Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Wednesday November 3, 2021
1.) THE DAILY SIGNAL
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2.) THE EPOCH TIMES
Washington can’t fix Washington. If we want to put We the People back in charge, we must call an Article V Convention of States. ConventionofStates.com 
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3.) DAYBREAK
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4.) THE SUNBURN
Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 11.3.21
Florida politics and Sunburn — perfect together.
Good Wednesday morning
INFLUENCE Magazine’s recognition of the Rising Stars of Florida politics will be unveiled in the January issue.
Right now, we are taking nominations for who belongs on this prestigious list. (How prestigious? Well, consider the fact Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ former Chief of Staff, Adrian Lukis, and current Communications Director, Taryn Fenske, were both spotted early on in their careers on the list.
We are looking for bright shiny faces from the campaign, lobbying, fundraising, and public affairs arena. This will be a tight list of about 25 individuals, so make your nominations count.
Email your nominations to Peter@FloridaPolitics.com.
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Spotted — At the Celebration of Life Ceremony for Greg Turbeville at the Ballard Partners office in Tallahassee. Turbeville died June 30, 2020, at age 49: Mike Abrams, Ellen Anderson, Jeff Atwater, Brian Ballard, Brady Benford, Rebecca Benn, Thad Beshears, Amy Bisceglia, Pam Bondi, Carol Bracy, Christy Daly Brodeur, Jason Brodeur, Steve and Brandi Brown, Bob Burleson, Brad Burleson, Georgia Cappleman, Oscar Chemerinski, Tony Crapp, Steve Crisafulli, Ana Cruz, Jose Felix Diaz, Tom DiGiacomo, Tom Feeney, Mathew Forrest, Adam Goodman, Jan Gorrie, Alexander Gray, Chris Hansen, David Johnson, John Johnston, Todd Josko, Sylvester Lukis, Adrian Lukis, Jim Magill, Joe McCann, Dan McFaul, Gene McGee, Steve McNamara, Holly Miller, Carlos Munoz, Eugene O’Flaherty, John O’Hanlon, Stephen Passacantilli, FSU College of Music Dean Todd Queen, Monica Rodriguez, Pat Rooney, Katherine San Pedro, Justin Sayfie, Cheryl Seinfeld, Mac Stipanovich, Frank Terraferma, Tola Thompson, Todd Thomson, John Thrasher, Heather Turnbull, Abby Vail, Wansley Walters, Robert Wexler, Courtney Whitney, Amy Young and Stephanie Grutman Zauder.
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I’m talking here — The Florida League of Cities holds its 2021 Legislative Conference today through Friday, led by League President Phillip Walker, Commissioner for Lakeland. The event features the latest on the state’s top issues and an update of the League’s legislative priorities and ways to promote Home Rule. At 3:45 p.m. Thursday, join me, Matt Dixon from POLITICO and Dara Kam from the News Service of Florida for a discussion (moderated by consultant Steve Vancore) on how the media landscape has changed and big issues that will dominate the 2022 Legislative Session. Registration desk opens today at 2 p.m.; events start at 3 p.m., Embassy Suites Orlando — Lake Buena Vista South, 4955 Kyngs Heath Road, Kissimmee.
View schedule and agenda here.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@Robillard: the move is to tweet about the early exits to get those sweet, sweet RTs but also apologize for doing so to show how savvy you are
—@MaggieNYT: What if the takeaway from this race is both that these voters rejected (Joe) Biden * and * they don’t want a return of (Donald) Trump?
—@DaveWeigel: Crucial mistake by Virginia Dems: Hit “update” on their election-stealing software too late, and the patch wasn’t installed yet when polls closed.
—@DouthatNYT: I’ll just say it: Glenn Youngkin should seriously consider running for President in 2024.
—@KyLamb: In my opinion, blue-collar Virginians are speaking for Americans this evening. They’re showing that they appreciate leaders that stand up for parents’ rights, education, mandates and bullying. There is a reason what Florida is doing is so popular both in Florida and the U.S.
—@Fineout: So … maybe resigning from the Legislature was …
Tweet, tweet:
—@RyanEGorman: @ashleybauman is the political version of #ChampaBay. Her candidates keep winning it all.
—@KentStermon: Any company Adrian Lukis joins is a much better place than it was the day before
Tweet, tweet:
—@ByJasonDelgado: .@MagicJohnson is speaking to student-athletes inside the state Capitol and he closes with a hot take: “LeBron is not as good as Michael.”
Tweet, tweet:
Tweet, tweet:
— DAYS UNTIL —
The Blue Angels 75th anniversary show — 2; Disney’s ’Eternals’ premieres — 2; ’Yellowstone’ Season 4 begins — 3; ’Disney Very Merriest After Hours’ will debut — 5; U.S. to lift restrictions for fully vaccinated international travelers — 5; Miami at FSU — 7; ‘Hawkeye’ premieres — 11; Special Session on vaccine mandates begins — 12; ExcelinEd National Summit on Education begins — 15; FSU vs. UF — 24; Florida Chamber 2021 Annual Insurance Summit begins — 28; Jacksonville special election to fill seat vacated by Tommy Hazouri’s death — 34; Steven Spielberg’s ’West Side Story’ premieres — 37; ’Spider-Man: No Way Home’ premieres — 44; ’The Matrix: Resurrections’ released — 49; ’The Book of Boba Fett’ premieres on Disney+ — 56; CES 2022 begins — 63; NFL season ends — 67; 2022 Legislative Session starts — 69; Florida’s 20th Congressional District Election — 69; Special Elections in Senate District 33, House District 88 & 94 — 69; Florida TaxWatch’s 2022 State of the Taxpayer Day — 70; Joel Coen’s ’The Tragedy of Macbeth’ on Apple TV+ — 72; NFL playoffs begin — 73; XXIV Olympic Winter Games begins — 93; Super Bowl LVI — 102; Daytona 500 — 109; St. Pete Grand Prix — 116; ‘The Batman’ premieres — 122; ’Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 185; ’Top Gun: Maverick’ premieres — 205; ’Platinum Jubilee’ for Queen Elizabeth II — 211; ’Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 247; San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — 259; ’Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 338; ‘The Flash’ premieres — 366; ‘Black Panther 2’ premieres — 373; ‘Avatar 2’ premieres — 408; ‘Captain Marvel 2’ premieres — 471; ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ premieres — 625. ‘Dune: Part Two’ premieres — 716; Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games — 996.
“Dale Holness or Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick will replace Alcee Hastings in Congress” via Anthony Man and Angie DiMichele of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Holness and Cherfilus-McCormick were effectively tied in a Primary that may not have a definitive result for another week or more. Cherfilus-McCormick and Holness had just under 24% of the vote at 9:45 p.m. Holness won Broward County, where most of the primary voters live, and Cherfilus-McCormick was far ahead in Palm Beach County. Mathematically, none of the other nine candidates had a path to victory. An ultra-close race could take some time to sort out. Overseas and military ballots have an extra 10 days to arrive at elections offices. Florida law provides for recounts if the races are closer than 0.5%. After the initial recount by machine, if there is less than 0.25% difference, ballots that couldn’t be accurately read by machine are counted by hand.
“Ken Welch is victorious in St. Petersburg mayoral race” via Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times — Welch will be the city’s first Black Mayor. His campaign declared victory at 7:16 p.m. In a statement, Welch gave his thanks. “First and foremost, thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Welch said. “Because of each and every one of you here today, we have made history. But this election is not about me, it’s because of the giants that came before me — it’s because of the inclusive progress we are working toward, and that’s why we’re all here today.” With 84 of 92 precincts reporting by about 7:35, Welch had about 60% of the vote against opponent Robert Blackmon. Welch’s four-year term will start when he is inaugurated at the first City Council meeting in 2022 on Jan. 6.
“Lisset Hanewicz wins in District 4 race, becomes first Hispanic on St. Pete City Council” via Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times — Becoming the first Hispanic person to serve on the St. Petersburg City Council, Hanewicz defeated Raymond James investment banker Tom Mullins in the District 4 race, 54% to 46%. Hanewicz, 50, will replace Council member Darden Rice in District 4. Hanewicz also got the most votes in the primary election that involved four other candidates. A former state prosecutor and president of the Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association, Hanewicz said she wants to ensure every neighborhood is a safe location and to support vulnerable populations. She also wants to ensure St. Petersburg retains its character while allowing for affordable housing. Changing zoning laws to allow for more density can assist with that, she said.
—”Copley Gerdes bests Bobbie Shay Lee, will replace Robert Blackmon on City Council” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics
“In District 8 race, Richie Floyd and Jeff Danner end neck-and-neck” via Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times — As votes rolled in, the margin between the two candidates seemed so slim that it would put them in the possible zone for a state-mandated recount. But when the vast majority of the batch of mail-in ballots were counted, Floyd’s edge on Danner grew beyond the zone for a recount. In the General Election, where all city voters could cast a ballot, Floyd ended with 50.70% compared to Danner’s 49.30% of the vote as of Tuesday night. If two candidates in a race are within 0.5% of each other, state law requires a machine recount. With 100% of precincts reporting, Floyd led Danner by about 800 votes, or 1.4%.
—“Voters say no to closed-district voting, as only 2 of 7 amendments OK’d in St. Pete” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics
“Orlando Commissioners Jim Gray, Regina Hill reelected” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Gray and Hill cruised to new terms in the city election Tuesday, again demonstrating that Orlando’s voters apparently like how the city and its government are running. Gray, an executive in commercial real estate investment, won a third full term representing District 1, a large region on the city’s southeast side. He soundly defeated activist Sunshine Grund and retired Orlando police officer Bill Moore. In unofficial results with all votes accounted for except provisional ballots, Gray had 62%, compared with 23% for Grund, and 15% for Moore. Hill, a nurse, won a third term representing District 5, which covers much of the city’s east side. She defeated nonprofit executive Shaniqua “Shan” Rose. In unofficial results, Hill had 73%, compared with 27% for Rose.
“Commissioner Robert Stuart survives challenge in Orlando” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Stuart won a fifth term in a close election Tuesday to represent Orlando’s north side on City Council. Stuart, a retired social services executive and longtime player in Orlando politics, managed to stay above 50% of the total votes in a three-way election Tuesday, defeating Nicolette Springer and Samuel Chambers, who both challenged him from the left. In unofficial returns Tuesday with all votes except for provisional ballots counted, Stuart received 51% of the vote; Springer, 44%; and Chambers, 5% of the vote. It was the second close election in a row that Stuart won.
“Bill Mutz secures second term as Lakeland Mayor” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — Mutz defeated far-right political newcomer Saga Stevin to lock in his second four-year term as Lakeland’s Mayor. Early results from the Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office show Mutz took 67% of the vote, while Stevin scored 33%, with all precincts reporting. Turnout was low in Polk County, with only 20% of voters casting ballots. Lakeland’s mayoral race was unexpectedly contentious. It became more about ideological differences and right-wing talking points than the real issues facing the city, including the fact that it’s experienced the second-highest population growth in the country.
“Lake Mary voters return Commissioner Justin York to office” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Lake Mary voters showed overwhelming approval Tuesday for City Commissioner York, handing him resounding reelection over challenger Kristina Renteria, 73% to 27%. York’s victory endorsed his record and pledges to continue working to redevelop the downtown area into a live-work-play community, using some of the $8 million the city is receiving in federal grants. Unlike much of Seminole County, Lake Mary is now primarily built out and developed a sound mix of residential and commercial. But there are older neighborhoods in need of redevelopment, and there are limited opportunities for new housing. York sees opportunities in the older central city where federal dollars could go toward septic-to-sewer conversions, and money could be used to improve the center’s infrastructure.
“Megan Sladek reelected Mayor of Oviedo” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Sladek has been reelected in a three-way battle in which both of her opponents had primarily agreed on her agenda but tried to create doubts about her ability to work with the City Council. Voters did not share that concern. Sladek easily won a second full term as Mayor after serving a term on the City Council. Challenger Kevin Hipes is a real estate redeveloped who served as a Sanford City Commissioner before moving to Oviedo. Challenger Abe López is a teacher and small-business owner with a public service past in New Jersey. In an Oviedo City Council race, challenger Natalie Teuchert, a mechanical engineer, ousted incumbent Council member Judith Dolores Smith.
“In Manatee County, voters approve schools tax extension that helps back teacher pay” via Ryan McKinnon of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Manatee County voters agreed to renew the School District’s one-mill property tax on Tuesday, maintaining a $46 million revenue stream for schools and showing support for the district’s academic progress since the tax was enacted in 2018. The referendum passed 70% to 30%, with roughly 66,000 registered voters casting a ballot, with 66 of the county’s 70 precincts reporting. If the vote had gone the other way, school officials said they “were not bluffing” in saying that they had no backup pot of money to fund millions of dollars in staff salary supplements, meaning all employees would have seen pay cut, with teachers’ salaries reduced by more than $5,000. The added tax costs will cost the average homeowner $175 annually.
“Miami Mayor Francis Suarez reelected in a landslide victory” via Joey Flechas of the Miami Herald — Suarez won reelection Tuesday night, handily defeating lesser-known opponents to earn his second four-year term as the figurehead of South Florida’s most populous city. Before Election Day, Suarez captured about 79% of the mail ballots and early votes, building a giant lead before polls opened Tuesday. Suarez’s reelection was so anticipated that fans and supporters barely noticed when a big screen projecting results at his election party showed the Mayor ahead of his second-place opponent by more than 13,000 votes. With such a significant lead, and a low Election Day turnout, by 7:30 p.m. Suarez had locked in a second term as Miami’s 34th mayor, the first to be born in the Magic City and son of the city’s first Cuban-born Mayor, Xavier Suarez.
—“Christine King unseats Jeffrey Watson on Miami Commission, Joe Carollo holds onto office” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
—”Two Miami Beach Commission races set for Nov. 16 runoff” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
“Miami Beach voters approve push to move up last call to 2 a.m.” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Miami Beach voters are supporting a change to the city’s liquor regulations, forcing bars to now stop selling alcohol at 2 a.m., a full three hours earlier than the current 5 a.m. last call. More than 56% of residents backed moving last call to 2 a.m., while 44% opposed the change. The debate over that last call time has persisted throughout the year. Tuesday’s referendum was a nonbinding straw ballot item meant to gauge resident support for making last call three hours earlier. But multiple members of the City Commission said they would honor the voters’ decision and approve an ordinance if voters endorsed the change. This wasn’t the first time the city took action. In May, The Commission agreed via a 4-3 vote to immediately move the last call time to 2 a.m., subject to giving voters the final say in November.
“‘What our residents want’: Miami Beach voters pass 2 a.m. alcohol sales referendum” via Martin Vassolo of the Miami Herald — Mayor Dan Gelber, who ran parallel campaigns for reelection and to pass the 2 a.m. referendum, declared victory in both efforts just before 8 p.m. Tuesday. “This is what our residents want,” Gelber told reporters while surrounded by supporters and his family at a campaign watch party at The Carlyle hotel. Gelber said he expects city staff to develop legislation to codify the referendum. He also expects his colleagues on the Commission to support any measure to restrict alcohol sales after 2 a.m. after seeing that most voters support such a move.
“Esteban “Steve” Bovo wins Hialeah Mayor race” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Bovo emerged victorious from Tuesday’s election to become Hialeah’s new Mayor, marking a new chapter for Miami-Dade County’s second-most populous city. Bovo captured 59% of the vote at 7:50 p.m., with 45 of 48 precincts reporting. Of 21,648 votes cast, 12,776 were in his favor. His closest competitor, former Hialeah Council member Isis Garcia-Martinez, received 21.5% of the vote. Former Hialeah Mayor Julio Martínez nabbed just 1.9% of the vote, outpacing Hialeah resident Juan Santana but falling far behind third-place candidate Fernando Godo, who more than 16% of city voters supported on the ballot. The five-way race to replace term-limited Mayor Carlos Hernández included several notable names, though Bovo and Garcia-Martinez had positioned themselves as the presumptive front-runners in the lead-up to Election Day.
—”Bovo rides political experience, Donald Trump endorsement to become Mayor of Hialeah” via Aaron Leibowitz of the Miami Herald
“Homestead Mayor Steve Losner wins reelection in close race” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — With all precincts reporting at 8:30 p.m., Losner received 51% of the vote, represented by 1,693 ballots cast in his favor. Former Council member Elvis Maldonado got 1,635 votes. Losner, 60, is a fourth-generation Homestead resident and a past City Council member. He returned to politics to run for Mayor in 2019 after more than a decade away — he’s a lawyer with a private practice in the city — to address what he called Homestead’s “untapped potential,” including bringing more dining, retail and entertainment options and building more quality housing. Since he took office, the city opened Homestead Station, a massive downtown shopping and entertainment complex. There’s also been ample residential development, with the median sales price of a single-family home rising by $150,000 since 2016.
“John Chappie reelected as Mayor of Bradenton Beach” via Tampa Bay 10 — Chappie has been reelected as Mayor of Bradenton Beach. His victory comes as early results show he won 69.4-30.5% over challenger David Galuszka. Chappie first took office in 2001 as Mayor of Bradenton Beach. Before that, he served in the Commission in 1997. When Chappie reached his mayoral term limit in 2007, he was elected County Commissioner in 2008. Three years later, he would resign and later win a Commission seat in 2011. Spending the years in between on the County Commission, Chappie has most recently served as Mayor of Bradenton Beach since 2017. He ran uncontested to be reelected in 2019.
