Top Items:
Jarrett Renshaw / Reuters:
Biden seeks $1.6 bln to tackle COVID relief fraud ahead of Republican probes — President Joe Biden plans to ask Congress to provide $1.6 billion in new funding to tackle fraud tied to U.S. pandemic relief programs and help victims of identity theft, the White House said.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Associated Press, GovExec.com, Washington Times, The White House, NewsNation, Power Line and The Hill
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NBC News:
Biden strikes campaign tones in speech to House Democrats
Biden strikes campaign tones in speech to House Democrats
Discussion:
The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Insider, RedState, Politico, Punchbowl News, Reuters, The Hill, Sputnik News, Los Angeles Times, The Information, Roll Call, CNBC, Just The News, FOX News Radio, Florida Politics, Washington Examiner, Virginian-Pilot, Fox News, Liberty Nation, The Atlantic, The Daily, Bloomberg and Political Wire, more at Techmeme »
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Biden Challenged by Softening Public Support for Arming Ukraine
Biden Challenged by Softening Public Support for Arming Ukraine
Discussion:
Alliance For Securing …, Breitbart and Las Vegas Review-Journal
Andrew Romano / Yahoo News:
Poll: 68% of voters say Biden is ‘too old for another term’ — and more Democrats agree than disagree
Poll: 68% of voters say Biden is ‘too old for another term’ — and more Democrats agree than disagree
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, HotAir, New York Post and USA Today
CNN:
US condemns Israel far right minister's call for Palestinian town ‘to be erased’ — Israel's far-right finance minister's call for a Palestinian town “to be erased” was harshly condemned by US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Wednesday, who described the comments as “repugnant” and “irresponsible.”
Discussion:
Informed Comment
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Ben Samuels / Haaretz:
U.S. Condemns Smotrich's ‘Repugnant, Disgusting’ Call for Israel to Wipe Out Palestinian Village — ‘Just as we condemn Palestinian incitement to violence, we condemn these provocative remarks that also amount to incitement to violence,’ State Department spokesperson Ned Price says
Discussion:
Financial Times, The Times of Israel, middleeastmonitor.com, Axios, DAWN and Al Jazeera
Karl de Vries / CNN:
Michigan AG says she was among those targeted in plot to kill Jewish members of state government — A Michigan man allegedly threatened on social media to kill Jewish members of the Michigan government, the FBI said, and state Attorney General Dana Nessel says she was among those targeted in the plot.
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Elisha Fieldstadt / NBC News:
‘Heavily armed’ man targeted Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and other Jewish officials, FBI and AG say — Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel was targeted last month by a “heavily armed” man who threatened injury and death to Jewish members of the state's government, she said Thursday morning.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Politico:
Trump's loosening grip on GOP defines early 2024 campaign — Rep. Thomas Massie was so eager for Donald Trump's endorsement in a contested primary three years ago that he ran TV ads targeted at the then-president in Florida to win his support. — Today, Massie is all but shunning Trump and his comeback campaign.
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Kathryn Watson / CBS News:
Pence won't commit to supporting Trump if he's the nominee
Pence won't commit to supporting Trump if he's the nominee
Discussion:
The Hill, The Guardian, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, Fox News, Washington Examiner and Alternet.org
Lori Ann LaRocco / CNBC:
Rail unions tell Biden officials that workers have fallen ill at Norfolk Southern derailment site — The presidents of U.S. railroad unions told Biden administration officials that rail workers have fallen ill at the Norfolk Southern derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, in a push for more train safety.
Discussion:
New York Daily News, Fox News, New York Post, Washington Times, Pennsylvania Capital-Star, Associated Press, NBC News and NewsNation
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Washington Post:
Republicans seize on train derailment to go after Buttigieg
Republicans seize on train derailment to go after Buttigieg
Discussion:
Bangor Daily News, Insider and 19FortyFive
Dominic Pino / National Review:
Buttigieg's Harshest GOP Critics Want to Make His Rail-Safety Policies the Law
Buttigieg's Harshest GOP Critics Want to Make His Rail-Safety Policies the Law
Discussion:
Bangor Daily News, Fox News and New York Post
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
The FBI Desperately Wants to Let Trump Off the Hook — He just won't allow it. — The way conservatives tell it, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is a hive of anti-Trump villainy, filled with agents looking for any excuse to hound the former president with investigative witch hunts.
