memeorandum: Paulina Porizkova on Instagram, Aaron Sorkin and Aging (Katherine Rosman/New York Times)

12:40 PM ET, May 15, 2021

Top Items:

Israel strike in Gaza destroys building with AP, other media — GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets hours after another Israeli air raid on a densely populated refugee camp killed …

Associated Press:

AP statement on Israeli attack on building housing AP office — NEW YORK (AP) — An Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets on Saturday. All AP employees and freelancers evacuated the building safely.

Discussion: France 24, Al Jazeera, NPR, The Hill, The Daily Caller and The Week

David M. Halbfinger / New York Times:

A Press Corps Deceived, and the Gaza Invasion That Wasn't — A spokesman led the international media to believe that Israeli forces had entered Gaza. They hadn't. But the army wanted Hamas to think they had. — The Israeli military abruptly announced after midnight on Friday …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, spectator.us, The Wrap, RedState, Arutz Sheva, New York Post, Breitbart, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel, The Daily Caller, Al-Monitor, The Right Scoop, Sean Hannity and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Associated Press:

Israeli airstrike in Gaza destroys building with AP bureau — GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike has destroyed a high-rise building that housed The Associated Press' offices in the Gaza Strip. — The airstrike Saturday came roughly an hour after the Israeli military ordered people to evacuate the building.

Discussion: Associated Press, NBC Chicago and Informed Comment

Adam Taylor / Washington Post:

With strikes targeting rockets and tunnels, the Israeli tactic of ‘mowing the grass’ returns to Gaza — Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the date that Hamas won Palestinian elections and later seized control in Gaza. It has been corrected to show that these events took place in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, ABC News, Spin, strangeness, and charm and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Erick-Woods Erickson / Erick Erickson's Confessions …:

Associated Press CEO Gary Pruitt Confirms the AP Works in a Hamas Operated Facility — Was the AP paying rent to terrorists or accepting a gift from terrorists? — 1 hr ago — The CEO of the Associated Press claims he is “shocked and horrified that the Israel military would target …

Discussion: Instapundit, Variety and The New Arab

New York Times:
Tensions Among Democrats Grow Over Israel as the Left Defends Palestinians

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Common Dreams, Politico and Religion News Service

Wall Street Journal: Almost Nothing You've Heard About Evictions in Jerusalem Is True

Martin Indyk / Foreign Affairs:
The U.S. Can Neither Ignore nor Solve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Discussion: CNN and Blue Virginia

Washington Post:
As Arab world rallies around Palestinians and bloodshed mounts, Trump-era peace deals fade from view

Discussion: The Times of Israel, New York Times and NPR

Conor Finnegan / ABC News:
Critics on left and right bash Biden's response to Israel-Gaza violence

Discussion: Associated Press, The Intercept, Politico and The US Sun

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

The purging of Liz Cheney is about much more than the future of the GOP — It was just another week in Donald Trump's Republican Party, and once again, truth was a casualty. — House Republicans replaced a 2020 election truth-teller with a 2020 election truth-denier as the third-ranking member of their leadership.

Discussion: Raw Story, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, Maryland Matters and CBS New York

James Arkin / Politico:

Arizona audit divides wobbling state GOP — Arizona Republicans have an opportunity in 2022 to claw back ground they've lost as the state shifted towards Democrats. But first, the fight over 2020 has to end. — Republicans in the state are still divided over the results of the last election …

Discussion: Arizona Mirror, The Daily Signal, Raw Story and Steve Bannon's War Room

Jonathan Tamari / The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Today's Paper — On Tuesday, Republican Sean Parnell launched his campaign for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, highlighting a tweet from Donald Trump Jr. calling him “100% rock-solid America First.” — On Wednesday, several of the state's congressional Republicans praised the move to purge Rep. Liz Cheney …

Discussion: CNN

Lisa Lerer / New York Times:
The G.O.P.'s Big Cancellation

Discussion: The Dispatch

Caroline Kelly / CNN:
Cheney says some GOP members voted against impeachment out of fear for their lives

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Daily Gazette, Bloomberg, East Bay Times, New York Times, RedState, One America News Network, The Hill and KIFI-TV

W. James Antle III / Washington Examiner:
As Stefanik replaces Cheney, Democrats want to keep spotlight on Trump

Discussion: Insider, CNN and Raw Story

Justin Gray / WSB-TV:

Investigation: Marjorie Taylor Greene filed homestead exemptions on 2 homes, violating state law — ATLANTA — A Channel 2 Action News investigation has found that Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her husband have two active homestead exemptions, which is against Georgia law …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Crooks and Liars, Hackwhackers, Joe.My.God., Insider, HotAir, Washington Examiner and Raw Story

Kimberly Leonard / Insider:

How Marjorie Taylor Greene became the Voldemort of Congress. Few lawmakers even want to say her name. — House members say they are done answering questions about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. — Democrats told Insider they were relieved they didn't have to work with her on committees.

