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Biden seeks $33 billion for Ukraine, powers to liquidate Russian assets — The White House will call on Congress to authorize such a move as it continues to seek new ways to punish Russia and support Ukraine — The White House on Thursday announced a proposal to allow U.S. authorities …
Discussion:
The White House, Politico, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Associated Press, CNN, Los Angeles Times, CBS News and The Guardian
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Inside Zelensky's World — The nights are the hardest, when he lies there on his cot, the whine of the air-raid sirens in his ears and his phone still buzzing beside him. Its screen makes his face look like a ghost in the dark, his eyes scanning messages he didn't have a chance to read during the day.


‘Enormous impact’: US intelligence prevented the fall of Kyiv
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, Forbes, Cyprus Mail, The Guardian and NPR

Putin Must Be Stopped Once and for All
Discussion:
Boston.com, Defense News, The American Spectator, The Dispatch, nationalinterest.org, Rixstep NSA, John's Newsletter, HotAir and The Guardian

President Biden Delivers Remarks on Ukraine
Discussion:
Associated Press, Fox News, Insider, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, Balloon Juice, WKBN-TV, UPI and NBC News

Biden welcomes Ukrainian refugees, neglects Afghans, critics say
Discussion:
Associated Press and USA Today

How deep does the rot in the Russian army go?
Discussion:
New York Times, PBS NewsHour, Aearnur's Newsletter and WTOP News

Russian forces executed surrendering Ukrainians, US official says; Trevor Reed back in USA: Live Ukraine updates
Discussion:
Insider, Washington Examiner, American Thinker, UPI, Raw Story and Responsible Statecraft

Drones Have Come of Age in Russia-Ukraine War
Discussion:
NPR, Al Jazeera and PBS NewsHour

House Passes Bill Urging Biden to Sell Seized Russian Yachts to Aid Ukraine
Discussion:
HuffPost, Representative Tom Malinowski, Japan Times, Washington Times and Roll Call


G.D.P. Report Shows the U.S. Economy Shrank, Masking a Broader Recovery — Here's what you need to know: — The economy contracted in the first quarter, but underlying measures were solid. — The U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of the year, but strong consumer spending …
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U.S. GDP Drops 1.4% as Economy Shrinks for First Time Since Early in Pandemic — Supply disruptions weighed on the economy, but consumers and businesses continue to spend — U.S. gross domestic product shrank at a 1.4% annual rate in the first quarter as supply disruptions weighed on the economy …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Post, CNBC, Associated Press, The Hill, Washington Examiner, UPI, Washington Times, Townhall, MarketWatch, The 21 Hats Morning Report and ABC13


Gross Domestic Product, First Quarter 2022 (Advance Estimate) — Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 1.4 percent in the first quarter of 2022 (table 1), according to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter, real GDP increased 6.9 percent.
Discussion:
HotAir, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller


Trump allies breach U.S. voting systems in search of 2020 fraud ‘evidence’ — Chasing proof of vote-rigging conspiracy theories, Republican officials and activists in eight U.S. locales have plotted to gain illegal access to balloting systems, undermining the security of elections they claim to protect.
Discussion:
The Newsletter


Breakingviews: Elon Musk probably won't buy Twitter — Four years ago, Elon Musk vowed to set up a peanut brittle company to take on Warren Buffett's iconic U.S. confectioner See's Candies. Then he changed his mind. It wouldn't be surprising if Musk's $44 billion deal to buy social network Twitter went the same way.
Discussion:
New York Times, Reuters, Quartz, IJR, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Caller, Finance Mark, Insider, Washington Post, Protocol, Bloomberg, Axios, Forbes, Human Events, Daily Kos, New York Post and Cyprus Mail, more at Techmeme »
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'You Can't Pin Him Down' — Kara Swisher knows Elon Musk and says judging him by tweets alone is a mistake. — Elon Musk, the richest human on earth, purchased Twitter for $44 billion this week, promising to refine the product while loosening its guidelines in the name of “free speech.”
Discussion:
Insider, The Federalist, Bloomberg, Agence France-Presse, Against the Grain, nationalinterest.org and Fortune, more at Techmeme »


This Holocaust Survivor Has a Message for Elon Musk
Discussion:
Raw Story

Elon Musk Isn't Buying Twitter to Defend Free Speech
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Bangor Daily News, Mercury News, Newsbusters, Bloomberg and 1A


