MORNING NEWS BRIEFING _ JANUARY 4. 2022

Posted By: Rick Bulow January 4, 2022

Good morning! Here is your news briefing for day , 2022

1.) THE DAILY SIGNAL

—

January 4 2022

Good morning from Washington, where Democrats are trying to change the rules so they can get their preferred policies in place. Tom Jipping has a clear-eyed look at liberal hypocrisy on the filibuster over the years. Are parents helpless when it comes to what their children learn in public schools? No, says one mom of four, and she tells Virginia Allen how she trains parents to advocate for their children. Plus: Terris Todd on great black Americans, Harry Wilmerding on the latest Big Tech censorship, and Doug Blair on cancelled professors.
COMMENTARY
8 College Professors Canceled by Left
By Douglas Blair
“It is sad that an audience of supposed scientists is unable to take any dissenting view, such as the suggestion that there really are only two sexes,” said one of the professors.
COMMENTARY
Biden Wants to, in His Words, ‘Eviscerate the Senate’
By Thomas Jipping
For President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, consensus and compromise have become obstructions rather than objectives.
ANALYSIS
How Parents Can Beat Leftists in the Classroom
By Virginia Allen
Laura Zorc is training parents across the nation to be advocates for their own children in the classroom.
NEWS
Facebook Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene for 24 Hours
By Harry Wilmerding
Facebook’s restrictions on Rep. Greene relate to a post where she raised concern over some Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System data, a system using data to track problems with vaccines.
COMMENTARY
Black American Triumphs Outweigh Our Tragedies
By Terris Todd
The list of black American triumphs is lengthy, but allow me to share a short list of people who are noteworthy for defying the odds.
LOGO-CHARCOAL_75percent.jpg

How are we doing?
We welcome your comments, suggestions, and story tips. Please reply to this email or send us a note at letters@dailysignal.com.

 

 

 

The Daily Signal
214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(800) 546-2843
Add morningbell@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us.

You are subscribed to this newsletter as rpbnewmedia@protonmail.com. If you want to receive other Heritage Foundation newsletters, or opt out of this newsletter, please click here to update your subscription.

2.) THE EPOCH TIMES

mt

3.) DAYBREAK

Your First Look at Today’s Top Stories – Daybreak Insider
Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.
The Daybreak Insider
SPONSORED BY
TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2022
Subscribe for free to the Daybreak Insider Podcast, and hear the latest reporting and analysis on these stories and more every weekday morning. Click here to subscribe.
1.
Facebook Blocks Ads for Children’s Books Honoring Reagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Thomas Sowell

They eventually claimed it was “an error” (Twitter) but it is the one error that seems to occur regularly. From the story: Facebook originally said that Heroes of Liberty – which has published books about Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, former President Ronald Reagan and author Thomas Sowell – violated the company’s rules against “Low Quality or Disruptive Content.” Facebook originally locked the ads account on Dec. 23, and after Heroes of Liberty appealed the ruling, the company permanently disabled the account (Fox Business). From Hugh Hewitt: The @Meta decision to ban children’s books about Ronald Reagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Thomas Sowell should be a story all across broadcast news and cable…but the decided political bent of all but FNC won’t allow it. @bethanyshondark should be all over the news. How nuts is @Meta (Twitter).
2.
China Blisters Walmart for Daring to Cut China Products

From the story: On Friday, the country’s anticorruption agency harshly criticized Walmart and warned of a consumer backlash against it, days after social-media users alleged its China-based Walmart and Sam’s Club stores had stopped stocking produce from the Xinjiang. Walmart declined to comment on the issue (WSJ).  From Nikki Haley: Kudos to Walmart for standing up to Communist China for its terrible human rights abuses despite Beijing’s bullying. More American companies should grow a spine and do the same (Twitter).
Advertisement
3.
The Guardian Removes ‘Person of The Year’ Poll After J.K. Rowling’s Giant Lead

From the story: “Tell us: who is your 2021 person of the year?” ran the headline, posted on Dec. 15, with the subtitle, “Time Magazine chose billionaire Tesla boss Elon Musk – but who would be your choice?” A short time later, when Rowling was far and away in the lead, the voting form disappeared, as did the results. A message in small print stated, “This form has been deactivated and is closed to any further submissions” (The Daily Wire). Rowling has stirred up controversy recently when responding to Scotland’s policy allowing rapists to identify as women. From Rowling: War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman (Twitter).
4.
China Collecting Troves of Data from Social Media of Western Countries

From the story: China is turning a major part of its internal Internet-data surveillance network outward, mining Western social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to equip its government agencies, military and police with information on foreign targets. China maintains a countrywide network of government data surveillance services — called public opinion analysis software — that were developed over the past decade and are used domestically to warn officials of politically sensitive information online (The Washington Post). From The Hill: Other programs have reportedly been developed to observe Western and foreign language in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, two places where the international community has condemned China for its alleged human rights violations. The Post reported that these operations have been in the works since the beginning of 2020 (The Hill).
5.
Los Angeles Gun Violence Hits a 15-Year High

From The LA Times: The city has seen nearly 400 killings at the end of 2021, a staggering loss of progress in reducing such violence over the last 15 years. As of Dec. 29, there had been 392 homicides — the most of any year since 2007. The causes are complex and hard to pin down, and have been politicized — exaggerated or minimized — to meet people’s chosen narratives about police, criminal justice and the best path forward.

The LA Times
Advertisement
6.
Senator Manchin Resumes Negotiations Over Build Back Better

From the story: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has reportedly resumed negotiations with the White House on President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda after essentially torpedoing it before the Christmas break. Sources familiar with the situation said that many of his objections to the bill still stand, including the “size and scope” of the package, the possible $4 trillion price tag over the next ten years, and the potential for raised inflation (Breitbart). From Business Insider: This is a demand Manchin has long held. The expanded child tax credit would allow parents who earn below a certain income to receive monthly payments of $300 per child under 6 and $250 for a child between 6 and 18 for another year (Business Insider).
7.
Poll: Most Americans “Fearful” for U.S. in 2022

The big jump is among Democrats.

Axios
8.
Senator Schumer Pushing Voting Law Changes in Senate

This Axios story paints it in Democrat-pushed terms and managed to tell the story without a single quote from the opposition (Axios). From the Wall Street Journal editorial board: If you thought 2022 might see a return to the more “normal” politics that Democrats promised in 2020 but failed to deliver in 2021, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants to disabuse you. On Monday he announced that Democrats will revive their crusade to transform Congress by eliminating the Senate filibuster on the narrowest of partisan votes (WSJ).
Advertisement
9.
NY COVID Treatment is Allocated by a Point System and BIPOC’s are More Likely Than Whites to Get it

From the story: Documentary evidence showing that the State of New York is discriminating against white people in providing access to covid treatments has provoked widespread outrage. So in order to get access to the best covid treatment, you need a score of four or more. How do you score points (Powerline)? From Health State: The MASSBP is calculated as follows, on a scale of 0-25: age 65 years and older (2 points), BMI 35 kg/m2 and higher (2), diabetes mellitus (2), chronic kidney disease (3), cardiovascular disease in a patient 55 years and older (2), chronic respiratory disease in a patient 55 years and older (3), hypertension in a patient 55 years and older (1), and immunocompromised status (4)*, pregnancy (4), or BIPOC status (2). It is ethically appropriate to consider race and ethnicity in mAb eligibility decisions when data show elevated risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes for Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC populations), and that this risk cannot be adequately addressed by determining eligibility based on underlying health conditions (Health State).
10.
NASCAR Repeals the Let’s Go Brandon Sponsorship from Brandon Brown’s Car Pending Evaluation

From the story: NASCAR is walking back its approval of driver Brandon Brown’s sponsorship with LGBcoin after initially approving the deal. However, Brown’s spokesperson Maxwell Marcucci told FOX Business that NASCAR pulled back its approval of the sponsorship deal on Dec. 30, after the partnership with LGBcoin was announced (Fox News). From The Daily Mail: Brown’s spokesman Max Marucci said the paint job was approved by NASCAR in late December, but on the day it was unveiled he was called and told that the racing body ‘apologized for any confusion and miscommunication,’ and said that the deal ‘needs to be reviewed at a higher level’ (The Daily Mail).
Copyright © 2022 DaybreakInsider.com

SUBSCRIPTION INFO

This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It is only sent to people who signed up from one of the Salem Media Group network of websites OR a friend might have forwarded it to you. We respect and value your time and privacy.

Unsubscribe from The Daybreak Insider

OR Send postal mail to:
The Daybreak Insider Unsubscribe
6400 N. Belt Line Rd., Suite 200, Irving, TX 75063

Were you forwarded this edition of The Daybreak Insider?
Get your own free subscription

Copyright © 2022 Salem Media Group and its Content Providers.
All rights reserved.

4.) THE SUNBURN

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 1.4.22

Coffee is for closers. So is Sunburn, your morning rundown of Florida politics.

Please, take a moment for this top-of-Sunburn message from Michelle Schorsch:

While he may be best known as the driving force behind Florida Politics, SUNBURN and INFLUENCE Magazine, we’re most proud to call him a devoted husband, father and best friend.

Today, we celebrate Peter Schorsch on his birthday.

As you know, Peter spends most of his time working tirelessly to innovate the way politics is covered in Florida, while doing his best to promote The Process and those individuals who make it happen.

What you may not know, however, is how much Peter treasures his relationships with each of you — and how seriously he takes the responsibility of delivering the most comprehensive coverage of how things get done in Tallahassee and our cherished Sunshine State.

You may not always love (or even agree with) his hot takes, but rest assured that few people have a finger on the pulse of Florida politics as Peter does.

2021 continued to present challenges to us all — Peter was no exception.

Facing my serious illness, Peter rose to the task, finding another gear I don’t think he even knew he had. He didn’t just sit vigil by my bedside; Peter was a tireless advocate for my recovery, all while managing to keep things together on the homefront for our daughter Ella. And that was no small feat.

Under that incredible pressure, some men may have crumbled; Peter excelled.

Our family is together, healthy and happier than ever, largely because of his guidance and love.

This past year, Peter gave so much of himself for Ella and me; a single day of celebration just doesn’t seem enough.

For all he has done for us, our Florida Politics family and you, our loyal readership, we hope you’ll join us today in raising a glass to celebrate his special day.

Happy birthday, Peter!

Enjoy this most special of birthdays, Peter. You earned it.

___

In case you missed it over the holiday break, FP named Wilton Simpson its Politician of the Year for 2021. Today Florida Politics is unveiling its choice for Local Politician of the Year.

And the winner is … (click here).

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

Tweet, tweet:

 

—@SecDef: I tested positive this morning for COVID-19. I requested the test today after exhibiting symptoms while at home on leave. My symptoms are mild, and I am following my physician’s directions.

—@MarcoRubio: Record numbers testing positive for a sore throat isn’t a crisis and people in the hospital for car accidents testing positive isn’t a surge The real crisis is the irrational hysteria which has people with no symptoms waiting hours for a test or missing work for 10 days

—@BryanLowry3: White House response to Florida’s Surgeon General’s comments about unwinding “testing psychology”: “Testing continues to be a key pillar in detecting the virus and stopping its spread; leaders should be uniting around it, not undermining it.”

—@CDCDirector: We know that about 85-90% of viral #COVID19 transmission occurs in the first 5 days. During that period, we want people to stay home & isolate, then mask for 5 additional days to capture the last 10-15%. Remember, in areas of substantial or high transmission, keep your mask on.

—@FoxReports: Per Office of the Attending Physician on Capitol Hill: “Our test center’s 7-day positivity rate went from less than 1 % to greater than 13 %.” The attending physician encourages offices to maximize teleworking for employees, per @ryanobles and @MZanona

Tweet, tweet:

 

—@JayObTV: There are no state-run COVID testing sites in Florida. The lines you’re seeing are from overburdened testing sites run by counties, municipalities, and private organizations.

Tweet, tweet:

 

Tweet, tweet:

 

Tweet, tweet:

 

— DAYS UNTIL —

Ken Welch’s inauguration as St. Petersburg Mayor — 2; NFL season ends — 5; 2022 Legislative Session starts — 7; Florida’s 20th Congressional District Election — 7; Special Elections in Senate District 33, House District 88 & 94 — 7; Florida Chamber’s 2022 Legislative Fly-In and Reception — 7; Florida TaxWatch’s 2022 State of the Taxpayer Day — 8; Joel Coen’s ’The Tragedy of Macbeth’ on Apple TV+ — 10; NFL playoffs begin — 11; ‘Ozark’ final season begins — 17; ‘Billions’ begins — 19; Red Dog Blue Dog charity event — 21; XXIV Olympic Winter Games begins — 31; Super Bowl LVI — 40; season two of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ begins — 45; ‘The Walking Dead’ final season part two begins — 47; Daytona 500 — 47; Special Election for Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 3 — 49; CPAC begins — 51; St. Pete Grand Prix — 52; ‘The Batman’ premieres — 59; the third season of ‘Atlanta’ begins — 79; season two of ‘Bridgerton’ begins — 80; The Oscars — 82; federal student loan payments will resume — 117; ’Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 122; ’Top Gun: Maverick’ premieres — 143; ’Platinum Jubilee’ for Queen Elizabeth II — 149; ’Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 186; San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — 197; ‘The Lord of the Rings’ premieres on Amazon Prime — 241; ’Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 276; ‘Black Panther 2’ premieres — 311; ‘The Flash’ premieres — 314; ‘Avatar 2’ premieres — 346; ‘Captain Marvel 2’ premieres — 409; ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ premieres — 444; ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ premieres — 570; ‘Dune: Part Two’ premieres — 654; Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games — 934.

— FIRST IN SUNBURN —

Another former top staffer in the Governor’s office is heading to Ballard Partners.

The latest addition is Courtney Coppola, who most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Her portfolio included the state’s COVID-19 response as well as the Department of Health, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Children and Families, the Division of Emergency Management, the Department of Military Affairs, the Department of Elder Affairs, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Congratulations to Courtney Coppola, the newest talent to jump on Team Ballard.

Coppola has a long resume in state government, having previously worked as the Chief of Staff at the Department of Health and as Director of Florida’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use.

“Courtney’s extensive and exceptional public service in the DeSantis Administration will be invaluable to our firm and its clients,” said Brian Ballard, the founder and President of Ballard Partners. “We are delighted that she is joining our preeminent team of professionals.”

Coppola added, “I am honored to join Ballard Partners and am looking forward to working with the firm’s exceptionally talented team.”

Originally from Destin, Coppola earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in applied American politics and policy from Florida State University. She also serves on the Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Alumni Board and remains involved in recruitment and mentoring for the program.

The Coppola hire comes just two months after Ballard Partners announced the hire of Adrian Lukis, who had served as the Governor’s Chief of Staff immediately before joining the firm.


— STATEWIDE —

“Ron DeSantis claims critics of his December schedule aren’t ‘shooting straight’” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — DeSantis spoke about his abbreviated December public schedule, blasting his “enemies” for criticizing him for not speaking up as COVID-19 surged in the state last month. “When you’re in the political arena, sometimes you’re fortunate with the enemies you have. Because these people just aren’t shooting straight,” DeSantis said at a news conference Monday, responding to critics who suggested the Governor was on vacation when he was, in fact, by his wife’s side during breast cancer treatments. DeSantis said the latest attacks were “dumb” and “not effective,” wrapping up seemingly extemporaneous remarks in which he responded to people wondering why he wasn’t doing COVID-19 news conferences as omicron surged last month.

Tweet, tweet:

 

“DeSantis is ‘blurring the lines’ using state plane for campaign-style events, watchdog says” via Steven Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel — DeSantis flies to events all over Florida in the state plane, which cost more than $15 million to buy and $3 million-plus a year to operate. But some of the official appearances his office promotes as news conferences have resembled campaign rallies, filled with Palm Beach International Airport supporters and political chants. And many of those have been paired with DeSantis campaign emails, including some selling merchandise emblazoned with a slogan such as “Don’t Tread on Florida” that appeared prominently at an event that same day. A Florida watchdog criticized the practice as increasingly flouting the spirit of the law that separates official duties from campaigning. “There doesn’t appear to be a border in this case,” said Ben Wilcox, research director of the nonprofit, nonpartisan group Integrity Florida.

“DeSantis: College students forced to learn online deserve tuition refunds” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — College students who are forced to learn remotely as part of a university’s pandemic response policy deserve full tuition refunds, DeSantis said on Monday. The Governor’s remarks come as colleges and universities grapple with the highly contagious but seemingly less potent, omicron variant. In many cases, colleges are providing online-only instruction and yet still charging students full tuition costs. DeSantis vowed to keep school doors open in Florida. A June poll commissioned by College Pulse Survey showed 90% of students feel they should pay less if schools move to online-only. Additionally, less than half of students surveyed believe professors transitioned to online teaching effectively.

“2021: The year state officials took charge of Florida education” via Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times — Throughout 2021, DeSantis’ administration asserted itself on several fronts — from threatening sanctions when the Hillsborough School Board rejected renewal applications for four charter schools, to pushing a new Parents’ Bill of Rights law. Perhaps nowhere did the administration flex its muscle more than when it moved against school mask mandates with emergency orders in the summer, financial penalties in the fall, and a full-court legal press all year long. “The word I used for school boards, even before COVID, was ‘ceremonial,’” said Billy Townsend, a former Polk County School Board member who has been one of the harshest critics of the Republican-led state government’s approach to education. “This is a state-run school system. … Nothing made it clearer than COVID.”

ICYMI: “DeSantis taps Melanie Griffin as DBPR Secretary” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — DeSantis appointed Melanie Griffin as Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. A Tampa-native and lawyer, Griffin replaces outgoing Secretary Julie Brown. DeSantis appointed Brown to the position in February. She’ll serve next as the new Chair of the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Brown said she and Griffin will work closely over the next several weeks to ensure a “seamless transition” of leadership. Griffin is a lawyer with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick. She is also a senior adviser for business-to-business relationships for Shumaker Advisors Florida and the founder of Spread Your Sunshine.

“Is 2022 the year for workers’ comp changes? Jimmy Patronis’ office says, ‘YES!’” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — Patronis‘ office will push for several changes to workers’ compensation during the 2022 Legislative Session. Appearing at the Florida Workers’ Compensation Institute annual meeting in Orlando last week, the group’s assistant director, Andrew Sabolic, outlined key components of the reforms his division will advocate, including eliminating a requirement that the Florida Legislature approve certain workers’ compensation reimbursement rates. The presentation also shows the department wants to reduce penalties for businesses that are first-time offenders of the state’s workers’ compensation laws. The division wants to provide those businesses with the ability to lower their penalties by 15% if they watch an online tutorial on workers’ compensation coverage and compliance and correctly answer 80% of the questions.

Jimmy Patronis feels this is the year for workers’ comp reform. Image via Twitter/@JimmyPatronis.

Happening today — The Biscayne Bay Commission meets, 9 a.m., Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission South B Regional Law Enforcement Office, 3200 N.E. 151st St., North Miami. Register here.

“State has received 131 grant applications for Medicaid home- and community-based services” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — Home- and community-based service providers to some of the state’s most vulnerable residents are rushing to take advantage of a one-time windfall of federal money that is being handed out by the state. Just days after it started allowing people to apply for the hundreds of millions in dollars that’s available, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration by Wednesday already had received 131 applications. All but one of the submitted applications was asking for help to bolster the industry from continued job losses and to grow the workforce that provides services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

 

— DATELINE TALLY —

“Lawmakers asked to wake up and look at anesthesia laws during upcoming Session” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — Health care provider groups want lawmakers to examine how anesthesia and other pain-numbing services are delivered to hospitalized Florida patients. Three different types of health care providers are authorized to administer anesthesia in Florida: anesthesiologist assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists. They all have different roles and educational and training backgrounds, but they all have their eyes on bills filed in the Florida House and Senate for consideration in the Legislative Session that begins Jan. 11, 2022. SB 1336 by Sen. Dennis Baxley modernizes laws regarding the regulation of anesthesiologist assistants. Created in statute with the support of the Florida Medical Organization 19 years ago, AAs are considered physician extenders and must work under the direct supervision of anesthesiologists.

In this Session, Dennis Baxley is urged to wake up.

“Hospitals could gain new tools to ID unidentified patients” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — A bill filed in the Florida House this week would allow law enforcement agencies to help hospitals identify unidentified patients and empower social workers to make decisions about patients’ continued care. HB 1021, which Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin of Miami-Dade County filed Monday, would add language to Florida Statute clearing the way for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and local police agencies to use available biometric tools to identify “otherwise unidentifiable” patients. Such tools include fingerprints, palm prints and facial images. Hospitals in Florida now run into legal roadblocks when trying to determine who some of their patients are. In Miami-Dade County alone, there are more than 300 cases of unidentified bodies awaiting identification, some murdered, some who died of natural causes.

“Proposal would extend Florida National Guard tuition coverage to out-of-state online schools” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Rep. Dan Daley filed HB 999, which would revise eligibility for the state’s Education Dollars for Duty (EDD) program, a major benefit and recruitment tool that covers tuition and fees for eligible troops. The program currently only pays for National Guard members to enroll in in-person and online degree programs provided by colleges, universities, and technical schools within the state. Daley’s bill would change that by extending coverage to non-Florida online degree programs, up to the highest tuition rate for Florida online schooling.

“Lawmaker calls for creation of task force on futuristic air travel” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — Rep. Jason Fischer wants transportation leaders to start thinking about the future. In the upcoming 2022 Legislative Session, the Mandarin Republican is pitching a bill that aims to ready the state for an emerging means of transportation: electric air travel. The bill (HB 1005) would create Florida’s first Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Task Force, a collective of local and state leaders tasked with exploring the possibility of air travel using vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. eVTOL aircraft, which uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically, would capitalize on underutilized flight paths in Florida. Fischer listed the many upsides of AAM, including reducing roadway congestion and promoting job growth, economic development, and connectivity.

“Victor Torres, Kristen Arrington bills target HOA fines, liens” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Homeowners’ associations across Florida could see their powers curtailed or restricted as it relates to imposing fines and liens against homeowners, under legislation introduced by Sen. Torres and Rep. Arrington. Arrington and Torres are responding to complaints that certain homeowners’ associations, particularly those where developers retain control of HOA boards, can abuse fines and liens and cause overly burdensome hardships for homeowners who often find they have little recourse. The dynamic has been a high-profile, chronic source of hostility and litigation in the burgeoning Osceola County community of Poinciana. Arrington says there is a statewide problem, and that she has been hearing from frustrated homeowners across the state.

Kristen Arrington and Victor Torres are targeting HOA abuses.

Happening today — The Revenue Estimating Conference meets to discuss the general revenue fund, 8:45 a.m., Room 117 of the Knott Building.

Happening today — The Washington County legislative delegation meets: Sen. George Gainer and Rep. Brad Drake, 9 a.m. Central time, Washington County Commission chamber, 1331 South Blvd., Chipley.

Happening today — The Revenue Estimating Conference meets to discuss highway-safety revenues, 9 a.m., Room 117 of the Knott Building.

Happening today — The Jackson County legislative delegation meets: Gainer and Drake, 11:15 a.m. Central time, Jackson County School Board chamber, 2903 Jefferson St., Marianna.

Happening today — The Social Services Estimating Conference meets to examine Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) which calculates money from the federal government in the Medicaid program, 1 p.m., Room 117 of the Knott Building.

Happening today — The Revenue Estimating Conference meets to discuss the unemployment compensation trust fund, 2 p.m., Room 117 of the Knott Building.

Happening today — The Bay County legislative delegation meets: Gainer, Drake and Rep. Jay Trumbull, 4 p.m. Central time, Bay County Government Center, 840 West 11th St., Panama City.

Happening today — Rep. Rick Roth will be the featured speaker at a “Save Our Schools America” event, 6:45 p.m., Village Walk Town Center, 2500 Village Walk Circle, Wellington.

— MORE TALLY —

“Blaise Ingoglia seeks funding to up veteran services, medical research” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — Rep. Ingolgia is filing a slew of appropriations requests, including a proposal to expand mental health services for veterans in Florida. The Spring Hill lawmaker asks the Legislature to allocate $175,000 to K9 Partners for Patriots. Based in Brooksville, the nonprofit rescues shelter dogs and pairs them as service-animal candidates with veterans. The nonprofit will use the funds to expand mental health support groups for veterans and their families. A Senate District 10 candidate, Ingolgia also seeks to provide $3 million to Alzheimer’s and Dementia research at the University of Florida. According to the request, the money would help offset expenses that exceed current federal grants.

Blaise Ingoglia unrolls a lengthy wish list.

—“Tampa Bay lawmakers are pushing these bills. What do they do?” via Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times

“‘I think there’s still hope’: Florida Farm Bureau President talks citrus production woes, 2022 Session” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Jeb Smith, the new President of the Florida Farm Bureau, remains hopeful Florida’s citrus industry can rebound after disappointing projections to start the 2021-22 season. Smith spoke to Florida Politics about the citrus industry’s struggles and several other topics ahead of the 2022 Legislative Session. Smith, whose family has decades of experience in farming, resigned from the St. Johns County Commission in early November after being elected by delegates to lead the Florida Farm Bureau. Smith had served as a St. Johns County Commissioner for seven years. “I ran for it because I was asked to run. I was asked by some of our state directors to do so. If not, I don’t know if I would have considered it,” Smith said.

Gas station owners aim to stamp out utility ‘monopoly’ on EV chargers — Gas station owners are looking to prevent utility companies from gaining the upper hand as electric vehicle charging stations become more prevalent throughout the state, Bruce Ritchie of POLITICO Florida reports. At issue is a plan approved by the Public Service Commission that would allow utility companies to install EV charging stations and recoup the cost from ratepayers regardless of whether they use them. Gas station owners say the plan gives utility companies an unfair advantage in the emerging market. Gainesville Republican Sen. Keith Perry has filed a bill (SB 920) to undo the plan by prohibiting utilities from recouping EV charger costs from ratepayers.

New owners for News Service of Florida — Information services platform GovExec announced Monday that it has acquired News Service of Florida and will add it to its City & State platform, which also operates in New York and Pennsylvania. GovExec said it plans to expand the NSF subscription to include member-only events across the state, comprehensive legislative directories, and election resources such as polling data and a database of candidates running for state and federal office. “Our goal is to deliver the highest-quality journalism and analysis to the leaders of Florida,” said Tom Allon, General Manager of the City & State portfolio. “As we’ve done in New York and Pennsylvania, we plan to become an indispensable part of the day for Florida’s political community.”

— CORONA FLORIDA —

“COVID-19 was the 3rd leading cause of death in 2021” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — For the second year in a row, COVID-19 emerged in 2021 as the third leading cause of death in Florida, resulting in more fatalities than any other causes except heart diseases and cancers. The latest provisional cause-of-death data compiled and presented by the Florida Department of Health for deaths recorded through Wednesday, Dec. 29, show far more Floridians likely died in 2021 of the coronavirus than of lung diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease, poisonings, overdoses, falls, motor vehicle crashes, homicides, or suicides. COVID-19 added tens of thousands of additional deaths to Florida’s mortality in 2021, just as it did in 2020. The exact number of 2021 COVID-19 deaths is not yet settled.

COVID-19 is among the leading killers in Florida. Image via AP.

“State breaks another case record, and hospitalizations go up” via Michelle Marchante and Devoun Cetoute of the Miami Herald — Florida on Monday reported 85,707 cases and 61 new deaths to the CDC. This is the largest multiday increase of newly reported cases since the pandemic began in March 2020. The previous multiday record was set during the height of the delta wave last summer when 56,036 cases were reported on Aug. 16. The large increase comes from the CDC backlogging cases and deaths for Florida on Mondays and Thursdays, when multiple days in the past had their totals changed. In August, Florida began reporting cases by the “case date” rather than the date the case was logged in to the system, resulting in several cases backfilling over time.

“DeSantis blames feds for treatment, testing shortages as omicron spreads” via Gray Rohrer of the Orlando Sentinel — DeSantis said he’s waiting on the federal government to send COVID-19 treatments to reestablish sites for residents to combat the virus. He also blamed the federal government for a shortage of COVID-19 tests that have led to long lines at testing centers and runs on at-home testing kits as the omicron variant of the virus courses through the state. “We will turn on additional sites as soon as the federal government gives us the supply,” DeSantis told reporters at a Fort Lauderdale hospital, adding that between 30,000 and 40,000 doses of monoclonal antibody treatments have been pledged. DeSantis didn’t say when he expects the doses to arrive but said he’ll set up treatment sites in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, as well as a site in Central Florida.

“DeSantis calls for more monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 after sites facing shortages” via Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times — DeSantis is urging the federal government to send between 30,000 and 40,000 more doses of monoclonal antibody treatments to Florida. The call from Florida’s top elected official comes as COVID-19 cases climb to record heights. It also comes amid renewed tension between state and federal officials over the monoclonal treatments given to vulnerable patients after exposure to COVID-19. “We have the ability, and we will immediately turn on additional sites as soon as the federal government gives us the supply,” DeSantis said at a news conference at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.

—“With federal restock planned, DeSantis announces additional monoclonal antibody sites” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics

“Charlie Crist urges C.D.C. to release Florida’s breakthrough COVID-19 data” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — U.S. Rep. Crist is urging the CDC to release Florida’s data on the vaccination status of those infected with COVID-19, including those who have been hospitalized and died from the virus. Crist requested the data in a letter sent to CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, citing a recent report that found the Florida Department of Health has been refusing requests from news organizations seeking data on “breakthrough” cases. The requested data would break down the number of vaccinated and unvaccinated people who have been infected, hospitalized, or died of COVID-19. The FDOH has refused to release the data out of privacy concerns, although public health and legal experts have called the concerns “misplaced.” The CDC has also refused to release that data, deferring to the state to share it publicly.

Assignment editors — Sen. Shevrin Jones will join U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for a virtual news conference to discuss the need for immediate state leadership on various fronts related to the latest COVID-19 surge, 10 a.m., Zoom link here. RSVP at michael.liquerman@mail.house.gov.

— CORONA LOCAL —

“Tampa Bay schools plan no major changes to COVID-19 rules as classes resume” via Jeffrey S. Solochek and Marlene Sokol of the Tampa Bay Times — Despite a rise in positive cases associated with the COVID-19 omicron variant, Tampa Bay area students and school employees will not encounter any major changes in virus-control requirements when they return to classes Tuesday. Unlike districts in other parts of the state, the Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas school districts have left their first semester rules substantially intact. They intend to “encourage” the wearing of masks, though none has planned to require face coverings for adults on campus, as have districts in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and a handful of others. The Legislature outlawed mandatory masking of students when it met in a November Special Session.

—“Hillsborough Co. School District advising students to wear masks, no mandates” via Jeff Patterson of WFLA

“St. Pete Mayor-elect Ken Welch tests positive for COVID-19, inauguration ceremony canceled” via Robert Pandolfino of WFLA — St. Petersburg Mayor-elect Welch has tested positive for COVID-19, and his inauguration ceremony scheduled for Jan. 6 has been canceled. Welch will be sworn in virtually on Thursday from home and plans to conduct a short speech virtually. Welch will make history when he is sworn in as the first Black Mayor of St. Petersburg. Welch will work from home until he is cleared from isolation, and following CDC guidelines is expected to begin working from City Hall on Jan. 10. He will be the city’s 54th Mayor.

COVID-19 deals another tough break for St. Petersburg Mayor-elect Ken Welch. Image via AP.

“‘Extremely busy and backed up’: COVID-19 testing sites in Tallahassee inundated after the holidays” via Jeff Burlew and Christopher Cann of the Tallahassee Democrat — The combination of the omicron surge with holiday gatherings and back-to-school time has led to long lines and traffic jams at COVID-19 testing sites across Tallahassee. Cars backed up for blocks in both directions on Wahnish Way outside Florida A&M University’s testing site Monday as dozens of people waiting to get tested stretched out of the parking lot. By 10 a.m., more than 1,300 tests had been administered, said Tanya Tatum, director of student health services. The FAMU site has seen a roughly tenfold increase in the number of people getting tested each day since the holiday season began. Before Thanksgiving, the site was testing about 350 people a day. Over the last week, that number spiked to as many as 3,300 people.

“Jacksonville eyes spending more for COVID-19 testing at high-demand Neptune Beach site” via David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union — The demand for COVID-19 drive-up testing at a heavily used Neptune Beach site is exhausting the city’s initial round of funding and might need emergency financial support next week to keep operating. The city of Jacksonville used federal relief money to sponsor the site in the old Kmart shopping center in partnership with Telescope Health, which had to limit its daily testing to stretch funding through the holidays. Chief Administrative Officer Brian Hughes did not have a dollar figure for continuing the operation, but he said the administration might bring a request to City Council at its meeting next Tuesday.

“Orange County Public Schools implement mask mandate for adults” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Based on the rising COVID-19 numbers and advice from medical experts, Orange County Public Schools is going back to a mask mandate for all adults in school buildings or on school buses starting Tuesday, the first full day back from the winter holiday. Superintendent Barbara Jenkins informed employees late Monday afternoon of the new policy. The mask mandate does not apply to students because the newly-approved House Bill 1, passed in November and signed by DeSantis, forbids public schools from requiring students to wear masks. Jenkins’ new policy mandating masks applies to adult faculty, staff, volunteers, and visitors to public schools in Orange County.

Barbara Jenkins requires masks for adults in Orange County schools.

“COVID-19 hospitalizations increase ‘rapidly’ in Polk County amid fourth wave” via Staci DaSilva of WFLA — In Polk County, the transmission level is “high,” the hospitalizations are increasing “rapidly,” and thousands of people are testing positive every week. At the center of it all is the omicron variant of COVID-19. The state reported 7,524 new COVID-19 infections in Polk County in the week ending Dec. 30. The percent positivity rate is 26.1%. “Omicron is just so prevalent right now and so contagious, so many people are being affected by it,” said Dr. Hal Escowitz, chief medical informatics officer and chief quality officer at Lakeland Regional Health. 144 patients had COVID-19 at Lakeland Regional Health on Monday.

“Man arrested after refusing to wear mask at Melbourne Orlando International Airport” via Rick Neale of Florida Today — A Palm Shores man who refused to wear a mask and caused a commotion inside the Melbourne Orlando International Airport terminal was arrested on New Year’s Day. Daniel Chase faces charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct. He was released from the Brevard County Jail Complex on a $750 bond, and he said he has an upcoming Feb. 1 court appearance. “What is happening to our country? You can’t even go — in Florida — to just do normal everyday business, being a law-abiding citizen, because I wasn’t wearing a mask?” Chase said in a phone interview. About 6 p.m. Saturday, a Melbourne Airport Police Department officer saw Chase standing at a rental car counter without a face mask, an arrest affidavit said.

