THE HARROD REPORT: For Thursday April 8th – By Editor Brian Harrod

NEW YORK TIMES: Most U.S. Infections Are Now Caused by a Contagious Virus Variant, the C.D.C. Says

A highly infectious variant of the coronavirus that was first identified in Britain has now become the most common source of new infections in the United States, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday — a worrisome development that comes as officials and scientists warn of a possible fourth virus surge…

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RESTRICTIONS STILL IN PLACE: New Yorkers still must buy food with alcohol at bars and restaurants….

https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/new-yorkers-still-must-buy-food-with-alcohol-at-bars-restaurants/

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CNN: Capitol Rioter Flips to Help Prosecutors Against Proud Boys

At least one of the Capitol riot defendants has flipped against the Proud Boys, agreeing to provide information that could allow the Justice Department to bring a more severe charge against the group’s leadership, according to an attorney involved in the case….

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/07/politics/capitol-riot-flip-proud-boys/index.html

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POLITICO >>> ‘MINI TRUMP’: NYC mayor candidates gang-up on Yang.

https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/04/07/a-mini-trump-new-york-mayoral-candidates-look-to-take-down-yang-1371914

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SYRACUSE POST STANDARD: Three more fired at Buffalo radio station over racist comments..

Three more staff members have been fired at a Buffalo radio station after racist comments were made on-air last month. WIVB reports Cumulus Media axed 97 Rock (WGRF-FM) “The Morning Bull” co-hosts Rich “The Bull” Gaenzler and Chris Klein, plus program director John Hager…

https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2021/04/3-more-fired-at-buffalo-radio-station-after-racist-comments-on-air.html

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ALL IN THE FAMILY: Husband of Queens judge runs for Bronx civil court seat…..

https://queenseagle.com/all/husband-of-queens-judge-runs-for-bronx-civil-court-seat

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THE HILL:  Trump Organization hires criminal defense lawyer….

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/547095-trump-organization-adds-veteran-criminal-defense-attorney

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LAW BREAKERS: 38 police agencies have not submitted a reform plan as per New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s orders…

https://cnycentral.com/news/police-community-relations/38-police-agencies-have-not-submitted-a-reform-plan-heres-what-could-happen

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STUDY: A Third of COVID Survivors Suffer Neurological Or Mental Disorders

REUTERS: One in three COVID-19 survivors in a study of more than 230,000 mostly American patients were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months, suggesting the pandemic could lead to a wave of mental and neurological problems, scientists said…

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brain-idUSKBN2BT2ZI

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THE HILL: Cuomo accuser describes alleged groping at mansion

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/546964-unnamed-cuomo-accuser-describes-encounter-at-governors-mansion-it-wasnt

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LA TIMES: Tiger Woods Was Driving Twice the Speed Limit Before Crash

Tiger Woods was driving at nearly twice the posted speed limit of 45 mph when he hit a sharp curve and crashed on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in February, the Los Angeles County sheriff said Wednesday in a long-awaited report on the accident that left the golf legend seriously injured….

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-07/la-county-sherriff-says-speeding-caused-tiger-woods-crash

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NY POST: Invasive giant African snails seized at JFK Airport…

https://nypost.com/2021/04/08/invasive-giant-african-snails-seized-at-jfk-airport-officials/

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Read It For Free…

FRONT PAGE: Today’s New York Times….

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/04/08/nytfrontpage/scan.pdf

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NICKI SWIFT: The Tragedy Of DMX’s Youth

As fans await updates on the health of rapper DMX following his reported overdose and heart attack on April 2, 2021, they may be wondering more about the music legend and his life. The three-time Grammy nominee has enjoyed a legendary music career, but things were not always bright for young Earl Simmons. DMX endured physical abuse from his mother, and later lived in a children’s home before falling into drug abuse as a teenager. DMX’s drug abuse and addiction troubles continued into adulthood, with the rapper being open about his struggles with addiction…..

https://www.nickiswift.com/377188/the-tragedy-of-dmxs-youth/

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GOTHAMIST: Wall Street’s Candidate for Manhattan DA: Tali Farhadian Weinstein….

https://gothamist.com/news/wall-street-has-chosen-its-candidate-heated-race-district-attorney-tali-farhadian-weinstein

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FRONT PAGE: Today’s New York Post….

https://nypost.com/cover/april-8-2021/

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DAILY VOICE: COVID-19: FBI Investigating Reports Of Fake Vaccination Cards

The FBI has launched a probe into the discovery of phony COVID-19 vaccination cards that are being sold by fraudsters online and through social media, threatening the progress America has. been making in combating the virus….

https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/yonkers/news/covid-19-fbi-investigating-reports-of-fake-vaccination-cards/806465/

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FORBES: Hawaii, NY Top List Of Worst-Performing States….

