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Notes on the State of Politics: May 18, 2022 — Dear Readers: This is the latest edition of Notes on the State of Politics, which features short updates on elections and politics. — The Editors — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — The race for the Pennsylvania Republican Senate …
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Inside the last-minute Trump endorsement that enraged Pa. Republicans
Discussion:
Washington Post, Steve Bannon's War Room, New York Times, Vanity Fair and Raw Story
Cook Political Report:
Post-Primary Update: Something For Everyone; PA GOV Moves To Lean Dem
Post-Primary Update: Something For Everyone; PA GOV Moves To Lean Dem
Discussion:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and Mock Paper Scissors
Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic:
What the Primaries Reveal About the Future of Trumpism
What the Primaries Reveal About the Future of Trumpism
Discussion:
HotAir, Newsweek, Washington Post, USA Today, New York Times and Slate
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Opinion Say it clearly: Republicans just nominated a pro-Trump insurrectionist
Opinion Say it clearly: Republicans just nominated a pro-Trump insurrectionist
Discussion:
HuffPost, Associated Press, Reason, Right Wing Watch, Washington Examiner, One America News Network, The Status Kuo, Insider, Substack, VICE and York Dispatch
Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post:
Trump urges Oz to ‘declare victory’ before vote tally complete in Pa.
Trump urges Oz to ‘declare victory’ before vote tally complete in Pa.
Discussion:
Politico, PennLive, Washington Monthly, Associated Press, CNN, Washington Times, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Forbes, WKBN-TV, Deseret News, The Hill, WTOP News, Fox News, TheBlaze, New York Magazine and Common Dreams
New York Times:
Primaries Show Limits, and Depths, of Trump's Power Over G.O.P. Base
Primaries Show Limits, and Depths, of Trump's Power Over G.O.P. Base
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Raw Story, NPR, Commentary Magazine, Vanity Fair and New York Magazine
Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:
Election Deniers Thrive Even as Trumpism Drifts: 5 Primary Takeaways
Election Deniers Thrive Even as Trumpism Drifts: 5 Primary Takeaways
Discussion:
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Examiner, OpenSecrets.org, New Republic, ABC News, Salon, NBC News, Insider, The Daily Wire, The Land of 10,000 Takes, Daily Briefing, CNN, The Federalist, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Metro Philadelphia, Reuters, Politico, Morning Shots, Washington Post, HotAir, CBS News, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Popular Information, Daily Kos, National Review, WTOP News, Althouse and The Bulwark

How the Biden administration let right-wing attacks derail its disinformation efforts — A ‘pause’ of the Department of Homeland Security's newly created board comes after its head, Nina Jankowicz, was the victim of coordinated online attacks as the administration struggled to respond
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Daily Mail, Fox News, New York Times, New York Post, The Lid, Associated Press, Patterico's Pontifications, ABC News, RedState, New York Magazine, National Review, Townhall, Gizmodo, NPR, Florida Phoenix, American Greatness, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Gateway Pundit, Twitchy, Conservative Brief, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, The Daily Signal, The Western Journal, Big League Politics, Wall Street Journal, Def-Con News, Instapundit, LifeNews.com, Newsbusters, Pirate Wires, TheBlaze, The Daily Wire, Mediaite, BizPac Review, Charlie's Newsletter, The Hill, Raw Story, robertspencer.org, Florida's Voice, HotAir, Althouse, Power Line, Washington Examiner, IJR, Breitbart, CNN, Ace of Spades HQ, Mock Paper Scissors, РИА … and MindWar
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Nina Jankowicz's Faulty Record, Not Her Critics, Doomed the Disinformation Board — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has placed a “pause” on the newly-minted Disinformation Governance Board; its first executive director, Nina Jankowicz, has resigned.
Discussion:
Fox News, New York Post, RedState, American Greatness and Instapundit

Rare monkeypox outbreak in U.K., Europe and U.S.: What is it and should we worry? — There's a monkeypox outbreak in England, Portugal and Spain. The outbreak is quite small - just 36 suspected cases spread across the three countries, including 8 in England and 20 in Portugal.
Discussion:
HotAir, STAT, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC News, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Guardian
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1st monkeypox case in US this year reported in Massachusetts — It comes after nine cases of monkeypox were detected in the U.K. this month. — A Massachusetts resident has tested positive for monkeypox, health officials confirmed Wednesday, making it the first case of the rare virus detected in the United States this year.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, NOQ Report, TMZ.com, NBC Los Angeles, MindWar and STAT

Rare monkeypox case confirmed in Massachusetts — Massachusetts health authorities confirmed a case of monkeypox Wednesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was monitoring the possible spread of the rare but potentially serious viral illness.