It's Trump vs. Cruz in Ohio and Pa. Senate races — As Republican primary voters get closer to the polls, it's beginning to feel like mid-2016 again: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are on opposing sides. — The former president's late backing of J.D. Vance in Ohio and Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania …
Discussion:
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Monmouth University …, Fox News, HotAir and The Daily Caller
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Tucker Carlson Pushed Trump to Endorse J.D. Vance With ‘Disgusting’ Sexual Innuendo — Exclusive: In a critical GOP Senate primary in Ohio, Trump's support was swayed in part by a Fox News host spreading rumors about another man's sex habits — In the days before Donald Trump endorsed J.D. Vance …
Discussion:
The Bulwark, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Raw Story and Associated Press


Midterm Memo: Power of Trump endorsement on display in Ohio — For all the valid speculation that this year's Republican primaries are poised to turn into a political disaster for Donald Trump that knocks him down a peg or two in the party, the former president is on track to score a rather consequential victory in Ohio.
Discussion:
New York Times and The Dispatch


Trump's Garbage Men — McCarthy and McConnell said one thing in private but have kept shoveling Trump's trash on us. — Deny and lie: That was Kevin McCarthy's initial reaction to last week's New York Times reporting about how he had privately blamed former President Donald Trump for inciting …
Discussion:
Albany Times Union, Raw Story, Washington Post, The Hill, CNN and Thursday Night Bulwark
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Scoop: Former Manhattan prosecutor blasts Trump and Barr in new book — Geoffrey Berman, who was fired by President Trump as the top Manhattan federal prosecutor, will be out Sept. 13 with a memoir, “Holding the Line,” that charges Trump with trying to undermine the office's integrity.
Discussion:
The Hill


Climate Change Will Accelerate Viral Spillovers, Study Finds — In a warming world, bats in Southeast Asia will be especially prone to spreading viruses to other mammals, researchers found. — Over the next 50 years, climate change will drive thousands of viruses to jump from one species …
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Herschel Walker spent years promoting health products with dubious claims — In SEC filing, Walker's company said that one product's health benefit was “not supported by medical evidence generally accepted by the medical community.” — Senate candidate Herschel Walker has spent years promoting …


Dr. Birx is Back With the Worst Timed Memoir in History — “I had to make sure Africa was prepared.” — Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.


Biden Administration to Advance Ban on Menthol Cigarettes — FDA expected to publish proposed rules on Thursday, though ban wouldn't take effect until at least 2024; ‘Day of reckoning’ — The Biden administration on Thursday is expected to take a significant step toward a national ban …


Opinion Amend the Constitution to bar senators from the presidency — To conserve the reverence it needs and deserves, the Constitution should be amended rarely and reluctantly. There is, however, an amendment that would instantly improve the legislative and executive branches.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Raw Story and Cafe Hayek


With no evidence, Rebecca Kleefisch, Wisconsin candidate for governor, says 2020 election was ‘rigged’ — MADISON - Republican candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch is escalating her criticism of how the last presidential election was carried out in Wisconsin, calling it a “rigged” …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Election Law Blog and Political Wire


Two Democratic progressives plot new ways to fight back against Republican gains — Republicans are threatening to take over the House of Representatives in this year's midterm elections. More than 30 House Democrats are heading for the exits. And progressives have seen several major legislative proposals stall out.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA


It's Time to Open the Black Box of Social Media — Social media companies need to give their data to independent researchers to better understand how to keep users safe — Social media platforms are where billions of people around the world go to connect with others, get information and make sense of the world.


The return of the 20th century's nuclear shadow — Putin has already broken a taboo by threatening to use weapons and the west needs to plan its response — Vladimir Putin's willingness to threaten nuclear weapons is in one respect a good sign: it means Russia is probably losing in Ukraine.
Discussion:
CNBC


Ron DeSantis is Viktor Orbán's true American disciple — The Florida governor isn't doing “competent Trumpism.” He's inventing American Orbánism. — In June of last year, Hungary's far-right government passed a law cracking down on LGBTQ rights, including …


McCarthy-aligned super PAC plans $125M ad buy to win the House — House Republicans' main super PAC is booking $125 million in TV ad reservations in roughly 50 media markets across the country — a massive down payment on the party's bid to wrest back the majority this fall.
Discussion:
Decision Desk HQ


How Wisconsin's redistricting guarantees a lopsided Republican legislature in a 50/50 state — Craig GilbertSpecial to the Journal Sentinel — One thing I've learned from 35 years of Wisconsin politics is that predicting the outcome of elections in a 50/50 state can be a fool's exercise.


Opinion CBS News commentator Mick Mulvaney has a new credibility problem — Now that CBS News is paying former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to provide on-air commentary, here's a question its anchors could pose to him: Do you believe the things you write?
Discussion:
Common Dreams