memeorandum: When it comes to Supreme Court picks, just remember that we are living in a period of white backlash against Black progress (John Stoehr/The Editorial Board)

2:10 AM ET, February 3, 2022

Top Items:

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

Discussion: RADAR

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, RedState and The Wrap

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

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:

CNN President Jeff Zucker Resigns, Citing Relationship With Colleague — Network head disclosed relationship with executive Allison Gollust during probe of former host Chris Cuomo — CNN President Jeff Zucker resigned from the cable news network, citing his failure to disclose …

Discussion: Puck, Mediaite, TVNewser, Newsbusters, KTLA, The Wrap and RADAR, more at Mediagazer »

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 …

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: RADAR, Deadline and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »

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

Blake Montgomery / The Daily Beast: Judges Walk Out After ‘The Masked Singer’ Reveals Rudy Giuliani

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

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

Discussion: Verdict

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

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Special Forces Raid Syrian Site in Search of Terrorist Leader — The operation was carried out in northwest Syria near the Turkish border — WASHINGTON—U.S. special operations forces carried out a combat operation to kill or capture a high-level terrorist in northwest Syria along the Turkish border …

Discussion: KRON4 and Associated Press

Eric Schmitt / New York Times:

Reports of Civilian Casualties as U.S. Raid in Syria Appears to Target Qaeda Leader — Helicopter-borne Special Operations troops carried out the risky predawn commando assault. — U.S. Special Operations forces carried out what the Pentagon called a “successful” counterterrorism mission in northwest Syria early Thursday.

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

Cameron Cawthorne / Fox Business:
Nasdaq bell-ringing ceremony featured Chinese official who called genocide of Uyghur Muslims ‘lies’

Discussion: Wired

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

Discussion: The Hill, Politico 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 …

Discussion: Barstool Sports and New York Post

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: New York Post, Slate, Insider and Occidental Dissent

John Stoehr / The Editorial Board:
When it comes to Supreme Court picks, just remember that we are living in a period of white backlash against Black progress

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Associated Press, CNN, Bloomberg, Salon, Insider, The Hill, HuffPost, American Prospect and Politico

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: National Zero, Insider and Talking Points Memo

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 Daily Beast, Insider, The Hill, Townhall, Vanity Fair, Raw Story, Occupy Democrats, New York Post, Talking Points Memo, HotAir, Washington Post, The Hill, CNN, Mediaite, Rolling Stone, POLITICUSUSA and National Zero

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, abc7NY, Spotlight PA, One America News Network, The Hill, 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

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, RADAR, Deadline, CBS News, UPI, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Forbes, E! Online, NPR, 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.

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: City & State New York and Fox News

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.

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 …

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.

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, Associated Press, USA Today, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Raw Story, Daily Montanan, POLITICUSUSA, Political Wire and National Zero

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?

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.

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

Rebecca Mansour / Breitbart:

Peter Schweizer's ‘Red-Handed’ Hits #1 on New York Times Bestseller List — Peter Schweizer's blockbuster new book Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, one week after its release by HarperCollins.

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: al.com, Daily Kos and Restaurant Dive

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

Andrew Kerr / Washington Examiner:

Black Lives Matter shuts down fundraising days after liberal states threatened legal action — Black Lives Matter — shut down all its online fundraising streams late Wednesday afternoon, just days after California threatened to hold the charity's leaders personally liable over its lack of financial transparency.

Discussion: RedState, The Federalist and New York Post