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‘Nothing about this is normal’: RNC payments to Trump attorneys irk GOP officials — (CNN)A pair of payments the Republican National Committee made to a law firm representing former President Donald Trump is raising questions among former and current GOP officials about the party's priorities …
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Kyle Rittenhouse met with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago after acquittal — Kyle Rittenhouse met with Donald Trump at the former president's Mar-a-Lago club after the teen was acquitted of all charges in his homicide trial last week. — The meeting between the two was disclosed during Trump's …

On ‘Hannity,’ Trump reveals the truth about right-wing lionization of Rittenhouse — Donald Trump ventured into the safe confines of Sean Hannity's show on Tuesday night, where he disclosed that Kyle Rittenhouse had visited him at Mar-a-Lago. “Really a nice young man,” the former president declared.

Trump says Rittenhouse visited him at Mar-a-Lago
Discussion:
Insider, Washington Post and Joe.My.God.
John Wright / Raw Story:
Trump welcomes ‘nice young man’ Kyle Rittenhouse to Mar-a-Lago in wake of murder trial
Trump welcomes ‘nice young man’ Kyle Rittenhouse to Mar-a-Lago in wake of murder trial
Discussion:
National Review, BizPac Review, Twitchy, Fox News, Politico, Insider, The Gateway Pundit, NOQ Report and Mediaite

Weekly jobless claims post stunning decline to 199,000, the lowest level since 1969 — The ranks of those submitting jobless claims tumbled to their lowest level in more than 52 years last week, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. — New filings totaled 199,000, a number not seen since Nov. 15 …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Joe.My.God.
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Weekly jobless claims plunge to 199,000, the lowest level in more than 50 years — Claims fell more than 71,000 from last week, marking the eighth straight week of declines — The number of Americans filing initial unemployment claims fell to 199,000 — the lowest level since November 1969 — the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

U.S. Jobless Claims Drop Sharply — Initial claims for jobless benefits fell 71,000 last week to 199,000 — Jobless claims fell sharply to a pandemic low of 199,000 last week, below pre-pandemic levels as employers curbed layoffs amid a tightening labor market.
Discussion:
The Hill, TheBlaze and The Daily Caller
Sarah Chaney Cambon / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Recovery Accelerates on Spending, Labor Market Growth
U.S. Recovery Accelerates on Spending, Labor Market Growth
Discussion:
Forbes and The Daily Caller

Jan. 6 Organizers Used Anonymous ‘Burner Phones’ to Communicate with White House and Trump Family, Sources Say — A key planner of the Jan. 6 rally near the White House insisted the burner phones be purchased with cash, a source says — Some of the organizers who planned the rally …
Discussion:
Mock Paper Scissors, Digby's Hullabaloo, POLITICUSUSA, emptywheel, Twitchy, Raw Story, BuzzFeed News, Politico, UPI, National Review, Fox News, Washington Post, Mediaite, CNBC and Forbes

Darrell Brooks shared pro-Hitler memes, called for violence against white people — The ex-con charged over the deaths of six people at a Wisconsin Christmas parade shared social media posts calling for violence against white people — and suggesting “Hitler was right” for killing Jews.
Discussion:
The Federalist, The US Sun and Metro.co.uk
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Biden hits a new low in the NPR/Marist poll as inflation concerns rise — Americans' most pressing economic concern is inflation, and it's contributing to a decline in how they view President Biden, according to a new NPR/Marist poll. — Biden's approval is down to 42%, the lowest recorded in the survey since Biden took office.
Discussion:
Marist Poll and HotAir
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Andrew Romano / Yahoo News:
Poll: 77% of Americans now say inflation is personally affecting them — and 57% blame Biden
Poll: 77% of Americans now say inflation is personally affecting them — and 57% blame Biden
Discussion:
Power Line, New York Post, Breitbart, National Review, The Daily Caller, Townhall and CBS News
The White House:
Update on Implementation of COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Federal Employees … In order to ensure the health and safety of the Federal workforce and the efficiency of the civil service, President Biden issued an Executive Order on September 9, 2021, requiring COVID-19 vaccination for Federal employees.
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Caller and Townhall
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Five Trump-Russia ‘Collusion’ Corrections We Need From the Media Now — Just for Starters — Five years after the Hillary Clinton campaign-funded collection of Trump-Russia conspiracy theories known as the Steele dossier was published by BuzzFeed, news outlets that amplified its false allegations …

President Biden Announces OMB Director and Deputy Director Nominees — to lead the Office of Management and Budget — Shalanda Young as Director and Nani Coloretti as Deputy Director.
Discussion:
CNBC, Associated Press, The White House, NPR, Politico and Townhall
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Supreme Court will hear dispute over GOP legislators' defense of North Carolina voter ID law — Justice Breyer: 'It's important not to have transparency' — (CNN)The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it will hear a case brought by Republican legislators in North Carolina who are seeking …

