Top Items:
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Arizona Republic:
Sinema doesn't support Democrats' $3.5T bill, clinches bipartisan infrastructure deal — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema does not support Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget plan that aims to deliver major components of President Joe Biden's economic agenda that Democrats hope to pass after moving …
Discussion:
HotAir, New York Times, The Hill, Mediaite, Breitbart, National Review, RedState, New York Post, CNN, Forbes, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Common Dreams, NBC News, Insider, IJR, Washington Times, Roll Call, Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, NPR, TheBlaze, POLITICUSUSA, CNBC, Patterico's Pontifications, Political Wire, NOQ Report, Twitchy, The Intellectualist and Mock Paper Scissors
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New York Times:
The Infrastructure Plan: What's In and What's Out … Sources: Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget; White House — The infrastructure bill that started moving forward again Wednesday is undeniably large: It calls for new federal spending of about $550 billion, an amount roughly equivalent …
Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Bipartisan infrastructure pact clears key Senate vote after breakthrough in talks — Measure has White House support. Portman, Sinema say all significant disagreements have been resolved around roughly $1 trillion package. — Senate Democrats and Republicans banded together on Wednesday …
Discussion:
USA Today, Townhall, Washington Times and FOX40
Washington Post:
As Trump pushed for probes of 2020 election, he called acting AG Rosen almost daily — President Donald Trump called his acting attorney general nearly every day at the end of last year to alert him to claims of voter fraud or alleged improper vote counts in the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Political Wire
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Politico:
DOJ fires warning shot against ‘unusual’ post-election ballot reviews — The Justice Department on Wednesday issued another warning aimed at states conducting or considering audits of ballots tallied in last year's election, reminding election authorities that allowing ballots to be mishandled can violate federal law.
Jen Fifield / Arizona Republic:
Arizona Senate liaison Ken Bennett says he will resign Wednesday from overseeing election audit — The main person who has been overseeing the Arizona Senate's review of Maricopa County election results said he plans to resign Wednesday. — Ken Bennett, former secretary of state who has served …
Discussion:
The Hill, Arizona Mirror, NBC News, Washington Times and Insider
Washington Post:
The Justice Department sends the right message on the Jan. 6 insurrection
The Justice Department sends the right message on the Jan. 6 insurrection
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Associated Press, Washington Times and Law & Crime
U.S. Department of Justice:
Justice Department Issues Guidance on Federal Statutes Regarding Voting Methods and Post-Election “Audits”
Justice Department Issues Guidance on Federal Statutes Regarding Voting Methods and Post-Election “Audits”
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo and Fox News
Christopher Caldwell / New York Times:
What if There Wasn't a Coup Plot, General Milley?
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Trump allies blame conservative leader for failed Texas endorsement — Susan Wright's defeat in a Republican runoff dealt a blow to Trump's aura of invincibility as a GOP kingmaker.
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, Mock Paper Scissors, CBS News and Dallas Morning News
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Chris Cillizza / CNN:
The dirty little secret about Donald Trump's endorsement — (CNN)To hear Donald Trump tell it, his endorsement is the equivalent to a golden ticket to Congress. — “88 and 2 (really 1) in ENDORSEMENTS this election cycle, and @FoxNews was critical,” he tweeted in June 2020. “Has anyone ever done so well?
Discussion:
UPI, Dallas Morning News and Politico
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Texas loss alarms Trump advisers worried about party clout
Texas loss alarms Trump advisers worried about party clout
Discussion:
Raw Story, Roll Call and FiveThirtyEight
David Morgan / Reuters:
McConnell aims to boost U.S. Republican vaccination rate by countering ‘bad advice’ — U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell blamed misinformation for the low rates of COVID-19 vaccination among Americans, which are fueling a rise in coronavirus cases, particularly in Republican-dominated states.
Discussion:
The Hill, Politico, TheBlaze, Breitbart, HotAir, Gizmodo, HuffPost, POLITICUSUSA, Defense One, New York Post, Insider, The Daily Caller, Mock Paper Scissors and al.com
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Jacqueline Howard / CNN:
Pfizer data suggest third dose of Covid-19 vaccine ‘strongly’ boosts protection against Delta variant — (CNN)A third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can “strongly” boost protection against the Delta variant — beyond the protection afforded by the standard two doses, suggests new data released by Pfizer on Wednesday.
Discussion:
HotAir, The Daily Caller, The Verge, New York Post, CBS Baltimore, CBS Boston, Political Wire and Lucianne
Meridith McGraw / Politico:
Trump tries to sabotage the Biden infrastructure deal — Donald Trump tried and failed to pass an infrastructure bill so many times over the course of his presidency that his attempts were reduced to a punchline. Now out of office, Trump is trying to ensure that his successor, Joe Biden …
Discussion:
Plain Dealer, HotAir, WTOP, Insider, Bangor Daily News, Raw Story, Gingrich 360, The Moderate Voice and POLITICUSUSA
Piers Morgan / Daily Mail:
Sorry Simone Biles, but there's nothing heroic or brave about quitting because you're not having ‘fun’ - you let down your team-mates, your fans and your country — Simone Biles has her own leotard line. — She designed it herself to inspire other athletes all over the world …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Vanity Fair, CNN, New York Post, Jacobin, National Review, Raw Story, Insider, Washington Examiner, USA Today, Vox and Metro.co.uk
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Jim Geraghty / National Review:
The CDC's Unforced Error
The CDC's Unforced Error
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, ESPN and The American Spectator
Eren Orbey / New Yorker:
The Radical Courage of Simone Biles's Exit from the Team USA Olympic Finals
The Radical Courage of Simone Biles's Exit from the Team USA Olympic Finals
Discussion:
Axios, Reason, Columbia Journalism Review, NPR, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, The Federalist, USA Today, NBC Chicago, New York Magazine and insidethegames.biz
Steve Holland / Reuters:
Jared Kushner to leave politics, launch investment firm - sources — Jared Kushner, a top adviser to former President Donald Trump, plans to launch an investment firm in coming months, a move that will take him away from politics for the foreseeable future, sources familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.
Discussion:
CNN, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, World Israel News, Insider, Raw Story and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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Megan Hamilton / Political Flare:
Washington Post Calls On House Select Committee to Subpoena Ivanka Trump for Testimony on Jan. 6
Washington Post Calls On House Select Committee to Subpoena Ivanka Trump for Testimony on Jan. 6
Discussion:
Vanity Fair
Jim Newell / Slate:
Turns Out Mo Brooks Was Wearing Body Armor to Trump's Very Peaceful Jan. 6 Rally — Rep. Mo Brooks may be done with Jan. 6, but Jan. 6 isn't done with him. — The Alabama representative, notorious for his speaking role at the Jan. 6 rally leading up to the invasion of the Capitol …
Steven Monacelli / Dallas Observer:
Who's Behind Dallas Justice Now's 'Don't Send White Kids to Ivy League' Controversy? — As soon as Casie Tomlin found the FedEx envelope in her mailbox, she knew something looked fishy. Inside, a flyer from a group called Dallas Justice Now urged parents in Dallas' wealthy — and largely white …
Discussion:
Fox News, RedState, Crooks and Liars, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Small Dead Animals, The Daily Wire and The Federalist
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Our democracy is under attack. Washington journalists must stop covering it like politics as usual. — Back in the dark ages of 2012, two think-tank scholars, Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, wrote a book called “It's Even Worse Than It Looks” about the rise of Republican Party extremism and its dire effect on American democracy.
Discussion:
CNN, HotAir, The Daily Caller, Compatible Creatures, Hackwhackers, Morning Shots and The Hill
New York Times:
Ben & Jerry's Founders on the Company's Israel Policy — Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield founded Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings in 1978. — We are the founders of Ben & Jerry's. We are also proud Jews. It's part of who we are and how we've identified ourselves for our whole lives.
Discussion:
The Hill, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mediaite, New York Post and Axios
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Byron York's Daily Memo: What Jim Jordan would have said — Welcome to Byron York's Daily Memo newsletter. — Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to receive the newsletter. — WHAT JIM JORDAN WOULD HAVE SAID. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously banned Republican Rep. Jim Jordan …
Discussion:
CNN, Fox News, Latino Rebels and Crooks and Liars
Jemele Hill / The Atlantic:
Gentle Encouragement Wasn't Going to Be Enough — Here's something I almost never say: The NFL is right. — When pro football announced last week that it will impose stiff penalties on teams that experience a COVID-19 outbreak involving unvaccinated players, it exposed a serious vaccination divide among its athletes.
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated, ProFootballTalk, Associated Press, WTOP and Alpha News
Stephen Gutowski / The Reload:
ATF Agents Corroborate Existence of Racial Complaint Against Biden Director Nominee, Fear Reprisals and Hit to Agency Effectiveness — Multiple ATF sources back up the existence of a complaint alleging President Biden's nominee to lead ATF, David Chipman, made racist comments during his previous stint at the agency.
Discussion:
Townhall
Elizabeth Bruenig / The Atlantic:
The New Moral Code of America's Elite — Every striver who ever slipped the rank of their birth to ascend to a higher order has shared the capacity to ingratiate themselves with their betters. What the truly exceptional ones have in common is the ability to connect not only with their superiors …
Ray Sanchez / CNN:
'I don't feel any fear going out.' How residents are living in America's most vaccinated state — Burlington, Vermont (CNN)The sweaty Lindy Hoppers stood in a circle clapping to a hard-driving beat — switching partners and laughing on the ballroom floor of The Champlain Club in Vermont's largest city.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Sky Palma / Raw Story:
Lauren Boebert throws ‘mask in the face of a floor staffer’ as she fumes over ‘totalitarian’ House rules: report — Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert doesn't like masks, as evidenced by her COVID-denialist rhetoric and her history of defying mask mandates in the House chamber.
Discussion:
Breitbart
Gawker:
What Do These People Think About Gawker Coming Back? — If you are reading this, it means Gawker is back. We reached out to some of our favorite writers, artists, policymakers, and billionaires to ask them how that makes them feel. Below are their answers.
Discussion:
New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
New York Magazine:
What If Vaccines Don't Really Stop the Virus From Spreading? — America entered its second pandemic summer full of optimism. Vaccination numbers were strong, and new cases of the coronavirus were plummeting. In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the fully vaccinated …
Discussion:
SFist, Missouri Independent and The Guardian
Emily Jacobs / New York Post:
Don Lemon blasts man who harassed Tucker Carlson in viral video — CNN anchor Don Lemon ripped the man who accosted Tucker Carlson in a Montana fly fishing shop, saying he had no right to invade the Fox News host's “personal space.” — The liberal Lemon offered his surprising take during his CNN program …
Discussion:
HotAir, BizPac Review, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, Townhall and The Hill
Margaret Talev / Axios:
Least persuadable unvaccinated Americans are largely white and Republican — Parents are heavily resistant to the vaccine.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and HotAir
Myah Ward / Politico:
CDC can't stop the spread of mask politics — ‘EMBARRASSING’ — The mask wars are back. — Two members of Congress — Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) — had a tense encounter outside the House chamber after Huffman witnessed Donalds, unmasked, in an elevator …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, The Daily Beast, New York Times and CNN
Damon Linker / The Week:
The intellectual right contemplates an ‘American Caesar’ — Jan. 6 was a badly planned rehearsal for the real deal — How does ideological change happen? Why do certain political ideas and possibilities that appear outrageous and even unthinkable at one moment in history come to be considered options worth taking seriously?