memeorandum: The Cult of Masked Schoolchildren (Vinay Prasad/Tablet Magazine)

2:15 PM ET, January 20, 2022

Top Items:

Hugo Lowell / The Guardian:

Trump held secret meetings in days before Capitol attack, ex-press secretary tells panel — Stephanie Grisham gave more significant details than expected about what Trump was doing before 6 January, sources say — The former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told …

Discussion: HillReporter.com, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Insider and Alternet.org

Tristan Justice / The Federalist:

Only 10 Percent Of J6 Committee Subpoenas Relate To The Capitol Riot — The House Select Committee established to probe the Capitol riot is not interested in probing the Capitol riot. — The House Select Committee established to probe the Capitol riot is not interested in probing the Capitol riot.

Discussion: Select Committee …, Mediaite and Insider

Select Committee to Investigate …:
Select Committee Seeks Information from Ivanka Trump

Discussion: USA Today, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and Rolling Stone

Politico:
Jan. 6 panel will target Ivanka Trump for questioning

Discussion: The Daily Beast, CBS News, Washington Post, Insider and KTLA

Annie Grayer / CNN:
January 6 committee asks Ivanka Trump to talk with them

Discussion: Washington Post, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, ABC News, New York Post, The Guardian and Mother Jones

Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast:
Ex-Press Secretary Tells Capitol Riot Panel: Trump Held ‘Secret Meetings’ Days Before Jan.6

Discussion: Raw Story

Tamar Hallerman / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

BREAKING: Fulton DA requests special grand jury for Trump probe — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is requesting a special grand jury to aid in her investigation of former President Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

Discussion: New York Times, Insider, Washington Post, TheGrio, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Mock Paper Scissors

Ruy Teixeira / The Liberal Patriot:

How Not to Build a Coalition — The Left's Theory of the Case Falls Apart — It's fair to say that the left of the Democratic party has been in ascendance for some time. You could see it in how candidates positioned themselves during the Democratic primaries.

Discussion: Fox News

Noah Bierman / Los Angeles Times:

Biden is stuck with a divided party — Among President Biden's most valuable political skills has been a knack for planting himself firmly at the ideological center of the Democratic Party, a trait that helped him win elections amid shifting winds over five decades in public life.

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The Filibuster Is Living on Borrowed Time

Discussion: 6abc

Washington Post:
House GOP plots policy agenda for 2022 midterm elections — with help from architect of 1994 plan

Discussion: Mock Paper Scissors, Politico and FiveThirtyEight

Ari Berman / Mother Jones:
GOP States Are Shredding Voting Rights and Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema Are Now Complicit

Discussion: New Republic, Twitchy, Newsweek, The Guardian, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Alternet.org, The Hill, The Message Box, CBS News and The Daily Wire

Ben Jacobs / New York Magazine:
Kyrsten Sinema's Moment of Infamy

Discussion: HotAir, National Review, The Guardian, VTDigger, NewsOne, BizPac Review, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Insider

Associated Press:

Biden approval hits new low at one-year mark: AP-NORC poll — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ends his first year in the White House with a clear majority of Americans for the first time disapproving of his handling of the presidency in the face of an unrelenting pandemic and roaring inflation …

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkPol, Human Events, The Daily Caller, Bangor Daily News, Mediaite, Breitbart, IJR, Political Wire and National Review

Edward Luce / Financial Times:

America is overdosing on the apocalypse — There are grounds to worry about the quality of US democracy but fanatics are a minority — At what point do prophecies become self-fulfilling? Under America's despairing skies the hope has to be never. If you believe the left …

Discussion: Vox

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Mitch McConnell's plan is working — At the one-year mark in President Biden's first term, there's no sugarcoating it: A barrage of new polls are absolutely brutal for him. Surveys from NBC News and the Associated Press both put Biden's approval at 43 percent, and CBS News puts it at 44 percent, in large drops since last summer.

Discussion: National Review, HotAir and Townhall

The White House:
Remarks by President Biden in Press Conference

Mark Murray / NBC News:
Biden ends first year as president with ‘bleak, discouraging’ marks from the public

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, RedState, New York Post, The Hill, Morning Shots and Washington Times

U.S. Department of the Treasury:

Treasury Sanctions Russian-Backed Actors Responsible for Destabilization Activities in Ukraine — WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned four individuals engaged in Russian government-directed influence activities to destabilize Ukraine.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Associated Press, CNBC, Insider, United States Department …, Bloomberg, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Politico, CNN and The White House

Washington Post:
Russia's military is again on the move, adding pressure on Ukraine as invasion fears grow

Discussion: CNBC, Insider, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Defense One, Foreign Policy and WTOP News

