Kevin McCarthy's Trump cowardice laid bare on leaked audio

By Marita Vlachou

Friday, April 22

BOMBSHELL AUDIO: MCCARTHY PLANNED TO DEMAND TRUMP'S RESIGNATION House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy denied a New York Times report that he told other lawmakers he would call on then-President Donald Trump to resign in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. But audio released shortly afterward shows otherwise. "The only discussion I would have with him is that I think [impeachment] will pass, and it would be my recommendation you resign," he said in a Jan. 10, 2021, phone call with GOP leaders. [HuffPost]

SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW WHAT APPEAR TO BE MASS GRAVES NEAR MARIUPOL New satellite images, just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the battle for Mariupol, show what appear to be over 200 mass graves near the city. Local officials accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians there in an effort to conceal the slaughter. Meanwhile, the United States will send Ukraine another $800 million in military aid and $500 million in economic assistance, President Joe Biden announced. [AP]

PHILADELPHIA ROLLS BACK INDOOR MASK MANDATE Philadelphia, the first major U.S. city to restore its indoor mask mandate, abruptly reversed course just days after city residents had to start wearing masks again. The health department said the city will instead be recommending masks in indoor spaces rather than requiring them, citing "decreasing hospitalizations and a leveling of case counts." Boston is also urging people to mask up following a rise in cases and hospitalizations. [AP]

CNN+ SHUTS DOWN JUST WEEKS AFTER LAUNCHING Warner Bros. Discovery plans to shut down the streaming service CNN+ on April 30, just weeks after its widely advertised launch. The decision was made after CNN's former parent company, WarnerMedia, merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery. CEO David Zaslav has said that he wants to house all of the company's brands, including Discovery+ and HBO Max, under one streaming service. [HuffPost]

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FLORIDA LEGISLATURE EXACTS REVENGE ON DISNEY OVER ANTI-GAY LAW A functional local government built by the Walt Disney Corp., tasked with maintaining its colossal Orlando theme park empire for the past 55 years, is now on the verge of being dismantled, thanks to Florida Republicans who voted to revoke the special self-governing privileges afforded to Disney. It now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for his signature. The move is widely considered to be retaliation for Disney executives' critical stance on Florida's "Don't Say Bill" passed last month. [HuffPost]

SUPREME COURT DENIES EQUAL RIGHTS TO PUERTO RICANS — AGAIN In an 8-1 vote, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by a resident of Puerto Rico who was seeking the same Supplemental Security Income payments he received when living on the U.S. mainland. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the only justice of Puerto Rican descent, wrote the only dissenting opinion. [HuffPost]

U.K. COVID PATIENT HAD COVID FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF, STUDY SHOWS A U.K. patient with a severely weakened immune system had COVID-19 for 505 days, scientists reported, underscoring the importance of protecting vulnerable people from the coronavirus. "It certainly seems to be the longest reported infection," said Dr. Luke Blagdon Snell, an infectious disease expert. [AP]

TUCKER CARLSON SUGGESTS AUDITING ZELENSKYY'S FINANCES BEFORE GIVING UKRAINE AID Tucker Carlson has provided yet another soundbite for Russian propagandists, suggesting on Fox News that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be audited before the besieged country receives any more U.S. aid. [HuffPost]

TRUMP CAMPAIGN ORDERED TO PAY $1.3 MILLION TO OMAROSA MANIGAULT NEWMAN Trump's presidential campaign was ordered to pay $1.3 million in legal fees to former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman after he accused her of breaking a nondisclosure agreement with a tell-all book. "We will remove golden toilets if we have to to collect the $1.3 million, plus interest," her attorney, John Phillips, tweeted. [HuffPost]