memeorandum: What do Republicans want on the economy? They're not sure anymore (Benjy Sarlin/NBC News)

2:35 PM ET, May 14, 2021

Top Items:

CNN:

Since-deleted video shows Marjorie Taylor Greene harassing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's office during 2019 Capitol Hill visit — (CNN)Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene confronted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outside the House chamber on Wednesday afternoon.

Politico:
Riot revisionism, hallway aggression, squashed alliances: The House nears a Cold War

Discussion: Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Mother Jones, The Intellectualist, The Federalist, RedState, Crooks and Liars, Los Angeles Times and Joe.My.God.

MSNBC:
Rep. Greene ‘aggressively confronts’ Rep. Ocasio-Cortez in halls of Congress

Discussion: HuffPost and Raw Story

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: The Atlantic, WBUR, Vanity Fair and Japan Times

David Rutz / Fox News:
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on new CDC guidelines: Need to ‘rewire’ myself to not see unmasked people as ‘a threat’

Discussion: Twitchy

abc7NY: Mask-wearing update in NY, NJ and CT: What to know

Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
There's No Vaccine Against the Irrational Fear of Monsters

Discussion: Twitchy, HuffPost and New York Times

Leana Wen / Washington Post:
The CDC shouldn't have removed restrictions without requiring proof of vaccination

Discussion: HotAir, The Daily Caller, New York Times, Forbes, The Daily Beast, The US Sun, The Week and NBC News

Ivana Saric / Axios:
Pelosi says masks will still be required on House floor, despite CDC guidance

Discussion: Bloomberg, Insider and Los Angeles Times

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 …

Discussion: Insider, The Hill, The American Independent, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, HotAir, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Joe.My.God., The Guardian and KIFI-TV

David Mastio / USA Today:

After ousting Liz Cheney, Republicans prove they're a bigger threat than 9/11 hijackers — The Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump is like throwing gasoline on a fire. It guarantees further violence. — The only person who clearly died from the violence on Jan. 6 …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Twitchy and Los Angeles Times

Clara Hill / Yahoo News:
Liz Cheney calls for criminal investigation into Trump in first interview since being ousted

Discussion: New York Daily News, Persuasion, Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, CBS News and New York Times

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Liz Cheney doesn't go far enough

Discussion: IJR, USA Today and The Hill

Emily Brooks / Washington Examiner:
House GOP elects Stefanik to replace Cheney as conference chairwoman

Discussion: Fox News, ABC News, New York Magazine, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Human Events, Roll Call, Forbes, NBC News, The Daily Caller, BizPac Review, New York Post, Political Wire, LifeZette and Politico

CNN:

House strikes deal to create independent January 6 commission — Capitol officer to lawmakers downplaying insurrection: I don't get it — (CNN)The top Democrat and Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee struck a deal to create a bipartisan commission to investigate …

Discussion: Politico, POLITICUSUSA and IJR

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
A cop's anger at GOP lies about Jan. 6 should put Republicans on the defensive

Discussion: Associated Press, USA Today, Talking Points Memo, Washington Times, MinnPost and Political Wire

homeland.house.gov:
Chairman Thompson Announces Bipartisan Agreement with Ranking Member Katko to Create Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the Capitol

Discussion: New York Magazine, New York Times, CBS News, Insider, NBC News, R Street, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Forbes, Mic, Washingtonian and Mediaite

Sheera Frenkel / New York Times:

Lies on Social Media Inflame Israeli-Palestinian Conflict — Misinformation has flourished on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and other social media about the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. — In a 28-second video, which was posted to Twitter this week by a spokesman …

Discussion: Arab Gulf States Institute …, Jewish Currents and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

David Harris:

An open letter to Trevor Noah — I just watched your 10-minute monologue on the Israeli-Hamas conflict for your popular television program “The Daily Show” (May 11). — Frankly, it wasn't easy viewing. In fact, I began talking back to the screen, but, obviously, to no avail, so I chose instead to write you this open letter.

Nicholas Waller / New Europe:
Gaza media rules

Discussion: The Federalist

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.