— 2022 —

“DeSantis re-election effort enters 2022 with more than $69M in the bank” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — DeSantis’ re-election campaign continues to rake in political contributions each month, rivaling what his opponents collected all year. The Friends of Ron DeSantis political committee so far reported nearly $2.3 million in collections in December. And as politicians make an end-of-year push for dollars, that number will likely grow higher once total figures reveal checks that came in the final days of 2021. Through Dec. 29, the committee on its website showed a total of $2,276,526 in December contributions. Subtract $251,814 in campaign expenditures and that means the committee netted $1,773,775. As for the big picture, that means the committee holds nearly $69.3 million in cash of hand. That’s a number expected to grow by the time full December figures get reported to the Florida Division of Elections in early January.

Ron DeSantis sits on a mountain of campaign cash.

SPOTTED — On POLITICO Magazine’s list of 2024 candidates who “won” 2021: Gov. DeSantis. Dubbed the “(Anthony) Fauci Fighter,” the mag said the Governor “has figured out how to be a political brawler without looking like a pale imitation of Donald Trump.”

Happening today — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried will appear at a meeting of the Longboat Key Democratic Club. Former Rep. Margaret Good is slated to attend, 11:30 a.m., Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.

“Florida Democrats, stung in 2020, are slipping even further behind GOP in 2022 vote” via Gray Rohrer of the Orlando Sentinel — Many prominent Florida Democrats sought a reckoning after their losses in 2020. They wanted a change within the party structure and a rejuvenated party to take on Republicans in 2022. There were changes at the Florida Democratic Party, as Manny Diaz was elected chair in January after Terrie Rizzo resigned, but their prospects for 2022 have only worsened by some measures. Diaz took over a party coming off a string of losses in 2020, including the presidential race. But it also had severe financial troubles, so much so that the party let health insurance for staffers lapse.

—“From Omicron to Governor’s race: Five things to watch in Florida politics in 2022” via Zac Anderson of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

“Darren Soto paving the way for Bitcoin donations to campaigns” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — The once-fringe notion that political candidates would receive campaign donations via Bitcoin or other virtual cryptocurrencies is entering the mainstream. U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, as much a centrist Democrat as might be found in Florida, but one whose interest in blockchain technologies runs deep, is welcoming crypto donations to his 2022 election campaign. He joins a list that started with extreme candidates mainly from the right-wing, such as U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and congressional candidate Laura Loomer. The legality of cryptocurrency contributions to federal political campaigns is generally accepted. But it is not fully resolved by the Federal Election Commission, particularly regarding the details.

Happening Monday:

Happening Monday:

“Former HD 120 candidate Daniel Horton-Diaz to again seek seat in 2022” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Former House District 120 candidate Horton-Diaz says he’ll run as a Democratic candidate in this year’s contest for the same House seat. Horton-Diaz’s paperwork to officially declare his candidacy is set to arrive in Tallahassee Tuesday. The House redistricting plans would adjust HD 120’s boundaries, but the district would still cover all of the Keys and parts of southern Miami-Dade County. “I am proud to join this race to serve the incredible people of the Florida Keys and South Miami-Dade,” Horton-Diaz said in a statement announcing his candidacy. Horton-Diaz previously worked as district chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. He ran in the Senate District 39 contest in 2020. He lost the Democratic Primary to Rep. Javier Fernández, 59%-41%. But Horton-Diaz defeated Fernández in Monroe County, 55%-45%.

Assignment editors — Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava will host a news conference to share political updates and announce a key endorsement ahead of the 2022 elections, 11:15 a.m., Torch of Friendship Monument, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.

“Outcome of redistricting looms over Florida’s 2022 election landscape” via Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald — Heading into 2022, Florida will again be a hotbed for political activity. But this time with a once-a-decade flair. Not only will Florida land in the national spotlight as DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio try to fend off Democratic challenges and the Republican-led state Legislature redraws the state’s political lines in a process that could have huge ramifications for Congress as the GOP attempts to retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives. But other political activity on the marquee will include statewide races for the Florida Cabinet, ballot measures that could remake Florida’s multibillion-dollar gaming industry, and an annual Legislative Session that DeSantis is poised to use to push hard-line policy issues, many of which are expected to mobilize conservative voters.

“Rules to use high-speed audit equipment for Florida vote recounts drafted” via Jeffrey Schweers of USA Today Network — State elections officials are proposing new rules for election audits and recounts based on a law approved in 2020. County election supervisors pushed for years to allow independent auditing machines to perform recounts. The law took effect Jan. 1, 2021, but can’t be implemented without the rules — a process that was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the applications of former felons seeking restoration of their voting rights whose eligibility needed to be investigated. “The rules currently envision refeeding all ballots through the ballot tabulation system,” said Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley, also the incoming president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections statewide association.

Happening today — The Florida Division of Elections will workshop proposed rules dealing with election recounts and voting system audits: Recounts workshop, 3 p.m.; audits workshop, 4 p.m.; R.A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough St., Tallahassee. Call-in at 1-888-585-9008. Meeting code: 201297077.


— CORONA NATION —

“Joe Biden administration defends its authority on vaccine policies to Supreme Court” via Robert Barnes of The Washington Post — The Biden administration told the Supreme Court on Thursday that federal law gives it the authority to impose a nationwide vaccine-or-testing requirement for large employers, and the court should not stand in the way of a program that will save thousands of lives. “The nation is facing an unprecedented pandemic that is sickening and killing thousands of workers around the country, and any further delay in the implementation of the [requirement] will result in unnecessary illness, hospitalizations, and deaths because of workplace exposure” to the coronavirus, Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar wrote in a filing.

Joe Biden tells courts to get out of his way.

“Southeast U.S. poised for a firestorm of omicron cases, with few safeguards in place” via Fenit Nirappil of The Washington Post — The United States is heading into the third year of the coronavirus pandemic with the extremely contagious omicron variant poised to ignite a firestorm of infection across the Southeast after exploding through the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. Lower vaccination rates and fewer mask and vaccine mandates have created a much different environment for the omicron variant to spread in the South, leaving experts unsure whether outbreaks will end up deadlier than in the North. Since Christmas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi have been among the states experiencing the sharpest increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations. And the situation may only get worse as initial outbreaks in metropolitan areas spread to more poorly vaccinated rural regions.

“FDA expands Pfizer boosters for more teens as omicron surges” via The Associated Press — The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the FDA allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds once enough time has passed since their last dose. But the move, coming as classes restart after the holidays, isn’t the final step. The CDC must decide whether to recommend boosters for the younger teens. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, is expected to rule later this week. The FDA also said everyone 12 and older who’s eligible for a Pfizer booster can get one as early as five months after their last dose rather than six months.

— CORONA ECONOMICS —

“Omicron upends return to U.S. schools and workplaces” via Jennifer Peltz, Gretchen Ehlke and Terry Tang of The Associated Press — Some school systems around the U.S. extended their holiday break Monday or switched back to online instruction because of the explosion in COVID-19 cases, while others pressed ahead with in-person classes amid a seemingly growing sense that Americans will have to learn to coexist with the virus. Caught between pleas from teachers fearful of infection and parents who want their children in class, school districts in cities such as New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and beyond found themselves in a difficult position midway through the academic year because of the super-contagious omicron variant. New York City, home of the nation’s largest school system, reopened classrooms to roughly 1 million students with a stockpile of take-home COVID-19 test kits and plans to double the number of random tests done in schools.

Omicron is putting the squeeze on in-person learning. Image via AP.

“COVID-19 pandemic is still keeping women in Florida from the workforce” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — Kimberly Cox was about 18 when she started working in the service industry. And she loved it. So much so, more than 20 years and two kids later, she didn’t want to leave. “I love feeding people. Feeding people since I got that server job years and years ago, it’s my passion,” Cox said. Then it happened: COVID-19. And Cox, like millions of women in Florida and around the country, were forced to leave work. Many, for similar reasons to Cox. Her household includes three generations of family members. There are her elderly parents, her and her husband, and a son and daughter. Before the pandemic hit, Cox’s mother was in the hospital on a ventilator for a different illness, and her son had asthma. She loved her job. But the risk and uncertainty became too much.

— MORE CORONA —

“Nurses are furious about the CDC’s new isolation rules” via Molly Osberg of The New Republic — The decision to reduce isolation times for everyone has divided infectious disease experts and dominated the news. But for health care workers, the new guidance has felt like the reflection of a harsh attitude toward a workforce already exhausted and overextended. It didn’t help that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration withdrew its emergency protections for health care employers, a program that issued fines to hospitals for failing to follow COVID-19 protocols like logging infections or providing adequate protective equipment. In a moment when it can feel like the government has resigned itself to preventable death, health care workers are being asked to go along with an endless state of uncertainty and brutal working hours that have become the norm over the past two years.

— PRESIDENTIAL —

“Biden pushed to speak out more as U.S. democracy concerns grow” via Colleen Long and Zeke Miller of The Associated Press — Biden has gotten the same troubling questions from worried world leaders, ones that he never thought he would hear, “what about democracy in America?” While Biden has tried to offer America’s allies assurances, he has only occasionally emphasized the gravity of the threat to democracy from the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. And he’s not discussed the very real concerns about a growing collection of insurrection sympathizers installed in local election posts and changes by Republicans to election laws in several states. Now, as the anniversary of that deadly day nears, the Democratic President is being urged to reorder priorities and use the powers of his office to push voting rights legislation that its adherents say could be the only effective way to counter the rapidly emerging threats to the democratic process.

Joe Biden is feeling the pressure to stand up for democracy at home. Image via AP.

“Ted Cruz says Republicans will likely impeach Biden over border policy if they win House majority” via Mediaite — Sen. Cruz is forecasting a Republican House takeover and a Biden impeachment in 2023. “I’m very optimistic about 2022,” Cruz said on the latest episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz podcast. “I put the odds of the Republicans winning the House at 90/10, and it may even be higher than that.” Cruz was not as optimistic about Republicans taking the Senate. “I put our odds at 50/50,” he added. “I think it’s going to be a really good year, but it’s a bad map.” The Texas Senator believes that if the GOP does indeed gain the majority in the House, impeachment would soon be on the table. “If we take the house, which I said is overwhelmingly likely, then I think we will see serious investigations of the Biden administration,” he added.

— D.C. MATTERS —

“Chuck Schumer says Senate will vote by Jan. 17 on changing rules if GOP continues to block voting-rights legislation” via John Wagner of The Washington Post — Schumer told colleagues that the chamber would vote no later than the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on changing Senate rules if Republicans continue to block voting-rights legislation. The announcement of the planned action by Jan. 17 represented Schumer’s strongest endorsement yet of trying to muscle through legislation that has been stymied because of Senate rules requiring a 60-vote threshold. “We hope our Republican colleagues change course and work with us,” Schumer said in a letter. For the strategy to succeed, however, Schumer will need buy-in from two fellow Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who have voiced skepticism or opposition to changing Senate procedures in a way that would be needed to push voting-rights priorities across the finish line.

Chuck Schumer threatens to tear up the Senate rule book if Republicans don’t move on voting rights. Image via AP.

“Rick Scott expects AOC to move to Florida” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Scott continued his criticism of U.S. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, suggesting it was only a matter of time before the New York Congresswoman relocated to the Sunshine State. In a national television interview, Scott addressed Ocasio-Cortez and her trolling of the “inexplicably missing” Gov. DeSantis. “She’s doing exactly what New Yorkers do, Chicagoans do, Californians do,” Scott said. “First, they come down here on vacation to Florida. They say, ‘This is nice,’ then they go buy their condo, and they say, ‘Well, we’re just going to come down here a little bit.’ Then they eventually move here because the job opportunities are better, the weather is better, the taxes are lower. I have a lot of freedom.”

“‘It’s only gotten worse’: The long shadow of the night that broke the House” via Sarah Ferris of POLITICO — Several retiring Democrats said the insurrection, and the months of personal vitriol in the House that followed, propelled their decision not to seek reelection next November. It started before the attack on the Capitol; some cross-aisle relationships began souring far earlier in Trump’s term. But interviews with many House Democrats, from senior members to rank and file, point to Jan. 6 as the night that truly broke the House, perhaps for a generation. And the biggest affront wasn’t the violence itself by the former President’s supporters, but the votes by more than 140 of their GOP colleagues against certifyingBiden as President, hours after rioters threatened them with that same goal. Those votes severely damaged trust among lawmakers.

“New lawyers ask delay in February repeat trial for ex-U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown” via Steve Patterson of the Florida Times-Union — Lawyers for former U.S. Rep. Brown are asking a federal judge to delay a February repeat trial on fraud charges that originally led to her imprisonment. U.S. Magistrate James Klindt appointed attorneys Richard Komando and Sandra K. Young to represent the 12-term Jacksonville congresswoman on Nov. 29, and a motion filed Monday said that the pair “received voluminous discovery on Dec. 22.” Discovery refers to evidence the opposing side of a court case has assembled for a trial. The lawyers asked to delay the trial by at least 90 days, telling the judge that “counsel needs more time to review the discovery, review prior trial transcripts, to conduct (an) investigation, negotiate a disposition, if possible, and prepare for trial.”

— CRISIS —

“Prosecutors break down charges, convictions for 725 arrested so far in Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol” via Keith L. Alexander of The Washington Post — Federal prosecutors in the District have charged more than 725 individuals with various crimes in connection with the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection, when hundreds of rioters forced their way into the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. attorney’s office said. As the country nears the anniversary of the storming of the Capitol, the U.S. attorney’s office in the District, the largest office of federal prosecutors in the nation, released a breakdown of the arrests and convictions associated with the attack. Of those arrested, 225 people were charged with assault or resisting arrest. More than 75 of those were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon against police officers. The office said 140 police officers, including Capitol officers and members of the D.C. police department, were victimized during the attack.

Details of the charges against the Jan. 6 rioters are getting clearer. Image via AP.

“Committee investigating Jan. 6 attack plans to begin a more public phase of its work in the new year” via Jacqueline Alemany and Tom Hamburger of The Washington Post — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans to begin holding public hearings in the new year to tell the story of the insurrection from start to finish while crafting an ample interim report on its findings by summer, as it shifts into a more public phase of its work. The panel will continue to collect information and seek testimony from willing witnesses and those who have been reluctant, a group that now includes Republican members of Congress. It is examining whether to recommend that the Justice Department pursue charges against anyone, including former President Trump, and whether legislative proposals are needed to help prevent valid election results from being overturned in the future.

“Federal law enforcement seeks to fill the holes revealed by Jan. 6 attack” via Sadie Gurman and Alexa Corse of The Wall Street Journal — Law-enforcement and intelligence agencies are grappling with online chatter promoting violence, along with threats against lawmakers, inspired in part by the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, officials say. An intelligence assessment said “threat actors will try to exploit the upcoming anniversary” to promote or commit violence. The document warns that conspiracy theories about election fraud that contributed to the riot “continue to resonate among domestic violent extremists and could again inspire some to commit violence.” Widely criticized for failing to act on warnings about potential violence ahead of the riot, authorities at all levels of government have since sought to apply lessons learned during the attack, focusing on better intelligence-sharing and a more proactive law-enforcement strategy.

“Modified release for Naples man charged in Jan. 6 insurrection called ‘denial’ of civil rights” via Michael Braun of the Naples Daily News — Changes to the conditions for release for an East Naples man charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection are being called a “gross denial of civil rights” by the person responsible for his custody. Christopher John Worrell was taken into federal custody after FBI agents executed a search and arrest warrant at his Collier County home on March 12. Worrell, a member of the Proud Boys, is accused of attacking police officers with a pepper spray gel. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Authorities released him from jail, citing medical conditions and the need for specialized treatment. His release came with conditions such as home detention and approval in advance for doctor appointments.

“Seeking jail time, prosecutor details First Coast man’s role in U.S. Capitol riot” via Steve Patterson of the Florida Times-Union — A federal prosecutor wants a Northeast Florida man to spend five months in jail for taking part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, calling his actions unusually serious. “Indeed, it is among the most aggravated misdemeanor cases to reach sentencing in these Capitol breach prosecutions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dreher wrote in a sentencing memo filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington. Jeffrey Register is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 18 on a single misdemeanor — parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building — that he pleaded guilty to in October.

“Republicans who watch Fox News are more likely to believe false theories about Jan. 6” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post — Speaking specifically about the election fraud question, if the Republican Party is saying that this happened, members of the party would be expected to look for confirmation of the idea. And many have clearly found it in the coverage provided by Fox News. Over the weekend, new polling data, conducted in partnership with the University of Maryland, looks at how Americans view the violence that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 of last year. What we found was a deep partisan split on the causes of the riot, on culpability and on fraud, the justification used by many of the rioters. Fox News-consuming Republicans were 15 points more likely to say that the legal punishments faced by accused rioters have been too harsh.

— EPILOGUE TRUMP —

“Donald Trump is making the midterms a referendum on himself” via David Catanese of The Atlantic — Trump will own the midterms just as much as Biden will. He’s made picks in nearly 40 congressional races to date. The former President’s ultimate record in these races will serve as the first barometer of his continued strength as he eyes a comeback bid for the White House in 2024. Make no mistake: Trump is making these picks himself. “I haven’t seen a time where Trump is more in control than now,” a Republican familiar with the ex-President’s staff told me on the condition of anonymity to protect private conversations within Trump’s circle. “Susie [Wiles] ain’t making endorsement decisions. [Bill] Stepien ain’t making endorsement decisions. It’s a lot more him making these endorsement decisions than ever before.”

Once again, it’s all about Donald Trump. Image via AP.

“Since Jan. 6, the pro-Trump internet has descended into infighting over money and followers” via Drew Harwell of The Washington Post — The far-right firebrands and conspiracy theorists of the pro-Trump internet have a new enemy: each other. QAnon devotees are livid at their former hero Michael Flynn for accurately calling their jumbled credo “total nonsense.” Trump superfans have voiced a sense of betrayal because the former President, booed for getting a coronavirus immunization booster, has become a “vaccine salesman.” And attorney Lin Wood seems mad at pretty much everyone, including former allies on the scattered “elite strike-force team” investigating nonexistent mass voter fraud. After months of failing to disprove the reality of Trump’s 2020 presidential election loss, some of the internet’s most popular right-wing provocateurs are grappling with the pressures of restless audiences, saturated markets, ongoing investigations and millions of dollars in legal bills.


— LOCAL NOTES —

“After skyrocketing in 2021, Orlando rents expected to increase more slowly in new year” via Trevor Fraser of the Orlando Sentinel — Rents in metro Orlando reached unheard-of heights in 2021, but the new year is likely to bring a slower rate of increases, an expert says. “The pace of growth in rent is likely to decelerate, but it will continue to grow,” said Lisa McNatt, director of market analytics for real estate analysts at CoStar Group. According to CoStar, the average rent in the metro area is $1,650. That’s a nearly 25% increase over the previous year, a pace more than twice the national average increase of 11.5%. With people from all over the country making the move to Central Florida, McNatt says renters should expect another 6-8% in increases in 2022. “As long as that multifamily demand exists, rates are going to continue to accelerate,” she said.

Rents in Orlando may start to slow the spike in 2022.

“Proposed Kennedy Space Center launch site raises concern with environmentalists” via The Associated Press — Environmentalists are raising some concerns about a proposed launch and landing site in Florida for Space X. The proposed 175-acre site would be at the north end of Kennedy Space Center, wedged between the historic pads built for moon rockets and Canaveral National Seashore. Land next to the proposed site, including the habitat of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, is “one of the most important birding sites in eastern North America,” Charles Lee, Audubon Florida’s director of advocacy, said. The development of the site and future launches could also cause prolonged closures for roads leading to the beach. Final approval for development of the site will hinge on the details of SpaceX’s proposal and the company’s ability to meet environmental and permitting obligations.

“With interest high, Tampa Bay school board candidates launch races early” via Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times — Florida education politics have become a heated battleground since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. The disputes resonated with growing numbers of parents and other residents suddenly paying more attention to local school boards than at any time in recent memory. That focus soon turned to efforts to fill boards with members who share voters’ values. Much of the attention has centered on the conservative Republican agenda, with the GOP launching an initiative to get party faithful into local nonpartisan races. The field is shaping up to reflect a fight over philosophy and control. Opposition to districts’ pandemic practices energized some candidates.

“WFSU CFO David O’Keefe enters crowded race for Kristin Dozier’s seat” via Tristan Wood of Florida Politics — WFSU Public Media Chief Financial Officer O’Keefe announced Monday he will enter the race for Dozier’s soon to be vacant Leon County Commission seat. O’Keefe is the fifth person to throw his hat in the ring to fill Dozier’s District 5 seat after she announced her retirement from the Commission last year. O’Keefe also announced he will resign from his role with WFSU in February to avoid any conflict of interest between working in management at a news organization and running for office. A Jacksonville native, O’Keefe moved to Tallahassee to go to Florida State University 18 years ago. He said he decided to run because he believes local government isn’t working and that residents are more concerned about local politics than ever after the public corruption trials and sentencings that concluded last year.

WFSU chief David O’Keefe jumps into the fray.

“Citrus County officials eager, anxious as Suncoast Parkway opening approaches” via Mike Wright of Florida Politics — The biggest 2021 story in Citrus County won’t actually take place until 2022. That’s when the 13-mile stretch of the Suncoast Parkway opens between U.S. 98 in northern Hernando County and State Road 44 in Lecanto. Citrus County officials have eyed the parkway project ever since what’s known as Suncoast 1 opened in 2001, connecting Tampa Bay through Pasco and Hernando counties practically to Citrus’s doorstep. And now, with the opening of Suncoast 2 likely just weeks away, Citrus County is wondering just what is coming up that road and when. Florida Department of Transportation traffic projections show a modest bump to Citrus County’s road network of 6,200 vehicles a day at S.R. 44 when it opens and 7,900 a day by 2030. By contrast, the intersection of U.S. 19 and S.R. 44 in the heart of Crystal River sees 24,000 vehicles a day.

“Despite COVID-19, Hurricane Sally and staffing, Pensacola-area hotels had record-breaking 2021” via Emma Kennedy of the Pensacola News Journal — Escambia County’s tourism has rebounded strongly from a 2020 full of COVID-19-related closures, Hurricane Sally damage, and staffing shortages, reporting a 23% increase in bed tax collections over 2019 with a head start on what could be an even more record-breaking 2022. All short-term lodging locations like hotels, motels, and Airbnbs collect a 5% tax on stays for the Tourism Development Tax, a fund that goes back into organizations like Visit Pensacola and Pensacola Sports, as well as local agencies that request funding for their tourism-related events and ventures. In 2019, the TDT collection from October through September was $12.3 million, which dropped to $9.7 million in 2020. The 2021 collection was $17.6 million.

“Tiger attack: FWC investigating Dec. 29 incident at Naples Zoo” via Michael Braun of the Naples Daily News — The state’s wildlife commission is investigating the Naples Zoo incident that left a rare Malayan tiger dead and a contract worker at the facility with severe injuries. A Collier County sheriff’s deputy responded to a 911 call to the zoo around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29, after a contract worker, River Steven Rosenquist, tried to pet or feed the tiger, Eko. After the zoo had closed for the day, Rosenquist scaled a 4.5-foot fence that is designed to keep the public at a distance from the animal, according to sheriff’s reports. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission representative said the agency had received information regarding the incident.

— TOP OPINION —

“No coronation for Trump in ‘24” via Spencer Roach for Florida Politics — To set the record straight, I am not a “Never Trumper. “But I’m also not an “Only Trumper.” I supported Trump and voted for him twice. I was honored to speak onstage with Ivanka Trump in Fort Myers to support President Trump’s re-election. And I continue to believe that a wide and diverse swath of Americans (myself included) support the America First agenda formulated by Trump. I believe that DeSantis and the deep bench of potential contenders for the Republican nomination represent the future of the Republican Party. And I am certain that should Trump decide to run, it will be a contested primary — not a coronation.

— OPINIONS —

“Here’s why a criminal referral for Trump by the Jan. 6 committee is a bad idea” via Randall D. Eliason of The Washington Post — A criminal investigation of Trump for possible crimes related to the Capitol riot is indeed warranted. But a criminal referral from Congress would actually undermine the goals of both the Justice Department and the House Jan. 6 committee. It’s a bad idea. A criminal referral has no real legal effect; Congress simply informs the Justice Department about potential criminal conduct. In many cases, a referral results when the alleged crime is directly related to congressional proceedings. Attorney General Merrick Garland is working to restore the Justice Department’s reputation for keeping politics out of criminal prosecutions. If Congress injects itself into the criminal process, it could make Garland’s job more difficult.

“The truth in 2022 is our strongest weapon against the lies that fed the insurrection” via Colbert I. King of The Washington Post — It doesn’t require the wisdom of a prophet to foresee continued attempts by Trump and his Republican acolytes to subvert the House select committee on the Jan. 6 insurrection from successfully investigating that infamous day of violence and its causes. Trump doesn’t want the story told about what he did and failed to do as his mob of supporters assembled and forced their way into the Capitol, leaving in their wake a trashed and desecrated building and battered bodies of Capitol Hill police. Trump wants to ward off disclosures about actions of his henchmen holed up in the Willard hotel and their schemes on behalf of his unconstitutional power grab, including efforts to block certification of the Electoral College vote. There must be a public accounting, in all its ugly details. Our modern-day Pearl Harbor deserves the spotlight of truth.

“Appearances matter and Floridians are watching” via the Orlando Sentinel editorial board — DeSantis, who’s spent $3 million this year zipping around the state in a $15.5 million plane that’s supposed to be used only for public business, must think Floridians don’t know what campaigning looks like. But if he’s confused, here are some tips: If there are snappy slogans on the podium instead of a simple, dignified state seal, that looks like campaigning. If there’s an audience of fans yelling, cheering and waving signs with veiled references to profane catchphrases instead of concerned experts and charts with critical public information, that also looks a lot like campaigning. If DeSantis is spitting out slogans instead of addressing his duties as this state’s elected leader, it looks like campaigning.

“Dear Leaders: May we suggest some ways you can shape up during 2022?” via Diane Roberts of Florida Phoenix — It’s time to turn the calendar to 2022 and make that alleged fresh start we’re always promising ourselves. So as a public service to our busy, busy, busy political figures, I present here Roberts’ Recommendations for New Year’s Resolutions. DeSantis: Hey, Governor! You could start by resolving to be less of an irascible jerk. While you’re at it, how about you pledge to actually read up on critical race theory? Sounds like you didn’t pay attention in law school. CFO, Fire Marshall, and Blue Ribbon Twit Patronis might vow to cease making a fool of himself with his “Get Woke, Go Broke” campaign. Attorney General Ashley Moody might commit to pretending (at least) to care about the truth by not fighting DNA testing for Death Row inmates. Scott? Stop lying, you absurd creature. Anthony Sabatini, R-House Basement, could start the new year with some etiquette lessons.

“Florida needs more veterinarians” via J. Scott Angle and Dana Zimmel for the Tampa Bay Times — Working animals account for billions of dollars in sales, spending, and jobs in Florida when they’re healthy. They need doctors just like you and I do. There aren’t enough of them. There’s a national shortage of veterinarians, especially those who treat large animals. It’s not hard to see why. They make less on average than small animal veterinarians. It all adds up to an economic threat to a state with a herd of 1.7 million beef cattle and dairy cows, more horses than Kentucky and an alarming decline in manatees. With all this at stake, it’s frustrating that the state’s only veterinary college has to turn away more than 1,500 applicants a year. The problem is limited capacity. We’ve asked the Legislature to help us make room for more students. We need space, instructors and everything else that goes into educating Florida’s future veterinarians.

— ALOE —

SPOTTED at the St. Petersburg wedding of Bethany Swonson and Lee McAlister (Swonson is the Chief of Staff at the Florida Department of Education): Alex Kelly, Taryn Fenske, Max Flugarth, Jessica Fowler, Cynthia Henderson, Jared Ochs, Evan and Melissa Power, Jared Rosenstein and Shirley Sharon, Chris and Gina Spencer, Alex Workman.

“At last: SeaWorld’s newest mega coaster gets opening date” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics — After long pandemic delays, SeaWorld Orlando’s newest roller coaster will open Feb. 18, the company announced. Ice Breaker was originally expected to open in the spring of 2020 but like so many things in life during these COVID-19 times, that was upended. For months, SeaWorld-goers walked past the dormant coaster, wondering when you might hear passengers’ screams coming from the ride. It seemed like long ago, almost two years exactly, when the park held a construction tour for the media to show off the ride’s progress. The orange and blue steel coaster built by Premier Rides travels up to 52 mph and has a height requirement of at least 48 inches, which makes it a more family-friendly thrill ride.

Get ready for a thrill, SeaWorld fans. Image via SeaWorld.

— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —

Happy birthday to my birthday twins Razi Amador-Fink, Sandy Mortham, Mary Caroline Mica, Erin Moffet and Sydney Ridley of The Southern Group.

___

Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Renzo Downey and Drew Wilson.

5.) MORNING BREW

January 04, 2022
Morning Brew
Wealthfront

Good morning. Here are two conversation starters that will guarantee you’ll get into a fistfight with your new coworkers today.

  1. What city’s residents can absolutely not drive in the snow?
  2. What city’s entire personality is defined by driving in dangerous weather conditions?

—Neal Freyman, Matty Merritt, Max Knoblauch

MARKETS

Nasdaq

15,832.80

S&P

4,796.56

Dow

36,585.06

10-Year

1.639%

Bitcoin

$45,882.41

United

$45.49
*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 4:00pm ET. Here’s what these numbers mean.
  • Markets: New year, same old bull market, with the S&P and Dow notching records on the first trading day of 2022. Investors sent airline and travel stocks higher—apparently they’re not too concerned about the mass cancellations that have plagued the industry recently.
  • Covid: The FDA authorized Pfizer booster shots for kids ages 12 to 15 in order to provide more protection against Delta and Omicron. The CDC will make a final ruling later this week before they’re made available.

LEGAL

For Holmes, the Jig Is Up

Elizabeth Holmes speaks on stage during the closing session of the Clinton Global Initiative 2015 on September 29, 2015JP Yim/Getty Images

It took more than 50 hours of deliberations over seven days, but yesterday a jury found Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes guilty on four charges of criminal fraud. Basically, they concluded that Holmes intentionally lied to investors to raise gobs of money for her company, a blood testing startup that promised to revolutionize health care.

Spoiler alert: It didn’t. And according to the jury, Holmes knew that it wouldn’t work out even as she touted the company’s tech capabilities to raise nearly $1 billion from the likes of Rupert Murdoch, the DeVos family, and the Waltons of Walmart fame.

The details: Holmes was convicted of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was found not guilty on four other charges and the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict for the other three charges. So Holmes went 4/11.

How long will Holmes be behind bars? Each of those guilty counts could carry a sentence of 20 years in prison, but legal experts say she’ll probably serve less time than that, given typical sentences in white-collar fraud cases like hers.

How we got here

When she was 19, Holmes dropped out of Stanford to build a device that could perform hundreds of diagnostic tests more cheaply and more accurately than anything on the market. If the Brew were around back then, she probably would have been a regular—after all, she was labeled the youngest female self-made billionaire by Forbes and drew comparisons to Steve Jobs.

But things unraveled when WSJ investigations in 2015 and 2016 exposed Theranos’s vaunted technology for not actually working. Then came a slew of lawsuits and an indictment, and in 2018 the company dissolved in a thundercloud of disgrace.

Big picture: To many, Holmes’s story reflects the excesses of a venture capital industry that will plug any charismatic founder with a geyser of cash despite their ideas being untested. But Silicon Valley insiders told Bloomberg that, despite Holmes’s conviction, that faucet won’t be turned off anytime soon. The lure of exponential returns is that powerful.

            

ANTITRUST

Biden Takes on Big Meat to Curb Inflation

Beef cowFrancis Scialabba

Your holiday brisket cost a lot more this year, and President Biden thinks market concentration in the meat industry is a big reason why.

The White House announced yesterday that it’s sending $1 billion to independent meat and poultry producers in order to promote competition in the heavily concentrated industry. How concentrated?

  • It said that four large meatpacking companies control 85% of the beef market. And this dominance allows these firms to drive up prices more than a market with many different players would allow.

Big picture: Meat prices have increased quite a lot over the last year. While the consumer price index across all goods gained 6.8% annually in November, prices for meat rose 16%.

It’s part of a bigger strategy

While Biden is currently picking on meat producers, his administration has taken aim at several other industries where, the White House argues, a few big players have exacerbated inflation.

  • In November, for instance, he asked the FTC to investigate oil and gas companies for ”anti-consumer” behavior that’s driven up gas prices.

The counterargument: Industry groups and some economists say that blaming a lack of competition for recent inflation is like blaming apple juice for your hangover. After the White House alleged that profits for large meatpackers rose 300% during the pandemic, the North American Meat Institute said this analysis “conveniently” omits factors sending prices higher such as worker shortages and supply chain bottlenecks.

Bottom line: Whether they curb inflation or not, crackdowns on anti-competitive behavior have become a central feature of Biden’s economic strategy. Over the summer, even before price growth got out of hand, he issued an executive order with 72 directives to step up antitrust enforcement and promote competition.—NF

            

EDUCATION

Back to School Fumbles Its Way Into the New Year

If you thought yesterday was a calm first day back at work, you probably don’t have kids. Public schools in Cleveland, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Newark, and some districts in Michigan have all delayed their starts or switched to remote learning until at least January 10 because of skyrocketing Covid cases among students and staff.

And for schools that stayed open, safety precautions across districts are about as standard as women’s jeans sizing.

  • Staff at LA County public and private schools will be required to wear medical grade masks indoors and in crowded spaces outdoors.
  • On the other hand, Johnson County—the most populous county in Kansas—is considering ending its mask mandate for elementary schools as early as this Thursday.

Big picture: Local leaders who’ve vowed to keep schools open are being met with increased resistance from teachers groups.

In New York City, where Mayor Eric Adams has insisted that schools are the safest place for students, representatives of the teachers’ union aren’t so sure that simply sending 1.5 million rapid tests to schools is enough. And in Chicago, teachers have threatened to stop working in-person on Wednesday after a botched at-home testing plan led to a backlog of unprocessed student tests.—MM

            

TOGETHER WITH WEALTHFRONT

Money Trees Don’t Grow If You Keep Chopping Them Down

Wealthfront

Just like it’s hard to fill a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

Your money is the same way. If you want to generate wealth, you’ve got to reduce the cost of making investments.

Wealthfront can help you do just that. They’ve got features like Tax-Loss Harvesting, which looks for opportunities to help lower your tax bill—the average client’s savings on taxes covered the annual fee 3x over for their Classic Portfolio!

With Wealthfront, you can invest your way. Start with an expert-built Classic portfolio, a Socially Responsible portfolio, or pick and choose for yourself among hundreds of ETFs covering energy, healthcare, tech, crypto, and more.

It only takes a few minutes to sign up, and right now you can get your first $5,000 managed for free when you open a new account. Sign up for Wealthfront here.

