Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Wednesday December 15, 2021
1.) THE DAILY SIGNAL
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December 15 2021
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Good morning on this Bill of Rights Day from Washington, where lawmakers and other policymakers on the left claim that conservatives want to “restrict access” to the ballot box. A new state-by-state scorecard shows where honest elections thrive, our Fred Lucas reports. The Salvation Army, trading jabs with an outside critic, insists that it isn’t depicting America as racist, Kevin Mooney writes. On the podcast, meet a Christian youth organization that celebrates our rights. Plus: Armstrong Williams urges President BIden to protect the nation’s children. And 230 years ago today, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, become the law of the land. |
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2.) THE EPOCH TIMES
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3.) DAYBREAK
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@DaybreakInsider
4.) THE SUNBURN
Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 12.15.21
Good Wednesday morning.
A tandem of statewide hospital associations is asking the Florida Legislature to bump spending on graduate medical education programs by $95 million, a move it says will help stave off a projected shortfall of 18,000 physicians in the state by the year 2035.
The Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida and the Florida Hospital Association released a report Wednesday conducted by IHS Markit that showed Florida had 55,083 physicians practicing in the state in 2019 — enough to cover about 93% of demand.
By 2035, the study estimates there will be 56,859 full-time physicians in the state. As their ranks grow at an anemic 3%, Florida’s population growth shows no signs of a slowdown. If the trend continues unabated, nearly a quarter of physician demand will go unmet.
Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida CEO Justin Senior likens it to a “one-two punch of Florida’s growing population and a wave of older physicians retiring from practice.”
However, he said the Florida Legislature could punch back by increasing state funding for residency programs at Florida hospitals.
Senior, along with Florida Hospital Association President and CEO Mary Mayhew, will ask Lawmakers to spend an additional $38 million in general revenue which, when matched with federal Medicaid funds, will increase GME funding in the state by $95 million.
Since Florida launched the state Medicaid GME Residency program, physician teaching slots have grown from 3,562 to 6,432. Senior said the additional investment could add another 3,000 to 6,000 slots.
“Research shows that physicians are most likely to practice medicine where they complete their residency, which is why it is so critical to invest in quality residency programs throughout our state,” Mayhew said.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
Tweet, tweet:
— @AshaRangappa_: BTW, it’s not just that FOX News hosts blamed Antifa while privately imploring (Donald) Trump to stop riot that same day. The network made a three-part “documentary” *a month ago* claiming that Jan. 6 was a false flag operation BY THE FBI … and not one of those anchors has disavowed it
—@DWUhlfelderLaw: The Villages is trending because three Republican residents have been charged with voter fraud for voting multiple times in 2020 election, but Ron DeSantis isn’t going to do or say anything about it @RemoveRon
—@SundaeDivine: Between the IRS, STD outbreaks, dueling golf carts, and voting fraud, I would definitely watch a series about The Villages.
—@BiancaJoanie: Rent prices in Miami affecting lawyer retention: At the Miami-Dade delegation meeting this morning, Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez says that his office has lost 62 attorneys in the past year (35% turnover). He says the office is having a hard time competing with pay in NYC.
Tweet, tweet:
Tweet, tweet:
—@ChrisSprowls: Being Speaker of the Florida House can make you feel like every day is your birthday, but that’s not actually true. @lobbytools I wasn’t born in December, but thanks for the thought!
— @NateMonroeTU: So Shad Khan got really upset when someone asked if the Four Seasons play is real. Then he reveals the Four Seasons basically laughed off the idea of associating with a hotel in Jax, but also asserts he — who has no decision-making role with the company — can make it happen.
— DAYS UNTIL —
’Spider-Man: No Way Home’ premieres — 2; ’The Matrix: Resurrections’ released — 7; ’The Book of Boba Fett’ premieres on Disney+ — 14; Private sector employees must be fully vaccinated or tested weekly — 20; final season of ‘This Is Us’ begins — 20; CES 2022 begins — 21; Ken Welch’s inauguration as St. Petersburg Mayor — 22; NFL season ends — 25; 2022 Legislative Session starts — 27; Florida’s 20th Congressional District Election — 27; Special Elections in Senate District 33, House District 88 & 94 — 27; Florida Chamber’s 2022 Legislative Fly-In and Reception — 27; Florida TaxWatch’s 2022 State of the Taxpayer Day — 28; Joel Coen’s ’The Tragedy of Macbeth’ on Apple TV+ — 30; NFL playoffs begin — 31; ‘Ozark’ final season begins — 37; ‘Billions’ begins — 39; XXIV Olympic Winter Games begins — 51; Super Bowl LVI — 60; ‘The Walking Dead’ final season part two begins — 67; Daytona 500 — 67; Special Election for Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 3 — 69; CPAC begins — 71; St. Pete Grand Prix — 72; ‘The Batman’ premieres — 78; The Oscars — 104; ’Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 147; ’Top Gun: Maverick’ premieres — 166; ’Platinum Jubilee’ for Queen Elizabeth II — 169; ’Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 206; San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — 217; ‘The Lord of the Rings’ premieres on Amazon Prime — 261; ’Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 296; ‘Black Panther 2’ premieres — 331; ‘The Flash’ premieres — 334; ‘Avatar 2’ premieres — 366; ‘Captain Marvel 2’ premieres — 429; ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ premieres — 590; ‘Dune: Part Two’ premieres — 674; Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games — 954.
— TOP STORY —
“Far too little vote fraud to tip election to Donald Trump” via Christina Cassidy of The Associated Press — An Associated Press review of every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by Trump has found fewer than 475 — a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 presidential election. The review also showed no collusion intended to rig the voting. Virtually every case was based on an individual acting alone to cast additional ballots. The findings build on a mountain of other evidence that the election wasn’t rigged, including verification of the results by Republican Governors. Contacted for comment, Trump repeated a litany of unfounded claims of fraud he had made previously but offered no new evidence that specifically contradicted the AP’s reporting. “I just don’t think you should make a fool out of yourself by saying 400 votes,” he said. “Voter fraud is virtually nonexistent,” said George Christenson, election clerk for Milwaukee County in Wisconsin, where five people statewide have been charged with fraud out of nearly 3.3 million ballots cast for president. “I would have to venture a guess that’s about the same odds as getting hit by lightning.”
“Florida offers support to states impacted by tornado cluster” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — Florida is offering support to roughly nine Midwestern and Southern states impacted last week by a swarm of deadly tornadoes. Thousands are displaced after a cluster of tornadoes blew through the region, killing dozens. Over the weekend, the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) reached out to regional emergency teams offering support and resources. Search and rescue teams, ambulance strike teams, and disaster recovery specialists are among the resources Florida may offer to impacted states, many of which are without water and electricity amid frigid temperatures. Florida is the fourth-most disaster-prone state.
“Following federal scrutiny, Florida education officials returned $878,000 to certain local school boards” via Danielle J. Brown of Florida Phoenix — After several months of legal challenges, state sanctions, and a Special Session that outlawed strict mask mandates in public schools, the Florida Department of Education returned $877,851 in state funds to eight school districts that had been punished over a COVID-19-related mask controversy. “It has been put back, so we do have that money,” said Russell Bruhn, communication staffer with the Brevard County School District, said. The return of the money came when the state’s education department was under scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Education over potential violations of federal education laws.
“Florida’s specialty license plates have stolen millions from manatees and panthers” via Alex Deluca of the Miami New Times — All told, more than 100 specialty license plates are available across the state of Florida today. It might seem like just another bureaucratic obligation, but the license plate a Florida car owner chooses determines how much money state officials may allocate to protect and conduct research for threatened manatees or the endangered Florida panther. That’s because Florida is one of several U.S. states that takes in a significant portion of its funding for its endangered-wildlife programs, such as the Florida Panther Program and Florida Manatee Program, through the sale of specialty license plates. During the 2020-21 fiscal years, the panther plates brought in just under $1.1 million, while the manatee plates brought in $1,023,835, the lowest year on record. This comes as the number of specialty license plates available to Florida motorists has skyrocketed, from about a dozen in 1987 to 120 and counting as we head into 2022.
— DATELINE TALLY —
“Gov. Ron DeSantis has victory in the bag, so why is he using the state budget to hurt migrants?” via Fabiola Santiago of the Miami Herald — The Governor’s $99.7 billion budget — which he has dubbed the “Freedom First Budget” because its essence isn’t to address the needs of Floridians but to assist his re-election campaign — says a lot about who DeSantis is. Selfish. Entitled. Cruel. DeSantis doesn’t just want to govern. Armed with hefty coffers, including billions in federal funds from President Joe Biden’s commitment to helping states recover from COVID-19 losses and stimulate the economy, DeSantis aims to further agitate and divide an already politically on-edge Florida. Nothing says this louder than DeSantis’ $8 million plan to buy one-way bus tickets out of Florida for the undocumented. If this business of transporting undesirable people isn’t evoking a nauseating feeling, it’s because you’ve forgotten history.
“‘A false narrative’: Debbie Mucarsel-Powell challenges validity of Florida constitutional carry bill” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Former U.S. Rep. Mucarsel-Powell has dismissed a “constitutional carry” bill now moving through the Florida Legislature as trafficking in a “false narrative” that will make the Sunshine State less safe. The bill (HB 103), sponsored by Howey-in-the-Hills Republican Anthony Sabatini, would lift the requirement that a person in Florida obtains a concealed weapon license to carry a gun on their person hidden from plain view. Instead, the bill would allow for the open or concealed carrying of a handgun without a permit, reflecting the view that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution itself is a citizen’s license to carry a firearm.
“Annette Taddeo, Anna Eskamani file bills to bring voter registration to high schools” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — Sen. Taddeo and Rep. Eskamani filed a set of bills Monday aimed at increasing youth voting. The identical bills from the two Democrats (SB 1228 and HB 903) would require public high schools to give students a presentation on voter registration and allow an opportunity for those students to register or preregister online. In Florida, U.S. citizens can register to vote at 18 or preregister at 16 or 17. Voter outreach is required in schools under Florida law. But those efforts have a history of going undone or unreported and there’s no registration requirement. Eskamani said similar programs allowed her to register to vote. She also said new tools, such as online registration and expanded preregistration, can be used to “turn up civic engagement.”
DOE unveils proposed ‘victims of communism’ rules — The Florida Department of Education released a proposed rule requiring Florida high school students to learn about the “victims of communism.” As reported by Andrew Atterbury of POLITICO Florida, the rule would require instruction on the dictatorial regimes of Mao Zedong, Josef Stalin and Fidel Castro. Lessons must cover how those living under those regimes “suffered, including through suppression of speech, poverty, starvation, migration, and systemic lethal violence.” The rule matches language included in a 2022 bill sponsored by Sen. Manny Diaz that would set declare Nov. 7 as “Victims of Communism Day.” DOE officials will workshop the proposed rule Feb. 4. After that, it would be considered by the State Board of Education.
“Lawmakers stopped cities from banning natural gas. Climate change plans suffered” via Alex Harris and Daniel Rivero of the Miami Herald — This summer, Miami joined cities across the state in pledging to lower its greenhouse gas emissions to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, which could swamp Florida’s coasts with a few feet of sea rise by midcentury. But Miami’s plan, like others across the state, was weakened by a set of new state laws that block municipalities from regulating fossil fuels in their communities, as well as direct lobbying from the fossil fuel industry. The laws are part of a wave of gas industry-supported bills sweeping the nation in response to efforts from cities to tamp down on their emissions. So far, 19 states have passed similar legislation, with another five states considering the bills this year.
— CORONA FLORIDA —
“Florida COVID-19 update: 3,067 new cases added to state tally” via Devoun Cetoute of the Miami Herald — Florida reported 3,067 COVID-19 cases and no new deaths Monday. The Florida Department of Health will most likely add deaths to Monday’s total. The state has done this in the past when it has added cases and deaths to previous days during the pandemic. In all, Florida has recorded at least 3,720,146 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 62,073 deaths. In the past seven days, the state has added 41 fatalities and 2,350 cases per day, on average. The seven-day case average is the highest since Oct. 21.
“Delta caused Florida’s worst COVID-19 wave. What will omicron bring?” via Ana Claudia Chacin of the Miami Herald — At least three cases of the new, little-known-about omicron variant have been reported in Florida, including one in Miami-Dade reported Friday, just a few months since the state began recovering from the devastating delta wave experienced over the late summer and early fall. According to Jason Salemi, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of South Florida, delta’s impact was largely avoidable. “When you’re getting to 400 deaths a day when vaccines are available, you start to look at it, and say ‘My God, this wave did not need to be anywhere near this bad,’” he said. Last Tuesday, at a news conference in Oldsmar, DeSantis suggested he would tackle omicron the same way he did delta, without lockdowns or mask requirements.
“Jason Pizzo files legislation to undo Special Session on COVID-19 protocols” via Anne Geggis of Florida Politics — To anyone wishing the gavel that opened the 2021 Special Session B never dropped Nov. 15, Sen. Pizzo has filed a bill for you. On Monday, Pizzo actually filed three of them (SB 1230, SB 1234 and SB 1232). The bills would essentially undo the Special Session highlighted as cementing Gov. DeSantis‘ “Keep Florida Free” agenda. Pass the 166 lines of legislation, and it would be like those three days, and the ensuing gubernatorial signing in Brandon never happened. None of the bills have House companions, and it’s unlikely they’d even get a glance in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Still, DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw called the proposed legislation “appalling.”
“Broward teacher could be fired for not wearing mask” via Scott Travis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — The recommended termination of John C. Alvarez, 57, a science teacher at Piper High in Sunrise, could reignite a bitter debate in Broward over the required use of face coverings to combat COVID-19. School district officials are accusing Alvarez of insubordination, neglect of duty and incompetence for his refusal to wear a mask. Alvarez plans to appeal the recommendation to a state administrative law judge. “The state of Florida, which provides my licensure, has said mask mandates are unconstitutional,” he said. The state hasn’t actually done that. DeSantis and the Legislature have banned districts from imposing mask mandates for students, but the law doesn’t address whether districts can require them for teachers or other employees.
Personnel note: Kenneth Scheppke named Deputy Secretary at DOH — The Florida Department of Health announced this week that Dr. Scheppke will now serve as the Deputy Secretary for Health. Scheppke has previously served as the State Emergency Medical Services Medical Director, the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Chief Medical Officer, and Medical Director for seven fire-rescue agencies across Palm Beach and Martin counties. “The Florida Department of Health is pleased to have Dr. Scheppke assume this new role. Dr. Scheppke has been and will continue to be a great asset to the Department and the State of Florida,” Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said. “We look forward to his leadership and the vast experience he brings to the table.”