“Sunny Isles Beach voters send mayoral candidates to runoff” via Samantha J. Gross of the Miami Herald — Voters in Sunny Isles Beach sent two mayoral candidates to a runoff election — where they will decide who should serve the remainder of the term vacated by George “Bud” Scholl. Current Commissioner Dana Goldman and Mayor Larisa “Laura” Svechin who assumed mayoral duties on Sept. 1 pending Tuesday’s special election, will compete again on Nov. 16 to determine who will serve the rest of the term, ending in November 2022. With all precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Miami-Dade County Elections Department show that Goldman captured 41% of the vote and Svechin captured 37%. Since neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held. Just 2,273 out of 12,155 registered voters participated in the election.
“Helen Moore, Jim Boldt win Venice Council races” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Venice City Councilmember Moore defeated challenger Sandy Sibley with 54.81% of the vote. Boldt, meanwhile, came out on top in a three-person field for the open Seat 4, with 50.15% to Jennifer Lewis’ 40.02% and Chris Simmons’ 9.82%. The election had become a partisan affair, with the Republican Party of Sarasota backing Moore and Boldt while the Sarasota Democratic Party supported Sibley and Lewis. Boldt touted his business background as a chief qualification. In the coming years, he said, Venice needs its infrastructure to keep up with continued growth. The city must remain financially healthy, so there’s no lapse in city services. Moore defended her seat, and with it, the planning process that’s been underway several years in the city.
— DATELINE TALLY —
“As Special Session approaches, Florida lawmakers have no specific language to chew on” via Mike Vasilinda of WCTV — The Special Session of the Florida Legislature called by DeSantis is less than two weeks away. It was called to deal with mask policies, vaccine requirements, and other COVID-19-related issues, but there was still no specific language for lawmakers to chew on as of Tuesday. With lobbyists in the hallways, Florida’s Capitol resembled pre-pandemic days this week, but vaccines and mask mandates are very much on the agenda in the coming Special Session. “To add protections for people in the state of Florida,” said DeSantis when he announced the Session in late October.
“Erin Grall: PIP is coming back in 2022, but not ‘phantom medical bills’” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — As the Florida Legislature considers bills to limit civil actions, a leading House Republican said the House will once again consider repealing personal injury protection law, but is not likely to advance a proposal to eliminate so-called “phantom medical bills,” Grall said she will continue to work on repealing Florida’s no-fault automobile insurance law known as personal injury protection. She passed a bill to repeal PIP last year, but it was vetoed by DeSantis. Grall said she has been trying to understand what DeSantis’s primary concerns with her bill were and that she has not yet had detailed conversations with the administration.
“Free book delivery program, a Chris Sprowls priority, rolls out to 30,000 students next month” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Free books are getting shipped on time to 30,000 students who are currently below reading level. Deliveries are on pace to begin Dec. 15 in the New Worlds Reading Initiative, a Sprowls priority signed by DeSantis this summer. The program provides free book home delivery to elementary students who read below grade level. Recipients will get one free book every month for nine months throughout the school year. Multiple students per household can receive books. However, students must opt-in to the program. More than 500,000 students are eligible, administrators told the House Education and Employment Committee on Tuesday.
“After Ron DeSantis’ veto, juvenile expungement bill clears first legislative hurdle” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — A Senate panel gave the first approval to an altered juvenile arrest expungement proposal after DeSantis vetoed a version passed unanimously this spring. Sen. Keith Perry is carrying the bill (SB 342) that would expand opportunities to expunge first-time arrests from juvenile records to felony charges. But this time, Perry and the Representative carrying the House counterpart (HB 195), Rep. David Smith, removed forcible felonies from the list after DeSantis’ concerns. “Otherwise, the bill’s the same as last year,” Perry told the Senate Criminal Justice Committee Tuesday. Florida currently allows minors to expunge first-time misdemeanors if they complete a diversion program. The bill would expand juvenile expunction laws to include most felonies and other arrests beyond the first offense.
“Senate panel OKs retroactive reduced sentencing for some felonies” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Lawmakers took the first step Tuesday to allowing reduced sentences for some felony charges to apply retroactively beginning next year. In the last decade, the Legislature has lowered sentences and removed some minimum mandatory sentences. A bill filed by Sen. Darryl Rouson (SB 276) would allow those serving the previous mandatory time for some charges to be resentenced under the new standards. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee approved the St. Petersburg Democrat’s bill unanimously Tuesday. “In sum, this bill is about hindsight. It’s about equity and fairness in sentencing,” Rouson told the panel.
“Proposal to rename Criminal Punishment Code clears first committee stop” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — Florida may soon rename its Criminal Punishment Code under a bill OK’d Tuesday by a Senate committee. Sponsored by Sen. Jason Pizzo, the measure (SB 260) would change the name to the Criminal Public Safety Code. The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice voted unanimously to approve the bill without debate or amendments. “I think we invite all Floridians to get involved in the work that we do by simply beginning with the ethos of changing from punishment to public safety,” said Pizzo, a former prosecutor. According to a staff analysis, the primary purpose of the current code is to “punish the offender.”
“Bill to stiffen penalties for firefighter killers clears first committee” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — A Senate committee passed a bill Tuesday that would stiffen criminal penalties against those who murder an on-duty firefighter. Under the proposal (SB 370), the convicted murderer of a firefighter would face the same consequences as a person who killed a police or correctional officer, life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sen. Ed Hooper, a former firefighter himself, is the bill sponsor. “Those that serve and protect us need to have the same protection when they are attacked and killed,” Hooper said. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill. Lawmakers heard testimony from Randy Wise, a representative of the Florida Professional Firefighters Association.
“VISIT FLORIDA extension clears first Senate panel” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — A Senate proposal to extend the life of VISIT FLORIDA to at least 2031 cleared its first panel Tuesday, with unanimous approval from the Committee on Commerce and Tourism. Republican Sen. Hooper‘s bill (SB 434) would postpone the sunset date for Florida’s tourism marketing agency from the current 2023 to 2031. “VISIT FLORIDA is as important to the economy and economic wealth of our state as any other endeavor that I can possibly think of,” said Hooper, who chairs the committee but handed the gavel to Republican Sen. Tom Wright for the SB 434 hearing. The Legislature has been keeping VISIT FLORIDA on a rolling, two-year life span, grudgingly moving the sunset clause forward every year.
“‘Victims of Communism Day’ bill requiring public school lesson advances” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Legislation that would require the government and public schools to declare a “Victims of Communism Day” and include a lesson on the perils that form of government presents is now one step closer to becoming law. Members of the Senate Education Committee voted to advance a bill (SB 268) by Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. If enacted, the bill would require the state to recognize Nov. 7 as “Victims of Communism Day” and hold unspecified public demonstrations at the Capitol and elsewhere honoring “the 100 million people who fell victim to communist regimes across the world.” Beginning on Nov. 7, 2023, and continuing every Nov. 7 after that, U.S. government classes in public school under the proposal “must receive at least 45 minutes of instruction on Victims of Communism Day.
Senate school bus service expansion advances despite driver dearth — A Senate Education Committee advanced a bill (SB 270) Tuesday that would require school districts to bus students who live more than 1 mile away from their school, rather than the current two-mile radius. Andrew Atterbury of POLITICO Florida reported that the bill would require pickups for an estimated 193,000 more schoolchildren and comes amid a labor crunch in school bus depots across the state. The plan will also cost school districts an extra $184.5 million if the Legislature doesn’t help cover the tab. Currently, school bus service already costs districts more than what the state provides. Though it didn’t support or oppose it, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents said the bill could worsen an already difficult situation.
Senate Democrats change rules on booting members — Senate Democrats adopted new rules that would allow the caucus to expel members for “violating a caucus position or impugning the integrity of the caucus.” As reported by Bruce Ritchie of POLITICO Florida, the changes come after Sens. Gary Farmer and Lauren Book engaged in a bitter feud last Session that resulted in the caucus removing Farmer and installing Book as Democratic Leader. The old rules, in place since 2016, allowed removal for “good cause” but lacked details. Sen. Lori Berman, the caucus rules chair, said the rewrite was overdue. Farmer claims he was the only member to vote against the change. Book wouldn’t say if the overhaul was a direct result of the feud, but said it was a “really smart and insightful thing” for the caucus to reexamine the rules.
Personnel note: Michael Wickersheim moves to Department of Elder Affairs — Wickersheim is leaving his post as the Florida Department of Children and Families’ legislative affairs director for the Chief of Staff job at the Department of Elder Affairs. Wickersheim is a veteran government affairs professional with a broad portfolio of experience in state government. Before DCF, he spent three years working at the Florida Department of Transportation, most of it as its deputy legislative affairs director. He also served as now-Sen. Jeff Brandes’ campaign manager when he first ran for the House. He then worked as a legislative assistant to the St. Petersburg Republican. Wickersheim earned his bachelor’s degree from Troy University.
— TALLY 2 —
New and renewed lobbying registrations:
Susan Anderson: Florida Health Care Association
Taylor Biehl, Capitol Alliance Group: Florida Agencies Serving the Blind
Andrea Gheen, PinPoint Results: SEIU 1199 United Health Care Workers
Elizabeth Guzzo: Office of the Attorney General
Neisha-Rose Hines: ACLU of Florida
Scott Jenkins, Delegal Aubuchon Consulting: Teaching Hospital Council of Florida
Lori Killinger, Kasey Lewis, Chris Lyon, Lewis Longman & Walker: Florida Osteopathic Medical Association
Brittanie Lee: Broward County
Joseph Salzverg, GrayRobinson: Atlantic Housing Partners
Rhoda Washington: Information Technology Industry Council
Legislative committee meeting schedule:
— The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee meets to consider SB 156, from Sen. Doug Broxson, to change to “loss run statements” related to insurance claims, paid losses and other issues, 8:30 a.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.
— The Senate Community Affairs Committee meets to consider SB 224, from Sen. Joe Gruters, to permit local governments to restrict smoking at public parks and beaches, 8:30 a.m., Room 37 of the Senate Office Building.
— The Senate Transportation Committee meets for an update about legislative priorities of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 8:30 a.m., Room 110 of the Senate Office Building.
— The House Infrastructure and Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee meets for an update from the Department of State about Help America Vote Act grants, 9 a.m., Reed Hall of the House Office Building.
— The House Secondary Education and Career Development Subcommittee meets for an update from the Department of Education about truancy, 9 a.m., Room 212 of the Knott Building.
— The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee meets for an update from the Department of Environmental Protection on the Florida Forever land conservation program, 11 a.m., Morris Hall of the House Office Building.
— The House Early Learning and Elementary Education Subcommittee meets for an update from the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability about transparency in school curricula and instruction, 11 a.m., Reed Hall of the House Office Building.
— The House Professions and Public Health Subcommittee meets for an update on medical marijuana research, 11 a.m., Room 212 of the Knott Building.
— The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee meets for an update on state fleet-management issues, 11:30 a.m., Room 37 of the Senate Office Building.
— The Senate Health Policy Committee meets to consider SB 312, from Chair Diaz Jr., to make changes in state telehealth laws, including rules on prescribing controlled substances through telehealth, 11:30 a.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.
— The House Finance & Facilities Subcommittee meets for an update from the Agency for Health Care Administration on medical quality issues, 2 p.m., Morris Hall of the House Office Building.
— The House Government Operations Subcommittee meets for an update about the role of the chief inspector general and agency inspectors general, 2 p.m., Room 404 of the House Office Building.
— The House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee meets for an update on school choice programs, 2 p.m., Reed Hall of the House Office Building.
— The Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee will receive a report about increases in mental-health and substance-abuse funding, 2:30 p.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.
— The Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee meets for an update about the Department of Transportation’s five-year work program, 2:30 p.m., Room 110 of the Senate Office Building.
— The House Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee meets for an update about redistricting law, 4 p.m., Morris Hall of the House Office Building.
— The House State Legislative Redistricting Subcommittee meets for an update about redistricting law, 4 p.m., Room 404 of the House Office Building.
— CORONA FLORIDA —
“UF restricted five other professors’ participation in legal cases against the state” via Ana Ceballos and Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald — Last year, four University of Florida law professors who wanted to sign a “friend of the court” brief in a lawsuit challenging a new felons’ voting law were told that they could not identify themselves as university faculty members in the filing because it involved “an action against the state.” In August, university officials told a UF professor of pediatrics that he couldn’t work on two cases challenging the state’s ban on mask mandates because participating in lawsuits against DeSantis’ administration would “create a conflict” for the university. And on Monday, UF announced that three political science professors can only provide expert testimony in a voting access case against the state if they do it without pay.
“DeSantis and allies want credit for his boom-to-bust coronavirus numbers. But the drop is hardly unusual.” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post — Supporters of DeSantis are still waiting for his apology. Weeks after Florida endured one of the worst pandemic outbreaks, the state has seen cases decline substantially, so much so that it currently ranks 50th in the country in per capita cases. DeSantis has greeted it by playing to vaccination-mandate critics and, quite arguably, to vaccine skeptics writ large. That has included elevating vaccine-skeptic Joseph Ladapo, who allied with a fringe group of doctors and recently questioned the vaccines’ safety and efficacy at a news conference, to be Florida’s surgeon general. If anything, doing that would seem to jeopardize future attempts to claim Florida as a coronavirus-combating success story.
“Nikki Fried: DeSantis ‘manufactured’ vax mandate fight for ‘extremist base’” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Fried is labeling the Special Session on vaccine mandates an “extremist proxy war” for DeSantis. After beginning a news conference Tuesday with a moment of silence, Fried told reporters the Governor couldn’t even honor the nearly 60,000 Floridians who died from COVID-19 with a 60-second recognition. “It’s a disgrace for the Governor to (be) taking a victory lap when so many preventable deaths happened on his watch,” she said. Fried, the lone Democrat elected statewide and a gubernatorial candidate, denounced the Governor’s proclamation for a Special Session as his latest in a series of “taxpayer-funded stunts” to “score political points for his future presidential run.” Democrats say the Special Session could cost the state nearly $1 million.
“Judge orders ‘informal remediation’ between Health Department, plaintiffs of COVID-19 data lawsuit” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — The Florida Department of Health and plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking daily COVID-19 data that the state once published online must meet this week to clarify their wishes and potentially reach a resolution, the judge overseeing the case ordered. Judge John Cooper of the 2nd Judicial Circuit ordered Rick Figlio of law firm Ausley McMullen, representing the state, and Andrea Mogensen of the Florida Center for Government Accountability (FLCGA) to engage in “informal remediation” no later than noon Friday. Cooper did not stipulate that the two parties must reach a resolution, only that they explain to each other what their respective positions and wants are in advance of a final hearing scheduled Nov. 9-10.
“Florida COVID-19 update: Where the death toll stands in your county as 2,000 new cases added” via Devoun Cetoute of the Miami Herald — Florida reported 2,000 COVID-19 cases and two new deaths on Monday. In all, Florida has recorded at least 3,652,637 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 59,499 deaths. On average, the state has added 81 deaths and 1,619 cases per day in the past seven days. Florida had a death rate of 277 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the start of the pandemic. Two weeks ago, the state had a death rate of 269 deaths per 100,000 people.
“The cost of the pandemic: How Tampa Bay lost billions from COVID-19” via Jay Cridlin and Ian Hodgson of the Tampa Bay Times — What did the coronavirus cost Tampa Bay? Can you put a financial price on what we lost? Tampa Bay Times reporters surveyed eight counties: Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota, home to 5 million people, about 23% of Florida’s population. It’s rough math. No formula can calculate the economic impact on a scale this severe, mainly because the numbers are still changing. But crunching the bigger numbers — using $5 trillion in government aid as a guidestar — got in the ballpark.
“‘Mistaken determination’: Leon County files challenge to state fine over COVID-19 vaccine mandate” via Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat — Leon County has challenged a multimillion dollar fine leveled by the state over its vaccine mandate on county employees. The 23-page filing by attorneys with Tallahassee firm Greenberg Traurig was filed with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings. It disputes the $3.57 million fine issued by the state’s Department of Health last month. Before that, DeSantis said he would begin fining local governments $5,000 per employee for any vaccination requirements implemented. In all, 14 county employees were fired for not being vaccinated by the Oct. 1 deadline.
“Miami-Dade school district relaxes masks for high school, middle school students” via David Goodhue of the Miami Herald — After more than a year of masking their children so they could attend school amid COVID-19, parents of Miami-Dade public high school and middle school students can opt-out of the district’s mask mandate, effective immediately, district officials said Monday. “We have improved significantly. We have listened to our health experts. That is why we are relaxing these protocols,” Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said at a news conference Monday afternoon. Elementary school students and students in the district’s 54 kindergarten through eighth grade schools will still have to wear masks, but that may change within weeks if COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths continue to plummet in South Florida, Carvalho said.
“Palm Beach County close to ditching mask requirements as COVID-19 cases decline” via Wells Dusenbury of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Amid a steady decline in COVID-19 cases, masks may soon become optional if you’re visiting the DMV, the tax collector’s office, or any other Palm Beach County government building. County Commissioners agreed on Tuesday to rescind their required mask-wearing inside county-operated buildings. The county, however, has yet to specify a date for when that will occur. According to CDC guidelines, that happens when the cases per 100,000 people fall below 50. Palm Beach County currently has a 59.1 weekly average, down from 96.2 a month ago. That means the order could go into effect within a few weeks if the weekly cases in Palm Beach County fall below that threshold.