GRAB BAG

Key Performance Indicators

Stat: For a brief moment yesterday, Apple became the first public company in history to hit a $3 trillion market cap. It took 42 years to be worth $1 trillion in 2018, hit $2 trillion two years later, then notched $3 trillion about 17 months after that. Apple’s now worth more than Walmart, Disney, Netflix, Nike, Exxon Mobil, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Morgan Stanley, McDonald’s, AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Boeing, IBM, and Ford combined, per the NYT.

Quote: “Take as much time as you need to discuss things. There is no hurry.”

A federal judge told jurors to keep at it after they said they weren’t able to reach a unanimous verdict on three of the 11 charges against Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. They’ve deliberated for more than 46 hours so far without reaching a verdict.

Read: An interview with Ryan Petersen, the CEO of Flexport, that will give you a lot more insight into the supply chain crisis. (Noahpinion)

            

TECH

Good Night, Sweet Prince

Good Night, Sweet PrinceJustin Sullivan/Getty Images

After a decadelong battle with irrelevance, the BlackBerry is no more. The company ended access to basic smartphone functionality for its classic devices today.

What that means: If you still have a working BlackBerry running on BlackBerry 10 software or 7.1 OS and earlier, it’s time to hang up the phone belt holster for good: As of today, you’ll no longer be able to reliably use that device for SMS, phone calls, data usage, or even calling 911. It’s decor now.

  • In most cases, newer Android-based BlackBerry phones will continue to function normally. Or, whatever normal means for them.

End of an era: Once the crème de la crème of smartphone tech, the BlackBerry had 80 million active users in 2012—with power button-smashers like President Obama, Kim Kardashian, and your uncle who drove an Audi A4.

Still, the company soldiers on. BlackBerry’s pivoted to focus on cybersecurity and provide operating systems for cars, as the auto industry moves toward autonomy. Heck, it even moonlit as a meme stock last year.—MK

            

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING
  • AT&T and Verizon said they’d delay launching 5G service near airports for two weeks to avoid potential disruptions to aviation.
  • David McCormick, the CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, is stepping down to run for the open US Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
  • David Bowie’s estate sold his publishing catalog to Warner Chappell Music for up to $250 million, per Variety. It’s the latest transaction in a frenzy of music rights sales.
  • The DC region is digging out from its biggest snowstorm in three years, which left more than 500,000 customers without power and disrupted flights.
  • Mercedes unveiled an electric concept car with a range of 620 miles on a single charge. If that proves to be the case on road tests, it would be the highest-range EV by a longshot.

TOGETHER WITH ELECTRIC

Electric

BEAT security threats in 2022. Cybersecurity should be the first thing you think about in 2022, especially if you’ve got big plans for growth (who doesn’t?). With lightning-fast, chat-based support and proactive security standardization, Electric are the IT geniuses who can help keep your biz secure. Sound good? This’ll sound even better: If you’re an IT decision-maker at a company of 15-500 and take a meeting with Electric, you’ll get a FREE pair of Beats headphones. Set up your meeting here.

BREW’S BETS

Because you’ve been wondering: Here are all the emojis to scale.

Some fun ideas in here: 100 ways to slightly improve your life without really trying.

What is a credit score? This fun video will help you wrap your head around it.

GAMES

The Puzzle Section

Brew Mini: 2022 will be the year you set multiple PRs on the Mini crossword puzzle. Begin your quest today.

Composer or Pasta?

Today is National Spaghetti Day. To celebrate, let’s dust off one of our favorite quizzes: Italian pasta or Italian composer?

  1. Capellini
  2. Vivaldi
  3. Bellini
  4. Scarlatti
  5. Testaroli

ANSWER
  1. Capellini is a kind of pasta.
  2. Antonio Vivaldi was a composer.
  3. Vincenzo Bellini was a composer.
  4. Domenico Scarlatti was a composer.
  5. Testaroli is a kind of pasta.
✢ A Note From Wealthfront

Morning Brew receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Advisers LLC for sponsored advertising materials. Morning Brew is not a client and this is a paid endorsement. Please click here for further details.
          
Written by Neal Freyman, Matty Merritt, and Max Knoblauch

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.
ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP // FAQ

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here.
View our privacy policy here.

Copyright © 2022 Morning Brew. All rights reserved.
22 W 19th St, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10011
BECOME SMARTER IN JUST 5 MINUTES

Get the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.

6.) THE FACTUAL

 

7.) LIBERTY NATION

a0ea71b8-1e1e-4dd5-9635-38c600f3d53a.png
FROM OUR NEWSROOM

Tuesday’s Breaking News

Click Here
Top Conservative News Sites to Read in 2022
By Liberty Nation Staff

The results are in! Who makes it into the top 20 this year?

Click Here

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

― Albert Einstein
Govt. Schools and Teachers Unions Bite the Hands That Feed Them
By James Fite

Does state education want a homeschool revolution?

Click Here
Today’s Political Meme

Sometimes, you just need to laugh!

Click Here
2022: The Year of a Debt Crisis? – Swamponomics TV
By Andrew Moran

Will 2022 be the year debt catches up with America?

Click Here

How Much Longer Will Black Lives Matter Be Relevant?
By Jeff Charles

Can BLM regain the prominence it has lost since 2020?

Click Here

From the Liberty Nation Studios

Can the US Afford Another Year of Joe Biden? – LN Radio Videocast – Will 2022 be a better or worse financial year? by Liberty Nation Staff – Watch Now

What a Strange Trip It’s Been – Full Episode – C5 TV – Join the C5 as they analyze the top stories of 2021 and what could lie ahead in 2022. by Liberty Nation Staff – Watch Now
Liberty Nation On The Go: Listen to Today’s Top News 01.04.22
By Liberty Nation Staff

Conservative News – Hot Off The Press – Audio Playlist – AD FREE

Click Here

LibertyNation.com brings a new generation of writers to the vanguard of political discourse. Our content is entirely original, providing readers and viewers with bold, provocative analysis and commentary on current events.

For more news, LibertyNation.com recommends the news aggregator WHATFINGER.com — the #1 Alternative to Drudge.
This email was sent to newmedia@rickbulow.com
Why did I get this?
Unsubscribe from this email | Update subscription preferences
LibertyNation.com is a project of One Generation Away · 1629 K Street NW · Washington, DC 20006 · USA
© 2021 Liberty Nation. All Rights Reserved. |   

8.) FOX NEWS

 

9.) UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

 

10.) THE FEDERALIST PAPERS

Web version
AP News ‘Hit Piece’ Attacks Ashli Babbitt’s Character
Posted by Michael Austin, The Western Journal
Prominent voices on Twitter were quick to point out that The Associated Press has yet to publish similar reports regarding the controversial past of George Floyd. Read more…
Copyright © 2020 The Federalist Papers, All rights reserved.

You are receiving this email because you asked to receive information from The Federalist Papers. We take your privacy and your liberty very seriously and will keep your information in the strictest confidence. Your name will not be sold to or shared with third parties. We will email you from time to time with relevant news and updates, but you can stop receiving information from us at any time by following very simple instructions that will be included at the bottom of any correspondence you should receive from us.

Our mailing address is: The Federalist Papers P.O. Box 74273 Phoenix, AZ 85087

Unsubscribe

11.) AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
AEI’s daily publication of independent research, insightful analysis, and scholarly debate.
From the new issue of National Affairs: Education after the pandemic
Frederick M. Hess | National Affairs
Could the disruption born of this once-in-a-century pandemic yield a once-in-a-century opportunity to reset K–12 schooling?
Full Story
facebook
twitter
Even my business school students have doubts about capitalism
R. Glenn Hubbard | The Atlantic
Businesses should keep pushing for greater globalization and promoting openness to technological change. But they also need to embrace a much bolder agenda that maximizes opportunities for everyone in the economy.
Full Story
facebook
twitter
The most important number for China policy
Derek Scissors | AEIdeas
The $780 billion increase in American spending on Chinese stocks and bonds since 2016 represents a miserable policy failure that dwarfs the impact of the US-China trade war.
Full Story
facebook
twitter
Will our protocol-based future protect liberty?
Jim Harper | AEIdeas
Having diversity in communications protocols will better protect freedom in the digital age.
Full Story
facebook
twitter
Economics, Housing, and Poverty
Climate-smart agriculture and the World Trade Organization
Joseph W. Glauber | American Enterprise Institute
Can farmers reverse climate change through carbon farming?
Aaron Smith | American Enterprise Institute
The role of policy in supporting a globally diverse bio-economy that mitigates climate change and food insecurity
David Zilberman and Justus Wesseler | American Enterprise Institute
US economy 2022 preview: Could the great asset and credit bubbles burst?
Desmond Lachman | 19fortyfive.com
Evidence and the child credit
Michael R. Strain | National Review
Seeking answers in Maine
Naomi Schaefer Riley | City Journal
Stop panicking: Omicron’s low risk to kids should not upend their lives
Naomi Schaefer Riley | New York Post
Dalla curva di Phillips alle evidenze empiriche
Paul H. Kupiec | Formiche
Foreign Policy and Defense
Turkey’s ties with Somaliland must be reciprocal
Michael Rubin | Somaliland Chronicle
Why Somalia’s Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo should face treason charges
Michael Rubin | 19fortyfive.com
Politics, Society, and Culture
On January 6, 2 parties but many sides
Chris Stirewalt | The Dispatch
The 10 worst things Biden did in 2021
Marc A. Thiessen | The Washington Post
Health Care and Technology
Improving health and wellness in 2022
David Shaywitz | Timmerman Report
Education
The exporting of American education
Bill Drexel and Samuel J. Abrams | Law & Liberty
Podcasts
What differences do women make in Congress?
Kevin R. Kosar and Michele Swers | “Understanding Congress”
A ‘Wretches’ year in review
Chris Stirewalt and Eliana Johnson | “Ink Stained Wretches”

12.) THE FLIP SIDE

 

13.) AXIOS

Axios AM

Subscribe

☕ Good Tuesday morning. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,294 words … 5 minutes. Edited by Noah Bressner.

1 big thing: Latino groups want to do away with “Latinx”

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Elected officials, a major newspaper and the oldest Latino civil rights organization in the U.S. have all spoken out strongly in recent weeks against the continued use of “Latinx,” Axios’ Russell Contreras reports.

  • The gender-neutral term has been promoted by progressives to describe people of Spanish-speaking origin.

Why it matters: The pushback highlights generational, class and regional divides among Latinos as their U.S. numbers and influence grow.

  • It also reflects a movement by some Latinos to define themselves rather than be labeled by predominantly white progressives and Latino academics.

The context: Academic and social media circles began using Latinx over the last decade, saying it was more gender-neutral and inclusive for Hispanic LGBTQ members.

  • Nevada political consultant Alex O. Diaz told Axios the term hasn’t caught on in working-class Mexican American communities, where people are more concerned about jobs and schools than identity.
  • “Some people also feel this is a term that is being imposed on them and it’s not organic,” Diaz said.

What’s happening: Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign arm, tweeted last month his congressional staff is not allowed to use “Latinx” in official communications.

  • “When Latino politicos use the term it is largely to appease white rich progressives who think that is the term we use,” he said.

Days after Gallego’s tweet, Domingo García, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, instructed staff and board members to drop the word “Latinx” from the group’s official communications, NBC Latino’s Suzanne Gamboa reported.

  • “The reality is, there is very little to no support for its use,” García told NBC News, adding it’s “seen as something used inside the Beltway or in Ivy League tower settings.”

A Miami Herald editorial urged left-leaning activists to “just drop it,” pointing to polls showing the word isn’t popular among Latinos.

  • “‘Latinx’ has failed to gain buy-in from the people it’s supposed to empower,” the editorial board wrote. “It’s time to retire it.”

Reality check: 23% of U.S. adults who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino said they’d heard of the term Latinx, and just 3% said they use it to describe themselves, Pew Research Center found in 2020.

The other side: Some Spanish-speaking people who are nonbinary or transgender say the use of Latinx is forcing families to rethink gender and confront transphobia.

Get twice-weekly Axios Latino.

2. 🔮 ’22 lookahead: Tech battles rage in states

Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios

States will speed ahead of potential tech legislation from Washington, Axios’ Margaret Harding McGill and Ashley Gold report.

  • Why it matters: With Congress making little progress, state legislatures have taken the lead in enacting new tech regulations.

What’s happening: Tech companies have a harder time lobbying individual states, and state legislatures are less receptive to it.

  • Bitter partisan divisions are often less likely to plague state legislatures on tech policy.

These are the fights to watch:

  1. Privacy: Industry groups have pressed Congress to enact a comprehensive privacy law to avoid a patchwork of state regulation. States continue to move forward while federal lawmakers tread water.
  2. App store regulations: Arizona advanced a bill that would let developers in the state avoid the typical 30% fees that Apple and Google charge them, but it ultimately failed after intense industry lobbying. Similar bills will crop up in other states.
  3. Speech and content moderation: Lawmakers in Florida and Texas, raising complaints that conservatives had been censored, passed laws aimed at limiting social media companies’ content moderation practices. Those laws were blocked by the courts. But industry watchers expect other states to pursue similar regulations.
  4. Digital taxes: Maryland in 2021 became the first state to tax revenue that large tech companies generate from showing online ads to state residents. The tax took effect Dec. 13. Tech industry groups have sued to overturn the law, and hope that might discourage other states.
  5. Cybersecurity risks: Maryland and Minnesota took up bills in 2021 to study cybersecurity risk. New York considered a data breach notification bill. 21 states considered cybersecurity laws in 2021.

What we’re watching: Tech trade groups are beefing up lobbying operations in the states.

  • Adam Kovacevich — CEO of Chamber of Progress, a Big Tech coalition group that has one person working on state and local issues — intends to hire two additional staffers and potentially more.
  • TechNet, “The Voice of the Innovation Economy,” added a new regional director, bringing coverage to every state.

David Edmonson, TechNet vice president of state policy and government relations, told Axios:

  • “There is not the internet of Texas. There is not the internet of Maine. There is the internet. And a lot of these issues should be dealt with at the federal level. But that message only goes so far with state legislators when what they see is inaction.”

Go deeper.

3. 🎒 Stat of the day
John Marro — dean of students at P.S. 347, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, in New York — takes students’ temperatures yesterday. Photo: Jennifer Peltz/AP

More than 450,000 children moved back to remote learning this week after the COVID spike during the holiday break, N.Y. Times national education correspondent Dana Goldstein reports (subscription).

  • The districts include Atlanta, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Newark.
Cover: N.Y. Post

🧠 What you need to know: A series of preliminary studies suggest cellular immunity, elicited by vaccines or prior COVID infections, remains effective against Omicron, Axios’ Caitlin Owens reports.

  • Why it matters: This form of immunity is associated with protection against severe disease. That means that while vaccinated people or those with prior infections are significantly less protected against Omicron infection, they’re unlikely to become seriously ill.

Keep reading.

4. 🥌 Winter Olympics begin 1 month from today
Photo: Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

Beijing’s boxy National Aquatics Center, known as the Ice Cube, will be the curling venue for the Winter Games.

  • It’s a transformation from 2008, when the building hosted Summer Olympics swimming — as the Water Cube.

The Opening Ceremony will be Feb. 4 — one month from today.

5. Elizabeth Holmes convicted of fraud
Elizabeth Holmes looks at her partner, Billy Evans, as they walk into federal court in San Jose, Calif., yesterday. Photo: Nic Coury/AP

Elizabeth Holmes, founder and former CEO of blood-testing company Theranos, was found guilty of conspiracy and fraud against certain investors by a California jury, Axios Pro Rata author Dan Primack writes.

  • Why it matters: Holmes was the poster child of Silicon Valley hubris, taking “fake it till you make it” to illegal extremes.

Holmes is expected to appeal.

6. Apple is first past $3 trillion
Data: YCharts. Chart: Axios Visuals

Apple became the first company to pass $3 trillion in stock-market value. It closed just shy of that mark.

  • Apple hit $2 trillion in market capitalization in Aug. 2020. That’s $1 trillion in 502 days.
7. Obit: BlackBerry, 1999-2022

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The beloved BlackBerry era ended years ago. But today is the final end of the road: BlackBerry says it’s shutting off basic smartphone functionality, Axios chief tech correspondent Ina Fried reports.

  • Canada-based BlackBerry quietly endures as a publicly traded company specializing in enterprise security.

The obituary, posted by BlackBerry: “[L]egacy services for BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions, will no longer be available after January 4, 2022.”

8. 📷 Parting shot: Overnight traffic jam
Screenshot: MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

Snowbound traffic on I-95 northbound in Stafford County, Va. — about 30 miles south of D.C. — was at a standstill this morning after an 11+-hour overnight ordeal, NBC News correspondent Josh Lederman reports from his car, stuck in the jam.

  • Lederman, who was headed home from the holidays, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” he hadn’t seen a plow or emergency vehicle on his side of the highway since midnight.

Lederman’s GPS originally showed him getting home at 5:15 … p.m.

  • He emailed me from inside the snow-lock: “The roads began slowing down as I got closer to dc. At 7:30ish we were still inching along down I-95 and that’s when it came to a full halt.”

❄️ It was D.C.’s biggest snow since 2019.

  • 8.5 inches of heavy, wet snow fell in the city, per Axios D.C.

Aerial video of the jam.

📬 Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here for your own personal copy of Axios AM and Axios PM.

14.) THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
THE FREE BEACON’S DAILY NEWS BRIEF
Copyright © 2021 Free Beacon, LLC, All rights reserved. 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington VA 22209
To reject freedom and unsubscribe, click here.

15.) THE WASHINGTON POST MORNING HEADLINES

16.) THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Even as the Biden administration moves toward leniency toward illegal immigrants on so many fronts, …
America’s Newspaper
January 4, 2022

   
The Washington Times
Logo
In this July 17, 2015, photo, flowers and a portrait of Kate Steinle remain at a memorial site on Pier 14 in San Francisco. Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate, a Mexican national who touched off a fierce immigration debate for his role in the shooting death of Steinle, is seeking to overturn his felony illegal gun possession conviction, the only charge he was found guilty of after a jury acquitted him of murder. (Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP) **FILE**

Illegal immigrants test limits of Second Amendment in case now pending at Supreme Court

Even as the Biden administration moves toward leniency toward illegal immigrants on so many fronts, there’s a line the government … Read More

By Stephen Dinan

Top Headlines

 

Schumer threatens to blow up Senate filibuster if GOP continues to block partisan voting overhaul

By Haris Alic – Read More

Biden to spend $1 billion to challenge meat industry giants that he blames for high inflation

By Jeff Mordock – Read More

Capital region’s 1st major snowstorm of winter closes schools, halts flights, public transportation

By Shen Wu Tan – Read More

School districts grapple with union demands, potential Chicago teachers walkout

By Tom Howell Jr. – Read More

As Putin rages, some outsiders move closer to NATO

By Guy Taylor – Read More

Family-friendly filmmakers eye 2022 as the year of Hollywood alternatives

By Sean Salai – Read More

Opinion

 

The Biden economy will crush Democrats in 2022

By Ted Harvey – Read More

Tyranny of the mainstream media thought police

By Richard W. Rahn – Read More

Let’s out the men in Maxwell-Epstein case

By Cal Thomas – Read More

Politics

 

Former VP Mike Pence asks Supreme Court to block Biden OSHA mandate

By Tom Howell Jr. – Read More

Sen. Ted Cruz: Multiple grounds to consider for Biden impeachment if GOP wins House

By Victor Morton – Read More

House Republican accuses Dems of blocking GOP access to records related to Jan. 6

By Mica Soellner – Read More

Security

 

Federal court sides with Navy SEALs seeking religious exemption to COVID-19 vaccination order

By Mark A. Kellner – Read More

Even with COVID-19, Lockheed Martin exceeds 2021 F-35 production goal

By Mike Glenn – Read More

Russian threats, China’s rise, Afghanistan’s collapse: Biden enters 2022 facing crises around world

By Ben Wolfgang – Read More

Sports

 

Murray scores 35, Iowa holds on to beat Maryland 80-75

– Read More

Antonio Brown didn’t claim injury before walkoff, Buccaneers coach says

By Fred Goodall – Read More

Kyle Kuzma, Bradley Beal lead Wizards over Hornets 124-121

By Rich Dubroff – Read More

 

You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from The Washington Times.
Manage my newsletters | Unsubscribe
3600 New York Avenue NE Washington, DC 20002, District of Colombia, none – 20002, United States

17.) THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Subscribe to the Magazine View this as website
BY HUGO GURDON AND DAVID FREDDOSO
ADVERTISEMENT

HIGHLIGHTS

Betty White did not die of COVID-19 vaccine booster, agent says

Betty White did not die of COVID-19 vaccine booster, agent says

Betty White’s agent affirmed Monday the legendary actress died peacefully at the age of 99 on New Year’s Eve.

DC area gets biggest snowfall in years as schools delay return from winter break

DC area gets biggest snowfall in years as schools delay return from winter break

The Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area had its biggest snowstorm Monday since 2019, leading to roadways covered and school closures just as classes were set to reopen after the start of the new year.

Video shows moment when man fatally breaks neck while jumping subway turnstile

Video shows moment when man fatally breaks neck while jumping subway turnstile

Horrifying footage shows the moment a New York man attempted to jump over a subway turnstile and ended up falling and breaking his neck fatally.

Starbucks institutes vaccine mandate for US employees

Starbucks institutes vaccine mandate for US employees

Starbucks Corp. employees in the United States will be required to get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing, according to a Monday company announcement.
ADVERTISEMENT

Howard Stern blasts Oprah for hosting dinner parties during COVID: ‘It’s getting very confusing to me’

Howard Stern blasts Oprah for hosting dinner parties during COVID: 'It's getting very confusing to me'

Radio host Howard Stern criticized Oprah Winfrey for hosting dinner parties with large gatherings amid surging COVID cases.

Facebook bans Marjorie Taylor Greene for 24 hours

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was barred from posting on Facebook Monday, less than a day after her personal Twitter account was shut down.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s husband dumped her for yoga teacher during ‘dramatic’ call in jail: Report

Ghislaine Maxwell's husband dumped her for yoga teacher during 'dramatic' call in jail: Report

Ghislaine Maxwell’s husband reportedly informed her that he was leaving her during a phone call while Maxwell was in solitary confinement, a close friend of the convicted sex trafficker said.

THE ROUNDUP
ADVERTISEMENT

YOU MAY LIKE …
Washington Examiner
Follow on Twitter   Friend on Facebook
Copyright © 2021 MEDIADC, All rights reserved.Washington Examiner | A MediaDC Publication
1152 15th Street NW Suite 200 | Washington, DC 20005
You received this email because you are subscribed to Examiner Today from The Washington Examiner.
Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive.We respect your right to privacy – View our Policy
Unsubscribe

18.) ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

19.) FORT MYERS (FLORIDA) NEWS-PRESS
news-press.com
Daily Briefing
YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUND-UP
TUESDAY, JANUARY 4
click here
Boats line the docks at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Fort Myers Yacht Basin may see dramatic changes
Fort Myers officials say they will seek proposals for upgrading the city yacht basin to increase its value to the city.
Lee County panther deaths higher this year as growth pushes east
A male panther roams the Corkscrew Regional Ecosys
FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Early 2022 hurricane forecast: What scientists are saying about season
Hurricane Ida maintaining a clear eye well inland
Improved jobless rate leads to scaled-back benefits
Melbourne Orlando International Airport held a job
FOR SUBSCRIBERS
2021 in review: Top 10 most expensive homes sold in Lee
This home on Bonita Beach was one of the most expe
click here
RECENT ARTICLES
FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Soccer Rankings: Golden Gate boys grab top spot; North girls stay No….
Lehigh Acres driver has medical emergency, causes three car crash
FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Soccer Weekly Report: Top matches, analysis, predictions for Jan. 3-8
Florida moves up to No. 4 on list where COVID is spreading fastest
Wildlife managers focus on threatened shoreline birds found in Lee,…
FOLLOW US
FB TW IG
Problem viewing email? View in browser

Unsubscribe • Manage Newsletters • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights • Privacy Notice • Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy • Feedback

© 2022 www.news-press.com. All rights reserved.
4415 Metro Parkway, Fort Myers, Fl 33901

20.) CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Chicago Tribune
VIEW IN BROWSER JANUARY 4, 2022 CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM

DAYWATCH
Good morning, Chicago.
Chicago-area hospitals are postponing many elective surgeries, as Illinois on Sunday set a record for COVID-19 hospitalizations. The news of postponed surgeries comes just days after Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association urged hospitals to delay nonemergency procedures as needed, without risking patient harm.
Though the term “elective” may bring to mind cosmetic surgeries and other optional procedures, it actually encompasses a wide range of necessary, if not emergency, treatments — everything from heart valve replacements and repairs of herniated discs to certain cancer therapies. Delaying elective surgeries can help keep hospital beds open, but it can also mean prolonged pain and illness for people who were supposed to undergo them.
— Lisa Schencker, Dan Petrella and Joe Mahr
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

1

Rising student, teacher COVID-19 cases during winter break leave some suburban educators scrambling to reopen schools safely

TUESDAY, JAN 4

Soaring numbers of students and teachers with COVID-19 prompted one of Illinois’ largest suburban school districts to cancel classes Monday, as educators in Chicago and the suburbs scrambled to safely reopen schools after the two-week winter break.

The nearly 20,000 students at Algonquin-based Community Consolidated Unit School District 300 got an extra day off from classes Monday, “due to elevated positive COVID-19 cases based upon the omicron variant,” officials said in a statement on the district website.

2

US Rep. Bobby Rush won’t seek another term, sources say

TUESDAY, JAN 4

Bobby Rush, who made the transition from anti-establishment activist as co-founder of the Illinois Black Panther Party to the political mainstream as a Chicago alderman and then U.S. representative for the South Side and suburbs for more than a quarter century, will retire from Congress when his term ends in January 2023, sources said Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT

3

Chicago reached at least 800 homicides in 2021, a level not seen in 25 years

TUESDAY, JAN 4

Chicago endured one of its deadliest years in at least the last quarter-century in 2021, according to Chicago Police Department data, information from other law enforcement and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

According to case data from the medical examiner released Monday, that office handled more than 1,000 homicides last year, including 836 in the city of Chicago. It was the first time the office had handled that many homicides since 1994, it reported.

4

Your biological age may be different from your real age. A new institute at Northwestern plans to explore the issue.

TUESDAY, JAN 4

Some people look and act younger than they are. Others seem to age prematurely, acquiring wrinkles, gray hair and an assortment of health problems earlier than their peers.

Now, a new institute at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine will aim to find out why, and whether there’s a way to slow or reverse the aging process and the toll it can take on people’s health.
ADVERTISEMENT

5

‘Abbott Elementary’ review: Finally a worthy successor to ‘The Office’

TUESDAY, JAN 4

ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” created by Quinta Brunson, centers on an eclectic group of teachers working at an under-resourced elementary school. Tribune critic Nina Metz says it’s a worthy successor to “The Office.”
        
UNSUBSCRIBE   |   NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY   |   TERMS OF SERVICE

Copyright © 2022 | Chicago Tribune | 160 N. Stetson Ave., Third Floor, Chicago, IL 60601

ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this email because you are following the Daywatch newsletter.

21.) CHICAGO SUNTIMES

 

22.) THE HILL MORNING REPORT

The Hill's Morning Report
Presented by Altria
A winter storm delivers heavy snow to the Capitol

© Associated Press/J. Scott Applewhite

 

 

Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. It is Tuesday! We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the co-creators. Readers can find us on Twitter @asimendinger and @alweaver22. Please recommend the Morning Report to friends and let us know what you think. CLICK HERE to subscribe!
Total U.S. coronavirus deaths each morning this week: Monday, 826,064; Tuesday, 827,749.
The hush of 8 to 10 inches of snow in Washington put a temporary chill on Senate action on Monday as Democrats searched for a way to resurrect an agenda and turn their attention to the heat of battle over voting rights.

 

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a letter to Senate Democrats on Monday that he will force a vote by Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to change Senate rules if Republicans again block voting rights legislation.

 

“The fight for the ballot is as old as the Republic. Over the coming weeks, the Senate will once again consider how to perfect this union and confront the historic challenges facing our democracy,” Schumer wrote (The Hill).

 

The move marks the Democratic leader’s latest offensive to alter the upper chamber’s rules in a bid to force through a voting rights package — one of the top priorities of progressives. Over the past year, the GOP has used the 60-vote threshold to block voting rights and election reform bills.

 

The renewed effort also coincides with this week’s anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, with the majority party using the marker to emphasize the need for new legislation. However, what lies ahead is a very significant roadblock no Democrat has been able to overcome: opposition by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to altering filibuster rules.

 

As The Hill’s Jordain Carney notes, the pair of centrist lawmakers have withstood months of high-profile criticism and pressure campaigns aimed at getting them to cave on the issue, with little progress to show. Sinema reiterated in late December that she backs the 60-vote requisite and is still wary of creating a carve out for the issue at hand. Manchin has also declined to back any changes over the years.

 

“I don’t want to be pollyannaish here. This is an uphill fight,” Schumer told MSNBC earlier on Tuesday.

 

Politico: Schumer tries to jump-start Dems with rules change threat.

 

Amie Parnes and Alex Gangitano, The Hill: Democrats differ over how President Biden should handle Jan. 6 anniversary.

 

The Washington Post: Attorney General Merrick Garland plans speech on Jan. 6 investigation for Wednesday.

 

Axios: Former President Trump, Stephen Bannon to counterprogram Dems for Jan. 6 anniversary.

 

The election reform push is taking over as the preeminent issue of the moment for the majority after Manchin drove a stake through the latest iteration of the Build Back Better agenda, forcing Democrats back to the drawing board on the issue.

 

Democratic aides tell The Hill’s Alexander Bolton that the Build Back Better bill won’t be ready for floor action anytime soon and predict the wide-ranging legislation that the White House has negotiated with Manchin and Sinema may have to be completely overhauled.

 

The issues are both likely to come up later today when Senate Democrats meet virtually to discuss conference business at their first luncheon of the new year due to the omicron variant. The virus has not deterred Senate Republicans, who will continue to meet in person.

 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks during a news conference

© Associated Press/Carolyn Kaster

 

 

> More Congress Facebook on Monday announced that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was given a 24-hour suspension from use of her account after repeatedly spreading COVID-19 misinformation on the platform (The New York Times).

 

The action came a day after Twitter permanently banned her personal account for the same reason, but allowed her official account to remain in use.

 

Niall Stanage: The Memo: Twitter ban on Greene reignites political battles.

 

Rep. Bobby Rush (Ill.) revealed on Monday that he will not seek reelection after 15 terms in Congress, becoming the 24th House Democrat to decide against running for reelection in November. The longtime Chicago lawmaker who in 2000 handily beat fellow Democrat Barack Obama, who was then a state senator, in a House primary, told the Chicago Sun-Times that his decision came after he mulled it over in recent weeks, noting that a conversation with his grandson helped play a role.

 

“I don’t want my grandchildren … to know me from a television news clip or something they read in a newspaper,” Rush said. “I want them to know me on an intimate level, know something about me and I want to know something about them. I don’t want to be a historical figure to my grandchildren” (The Hill).

 

The Hill: Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) formally resigns from Congress.

 

The Hill: Biden faces time crunch to pick financial watchdogs.
A MESSAGE FROM ALTRIA
Altria is working to create a more sustainable future — aligned with the expectations of society and our stakeholders. Learn about the goals we’ve set and the progress we’re making at Altria.com.
LEADING THE DAY
CORONAVIRUS: The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster dose for children ages 12 to 15. It also shortened the time to wait for booster shots from six months to five months following the initial series of shots in that age group, based on Israeli research (The Hill).

 

Two girls wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site on the Martin Luther King Jr. medical campus

© Associated Press/Marcio Jose Sanchez

 

 

Biden this afternoon will be briefed by his COVID-19 advisers and is expected to react publicly for the first time this year to soaring coronavirus infections in Washington, D.C., New York and elsewhere in the nation.

 

As The Hill’s Julia Manchester reports, Biden’s political supporters worry at the outset of an election year about public impatience and confusion entering a third year of the COVID-19 crisis. The administration is pummeled daily by continued debate and pushback about omicron, vaccination and mask requirements, availability and effectiveness of COVID-19 tests, recommended quarantine periods for symptomatic and non-symptomatic infections, and the meaning of “fully vaccinated” if booster doses are needed every few months.

 

For cities, counties and states, keeping schools open during COVID-19’s winter surge is a priority, but restrictions, guidance and precautions vary, complicating life for parents, pupils, school administrators and teachers. As a result, many schools are delaying openings. For example, schools in Milwaukee are moving to virtual learning because of a spike in coronavirus infections among staff members (The Hill). Some universities are starting the year online.

 

Celebrities, professional athletes, business leaders, journalists, lawmakers and Capitol Hill staff members are among millions of Americans now testing positive for COVID-19, despite high rates of vaccinations and booster doses. The situation is expected to worsen into February before eventually ebbing, according to public health experts who are studying London and South Africa for clues about omicron’s trajectory. Hospital physicians and nurses warn that while fatalities from COVID-19 are fewer because of the rising rates of vaccinations, risks to the U.S. population and a fraying health care system should not be taken lightly.

 

Skyrocketing cases of breakthrough virus infection within the halls of Congress compelled the top medical official at the U.S. Capitol to urge lawmakers and their staff members on Monday to work remotely and take additional precautions, such as wearing well-fitting medical-grade N95 or KN95 masks.

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his countrymen on Monday that omicron is “plainly milder” than delta and other coronavirus variants and that new restrictions in the United Kingdom are not necessary (Reuters). … The United Arab Emirates said over the weekend that it will require citizens who want to travel abroad to show proof of being fully vaccinated and boosted (The Washington Post). … Australia is in lockdown with a record rate of new COVID-19 infections but is nevertheless keen to reopen the economy because the government says omicron often leads to “milder” disease. “We have to stop thinking about case numbers and think about serious illness, living with the virus, managing our own health and ensuring that we’re monitoring those symptoms and we keep our economy going,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. … For those with compromised immune systems, Israel last week approved a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines (The New York Times).
IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES
POLITICS: New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) office issued subpoenas on Monday for Trump and two of his children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump, Jr., as part of a civil probe into the Trump Organization’s business practices.

 

James’s office told The Hill in a statement that it is seeking to interview the Trumps under oath, while noting that there have been multiple setbacks to the investigation by the organization.

 

“Despite numerous attempts to delay our investigation by the Trump Organization, we are confident that our questions will be answered and the truth will be uncovered because no one is above the law,”  a James spokesperson said in a statement.

 

The former president was also in the news for multiple other reasons on Monday, including for issuing one of his latest endorsements — and going abroad to do so. Trump announced his support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a right-wing leader widely criticized as an autocrat, saying that he “truly loves his Country and wants safety for his people.

 

Orbán was recently snubbed by the Biden administration, which did not invite him to attend a summit on democracy (The Hill).

 

The Hill: Iran calls for Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to face trial for Qassem Soleimani assassination.

