memeorandum: At least 7 GOP senators say they're open to a commission focused on Jan. 6 (Peter Stevenson/Washington Post)

8:20 PM ET, May 18, 2021

Top Items:

Marc Caputo / Politico:

Val Demings to run for Senate against Rubio — ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Rep. Val Demings is planning to run for the U.S. Senate, rather than governor, providing Democrats with a big-name candidate to take on Republican Sen. Marco Rubio next year. — For months, Demings mulled …

Peter Stevenson / Washington Post:

At least 7 GOP senators say they're open to a commission focused on Jan. 6 — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday announced his opposition to a bipartisan deal for a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. — But he doesn't have the final say.

Discussion: CNN, BuzzFeed News, Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, IJR, The Hill, Forbes and Political Wire

Axios:

McCarthy comes out against bipartisan deal on Jan. 6 commission — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will oppose a bipartisan deal announced last week that would form a 9/11-style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, his office announced Tuesday.

Discussion: CBS News, The Hill, The Right Scoop, Insider, USA Today, Patterico's Pontifications, Fox News, The Intellectualist, Washington Examiner, New York Post and Breitbart

Christina Cameron / House Republican Leader:

McCarthy Statement on January 6 Commission Legislation — Washington, D.C. - House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) released the following statement on the January 6th commission legislation:

Discussion: Insider, HuffPost, The Hill, Washington Post, New York Magazine, USA Today, Slate, Talking Points Memo, ABC News, The American Independent, Raw Story, TheBlaze, Mediaite, Sacramento Bee and Townhall

Politico:
Cheney, unbound, settles into the 'bull's-eye of controversy'

Discussion: American Greatness, Washington Examiner, The Week, Deseret News, The Right Scoop, IJR, Salon, Talking Points Memo, HotAir, Bloomberg and Insider

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook PM: Hopes for Jan. 6 commission fade

Discussion: Breitbart, HuffPost and Washington Post

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Kevin McCarthy inadvertently demonstrates the utility of a Capitol riot commission

Discussion: USA Today, Politico, CNN, Washington Examiner, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Associated Press, Denver Post, Washington Times, The Guardian, The American Independent, Forbes, The Root and HotAir

Washington Post:
Biden's aid programs help buttress McCarthy's district despite GOP leader's complaints about ‘socialist’ spending

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story and Balloon Juice

Lachlan Markay / Axios:

Feds investigating alleged scheme to illegally finance Collins' reelection bid — The FBI is investigating what it describes as a massive scheme to illegally finance Sen. Susan Collins' 2020 reelection bid, Axios has learned. — What's happening: A recently unsealed search warrant application shows …

Discussion: The Hill, driftglass, The Daily Caller and Political Wire

Matthew Chapman / Raw Story: FBI investigating whether defense contractor gave illegal contributions to Susan Collins: report

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Scoop: Biden to waive sanctions on company in charge of Nord Stream 2 — The Biden administration will waive sanctions on the corporate entity and CEO overseeing the construction of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline into Germany, according to two sources briefed on the decision.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Politico, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Times, Breitbart, HotAir, National Review, The Week, RedState, TheBlaze, New York Post, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, The Right Scoop and Twitchy

CNN:
Biden administration decides not to sanction company building controversial Russian gas pipeline

Discussion: Washington Examiner

ABC News:

Biden floors electric Ford truck in test drive as he pushes infrastructure plan — Biden went pedal to the metal while modeling green energy with a test drive. — Biden endorses cease-fire in Middle East amid mounting pressure — The administration has been focusing on quiet diplomatic efforts behind the scenes.

Discussion: Common Dreams and Insider

Matt Viser / Washington Post:

'I'm a car guy': Biden zips around in electric Ford truck to boost clean-energy agenda — The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights — When President Biden on Tuesday took the stage at a Ford plant he said, “I'm a car guy.” And then, shortly afterward, he proved it.