Vivian Salama / Wall Street Journal:
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Says Biden's ‘Minor Incursion’ Comment Underestimates Russia's Intention

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Politico, CNN, NBC News, Washington Free Beacon, Insider, USA Today, Newsletter, Mediaite, The Daily Wire, New York Post, Fox News, Jack's Newsletter, The Guardian and Reuters

Caitlin McFall / Fox News:
Ukraine president pushes back on Biden's choice of words: ‘There are no minor incursions’

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, One America News Network, Washington Times, New York Times, Townhall, The Daily Caller and Insider

Amy B Wang / Washington Post:
Biden insists U.S. won't accept a ‘minor incursion’ by Russia into Ukraine after remarks drew criticism

Discussion: New York Times, Fox News, CNN, Bloomberg, The Hill, Washington Times, New York Post, Kevin Drum, Townhall, One America News Network, The Guardian, Florida Politics, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and Washington Examiner

Washington Post:

As Giuliani coordinated plan for Trump electoral votes in states Biden won, some electors balked — On Dec. 14, 2020, the day of the electoral college vote, Republican electors convened in the capitals of five states that Joe Biden had won. They declared themselves “duly elected and qualified” …

Discussion: Fox News and National Review

Amanda Carpenter / The Bulwark:

The Six Main Strands of the Trump Coup Attempt — Donald Trump's actions to overturn the 2020 election were dedicated, intentional, and sustained over time. The insistent notion that Trump and his allies are “too stupid to coup” should not be reassuring. Like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park …

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Alternet.org and Just Security

NBC News:

CIA says ‘Havana Syndrome’ not result of sustained campaign by hostile power — In a new intelligence assessment, the CIA has ruled out that the mysterious symptoms known as Havana Syndrome are the result of a sustained global campaign by a hostile power aimed at hundreds of U.S. diplomats and spies …

Discussion: HotAir, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Politico, Bulletin, NBC Bay Area and Rolling Stone, more at Mediagazer »

Julian E. Barnes / New York Times:
Most ‘Havana Syndrome’ Cases Unlikely Caused by Foreign Power, C.I.A. Says

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, New York Post, CNN, CBS News, NPR, UPI, CBS Miami, The Daily Wire, Al Jazeera and Raw Story

John Yoon / New York Times:

An American Airlines flight turns back over the Atlantic because of a passenger mask dispute. — An American Airlines flight to London from Miami turned around about an hour into its journey on Wednesday night because of a passenger who refused to follow coronavirus masking rules, the airline said.

Discussion: CBS Miami, The Daily Caller and abc7NY

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:

A Florida public health official is put on leave after emailing his staff to urge vaccination. — Florida's top public health official in Orlando has been placed on administrative leave after sending an email to his employees noting their lackluster coronavirus vaccination rates and urging them to get the shots.

Discussion: Associated Press, CBS Miami, Balloon Juice, The Guardian, WKMG and Washington Examiner

Frank Gluck / News Press: DeSantis administration puts Florida health director on leave for encouraging vaccinations for his staff

Tyler Whetstone / Knoxville News-Sentinel:

Tennessee-based adoption agency refuses to help couple because they're Jewish — A Knoxville couple is suing the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, saying a state-sponsored Christian-based adoption agency refused to help them because they are Jewish.

Discussion: The Hill, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and littlegreenfootballs.com

The Texas Tribune:

FBI agents descended on Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar's house, but won't say what they're investigating — An FBI spokesperson said the agency was present on two streets around Cuellar's house in Laredo “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity.” — Copy link

Eric Berger / Ars Technica:

Radian announces plans to build one of the holy grails of spaceflight — “We all understand how difficult this is.” — A Washington-state based aerospace company has exited stealth mode by announcing plans to develop one of the holy grails of spaceflight—a single-stage-to-orbit space plane.

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION

New York Times:

‘The Lowest Point in My Lifetime’: How 14 Independent Voters Feel About America — How do independent voters feel about President Biden and America after his first year in office? Let's put it this way: His weak approval ratings might go up if he pulled a Trump and just declared that America …

Discussion: HotAir, Fox News, Breitbart and National Review

Reuters:

Prior COVID infection more protective than vaccination during Delta surge -U.S. study — People who had previously been infected with COVID-19 were better protected against the Delta variant than those who were vaccinated alone, suggesting that natural immunity was a more potent shield …

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ, KFOR-TV and NBC4 Washington

New York Times:

A Dam in Syria Was on a ‘No- Strike’ List. The U.S. Bombed It Anyway. — A military report warned that striking the giant structure could cause tens of thousands of deaths. — Near the height of the war against the Islamic State in Syria, a sudden riot of explosions rocked the country's largest dam …