— 2022 —
“By the numbers: A look at Dems, GOP drops in Florida voter registration rolls” via Logan Dragone of the Orlando Sentinel — Active registered voters have dropped off from last year because of Florida’s voter roll removal rules. There were 286,721 fewer active registered voters on August 31, 2021, compared to Dec. 31, 2020, eight months. Statewide, Republican and Democrat active voters saw average decreases, and voters with no party affiliation saw a small increase of 0.35%. Democrats fared the worst from this list maintenance, losing 4.21% of their registered voters from 2020, while Republicans only lost 1.34%. One interesting outlier among all of the state’s counties is Gilchrist, which saw 17.68% less active Democrats in 2021, and 15.71% fewer voters with no party affiliation. All other counties showed less than 10% change among any party affiliation.
“Florida’s redistricting process can’t intentionally favor one party, only by accident” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Much of a Tuesday meeting of the House Redistricting Committee centered around the question of what, exactly, constitutes partisan mapmaking. “It all comes back to intent,” said Andy Bardos, outside counsel from GrayRobinson, in a presentation to the Redistricting Committee. So, what can lawmakers consider? Existing boundaries like city limits and county lines have been viewed by courts as a legitimate guide for political cartographers. The same goes for rivers, roads, and railroad tracks. If a voter can easily tell what district they live in based on a landmark, that’s easier to defend in court than an arbitrary divide. The district cannot take into account the address of incumbent lawmakers, and the Legislature may end up drawing sitting members into the same jurisdictions, committee leaders warned.
“Garrett Dennis joins race for Florida House District 13” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Dennis has joined the race for the House District 13 seat to be vacated by Rep. Tracie Davis. Dennis, who is in his second term on the Council representing the sprawling District 9, filed Monday. He joins Iris Hinton in the Democratic Primary. Hinton, a 71-year-old newcomer to elected politics, has been in the race since August but has yet to raise any money. Davis has filed to succeed term-limited Sen. Audrey Gibson in Senate District 6. Dennis won his first term in District 9, which is north and west of the St. Johns River, in 2015 and his reelection in 2019 with 60% of the vote. No Republicans ran either time in what is a strong majority Democratic district.
“Lake Elections Supervisor Alan Hays to GOP election-fraud claims: ‘PUT UP OR SHUT UP!!’” via Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel — Irritated by Lake County Republican leaders who want a forensic audit of the 2020 vote and who allege the “entire election system is fraught with flaws,” Elections Supervisor Alan Hays, a longtime member of the GOP, posted a rebuttal on his official website Tuesday, demanding they “PUT UP OR SHUT UP!!” ”As an election professional, I find it disturbing that some of our citizenry continues to promote a narrative that is unsubstantiated in fact or example,” he wrote. Hays, a former state legislator, defended the elections in Florida and Lake, where he has served as supervisor since January 2017. He posted the lengthy “News Bulletin” on lakevotes.com as citizens in five Lake cities went to the polls to choose municipal leaders, including a Mayor in Mount Dora.
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— CORONA NATION —
“U.S. gives final clearance to COVID-19 shots for kids 5 to 11” via Lauran Neergard and Mike Stobbe of The Associated Press — U.S. health officials on Tuesday gave the final signoff to Pfizer’s kid-size COVID-19 shot, a milestone that opens a major expansion of the nation’s vaccination campaign to children as young as 5. The FDA already authorized the shots for children ages 5 to 11, doses just a third of the amount given to teens and adults. But the CDC formally recommends who should receive FDA-cleared vaccines. The announcement by CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky came only hours after an advisory panel unanimously decided Pfizer’s shots should be opened to the 28 million youngsters in that age group.
“Military vaccine deadline: Clash begins with troops who refuse shots” via Paul D. Shinkman of U.S. News and World Report — The Air Force had discharged 40 service members and is now preparing to address the thousands of others who failed to get a coronavirus vaccination before the Nov. 1 deadline officials imposed, becoming the first branch to execute what military leaders consider an essential protective measure but one that critics believe will undermine America’s ability to defend itself. “Now that the deadline has passed, there’s a clear line to begin holding people accountable,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said. The population of discharged airmen and “guardians” from the Space Force has been relatively new trainees. Almost two dozen of them were in basic training when they refused to take the vaccine, and the remaining 17 were undergoing technical training where new enlistees learn their military specialties.
“As U.S. reopening approaches, travelers take their marks” via Concepción de León of The New York Times — When the Biden administration announced that vaccinated foreign travelers would be allowed to enter the United States starting Nov. 8, it was as if a starting gun had been fired. Skyscanner, a travel booking site, saw an 800% spike in bookings the day after the announcement. In the week after the administration confirmed the date travelers could arrive, Expedia, the online booking site, saw a 28% increase in searches for U.S. hotels from the United Kingdom and a 24% increase from France. Experts said that the U.S. reopening signaled to American travelers that they could leave their homes this coming holiday season, too. Searches for outbound international travel on the booking application Hopper, for instance, have increased by 24% since the announcement.
— CORONA ECONOMICS —
“From Boeing to Mercedes, a U.S. worker rebellion swells over vaccine mandates” via Tina Bellon and Eric M. Johnson of Reuters — The clock is ticking for companies that want to continue gaining federal contracts under an executive order by Biden, which requires all contractor employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8. The mandate has stirred protests from workers in industries across the country, as well as from Republican state officials. Opposition to the mandate could potentially lead to thousands of U.S. workers losing their jobs and imperil an already sluggish economic recovery, union leaders, workers and company executives said. More legal clashes are likely over how companies decide requests for vaccination exemptions. For the companies, time is getting tight, though the Biden administration has signaled federal contractors will not have to immediately lay off unvaccinated workers who miss the Dec. 8 deadline.
— MORE CORONA —
“The big question this Thanksgiving: Are you vaccinated?“ via Christina Morales of The New York Times — Many Americans thinking about hosting or attending a bigger Thanksgiving celebration this year are considering a question that has become sensitive and often polarizing: Will they and other guests be vaccinated? In interviews, many vaccinated and unvaccinated people said they were planning to tiptoe around the subject, in some cases avoiding a meal with those they might disagree with. Others, who are immunocompromised or have children too young to be vaccinated, are grappling with how to decline invitations from unvaccinated relatives. And some hosts, worried about safety, are drawing a line.
“Newsmax defends vaccines in rebuke of its own reporter’s ‘false claims’” via Dominick Mastrangelo of The Hill — Conservative news network Newsmax issued a pair of statements Tuesday distancing itself from “false claims” about coronavirus vaccines made by one of its correspondents. Emerald Robinson, a White House correspondent for the outlet, sent out a tweet Monday that erroneously claimed the vaccines “contain a bioluminescent marker called LUCIFERASE so that you can be tracked.” Elliot Jacobson, executive vice president and chief content officer at Newsmax, said in a statement that the network is “a strong proponent that COVID-19 vaccines are overarchingly safe and effective.” In a separate statement to The Hill on Tuesday, Newsmax reiterated that it does not believe “the vaccines contain any toxic materials or tracking markers” and noted that “such false claims have never been reported on Newsmax.”
— PRESIDENTIAL —
“As Joe Biden leaves Glasgow with progress on climate change, the most important goals remain elusive.” via Dan Bilefsky of The New York Times — Biden and other world leaders left the United Nations climate change summit on Tuesday with agreements to curb emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and to end deforestation by 2030. But while the progress was notable, it still fell well short of the big prize: securing aggressive commitments to reach net-zero carbon emissions globally, to slow the rising temperatures that have led to lethal fires, floods, droughts and heat waves around the world. It also remains to be seen whether richer, polluting countries will follow through on their promises to provide $100 billion a year to help developing countries to fight global warming — a goal that John Kerry, the U.S. special climate envoy, said on Tuesday was within reach.
— D.C. MATTERS —
“House vote on Biden’s agenda imperiled by moderate Democrats” via Billy House and Erik Wasson of Bloomberg — A handful of fiscally conservative House Democrats threaten to torpedo Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plans to vote on Biden’s $1.75 trillion economic agenda this week even as the fractious Party coalesces around deals on drug pricing and the state and local tax deduction. But with the narrowest of majorities and only three votes to spare, Pelosi’s plans for a swift vote could be scuttled by at least five Blue Dog Democrats who said they wouldn’t support the legislation without more deficit information from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation. The Blue Dogs, which includes U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, also said they want the final text of the bill “posted at least 72 hours before its consideration” so they can review the bill.
“Democrats add drug cost curbs to social policy plan, pushing for vote” via Jonathan Weisman and Emily Cochrane of The New York Times — House Democrats reached a deal on Tuesday to add a measure to curb prescription drug costs to Biden’s $1.85 trillion social safety net plan, agreeing to allow the government for the first time to negotiate prices for medications covered by Medicare as they pushed for a quick vote on the bill. The prescription drug deal is limited. Most drugs would still be granted patent exclusivity for nine years before negotiations could start, and more complex drugs, called biologics, would be protected for 12 years. But for the first time, Medicare would be able to step in after those periods, even if drug companies acquire patent extensions or otherwise game the patent system.
“Congress hits ‘standstill’ as December shutdown, debt cliff near” via Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma of POLITICO — Government funding expires in one month, and bickering top lawmakers are already forecasting another autopilot spending bill to prevent a December shutdown. Democrats and Republicans can’t even agree on how to begin negotiations. “We’re at a standstill,” Sen. Richard Shelby said as he exited a meeting Tuesday between the two Senate appropriations leaders and their two House counterparts. It was the first “four corners” meeting of the fiscal year. “Then make an offer!” Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy retorted about his Republican counterpart’s grievances with the funding plans Democrats have offered. The next shutdown threat hits at midnight on Dec. 3, when federal cash stops flowing from the temporary spending patch Congress enacted to keep the government funded after the new fiscal year started on Oct. 1.
— CRISIS —
Tweet, tweet:
“Sanford firefighter pleads guilty in Capitol riot case” via Desiree Stennett of the Orlando Sentinel — Sanford firefighter Andrew Williams has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot, as part of a plea deal that could put him behind bars for up to six months. Williams changed his plea at a Tuesday morning hearing. According to court documents detailing the plea agreement’s terms, the charge he pleaded to, parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, also carries a fine of up to $5,000. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2022. Williams was arrested on Jan. 12, less than a week after the attempted insurrection. He was also placed on unpaid leave by the Sanford Fire Department, where he has worked since 2016.
— EPILOGUE TRUMP —
“Brad Raffensperger book details Trump’s pressure to alter Georgia election” via Mark Niesse of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Raffensperger, Georgia’s Secretary of State, was sitting at his kitchen table with his wife when Trump called with an urgent demand: Change the election results. Details of that famous call in January are the centerpiece of Raffensperger’s book published Tuesday, “Integrity Counts.” Raffensperger’s account of the call could be used as part of ongoing criminal investigations and congressional hearings. Trump’s phone call is now being reviewed by a Fulton County grand jury to consider whether to bring charges against him that could include criminal solicitation.
“Trump: Until recently Israel ‘literally owned Congress’ and that was a good thing” via Ron Kampeas of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency — Trump told a conservative Jewish radio host that Israel until recently “literally owned Congress,” a claim similar to those that have triggered accusations of antisemitism against other politicians. As he discussed U.S. policy in the region, Trump pivoted to what he believed was the “biggest change” he had seen recently. He blamed the influence of a group of Democratic Congress members on the Party’s left, who have been harshly critical of Israel and have called for a reduction in U.S. defense assistance to the country. He named Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
“Trump’s PAC offers ‘iconic’ Christmas wrapping paper bearing his likeness for $35+ donations” via David Caplan of 1010 WINS — With just 54 days until Christmas, Trump’s political action committee, Save America, is enticing supporters of the former President to donate more than $35 in exchange for “Official Trump Wrapping Paper.” “President Trump asked us to personally reach out to you because he wants to make sure you get our NEW Trump Gift Wrapping Paper in time for Christmas,” an email sent to supporters Monday reads. The wrapping paper is apparently an exclusive item, as well: “We haven’t released this to the general public yet, so for today ONLY you can get our iconic Trump Gift Wrapping Paper before ANYONE ELSE,” continues the plea for donations. Among those who took to the Twittersphere was retiring Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger. “A fool and his money,” he tweeted.
— STATEWIDE —
“UF, seeking status in academia, is blasted by its own faculty leaders” via Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times — Florida’s flagship university had attained a long-coveted spot among the nation’s academic elite, tied with two other schools for No. 5 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of public universities. Fuchs credited state leaders for the university’s ascent. But another big factor, accounting for 20% of its score, was UF’s “academic reputation” based on surveys sent to more than 4,700 academics around the nation over the previous two years. Now, leaders of the university’s own faculty, joined by other academic voices, are questioning that reputation after the school barred three of its professors from testifying for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Florida’s new voting laws.
Fried urges DEP, feds to block drilling permit — Fried sent a letter to Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton and National Park Service deputy director Shawn Benge urging them to reject an oil drilling permit application submitted by Trend Exploration. Ritchie of POLITICO Florida reported that the letter asked the U.S. Department of the Interior to flex its authority in the Big Cypress watershed to block the permit. “For decades, it has been clear that oil drilling, fossil fuel exploration, hydraulic fracturing, and related processes are highly detrimental to their surrounding environments,” the letter reads. The application, submitted in March, is currently being reviewed by DEP. The department must act on the application by Nov. 7.
“Nursing shortage hits a crisis point in Florida, and it is taking a toll, leaders say” via Cindy Krischer Goodman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — In an unusual collaboration, leaders from Florida nursing homes and hospitals joined forces on Monday to report nurse staffing is at crisis levels and affecting patient care. These employers say their staff has been decimated from a combination of burnout, early retirement, and staffing agencies who recruit their workers to travel, and the result is a negative toll on the care of millions of Floridians. Employers such as nursing homes, hospitals, home health care agencies and assisted living facilities spoke out about the “crisis” during Monday’s news conference. They focused much of the blame on staffing agencies that offer nurses higher salaries and an increase in the minimum wage that caused workers to leave for other jobs.
“The Magic touch: Basketball legend Magic Johnson advocates for mental health in Tallahassee” via Rory Sharrock of the Tallahassee Democrat — Johnson has lent his voice to multiple positive platforms across the globe. On Tuesday at the Historic Capitol inside the Senate Chamber, he spoke openly about the stigma of mental health during the panel event “A Discussion with Student-Athletes on Mental Health.” “Young people need us to guide them and help them,” Johnson said. Johnson spoke for over an hour, engaging with high school and college athletes about the pandemic, social media, and building strong communication bonds to counter mental health concerns.
— LOCAL NOTES —
“City Council, choosing ignorance, moves to keep Confederate monument on display” via Nate Monroe of The Florida Times-Union — Jacksonville has come a long way in 50 years, only to end up back where it started. There is something for every kind of voter, from the most engaged to the least aware, to be hopping mad about. Three Jacksonville City Council committees this week voted against the removal of a Confederate monument in Springfield Park, virtually assuring the effort to wipe such dedications from public property, which Mayor Lenny Curry began last year, will remain a stained half-measure, abetted by a toxic mix of ignorance and indifference.
Personnel note: Leeann Krieg to succeed Jordan Elsbury as Lenny Curry’s Chief of Staff — Elsbury will exit city government after seven years working in the Mayor’s office. “As Mayor, it has been an honor to have Jordan as part of my administration. His leadership ability is second to none, and his willingness to conquer any task, no matter how complex, is steadfast,” Curry said in a news release. The Mayor also announced that he had tapped Krieg, the current Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, to succeed Elsbury as Chief of Staff. Krieg has worked in City Hall for nine years, the past three of which were in the Curry administration. “Leeann has been a port in the storm during her tenure in my administration and it is with great pleasure I announce that we will continue to be working together as her role within my office expands,” Curry said.
“Longtime St. Johns County Commissioner Jeb Smith resigns to serve as Farm Bureau president” via Sheldon Gardner of the St. Augustine Record — Smith resigned at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting to serve as the Florida Farm Bureau president. Smith was first elected in 2014 and served in the District 2 seat, which includes much of rural St. Johns County. DeSantis will appoint someone to serve out the remainder of Smith’s term, and the seat is up for election in 2022. So far, one person has filed to run for the spot: LaShawnda Pinkney, a West Augustine resident and human resources generalist with the City of St. Augustine. Delegates at the 2021 Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting elected Smith to serve a two-year term as president of the organization.
“Medley Councilwoman charged with stealing food donated to local football legend’s charity” via David Ovalle and Charles Rabin of the Miami Herald — For years, Medley councilwoman Ana Lilia Stefano ran the Santana Moss Foundation, a charity established by the former University of Miami and NFL star. But prosecutors say that unbeknown to Moss, she used the foundation as her own piggy bank, accepting food donations before turning around and selling them. And that’s not all; investigators believe she used a sizable chunk of money from the foundation’s bank account to gamble at the Miccosukee and Seminole casinos. Stefano surrendered to police on Tuesday, charged with an organized scheme to defraud and felony grand theft. She was jailed at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and posted bond to await trial.
“‘Let’s go Brandon’: Second banner joins ‘Trump Won’ banner on Seagrove Beach house” via Jim Thompson of Northwest Florida Daily News — Just as he said he would, Marvin Peavy has installed a second massive politically conservative-themed banner on his House along Walton County Road 30A. The latest banner, reading “Let’s go, Brandon,” went up Saturday, and like the “Trump Won” banner that preceded it, stretches down three stories of the Georgia businessman’s House, where he lives four days each week. Also, like the “Trump Won” banner, the “Let’s go Brandon” banner — the phrase is a euphemism for “F*** Joe Biden” — could get Peavy another citation and potentially more daily $50 fines for violating Walton County land development code provisions prohibiting certain types of signage on properties immediately adjacent to CR 30A under its local designation as a scenic corridor.
