memeorandum: Dems hire Riggleman to serve as adviser to Jan. 6 committee (Olivia Beavers/Politico)

3:25 AM ET, August 7, 2021

Top Items:

CNN:

Former Republican congressman to join staff of January 6 committee — (CNN)Former Rep. Denver Riggleman is joining the staff of the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, the third Republican that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has added to the panel …

Discussion: Associated Press and Forbes

Olivia Beavers / Politico:

Dems hire Riggleman to serve as adviser to Jan. 6 committee — The former GOP lawmaker, who was endorsed by then-President Donald Trump last cycle, brings a background in intelligence and online extremism to the panel. — House Democrats have hired former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman to serve …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post and The Hill

ABC News: Jan. 6 select committee hires former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman as adviser

Select Committee to Investigate …: Thompson Announces Additional Select Committee Senior Staff Members

Bloomberg: Ex-GOP Representative Riggleman to Join Jan. 6 Panel Staff

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:

As Covid Surges in Florida, DeSantis Refuses to Change Course — A virus spike connected to the Delta variant has led to a record number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis has not altered his approach, for better or worse. — MIAMI — Gov. Ron DeSantis …

Discussion: CBS News, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, WINK NEWS, New York Post and The Daily Signal

Dean Obeidallah / MSNBC:

Why Ron DeSantis is more dangerous than Trump — There should be a special place in hell — or potentially in prison — for politicians who put their political goals ahead of the health and safety of our children. That is exactly what Gov. Ron DeSantis is doing in Florida with the executive order …

Discussion: Daily Kos, RedState and Mediaite

CNN:
DeSantis' cynical move on Covid-19

Discussion: Washington Post, Human Events, Tampa Bay Times and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Brittany McIntosh / WSVN-TV:
Florida Board of Education approves private school vouchers for families unhappy with mask mandates

Discussion: Orlando Weekly, Politico, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, CBS Miami and The Hill

Annie Karni / New York Times:

Obama Birthday Party: Who's Still Invited? — The former president scaled back the guest list for his party on Martha's Vineyard. Who's in and who's out? — Jay-Z and Beyoncé were still in, as of Friday. — David Axelrod and Larry David were out.

Discussion: New York Post, TMZ.com, Insider, Daily Mail, Consequence and Twitchy

Rachel Olding / The Daily Beast:

Larry David Was Invited, Then Uninvited, to Obama's 60th Birthday Bash — TO THE CURB — Former President Barack Obama was forced this week to aggressively trim the guestlist for his 60th birthday bash in light of surging cases of the Delta coronavirus variant.

Jonathan Edwards / Washington Post:

A Black Army vet toured a house with his real estate agent and teen. Police surrounded the home and handcuffed them. — As a police officer turned Roy Thorne around to cuff his hands behind his back, the 45-year-old father saw the same happening to his 15-year-old son.

Discussion: TheGrio

Courtney Cronin / ESPN:

Hometown hospital cuts ties with Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins over vaccine comments — EAGAN, Minn. — A day after Kirk Cousins doubled down on his stance regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, a hospital Cousins partners with in his hometown of Holland, Michigan, cut ties with the Minnesota Vikings quarterback.

Discussion: WCCO | CBS Minnesota

CNN:

How a Trump environmental lawyer tried to weaponize the Justice Department to help the President — Jeffrey Clark, a Donald Trump-appointed environment law chief at the Justice Department at the center of the former President's efforts to overturn the election, received a high-level intelligence …

Discussion: Insider, Raw Story, Mediaite and Election Law Blog

Norman J. Ornstein / New York Times:

Don't Be Fooled By Mitch McConnell's Sudden Bout of Bipartisanship — Mr. Ornstein has written more than 10 books about American politics. He convened the bipartisan group of scholars and thinkers who laid out the framework for the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.

Discussion: Raw Story and CNN

Alex Pareene / New York Times:
A Pyrrhic Victory in a Broken Senate

Discussion: Associated Press

Miami Herald:

Florida COVID: 22,783 cases added, highest daily count — Florida reported a record 22,783 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, its highest single-day case count since the pandemic began last year as the state continues record-breaking hospitalizations for the fifth straight day in a row.

Discussion: HuffPost, CNN, Associated Press, The Hill and Forbes

Mary Jo Pitzl / Arizona Republic:

Arizona state Sen. Tony Navarrete accused of 7 felony charges involving sexual conduct with 2 teens — State Sen. Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete is facing seven felony counts involving allegations of sexual conduct with two teenagers, which would add up to a minimum of 49 years in prison if he were convicted.

Discussion: KNXV, FOX 10 Phoenix, TheBlaze and Twitchy

Mary Jo Pitzl / Arizona Republic:
Democratic state Sen. Tony Navarrete arrested on suspicion of sex with minor

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, USA Today and Political Wire

Heather Mac Donald / spectatorworld.com:

The new COVID hysteria contagious among conservatives — Many on the right are ignoring these facts — A healthcare worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination event at the FTX Arena in Miami (Getty) — Until recently, progressive elites had cornered the market in COVID irrationality.

