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1:15 PM ET, December 24, 2021

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
David Shepardson / Reuters:
Exclusive: U.S. to lift travel curbs on eight African countries  —  The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month over concerns about the fast-spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant, the White House said Friday.
RELATED:
Christopher Hutton / Washington Examiner:
US to lift travel restrictions on eight African countries  —  The United States will lift restrictions on most air travelers from eight southern African nations before the end of the year, reversing the move meant to curb the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19.
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Biden to lift travel restrictions on southern African countries  —  Public health experts had pushed the administration to lift the measures, which went into effect Nov. 29, citing omicron's broad spread internationally as well as inside the United States.  —  President Joe Biden …
Ashraf Khalil / Associated Press:   US to lift omicron-linked travel ban on southern Africa
Cheryl Teh / Insider:
Fringe factions of MAGA world are imploding after Trump publicly advocated for the COVID-19 jab  — The fringe factions of the right wing erupted in anger after Trump lauded the COVID-19 vaccines.  — Figures from Alex Jones to Ali Alexander swiftly rebuked Trump for his pro-vaccine stance.
Discussion: The Daily Beast and Alternet.org
RELATED:
Tim Dickinson / Rolling Stone:
MAGA Diehards Melt Down Over Trump's Pro-Vax Push
Discussion: Political Flare
Alex Griffing / Mediaite:
MAGA Cartoonist Ben Garrison Turns on Trump After Pro-Vaccine Comments
Jeff Stein / Washington Post:
Manchin told White House he would support version of tax on billionaires  —  His offer comes as fellow a Democrat, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, raises new concerns, illustrating that the party has work to do  —  Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) told the White House last week that he would support …
Ed Pilkington / The Guardian:
Report shows the extent of Republican efforts to sabotage democracy  —  Research identifies at least 262 bills were introduced in 41 states this year with the intent to hijack the election process  —  The Republican assault on free and fair elections instigated by Donald Trump is gathering pace …
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
White House reporters ask for virtual press briefings during the latest covid surge  —  With a fierce new variant of the coronavirus on the loose, White House reporters are urging press secretary Jen Psaki to move her daily briefings online — but it's an idea Psaki has been cool to so far.
Washington Post:
Thompson says Jan. 6 committee focused on Trump's hours of silence during attack, weighing criminal referrals  —  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is focusing intently on Donald Trump's actions that day as it begins to discuss whether to recommend …
RELATED:
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
In bid for Jan. 6 secrecy, Trump asks Supreme Court for help
Greg Myre / NPR:
How the Soviet Union's collapse explains the current Russia-Ukraine tension  —  On Christmas Day 1991, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sat down at a table deep inside the Kremlin and prepared to deliver a monumental speech.  Associated Press reporter Alan Cooperman was among the few journalists allowed in.
Discussion: New York Times
RELATED:
New York Times:
Putin Demands Quick Answers on Russian Security Concerns
CNN:
New January 6 video shows three hours of violent and chaotic assault on police  —  Capitol Police officer: Trump supporters are being lied to  —  (CNN)The Justice Department this week released a three-hour video of a battle between rioters and the police at the US Capitol Building on January 6 …
Los Angeles Times:
14-year-old girl in dressing room of Burlington fatally shot by LAPD  —  In an incident the police chief called “devastating and tragic,” an LAPD officer fatally shot a teenage girl at a Burlington clothing store during a chaotic confrontation that also left a suspect dead and another person injured.
Paula Reid / CNN:
Giuliani associate Bernard Kerik plans to publicly release some documents requested by January 6 committee  —  Reporter: Records would be key to see Trump's activity prior to Jan. 6  —  Washington (CNN)Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik says he is planning to publicly release …
Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Raw Story
Missouri Independent:
Uncounted: Inaccurate death certificates across the country hide the true toll of COVID-19  —  Some counties, like Cape Girardeau, have seen a spike in deaths that aren't attributed to COVID-19.  Many of them, blamed on natural causes, are likely from the coronavirus
Politico:
Say it ain't Joe: Manchin's not the only big hurdle left for Biden's megabill  —  The Senate parliamentarian, a little-known nonpartisan rules referee, still has the power to ax big portions of the $1.7 trillion social spending plan.  —  Democrats are still courting the one person powerful enough …
Discussion: Raw Story and NBC News
Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:
Joe Manchin's ‘Scaled-Back’ Framework May Be Better Than It Sounds  —  Prioritizing certain initiatives over others is hard, but that could be what it takes to save Build Back Better.  —  It looks like negotiations over President Joe Biden's Build Back Better legislation are only mostly dead …
Nathan Layne / Reuters:
Two Georgia poll workers sue One America News, Giuliani over debunked fraud claims  —  Two Georgia election workers who were the target of vote-rigging conspiracy theories have sued the far-right One America News Network, its top executives, and former President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Rudy Giuliani …
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
A 19-year-old has been charged in the carjacking of U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, police say.  Four other teens were also arrested  —  A 19-year-old from Wilmington, Del., was charged in federal court Thursday with participating in Wednesday's gunpoint carjacking of U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon …
Discussion: UPI and Delaware State Police
RELATED:
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
The Navy SEALs, a Christmas story  —  It might seem like a stretch to view the Navy SEALs, among the most fearsome warriors on the planet, as a Christmas story of humility and renewal, but let me explain.  —  Two years ago, the SEALs were near rock bottom.
Washington Post:
Pregnancy apps have become a battleground of vaccine misinformation  —  How the What To Expect site managed to clean up its big anti-vaccine problem  —  For generations of parents, Heidi Murkoff's 1984 pregnancy guide “What to Expect When You're Expecting” has been a trusty companion …
Maria Godoy / NPR:
With omicron, you need a mask that means business  —  With another coronavirus variant racing across the U.S., once again, health authorities are urging people to mask up indoors.  Yes, you've heard it all before.  But given how contagious omicron is, experts say, it's seriously time to upgrade …
Discussion: BizPac Review, Twitchy and Reuters
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 More Items: 
Grace Hauck / USA Today:
Former police officer Kim Potter found guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright's death
Danusha Goska / Front Page Magazine:
‘Christmas’ Lights or ‘Holiday’ Lights?
Tyler Olson / Fox News:
State legislators, voters sue Maryland over allegedly gerrymandered congressional map helping Democrats
Discussion: National Review and Baltimore Sun
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
This Christmas, Republicans are giving themselves congressional seats for life
Discussion: CBS News
Amanda Mull / The Atlantic:
The Great Shoplifting Freak-Out
Alessa Dominguez / BuzzFeed News:
The Culture Wars Aren't Real. The People They Hurt Are.
Discussion: Twitchy
Washington Post:
‘Burn it all down’  —  How Myanmar's military razed villages to crush a growing resistance
 Earlier Items: 
Michelle Hackman / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Will Waive In-Person Interviews for H-1B, Other Work Visas
Valerie Bonk / WTOP News:
DC had largest percentage drop in population in nation
Discussion: Breitbart
Sarah Ellison / Washington Post:
A year ago, Fox News considered a breakup with Trump. 2021 changed those plans.
Discussion: Mediaite
Davis Winkie / Army Times:
Wave of suicides hits Texas National Guard's border mission
 

 
From Techmeme:

New York Times:
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner says China-linked Salt Typhoon group listened to phone calls and read texts by hacking US telecom networks

Christine Lemmer-Webber / Dustycloud Brainstorms:
ActivityPub co-author on Bluesky and ATProto being neither decentralized nor federated, and how Bluesky is building a good X replacement with a “credible exit”

Financial Times:
Similarweb: Bluesky app usage in the US and UK grew ~300% to 3.5M DAUs after Nov. 5; Threads now has 1.5x Bluesky's DAUs in the US, down from 5x before Nov. 5

 
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