“Disney’s Lake Nona move means big gains for company but likely staff losses, too” via Katie Rice of the Orlando Sentinel — Disney’s move cements Central Florida’s status as the center of the theme park world, industry professionals say, and the local economy is already seeing signs of growth because of the relocation fueled in part by $570 million in state tax breaks. But it also signals a huge transition for Disney’s operations, and some workers will likely stay behind in California. Disney is providing support and relocation assistance to employees whose jobs are moving. Those who choose not to relocate might not necessarily lose their employment with the company, as Disney is working with people on an individual basis to look for other internal opportunities. The company has not stated the specific number of positions moving to Lake Nona, but the jobs make up less than 5% of The Walt Disney Co.’s California staffing.
“Video platform Rumble announces HQ move to Sarasota County” via Jay Cridlin of the Tampa Bay Times — Rumble, an online video hosting service that has become a major platform for conservatives and right-wing media figures, including Trump, is coming to Tampa Bay. The company announced Thursday that it’s relocating its U.S. headquarters from New York to Longboat Key, near Sarasota, and plans to invest $50 million in the state in the coming years. Founded in Toronto in 2013, the platform has exploded in popularity of late among online conservatives. Rumble hosts channels run by popular right-wing figures like Sean Hannity and Charlie Kirk, as well as pop-culture figures like Dr. Drew Pinsky.
“County slams door on island incorporation” via David Adlerstein of The Apalachicola Times — By a unanimous vote, Franklin County Commissioners rejected a request from a member of the working group that advocates for incorporation to place a nonbinding referendum on the August 2022 Primary ballot, for a vote open to all residents of the island. Shannon Bothwell, one of the members of the St. George Island Citizen Working Group, said that while such a “straw poll” vote is not mandated by the statutory requirement for incorporation, it would come at no cost to voters. Rep. Jason Shoaf had asked for such a vote before he would back a bill in the Florida Legislature in spring 2023 that would allow for a formal, binding referendum on incorporation by island voters sometime after that.
— TOP OPINION —
“Joe Henderson: OK, Welch, you won, so whaddya got?” via Florida Politics — Congratulations are in order for Welch, the man St. Petersburg voters resoundingly selected as their city’s next Mayor. OK, enough with the congratulations. It’s showtime, Mr. Mayor-to-be. Whaddya got? Got a plan to keep the Rays at least in the Bay area? Let’s hear it. What’s your answer about what to do with Tropicana Field? What will you do about the skyrocketing rental rates? Sure, you’ll have plenty of problems to solve, and it’s different when it’s your call. Not everything you have to do will be popular, but that’s how they play the game. Don’t forget that the people picked you. You won because they trust you to make things better. Do your best to prove them right.
— OPINIONS —
“A Special Session for DeSantis to run against Biden” via Randy Schultz of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Perhaps Florida’s new surgeon general wrote the proclamation for the Legislature’s Special Session on vaccine mandates. Ladapo, who (at least on paper) has a medical degree, is a COVID-19 vaccine skeptic who also claims that masks don’t reduce virus spread. One paragraph in the proclamation, which came from the Governor’s office, lies about masks and attempts to rewrite history. Florida did offer in-person learning when schools reopened in August 2020. But most students were taking classes remotely. DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran could have worked with school districts on reopening safely. Instead, they just badgered them. There was no great “success.”
“UF’s attack on academic freedom exposes a partisan agenda” via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board — The University of Florida has put the interests of DeSantis and the chairman of its board of trustees above the values of an institution dedicated to free inquiry, and it has been desperately trying to cram toothpaste back into a tube ever since. Three UF political science professors, all experts on voting, especially in Florida, had been hired by voting rights organizations suing the DeSantis administration over a new state law (SB 90) that includes new restrictions on drop boxes, voting by mail and other Republican-sponsored measures designed to make it harder to vote in Florida.
“Silenced Florida professors must be allowed to testify” via James Fahey for the Orlando Sentinel — In response to the new elections law, a coalition of voting-rights groups sued the state in May — and to make their case, they sought the expert testimony of three professors in my department. UF denied their request to testify. In a statement explaining their decision, UF said they simply denied them the ability to “ … undertake paid work that is adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution.” Yet this is a distinction without a difference. UF and the Governor’s office are independent entities — the university is not a spoil to be won by whoever’s Party controls the levers in Tallahassee. What is best for DeSantis is not necessarily what is best for UF.
“Redrawing Florida’s legislative districts should be done in public” via the Tampa Bay Times editorial board — There are few things voters have a greater vested interest in than legislative districts. Those lines and boundaries have a profound impact on political parties gaining and keeping power, candidates at all levels getting a fair shot and overall election fairness. So, there’s ample reason the maps and documents related to the once-in-a-decade process of redrawing legislative boundaries should be open under Florida’s public records law. Lawmakers should kill the current exemption that shields those records from public scrutiny. Democrats controlled the Legislature way back in 1993 when the public records exemption was carved out. Voters had recently approved a state constitutional amendment expanding Florida’s public records law. But lawmakers also got to write their own rules and exemptions to that law.
“Alix Miller: This ain’t your grandaddy’s truck — time to redefine image of trucking” via Florida Politics — We have all heard about the truck driver shortage. Today, we need 80,000 drivers to fuel the current supply chain. In 10 years, we will need 1.1 million new drivers to replace retiring workers and meet consumer demands. We’ve got companies at the forefront of automated and electric vehicles battling to be the market leaders. Every year, trucking companies invest billions in advanced safety technologies in trucks to keep the driver and all motorists safe on our roads. These innovations won’t make truck drivers obsolete — but it does make it easier and safer to be a professional driver. The trucking industry is adapting to a rapidly changing business landscape, which means great opportunities for the next generation entering the field.
“The job facing St. Petersburg Mayor-elect Welch” via the Tampa Bay Times editorial board — Welch’s election Tuesday as St. Petersburg’s next Mayor marks a new era for the Tampa Bay region. Welch needs to use his historic victory as a springboard to act, on housing, transportation, downtown development, and other major issues that define the metro area. He has the experience, local ties and connections to succeed. But voters also want to see a greater sense of urgency at City Hall and a more open governing style. The St. Petersburg native and five-term Pinellas County Commissioner handily defeated City Council member Robert Blackmon. With his victory, the son of the first Black man on St. Petersburg’s City Council has become St. Petersburg’s first Black Mayor, creating history himself in a city with a beleaguered history on race.
“We have high hopes for Christine King on Miami Commission; Joe Carollo, not so much” via the Miami Herald editorial board — Carollo is back on the dais, bombast, bullying and all. Predictably, he bested three opponents to regain the seat. He didn’t want the Editorial Board’s recommendation, and we didn’t give it to him. And it’s a waste of time to give him any of our advice now. It’s no surprise King beat six other candidates, including incumbent Jeffrey Watson. King is backed by County Commissioner and previous District 5 Commissioner Keon Hardemon, whose family has dominated local politics for years. That connection seems to have paid off, with her raising a whopping $325,000, more than all the other candidates combined.
— ON TODAY’S SUNRISE —
Agriculture Commissioner Fried is calling Gov. DeSantis’ Special Session a taxpayer-funded political stunt.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— VISIT FLORIDA funding requests sails through their first committee stop.
— And NBA legend Johnson made a return visit to Florida’s Capitol to tackle the topic of mental health.
To listen, click on the image below:
— ALOE —
“Expressway Authority seeks 300 drivers to test crash-avoiding technology in Tampa” via C.T. Bowen of the Tampa Bay Times — The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority is seeking volunteers as part of a $21 million research project intended to help reduce traffic crashes in the vicinity of downtown Tampa and elsewhere. Motorists who drive vehicles manufactured by Honda, Acura, Hyundai, Kia, or Toyota are being sought to test so-called connected vehicle technology. The equipped autos will use wireless communications to “talk” to other connected vehicles and roadside detectors to help avoid traffic crashes. The research is intended to document the safety, mobility, and environmental effects of connected vehicle technology. Tampa is one of three sites deploying the technology as part of a U.S. Department of Transportation program.
— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —
Happy birthday to Rep. Susan Valdes, former Rep. Delores Hogan Johnson, Clay Barker, Nicole Kelly of The Southern Group, Capital City Consulting’s Kenny Granger, and former Sen. Jack Latvala.
___
Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Renzo Downey and Drew Wilson.
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13.) AXIOS
Axios AM
🗳️Happy Wednesday! Election Day continues in New Jersey, where the governor’s race is uncalled. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,193 words … 4½ minutes. Edited by Zachary Basu.
Split screen shows President Biden returning from Europe at the same moment Republican Glenn Youngkin was giving a victory speech in Virginia. Screenshot: CNN
Last night’s results sent a grim message to President Biden and Democrats:
- Republicans in Virginia and New Jersey ran with stunning strength, as Biden’s approval rating tanks and national pessimism rises.
- The red wave even swept Long Island.
Voters also sent Democrats a warning for 2022: There could be a massive backlash to perceptions that progressives are pulling the party too far left, Axios managing editor Margaret Talev writes.
- White women in Virginia swung to the GOP by 15 points compared to 2020’s results, NBC’s exit poll found.
What happened: Republicans pulled off a decisive upset in what had been blue-trending Virginia, with cliffhanger results in New Jersey and a rejection of defund-the-police in Minneapolis.
- Republican Glenn Youngkin squashed Terry McAuliffe’s comeback bid for Virginia governor (51% to 49%), leaning into suburban parents’ concerns about culture wars in public schools + frustration with President Biden. Networks called the race at 12:30 a.m. Republicans also won control of the House of Delegates (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
- In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy (D), who had been expected to win easily, remains in a tight fight with Republican Jack Ciattarelli (65 votes separate the two, per CNN). In post-midnight appearances before supporters, both said they expect to win.
- In Minneapolis, voters rejected a ballot measure to replace the police department with a Department of Public Safety. The result — in the city where George Floyd was murdered — is a significant blow to the police reform movement’s momentum in Minneapolis and beyond.
Between the lines: Gallup puts Biden’s approval at 42% — the lowest for any president in October of their first year going back to Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 — except Donald Trump, who was at 37%.
- Many in Biden’s own party don’t want him to run again: In an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll out Monday, “just 36% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents thought they would have a better chance in 2024 with Biden on the ballot as opposed to someone else.”
What’s next: Biden, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can be expected to use the wake-up call to try to force a reset, pushing for swift action on Biden’s agenda.
- “It’s time for Democrats to stop f—— around,” a senior aide to a House moderate told Axios’ Sarah Mucha. “Show the voters we actually can govern.”
But the results could make it harder to get Dems from tough districts on board.
- David Axelrod said on CNN: “When things go badly, people begin to think of themselves.“
Screenshot: MSNBC
You could tell where the night was headed at 5:25 p.m. ET, when Josh Kraushaar tweeted how Virginia voters had answered the exit-poll question: How much say should parents have in their child’s curriculum?
- A lot: 53% [Later updated to 51%]
- Some: 31% [Later updated to 33%]
- Not much: 10%
- Not at all: 3%
Go deeper: Explore the exit poll.
Jason Furman was chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. Via Twitter
Democrats neared agreement on a plan to do away with the $10,000 limit on state and local tax deductions that particularly hits New York, California and other high-tax states, enacted as part of the Trump-era 2017 tax plan. (AP)
🥊 Here’s what Sen. Bernie Sanders told Jonathan Swan on “Axios on HBO” in May, when asked what would happen if Dems reinstate SALT, a tax break for rich people in blue states:
- “It sends a terrible, terrible message. … And you can’t be on the side of the wealthy and the powerful if you’re gonna really fight for working families.”
Progressive Michelle Wu, 36, was elected Boston mayor, becoming the first woman and first person of color to hold the office in 199 years.
- “Her victory is a triumph of a new Boston over the establishment,” the Boston Globe reports.
- “Courting a city attached to its traditions, she presented an unapologetic, novel agenda: … free public transportation, an entirely new approach to downtown development, rent control, and a municipal-level Green New Deal.”
In Cincinnati, Aftab Pureval, 39, was elected that city’s first Asian American mayor.
- “When you see A-f-t-a-b on a yard sign, it doesn’t occur to people that’s a candidate, not an insurance company,” Pureval told AP. “When you’re Asian, when you have an ethnic name, it’s just harder. You’ve got to be creative, … you’ve got to knock on more doors.”
Dearborn, Mich., elected state lawmaker Abdullah Hammoud as the first Arab American mayor.
- In New York City, Democrat Eric Adams won the mayor’s race — putting a former NYPD officer in charge of America’s biggest city.
The Dow closed above 36,000 yesterday for the first time ever.
- That means the flamboyant book “DOW 36,000” — published by James Glassman and Kevin Hassett in 1999, when the Dow stood at 10,318 — took only 22 years to win vindication, Axios Closer points out.
The Wall Street Journal calls it “a reminder of a Wall Street maxim about market predictions: Forecast a number or a date, never both.”
- Glassman is 74; Hassett is 59. May you outlive your wildest predictions!
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
President Biden’s declaration that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has “walked away” from an opportunity to help save the planet showed the intensity of the simmering rivalry lingering in the back of the COP26 climate summit, Axios’ Dave Lawler writes from Glasgow.
- “The single most important thing that’s got the attention of the world is climate … It just is a gigantic issue, and they’ve walked away,” Biden said in his final COP26 press conference yesterday. “How do you do that and claim to be able to have any leadership mantle?”
Why it matters: The U.S. and China combine for nearly 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that any major climate breakthroughs require both superpowers on board.
- Xi opted against both traveling to Scotland and offering new pledges to cut emissions, undermining the summit before it even began.
- Biden, meanwhile, offered big initiatives during the world leader portion of COP26 — but the threat to his climate agenda on Capitol Hill reverberated in the halls of the conference.
The Braves routed the Houston Astros 7-0 in Game 6, taking home Atlanta’s first World Series crown since 1995:
Twenty-six years and 16 postseason appearances since that memorable Oct. 28 day in 1995, the Braves brought Atlanta its second World Series championship Tuesday in Houston. This team’s one-of-a-kind story will be shared and referenced across generations with the simplest yet most invaluable lesson: never give up.
A mural in Honolulu pays tribute to the first U.S. Olympic surfing champion, Carissa Moore, who won gold in Tokyo this summer, Axios executive editor Sara Kehaulani Goo tells me.
- The mural depicts her wrapped in the Hawaii state flag, in the foreground of legendary Hawaii surfer Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968).
- Duke dominated the Olympics for swimming in his day, and started pushing for recognition of surfing as an Olympic sport back in 1912.
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14.) THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
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21.) CHICAGO SUNTIMES
‘It’s gonna be a war’ if feds arrest Heather Mack, attorney warns
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22.) THE HILL MORNING REPORT
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23.) THE HILL 12:30 REPORT
24.) ROLL CALL
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Morning Headlines
The 2022 midterms already feature more than two dozen wealthy Senate candidates spending their own money on their campaigns, with several spending in top battleground races, according to recent fundraising reports. Read more…
ANALYSIS — Even though the Virginia governor’s race is just one race in one state, Republican Glenn Youngkin’s victory will reverberate around the country and set the early stage for the 2022 midterms. CQ Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales has a few initial takeaways. Read more…
Centrist Democrats balk at quick House vote on budget bill
House Democratic leaders may not have the votes to pass their budget reconciliation package this week, after five moderates said they won’t support it until they have time to review the final text and corresponding cost estimates that aren’t yet available. Read more…
Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developmentsin finance and financial technology.
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Shadow speaker: Progressive leader Jayapal rises during budget brawl
ANALYSIS — As her party’s warring factions have struggled to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill and strike a deal on a massive social spending measure, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal has made move after move that outflanked other leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Read more…
The top 10 Senate self-funders so far
Here are the 10 Senate candidates who had invested the largest amounts of their own money in their races through Sept. 30, and whose net worths range from $4 million and $99 million. Read more…
NFL wants to move past Washington’s scandal, House Oversight says not so fast
As the NFL seeks to close the book on the Washington Football Team’s many scandals, Congress has made clear the league won’t be able to change the subject just yet. League officials have until Thursday to turn over documents related to a longstanding toxic culture within the Washington organization. Read more…
Brown, Carey win open Ohio seats, keeping party control unchanged
Ohio’s two open House seats will be filled by the same parties that controlled them at the start of the year after special election victories Tuesday by Democrat Shontel Brown in the Cleveland-area 11th District and Republican Mike Carey in the 15th District south of Columbus. Read more…
CQ Roll Call is a part of FiscalNote, the leading technology innovator at the intersection of global business and government. Copyright 2021 CQ Roll Call. All rights reserved Privacy | Safely unsubscribe now.
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25.) POLITICO PLAYBOOK
POLITICO Playbook: Let the Democratic freakout begin
Presented by
DRIVING THE DAY
THE NAIL BITER — New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is still too close to call as you wake up this morning. With 88% of the expected vote in, incumbent PHIL MURPHY is trailing Republican JACK CIATTARELLI by just over 1,000 votes.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN returned from Europe overnight to a Washington where politics has been completely upended since he left six days ago.
Before he departed, Biden told House Democrats, “I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week.” He meant inaction on his two legislative priorities, leaving Europe with no congressional backing for his climate proposals, and potential defeats in one or more crucial elections Tuesday that would make everything worse. Biden may have been prescient.
Biden may have mattered more than DONALD TRUMP in GLENN YOUNGKIN’s triumph over TERRY MCAULIFFE. According to exit polls, Biden was about as unpopular as Trump in Virginia. But Biden embraced the race as a referendum on his presidency and campaigned in the state while Trump, to his great annoyance, was persuaded to stay away.