 

The New York Times: New Hampshire’s top election official announces retirement after 45 years in office.
OPINION
Why Jan. 6 aftershocks defy expectations, by Gerald F. Seib, columnist, The Wall Street Journal. https://on.wsj.com/3eJu4wD

 

Omicron is bad. But we don’t need to resort to lockdowns, by Leana S. Wen, contributing columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/34kD5KL
A MESSAGE FROM ALTRIA
Altria is working to create a more sustainable future — aligned with the expectations of society and our stakeholders. Learn about the goals we’ve set and the progress we’re making at Altria.com.
WHERE AND WHEN
The House returns to work on Monday.

 

The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and will resume consideration of the nomination of Gabriel Sanchez to be a U.S. circuit judge for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

The president and Vice President Harris will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 10:10 a.m. in the Oval Office. Biden and Harris will be briefed by the White House COVID-19 response team at 2 p.m.

 

The White House press briefing is scheduled at 2:30 p.m.

 

📺 Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube.
ELSEWHERE
➜ INTERNATIONAL: South Korea said on Monday that a man who defected across the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and into North Korea last week is likely a North Korean man in his 30s who previously defected to the South in November of 2020. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff revealed that it held a search operation for the man on Saturday after he fled across the DMZ. “The authorities presume the person is a North Korean defector and are in the process of verifying related facts,” South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said on Monday (Reuters).

 

➜ COURTS: After seven days of deliberations and a four-month trial, a federal jury on Monday convicted former founder and executive Elizabeth Holmes of defrauding Theranos Inc. investors, finding her guilty of four of 11 charges in total. Holmes was found not guilty on four other counts related to defrauding patients. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on three counts, telling Judge Edward Davila that jurors were deadlocked on those. Theranos, which claimed to have invented a breakthrough medical blood testing device with a high rate of accuracy, ceased operations in 2018 (CNBC). Holmes, 37, is not expected to be sentenced for at least six months (The Wall Street Journal). Here’s the history of The Wall Street Journal investigation of Theranos and Holmes, beginning in 2015 and 2016.

 

Elizabeth Holmes, center, enters federal court in San Jose, Calif.

© Associated Press/Nic Coury

 

 

➜ STATE WATCH: Reminder: Lots of states, cities and counties raised their minimum wages as the new year began (The Hill). … State legislatures are getting set for new battles over election-related bills. The stakes couldn’t be higher, reports The Hill’s Reid Wilson. … In Colorado, officials are searching for the cause of the weekend Marshall Fire, now near the top of the list of national “large-loss fires,” or fires responsible for damage exceeding $10 million. The fire destroyed nearly 1,000 structures during wind-whipped conditions that began on Thursday, spreading flames to 6,219 acres. Investigators said on Monday they are still probing the fire’s cause (The Hill and The Denver Post).
THE CLOSER
And finally … ⛄❅ Around the nation on Monday, winter weather complicated travel and commutes for thousands as more than 1,800 U.S. flights were canceled after a holiday weekend marred by missed connections, passenger delays, airline staff shortages and the continued spread of COVID-19.

 

Bad, yes. But in and around Washington, D.C., at least, all that white stuff helped many find some unexpected joy.

 

James Penn of Annapolis, Md., cross country skis in Annapolis, Md.

© Associated Press/Susan Walsh

 

 

LJ Dawson, from Washington, plays with her dogs Jett, left, and Saroo, on the National Mall in the snow

© Associated Press/Alex Brandon

 

 

People sled down the hill at the United States Marine Corps War Memorial

© Associated Press/Alex Brandon

 
The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@thehill.com and aweaver@thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE! 
TO VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE HILL’S MORNING REPORT CLICK HERE
TO RECEIVE THE HILL’S MORNING REPORT IN YOUR INBOX SIGN UP HERE
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
The Hill
Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe
Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters
The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006
©1998 – 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.Nexstar Logo

 

View in your browser

23.) THE HILL 12:30 REPORT

 

24.) ROLL CALL
Image

Morning Headlines

ImageANALYSIS — Under the new congressional map produced by California’s independent redistricting commission, nine of the state’s 52 districts are expected to host competitive races this year, Nathan L. Gonzales writes. And six of those nine are likely to feature a Republican incumbent. Read more…

ImageLeading defense contractors were among the most generous corporate contributors to the campaigns of members of Congress who voted not to certify the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona or Pennsylvania, according to a report by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Read more…

Non-fungible tokens the new fad for campaign fundraising

 

ImageA handful of political candidates seeking state and federal offices have jumped on the latest digital bandwagon by offering non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, as part of their campaign fundraising and are promising exclusivity to their donors. Read more…

Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developmentsin finance and financial technology.

Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Congress’ doctor recommends telework, better masks as COVID-19 rates in Capitol increase

 

ImageThe Office of the Attending Physician says it is expanding coronavirus testing on Capitol Hill and called for wearing more robust masks as “dozens” of daily samples from the Capitol testing site come back positive for COVID-19. Read more…

Court hearings begin for revived ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy

 

ImageThe first cohort of migrants enrolled in a newly revived border program requiring asylum-seekers to wait out their court cases in Mexico had their U.S. immigration hearings in Texas on Monday, according to senior administration officials. Read more…

Burgos and Gosselin to direct GOP independent expenditure efforts

 

ImageEven with historical midterm trends and the current political environment on their side, Republicans aren’t taking chances with a large chunk of their campaign spending. The GOP will rely on two campaign committee veterans to direct the independent expenditure efforts for their Senate and House campaign arms. Read more…

Schumer: Senate to take up filibuster changes by MLK Day if voting rights bill is blocked

 

ImageSenate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer plans to push ahead with debate and consideration of changing the Senate’s filibuster rules by Martin Luther King Jr. Day, if voting rights legislation continues to be blocked. Read more…

CQ Roll Call is a part of FiscalNote, the leading technology innovator at the intersection of global business and government. Copyright 2022 CQ Roll Call. All rights reserved Privacy | Safely unsubscribe now.

 

1201 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Suite 600
Washington, DC 20004

25.) POLITICO PLAYBOOK

POLITICO Playbook: The election reform idea gaining currency on the right

Presented by

DRIVING THE DAY

TODAY’S BIG EVENT: Senate Democrats will hold a virtual meeting at 12:45 p.m. It will be the first opportunity of the new year for all 50 caucus members to talk about where Build Back Better 2.0 stands and what they think of Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER’s new voting rights push. On both issues — as usual — every utterance of JOE MANCHIN (W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (Ariz.) will be examined like a haruspex inspecting a sheep liver.

THE LATEST DEADLINE: As we previewed Monday, voting rights and election reform will dominate the debate in Washington over the next weeks.

Meeting self-imposed deadlines has not exactly been the Democrats’ forte over the last year, but Schumer said Monday he wants the Senate to consider rules changes by Jan. 17 if voting rights legislation is filibustered.

This has been a Democrats-only debate. So far from Republicans we’ve mostly heard a lot of sniping at Schumer from the sidelines.

“This is another Schumer-preservation strategy,” one Senate GOP aide told us Monday night. “His approach as majority leader has been to isolate his moderate members (Manchin and Sinema) and make them withstand public scorn for not falling in line. It’s designed to let him off the hook from any criticism.”

But one important dynamic to watch is whether Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL and his colleagues shift from simply attacking the Schumer move here to making a substantive counteroffer. There’s a movement afoot on the intellectual right to get congressional Republicans to back some narrow but important reforms. And Schumer will have to make some tough decisions if McConnell embraces them over the next two weeks.

First, a primer on the current proposals in play …

The two top priorities for Schumer are the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

In 2017 House Democrats wrote the For the People Act, commonly known as H.R. 1, to implement a myriad of political reforms covering voting, election integrity, campaign finance, restoration of the Voting Rights Act, D.C. statehood, redistricting and ethics rules covering the president and Congress.

Think of it as the political reform version of the original Build Back Better bill: Instead of containing every Democratic spending priority, it contained every Dem political reform idea. A lot of it was driven by the anti-corruption push spurred by DONALD TRUMP’s actions in 2016 and 2017. In private, many Democrats admit it was a hastily drafted messaging bill for the 2018 midterms.

When it got to the Senate last year, Democrats began refining it, especially to take into account what happened in 2020 and its aftermath. As the bill was refined and moved toward the Senate floor, Manchin announced that he wouldn’t support it.

The bill was scrapped.

Two things then happened: 1) Manchin declared his support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a much narrower bill that would restore the Justice Department’s authority to approve changes to voting laws and redistricting in a dozen or so states with a recent history of racially discriminatory voting laws. But Sen. LISA MURKOWSKI (Alaska) was the sole Republican to sign on, leaving it going nowhere fast.

2) A group of Democrats, including RAPHAEL WARNOCK (Ga.), TIM KAINE (Va.), AMY KLOBUCHAR (Minn.) and JEFF MERKLEY (Ore.), began meeting with Manchin to design a modified version of H.R. 1 that all 50 Democrats could back. The Freedom to Vote Act is the fruit of those negotiations.

It’s still a massive reform bill addressing voting rights, election integrity, campaign finance and gerrymandering. But it’s more tailored to address problems of electoral subversion, like removing election officials without cause, that became apparent after 2020. It also includes more input from local election administrators to satisfy complaints about a federal takeover of state-run elections, as well as more Manchin-/GOP-friendly language on some issues, like voter ID laws. (The Brennan Center for Justice has this useful breakdown of the differences.)

Manchin shopped the bill to Republicans, and, despite a few sops to the right that it included, he came up empty-handed.

SO IT’S NUKE THE FILIBUSTER OR BUST, RIGHT? Maybe not. The conservative commentariat has suddenly rallied around another idea: reforming the Electoral Count Act. That’s the 19th-century law that outlines a convoluted process to certify each state’s electoral votes. Trump seized on the seeming ambiguities and weak points of the poorly written law to try to throw out or replace legitimate slates of JOE BIDEN electors. The attack on the Capitol happened when MIKE PENCE and others refused to go along.

In recent weeks, Cato, National Review, the Washington Examiner and AEI’s Yuval Levin have all editorialized in favor of reforming the Electoral Count Act. Liberals and academics have been on board for a while.

If Senate Republicans united in favor of ECA reform as their main alternative to Schumer’s legislation, it could complicate the majority leader’s plan. If the Senate passed a narrow ECA reform bill, would it take the air out of the push for filibuster reform?

We’re told Schumer views ECA reform on its own as completely inadequate. It is a minor reform compared with the Freedom to Vote Act or the John Lewis bill and would have no impact on this year’s midterm elections, which loom as the near-term contest spurring Democrats to action. But reforming the ECA is arguably the single most important tweak to America’s creaky presidential election system that could prevent a future unscrupulous president from succeeding where Trump failed.

Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line and tell us which senator you think is most likely to talk while muted in their caucus Zoom: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

BIDEN’S TUESDAY:

— 10:10 a.m.: The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President’s Daily Brief.

— 2 p.m.: Biden and Harris will meet with their Covid-19 response team on the latest Omicron developments.

Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 2:30 p.m.

THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to take up ANNE WITKOWSKY’s State Department nomination. It will vote on GABRIEL SANCHEZ’s judicial nomination at noon, followed by a recess until 2:15 p.m. for weekly party luncheons.

THE HOUSE is out.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PLAYBOOK READS

CONGRESS

PELOSI STAFF TURNOVER SPIKES AMID RETIREMENT TALK — Speaker NANCY PELOSI has seen a big exodus from her office the past year as expectations grow that she will leave Congress after this term. On Monday, JORGE AGUILAR, who ran Pelosi’s campaign arm and has been with the speaker for nearly a decade, landed a job at government relations firm theGROUP. His was the latest in a string of recent departures from Pelosi land that have pushed the speaker into the 90th percentile for highest House turnover, according to LegiStorm data.

Pelosi’s staff churn has been relatively stable over the years, tracking closely with the average among congressional offices. But according to LegiStorm, turnover in the speaker’s office skyrocketed in 2021, a trend that tracked with anticipation that this will be her final term. Per LegiStorm’s data, her office ranked 42nd out of 439 House offices for turnover, and her turnover index rate was .69, almost double the average .38 turnover for offices overall last year. (Check out the chart below.)

LegiStorm’s “turnover index” captures the rate of churn while accounting for salary. So the departure of a chief of staff would carry more than a scheduler. “Turnover of 0.0 indicates no turnover during a time period, while a 0.5 turnover index indicates that half of the office, weighted by salary, has turned over per year,” the website reads.

Pelosi’s office downplayed the stats. Different factors always come into play when it comes to turnover, a spokesman said. Last year, the pandemic combined with Jan. 6 led to many staffers departing Congress. But the spike in Pelosi’s office was exceptional.

TRUMP CARDS

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Per Alex Isenstadt: The principal pro-Trump super PAC, Make America Great Again, Again!, is planning a Feb. 23 fundraiser featuring the former president and a “select group” of 2022 candidates he’s endorsed, according to an email the group is circulating to donors. Organizers are asking donors to give as much as $125,000 to attend the event at Mar-a-Lago.

NO BOUNDARIES TO TRUMP ENDORSEMENTS — Trump on Monday endorsed Hungary’s far-right PM VIKTOR ORBAN, saying in a statement that he gives Obran his “complete support.” NYT’s Shane Goldmacher notes that “Orban and his party have steadily consolidated power in Hungary by weakening the country’s independent and democratic institutions — rewriting election laws to favor his Fidesz party, changing school textbooks, curbing press freedoms, overhauling the Constitution and changing the composition of the judiciary.

“The actions have caused consternation in the European Union, to which Hungary belongs, but also made Mr. Orban something of a cause célèbre in conservative American political circles, following years of an aggressive influence operation to bolster his image in the U.S.”

ALSO SEEKING CHALLENGERS — In a statement Monday, Trump called on someone to challenge Rep. DON BACON (R-Neb.). His offense was not voting for impeachment — Bacon did not — but supporting the bipartisan infrastructure bill. (Despite the fact that Trump once pushed for infrastructure legislation himself.) The district is competitive, so a primary won’t likely help the GOP. The Hill’s Max Greenwood has more.

ALL POLITICS

RUSH TO RETIRE (BUT DON’T CALL IT THAT) — Rep. BOBBY RUSH (D-Ill.), who was first elected to Congress in 1992 and later beat back a challenge from BARACK OBAMA, announced he won’t seek reelection. Shia Kapos and Brakkton Booker write that Rush, “a legend in Chicago politics dating back to the 1960s when he co-founded the Illinois Black Panther Party, joins a wave of House lawmakers leaving public office. Just don’t call it a retirement.

“‘First of all, I’m not retiring man, alright?’ he said in an interview. ‘I am not ready to go off to some spot in the sun, sit on nobody’s beach drinking tequila.’ His plan: to focus on his work as a pastor, where he hopes to maintain sway over voters who sent him to Congress 30 years ago. ‘I’m coming home to my church located in the heart of South Side of the city of Chicago,’ Rush said, referring to the Beloved Community Church of God in Christ, where he serves as pastor.”

AND THE LATEST REDISTRICTING SHAKEUP — Former Rep. HARLEY ROUDA (D-Calif.), who ousted a Republican in 2018 to win the state’s 48th Congressional District, announced he won’t run for a newly drawn district this year. He would have had to take on Rep. KATIE PORTER (D-Calif.). More from LAT’s Melanie Mason

END OF AN ERA — Longtime New Hampshire Secretary of State BILL GARDNER, who’s steered the first-in-the-nation primary for almost half a century, is retiring. Read Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, a New Hampshire veteran himself, on the “battle he’s never lost” to retain New Hampshire’s place on the presidential nominating calendar.

JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

TRACKING THE RIOTERS — A year after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, POLITICO is up with a new “database that will be updated weekly with new sentencing information, analysis and data” for the perpetrators.

“There are more than 700 people who have been arrested for crimes tied to the assault on the Capitol and investigations are still ongoing, and roughly one-tenth of those — 71 — have been sentenced as of Jan. 1,” Nick Niedzwiadek writes. “While these numbers represent just a fraction of the criminal cases to date, they have already become a template for future sentences — a foundation that is likely to solidify further as more and more cases reach their conclusion.”

PULLING BACK — Despite universal agreement from the White House, FBI and DOJ that the events of Jan. 6 were an act of domestic terrorism, “prosecutors have yet to ask judges to impose the harsher sentences federal law recommends for defendants motivated by politics,” Josh Gerstein reports. “Instead, even as some judges have publicly debated whether the charges against Jan. 6 defendants qualify as ‘crimes of terrorism,’ prosecutors have repeatedly pulled back on tougher sentences, citing unspecified ‘facts and circumstances.’”

A WORD FROM THE AG — A.G. MERRICK GARLAND is set to deliver a speech Wednesday on the DOJ’s “efforts to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, stressing the department’s ‘unwavering commitment to defend Americans and American democracy from violence and threats of violence,’” a source tells WaPo’s Matt Zapotosky.

— Related reading: Bloomberg’s Chris Strohm writes that Garland is in a tough spot as he “faces critical decisions about whether to indict [Trump] or his top advisers as the Justice Department continues to fend off charges of politicization.”

INSIDE THE COMMITTEE — NYT’s Luke Broadwater and Alan Feuer peel back the curtain on Congress’ Jan. 6 select committee’s attempt to ramp up and redouble its efforts as it looks “to make as much progress as possible before January 2023,” when a potentially Republican-controlled Congress could dissolve the panel. “Working in color-coded teams, investigators have interviewed more than 300 witnesses, from White House officials close to Mr. Trump to the rioters themselves, and are sorting through more than 35,000 documents. During its first three months, from July through September, the committee had fewer than 30 staff members and spent about $418,000, according to the latest documents filed with the House. Since then, the panel has increased its staff to about 40 and is looking to hire more investigators.”

CONGRESS’ JAN. 6 TRUST ISSUE — WaPo’s Paul Kane, Marianna Sotomayor and Jacqueline Alemany detail how the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol changed Congress — with a striking lede setting a scene no one would have predicted just 13 months ago: “A year later, the House of Representatives can still look like a crime scene some days. Five metal detectors ring the outer doors to prevent weapons from getting onto the chamber floor, including one that stands just a few feet from where a Capitol Police officer shot and killed a Jan. 6 rioter trying to crawl through a door just off the House floor.

“But the detectors aren’t there to deter armed insurrectionists,” the trio writes. “Instead, those detectors are there to prevent lawmakers or their staff from trying to commit violence against each other.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Teen Vogue’s Fortesa Latifi has a gripping piece about families torn apart over the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

“A week before his dad joined the crowd that stormed the U.S. Capitol, JACKSON REFFITT called the FBI,” the piece begins. “His dad had been talking about doing ‘something big’ and Jackson was worried about what that meant. Either way, the 19-year-old wanted the weight off his shoulders. A few days after alerting the FBI to his father’s statements, Jackson checked his family group chat and found out his dad was at the Capitol insurrection.”

POLICY CORNER

WAITING FOR 5G — Verizon and AT&T “agreed to a two-week delay in deploying C-Band wireless spectrum, averting an aviation safety standoff that threatened to disrupt flights starting this week,” Reuters’ David Shepardson reports. “The carriers had faced pressure from the White House, airlines and aviation unions to delay the deployment amid concerns about potential interference of 5G with sensitive aircraft electronics like radio altimeters that could disrupt flights.”

PLAYBOOKERS

Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland and RNC chair, opted against running for governor.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle are reportedly engaged — and have kept it under wraps for a long time.

RIP: Blackberry is officially hanging up its classic smartphone. (cc: Josh Gerstein)

Sherrod Brown apparently has a lot to say about “Succession.”

Amy Klobuchar — whose obsession with snow earned meme status after her 2020 presidential campaign kickoff — was psyched that it snowed in D.C.

Marty Walsh, meanwhile, was thankful he was in Boston.“They’re not the best prepared … to handle snow down there,” the Labor sec told a local reporter. #Truth.

Josh Dawsey thinks Zoom has ruined snow days.

Marjorie Taylor Greene was suspended by Facebook for one day for posting Covid-19 misinformation, after being banned from Twitter over the weekend. Also, Dan Crenshaw called her an “idiot.”

Glenn Youngkin tapped Richmond insider Richard Cullen for a key Cabinet post.

The National Press Foundation announced the new class of its Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship for young journalists in D.C., including our colleague Ximena Bustillo and several POLITICO alums/friends of Playbook, among them Candice Norwood, Victoria Knight and Matthew Brown.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Alex Byers is joining AT&T as director of comms and PR. He previously was VP of strategic comms at Finsbury Glover Hering, and is a POLITICO alum.

— Rachel Racoosin is now an SVP at Edelman on their financial comms team. She most recently was senior director of client partnerships at Axios, and is a Levick and Ketchum alum.

HILL MOVES — Renzo Olivari is joining Sen. Jacky Rosen’s (D-Nev.) office as comms director in her Senate office. He previously was press secretary for Terry McAuliffe’s Virginia gubernatorial campaign, and is an alum of several Virginia and Nevada campaigns/offices. … Daniela Campos is now press secretary for Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). She previously was press secretary for Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas). … Maya Krishna-Rogers is joining Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) team as press secretary. She most recently was at Emily’s List, and is a Carnegie Endowment and John Delaney alum.

TRANSITIONS — American Bridge 21st Century is adding Drew Godinich as senior director of comms (previously on Shontel Brown’s campaign), Kait Demchuk as digital director (previously on New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s reelect), Alexandra De Luca as gubernatorial and state comms director (previously at 314 Action), and Grace Hagerty as deputy press secretary (previously at the New Hampshire Democratic Party). …

… Roy Herrera and Daniel Arellano are launching Herrera Arellano LLP, a boutique firm with D.C. and Phoenix offices focused on election, campaign finance and nonprofit law. The two Democratic attorneys in Arizona were previously at Ballard Spahr. … Cora Mandy is joining Plus Communications as a director in public affairs. She most recently was comms manager at Heritage’s Institute for Economic Freedom, and is an America First Action alum. … Lauren Cohen is now associate director of government relations at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She previously was government affairs manager at Americans for the Arts.

ENGAGED — Gaby Hurt, press secretary for Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Ryan Marks of the Secret Service got engaged on New Year’s Eve in her hometown of Charlotte, N.C. They met in 2020 at the White House when she was working in the press office. Pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Lucy Hatcher, an associate producer at CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” and Ben Hatcher, a principal at J.F. Lehman and Co., welcomed Ann Whelan Hatcher on Wednesday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Doris Kearns Goodwin … NBC’s Ben Mayer … Rob Gifford of CBSN … Indiana GOP Chair Kyle Hupfer … Jeremy Funk … Jim Warren of NewsGuard … POLITICO’s David Kihara, Caitlin Emma, Adriel Bettelheim and Tamara Mukulu … E&E News’ Jill Martin … Joshua Zeitz … Alex Campau of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies … Nan Aron … Courtney Piron of Novartis … Doug Campbell … Erin Moffet … Patrick Purtill … Marie Sanderson … Chip Kahn of the Federation of American Hospitals … Marc Brumer of the Herald Group … Eric Cortellessa … Megan Kaiser of Blueprint Interactive … Emily Samsel of the League of Conservation Voters … C-SPAN’s Michele Remillard … Anthony Terrell … AARP’s Belén Mendoza … Gabby Birenbaum … Hilary Brandenburg … WSJ’s Qianwei Zhang … Adam Goldman of Mercury Public Affairs … Jennifer Sullivan … Maggie Abboud … Greg Smith of American Global Strategies … Samantha Slosberg … Audrey (Hickenlooper) White … Andy Borowitz … Peter Schorsch

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.

Follow us on Twitter

26.) AMERICAN MINUTE

Smallpox during the Revolutionary War & Dr. Benjamin Rush “Smallpox is ten times more terrible!” – American Minute with Bill Federer

 • “Smallpox is ten times more terrible!” -Diseases during the Revolution • Dr. Benjamin Rush – American Minute with Bill Federer

“Disease has destroyed ten men for us, where the sword of the enemy has killed one” -wrote John Adams to his wife Abigail, April 13, 1777.

During the Revolution, soldiers camped in close quarters were plagued by typhoid, yellow fever, and particularly, smallpox, of which an estimated 30 percent of soldiers became infected.
Though the New England colonies had experienced occurrences of the disease, which was thought to have been brought by travelers from the Caribbean, a major smallpox epidemic began in 1775 when the British evacuated Boston, which they had occupied for 9 months, and left their infected soldiers behind.

Spread only by direct human contact, in the next seven years, smallpox dispersed from Boston across the continent, reaching as far away as New Orleans, Mexico, areas of Texas, and the Great Plains.

Smallpox killed an estimated 145,000 settlers and Indians.
The migrating Shoshone are thought to have carried it to the Pueblos territory of New Mexico.
It showed up in tribes of the Pacific Northwest, in the Canadian interior at trading posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and even in Alaska.

Fortunately for the purpose of American independence, George Washington was immune to smallpox as he had contracted it at the age of 19 when he traveled to Barbados with his older half-brother Lawrence in 1751.

On July 4, 1775, Washington cautioned against travel around Boston:
“… as there may be danger of introducing smallpox into the army.”

Churches and homes were used as hospitals.
On July 20, 1775, Washington wrote to Congress, that he had:
“… been particularly attentive to the least symptoms of the smallpox … We shall continue the utmost vigilance against this most dangerous enemy.”

Washington directed Lieut. Col. Loammi Baldwin to prevent officers from meeting:
“… with the people who … came out of Boston … There is great reason to suspect that the smallpox is amongst them, which every precaution must be used to prevent its spreading.”

In November of 1775, Washington noted:
“… smallpox is now in Boston, I have used the precaution of prohibiting such as lately came out from coming near our camp.”
On December 15, 1775, Washington explained to Joseph Reed that:
“… smallpox is in every part of Boston … a surety against any attempt of ours to attack.
If we escape the smallpox in this camp … it will be miraculous. Every precaution that can be is taken to guard against this evil.”

On December 4, 1775, Washington informed Congress that the British were sending civilians infected with smallpox out of the city:
“By recent information … General Howe is going to send out a number of the inhabitants … A sailor says that a number of these coming out have been inoculated with the design of spreading the smallpox through this country and camp.”

Washington then wrote:
“The information I received that the Enemy intended spreading the smallpox amongst us, I could not suppose them capable of; I now must give some credit to it, as it has made its appearance on several of those who last came out of Boston.”

The death rate of smallpox was significantly higher than more recent viruses.
In contrast to modern gene-altering therapy, colonial Americans introduced a simple preventative measure — a weakened strain of the disease would be exposed to a healthy person’s body, allowing their own immune system to build up an effective natural immunity.

Initially, the method of preventative inoculation was scrapping a dried scab into fine powder, then blowing it up a person’s nose.
This was first recorded in 1716 by Cotton Mather, who gave credit to his slave, Onesimus, for sharing it.

In 1721, a British ship docked in Boston, resulting in half of the city, nearly 11,000, contracting smallpox.
The method described by Mather was used by Zabdiel Boylston, resulting in only one in 40 dying of smallpox, as compared to one in seven who did not use it.
It was not until 1796, that English physician Edward Jenner successfully documented smallpox immunity from his cowpox vaccine.

Many of the Continental Army officers’ wives decided to be inoculated with weakened smallpox.
On May 23, 1776, Martha Washington was inoculated by a doctor in Philadelphia.

John Adams described in a letter to his wife the crude invasive inoculation he endured in July of 1764:
“Dr. Perkins demanded my left arm … They took their lancets and with their points divided the skin about a quarter of an inch and just suffering the blood to appear, buried a thread (infected) about a quarter of an inch long in the channel.
A little lint was then laid over the scratch and a piece of rag pressed on, and then a bandage bound over all, and I was bid go where and do what I pleased …
Do not conclude from any thing I have written that I think inoculation a light matter —
A long and total abstinence from everything in nature that has any taste; two long heavy vomits, one heavy cathartic (to purge bowels), four and twenty mercurial and antimonial pills, and, three weeks of close confinement to an house, are, according to my estimation, no small matters.”

On December 3, 1775, Robert H. Harrison wrote of what appeared to be an instance of biological warfare:
“Four British deserters have just arrived at headquarters giving an account that several persons are to be sent out of Boston . . that have lately been inoculated with the smallpox, with the design, probably, to spread infection to distress us as much as possible.”

On January 1, 1777, British ships sailing under the flag of truce released 200 American prisoners at Connecticut’s Milford Harbor — all suffering from smallpox.
Within a month, 46 had died along with one of their caregivers, Captain Stephen Stow.

British officer Robert Donkin had suggested that the contagious disease be used as a bioterrorism, as cited in Military Collections and Remarks, published in New York, 1777:
“Dip arrows in matter of smallpox, and twang them at the American rebels … This would sooner disband these stubborn, ignorant, enthusiastic savages … Such is their dread and fear of that disorder”

Quebec might have been captured by Americans in December of 1775, which would have possibly resulted in Canada becoming part of the United States, had it not been for smallpox.

American Captain Hector McNeal told a Congressional Committee investigating the failure of the army’s expedition to Canada:

“Smallpox was sent out of Quebec by (British) Governor Guy Carleton, inoculating the poor people at government expense for the purpose of giving it to our army.”

British soldiers faced earlier accusations.
In 1763, during the French and Indian War, Chief Pontiac’s uprising laid bloody siege to British Fort Pitt and decimated surrounding farms.
Sir Jeffrey Amherst suggested a biological weapon, July 7, 1763:
“Could it not be contrived to Send the Small Pox among those Disaffected Tribes of Indians? We must, on this occasion, Use Every Stratagem in our power to Reduce them.”

Whether authorized or not is unclear, but a local trader, William Trent, reportedly initiated a biological attack among the Indians, writing in his diary:
“Out of our regard for them, we gave them two Blankets and an Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect.”

General Benedict Arnold reported that nearly 1,200 American troops at Montreal were also suffering from smallpox:
“From the 1st of January to the 1st of March, we have never had more than seven hundred effective men on the ground, and frequently not more than five hundred.”

Washington quoted from a letter by General Sullivan that:
“The army is sickly, many with the smallpox, and he is apprehensive the militia ordered to join them will not escape the infection.”

General Gates conceded:
“As fine an Army as has ever marched into Canada has this year been entirely ruined with smallpox. The line of retreat extended near 13 miles distance and a great part of them sick with smallpox.”

John Adams wrote from Philadelphia, June of 1776:
“Our misfortunes in Canada are enough to melt a heart of stone. The smallpox is ten times more terrible than Britons, Canadians, and Indians together. This was the cause of our precipitate retreat from Quebec.”

George Washington wrote his concerns regarding inoculating his troops:
“Should we inoculate generally, the enemy, knowing it, will certainly take advantage of our situation.”

The threat of smallpox did not lessen until widespread inoculations were called for by Dr. Benjamin Rush, born January 4, 1745.
Dr. Benjamin Rush was a surgeon general of the middle department of the Continental Army, tending to wounded soldiers during the Battle of Princeton, including General Hugh Mercer.

Dr. Rush personally inoculated Virginia Governor Patrick Henry against smallpox, as well as Pennsylvania troops, resulting in their low rate of illness.

Skepticism of vaccines haunted the British in other colonies.
A century later, the British faced an accusation in India, as recorded in The Indian Medical Gazette, “Dr. K. C. Bose on Small-pox in Calcutta” (March 1890, 82):
“The affection for their children has driven them to regard vaccination as an operation intended by government to thin the number of its poor subjects.”

Trinidad and the West Indies continued this skepticism, as William Tebb’s The Recrudescence of Leprosy and Its Causation: A Popular Treatise (1893) recounted Dr. Bakewell’s testimony before the Select Vaccination Parliamentary Committee in 1871:
“There is a very strong opinion prevalent in Trinidad, and in the West Indies generally, that leprosy has been introduced into the system by vaccination.”

Dr. Benjamin Rush had studied medicine in Philadelphia, then in Europe under the world’s foremost physicians, and then returned to Philadelphia in 1769.
Though his practices were archaic by today’s standards, he is considered by some as the “Father of American Medicine” for his work on staff at the Pennsylvania Hospital, where he opened the first free medical clinic.

He was among the first to recognize alcoholism as a disease and began to promote temperance.
Dr. Rush wrote the first textbook on mental illness and psychiatry, recommending treatment with kindness, earning him the title “Father of American Psychiatry.”

He was a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.
His wife was Julia, was the daughter of Richard Stockton, also a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Paine consulted with Dr. Benjamin Rush when writing his stirring pamphlet Common Sense.

Rush helped write Pennsylvania’s Constitution and was as a member of the Pennsylvania State Convention which ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1787.
He was Treasurer of the U.S. Mint.

Rush helped found Dickinson College to train physicians, and the Philadelphia Dispensary.

A statue of Dr. Benjamin Rush stands on the campus of Dickinson College.

During the dread summer of 1793, Dr. Rush stayed in Philadelphia battling the disease of Yellow Fever which killed thousands.

He was the first to recognize that yellow fever was not contagious, leading to the later discovery that it was spread by mosquito bites.

Dr. Rush and other founders, including George Washington, donated to Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Dr. Benjamin Rush supported ending slavery prior to the Revolution, forming a Society for the Abolition of Slavery.

Perhaps Dr. Benjamin Rush’s most beloved contribution to American history was in 1812 encouraging John Adams to write to Thomas Jefferson, breaking the silence which had existed between them for years due to earlier political differences.

A proponent of public education for young women as well as men, Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote his Thoughts Upon the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic, 1786:
“I proceed … to inquire what mode of education we shall adopt so as to secure to the state all of the advantages that are to be derived from the proper instruction of the youth;
and here I beg leave to remark that the only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid on the foundation of religion.

… Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments.
But the religion I mean to recommend in this place is that of the New Testament … Its doctrines and precepts are calculated to promote the happiness of society and the safety and well-being of civil government.”

Dr. Benjamin Rush founded a Sunday School Union and the Philadelphia Bible Society.
He wrote in A Plan for Free Schools, 1787:
“Let the children … be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education.”

Rush wrote to Jeremy Belknap, July 13, 1789:
“The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effectual means of extirpating (removing) Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools.”

Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote in an essay, “A Defense of the Use of the Bible as a School Book,” included in his 1798 work, Essays, Literary, Moral and Philosophical:
“The Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life …
It should be read in our schools in preference to all other books from its containing the greatest portion of that kind of knowledge which is calculated to produce private and public temporal happiness.”

Rush wrote in Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical, 1798:
“I know there is an objection among many people to teaching children doctrines of any kind, because they are liable to be controverted. But let us not be wiser than our Maker.
If moral precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God into all the world would have been unnecessary.
The perfect morality of the Gospel rests upon the doctrine which, though often controverted has never been refuted: I mean the vicarious life and death of the Son of God.”

“Vicarious” is defined in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as: “suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another: substitutionary.”

Dr. Rush stated:
“Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind.”
He wrote his Thoughts Upon the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic, 1786:
“A Christian cannot fail of being a republican … for every precept of the Gospel inculcates those degrees of humility, self-denial, and brotherly kindness which are directly opposed to the pride of monarchy …
A Christian cannot fail of being useful to the republic, for his religion teaches him that no man ‘liveth to himself.’
And lastly a Christian cannot fail of being wholly inoffensive, for his religion teaches him in all things to do to others what he would wish, in like circumstances, they should do to him.”

Dr. Benjamin Rush explained in Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical, 1798:
“Christianity is the only true and perfect religion, and that in proportion as mankind adopts its principles and obeys its precepts, they will be wise and happy …
In contemplating the political institutions of the United States, I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them.

… We profess to be republicans, and yet we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government, that is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by the means of the Bible.
For this Divine book, above all others, favors that equality among mankind, that respect for just laws, and those sober and frugal virtues, which constitute the soul of republicanism.”

On July 9, 1788, in a letter to Elias Boudinot regarding a parade in Philadelphia, Dr. Benjamin Rush stated:
“The Rabbi of the Jews locked arms of two ministers of the Gospel was a most delightful sight. There could not have been a more happy emblem.”

Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote:
“I have been alternately called an Aristocrat and a Democrat. I am neither. I am a Christocrat.
I believe all power … will always fail of producing order and happiness in the hands of man. HE alone who created and redeemed man is qualified to govern him.”

Rush died in Philadelphia on April 19, 1813, and was buried in the yard of Christ’s Church.
John Adams wrote:
“Another of our friends of seventy-six is gone, my dear Sir, another of the co-signers of the Independence of our country …
… A better man than Rush could not have left us, more benevolent, more learned, of finer genius, or more honest. I know of no Character living or dead who has done more real good in America.”

Memorials to Dr. Benjamin Rush stand on Navy Hill in Washington, D.C., and near the Harvard Square Library.
During his final illness, he wrote to his wife:
“My excellent wife, I must leave you, but God will take care of you.
By the mystery of Thy holy incarnation;
by Thy holy nativity;
by Thy baptism, fasting, and temptation;
by Thine agony and bloody sweat;
by Thy cross and passion;
by Thy precious death and burial;
by Thy glorious resurrection and ascension, and
by the coming of the Holy Ghost, blessed Jesus, wash away all my impurities, and receive me into Thy everlasting kingdom.”
—
Follow on:

William J. Federer videos
Schedule Bill Federer for informative interviews & captivating PowerPoint presentations: 314-502-8924 wjfederer@gmail.com
American Minute is a registered trademark of William J. Federer. Permission is granted to forward, reprint, or duplicate, with acknowledgment.

27.) CAFFEINATED THOUGHTS

 

28.) CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS

 

CDN’s Daily News Blast delivers the day’s news first!
View this email in your browser

CDN Daily News Blast

01/04/2022
Excerpts:

How to Get $1,000 Into Your Emergency Fund Painlessly

by Mary Hunt –

The most important thing you can do to make your personal economy strong is to have an umbrella, an emergency fund with enough money in it to pay all of your bills for six months. And it needs to be safe and secure in a bank account. You read that …

How to Get $1,000 Into Your Emergency Fund Painlessly is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Democrat ‘Leaders’ Fail the Leadership Test

by Oliver L. North and David L. Goetsch –

The inevitable result of poor leadership is failure and, at times, disaster. This is precisely what is happening under the inept, self-serving, bumbling leadership of President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a trio of Democrat misleaders. Democrat “leadership” failures to date include an …

Democrat ‘Leaders’ Fail the Leadership Test is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

President Joe Biden’s Schedule for Tuesday, January 4, 2022

by R. Mitchell –

Summary: President Joe Biden will receive his daily briefing and meet with the White House COVID team. There is nothing else on his schedule for Tuesday. President Joe Biden’s Itinerary for 1/4/22 Live stream links will activate as streams become available ALL TIMES EST 10:10 AM Receive daily briefing2:00 PM Meet with …

President Joe Biden’s Schedule for Tuesday, January 4, 2022 is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Apple Soars To $3 Trillion Market Value, Breaking Records

by Harry Wilmerding –

Apple soared to $3 trillion in market value as of Monday, making the tech giant the first U.S. company to break the threshold, multiple sources reported. Apple shares topped $182.86 Monday, bringing the company’s market value to $3 trillion, CNBC reported. The share price has almost tripled since the market bottomed …

Apple Soars To $3 Trillion Market Value, Breaking Records is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Tesla Shatters EV Vehicle Delivery Record, Beats Projections

by Thomas Catenacci –

Electric vehicle maker Tesla shattered previous product delivery records in the final quarter of the year and all of 2021, the company announced Sunday. Tesla delivered 308,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter, the period between October and December, and more than 936,000 vehicles throughout the year, according to the company’s …

Tesla Shatters EV Vehicle Delivery Record, Beats Projections is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Navy Servicemembers Seeking COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Exemptions Receive Favorable Court Ruling

by Jennie Taer –

A federal judge in Texas granted 35 Navy service members’ motion challenging the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate with religious exemptions Monday. Mike Berry, who is representing the Navy SEALs on behalf of First Liberty Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the ruling is a win for religious freedom. …

Navy Servicemembers Seeking COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Exemptions Receive Favorable Court Ruling is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Tesla Opens Showroom In Region At The Center Of China’s Uyghur Genocide

by Sebastian Hughes –

Tesla opened a new showroom in China’s Xinjiang region, where authorities have been conducting genocide against the country’s Uyghur Muslim population, the Wall Street Journal reported. The electric car company announced it had begun operations at its new facility, which is located in the capital of Xinjiang, in a Dec. …

Tesla Opens Showroom In Region At The Center Of China’s Uyghur Genocide is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Joe Rogan, Rand Paul Begin Exodus From Big Tech In Mounting Backlash Over Censorship

by Ailan Evans –

Prominent personalities including podcast host Joe Rogan and Republican Sen. Rand Paul have announced plans to leave major social media platforms amid growing backlash over censorship. Rogan announced late Sunday that he had started an account on alternative social media site Gettr, posting remarks critical of Twitter on the platform. (RELATED:  …

Joe Rogan, Rand Paul Begin Exodus From Big Tech In Mounting Backlash Over Censorship is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Facebook Bans Conservative Kid’s Book Publisher Heroes Of Liberty From Running Ads

by Ailan Evans –

Facebook permanently suspended the ads account of Heroes of Liberty, a conservative children’s book publisher, claiming the company’s ads violated the tech giant’s policies against “Low Quality or Disruptive Content.” “We began investing in Facebook four months before we launched our first book,” Bethany Mandel, Heroes of Liberty editor and …

Facebook Bans Conservative Kid’s Book Publisher Heroes Of Liberty From Running Ads is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

It’s 2022, But Many Schools Are Reverting to 2020’s COVID Playbook

by Kerry McDonald –

It’s 2022 but you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s still 2020—especially if you have children enrolled in K-12 district schooling. Some parents are grappling this week with a return to, or threat of, remote learning first introduced nearly two years ago. Fear of the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus …

It’s 2022, But Many Schools Are Reverting to 2020’s COVID Playbook is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Teachers Unions Want Virtual Learning, But Fauci Says Schools Should Reopen Following Holiday Breaks

by Kendall Tietz –

As teacher’s unions across the country push for a return to remote learning after the holiday break, one infectious disease doctor expressed support for in-person learning on Sunday. Even as COVID-19 cases rise, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he believes kids should return to in-person school due to the detrimental effects …

Teachers Unions Want Virtual Learning, But Fauci Says Schools Should Reopen Following Holiday Breaks is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

COLLUSION: Facebook Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene Shortly After Twitter Bans Her

by Harry Wilmerding –

Facebook suspended the account of Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for 24 hours on Monday, one day after Twitter permanently suspended her account over repeated violations of COVID-19 misinformation policies. Greene posted on Telegram that Facebook blocked her from posting or commenting for 24 hours for not abiding by …

COLLUSION: Facebook Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene Shortly After Twitter Bans Her is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Will The Supreme Court Side With Individual Liberty?

by Parker Beauregard –

I hate asking the question, but nothing is guaranteed anymore. The fact that there are more Republican-appointed justices than not bodes well for inherent rights and freedom in 2022’s big cases, in particular the anon vaccine cases, but with Roberts the Squish and three neophyte Trump appointees coming into their …

Will The Supreme Court Side With Individual Liberty? is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Federal Court Hands Victory To Opponents Of Vaccine Mandates

by Kendall Tietz –

Head Start employees will not be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine to keep their job, according to a federal court ruling Saturday. A federal district court handed a victory to the 24 states who sued the over the requirement that Head Start employees get a COVID-19 vaccine. Judge Terry …

Federal Court Hands Victory To Opponents Of Vaccine Mandates is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Schumer Promises Vote On Filibuster Change By MLK Day If Republicans Kill Their Voting Bill

by Andrew Trunsky –

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to force a vote on changing Senate rules in the next two weeks if Republicans again block Democrats’ voting legislation. “The fight for the ballot is as old as the Republic,” Schumer wrote in a Dear Colleague letter Monday. “Over the coming weeks, the Senate …

Schumer Promises Vote On Filibuster Change By MLK Day If Republicans Kill Their Voting Bill is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Drone Attack On US Base Foiled On Anniversary Of Iran’s Top General’s Assassination

by Sebastian Hughes –

Two armed drones were shot down as they approached a base near Baghdad’s international airport containing U.S. forces on Monday, Iraqi security sources told Reuters. The base’s defense system engaged “two fixed-wing suicide drones,” an official of the U.S.-led international military coalition told Reuters. Both were downed “without incident” and …

Drone Attack On US Base Foiled On Anniversary Of Iran’s Top General’s Assassination is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Scientists Believe Meteor Exploded Over Major US City

by Ailan Evans –

Scientists believe a meteor exploded early New Year’s Day over Pittsburgh, causing mysterious loud noises and vibrations that shook the city. “The loud explosion heard over SW PA earlier may have been a meteor explosion,” the U.S. National Weather Service tweeted Saturday, posting an image showing a flash of light …

Scientists Believe Meteor Exploded Over Major US City is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Mainstream media begins character assault of Ashli Babbitt ahead of January 6

by JD Washington –

Let the character assaults begin! We all knew that the mainstream media in coordination with the Democrats would start something ahead of January 6. Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she was going to hold special events to “preserve the narrative.” She wants everyone to know that the Democrats won and …

Mainstream media begins character assault of Ashli Babbitt ahead of January 6 is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Montana The Latest State To Begin Recreational Marijuana Sales

by Andrew Trunsky –

Montana became the latest state to sell legal recreational marijuana, with its law going into effect on New Year’s Day. While Montana residents adopted the law on Election Day in 2020 with 57% of the vote, the state legislature-passed law, which came a year later, includes provisions limiting where in …

Montana The Latest State To Begin Recreational Marijuana Sales is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »

Mismatch

by Gary Varvel –

On the world stage, Joe Biden is not on the same level as our enemies – not even close.

Mismatch is posted on Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more.

Read on »
See all breaking news, conservative commentary, political cartoons and more posted to CDN at our Home Page.
Follow on Twitter
Friend on Facebook
Add on Google Plus
Copyright © 2022 Conservative Daily News, All rights reserved.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

 

29.) PJ MEDIA

The Morning Briefing: Dems’ Love Affair With Backstabber Liz Cheney Will Sink Them

BY STEPHEN KRUISER JAN 04, 2022 2:48 AM ET
Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP

Top O’ the Briefing

Happy Tuesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. My Lazy Susan actually works quite hard for me.

While it’s true that I’ve always found it rather easy to mock the Democrats, it’s never been as nearly effortless as it is these days. They’ve become such a spectacle that it’s almost as if they’re doing it for my benefit.

Of course, I owe it all to one Donald Trump.

Ever since Trump broke the poor dears they’ve been in self-destruct mode and don’t even realize it. Yeah, I say that despite the fact that the Democrats have the White House and Congress right now. As I wrote last week, Trump remains an obsession for the Dems and it is leading to all sorts of unforced errors for them.

We are currently being inundated with drama about the anniversary of last year’s Jan. 6 fake insurrection, which the Democrats are now treating like the holiest day of the year on their calendar. The amount of prevarication from them regarding this is staggering, and I say that as someone who’s been writing about Democrats being liars for a couple of decades now.

Democrats are pretending that they’re worried about a variety of things because of what they say happened last year, but as Matt wrote yesterday, it’s really all about screwing over Trump:

But what’s the committee’s real purpose? Let’s ask Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

In an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, Cheney was asked by host Margaret Brennan if she intended to run for president against Trump in 2024, and Cheney said the quiet part out loud about the true goal of the committee.

“I’m very focused right now on my re-election and on the work of the select committee,” Cheney replied. “I can tell you that the single most important thing, though, is to ensure that Donald Trump is not the Republican nominee and that he certainly is not anywhere close to the Oval Office ever again.”

A moment of honesty! The committee doesn’t care about justice for those involved; this whole charade is about preventing Donald Trump from running for president again.

There’s the most bizarre part of this entire charade: Republican Liz Cheney has become the face of this witch hunt for the Democrats. I have to pay attention to the news at least five days a week and almost every social media post or news story about this big anniversary is accompanied by a picture of Cheney. She is presently the most useful to them in their stable of Republican useful idiots (sorry, Ana Navarro!) and they’re getting their money’s worth out of her.

Democrats obviously believe that having a turncoat Bushie Republican like Cheney in their frothing Trump-hater show trial gives them some credibility.

I maintain that it’s another thing that keeps them off their game and will be just one of the many things that will serve to bring about their electoral doom in November.

Cheney is no doubt filling Democrats’ heads with tales of how there are really a lot more Republicans out there who agree with her but they’re not willing to be public about it. She’s said things like this to reporters in the past.

She’s also full of it.

Liz Cheney is delusional and Democrats are greatly overestimating her influence.

I’m rooting for this tragic couple to stay together for at least another 11 months.

Everything Isn’t Awful

 

PJ Media

VodkaPundit: BUSTED AGAIN: AOC Maskless and Kissing Broadway Star at Florida Drag Queen Event

(Self-Censoring) Viagra Lifts Woman Out of COVID Coma

Justice Roberts Talks Judicial Accountability But Fails to Acknowledge Huge Nationwide Problem

Republicans’ Image Already Has Recovered From Jan. 6

Endorsed. Playbook 2022 and Beyond: Take No Prisoners

CNN Gets Trolled by Fake Twitter Profiles on NYE and It’s Hilarious

VodkaPundit, Part Deux: Working-Age Deaths Up Whopping 40% and NOT Just From COVID, Says Life Insurance CEO

How Far Will the Left Go to Keep Criminals Out of Jail?

Democrats Are Overtly Politicizing January 6 This Week

Second CNN Producer, Rick Saleeby, Resigns and Is Under Investigation After Allegations of Pedophilia

Just When You Thought You Could Unmask Soon, Here Comes ‘Flurona’

Hard Left Already Plotting 2024 Primary Challenge Against Biden

Portland’s a Damned Mess and the Bodies Piling Up Prove It

Former White House Official and U.S. Army Vet Jumps Into Crucial Pennsylvania Race

Democrats love the Klan. Chuck Schumer Quotes Late KKK Member in Push for Senate Rules Changes

Shot: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Banned From Twitter, Says ‘Twitter Is an Enemy to America’

Chaser: Iran’s Khamenei Threatens Trump on Twitter, Twitter Yawns

Liz Cheney Reveals the True Purpose of the J6 Committee

Devin Nunes Hurts the GOP by Quitting Congress

Townhall Mothership

Schlichter: The Tide Is Turning in Freedom’s Favor

Tennessee College Offers Professors $3K Stipends to Teach Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Ron DeSantis Responds to Critics at Press Conference Announcing Monoclonal Antibody Treatments

Don Lemon Engaged in Vulgar ‘Broke D–k’ Conversation During CNN’s NYE Coverage

Joe Biden Decries the Evils of Big Meat in Bizarre, Senile Performance

BREAKING: Theranos Founder and Democrat Darling Elizabeth Holmes Found Guilty of Wire Fraud

Numbers Show Who America Is Watching and It Explains the Left’s Fears and Desperation

Armed citizen ends California “smash-and-grab” robbery

Los Angeles homicides hit 15-year high

WV attorney general offers guidance on gun laws

MKH: AOC’s right — the super-hot are the new disadvantaged

Unwind the federal everything. Florida’s surgeon general: We need to unwind the federal “testing psychology” around COVID

Judge approves Ghislaine Maxwell getting a ‘booster’ shot and the jokes write themselves

Hawaii Dept. of Health doesn’t recommend exercising & healthy diet as your top New Year resolution 

‘Sit DOWN, penis owner’! Sean Gunn’s attempt at mansplaining gender to J.K. Rowling and SHAMING her for having an opinion does NOT go well

VIP

VodkaPundit, Part Trois: What the Hell Do I Have to Do to Catch Omicron?

Signal to Noise With Richard Fernandez

2022: A Busy Year for the Supreme Court

Does the Omicron Variant of COVID Care if You’re Vaccinated?

Psst … You Got a Test? My Experience With Joe Biden’s Planned COVID Test Shortage

Biden Puts Politics Before Safety With Rushed Approval of Booster for Kids

Around the Interwebz

Apple In Homestretch On Brad Pitt Formula One Racing Film With ‘Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ehren Kruger

Is there a better way to make new resolutions stick?

Sengled’s newest smart bulb can track your heart rate

8 Google Maps Hacks to Use on Your Next Trip

Smells Like Onion

 

The Kruiser Kabana

Kabana Gallery

 

Kabana Random

 

Kabana Comedy
Stephen Kruiser

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
Image
Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today’s top news
January 4, 2022
Good morning Rick
Welcome to today’s top news.
Leading the News . . . 
Zuckerbucks Shouldn’t Pay for Elections . . . The 2020 pandemic election wasn’t stolen, but it sure was a superspreader of bad precedents. More than a year later, we’re still getting information about the huge private money that underwrote official government voting efforts in 49 states. Much is still unknown, but lawmakers already know enough to ban this practice.
A nonprofit called the Center for Technology and Civic Life, or CTCL, funded by Mark Zuckerberg, says it gave $350 million to nearly 2,500 election departments in the course of the 2020 campaign. Last month it posted its 990 tax form for the period, with 199 pages listing grants to support the “safe administration” of voting amid Covid-19. Some conservatives see this largess of “Zuckerbucks” as a clever plot to help Democrats win.

CTCL “consistently gave bigger grants and more money per capita to counties that voted for Biden, ” says an analysis by the Capital Research Center. Its tally for Georgia, to pick one state, shows average grants of $1.41 per head in Trump areas and $5.33 in Biden ones. A conservative group in Wisconsin suggests that extra voter outreach funded by CTCL could have boosted Mr. Biden’s turnout there by something like 8,000 votes. It isn’t hard to see why they’re concerned. Wall Street Journal

China has a point about sissy men . . . By Cheryl K. Chumley. The Chinese Communist Party has just kicked off a cultural campaign to make sure men are dressing and behaving like men and that the “effeminate” look — dubbed by the government as the “masculinity crisis” — won’t cripple President Xi Jinping’s push to become the leading world power. Yes, the commies are cracking down on “sissy men,” as the communist censors put it. Dictatorial tactics to the side, America might want to take a memo.
Manly men are becoming hard to find.
America’s boys are being taught to play with dolls, to cry when upset, to wear dresses if they want, to paint their fingernails and pick out their hair bows and put on their pretty as they prepare for school — and to think of their gender selves in any way they wish. Don’t want to be a boy today, Johnny? That’s quite OK. Be Josephine, instead. Washington Times
Politics                       
Image
Democrats hit pause on Biden’s climate, social spending package . . . Senate Democrats are putting President Biden’s climate and social spending plan on the back burner as they plan to debate voting rights legislation this month and hold a vote on changing the Senate’s filibuster rule.
Democratic aides say the Build Back Better bill won’t be ready for floor action anytime soon and predict the wide-ranging legislation that the White House has negotiated with centrist Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) may have to be completely overhauled. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) informed colleagues Monday the Senate will turn immediately to voting rights legislation and would vote to reform the chamber’s filibuster rule by Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 17 if Senate Republicans block it. The Hill
Nunes formally resigns from Congress . . . Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) formally resigned from Congress on Monday, as the California Republican departs to run former President Trump’s new media and technology company.
Nunes’s resignation letter was read aloud on the House floor during a pro forma session on Monday. The Hill
Bannon and allies bid to expand pro-Trump influence in local US politics . . . Key Donald Trump loyalists Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn are at the forefront of a drive to expand Trumpist influence at the local level of US politics while forging ahead with efforts aimed at promoting baseless claims that Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory was fraudulent. The growing drive by Trump’s hardcore allies has spurred election watchdog groups to voice alarm about the threat to democracy posed by Flynn and Bannon – and other Trump acolytes – as they combine debunked claims about election fraud and calls for further 2020 election audits with planning conservative takeovers of official positions that run US elections. The Guardian
National Security     
Image
The State of the Military . . . For the United States military, the picture looks particularly bleak on many fronts. This comes at a particularly bad time for America, given the fact China and Russia are building up their military forces and fielding new weapons, like hypersonic missiles.The military, particularly those forces needed to fight a war with China, is not up to the level it used to be. Quantity has been an issue for years. We’ve covered the decline — both deliberate choices from Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as well as the errors of omission by George W. Bush — on multiple occasions and have noted the desperate need not just for modernizing our force, but to build it up as well.
For all the difficulties that come with a neglected infrastructure, the physical buildup, though, is the easy part. Here is one very cold, hard, truth: Wars are not won by tanks, planes, and ships. Wars are won by the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and now Space Force guardians who use the weapons. And right now, there’s a good question about whether they’re up to the fight. Then we have the dishonorable debacle caused by Joe Biden’s betrayal of Afghanistan. Let’s make it clear, Donald Trump had no good options between the mistakes of his predecessors and the reality of China’s emergence. Patriot Post
History As It Happens: From Taiwan to Ukraine, new conflicts test Biden’s foreign policy . . . President Biden is beginning his second year in office facing many of the same foreign policy problems that awaited his arrival in the White House, some with the potential to explode into full-blown conflict despite his efforts to restore calm and confidence among U.S. allies and partners in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. From China’s apparent preparations to attack Taiwan, to Russia’s troop buildup on the Ukrainian border, a number of simmering conflicts are testing the strength of the United States’ extensive overseas commitments after 20 years of fighting a global war on terrorism to little positive effect. In this  episode of History As It Happens podcast, The Washington Times national security correspondent Ben Wolfgang discusses the president’s approach to these foreign policy dilemmas as his second year unfolds. Washington Times
Russia/Putin Flashpoint – Ex-DIA intel officer, Author of ‘Putin’s Playbook’ comments on Newsmax TV
Video
International                
Image
Global Imams Council Bans Muslims From Attending Beijing Winter Olympics  . . . The Global Imams Council (GIC) of Muslim faith leaders on Dec. 30 banned followers of Islam from participating in and attending the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, citing the oppression of Uyghurs in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region. The GIC is the world’s first and largest transnational non-governmental body of Muslim religious leaders from all Islamic denominations and schools of thought, with over 1,300 members worldwide, according to its website. In a statement on Thursday titled “GIC statement on the 2022 Winter Olympics,” GIC President Imam Mohammad Baqir al-Budairi said that the Beijing Games “directly serves the interests of a tyrannical and oppressive regime that’s responsible for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Uyghurs.” “The Global Imams Council rules that participation and attendance in Beijing 2022 are prohibited,” he wrote. Epoch Times
China must be held accountable for the Wuhan virus pandemic.
Coronavirus
Image
Federal Court Grants Navy SEALS Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate . . . A federal court has granted a preliminary injunction to a group of 35 Navy Special Warfare servicemembers—among them 26 Navy SEALs—who sued the Biden administration for denying them religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The preliminary injunction, issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, stops the Department of Defense from taking any actions against the group for refusing the jab while litigation plays out. Non-profit law firm First Liberty Institute had filed the lawsuit and motion for preliminary injunction on behalf of the Navy servicemembers on Nov. 9, 2021. “The Navy servicemembers in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect,” Judge Reed O’Connor said in his order on Monday Epoch Times 
Money                           
Image
Biden aims to reduce meat prices with more regulations, federal spending . . .  President Joe Biden on Monday unveiled his administration’s plans aimed at bringing down surging meat prices, with a major focus on stepping up regulations on meat packers and offering up more federal dollars in an effort to increase competition in the market. The White House vowed to issue “new, stronger rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act” targeted at major beef, pork and poultry packing firms along with a dual initiative between the DOJ and USDA to launch a portal for “reporting concerns about potential violations of the competitions laws,” arguing that the spike in prices was due to the companies paying less to producers and charging more to grocers. The administration also dedicated $1 billion of American Rescue Plan funds in the way of grants, loans, and worker training to help small meat processors on top of the $500 million the USDA made available in July for “expanded meat and poultry processing capacity as part of efforts to increase competition. Fox Business
Apple becomes first $3tn company after boost from pandemic demand . . . Apple has become the first company to hit a market capitalisation of $3tn, after its value rose by $1tn in less than 16 months as the coronavirus pandemic turbocharged Big Tech. The iPhone maker became a $1tn company in August 2018 and two years later became the first company to be valued at $2tn. On Monday, shares in the company rose by 3 per cent to $182.86, taking it past the latest milestone, before easing back to close at $182.01. Financial Times
OPEC+ expected to stick to planned oil output hike as omicron Covid cases soar . . . An influential group of some of the world’s largest oil producers will meet on Tuesday to discuss the next phase of output policy as energy investors weigh the potential impact of soaring omicron Covid cases.
OPEC and its non-OPEC allies, known collectively as OPEC+, are scheduled to hold a videoconference from 1 p.m. London time. OPEC+ has raised its output target each month since August by 400,00 barrels per day and energy analysts broadly expect the group to stick to this policy for February, citing U.S. pressure to boost supply and no major new Covid restrictions.
Led by OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC leader Russia, the energy alliance is in the process of unwinding record supply cuts of roughly 10 million barrels per day. The historic production cut was put in place in April 2020 to help the energy market after the coronavirus pandemic cratered demand for crude. CNBC
Amazon and Google deploy their armies to thwart antitrust bills . . . The antitrust bills’ supporters accuse the tech giants of spreading baseless fears and stoking small businesses’ anxieties to blunt the growing anti-monopoly momentum in Congress. But the effort shows that the companies’ networks of data centers, warehouses, business partnerships and legions of users have given Amazon and Google a huge number of potential allies in their showdown with Washington. “I’m glad in this case Amazon is deploying people like me,” said Kristin Rae, the founder of Inspire Travel Luggage, a vendor that sells its wares mostly on Amazon. “Because maybe we are the ones who can get through to lawmakers and say, ‘Wow, my job or position or brand could be in danger.'” Politico
You should also know 
Image
Washington DC area hit with widespread power outages . . . Washington, D.C., and areas surrounding the nation’s capital city were hit with widespread power outages Monday due to a winter storm that brought several inches of snow to the region. Fox Business
How a Liberal Foundation Bankrolled Abortion Pills in the Name of Population Control . . . Roughly a decade before his death in 1996, tech titan David Packard issued a controversial directive to his children. Skyrocketing birth rates, the Hewlett-Packard cofounder wrote, could one day cause “utter chaos for humanity.” As a result, Packard asserted, his multibillion-dollar foundation must hold one priority above all others: population control. Packard—a Republican who served as deputy secretary of defense under President Richard Nixon—did not see eye to eye politically with his three daughters, one of whom succeeded him as chair of his foundation following his death. His liberal offspring took the billionaire’s desire to curb population growth as a jumping off point. While the foundation is unbound legally to honor Packard’s policy wishes, they found a way to embrace his views and pursue their own liberal activism—through expanded abortion access, a mission toward which they devoted nearly $350 million in the last five years alone, according to a review of the foundation’s financial disclosures. Washington Free Beacon
Dr. Robert Malone to Rogan: US in ‘Mass Formation Psychosis’ Over COVID-19 . . . Key mRNA contributor Dr. Robert Malone, a prominent skeptic of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, suggested to popular podcaster Joe Rogan—days after Malone was suspended from Twitter—during an interview that the United States is in the midst of a “mass formation psychosis.” “Our government is out of control on this,” Malone said about vaccine mandates in the interview, which was released over the weekend. “And they are lawless. They completely disregard bioethics. They completely disregard the federal common rule. They have broken all the rules that I know of, that I’ve been trained [in] for years and years and years.”
Malone, an expert in mRNA vaccine technologies who received training at the University of California–Davis, UC–San Diego, and the Salk Institute, was banned by Twitter last week. Malone told The Epoch Times last week that Twitter offered no explanation for why his account, which had amassed 500,000 followers, was suspended. Epoch Times
Joe Rogan leads move to GETTR after Twitter bans Dr. Robert Malone, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene . . . Podcast titan Joe Rogan opened a GETTR account Sunday and encouraged 7.8 million Twitter followers to join him on the alternative social media app. “Just in case sh-t over at Twitter gets even dumber, I’m here now as well,” Rogan wrote on GETTR. “Rejoice!” “GETTR” trended on Twitter throughout Sunday afternoon as users reacted to Rogan’s tweet about GETTR, with many apparently taking his advice and opening an account. Rogan’s move to GETTR came on the same day that Twitter permanently banned the personal account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for spreading what the social media company deemed COVID-19 “misinformation.” Fox Business
I am establishing my GETTR today. Let’s do it, folks.
Worst jail break in US history – and Americans pay the price with skyrocketing crime rates . . . In 2020, our nation’s state and federal prison populations plummeted 15% to the lowest levels since 1992 – at the same time, murders skyrocketed nearly 30% to the highest level since 1998. By the middle of last year, local jail populations similarly shrank by an astonishing 25%.  In raw numbers, state and federal authorities reduced their prison populations by 214,000 in 2020 and local authorities reduced their jail populations by 185,000 compared to 2019. This is the worst jailbreak in American history and was committed in broad daylight. Our nation has paid the price. So-called “coronavirus protocols” caused most of these reductions. Last year, the federal government sent thousands of inmates home in response to the pandemic. Rikers Island in New York City released 1,500 criminals, and Chicago’s largest prison released a quarter of its inmates. Fox News
Guilty Pleasures        
Image
Top Predictions For 2022 . . . January 6 – Second insurrection attempt canceled
January 20 – Pfizer unveils booster shots 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8
January 21 – Men break every record ever held by women
January 22 – Harvard gender studies professor discovers five new pronouns
January 23 – The Babylon Bee discovers a 3rd conservative joke
January 25 – Obama releases another memoir
January 27 – Mark Zuckerberg finally learns how to smile with his eyes
February 1 – WHO runs out of Greek letters for variants and starts naming them after the Muppets
February 2 – Jan 6th committee finally catches your Grandma
See the rest of the predictions in Babylon Bee
Do you love Cut to the News? Let your family and friends know about it! They’ll thank you for it. Spread the word . . . 
By Email – use the message that pops up or write your own.
On Twitter – ditto
On Facebook – On FB, write your own message
Do not let progressives turn USA into USSR 2.0. Fight Censorship, Socialism, and Government control in America.
Image
Image
Thank you for supporting my work!
Rebekah Koffler
Editor, White House Dossier and Cut to the News
Got this from a friend? Subscribe here and get Cut to the News sent to your Inbox every morning.

Editor

Cut to the News
8409 Lee Hwy #3984
Merrifield VA 22116-9998
USA

Unsubscribe   |   Change Subscriber Options

31.) THE DISPATCH

THE MORNING DISPATCH

The Morning Dispatch: The School Closure Debate Is Back

Plus: A conversation with one of the scientists behind the James Webb Space Telescope.

The Dispatch Staff

Happy Tuesday! We have big plans for The Dispatch and our members this year, and it starts this week with Dispatch Politics.

With the midterms rapidly approaching, we’re expanding our coverage of campaigns and elections to provide more of what you’ve told us you like—and several new offerings, too. In addition to the sharp analysis you’ve come to expect from Sarah Isgur in The Sweep every Tuesday, we’re adding a second politics newsletter: Stirewaltisms, from contributing editor Chris Stirewalt. Brilliant name, right? To make sure you get it in your inbox every Thursday, double check The Sweep is marked on your Dispatch account page. We’ll connect the various tubes and wires on the back end.

But that’s not all: You’ll also find more political coverage on our website under the Dispatch Politics banner, with regular reports from the campaign trail and analysis from top Dispatch writers and contributors. (Don’t worry, we’ll link it all in Toeing the Company Line, too.)

And we’re just getting started. Stay tuned for news in the coming days and weeks of additional podcast and video offerings available exclusively to Dispatch members.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

  • The Food and Drug Administration amended the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine’s emergency use authorization Monday to both allow children ages 12 through 15 to receive a booster dose and shorten the required length between second and third doses from six months to five.
  • A Centers for Disease Control Study published over the weekend found that—of 272 children ages 12 to 17 hospitalized for COVID-19 at six children’s hospitals in July and August 2021—just 0.4 percent were fully vaccinated, while about 3 in 5 were obese.
  • Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois, 75, became the latest House Democrat to announce his or her retirement ahead of the 2022 midterms, telling The Chicago Sun-Times he doesn’t want his grandchildren to only know him “from a television news clip or something they read in a newspaper.”
  • A California jury Monday found Elizabeth Holmes—founder and former CEO of the blood-testing startup Theranos—guilty on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for misleading investors and the general public about the company’s alleged blood testing technology. She was acquitted on four charges and the jury could not reach a verdict on three other charges.

Omicron Puts Democratic K-12 In-Person Learning Advocates to the Test

(Photograph by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.)

As winter break came to an end this weekend for millions of students across the country, the Biden administration remained steadfast in its belief that the Omicron-driven spike in COVID-19 cases should not lead to the return of virtual instruction. “Our expectation is for schools to be open full-time for students, for in-person learning,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said on Fox News Sunday. “We remember the impact of school closures on students last year. And our science is better. We have better tools. We have $10 billion in the American Rescue Plan for surveillance testing. Vaccinations are available now for children ages 5 and up.”

Cardona wasn’t improvising. In recent weeks, a series of top administration officials—from Dr. Anthony Fauci, to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to President Joe Biden himself—have made the case that the early days of 2022 bear little resemblance to a year ago, when they believed many school districts lacked the tools and resources to safely keep their doors open. Campaigning for office in the summer of 2020, Biden said, “Everyone wants our schools to reopen,” but argued the Trump administration hadn’t prepared well enough to do so safely.

“I got Congress to pass billions of dollars in school improvements, ventilation, and social distancing. Schools should be safer than ever from COVID-19,” he told reporters last month. “Now, if a student tests positive, other students can take the test and stay in the classroom if they’re not infected rather than closing the whole school or having to quarantine. We can keep our K through 12 schools open, and that’s exactly what we should be doing.”

Coupled with masking and vaccination for all who are eligible, the Biden administration believes this “test-to-stay” (TTS) protocol—introduced by the CDC a few weeks ago—will allow school districts to mitigate the spread of the virus and weather Omicron storm. “At this point, we have a lot of evidence supporting test-to-stay as a safe alternative to quarantine,” Emily Oster—a Brown University economist who has become a leading voice on safely reopening schools—told The Dispatch. “It may be hard for some districts to implement, [but] many have done so successfully, so it’s clearly possible—if tests are available.”

However, tests aren’t really available—and plenty of school districts have struggled to procure enough to implement TTS. But Democratic municipal leaders in some of the country’s biggest cities are forging ahead with in-person learning anyway. “The safest place for children is inside a school,” newly sworn-in New York City Mayor Eric Adams said this weekend. “The numbers of transmissions are low, your children [are] in a safe space to learn and continue to thrive. We’ve lost almost two years of education. … We can’t do it again.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told CNBC yesterday the science has made it “fundamentally” clear that in-person learning is safe. “Our schools are not the source of significant spread,” she said. “The issue is community spread. But we need to keep our kids in schools, which is what we’re going to do in Chicago.”

But not every city has followed their lead. Detroit Public Schools canceled both in-person and virtual learning Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week because the city’s COVID-19 infection rate is at an all-time high. Atlanta Public Schools originally planned to continue with in-person instruction as normal, but let parents know on Saturday they would go virtual this week due to “the rapid rise in positive cases in the metro Atlanta area.” On Sunday night, Milwaukee Public Schools announced it would do the same because of “an influx of reported positive COVID-19 cases among district staff.” Atlanta and Milwaukee’s school districts said their “goal” is to return to school next Monday.

Behind many of these districts’ about-faces was days of public and private pressure from teachers unions. Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski said her city’s decision to close schools for in-person learning this week was the “best course of action ​​given the number of cases we have in the community right now.” Roughly 24 hours before Milwaukee schools announced their switch, the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association posted on Facebook it had “advocated” that MPS return to virtual learning due to high “case burden numbers.” A member of New York’s United Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order on Adams’ decision to continue with in-person learning. Chicago’s teachers union directed its members to report to work yesterday morning, but the organization is set to vote later today on a walkout that could begin as early as Wednesday.

This Is Something That’s Going to ‘Change Our Understanding of the Universe’

On Christmas morning, an Ariane 5 rocket took off from a spaceport in French Guiana carrying the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a joint effort between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency conceived in the mid-1990s as a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. As of 9 p.m. ET Monday night, the JWST was a little more than 550,000 miles from Earth and about 60 percent of the way to where it will eventually orbit the sun at the second Lagrange point (L2).

The $10 billion JWST took far longer—and cost much more—to complete than originally projected. But its launch last month is a crowning achievement for human ingenuity, and will forever change the way in which we see the universe.

Yesterday, The Dispatch spoke with Dr. Scott Acton—a Ball Aerospace physicist who has spent the past two decades as the JWST’s Wavefront Sensing and Controls Scientist—about the long road to launch, what obstacles the telescope still has to overcome, and the future of U.S. space exploration. Below is a transcript of the conversation, edited for clarity and length.

The Dispatch: You’ve devoted about a third of your life to working on this one telescope. What initially drew you to the project, and how have you remained motivated over the past two decades?

Acton: Well, I think none of us knew it was going to be 20 years when we signed up for it. I got involved in the project when I was working for the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Where my heart was at the time, I really wanted to see humans on Mars, and I looked around for opportunities to make that happen. But I had concluded—as did most of the world at that time—that the window on us becoming a space-faring civilization had closed, politically, economically, and socially. Somehow, Elon Musk has reopened that window. But at the time, that was not an opportunity for me, within the government or outside the government. And I looked at this telescope and realized that, if I could make a significant contribution, it was something that’s going to fundamentally rewrite textbooks and change our understanding of the universe. We only get so many trips around the sun, and then it’s over. At the end of the day, I would say it was worth it. Absolutely worth it.

The Dispatch: How will the JWST rewrite textbooks and change our understanding of the universe? What is it capable of doing that the Hubble Space Telescope isn’t?

Acton: We’re looking at things that are extremely faint, extremely distant. And because they’re so distant, they’re also moving away from us very fast, and it’s all shifted into the infrared. We’re trying to look at some of the first light that we can, of some of the earliest formation of galaxies, basically right after what we call the reionization forward.

You’ve probably seen examples where Hubble has maybe captured a galaxy that’s 13 billion light years away, or so. I’m by no means an expert in that, but I’ve been told by the Hubble people that incidents like that, they just catch an occasional one because of something called gravitational lensing. But the idea is to be able to image those things directly and make statistical statements about them.

The Dispatch: Why is it important to be able to see those very early stars and galaxies? What kind of practical knowledge will the JWST provide astronomers and physicists?

Acton: When you have an instrument that enables you to look somewhere where no one could look before, everything you see is going to be a scientific discovery. I can’t tell you what those discoveries will be, but I guarantee you there are going to be scientific discoveries.

I’m excited about some of the earliest measurements that will be made—something called differential spectroscopy—that characterize the atmospheres of exosolar planets. If you have a star that you know has a planet going around it and you know the orbital period of the planet, you can then take spectra on that star: one where the planet is behind the star, one where it’s off to the side, one where it’s in front of the star.

And by combining those, if you’re very, very careful and very, very clever, you can work out what is in the atmosphere of that planet. So we might be able to see that there’s water on some planet, or maybe even methane or oxygen. That obviously doesn’t prove there’s life there, but it’s a step in that direction. So that’s what I’m excited about: This telescope will enable us to take a step in the direction of showing that there’s life on another planet.

There are thousands of astronomers out there that are going to completely have their own programs, their own agendas. This is just one that interests me.

Worth Your Time

  • Yuval Levin’s most recent piece makes the case that congressional Democrats should pursue a narrow set of electoral reforms in 2022 rather than a hodgepodge of measures aimed at combating what they call voter suppression. “The most intense concerns about election administration on both the left and the right increasingly involve not voting itself but what happens after the voting is done,” he writes. “If we take both parties’ most high-minded arguments at face value, they are worried about problems that barely exist. It is easier than ever to vote: Registration has gotten simpler in recent decades, and most Americans have more time to vote and more ways to do so. Voter turnout is at historic highs, and Black and white voting rates now rise and fall together. These trends long predate the pandemic, and efforts to roll back some state Covid-era accommodations seem unlikely to meaningfully affect turnout. Meanwhile, voter fraud is vanishingly rare. The most thorough database of cases, maintained by one of the staunchest conservative defenders of election integrity, suggests a rate of fraud so low, it could not meaningfully affect outcomes.”
  • John Huey—former editor-in-chief of Time Inc.—has a surprising New Year’s resolution: Consume less news. “Having spent more than 40 years reporting, writing and editing the news, I am surprised to conclude that overconsumption of news, at least in the forms I’ve been gorging on it since 2016, is neither good for my emotional well-being nor essential to the health of the republic,” he writes in the Washington Post, arguing there isn’t enough going on to “fill the 24/7 maw” of cable, talk radio, and social media. “I don’t intend to stop fretting about my country. Nor will I give up reading the newspapers and magazines I deem essential to understanding the world around me. But I am planning a crash news diet. … If the news is big enough, it will find me.”
  • In his latest Slow Boring newsletter, Matt Yglesias explains why he changed his mind about the need for federal student loan forgiveness. “Back [in November 2020], I thought loan forgiveness would be a good way to assist a depressed economy and that objections were being made on nonsensical grounds by fussy technocrats who weren’t paying attention to the actual situation,” he writes. “But today the situation is different. The economy is not depressed, and instead the Federal Reserve is pivoting to fight inflation. That means student loan forgiveness in 2022 is a purely distributive issue—one that will shift resources from the majority of Americans with no student loan debt to the minority of Americans who have it.”

Presented Without Comment

Twitter avatar for @DKThompDerek Thompson @DKThomp

These graphs never fail to astonish. The COVID hospitalization risk is MORE THAN 10X higher for the unvaccinated—at every. single. age. level.

Image
Image
Image

January 3rd 2022

2,646 Retweets

Also Presented Without Comment

Twitter avatar for @iainthomsonIain Thomson @iainthomson

First image comes in from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Image

December 26th 2021

3,563 Retweets

Toeing the Company Line

  • After a weeklong hiatus, Advisory Opinions is BACK! On Monday’s episode, David and Sarah discuss COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the Supreme Court, John Roberts’ status as the most popular federal official, the legality of discriminating on the basis of race in medical treatment, and more.
  • On the website today, Paul Miller writes that January 6 “was not a protest, an insurrection, or a (failed) coup—at least, not exclusively so.” He argues for calling it terrorism.

Reporting by Declan Garvey (@declanpgarvey), Charlotte Lawson (@lawsonreports), Audrey Fahlberg (@AudreyFahlberg), Ryan Brown (@RyanP_Brown), Harvest Prude (@HarvestPrude), and Steve Hayes (@stephenfhayes).

Subscribe to The Morning Dispatch

By Members  ·  Launched 2 years ago

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.
TopNewCommunityWhat is The Dispatch?

Plus: There were more Americans left behind in Afghanistan than the Biden administration let on.

The Dispatch Staff

735

Spider-Man, Succession, Ted Lasso, Donda, and more.

The Dispatch Staff

576

Plus: Readers share their own favorite traditions.

The Dispatch Staff

152

See all

© 2022 The Dispatch. See privacy, terms and information collection notice

Publish on Substack

The Morning Dispatch is on Substack – the place for independent writing

32.) LEGAL INSURRECTION

Hundreds of Unvaccinated Higher Education Workers in Nevada Fired After Board of Regents Vote

University of Toronto Offering Course in ‘Porn Studies’

Religion Class at Louisiana State University Will Argue That Social Justice is Part of ‘Christian Liberation’
 

  • William Jacobson: “LAST DAY TO VOTE — Best A.F. Branco Legal Insurrection Cartoon of 2021 (Reader Poll) — voting open until midnight tonight (Pacific Time) unless I like which ‘toon is winning, in which case I will suspend counting. So HURRY before I do, you know, the thing.“
  • Mary Chastain: “AOC is trash. Absolute trash. She is exactly like the people she criticizes and hates all the time. She does give a crap about any of you in her district. She doesn’t give a crap about anyone.”
  • Fuzzy Slippers: “Big Tech is purging conservatives, right-leaning thinkers, and even fringe “righties.”  Do everything you can to stay connected.”
  • Leslie Eastman: “Personally, I am glad to see that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk does not seem to be letting Chinese complaints trim his ambitious space plans.”
  • Stacey Matthews: “I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked that AOC was caught not practicing what she preaches on COVID safety during a recent trip to Florida.”
Legal Insurrection Foundation is a Rhode Island tax-exempt corporation established exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to educate and inform the public on legal, historical, economic, academic, and cultural issues related to the Constitution, liberty, and world events.

For more information about the Foundation, CLICK HERE.
Legal Insurrection Foundation
18 Maple Avenue #280 ​ Barrington, Rhode Island 02806
info@legalinsurrection.com

Follow Us
Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser
Unsubscribe or Manage Your Preferences

33.) THE DAILY WIRE

 

34.) DESERET NEWS

35.) BRIGHT

 
Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Twitter Permanently Bans Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene        
I suspect readers may have Some Thoughts about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) the Republican congresswoman who, shall we say, never hesitates to speak her mind. If all you watch is mainstream media, you will know her as the “QAnon Congresswoman,” a moniker I took some issue with last year following her apology to the House. Oh, did you not know she apologized? Then stop watching CNN, I beg you.

Anyway, I’m not here to talk about the merits of Rep. Greene’s debating tactics, but rather, her now permanent Twitter suspension for violating the platform’s notoriously vague terms of service regarding COVID-19. We actually don’t know the exact tweet that sent Twitter’s stasi of censors into a tizzy – though Breaking Points’ Saagar Enjeti pointed out that one of her “Twitter strikes” was over information she shared that was factual.

I don’t have enough time or space to get into the rampant hypocrisy of these platforms or the troves of COVID misinformation we’ve all endured from the public health institutions for going on three years now. But there is something to be said about Twitter permanently banning yet another duly and freely elected representative from a major avenue of discourse.

Whether you like Rep. Greene’s style or not, you (most likely) didn’t elect her. And neither did Twitter. Rather, that privilege belongs to the voters of Georgia’s 14th congressional district, and cutting her off from a major avenue of political speech (not to mention one that plays an outsized role in shaping and curating the national narrative), just like stripping her of her role on committees, does a disservice to the representative element of her role – in other words, to her voters. Yes, Twitter is a private platform and has the right to do it, but slapping that myopic point on the table as if it ends all debate intentionally sidesteps the role which Twitter, and social media, more broadly, actually plays in our politics, our national speech, and our elections.

All of this should re-ignite the discussion over what, exactly, Republicans intend to do about the social media platforms which act as our primary avenues of speech (including political speech) and market access. If social media is going to continue to ban or algorithmically suppress candidates and sitting incumbents, then they are now political actors in federal campaigns. Should that role be subject to regulation or consequence? Should individuals be able to sue these companies for limiting the reach of their political or commercial speech? Are common carrier regulations appropriate for the largest platforms, like Google, which act as key information curation sites for the world? Should users have more claim to their own data, especially if they are censored or banned? Why is the content creation of social media companies – fact checks, trending topics, and the like – subject to Sec 230 immunities, which only covers user generated content?

Republicans seem poised to take back the House, at least, in this year’s midterms. What is their actual, legislative agenda? No, not hearings, not task forces, not working groups. What comprehensive pieces of legislation are they putting forward that are ready for votes on day one? This is the question we all need to start asking them.

Related: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), in a feud with Rep. Greene, will soon introduce his own Sec. 230 reform bill, which he announced after Greene was banned from Twitter. He posted a draft of the text, and it has a lot of problems – including that it wouldn’t prevent political censorship, as Crenshaw claims. I’ll be publishing more about it in The Federalist in the next day or so.

And also related: Facebook bans a conservative children’s book publisher from its platform, threatening the company’s entire business. Facebook isn’t just a speech platform, it’s a market access platform for millions of small businesses. It’s one of the largest digital advertising agencies in the world. Facebook’s moderation decisions have economic ramifications, not just speech concerns.

The Media’s Worst Fails of 2021
I know, you know, and they know: the state of the discourse is terrible. Not to be all maudlin about how dumb it all is, but it’s worth remembering just how badly our media betters screwed up – if only so we can more actively seek out and support the alternative sources which care about, I don’t know, facts. Or context. Or the basics of journalism.

Becket Adams as a great roundup at the Washington Examiner:

“It was not a good year for the national press. 

From the Chris Cuomo scandal to corporate journalists inventing stories about violent Border Patrol agents and Republican-led witch hunts, 2021 marked yet another lousy year in media credibility.

Indeed, if 2021 proved anything, it’s that corporate newsrooms are perfectly content to burp out the same nonsense, make the same mistakes, embrace the same ignorance, overlook the same ethical lapses, and parrot the same partisan talking points that have made them about as distrusted as Congress. 

The following is a list of the worst major media moments of 2021. For brevity’s sake, the list has been narrowed to just nine examples. To include all errors, blunders, and acts of outright media malfeasance would require thousands of additional words.”

Read his full list here. Also will the Washington Post give up its Pulitzer for deeply flawed reporting on Russiagate? Not holding my breath.

Tuesday Links

Weekly Wine Tip
I hope you all popped something bubbly to usher in 2022. I always get a lot of people talking to me about “dry January” in the new year. I don’t believe in dry January, or detoxes, or all-or-nothings, generally. I believe in moderation throughout the year! But if you’re looking to consume slightly less alcohol in the new year, you can still find wines that scratch the itch. Start paying attention to the ABV percentage (alcohol by volume) on the bottle. Old world (or European) wines tend to have lower ABV than new world (non-European) wines. So do cooler climate wines. Sweeter wines like Moscato D’Asti and Brachetto d’Acqui have lower ABVs given their higher sugar content. But so do dry wines like Portuguese Vinho Verde, Spanish Txakolina (chalk-oh-lee-na), German Kabinett Rieslings, as do some Pinot Noirs and wines made pétillant naturel” (or, pét nat, short for “naturally sparkling”). Just check the ABV – anything under 12% ABV is considered low.
BRIGHT is brought to you by The Federalist.
Did a friend forward this email to you? Sign up at GetBRIGHTemail.com to get in your inbox every weekday morning!
Today’s BRIGHT Editor

Rachel Bovard is the policy director at the Conservative Partnership Institute, and a sommelier on the side. Follow her on Twitter at @rachelbovard.
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Email
Instagram
Copyright © BRIGHT, All rights reserved.

www.GetBRIGHTemail.com

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
Note: By using some of the links above, Bright may be compensated through the Amazon Affiliate program and Magic Links. However, none of this content is sponsored and all opinions are our own.

 

36.) AMERICAN THINKER

 

View this email in your browser

Recent Articles

New Jersey vs. Gun Owners

Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
Governor Phil Murphy attempts to disarm the law-abiding citizens of New Jersey. Read More…

Equal Justice? Contrasting Potter and Baldwin

Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
Comparing the Kim Potter and Alec Baldwin cases is a powerful illustration of the missing element in our criminal justice system.   Read More…

Anthony Fauci: Failed General

Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
The mindset of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, World War I’s worst general, springs to mind, when drawing a comparison to Anthony Fauci.   Read More…

Stanford University: Hostile Environment for Jews and Others

Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
The instant you cross the line by promoting racist assumptions about people, including “white privilege,” and “people of color cannot be racist,” you have made yourself part of the very problem you claim you want to solve. Read More…

Get Yer New Year Prophecy Here!

Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
Our liberal and lefty friends cannot believe that their Sacred Beliefs are primitive throwbacks to the good old days of tribal chiefs and shamans.  Read More…

American Prophet: Ronald Reagan

Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
“As long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours.” Read More…

Recent Blog Posts
More preliminary evidence that the vaccines have led to a spike in deaths
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
Obvious question: is it an aberration or is it for real? Alas, a cursory examination suggests it may be for real.  Read more…

One more awkward hypocrisy emerges about incident where a police-defunding and ‘bail reform’ advocate Illinois state senator was carjacked
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
A powerful Illinois State Senator called her husband a “hero” for defending her with a concealed carry firearm during a carjacking. Too bad for her that she voted against allowing private citizens to carry them  Read more…

Gov. DeSantis calls out lockdown politicians who sneak off to freedom in Florida
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
The Florida governor gives a “take no prisoners” statement after Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez parties mask-free in Florida.  Read more…

The truth is starting to leak out of Fauci like air from an old tire
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
The truth is starting to leak out of Fauci like air from an old tire Fauci’s latest adventure in truth-telling involves his bringing U.S. money to research in China.  Read more…

Schumer shows the left’s desperation to build fraud into elections
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
His chosen technique is the equivalent of telling Republicans that, if they don’t commit suicide, he’s going to kill them.  Read more…

Getting the willies about some of those new NASA space probes
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
NASA’s got a new smash-and-grab (the knowledge) asteroid probe: What could go wrong?  Read more…

NYT doubling down on scandal mongering Trump
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
If there were a 12-step program for media, the New York Times and much of the rest of the legacy media would benefit from admitting that they are addicted to Donald Trump and powerless to overcome it on their own.  Read more…

A lesson from Ronald Reagan on appeasing dictators
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
While the Cold War may have ended, the fight for freedom is never over.  Read more…

Chicago is # 1 — and we mean homicides
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
Some black lives don’t matter.  Read more…

Alcoholics Anonymous group censured for Reciting the Lord’s Prayer
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
Enough to drive anyone to drink.  Read more…

Scaling Mt. Everest now attracts the Critical Race Theory crowd
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
George Mallory attempted to climb Mt. Everest in 1924 “because it’s there.” The newest reason is because it’s racist and must be deconstructed.  Read more…

Who knew Harry Reid was a saint?
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
Obama said some very nice things. He forgot to say that he wouldn’t have been President without Reid’s despicable act of spreading an intentional lie that Romney had not paid taxes for ten years.  Read more…

Will 2021 be a year of symbolic protests against actual tyranny?
Jan 04, 2022 01:00 am
Fireworks are lovely, but there needs to be something more to stop the dogs from coming out.  Read more…

People are dying, but not the ones you think for the reasons you think
Jan 03, 2022 01:00 am
OneAmerica, an Indianapolis-based insurance company, has released some unbelievable year-end numbers.  Read more…

Viagra — is there anything it can’t do?
Jan 03, 2022 01:00 am
Year after year, the little blue pill defeats a variety of ailments, and now one more may be added to the list of things it cures.  Read more…
View this email in your browser
American Thinker is a daily internet publication devoted to the thoughtful exploration of issues of importance to Americans.

 

This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
AmericanThinker · 3060 El Cerrito Plaza, #306 · El Cerrito, CA 94530 · USA

 

37.) LARRY J. SABATO’S CRYSTAL BALL

banner
IN THIS ISSUE:

– The Holiday Redistricting Flurry
The Holiday Redistricting Flurry
Nearly two-thirds of districts now complete, barring judicial intervention; Republicans remain well-positioned to win House
By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman
Sabato’s Crystal Ball

Dear Readers: Please join us Thursday evening for a special University of Virginia Center for Politics event: “The Shock of January 6,” commemorating the first anniversary of the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. UVA Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato will moderate the event live from the UVA Rotunda’s Dome Room on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022 from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Scheduled speakers are: Rep. Liz Cheney (R, WY-AL); Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA); Jonathan Karl of ABC News; Jim Acosta of CNN; Center for Politics resident scholars Jamelle Bouie, Chris Krebs, and Tara Setmayer; author Mary Trump; Project Home Fire’s Larry Schack and Mick McWilliams; and Renew America Movement co-founder Miles Taylor. Plan to join us via livestream at https://livestream.com/tavco/theshockofjanuary6th.— The Editors

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— There was a flurry of redistricting activity over the holidays, with 7 additional states finalizing their congressional maps.

— Republicans are up a little overall in the roughly 2/3rds of completed districts, while Democrats would have to sweep the Toss-ups — a very difficult task — just to achieve rough parity with what they currently hold in these states.

New ratings for finalized congressional maps

Congressional redistricting news came as hard and heavy over the holiday season as the snowstorm that blanketed Charlottesville and the broader region on Monday. Seven states completed redistricting, including the state with the nation’s largest congressional delegation, California.

We’ll go through what happened in each state below. But first, let’s take a look at the big picture. Table 1 shows our ratings for all of the states that have completed redistricting so far.

Table 1: Crystal Ball House ratings for states that have completed redistricting

As of Monday, Jan. 3, 33 of the 50 states have completed congressional redistricting (that includes the 6 states that only have a single district and thus do not have to draw a new congressional map). Those 33 states collectively hold 283 House seats, or close to 2/3rds (65%) of the nation’s 435 total.

In these states, Democrats currently control 149 seats while Republicans control 133. Based on our new ratings, 135 seats in these states are rated Safe, Likely, or Leans Republican, and that same number, 135, are rated Safe, Likely, or Leans Democratic. There are 13 Toss-ups. One way of looking at this is that, based on our ratings, Republicans are up 2 seats while Democrats are down 14, meaning that in these states, Democrats would have to essentially win all of the Toss-ups just to maintain a rough parity with what they held before, while the Republicans wouldn’t have to win any of the Toss-ups to be ahead of their current position. But Democrats’ weakened position has as much to do (or more) with the political environment as redistricting, and several of the current Democratic-held Toss-ups would have been rated as such under both the old and new congressional maps.

On the other hand, the increase in Republican seats rated as at least Leans Republican is dependent, to a significant degree, on Republican gerrymanders in North Carolina and Ohio — but both maps may eventually be modified in ways that take the edge off of those gerrymanders because of action in state courts (trials are ongoing in both states). Democratic gerrymanders have also created new offensive opportunities for the party in Illinois, Maryland, and New Mexico.

Let’s take a quick look at the 7 states that have finalized their maps since our last update: Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Virginia.

ARIZONA

In something of a reversal from last decade, when Arizona’s redistricting commission made some choices that ended up benefitting Democrats — in 2012, Democrats won a majority of the House delegation while getting less than 44% of the popular vote — the bipartisan 5-member panel voted unanimously to approve a plan that was friendlier to Republicans.

With 9 districts overall, the new map features 5 seats that the president carried, which tracks well with his narrow statewide win. However, that tally includes two very marginal Trump-to-Biden districts. Given the national environment, we are starting both off as Leans Republican.

Rep. David Schweikert, who is running in the new AZ-1, may not be an especially strong incumbent, but Democrats will have to produce a quality challenger in that Scottsdale-based seat. Similarly, AZ-6 is an open Tucson metro seat that supported Biden by just 396 votes. The previous version of this seat, held by retiring Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D, AZ-2), backed Biden by a little more than 10 points.

Finally, and although Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D) announced plans to run again, the addition of Yavapai County (a large red county) into his district will be hard to overcome. The new AZ-2 gave Trump a 53%-45% vote, whereas the current version of the seat narrowly supported Biden.

Broadly, Republicans have a higher ceiling on the new map, as it would not be hard for them to sweep 6 of the 9 seats. They could even win a seventh, AZ-4, which is a more competitive version of the seat held by Rep. Greg Stanton (D, AZ-9). Democrats won the seat by a little over 10 points in the 2020 presidential and the 2018 and 2020 Senate races. We’re starting it as Likely Democratic. Democrats currently hold a 5-4 edge in the state, so this is a state where Republican gains appear very likely.

CALIFORNIA

This is the second cycle that the state’s independent citizens redistricting commission has drawn the state’s lines. Last decade, the new map injected some competitive juice into a state that saw very little of it in the 2000s. However, an increase in competition ended up leading to an increase in Democratic seat share: Democrats started the decade with 34 seats but ended it with 42 — and that was after Republicans clawed back 4 seats in 2020 that they had lost in 2018. Regaining more ground will be a challenge for Republicans under the new map.

The new map features 45 Joe Biden-won seats compared to just 7 won by Donald Trump, identical to the previous map except for the elimination of a single safe Democratic seat (California lost a seat in reapportionment). We rate 35 Democratic seats as safe and an additional 3 in Likely Democratic. Reps. Josh Harder (running in CA-13), Katie Porter (CA-47), and Mike Levin (CA-49), 3 first-time winners in 2018, will be defending seats that Biden won by about 11 points apiece but which aren’t as blue down-ballot (we rate all 3 Leans Democratic). So that’s 41 seats at least leaning Democratic — just a single seat fewer than the number the party holds now. Meanwhile, there are only 5 Safe Republican seats, with an additional 3 rated Likely Republican: Reps. Tom McClintock (running in CA-3), Young Kim (CA-40), and Ken Calvert (CA-41). All 3 districts were decided by less than 2 points apiece for president in 2020 but are much more Republican down-ballot. McClintock and Calvert are in more competitive districts than before (although McClintock could end up running in the more Republican CA-5), while Kim is running in a better district for her (Biden’s margin in her current district was 10 points, but was only 2 in this one).

Finally, 3 of 2020’s narrow Republican winners, Reps. Mike Garcia (running in CA-27), Michelle Steel (CA-45), and David Valadao (CA-22) all saw Biden’s vote share go up a few points in their districts compared to 2020. Of these 3, Steel is best-positioned to move into the Leans Republican column, as the Biden margin in her district (6 points) is lower than in the other 2 (about a dozen points apiece). For Democrats to have any chance of holding the House, they’ll have to play offense in these seats. Meanwhile, the Republicans can credibly target Harder, Porter, and Levin.

GEORGIA

The Georgia remap is in some ways old news, because the state’s Republican-controlled legislature finalized it before Thanksgiving. However, we didn’t consider it final until a few days ago, when Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) finally signed the new map into law — he likely waited to forestall the inevitable lawsuits from Democratic allies challenging the state legislative and federal maps, which in fact were filed immediately after he signed off on the maps.

As was widely expected, Republicans re-drew the congressional map to claw back 1 of the 2 seats they lost to Democrats over the past couple of cycles in the metro Atlanta area, which has become increasingly Democratic in recent years. They took GA-6 and GA-7, a pair of Trump 2016/Biden 2020 districts, and made GA-7 into a heavily Democratic seat (Biden +26) while remaking GA-6 into a heavily Republican seat (Trump +15). That created a primary between Democratic incumbents Lucy McBath and Carolyn Bourdeaux.

The intent of this map is to elect 9 Republicans and 5 Democrats, which it likely will do in 2022. In a bad Democratic environment, Republicans might also be able to push Rep. Sanford Bishop (D) in southwest Georgia’s GA-2 (Biden won the district by 10). We’re rating that district as Likely Democratic to start. It will be interesting to see if this map holds up for Republicans throughout the decade given trends in the Atlanta area, but that is a story for future cycles, not 2022.

MICHIGAN

Out of three “finalist” maps, Michigan’s inaugural redistricting commission chose a plan that emphasized partisan fairness: in 2020, both President Biden and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) would have carried 7 of its 13 districts. Moreover, the state will undoubtedly see its share of competitive congressional races this decade, as either party could win 9 districts in a favorable enough year.

First-term Republican Rep. Peter Meijer should have a tough reelection: his Grand Rapids-area seat supported Biden by almost 9 points, though Peters only carried it by 2 points. Still, given this area’s GOP heritage and Meijer’s family name, we are reluctant to start him off as an underdog. However, he could also lose a primary — Meijer was one of 10 Republicans to vote for impeachment last year — which likely would give the Democrats a better chance to win this seat.

On the Democratic side, Reps. Elissa Slotkin and Dan Kildee were each strong performers in recent cycles, both are in Toss-up districts. Slotkin’s district is actually reconfigured into a Biden-won seat, but in presidential contests, the Republican share has consistently been at 48-49%. Kildee keeps a mostly familiar seat, though he gains much of red-leaning Midland County.

Meanwhile, Republicans start as small favorites to win the new MI-10, which split its ticket for Trump and Peters. Some Republicans appear to want John James, the party’s Senate nominee in 2018 and 2020, to run in this suburban Detroit seat.

Overall, Michigan’s commission has created a highly-competitive map that could easily break one way or the other throughout the decade depending on the political environment and the candidates.

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey’s bipartisan commission settled on a plan in a manner consistent with the state’s reputation of transactional, and often heavy-handed, politicking: with zero public comment, the tiebreaker on the panel supported a Democratic plan, with the reasoning that the GOP got a favorable map last decade.

Ironically, last decade’s Republican-sponsored map resulted in a 11-1 Democratic delegation after the 2018 elections — though that lopsided split wasn’t sustainable in 2020, as the Democrats fell back to 10 seats following Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s switch from Democrat to Republican.

Compared to the outgoing map, Democratic mappers aimed for a higher floor and a lower ceiling: in most circumstances, they should be relatively secure in 9 seats, but Republicans would have 2 solid seats.

The final seat, NJ-7, is currently in Democratic hands but is an attractive GOP target. Since his 2020 reelection, Rep. Tom Malinowski (D, NJ-7) has been hampered by complaints of improper stock disclosures. If he decides to run again, he’d likely face a rematch with state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. (R), although there are other Republicans running in the primary.

Biden’s margin in NJ-7 falls from 10 points to 4. Perhaps more telling is that in last year’s gubernatorial race, Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) lost the district by nearly 13 points (Map 1). We think that justifies starting Republicans out as favorites, especially since Kean came very close to beating Malinowski in 2020 in a more Democratic district.

Map 1: 2020 and 2021 in new NJ-7

Elsewhere, Murphy — who was reelected with just 51% — would have still carried the 9 other Biden-won seats. We rate them all as at least Likely Democratic.

NEW MEXICO

Democrats gerrymandered the Land of Enchantment with an eye on restoring the 3-0 edge the party won for single cycles in 2008 and 2018. They re-drew the southern New Mexico-oriented NM-2, held by first-term Rep. Yvette Herrell (R), and transformed it from a seat that Trump won by a dozen points to one that Biden won by 6. In doing so, they reduced Democratic strength in the state’s 2 other districts, Democratic-held NM-1 and NM-3, so that Biden only won each by 14 and 11 points, respectively. NM-3 is a more consistently Democratic seat down-ballot than NM-1, which under previous maps used to be more of a swing district but has moved more toward Democrats in recent years. Democrats will have chances to win NM-2 either this year or in years to come, but there is an outside chance a Republican mega-wave could endanger their current seats.

VIRGINIA

Following the failure of the state’s new lawmaker/citizen redistricting commission to produce maps, the Supreme Court of Virginia commissioned 2 special masters to draw new maps. The congressional draft came out in early December and, following a period of public comment, the court signed off on a modified, final plan last week.

Democrats hold a 7-4 edge in Virginia’s House delegation currently, but 2 of those Democrats hold marginal seats: Reps. Elaine Luria (D, VA-2) in Hampton Roads and Abigail Spanberger (D, VA-7) in greater Richmond. The other 9 seats are relatively safe, with Democrats holding 5 of those seats and Republicans 4. The new map essentially continues this arrangement, albeit in a different form.

Luria’s district gets a little worse for her, moving from Biden +5 to Biden +2. She is a prime Republican target in what has been a swingy region over the years. Meanwhile, Spanberger’s district gets more Democratic, moving from Biden +1 to Biden +7. However, the district is re-oriented away from her home in the Richmond suburbs and into Northern Virginia. That said, she has a better claim to this reconfigured district than she did to the VA-7 drawn in the special masters’ previous map, which was both more Democratic and more of a Northern Virginia seat. In any case, VA-2 starts as a Toss-up and VA-7 starts as Leans Democratic, but it could very well end up as a Toss-up.

Of the 9 other seats, Republican-held VA-1 and VA-5 could be competitive in certain cycles, but they start as Safe Republican in the context of 2022. Meanwhile, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D, VA-10) was a winner in the final map, as her district would have been markedly more competitive though still Democratic-leaning on the previous draft. Her district starts as Safe Democratic now, although it was close in the recent Virginia gubernatorial race, so it could end up on the competitive board in the event of a really bad Democratic environment. Map 2 shows the 2020 presidential and 2021 gubernatorial results on the new map.

Map 2: 2020 and 2021 on new Virginia map

Conclusion

There are lots of signs that 2022 could be a good year for Republicans in the House. Midterms often break against the White House party, particularly when the president is unpopular, as Joe Biden is (his approval rating remains mired in the low-to-mid 40s, with disapproval a bit over 50%). Republicans just enjoyed a strong election cycle in New Jersey and Virginia in November, elections that sometimes can be a precursor to midterm success for the non-presidential party. Democratic House members are also retiring at a substantially greater rate than Republican ones, in some instances giving Republicans a better opportunity to win their seats or in other instances suggesting pessimism from veteran members who may not want to serve in a future House minority even as their own seats are secure.

We noted above that there are currently 13 Toss-ups in the states that have completed redistricting. If in fact 2022 is a GOP wave year, the past 3 cycles that the House changed hands (2006, 2010, and 2018) gives us some indication as to how we might expect those Toss-ups to fall.

In the 2006 cycle, the Crystal Ball had 11 House Toss-ups in early 2006. Democrats won 9 of those 11 on their way to flipping the House majority.

In the 2010 cycle, we had 19 House Toss-ups early in 2010. Republicans won 17 of those 19 en route to winning the House.

And in the 2018 cycle, we had 19 Toss-ups early in the year. Democrats won 15 of those 19 as they flipped the House.