Discussion: The Hill and Raw Story

Marc Caputo / Politico:

Stolen election myth rattles key GOP race — To get an idea of how deeply the myth of a stolen election has taken root within the GOP, one need only look to South Carolina. — In a key early voting state that plays an outsized role in presidential primaries, the contest to lead …

Discussion: Raw Story

Politico: McKissick triumphs over Wood in S.C. party chair contest

The Daily Beast:

Rep. Matt Gaetz Snorted Cocaine With Escort Who Had ‘No Show’ Gov't Job — GRAND OL' PARTY … Witnesses revealed the wild scene at an after-party for a GOP fundraiser in Orlando. — When Rep. Matt Gaetz attended a 2019 GOP fundraiser in Orlando, his date that night was someone he knew well …

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Slate, No More Mister Nice Blog, Joe.My.God., Hackwhackers, Daily Kos, The US Sun, Insider, Mediaite, CNN, BuzzFeed News, CBS News and The Guardian

Daniel E. Slotnik / New York Times:

Covid Live Updates: More Than 70 Percent of Older U.S. Adults Are Fully Vaccinated — The C.D.C. changed its mask advice after data showed that vaccinations prevent the spread of the virus and that the vaccines appear to be effective against all known variants.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, NBC News and The Hill

Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
Why the CDC Changed Its Advice on Masks

Discussion: HotAir

Yascha Mounk / Persuasion:
Take Off That Mask — If you are fully vaccinated, the time to resume normal life is now.

Discussion: HotAir, Balloon Juice and Outside the Beltway

Katherine Rosman / New York Times:

Paulina Porizkova on Instagram, Aaron Sorkin and Aging — The veteran supermodel is contesting the will of her late husband, Ric Ocasek — and writing herself a splashy new chapter. — When the writer and model Paulina Porizkova was asked by Aaron Sorkin to join him at the Oscars …

Julius Whigham II / Palm Beach Post:

Damon Weaver, kid reporter who interviewed President Obama, dies at age 23 — As an intrepid student reporter whose dreams carried him all the way to an interview in the White House with President Barack Obama, Damon Weaver found himself in the national spotlight at a young age.

Discussion: HuffPost, Associated Press, Variety, The Guardian, The Hill, Insider and Outside the Beltway

Michael Gold / New York Times:

N.Y.C. Pride Will Take Steps to Keep Police Out of Parade and Events — L.G.B.T.Q. police officers will not be allowed to participate as a group in the annual march, and organizers said they will rely on private security for their events. — New York City's annual Pride celebration …

Discussion: NBC New York and Joe.My.God.

Marisa Iati / Washington Post:

The new mask guidance relies on an honor system. Do we trust each other enough to make it work? — As soon as Michelle Garrett verified that the new federal mask guidelines were real, she turned to her 14-year-old daughter, who just became eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus this week.

New York Times:

Cuomo Accusers Are Subpoenaed as State Inquiry Enters a Critical Phase — Four women who have accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct have been formally asked to testify under oath. — ALBANY, N.Y. — Four women who have accused Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of sexual harassment …

Discussion: Insider

MSNBC:

‘Maximum pressure’: NY prosecutors work to flip Trump money man — New York prosecutors subpoenaed records from a Manhattan private school seeking information about tuition payments that Trump made on behalf of his key money man, the Trump Organization's CFO Allen Weisselberg.

Tim Higgins / Wall Street Journal:

Former Apple Engineer Accuses Company of Defamatory Statements Over Dismissal — Author of controversial ‘Chaos Monkeys’ says tech giant was aware of his book's contents before hiring him — The prominent advertising-technology engineer let go by Apple Inc. this week amid an uproar …

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Conservatives Excommunicated the Last Republican President Who Lost — One of the rationalizations Republicans have made for their party's refusal to disavow Donald Trump's authoritarianism is that asking a party to renounce a former president is categorically unreasonable. “He's an ex-president.

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:

The HBO Max Boss's Script for a New Hollywood — WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar fired the streaming service's top brass, blew up the movie business and angered Hollywood royalty. He says it's a recipe for success. — BURBANK, Calif.— Jason Kilar might have a career as a tour guide …

Discussion: The Information, more at Mediagazer »

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

McCarthy leadership PAC made payments to Luntz firm — The Fact Checker … — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), in an interview on “Fox & Friends,” May 4 — When House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was first asked about living in a luxury apartment owned by pollster Frank Luntz …

Discussion: Political Wire

Jerry Dunleavy / Washington Examiner:

FBI quietly admits 2017 GOP baseball shooting was domestic terrorism after all — The FBI quietly admitted Friday that the 2017 Alexandria, Virginia, baseball field shooting that nearly killed Rep. Steve Scalise has been classified as “domestic terrorism” carried out by a “domestic violent extremist” …

Discussion: Federal Bureau …, TheBlaze and Talking Points Memo