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Activists and Ex-Spy Said to Have Plotted to Discredit Trump ‘Enemies’ in Government — The campaign included planned operations against President Trump's national security adviser at the time, H.R. McMaster, and F.B.I. employees, according to documents and interviews.
Discussion:
Insider, Occupy Democrats, littlegreenfootballs.com, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Spies Somehow Failed to Get Trump Officials to Call Him Stupid on Hidden Camera
Spies Somehow Failed to Get Trump Officials to Call Him Stupid on Hidden Camera
Discussion:
Raw Story

Vaccinated Americans now may go without masks in most places, the C.D.C. said. — In a sharp turnabout from previous recommendations, federal health officials on Thursday advised that Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus may stop wearing masks or maintaining social distance …
Discussion:
HotAir, CNN, Mother Jones, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washingtonian, NPR, The Week and Althouse
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CDC says fully vaccinated Americans no longer need masks indoors or outdoors in most cases — The relaxation of restrictions incentivizes people to get the shots and paves the way for a full reopening of society. — PLEASE NOTE — The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice

AP source: Govt to ease up guidance on indoor mask-wearing
Discussion:
WHTM-TV, Variety, Louder With Crowder, HotAir, TheBlaze and Political Wire
ABC News:
Fully-vaccinated Americans can return to life without masks, CDC says
Fully-vaccinated Americans can return to life without masks, CDC says
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CBS News, Joe.My.God., Reason, Mic and Deseret News
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The vaccination slowdown has slowed down

Colonial Pipeline Paid Hackers Nearly $5 Million in Ransom — Payment came shortly after attack got underway last week — FBI discourages organizations from paying ransom to hackers — Colonial Pipeline Co. paid nearly $5 million to Eastern European hackers on Friday …
Discussion:
New York Times, CBS News, CNBC, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Mediaite, Breitbart, WINK NEWS, NBC News, RedState, Axios, HotAir, Gothamist, USA Today, Тел …, New York Post, Forbes, ZDNet, The Daily Caller, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, The Verge, Joe.My.God., Politico, The National Interest, BizPac Review, Small Dead Animals, Florida Politics, Outside the Beltway, National Review, Defense One, The Week, Associated Press, Twitchy, AAA Gas Prices, Balloon Juice and KIFI-TV, more at Techmeme »

Israel begins firing artillery and tank shells into Gaza — GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has begun firing artillery and tank shells into Gaza, and scores of families are fleeing their homes, Palestinian witnesses in the Gaza Strip said Thursday. — The use of artillery fire marks …
Discussion:
Jerusalem Post, Politico, Insider, Atlantic Council, The Daily Beast, Reuters, CNN, Deseret News, Forbes, Al Jazeera, Reporters Without Borders and Washington Examiner
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Why Hamas Starts Wars It Always Loses
Discussion:
New York Times, The Daily Wire, Deseret News and Algemeiner.com
The Daily Beast:
Mehdi Hasan and Ayman Mohyeldin Are Doing Something Radical for Cable TV: Presenting the Palestinian Side
Mehdi Hasan and Ayman Mohyeldin Are Doing Something Radical for Cable TV: Presenting the Palestinian Side
Bari Weiss / Common Sense with Bari Weiss:
The Bad Optics of Fighting for Your Life
The Bad Optics of Fighting for Your Life
Discussion:
The Times of Israel, Tablet Magazine and Spin, strangeness, and charm

Rep. Greene aggressively confronts Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, causing New York congresswoman to raise security concerns — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene aggressively confronted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday and falsely accused her of supporting “terrorists,” …
Discussion:
The Hill, Insider, Mother Jones, Fox News, CNN, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, Forbes, Occupy Democrats, NBC News, New York Post, IJR, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, HotAir, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, Washington Examiner, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Raw Story, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, Hackwhackers, Politico, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Intellectualist, Crooks and Liars, BizPac Review, KIFI-TV, The Root, The Week, NOQ Report, Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire
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POLITICO Playbook: How Palm Beach is preparing for a possible Trump indictment — DRIVING THE DAY — SCOOP: PALM BEACH MAKES CONTINGENCY PLANS IN CASE TRUMP IS INDICTED — Law enforcement officials in Palm Beach County, Fla., have actively prepared for the possibility …

'I Probably Won't Ever Speak to Her Again' — Rep. Elise Stefanik's path to House Republican leadership. — 8 hr ago — When the Harvard Institute of Politics decided after January 6 to boot Rep. Elise Stefanik from its Senior Advisory Committee, it likely hurt the 36-year-old Republican more than she publicly let on.
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Roy to challenge Stefanik for Cheney's old position
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Examiner, Forbes, Mediaite, Washington Times and Steve Bannon's War Room

Body-cam footage shows Capitol rioter celebrating as D.C. cop is beaten and Tasered: ‘I got one!’ — Surrounded by rioters who had dragged him down the U.S. Capitol steps, beaten him and Tasered him, D.C. police officer Michael Fanone screamed in pain. — “I got one!” one of the rioters yelled triumphantly.
Discussion:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The American Independent, HuffPost, Insider, CNN and Washington Examiner
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Congressman Paul Gosar's Stunning Defense Of The January 6 Rioters
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, Insider and HuffPost
Zachary Cohen / CNN:
Exclusive: Newly obtained bodycam footage shows moment DC police officer attacked by pro-Trump rioters
Exclusive: Newly obtained bodycam footage shows moment DC police officer attacked by pro-Trump rioters
Discussion:
HuffPost, The Root, New York Post, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos, Just Security, The Hill, Axios, IJR, Raw Story, Insider, Political Wire and Washington Post