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizfarmer/2021/04/07/hawaii-new-york-top-list-of-worst-performing-states/

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CBS NEWS: Congressman Is Vaccinating His Constituents

California Congressman Raul Ruiz is an emergency room physician who trades in a suit coat for a lab coat to vaccinate his own constituents.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/raul-ruiz-california-congressman-coronavirus-vaccinations/

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CHASE BANK CEO JAMIE DIMON slams SALT repeal as benefit to the rich….

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/07/jamie-dimon-slams-state-and-local-tax-repeal-as-a-benefit-to-the-rich-.html

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NEW YORK TIMES: A Tiny Particle’s Wobble Could Upend the Known Laws of Physics

U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Fermilab: The long-awaited first results from the Muon g-2 experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory show fundamental particles called muons behaving in a way that is not predicted by scientists’ best theory, the Standard Model of particle physics. This landmark result, made with unprecedented precision, confirms a discrepancy that has been gnawing at researchers for decades.

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NEW YORK TIMES: If You Uncheck This Box, We’ll Tell Trump You’re a Defector

The political arm of House Republicans is deploying a prechecked box to enroll donors into repeating monthly donations — and using ominous language to warn them of the consequences if they opt out: “If you UNCHECK this box, we will have to tell Trump you’re a DEFECTOR.” … The prechecked box is the same tactic and tool that resulted in a surge of refunds and credit card complaints when used by Trump’s campaign last year, according to an investigation published by The New York Times over the weekend.

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HUFF POST: GOP Pols & Pundits Lie About CO Voting Laws Compared to GA

Republican politicians and conservative outlets alike claimed that Colorado’s and Georgia’s voting laws are actually quite similar. Fox News went further, suggesting that Colorado’s laws may actually be more restrictive. Even the smallest amount of research exposes these claims as clearly false. [W]hen it comes to election laws, Colorado and Georgia aren’t even in the same ballpark…

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colorado-georgia-voter-laws_n_606dbebfc5b68ddf94b7adf8

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NEW YORK TIMES FRONT PAGE: $2.1B for Undocumented Workers Signals New York Progressive Shift….

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WIKI FEET: Meet the Man Who Keeps Uploading My Feet

LAURA BASSETT: I am not a celebrity. I have decent Twitter following from having reported on politics for over a decade, from tweeting jokes about politics and appearing on cable news sometimes. But I was pretty shocked to be looking at my own #wikiFeet profile, which included my full name, birthday, and photos of me and my exposed feet, dating back to a family vacation in 2013. … I mostly thought it was funny, and posted a video of me wiggling my painted toes in a flattering filter to my story “for my fans,” as a joke. Within minutes, a screenshot of it showed up on wikiFeet.

https://www.wikifeet.com/Laura_Bassett

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CNN: Biden to Nominate ATF Director and Announce New Executive Actions on Guns

President Joe Biden plans to announce new executive actions on guns on Thursday, a person familiar with the plans said, fulfilling a commitment he made in the aftermath of two deadly shootings last month.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/07/politics/biden-executive-actions-guns/index.html

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RAW STORY: Trump Anti-Immigration Officials Form Legal Attack Group

Former officials who steered Donald Trump’s anti-immigration offensive announced a new legal advocacy group Wednesday aimed at attacking the “radical activist left” agenda allegedly on the rise under President Joe Biden.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-anti-immigration-officials-form-legal-group/

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WEIRD NEWS: Meet the justice of the Michigan Supreme Court who’s been Zooming in from Dubai and Israel for the last 3 months…

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/04/07/michigan-supreme-court-justice-richard-bernstein-dubai/7134764002/