“Democratic Governors worry about threat to democracy but don’t see it as a winning message for 2022” via Edward-Isaac Dovere of CNN — Democratic governors are facing a messaging conundrum: they say American democracy may hinge on their elections in 2022, but they’re not sure they can get most voters to care. Attempts to meddle with the certification of the Electoral College count and the partisan takeovers of the voting infrastructure don’t seem to be front of mind for an electorate drained by nearly two years of pandemic living and a creeping sense of economic panic, and that worries a range of Democratic governors gearing up for campaigns who gathered in New Orleans for grim meetings about their 2022 electoral prospects.
“Report: Socialism attacks hurt Dems with Latino voters” via Sabrina Rodriguez of POLITICO — A new post-mortem on the 2020 election results reveals that GOP attacks claiming Democrats embrace socialism helped fuel Trump’s gains with Latino voters last year. More than 40% of Latino voters across the country expressed concern that Democrats are embracing socialism and leftist policies. Among those who voted for Trump, more than 70% were concerned. And Latino voters said they are more concerned with Democrats moving to the left than with Republicans embracing fascist and anti-democratic politics. The report’s findings suggested that the attacks painting Democrats as supporters of socialism resonated well beyond Florida, which has a more conservative-leaning Cuban American population.
“The Democrats’ 2024 kryptonite” via Tina Nguyen of Puck News — Jeff Roe’s political consulting firm Axiom has run hundreds of races over the years, including Ted Cruz’s 2016 national campaign, but Roe has become synonymous with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s campaign in large part because the victory articulated a new Trump-friendly, post-Trump Playbook for Never Trump Republicans. After alienating suburban moms and people of color during the Trump years, suburban voters and minorities suddenly turned up to vote Republican in Virginia. And Roe suddenly became the hottest name in political consulting, a phenomenon he attributes to the fact that there was so much press attention on this particular race given its proximity to the swamp.
“Nikki Fried warns, again, DeSantis could be President” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Fried returned to this theme yet again in a Tuesday email fundraising for her campaign. In the so-called “Ron recap,” Fried blasted the Governor: “DeSantis has spent the year imitating Trump, acting as a wannabe authoritarian dictator, and running a shadow campaign for the presidency in 2024 — all the while enacting horrifying policies that hurt our state.” The email charges DeSantis with adopting a “pro-COVID agenda” while remonstrating him for having “abandoned Florida in the middle of a crisis to raise money for his 2024 presidential run.” Then, a chilling warning: “If this is what he’s done in 2021 alone, can you imagine what he could do with another term? Or, worse, with the presidency?”
—“DeSantis fundraises off ‘noncitizens’ voting in New York” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Eric Lynn lands CD 13 endorsements from Eric Swalwell, Jimmy Panetta” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Congressional candidate Lynn landed endorsements Tuesday from two California Congressmen. Democratic U.S. Reps. Swalwell and Panetta both offered their support to Lynn, who is running in CD 13. “With years of national security experience at the federal and international level, Eric has a firsthand understanding of how to navigate the challenges of lawmaking,” Panetta said. Lynn worked as a national security adviser under former President Barack Obama. Notably, his father served for a period as Obama’s Defense Secretary. Swalwell, who launched a 2020 run for President with a gun control town hall in Florida, said Lynn “is the most qualified candidate to both win this race and help get our country back on track.”
“Trump gives thumbs-up to Byron Donalds’ return to Congress” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. Donalds for re-election. The high-profile nod came about a week after Donalds, a Naples Republican, shared photos of himself and wife Erika in Southwest Florida with the former commander in chief. “Congressman Byron Donalds has been a terrific advocate for the people of Florida and our Country,” Trump said. The first-term Congressman welcomed the support. “Thank you, POTUS Trump, for your ENDORSEMENT and your unwavering support,” Donalds tweeted. Trump recently hosted a Naples Winter Christmas event in the heart of Florida’s 19th Congressional District. Donalds attended and had his picture taken with Trump.
“Chip LaMarca adds $27K in November to boost re-election war chest” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Rep. LaMarca followed a massive October fundraising haul by adding another $27,000 in November. LaMarca raised more than $21,000 through his campaign account in November and another $6,000 through his political committee, Citizens Helping Improve Policy. That means LaMarca has amassed more than $110,000 in the past two months alone. He added more than $83,000 in October. The incumbent listed just over $8,000 in expenses during November. As of Nov. 30, LaMarca holds nearly $168,000 between his two funding sources as he seeks a third term in the House.
“Fiona McFarland pulls in $21K as maps promise challenging election cycle” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Rep. McFarland added more than $20,000 to her war chest in November, her official campaign’s biggest month this year. The step up in fundraising came as draft redistricting maps made clear her district could be as much a battleground as ever. The Sarasota Republican reported $21,125 in new donations over the course of November. Since the start of the election cycle, she has raised $76,969. She closed the month with $56,576 on hand. The proposed maps suggest McFarland could end up in a Primary with a GOP colleague. An affiliated political committee, Friends of Sarasota, raised another $17,000 in November and has pulled in $72,000 this year. That means there’s another $39,624 in cash available to support McFarland’s re-election effort.
—“Dana Trabulsy raises $10K in November as she seeks second House term” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“David Borrero brings in more than $14K in November push for second House term” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Rep. Borrero raised more than $14,000 in November, his third-highest monthly fundraising haul of the 2022 election cycle. Borrero is seeking a second term in the House after winning the open House District 105 seat in 2020. Borrero raised more than $8,800 through his campaign account last month and another $5,550 via his political committee, Floridians for Prosperity. In November, Braman Motors was Borrero’s most significant donor, sending $2,500 to his political committee. Borrero listed just over $4,100 in campaign expenses in November. Nearly $3,100 went to DRC Consulting for various campaign costs. Borrero’s committee sent $1,000 to Rep. Chis Latvala’s campaign for Pinellas County Commission.
“The coffee shop at this nonprofit Florida hospital pours cash into political coffers” via Kerby Wilson of the Miami Herald — A festive scene greets patients and visitors entering Tampa General Hospital’s main campus. A Christmas tree, a shiny reindeer, a menorah, gift-wrapped presents. Once visitors check-in at the front desk, they can attend to their hospital business or pop over to sip Peppermint Mochas and Irish Cream Cold Brews at the Starbucks. Unbeknown to most of its customers, this Starbucks serves up more than holiday cheer. For the past three years, it’s been making venti-sized campaign contributions to a select group of Florida political candidates. It does this even though Tampa General operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Federal law prohibits it from giving money to political candidates.
— CORONA NATION —
“Omicron spreading rapidly in U.S., could bring punishing wave of infections, C.D.C. warns” via Lena H. Sun, Joel Achenbach, Laurie McGinley and Tyler Pager of The Washington Post — Top federal health officials warned in a briefing Tuesday morning that the omicron variant is rapidly spreading in the United States and could peak in a massive wave of infections as soon as January. The prevalence of omicron jumped sevenfold in a single week, CDC modeling shows, and at such a pace, the highly mutated variant of the coronavirus could ratchet up pressure on a health system already strained in many places as the delta variant continues its own late-autumn surge. The warning of an imminent surge came even as federal officials and pharmaceutical companies signaled that they don’t currently favor creating a new omicron-specific vaccine. Based on the data so far, they believe that existing vaccines plus a booster shot are an effective weapon against omicron.
— 15 grim reminders that COVID-19 is not done with us: One out of every 100 Americans age 65 or older has died from COVID-19, according to The New York Times. Building on that, The Washington Post outlined a list of data points that show, even if most everyday Americans are done with the virus, it’s definitely not done with them. Overall, one in 420 Americans died from the virus, while one in 290 Mississippi residents have succumbed to the illness. Still think it hasn’t touched someone you know? One in less than seven Americans have had confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 72% say they know someone who has died or been hospitalized with the virus. One in 130 have been hospitalized. Scarier still, a third of Americans say they have a family member or close friend who has died from the virus. Read more about these stark realities here.
“One year of vaccines: Many lives saved, many needlessly lost” via The Associated Press — One year ago, the biggest vaccination drive in American history began with a flush of excitement in an otherwise gloomy December. Trucks loaded with freezer-packed vials of a COVID-19 vaccine that had proved wildly successful in clinical trials fanned out across the land, bringing shots that many hoped would spell the end of the crisis. That hasn’t happened. A year later, too many Americans remain unvaccinated, and many die. The nation’s COVID-19 death toll stands at around 800,000 as the anniversary of the U.S. vaccine rollout arrives. A year ago, it stood at 300,000. An untold number of lives, perhaps tens of thousands, have been saved by vaccination. But what might have been a time to celebrate a scientific achievement is fraught with discord and mourning.
“Pfizer jabs protect 70% against hospitalization from omicron” via The Associated Press — A two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination provides just 33% protection against infection by the omicron variant of the coronavirus, but 70% protection against hospitalization, according to a large-scale analysis. The first large-scale analysis of vaccine effectiveness in the region where the new variant was discovered appears to support early indications that omicron is more easily transmissible, and that the Pfizer shot isn’t as effective in protecting against infection as it was against the delta variant. The result shows that vaccinated individuals who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine have 33% protection against infection from omicron, relative to those who were unvaccinated. This represents a significant drop from the 80% protection against infection afforded during the earlier period, probably based on lower antibody susceptibility.
“Some hospitals cancel worker vaccine requirements with Joe Biden rule tied up in courts” via Eli Rosenberg and Aaron Gregg of The Washington Post — Several hospitals are walking away from vaccine requirements for their staffs in the wake of court rulings that have blocked the White House’s vaccine rule for many health care centers. These hospital groups include Christian medical center AdventHealth, the Cleveland Clinic, Tenet Healthcare and Nashville-based HCA Healthcare, which comprise more than 300 hospitals and 500,000 employees. The hospitals all said they had instituted vaccine requirements to comply with the Biden administration’s directive that hospitals and medical centers that receive Medicaid or Medicare funding institute vaccine mandates. But now that the rule is being held up in court, they said they were dropping the requirements.
“Vaccine mandates should be illegal, Americans say” via Margaret Talev of Axios — Half of Americans say it should be illegal for companies to deny service or employment to the unvaccinated, according to the latest Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. This carries real political risk for Democrats as Biden’s mandates on federal workers and large employers meet legal challenges, and Republicans try to use mandates as a wedge issue. The survey shows there’s deep, bipartisan resistance — even from those who support vaccine and mask mandates — to imposing severe consequences on those who won’t go along. “This is sort of getting at the limits of what government can do,” said Cliff Young, president of Ipsos U.S. Public Affairs. “Biden doesn’t have strong support for these sorts of initiatives. It’s very conditional.”
— CORONA ECONOMICS —
“U.S. holiday travel makes comeback with over 100 million drivers” via Chunzi Xu of Bloomberg — More than 100 million Americans are forecast to hit the road this holiday season, nearing pre-pandemic levels even as gasoline prices at the pump remain close to seven-year highs. The estimate for people planning to drive 50 miles or more between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2 represents a 28% increase from last year when lockdowns curbed traveling. But the number is still 7.3% lower than two years ago.
— MORE CORONA —
“Omicron variant more resistant to vaccine but causes less severe COVID-19, major South African study concludes” via Lesley Wroughton of The Washington Post — Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than earlier variants of the coronavirus but is more resistant to the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine widely used in South Africa. The study by Discovery Health, South Africa’s largest health insurer, of 211,000 positive coronavirus cases, of which 78,000 were attributed to omicron, showed the risk of hospital admissions among adults who contracted COVID-19 was 29% lower than in the initial pandemic wave that emerged in March 2020. However, the study, released Tuesday, found that the vaccine from U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German partner BioNTech provided just 33% protection against infection, much less than the level for other variants detected in the country.
“Gen Z is done with the pandemic” via Christian Paz of The Atlantic — It’s still too early to determine just how disruptive the omicron phase of the pandemic will be for most Americans. The Delta variant turned out to be much more transmissible than the original strain and stunted summer celebrations with breakthrough cases and surges in unvaccinated communities, but many of the young people I spoke with for this story told me they aren’t as worried now. Part of that response comes from pandemic fatigue, but much of this feeling is a result of the new risk calculus they have developed for how they want to live their lives. As a member of this generation, I can confirm as much from what I’ve observed among friends.
“Where I live, no one cares about COVID-19” via Matthew Walther of The Atlantic — I don’t know how to put this in a way that will not make me sound flippant: No one cares. Literally speaking, I know that isn’t true. But outside the world inhabited by the professional and managerial classes in a handful of major metropolitan areas, Americans are leading their lives as if COVID-19 is over. In my part of rural southwest Michigan, and in similar communities throughout the country, this is true not despite but without any noticeable regard for cases, hospitalization statistics or death reports. I don’t mean to deny COVID-19’s continuing presence. What I wish to convey is that the virus simply does not factor into my calculations or those of my neighbors.
“New York feels COVID-19’s grip tighten anew as hospital cases surge 70%” via Shelly Banjo and Hannah Levitt of Bloomberg — New York’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have jumped by 70% since the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, prompting officials and businesses alike to reassess their policies in an attempt to blunt a winter virus surge and the onset of the new omicron variant. Gov. Kathy Hochul said that the rise in hospitalizations across the state, along with a 58% jump in cases per 100,000 people during the same period, was the impetus for a new statewide indoor mask mandate for businesses without a vaccine requirement. While cases and hospitalizations had been going up mostly in upstate New York earlier in the month, the increasing trend levels are now present across the state.
“Air Force discharges 27 service members in first apparent dismissals over vaccine refusal” via Alex Horton and Timothy Bella of The Washington Post — The Air Force removed 27 people for not obeying orders to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, a spokeswoman said Monday, apparently marking the U.S. military’s first dismissals of those who refuse the shots. More than 94% of the Air Force is fully vaccinated. But tens of thousands of active-duty members across all services have declined the vaccines, a show of defiance in a culture built around following orders. Many of them have sought rarely given exemptions. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek acknowledged that those dismissed Monday were the first active-duty Air Force members discharged over the Pentagon’s vaccination requirements for military members.