NBC News:
Blinken and Lavrov meet on G-20 sidelines in first meeting between top diplomats since Ukraine war began — Blinken urged Russia to reverse President Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend New START, a key nuclear arms control treaty between the world's two largest nuclear powers
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Matthew Lee / Associated Press:
Blinken, Lavrov meet briefly as US-Russia tensions soar
Blinken, Lavrov meet briefly as US-Russia tensions soar
Discussion:
Politico, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Axios, CNN, Just The News, WTOP News, The Guardian and Financial Times
Semafor:
“Non-Person” Donald Trump faces “soft ban” at Fox — Donald Trump, who once dominated the Fox News broadcasts, is now running into a brick wall with what four members of his circle say is a “soft ban” from the top of the conservative news channel, as it rolls out the red carpet to even the low-profile rival candidates.
Discussion:
Memex 1.1
Washington Post:
Starbucks committed ‘egregious’ violations in battling union, judge rules — The administrative law judge's order requires the company to stop a long list of behaviors and reinstate workers who began a nationwide union drive — By Jacob Bogage and Lauren Kaori Gurley
Colleen Schrappen / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Parents push back on allegations against St. Louis transgender center. 'I'm baffled.' — ST. LOUIS — Explosive allegations made public last month about a St. Louis clinic that treats transgender children have flung parents into a vortex of emotions: shock, confusion, anger, fear.
Discussion:
HotAir
Annie Nova / CNBC:
Biden administration lawyer may have saved student loan forgiveness plan at Supreme Court, experts say — Experts have predicted the Supreme Court would rule against President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, but some changed their minds after oral arguments, praising the lawyer who presented the administration's case.
Discussion:
Hello from Minnesota, Insider, Just The News, WWLP-TV, USA Today, Higher Ed Dive, Newsbusters, Los Angeles Times and CNN
New York Times:
Kellyanne Conway Meets With Prosecutors as Trump Inquiry Escalates — The Manhattan district attorney's office is scrutinizing the former president's role in the hush money payment to a porn star. — Kellyanne Conway, who managed the final months of Donald J. Trump's 2016 campaign …
Discussion:
Political Wire, The Daily Beast, ABC News, Washington Press, Raw Story and New York Daily News
Washington Post:
Here's why Biden's new cyber strategy is notable … Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! What a busy Wednesday it was. You'll see what I mean very soon. Just scroll on down. — Reading this online? Sign up for The Cybersecurity 202 to get scoops and sharp analysis in your inbox each morning.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Politico, Associated Press, CNN, Bloomberg, The Hill, NBC News, Voice of America, Washington Times and CBS News, more at Techmeme »
CNN:
Senate votes to overturn Biden administration retirement investment rule Republicans decry as ‘woke’ — The Senate passed a politically charged resolution on Wednesday to overturn a Biden administration retirement investment rule that allows managers of retirement funds to consider the impact …
Tim Rogers / D Magazine:
Dallas Morning News Fires Reporter for Calling Mayor ‘Bruh’ on Twitter — Meghan Mangrum moved to Dallas to cover education. — Meghan Mangrum moved to Dallas last summer to cover education as part of the Dallas Morning News' Education Lab. She'd previously worked the education beat …
Henry Olsen / Washington Post:
Would a large GOP presidential field help Trump? Not necessarily. — The consensus among political elites holds that a large, divided GOP presidential field would help former president Donald Trump. That view is likely wrong. — The common wisdom goes something like this: In 2016 …
CNN:
Exclusive: US Air Force fires leaders for failing nuclear safety inspection — Two US Air Force commanders and four of their subordinates at a key nuclear base in North Dakota were relieved of duty this week after their units failed an inspection designed to ensure that the nuclear weapons stockpile …
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Associated Press, New York Post, Washington Examiner, CBS News, New York Daily News and Political Wire
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Disney-backed Florida legislator proposes major expansion of “Don't Say Gay” law — Florida schools are removing books with LGBTQ characters from libraries, taking down rainbow flags, and canceling LGBTQ History Month. This is all due to the infamous Parental Rights in Education Act …
Discussion:
Advocate, Florida Phoenix, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando Sentinel, Spectrum News 13, Twitchy and Just The News
Tristan Justice / The Federalist:
EXCLUSIVE: House Weaponization Committee To Focus On The ‘Twitter Files’ In Second Hearing — The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government plans to shine a spotlight on the FBI misconduct revealed in the “Twitter Files” at the panel's second hearing, scheduled for next week.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
David Thomas / Reuters:
Washington lawyer Tom Goldstein leaves Supreme Court practice, law firm — Longtime Supreme Court advocate Tom Goldstein, who has argued more than 40 cases before the high court, said Wednesday that he is ending his practice and retiring from the Washington, D.C., law firm he co-founded in 2011.