There’s an incentive by the progressive left and the Trumpist right to exaggerate the importance of Trumpism to Youngkin’s win. The left would like to think that Fox News-inflamed culture war issues like critical race theory were a silver bullet. Trump would like us to believe that he is somehow responsible for shifting the state from a 10-point loss last year to a 2-point win Tuesday night.
Youngkin had to overcome Trumpism more than he had to rely on it. He ran a campaign that was a throwback to pre-Trump Republicanism: racial appeals to working-class white voters, combined with technocratic conservatism focused on education, low taxes and government efficiency via TV ads and rallies (having a human answer the phone at the DMV was a big applause line).
The two-track strategy worked. Trump lost the Virginia suburbs 45-53, while Youngkin won the suburbs 53-47.
“We’re finding out that Democrats were renting those voters, not buying them,” JESSE HUNT, spokesman for the RGA, told Playbook as we watched the returns come in at the Youngkin victory party in Chantilly on Tuesday night.
In fact, in rural Virginia and among non-college-educated whites Youngkin racked up even bigger margins than Trump, according to exit polls. Trump won rural Virginia 52-46 last year. Youngkin won it 64-36. Trump won non-college whites 62-38. Youngkin won those voters by a whopping 76-24. Youngkin’s pivot to the center was successful, but his quiet fueling of the Trump base seemed to pay even bigger dividends.
The off-year Virginia gubernatorial election has a nearly perfect record in recent decades of serving as the first voter backlash against the party in power, so in a sense the results were not that surprising. But Youngkin’s victory — after Biden’s 10-point win in the state a year ago, when the prevailing wisdom became that Virginia had moved firmly from swing state to blue state — shows that the backlash was indeed fierce.
Virginia Republicans saw Youngkin’s surge begin in August when America’s messy exit from Afghanistan started to drag down Biden’s approval rating. McAuliffe began the summer distributing literature showing Youngkin and the president. By the fall, Biden had disappeared from the candidate’s mailers in swing areas. On Tuesday, Biden’s approval rating was the lowest of his presidency: 42.8%.
History strongly suggests that the midterms will deliver the next big blow to the incumbent president. But the more immediate danger for Biden is his precarious legislative agenda. Democrats insist that passing the infrastructure bill would have helped McAuliffe. The lack of progress on the bipartisan infrastructure bill (BIF) has been “incredibly damaging,” one Virginia Democrat told POLITICO.
Virginia Republicans were skeptical that Congress could have saved McAuliffe. They insist his rise was propelled by local concerns over education, which became the top issue by the end of the race and which conveniently meant different things to different voters. For some, it was about the state’s Covid-19 restrictions in public schools. For others, it was about the mostly ginned-up CRT issue that dominated Twitter and Fox. It was taking off before McAuliffe’s famous gaffe in the last debate — “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach” — that served as rocket fuel for Youngkin.
How will Hill Democrats respond to the shellacking?
Tuesday’s results weren’t even official before they added something new for Democratic progressives and moderates to feud about.
A congressman from New Jersey speaking for the mods about the results there: “Fucking disaster down ballot and way too close at the top. Not enough excitement at top of NJ ticket — Biden, Covid, etc. No accomplishments. Should have passed infrastructure a month ago.”
A top aide to House progressives on the McAuliffe defeat: “It’s absurd to blame progressives for Virginia. A) This was a culture war election, not about federal issues. B) Terry McAuliffe is a centrist. C) If you want to fault D.C., fault the tiny group of conservative Dems who intentionally blocked childcare, prescription drug reform, universal pre-k, and paid leave all fall.”
Read below for more on the fallout of the Virginia results on Capitol Hill …
Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.
BIDEN’S WEDNESDAY: The president arrived back at the White House at 1:35 a.m.
— 1 p.m.: Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 1:45 p.m.
The HOUSE will meet at noon.
The SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to take up ROBERT LUIS SANTOS’ nomination to be director of the census. At 11 a.m., the Senate will vote on the nominations of BENJAMIN HARRIS to be assistant Treasury secretary for economic policy and ISOBEL COLEMAN to be deputy USAID administrator for policy and programming. At 2:15 p.m., the chamber will have a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. At 5:15 p.m., the Senate will vote on JEFFREY PRIETO to be assistant EPA administrator and RAJESH NAYAK to be assistant Labor secretary for policy. The Finance Committee will vote on CHRIS MAGNUS’ nomination to be Customs and Border Protection commissioner at 9:30 a.m. FAA Administrator STEVE DICKSON will testify before the Commerce Committee at 10 a.m.
PLAYBOOK READS
MORE ON THE VA. GOV RACE
REPUBLICANS SEE YOUNGKIN’S WIN AS A PATH TO SWEEPING CONGRESS. The conservative House Republican Study Committee quickly circulated a memo about lessons the GOP should take from the upset.
Here’s a sampling of what the GOP will say today: “First, the concerns of parents need to be a tier 1 policy issue for Republicans: Youngkin’s success reveals that Republicans can and must become the party of parents. … Second, we need to end the mandates … Youngkin opposes vaccine mandates and mask mandates in public schools …
“Third, we must continue to back the blue. Youngkin pledged to increase funding for police departments and protect ‘Qualified Immunity for our Law Enforcement Heroes,’ which House Democrats tried to end through their police reform bill. Crime, and particularly homicides, have spiked … Fourth, we must continue to focus on the failures of the Biden economy. Youngkin focused on providing relief to runaway inflation caused by the Biden economy and on not locking down the economy again.” Read the full memo here
— A roundup of our election results: Virginia governor … New Jersey governor … Florida’s 20th district … Ohio’s 11th and 15th districts … NYC mayor
THE TAKEAWAYS — “If Tuesday’s elections were the first concrete readings of political conditions since Joe Biden became president, Democrats may be headed straight into a hurricane,” Steve Shepard and David Siders write. The two outline the biggest lessons for Tuesday night’s off-year elections, including suburban and rural voters teaming up to put Youngkin over the top.
CONGRESS
VIRGINIA BLOWBACK — The finger-pointing over McAuliffe’s loss has already started on Capitol Hill. Some Democrats are blaming progressives: McAuliffe himself warned Democratic leaders that they needed to pass the BIF to turn out the base — only Speaker NANCY PELOSI couldn’t get the votes to do it due to opposition on the left. And progressives are pinning blame on moderates, arguing that MANCHINEMA’s obstructionism has thwarted a Democratic legislative victory.
McAuliffe’s defeat poses two big question for the party:
1) What lesson do Hill Democrats take away? After the shellacking in 2020, moderate Democrats blamed progressives’ embrace of socialism and “defund the police” for the fact that they almost lost the House. But progressives argued that they bled seats for the opposite reason: because Democrats didn’t lean more fully into left-tilting policies like Medicare for All.
We’ll be watching today for whether Democrats have the same contradictory takeaways, with moderates arguing that their massive agenda is turning off swing voters while progressives say they need to go bolder to excite Democratic voters.
2) How will this affect reconciliation talks? We see two possibilities: A) That the loss in Virginia will light a fire under Democrats, providing the urgency they needed to get Build Back Better over the finish line. That’s what Chris Cadelago, Laura Barrón-López and Natasha Korecki report Democrats are vowing this morning. Or B) It triggers a whole new round of infighting, as progressives push to go bigger and moderates slimmer.
BEFORE TUESDAY NIGHT, Democrats were within striking distance of finishing the reconciliation bill. They clinched a deal with Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) to include drug pricing reforms. The proposal, as our Alice Miranda Ollstein reports, would allow “Medicare Part D to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for the first time since its creation, a move the drug industry has fought for nearly two decades.”
But there are still signs of trouble if Pelosi presses forward in trying to pass both BIF and BBB this week: Five moderate House Democrats are demanding a CBO score that has yet to be released. They want three full days to read the finalized bill. And they’re seeking assurances that the legislative text they vote on will be agreed upon by Senate Democrats, so they’re not forced to take tough votes that don’t ultimately lead to signed legislation.
That could be difficult because senators are still haggling over final provisions surrounding immigration and Medicare as well as paid leave. Here are just two policy items still in flux:
— Democrats are also trying to salvage a methane fee in the plan, one that Manchin “has pushed to remove or weaken,” NYT’s Coral Davenport reports.
— Sarah Ferris, Nicholas Wu and Marianne LeVine also write that Dems “are eyeing a compromise that would include new protections and work permits for millions of immigrants, including so-called ‘Dreamers,’ agricultural workers and those fleeing certain volatile nations,” to include in the package, though it will ultimately be up to the Senate parliamentarian.
SLOW-WALKING IT — Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) blocked a series of confirmations for State Department nominees Tuesday “in a continuation of the unprecedented GOP-led campaign to slow-walk most of Biden’s picks for top foreign policy posts … over his misgivings about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Andrew Desiderio reports.
THE WHITE HOUSE
NYT’s Katie Rogers recaps Biden’s second major foreign trip, where his major goal was “to reassert America’s ability to lead the world on climate change before it is too late. But he also wanted to reassert Joe Biden.”
JUDICIARY SQUARE
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Speakers from Moms Demand Action, Giffords, Brady, March for Our Lives and the Community Justice Action Fund will gather in front of the Supreme Court at 9 a.m. today as the court prepares to hear oral arguments in NYSRPA v. Bruen, the New York NRA chapter’s challenge to permitting requirements for carrying guns in public. Speakers include former Rep. GABBY GIFFORDS (D-Ariz.), DAVID HOGG and AALAYAH EASTMOND of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and CAROLYN DIXON of Where Do We Go From Here.
PLAYBOOKERS
IN MEMORIAM — Jean Rounds, wife of South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, died Tuesday after a battle with sarcoma cancer.
Shalanda Young, the deputy OMB director, announced the birth of a new baby girl, Charlie.
Glenn Youngkin celebrated his gubernatorial win by signing and tossing basketballs into the audience. Fitting for the governor-elect who is 6’7” and a former RIce University basketball player.
Newsmax released a statement calling out Covid-19 misinformation spread by … its own reporter.
Bernie Sanders retweeted Larry Summers in one of the more unusual alliances we’ve seen in awhile.
Marjorie Taylor Greene was sent a letter from the sergeant-at-arms letting her know she has 20 violations for not wearing a mask. That’s $48,000 in fines, a quarter of her congressional salary.
New York Magazine had seven reporters stake out Eric Adams’ home in Brooklyn to try to solve the where-does-he-actually-live riddle. What they witnessed was wild.
Bernie Sanders used the POLITICO/Morning Consult poll to prove his point on Medicare expansion.
Greg Bluestein, the politics ace at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was a teensy bit excited that the Braves won the World Series.
SPOTTED: Evan Spiegel and Miranda Kerr touring the monuments with their children and at the annual budget ball for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget on Tuesday night.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Amy Grappone is joining the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University as senior director of comms and strategic engagement. She most recently was director of comms for Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.).
MEDIA MOVES — Ankush Khardori is now a contributing writer for N.Y. Magazine’s Intelligencer. He previously was a freelance writer and was a white-collar crime and financial fraud prosecutor at the Justice Department. … John Bennett is returning to CQ Roll Call, where he will be editor-at-large. He most recently was senior White House editor at the Washington Examiner. … Rick Santorum is joining Newsmax as a senior political analyst, after he was fired by CNN for remarks he made about the Native American genocide and culture.
TRANSITIONS — Xiyue Wang is joining Rep. Jim Banks’ (R-Ind.) office as national security adviser. He spent more than three years being held hostage in Iran from 2016-2019 and has since pursued graduate studies at Princeton. … Bri Gillis is now political director of the Immigrant Justice Fund at NILC. She previously was on the political teams at NARAL and Giffords, and is a Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein and Mark Udall alum. … Christopher Eddowes is now manager of government affairs at Atlas Crossing. He most recently was a senior legislative assistant for Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.).
ENGAGED — Bailee Beshires, press assistant for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Daniel Yu, senior application support specialist at Tesla Laboratories, got engaged Saturday. Pic
WEDDING — Joshua Chaffee, senior producer for Showtime’s “The Circus,” and Garima Prasai, director of operations and strategy at the nonprofit Resilient Cities Catalyst, got married Oct. 15 in an intimate ceremony with family in New York City. Pic
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Lara Seligman, a Pentagon reporter at POLITICO, and Andy Baskin, an associate at Arent Fox, welcomed Max Adrian Baskin on Monday.
— John Cooper, acting director of media at the Heritage Foundation, and Ali Cooper, a licensed clinical social worker in Northern Virginia, welcomed Caleb Benaiah Cooper on Thursday. Pic
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26.) AMERICAN MINUTE
27.) CAFFEINATED THOUGHTS
28.) CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS
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29.) PJ MEDIA
The Morning Briefing: GOP Diversity Ticket Trounces Racist CRT Dems in Virginia
Top O’ the Briefing
Happy Wednesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Having beer and doughnuts when we arrive is my baseline for considering any space aliens we encounter as “intelligent life.”
Champagne hangover, anyone?
OK, I don’t have one but that’s only because I never keep any champagne around the house. There’s a habit I need to break. Last night was the first time in a few years that I felt like popping the old cork on an election night. It felt even better because I didn’t think it could happen. Just last week, I wrote that I didn’t think that Virginia Republicans could pull this off.
On occasion, I am quite happy to be wrong about something.
Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin was fond of claiming on the campaign trail that he would end Terry McAuliffe’s 43-year political career. He did so Tuesday night in emphatic fashion, after McAuliffe ran a tone-deaf, smug campaign in a blue state.
It’s that smugness of McAuliffe’s that I’ve always found so off-putting. He’s the kind of singular non-talent who could only rise to any heights in politics, which rewards mediocrity like no other profession, especially on the Democrats’ side of the aisle.
As A.J notes, McAuliffe’s career is due largely to having been one of the awful hangers-on in the Clinton orbit. His loss is sure to send Granny Maojackets deeper into her box of breakfast Franzia today.
The election in Virginia was a very, very big deal for more than just the fact that Republicans have been an afterthought there for more than a decade. This is from Chris’s update post last night:
To the surprise of absolutely no one who’s been paying attention to the execrable members of the mainstream media, their response to this momentous occasion was to say that the Republicans won because of racism.
They’re not only evil, but they’re also lazy too.
As we have discussed on many occasions, the Democrats and their media mouthpieces are truly broken people. They were barely tethered to reality when Trump became the Republican nominee in 2016. His victory ripped them from any moorings they had. Now incapable of rational thought, all they can do is reflexively belch “Racism!” whenever bested by a Republican. They’ve got nothing else, which is why that’s all they’ve got in response to the Virginia results, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
They’re still lying about critical race theory, which is just going to keep making them dig deeper holes for themselves. There were stories about anti-CRT conservatives taking over school boards, like this one in Texas. Of course, NBC News spun that as the victors being anti-diversity. The biggest of the lies about CRT is that it’s “anti-racist,” which it is not. It’s racist, it’s commie, and it’s all about fomenting division.
It wasn’t just CRT that was on the ballot in Virginia last night, it was also a referendum on what the drooling idiot usurper in the Oval Office has done to the country since January. The media won’t dwell on that, though, they’re still tasked with carrying all of the water for President LOL Eightyonemillion.
I’ve been writing and saying for months that the egregious overreach by the Democrats would be their undoing. This is the first electoral manifestation of that.
So I’ll be bringing that up again. I get over being wrong once in a while by relishing a good “I told you so” whenever I can.
Congratulations, Virginia. Your commonwealth remains American for a while longer.
I’m off to see if any liberals think I’m a racist.
Everything Isn’t Awful
PJ Media
VodkaPundit: Insanity Wrap: Blue Check Mafia Pooping Themselves Over ‘Let’s Go Brandon’
Virginia Election Results Are In
Minneapolis Voters Reject Dangerous Plan to Eliminate Police Department
Biden Predicted Victory in Virginia… With a Catch
Welp, We’ve Already Got Problems in Fairfax County, Virginia
Nations ‘Ghost Dancing’ at Climate Summit on Carbon Emissions
NYC Destroyer de Blasio Now Wants to Destroy New York State
This Is How Islam Mutilates Jesus Christ
[UPDATED] Virginia Voters Denied Entry to Polling Place for Refusing to Mask (But No ID, No Problem)
A Small Victory for Chicago Police Officers
The NCAA Made Election Day a Priority in 2020. This Year? Not so Much
Not A Joke: Taliban Asks for International Aid to Help It Fight…Climate Change
Prager: Is Stealing Wrong? Not on the Left
BREAKING: House Republicans Request All Documents Concerning DOJ Targeting of Concerned Parents
Townhall Mothership
Update: Terry McAuliffe Refuses to Concede
Eric Adams Wins NYC Mayoral Election
Florida Democrats Inching Closer to Reality on Something About Ron DeSantis
Oh. University Likened Unwoke Halloween Costumes to Rape and Murder
Chris Pratt Proves Dave Chappelle Is Right About Twitter
Ted Lieu Makes Eye-Opening Admission to the Media That Conservatives Need to Hear
Even Gun Control Fans Have Issues With Activist’s New Book
Cam&Co. Are Guns The Hidden Issue In The Virginia Elections?
God Bless America. October Gun Sales Second Highest On Record
Thunberg at COP 26 sings “You can shove your climate crisis up your” … Brandon?
Shocker: “Squid Game” crypto bubble pops as founders take off with the cash
The right’s concerns about illiberalism in education aren’t new
VIP
The Left Hates Its Own Medicine: What We Can Learn From ‘Pilotgate’
Signal to Noise With Richard Fernandez
Democrats Hold Onto Their Precious COVID Issue
Fraud Watch: What’s Been Done to Secure Elections Since 2020?
Speaking Out on COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries Comes at a Cost—12 Physicians Take the Risk
Insane: Defense Attorney Tells Jury ‘You’ll Hear From’ Kyle Rittenhouse
George Takei’s False Equivalency Between Teaching CRT and Japanese Internment
WaPo Refuses to Publish Entire Trump Response to Its Jan. 6 Investigation
Biden the Magnificent Is Out of Magic Tricks
GOLD How Long Can They Pretend Biden’s Not Senile?
Around the Interwebz
Netflix Presses Play On Mobile Games, With First Offerings Including ‘Stranger Things’ Duo
New study suggests SARS-CoV-2 spreading widely within wild deer population
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PJ Media senior columnist and associate editor Stephen Kruiser is a professional stand-up comic, writer, and recovering political activist who edits and writes PJ’s Morning Briefing, aka The Greatest Political Newsletter in America. His latest book, Straight Outta Feelings, is a humorous exploration of how the 2016 election made him enjoy politics more than he ever had before. When not being a reclusive writer, Kruiser has had the honor of entertaining U.S. troops all over the world. Follow on: Gab, Parler, MeWe
30.) WHITE HOUSE DOSSIER
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31.) THE DISPATCH
Youngkin Turns Virginia Red
What lessons will Republicans and Democrats draw from Republican Glenn Youngkin’s victory?
| The Dispatch Staff | 4 |
Happy Wednesday! Last night, an underdog from the South that analysts all but wrote off over the summer rallied to defeat the winner from a few years ago—all while keeping the fan favorite on the sidelines. Congratulations to the Atlanta Braves on winning the World Series!
P.S. It should be illegal for Game 6 of the World Series to fall on Election Night.
P.P.S. We are making the full version of this newsletter available today on our website. Of course, we still hope you’ll consider joining us as member.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday formally endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’s recommendation that children ages 5 to 11 receive Pfizer-BioNTech’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. The move paves the way for children to begin receiving shots as soon as today.
- News outlets officially projected Tuesday night that Republican Glenn Youngkin will defeat Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the race to become Virginia’s next governor. Youngkin declared victory last night, but McAuliffe has yet to concede. Republicans Winsome Sears and Jason Miyares are also projected to win the state’s lieutenant governor and attorney general races, respectively.
- New Jersey’s gubernatorial race between incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli remained too close to call as of Wednesday morning, with Ciattarelli leading Murphy by roughly 1,200 votes with 88 percent of the vote counted. Per NJ.com, many of the outstanding votes are in heavily Democratic precincts.
- Democrat Eric Adams is projected to win New York City’s mayoral race easily over Republican Curtis Sliwa, while Byron Brown—Buffalo’s incumbent mayor who mounted a longshot write-in campaign after losing in the Democratic primary—appears poised to defeat self-declared socialist India Walton and secure a fifth consecutive term. Democrat Michelle Wu was projected the winner of Boston’s mayoral race, and incumbent Jacob Frey is leading in the Minneapolis mayoral race after the first round of ranked-choice voting. Minneapolis voters also rejected a ballot initiative that would have replaced the city’s police force with a new Department of Public Safety.
- Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers declared a state of national emergency on Tuesday as the country’s civil war escalates and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front closes in on the capital city of Addis Ababa. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced yesterday the United States will suspend duty-free access to Ethiopian exports effective January 1, 2022, due to the “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights” occurring in the country’s northern region.
- An attack on Kabul’s Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan military hospital on Tuesday killed at least 25 people—including a senior Taliban military leader—and wounded more than a dozen others. ISIS-K took responsibility for the attack, which included multiple suicide bombings and what one doctor in the hospital described as gunmen walking through a hospital ward and shooting wounded Taliban fighters in the head.
Youngkin Triumphs in Virginia
With Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam term-limited out, Virginia was always going to have a new governor come January 2022. Last night, we finally found out who it’ll be, as Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe on Tuesday in the highest-profile election of 2021.
McAuliffe—seeking to reclaim the post he held from 2014 to 2018—led Youngkin in public polling throughout the summer, at times by as many as 8 percentage points. But the former private equity executive surged in the final days of the campaign, and Youngkin’s momentum carried him to—as of early Wednesday morning—somewhere between a 2- and 3-point victory on a cold and rainy day in the Old Dominion. Although the television networks took hours to call the race, Decision Desk HQ and Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report declared Youngkin the winner approximately 90 minutes after the polls closed.
“My fellow Virginians, we stand here this morning at this defining moment,” Youngkin told a crowd of supporters in a 1 a.m. speech declaring victory. “Let’s reinvigorate this amazing commonwealth of Virginia. Together, we can build a new day.” McAuliffe spoke earlier in the evening, but did not concede.
Although still considered a swing state by some, Virginia had been trending blue for more than a decade. Its electoral votes last went to a GOP presidential candidate in 2004, and no Republican had been elected to statewide office since 2009. McAuliffe defeated Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the 2013 gubernatorial race by slightly less than 3 percentage points, and Democrat Ralph Northam trounced Republican Ed Gillespie by 9 four years later. Tuesday reversed that trend: Not only did Youngkin emerge victorious, but Republicans Winsome Sears (lieutenant governor) and Jason Miyares (attorney general) did as well.
“Glenn ran an excellent and inspiring campaign that raises the bar for candidates across the country,” said Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA). “Unlike his opponent, Glenn didn’t need a cast of national surrogates to do his work for him; he connected directly with voters on issues that matter to Virginians.”
From TMD, to The Sweep, to standalone pieces on the site, we’ve spent plenty of time in recent weeks dissecting McAuliffe and Youngkin’s respective campaign strategies. While McAuliffe sought to nationalize the race by invoking former President Donald Trump at every opportunity and campaigning alongside high-profile Democrats like President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama, Youngkin zeroed in on kitchen table issues like K-12 education, taxes, and public safety.
“Glenn is being very specific about Virginia-specific plans,” RGA spokeswoman Maddie Anderson told The Dispatch last week. “[McAuliffe] is trying to nationalize this race month because there’s just no enthusiasm there, and that’s his only option.”
Youngkin ran on a platform of eliminating Virginia’s grocery tax, suspending a recent gas tax hike, and doubling the standard deduction on state income taxes. He supports qualified immunity for police officers, and has said he wants to fire Virginia’s parole board to keep violent criminals behind bars. He pledged to keep schools open for in-person instruction five days a week, build at least 20 charter schools to increase choice for parents, and ban the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 education.
The last point in particular became a defining feature of the campaign after McAuliffe said in a debate that he didn’t think “parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Whether or not his interpretation of loco parentis was correct, the gaffe cost McAuliffe dearly as Youngkin plastered it on the airwaves and crafted a message aimed specifically at parents in the race’s closing weeks. A Fox News poll from late last week showed the race flipping from 51-46 McAuliffe to 53-46 Youngkin in just two weeks. The Democratic candidate’s misleading rebuttal—that Youngkin wants to “ban books by prominent black authors”—fell more or less flat.
What It All Means
Arriving at sweeping conclusions based only on a handful of data points is, more often than not, a fool’s errand. But it’s difficult to interpret Tuesday’s election results—both in Virginia and elsewhere—as anything other than a striking rebuke of the Democratic Party’s first 10 months in power at the federal level.
In the 2020 election, Biden carried Virginia by 10 points, and New Jersey by 16. Just one year later—with Biden’s net approval rating lower than all of his predecessors’ at this point in their presidency save Trump and Gerald Ford—McAuliffe lost the former by about 2 points, and New Jersey’s Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is neck-and-neck with Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican who never led a public poll. Murphy is still likely to pull ahead as the last tranche of ballots are counted, but 12- and 16-point one-year swings are indicative of a fundamental change in the electorate. Partisans got to work quickly on Tuesday sussing out what happened—and whether the shift had more to do with who was on the ballot or who wasn’t.
The finger pointing began almost immediately on the Democratic side, with the party’s various factions predictably blaming the loss(es) on their intra-party opponents. “The DC establishment consolidated support behind their one-time rainmaker and in doing so sidelined two potentially history-making Black women running for the same office,” read a joint statement on the “Virginia shellacking” from a host of progressive organizations. “There should be no questions or scapegoats about why specific demographics didn’t turn out. Terry McAuliffe offered an uninspired return to yesterday, while voters were focused on what must come next.”
Rep. Dean Phillips, a moderate Democrat from Minnesota, came away from last night with the exact opposite conclusion. “Once again, the electoral evidence indicates that America is not as progressive as socialist members believe it is,” he told The Hill. Byron Brown’s apparent write-in victory over self-declared socialist India Walton in Buffalo’s mayoral race—as well as Minneapolis voters’ rejection of a ballot initiative that would have swapped out the city’s police force with a new “Department of Public Safety” and Seattle’s election of a Republican candidate for city attorney over one favoring police abolition—provided three additional data points in support of Phillips’ thesis.
If that takeaway is internalized, it could spell doom for Biden’s congressional Build Back Better agenda, which is currently being held together by a rusty paperclip and some old chewing gum. “If you are a Democrat sitting on Capitol Hill and you are from one of these swing districts in suburban areas, are you rethinking tonight your vote on this reconciliation package?” former Obama adviser David Axelrod told CNN.
Democrats were, however, able to find one area of agreement: They need to shut up about Trump. “Terry McAuliffe ran the milquetoast campaign he wanted to run—where every other word he uttered was ‘Donald Trump’ instead of focusing on the issues voters cared about the most,” the progressive groups wrote. Phillips, meanwhile, posited that “ignoring rural America and focusing too much on a former president and not enough on the future is a poor recipe for electoral success.”
A Republican strategist concurs. “The effort to try to basically make every Republican out to be a mini version of Trump is not a very wise strategy,” David Kochel told The Dispatch yesterday.
It’s advice that Democratic nominee should have heeded, and advice that the GOP one did.
Aside from September’s recall election in California, the Virginia gubernatorial race presented Republicans with their first high-profile opportunity to build a winning coalition in a post-Trump world, and Youngkin pulled off the necessary balancing act damn near perfectly.
After prevailing in the Virginia GOP’s ranked-choice voting convention back in May that saved the party from nominating a more unelectable candidate, Youngkin proceeded to campaign for the general election almost as if the former president didn’t exist. He accepted Trump’s endorsement but never campaigned with him; he embraced culture war fights without adopting Trump’s mean-spirited tone; after winning the primary, he admitted that Biden’s election was “legitimate” and “certifiably fair,” and condemned January 6 as “sickening and wrong” without making it a defining issue of his campaign.
The result? Youngkin held onto Trump’s base, but expanded it, outperforming the former president’s 2020 showing by over six percentage points. By cultivating an image less toxic to independent and Democratic voters, the Virginia Republican was able to chip away at McAuliffe’s margins in the populous Loudoun and Fairfax counties, securing about 38 percent of the vote yesterday to Trump’s 31 percent in 2020.
The blueprint will be replicated. “This is going to inform candidates and campaigns how to sort of walk the line of not having to embrace the style, the tactics of Donald Trump, while at the same time, not trying to intentionally distance yourself from Trump’s voters,” Kochel said. On Tuesday night, Youngkin’s chief strategist Jeff Roe essentially said that’s exactly what they set out to do: “We weren’t defined by Obama, we weren’t defined by Trump, we were defined by Glenn.”
A certain someone might quibble with that characterization—and throw a wrinkle in that blueprint down the road. “I would like to thank my BASE for coming out in force and voting for Glenn Youngkin,” Trump said in a statement last night. “Without you, he would not have been close to winning. The MAGA movement is bigger and stronger than ever before.”
Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican Party, drew a similar, if misguided, conclusion. “Terry McAuliffe and Democrats tried to run against Trump in Virginia but their strategy backfired,” she wrote. “President Trump continues to be a huge boost for Republicans across the country.”
Worth Your Time
- It’s not everyday someone we quote in TMD answers our Let Us Know question in a post of their own—but Ilya Somin did just that. “If the Texas SB subterfuge works, it will create a roadmap for undermining judicial protection for a wide range of other constitutional rights,” he writes in a Reason piece explaining his preference for the Supreme Court allowing challenges to Texas’ abortion law proceed.
Presented Without Comment
Toeing the Company Line
- Yesterday’s Uphill featured an update on Harvest and Haley’s Uyghur refugee story from two weeks ago. “We spoke with several members of Congress and experts who work on these issues, and most were surprised to learn the United States didn’t resettle any Uyghurs through the refugee program in fiscal year 2021,” they write. “That’s partly because the State Department stopped sharing reports with this kind of information last year.”
- David’s Tuesday French Press (🔒) is a lamentation on the state of our politics, and a proposal for something better. “While it is absolutely the case that our nation is awash in conspiracy theories and paranoia, there is enough absolutely real intolerance and illiberalism on both sides of the political spectrum to cause rational people to be tempted to retreat toward tribalism as a means of perceived self-defense and self-preservation,” he writes. “This gets me back to the third-party concept. And it makes me think of the possibility of a reboot. A fresh start.”
Reporting by Declan Garvey (@declanpgarvey), Andrew Egger (@EggerDC), Charlotte Lawson (@lawsonreports), Audrey Fahlberg (@AudreyFahlberg), Ryan Brown (@RyanP_Brown), Harvest Prude (@HarvestPrude), and Steve Hayes (@stephenfhayes).
32.) LEGAL INSURRECTION
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33.) THE DAILY WIRE
34.) DESERET NEWS
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35.) BRIGHT
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36.) AMERICAN THINKER
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37.) LARRY J. SABATO’S CRYSTAL BALL
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KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— Republicans swept Virginia on Tuesday night, winning statewide for the first time in a dozen years and running much better than they did in the Trump years. — The result helps confirm a poor environment for Democrats, which if replicated next November could help the Republicans win back the House and the Senate. — As such, we’re changing several Senate ratings to reflect improved odds of Republicans flipping that chamber next year. The changes are shown in Table 1: Table 1: Crystal Ball Senate rating changes
Virginia and its revelationsThere were a lot of electoral questions that the Virginia gubernatorial race was well-positioned to help answer. Could Republicans make up ground in the suburbs with Donald Trump no longer in the White House? Would Republican voters turn out in force with Trump gone? Could Democrats fall even further in heavily white, rural/small town areas? Was the history that suggested holding the White House is a burden for the presidential party in Virginia still operative? Unfortunately for Democrats, and fortunately for Republicans, the answers to all of these questions were a resounding “yes.” As the Crystal Ball projected on Monday, Glenn Youngkin (R) won the Virginia gubernatorial race last night, defeating former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Youngkin’s win was part of a larger GOP sweep, as fellow Republicans Winsome Sears and Jason Miyares captured the lieutenant governor and attorney general posts, respectively. It also appears, as of this writing, that Republicans have taken the majority in the state House of Delegates, claiming at least 51 of the chamber’s 100 seats. Democrats hold a narrow majority in the state Senate — given the overall tenor of the night, they were lucky that the upper chamber wasn’t up this cycle. Needless to say, this is a horrible result for Democrats, and for the White House. Youngkin’s 2-point victory (based on the results as of Wednesday morning) represented an 11-point shift in the GOP’s favor from 4 years ago, when now-Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won by almost 9 points. Going back a bit further to 2013, McAuliffe won by 2.5 points that year — last night’s result was a near-mirror image of that. Map 1 compares McAuliffe’s showing 8 years ago to his result last night. Map 1: Virginia gubernatorial races, 2013 vs 2021 As Map 1 shows, Youngkin’s gains were not just limited to whites in Appalachia. In Southside Virginia, some heavily Black counties saw their Democratic lean erode — Sussex County, which is majority-Black by composition, supported McAullife by 18 points in 2013 but came close to flipping. While McAuliffe did make gains in many large suburban localities compared to 2013, his margins there were still relatively unimpressive, at least by Trump-era standards. Loudoun County, a large suburban county that the Youngkin campaign targeted, swung 6 percentage points to McAuliffe — however, compared to Northam’s 2017 showing, he still lost ground in almost every precinct. Going into the election, the conventional wisdom seemed to be that lower turnout would benefit Youngkin. In 2014, Republicans nearly upset Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) in a low turnout midterm. The higher the turnout, the more “presidential” (read pro-Democratic) it seemed the electorate would become. But high turnout did not prove a hindrance to Youngkin: There were at least 3.3 million votes cast, by far the biggest Virginia gubernatorial turnout ever (higher even than the high-turnout blowout Democratic victory 4 years ago). More broadly, Youngkin was in the right place at the right time — he was the GOP nominee in a GOP-leaning environment. But he also seemed to outmaneuver McAuliffe on issues such as education and taxes. While there were many factors that fell into place for Republicans, to us, it is hard to ignore old-fashioned “fundamentals.” Since August, Biden’s national standing has weakened. That decline, combined with the usual headwinds the president’s party faces in off-year elections, helped fuel Youngkin’s 12-point net improvement over Trump’s 10-point loss in Virginia last year. As we have noted before, this type of shift is not out of the ordinary for Virginia gubernatorial races. Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D-NJ) surprisingly close race in the lower-profile and still-uncalled New Jersey gubernatorial contest also indicates that the poor Democratic environment was a main driver of the party’s poor 2021 Election Night. With that in mind, let’s look ahead: Our Senate rating changesLook, we know the midterm is still a year away. There are plenty of things that might change. Biden could find ways to improve his approval rating. Some of the problems that appear to be hurting Democrats right now — gas prices, inflation, supply-chain problems, DC infighting, COVID-19, and more — could subside over the next year. Other issues may become paramount: McAuliffe struggled to make abortion an issue in Virginia, but the Supreme Court gutting Roe vs. Wade next year would make abortion a much bigger deal next year, which could give Democrats a potent electoral issue. Trump may be a more important figure, taking some of the focus off of Biden and reminding some suburban voters why they soured on the GOP. However, with all those caveats out of the way, it must be said: If Biden’s approval rating is in the low-to-mid 40s next year, as it is now, everything we know about political trends and history suggests that the Democrats’ tiny majorities in the House and Senate are at major risk of becoming minorities. So it’s a good time to reevaluate our assessment of the Senate. Given the usual presidential party midterm drag, and the poor environment, our ratings are just too bullish on Democrats. So we are downgrading Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) from Leans Democratic to Toss-up. While we have not been particularly impressed with Republican candidate recruiting in these races — former NFL star and Trump favorite Herschel Walker seems like a particularly risky choice in Georgia, assuming he wins the nomination — these moves are almost entirely about the environment. Moreover, even if Republicans don’t end up running strong candidates in these races, all 3 states are markedly less blue than Virginia. “Toss-up” doesn’t mean we think these Democratic senators will necessarily lose — it just means we don’t think the environment suggests they do not deserve to be considered even modest favorites anymore. We will dig into these races in more detail in future issues of the Crystal Ball, but we thought now was a good time to make these changes, given what Tuesday night’s results suggested about the broader political mood. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) retains a Leans Democratic designation in New Hampshire, but we will move her race to Toss-up when and if Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) launches his long-rumored challenge against her. We are also moving Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) from Safe Democratic to Likely Democratic. He could potentially be vulnerable if 2022 turns into a GOP mega-wave. Map 1 shows our full, updated Senate ratings. Map 1: Crystal Ball Senate ratings Read the fine printLearn more about the Crystal Ball and find out how to contact us here. Sign up to receive Crystal Ball e-mails like this one delivered straight to your inbox. Use caution with Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and remember: “He who lives by the Crystal Ball ends up eating ground glass!” |
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| © Copyright by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia |
This message was sent to rickbulow1974@gmail.com from goodpolitics@virginia.edu
Larry J. Sabato
UVA Center for Politics
PO Box 400806
Charlottesville, VA 22904
38.) THE BLAZE
39.) THE FEDERALIST
40.) REUTERS
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Activists dressed as world leaders take part in a media event during the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, November 2, 2021. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin throws a basketball to the crowd as his wife Suzanne watches during his election night party at a hotel in Chantilly, Virginia, November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
41.) NOQ REPORT
42.) ARRA NEWS SERVICE
43.) REDSTATE
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The Must-See Meltdown Begins After Glenn Youngkin’s Huge Win
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44.) WORLD NET DAILY
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45.) MSNBC
 November 3, 2021 THE LATEST
The wrong lesson to learn from GOP victory in Virginia by Hayes Brown Republican Glenn Youngkin is poised to become Virginia’s next governor, NBC News projected early Wednesday morning. For months now, politicos and pundits have said that the outcome of that race will be a bellwether for Democrats in next year’s midterm elections. Already Youngkin’s win is being heralded as proof that control of Congress is all but lost for President Biden’s party — but it shouldn’t be, Hayes Brown writes. Virginia was “one election among many other elections at the state and local level that maybe, perhaps, if you turn your head and squint, form a cohesive narrative,” Brown writes. “The trouble with that is that in trying to smooth out the edges into a recognizable shape, the contours of each race are lost.”
Read Hayes Brown’s full analysis here and don’t forget to check out the rest of your Wednesday MSNBC Daily. TOP STORIES
Youngkin won on an intellectually lazy — and false — premise. Read More The law was enacted when slavery was still legal, and it was no less racist when three white men accosted Ahmaud Arbery. Read More The GOP keeps complaining about the Biden administration stopping illegal fentanyl shipments. It’s getting weird. Read More TOP VIDEOS
MORE FROM MSNBC
 “Four Seasons Total Documentary” delves into Rudy Giuliani’s infamous press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, delivered just as the presidential election was being called for Joe Biden.
One year after the event that became an internet sensation, meet the family behind the Philadelphia small business that was thrust into the national spotlight. Watch “Four Seasons Total Documentary,” Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.
 How do we make sense of this unprecedented moment in world history? Why is this all happening? Chris Hayes asks the big questions that keep him up at night every week on his podcast, aptly titled, “Why Is This Happening?”
In the newest episode, Al Roker joins Chris to talk about how he found his way into TV, what goes into producing forecasts and why climate change is an existential threat to our world. In addition to being on the Today Show, he’s also the author of more than ten books, including his latest one, “You Look So Much Better in Person,” and has a new limited series podcast out called Cooking Up a Storm. Listen to the new episode now. Follow MSNBC
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To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts  Today’s Top Stories from NBC News WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers. Republican Glenn Youngkin won Virginia’s governor race, delivering a major wake-up call to Democrats ahead of the 2022 midterms. The Braves shut out the Astros to bring the World Series back to Atlanta for the first time since 1995. Plus, a windowless, billionaire-designed mega dorm has sent architects — and the internet — into a tizzy.
Here’s what we’re watching this Wednesday morning.
 Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia’s high-profile Tuesday election for governor, NBC News projects, flipping control of a state that President Joe Biden won handily just a year ago.
The results in Virginia and other states holding off-year elections sent a warning shot to Democrats, suggesting that trouble may be brewing ahead of next year’s midterms.
Youngkin, a former private equity executive and political newcomer, ran a campaign focused on the economy and education while keeping former President Donald Trump at a cautious distance.
The GOP victory in Virginia will likely serve as a blueprint for Republicans looking to recapture the House and Senate next year.
Here are some of the other big stories from Election Day:
Wednesday’s Top Stories
 With a 7-0 win against the Houston Astros, the Atlanta Braves took the World Series Tuesday night in Game Six.  ANALYSIS At this week’s U.N. climate summit, as well as at the G-20 meeting, President Joe Biden has sought to leverage the absence of one key superpower — China — and reassert U.S. leadership on the global stage.  Both sides of the case hope the court will clarify how much protection the Second Amendment provides for carrying a gun outside the home.  Tarana Burke reflects on the 4 years since her work advocating against sexual violence took on a life of its own. Also in the News
Editor’s Pick
 The phrase has become ubiquitous among right-wing crowds, overheard at sporting events and rallies, seen on bumper stickers and Trump campaign merchandise. Select
Experts recommend shoppers do most of their holiday shopping this month to avoid supply chain issues and to take advantage of holiday deals. One Wacky Thing
 A billionaire donor’s design for a mega dorm that would pack UC Santa Barbara students into largely windowless rooms has drawn widespread criticism and prompted the resignation of a consulting architect.
The proposed building, dubbed Munger Hall after donor Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s longtime partner and right-hand man at Berkshire Hathaway, would house 4,500 students in a 1.68 million-square foot complex with only two entrances.
Munger, 97, donated $200 million to the project in 2016, stipulating that he would bankroll the residence only if it was built to his design.
The plan ultimately led architect Dennis McFadden to resign from UC Santa Barbara’s design review committee, where he has served for nearly 15 years.
In a leaked resignation letter McFadden described the project as a “social and psychological experiment with an unknown impact on the lives and personal development” of students.
“The basic concept of Munger Hall as a place for students to live is unsupportable from my perspective as an architect, a parent and a human being,” McFadden wrote.
Read the full story here. FOLLOW US
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49.) NBC FIRST READ
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From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Ben Kamisar
FIRST READ: Democrats get caught in backlash of negative national environment
So just how blue was Virginia? Not blue enough to stop the GOP from winning the races for governor, lieutenant governor and leading right now for attorney general.
How blue was New Jersey? Maybe just blue enough, where Dem incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy barely leads by about 1,000 votes at publication time (and where the outstanding vote looks good for him).
Add it all up, and what we got was double-digit movement away from Democrats and towards the Republican Party – all just nine months into the Biden presidency.
Virginia
2017 VA-GOV: D+9
2020 PRES: D+10
2021 VA-GOV (so far): R+2
New Jersey
2017 NJ-GOV: D+14
2020 PRES: D+16
2021 NJ-GOV (so far): Tied – but where you’d rather be Murphy with the outstanding vote
Regarding Virginia, Democrats can point the finger at strategy, tactics or ideology, but the COMBINED movement last night tells a simple story: The political environment was everything.
Leah Millis/Reuters
Last weekend’s NBC News national poll showed Biden’s job rating at 42 percent, as well as 71 percent of Americans saying country is on the wrong track.
Last night’s exit poll in Virginia had Biden’s job rating in the state at 45 percent – when he got 54 percent of the vote a year ago.
It’s an inverse of what we saw play out in Donald Trump’s first year as president in 2017, when the movement was in the Democrats’ direction.
And it’s an ominous sign for Democrats heading into next year’s midterm elections, where the playing field isn’t Virginia or New Jersey – but instead Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Our question this morning: How does Biden respond to this movement in Virginia and New Jersey, especially after a rough August, a rough September and a rough October for his presidency?
Asked in Scotland yesterday if a loss in Virginia would be a rebuke to his presidency, Biden responded first: “We’re going to win.” And then he added: “I don’t believe — and I’ve not seen any evidence that whether or not I am doing well or poorly, whether or not I’ve got my agenda passed or not is going to have any real impact on winning or losing.”
Well, Democrats didn’t win in Virginia. His approval rating in the state was just 45 percent.
And Democrats are holding their breath in New Jersey.
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Youngkin supercharged his base; McAuliffe didn’t
In Virginia, two trends caught our eye last night: Republican Glenn Youngkin excelled in rural parts of the state, while Democrat Terry McAuliffe failed to turn out voters in some areas with high portions of Black residents.
Youngkin blew the doors off of McAuliffe in many rural, deep-red counties, and he ended up getting close to former President Donald Trump’s performance in 2016, a race that saw far higher turnout.
The Republican gubernatorial nominee banked more than 17,300 voters in Washington County (Trump won 19,320 votes there in 2016); he won more than 11,600 votes in Louisa County (Trump won 10,528 votes there in 2016); and he won 12,500 in Gloucester County (Trump won 13,096 votes there in 2016).
That’s presidential-level turnout, or close to it, in many of those rural counties.
And then there are majority-Black areas— like Greenville County, or the cities of Hampton and Portsmouth — where McAuliffe couldn’t expand the margins he needed.
McAuliffe won Greensville County with 53 percent of the vote. But President Biden won 57 percent of that vote in 2020, the same margin as future-Gov. Ralph Northam did in 2017.
In Portsmouth, McAuliffe got 65 percent of the vote – lower than Biden’s 69 percent and Northam’s 70 percent.
And in Hampton, McAullife’s 66 percent compares to Biden’s 70 percent and Northam’s 72 percent.
The bottom line: Youngkin was able to supercharge his base, and give him credit for being able to do so.
McAuliffe wasn’t.
By the way, look at the composition of the Virginia electorate last night compared with 2017, per the exit poll:
- White voters: 74% (was 67% in 2017)
- Black voters: 16% (was 20% in 2017)
- 18-29 voters: 10% (was 14% in 2017)
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Tweet of the Day: Looks like the GOP flipped Virginia’s House of Delegates, too
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Progressives didn’t have a good night in Buffalo and Minneapolis
Outside of Virginia and New Jersey, one other storyline emerged from yesterday’s results: Progressives didn’t have a good night, especially in Buffalo and Minneapolis.
In Buffalo’s mayoral race, Democratic Socialists of America-backed India Walton – who surprisingly won the Dem nomination – lost to incumbent Mayor Byron Brown, who waged a write-in campaign to victory.
In Minneapolis, a ballot measure to overhaul the city’s policing was easily defeated.
Maybe the best news for progressives was Michelle Wu’s mayoral victory in Boston.
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Data Download: The numbers you need to know today
8: The number of counties (or cities that report their results separately) in Virginia that Democrats won in 2017, but that Youngkin is leading in now.
3: The number of ballot proposals in New York state changing the state’s election laws that are poised to be defeated despite an endorsement from the state Democratic Party.
46,176,844: The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (That’s 67,466 more since yesterday morning.)
751,830: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far, per the most recent data from NBC News. (That’s 1,289 more since yesterday morning.)
423,942,794: The number of total vaccine doses administered in the U.S., per the CDC. (That’s 937,410 more since yesterday morning.)
19,783,921: The number of booster vaccine doses administered in the U.S., per the CDC. (That’s 605,183 more since yesterday morning.)
58.1 percent: The share of all Americans who are fully vaccinated, per the CDC.
69.7 percent: The share of all Americans 18-years and older who are fully vaccinated, per the CDC.
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Shameless Plug: Tickets on sale now for the Meet the Press Film Festival at AFI Fest
It’s almost time for the fifth annual Meet the Press Film Festival at AFI Fest!
This year’s festival features five programs of the best-in-class short documentaries — ticketholders can watch the films virtually or in-person on November 11th in Los Angeles.
You can get your tickets now at Fest.AFI.com
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ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world?
It was a big night for key candidates of color across the country, including Boston’s Michelle Wu, Virginia’s Winsome Sears, Cincinnati’s Aftab Pureval and Cleveland’s Justin Bibb.
Minneapolis residents rejected a proposal to replace police department with a Department of Public Safety.
Opponents of the Southlake, Texas diversity plan won a majority of the school board there Tuesday.
The CDC Director formally endorsed offering Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 5 and 11.
It looks like Florida’s special Democratic congressional primary is going to a recount.
Democrats appear to have reached an agreement on lowering prescription drug costs, but other big disagreements still remain.
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Elon Musk did an Elon Musk thing on Wednesday. CNN quoted David Beasley, director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme, claiming that 2% of Musk’s worth could solve global hunger. Elon was all … MORE 
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November 03 2021
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Episode 334: A Crisis of Civility… 
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A Virginia state delegate was pulled over by police Monday evening less than 24 hours before election day after a deputy
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TOP STORIES:
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Virginia Dem Busted Tampering With Campaign Hours Before Election
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NOT GOOD: Prominent Republican Announces Retirement
- Eric Swalwell Busted Blowing Campaign Funds…
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Pence Reveals Who Made Him Certify Election… BULLSH*T!
- Desantis Delivers Warning — ‘i’m Not Just Gonna Sit Idly By’
- Gingrich Warns About Dems Late-Night ‘steal’ Plan In Virginia
- Democrats Want Biden Gone — Demand Someone New
- FBI Caught Red Handed In Capital Riot…
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Dems Panicking After News of Losing Key Senate Seat
- The Worm is Turning on Anthony Fauci
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Supreme Court Defies Biden Administration…
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IN DEPTH:
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- CDC advisory panel recommends COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5–11
- Archbishop Viganò Writes Stunning Letter on Vaccine Program
- What You Should Know About Democrat Election Lawyer Marc Elias
- Over 20 Fauci-Funded Researchers Have Served at Wuhan… 45 mins ago
- Cori Bush: Manchin is racist for voting against spending bill 1 hour ago
- Lawless Elections Are an Existential Threat to Democracy 2 hours ago
- WATCH LIVE: DEBATE ON VAX MANDATES AND VAX INJURIES 3 hours ago
- Elon Musk Says No Contract Has Been Signed Between Tesla & Hertz 4 mins ago
- Lincoln Project Doubles Down on Group’s ‘White Supremacist’ Stunt 4 mins ago
- Wisconsin Investigation Uncovers Tip Of A Voting Fraud Iceberg 19 mins ago
- Tucker Hits Lindsey Graham for Demanding Murder of J6 Protestors 34 mins ago
- Biden’s Border Crisis About to Hit New Low 36 mins ago
- How Is Kaepernick Still A Thing? 36 mins ago
- How Fauci Fooled America… 46 mins ago
- Biden’s EPA to Send America Back to Stone Age 1 hour ago
- FDNY Union Head on mandate: De Blasio is a POS 1 hour ago
- Senator Demands Biden’s Carbon Footprint At Climate Summit 1 hour ago
- Philadelphia Bans Minor Traffic Police Stops 2 hours ago
- McAuliffe’s decision to have Weingarten speak at rally mocked 2 hours ago
- Kyle Busch required to do sensitivity training 2 hours ago
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- American cancels almost 2,300 flights 2 hours ago
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- 40,077 New COVID Cases, 40 Deaths in UK 3 hours ago
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74.) THE POST MILLENNIAL
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76.) THE DAILY DOT
 Together with: 
Hello! Every Wednesday, our internet culture staff discusses the world of streaming entertainment in this newsletter. In today’s Insider:
 TV SHOWS An ode to ‘Dickinson,’ an underrated show Since Dickinson premiered on Apple TV+ in late 2019, I’ve talked about it to anyone who would listen. The show, which follows the early adult years of the poet Emily Dickinson, feels intimate, like it was created for a small group of people. Although it takes place in the 19th century, characters use phrases like “such a Sagittarius” and “good vibes only” while dressed in gowns and suits that fit the era. There are sex scenes set to modern music. Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) takes imaginary carriage rides with Death (Wiz Khalifa) while the two ponder life and, well, death.
Its best moments focus on the writing process and how much of being any kind of writer involves looking for inspiration and trying words out. Throughout each episode, Emily’s experiences spark revelations, which appear on the screen as handwritten text. It sometimes takes her the whole episode, or several episodes, to complete her thoughts. Dickinson also puts Emily’s relationship with her friend and sister-in-law Sue (Ella Hunt) front and center. Historically, Emily and Sue were believed to have romantic feelings for one another—as documented by love letters that Emily wrote. Dickinson doesn’t hold back in its depictions of their relationship, showing Emily and Sue sneaking away to make out or declare their love for each other.