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press and The Daily Caller

Lorraine Woellert / Politico:

Biden and an iconic American truck join forces in the fossil fuel culture war — When Ford Motor Co. surveyed American truck owners last year, the automaker received a clear message: “Keep your hands off my truck.” Only 40 percent said they'd be “excited” about an electric pickup.

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News, CNBC, Fox News, HotAir, The White House, New York Times, The Hill and New York Times

New York Times:

Tlaib confronts Biden on Israel, saying U.S. support is enabling Netanyahu to commit crimes against Palestinians. — Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, confronted President Biden on Tuesday over his support for Israel amid its bombing campaign against Hamas in Gaza …

Discussion: Townhall, Washington Examiner, NPR, The Hill and Mediaite

CNN:
Top Democrat reverses plan to send letter on Israel arms sale at urging of Biden administration

Discussion: Roll Call, Deseret News, Common Dreams, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Al-Monitor, The Times of Israel and Responsible Statecraft

Annie Karni / New York Times:
Live Updates: Biden Said to Have Taken Firmer Line on Call With Netanyahu

Discussion: Common Dreams, Washington Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Insider, The Mahablog, NPR, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, CNN and Al Jazeera

Shibley Telhami / The Boston Globe:
Biden's bungled response on Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Discussion: Washington Post, Insider and HuffPost

Neil Genzlinger / New York Times:

Charles Grodin, Star of ‘Beethoven’ and ‘Heartbreak Kid,’ Dies at 86 — A familiar face who was especially adept at deadpan comedy, he also appeared on Broadway in “Same Time, Next Year,” wrote books and had his own talk show. — Charles Grodin, the versatile actor familiar from “Same Time …

Discussion: New York Post, Associated Press, The Wrap, CBS New York, CBS Pittsburgh, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, TMZ.com, Mediaite, Variety, The US Sun, The Week, Vanity Fair and Gizmodo

Adam Kredo / Washington Free Beacon:

House Democrats Vote Against Hamas Sanctions — House Democrats overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday afternoon against applying sanctions on Hamas, the Iranian-backed terror group that has fired thousands of missiles at Israel during the past two weeks amid a deepening regional conflict.

Discussion: Fox News and Washington Examiner

Newsweek:
Will Dems Rebuke the Squad for Parroting Hamas Talking Points?

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, Washington Post and Townhall

Julie Tulbert / Media Matters for America:

Don't believe right-wing media — overturning Roe v. Wade is a big deal — Right-wing media — and Trump — also used this strategy during the run-up to Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation … RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ZACHARY PLEAT & ALEX WALKER — As President Donald Trump prepares …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, Fox News, National Review and Los Angeles Times

Jonathan Turley / The Hill:
Are the Supreme Court and Biden ready to rumble over Roe?

Discussion: Washington Post, JONATHAN TURLEY and Bloomberg

Amanda Hess / New York Times:

Sinead O'Connor Remembers Things Differently — The mainstream narrative is that a pop star ripped up a photo of the pope on “Saturday Night Live” and derailed her life. What if the opposite were true? — Sinead O'Connor is alone, which is how she prefers to be.

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

In Arizona, Republicans accidentally created a robust demonstration of the shoddiness of their fraud claims — Bill Gates is vice chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, one of four Republicans on that body. On Monday afternoon, he made his frustrations with the ongoing …

Discussion: Breitbart, Raw Story and IJR

Deon J. Hampton / NBC News:

Ohio sees boost in shots after it announces $1 million vaccination lottery … CINCINNATI — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's $5 million lottery to encourage vaccinations appears to be an early win. — State health officials said Monday that more than 25,400 Covid-19 vaccine shots were administered Friday …

Discussion: Insider, HotAir, The Hill, Forbes, Mock Paper Scissors, Washington Post, The US Sun and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Matt Shuham / Talking Points Memo:

Capitol Rioters' ‘Trump Defense’ Comes Up Again And Again. Will It Make A Difference? — A few weeks after his arrest for allegedly storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, the man known as the “QAnon Shaman,” Jacob Chansley, floated an idea that dozens of others have tried — that Trump himself deserved some of the blame for his actions.

