memeorandum: Cuba allows small and medium-sized private businesses (BBC)

6:55 AM ET, August 8, 2021

Top Items:

Katie Benner / New York Times:

Former Acting Attorney General Testifies About Trump's Efforts to Subvert Election — The testimony highlights the former president's desire to batter the Justice Department into advancing his personal agenda. — WASHINGTON — Jeffrey A. Rosen, who was acting attorney general during …

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN, HuffPost and The Hill

Jordain Carney / The Hill:

GOP senator vows to slow-walk $1T infrastructure bill, sparking standoff — A standoff over the roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill is poised to drag out the Senate's debate for days, with GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty (Tenn.) vowing he will block attempts to speed up passage of the legislation.

Discussion: Roll Call and Joe.My.God.

New York Times:
For G.O.P., Infrastructure Bill Is a Chance to Inch Away From Trump

Discussion: CNBC, The Colorado Sun, Associated Press, Reuters, Raw Story and The Hill

Politico:
Senate infrastructure bill slowed in last lap by lone Republican

Discussion: Associated Press, Reuters, Washington Post, New York Times, Common Dreams, RedState, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

Celine Castronuovo / The Hill:
Trump slams McConnell, infrastructure package: ‘A disgrace’

Discussion: Slate, UPI, ABC News and Raw Story

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
$1T infrastructure bill passes key test vote

Discussion: UPI, Townhall and CNN

Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
Senate advances $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill

Discussion: NBC News, Politico, National Review and NPR

Bob Brigham / Raw Story:

Jim Acosta returns from vacation to blast Fox News host: ‘Sounds like Tucker hates America’ — CNN's Jim Acosta returned from vacation on Saturday and ripped Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for praising fascist Hungarian authoritarian Viktor Orbán, saying it “sounds like Tucker hates America.”

YouTube:

The world according to Tucker Carlson @ #MCCFESZT2021 in Esztergom, Hungary 🇭🇺 — Tucker talks about his 1 week in Hungary and how we should value, God, Family & Country before we lose them and our freedom with ithttps://mccfeszt.hu/en/pro...

New York Times:
Conservative Fellow Travelers: Tucker Carlson Drops In On Viktor Orban

Discussion: unz.com, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Outside the Beltway and Salon

Meryl Kornfield / Washington Post:

Husband-wife Seattle police officers fired for being at Capitol riot — After an investigation concluded that two Seattle police officers stood by the U.S. Capitol as rioters invaded the building on Jan. 6, the two lost their jobs Friday. — The officers, Alexander Everett and Caitlin Everett …

Discussion: SPD Blotter, The Hill and Insider

Jonathan Capehart / Washington Post:

The deplorable treatment of Michael Fanone and the heroes of Jan. 6 — The violent scene on the west front of the Capitol captured in a photo taken on Jan. 6 by Shannon Stapleton of Reuters is haunting. In it you see the anguished face of D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone …

Blake Montgomery / The Daily Beast:

Anti-Vax Radio Host Who Called Fauci a ‘Power Tripping Lying Freak’ Dies of COVID — On his deathbed, Dick Farrel changed his tune, telling his friends to get vaccinated. — A anti-vaccine right-wing radio host in West Palm Beach, Florida died Wednesday from COVID-19 complications.

Discussion: Variety, Slate, Insider, Crooks and Liars, The Hill and WPTV

Wall Street Journal:

Highly Vaccinated States Keep Worst Covid-19 Outcomes in Check as Delta Spreads, WSJ Analysis Shows — Variant has driven up U.S. cases, but hospitalizations and deaths have risen more slowly in areas with more vaccinations — Every state with a higher hospitalization rate than the country overall has a lower vaccination rate.

New York Times:

The Taliban seize Kunduz, a major city in northern Afghanistan. — KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban seized the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said. It is the first major city to be overtaken by the insurgents since they began their sweeping military offensive in May.

Discussion: One America News Network, Political Wire and Axios

Washington Post:

In public, Cuomo cast himself as an advocate of women. In private, women say, he was harassing them at the same time. — On Aug. 12, 2019, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a law that made it easier for women in his state to win claims of sexual harassment at work, a problem he described as an …

Discussion: NPR

Ed Pilkington / The Guardian: How Cuomo went from #MeToo ally to a one-man battle to discredit women

New York Times: How Cuomo Took Advantage of #MeToo

Murtaza Hussain / The Intercept:

Secret Donors to Nonprofit Pushing Trump's “Big Lie” Election Conspiracy Revealed … An organization linked to a major hub of efforts to undermine the credibility of the 2020 U.S. presidential election was funded to the tune of millions of dollars by several right-wing donors, according to a tax document obtained by The Intercept.

Peter Wade / Rolling Stone:

Die Hard Trump Supporters Increasingly Demand Violence If He Isn't Reinstated, Homeland Security Warns — “Conspiracy theories associated with reinstating former President Trump have included calls for violence if desired outcomes are not realized,” a bulletin sent to states from the Department of Homeland Security said

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Joe.My.God. and The Hill

New York Times:

As Democrats Seethed, White House Struggled to Contain Eviction Fallout — The president was surprised by the reaction to the White House's decision to ask Congress to extend an eviction ban, leading to a 36-hour scramble to keep people in their homes. — WASHINGTON — By the time President …

Discussion: Politico, Reason and The Boston Globe

BBC:

Cuba allows small and medium-sized private businesses — Cuba's communist government has legalised small and medium-sized private businesses in the wake of mass anti-government protests last month. — Under the new rules, enterprises with up to 100 employees will be allowed.

Associated Press:

Texas Democrats continue holdout, don't show for new session — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats still refused to return to the state Capitol Saturday as Gov. Greg Abbott began a third attempt at passing new election laws, prolonging a monthslong standoff that ramped up in July …

Discussion: Associated Press and The Hill

Andrew Court / Daily Mail:
Runaway Texas Democrats file lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott for ‘damaging their reputations’ …

Discussion: RedState and Twitchy

James Barragán / The Texas Tribune:
Democrats who fled Texas sue Gov. Greg Abbott, Speaker Dade Phelan, saying efforts to force their return violate their civil rights