— PRESIDENTIAL —
“Revealed: Biden administration was not legally bound to auction gulf drilling rights” via Oliver Milman of The Guardian — The Biden administration admitted that a court decision did not compel it to lease vast tracts of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling, shortly before claiming it was legally obliged to do so when announcing the sell-off. Last month, the U.S. government held the largest-ever auction of oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico’s history, offering up more than 80m acres of the Gulf’s seabed for fossil fuel extraction. The enormous sale, which took place just four days after crucial U.N. climate talks in Scotland, represented a spectacular about-turn from Biden’s previous promise to halt offshore drilling and was denounced by outraged environmental groups as a “huge carbon bomb.”
— D.C. MATTERS —
“Senate Dems’ choice: Election reform first, or Biden’s megabill?” via Marianne Levine and Burgess Everett of POLITICO — During Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s leadership meeting Monday evening, Democratic Senators hotly debated how to handle their two biggest unfinished tasks. Some Democrats say they should kick both issues until next year; others argue the party’s leverage over Joe Manchin won’t improve over time and want action now. And Tuesday interviews revealed a party wrestling with how to clinch its top priorities. Sen. Raphael Warnock said he spent the weekend talking to Manchin and other Democrats about prioritizing legislation on ballot access, which he called a “moral question” that his party needs to confront.
“Rick Scott denounces White House ‘lies’ amid fight over ‘charity hospital’ funding” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — “The American public is fed up with Joe Biden and his constant lies,” Scott told the Fox Business Channel denouncing White House press secretary Jen Psaki who claimed the Congressional Budget Office scoring of the Build Back Better bill was “fake” because it assumed social programs in the plan would be permanent. CBO scoring says the “true” cost of the bill is $4.9 trillion, not the $3 trillion claimed by the Biden administration. “I think it’s fake what she says. Because what comes out of her mouth is constantly a lie. Remember how the infrastructure bill was paid for? It wasn’t. Remember how this was paid for? It’s not. Remember how they’re not going to raise taxes on middle income? They are.”
Spotted — Scott on Business Insider’s list of 25 richest members of Congress. He’s No. 1.
“Mike Waltz, two Democrats plead for administration to help Ukraine now” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — After returning from a whirlwind research mission in Ukraine, Republican U.S. Rep. Waltz and two Democratic colleagues Tuesday implored the Biden administration to immediately get heavy weapons to Ukraine and economic sanctions prepared against Russia to deter a potential Russian invasion. “I would love to see — and would encourage and demand — the White House to take stronger moves now,” Waltz said in a virtual news conference Tuesday. “This is about speed,” agreed U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton. The trio, all military veterans, went to Ukraine over the weekend and returned late Monday. In Ukraine, they met with diplomatic officials, intelligence officials, and Ukrainian special forces, receiving briefings on the reported 125,000 Russian troops amassing along Ukraine’s eastern border.
“House, Senate near agreement on Uyghur Bill aimed at China” via Daniel Flatley of Bloomberg — Lawmakers in the House and Senate are close to agreement on legislation aimed at punishing China for the alleged oppression of the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, according to two people familiar with the discussions. A deal would set up a potential vote on the legislation before the end of the year if Senate committees sign off and the measure can be squeezed into the schedule. Versions of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act have passed in the House and Senate, and lawmakers in both chambers have been working to iron out differences.
— CRISIS —
“D.C. suing the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys for damage caused Jan. 6” via Kyle Cheney of POLITICO — The Attorney General of the District of Columbia is suing the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and 31 members of the far-right groups for participating in the mob that breached the Capitol on Jan. 6. It’s the first government-backed legal action against the groups whose members allegedly stormed the Capitol. Members of Congress and the Capitol Police have already filed similar suits in their personal capacities. The D.C. suit alleges a conspiracy among the groups to attack the Capitol, causing severe harm to the District of Columbia, including damage to buildings and trauma to Metropolitan Police officers.
“Two Jan. 6 organizers are coming forward and naming names: ‘We’re turning it all over’” via Hunter Walker of Rolling Stone — Two key organizers of the main Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C. are coming in from the cold. Dustin Stockton and Jennifer Lynn Lawrence are set to testify next week before the House select committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The pair will deliver testimony and turn over documents, including text messages, which indicate the extensive involvement members of Congress and the Trump administration had in planning the House challenge to certifying Biden’s election and rally near the White House where Trump spoke — efforts that ultimately contributed to a massive and violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Enigmatic observation: Mitch McConnell says he looks forward to getting to the bottom of what happened on Jan. 6.” via Anthony Adragna of POLITICO — McConnell told reporters he’s watching the proceedings of the House Jan. 6 committee and looks forward to seeing what it finds. McConnell has been an ally of Rep. Liz Cheney, who’s faced de facto excommunication from the House Republican conference for vocally condemning Trump after Jan. 6. Cheney is now sitting on the Jan. 6 select panel formed after McConnell’s Senate GOP made a bill creating an independent riot commission its first filibuster of 2021. McConnell said he was not in contact with then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows or other senior officials to urge Trump to do more to stop the siege at the Capitol.
“Proud Boys regroup, focusing on school boards and town councils” via Sheera Frenkel of The New York Times — Members of the Proud Boys, the far-right nationalist group, have increasingly appeared in recent months at town council gatherings, school board presentations, and health department question-and-answer sessions across the country. Their presence at the events is part of a strategy shift by the militia organization toward a larger goal: to bring their brand of menacing politics to the local level. For years, the group was known for its national profile. But since federal authorities have cracked down on the group for the Jan. 6 attack, including arresting more than a dozen of its members, the organization has been more muted. Some members and researchers said that away from the national spotlight, the Proud Boys quietly shifted attention to local chapters.
— EPILOGUE TRUMP —
“What crime might Trump have committed on Jan. 6? Liz Cheney points to one.” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post — Rep. Cheney’s disclosures of intriguing Jan. 6 text messages between Meadows and both Donald Trump Jr. and Fox News personalities are the big news in the committee’s investigation right now. But don’t lose sight of what Cheney said immediately after reading those texts aloud. Cheney’s comment matches the language of the statute. It states, “Whoever corruptly … obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.” That law defines an “official proceeding” as including “a proceeding before the Congress.”
“Trump’s longtime accountant testifies to New York grand jury in criminal probe” via David A. Fahrenthold, Josh Dawsey, Shayna Jacobs and Jonathan O’Connell of The Washington Post — A longtime accountant for Trump testified recently before a New York grand jury investigating Trump’s financial practices, according to two people familiar with that investigation. Accountant Donald Bender of the firm Mazars appeared before a grand jury that was impaneled this fall by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. to weigh potential criminal charges, the people said. In addition, in recent weeks, prosecutors have interviewed Rosemary Vrablic, a former managing director at Deutsche Bank who arranged hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to Trump. Vrablic’s interview was not before the grand jury. Instead, one person said, prosecutors pressed Vrablic about Trump’s role in dealings with the bank.
“The pro-Trump conspiracy internet is moving from Facebook to your doorstep” via Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed — Across the country, the pro-Trump conspiracy theory internet is manifesting itself into knocks at the door. Individual election deniers and grassroots groups are canvassing for election fraud in states lost or even won by Trump in 2020, including New Hampshire, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, Utah, and Nebraska. Despite 60-plus court losses and countless official audits and recounts confirming the 2020 election results, many of Trump’s supporters are still so convinced of his lies that they’ve turned to this kind of vigilantism. It’s all part of a broader effort by Trump supporters to deny the 2020 election results at all costs and cast doubt on elections going forward.
— LOCAL NOTES —
“Buddy Dyer: Downtown Orlando is ‘well positioned’ to grow post-pandemic” via Ryan Gillespie of the Orlando Sentinel — Facing questions from a gathering of a few hundred local and business leaders, Orlando Mayor Dyer handicapped the city’s odds of hosting World Cup matches as favorable, championed its efforts on addressing homelessness and housing affordability and pitched Orlando as a city prepared to take on a post-COVID-19 world. “The pandemic has ushered in a realignment in how people live and work,” Dyer said from a stage on the sideline of Exploria Stadium. “Downtown Orlando is well-positioned to take advantage of these new dynamics.” Dyer spoke for an hour and touched on development and business growth as well as challenges surrounding transportation, housing and homelessness.
“Seminole attorney: Joel Greenberg agrees to pay nearly $1.9 million to Seminole in restitution” via Martin E. Comas of the Orlando Sentinel — Seminole County’s attorney Tuesday said he has reached an agreement with Greenberg toward the payment of nearly $1.9 million in restitution for public money that was misspent during his time in office. “I have reached a tentative agreement, a verbal agreement — and I emphasize verbal — with Joel Greenberg’s attorney for restitution in the amount of $1,870351,” county Attorney Bryant Applegate told Commissioners this morning. Applegate added that he expects the county to obtain the money during Greenberg’s sentencing scheduled for March or “prior thereto.”
“Disney guests evacuated at Magic Kingdom after small fire breaks out near Cinderella Castle” via Katie Rice and Lisa Maria Garza of the Orlando Sentinel — A small fire at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Tuesday night prompted guests to evacuate an area of the park next to Cinderella Castle. An unsigned statement from the company said a small fire broke out in the Magic Kingdom and was quickly extinguished. Jon Shirey, President of the Reedy Creek Firefighters Association, said the call initially came into the fire department around 6:45 p.m. as an electrical fire on a junction box outside the castle. Once firefighters arrived, they saw a tree on fire next to the structure, he said. Cinderella Castle was evacuated and roped off to Disney guests. The cause of the blaze is still pending investigation by the Fire Marshal.
“Manatee County candidate shares text exchange from consultant who jilted him” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — A candidate for Manatee County Commission emailed supporters promising he will defy experts’ expectations. In his blast, he included a text message exchange, without permission, with a prominent campaign consultant who refused to work with his campaign. Jason Bearden, a Republican challenging County Commissioner Carol Whitmore’s re-election, sent out a fundraising pitch with the curious subject line “They Want Me to Quit and Give Up!” The expert he referenced, without naming him, was Anthony Pedicini, the Tampa-based founder of Strategic Image Management, a conservative political consulting firm. Pedicini confirms Bearden reached out to him about potentially working with his campaign, but the consultant declined to meet.
“Teddy bears, bedroom sets and brand-new cars — what’s fueling inflation for South Florida companies?” via Tom Hudson of WLRN — There is no must-have, rush-out-to-the-store, fight-the-crowds toy this year. Nothing like what the toy industry has experienced during past holidays. Sure, there still are mass-marketed toys. Jay Foreman, the CEO at Basic Fun, a toy company based in Boca Raton, counts on a combination of nostalgia from parents or grandparents — and technology. He also knows its technology contributes to the lack of a blockbuster toy. “Everything is so fragmented from the media that the kids consume, commercials they watch, the influences they have, that it’s so micro-targeted. There’s nothing really that hot this year,” he said. But there is something that almost everything has this holiday season — inflation. And no one asks for inflation for Christmas.
“FPL reveals world’s largest solar-powered battery at Manatee Solar Energy Center” via Florida Politics — It’s “the world’s largest battery when measured by generating output and the world’s largest solar-powered battery when measured by both total output and capacity per hour,” according to the company. The battery measures 409 megawatts and 900-megawatt-hours. That gives it the power of 100 million iPhone batteries and allows it to power nearly 330,000 homes for more than two hours. The biggest benefit is that it can help homes operate on solar energy even when it’s dark outside. The battery will store solar energy captured by the Manatee Solar Energy Center and keep it available for use. “It’s been a momentous year for clean energy in Florida … “ FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy said.
— TOP OPINION —
“Biden seems set on making ‘transitory’ inflation last” via Gerard Baker of The Wall Street Journal — It’s welcome that Jerome Powell at least has decided to retire the term, not primarily because it was misleading, but because it was meaningless. Despite the best efforts of the current incumbents at the Fed and the White House to emulate the staggering combination of policy errors that contributed to the Great Inflation, no one serious at the moment thinks we are in for a full-on repeat. Fiscal incontinence and monetary abandon have seen the federal debt balloon this year to nearly 123% of gross domestic product and the central bank’s balance sheet explode to nearly $9 trillion. Growth will slow next year, and perhaps inflation will too, but the mismatch between monetary policy and the condition of the economy is still virtually unprecedented.
— OPINIONS —
“It’s time to entertain the possibility that the Build Back Better bill won’t pass” via Henry Olsen of The Washington Post — Most pundits seem to be operating under the assumption that Biden’s Build Back Better program will eventually become law. After all, it would be very unusual for a Congress controlled by the president’s party to reject his first major domestic proposal. But given developments in the past week, it might be time to start seriously considering the chance that BBB is DOA. Manchin has long been the primary obstacle to BBB’s passage. He represents an energy-producing state, so he has a different view on the bill’s climate provisions than most Democrats. West Virginia is now staunchly Republican at all levels and voted for Trump by 39 points in 2020. To have any hope of re-election, Manchin has to show his constituents that he is fighting hard for them.
“FPL’s dark-money games are backfiring” via Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel — Florida Power and Light has had a run of bad press lately that would make Kanye West and Urban Meyer blush. First came news of FPL payments to people connected with the state’s ghost-candidate scandal. Now come revelations that the utility’s political consultants were behind a $240,000 job offer to a city council member in Jacksonville who was standing in the way of FPL’s plans to buy the city-owned electric company. FPL says it has done nothing wrong and merely involved itself in the political process the way any great American or company might. The company also says it’s unfair to link them with any controversial actions taken by dark-money groups controlled by operatives they hired.
What Steve Schale is reading — “Nobody believes Urban Meyer. That’s why he’s failing.” via Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post — Meyer’s problem with the Jacksonville Jaguars seems to be mostly one of tone; he can’t seem to find a sincere one. Meyer has had to “address” his team, what, three times now over various mismanagement issues? But you can never pin any blame on him for a lousy performance or inner dissension. He’s cleaner than his white lies. Nobody believes a word Meyer says. He’s 2-11, he bailed on his team after a loss to go grinding in a bar, and he doesn’t even seem to know which of his players rotate in and out of the game or why.
— JINGLE, JINGLE —
“White House decides against lavish Christmas parties with omicron spreading” via Emily Goodin of the Daily Mail — Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host ‘Holiday Open Houses’ instead of cocktail parties for the holiday season, so visitors can see the decorations in the White House in a COVID-19-friendly way. “Anyone who knows the Bidens knows how much they enjoy hosting and celebrating the holidays. In the coming days, we will host a limited number of Holiday Open Houses, inviting guests to see the Christmas decorations in person at the White House,” Jill Biden’s spokesman Michael LaRosa said. “It is disappointing that we cannot host as many people as the Bidens would like to, but as we have done since Day One of the Biden administration, we will continue to implement strong COVID-19 protocols, developed in consultation with our public health advisers.”