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ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION:Fulton DA won’t Prosecute Lawmaker Arrested During Election Law Signing

Fulton County’s district attorney said Wednesday that she won’t prosecute the Democratic lawmaker who was arrested last month after she knocked repeatedly on the door of Gov. Brian Kemp’s state office as he was on live television touting a sweeping new elections law.

https://www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/fulton-da-wont-charge-lawmaker-arrested-during-election-law-signing/FCAFKGKILZGOPM7G6V7I7Y4F6Q/

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SCARY VIDEO: Remember the Black guy arrested taking out his trash after the white woman called the police on her white boyfriend? LAPD finally released the video

https://twitter.com/Jasmyne/status/1378179543165362178

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CNN: Two New York Doormen who Closed the Doors While an Asian Woman was Attacked

They responded to the side of a small elderly Asian woman being assaulted by closing and locking the doors of the building they worked in.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/06/us/anti-asian-attack-new-york-doormen-fired/index.html

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HUFF POST: Jeff Bezos Supports Corporate Tax Hike for Infrastructure

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos endorsed President Joe Biden’s focus on building up the country’s infrastructure Tuesday and said the company even supports a corporate tax rate hike to help pay for it. Bezos was careful not to endorse a specific plan. Rather, he said “we support the Biden Administration’s focus on making bold investments in American infrastructure.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeff-bezos-endorses-higher-corporate-taxes_n_606ceae2c5b6885a6f28dcfb

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DAILY BEAST: The MAGA Riot Lawsuit Against Trump Keeps Getting Bigger

A federal lawsuit alleging that former President Donald Trump, his lawyer, and far-right extremists at the U.S. Capitol conspired to deprive Americans of their civil rights by disrupting the count of Joe Biden’s electoral college victory with the Jan. 6 riot is expanding this week.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-riot-lawsuit-against-trump-keeps-getting-bigger

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YEE HAW: My new truck is a BEAST (and gets 50 miles to the gallon!)

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NYT: White Evangelicals Could Prolong Pandemic

White Evangelical Resistance Is Obstacle in Vaccination Effort Millions of white evangelical adults in the U.S. do not intend to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Tenets of faith and mistrust of science play a role; so does politics

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TIME FOR A FACEPALM >>> Derek Chauvin’s defense team: George Floyd saying “I can’t breathe” was a form of resisting arrest that entitled our client to continue restraining him….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/04/07/derek-chauvin-trial/

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HUFF POST: Psaki Destroys Fox News ‘Gotcha’ Question

“The Georgia legislation is built on a lie,” the White House press secretary said in response to reporter #PeterDoocy’s question…

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jen-psaki-steve-doocy-georgia-colorado-voiting-law_n_606ca95ec5b66c4ab6b7ffb7

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AXIOS: Generation Z embraces day-trading….

https://www.axios.com/active-investing-stock-market-82b774e0-ff2e-4396-bd28-55b97db3fdd7.html

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NYT: Gaetz Sought Blanket Pardon from Trump

During the final weeks of President Donald Trump’s administration, Rep. #MattGaetz asked the White House for a blanket presidential pardon — a request that was ultimately not granted…

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TALKING POINTS MEMO: ‘White Lies Matter’ Holds Jefferson Davis Monument Hostage

The Jefferson Davis Memorial Chair in Selma, Alabama was stolen from the Live Oaks Cemetery in March. A group, which calls itself “White Lies Matter,” is demanding that the United Daughters of the Confederacy display a banner featuring a quote by former Black Liberation Army activist Assata Shakur in front of the organization’s headquarters in Richmond, Virginia for 24 hours in exchange for the monument.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/stolen-jefferson-davis-monument-is-apparently-in-danger-of-being-turned-into-a-toilet

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THE WRAP: Photo Reveals Trump Continues to Drink Coke after Telling his Fans to Stop

Talk about awkward. Former President Donald Trump got ridiculed on Monday for hiding his beloved Diet Coke bottle in a photo op just days after he called for a boycott of Coca-Cola over Georgia voting rights.

https://www.thewrap.com/trump-clowned-for-hidden-coke-bottle-after-he-demanded-a-coca-cola-boycott/