Top Items:
New York Times:
New York joins several other U.S. states in rolling back mask mandates as infections fall. — Gov. Kathy Hochul will drop New York's stringent indoor mask mandate on Wednesday, ending a requirement that businesses ask customers for proof of full vaccination or require mask-wearing at all times …
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Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Biden lags behind Dem govs on easing mask mandates — DRIVING THE DAY — Democrats are losing their religion on universal masking — just not at the White House. — Across the country, top Democratic officials are relaxing mask mandates as Omicron recedes and concern rises …
Washington Post:
Virginia Senate Democrats join GOP on amendment to allow parents to opt out of school mask mandates — RICHMOND — Senate Democrats who have been howling over Gov. Glenn Youngkin's executive order making masks optional in K-12 schools got on board with the idea Tuesday …
Discussion:
WRIC-TV, Washington Examiner, Washington Free Beacon, RedState, Virginia Mercury, Ace of Spades HQ, HotAir, Fox News, The Hill, New York Times and National Review
Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:
Where's Liz Cheney? The Wyoming Republican's Exile From Wyoming Republicans — The congresswoman hasn't attended Republican Party events in person in her state in years, amid a wave of local conservative hostility. “I'm not going to convince the crazies,” she said.
Discussion:
The Future, Now and Then, Raw Story, Public Notice and Vanity Fair
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Ronna McDaniel / Townhall:
The Media Is Distorting Republican Censure of Cheney, Kinzinger — If corporate news media wants to know why Americans don't trust it anymore, they should look no further than the shameful, outrageous, and patently false coverage of the resolution adopted by the RNC to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
Discussion:
Alternet.org, The Hill, UPI, Washington Examiner, The Hill and POLITICUSUSA
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
McConnell calls Jan. 6 a ‘violent insurrection,’ breaking with RNC
McConnell calls Jan. 6 a ‘violent insurrection,’ breaking with RNC
Discussion:
CBS News, CNN, Talking Points Memo, KVIA-TV, Washington Times, Wide World of News, Los Angeles Times, Outside the Beltway, Todd Starnes, The Guardian, The American Independent, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, National Review, Associated Press, No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story, The Hill, Balkinization, The Hill, Daily Camera, IJR, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Page Array, The Federalist, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, HuffPost, IJR, The Hill, NewsNation Now, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, CNN, Election Law Blog, Insider, The Texas Tribune, Bloomberg, The Daily Caller, Political Wire, ABC News and Alternet.org
Kiran Stacey / Financial Times:
‘Full blown’ pandemic phase of Covid nearly over in US, declares Fauci — Biden's top medical adviser says Americans will soon make ‘own decisions’ on dealing with virus — The US is heading out of the “full blown” pandemic phase of Covid-19, the president's chief medical adviser said …
Discussion:
RedState, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Fox News and New York Times
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Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
In the Post, Leana Wen Insists That She's the Last Reasonable Woman in the World — In the Washington Post, Leana Wen attempts to explain away her sudden change of heart on COVID restrictions by positioning herself as the reasonable third way between “two extremes.” Her argument is Obama-esque:
Discussion:
The Federalist, Summit News and Twitchy
Steve Reilly / Grid News:
The hacked account and suspicious donations behind the Canadian trucker protests — The jumble of misinformation, online fundraising groups and amplification from right-wing political figures suggests there's more to these protests than meets the eye. — Hundreds of people have been camped …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, PressProgress, Politico, Wired and NPR
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David J. Lynch / Washington Post:
Canadian trucker protest spreads to second city, threatening U.S. auto industry lifeline
Canadian trucker protest spreads to second city, threatening U.S. auto industry lifeline
Discussion:
NewsNation Now, ABC17NEWS, Bloomberg and New York Times
Emily Crane / New York Post:
Trudeau accused of fueling anger after claiming anti-vax protesters are ‘waving swastikas’
Trudeau accused of fueling anger after claiming anti-vax protesters are ‘waving swastikas’
Discussion:
The Daily Wire, Power Line and Alternet.org
Washington Post:
Fears of Ukraine invasion rise as top Russian commanders fly to Belarus for massive joint military drill — MOSCOW — Top Russian military commanders flew into neighboring Belarus on Wednesday for a massive military exercise amid Western alarm that it could provide cover for a multipronged invasion of Ukraine.