Isaac Grafstein / The Free Press:
The Rise of the Right-Wing Peacenik — ‘I realized that my own side was led by a bunch of incompetents and ideologues who had taken our country down a path of destruction. And for what?’ — Once upon a time, Congressman Ron DeSantis strongly supported arming Ukraine against Russia.
Discussion:
The American Conservative
Anthony L. Fisher / The Daily Beast:
Ron DeSantis' Anti-Free Speech Crusade Would Cancel Fox News — The culture warrior governor wants to overturn the Supreme Court decision that protects journalists from bogus defamation suits. Fox News just used the same case as a defense. … When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed …
Discussion:
The Economist and Raw Story
Financial Times:
Chinese brokerages pressured to end overseas investing services — Regulator seeks to close loopholes that allowed foreign trades by mainland China investors — Chinese brokerages offering overseas investing services to mainland clients have come under pressure from a regulatory push …
David Wildstein / New Jersey Globe:
Menendez, Booker, nine House members slap Star-Ledger for closing Washington bureau — Two U.S. Senators and nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives have sent a letter to Star-Ledger and NJ Advance Media executives protesting their decision to close their Washington …
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review
Tobias Burns / The Hill:
Ticketmaster, PayPal, eBay are hassling customers to report sales even though the IRS says they don't have to — People are being told they need to provide their Social Security numbers to online platforms and cash transfer app companies for the sales of things like clothes and concert tickets over $600 …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Donna Brazile / New York Times:
Give Kamala Harris the Credit She Is Due — Vice President Kamala Harris occupies an office that can be the butt of jokes and criticism. The only duties of the vice president spelled out in the Constitution are to cast tiebreaking votes in the Senate and to become president if the office becomes vacant.
Discussion:
FOX31 Denver, Denver Post and The Daily Caller
David Gilbert / VICE:
The GOP Is Weaponizing LibsOfTikTok's Anti-'Woke' Hate — Chaya Raichik amassed millions of followers by going after queer people and the doctors and teachers who support them. And now, she's speaking at CPAC. — In the year since Chaya Raichik was unmasked as the operator of the hate-filled Libs …
Alicia Victoria Lozano / NBC News:
Pennsylvania residents near Ohio chemical spill say they're left out of recovery efforts — Western Pennsylvania residents living near the Ohio border say they have been left out of recovery efforts following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in neighboring East Palestine, Ohio.
Discussion:
Greg's Newsletter, New York Daily News and WKBN-TV
Burgess Everett / Politico:
How J.D. Vance made Dem friends on rail safety — J.D. Vance didn't win his Senate seat by campaigning as a dealmaker. Yet here he is, a pro-Trump Republican working with Democrats after a toxic derailment devastated his state. — Vance and progressive Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) …
Discussion:
Plain Dealer, Washington Times and HuffPost