U.S. health officials say a third of people live in areas with so much virus they should consider masks indoors. — Federal health officials on Wednesday warned that one third of Americans live in areas where the threat of infection from the coronavirus is now so high that they should consider wearing …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Associated Press, Deseret News, The White House, Washington Post and The Daily Caller
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Emma G. Fitzsimmons / New York Times:
Mayor Eric Adams resists mask mandates as N.Y.C. enters a high alert level for the virus.
Mayor Eric Adams resists mask mandates as N.Y.C. enters a high alert level for the virus.
Discussion:
New York Post, abc7NY, NBC New York and Bloomberg

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:
Raw Story, Washington Examiner and YouTube

Why Tesla was kicked out of the S&P 500's ESG index — In a blog post Wednesday, the S&P explained why it kicked Tesla out of its ESG index earlier this month. — It said that Tesla's “lack of a low-carbon strategy” and “codes of business conduct,” along with racism …
Discussion:
Indexology® Blog, Forbes, Al Jazeera, The Daily Beast, Electrek, The Daily Caller, New York Times, Jezebel, New York Post and The Daily Wire

Scoop: DHS preparing for violence following abortion ruling — The U.S. government is bracing for a potential surge in political violence once the Supreme Court hands down the ruling that's expected to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by Axios.
Discussion:
The Hill, National Review, NBC News, Big League Politics, Fortune, The Daily Wire, The Lid, The Daily Caller, The Floridian, The Gateway Pundit, Ace of Spades HQ, ragnar_forseti's newsletter, Breitbart, American Greatness, HuffPost, CBS News, LifeNews.com, Mic, The Western Journal, Washington Free Beacon, IJR, TheBlaze, Fox News, POLITICUSUSA, Townhall, CNN, New York Post, Twitchy, RedState, Mediaite and Very Serious
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Scoop: Chris Wallace to anchor new show on CNN — Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's new parent company, plans to announce during its upfront presentation to advertisers on Wednesday that Chris Wallace will host a Sunday evening show on CNN. … - CNN struck a multimillion-dollar contract with Wallace last year.

Inside S.B.F.'s $12 Million Long Shot — Crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried lost big on Tuesday despite airdropping a historic sum into a congressional race in Oregon. What was he thinking? The logic, the math, and the aftermath. — It was after 11 p.m. on Monday evening …
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Biden invokes Defense Production Act to address nationwide shortage of baby formula — WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act in a major step to boost the supply of baby formula. — The announcement means the federal government will prioritize key ingredients …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, ABC News, CNBC, Washington Examiner, CNN and New York Post
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Department of Defense Office of Inspector General:
Whistleblower Reprisal Investigation: Colonel Yevgeny S. Vindman, U.S. Army (DODIG-2022-097) — We conducted this investigation in response to a complaint filed with the DoD Hotline on August 18, 2020, alleging that various administration officials, including former President Donald J. Trump …

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 …

Tom Cruise's Last Stand — Thirty-six years after the original, Top Gun: Maverick eulogizes the actor's entire career. — I'd never noticed the curiously melancholy overtones of Harold Faltermeyer's famous Top Gun theme until the opening moments of the brand-new Top Gun: Maverick.
Discussion:
Variety, Deadline and The A.V. Club

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:
Raw Story

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.
Discussion:
NPR

Dow drops 1,100 points for its biggest decline since 2020 as the sell-off this year on Wall Street intensifies — The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its biggest loss since 2020 on Wednesday after another major retailer warned of rising cost pressures, confirming investors' worst fears …
Discussion:
Fortune, Forbes, Trends Journal, Washington Examiner, UPI, Ace of Spades HQ, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and Townhall

Navy desertions have more than doubled amid suicide concerns, as sailors feel trapped by contracts — The number of sailors who deserted the Navy more than doubled from 2019 to 2021, while desertions in other military branches dropped or stayed flat, pointing to a potential Navy-wide mental health crisis amid …

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:
Raw Story

Can dogs be pets, N.Y. judge asks lawyer trying to free Happy the elephant — Would granting a female elephant some of the same rights as humans mean people could no longer keep dogs as pets? — That was among the questions that judges on New York state's top court during arguments in Albany …

Hawley, Hartzler campaigns accept donations from summer camp owner linked to sex abuse — Last month, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) called child exploitation and sex trafficking an “exploding epidemic” in Missouri and around the country. Last year, he received the maximum individual donation allowed …

Clackamas County vote tally will likely stretch until at least next week, could leave key race for Congress hanging — Clackamas County elections officials were woefully unprepared to handle a known ballot counting challenge and likely won't finish counting votes until early next week at best …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Washington Examiner

Laws restricting lessons on racism are making it hard for teachers to discuss the massacre in Buffalo — Two days after a white gunman opened fire and killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store, teacher Elizabeth Close began her high school ethnic studies class in Austin …
Discussion:
Media Matters for America

Officer ‘motorboated’ subordinate at promotion ceremony, retires after guilty plea — A former Louisiana National Guard officer was allowed to retire after a general court-martial convicted him of charges stemming from “motorboating” a subordinate soldier during an informal promotion ceremony …
Discussion:
Stars & Stripes and Raw Story