Discussion:
Politico, One America News Network, MyNorthwest.com, Al Jazeera, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and The Hub
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Alexi McCammond / Axios:
Rep. Cori Bush isn't backing down on “defund the police” slogan — Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) says she's not going to stop using the slogan “defund the police” ahead of this fall's midterms — even though some of her colleagues have made that request. — Why it matters: Progressives …
Discussion:
Townhall, RedState, Fox News and Political Wire
Wall Street Journal:
White House Approves Plan to Help Americans Leaving Ukraine if Russia Attacks — U.S. troops will set up checkpoints and tent camps inside Poland's border to help Americans who leave Ukraine — WASHINGTON—The White House has approved a Pentagon plan for U.S. troops in Poland to help thousands …
Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Abrams apologizes after maskless photos with masked students — Stacey Abrams apologized Tuesday for going maskless in pictures with masked elementary school students after growing backlash from Republicans who accused her of hypocritical behavior.The Democratic candidate for governor told CNN …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Insider, National Review and Townhall
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Josephine Harvey / HuffPost:
Stacey Abrams Apologizes For Not Wearing Mask In Photos With Schoolchildren
Stacey Abrams Apologizes For Not Wearing Mask In Photos With Schoolchildren
Discussion:
National Review, BET, Politico and CNN
Laura Krantz / The Boston Globe:
Three graduate students file sexual harassment suit against prominent Harvard anthropology professor — Three Harvard University graduate students sued the university on Tuesday, alleging it ignored nearly a decade of sexual harassment and retaliation by a prominent anthropology professor …
Discussion:
The Harvard Crimson and Pharyngula
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Anemona Hartocollis / New York Times:
A Lawsuit Accuses Harvard of Ignoring Sexual Harassment by a Professor
A Lawsuit Accuses Harvard of Ignoring Sexual Harassment by a Professor
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, MyNorthwest.com and Pharyngula
Emily Smith / Page Six:
Chris Cuomo wants as much as $60 million from CNN amid Jeff Zucker exit — Chris Cuomo isn't backing down in his battle with CNN following the ouster of his boss Jeff Zucker — the anchor intends to demand as much as a $60 million settlement, according to sources.
Discussion:
HotAir, Mediaite, Instapundit, Fox News, Twitchy and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Dan Margolies / KCUR 89.3:
Missouri Supreme Court disciplines St. Louis lawyers who waved guns at BLM protesters — The McCloskeys drew national headlines when they confronted a group of mostly Black protesters who had entered their gated community en route to demonstrate in front of the nearby home of a former St. Louis mayor in June 2020.
Discussion:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Outside the Beltway, Townhall, Fox News and Washington Examiner
Anne Flaherty / ABC News:
Pressure builds for Biden, Democrats to move past COVID — Americans remain deeply divided on what it means to ‘live with the virus.’ — It's a move that would have been unthinkable last year: Weeks after a holiday surge crushed hospitals and more people died in a single month …
Discussion:
Bloomberg
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Josh Kraushaar / National Journal:
Biden is blowing his COVID moment
Pippa Crerar / Mirror.co.uk:
New Partygate image shows Boris Johnson and open bottle of bubbly at No 10 Xmas quiz — The image shows the Prime Minister flanked by three members of staff, one wearing tinsel and another a Santa hat, at the event on December 15, 2020 — The Met Police faces fresh calls to investigate a No 10 …
Discussion:
Bloomberg and The Guardian
Bernadette Hogan / New York Post:
Kathy Hochul expected to lift business mask mandate, wait on decision for NY schools — ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul wants everyone to give her a break — the mid-winter break — before she decides whether to lift school mask mandates statewide. — But Hochul is expected to announce …
Discussion:
Albany Times Union
Jordan Pearson / VICE:
Analyzing the Very Bizarre Sale of Melania Trump's $170,000 NFT — The crypto used to purchase the former First Lady's NFT came from the NFT creator themselves, blockchain records reveal. But why? — Jordan Pearson — The $170,000 purchase of an NFT collection auctioned by Melania Trump …
Discussion:
Raw Story
David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:
McConnell dismisses Trump criticism, saying it's no threat to his leadership role — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is shrugging off Donald Trump's campaign to oust him as the top Senate Republican, chuckling that he views “Old Crow,” the former president's derisive nickname for him, as a compliment.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Mediaite, The Hill and CNN
Sarah Emerson / BuzzFeed News:
A Woman Accused Of A $4.5 Billion Cryptocurrency Laundering Scheme Has Moonlighted As A Rapper And Forbes Writer — A husband and wife were arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday for allegedly conspiring to launder $4.5 billion in stolen cryptocurrency. In an announcement, the Department …
Politico:
Left splits over Supreme Court pick pushed by top Biden ally — After Sherrod Brown caught wind of the progressive angst over judge Michelle Childs' possible ascension to the Supreme Court, the labor stalwart talked it through with her biggest Democratic backer — the House majority whip.
Carlos Frías / Miami Herald:
New York's Cafe Habana removes info about Che and Fidel from website — HOME THINGS TO DO FOOD CLUB + BARS MORE — A Mexican hangout where the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and Che Guevara plotted the Cuban revolution is the inspiration behind a New York City restaurant opening a location soon in downtown Miami.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Instapundit
Dan McLaughlin / National Review:
Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds to Our 1619 and Slavery Issue — Nikole Hannah-Jones went on Twitter Monday night to respond to our issue looking at American slavery and the 1619 Project. Those familiar with how she typically responds to engagement with her work — engagement that typically appears …
Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
GOP lawmaker apologizes to CBC chair for allegedly telling her to ‘kiss my a—’ — Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) apologized to Congressional Black Caucus chair Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) after he allegedly told her to “kiss my a—” in response to her request for him to wear a mask before taking a train inside Capitol Hill.
Discussion:
Courier-Journal, Washington Post, HuffPost, ABC News, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire