Top Items:
Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic:
Other Regimes Will Hijack Planes Too — Even when our most basic civilizational values are in dispute, there are a few sets of rules and regulations that we nevertheless manage to share. The laws of the sea, for example, or the norms governing the conduct of air-traffic controllers.
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, Insider, The Guardian, CBS News, Washington Post and KEYT-TV, more at Mediagazer »
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Adam Taylor / Washington Post:
As countries condemn Belarus flight diversion, critics accuse West of similar tactics — In an elaborate ploy, a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday was forced to land in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, over a bomb scare that Belarusian authorities appear to have engineered.
Washington Post:
Europe moves to isolate Belarus after Minsk forces airliner to land and detains dissident — RIGA, Latvia — European leaders on Monday were taking steps to cut off air connections with Belarus, barring airlines from flying over the country a day after its leaders forced a commercial jet to land and arrested a dissident journalist.
Discussion:
New Republic, Reuters, news.com.au, The Moscow Times, BBC, France 24, Joe.My.God., Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, NBC New York, New York Times and Patterico's Pontifications
Sergei Kuznetsov / Politico:
Why the Belarusian journalist was snatched from the Ryanair flight
Why the Belarusian journalist was snatched from the Ryanair flight
Discussion:
Insider, Newstalk, KEYT-TV, Washington Free Beacon and ABC7, more at Mediagazer »
Sheena McKenzie / CNN:
Belarus accused of ‘state-sponsored piracy’ as Ryanair says KGB agents were on diverted plane
Belarus accused of ‘state-sponsored piracy’ as Ryanair says KGB agents were on diverted plane
Discussion:
New York Post and KEYT-TV
Gideon Rachman / Financial Times:
Belarus kidnapping sets a dangerous global precedent
Belarus kidnapping sets a dangerous global precedent
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo
David McCabe / New York Times:
Florida, in a First, Will Fine Social Media Companies That Bar Candidates — The new law is a direct response to Facebook's and Twitter's suspensions of former President Donald J. Trump. — WASHINGTON — Florida on Monday became the first state to regulate how companies like Facebook …
Discussion:
spectator.us, Sun-Sentinel, TechCrunch and Forbes, more at Mediagazer »
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis:
Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Bill to Stop the Censorship of Floridians by Big Tech — MIAMI - Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 7072 to hold Big Tech accountable by driving transparency and safeguarding Floridians' ability to access and participate in online platforms.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Daily Wire, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, RedState, The Daily Caller, Townhall, Insider, Breitbart, IJR, NOQ Report, One America News Network, The Federalist, WATCH LIVE and Mediaite
Cat Zakrzewski / Washington Post:
Florida governor signs bill barring social media companies from blocking political candidates — Tech trade groups say law is unconstitutional, conflicts with federal law — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday that aims to punish social media companies for their moderation decisions …
Discussion:
CNN, CBS Miami, Joe.My.God., New York Post, The Daily Caller, WSVN-TV, The Verge and Washington Times
Nihal Krishan / Washington Examiner:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill stopping social media from banning politicians
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill stopping social media from banning politicians
Discussion:
RedState, Florida Politics, National Review, Associated Press and Althouse
John Hudson / Washington Post:
Key impeachment witness Gordon Sondland sues Mike Pompeo and U.S. for $1.8 million in legal fees — President Donald Trump's former ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, is suing former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and the U.S. government for $1.8 million to compensate …
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Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Sondland sues Pompeo, U.S. for $1.8M in impeachment legal bills
Sondland sues Pompeo, U.S. for $1.8M in impeachment legal bills
Discussion:
Law & Crime, NPR, ABC News and Washington Examiner
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
How the Liberal Media Dismissed the Lab-Leak Theory and Smeared Its Supporters — When Nicholson Baker wrote a cover story for New York laying out the evidence that COVID-19 may have originated in a lab in Wuhan, China, the hypothesis was still highly controversial.