“Fried delivers Christmas trees to DeSantis, fellow Cabinet offices” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Fried continued the annual tradition of delivering locally-grown Christmas trees to the members of the Florida Cabinet. On Friday, Fried’s team delivered trees to the offices of the Governor and the other two Cabinet positions, the Attorney General and Chief Financial Officer. “We’re proud to contribute to the joy of the season, providing our fellow Cabinet offices with locally-grown, Fresh From Florida Christmas trees,” Fried said. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services delivered 8-foot Carolina Sapphire trees from Bavarian Christmas Tree Farm in Tallahassee.
— ALOE —
Tweet, tweet:
— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —
Celebrating today are Ken Lawson, Sara Pennington Nuvy, and former Florida Democratic Party chair Terrie Rizzo.
___
Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Renzo Downey and Drew Wilson.
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13.) AXIOS
Axios AM
🐪 Hello, Wednesday. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,198 words … 4½ minutes. Edited by Zachary Basu.
🩺 At 12:30 p.m. ET today, please join Axios’ Sam Baker and health care editor Tina Reed for a virtual event on building climate resilience in health care. Register here.
Health officials are stressing the importance of coronavirus vaccine booster shots as the Omicron variant spreads around the world. But millions of vaccinated Americans aren’t yet eligible for another dose, Axios’ Caitlin Owens writes.
- Some experts warn that giving a booster shot too soon could diminish its effects.
Why it matters: Two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines (or one J&J) aren’t very protective against Omicron infection, according to preliminary data — although they likely prevent severe illness.
Where it stands: Anyone 16 and older who got their second Pfizer or Moderna shot at least six months ago is eligible for a booster shot in the U.S., as are people who received a J&J shot at least two months ago.
- But 58 million Americans received their second shots within the last six months, per CDC data.
- Children ages 5-11 just became eligible for vaccines last month, meaning none of them are yet eligible for a third shot.
⚡ Adults in the U.K. are now eligible for booster shots three months after their second dose, rather than six.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
In the 22 months since U.S. companies sent workers home, they’ve collected droves of poll data, paid billions to workplace consultants, and drafted plan after plan.
- But they still know little more about post-pandemic work than in March 2020, Erica Pandey writes for Axios What’s Next.
“[E]mployees are wanting transparency. They want a plan,” says Brad Bell, director of the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies at Cornell. “But every time we think we’re coming out of this, and companies go to flip the switch on return-to-work, something comes up.”
- In June, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said he’d be “very disappointed” if his workforce wasn’t back in the office by Labor Day 2021.
- But this week, he told CNBC: “I was wrong on this. … Everybody’s still finding their way.”
Firms that have pushed back return-to-work dates in the past week include Ford, Lyft and DocuSign, The New York Times’ Emma Goldberg writes in “The End of a Return-to-Office Date” (subscription).
- DocuSign’s planned return on Jan. 10 — now postponed — was its fourth attempt at setting a date to bring employees back.
Two Fox News prime-time hosts tore into the House’s 1/6 investigative committee last night as they spoke about their own texts during the siege.
- Their texts had been turned over to the committee by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
- The hosts spoke 24 hours after committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney read the texts aloud during a hearing on holding Meadows in contempt.
Last night, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham both played tape of themselves on 1/6 as they condemned violence.
- Ingraham said: “The more they talk about January 6th, the stronger Trump and the GOP are becoming in the polls.”
- Hannity spoke next to a graphic saying: “SHAM COMMITTEE.”
The House voted 222-208 just after 11 p.m. to hold Meadows, a former House member, in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the 1/6 committee.
- Only two Republicans — Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — joined Democrats in voting for the resolution.
Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said during the floor debate: “[I]f you’re making excuses to avoid cooperating with our investigation, you’re making excuses to hide the truth from the American people about what happened on January 6th.”
⚡ Reality check: An AP review of every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by former President Trump has found fewer than 475 — a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 presidential election.
- President Biden won Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and their 79 Electoral College votes by a combined 311,257 votes out of 25.5 million ballots cast for president.
- The disputed ballots represent 0.15% of his victory margin in those states.
Go deeper: State-by-state breakdown.
Congressional leaders — both chambers, both parties — hold a moment of silence on the Capitol steps last evening, as America’s COVID death toll passed 800,000. Video.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who holds the fate of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda in his hands, is followed to his car by reporters after voting yesterday.
Cover: New York Post
New York Mayor-elect Eric Adams chose Keechant Sewell — chief of detectives in Nassau County, on Long Island — as his NYPD commissioner.
- Why it matters: Sewell, 49, will be the first woman and third Black commissioner in the New York City Police Department’s history.
Adams, a former NYPD captain, will be inaugurated Jan. 1 at the 92-year-old Kings Theatre in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
- “Keechant Sewell is a proven crime fighter with the experience and emotional intelligence to deliver both the safety New Yorkers need and the justice they deserve,” Adams told the New York Post.
Elon Musk says Tesla will experiment with accepting the cryptocurrency Dogecoin for merchandise — but he didn’t mention cars.
- Why it matters: Musk has 66.5 million Twitter followers, and his continuing embrace of crypto helps fuel alternative finance.
Musk tweeted: “Tesla will make some merch buyable with Doge & see how it goes.”
- The Tesla Shop sells floor mats, roof racks, bomber jackets, a Giga Texas Belt Buckle ($150; out of stock) + an electric Cybersquad ATV for kids, with a top speed of 10 mph ($1,900; also out of stock).
Dogecoin (pronounced DOHJ-coin) raced up after the tweet, Reuters reports.
- Musk’s tweets on Dogecoin, which started as a joke, have helped the meme coin soar 5,859% over the past year, according to Coinbase data.
Backstory: Tesla said in February that it had invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, and reported $1.26 billion in “digital assets” at the end of Q3.
- Tesla said in the February disclosure that it planned to begin accepting Bitcoin for products soon. But Musk tweeted in May that Tesla had “suspended vehicle purchases using Bitcoin,” citing “increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions.”
Jacquelyn Schneider, a Hoover Institution fellow, writes in a special “Digital Disorder” issue of Foreign Affairs (Jan./Feb.) that the foremost danger posed by cyberattacks is the way they “undermine the trust that undergirds modern economies, societies, governments, and militaries”:
The key to success in cyberspace over the long term is not finding a way to defeat all cyberattacks but learning how to survive despite the disruption and destruction they cause.
Instagram hit 2 billion monthly active users worldwide this fall, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer writes from a CNBC report.
- Why it matters: Instagram joins an exclusive club of just four social apps that have hit that milestone. Meta owns three of the four.
What to watch: In hitting 2 billion users, Instagram has proven it can still grow despite increased competition, notably TikTok.
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Christmas tree ship is ultimate mission for many in Coast Guard
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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
Short-term advancements in data science combined with long-term shifts in how Americans vote are making swing districts increasingly rare. Months away from the first primary elections, it appears more House races will unfold in districts where one party holds a significant advantage. Read more…
Democrats cleared legislation Wednesday to raise the statutory debt limit by $2.5 trillion, an amount intended to give the Treasury Department enough borrowing room to make it past the midterm elections and into 2023. The House voted 221-209 to send the measure to President Joe Biden. Read more…
Where have you gone, Richard Nixon?
OPINION — On Jan. 6, 1961, Vice President Richard Nixon presided over the formal counting of electoral votes that guaranteed his defeat in the 1960 presidential election. “Those who lose accept the verdict and support those who win,” Nixon said on the Senate floor. Whatever happened to the honorable America he personified? Read more…
Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developmentsin finance and financial technology.
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Senate membership shows how the parties have changed
ANALYSIS — Changes in Senate membership between the 107th and 117th Congresses offer a clear picture of what’s happened to the two parties, Stuart Rothenberg writes: Democratic senators aren’t noticeably more liberal or progressive than they were in 2001-2003, but the other side of the aisle has changed much more profoundly. Read more…
Optimism waning in Senate about budget reconciliation vote this month
Senate Democrats on Tuesday softened their optimism that their party’s sweeping safety net and climate spending and tax package will pass before Christmas, citing uncertainty about whether Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., is ready to support it and procedural steps that are far from complete. Read more…
House votes to hold Meadows in contempt of Congress
The House on Tuesday voted 222-208 to hold former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 select committee’s investigation. The panel took issue with Meadows releasing a book about his White House experience and then refusing to testify with the committee. Read more…
Burnout among pharmacists slows COVID-19 boosters
Facing a shortage of pharmacists, drugstores nationwide are urging people to make appointments for COVID-19 shots rather than walking up — even as the Biden administration promotes vaccination as the key to ending the pandemic and relies on pharmacies as the main supplier. Read more…
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25.) POLITICO PLAYBOOK
POLITICO Playbook: A junkie’s guide to the 2022 midterms
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DRIVING THE DAY
BREAKING OVERNIGHT — The House voted 222-208 to hold MARK MEADOWS in contempt of Congress and make a criminal referral to the Department of Justice. Just two Republicans — ADAM KINZINGER (Ill.) and LIZ CHENEY (Wyo.) — voted for the resolution, seven fewer than the nine Republicans who supported the recent contempt of Congress vote regarding STEVE BANNON. More from Nicholas Wu for Congress Minutes
— Elsewhere, Fox News hosts SEAN HANNITY and LAURA INGRAHAM on Tuesday night began to address their text messages to Meadows on Jan. 6 — and their subsequent coverage of the riot. (Their critics won’t be mollified.)
SETTLING (MOST) FAMILY BUSINESS — It took them a while, but Democrats have finally dealt with most of the tricky debt and spending issues that prevented them fully focusing on the Biden legislative agenda.
The Senate passed a debt limit increase of $2.5 trillion Tuesday afternoon, and the House followed suit just after midnight. Congress should be freed from addressing the issue again until 2023.
A final vote on the long-stalled NDAA is likely in the Senate today. Congress has funded the government through mid-February. It shouldn’t exactly get a big pat on the back for doing the basics, but the three issues were all cleared with some degree of bipartisanship and less brinkmanship and drama than expected.
The next big hurdle for Democrats? JOE MANCHIN.
Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett expertly break down Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) role as the key to moving both President JOE BIDEN’s Build Back Better and voting rights legislation:
“During Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER’s leadership meeting on Monday evening, Democratic senators hotly debated how to handle their two biggest unfinished tasks. Some Democrats say they should kick both issues until next year; others argue the party’s leverage over Manchin won’t improve over time and want action now. And Tuesday interviews revealed a party wrestling with how to clinch its top priorities. …
“Manchin is not yet committed to the $1.7 trillion climate and social safety net legislation, nor does he support changing the Senate rules to push through an elections bill on a simple majority. He spoke with Biden Monday about the domestic spending bill and met with a trio of Democrats Tuesday to discuss voting rights and the rules changes needed to pass it, signs that the West Virginia Democrat is still open to casting his critical vote for both measures.
“Manchin is expected to speak to Biden again soon and also discussed voting rights legislation in Tuesday’s full caucus meeting, according to attendees.”
Some key quotes:
— Sen. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-Ga.): “Voting rights should be the very next thing we do.”
— Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.): “There’s no policy reason they have to be linked, but they do come down to the same person.”
— Schumer: “There’s a strong belief in the Senate that we can restore the Senate and at the same time deal with voting rights, and that’s what we’re aiming to do.”
— Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.): “We want both of them, but voting rights has more of a time issue because there are states already developing their district mapping. If we don’t move quickly it could be too late.”
— Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.): “There’s productive conversations happening about voting rights. Nothing’s landed yet. Just like there’s productive conversations happening on Build Back Better.”
There’s no white smoke from the upper chamber yet about where Manchin will land on either issue. We’ve long been bullish that some version of the reconciliation bill will pass, even if it’s trimmed further. The odds for voting rights legislation are longer. But given Manchin’s continued reluctance to come around on either front after months and months of talks, the possibility that Democrats will fail to pass both bills is becoming more real.
Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — DOUG SOSNIK was an adviser to BILL CLINTON for six years, and for some dozen years he has written regular memos about national trends that have attained something of a cult following among political junkies. We know many of our readers are fans of his wonky missives, so we’re pleased to present Sosnik’s latest memo, “A Look Ahead to the 2022 Midterm Elections and Beyond,” exclusively to the Playbook audience.
A key focus for Sosnik in determining the outcome of the midterms is where things stand in late summer of next year, when views about the economy and the direction of the country “harden” and it’s too late for the Biden administration to change them.
That gives the president just six to eight months to turn things around. Pay attention to employment numbers (June 3, July 8, Aug. 5), inflation data (June 10, July 13, Aug. 10) and the University of Michigan consumer confidence data released July 15 and Aug. 12.
Sosnik has a nice rundown and summary of what he calls the “Five Myths About American Politics in the Age Of Trump” that are well worth your time and attention:
1) DONALD TRUMP’s victory in 2016 was an aberration.
2) Demography is destiny, and that is good for the Democrats.
3) A higher turnout is always good for Democrats.
4) The Trump presidency has realigned the suburbs toward the Democratic Party.
5) Trump has pushed independents into the arms of the Democratic Party.
On the 2022 Senate races, he focuses on the fact that Democrats could be lucky that the GOP is barreling toward nominating a series of out-of-the-mainstream candidates in primaries in several key states. There’s a nice clip-and-save primary calendar to keep handy:
— Ohio (open, Portman): May 3 primary
— North Carolina (open, Burr): May 17 primary
— Pennsylvania (open, Toomey): May 17 primary
— Alabama (open, Shelby): May 24 primary
— Georgia (Warnock): May 24 primary/June 21 runoff
— Nevada (Cortez Masto): June 14 primary
— Arizona (Kelly): Aug. 2 primary
— Missouri (open, Blunt): Aug. 2 primary
— Wisconsin (Johnson): Aug. 9 primary
— New Hampshire (Hassan): Sept. 13 primary
A few more tidbits:
— On 2022 House races: “If the Republicans pick up a net of 35 seats next year — a distinct possibility — they would achieve their highest total of members in the House since 1929. However, the Republican win total could be somewhat tempered by the nationalization of our politics, in addition to their unexpected success in the 2020 House elections when they picked up a net of 14 seats.”
— On 2022 governor’s races: “If the Republicans pick up any of the presidential battleground states in the industrial Midwest (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin), they will take total control of government in these states and, with this power, they could determine the voting procedures and counts in the next presidential election.” Read the whole thing
BIDEN’S WEDNESDAY (Eastern times):
— 8 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
— 9 a.m.: Biden will leave the White House for Fort Campbell, Ky., arriving at 11:10 a.m. He’ll survey the tornado damage with an aerial tour at 11:35 a.m.
— 12:05 p.m.: Biden will arrive in Mayfield, Ky., where he’ll get a briefing from local leaders at 12:25 p.m. and tour a neighborhood at 1:45 p.m.
— 2:35 p.m.: Biden will leave Mayfield and head to Princeton, Ky., before touring a neighborhood in Dawson Springs, Ky. He’ll deliver remarks there about his administration’s response to the storms at 4 p.m.
— 5:10 p.m.: Biden will leave Princeton and eventually arrive back at the White House at 7:30 p.m.
Principal deputy press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle on Air Force One on the way to Kentucky. The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 11 a.m.
THE SENATE is in. THE HOUSE is out.
PLAYBOOK READS
ALL POLITICS
SURVEY SAYS — Three years out from the next presidential election, voters of each party are largely sticking by their 2020 men, at least for now, our latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows.
On the Republican side, seven in 10 voters think Trump should probably or definitely run again. That’s compared to a less-than-commanding 63% of Democrats who think the 79-year-old Biden should seek reelection. Bad news for both men: A majority of independent voters are hoping neither runs, with 59% saying no to Trump and 67% saying Biden shouldn’t seek a second term.
If Biden steps aside, his second-in-command would have a plurality of Democratic support, according to the poll. Thirty-one percent of Democratic voters said they would back VP KAMALA HARRIS, while 11% would support Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG. Warren and Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (N.Y.) both pick up 8% of support. Toplines … Crosstabs
THE COVID OFF-RAMP — Democratic governors were already barreling straight into a perilous midterm election. But a building winter Covid surge is putting many of them in a greater bind. Now, Democrats are “searching for an off-ramp to the pandemic that allows them to sell a brighter future to voters next November,” Zach Montellaro reports in New Orleans.
ONE BIG 2020 ELECTION REVIEW — The AP looked into the six battleground states where Trump attempted to dispute the 2020 election results and “found fewer than 475 [cases of potential voter fraud] — a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 presidential election,” Christina Cassidy writes. “Biden won Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and their 79 Electoral College votes by a combined 311,257 votes out of 25.5 million ballots cast for president. The disputed ballots represent just 0.15 percent of his victory margin in those states. The cases could not throw the outcome into question even if all the potentially fraudulent votes were for Biden, which they were not, and even if those ballots were actually counted, which in most cases they were not.”
THE PANDEMIC
TAKING STOCK — POLITICO’s Recovery Lab is launching a new state-by-state pandemic scorecard, evaluating how well different parts of the country have handled the past 21 months. Among the findings: No state did well in every policy area. States that imposed more restrictions such as stay-at-home orders and mask requirements did experience lower rates of death and hospitalizations. But they also tended to have worse economic and educational outcomes. Check out the valuable and complex analysis here.
A GRIM MILESTONE — The U.S. coronavirus death toll surpassed 800,000 on Tuesday — “a sad coda to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season,” AP’s Heather Hollingsworth reports.
AND ANOTHER SURGE INCOMING? — “The omicron variant is already spreading rapidly in the United States and could drive a massive wave of infections as soon as January,” write WaPo’s Meryl Kornfield, Paulina Villegas, Andrew Jeong, Annabelle Timsit, Ellen Francis and Lena Sun.
CONGRESS
LIBERTARIANISM MEETS DISASTER RELIEF — After Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) swiftly sought federal aid after the tornado that hit Kentucky this weekend, WaPo’s Mike DeBonis writes that the move “conjured memories of Paul’s own lengthy history of opposing congressional legislation written to address past disasters, including bills passed following hurricanes Sandy, Harvey and Maria directing billions of dollars of assistance to stricken Americans.”
JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH
CENTER-STAGE CHENEY — NYT’s Catie Edmondson and Luke Broadwater profile Cheney’s performance on the Jan. 6 committee: “In closed-door interviews held in a nondescript federal office building near the Capitol, Ms. Cheney has emerged as a leader and central figure on the panel, known for drilling down into the details of the assignment she views as the most important of her political career. She is well-versed in the criminal code and often uses language borrowed from it to make clear she believes the former president and others face criminal exposure.”
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? — JOHN EASTMAN sued to block Verizon from handing over his phone data and messages to the Jan. 6 committee, per Bloomberg. The lawsuit
TRUMP CARDS
ANOTHER LAWSUIT SCRAPPED — A federal judge rejected Trump’s lawsuit that aimed to prevent congressional Democrats from obtaining information about the former president’s tax returns, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. The ruling “is a boost for the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Rep. RICHARD NEAL (D-Mass.), which has been seeking Trump’s tax returns since the middle of 2019.”
TRUMP PROBE HEATING UP — Sources tell WaPo’s David Fahrenthold, Josh Dawsey, Shayna Jacobs and Jonathan O’Connell that Trump’s accountant DONALD BENDER recently spoke to a New York grand jury that’s investigating Trump’s finances. A former Deutsche Bank employee who handled loans to Trump, ROSEMARY VRABLIC, was also interviewed by prosecutors, they write.
These latest moves “suggest prosecutors are seeking information about Trump’s finances from a small circle of outside partners who handled details of Trump’s taxes and real estate deals. Bender and Vrablic were never Trump’s employees, but they knew more about his company’s inner workings than many employees did.”
— NYT’s William Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Jonah Bromwich write that the documents compiled by Trump’s accountants “could help answer a question at the heart of the long-running criminal investigation into the former president: Did he inflate the value of his assets to defraud his lenders?”
PLAYBOOKERS
Elon Musk ripped into Elizabeth Warren after she tweeted that the U.S. should “change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading.” “You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend’s angry Mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason,” Musk replied. Then: “Please don’t call the manager on me, Senator Karen.” Followed by: “If you opened your eyes for 2 seconds, you would realize I will pay more taxes than any American in history this year.” And: “Don’t spend it all at once … oh wait you did already.”
Cory Booker walked through the Senate subway “blasting Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ from Spotify on his phone.” (h/t Andrew Desiderio)
Bob Menendez was rushing to make a vote on the Senate floor when he slipped, fracturing and dislocating his shoulder.
Andrew Cuomo was given 30 days to pay back his $5.1 million book deal after New York’s state ethics board found he’d used state resources to write the book.
Luann de Lesseps of “Real Housewives of New York” fame dined and dashed at Le Diplomate, but ended up paying her bill after N.Y. Mag’s Shawn McCreesh called her publicist.
The NYT published an “editor’s note” for the ages atop a story originally published last month about a Palestinian professor of poetry.
OMICRON DASHES WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY PARTIES — The White House is canceling its glitzy holiday party season in response to the Omicron spread, The Daily Mail’s Emily Goodin scoops. “President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host ‘Holiday Open Houses’ instead of cocktail parties for the holiday season, so visitors can see the decorations in the White House in a COVID-friendly way,” she writes.
Michael LaRosa, Jill Biden’s spokesman, told Goodin it’s “disappointing that we cannot host as many people as the Bidens would like to,” but the administration will continue to abide by Covid protocols.
SPOTTED at the White House: lawyer and former “The View” co-host Star Jones (h/t theGrio’s April Ryan). Ryan reports that Jones met with the VP for “30 mins catching up & talked policy that impacts women, girls and young people of color.”
OUT AND ABOUT — Almost every White House correspondent and member of the Biden press team got together (under D.C. Covid guidelines!) at the JW Marriott for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association holiday reception Tuesday night. As per tradition, there was a Christmas poem themed for D.C., a speech from WHCA president Steve Portnoy and a little roast from White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
— The Motion Picture Association and Bloomberg hosted a screening of “House of Gucci” at the MPA’s headquarters Tuesday night. After the screening, Bloomberg’s Peggy Collins sat down with Bloomberg’s Sara Forden to discuss her book on which the screenplay is based. SPOTTED: Charles Rivkin, Emily Lenzner, Sena Fitzmaurice, Cameron Normand, Andrew Reinsdorf, Kira Alvarez, Emorie Broemel, Wes Kosova, Anna Edgerton, Jackie Simmons, Mike Shepard, Heather Podesta, Stephen Kessler, Tammy Haddad, Giuditta Giorgio, Giuseppe Sarcina, Lamberto Moruzzi, Pascal Confavreux, Georgette Brammer-Hardy, Matea Gold, Jenn Molay, Michael Anthony, Berin Szóka, Christina Sevilla and Izzy Klein.
— The Renew Democracy Initiative held a “Frontlines of Freedom” dinner Tuesday night at the Watergate, which featured an off-the-record conversation about Russian aggression, Ukraine and America’s role in protecting democracy. SPOTTED: Garry Kasparov, Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Heidi Heitkamp, Michael Steele, Rina Shah, Bill Kristol, Lucy Caldwell, Alex Vindman, Max Boot, Mona Charen, Linda Chavez, retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, retired Gen. Michael Hayden, retired Lt. Gen. James Clapper, Bill Taylor, Matt Calkins, David Frum, Dmitri Mehlhorn, Annie Scranton and Alex Yergin.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The University of Chicago Institute of Politics is announcing its winter fellows: GOP strategist Mark Campbell, former San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto, former Chicago inspector general Joe Ferguson, former MoveOn executive director Anna Galland, TOLONews’ Lotfullah Najafizada and journalist/author Sarah Smarsh.
— John Campbell is joining Red Edge to launch its fundraising practice. He’s an alum of FreedomWorks and Prosper Group.
MEDIA MOVE — Jen Friedman is now VP of comms at NBCUniversal. She most recently was managing director for public affairs at Blackstone. More from The Hollywood Reporter
TRANSITIONS — Corinne Day is now deputy comms director for Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). She previously was media relations manager at the R Street Institute, and is an RNC alum. … Tom Gannon is now chief government relations officer at H&R Block, heading the D.C. office. He most recently was VP of public policy at Mastercard. … Wells Griffith is now a senior director for FTI Consulting’s strategic comms segment. He most recently was managing director and senior adviser to the CEO for energy at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and is a Trump NSC, NEC and DOE alum. …
… Adam Golodner is now a senior adviser at WestExec Advisors. He previously was at Arnold & Porter, and is a Cisco and DOJ alum. … Alifair Masters is now deputy chief of staff for Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.). She previously was VP at HM Consulting. … Zach Farmer is joining the Council for Opportunity in Education as director of congressional affairs. He most recently was in Rep. Warren Davidson’s (R-Ohio) office, covering education, veterans and other issues.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Alex Schriver, EVP at Targeted Victory, and Tracey Schriver, SVP at the Bank Policy Institute, welcomed Virginia Lee Schriver on Monday. Pic … Another pic
— Elizabeth Boylan, director of government and industry affairs at FMC Corporation, and Patrick Boylan, founder of Raconteur Creative, recently welcomed baby James. Pic
— Natalie Buchanan Joyce, deputy chief of staff for member services to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Sean Joyce, CEO of Atlas Crossing, welcomed Jameson Buchanan Joyce on Dec. 7. He came in at 7 lbs, 10 oz, is named after both of his grandfathers, and joins big sister Genevieve.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … retired Gen. John Allen of Brookings … Ruy Teixeira (7-0) … Donna Brazile … POLITICO’s Isabel Dobrin, Mollie Parlini and Valerie Yurk … Winter Casey … Andrew Cote of Brinc Drones … Bill Knapp … Jim Dornan of Michael Steele’s Maryland gubernatorial exploratory committee … Erin Dwyer … Lauren French of Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-Calif.) office and House Intel … Heather Booth … Tara Corrigan of the Messina Group … Tim Dickson … Jeff Le of Rhino and the Truman National Security Project … Anna Jager … Lenny Young of Rep. Julia Brownley’s (D-Calif.) office … Patrick Oakford … Fox News’ Griff Jenkins … Meridith Webster … Cheddar’s Kristen Scholer … Danyell Tremmel … Andy Polesovsky … Caroline Ponseti of the Herald Group … McCauley Mateja … Sarah Sullivan … Jan Eberly … Brian Haley … Maggie Gau … Carson Pfingston
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26.) AMERICAN MINUTE
27.) CAFFEINATED THOUGHTS
28.) CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS
29.) PJ MEDIA
The Morning Briefing: Please Democrats, Keep Up Your Lunatic Jan. 6 Obsession
Top O’ the Briefing
Happy Wednesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. If you never doused yourself with Drakkar to kill the hangover smell before heading out for breakfast burritos were you even a man in the 1980s?
That weird thing is happening with Twitter again where the full tweet won’t show up. I discovered that it’s a glitch on their end. It resolved itself after a day last time. As you know, I’ve got three sections here that feature tweets. Rather than leave them out, I decided to post the text-only versions so you can still click on the links and see what they were about.
Nancy Pelosi’s pathetic revenge porn January 6 show trial has been chugging along with its alt-reality addiction to all things Donald Trump. Bless their hearts, they think it’s going well.
Anyone with an IQ over 14 knows that there was no insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Fortunately for Pelosi, the sub-14 IQ demographic is heavily populated with Democrats in Congress, as well as CNN and MSNBC viewers.
So they’re still talking about an insurrection that never happened.
The best part is that they think it’s going well for them.
The drama during this week has centered on some texts that were read by soon-to-be unemployed Republican turncoat Liz Cheney, which Robert wrote about:
So it was understandable that the far-Left propaganda organ the Daily Beast was thrilled Monday when Rep. Liz Cheney (R-NeverTrump) revealed numerous texts sent to Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Jan. 6, begging Trump to tell the people who had entered the Capitol to desist. They got him now, right? After years of the Russian collusion hoax and Stalinist show trial impeachment proceedings, they finally got him! Well, no. In fact, the texts Cheney revealed prove definitively that there was no Jan. 6 insurrection at all.
These emails may not paint the most flattering picture of Trump but, as Robert wrote, they really make the whole “coordinated insurrection” narrative of the Democrats fall apart.
To the surprise of no one on this side of the political aisle, you wouldn’t know that if you followed the MSM coverage of Textgate. The Democrat Media Complex hacks all think there is some “there” there with these texts, which is decidedly not the case. CNN’s big “Gotcha!” is the fact that Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham aren’t talking about their texts on Fox News. Poppin’ Fresh Stelter has been repeatedly pointing out that Pelosi’s folly isn’t being covered by FNC.
Because nobody outside of the Democrat fever-dream cares. That’s a constantly growing group, by the way.
Regular readers here know that I hope the Democrats continue to hang themselves with the faux insurrection kangaroo trial. It’s part of their pathological obsession with Trump, which will be their undoing.
These are truly amazing times. We’ve seen many prominent Democrats in recent weeks say that they might want to stop focusing on Trump if they want to have a shot at not getting annihilated in the midterms next year. They know that’s the wise thing to do but they just can’t help themselves.
They also don’t grasp that only CNN’s 17 viewers and MSNBC’s slightly bigger handful think that Liz Cheney has any impact anywhere.
So yes, please, keep paddling upstream on a river of irrelevance, Democrats. We’ll be over here talking about issues that matter to real Americans.
This is gonna be fun.
Everything Isn’t Awful
‘Oh sorry, I didn’t see you there.’ pic.twitter.com/i2nKunLUj6
— HUMOROUS ANIMALS (@CUTEFUNNYANIMAL) December 14, 2021
PJ Media
VodkaPundit: Insanity Wrap: COVID Sense Breaks Out in Colorado, World Fails to End
BREAKING: Cuomo Ordered To Return $5.1 Million Mad Stacks From Book Deal
Rand Paul Blasts CNN’s Coverage of Tornado Tragedy and Himself
Christmas Killjoys Target Group Laying Wreaths at Veterans’ Graves
BUT PANIC ANYWAY. COVID-19 Reality Check: Omicron Spreads Rapidly But Does Not Cause Death
What Kind of People Would Fake a Hate Crime? Leftists!
Bring On That Double-Digit Inflation! Producer Prices Rise 9.6%
Workers at Kentucky Plant Told They’d Be Fired if They Left Work Even After Tornado Warnings
Liz Cheney, Daily Beast Tout ‘Bombshell’ Texts That Actually Prove There Was No Insurrection
Democrats Say the Darnedest Things When It Comes to Crime
In 90% of the Country, No One Gives a Flying Fig About COVID
The New York Mask Mandate Is a Spectacular Failure
The Hysterical Reaction of Biden Aides to a Map Showing Taiwan as a Separate Country From China
They do like to cheat. Clyburn: Democrats Will ‘Get Around’ Filibuster To Pass Voting Bills
Prager: Differences Between a Secular and a Religious — Jewish or Christian — Upbringing
Townhall Mothership
House Democrats Block Bill That Would Force DHS to Finish Construction of Border Wall
‘Climatologist’ Drops an Insane Take on Severe Weather
Biden Might Not Want to Take Amtrak Anymore
The 5th Circuit Delivers a Shockingly Ruthless Rebuke of Joe Biden’s Lawlessness
ESPN Shamelessly Tries to Resell the Bubba Wallace Noose Story as a Thing
As the January 6 Commission Stumbles, Who Has It Worse — The Democrats, or the Media?
Nevada “Ghost Gun” Ban Halted By State Judge
Cam&Co. Gun Industry Reacts To Newsom’s Latest Attack
Pro-Gun Groups Should Be Recruiting Candidates, Too
Let’s go Brandon! Another new inflation record: Producer price index hits 9.6% in November
Mark Rober’s war on porch pirates continues with glitter bomb 4.0
Weeks after the Waukesha massacre, a Wisconsin woman killed a man by driving over him with an SUV
‘Horrific’ and ‘absolutely disgusting’ video shows a drone that can tase illegal immigrants
VIP
Me: Happy One-Year Anniversary to the ‘Game-Changer’ Vaccine!
Failing New York Times Issues Five-Paragraph Mother of All Corrections
My Second Time Testing the N.Y. Mask Mandate Was More Interesting
More Dishonesty on Critical Race Theory, This Time From a ‘Conservative’
Biden Official Says a COVID ‘Explosion’ Is Coming
Is the White House Still Lying About Americans Left Behind in Afghanistan?
Around the Interwebz
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Review: The Most Exciting, Surprising And Emotional Spidey Of Them All
Coinbase mistakenly told some customers they were billionaires
Buttigieg won’t save the Democrats
Some People Know Game of Thrones Better Than Real-Life History, New Survey Shows
Bee Me
‘Am I Out Of Touch?’ Pelosi Asks Butler https://t.co/rBVVM7V4eS
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) December 13, 2021
The Kruiser Kabana
Kabana Gallery
When are you Getting Married?, 1892 #cloisonnism #paulgauguin pic.twitter.com/BDKd8PH69p
— THE MONTMARTE (@themontmarte) December 14, 2021
Kabana Tunes
For media inquiries, please contact communications@pjmedia.com.
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
The Morning Dispatch: Newsom Vows to Model Gun Legislation on Texas Abortion law
Plus: The House passes the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
| The Dispatch Staff |
Happy Wednesday! O.J. Simpson was discharged early from parole in Nevada on Tuesday, making him, in the words of his lawyer, a “completely free man.”
That’s just what American society has been missing these past few years: A completely free O.J. Simpson.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- A large, real-world study out of South Africa found that—during the country’s current Omicron wave—two doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine were just 33 percent effective against infection, but 70 percent effective against severe disease requiring hospitalization. Those infected with the Omicron variant, however, were found to be 29 percent less likely to require hospitalization than those infected with the D614G variant in 2020. “Furthermore, hospitalized adults currently have a lower propensity to be admitted to high-care and intensive-care units, relative to prior waves,” one of the study’s authors said.
- Pfizer announced Tuesday that a final analysis of clinical trial data confirmed that Paxlovid—the company’s oral COVID-19 antiviral—reduced the risk of hospitalization or death in high-risk patients by 89 percent when taken within three days of symptom onset, and is likely effective against the Omicron variant. President Joe Biden cheered the news, but noted “several steps remain before the Pfizer pill can become available, including authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.”
- The Senate voted 50-49 on Tuesday—with Democrats accounting for all the votes in favor and Republicans all the votes against—to increase the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion, almost assuredly punting the issue past the midterms and into 2023. The House approved the measure 221-209 early Wednesday morning, sending it to President Biden’s desk for his signature.
- The House voted unanimously on Tuesday to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act after Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio came to an agreement on the final text of the bill, which would prohibit all imports from China’s Xinjiang region in the absence of “clear and convincing evidence” the goods in question did not rely on forced labor in any way. The White House confirmed yesterday for the first time that President Biden will sign the legislation into law once it passes the Senate.
- The House voted 222-208 last night to hold Mark Meadows—Donald Trump’s former chief of staff—in criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the January 6 Select Committee. Meadows had turned over thousands of pages of records to the committee but ceased cooperation last week, claiming lawmakers were pursuing information protected by Trump’s claims of executive privilege.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Tuesday the Producer Price Index—which measures what suppliers are charging their customers—increased 9.6 percent year-over-year in November, the largest such figure on record since the data was first collected in 2010.
- A Belarusian court on Tuesday sentenced the husband of opposition leader Sviatlana Tskikhanouskaya to 18 years in prison for “organizing mass unrest” and “inciting social hatred.” Tskikhanouskaya accused Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko of being behind the “revenge” verdict, saying he “hopes to continue repressions in silence,” but that “the whole world watches.”
- Sens. Joe Manchin and Bernie Sanders said Tuesday they will oppose the confirmation of Dr. Robert Califf—President Biden’s nominee to lead the FDA—meaning the Obama administration FDA commissioner’s approval will require Republican support, which it appears he has currently.
- President Biden announced Tuesday he intends to nominate acting Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Sandra Thompson to lead the agency—which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—on a permanent basis.
- A gasoline tanker truck exploded in the Haitian city of Cap-Haïtien on Tuesday, killing at least 62 people and wounding dozens more.
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Did the Supreme Court Just Unlock a Constitutional Cheat Code?
The Annie Get Your Gun-ification of American politics continues apace. In a press release issued Saturday, California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he had ordered his staff to begin working with the state legislature to craft a bill—modeled after Texas’ recently enacted abortion legislation—that would allow private citizens to seek injunctive relief and statutory damages against “anyone who manufactures, distributes, or sells an assault weapon or ghost gun kit or parts in the State of California.”
“If states can now shield their laws from review by the federal courts that compare assault weapons to Swiss Army knives,” he declared, “then California will use that authority to protect people’s lives, where Texas used it to put women in harm’s way.”
One day earlier, the Supreme Court had issued its rulings in Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson and United States v. Texas, allowing Texas’ S.B. 8—which permits private individuals to sue anyone who helps perform an abortion after about six weeks of gestation—to remain in place. But the cases were only tangentially about abortion; really at issue was the law’s unique enforcement mechanism.
“The ultimate merits question—whether S. B. 8 is consistent with the Federal Constitution—is not before the Court,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. “Nor is the wisdom of S. B. 8 as a matter of public policy.”
Normally, when a state passes a law likely to be ruled unconstitutional—like a six-week abortion ban—affected parties can sue those set to enforce the law, and a court will block those officials from enforcing it before it goes into effect. But in the case of S.B. 8, it was not clear whom affected parties could sue to seek an injunction, as we detailed in a TMD last month.
Senate Bill 8’s (SB8) enforcement is not in the hands of state officials like prosecutors or county clerks, but private citizens who can collect $10,000 and attorney’s fees for successfully suing anyone who performs—or “knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the performance” of—an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Noting that there were “serious questions” about law’s constitutionality, a majority of the court nonetheless voted to deny an application for injunctive relief. Texas legislators had, through what Cato Institute Vice President Ilya Shapiro labeled “a clever gimmick,” essentially hacked the system of [judicial pre-enforcement] review.
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act on Its Way to Becoming Law
After months of bipartisan negotiations, the House voted unanimously on Tuesday to pass the latest version of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act hammered out by Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. “We as a country have become so reliant on China that we’ve turned a blind eye to the slave labor that makes our shoes, our solar panels, and much more,” Rubio said. “But that changed today.”
Haley spent much of the past week reporting on the bill, and yesterday’s Uphill dives into its provisions in more detail than we’ve seen anywhere else.
The legislation, when implemented 180 days after enacted, will block goods made with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region from being imported into the United States.
[The bill] assumes all products made in part or in whole in Xinjiang are tainted with forced labor. It gives businesses the option to receive exemptions from the import ban if they can prove to U.S. Customs and Border Protection with “clear and convincing evidence” that their supply chains are free of coerced labor.
The bill passed the House unanimously—and could very well do the same in the Senate—but it had to overcome a series of obstacles to get to this point.
Worth Your Time
- Another day, another Ronald Bailey piece for Reason. In this one, he calls on the FDA to expedite its authorization of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s highly effective COVID-19 oral antiviral. “The pill proved so effective in clinical trials that the company stopped enrolling participants in its study in early November 2021 because it would have been unethical to give new participants a placebo,” he writes. “The company has been all along sharing with the FDA its data as part of an ongoing rolling submission for emergency use authorization (EUA) of the treatment. Four weeks ago, the Biden administration announced that it had already purchased 10 million treatment courses of the Pfizer antiviral COVID-19 pill. It is beyond stupid that the agency has apparently not yet scheduled a meeting of its advisory committee to review Pfizer’s EUA application. It’s not like some 1,200 Americans aren’t still dying daily from COVID-19 infections and that another highly contagious variant looks likely to cause millions of breakthrough infections as the winter comes on.”
- Henry Olsen—conservative columnist for theWashington Post—argues in his latest that it’s time to “entertain the possibility” that Democrats’ Build Back Better legislation won’t become law. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has continued to express concerns about the package, noting it may not actually be fully paid for, and that it could create additional inflationary pressures. “Progressives have clearly stated all year that they expect a transformational package,” he writes. “They have been willing to compromise thus far primarily on the overall cost, which is why the bill that passed the House has so many programmatic expirations. They have not been willing to admit that there isn’t a Senate majority for a transformational bill. Instead, they have been ramping up the pressure on Manchin to go along with the party majority. That’s not something Manchin is willing to do, per all his public statements.”
- Katherine Wu has a colorful explainer in The Atlantic looking at how a vaccinated person’s killer T cells step up to the plate when antibody protection wanes. “They home in on different aspects of the virus than antibodies do, and they are much harder to stump with mutations,” she writes. “Their entire raison d’être is rooting out infected cells—not free-floating viruses—and they manage that feat through an affinity for gore. As a signal of distress, infected cells can chop up some of the viruses they’re being forced to produce and display the mangled pieces on their outside. ‘They say, ‘Look, I’m infected with something,’’ Avery August, an immunologist at Cornell University, told me. The dismembered bits are gross but effective: Nothing makes killer Ts go wild more than a hunk of mutilated virus splattered onto the surface of an infected cell.”
Something Cool
Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors passed Ray Allen last night to become the NBA’s all-time leading three-point shooter—and he’s only 33 years old.
Here are all 2,974 of them.
Presented Without Comment
Also Presented Without Comment
Breaking News: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was ordered to turn over about $5.1 million in proceeds from his 2020 pandemic memoir to the state attorney general by a New York ethics board. 
Also Also Presented Without Comment
Man, that chart looks real different when you zoom out a bit
The White House @WhiteHouse
New: The average price of gas is down nearly 10 cents per gallon since last month’s peak and prices continue to fall. Read more about our progress at the pump and @POTUS’s ongoing work to bring down prices here: https://t.co/CviLXTqhl0
Toeing the Company Line
- In yesterday’s Sweep, Sarah muses about Pete Buttigieg’s recent trip to New Hampshire, Rep. Devin Nunes’ political calculations, and partisan gerrymandering in Maryland, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, and other states. Plus, Audrey provides an early look at how the Pennsylvania Senate race is shaping up.
- Princeton University’s Keith Whittington dropped by The Remnant yesterday for a conversation with Jonah about President Biden’s Supreme Court Commission.
- Citing the text messages released Monday by the January 6 Select Committee, David’s Tuesday French Press (🔒) argues that “when Fox News covered the unfolding attack on the Capitol, its personalities were covering an event they helped create.”
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).
Subscribe to The Morning Dispatch
An essential daily news roundup, TMD includes a brief look at important stories of the day and original reporting and analysis from The Dispatch team, along with recommendations for deeper reading and some much-needed humor in these often fraught times.
32.) LEGAL INSURRECTION
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People wear protective face masks to enter a store as new New York State indoor masking mandates went into effect in New York City, December 14, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
U.S. House Select Committee on January 6 Chairman Representative Bennie Thompson speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill, December 13, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
41.) NOQ REPORT
42.) ARRA NEWS SERVICE
43.) REDSTATE
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45.) MSNBC
 December 15, 2021 THE LATEST
Multiple Fox News hosts pretend that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was no big deal — or even a false-flag operation from the left. But text messages they sent former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows indicate that they were afraid of what was happening and wanted President Donald Trump to call the riot off. Those text messages sent to Meadows prove that the Jan. 6 investigation isn’t over, Hayes Brown writes. “There remain new details with the capacity to shock,” Brown writes. “They remind us that there are still things to be uncovered about what was happening in the Oval Office those hours people in Trump’s orbit were begging him to intervene.”