Dickinson’s third and final season premieres this Friday, Nov. 5 with the first three episodes. With the Civil War as its backdrop, and parallels to our current mid-pandemic world, the end of this incredibly nuanced and well-written show is superb. I will miss it a lot.  Culture Editor
 SPONSORED Take the stress out of styling yourself
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 MARVEL ‘Eternals’ falls flat with ‘Rotten’ rating Eternals, the third Marvel film of the year, arrives in theaters this Friday. While fans are looking forward to it, critics were not impressed. In fact, it’s the only film in the MCU to receive a “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes; it’s currently at 57%.
So what are the movie’s biggest issues? As staffer Gavia Baker-Whitelaw wrote in her review, the characters “are half-baked, and much of the film’s dialogue is distractingly stilted. At a rough estimate, 70% of the Eternals script is exposition.”
However, she says, it’s a “weirder and more ambitious concept than most MCU movies, and it offers a truly diverse cast.” Ultimately, though, the film falls flat. Eternals will not be immediately available on Disney+, so if you want to stream it, you’ll have to wait at least a couple of months.
—T.K.
 NOW STREAMING ‘The Harder They Fall’: Netflix’s star-studded Western is incredibly fun It’s hard to believe that The Harder They Fall is director Jeymes Samuel’s first feature film. He has plenty of fun with the camera in this punchy, 19th-century Western—a film that’s stylish but not shallow, channeling a ton of star power to balance out its slightly overlong runtime.
Starring Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beetz, and LaKeith Stanfield, The Harder They Fall offers up an energetic crime caper about two gangs feuding over some stolen cash. Majors leads the cast as Nat Love, an outlaw hero whose parents were murdered by the dastardly Rufus Buck (Elba). The film’s Old West sets have the bright lightning and rainbow palette of a music video, and there are about 10 different scenes where the characters pose for a hero shot. It’s a true crowd-pleaser with better action sequences than many of Netflix’s action movies.
Read the full review here.
—Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, staff writer
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 Wednesday 11.03.21 The Atlanta Braves are World Series champions for the first time in 26 years. So, if you’re a little groggy this morning after a long night of watching baseball … you’re not alone! Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.  Glenn Youngkin, the Republican elected to be Virginia’s next governor, takes the stage last night in Chantilly.  Elections
Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor’s race, CNN projects, becoming the first Republican to win statewide office there since 2009. The race was the centerpiece of a slew of local and state elections yesterday, and Youngkin’s victory could portend serious problems for Democrats heading into next year’s midterms. Republicans, meanwhile, are looking to Youngkin’s winning strategy — especially how he mobilized supporters of former President Trump without alienating suburban voters who are less enamored of him — as a way to possibly approach other contests. Across the country, other results are rolling in. The New Jersey governor’s race is still too close to call, marking another sobering result for Dems who thought they had the race in the bag. Voters in Minneapolis also rejected the possibility of widespread police reform spurred by the 2020 death of George Floyd.
Climate
On the second day of the COP26 talks in Glasgow, about 100 nations and parties signed on to a global pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% of 2020 levels by 2030. Reducing this greenhouse gas could immediately slow down climate change, the European Commission President said. World leaders also got more specific about ways to deliver on other big climate-related pledges, like reducing deforestation and committing to eventual “net-zero” steel production. In a news conference, US President Biden criticized China and Russia for not doing more to tackle the climate crisis. China has been reluctant to adhere to the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, China’s special envoy at the conference said the country is “not resisting” the target.
Congress
Sen. Joe Manchin has laid out his terms for fellow Democrats to secure his vote on the $1.75 trillion economic package after saying this week that he wouldn’t commit to supporting it just to move forward with a vote on the complementary infrastructure bill. Manchin’s biggest issues? Climate change, taxes, Medicare and immigration. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he wants to bring the bill to the floor during the week of November 15 — a timeline Manchin seems to support. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have reached an agreement to lower drug costs by empowering Medicare to negotiate prices of certain costly medications. The deal would also cap what Americans pay for insulin at $35 a month. Such provisions were originally in the massive spending bill but were cut to reduce the bill’s price tag.
Coronavirus
The CDC director has endorsed the recommendation for vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 against Covid-19. Her approval was the last stop to clear the way for immediate vaccination of the age group in the US. Vaccine clinics, children’s hospitals and pediatricians’ offices already have gotten shipments of Pfizer’s one-third-sized vaccine for kids and are ready to put shots into arms as soon as possible. During the approval process, Pfizer told CDC advisers that side effects from the vaccine were much less common in the 5-to-11 age group than among 16- to 25-year-olds. Biden called the authorization “a turning point in our battle against COVID-19.”
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is under a state of emergency after forces from the northern Tigray region claimed to have gained territory. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister has even called on citizens to take up arms against Tigrayan forces as they advance toward the nation’s capital. Fighting first broke out in Ethiopia’s Tigray region last year when the region’s former ruling party clashed with the Ethiopian government. Since then, the international community has been concerned about human rights violations resulting from the conflict. The United Nations launched a joint investigation, and the results recently led the group to condemn all parties to the conflict, saying they have, to varying degrees, “committed violations of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law, some of which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Sponsor Content by SmartAsset  With more than 110 million Americans over age 50, this startup raised $161 million to help people conquer retirement. Learn how its tool can change the way you view retirement planning.
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Quentin Tarantino will sell 7 never-before-seen clips from ‘Pulp Fiction’ as NFTs
Got a job interview? This is how to find out what it’s really like working at a company Without seeming, you know, overly nosy.
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch calls in sick, hears arguments over the phone
Chipotle is testing a new chicken recipe for the first time in its 28-year history
White Castle is trying out a new fry-flipping robot, and its name is … Flippy 2!  1 million Roughly the number of people who have applied to work unpaid at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games — an undertaking that requires entering a Covid-free “bubble.” About 20,000 people were selected, according to the Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times.
We need to weigh the positive use cases for facial recognition against growing societal concerns, especially as regulators have yet to provide clear rules.
Facebook’s artificial intelligence vice president Jerome Pesenti in a Facebook blog post, announcing the company plans to stop using facial-recognition software that can automatically recognize people in photos and videos posted on its platform
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83.) THE DAILY CALLER
84.) POWERLINE
Daily Digest |
- Racism In the Public Schools
- Manchin digs in
- The tomahawk chop, a postscript
- The Earthquake Next Time
- in the Virginia race, election day edition (2)
| Racism In the Public Schools
Posted: 02 Nov 2021 04:35 PM PDT (John Hinderaker)This is one of the most grotesque instances of racism I have seen in a long time–not just racism in the public schools, but racism, period. It comes from Wayzata, Minnesota, one of the Twin Cities’ wealthiest (and whitest) suburbs. A book called Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, supposedly suitable for grades 4 through 6, is on Wayzata’s Reading List and apparently is being used in some other Minnesota schools as well. This is not a local publication; I assume it crops up in schools across the country. My friend Kendall Qualls called this to our attention. It has to be seen to be believed:
Satan is offering a white kid a bargain. This is the text:
Kendall comments, “Bigotry is wrong regardless of ethnicity.” True. And this is an extreme case. Did the segregated schools of the 1950s in Mississippi and Alabama produce anything remotely approaching the racism of this text? Not that I know of. How about readers published for white children in the antebellum South? Did they contain anything this nakedly racist? Maybe someone can find a similarly awful example, but I won’t hold my breath. The author of this monstrosity is Anastasia Higginbotham. Contrary to what you might assume, she is not beyond the pale. Her web site indicates that she has been published in a number of venues, including the New York Times and the Huffington Post, and that Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness “tackles white supremacy and was named a 2019 International Children’s Library White Raven Book.” White supremacy? When whites rise above number 17 in the Census Bureau’s median income data, maybe we can talk about white supremacy. Until then, forget it. The problem we have in the U.S. is not white supremacy, it is leftist supremacy. Leftists control nearly all of our institutions, including, with only occasional exceptions, the public schools. Leftists are doing their best to infect our young people with their poisonous racism. Happily, America’s parents are waking up to what is going on. What we see today in Virginia, win or lose, is only a faint precursor of the earthquake that is soon to come. |
| Manchin digs in
Posted: 02 Nov 2021 03:15 PM PDT (Paul Mirengoff)The Virginia gubernatorial race is the big news of the week. The outcome of the race, whatever it is, will remain Topic A for a while, as it should. However, the struggle of congressional Democrats to pass their two spending bills — infrastructure and reconciliation — is the big news of this Autumn, and continues to provide headlines. Yesterday’s development, reported by the Wall Street Journal, was Sen. Joe Manchin’s statement that he won’t vote for a reconciliation bill until there’s a vote on the infrastructure bill. Manchin declared:
Manchin also directed pointed remarks at the way Democrats are writing their reconciliation bill. He said: “As more of the real details outlined in the basic framework are released, what I see are shell games, budget gimmicks, that makes the real cost of the so-called 1.75 trillion dollar bill estimated to be almost twice that amount” unless the programs in the legislation are phased out. This, Manchin stated, “is a recipe for economic crisis.” He added, “none of us should ever misrepresent to the American people what the real cost of legislation is.” Does this mean Manchin will vote against reconciliation unless Democrats stop their “shell games and budget gimmicks,” level with the American people, and come up with a package that isn’t a recipe for economic crisis? Maybe. The Wall Street Journal’s editors read Manchin’s comments as suggesting that he’s prepared to vote against any bill he thinks will hurt the economy. I read them the same way. At a minimum, Manchin seems firm in his commitment not to vote to expand Medicare as long as its trust fund remains “insolvent.” That’s another way of saying he won’t vote to expand Medicare. I think it’s also clear that the Democrats are a ways off from coming up with a reconciliation package Manchin can vote for. As the West Virginia Senator says:
If the Democrats want to delay the infrastructure vote for “quite a while” — in other words, continue to hold it hostage to passing a reconciliation bill — they can. But the “hostage” strategy hasn’t worked so far. Manchin hasn’t softened his positions on reconciliation in order to get a vote on infrastructure. The Democrats seem to think that passing the infrastructure bill would give Joe Biden a badly needed lift. If so, it makes sense to pass that bill without waiting to formulate a reconciliation package that can get 50 votes. However, at last word, the president in need of a victory seemed still to be on board with the strategy of insisting that the two spending bills be coupled. And it’s not certain that even if Biden gave up on this strategy, he could bring enough Democratic representatives along to pass the infrastructure bill standing alone. Today’s election in Virginia might bear on where the spending packages go from here. For example, if Terry McAuliffe loses in “blue” Virginia, Democrats may become desperate enough to pass at least one of their spending bills — infrastructure — though it might take Republican votes in the House to accomplish this, even in that scenario. |
| The tomahawk chop, a postscript
Posted: 02 Nov 2021 11:55 AM PDT (Paul Mirengoff)John and I both wrote last night about the use of the tomahawk chop by fans of the Atlanta Braves. I speculated that even if the Atlanta Braves tried to stop fans from chopping, the effort would probably be unsuccessful. Today, a Braves fan informs me that the Braves did, in fact, try to do away with the tomahawk chop two years ago. He writes: On the first day of the 2019 NLDS, the Braves announced that they were no longer going to do the tomahawk chop as certain communities found it offensive. According to media accounts, the Braves’ players found out literally as they were headed to batting practice and were confused and upset. The fans tried to keep the tradition going, but I remember a lot of TV trickery to try to minimize it as well as music played over it. Could that have been enough of an edge for the Cardinals to take the series in five games? Who can tell, but it certainly destroyed the home field advantage the Braves enjoy, as shown by this year’s playoffs. Fast forward two years [Note: Fans were not allowed to attend games in 2020. The cardboard cut-outs who replaced them did not chop] and the Braves bureaucrats have changed their mind. Early in this season, they had a huge promotion at a home game where they invited representatives of various Native American communities. They even had one leader sit in the broadcast booth for an inning, extoling the virtues of the Braves and their outreach. Perhaps not surprisingly, the chop was back, both on the organ and in the stands. I would love to know what happened behind closed doors to make that switch. I was one of many “I’m done with them!” fans after that series, which lasted about 15 minutes into the next season. And judging from the many tens of thousands of fans that have been in the ballpark and the battery this post season, I am not alone in refusing to be cancelled. As John says, chop on! |
| The Earthquake Next Time
Posted: 02 Nov 2021 08:51 AM PDT (John Hinderaker)Parents around the country have awakened to the fact that the far Left, largely via the teachers’ unions, is running our public schools. And they don’t like it. The Virginia governor’s race is the marquee contest this year, but the same issues–Critical Race Theory and whose schools are they, anyway?–are in play in school board races across the country. In many areas, interest in school board elections is at an unprecedented high. In my state, a school board election in an odd-numbered year would historically draw turnout in the single digits, with few voters other than members of the education cartel having any idea who the candidates are. This year is different. We got texts this morning from our Senate District GOP, identifying the three candidates to vote for and urging us to tell our friends. (I paid for those texts via a modest contribution.) My wife and I voted at 8:00 this morning; she was voter #65 in our precinct. There was nothing on the ballot except the school board, for which there were sixteen candidates with no identification of incumbents. It is a nonpartisan race, so there was no party identification, either. Who knows, the three conservative rebels might have a shot. Anti-CRT, pro-parent candidates will win races here and there this year, but my guess is that conservatives didn’t get organized in time to actually win a lot of seats. This year we are seeing tremors; next year, with a full 12 months to get organized and raise money, we will see the earthquake. In the Virginia race, Terry McAuliffe inflamed opposition by saying that parents should stay out of the schools and let teachers and administrators run them. Subsequently he doubled down, saying the same thing again, rather than backing off. McAuliffe isn’t a very good politician, and many people considered these comments merely to be gaffes. Actually, though, McAuliffe said what Democrats think. American Experiment polled this in Minnesota, asking, whom do you trust to decide what is taught in the public schools, parents, or teachers and principals? Overall, 42% said they trust parents, while 36% said they trust teachers and principals. But the partisan division was stark. Republicans say they trust parents over educators by 69% to 31%. Democrats, on the other hand, don’t think much of parents. They trust teachers and principals over parents by 54% to 18%. This discrepancy reflects a major fault line in our society. You can see how sharp the division is in the cross tabs to our poll. Of those who favor teaching Critical Race Theory in the schools, only 9% want parents in charge of the schools. They know that they are subverting our families and our country, and that what they are doing is not popular. Conversely, of those who oppose teaching CRT in the schools, 81% want parents in charge, while only 9% prefer teachers and principals. We have seen similar poll results in other states. In Virginia, 70% of Democrats said they want school boards to have more influence on curricula than parents. The Left has declared war on America’s families. The public schools are an important battleground in that war. These issues–Should we be teaching racism and anti-Americanism in the schools? And who, ultimately, is in charge of educating our children?–are winners for conservatives and Republicans. |
| in the Virginia race, election day edition (2)
Posted: 02 Nov 2021 04:52 AM PDT (Scott Johnson)I’ve been following the Virginia gubernatorial campaign via Twitter. I have found it a valuable resource and thought it provided a good window onto the closing events of the campaign yesterday. Here are a few tweets. The education issue is red hot in Loudon County. It’s a Democratic stronghold, but Youngkin will cut into the Democratic margin here. The question is how much.
I think Youngkin finished up in Virginia Beach. McAuliffe canceled the event he had scheduled in Virginia Beach.
Youngkin had a positive closing message. Will it be enough?
This “report” made me laugh.
McAuliffe’s closing message wasn’t only “Donald Trump,” per the Politico Playbook report in the adjacent post. It was also racial: Virginia has too many white teachers, etc. Inspirational!
The Washington Free Beacon’s Brent Scher points out McAuliffe’s changing take on Trump over 48 hours.
Mark Herring is the Democratic candidate for Virginia Attorney General. He tweeted out this photo of the event in Fairfax last night. Herring also campaigned together with McAuliffe in Richmond and Roanoke.
McAuliffe called on teachers’ union honcho Randi Weingarten to speak on his behalf at his final rally yesterday. I’m not sure of much, but I’m sure she won’t fix McAuliffe’s problem with parents on the issue of education in Virginia. I believe she’s the lady who helped close the schools and keep them closed for as long as possible. Does she think Virginia has too many white teachers?
The Hill reports that, in addition to Weingarten, McAuliffe also brought in the founder of the gun control group Mom’s Demand Action and AFSCME president Dolores Huerta. According to 2020 Census data, union membership in Virginia is only 4.4 percent of the workforce, but the unions represent electoral muscle beyond their numbers. |
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92.) THE DAILY BEAST
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99.) MARK LEVIN
November 2, 2021
On Tuesday’s Mark Levin Show, it’s election night in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. The State of Virginia has passed a law requiring absentee votes to be processed faster so a winner should be known by late tonight or tomorrow morning. Former Governor Terry McAuliffe is looking at a lower turnout than the previous gubernatorial election which benefits the larger-than-normal turnout for Glenn Youngkin who needs 57% of the vote to clinch a win tonight. Then, attorney Marc Elias has a reputation for litigating election challenges and successfully suing to change election outcomes and regulations. In March, Elias and his firm were sanctioned for their practices. Interestingly, vote reporting is late coming out of Fairfax County, this is unusual and problematic. Later, educational bureaucrats like Randi Weingarten and the media are lying about critical race theory and are pushing for Terry McAuliffe and Phil Murphy. Some teachers have admitted that students should be taught many theories and critical race theory is among those. Recent news of a sexual assault in a Loudoun County, VA school may affect swing voters in favor of Youngkin.
THIS IS FROM:
Twitter
VA Election LIES: The media are lying about Critical Race Theory. CRT is taught in Virginia schools
Daily Signal
4 Facts to Know About Democrat Election Lawyer Marc Elias
The podcast for this show can be streamed or downloaded from the Audio Rewind page.
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