memeorandum: The Taxpayer Con of the Century (Wall Street Journal)

5:30 PM ET, April 30, 2022

Top Items:

Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:

How Tucker Carlson Stoked White Fear to Conquer Cable — Tucker Carlson burst through the doors of Charlie Palmer Steak, enfolded in an entourage of producers and assistants, cellphone pressed to his ear. On the other end was Lachlan Murdoch, chairman of the Fox empire and his de facto boss.

Discussion: The Wrap, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Twitchy, Townhall and Mediaite

New York Times:

Inside the Apocalyptic Worldview of ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ — A New York Times analysis of 1,150 episodes reveals how Tucker Carlson pushes extremist ideas and conspiracy theories into millions of households, five nights a week.

Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:

How Tucker Carlson Reshaped Fox News — and Became Trump's Heir — Tucker Carlson had a problem. — After years in the cable wilderness, he had made a triumphant return to prime time. And his new show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” had leapfrogged to the heart of Fox News's evening lineup …

Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:

What to Know About Tucker Carlson's Rise — A Times examination of the host's career and singular influence at Fox News shows how his trajectory traces the transformation of American conservatism itself. — Give this article- - - Read in app — Night after night on Fox …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Mediaite

Jeff Stein / Washington Post:

White House officials weigh income limits for student loan forgiveness — Biden aides consider how to cut off eligibility to exclude high-earners — The White House is considering income caps for eligibility for student loan relief that would exclude higher-earning Americans …

Discussion: Insider, National Review, RedState, 19FortyFive, The Daily Caller, Forbes, The Hill, nationalinterest.org and Raw Story

Wall Street Journal:
The Taxpayer Con of the Century

Discussion: Power Line

Martin Pengelly / The Guardian:

Marjorie Taylor Greene accused of lying in hearing in Capitol attack case — Lawyers for groups challenging Republican say text Greene sent to Meadows, released by House panel, shows she lied in testimony — Lawyers for voters seeking to bar the far-right Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene …

Discussion: Raw Story and Bloomberg

Eric Tucker / Associated Press:

Meadows says 1/6 panel has sought to publicly ‘vilify’ him — WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows accused the congressional committee investigating last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol of leaking all of the text messages he provided to the panel in what he says was an effort to vilify him publicly.

Discussion: Fox News

BBC:

Neil Parish MP: I'm resigning after porn moment of madness — Neil Parish has told the BBC he is resigning as an MP after admitting he watched pornography twice in the House of Commons. — Mr Parish - the MP for Tiverton and Honiton in Devon - said it had been a “moment of madness” and “I was not proud of what I was doing”.

Discussion: CBS News, The Guardian, Insider, Tiverton and Honiton, Bloomberg, NPR, UPI, Rolling Stone, New York Post, Washington Times, Forbes, Politico, Neil Parish and Guido Fawkes

Washington Post:

How the ‘jack-in-the-box’ flaw dooms some Russian tanks — The sight of Russian tank turrets, blown off and lying in ruin along Ukrainian roads, points to a tank design issue known as the “jack-in-the-box” flaw. — The fault is related to the way many Russian tanks hold and load ammunition.

Roger Sollenberger / The Daily Beast:

‘Chickenshit’ Move: Columbia Quietly Cuts Ties With Dr. Oz — Dr. Oz has long been tied to Columbia University. The school finally and quietly cut ties. — After years of criticism, Columbia University Medical Center has finally—quietly— cut public ties with celebrity doctor turned Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz.

Discussion: Insider, Politico and Raw Story

Elamin Abdelmahmoud / BuzzFeed News:

He Was 5'7". After Surgery, He'll Be 5'10". — When I first met Scott — not his real name — in early March, he was gently pushing a walker ahead of him. I had gotten lost trying to find the door to his apartment, so he had to come find me. Leaning against the door frame in a fitted T-shirt …

Discussion: Althouse

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:

Nebraska Candidate for Governor Accused of Second Groping Incident at 2019 Dinner — Charles W. Herbster, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump for Nebraska governor, was accused of groping a second woman at a 2019 Republican fund-raising event. He denies both allegations. — Give this article- - - Read in app

Discussion: Nebraska Examiner and Raw Story

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Eastman to produce 10,000 pages of Trump-related emails as broader legal fight looms — Attorney John Eastman, a key architect of former President Donald Trump's legal effort to overturn the 2020 election, is preparing to provide another 10,000 pages of records to the Jan. 6 select committee, his attorney revealed late Friday.

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and Insider

Naomi Lim / Washington Examiner:

Three times the White House Correspondents' Dinner has created controversy — The feted White House Correspondents' Association Dinner has returned after a two-year pandemic pause. — While some of the pageantry will be familiar, “Nerd Prom” will be different in 2022 compared to the past.

Discussion: Politico

Washington Free Beacon:
Bored White House Reporters Cry in Their Cheerios

Discussion: Fox News, Instapundit, Breaking the News and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Inside the Flawed Vetting Process That Led Gov. Hochul to Brian Benjamin — An initial 63-page background check revealed two red flags in Mr. Benjamin's past, but it failed to turn up a subpoena issued to his political campaign. — Give this article- - - Read in app

Grid News:

Elon Musk hates government subsidies. His companies love them. — A Grid analysis of Musk's companies shows more than $7 billion in government contracts alone. — Last December, Elon Musk beamed in from his new Tesla plant near Austin, Texas — a behemoth the size of 75 football fields …