Top Items:
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Tucker Carlson sought Putin interview at time of spying claim — Tucker Carlson was talking to U.S.-based Kremlin intermediaries about setting up an interview with Vladimir Putin shortly before the Fox News host accused the National Security Agency of spying on him, sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios.
Discussion:
Washington Post, emptywheel, National Review, RedState, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, RealClearPolitics, Raw Story, BizPac Review, Alternet.org, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Deadline, New York Post, The Hill, The Wrap, Insider, Ace of Spades HQ, Mediaite, Power Line, Fox Business, Summit News, POLITICUSUSA, YouTube, Townhall, HotAir, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze and VICE, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Paul Sperry / RealClearInvestigations:
Naming the Capitol Police Officer Who Killed Unarmed Jan. 6 Rioter Ashli Babbitt — At top, pistol drawn in the House chamber, a plainclothes black officer who fits the description of Michael L. Byrd. His name was apparently divulged at a hearing as the cop who shot Ashli Babbitt.
Discussion:
Forbes, The American Independent, Townhall, Insider, The Gateway Pundit and BizPac Review
RELATED:
Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed News:
Trump's Social Media Lawsuits Feature A Mashup Of Arguments Courts Have Already Rejected — WASHINGTON — Former president Donald Trump's latest attempt at getting back on mainstream social media platforms came in the form of lawsuits on Wednesday against Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube …
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, Alternet.org, The National Interest, Raw Story, The Atlantic and Crooks and Liars
RELATED:
Paul Waldman / Washington Post:
Trump's latest ridiculous lawsuit shows how small he has become
Trump's latest ridiculous lawsuit shows how small he has become
Discussion:
Raw Story, NBC News, Vox, One America News Network, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Newsbusters, Fox News and YouTube, more at Mediagazer »
Alexis Nowicki / Slate:
I've Always Suspected “Cat Person” Was Based on My Life. Now I Know It Was.
— Kristen Roupenian's viral story draws specific details from my own life. I've spent the years since it published wondering: How did she know? — One night in December of 2017, I saw Call Me by Your Name …
PRRI:
The 2020 Census of American Religion — THE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE IN 2020 — The American Religious Landscape in 2020 — According to PRRI's 2020 American Values Atlas, seven in ten Americans (70%) identify as Christian, including more than four in ten who identify as white Christian …
Discussion:
Boing Boing and Blue Virginia
RELATED:
Jack Jenkins / Religion News Service:
Survey: White mainline Protestants outnumber white evangelicals, while ‘nones’ shrink — Hundreds gathered at Times Square for an interfaith Shabbat lighting ceremony in late 2017 to celebrate religious diversity. Photo courtesy of Abe's Eats — (RNS) — White Christian decline has slowed.
Tessa Weinberg / Missouri Independent:
‘Surge response team’ arrives in Missouri amid COVID spike caused by Delta variant — As federal officials land in Missouri at the request of the state to assist with combatting a wave of new COVID cases spurred by the Delta variant, Gov. Mike Parson publicly rebuffed outreach strategies President Joe Biden touted.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Alabama Political Reporter, New York Times and ABC17NEWS
RELATED:
Politico:
Delta variant said to be far more widespread than federal estimates
Delta variant said to be far more widespread than federal estimates
Discussion:
HotAir, Insider, CNN, Common Dreams and New York Times
David Wenner / PennLive:
COVID-19 vaccine rollout fast enough to save nearly 300,000, study says
COVID-19 vaccine rollout fast enough to save nearly 300,000, study says
Discussion:
Commonwealth Fund, The Guardian and POLITICUSUSA
Ashish K. Jha / The Boston Globe:
Masking indoors in the age of the Delta variant
Masking indoors in the age of the Delta variant
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Iowa Capital Dispatch and Los Angeles Times
Richard L. Hasen / Slate:
The Supreme Court's Latest Voting Rights Opinion Is Even Worse Than It Seems — It's been almost a week since the Supreme Court issued its most significant ruling on voting rights in nearly a decade, and each time I read Justice Samuel Alito's majority opinion in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the angrier I become.
Discussion:
Insider, The Atlantic, Raw Story and New Republic
RELATED:
New York Times:
Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg's Partnership Did Not Survive Trump — The company they built is wildly successful. But her Washington wisdom didn't hold up, and neither did their close working relationship. — Sheryl Sandberg knew she'd be asked about the attacks on the Capitol.
Discussion:
Insider, more at Techmeme »
Tim Miller / The Bulwark:
Gettr by the Pu$$y — [Note: This article includes sexually explicit language and a gross screenshot from Gettr users.] — Ahhh, internet forum moderation policy debates. — Right-wing politicians and pundits will have you believe that their victimization at the hands of overzealous online censors …
Discussion:
Boing Boing
Washington Post:
Conservative groups mount opposition to increase in IRS budget, threatening White House infrastructure plan — The new funding is supposed to be a cornerstone of a bipartisan deal negotiated by the White House and moderate senators — Conservative political groups are mobilizing …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Raw Story and Balloon Juice
RELATED:
Sion Bell / American Prospect:
One Weird Trick to Force Billionaires to Pay Taxes
One Weird Trick to Force Billionaires to Pay Taxes
Discussion:
Alternet.org
Matt Viser / Washington Post:
Deal of the art: White House grapples with ethics of Hunter Biden's pricey paintings — White House officials have helped craft an agreement under which purchases of Hunter Biden's artwork — which could be listed at prices as high as $500,000 — will be kept confidential from even the artist himself …
Discussion:
Fox News, CNBC, Insider, The Hill, National Review, New York Post and Twitchy
David Fahrenthold / Washington Post:
Trump charged Secret Service nearly $10,200 in May for agents' rooms — Former president Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster, N.J., charged the Secret Service nearly $10,200 for guest rooms used by his protective detail during Trump's first month at the club this summer, newly released spending records show.
Discussion:
Insider, The Moderate Voice, POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story
Molly Ball / TIME:
Breakfast with J.D. Vance, Anti-Trump Author Turned Pro-Trump Candidate — “I'm not just a flip-flopper, I'm a flip-flop-flipper on Trump,” J.D. Vance says with a laugh, slicing into a half-stack of breakfast pancakes. The Hillbilly Elegy author and newly minted Republican Senate candidate …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Insider and NBC News
RELATED:
Mike Allen / Axios:
2022's one race to watch
2022's one race to watch
Discussion:
Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Cincinnati.com
NBC News:
Collapsed Florida tower could have been repaired faster under repealed law, experts say … SURFSIDE, Fla. — Late last year, after years of delays and disputes, the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association began a desperate search for $16.2 million to fix major structural damage …
Discussion:
CNBC and The Guardian
RELATED:
Mary Ellen Klas / Miami Herald:
DeSantis: Surfside condo ‘had problems from the start,’ won't commit to statewide review
DeSantis: Surfside condo ‘had problems from the start,’ won't commit to statewide review
Discussion:
The Hill, Joe.My.God., Alternet.org and The Daily Caller
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
The Jolt: Buddy Carter's waiting game has a name, ‘Herschel Walker’ — U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter is not just considering a bid for U.S. Senate, he's actively preparing for it — but only if Herschel Walker decides not to get into the race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock …
RELATED:
Maggie Fox / CNN:
Coronavirus almost certainly came from an animal, not a lab leak, top scientists argue — US intelligence working on report about Covid-19 origins — (CNN)The coronavirus pandemic almost certainly originated from an animal, probably at a wildlife market in China, and not from a laboratory leak …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Zenodo and National Review
Ilana Kaplan / New York Times:
‘Legally Blonde’ Oral History: From Raunchy Script to Feminist Classic — Along the way, adult zingers were edited out, Jennifer Coolidge struggled with the “bend and snap” and the ending was changed at least three times. — In 2001, Reese Witherspoon was already on her way to becoming a household name.
Discussion:
Insider
Joseph Cox / VICE:
We Got the Phone the FBI Secretly Sold to Criminals — ‘Anom’ phones used in an FBI honeypot are mysteriously showing up on the secondary market. We bought one. — Joseph Cox — The sleek, black phone seems perfectly normal. — Unlocking the Google Pixel 4a with a PIN code reveals …
Wall Street Journal:
Afghan Translators Will Await Admission to U.S. in Other Countries, Officials Say — Thousands who helped U.S. forces will be moved by the end of August to other countries, pending admission to the U.S., officials say — WASHINGTON—President Biden is expected to announce a series of updates …
Ari Berman / Mother Jones:
Texas Is the Hardest State to Vote In. It Could Soon Get Much Harder. — Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters. — Beto O'Rourke is once again crisscrossing the state of Texas …
Discussion:
Houston Chronicle, CNN, CBS News and The Western Journal
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Strict Social Distancing in the U.S. Dwindles to 18% — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fewer than one in five Americans (18%) now say they are completely or mostly isolating themselves from nonhousehold members, a marker of strict social distancing that peaked at 75% near the onset of the pandemic last April.
Discussion:
Forbes, The Daily Caller and The Hill
Emily Singer / The American Independent:
Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee admits to hiding extreme abortion views to win election — Glenn Youngkin said he won't talk publicly about some of his more severe positions on abortion because that 'won't win my independent votes that I have to get.' — Virginia's Republican nominee …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Political Wire and Blue Virginia
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Arizona Republic:
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs asks Attorney General Mark Brnovich to investigate possible election interference by Donald Trump, allies — Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on Wednesday asked Attorney General Mark Brnovich to open a criminal investigation into possible efforts …
Discussion:
CBS News, Raw Story, The American Independent, Alternet.org, The Hill, Joe.My.God. and Insider
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Disgraced Trump foe Michael Avenatti faces sentencing for Nike extortion scheme — Michael Avenatti faces sentencing in New York for a scheme to extort athletic apparel giant Nike out of up to $25 million. — The attorney became a leading foe of then-President Donald Trump and Trump's …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and MyNorthwest.com
Natalie Jackson / FiveThirtyEight:
Whether Republicans Get Vaccinated Has A Lot To Do With If They Watch Fox News ... Or OANN — It's no secret that Republicans really distrust the media. In fact, that distrust is increasingly an important part of their political identity. — For a long time, understanding …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Michael C. Bender / Wall Street Journal:
Inside Donald Trump's Last Days in the White House and Plans for a Comeback — The president's effort to overturn the election alienated much of his inner circle—but solidified his dominance of the GOP. Now he's planning his return. — On the morning of Nov. 7, 2020 …
Discussion:
Raw Story and How To Live BULLSHIT-FREE
Virginia Myers / AFT News:
Anti-racist education benefits all of us — Ibram X. Kendi is one of the most recognized, most popular thought leaders in the anti-racist movement that has swept the nation over the last few years. On July 7, he joined the AFT's TEACH conference to talk about how his work—from his bestselling …