memeorandum: Obama Sees Hope in Changes Under Biden (New York Times)

1:20 PM ET, June 1, 2021

Top Items:

A frantic warning from 100 leading experts: Our democracy is in grave danger — Democrats can't say they weren't warned. — With yet another GOP effort to restrict voting underway in Texas, President Biden is now calling on Congress to act in the face of the Republican “assault on democracy.”

Discussion: CBS News, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Blue Virginia, Common Dreams, Roll Call, The Time of Monsters and POLITICUSUSA

John Aldrich / New America:

Statement of Concern — The Threats to American Democracy and the Need for National Voting and Election Administration Standards — We, the undersigned, are scholars of democracy who have watched the recent deterioration of U.S. elections and liberal democracy with growing alarm.

Discussion: Insider, The Hill, Raw Story, Fox News, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post

NBC News:
Democrats and GOP face off in New Mexico special congressional election

Discussion: New York Times, Albuquerque Journal, Washington Post and CNN

Amy Gardner / Washington Post:
After defeating restrictive voting bill, Texas Democrats send loud message: ‘We need Congress to do their part’

Discussion: Tangle, NBC News, TheGrio, San Antonio Current, TheBlaze, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Daily Kos, Common Dreams, Bangor Daily News, Raw Story, UPI, Twitchy, New York Times, CNN, The Hill, New York Post, NPR, Townhall, BizPac Review and The Root

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:
Biden clings to the possibility of a bipartisan infrastructure breakthrough

Discussion: Yahoo News, New York Post, One America News Network and Roll Call

Sam Brodey / The Daily Beast:
Joe Manchin: Deeply Disappointed in GOP and Prepared to Do Absolutely Nothing

Discussion: CNN, Daily Kos and Crooks and Liars

Charlie Sykes / Morning Shots:

Coups and Rumors of Coups — The threat is no joke. — Let's stipulate that any talk about coups is crazy. Our traditions and institutions — both in and out of the military — are simply too strong, and the very idea of a coup is so profoundly un-American that it is unthinkable.

Discussion: HotAir, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Alternet.org, Crooks and Liars and Raw Story

Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:

At Texas event with QAnon ties, Louie Gohmert downplays Jan. 6: 'It wasn't just right-wing extremists' — Over the weekend, hundreds gathered in Dallas for a four-day conference with ties to prominent QAnon figures to listen to keynote speakers who repeated false claims that former president Donald Trump won …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, The Daily Beast, Insider, The Hill, Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, Alternet.org, The American Independent, POLITICUSUSA, Dallas Morning News, IJR and HuffPost

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Texas Republicans Want to Make Trump's Coup Nice and Legal Michael Flynn said a coup “should happen”; Republicans prefer to use the legislature. — This past weekend, former national security adviser Michael Flynn appeared at the “For God & and Country Patriot Roundup,” a right-wing conclave in Texas, where he endorsed a military coup.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Hill and BizPac Review

Gabriel Debenedetti / New York Magazine:

The GOP Has Discovered Joe Biden's Political Superpower — Something strange has been happening to my in-box. It's still a wasteland, a ghastly stream of spam and requests from an endless array of politicians and political organizations. But the GOP fundraising emails — usually the loudest …

Discussion: Raw Story, Politico and CNN

Eugene Daniels / Politico:

Her great-grandmother survived the Tulsa Race Massacre. She wants Biden to embrace reparations. — BLACK WALL STREET, TULSA, Okla. — One hundred years after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Anneliese Bruner walked into the wine cellar of The Chalkboard restaurant in the city where it all took place.

Discussion: The Federalist, Rolling Stone and Associated Press

New York Times:
Disputing Racism's Reach, Republicans Rattle American Schools

Discussion: Washington Post and Daily Kos

David Johns / The Hill:
Critical race theory is under attack

Discussion: Insider, Just Security and Jewish Journal

Politico:

Republicans fear Trump will lead to a ‘lost generation’ of talent — As Donald Trump ponders another presidential bid, top Republicans have grown fearful about what they're calling the party's “lost generation.” — In conversations with more than 20 lawmakers, ex-lawmakers, top advisers and aides …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, Alternet.org, BizPac Review, Crooks and Liars and New York Times

Eric Boehlert / PRESS RUN:
It's not Trump's “grip” on GOP that's driving its descent into madness

Discussion: The Progressive Pulse, CNN, Alternet.org and Crooks and Liars, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

Anthony Fauci's pandemic emails: ‘All is well despite some crazy people in this world’ — Fauci's correspondence from March and April 2020, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, offers a peek into his world during the frantic early days of the coronavirus crisis

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Raw Story

Bloomberg:

Meat Plant Closures Are Spreading After a Cyberattack on JBS — Some U.S. shifts canceled for Tuesday, Facebook posts show — Sunday attack forced JBS to shut down some IT systems — A cyberattack on JBS SA, the world's largest meat producer, has forced the shutdown …

Discussion: Yahoo Finance, USA Today, RedState, Gizmodo, NBC Bay Area, New York Post and Raw Story

Reuters:

In pictures: Bank Holiday Monday brings hottest day of the year — People headed to beaches, parks and pub gardens to enjoy the sunshine as the Bank Holiday weekend brought the warmest weather of the year and blue skies for much of the UK. — Monday saw the hottest day of the year so far …

New York Times:

Global Shortages During Coronavirus Reveal Failings of Just in Time Manufacturing — Global shortages of many goods reflect the disruption of the pandemic combined with decades of companies limiting their inventories. — In the story of how the modern world was constructed …

New York Times:

Obama Sees Hope in Changes Under Biden — The former president also discusses aliens, winning over Trump voters and three of his favorite books. — Back to The Ezra Klein Show — More episodes of — The Ezra Klein Show — Violent Crime Is Spiking. Do Liberals Have an Answer?

