memeorandum: Black Mississippi capital distrusts plans by white officials (Emily Wagster Pettus/Associated Press)

11:10 AM ET, February 26, 2023

Top Items:

Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19 Pandemic, U.S. Agency Now Says — Energy Department's revised assessment is based on new intelligence — WASHINGTON—The U.S. Energy Department has concluded that the Covid pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak, according …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, CNN, Bloomberg, National Review, Instapundit, Just The News, Washington Times and Not the Bee

Washington Post:

‘Dilbert’ dropped by The Post, other papers, after cartoonist's racist rant — Newspapers across the United States have pulled Scott Adams's long-running “Dilbert” comic strip after the cartoonist called Black Americans a “hate group” and said White people should “get the hell away from” them.

Eduardo Medina / New York Times:

Newspapers Drop ‘Dilbert’ Comic After Creator's Rant About Black ‘Hate Groups’ — Scott Adams, who created the syndicated comic strip, also said that white people should “get the hell away from Black people,” prompting criticism from editors across the country.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Rolling Stone, NPR, Al Jazeera, PennLive, CBS News, Fox News, Insider, Oregonian, New York Post, New Jersey Online, Mother Jones, New York Daily News and Forbes

Los Angeles Times:

Los Angeles Times ceases publication of ‘Dilbert’ — The Times has decided to cease publication of “Dilbert.” Cartoonist Scott Adams made racist comments in a YouTube livestream Feb. 22, offensive remarks that The Times rejects. Further, in the last nine months The Times has on four occasions printed …

Discussion: Albuquerque Journal and The Wrap

Kimberlee Speakman / People.com:

Jessa Duggar Reveals She Suffered a Miscarriage: ‘I Just Immediately Started Crying’ — The “19 Kids and Counting” alum said she plans to “take a break” from social media and focus on recovering — Jessa Duggar Seewald revealed that she suffered a miscarriage over the holidays.

Discussion: Fox News

Stephen Neukam / The Hill:

‘Saturday Night Live’ mocks Trump visit to East Palestine — “Saturday Night Live” targeted former President Trump's visit to the town in Ohio where a train derailment has sparked environmental and public health concerns in its latest cold open, mocking Trump's off-the-cuff public speaking style.

Discussion: HuffPost, RedState, Variety, The Wrap, Deadline, Washington Examiner, The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter

CNN:

Ron DeSantis wanted to send weapons to Ukraine when he was a congressman — as a presidential hopeful he questions US involvement — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis once strongly supported arming Ukraine to fight Russia, urging then-President Barack Obama to do so as a deterrent to Russian aggression …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, Big League Politics and Washington Post

David Smith / The Guardian:

What to expect from this year's CPAC: Biden bashing, 2024 Republican primary chatter and lawsuit gossip — The gathering of conservatives returns to Washington and could prove to be a crystal ball into the GOP's 2024 outlook — ts impresario is facing allegations of sexual assault.

Discussion: The Hill and Raw Story

Rolling Stone:

Trump White House Pressured Disney to Censor ... Jimmy Kimmel — The former president was so incensed by the late-night host making fun of him that he had his staff take action — IN EARLY 2018, the American national security apparatus was fixated on reports that North Korea …

David Gura / NPR:

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has another big problem: He won't shut up — Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, isn't doing himself any favors. — Despite being charged with orchestrating one of the largest financial frauds in history …

Emily Wagster Pettus / Associated Press:

Black Mississippi capital distrusts plans by white officials — 1 of 20 — Random gunfire, repeated break-ins and a decaying city water system are constant challenges at Mom's Dream Kitchen, the soul food restaurant Timothy Norris' mother opened 35 years ago in Mississippi's capital.

Discussion: WTOP News and NBC News

Shawna Chen / Axios:

Judge: Jan. 6 probe unable to review 2,000 records due to fight over Perry's phone — A judge ordered Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) to turn over more than 2,000 phone records after ruling that they are not shielded under the Constitution, according to newly unsealed court documents.

Discussion: Washington Press, HuffPost, Alternet.org, Digby's Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice, CNN, Raw Story, Washington Post and Politico

Wall Street Journal:

Ron DeSantis's Education Policies Leave Florida Teachers Feeling Unsure — The governor's supporters say the laws strip away inappropriate material, restrict indoctrination — Cassie Gibson was teaching a unit on slavery last spring to her sixth-grade U.S. history class in Polk County …

Discussion: Metro.co.uk

NBC News:

With Trump running, nearly all Republican senators say no to a presidential bid — WASHINGTON — There's an old joke that senators look in the mirror and see a president. These days, a whole lot of mirrors in the chamber seem to be broken. — Republicans have an open presidential primary in 2024 …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Longtime Trump backers flock to DeSantis event — The group of Ron DeSantis' top donors and supporters gathering in Palm Beach, Fla., this weekend includes some longtime backers of former President Donald Trump. — The Florida governor's three-day retreat at the Four Seasons hotel …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Washington Examiner and Florida Politics