Timothy Bella / Washington Post:

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally revs up, drawing thousands and heightening delta superspreader fears — For the 700,000 people expected to descend on South Dakota's Black Hills for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the slogan for this year's event after a year of pandemic restrictions and lockdowns is: “We're spreading our wings.”

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, The Daily Beast and Daily Kos

T.A. Walker / WPTV:

Vocal anti-vaccine broadcaster dies from COVID-19 complications — Friends say Dick Farrel encouraged them to get the vaccine after he was infected — WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former South Florida talk show host Dick Farrel, known and beloved by fans for his over-the-top right-wing opinions …

Discussion: Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

CNN:

Baby girl with Covid-19 airlifted 150 miles because of Houston hospital bed shortage — (CNN)An 11-month-old girl with Covid-19 is stable and no longer intubated one day she was airlifted to a Texas hospital 150 miles away because of a shortage of pediatric beds in the Houston area.

Discussion: ABC13, Metro.co.uk, The Hill, HotAir and Eschaton

Quinnipiac University Poll:

7 Out Of 10 New York State Voters Say Cuomo Should Resign, Quinnipiac University New York State Poll Finds; 55% Think Cuomo Should Be Charged With A Crime — mail_outline — Just days after the New York Attorney General released a report detailing allegations of sexual harassment …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Daily Caller, Gothamist, New York Post, Townhall, Breitbart, CNBC, Opinion Today, HotAir, Insider, Mediaite and New York Times

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Top Cuomo aide's father lobbied the governor's office earlier this year as probes were ongoing

Discussion: NPR and OpenSecrets.org

Courtney Kube / NBC News:

9/11 families to President Biden: Don't come to our memorial events — Nearly 1,800 Americans directly affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are opposing President Joe Biden's participation in any memorial events this year unless he upholds his pledge to declassify U.S. government evidence …

Discussion: National Review, New York Post, UPI, Boston Herald, Al Jazeera, One America News Network, Mediaite, TheBlaze, Common Dreams, The Western Journal, Washington Examiner, CNBC, Fox News, The Daily Caller and Townhall

Sky Palma / Raw Story:

Lawyer for Ashli Babbitt's family slammed after claiming officer ‘ambushed’ her during Capitol riot — The family of Ashli Babbitt, the woman who participated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and whose shooting death by a Capitol police officer was caught on video …

Discussion: The Western Journal, Trending Politics and Townhall

James T. Areddy / Wall Street Journal:

JP Morgan Wins Permission for Full Control of a Securities Business in China — Wall Street giant gets more market access; can offer a full range of investment and corporate banking, securities services, asset management — JP Morgan Chase & Co. said Friday it was granted permission …

Discussion: Human Events

Washington Post:

Cryptocurrency brawl bogs down infrastructure bill, as Yellen and White House fight changes — Senators are at odds over how to handle taxation related to cryptocurrencies, setting off a fierce lobbying war — The Biden administration is pushing back against a last-minute effort …

Discussion: Financial Times, Washington Free Beacon, New York Magazine, Yahoo Finance, The Intercept, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Verge, CNBC and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »

Financial Times:

China's nanny state: why Xi is cracking down on gaming and private tutors … The additional lessons Wang Gang bought to help his only child prepare for China's rigorous university exam, or gaokao, were not cheap. In addition to group courses from a private education company, he also paid Rmb6,000 …

Cdcmmwr / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Reduced Risk of Reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 After COVID-19 Vaccination — Kentucky, May-June 2021 — Alyson M. Cavanaugh, DPT, PhD1,2; Kevin B. Spicer, MD, PhD2,3; Douglas Thoroughman, PhD2,4; Connor Glick, MS2; Kathleen Winter, PhD2,5 (View author affiliations) — What is already known about this topic?

Discussion: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, UPI and Washington Examiner

Jacob Bogage / Washington Post:

DeJoy maintains financial ties to former company as USPS awards it new $120 million contract — XPO Logistics pays DeJoy and family businesses at least $2.1 million annually to lease four office buildings in North Carolina — The U.S. Postal Service will pay $120 million over the next five years …

Discussion: Raw Story, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, Forbes, NPR and Joe.My.God.

Brentin Mock / Bloomberg:

How Georgia Could Take Over Atlanta's Elections — There have already been several recounts and investigations into the November 2020 election results in Fulton County, Georgia, but none have surfaced any ballot fraud. Now, Georgia lawmakers are starting another investigation into rumored mishaps …

Justice News:

Two Myanmar Citizens Arrested In Plot To Injure Or Kill Myanmar's Ambassador To The United Nations — Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jacqueline Maguire, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau …

Discussion: Insider

Luke Barr / ABC News:

Homeland Security warns of ‘increasing but moderate’ threat of violence from Trump conspiracy — DHS said it has no specific evidence of an imminent plot. — The Department of Homeland Security said Friday they have observed “an increasing but modest level of activity online” …

Discussion: Insider