Top Items:

Trump says Dems ‘disparaged’ COVID-19 vaccine while he was president: ‘Now they wonder why’ some are hesitant — Trump criticizes Biden's new COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employers — Joe Biden's Massive Vaccine Mandates — EXCLUSIVE: Former President Donald Trump blamed Democrats …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, RedState, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and IJR
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Alabama man dies after being turned away from 43 hospitals as covid packs ICUs, family says — When Ray DeMonia was having a cardiac emergency last month, his Alabama family waited anxiously for a nearby hospital with available space in its intensive care unit.
Discussion:
The Hill, Crooks and Liars, Outside the Beltway and WGN-TV

More than half of Americans support vaccine mandates for workplaces, classrooms and sporting events — Biden to the unvaccinated: ‘Our patience is wearing thin’ — (CNN)Americans have grown more supportive of coronavirus vaccine mandates for workers, students, and in everyday public life …
Discussion:
HotAir, Forbes, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Raw Story, Mediaite, Daily Kos and Washington Times

Tensions mount between CDC and Biden health team over boosters
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, Fox News and HotAir
Ross Dellenger / TIME:
I Didn't Want to Push My Aunt to Get the Vaccine. Now I Live With Regrets
I Didn't Want to Push My Aunt to Get the Vaccine. Now I Live With Regrets
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
Mychael Schnell / The Hill:
Fauci says he would support vaccine requirements for air travel
Fauci says he would support vaccine requirements for air travel
Discussion:
Breitbart and New York Post
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
G.O.P. Seethes at Biden Mandate, Even in States Requiring Other Vaccines
G.O.P. Seethes at Biden Mandate, Even in States Requiring Other Vaccines
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Western Journal and Daily Kos

Justice Amy Coney Barrett argues Supreme Court isn't ‘a bunch of partisan hacks’ — LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the wake of a controversial decision on abortion rights, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a crowd of more than 100 here that she doesn't believe the highest court in the land is politically driven.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Fox News, CNN, CBS News, Mediaite, TheBlaze, Raw Story, Law & Crime, New York Times, Insider and BizPac Review
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POLITICO Playbook: Grisham dishes on Melania — DRIVING THE DAY — THE WEEK AHEAD: JOE BIDEN campaigns with GAVIN NEWSOM in Long Beach, Calif., tonight before voters there decide Tuesday whether Newsom should be recalled (polls show him up by double digits) ... Secretary …

Barrett concerned about public perception of Supreme Court — LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett expressed concerns Sunday that the public may increasingly see the court as a partisan institution. — Justices must be “hyper vigilant to make sure they're …
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Post, Crooks and Liars, Slate, POLITICUSUSA, Balloon Juice and Fox News
United States Capitol Police:
USCP Officers Arrest California Man with Bayonet & Machete — This morning the United States Capitol Police arrested a California man who had multiple knives in his truck near the Democratic National Committee headquarters. — “This is good police work plain and simple,” said Chief Tom Manger.
Discussion:
CNBC, ABC News, NBC4 Washington, Raw Story, The American Independent and Mediaite
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Lauren Fox / CNN:
Capitol Police arrest man with bayonet and machete in truck near DNC headquarters
Capitol Police arrest man with bayonet and machete in truck near DNC headquarters
Discussion:
Fox News and Washingtonian

Facebook Says Its Rules Apply to All. Company Documents Reveal a Secret Elite That's Exempt. — A program known as XCheck has given millions of celebrities, politicians and other high-profile users special treatment, a privilege many abuse — Mark Zuckerberg has publicly said Facebook Inc. allows …

Afghan American woman's escape highlights secretive CIA role in Kabul rescues — Five days after Afghanistan's fall, Shaqaiq Birashk, holed up in her Kabul apartment, was contacted by a stranger offering to have her picked up and escorted to the airport for evacuation.