Discussion: Insider, Law & Crime, Mediaite, Raw Story, Twitchy, The Week, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, Hackwhackers, Mock Paper Scissors, The Intellectualist and Boing Boing

Eric Bradner / CNN:

Nevada GOP candidate for governor who hadn't been vaccinated tests positive for coronavirus — (CNN)Hours after launching his campaign for governor, a Nevada Republican who had not yet received the coronavirus vaccine said he had just tested positive for the virus.

Discussion: The Hill and Political Wire

Alayna Treene / Axios:

The freshmen in Congress who have missed the most votes — The top five are all House Republicans.

Discussion: The Hill

A.G. Gancarski / Florida Politics:

Rick Scott continues to plead with Donald Trump to stay out of Senate primaries — Will a scorned ex-President play in Senate primaries? Scott hopes not. — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott continues to express hope that former President Donald Trump won't engage against Senate incumbents in 2022.

Quin Hillyer / Washington Examiner:

Woke Coke, like Nike, might rightly suffer for political bullying — Far too many corporate giants have engaged in ill-informed pandering to left-wing political causes, all while their own stables need major house-cleaning. They may suffer as they learn that political turnabout is fair play.

Discussion: Consumers' Research, Townhall and National Review

Daniel Nichanian / The Appeal:

Your Guide to Criminal Justice in Pennsylvania's Elections Today — From the Philadelphia DA race to judge candidates who are running against mass incarceration, these elections could reshape the criminal legal system. — It's Election Day in Pennsylvania, and it's a big one for criminal justice.

Discussion: The Week

Noah Kulwin / The Baffler:

Narrative Napalm — Malcolm Gladwell's apologia for American butchery … THERE ARE INFINITE KINDS OF IRRESPONSIBLE BOOKS that a well-credentialed media insider can write. — First are the total farces of fact. These include former New York Times chief Jill Abramson's mangling …

Carl Campanile / New York Post:

Andrew Giuliani announces 2022 bid for New York governor … Andrew Giuliani has dreams of turning next year's gubernatorial race into another “Fight of the Century.” — The son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will announce Tuesday that he's officially running for the Republican primary …

Sonny Bunch / The Bulwark:

Cancel Envy — How an Amazon glitch helps explain the ways our siloed information environments reinforce our persecution complexes. — Here's a weird thing that happened this weekend. — I was looking at Amazon's app on my phone to see if The Underground Railroad, the new Amazon series directed by Barry Jenkins, was out yet.

David Frum / The Atlantic:

The Pro-Trump Culture War on American Scientists — Two questions have dominated politics throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Democrats and public-health experts have asked: What should we do? Former President Donald Trump, for his part, minimized the need to act.

Discussion: USA Today, The Wire Science, justoneminute.typepad.com and Poynter

Greg Walters / VICE:

How Doomed Is Matt Gaetz? — Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here. — Rep. Matt Gaetz is in a lot of trouble. — That's because his former wingman, Joel Greenberg, just struck a sweeping agreement to cooperate with federal criminal investigators as part …

Discussion: RedState, Raw Story and The Virginia Star

Anna Merlan / VICE:

Unvaccinated TikTok Users Believe They Will Be ‘Lone Survivors’ — TikTok continues to ignore misinformation on its platform, as it gets weirder and more explicitly vaccine-focused. — Anna Merlan — TikTok users are falsely claiming that vaccinated people will soon die, leaving them to inherit the earth.

Discussion: Raw Story

Brittany Shammas / Washington Post:

A GOP congressman compared Capitol rioters to tourists. Photos show him barricading a door. — Rep. Andrew S. Clyde (R-Ga.) last week downplayed the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, comparing the mob's breaching of the building to a “normal tourist visit.” — But photos from that day show …

Discussion: HuffPost, TheGrio and CNN