Republicans Hit Biden on Coronavirus — Republicans have fought mask requirements and vaccine mandates for months, but as coronavirus infections again rise, they are blaming the president for failing to end the health crisis. — WASHINGTON — Over eight hours last Thursday night and into Friday morning …

Florida Man Arrested on Charges Related to Jan. 6 Capitol Breach — Defendant Accused of Joining With Group of Oath Keepers to Unlawfully Enter U.S. Capitol — WASHINGTON — A Florida man, an affiliate of the Oath Keepers, was arrested today on charges related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 …
Discussion:
ABC News, Boing Boing, Joe.My.God., Insider and Raw Story
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Kyle Cheney / Politico:
‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ actor charged with joining Oath Keepers during Capitol breach
‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ actor charged with joining Oath Keepers during Capitol breach
Discussion:
Variety and Rolling Stone

Chinese Official Accused of Sexual Assault Played Key Role in Setting Up Beijing 2022 Olympics — Zhang Gaoli, accused of assault in a post on tennis star Peng Shuai's social-media account, headed a steering committee to land the Games — A video call between the head …

White House creates new energy division to coordinate climate change policies — The White House has launched a new energy division of its Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and appointed Sally Benson, a well-known energy expert at Stanford University, to a high-level position to coordinate climate change policy.

Trumpist Election-Deniers Descend Into High School Drama — Lin Wood, Sebastian Gorka, Sidney Powell, and Michael Flynn are hurling accusations of money woes, betrayals, “fraud,” and ghosting. — In the aftermath of the contested 2020 vote, Trump's biggest election-fraud cheerleaders …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Mediaite and Boing Boing

CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC ignore NYT bombshell report on Hunter Biden's business deal with Chinese company — Hunter Biden struck the deal while his father was vice president — Hunter Biden will be a top priority for Republicans: Comer — It wasn't long ago that a New York Times bombshell …
Discussion:
JONATHAN TURLEY and Twitchy

FBI acknowledges some agents may have Havana Syndrome symptoms — The FBI is promising to make sure employees who have symptoms consistent with Havana Syndrome get access to medical care after a former agent suffering almost daily headaches was rebuffed when he sought testing and treatment, according to documents obtained by NBC News.

Dimon Regrets Quip JPMorgan to Outlast China Communist Party — Says he was trying to emphasize strength, longevity of bank — JPMorgan has almost $20 billion of exposure in Chinese economy — JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said he regrets making a quip …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Quartz, Breitbart and One America News Network

Rittenhouse Photo Reveals Where Trump Keeps Bizarre Rushmore Sculpture — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gave the strange homage to the then-president in 2020. — SIOUX FALLS—The “Mount Trumpmore” statue that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gave to then-President Donald Trump—grafting him onto the iconic monument—was not mothballed.
Discussion:
Political Wire

Maria Butina's National Prayer Breakfast Host Was a Chick-fil-A Executive — Despite Focus on NRA's Russian Ties, Butina's Handler Had Family Connections Long Before — Maria Butina and Alexander Torshin at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Feb. 2, 2017.
Discussion:
Raw Story

Are the Courts Getting Ready to Crack Down on Reporters? — A ruling blocking The New York Times from covering a far-right activist group has ominous implications for the First Amendment. — In 1994, the CBS program 48 Hours prepared to air explosive video about unsanitary conditions …
Discussion:
Reuters, New Republic and Media Matters for America, more at Mediagazer »

Pentagon creates new organization to investigate UFOs — The Pentagon has created a new organization that will lead the department's investigations into mysterious objects in the sky. — The Defense Department announced the formation of the Airborne Object Identification …
Discussion:
ABC News

Jim Jordan reveals he had COVID-19 this summer — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) revealed in a recent interview that he had COVID-19 over the summer, but refused to disclose if he has been vaccinated. — Jordan, while speaking with Spectrum News, said he had the virus in the early part of the summer …
Discussion:
Townhall, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and IJR

The Democrats Are a Communist Party Now — The Communist Democrats don't want to defeat China. They seek to replicate its totalitarian system. — Daniel Greenfield is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center specializing in investigative reporting on the Left and Islamic terrorism.

Do Not Fall for Joe Biden's Slick New Oil Trick — Joe Biden felt a need to escape the luxury of the White House for the holiday. — So just before burning a few tons of jet fuel and emitting fresh carbon emissions on the four-hour flight to Nantucket, President Climate Change ordered …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CNBC, NPR and HotAir

Sweden's first female prime minister quits hours later — COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Hours after being tapped as Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson resigned Wednesday after suffering a budget defeat in parliament and coalition partner the Greens left the two-party minority government.
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Caller, Bloomberg, Denver Post and Twitchy