memeorandum: As the U.S. departs Afghanistan, will the old Taliban reemerge? (Washington Post)

9:35 AM ET, May 2, 2021

Top Items:

Francisco Kjolseth / Salt Lake Tribune:

Mitt Romney booed at raucous Utah GOP convention as speakers attack the Biden agenda — With 2,145 of registered delegates in attendance at in-person convention — and masks in short supply — state's Republican leaders urge party unity after a divisive year. — By Bryan Schott and Tony Semerad

Discussion: The Guardian, Insider, The Hill, Fox News, RedState, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and Raw Story

Washington Post:

For Republicans, fealty to Trump's election falsehood becomes defining loyalty test — Debra Ell, a Republican organizer in Michigan and fervent supporter of former president Donald Trump, said she has good reason to believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, CNN and Salon

Francisco Kjolseth / Salt Lake Tribune:

Utah GOP state convention delegates defeat move to censure Sen. Mitt Romney — Convention attendees split 798-711 after a spirited debate, with some accusing Romney of betraying party values in twice supporting President Trump's impeachment. — By Bryan Schott and Tony Semerad — West Valley City

Discussion: CNN, KSTU, NBC News, Washington Examiner, TMZ.com, Townhall and Associated Press

Marc Caputo / Politico:
'There's a lot of crazy going on': Pro-Trump lawyer blows up key GOP race

Discussion: Raw Story

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

The politicians who tried to overturn an election — and the local news team that won't let anyone forget it — The journalists at WITF, an all-news public radio station in Harrisburg, Pa., made a perfectly reasonable decision a few months ago. — They decided they wouldn't shrug off the damaging lies of election denialism.

Kansas City Star:

Kansas Rep. Mark Samsel arrested for battery after physical altercation with student — Kansas state Rep. Mark Samsel was arrested on charges of misdemeanor battery on Thursday after getting into a physical altercation with a student while substitute teaching in Wellsville.

Discussion: Washington Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money, LGBTQ Nation, New York Post, Associated Press and Kansas Reflector

Jon Levine / New York Post:

Powerful teachers union influenced CDC on school reopenings, emails show … The American Federation of Teachers lobbied the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on, and even suggested language for, the federal agency's school-reopening guidance released in February.

Discussion: Fox News

Renato Mariotti / Politico:

Giuliani's Legal Trouble Is Trump's Too — You don't need to be a lawyer to know that when federal agents knock on your door with a search warrant and seize your electronic devices, you're in big trouble. Ever since that happened to former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday …

Discussion: Raw Story, Insider and Michael-In-Norfolk

theepochtimes.com:
The Real Reasons Behind the Rudy Giuliani Raid

Discussion: American Thinker

Hollywood Reporter:

Olympia Dukakis, Oscar Winner for ‘Moonstruck,’ Dies at 89 — The veteran stage actress also appeared in ‘Steel Magnolias,’ 'Mr. Holland's Opus' and as a transgender landlady four times on ‘Tales of the City.’ — Olympia Dukakis, the dignified actress who received a supporting Oscar …

Discussion: New York Times, Mediaite, RedState, The Week, NPR, TMZ.com and Variety

Nardine Saad / Los Angeles Times:
Olympia Dukakis, theater veteran and Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ actress, dies at 89

Discussion: CNN, UPI, WFRV Local 5, Variety, Fox News and The Wrap

Politico:

The Shows: Sunday listings for May 2, 2021 — ABC “This Week”: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan ... Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) ... Adm. Mike Mullen ... Jeffrey Gettleman ... Ashish Jha. Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Rachel Scott and Audie Cornish.

