Top Items:
Aamer Madhani / Associated Press:
US intel shows Russians fear Mariupol abuse will backfire — WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has gathered intelligence that shows some Russian officials have become concerned that Russian forces in the ravaged port city of Mariupol are carrying out grievous abuses, a U.S official familiar with the findings said Wednesday.
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Timothy Snyder / New York Times:
Russia's War on Ukraine Shows That It Is Fascist — Dr. Snyder is a professor of history at Yale University and the author of many books on fascism, totalitarianism and European history. — Fascism was never defeated as an idea. — As a cult of irrationality and violence …
Discussion:
Radio Free Europe/Radio …
New York Times:
U.S. Eyeing Russian Energy Sanctions Over Ukraine War, Officials Say — BERLIN — The Biden administration is developing plans to further choke Russia's oil revenues with the long-term goal of destroying the country's central role in the global energy economy, current and former U.S. officials say …
Discussion:
HotAir, Raw Story, Washington Post and The Federalist
Associated Press:
Captive medic's bodycam shows firsthand horror of Mariupol — KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — A celebrated Ukrainian medic recorded her time in Mariupol on a data card no bigger than a thumbnail, smuggled out to the world in a tampon. Now she is in Russian hands, at a time when Mariupol itself is on the verge of falling.
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, The Bona Fide, Raw Story, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and NPR, more at Mediagazer »
Associated Press:
Senate confirms Brink as new US ambassador to Ukraine
Senate confirms Brink as new US ambassador to Ukraine
Discussion:
Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Politico, Associated Press and USA Today
Jacqueline Howard / CNN:
Ukrainians seeking shelter in US must have TB screenings and certain vaccinations
Ukrainians seeking shelter in US must have TB screenings and certain vaccinations
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Radio Free Europe/Radio …
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Is the Democratic Party Giving Up Already? … The Democratic Party has a lot of problems right now. Many of these problems lie outside its control: A global wave of inflation and continuing waves of coronavirus infection have prevented the recovery Joe Biden imagined when he took office last year …
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Burgess Everett / Politico:
Dems stand back and watch Chuck and Joe show
The Economist:
The coming food catastrophe — War is tipping a fragile world towards mass hunger. Fixing that is everyone's business — By invading ukraine, Vladimir Putin will destroy the lives of people far from the battlefield—and on a scale even he may regret. The war is battering …
Kyle Clark / KUSA-TV:
GOP candidate for Colorado governor says eliminate one-person, one-vote system — Under Greg Lopez's proposal, the 2018 gubernatorial race would have been a runaway win for Republicans, who lost the actual race by double-digits. — DENVER — Coloradans have elected just one Republican governor in the last 50 years.
Discussion:
Mock Paper Scissors and Raw Story
Louis Jacobson / Sabato's Crystal Ball:
The Battle for State Legislatures — Dear Readers: Crystal Ball Senior Columnist Louis Jacobson is analyzing several categories of state-level races for us this cycle. After taking a first look at attorney general and secretary of state races, he is now assessing the battles for state legislatures this year.
Discussion:
The Bulwark and Bloomberg
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Domenico Montanaro / NPR:
Poll: Two-thirds say don't overturn Roe; the court leak is firing up Democratic voters — About two-thirds of Americans say they do not support overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the United States, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
Discussion:
Forbes, POLITICUSUSA, PBS NewsHour and TheBlaze
Emily Flitter / New York Times:
At Wells Fargo, a Quest to Increase Diversity Leads to Fake Job Interviews — Black and female candidates are sometimes interviewed after the recipient of a job is identified, current and former employees say. — Joe Bruno, a former executive in the wealth management division of Wells Fargo …
Suzy Weiss / Common Sense:
He Was a World-Renowned Cancer Researcher. Now's He's Collecting Unemployment. — Behind the fall of David Sabatini, ‘one of the greatest scientists’ of his generation. — In 2018, David Sabatini was a world-renowned molecular biologist. He was a tenured professor at MIT.
David Roth / Defector:
The Secret History Of Richard Nixon, Mets Sicko — When he came off the mound on Sept. 30, 1988 after finishing off his eighth complete game and 20th win of the season, David Cone high-fived his teammates and walked into the home dugout unaware of what awaited him.
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
Pete Williams to retire from NBC News after epic Washington career — A former Pentagon spokesman, Williams made the unusual move 29 years ago to return to hard-news reporting. Many historic scoops followed. — A jolt went through Washington when the news broke just before noon on Jan. 26 …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Wrap, Variety and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Associated Press:
Wall Street Appears Headed For Another Rocky Day — Rising interest rates, high inflation, the war in Ukraine and a slowdown in China's economy have caused investors to reconsider the prices they're willing to pay for a wide range of stocks. — NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street headed …
Discussion:
Forbes, Associated Press, Fortune, Townhall, Forbes, Trends Journal, Washington Examiner, UPI, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Fortune and Ace of Spades HQ
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John Haltiwanger / Insider:
Fiona Hill says Putin got ‘frustrated many times’ with Trump because the Russian leader ‘had to keep explaining things’ to him — Putin often became frustrated with Trump over his lack of knowledge on big issues, Fiona Hill said. — “He had to keep explaining things, and Putin doesn't like to do that,” Hill said.
Discussion:
The Hill, YouTube, Washington Examiner, IJR and Raw Story
AnnaMaria Andriotis / Wall Street Journal:
More Subprime Borrowers Are Missing Loan Payments — Borrowers with limited or troubled credit histories are defaulting on credit cards, car loans and personal loans — Consumers with low credit scores are falling behind on payments for car loans, personal loans and credit cards …
Discussion:
News Items
Benjamin Wermund / San Antonio Express-News:
Rep. Henry Cuellar's allies smear Democratic contender Jessica Cisneros with ‘homewrecker’ billboard — WASHINGTON — With early voting underway in a fiercely contested South Texas primary runoff, supporters of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar have launched a campaign to smear the longtime Laredo …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Nicholas Wu / Politico:
Pramila Jayapal endorses Jessica Cisneros in Texas runoff
Pramila Jayapal endorses Jessica Cisneros in Texas runoff
Discussion:
The Hill and Common Dreams
Roger Sollenberger / The Daily Beast:
How Ted Cruz Became a ‘Blatantly Cynical’ Election Law Troll — Pay Dirt is a weekly foray into the pigpen of political funding. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Thursday. — In the pantheon of politicians fighting for unpopular causes, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has now secured a prominent place.
Discussion:
Raw Story and The Atlantic
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Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Group Seeks Disbarment of Ted Cruz Over Efforts to Overturn 2020 Election
Group Seeks Disbarment of Ted Cruz Over Efforts to Overturn 2020 Election
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Insider, The Texas Tribune, Raw Story and The 65 Project
Chantal Da Silva / NBC News:
Illinois becomes first Midwest state to ban ‘ghost guns’ — Illinois has become the first state in the Midwest to pass legislation banning untraceable “ghost guns” amid a surge of gun violence in the United States. — On Wednesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 4383, banning the so-called ghost guns across the state.
Discussion:
Insider, HuffPost and Moms Demand Action
NBC News:
Analysis of Hunter Biden's hard drive shows he, his firm took in about $11 million from 2013 to 2018, spent it fast — Records show Hunter Biden's company made millions from joint venture funded by Chinese company — From 2013 through 2018 Hunter Biden and his company brought …
Discussion:
HotAir, Townhall, Mediaite, The Daily Wire and Twitchy
Victoria Balara / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Georgia's GOP primary race for governor sees Kemp holding wide lead over Perdue — Former NFL star Herschel Walker dashes ahead by 58 points in Republican Senate primary contest — Fox News Flash top headlines for May 18 — Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp leads former …
Discussion:
HotAir, CNN, Election Law Blog, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Opinion Today, The Hill and Politico
Politico:
Senate set to pass $40B Ukraine aid bill — The Senate is on track to pass a $40 billion emergency aid package to buttress Ukraine with weapons and other military help as the Eastern European country fends off the Russian invasion. — The chamber is expected to clear the legislation …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Associated Press
Chun Han Wong / Wall Street Journal:
China Insists Party Elites Shed Overseas Assets, Eyeing Western Sanctions on Russia — An internal Communist Party directive bars senior officials from owning property abroad or stakes in overseas entities, whether directly or through spouses and children — HONG KONG—China's Communist Party …
Washington Post:
Trump uses Pa. primary to continue effort to undermine electoral system — Good morning, Early Birds, and a special good morning to the U.S. women's national soccer team for landing a “game-changing” deal to close the pay gap with the men's soccer team. 😎 💪 Tips? earlytips@washpost.com.
Michael Williams / Dallas Morning News:
George W. Bush compares Zelenskyy to Churchill, mistakenly calls Iraq invasion unjustified — At Bush center event, Condoleezza Rice compares Jan. 6 to non-democratic countries — In some of his most extensive public comments about the Russian invasion of Ukraine since the war began …
Discussion:
ABC News, Mother Jones, NPR, The Hill, Oregonian, TMZ.com, IJR, Raw Story, Fox News, Insider, RedState, Breitbart, Summit News, Washington Post, Twitchy, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Informed Comment, Eschaton and Townhall
Jada Yuan / Washington Post:
Jill Biden's six-day tour of Latin America is high-stakes diplomacy — The first lady is making her third solo foreign trip, weeks before a major hemispheric summit that's going off the rails — Jill Biden is embarking on a high-stakes, six-day diplomatic tour of three Latin American countries …
Discussion:
DFRLab and Responsible Statecraft