding college degrees and creating jobs if they embark on a massive spending spree to bolster the economy.

Discussion: Investment Company Institute, Insider, KIFI-TV and Balloon Juice

New York Times:

Long March 5B, a Chinese Rocket, Expected to Tumble Back to Earth — The chances of it hitting a populated area are small, but not zero. That has raised questions about how the country's space program designs its missions. — No, you are almost certainly not going to be hit by a 10-story …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, NPR, Breitbart, The Verge, Insider and The Guardian

Olivia Messer / Study Hall:

The COVID Reporters Are Not Okay. Extremely Not Okay. — An underprepared industry is losing a generation of journalists to despair, trauma and moral injury as they cover the story of a lifetime. — When I told my editors at The Daily Beast that I needed to quit my job …

more at Mediagazer »

BBC:

Covid: Putin says Sputnik vaccines ‘reliable as Kalashnikovs’ — President Vladimir Putin has heralded Russia's vaccine offering as “reliable as a Kalashnikov assault rifle”. — The comment was made during a video conference on Thursday with Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova.

Discussion: Associated Press

David Brooks / New York Times:

Our Pathetic Herd Immunity Failure — Could today's version of America have been able to win World War II? It hardly seems possible. — That victory required national cohesion, voluntary sacrifice for the common good and trust in institutions and each other.

Discussion: Washington Post

Taylor Dolven / Miami Herald:

DeSantis ban on vaccine proof may send one company's cruise ships out of Florida — If Florida won't allow Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for passengers and crew, the company's CEO says it will take its ships elsewhere.

Discussion: Forbes, WZVN-TV and CBS Miami