Discussion:
The Federalist, Al Jazeera, Fox News, Summit News, Breitbart and Forbes
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Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The vexing ‘lab leak’ theory on China and the coronavirus
The vexing ‘lab leak’ theory on China and the coronavirus
Discussion:
CNBC, Fox News, FOX News Radio, Summit News, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, BizPac Review, TheBlaze, Reason and HotAir
Stephen L. Miller / spectator.us:
Don't let the media get away with U-turning on the lab leak theory
Don't let the media get away with U-turning on the lab leak theory
Discussion:
El American
Shawn Boburg / Washington Post:
Commerce Department security unit evolved into counterintelligence-like operation, Washington Post examination found — An obscure security unit tasked with protecting the Commerce Department's officials and facilities has evolved into something more akin to a counterintelligence operation …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Verge, Raw Story, Gizmodo, The Hill and The Intellectualist
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
McGahn Is Likely to Testify Next Week on Trump's Efforts to Obstruct Russia Inquiry — A delay is said to have stemmed from an initial threat by former President Donald J. Trump to intervene, but he apparently reversed course. — WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump's former White House counsel …
Juliet Macur / New York Times:
Simone Biles Dials Up the Difficulty, ‘Because I Can’ — The Olympic gold medalist's new vault is so dangerous that gymnastics, for now, limits the scoring rewards for trying it. Biles says that's unfair. — INDIANAPOLIS — Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history …
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The campaign for D.C. statehood just got a big boost — One of the most nettlesome objections to extending congressional representation to the residents of Washington, D.C., is that it requires a constitutional amendment. Many Republicans say this, which is hardly surprising.
Discussion:
Common Dreams
Zach Montellaro / Politico:
They tried to overturn the 2020 election. Now they want to run the next one. — Republicans who sought to undercut or overturn President Joe Biden's election win are launching campaigns to become their states' top election officials next year, alarming local officeholders and opponents …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, HotAir, ABC News, Kausfiles, CNN, Vanity Fair, Insider, Occupy Democrats, Daily Kos, Steve Bannon's War Room, KTAR.com, Raw Story, Mock Paper Scissors and Political Wire
Wall Street Journal:
Amazon Nears Deal to Buy Hollywood Studio MGM — Deal for the ‘Rocky’ and ‘James Bond’ studio would mark tech company's second largest-ever acquisition — Amazon.com Inc. is nearing a deal to buy the Hollywood studio MGM Holdings for almost $9 billion including debt, said people familiar with the matter …
Discussion:
Forbes, Vox, Al Jazeera, Joe.My.God., New York Post, Gizmodo, Deadline, Breitbart and Hollywood Reporter, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
What the Tulsa Race Massacre Destroyed — THE MARQUEE BLOCK — More than 70 businesses operated in mostly one-, two- and three-story red brick buildings clustered along the block. All but a couple were owned by Black entrepreneurs. — In this stretch alone, there were four hotels …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
Jack Posobiec / Human Events:
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked State Department Memo Indicates Official Support for BLM Agenda — A source within the Biden State Department wishing to remain anonymous has shared with Human Events News a document that indicates that all U.S. “Diplomatic and Consular posts” are being encouraged …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Breitbart, Townhall, The Georgia Star News and Twitchy
Adam Klasfeld / Law & Crime:
Judge Reveals More About the ‘Principal Lies’ Paul Manafort Told to Robert Mueller — A federal judge unsealed nearly half a dozen files on Monday itemizing the “principal lies” Donald Trump's since-pardoned former campaign chair Paul Manafort allegedly told special counsel Robert Mueller's team …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Andrew Marantz / New Yorker:
Are We Entering a New Political Era? — The neoliberal order seems to be collapsing. A generation of young activists is trying to insure that it's replaced by progressive populism, not by the fascist right. — Last June, when most Americans could agree that their country was in crisis …
Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Weightlifting, Gatorade, birthday calls: Inside Biden's day — During a speech in Pittsburgh in March, President Biden held up the index card he keeps in his right breast pocket to track the nation's covid deaths, inadvertently revealing a glimpse of his private schedule on the back side.