Discussion: HotAir and Crooks and Liars

Amy Davidson Sorkin / New Yorker:

Joe Biden, the Republicans, and Kids' Stuff — As the new Administration enters its next hundred days, the child wars are likely to grow more intense and, in some quarters, more detached from reality. — “Superheroes Are Everywhere,” a children's book celebrating ordinary people …

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
‘Lefty social engineering’: GOP launches cultural attack on Biden's plan for day care, education and employee leave

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and No More Mister Nice Blog

The Hill:

Census confirms Texas and Florida are America's future — Share to Facebook Share to Twitter — We suspected people were moving by the thousands to Texas and Florida. Now Washington has proof. The recent census results added two congressional seats to Texas and bolstered Florida's representation …

TMZ.com:

Caitlyn Jenner Says If You're a Biological Bly, You Shouldn't be in Girls' Sports — Caitlyn Jenner has a take on trans athletes you might not expect — namely, if you're born as a biological boy, you shouldn't be allowed to compete in girls' sports ... at least while you're still in school, anyway.

Discussion: Washington Blade, Page Six, Fox News, RedState, Townhall, Deadline, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Insider, LGBTQ Nation and Althouse

Wajahat Ali / The Daily Beast:

What Does It Take to Get a White Man Fired From CNN? — UNAFFIRMATIVE ACTION … I got four warnings there. Reza Aslan and Octavia Nasr and Marc Lamont Hill didn't get off with just warnings. Rick Santorum seems to be just fine. Can you spot the difference?

Discussion: Raw Story

Glenn Greenwald:

The Left Continues to Destroy Itself and Others With Evidence-Free Destruction of Reputations — Equating accusations with proven fact is reckless and repressive. It is also standard behavior in liberal politics, whereby they ruin lives without a second thought. — 15 hr ago

Discussion: CBS New York

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Trump's Secret Rules for Drone Strikes Outside War Zones Are Disclosed — The release of the 2017 policy — with redactions — stemmed from open-records lawsuits by The Times and the A.C.L.U. — WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has disclosed a set of rules secretly issued …

Discussion: CNN

Ally Mutnick / Politico:

Texas special election too close to call but GOP on verge of lockout win — Susan Wright, the widow of the late congressman, and fellow Republican Jake Ellzey are running first and second in the all-party special House election in Texas, which would lock Democrats out of the runoff and end …

Discussion: CNN, The Guardian and The Week

Noah Smith / Noahpinion:

Why politically guided science is bad — Research should not be an effort to reach one's desired conclusions. — 8 hr ago — The other day, a paper was published in the American Economic Review about incarceration's effect on children. It caused quite a stir, because it concluded …

Washington Post:

As the U.S. departs Afghanistan, will the old Taliban reemerge? — After the Taliban's hard-line government collapsed in 2001, American leaders dismissed some senior militants' attempts to join the new Afghan political order, shunning a group that had isolated itself from the outside world …

Ashton Pittman / Mississippi Free Press:

Systemic Racism Built Mississippi. Gov. Reeves Says It Doesn't Exist. — On the penultimate day of the Confederate Heritage Month he proclaimed for the second year in a row, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves made a bold declaration: “There is not systemic racism in America.”

Deval Patrick / Newsweek:

Voter Suppression: Bad for Democracy, Bad for Business, Bad for America — Across the nation, state legislators have proposed over 300 bills to make it harder to vote. Republicans are driving these proposals, targeting voters who have voted for Democrats in the past. Sadly, voter suppression is not new in America.

Discussion: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Nick Corasaniti / New York Times:

G.O.P. Seeks to Empower Poll Watchers, Raising Intimidation Worries — Republicans in several states are pushing bills to give poll watchers more autonomy. Alarmed election officials and voting rights activists say it's a new attempt to target voters of color.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Fredreka Schouten / CNN: Republican state lawmakers look to empower partisan poll watchers, setting off alarms about potential voter intimidation

New York Times:

India's Covid-19 Crisis Shakes Modi's Image of Strength — Overconfidence and missteps contributed to the country's devastating second wave, his critics say, tarnishing the prime minister's aura of political invulnerability. — NEW DELHI — His Covid-19 task force didn't meet for months.

Discussion: CNN