Read Hayes Brown’s full analysis on your Wednesday MSNBC Daily. TOP STORIES
People shouldn’t be forced to choose between a paycheck and death from a deadly storm. Read More Joe Manchin sure makes our democracy look like a joke. Read More Cheney’s comments suggest the bipartisan select committee has possible criminal misconduct on its members’ minds. Read More It’s OK to criticize Kamala Harris. But using racist troops to do so is not. Read More TOP VIDEOS
LISTEN NOW
 Ayman Mohyeldin explores the story of Rosanne Boyland, a woman from his hometown who became a foot soldier in one of the most dangerous movements in America and died at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
In the newest episode, Rosanne’s sister recalls the single night when Rosanne changed from a conspiracy theory hobbyist to a hardcore QAnon believer. Ayman follows the trail of videos that led Rosanne down a deeper rabbit hole and learns why so many others bought into the same myth. Listen now. MORE FROM MSNBC
 Sunday, NBC News’ Sheinelle Jones explores the topic of infertility in a new special, “Stories We Tell: The Fertility Secret.” The hour follows five women as they reflect on the psychological and physical pain of infertility with the goal of encouraging community and hope.
Watch “Stories We Tell: The Fertility Secret,” Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.
 Congratulations to “Into America” podcast host Trymaine Lee for being named Adweek’s podcast host of the year!
Catch “Into America’s” newest episode for a conversation with two of today’s most prominent civil rights leaders, Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Ben Crump. Lee, Sharpton and Crump explore whether Black people in this country can ever experience true justice. Listen now.
Follow MSNBC
Check out the MSNBC channel on Apple News
Download the NBC News Mobile App and watch MSNBC
 
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47.) ABC
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48.) NBC MORNING RUNDOWN
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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, DECEMBER 15, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.
Today we look at possible criminal charges for a former White House chief of staff, questions over a candle factory devastated by the Kentucky tornado, and some homesick zebras.
Here’s the latest on that and everything else we’re watching this Wednesday morning.
 Donald Trump’s former chief of staff could face criminal charges after the House voted Tuesday to refer him to the Justice Department over his refusal to answer questions about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Lawmakers passed the measure largely along party lines in a 222-208 vote.
Meadows, a former House member from North Carolina, initially provided numerous documents to the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot before deciding against further engagement, claiming executive privilege.
The investigative panel voted unanimously Monday night to advance the contempt of Congress measure, saying Meadows should face a criminal charge for defying the panel’s subpoena to testify.
The Jan. 6 committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said Meadows’ actions left the panel with “no choice.”
“This isn’t about any sort of privilege or immunity. This is about Mr. Meadows refusing to comply with the subpoena to discuss the records he himself turned over,” Thompson said in floor debate Tuesday ahead of the House vote.
Read the full story here. Wednesday’s Top Stories
 Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday that state investigators will probe the Mayfield candle factory where eight people died in a catastrophic tornado and workers said they were threatened with termination if they left their shifts early.  As the president tries to drive his $1.75 trillion Build Back Better bill through the Senate, he has been reluctant to raise pressure on Democrats.  The House passed legislation early Wednesday to raise the federal debt limit by $2.5 trillion, sending the bill to President Joe Biden for his signature.  OPINION The South Dakota viral teachers cash grab video is too on the nose, a teacher writes For Anne Lutz Fernandez, a high school English teacher, the South Dakota ‘dash for cash’ video was nothing short of a punch in the gut. Also in the News
Editor’s Pick
 These retailers are filling a need left by many traditional supermarkets, whose “ethnic” aisles are unable to cater to the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S. Select
From desk organizers to gift boxes, these thoughtful presents are our picks for your favorite teacher. One Fun Thing
 Two zebras that escaped from a Maryland farm four months ago have returned to the property and reunited with their herd, officials said Tuesday.
The zebras, which had been roaming “at large” since August, returned to the 300-acre private farm in Upper Marlboro last week, the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment said in a news release.
The release said the farm’s owner alerted federal officials about their return. A lawyer for the owner, Jerry Lee Holly, said in an email that Holly’s employees captured and “humanely” returned them to the herd.
Read the full story here. 
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.
If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: patrick.smith@nbcuni.com.
Thanks, Patrick Smith
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55.) REALCLEARPOLITICS MORNING NOTE
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73.) POPULIST PRESS
This could be the nail in Biden’s coffin after the AP caught him red handed and is demanding answers
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TOP STORIES:
-
BREAKING: Major Scandal Explodes… Impeachment Time!
- Rumble Gets Epic Payback On Ad Agencies Who Censored Conservatives
-
Look How Kamala Redecorated The VP Office…
-
Judge orders Jan. 6 defendant To be released After Shocking Discovery…
- No Punishment For Kabul Strike…
- Biden’s Top Staffer Just Quit as Crisis Explodes
- SCOTUS Just Ruled On Vaccine Mandate…
- Embarrassing Details Emerge On Biden skipping Army Navy Game…
- Arizona Sergeant Warns Of Another ‘Waukesha-Style’ Attack
- Biden Says He’s Willing to Lose The Presidency…
- Pelosi Makes Official Announcement About Retiring
- Lawyer Exposes DOJ’s Case Against Bannon… “Prosecuted In Total Darkness”
- Hillary Clinton Sends Message To People Chanting ‘Lock Her Up’
- Durham Investigation 100% Corrupted…
- Tucker Carlson Calls Out Biggest RINO…
- ‘It’s Criminal’… Biden Hit With Impeachment Notice
- Federal Judges Slap Down The Biden Administration—Hard
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IN DEPTH:
|
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- Biden ‘Effectively’ Running a ‘Mass Human Smuggling Operation’ 1 hour ago
- Congress will hike debt limit by $2.5 trillion… 1 hour ago
- Pfizer Protects 33% Against Omicron, 70% Against Hospitalizations 1 hour ago
- Air Force Discharges 27 Members Over Vax 1 hour ago
- Democrats Move to Raise Debt Ceiling Hours Before Deadline 2 hours ago
- House Jan. 6 Inquisition Votes to Hold Mark Meadows in Criminal Contempt 2 hours ago
- Philadelphia Implements COVID-19 Vaccine Passports for Indoor Dining 2 hours ago
- WH Repeats Biden Running in ’24, Hillary Raises Profile 3 hours ago
- DeSantis Sending Biden Illegals To Martha Vineyards… 3 hours ago
- Biden senior adviser for migration leaving WH 3 hours ago
- WH cries ‘fake news’ on CBO score for spending bill 3 hours ago
- Biden Denies Student Loan Payment Extension 3 hours ago
- F-35 Can Now Carry Stormbreaker ‘Smartbomb’ 4 hours ago
- USS Connecticut Pulls Into San Diego 4 hours ago
- Military’s Force Structure Likely Inadequate 4 hours ago
- Alaska-based F-35As arrive in Japan 4 hours ago
- Russia war fears explode 4 hours ago
- Russia may deploy mid-range nukes in Europe 4 hours ago
- Putin: Russia Leads World in Hypersonic Missile Tech 4 hours ago
- Pseudo-science hype: Tornadoes & climate change 4 hours ago
- Biden Administration Must Lift Tariffs 4 hours ago
- Trump: Netanyahu ‘Never Wanted Peace’ 4 hours ago
- Kanye Concert Proceeds Going to Woke Groups 4 hours ago
- Congress Beef With Warner-Discovery Merger 4 hours ago
- Even SF residents sick of liberal reforms 4 hours ago
- BLM activists demand abolition of gang database 4 hours ago
- Chauvin expected to plead guilty in Floyd case 4 hours ago
- NFL star: Ex-girlfriend ‘staged’ brutal attack video 4 hours ago
- Tibetans Chain Themselves to Olympic Rings 4 hours ago
- CBO: ‘Biden BBB Bill adds $3 trillion to deficit’ 4 hours ago
- Howard Stern Mocks Wallace’s Fox News Departure 5 hours ago
- Sen. Hawley: BLM’s corporate sponsors ‘anti-American’ 5 hours ago
- “Meme Stocks” Crash to Lowest Level in Months 5 hours ago
- Biden bill could double child care costs 5 hours ago
- ETFs Post a Record $1 Trillion of Inflows 5 hours ago
- NYT columnist: ‘Inflation affects low-income families?’ 5 hours ago
- Apple To Become The First $3 Trillion Company 5 hours ago
- Biden ‘Deeply Troubled’ by Kellogg’s Plans to Replace Striking Workers 19 hours ago
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We are officially a banana republic by allowing this to continue.
TOP STORIES:
-
BREAKING: Major Scandal Explodes… Impeachment Time!
-
January 6 Bombshell — Leaked Text Messages From Trump
- Rumble Gets Epic Payback On Ad Agencies Who Censored Conservatives
-
Look How Kamala Redecorated The VP Office…
-
Judge orders Jan. 6 defendant To be released After Shocking Discovery…
- No Punishment For Kabul Strike…
- Biden’s Top Staffer Just Quit as Crisis Explodes
-
SCOTUS Just Ruled On Vaccine Mandate…
-
Embarrassing Details Emerge On Biden skipping Army Navy Game…
- Arizona Sergeant Warns Of Another ‘Waukesha-Style’ Attack
- Biden Says He’s Willing to Lose The Presidency…
- Pelosi Makes Official Announcement About Retiring
- Lawyer Exposes DOJ’s Case Against Bannon… “Prosecuted In Total Darkness”
- Hillary Clinton Sends Message To People Chanting ‘Lock Her Up’
- Durham Investigation 100% Corrupted…
- Tucker Carlson Calls Out Biggest RINO…
- ‘It’s Criminal’… Biden Hit With Impeachment Notice
- Federal Judges Slap Down The Biden Administration—Hard
|
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IN DEPTH:
|
|
- New York Orders Andrew Cuomo to Return $5.1m from Book Deal
- Biden ‘Effectively’ Running a ‘Mass Human Smuggling Operation’ 1 hour ago
- Congress will hike debt limit by $2.5 trillion… 1 hour ago
- Pfizer Protects 33% Against Omicron, 70% Against Hospitalizations 1 hour ago
- Air Force Discharges 27 Members Over Vax 1 hour ago
- Democrats Move to Raise Debt Ceiling Hours Before Deadline 2 hours ago
- House Jan. 6 Inquisition Votes to Hold Mark Meadows in Criminal Contempt 2 hours ago
- Philadelphia Implements COVID-19 Vaccine Passports for Indoor Dining 2 hours ago
- WH Repeats Biden Running in ’24, Hillary Raises Profile 3 hours ago
- DeSantis Sending Biden Illegals To Martha Vineyards… 3 hours ago
- Biden senior adviser for migration leaving WH 3 hours ago
- WH cries ‘fake news’ on CBO score for spending bill 3 hours ago
- Biden Denies Student Loan Payment Extension 3 hours ago
- F-35 Can Now Carry Stormbreaker ‘Smartbomb’ 4 hours ago
- USS Connecticut Pulls Into San Diego 4 hours ago
- Military’s Force Structure Likely Inadequate 4 hours ago
- Alaska-based F-35As arrive in Japan 4 hours ago
- Russia war fears explode 4 hours ago
- Russia may deploy mid-range nukes in Europe 4 hours ago
- Putin: Russia Leads World in Hypersonic Missile Tech 4 hours ago
- Pseudo-science hype: Tornadoes & climate change 4 hours ago
- Biden Administration Must Lift Tariffs 4 hours ago
- Trump: Netanyahu ‘Never Wanted Peace’ 4 hours ago
- Kanye Concert Proceeds Going to Woke Groups 4 hours ago
- Congress Beef With Warner-Discovery Merger 4 hours ago
- Even SF residents sick of liberal reforms 4 hours ago
- BLM activists demand abolition of gang database 4 hours ago
- Chauvin expected to plead guilty in Floyd case 4 hours ago
- NFL star: Ex-girlfriend ‘staged’ brutal attack video 4 hours ago
- Tibetans Chain Themselves to Olympic Rings 4 hours ago
- CBO: ‘Biden BBB Bill adds $3 trillion to deficit’ 4 hours ago
- Howard Stern Mocks Wallace’s Fox News Departure 5 hours ago
- Sen. Hawley: BLM’s corporate sponsors ‘anti-American’ 5 hours ago
- “Meme Stocks” Crash to Lowest Level in Months 5 hours ago
- Biden bill could double child care costs 5 hours ago
- ETFs Post a Record $1 Trillion of Inflows 5 hours ago
- NYT columnist: ‘Inflation affects low-income families?’ 5 hours ago
- Apple To Become The First $3 Trillion Company 5 hours ago
- Biden ‘Deeply Troubled’ by Kellogg’s Plans to Replace Striking Workers 19 hours ago
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74.) THE POST MILLENNIAL
75.) BLACKLISTED NEWS
76.) THE DAILY DOT
 Together with: 
Did a friend forward this? Subscribe here. Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Internet Insider, where we tell you what you should be watching this week. TODAY:
 BREAK THE INTERNET Peloton, the fitness-equipment company, has been going through it as people abandon their pandemic bikes. This week, it managed to overshadow the return of a beloved HBO franchises.
And Just Like That…, the 2021 chapter of Sex and the City, debuted last week and quickly dropped a big death on viewers. Peloton issued a statement on Friday claiming it didn’t know how the bike would be used. But on Sunday, the company debuted an ad featuring an unshaven Chris Noth getting cozy with Jess King, the Peloton instructor featured in episode 1.
A company spokesperson claims the spot was quickly filmed on Saturday and that HBO had no involvement. But Ryan Reynolds did: The ad was produced through his company Maximum Effort in collaboration with Peloton. (He also did an ad with the widely memed Peloton Wife in 2019.) The spot’s director claimed it came together in about 24 hours.
On Monday, Peloton followed up with some workout-shaming, which is enough to make you wonder: What?
Was this a big PR stunt that HBO was on board with? It’s entirely possible, though a reference to Peloton in this week’s Curb Your Enthusiasm raised eyebrows. (Neither Peloton nor HBO responded to a request for comment.) I viewed the first four episodes of And Just Like That…, and they’re unfortunately weighed down by bad writing and awkward attempts at cultural discourse—but there are some promising storylines.
