Top Items:
New York Times:
Hundreds of Epidemiologists Expected Mask-Wearing in Public for at Least a Year — The C.D.C. said Thursday that vaccinated Americans no longer needed masks in most places. Other disease experts recently had a different message: that masks were necessary in public.
Discussion:
Althouse and Japan Times
RELATED:
Russell Berman / The Atlantic:
Is This the End? — The announcement seemed to catch everyone off guard: Early Thursday afternoon, the government told Americans that if they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, they did not need to wear a mask—indoors or outside, in groups small or large.
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, USA Today, HotAir, Fox News and Boston Herald
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
A C.D.C. About-Face — The C.D.C. responds to scientific evidence and says vaccinated people rarely need masks. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is finally catching up to the science. — For months, research about Covid-19 has pointed to two encouraging patterns.
Discussion:
HotAir, NPR and The Daily Beast
Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: It's not a civil war; it's a purge — DRIVING THE DAY — Thursday was historic: America broke the back of the pandemic. New cases are at an eight-month low. Deaths are at a 10-month low. Best of all, if you're vaccinated, you can take off your damn mask.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and The Hill
New York Times:
C.D.C.'s New Mask Guidelines: Here's What to Know — The C.D.C. now says it is safe for fully vaccinated people to take their masks off in most indoor settings. States, cities and businesses were sorting through what to do with the guidance. — More than a year after federal health …
Discussion:
Washington Post and National Review
CNN:
America's unmasking brings liberation but also trepidation as huge questions loom — (CNN)Americans stripped off their masks Thursday as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the sudden announcement that vaccinated people no longer need to wear them indoors or outdoors.
Discussion:
The US Sun, The Daily Caller, KIFI-TV and Bloomberg
New York Times:
Vaccinated Americans now may go without masks in most places, the C.D.C. said.
Vaccinated Americans now may go without masks in most places, the C.D.C. said.
Discussion:
HotAir, Forbes, Poynter, The Nevada Independent, HuffPost, CNN, Townhall, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, The CT Mirror, NPR, Snopes.com, Washingtonian, Mother Jones, TheBlaze, ABC News, Associated Press, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week and Althouse
New York Times:
Activists and Ex-Spy Said to Have Plotted to Discredit Trump ‘Enemies’ in Government — The campaign included planned operations against President Trump's national security adviser at the time, H.R. McMaster, and F.B.I. employees, according to documents and interviews.
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Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Spies Somehow Failed to Get Trump Officials to Call Him Stupid on Hidden Camera
Spies Somehow Failed to Get Trump Officials to Call Him Stupid on Hidden Camera
Discussion:
Raw Story
Washington Examiner:
Biden needs to tell Democrats that Hamas is the bad guy — “Israel has a right to defend itself,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, as America's staunchest Middle East ally faced criticism for its retaliations against rocket attacks by Hamas.
Discussion:
The Nation and Common Sense with Bari Weiss
RELATED:
Mother Jones:
Leaked Video: Dark Money Group Brags About Writing GOP Voter Suppression Bills Across the Country — In a private meeting last month with big-money donors, the head of a top conservative group boasted that her outfit had crafted the new voter suppression law in Georgia and was doing the same …
CNN:
Congressional Democrats have a 100% vaccination rate — Washington (CNN)Although the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors except under special circumstances …
Associated Press:
Inside one network cashing in on vaccine disinformation — The couple in the website videos could be hawking any number of products. — “You're going to love owning the platinum package,” Charlene Bollinger tells viewers, as a picture of a DVD set, booklets and other products flashes on screen.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Bob Brigham / Raw Story:
Giuliani's son tells Russian state TV people don't want to live in America after FBI raided his dad — The son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani went on Russian TV to push conspiracy theories about the federal investigation of his father. — Andrew Giuliani accused the American government …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Republicans Rewrite History of the Capitol Riot, Hampering an Inquiry — Republicans in Congress are insisting that any investigation into the Jan. 6 attack include an examination of left-wing violence. — WASHINGTON — Four months after supporters of President Donald J. Trump stormed …
Discussion:
Washington Post, American Greatness, HuffPost, Politico, KIFI-TV, Raw Story and The Uprising
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Carl Hulse / New York Times:
John Boehner's Comeback Shows That Liz Cheney's Return Is Possible
John Boehner's Comeback Shows That Liz Cheney's Return Is Possible
Discussion:
The Editorial Board, The Economist, LifeZette, Washington Post and The Hill
The Daily Caller:
EDITORIAL BOARD: The Intercept's Dirty Smear Job On Our Reporters Deserves A Response — Journalist Glenn Greenwald left The Intercept in late October of 2020 - and if Thursday's smear job on Daily Caller reporters is any indication, the publication has gone from journalism to activist garbage in just six short months.
Discussion:
The Intercept, Fox News, Mediaite and spectator.us
Scott MacFarlane / NBC4 Washington:
Former Staffer Sues US Congressman Alleging ‘Reckless’ Approach to COVID-19 — A former staffer is suing U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., accusing the congressman of taking a “reckless” approach to COVID-19, exposing his staff and himself to the virus. — The suit alleges the congressman …
Discussion:
NBC News, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, HuffPost, The Intellectualist and The Hill
Politico:
'Doesn't matter': Democrats reject GOP's debt limit demands — Republican leaders say they don't have the votes to pass a clean debt ceiling extension without slashing spending. — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who filibustered that previous bill to ensure Democrats had to have some Republican votes …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Justin Rohrlich / The Daily Beast:
New Mask Guidance Is a Huge Gamble, Experts Say — Telling vaxxed people to ditch masks inside makes sense. But it fails to account for anti-vaxxers who won't be asked—much less able—to prove they got shots. — BEAST INSIDE — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) …
Discussion:
New York Post and Raw Story
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Be Worried — New polling suggests it's growing likely Republicans will retake the House in 2022. — Scott Rasmussen—the real Scott Rasmussen, whom you can follow here, not the people who run his old firm, Rasmussen Reports—has a new poll. On the generic ballot, 41 percent …
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Jeff Stein / SpyTalk:
CIA Officer Became ‘Formidable Foe’ of U.S. Government — Janine Brookner took on the KGB, sexist rivals and Justice Department lawyers alike during a pioneering career as a spy and lawyer — Janine Brookner, who battled communist spies and boorish male bureaucrats alike during …
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Marjorie Taylor Greene's verbal assault on AOC reflects deranged anti-leftism — Opinion by — As you may have heard, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) verbally harassed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in the Capitol on Wednesday. According to Post reporters who witnessed the event …
Discussion:
Insider, The Independent, Mediaite, New Republic, Slate, Greensburg Tribune-Review, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, CNN, IJR, HotAir, Vanity Fair and Crooks and Liars
U.S. Department of Justice:
Active Duty U.S. Marine Corps Officer Arrested for Assault on Federal Law Enforcement Officer During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach — Defendant, Stationed in Virginia, Defied, Pushed and Resisted Capitol Police to Help Other Rioters Break into the U.S. Capitol — Note: A full copy of the charging documents can be viewed here.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Marine Corps Times, Washington Post, Task & Purpose, NPR, The Daily Beast, CNN, The Daily Caller, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, Law & Crime, Forbes and CNBC
RELATED:
Alanna Durkin Richer / Associated Press:
Marine Corps officer arrested for assault in Jan. 6 riot
Marine Corps officer arrested for assault in Jan. 6 riot
Discussion:
USA Today, Politico, Mercury News and CBS News
Politico:
Labor shortage spurs a rush to get Americans back to work — Federal and state officials, who spent the last year trying to keep Americans safe in their homes during the pandemic, are suddenly grappling with the opposite problem: how to lure them back to work.
Discussion:
Forbes
New York Times:
Another Group of Scientists Calls for Further Inquiry Into Origins of the Coronavirus — Researchers urge an open mind, saying lack of evidence leaves theories of natural spillover and laboratory leak both viable. — A group of 18 scientists stated Thursday in a letter published …
Discussion:
Reason
Bloomberg:
‘Covid Zero’ Havens Find Reopening Harder Than Taming Virus — Places aiming to eliminate virus lag as other countries reopen — Travel-reliant Hong Kong and Singapore face biggest drawbacks — A smattering of places, mainly across the Asia Pacific region, have seen breathtaking victories …
Discussion:
Japan Times
ABC News:
Most states have reopened. Here's where new COVID outbreaks happened. — Health experts say the data can help with future pandemic planning. — States across US ease COVID-19 restrictions … Bars, gyms and restaurants. Those were just a few settings health experts warned …
New York Times:
Beneath Joe Biden's Folksy Demeanor, a Short Fuse and an Obsession With Details — As Mr. Biden settles into the office he has chased for more than three decades, aides say he demands hours of debate from scores of policy experts. — WASHINGTON — The commander in chief was taking his time, as usual.
David Harsanyi / National Review:
The Squad Is Rooting for Hamas — Ocasio-Cortez, usually a font of half-baked socialist economic ideas, now regularly offers thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian situation to her 12 million Twitter followers. — Here is one: … First of all, there are no “expulsions of Palestinians.”
Discussion:
Axios, New York Post and BizPac Review