Former US Sen. Al Franken talks political downfall, return to comedy before Northampton show — The past few years have been unsettling for many — and Al Franken is no exception. — After a successful career in comedy, including a lengthy stint on NBC's “Saturday Night Live,” …

Why Our Monsters Talk to Michael Wolff — In his new book, the author of “Fire and Fury” continues his specialty: teasing out stories from men in power. — It's early 2019, a few months before Jeffrey Epstein will be arrested on sex charges, and he is sitting in the vast study …
Discussion:
Insider, Mediaite and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Trump's White House chief of staff is target of Capitol attack records request — House select committee investigating 6 January wants telecom and social media companies to preserve records on Mark Meadows — The House select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the Capitol …
Discussion:
Bipartisan Report and Raw Story
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Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
Melania Trump says she was ‘disappointed and disheartened’ watching Capitol riots
Melania Trump says she was ‘disappointed and disheartened’ watching Capitol riots
Discussion:
IJR

It made me sick to watch a once-male special forces combat veteran beat up a woman on TV - it's time to stop this trans sport insanity before women start being killed — It was the moment ideology met cold, hard reality. — Alana McLaughlin, 38, the second transgender MMA fighter to compete in the sport …
Discussion:
HotAir

The Legacy of America's Post-9/11 Turn to Torture — Twenty years after the attacks, the United States is still grappling with the consequences of brutal interrogations carried out in the name of national security. — NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania — Mohamedou Ould Slahi is almost clinical …

Washington Post expands 202 newsletter franchise — The Washington Post is relaunching its 202 newsletter suite with a new email around climate, new authors and an expanded product suite. — Why it matters: The redesigned products are meant to be more digestible and personality-driven …

Afghan crisis puts Blinken in a rare position: The hot seat — Secretary of State Antony Blinken has in many respects lived a charmed life, leading to the kind of bio that features words like “Harvard,” “France” and “wealthy.” — The last several weeks, though, have not been great.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Defense One
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Most People Don't Need a Covid Vaccine Booster, New Review Says — None of the data on coronavirus vaccines so far provides credible evidence in support of boosters for the general population, according to a review published on Monday by an international group of scientists …

USA-POLICING/MINNEAPOLIS — After the brutal killing of a Black man went viral and triggered national protests, Minneapolis police underwent an abrupt shift: Officers began making fewer traffic stops, drug and gun checks, Reuters found. With the city engulfed in violence, citizens ask: Where are the police?
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission:
SEC Charges Three Media Companies with Illegal Offerings of Stock and Digital Assets — Companies to Pay More Than $539 Million in Settlement for Distribution to Investors — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged New York City-based GTV Media Group Inc. and Saraca Media Group Inc. …
Discussion:
CNBC, The Daily Beast and One America News Network, more at Mediagazer »

The consequences of extreme partisan animosity — In the U.S., where divisiveness has reached new extremes, the consequences of polarization include declining trust in fellow citizens and major institutions; erosion of democratic norms like respect for elections; loss of faith in the existence …
Discussion:
Election Law Blog

House, Senate Spar Over Reducing Drug Prices — There's overwhelming support among Democrats for finally allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies. But the details matter. — Differences have emerged between the House's conception of drug price reform and a more modest Senate proposal.
Discussion:
The Hill, CNN, Roll Call and Common Dreams

Trump Politicizes Soldier Deaths. Gold Star Families Call It ‘Disgusting.’ — Former President Donald Trump has taken to calling out President Joe Biden for soldier deaths in Afghanistan. Gold Star families aren't so pleased. — “Gross.” “Disgusting.” “Without honor.”
Discussion:
CNN, Bipartisan Report and Raw Story

Long-Secret FBI Report Reveals New Connections Between 9/11 Hijackers and Saudi Religious Officials in U.S. — “This validates what we have been saying,” says an attorney for families of 9/11 victims who are suing the Saudi government over alleged support of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, The Western Journal, Political Wire and Washington Post

Texas wanted to be the tech haven of the U.S. Its new abortion bill and other measures are causing workers to rethink their move. — Tech workers are marking Texas off the list of places they'd consider working after the state passed the nation's most restrictive abortion law
Discussion:
Financial Times

Gavin Newsom and the Revenge of California's ‘Anger’ Lobby — The political universe has been transfixed by what could happen to California's governor on Tuesday: A special election may throw Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — who won his last election with a decisive 62 percent of the vote …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Townhall