Discussion: Louder With Crowder, The Week, Breitbart and Althouse

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Former Gaetz Confidant Pleads Guilty and Agrees to Cooperate — Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector in Florida, admitted to sex trafficking a minor and agreed to help in prosecutions of others. — A former confidant of Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida …

Discussion: Mediaite, The US Sun, The Week, New York Post, CBS Miami and Washington Examiner

Insider:
Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg will plead guilty to 6 felony counts including sex trafficking, wire fraud, and identity theft

Discussion: Orlando Sentinel, CNN, Mock Paper Scissors, The Daily Beast, HotAir, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, CNBC and Washington Post

Dara Bitler / FOX31 Denver:

Suzanne Morphew's husband, accused in her murder, charged with submitting presidential ballot in her name — CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. — Prosecutors have filed new charges against Barry Morphew, alleging the man accused of murdering his missing wife submitted a presidential ballot in her name.

Discussion: Insider, The US Sun, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and FOX21 News Colorado

Department of Homeland Security:

Summary of Terrorism Threat to the U.S. Homeland — The Secretary of Homeland Security has issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin regarding the current heightened threat environment across the United States. The Homeland is facing threats that have evolved significantly …

Politico:

'Doesn't matter': Democrats reject GOP's debt limit demands — Senate Republicans dramatically changed their party rules to take a hard line on the debt limit in the coming months. Democrats don't care. — In fact, the Democratic majority says it has no intention of negotiating …

Discussion: Hartford Courant, The Daily Beast, HotAir, Democracy Docket, Daily Kos and Raw Story

Benjy Sarlin / NBC News:

What do Republicans want on the economy? They're not sure anymore — WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was not a supporter of former President Donald Trump's quest to overturn the election. But he has declined to weigh in on the party's ongoing purge of anti-Trump Republicans …

Discussion: New Yorker, Fox Business, The National Interest and No More Mister Nice Blog

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: Slate, National Review and Raw Story

Tara Palmeri / Politico: The Women Who Enabled Jeffrey Epstein

Adam S. Minsky / Forbes:

College Cancels Student Loan Debt Using Money From Biden's Stimulus Bill — President Biden's recent stimulus bill provided funding for colleges and universities to cancel student loan debt, and some student loan borrowers are beginning to see the benefits.

Discussion: Delaware State University, Insider and The National Interest

Deadline:

‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ Cancels This Week's Show After HBO Host Tests Positive For Covid-19 — EXCLUSIVE: HBO has scrapped this week's episode of Real Time with Bill Maher after the comedian tested positive for Covid-19. Maher, who is vaccinated and asymptomatic, tested positive during …

Discussion: CBS News, TMZ.com, Breitbart, Mediaite, OutKick, NOQ Report, Vanity Fair and Variety

Mikael Thalen / The Daily Dot:

Trump hotel purposely spiked prices to keep out QAnon supporters, hacked police data reveals — D.C. police say the hotel raised its rates as a ‘security tactic’ ahead of a prominent date in QAnon lore. — The Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. purposely spiked its prices in March in an effort …

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, Balloon Juice, Outside the Beltway, NPR and The Daily Beast

Robert McMillan / Wall Street Journal:

DarkSide, Hacking Group Linked to Colonial Pipeline Attack, Says It Is Closing Down — The criminal group linked to a cyber attack that disrupted U.S. gasoline deliveries this week told associates it is closing, a security research firm says — The criminal group linked to a cyberattack …

Discussion: CNN, The National Interest and The Week, more at Techmeme »

American Greatness:

House Republicans Defy the January 6 Narrative — The script about that day might have been concocted by Democrats and the media but the true account of what happened before, during, and after is still being written. — It's about time. — U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) …

Discussion: Washington Post, CNBC and New York Times

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: Page Array, The Federalist, Fox News, The Hill and Mediaite

The Intercept:
Meet the Riot Squad: Right-Wing Reporters Whose Viral Videos Are Used to Smear BLM

Discussion: spectator.us and National Review

Axios:

Democrats open to user fees for infrastructure deal — Some Senate Democrats are open to paying for a compromise infrastructure package by imposing user fees, including increasing the gas tax and raising money from electric car drivers through a vehicle-miles-traveled charge.

Discussion: CNBC, Daily Kos, Bloomberg and Washington Post

Shannon Bond / NPR:

Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows — Researchers have found just 12 people are responsible for the bulk of the misleading claims and outright lies about COVID-19 vaccines that proliferate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.