memeorandum: ‘Unbearable’: Restaurant customers are being nightmares lately (Madeline Wells/SFGATE)

Sara Boboltz / HuffPost:

Man Confronts Tucker Carlson At Montana Store: ‘You Are The Worst Human Being’ — The Fox host got an earful when he popped into a fly fishing store. — When a local fly fishing guide spotted noted vaccine skeptic Tucker Carlson at a sporting goods store in Livingston, Montana, he did not waste time.

Discussion: UPROXX, Raw Story and Townhall

Discussion: Just Above Sunset

Sheera Frenkel / New York Times:

The Most Influential Spreader of Coronavirus Misinformation Online — Researchers and regulators say Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician, creates and profits from misleading claims about Covid-19 vaccines. — SAN FRANCISCO — The article that appeared online on Feb. 9 began …

more at Techmeme »

Glenn Greenwald:

FBI Using the Same Fear Tactic From the First War on Terror: Orchestrating its Own Terrorism Plots — Questioning the FBI's role in 1/6 was maligned by corporate media as deranged. But only ignorance about the FBI or a desire to deceive could produce such a reaction. — 3 hr ago

Discussion: New York Post, JONATHAN TURLEY, The Federalist, Reason and The Truth About Guns

Peter Aitken / Fox News:

Michigan Gov. Whitmer stripped of emergency powers — Whitmer faced pushback on her orders since the early days of COVID pandemic — Michigan Gov. Whitmer being stripped of emergency powers a ‘great day’: Rep. McClain — Michigan legislators have stripped Gov. Gretchen Whitmer …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Andrew Stanton / Newsweek:

Michael Flynn Criticizes DeSantis, Hannity for Vaccine Push: ‘They Know That They Have Influence’ — Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Fox News Host Sean Hannity yesterday for promoting COVID-19 vaccines.

Julie Bosman / New York Times:

Why Some Americans Are Still Hesitant to Get Vaccinated — The U.S. vaccine rollout has plateaued and the course of the coronavirus pandemic in this country may depend on how many people are ultimately swayed to get vaccinated. — CHICAGO — They acknowledged that they could have showed up months ago.

Madeline Wells / SFGATE:

‘Unbearable’: Restaurant customers are being nightmares lately — Highway 395 remains closed due to Tamarack Fire — California man who mocked COVID-19 vaccine dies of virus — Why Bay Area doesn't need to worry much about delta breakthroughs — Congressman requests State of Emergency for Tamarack Fire

Jesselyn Cook / HuffPost:

A Vaccine Or This Marriage: Conspiracy Theories Are Tearing Couples Apart — “He said if I take the vaccine I could pack my bags and leave his kids here.” — For Lucy, a 59-year-old metastatic breast cancer patient from Washington state, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 was a matter of life and death.

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

Arian Campo-Flores / Wall Street Journal:

Florida Leads U.S. in Covid-19 Cases as Hospitalizations Surge — Driving the rise are the Delta variant, large numbers of unvaccinated, relaxation of preventive measures and more indoor time — MIAMI—Florida is recording more Covid-19 cases than any other U.S. state …

Reuters:

China criticizes NBC Universal for showing ‘incomplete map’ during Olympic opening ceremony … China criticized NBC Universal for showing an “incomplete map” of the country in its broadcast of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, after a map displayed during the arrival …

Discussion: TheBlaze, The Hill and Twitchy

Pete Thamel / Yahoo Sports:

With OU and Texas nearing Big 12 exit, here's the biggest questions looming over college athletics — historic and axis-shifting move of Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC is expected to begin next week, sources told Yahoo Sports. While the drama over whether they are leaving has ended …

Discussion: FanSided, The Athletic, Horns247, Outside the Beltway and Deseret News

David Wallace-Wells / New York Magazine:

‘We Could Have Prevented This’ The scientist Eric Topol on the Delta variant and its dangerous impact. — At present, there are two big anchors to conventional-wisdom thinking on the Delta variant: that those already vaccinated remain exceedingly well protected against the new …

Orlando Sentinel:

At a critical moment for Florida, let's take control of COVID this weekend and get vaccinated … We were so close, Florida. — So close to kicking COVID's ass. — Just one month ago Florida was averaging around 1,500 new cases per day. Remember how good we felt? Like we had this thing licked.

Discussion: The Hill

Brittny Mejia / Los Angeles Times:

Vaccine stragglers explain hesitancy — As Delta variant surges, procrastinators talk about why they waited so long to act. — Guillermo Cozar waited months to get vaccinated because, he reasoned, he'd already had COVID-19 last fall and didn't think he would get sick again.

Financial Times:

Wall Street doubles down on lending ‘cheap money’ to the rich — Combined value of loans made by wealth management units at top US banks in second quarter exceeds $600bn — The lending businesses of large US banks are doubling down on wealthier customers, as well-to-do Americans borrow …

Mary Kay Linge / New York Post:

GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance blames ‘childless left’ for culture wars — Ohio Republican US Senate candidate J.D. Vance is taking aim at New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other leaders of the “childless left” for their lack of “physical commitment to the future of this country” …

Discussion: The Hill, The Federalist, BizPac Review and WEB OF EVIL

Washington Post:

Bolsonaro once said he'd stage a military takeover. Now Brazilians fear he could be laying the foundation for one. — RIO DE JANEIRO — In a television interview two decades ago, the fringe congressman didn't hesitate to say it: If he were president, he would shut down the Brazilian congress and stage a military takeover.

Gromer Jeffers Jr / Dallas Morning News:

Donald Trump's PAC makes last-minute ad buy for Susan Wright in District 6 congressional race — Susan Wright is considered the frontrunner to replace her late husband her Congress, but Jake Ellzey is a threat in Tuesday's low turnout election. — Susan Wright's campaign consultants …

Discussion: OpenSecrets.org

Nicholas Casey / New York Times:

Spain Pledged Citizenship to Sephardic Jews. Now They Feel Betrayed. — In 2015, Spain said it would give citizenship to the descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled during the Spanish Inquisition. Then rejections started pouring in this summer. — MADRID — María Sánchez …

Wall Street Journal:

Covid-19 Vaccine Holdouts Face Restrictions in Europe as Delta Variant Spreads — Proof of vaccination is increasingly required to enter restaurants and other public spaces — European governments worried about the rapid spread of the Delta coronavirus variant are nudging …

Discussion: Washington Post

Mary Papenfuss / HuffPost:

Date With Destiny: Capitol Riot Suspect Nabbed — This Time With Help From Dating App Bumble — He posted photos and boasted about the insurrection on Bumble, according to the federal complaint against him. — Yet another Capitol riot suspect has been nabbed thanks to boasts and photos …

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, The Daily Beast and Forbes

Peter Hermann / Washington Post:

‘Some are still suffering’: Months after Capitol riot, police who fought the mob contend with physical, psychological pain — More than six months after Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell battled the mob that stormed the Capitol, he remains hobbled, a hand scarred, a shoulder aching …

Karen Townsend / HotAir:

Texas Democrats unravel - “I'm just pissed off” that Biden won't meet with them — It seems like only a few days ago that Texas fleebaggers were begging for a meeting with Joe Biden. The Texas Democrat Congressional delegation sent a letter to Biden asking him to meet with the Texas state lawmakers.

Discussion: Austin American-Statesman

Rocky Swift / Reuters:

Basketball 3x3-Macron and Jill Biden look on as France lose to U.S. — French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. first lady Jill Biden watched their countrywomen tangle on the 3x3 basketball court at the sport's Olympic debut in Tokyo on Saturday, with the Americans pulling out an upset victory.

Discussion: The Hill and One America News Network

Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:

Laura Foreman, Reporter Whose Romance Became a Scandal, Dies at 76 — The disclosure of her relationship with a source while at The Philadelphia Inquirer ended her journalism career and prompted the paper to develop an ethics code. — Laura Foreman, a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer in the 1970s …

Stephen L. Miller / spectatorworld.com:

The racist Cleveland Guardians baseball team must be renamed — Manager Terry Francona of the Cleveland Indians talks to members of the media during a press conference announcing the name change from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field (Getty)

Discussion: Plain Dealer