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Breitbart and CD Media

Haley Britzky / Task & Purpose:

Army officer running for Congress under investigation after questioning whether ‘sleepy guy’ Biden is president — The Army is investigating a reserve officer who used photos of himself in uniform in an ad for his congressional campaign, conducted a campaign interview in uniform …

Discussion: Insider and Mediaite

The White House:

FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Build Black Wealth and Narrow the Racial Wealth Gap … One hundred years ago, the thriving Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as “Black Wall Street,” was ruthlessly attacked by a violent white supremacist mob.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Times, Fox News, Politico and Insider

Politico:

Put Trump on the ballot in '22? No thanks, some Dems say — As Donald Trump cannonballs back into national headlines more scandal-ridden than ever, it turns out that Republicans aren't the only ones who don't want to fixate on the former president. Many House Democrats feel the same way.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and The American Spectator

Kate Julian / The Atlantic:

America Has a Drinking Problem — Few things are more American than drinking heavily. But worrying about how heavily other Americans are drinking is one of them. — The Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock because, the crew feared, the Pilgrims were going through the beer too quickly.

CBS News:

Partner of fallen Capitol officer Brian Sicknick “disgusted” by senators who stopped January 6 commission — Gladys Sicknick, the mother of Brian Sicknick — the U.S. Capitol police officer who died after supporters of former President Trump stormed the building on January 6 — said her final interaction with her son was brief.

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Raw Story

Kayla Epstein / Insider:

Low-paid Capitol Hill staffers are moonlighting for Starbucks and Door Dash. They're fed up with unlivable salaries that hinder diversity and kneecap careers. — Hill staffers have put up with low wages for years. Some start in the high $20,000s. — Powerful Congress members …

Discussion: Insider

Washington Post:

Amazon warehouse workers suffer serious injuries at higher rates than other firms. Critics blame productivity pressure. — A Washington Post analysis of Occupational Safety and Health Administration data shows Amazon's serious injury rates are nearly double those at warehouses run by other companies.

more at Techmeme »

Daniel Greenfield / Front Page Magazine:

The Democrat Model for the Future is the Worst City in America — The only things going up are murder rates, STDs and electric car chargers. — Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.

Thomas Beaumont / Associated Press:

‘Past the point of no return’? Iowa Dems feel hopes fading — KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — Democrats lost last year's election for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District by the narrowest margin in a House race in almost 40 years. After the six-vote heartbreaker, some expected Democrat Rita Hart …

Allahpundit / HotAir:

Tucker Carlson opens Memorial Day show by denigrating the military — “Our military at times does not seem interested in protecting the country,” Carlson noted, on a weekend when public personalities and elected officials were under the microscope for messaging before and during the holiday weekend.

Discussion: Mediaite and Crooks and Liars

Wall Street Journal:

The Southwest Is America's New Factory Hub. ‘Cranes Everywhere.’ — Five states in the region accounted for 30% of U.S. job growth in manufacturing over three years, adding more than 100,000 jobs — Companies producing everything from steel to electric cars are planning and building …

Tucker Higgins / CNBC:

Supreme Court will soon release a potentially pivotal decision for LGBT rights — The Supreme Court is expected to release a decision in the coming days that could provide the first glimpses of how its 6-3 conservative majority will shape the future of LGBT rights.

Discussion: Reason and Political Wire

Jake Lahut / Insider:

Trump is telling people he thinks he'll be ‘reinstated’ as president in August, according to a report — Former President Donald Trump is reportedly floating another idea about unlawfully taking power. — Trump is said to have echoed a far-right conspiracy theory that he'll be “reinstated.”

Discussion: The Root

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:

CNN Ramps Up Streaming Push as Discovery Merger Looms — Service, known informally as CNN+, to feature new shows from anchors including Don Lemon and Anderson Cooper — CNN's plans for a new streaming service are coming into focus as the cable network's parent company prepares to merge with Discovery Inc.

Discussion: The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

DW.COM:

Belarus enacts new rules restricting citizens from leaving — Minsk's border agency has announced new rules that will make it nearly impossible to leave the country. As citizens attempt to flee Belarus, longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko appears to be closing all the exits.

New York Post:

Hunter Biden's laptop keeps damning Joe, but most media just ignore it — Hunter Biden's laptop continues to yield damning information that shows his dad, President Joe Biden, played a significant and knowing role in his son's sleazy influence-peddling. And while the media efforts to pretend …

Discussion: Washington Examiner