The pieces kind of fit here. As someone noted on Twitter: “Mr. Big faking his death so he can leave Carrie for a Peloton instructor at the age of 65 is absolutely believable for his character.”
By Audra Schroeder Senior Writer  SPONSORED There’s a whole world of investment options outside of stonks. In fact, you can invest in anything these days, from wine and whiskey to trading cards and islands.
Alternative Assets is the source for in-depth analysis and recommendations on unique investment opportunities that consistently crush benchmarks. Sign up for the free newsletter and get data-driven intel and actionable insights delivered to your inbox.  REVIEWS In 2019, I was in the rare and unpopular position of disliking The Witcher. In addition to being overcomplicated and shallowly written, season 1 was hampered by a sexist origin story for its female lead (Yennefer sacrificed her fertility in a nude torture scene to “cure” her disability) and a wooden leading man: Geralt (Henry Cavill). With the exception of Geralt’s sidekick Jaskier, I found The Witcher largely humorless and lacking in personality.
Season 2 is a big step up! Production values are higher, particularly in terms of set design and practical effects for the monsters. We also benefit from a simpler narrative structure, adapted from the Witcher novels Blood of Elves and Time of Contempt. Geralt and Ciri spend several episodes in the witcher fortress of Kaer Morhen, introducing us to Geralt’s brethren and giving Ciri a chance to mature.
Balancing grittiness with a sincere affection for the fantasy genre, this show has come into its own.
The Witcher season 2 streams on Netflix Dec. 17.
—Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, staff writer
DAILY DOT PICKS
 NOW STREAMING ‘The Expanse’ season 6 offers a satisfying (but slightly rushed) conclusion Structured more like a high-stakes soap opera than a drama with a clear thematic conclusion, The Expanse sometimes feels like it could run indefinitely. If only it could.
But with a finite number of novels to adapt, season 6 wraps things up as conclusively as possible—while still leaving us wanting more. That’s partly because the season is unusually short (just six episodes compared to the usual 10 to 13) and partly because the show’s creators are visibly angling for a spinoff.
Amazon is seemingly to blame for this truncated episode order, but The Expanse‘s production company is open to telling more stories in the same universe. This is both a welcome possibility and slightly frustrating in the context of season 6. Six episodes just isn’t enough time to wind up every storyline, and on top of this, a few minutes of each episode are dedicated to introducing a brand new setting.
Taking place on one of the new colony planets, this subplot could act as a backdoor pilot for a new show. While it’s an interesting concept, it takes time away from The Expanse‘s main cast.
Read the full review here.
—G.B.-W.
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77.) HEADLINE USA
78.) NATURAL NEWS
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79.) POLITICHICKS
80.) BLACKPRESSUSA
81.) THE WESTERN JOURNAL
82.) CNN
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 Wednesday 12.15.21 Get ready for the Christmas crush! New projections say holiday travel is about to roar back with a vengeance. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.  Protesters gather outside the Capitol on January 6.  Capitol riot
The House voted last night to recommend that the Department of Justice pursue criminal charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for failing to appear for a deposition with the select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Two Republicans on the select committee, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, voted with Democrats in favor of the referral. The select committee voted Monday in favor of holding Meadows in contempt of Congress, and it’s now up to the Justice Department to decide if it will pursue criminal charges against ex-President Donald Trump’s top aide. Meadows is the second official to face such a referral from the panel. The committee approved a criminal contempt report against Trump ally Steve Bannon in October after he refused to comply with a subpoena deadline.
Debt limit
Congress voted to raise the national debt limit by $2.5 trillion and extend it into 2023 after lawmakers raced to avert a catastrophic default ahead of a critical deadline. The Senate moved yesterday to pass legislation to increase the limit in a vote along party lines. The House voted early this morning to approve the bill, which now must be signed by President Joe Biden. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had warned that the debt limit could be reached today, leaving Congress little time to resolve the issue. A first-ever default would spark economic disaster, and party leaders on both sides of the aisle have made clear it must be prevented.
Coronavirus
Researchers in South African added new details yesterday to what’s known about the Omicron variant, confirming that vaccines provide less protection against the new strain but also saying they see indications that it causes milder symptoms than previous variants. And there seems to be little doubt that Omicron is highly transmissible. Cornell University in New York reported 903 cases of Covid-19 among students in the week that ended Monday, and a “very high percentage” are Omicron cases in fully vaccinated people. Separately, Pfizer’s updated results for its experimental treatment for Covid-19 showed it cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% if given to high-risk adults within a few days of their first symptoms. Pfizer hopes it can eventually offer the pills for people to take at home before they get sick enough to go to the hospital.
Trump taxes
A federal judge yesterday threw out Trump’s lawsuit seeking to keep his tax returns from Congress, ruling that the Treasury Department could disclose them to the House committee that requested them more than two years ago. US District Judge Trevor McFadden — a Trump appointee — said in his opinion that Trump was “wrong on the law,” as a “long line of Supreme Court cases requires great deference to facially valid congressional inquiries.” McFadden also put the opinion on hold for 14 days to give Trump the chance to file his expected appeal.
Haiti
More than 60 people were killed and dozens injured after a tanker truck carrying gasoline exploded late Monday in Cap-Haitien, Haiti’s second-largest city. The situation remains critical, Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor said yesterday has he appealed for blood donations. The fuel tanker exploded after it had stopped due to mechanical issues and began leaking gas, Almonor said. People gathered to collect fuel directly from the truck when the explosion happened, he said. Haiti, often ranked as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been crippled by a severe fuel shortage that has led to power outages and protests.
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People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Surprise! Holiday packages are moving on time A rare piece of holiday cheer in a year of screwed-up supply chains.
A hockey game giveaway had teachers scrambling for cash Critics compared the stunt to “Squid Game.”
Harley-Davidson is spinning off its electric motorcycle brand “Get your battery charging! Head out on the highway!”
Malta will become the 1st country in Europe to legalize cannabis for recreational use No, pot is not actually legal in the Netherlands, despite what your college roommate told you.
Art trader accidentally sells an NFT for a fraction of market price The “Bored Ape” NFT was worth nearly $300,000, but a distracted human sold it for less than $3,000.  Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is due to give an update on monetary policy today at the conclusion of the Fed’s two-day meeting. He may announce the central bank will end its pandemic-era stimulus sooner than expected. 9.6% That’s how much a key measure of inflation rose over the 12 months ending in November as pandemic-era supply chain headaches and a labor shortage continued. It’s the biggest jump on record for the producer price index and follows last week’s reading of inflation at the consumer level, which rose by 6.8% over the same period — a level not seen since 1982. 
I’ve seen war zones, I’ve seen absolute destruction, and nothing compared to it.
Shawn Triplett, a Mayfield, Kentucky resident and former Marine who served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Triplett is organizing a donation drive through social media to purchase gifts for those in need after a devastating tornado wiped out most of the town.
Brought to you by CNN Underscored  26 things we tested and loved this year that would make great gifts Our team of shopping experts tried thousands of products this year, but these 26 really stood out. If you’re still in need of a gift for the holidays, these editor-approved items will take the guesswork out of your shopping.
Candy cane confidential Christmas is just 10 days away! Take a look at how one holiday staple is made. (Click here to view.)
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83.) THE DAILY CALLER
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90.) CONSERVATIVE TRIBUNE
91.) USA TODAY
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92.) THE DAILY BEAST
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93.) JUST THE NEWS
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94.) SHARYL ATTKISSON
95.) RIGHTWING.ORG
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![[INSANE!] - White House Makes JARRING Claim About Gas Prices - It's Downright Laughable](https://i0.wp.com/www.rightwing.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/12/shutterstock_1119043529-768x512.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1)
96.) NOT THE BEE
97.) US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
98.) NEWSMAX
99.) MARK LEVIN
December 14, 2021
On Tuesday’s Mark Levin show, Rep Liz Cheney suggests that then-President Trump committed a federal crime on January 6th, 2021. Of course, Congress has no authority to prosecute any crime, and acting in this manner violates one’s Fifth Amendment rights. in doing so, Liz Cheney has demonstrated that many in Trump’s inner circle urged him via texts to Mark Meadows to speak out against the violence at the Capitol. Incidentally, Trump had offered 10,000 National Guard troops, but Speaker Pelosi rejected the President’s offer. This Pelosi-appointed committee is covering up for her. The real question is: what did Pelosi know and when did she know it? Then, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who lied about combat service in Vietnam, attended the 102nd-anniversary celebration of the Communist Party USA. Blumenthal had his American Marxism on full display. Later, Barak Ravid fires back on Twitter but remains a small fish in a large pond. Israeli prosecutors have made flimsy allegations against Benjamin Netanyahu hoping that the charges will stick. Afterward, smash-and-grab robberies abound in California and while retailers are installing barbed wire, leftwing politicians refuse to empower police or prosecutors to stop the problem. The White House dodges questions on crime and remains silent on this issue. Finally, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich joins the show with an update on his lawsuits against the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional policies on vaccine mandates and the southern border.
THIS IS FROM:
Hot Air
Cheney hints: We’re building a case that Trump committed a federal crime on January 6
American Thinker
Sen. Richard Blumenthal ‘excited and proud’ to help Communist Party USA celebrate its 102nd anniversary
Newsweek
The Ugly Truth Comes Out About Netanyahu’s Trial | Opinion
NRO
Key Inflation Metric Grows at Fastest Pace Ever Recorded
Amazon
Amazon Best Sellers of 2021 (So Far)
CNN
Famous LA shopping center adds barbed-wire-like fence to deter smash and grabs
Daily Wire
Jim Clyburn Says Democrats Will ‘Get Around’ Filibuster To Pass Progressive Voting Expansion
Just The News
North Carolina governor vetoes bill blocking private funding of elections
Breitbart
White House Repeats Joe Biden Running in 2024 as Hillary Clinton Raises Profile
Washington Examiner
Congress will hike debt limit by $2.5 trillion to extend borrowing past midterm elections
Rumble
Psaki Doesn’t Know Anyone Concerned About National Debt Crisis
Washington Examiner
White House cries ‘fake news’ on CBO score showing higher cost for spending bill
The podcast for this show can be streamed or downloaded from the Audio Rewind page.
Image used with permission of Getty Images / Anna Moneymaker
100.) WOLF DAILY
101.) THE GELLER REPORT
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102.) CNS
103.) RELIABLE NEWS
104.) INDEPENDENT SENTINEL
The Biden Regime hates you.
NY bills will allow unelected Gov. Hochul to arrest people without trial over ‘health threats’.
“Highest Producer Price Inflation Since Records Began”.
Liz Cheney is deranged.
13 murdered service members and 170 murdered Afghans was “inevitable,” says Biden
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Exploding Glitter Bombs to Nab Porch PiratesThis is a unique way to capture or scare off porch pirates for people who live, say in San Francisco, where police don’t pursue thieves. It’s a glitter bomb disguised… |
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The Biden Regime Still Hates YouThe Biden administration announced last week that they were issuing a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The decision not to send an official delegation, White House press secretary… |
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Tyranny! NY Bills Include Detaining People Without Trial Over Public HealthThe Marxists are rampaging through our blue states and what they do needs to be watched closely because this is the Democrat plan for the nation. New York, like California,… |
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Psaki Thought a Bald-Faced Lie Would Be a Great Response to Soaring Meat PricesThese inflationary policies, if left open, will literally destroy the economy. ~ Larry Kudlow The White House spokesperson Jen Psaki decided a bald-faced lie would be a great response to… |
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The Left “Weaponizes Tornado…Deceit and Deception..Piling on the Misery… Sociopathic”Insanity. Its a below average tornado, wind damage and hail season. No credibility No knowledge of past weather, We are in the hands of leftists who weaponize weather for their… |
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Double Vaxxed people Under 40 Appear to Be Driving OmicronOmicron appears to be driven by young vaccinated people. Data from Denmark shows that just over 70 percent of omicron cases have been among those younger than 40. This is… |
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“Highest Producer Price Inflation Since Records Began”Mr. Patrick said “the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday that the producer price inflation jumped 9.6% year over year in November. It’s the highest since records began, basically.” Democrats… |
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Traitor McConnell Participates in Another Major Giveaway to DemsThanks to Mitch McConnell and his band of RINOs, the debt limit will be extended into 2023. That gives Democrats plenty of time to push through their socialist/communist bills. It… |
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Deranged Cheney Twists Emails Into “Insurrection”-Meadows Held in ContemptDeranged, traitorous Liz Cheney is trying to use texts that amount to a no-never mind as proof that J6 was an “insurrection.” The J6 inquisition merely wants to destroy Donald… |
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Biden Explains 13 Murdered Service Members in Kabul Was InevitableDuring an interview with CBS Sunday Morning with his wife, Biden explained away the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans thanks to his horrendous withdrawal plan. “Everybody… |
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WaPo’s Investigating Manchin, Possibly a Threat to Get BBB PassedSenator Joe Manchin usually makes a big splash to pretend he is supporting his red state and then reluctantly gives in. That might be the process he’s following now when… |
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Dinesh D’Souza: Racism of Karl Marx and Critical Race TheoryDinesh D’Souza shows that the racism of Critical Race Theory traces its origin to the racism of Karl Marx, who was not only a racist but also a colonialist and… |
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Nanny State Cali Targets Food Waste as Cities BurnCalifornia is living with a crime wave, a cargo ship crisis (largely of their own making), and has the highest unemployment in the country, shared only by Democrat Nevada. None of… |
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Used Car Inflation! Prices Up 50% in 2021Used car prices have increased more than 50% in 2021. Historically, used cars decrease in value. You know the old saying about buying a new car? “The moment you drive… |
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VA Hospital Finally Relents on Ivermectin After Defying Court OrdersChris Davies and his father Donald have been fighting for their mother and wife Kathy Davies’ right to try the drug Ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment at Fauquier Health hospital… |
105.) DC CLOTHESLINE
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106.) ARTICLE V LEGISLATORS’ CAUCUS
107.) BECKER NEWS
108.) SONS OF LIBERTY
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109.) STARS & STRIPES
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110.) RIGHT & FREE
111.) UNITED VOICE
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112.) THE DAILY SHAPIRO
113.) INSURGENT CONSERVATIVES
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 Anyone who thinks about the current civil war in America comes to realize that it is, in large measure, a war between the religious and the anti-religious….
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114.) WAKING TIMES
115.) UNCOVER DC