memeorandum: Israeli border police officers and Palestinians clash during a protest against the expansion of Israeli Jewish settlements near the West Bank town of SalfitCredit: AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed (Hagai El-Ad/Haaretz)

11:50 PM ET, February 2, 2022

Top Items:

Kayla Brantley / Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Brian Stelter should start looking for another job.’ Attention turns to the CNN anchor following Jeff Zucker's ousting for his failure to report on the open secret affair while bashing other news networks — Insiders are calling for Brian Stelter to be fired after failing …

Discussion: Twitchy, New York Post, The Wrap and NOQ Report

CNN:

Jeff Zucker resigns from CNN — New York (CNN Business)CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker, the influential news executive who reshaped the iconic network, abruptly announced Wednesday morning that he has resigned from his position effective immediately. — “As part of the investigation …

Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News:

CNN insider says network ‘needs to step up and fire Brian Stelter’ for not exposing Jeff Zucker affair: report — The network employee said Stelter's 'been sitting on his moral high horse doing Jeff's biddling' — Zucker's actions an ‘embarrassment’ for CNN: Kurtz

Shawn McCreesh / New York Magazine:

The Mystery Behind the Zucker Shocker … At first, it seemed like Jeff Zucker was just another piece of collateral damage from Andrew Cuomo's demise, caught in the same blast radius that knocked Chris Cuomo out of CNN months earlier. It all seemed so rich, considering Zucker …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Insider, OutKick, The Gateway Pundit, The Right Scoop and TVNewser, more at Mediagazer »

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
“It's Like the Ending of Reservoir Dogs”: Insiders See the Hand of Cuomo Behind Jeff Zucker's Abrupt Departure From CNN

Discussion: Deadline, TVNewser and RedState, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Memos Show Roots of Trump's Focus on Jan. 6 and Alternate Electors — Just over two weeks after Election Day, lawyers working with the Trump campaign set out a rationale for creating alternate slates of electors as part of an effort to buy time to overturn the results.

Discussion: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Insider, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and National Zero

Pete Williams / NBC News:
Conspiracy charges possible for filing bogus Trump election slates, experts say

Discussion: The Bulwark

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
As Trump rages, a new plan to prevent a 2024 coup quietly advances

Discussion: Raw Story and The Status Kuo

Mike Fleming Jr / Deadline:

Unmasking Of Rudy Giuliani On Fox's ‘The Masked Singer’ Prompts Judges Ken Jeong & Robin Thicke To Walk Off In Protest — EXCLUSIVE, SPOILER ALERT: Rudy Giuliani was last week unmasked as an exiting costumed contestant in the taping of the first episode of Fox's popular prime time show The Masked Singer.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, New York Magazine, HuffPost, Insider, TMZ.com, Boston Herald, Rolling Stone, New York Post, The A.V. Club, Mediaite, TheBlaze, Patterico's Pontifications, The Wrap, Raw Story, Stereogum and ET Canada

Tom Tapp / Deadline:

L.A. Mayor Garcetti Says He Held His Breath For Maskless Photo With Magic Johnson — Los Angeles Mayor — and Biden Administration ambassadorial nominee — Eric Garcetti today defended his actions after maskless photos surfaced of him and Lakers great Magic Johnson, along …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, OutKick, Washington Examiner, New York Post, ABC7, TheBlaze and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Tara Palmeri / Politico:

Trump considered blanket pardons for Jan. 6 rioters before he left office — In the final days of his presidency, Donald Trump seriously considered issuing a blanket pardon for all participants in the Jan. 6 riot, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Discussion: The Hill, Occupy Democrats, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Insider, Mediaite, Rolling Stone, CNN and National Zero

Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
Trump: ‘RINO’ Graham ‘wrong’ on pardoning Jan. 6 rioters

Discussion: Insider, Mother Jones, Townhall, New York Post, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, BizPac Review, Page Array, Rolling Stone, HotAir, IJR, POLITICUSUSA, National Review, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Washington Post and People.com

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:

Olympic athletes are getting ready to boycott the opening ceremony in Beijing — When the Winter Olympics officially begins Friday in Beijing, U.S. diplomats and international fans won't be the only ones missing from the festivities. Olympic athletes from multiple countries who want to show solidarity …

Discussion: Outsports, New York Times, Facts for Christians, HotAir, Washington Examiner, Wired, Committee to Protect …, Mediaite, CNN, OutKick, National Review and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »

Finbarr Bermingham / South China Morning Post:
UN accused of colluding with China to delay Xinjiang human rights report until after Beijing Winter Olympics

Discussion: Politico, The Hill and TheBlaze

Insider:

3 more women say Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy filmed them without asking during sex … In November 2021, three young women came forward about sexual encounters they had with Barstool Sports' founder, Dave Portnoy. These women told Insider the experiences with Portnoy turned frightening …

Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:

Whoopi Goldberg ‘livid,’ threatening to quit ‘The View’ over her suspension: source — Whoopi Goldberg is “livid” after she was suspended from “The View” over her claim that the Holocaust was “not about race” — and is telling coworkers she is going to quit the show, according to a source.

Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
Whoopi Goldberg's Suspension from The View Is Illiberal and Irrational

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Unready, Mediaite and Althouse

Jonathan Lai / The Philadelphia Inquirer:

The Pa. Supreme Court took over a redistricting case and will decide the state's new congressional map — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday took control of a high-stakes redistricting lawsuit and will now decide how the state's congressional districts will be drawn for the next decade …

Discussion: Insider and Election Law Blog

New York Times:
A ‘Master Class’ in Gerrymandering, This Time Led by N.Y. Democrats

Discussion: Election Law Blog, Greensburg Tribune-Review, The Hill, abc7NY, One America News Network, Commentary Magazine and The Western Journal

Ali Breland / Mother Jones:

The Plan Was Simple: Infiltrate MAGA World and Tell Everyone What She Saw. Then She Was Found Out. — Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter. — “Looks like my cover is fully blown, actually, fuck,” Amanda Moore told me over Twitter direct message.

Discussion: Raw Story

Cayla Harris / Houston Chronicle:

National Butterfly Center on Texas border closing indefinitely after attacks from right-wing conspiracy theorists — The National Butterfly Center on the Texas border is closing “for the immediate future” after conspiracy-fueled attacks against the center on social media escalated in recent days.

Discussion: Insider and Talking Points Memo

Justice News:

Four Defendants Arrested In Connection With The Overdose Death Of Michael K. Williams — Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Keechant Sewell, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department ("NYPD"), announced that IRVIN CARTAGENA …

Discussion: New York Times, The A.V. Club, E! Online, NPR, UPI, Deadline, CBS News, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Forbes, Rolling Stone, Fox News, Law & Crime, The Wrap and The Hill

Phil Rosen / Insider:

Metaverse mortgages are being issued to buy virtual land — and one of the first ever was just signed for a property in Decentraland — TerraZero Technologies facilitated one of the first ever “metaverse mortgages” for a client buying virtual property in Decentraland.

Discussion: CNBC

Zack Fink / Spectrum News NY1:

Adams had limited engagement with Albany lawmakers, despite seeking help with agenda — Mayor Eric Adams has an ambitious agenda on public safety that requires assistance from Albany. The mayor wants changes made to the controversial bail reform law to give judges more discretion.

Page Six:
Mayor Adams dines with ex-Gov. Cuomo at Midtown hotspot

Discussion: Fox News

Justin Glawe / The Daily Beast:

He's Head of a Georgia Election Board—and Fixated on QAnon — Ben Johnson of Spalding County dabbles in election conspiracies even as he holds power over voting. … The Republican chair of a rural Georgia election board—which has the power to restrict or expand access to voting …

CNN:

How Schumer explains his Senate dilemma — (CNN)Last July, trying to get Sen. Joe Manchin to let Democrats move forward on their agenda, Chuck Schumer came up with a plan. He had the West Virginia Democrat lay out what he could accept and how much he'd be willing to spend. Manchin signed his name.

Discussion: The Bulwark, HotAir, The Hill, National Review, The Right Scoop, Fox News and UPI

Politico:

Jan. 6 select committee subpoenas phone records of Arizona GOP chair — The Jan. 6 select committee has subpoenaed the phone records of Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward and her husband, Michael Ward, who both signed documents falsely claiming to be among their state's presidential electors in 2020.

Discussion: Insider, NBC News, USA Today, Washington Times, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, New York Times, Daily Montanan, Political Wire and National Zero

Angela Swartz / AlmanacNews.com:

Woodside freezes SB 9 projects, citing an exemption for mountain lion habitats — New housing law allows up to four residential units per lot — Mountain lions and housing policy aren't often uttered in the same sentence, but that was the case last week in Woodside.

Insider:

Adam Kinzinger calls Josh Hawley ‘one of the worst human beings’ and a ‘con artist’ after the senator urges Biden to block Ukraine from joining NATO — Adam Kinzinger renewed his criticism of Josh Hawley, this time over how the US should handle the Russian-Ukraine crisis.

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, Washington Times, HuffPost, The Daily Caller and Forbes

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Exclusive: Hawley calls on Biden to drop support for Ukraine membership in NATO

Hagai El-Ad / Haaretz:

Israeli border police officers and Palestinians clash during a protest against the expansion of Israeli Jewish settlements near the West Bank town of SalfitCredit: AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed — A dead activist, a detained child, a demolished home. What else is new?

Washington Post:

Labor groups wary of potential Supreme Court pick backed by top House Democrat — Union leaders are increasingly wary of President Biden's potential selection of Judge J. Michelle Childs as a Supreme Court justice, citing her time working on behalf of employers against worker claims.

Discussion: American Prospect, The Editorial Board, New York Post, Slate, Insider, Politico and Occidental Dissent

NBC News:

FBI identifies 6 juveniles as persons of interest in bomb threats at Black colleges — FBI identifies six juvenile persons of interest in HBCU bomb threats — Six “tech savvy” juveniles have been identified as persons of interest by the FBI in threats to historically Black colleges …

Discussion: Washington Post, UPI, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Florida Phoenix, The Root, Louisiana Illuminator, Insider, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Washington Examiner and WFXRtv

Mike Elk / Payday Report:

50% Turnover at Amazon in Alabama Since Last Union Election - 60 Starbucks Seeking to Unionize in 19 States - Leading SCOTUS Pick Worked at Anti-Union Firm — 60 Starbucks Seeking to Unionize in 19 States — Early last December, Starbucks workers at a Buffalo store became the first in the nation to unionize.

Discussion: Daily Kos, al.com and Restaurant Dive

Alexander Vindman / USA Today:

Why I'm seeking accountability from Trump allies in court — Public servants who do their duty, tell the truth and uphold their oaths of office shouldn't be subjected to intimidation and retaliation. — In July 2019, my life took a dramatic and unexpected turn when I listened …

Discussion: Washington Post, NBC News, WABE, WFXRtv, POLITICUSUSA and The Daily Beast

Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press:

Army to immediately start discharging vaccine refusers — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army said Wednesday it will immediately begin discharging soldiers who have refused to get the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine, putting more than 3,300 service members at risk of being thrown out soon.

Discussion: The Hill, Reuters, Fox News, UPI, The Daily Caller and Rolling Stone

Anna Giaritelli / Washington Examiner:

Man who drew Union Station swastikas is twice-deported criminal — A man arrested last week for vandalizing Washington's Union Station with swastika symbols is a Mexican citizen with a 15-year criminal history who has been deported twice but still does not meet Biden administration standards for arrest or removal.

FIRE:

10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2022 — There's no shortage of colleges and universities that will go to great lengths to stifle free speech. Some institutions are worse than others, which is why each year for over a decade, FIRE compiles a list of the worst-of-the-worst.

Discussion: UPI and Instapundit

Washington Post:

Biden officials push to hold up $11.3 billion USPS truck contract, citing climate damage — The Environmental Protection Agency warns Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to halt his plan to replace the aging delivery fleet with thousands of gas-powered vehicles.

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times, One America News Network and WTOP News