memeorandum: MDMA Reaches Next Step Toward Approval for Treatment (Rachel Nuwer/New York Times)

5:50 AM ET, May 4, 2021

Top Items:

CNN:

Cheney: What Trump did ‘is a line that cannot be crossed’ — Liz Cheney hits back at Trump: 2020 election was not stolen — Washington (CNN)Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said on Monday her party cannot accept the “poison” of the idea that the 2020 election was stolen and should not …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Hill, Associated Press, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Breitbart, HuffPost, HotAir, USA Today and Insider

Alayna Treene / Axios:

Scoop: GOP wants to replace Cheney with another woman — House Republicans are moving closer to ousting Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from leadership, and are already considering replacements — including Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) and Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), congressional aides tell Axios.

Discussion: Breitbart, New York Post, Fox News, The Moderate Voice, New York Times, NBC News, Vanity Fair, Politico and pjmedia.com

Michael Gerson / Washington Post:

Elected Republicans are lying with open eyes. Their excuses are disgraceful. — “Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!” — “Henry IV,” Part 1, Act 5 — For the activist base of the Republican Party, affirming that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential contest has become …

Discussion: Piecebusiness, CNN, Townhall and Daily Kos

The Hill:

Allies of GOP leader vow to oust Liz Cheney — Share to Facebook Share to Twitter — Top allies of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are vowing to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), one of the harshest critics of former President Trump in either party, from her leadership post by the end of the month.

Discussion: Breitbart, Mediaite, TheBlaze, Slate, Newsbusters, Talking Points Memo and The Guardian

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

How three major news organizations all got a story about Rudy Giuliani wrong — Incorrect information from government sources apparently led three separate news organizations to publish the same erroneous claim about Rudolph W. Giuliani last week that all three later corrected.

Discussion: Twitchy, New York Post, NewsHounds blog and The Western Journal

Glenn Greenwald:

Corporate News Outlets Again “Confirm” the Same False Story, While Many Refuse to Correct it — Journalists with major outlets know they spread a false, retracted story about the FBI and Giuliani but refuse to remove it, because their real job is spreading disinformation.

Discussion: Twitchy

Eric Boehlert / PRESS RUN:
The Washington Post owes Biden an apology

Discussion: CNN

Danny Hakim / New York Times:

NRA Leadership and Bankruptcy Assailed by U.S. Trustee — In a rare move, the trustee, part of the Justice Department, called for the dismissal of the N.R.A.'s bankruptcy filing or the appointment of an outside monitor. — The National Rifle Association's hopes of end-running a legal challenge …

Discussion: Raw Story

Tom Hamburger / Washington Post:
U.S. trustee opposes NRA bankruptcy petition in blow to gun rights group

Discussion: CNN, Al Jazeera and Political Wire

Colin Kalmbacher / Law & Crime:

‘I Listened to Too Much Propaganda’: Trump Voter Gets Probation After Casting Ballot on Dead Mom's Behalf and Registering Another Dead Woman as a Republican in Pa. — A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to five years probation after he admitted to illegally casting his dead mother's ballot …

CNN:
Pennsylvania man sentenced to 5-year probation after voting in name of dead mother

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Amanda Macias / CNBC:

Florida Gov. DeSantis suspends all remaining Covid restrictions: ‘We are no longer in a state of emergency’ — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on Monday that immediately suspends the state's remaining Covid-19 public health restrictions.

Discussion: Townhall, Raw Story, NBC 6 South Florida, NBC Chicago, The Hill, Florida Politics, Forbes, UPI and Twitchy

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis:
Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Landmark Legislation to Ban Vaccine Passports and Stem Government Overreach

Discussion: Orlando Sentinel and Breitbart

Mary Ellen Klas / Miami Herald:
DeSantis declares COVID ‘state of emergency’ over, overrides local restrictions

Discussion: Axios, RedState, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Florida Politics, The Daily Caller and FOX 46 Charlotte

Robert Mendick / Telegraph:

MI6 spy Christopher Steele ‘produced second dossier on Donald Trump for FBI’ — The dossier is believed to be raw intelligence that makes claims of Russian meddling and sex tapes — The former MI6 spy Christopher Steele produced a second dossier for the FBI on Donald Trump while he was in the White House, sources told The Telegraph.

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

The F.D.A. is set to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those 12-15 years old by early next week. — The Food and Drug Administration is preparing to authorize use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in adolescents 12 to 15 years old by early next week, according to federal officials familiar …

Discussion: CNN, NPR, CNBC, The Colorado Sun, HuffPost, CBS News, Los Angeles Blade, Reuters, Washington Examiner, Florida Politics, Deadline, Bloomberg, WFRV Local 5, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, National Review, Gizmodo, New York Post, The Week, Townhall and Forbes

Rachel Nuwer / New York Times:

MDMA Reaches Next Step Toward Approval for Treatment — A new study shows that MDMA, known as Ecstasy or Molly, can bring relief when paired with talk therapy to those with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. — In an important step toward medical approval, MDMA, the illegal drug popularly known …

Michael Stratford / Politico:

Biden admin taps Rich Cordray, former CFPB chief, to oversee federal student loans — The Biden administration has tapped Richard Cordray, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to serve as the top official overseeing the federal government's $1.6 trillion portfolio …

Discussion: Insider, HuffPost, Wall Street Journal and Toledo Blade

CNN:
Biden administration taps Richard Cordray as student loan chief

Discussion: New York Times

Casey Newton / The Verge:

Inside the all-hands meeting that led to a third of Basecamp employees quitting … I. — At 8AM PT on Friday, a bleary-eyed Basecamp CEO Jason Fried gathered his remote workforce together on Zoom to apologize. Four days earlier, he had thrown the company into turmoil by announcing that …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Breitbart, more at Techmeme »

Chrissy Clark / The Daily Wire:

California Professor Placed On Leave After Viral Video Shows Her Berating Student For Pro-Police Views — A California professor was placed on leave after a video of her berating a student during a Zoom class went viral. — According to the New York Post, an adjunct professor at Cypress College …

Discussion: Townhall

Ja'han Jones / HuffPost:

Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds To Republican Efforts To Censor 1619 Project — The Pulitzer-winning journalist said efforts to censor the project, which examines American racism since 1619, are about “trying to prohibit the teaching of ideas they don't like.”

Discussion: Commentary Magazine

Jordan Heller / New Republic:

He's a Big City Mayor. His Grandsons Are Suspected Gang Members. — The first 911 call came in at 4:36 p.m. on August 28, 2019. — “Emergency, we have a man shot in the middle of Clark Avenue,” a woman said. “He's in the middle of the street. Dying ... a man came up behind him in a black hoodie and shot him in the back!”

Discussion: New York Post

Dan Diamond / Washington Post:

The coronavirus vaccine skeptics who changed their minds — The White House and public health experts study the Americans who went from ‘no’ to ‘yes’ on shots — Kim Simmons, a 61-year-old small-business owner in Illinois, vividly remembers the moment she went from vaccine skeptic to vaccine-ready …

Discussion: Mediaite

Tracey Tully / New York Times:

Debate Erupts at N.J. Law School After White Student Quotes Racial Slur — A Rutgers Law student repeated an epithet from a legal case, and now Black students at the New Jersey school are calling for a policy on slurs — and apologies. — The controversy over the use of a racial slur …

Discussion: Reason, New York Post and It Bears Mentioning

Luke Broadwater / New York Times:

Schumer Readies Plan B to Push Immigration Changes Unilaterally — Should bipartisan talks stall, the Senate majority leader is exploring trying to use budget reconciliation to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants. — WASHINGTON — Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York …

Discussion: Politico and Political Wire

Laura A. Bischoff / USA Today:

Ohio state senator sees nothing wrong with driving while video conferencing — Laura A. BischoffThe Columbus Dispatch — On the same day a distracted driving bill was introduced, state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, participated in a government video meeting while driving. — “I wasn't distracted.

Politico:

'It's an act of war': Trump's acting Pentagon chief urges Biden to tackle directed-energy attacks — The suspected directed-energy attacks on U.S. government personnel worldwide are “an act of war,” said former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, who launched an initiative to investigate …

BuzzFeed News:

Flynn, Bannon, Manafort, Ivanka: Private Emails From Inside The Mueller Investigation — Five days before Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January 2017, his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, sent an email to the person Trump had chosen as deputy national security adviser.

Politico:

White House struggle to define its vaccine diplomacy leaves Ukraine hanging — The Biden administration's recent decision to send coronavirus vaccines to India has created tensions with another key ally: Ukraine, which has ramped up its requests for vaccine aid ahead of a visit this week from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Jessica Gresko / Associated Press:

Over Thomas dissent, high court rejects West Point case — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a woman who says she was raped as a West Point cadet — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from a woman who says she was raped as a West Point cadet …

Discussion: Washington Post, UPI, SCOTUSblog and NBC News

Representative Darrell Issa:

Issa, Calvert Denounce Pentagon Decision to Deny POW/MIA Remembrance Motorcycle Ride Permit — Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50) and Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) denounced the Pentagon's permit denial for the annual Rolling to Remember motorcycle ride held in Washington …

Discussion: Breitbart

Jonathan V. Last / The Triad:

The COVID Culture War Will Never End — Pandemics end; culture wars are forever. — 3 hr ago — 1. The COVID Culture War — Donald Trump responded to the pandemic by turning COVID into a culture war. He demonized mitigation efforts, peddled a constant stream of misinformation …

Discussion: HotAir

Adie Vanessa Offiong / CNN:

They've been beaten, trolled, threatened with sexual violence but refuse to be silenced — This story is part of As Equals, CNN's ongoing series on gender inequality. Read more from As Equals here and read our FAQs for information about how the series is funded and more.

Joseph Choi / The Hill:

Sharpton responds to Tim Scott: ‘The practice of America was built on racism’ — Share to Facebook Share to Twitter — Al Sharpton on Monday argued that “the practice of America was built on racism,” while addressing GOP Sen. Tim Scott's (S.C.) claim last week that “America is not a racist country.”

Discussion: The American Spectator, IJR, Breitbart, Townhall and New York Times

NBC News:

CVS, Walgreens have wasted more Covid vaccine doses than most states combined — Two national pharmacy chains that the federal government entrusted to inoculate people against Covid-19 account for the lion's share of wasted vaccine doses, according to government data obtained by Kaiser Health News.

Discussion: Chicago Sun-Times, The Week, The Guardian, NBC Chicago, TheGrio and Raw Story

Carla Marinucci / Politico:

Caitlyn Jenner sitdown with Hannity will be live event in Malibu — OAKLAND — Fox News host Sean Hannity is heading to Malibu this week for GOP gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner's first big TV appearance since she announced last month she will run in the California recall.

Discussion: National Review and POLITICUSUSA