Gaetz associate signals he will plead guilty in federal case, a worrisome development for the congressman — A Florida politician who is central to the investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz for possible sex trafficking of a minor signaled Thursday that he will plead guilty in his own federal case …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Root and Political Wire
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Martin E. Comas / Orlando Sentinel:
Joel Greenberg set for federal court hearing Monday, expected to plead guilty
Joel Greenberg set for federal court hearing Monday, expected to plead guilty
Discussion:
HuffPost, The Daily Beast, CNBC, Washington Examiner, USA Today, Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and The Intellectualist

Rebekah Jones, the COVID Whistleblower Who Wasn't — The former dashboard manager alleges a vast data conspiracy in Florida; not a word of it is true. — This is a story about Rebekah Jones, a former dashboard manager at the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), who has single-handedly managed …

The GOP has lost its way. Fellow Americans, join our new alliance. … The Republican Party made a grievous error this week in ousting Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) from the House leadership for telling the truth about Donald Trump's “big lie,” which has wreaked havoc in our democratic republic by casting doubt over the 2020 election.
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Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
The stampede away from the GOP begins
The stampede away from the GOP begins
Discussion:
Politico, Talking Points Memo, Fox News and Balloon Juice

Prosecutors Seek Cooperation of Trump Confidante, Subpoena Manhattan Private School — Officials examine tuition payments for the grandchildren of Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg — New York prosecutors have subpoenaed a Manhattan private school as they seek the cooperation …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, The Hill, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Insider and Digby's Hullabaloo

Leaked Video: Dark Money Group Brags About Writing GOP Voter Suppression Bills Across the Country — In a private meeting last month with big-money donors, the head of a top conservative group boasted that her outfit had crafted the new voter suppression law in Georgia and was doing the same …
Discussion:
New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and YouTube

Active Duty U.S. Marine Corps Officer Arrested for Assault on Federal Law Enforcement Officer During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach — Defendant, Stationed in Virginia, Defied, Pushed and Resisted Capitol Police to Help Other Rioters Break into the U.S. Capitol — Note: A full copy of the charging documents can be viewed here.
Discussion:
Marine Corps Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, CBS News, CNN, CNBC, NPR, Forbes, Law & Crime, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

President of Key Teachers' Union Shares Plea: ‘Schools Must Be Open’ in Fall — About half the nation's schools are not fully open despite rising vaccination levels, and teachers' unions are getting much of the blame. Randi Weingarten hopes to carve a path forward.
Discussion:
CBS News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Fox News, YouTube, MinnPost, Eduwonk, Politico, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Twitchy, Insider and New York Post

Is Brett Kavanaugh Out for Revenge? — The suburban gentry of Chevy Chase, Maryland, had some difficulty making sense of Brett Kavanaugh's descent into villainy that fall. He had always seemed so nice and nonthreatening to his neighbors, so normal—the khaki-clad carpool dad who coached …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Law & Crime, Raw Story and Insider

Former Staffer Sues US Congressman Alleging ‘Reckless’ Approach to COVID-19 — A former staffer is suing U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), accusing the congressman of taking a “reckless” approach to COVID-19, exposing his staff and himself to the virus. — The suit alleges …

Joe Manchin's surprisingly bold proposal to fix America's voting rights problem — Manchin's idea won't fix America's democracy, but it could solve some pretty significant problems. — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has been an endless source of frustration for his fellow Democrats.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Talking Points Memo, KIFI-TV, Digby's Hullabaloo, Daily Kos and Alpha News

Company: Ex-Trump lawyer raiding nonprofit for personal use — Former Trump attorney and self-proclaimed “Kraken releaser” Sidney Powell has told prospective donors that her group, Defending the Republic, is a legal defense fund to protect the integrity of U.S. elections.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

You Won't Believe How Trevor Noah Spins Hamas' Assault on Israel — The far-left host embraces the ‘both sides’ canard in the very worst way possible … Trevor Noah's moral compass took an odd spin this week. — The “Daily Show” host addressed the latest round of violence in the Middle East with neither humor nor insight.

Be Worried — New polling suggests it's growing likely Republicans will retake the House in 2022. — Scott Rasmussen—the real Scott Rasmussen, whom you can follow here, not the people who run his old firm, Rasmussen Reports—has a new poll. On the generic ballot, 41 percent …

Most states have reopened. Here's where new COVID outbreaks happened. — Health experts say the data can help with future pandemic planning. — States across US ease COVID-19 restrictions … Bars, gyms and restaurants. Those were just a few settings health experts warned …

New York Yankees Somehow Have 8 COVID Cases in Vaccinated Staff — So far in their lukewarm start to the season, the New York Yankees have 19 wins, 16 losses, and eight confirmed coronavirus cases among vaccinated members of their coaching and support staff.
Discussion:
InsideHook and HotAir

Trump-Biden Was Worst Presidential Polling Miss in 40 Years, Panel Says — Surveys overstated Democrats' support up and down the ballot, as some voters were less inclined to participate in polls — Public opinion surveys ahead of the 2020 presidential election were the most inaccurate in 40 years …
Discussion:
CNN, New York Magazine, TheBlaze, The Hill and Twitchy

Live Updates: New York City Mayoral Candidates Prepare For First Debate — Tonight's debate will be virtual. Who has the best video call setup? — In a mayoral race all but defined by video call appearances and digital forums, the first official Democratic primary debate will be no exception.

NBC's khaki-wearing data king Steve Kornacki will spread his wings in a new deal — NBC News and MSNBC political correspondent Steve Kornacki had only slept for a few hours in the five days between Election Day and the afternoon of Nov. 7 when the board with his electoral vote map showed Joe Biden winning the presidency.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and The Hill