Discussion:
New York Post, Breitbart, Fox News, Insider and Townhall
Matan Arad-Neeman / Medium:
Matan Arad-Neeman — We write to you as proud alumni of your campaign. Each of us worked tirelessly in your headquarters and in states across the country to ensure your victory. We were motivated by the unprecedented progressive platform of your campaign that believed in the dignity of every human being …
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Examiner, The Hill, The Federalist, Mediaite, Washington Post, Common Dreams and The National Interest
Tom Jones / Poynter:
The Associated Press fired a reporter over social media use — and what it means for other news outlets — Should journalists be expected to erase who they are for the sake of appearing to be objective? News outlets need to refine these policies. — The big buzz in the media the past few days …
Discussion:
CNN, Glenn Greenwald, New York Times, The Hill, Fox News and Columbia Journalism Review, more at Mediagazer »
Natalie B. Compton / Washington Post:
30 observations from my first vaccinated flight — Everything you hated about flying is back, baby. — Many people took a hiatus from travel last year, because — well, you know why. Road warriors stayed home. Newlyweds put off their honeymoons. But now that millions of people …
Matti Friedman / The Atlantic:
Israel's Problems Are Not Like America's — Rereading Exodus, the schmaltzy 1958 best seller about Israel that became a Hollywood movie starring Paul Newman, I was surprised by something I hadn't noticed as a teenager. The author, Leon Uris, describes a utopia of brave young pioneers in khaki shorts …
Discussion:
HotAir
Catherine Shoard / The Guardian:
Kevin Spacey set for return to movies with paedophilia drama — The actor, who has been the subject of multiple sexual misconduct allegations, is to play a detective in Franco Nero's film about a man wrongly suspected of child abuse — Kevin Spacey, the actor who has faced numerous allegations …
Discussion:
IJR, Louder With Crowder, ABC News, New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Fox News and Breitbart
Craig Mauger / Detroit News:
Whitmer apologizes after photo shows her at bar violating her own order — Lansing — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an apology Sunday after a photo emerged showing her at a restaurant with 12 other people gathered around tables pushed together in violation of her health department's current epidemic order.
Allison Fisher / Media Matters for America:
Will “climate lockdowns” be Fox's next bonkers conspiracy theory? — Laura Ingraham told viewers that, in the name of climate change, more COVID-style lockdowns are coming … On back-to-back nights last week, Fox prime-time host Laura Ingraham warned her viewers that COVID-19 lockdowns …
Reuters:
EXCLUSIVE: Court action seeks probe of Trump's Scottish golf course buys — The Scottish government is facing a new legal challenge over its February rejection of a motion to investigate former U.S. President Donald Trump's all-cash purchases of two golf courses, reviving an effort to force Trump to disclose how he financed the deals.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and Raw Story
James Poniewozik / New York Times:
The Post-Embarrassment Media Campaign of Andrew Yang — He once called himself the opposite of Trump. But he is another test of the theory that in politics, there's no such thing as bad publicity. — Years from now, when we look back on the history of pop-political interviewing …
Discussion:
New York Post
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The GOP's shifting arguments against a Jan. 6 commission — There have been plenty of indications that Republicans don't want to see a congressional Jan. 6 commission for one very basic reason: It's politically bad. — It's bad because it would necessarily point the finger (to some degree) …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill and Common Dreams
Luke Savage / The Atlantic:
If Democracy Is Dying, Why Are Democrats So Complacent? — If you've followed recent Democratic messaging, you'll have heard that American democracy is under serious attack by the Republican Party, representing an existential threat to the country. If you've followed Democratic lawmaking …
Discussion:
Politico, Breitbart and Media Matters for America
Austin Evers / Just Security:
The Next Best Option if a January 6 Commission Fails — In a bipartisan vote last week, the House passed legislation to create an independent national commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. A 9/11-style commission is the best option for uncovering the truth …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Spectrum News 1 Austin
C.J. Ciaramella / Reason:
Secret Recordings Reveal Officials Discussing ‘Filthy’ Conditions of 4,632 Immigrant Kids Held in Texas Tent Camp — More than 4,500 immigrant children and teens are being held in enormous, filthy tents on a military base in Texas without access to basic necessities, including underwear …
Discussion:
IJR
Kyle Smith / National Review:
Bob Dylan Refused to Be the Voice of a Generation — As the Boomers' most revered singer-songwriter turns 80, it's amusing to look back at how he rejected the Flower Children. — As the children of the Sixties tried to crown Bob Dylan their poet laureate, he refused.