Republicans need to win just 5 more seats than the 213 they won in 2020 in order to flip the House. Our ledger already has them up slightly in the states that are done with redistricting, and that’s not even including any of the Toss-ups, the bulk of which they should be able to win if the political environment remains as it is today. So Republicans remain strongly favored in the House even as the district lines are still under construction in a substantial number of states.

Read the fine print

Learn more about the Crystal Ball and find out how to contact us here.

Sign up to receive Crystal Ball e-mails like this one delivered straight to your inbox.

Use caution with Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and remember: “He who lives by the Crystal Ball ends up eating ground glass!”
twitter / LarrySabato
twitter / kkondik
twitter / kkondik
twitter / Center4Politics
© Copyright by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
This message was sent to rickbulow1974@gmail.com from goodpolitics@virginia.edu

Larry J. Sabato
UVA Center for Politics
PO Box 400806
Charlottesville, VA 22904

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

iContact - Try it for FREE

38.) THE BLAZE

 

39.) THE FEDERALIST

View in browser
MailerLite

40.) REUTERS
The Reuters Daily Briefing

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

by Linda Noakes

Hello

Here’s what you need to know.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is found guilty of fraud, Australian COVID cases overload the testing system, and Toyota is poised to dethrone General Motors in the U.S.

Today’s biggest stories

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prince Andrew speaks to the media at Windsor Great Park, Britain, following the death of his father Prince Philip, April 11, 2021

U.S.

Britain’s Prince Andrew will today urge a New York judge to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit accusing the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was underage and also being trafficked by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Here is what we know about the lawsuit.

A U.S. jury found Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes guilty of defrauding investors in the blood testing startup, convicting her on four of 11 counts. We look at the rise and fall of the Silicon Valley star.

New York state’s attorney general is demanding that two of Donald Trump’s adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, testify in her civil probe into the former president’s business practices and namesake company.

The U.S. Congress’ probe of the deadly January 6 assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters soon begins weeks of public hearings that will put the investigation in the spotlight as campaigning intensifies for the November elections. Here’s an hour-by-hour look at the assault on the Capitol.

Congress is experiencing an unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases, with the seven-day positivity rate at a congressional test site surging to 13% from just 1% in late November, the Capitol’s attending physician said.

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a military exhibition in Moscow, December 21, 2021

WORLD

China, Russia, Britain, the United States and France have agreed that a further spread of nuclear arms and a nuclear war should be avoided, according to a joint statement by the five nuclear powers published by the Kremlin.

Australian COVID-19 cases soared to a pandemic record as the Omicron variant ripped through most of the country, driving up hospitalization rates as the once-formidable testing regime buckled under lengthy wait times and stock shortages.

A Hong Kong court sentenced a 36-year-old barrister to 15 months in prison for inciting an unauthorized assembly to commemorate those who died in China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

A former North Korean defector who made a risky and rare cross-border return home last week had struggled in South Korea, officials and media reports said, sparking fresh debate over how such defectors are treated in their new lives.

Authorities said they had finally contained a suspected arson fire at South Africa’s parliament building after a second-day flare-up that completely destroyed the lower house National Assembly chamber.
MARKETS

World shares extended their positive start to 2022 with markets from Europe to Asia shrugging off worries the Omicron coronavirus variant could choke the global economic recovery, while the dollar rose after U.S. bond yields jumped.

Global manufacturing activity remained strong in December as factories took rising cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant in their stride, although persistent supply constraints and rising costs clouded the outlook for some economies.

China Evergrande Group’s shares soared briefly in resumed trade after the developer said a government order to demolish 39 buildings on the resort island of Hainan would not affect the rest of its massive project there. Investors in financial products issued by Evergrande protested outside the cash-strapped company’s offices in Guangzhou, with many worried that their returns would be sacrificed to keep real estate projects afloat.

Japanese automaker Toyota is poised to outsell General Motors in the United States in 2021, which would mark the first time the Detroit automaker has not led U.S. auto sales since 1931.

Tesla’s announcement that it has opened a showroom in Xinjiang has attracted criticism from U.S. rights and trade groups, making it the latest foreign firm caught up in tensions related to the far-western Chinese region.

Quote of the day
“The icing on the cake, which may turn out to be the cake, is the potential for an EV car”

Rhys Williams

Chief strategist at Spouting Rock Asset Management

Apple becomes first company to hit $3 trillion market value

Video of the day

Winter storm pounds D.C. as it moves up East Coast

The winter’s first blizzard hit the U.S. capital – shutting federal buildings and even delaying Air Force One – and knocked out power from the Carolinas to New Jersey.

And finally…

Djokovic will defend Australian Open title after exemption from vaccination 

The world number one will defend his title at Melbourne Park later this month after receiving a medical exemption from getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

More from Reuters

COVID-19 The Great Reboot Disrupted Legal News Breakingviews

Thanks for spending part of your day with us.

Share your thoughts

You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? Unsubscribe from The Reuters Daily Briefing.
facebook twitter facebook

Terms, conditions, and privacy statement© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.
3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036

41.) NOQ REPORT

 

42.) ARRA NEWS SERVICE

 

43.) REDSTATE

RedState Morning Briefing
The Democratic Party’s Savior

    READ STORY    
ADVERTISEMENT
CNN’s Don Lemon Went on Drunken ‘Grown A** Man’ New Year’s Eve Rant That Needs to Be Discussed

    READ STORY    
Biden Mercilessly Mocked Over Goofy ‘Fake Oval Office’ and ‘Playskool Desk’

    READ STORY    
Joe Biden Decries the Evils of Big Meat in Bizarre, Senile Performance

    READ STORY    
BREAKING: Theranos Founder and Democrat Darling Elizabeth Holmes Found Guilty of Wire Fraud

    READ STORY    
ADVERTISEMENT
Conservative Outlets Should Take a Page out of the Left’s Playbook and Ignore January 6th

    READ STORY    
Did God Just Throw a Wrench in the Democrats’ Gaudy January 6th Plans?

    READ STORY    
John Ondrasik Rips the Biden Administration’s Afghanistan Failure a New One With “Blood on My Hands”

    READ STORY    
DeSantis Shows What a Natural He Is When It Comes to Skewering His Opponents

    READ STORY    

This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you signed up to receive this newsletter on the RedState.com network OR a friend forwarded it to you. We respect and value your time and privacy. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs we will be happy to remove your address immediately.

Visit the Townhall Media Preference Center to manage your subscriptions

44.) WORLD NET DAILY

 

45.) MSNBC

 

46.) BIZPAC REVIEW
    
View this email in your browser

NOT GETTING OUR MAIL, YET? SIGN UP HERE FOR BPR DAILY EMAILS 

Your input is critical to us and to the future of conservatism in America. We refuse to be silenced, and we hope you do too. Sign up for daily emails and never miss a story.

For the latest BPR videos subscribe to our Rumble page.

 

DeSantis gets last laugh over AOC’s escape to Miami, tells on other lockdown lawmakers who secretly visited

Buzz about booster shot: Betty White’s agent comments on beloved actress’s cause of death

‘No, Sandy, I don’t want to sleep with you!’ Tucker, Candace have fun with AOC’s ’10-margarita’ Miami rant

Biden announces $1B plan to ‘help’ meat industry, stares blankly when asked about it

BPR’s top cartoons of the day: Help!
Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Tucker predicts end to COVID hysteria as stupidity reaches critical mass, says it’s too much even for Dems

Bucs pull about-face, Antonio Brown reportedly still on team. Updates after meltdown.

A funny thing happens when Liz Cheney demands Republican Party choose Trump or the Constitution

Dennis Prager: As of this moment, America is still a beacon of liberty

Accusations fly as Crenshaw and Greene rip each other to tiny shreds: ‘You might be a Democrat. Or just an idiot’

CNN addresses Andy Cohen’s New Year’s Eve digs: ‘Andy said something he shouldn’t have on live tv’
Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Judge approves Ghislaine Maxwell getting a ‘booster’ shot. What could possibly go wrong?

Schumer cites Jan 6 to coax Senate vote for filibuster after once calling it ‘rubber stamp of dictatorship’

Don Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle slyly reveal that they got engaged – one year ago!

Scientists believe meteor exploded over a major US city

Germany deems nuclear energy ‘dangerous,’ slams EU for labeling it sustainable

Navy service members seeking religious exemptions to vax mandate handed favorable ruling

Joe Rogan, Rand Paul begin mass exodus from big tech in mounting backlash over censorship

Jeffrey Epstein paid high-profile accuser top dollar in 2009 settlement

Facebook bans conservative kid’s book publisher Heroes of Liberty from running ads

Chicago rings in the New Year with six killed, including a 12-yr-old boy

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes guilty on four counts of fraud

Stephen Moore: Union bosses against union jobs

You Might Like
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
BizPac Review
1881 North Nash St. Apartment 2301
Arlington, VA 22209

You may unsubscribe or change your contact details at any time.

47.) ABC

January 4, 2022 – Having trouble viewing this email? Open it in your browser.
Morning Rundown
FDA authorizes Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for 12- to 15-year olds: The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds as schools reopen after the holiday break amid the omicron variant surge. The FDA’s leaders said they were confident that boosters for 12- to 15-year olds will be safe, based on data from Israel on over 6,300 adolescents. The FDA also shortened the wait period for adults and adolescents to receive boosters from six months down to five months to allow for a third dose for certain immunocompromised children 5 through 11 years of age. For children 5 through 11 years of age who are fully vaccinated and are not immunocompromised, there is no recommendation for COVID-19 boosters yet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to review the FDA recommendations and its director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, must still sign off. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A total of 103,329 people are receiving medical care, which is an increase of 130% from the number recorded two months ago.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes convicted on 4 counts of fraud: After seven days of deliberations, a jury convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes on four counts of fraud. Holmes founded Theranos in 2003 and the company claimed it was developing blood testing technology that could perform hundreds of blood tests using only a few drops of blood. Holmes and former Theranos COO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Holmes’ ex-boyfriend, faced a dozen charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with what prosecutors called a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud investors and patients. Holmes was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three other counts of wire fraud against investors. She was acquitted on all four counts of wire fraud against patients and the jury deadlocked on three counts of fraud against investors. Holmes, who will be sentenced at a later date, could face decades behind bars. Balwani had his trial severed from Holmes earlier this year after learning her lawyers might use abuse claims as part of their defense. He has denied those allegations and is expected to stand trial in February.
‘Jeopardy!’ champ Amy Schneider responds to anti-trans comments: “Jeopardy!” champ Amy Schneider isn’t letting the Twitter trolls get her down. Schneider, who has won $855,600 during her 23-game winning streak last year and set two new records for women on the game show, ended 2021 by responding to all the anti-trans comments she has received since appearing on “Jeopardy!.” “I’d like to thank all the people who have taken the time, during this busy holiday season, to reach out and explain to me that, actually, I’m a man,” she wrote on Twitter. “Every single one of you is the first person to make that very clever point, which had never once before crossed my mind.” Schneider previously opened up about what being a trans woman on a platform like “Jeopardy!” means to her, calling it an “important, but also relatively minor” part of who she is. “I am a trans woman, and I’m proud of that fact, but I’m also a lot of other things,” she wrote on Twitter in November.
Runner pushes brother with cerebral palsy during cross-country races: Fourteen-year-old Susan Bergeman, of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, spends time with her brother, Jefferey Bergman, who has cerebral palsy, in a unique way. When Susan entered middle school, she joined her school’s cross-country team and began pushing her brother in a wheelchair at every practice. “We like spending time together, and this is a way we can spend time together after school,” Susan told “GMA.” “It’s something he couldn’t do on his own, so this way we can be active and do a sport together.” Susan said her brother’s positive attitude helps get her through the difficult training. And while Jeffrey is non-verbal, Susan said he communicates with her through different noises and head turns that help her get through races. At cross-country meets, Susan competes with Jeffrey, but due to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association rules, the siblings are only allowed to compete as exhibition runners, and their results do not count. Susan said her dream is to have a competitive duo division added to running competitions so more teams like her and Jeffrey can compete.
GMA Must-Watch
This morning on “GMA,” Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross join us live to talk about the eighth and final season of “Black-ish.” As the show comes to an end, they reflect back on what they will miss the most and what they are most proud of about the series. Plus, Dr. Ashton kicks off Dry January by pledging to not drink alcohol for the entire month and encourages others to take on the challenge as well. And Amy Robach reveals January’s “GMA” Book Club pick. All this and more only on “GMA.”
19-year-old opens resource center for kids to escape violence in Philadelphia
19-year-old opens resource center for kids to escape violence in Philadelphia
Howard University freshman Akayla Brown opened the center as a safe haven for kids to feel at home.
Put some good in your morning
PHOTO: Olivia Munn attends Global Citizen VAX LIVE: The Concert To Reunite The World at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Olivia Munn shares photo with newborn son, Malcolm
PHOTO: Katelyn Brown and Kane Brown attend the 2021 CMT Music Awards at Bridgestone Arena on June 9, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn. Kane Brown and wife Katelyn welcome baby No. 2
PHOTO: Ashley Graham leaves after an appearance, May 25, 2021 in New York City. Pregnant Ashley Graham celebrates reaching full term with twins
PHOTO: Ricki Lake attends the Stand Up For Pits Hollywood fundraiser event at The Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles, Nov. 07, 2021. Ricki Lake shares photos of her seaside wedding
Read more →
One mom’s back to school tips from bento boxes to outfit planning
One mom’s back to school tips from bento boxes to outfit planning
Blogger and mom of two Nicole Carr shares why bento boxes became a way for her kids to stay safe at school during the pandemic.
GMA NEWSLETTER PROMO
GMA NEWSLETTER PROMO
Clicking on the third party links will take you away from our Good Morning America site where different terms of use and privacy policies apply.

This email was sent to RPBNEWMEDIA@PROTONMAIL.COM

Please do not reply to this email as the address is not monitored.

© ABC News Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.

48.) NBC MORNING RUNDOWN

49.) NBC FIRST READ

Image

From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Ben Kamisar and Bridget Bowman

FIRST READ: Senate Democrats lack clear message on voting reform push

If it’s Tuesday… Biden meets with his Covid response team at 2:00 pm ET… Another House Dem is retiring… Conor Lamb is doubling down on scrapping the filibuster in PA-SEN… And Bill Gardner is stepping down as New Hampshire’s all-important secretary of state.

 

But FIRST… With Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer using the upcoming Jan. 6 anniversary as a rallying cry to pass voting/election reform bills, Democrats need to answer an important question.

 

When they talk about saving democracy and preventing another Jan. 6 from happening again, do they mean:

 

  • rolling back the restrictions on early voting and mail-in ballots that GOP-led legislatures and Republican governors passed last year?
  • passing redistricting and campaign-finance reforms, as well as establishing Election Day as a federal holiday (which are part of the Senate Dem Freedom to Vote Act)?
  • strengthening the Voting Rights Act (which is the crux of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act)?
  • or trying to prevent anyone who wants to overturn already-established election results – like we saw Donald Trump and his allies try to do after the 2020 contest?

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images file

Right now, many/most Democrats would answer with: “All of the above.”

 

But only that last bullet point – trying to prevent someone from overturning already-established election results – directly deals with what happened on Jan. 6.

 

If saving democracy after Jan. 6 is the goal, Democrats need to be clear about what their desired bills do when it comes to preventing the overturning of election results.

 

Or if the goal is far broader, as many Democrats and activists believe is necessary, that ups the degree of difficulty – where Senate Dems need to woo at least 10 Republicans to their side (and win unanimous support from their own party), or convince skeptical Democrats to sidestep (or abolish) the filibuster.

Tweet of the Day: Welcome to “snomicron” in the nation’s capital

Data Download: The number of the day is … 45

That’s the number of years New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner has served in office — Gardner announced on Monday he would resign “within days” to allow his successor ample time to prepare for the forthcoming elections.

 

A stalwart protector of the Granite State’s “First in the Nation Primary,” Gardner has been a key fixture both in New Hampshire and presidential politics. First elected by the state legislature in 1976, Gardner has been elected to 23 terms as secretary of state, serving with 11 governors and thousands of state lawmakers.

Other numbers you need to know today

830,623: The number of total deaths in the United States from Covid, per the most recent data from NBC News.

 

56,339,726: The number of total Covid cases in the U.S. since the beginning of the pandemic, per the most recent data from NBC News.

 

9: The number of states that have reported record numbers of pediatric hospitalizations related to Covid.

 

1,200 percent: The increase in the U.S. Capitol’s seven-day Covid positivity rate amid the omicron spike.

 

35: The number of House members not running for re-election this cycle (not including Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who just resigned outright).

Midterm roundup

Senate Democrats don’t have enough votes to scrap the filibuster right now, but that could change if they defy the odds and expand their Senate majority, since most top Democratic candidates say they would get rid of the 60-vote threshold to end debate. Even moderate Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., reiterated his opposition to the filibuster on Monday. Lamb, who is locked in a competitive Senate primary, first announced his position back in May when a bill establishing an independent commission to investigate Jan. 6 failed to pass the Senate.

 

Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., became the 24th House Democrat to announce he is not running for re-election. Rush, who tested positive for Covid last week, was first elected in 1992. Rush was facing multiple primary challengers, but he’s fended off such challenges before — most notably defeating then-state Sen. Barack Obama in 2000. Rush’s retirement opens up the 1st District, which remained deeply Democratic after redistricting.

 

Former President Donald Trump is trying to follow through on his threat to support primary challengers against Republicans who supported the bipartisan infrastructure package, saying in a one-sentence statement Monday, “Anyone want to run for Congress against Don Bacon in Nebraska?” Bacon supported the infrastructure package but did not vote to impeach Trump. The Cook Political Report rates the 2nd District race Likely Republican.

ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world

New York Attorney General Letitia James is subpoenaing Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in the tax fraud investigation into the Trump Organization.

 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is set to back a New York constitutional amendment setting term limits on statewide elected officials.

 

A jury convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes on four fraud charges on Monday.

 

Trump endorsed Hungary’s far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán on Monday. Orbán is facing a challenge from a political newcomer who wants Hungary to be more engaged with the European Union.

The original BlackBerry will stop working on Tuesday, the final nail in the coffin for the once-ubiquitous cellphone.

Thanks for reading.

If you’re a fan, please forward this to a friend. They can sign up here.

 

We love hearing from our readers, so shoot us a line here with your comments and suggestions.

 

Thanks,

Chuck, Mark, Ben and Bridget

Download the NBC News Mobile App

Image
Image

50.) CBS

 

51.) REASON

‘Should Police Arrest Sex Workers for Standing Around?’ No, of Course Not.

Plus: Censorship in New York, how zoning laws are creating a housing crisis, and more…
“Should police arrest sex workers for standing around?” the Los Angeles Times asked yesterday, calling the matter a “thorny question.” But this shouldn’t be a difficult question at all (only “misogynists and authoritarians” could think it is, Twitter user @seran72 suggests). Sex workers aren’t second-class citizens, and they deserve the right to exist in public spaces as much as anyone else does. What’s more, vague and open-ended “loitering for prostitution” laws like the one in question are easily used by police for harassment, since they allow arrest merely for existing outside when authorities think you shouldn’t.
Thankfully, the tide is starting to turn against such laws, which opponents say are particularly dangerous to transgender women and people of color. (Many refer to them as “walking while trans” laws.) Laws like these don’t require any prostitution or even solicitation to prostitution to take place, merely being out in public in a way that authorities determine reflects an intent to sell sex. With such subjective criteria, it’s easy to see how they might be abused or used in discriminatory ways.
Last February, New York state repealed its “loitering for the purposes of prostitution” statute. Now California may do the same. A bill to repeal California’s law against “loitering for the purpose of engaging in a prostitution offense” passed the legislature last September and awaits Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval or rejection.
But opponents of the repeal rely on myths, scare tactics, and paternalism to justify the law. Trotting out the evidence-free assertion that most people selling sex are actually victims being forced into it, they claim that arresting sex workers is the only way to save them—never mind the trauma that can come from arrest, the potential for police abuse, the danger inherent in jails (especially during a pandemic), or the fact that saddling someone with court fees and a criminal record is hardly the basis for expanded opportunities.
The Times article on California efforts to repeal its prostitution loitering law repeats these prohibitionist tropes, after opening with the lurid, lazy, and melodramatic prose so typical of media about sex workers. (“Cold blue light from a convenience store sign spilled onto Star and Dream, not their real names, as they stood on a dark sidewalk in the Mission District, working to sell sex to johns. In a scene repeated daily on dozens of similar ‘tracks’ across the state, men in cars rolled slowly by the women, who are just past their teenage years but looked young enough to be on their way to a high school dance.”)
The sex workers in the article note that the loitering law doesn’t help them and is instead used by police to harass them. “I’ve gotten tickets for just like standing right here,” one says. Police “are always looking for a reason to mess with me,” says another.
But the Times gives equal space to the voices of people who oppose prostitution and any attempts to decriminalize it, including a former prosecutor who has an upcoming book about her (unsuccessful and unconstitutional) prosecution of the founders of Backpage. And, inexplicably, the article frames the fight over loitering laws as pitting “sex workers against other sex workers and trafficking survivors,” despite the fact that no sex workers against repeal are actually quoted and there’s ample research suggesting that decriminalization can reduce sex trafficking and keep everyone involved safer.
The bottom line, as San Francisco sex worker Lisseth Sánchez tells the Times, is that “it is absolutely not necessary to arrest people for their own good.”

FREE MINDS
New York lawmaker pushes unconstitutional infringement on social-media speech. Democrats and Republicans are mad at Section 230—the federal communications law that, among other things, shields social media companies from some legal liability for user-generated posts—”because they both want to control the internet in a manner that helps ‘their team,'” suggests Mike Masnick at Techdirt. (That’s what we’ve said, too!) “But both approaches involve unconstitutional desires to interfere with 1st Amendment rights. For Republicans, it’s often the compelled hosting of speech, and for Democrats, it’s often the compelled deletion of speech. Both of those are unconstitutional.”
Republicans have passed blatantly unconstitutional social media laws in Texas and Florida. Now Democrats want in on the game in California and New York.
New York state Senator Brad Hoylman “has proudly introduced a hellishly unconstitutional social media bill,” notes Techdirt:
Hoylman announces in his press release that the bill will ‘hold tech companies accountable for promoting vaccine misinformation and hate speech.’ Have you noticed the problem with the bill already? I knew you could. Whether we like it or not, the 1st Amendment protects both vaccine misinformation and hate speech. It is unconstitutional to punish anyone for that speech, and it’s even more ridiculous to punish websites that host that content, but had nothing to do with the creation of it.
More details about the bill here.

FREE MARKETS
“Home prices today are 41% higher than the peak of the housing bubble in 2006,” notes Michael Hendrix, the Manhattan Institute’s director of state and local policy, at Persuasion. Over that same period, median incomes went up just 8.8 percent. What to do?
Get rid of restrictive zoning laws, Hendrix argues:
Pro-housing advocates argue that home prices are artificially high because the supply of homes is dangerously low, thanks to red tape and costly bureaucracy. Less supply and rising demand mean higher prices—it’s Economics 101. Indeed, America is nearly 4 million homes short of demand. Zoning rules carve up cities and towns with top-down dictates on what property owners can do with their own land, like mandates for single-family homes on enormous lots with lots of required parking.
“It is illegal on 75% of the residential land in many American cities to build anything other than a detached single-family home,” observes The New York Times’s Emily Badger. …
The price of housing used to march in lockstep with the cost of construction—pay more and you get a better house. But starting in the 1970s, right when zoning began spreading nationwide, those two prices diverged, with home prices soaring while building costs remained stable. That gap is like a “zoning tax” that falls hardest on the poorest Americans and raises the price of entry to cities with the most jobs and opportunity. Today’s housing crisis is the American Dream turned nightmare.

QUICK HITS

American children are starting 2022 in crisis.

I’m not sure that many people fully grasp the depth of it.

🧵https://t.co/blOe9iRbYh

— David Leonhardt (@DLeonhardt) January 4, 2022
• COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have reached a new peak that’s more than double the previous peak:

Bloomberg: U.S. sets new global record for most daily COVID cases, recording 1 million new infections Monday.

Almost double the previous record of 590,000, set just four days ago, and likely a significant under-estimate due to people using at-home tests or not testing at all.

— Andrew Roth (@RothTheReporter) January 4, 2022
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) is threatening to change Senate rules if Republicans block a vote on Democrats’ voting bill. “The weaponization of rules once meant to short-circuit obstruction have been hijacked to guarantee obstruction,” he suggested yesterday in a Dear Colleague letter. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) called it a “rash, partisan power grab.”
• More Border Patrol Agents died in the line of duty during 2021 than in any other time since the agency’s inception,” reported Breitbart. Left out of the fearmongering tweet, and the headline about a “historic level of line-of-duty deaths,” is that 13 of the 15 agents died due to COVID-19.
• The democracy-is-ending industrial complex churns on…

I don’t understand the point of these sorts of columns. They’re not actionable. There’s this whole segment that wants to “talk more” about authoritarianism — to what end? Who are you convincing of what? https://t.co/W0vnbDVVtI

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) January 3, 2022
• A victory for Libertarian Party members in Maine, where a federal judge ruled that “Libertarians can nominate candidates under the party banner for the 2022 election, regardless whether their numbers reach the minimum threshold under state law.”
• A privacy lawsuit against Amazon can continue. “Amazon.com Inc failed to persuade an Illinois federal judge to toss a lawsuit accusing the company of unlawfully collecting ‘facial geometry’ scans of employees at fulfillment warehouses as part of COVID-19 wellness checks,” notes Reuters. “U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland in Chicago declined to dismiss the proposed class action on Monday, in which a former employee alleged the e-commerce company collected his facial and other data without proper consent under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).”
• Department of prohibition kills:

New study: Regulations that limited legal opioid prescriptions led to a surge in heroin overdoses. https://t.co/Gd8KS4WY6N

— Sam Dumitriu (@Sam_Dumitriu) January 4, 2022
• COVID is ravaging city jails again. In New York City, the infection rate “has hit a staggering new high – with almost 37% of prisoners recently tested for the virus coming back positive,” the New York Daily News reports. “The new numbers — measuring a seven-day test positivity through Sunday — come two weeks after the outgoing city jails commissioner warned of a ‘crisis level‘ of COVID cases bearing down on the population at the troubled Rikers Island complex.”
• Are strip club dancers employees or independent contractors? A growing number of lawsuits asks this question. “Nationwide, federal court records show that more than two dozen recent lawsuits have targeted the corporate owners of Jaguars: RCI Hospitality Holdings, a for-profit corporation based in Houston that comprises dozens of strip clubs and topless clubs marketed under various brand names,” reports the Texas Observer.
• The fight over Biden’s Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission nominations continues.

Most Popular Stories from Reason.com
 

Chief Justice Roberts Dissents From Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court
Animal-Rights Laws Are Coming Back To Bite California and Massachusetts Voters
Against Champagne Socialists
Anthony Fauci Is Right To Distinguish COVID-19 Infections, Which Are Exploding, From Severe Disease, Which Is Not
Nebraska Town Sues Resident to Stop Sending Officials Letters, Ends Up Paying Him $16,000
Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason, where she writes regularly on the intersections of sex, speech, tech, crime, politics, panic, and civil liberties. She is also co-founder of the libertarian feminist group Feminists for Liberty.

Since starting at Reason in 2014, Brown has won multiple awards for her writing on the U.S. government’s war on sex. Brown’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, Playboy, Fox News, Politico, The Week, and numerous other publications. You can follow her on Twitter @ENBrown.
GET REASON MAGAZINE

Reason is the magazine of “free minds and free markets,” offering a refreshing alternative to the left-wing and right-wing echo chambers for independent-minded readers who love liberty.

Subscribe today to save 65% off the cover price.
Donate
Reason Foundation

5737 Mesmer Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90230, USA
Fb Tw Yt P Ig

52.) MANHATTAN INSTITUTE

 

53.) LOUDER WITH CROWDER

54.) TOWNHALL

Townhall is supported by advertising and the generous support of our VIP members. Join us today. Thank You – Katie Pavlich
FACEBOOK         TWITTER
ADVERTISEMENT
Columnists
What Doesn’t Kill Marjorie Taylor Greene Only Makes Her Stronger 
Matt Vespa
There’s a Reason Democrats Are Terrified of DeSantis
Derek Hunter
The Year You Forgot – Showing That 2021 Was Just the 2020-Variant
Brad Slager
As of This Moment, America Is Still a Beacon of Liberty
Dennis Prager
How ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Became a Swipe at Joe Biden — And National Media
Salena Zito
Union Bosses Against Union Jobs
Stephen Moore
Democrat ‘Leaders’ Fail the Leadership Test
Oliver North and David Goetsch
With the For the People Act, Democrats, Not Republicans, Are the Real Threat to Democracy
John R. Lott, Jr.
Russia Is Not the Great Rival; China Is
Pat Buchanan
Tipsheet
After Firing Unvaccinated Healthcare Workers, Rhode Island Allows ‘Insane’ Policy Amid Staffing Shortages
Leah Barkoukis
The Latest Effort to Pressure Joe Manchin on Biden Bill Will Fail for a Very Simple Reason
Matt Vespa
Biden and Harris Have Announced Their Jan. 6 Plans, While GOP Warns ‘One Year Later, Little Has Changed’ 
Rebecca Downs
Tennessee College Offers Professors $3K Stipends to Teach Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Landon Mion
So-Called Moderate Dem. Conor Lamb Favors Abolishing Filibuster Now That He’s Running for Senate
Rebecca Downs
Ron DeSantis Responds to Critics at Press Conference Announcing Monoclonal Antibody Treatments
Rebecca Downs
Investigation into New York Nursing Home Scandal Closes, Andrew Cuomo Will Not Be Charged
Landon Mion
ADVERTISEMENT
Democrats Intent on Blowing Up Filibuster to Unconstitutionally Federalize Elections
Brian Darling
Let’s Out the Men in Maxwell-Epstein Case
Cal Thomas
Every Great Nation Has Fallen. America May Too, But There Is Hope.
Dan Backer
Many More Trump Supporters are Dying From COVID-19 Than Democrats
Rachel Alexander
Another Biden Judicial Nominee Steps In It on Democracy, Claims We Live in ‘A Separate and Unequal Society’
Rebecca Downs
Dan Crenshaw Accuses Marjorie Taylor Greene of Playing ‘Victim’ Over Twitter Ban
Landon Mion
Don Lemon Engaged in Vulgar ‘Broke D–k’ Conversation During CNN’s NYE Coverage
Landon Mion
Political Cartoons
Bearing Arms
Atlanta school system to focus on safe firearms storage | Tom Knighton
Armed citizen ends California “smash-and-grab” robbery | Tom Knighton
WV attorney general offers guidance on gun laws | Tom Knighton
Los Angeles homicides hit 15-year high | Tom Knighton
New York’s law allowing gun lawsuits like to go to SCOTUS | Tom Knighton
ADVERTISEMENT
_______SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______
This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you signed up to receive this newsletter on the Townhall.com network OR a friend forwarded it to you. We respect and value your time and privacy. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs we will be happy to remove your address immediately.

Visit the Townhall Media Preference Center to manage your subscriptions

You can unsubscribe by clicking here.

Or Send postal mail to:
Townhall Daily Unsubscribe
P.O. Box 9660, Arlington, VA 22219

* Copyright Townhall and its Content Providers.
All rights reserved.

 

55.) REALCLEARPOLITICS MORNING NOTE

 

56.) REALCLEARPOLITICS TODAY

 

57.) CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY

 

58.) BERNARD GOLDBERG

 

59.) SARA A. CARTER

 

60.) TWITCHY

 

61.) HOT AIR

 

62.) 1440 DAILY DIGEST

No images? Click here
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 4, and we’re covering a string of Iran-backed attacks, a verdict in the high-profile trial of Elizabeth Holmes, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at hello@join1440.com.
First time reading? Sign up here.

NEED TO KNOW

Booster Authorization
The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization yesterday for booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 12 to 15.  Officials also announced booster shots would be made available for children aged 5 to 11 who are significantly immunocompromised.

 

Almost 1.9 million children in the 12 to 15 age bracket have tested positive for the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic (see data), with 246 reported deaths. The figure is less than 0.1% of the 826,000 total deaths reported in the US.

 

The decision comes as the omicron variant of the virus has disrupted post-holiday reopening plans for schools across the country. Trial data from December suggest booster shots result in a 25-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies effective against the strain.

 

The US is currently averaging more than 480,000 new cases per day. Total current hospitalizations from the virus are at 95,000—up 50% over two weeks, but still less than the peak seen during infection surges last winter and over the summer. Explore US data here.

Iran-Linked Attacks
A series of attacks across the Middle East ensued yesterday, coinciding with a memorial in Tehran for Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian general killed in a US drone strike in 2020.

 

Yemen’s Houthi rebels overtook a UAE cargo vessel in the Red Sea, a key route for international trade. Two drones targeted Baghdad’s international airport, where Soleimani was killed. In Israel—also involved in Soleimani’s death—hackers targeted the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

 

Footage provided by an official of a US-led international military coalition showed the wing of one drone reading “Soleimani’s revenge.” Both drones were shot down. Meanwhile, hackers replaced the Jerusalem Post’s website with an illustration of a missile coming out of a ring associated with Soleimani. No groups have claimed responsibility for either attack.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called on former President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to face trial for Soleimani’s assassination.

Guilty Verdict in Theranos Trial
Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO and founder of failed blood-testing startup Theranos, was found guilty of fraud yesterday in a criminal case that’s seen as one of the biggest scandals in Silicon Valley in recent memory. Theranos, once valued at $10B before collapsing, had failed to design technology that generated accurate blood tests via a single finger prick.
The federal jury convicted 37-year-old Holmes on four of 11 charges—three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They found Holmes not guilty of four counts tied to patients and lying in paid advertisements. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on three counts tied to defrauding individual investors.Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison on each count as well as a fine of $250K plus restitution for each charge. Read more about the four-month-long case here.
Enjoy reading? Share 1440 with your three closest friends.
Click here to share

In partnership with The Farmer’s Dog

NATURALLY HEALTHY
We’d all like to eat healthier this year, but doing it every single meal? Impossible. Unless, of course, you’re a dog.

 

That’s because, unlike humans, dogs are lucky enough to be healthy by nature: They never have trouble falling asleep, they actually enjoy exercise, and they love nutritious food as much as we love a cheat meal. Which is why The Farmer’s Dog believes in feeding their healthy nature. That’s why all their vet-developed recipes are made with fresh meat and vegetables, gently cooked to retain their maximum nutritional integrity. Plus, they personally portion it all for your dog and deliver it right to your door—so it’s better for them and easier for you.

 

The Farmer’s Dog makes food the right way. Today, take 50% off your first box of fresh food from The Farmer’s Dog.

Please support our sponsors!

IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
In partnership with The Ascent
> The 2022 Grammy Awards (Jan. 31) likely to be postponed for second year in a row due to omicron variant fears (More)

 

> Richard Leakey, Kenyan conservationist and paleoanthropologist who campaigned to end the African ivory trade, dies at 77 (More)

 

> David Bowie’s estate reaches deal to sell entire publishing catalog of the late musician’s work to Warner Chappell Music for more than $250M (More)
From our partners: Make 2022 your year for a one-card wallet. This card offers up to 5% cash back at places you already shop and 0% APR until 2023 on purchases and balance transfers. All with no annual fee. Making this card the only one you need.

Science & Technology
> James Webb Space Telescope begins process of unfolding its tennis court-sized sun shield; erecting the shield considered the riskiest part of the deployment (More) | Track the JWST in real time (More)

 

> Samsung debuts remote that recharges via radio frequency energy emitted by wireless internet routers (More)

 

> Researchers develop new method of creating useful chemical products from carbon dioxide removed from factory emissions; the byproducts, cyclic carbonates, can be used in batteries and drug production (More)

Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher in first session of 2022 (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.7%, Nasdaq +1.2%); S&P 500 and Dow close at fresh record highs (More)

 

> Apple becomes the first US company to surpass $3T in market value; milestone comes roughly three-and-a-half years after reaching $1T, a feat which took more than four decades to reach (More)

 

> Starbucks to require its approximately 220,000 US employees to be vaccinated or tested weekly as of early February; employees must disclose vaccination status by next Monday (More)

Politics & World Affairs
> New York Attorney General Letitia James subpoenas Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. in probe as part of civil fraud investigation into the Trump Organization’s business dealings (More)

 

> Winter storm knocks out power to at least 850,000 people across the Southeast and East Coast; federal government shuts down as snow blankets nation’s capital (More) | See photos (More)

 

> Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigns amid protests against a power-sharing deal brokered with the military, who previously ousted Hamdok in an October coup (More)

IN-DEPTH

In Their Footsteps
BBC | Lucy Wallis. An American expatriate in France sets out to retrace the journey of her great aunt, part of a group of Resistance women who escaped a Nazi death march in 1945. (Read)

Copper and the King
Smithsonian | Matti Friedman. Recent archaeological discoveries in Israel point toward an advanced society during the time of the biblical King Solomon. (Read)

OUT WITH THE OLD
In partnership with The Farmer’s Dog

 

Dogs are naturally healthy. And it would be easier for them to stay that way if their humans knew that the food they fed them was actually healthy. But when a bag labeled “premium” and “organic” can be filled with the same old highly processed mystery pellets, that’s almost impossible.

 

So we say out with the old and in with the new. In 2022, try fresh food delivered to you. Get 50% off today.

Please support our sponsors!

ETCETERA
Waste hours (days?) exploring the Museum of the World. (Best on desktop)

 

The top insights from Gallup polling in 2021.

 

… and Pew’s most interesting findings from the past year.

 

On a mission to find the world’s best rice.

 

Dazzling photos of the northern lights.

 

An in-depth look at San Francisco’s skyline.

 

Archaeologists discover an ancient 100-pound millipede.

 

Watch a puppy grow into a 170-pound giant.

 

Clickbait: Nightmare fuel on the golf course (w/video).

 

Historybook: Boxer Floyd Patterson born (1935); HBD biographer and journalist Doris Kearns Goodwin (1943); Luna 1 is first spacecraft to reach vicinity of the moon (1959); RIP poet T.S. Eliot (1965); Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, opens in Dubai (2010).

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
– T.S. Eliot
Enjoy reading? Forward this email to a friend.

Why 1440? The printing press was invented in the year 1440, spreading knowledge to the masses and changing the course of history. Guess what else? There are 1,440 minutes in a day and every one is precious. That’s why we scour hundreds of sources every day to provide a concise, comprehensive, and objective view of what’s happening in the world. Reader feedback is a gift—shoot us a note at hello@join1440.com.

Interested in advertising to smart readers like you? Apply here!

1440 Media
222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza
Suite 1212
Chicago, IL 60654

Copyright © 2021, 1440 Media, All rights reserved.

Unsubscribe

 

63.) AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH

 

64.) NATIONAL REVIEW

 

65.) POLITICAL WIRE

 

66.) RASMUSSEN REPORTS

 

67.) ZEROHEDGE

 

68.) GATEWAY PUNDIT

 

69.) FRONTPAGE MAG

 

70.) HOOVER INSTITUTE

 

71.) DAILY INTELLIGENCE BRIEF

 

72.) FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION

 

73.) POPULIST PRESS

This is an insult to a major year of injury this regime has forced on us…

 

IN DEPTH ON HOMEPAGE:
  1. New NYC Mayor Weighs Booster Shot Mandate for City Employees
  2. BREAKING: Prince Andrew’s sweetheart deal with Jeffrey Epstein made public
  3. Elizabeth Holmes jury unable to reach verdict on 3 of 11 fraud charges 
  4. Ron DeSantis Urges Biden to Allow States to Purchase Monoclonal Antibody Treatments
  5. Schumer Vows to Force Vote on Changing Senate Rules by MLK Day if Republicans Kill Voting Bill 
  6. FDA Approves Pfizer COVID Vaccine Booster for Children 12 and Older
  7. Democrats Are ‘Maneuvering’ to Replace Pelosi, Washington Post Reveals 
  8. New York AG subpoenas Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump 
  9. False positives for rare disorders in pre-natal tests lead to abortion of healthy pregnancies
  10. Energy Department Approves Release of 2 Million Barrels of Crude to Exxon 
  11. GMO Foods to Be Labeled ‘Bioengineered’
  12. CDC May Add Negative Tests to Quarantine 
  13. Biden Repeats Assurances to Ukraine
  14. Censorship: Joe Rogan Joins GETTR
  15. Domestic Leftists Parrot CCP
  16. Twitter Permanently Suspends MTG 
  17. Report: Joe Manchin Resumes Negotiations on Build Back Better
  18. Jan. 6 Committee Ramps Up War
  19. Government Calls A Snow Day 
  20. Teachers unions’ power grab
  21. MARTYRED! Twitter Permanently Suspends Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
  22. Report: Joe Manchin Resumes Negotiations on Build Back Better
  23. Siren: Chair of Jan. 6 Committee Reveals They Will Pursue New ‘Intelligence-Gathering’ Legislation
  24. Government Calls A Snow Day 
  25. Teachers unions’ power grab
  26. Facebook bans conservative book publisher
  27. OPEC+ sticks with output increase
  28. Senate Repubs – Block Biden Judicial Nom 
  29. Marines Leadership Principles 
  30. Afghan evacuees at Kosovo base
  31. TRANSCOM Risks Military Families
  32. China Harvesting Social Media 
  33. Schools Close Again?
  34. Fauci: Don’t Go to Restaurants
  35. 4,000 flight cancellations 
  36. Mayor: ‘Remove WWII Mural’ 
  37. NY School: ‘Jingle Bells’ is Racist 
  38. Police Set Dog on Lockdown Protestor 
  39. Video, Audio Recording in Classes?
  40. EU Flag Removed From Arc de Triomphe

 

IN DEPTH ON HOMEPAGE:
  1. New NYC Mayor Weighs Booster Shot Mandate for City Employees
  2. BREAKING: Prince Andrew’s sweetheart deal with Jeffrey Epstein made public
  3. Elizabeth Holmes jury unable to reach verdict on 3 of 11 fraud charges 
  4. Ron DeSantis Urges Biden to Allow States to Purchase Monoclonal Antibody Treatments
  5. Schumer Vows to Force Vote on Changing Senate Rules by MLK Day if Republicans Kill Voting Bill 
  6. FDA Approves Pfizer COVID Vaccine Booster for Children 12 and Older
  7. Democrats Are ‘Maneuvering’ to Replace Pelosi, Washington Post Reveals 
  8. New York AG subpoenas Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump 
  9. False positives for rare disorders in pre-natal tests lead to abortion of healthy pregnancies
  10. Energy Department Approves Release of 2 Million Barrels of Crude to Exxon 
  11. GMO Foods to Be Labeled ‘Bioengineered’
  12. CDC May Add Negative Tests to Quarantine 
  13. Biden Repeats Assurances to Ukraine
  14. Censorship: Joe Rogan Joins GETTR
  15. Domestic Leftists Parrot CCP
  16. Twitter Permanently Suspends MTG 
  17. Report: Joe Manchin Resumes Negotiations on Build Back Better
  18. Jan. 6 Committee Ramps Up War
  19. Government Calls A Snow Day 
  20. Teachers unions’ power grab
  21. MARTYRED! Twitter Permanently Suspends Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
  22. Report: Joe Manchin Resumes Negotiations on Build Back Better
  23. Siren: Chair of Jan. 6 Committee Reveals They Will Pursue New ‘Intelligence-Gathering’ Legislation
  24. Government Calls A Snow Day 
  25. Teachers unions’ power grab
  26. Facebook bans conservative book publisher
  27. OPEC+ sticks with output increase
  28. Senate Repubs – Block Biden Judicial Nom 
  29. Marines Leadership Principles 
  30. Afghan evacuees at Kosovo base
  31. TRANSCOM Risks Military Families
  32. China Harvesting Social Media 
  33. Schools Close Again?
  34. Fauci: Don’t Go to Restaurants
  35. 4,000 flight cancellations 
  36. Mayor: ‘Remove WWII Mural’ 
  37. NY School: ‘Jingle Bells’ is Racist 
  38. Police Set Dog on Lockdown Protestor 
  39. Video, Audio Recording in Classes?
  40. EU Flag Removed From Arc de Triomphe

You signed up for the Populist Press newsletter at www.Populist.Press  We are the #1 Drudge Alternative. Visit our homepage for more incredible news!

REPLY TO THIS EMAIL IF YOU WISH TO BE ADDED TO THE LESS FREQUENT LIST.

unsubscribe

Populist Press
7940 Front Beach Rd.
Panama City Beach, FL. 32407

 

74.) THE POST MILLENNIAL

 

75.) BLACKLISTED NEWS

 

76.) THE DAILY DOT

77.) HEADLINE USA

 

78.) NATURAL NEWS

NaturalNews.com
Life insurance companies sound death alert warnings as all cause deaths skyrocket across the USA
Mike Adams There are nearly 100,000 excess deaths happening per month in the USA right now, according to life insurance companies that are sounding the alarm over what Dr. Robert Malone calls a “mass casualty event” that’s unfolding due to covid vaccines.

This is a red alert situation unfolding right in front of us. The human race is being slaughtered through the injection of “clot shots” that are deliberately designed to reduce global population through death and infertility. All the politicians, scientists, regulators and journalists who are in on this are committing genocidal crimes against humanity, and they are even targeting children.

If the booster shots are aggressively pushed and we see Antibody Dependent Enhancement accelerate as common flu strains are circulated, we could be looking at a doubling of the total death rate, going from 7,700 daily deaths to 15,400 deaths per day. This means we would be losing nearly 1.7 percent of the entire U.S. population in just one year.

See full details in today’s feature article and hard-hitting podcast here.
New Videos from Brighteon.com
Situation Update, Jan 3, 2021 – Life Insurance companies sound death warnings over nearly 100,000 excess deaths per monthWatch this video
Reiner Fuellmich: “New Findings… Enough to Dismantle the Entire (Vax Covid) Industry”Watch this video
CDC admitss Don’t Work – The fraud Is Being exposedWatch this video
Featured Articles
Bombshell: Vaccinated people are dying from autoimmune attacks against their own organsBy Lance D Johnson | Read the full story
Shocked pharmacist who discovered that covid vaccine inserts are blank says “I shouldn’t be giving these out”By Ethan Huff | Read the full story
Sponsor: Health Ranger’s Organic Turmeric Gold Liquid Extract is packed with curcumin, essential vitamins, minerals, and more.
Israel’s mass vaccination nightmare worsens as nation reaches a six-month high in new covid casesBy Ethan Huff | Read the full story
Merck and Pfizer’s “anti-covid” pills are just another profiteering scam to exploit covid hysteriaBy Lance D Johnson | Read the full story
Sponsor: Protect yourself and your loved ones during nuclear emergencies with iOSAT Potassium Iodide Tablets.
Billionaires including George Soros establish “Good Information Inc.” to try to discredit indy media sources that expose globalist liesBy JD Heyes | Read the full story
Sponsor: Experience the powerful antioxidant power of curcumin with Organic Turmeric Root Powder.
Super30 Plus is made with over 30 of the world’s healthiest fermented superfoodsSpecially formulated for optimal nutrition, Groovy Bee Fermented Super30 Plus with Organic Apple Peel Powder makes it easier than ever to enjoy the benefits of more than 30 of the world’s healthiest fermented fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and wild herbs. Groovy Bee Fermented Super30 Plus with Organic Apple Peel Powder is vegan, non-China, certified Kosher and lab tested for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbiology. Our premium fermented superfood formula also contains no gluten, pesticides or GMOs.

Learn More
More of Today’s ArticlesCatch-2022? Americans now caught choosing between bad government advice and absolute hypocrisy in the Covid-Truman Show
Catch-22 is a term first used to describe someone who requests their own sanity evaluation as sane by default for simply making the request. In other words, you can’t be crazy if you choose …Defense department confirms leaked video of pyramid-shaped UFOs captured by the Navy
The footage of pyramid-shaped unidentified flying objects (UFO) that was leaked last week was indeed authentic, the Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed. Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough said …Saving lives? New Zealand green-lights euthanasia of covid patients
To help “flatten the curve,” New Zealand’s Ministry of Health has decided to allow doctors to murder all Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) patients deemed unlikely to survive. A new …Salt: How and why to store this survival essential
No good list of must-have items for survival would be complete without salt. It might not occupy the same position of urgency as water or food in general, but it’s a fact that the human body …Minnesota medical board harasses doctor for prescribing ivermectin
For the fifth time in the past 17 months, Dr. Scott Jensen has received threatening letters from the Minnesota Board of Medical (MBMP) Practice, which is currently investigating him over his …

GOP filled with corrupt Republican politicians who are no better than Democrats… and they’re all run by Big Pharma
Most conservative discussions about the problems of our day seem to center around how the Democrats are destroying everything with their far-left policies. Truth be told, many (if not most) …

Book depicting White genocide highlights hypocrisy in academe and mainstream media
Ben Philippe, an English instructor at Barnard College, has authored a book in which he described a fantasy of gassing White people. In the book, titled, “Sure, I’ll be your Black …

Bizarre World Economic Forum video orders citizens to stop washing their clothes to fight climate change
A bizarre new video of the globalist World Economic Forum is ordering citizens of western countries to cease washing their clothes in order to fight climate change, following the WEF’s commands …

6 Steps to protect your home from outside fires
Fires are one of the most devastating disasters that can hit families, incinerating everything in a matter of seconds. It can also lead to deaths and severe injuries. According to the National …

Romania approves US-backed bill banning Huawei from its 5G network
Romania has approved a bill backed by the U.S. prohibiting Chinese company Huawei from joining its 5G network. According to a member of the Romanian Parliament, the centrist government in …
      
WebSeed 3820 Central Avenue Unit #109 Cheyenne, WY 82001

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy

If you experience any difficulty unsubscribing, forward this newsletter to reply@naturalnews.com

To contact Natural News, please use our online feedback form.

79.) POLITICHICKS

 

80.) BLACKPRESSUSA

 

81.) THE WESTERN JOURNAL

 

82.) CNN

83.) THE DAILY CALLER

 

84.) POWERLINE

Daily Digest
Will Europe Abandon Green Energy?

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 03:48 PM PST

(John Hinderaker)The European Union has led the way in transitioning from fossil fuels to “green” energy, i.e. wind and solar. But that effort has hit a snag: wind and solar don’t work, and energy costs in the EU are skyrocketing. Now a Reuters report suggests that the EU may be thinking about jumping ship:

The European Union has drawn up plans to label some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as “green” investments after a year-long battle between governments over which investments are truly climate-friendly.
***
A draft of the Commission’s proposal, seen by Reuters, would label nuclear power plant investments as green if the project has a plan, funds and a site to safely dispose of radioactive waste. To be deemed green, new nuclear plants must receive construction permits before 2045.

Investments in natural gas power plants would also be deemed green if they produce emissions below 270g of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt hour (kWh), replace a more polluting fossil fuel plant, receive a construction permit by Dec. 31 2030 and plan to switch to low-carbon gases by the end of 2035.

If CO2 is the alleged threat to the future of the planet, nuclear power is indisputably “green.” Nuclear plants don’t emit CO2. Disposal of spent fuel rods is an issue, but a minor one–a ridiculously minor one if you think the alternative is destruction of the planet. That is why any environmentalist who doesn’t support nuclear power is an environmentalist who doesn’t actually believe the propaganda he spouts.

Likewise, natural gas emits far less CO2 than coal, and “green” advocates have in any case been building natural gas plants like there’s no tomorrow, because gas is what they burn most of the time, when wind and solar fail to produce electricity.

Meanwhile, the EU’s member countries are sharply split on energy issues:

Austria opposes nuclear power, alongside countries including Germany and Luxembourg. EU states including the Czech Republic, Finland and France, which gets around 70% of its power from the fuel, see nuclear as crucial to phasing out CO2-emitting coal fuel power.

It is notable that Germany has just announced that it will close three of its six nuclear power plants, even though German automakers reportedly have warned their government that they will not be able to compete in global markets if their energy costs continue to rise. Maybe, for once, the French will save the Germans from themselves.

The fate of this particular EU proposal remains unknown, but the handwriting is on the wall. The “green” dream of an economy powered exclusively (or even mostly) by wind and solar energy is impossible, not because of a lack of political will but because of the laws of physics. The end of this story has already been written. The question is how much wealth will be destroyed before greenies admit that their dreams have turned into nightmares.

  
E.J. Dionne’s bad advice to Democrats

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 02:18 PM PST

(Paul Mirengoff)E.J. Dionne advises Democrats on how they can avoid a “thumpin’” in this year’s congressional elections. Notice that Dionne isn’t offering a prescription for retaining a majority in the House. He’s merely talking about how not to “get crushed.”

Dionne thereby exhibits realism. However, the same cannot be said of his strategy for escaping a shellacking.

Dionne says the Democrats’ best hope is to make the 2022 election about democracy. This means pounding home what he sees as the implications of the January 6 riot and passing so-called democracy bills.

If this is how the Dems intend to save the day or minimize their losses, they have little hope of doing either. It’s unrealistic to expect voters to forgive Democrats for inflation, runaway violent crime, the border crisis, failure to deliver on covid-related promises, and failure to deliver the center-left, unifying presidency Joe Biden promised, just because a few hundred people stormed the Capitol and a much smaller number indulged in violence.

Consider this: The man on whose behalf the Capitol was stormed and who still refuses to admit he lost the 2020 election now runs ahead of Biden by three points in national polling. That wouldn’t be the case if voters viewed Trump as a threat to democracy and were swayed by such a perceived threat.

Moreover, Trump isn’t on the ballot in 2022. So even voters who consider him a threat aren’t likely to view their GOP congressman or the Republican challenging their Democratic congressman that way in most cases. Trying to persuade them to see Republican candidates in this light is a fool’s errand.

What about “democracy bills”? They consist mostly of doing away with safeguards against voting fraud. Most voters don’t view ensuring election integrity to be anti-Democratic. They hold the contrary, and correct, view. That’s what polls show.

The Democrats may not be destined for a thumping this year. But if they avoid it, they will do so thanks to events — e.g. a significant reduction in the rate of inflation and a significant receding of the coronavirus — not by portraying Republicans as enemies of democracy.

  
Dem staffers quit jobs due to Jan. 6 events, says Washington Post

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 08:51 AM PST

(Paul Mirengoff)The Washington Post reports that many people who worked at the U.S. Capitol have left their jobs because they were traumatized by the events of January 6. Among those who have quit are an unspecified number of congressional staffers. The few staffers cited by the Post all worked for Democratic members.

How many staffers were injured on January 6? I believe the answer is zero. Yet, the Post describes the staffers who haven’t quit as “soldiering on.” Should we give them medals?

If folks who work for liberal members of Congress really are as fragile and fainthearted as the Post makes them out to be, I consider that good news.

Some Capitol police officers were attacked and injured. It’s understandable that some within that group were traumatized to the point that they have resigned.

However, five dozen Secret Service officers and agents were injured by a mob near the White House during BLM protests in late May 2020. How many of them resigned?

We don’t know because media organs like the Post have never, to my knowledge, said. These news outlets don’t care. Their entire focus was on the supposed outrage of clearing the way for President Trump to make his way from the White House to a nearby church. Apparently, Trump should have holed up in the White House until the protesters finally tired of hanging out on Pennsylvania Avenue.

And what about police officers throughout America who have been attacked by BLM protesters? What about the ones who have had to cope with the invasion, and even the burning, of police stations? How many of them have resigned as a result?

To my knowledge, the Post has never addressed that question. It’s a pertinent one, though, because police officers perform far more important services than random congressional staffers.

They protect the public from violent crime, a surging phenomenon in America these days. And it won’t be easy to replace cops who resign from police forces that are under attack, not just literally from thugs but also figuratively from Democratic politicians.

By contrast, I imagine it’s easy to replace congressional staffers. If there’s any reluctance on the part of young left-liberals to take open jobs on the staffs of the leftists members cited by the Post as having lost people due to events of January 6 — Mary Gay Scanlon (the recent victim of a carjacking), Sheila Jackson Lee, and David Cicilline — the Post doesn’t mention it. I doubt there is any.

As we approach January 6 of this year, we can expect more articles like the one I discuss here. The events of last January 6 were serious and bad. The perpetrators should be, and are being, punished. If necessary, Capitol security should be enhanced to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.

But the efforts of Democrats and their lefty media allies to convert January 6 into something like a national day of mourning, while studiously ignoring comparable or worse violence by BLM and Antifa that rocked city after city in 2020, is laughable.

  
Happy New Year from Eric Zemmour

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 08:19 AM PST

(Steven Hayward)To say “opinion is divided about Eric Zemmour,” the right-wing candidate for president of France, is an understatement, and we have heard from a number of sensible observers of French politics that Zemmour might not be the best idea. Certainly the mainstream media is as panicked about him as they are about Trump. Some conservative critics say he a lightweight, a poser, the equivalent of Bill O’Reilly, and running chiefly to undermine Marine Le Pen.

One recent poll certainly shows that Le Pen and Zemmour together outpoll Macron:

Thomas Chatterton Williams of The Atlantic writes of witnessing Zemmour “electrify a seething and violent mob,” and suggests Zemmour is an anti-Muslim bigot with this concluding passage:

What would they like to do to these people should they have their way in April? Back at home, catching the rest of the speech that we had missed, we heard the beginning of a not-so-subtle answer. Zemmour had named his new political party Reconquest, evoking the medieval expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula.

Philippe Lemoine, writing for the recently founded Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, offers a more favorable view:

However, although he opposes immigration and despite what many people say, he doesn’t have a racial conception of Frenchness, which indeed would be rather weird since he is of non-European descent. He thinks that anyone can be French, no matter their background, but that being French involves adopting French culture and not just having French citizenship. He often criticizes people who claim that, in order to be French, one just has to adhere to human rights and a few other abstract principles. But while he thinks that anyone can in theory be French, he believes that France, which has been unable to assimilate the non-European immigrants who are already here, won’t be able to do so — let alone assimilate newcomers — if we don’t stop immigration. Therefore, he doesn’t attack only illegal immigration, but also and even mainly legal immigration. This includes asylum, which he wants to reduce to a few hundred people a year at most, citing Japan as his model because it only accepted 47 refugees in 2020.

Apart from immigration, Zemmour is a traditional conservative on most issues, but unlike most conservative politicians — who are far more liberal than their voters and say a lot of things they don’t really mean to get their votes when they’re running for office — there can be no doubt that he truly believes what he says, because he was already saying the same things before he decided to run for president. He is openly and stridently anti-woke, wants to remove what he calls “LGBT ideology” from schools and return to traditional pedagogy, increase the number of places in prison and the severity of sentences, etc. While in the past he has expressed somewhat heterodox views on economics, he is running on a very traditional French right-wing platform, pro-capitalism without being libertarian. . .

There is still a pretty high probability that Zemmour won’t even make it to the second round of the presidential election and, even if he does, Macron remains the overwhelming favorite. However, while it’s still unlikely, I think the hypothesis that Zemmour will be the next president of France is higher than most people realize. If what I said above is right, it’s about 15%, which is low but not so low that it can be totally ignored. Moreover, even if he won, he would still have to defeat the French “Deep State”. This won’t be easy, but Zemmour is better equipped than Trump was to do it, because as I noted above he has a much better understanding of the issues and has access to more people who are qualified to fill his administration. If he somehow managed to do all that, however, I think it would change a lot of things, not just in France but in Europe. In particular, the ideological balance of power in the EU would be deeply transformed, because it’s one thing if a small country like Hungary is governed by a “populist” government but it’s quite another if it’s the second-largest country in the Union and the only one with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Zemmour made another short address for new year’s. Here is the text in its entirety:

My dear countrymen— I’m not going to talk to you in the stilted language of typical new year’s resolutions. The upcoming year will be a very important year, out of those still to be carved into the history of France.

One day, I promise you, our descendants will say of us, “In 2022, they were courageous. They were clearsighted. They were great ones. They measured up to faith their nation put in them. They believed in themselves. They believed in France. They were audacious, intelligent, hardworking and ambitious. They were French.”

They will say of us, “They left behind a nightmare five year term, which was led by a void of a Presidency without form or content, to economic decline, to uncontrolled pandemic, to invasive insecurity, to immigration run wild, to unbridled Islamization— not to speak of the weakening of their identity.”

“And to the amazement of all, they conquered fate. They refused to submit. They took their destiny into their own hands. They turned back political correctness and censorship. They convinced, and they vindicated, and they initiated the Reconquest.”

They will say of us, “They were the generation that refused to play the hypocritical games of professional politicians. They had the courage to see what is real. They had the daring of truth, armed with their history, their traditions, their culture, their way of life— everything that makes them proud. In 2022, they did away with tepidity, wiped out weakness and shattered mediocrity.”

They will say of us, “They were the generation that brought back to an unrivaled nation the grandeur of its independence, the power of its commerce, the dignity of its farmers, the genius of its artisans, the splendor of its industry. They were free men of free France.”

2022 will be the year of our last chance. We cannot give up. We alone have the choice. I need you— your optimism, your enthusiasm, your power of conviction. On the evening of April 24, 2022, we will be renewed— this country with no other equal, that takes pride in belonging to no one, in submitting to no one, that obeys only its own destiny. The road is wide open before us. We just have to win. And we will win, because we have the courage, and we want it. We wanted it before. We have wanted it for so long.

Now, leave doubt and bitterness behind us. Goodby to weakness, resignation and submission. Goodbye, Emmanuel Macron. Hello, France. The Reconquest begins tonight at midnight. The future will be proud of us. Our children and grandchildren will be proud of us.

Happy New Year, from the bottom of my French heart. Long live 2022, long live the Republic, long live the Reconquest, and above all, long live France!

 

 

  
The year of living “scandal free”

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 07:27 AM PST

(Scott Johnson)Jonathan Turley relegates his analysis of the allegedly “scandal free” Biden administration of the past year to his personal site. He puts it this way in his heading: “The Media Celebrates a Year of Free From Political Scandal and Press Scrutiny.” Professor Turley dryly tees up his assessment of the media celebration:

There is ample reason for the White House and many in the media to celebrate the lack of scandals in the Biden Administration because it was a collective effort.

Of course, four years ago, the media was all-in on the Russian collusion allegations. The media was doing non-stop coverage of the Steele dossier with little scrutiny or effort to uncover those who funded it. The dossier was later discredited and American intelligence warned that Russian intelligence may have used it to plant disinformation. While the Clinton campaign repeatedly denied funding the dossier, it was revealed (after the election) that not only did the Clinton campaign fund and push the dossier but also allegedly lied to Congress, the media, and the FBI. Clinton campaign chair John Podesta allegedly denied such funding to congressional staff. According to reports, sitting next to him was Clinton attorney Marc Elias (who was later found to have funded the dossier through the Clinton campaign’s legal account).

The only thing more impressive than the relentless coverage of Trump scandals in 2017 was the relentless avoidance of Biden scandals in 2020. The media did give passing coverage to the host of Biden false claims and stories that range from saying that he was “arrested trying to see Nelson Mandela” to his evolving Amtrak claims to reinventing his positions on foreign wars like Afghanistan. There were also federal violations by Biden officials and allegations of improper presidential influence on pending investigations. However, when it came to scandals that could implicate the President in more serious misconduct (or contradict his past denials), the media was thoroughly uninterested.

Consider just three of the Voldemort scandals of 2020, or those scandals which must not be named by the media…

Professor Turley’s column deserves more attention than it will attract on his personal site. I want to take the liberty of drawing it to the attention to interested readers.

The only thing more impressive than the relentless coverage of Trump scandals in 2017 was the relentless avoidance of Biden scandals in 2020. The media did give passing coverage to the host of Biden false claims and stories…https://t.co/6orZBhslaZ

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 2, 2022

 

  
You are subscribed to email updates from Power LinePower Line.
To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.		 Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

85.) THE POLITICAL INSIDER – WAKE UP EDITION

 

86.) THE PATRIOT POST

 

87.) DECISION DESK HQ

 

88.) DIGG

 

89.) THE POLITICAL INSIDER – LUNCH BREAK

 

90.) CONSERVATIVE TRIBUNE

 

91.) USA TODAY

usatoday.com
Daily Briefing
TUESDAY, JANUARY 4
Voting rights activists hold a sign during the Good Trouble Candlelight Vigil for Democracy supporting voting rights, at Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, D.C., on July 17, 2021.
Is America going to be all right?
Americans say democracy is in peril, Biden and Harris will meet with the COVID-19 response team and more news to start your Tuesday.
click here
Happy Tuesday, Daily Briefing readers! A new USA TODAY/Suffolk poll reveals Americans aren’t very optimistic about the state of democracy in America, but the reasons why are drastically different. President Biden is set to deploy more resources in an effort to curb the lightning-fast spread of omicron. And more snow, gusty winds and heavy rain are in store as a fierce winter storm continues to linger and cause havoc across the nation.
It’s Jane and Steve, with Tuesday’s news.
⚖️ Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes was convicted on four counts of fraud and conspiracy following a lengthy trial. The once-celebrated entrepreneur was accused of duping investors and patients about a flawed blood-testing technology that she hailed as a medical breakthrough.
Elizabeth Holmes leaves the federal court in San Jose, Calif. on Sept. 8, 2021.
Elizabeth Holmes leaves the federal court in San Jose, Calif. on Sept. 8, 2021.
Nic Coury, AP
👶 “I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed”: Tristan Thompson is kicking off 2022 with a public apology to Khloé Kardashian.
☄️  “Meteor explosion”: On New Year’s Day, people in southwestern Pennsylvania heard an explosion. A meteorologist later confirmed with USA TODAY that the flash was indeed a meteor, according to NASA.
🔵 Trump kids subpoenaed: Attorney General Letitia James has issued subpoenas to Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as part of an ongoing fraud inquiry examining the operations of former President Donald Trump’s real estate business.
The New York attorney general has issued subpoenas to Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as part of an ongoing fraud inquiry examining the operations of former President Donald Trump's real estate business.
The New York attorney general has issued subpoenas to Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as part of an ongoing fraud inquiry examining the operations of former President Donald Trump’s real estate business.
USA TODAY
👯‍♂️ “It’s crazy to me”: Twins in California were born just 15 minutes apart, but their birthdays are on separate days, months and years.
🎧 On today’s 5 Things podcast, national correspondent Trevor Hughes reports on new challenges Native Americans are facing against omicron. You can listen to the podcast every day on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

Americans say democracy is in peril but disagree on why, new poll shows
Americans by overwhelming margins see the nation’s democracy as in peril , a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll released Tuesday found, but that consensus is based on starkly conflicting assessments of the assault on the U.S. Capitol nearly one year ago. Across partisan lines, more than 8 in 10 Republicans, Democrats and independents say they are worried about the future of America’s democracy. They disagree on whether the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 represented an effort to undermine democracy, or fix it. Eighty-five percent of Democrats call the rioters “criminals.” Two-thirds of Republicans say, “They went too far, but they had a point.” The poll of 1,000 registered voters, taken by landline and cellphone Dec. 27-30, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Biden to make remarks after meeting with COVID response team
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the White House coronavirus response team Tuesday to receive an update on the omicron variant and to discuss the administration’s response, according to a White House source. That includes updates about resources being sent to communities to help with staffing needs and the latest data on the variant, which says that while cases continue to rise, fully vaccinated and boosted Americans who get infected are not likely to have severe symptoms. These developments come as the intensely rapid spread of omicron and a backlog of cases from the New Year’s weekend has resulted in U.S. health authorities tallying more than three times as many new cases as in any previous wave of the coronavirus — over 1 million reported on Monday alone. About 1 of every 100 Americans will have been reported as a positive case in just the last week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Just for subscribers:
🔴 A near-death miscarriage changed her life. One mom’s experience sparked a passion for maternal mental health care.
🖋 USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll: A red flag for the GOP in general and a red flag for Biden on job approval.
🏈 Opinion: Antonio Brown’s blow-up with the Buccaneers had no victims – only willing participants.
💰 Seven surefire financial tips to kick off 2022: COVID still dominates our daily life, inflation is raging and the stock market beckons. That’s a lot for investors to consider.
These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Here is all of our subscriber content.

Newsmakers in their own words: House Republicans clash with each other
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, on July 22, 2020.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, on July 22, 2020.
Pool photo by Anna Moneymaker; USA TODAY graphic
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, are clashing on social media after the Georgia conservative implored the Texas Republican to “stop calling himself a conservative” for suggesting the Federal Emergency Management Agency could aid in COVID-19 testing.
During an interview with Fox News Channel last week, Crenshaw also said the federal government should focus more resources on distributing monoclonal antibodies faster and reducing the toll on hospitals by recruiting health care workers from the military or FEMA. On Sunday, Greene reprimanded Crenshaw from her Gab.com account. That led to Crenshaw’s comments to Greene, which came via Instagram stories.

Powerful winter storm to linger in some areas after lashing US
A powerful winter storm that dumped snow on the Plains, Midwest and interior Northeast over the past few days is expected to linger Tuesday. Gusty winds up to 65 miles per hour could hit the region, according to the National Weather Service. Western Washington state and Oregon saw a mix of rain and snow while heavy snow, gusty winds, drifts and crashes shut down mountain passes and some highways. The Northwest could see heavy rain and possible flooding along the coast Tuesday as multiple rounds of heavy snow travels across the region into the week, the weather service said. On Monday, the storm moved across the South and mid-Atlantic snarling traffic, causing five deaths, nearly 850,000 power outages and shutting down much of the federal government in Washington. The storm led to hundreds of car crashes and stuck vehicles.
Snow blankets the statues of soldiers in the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in Washington.
Snow blankets the statues of soldiers in the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in Washington.
Alex Brandon, AP

ICYMI: Some of our top stories published yesterday
📺 “I was just stupid and drunk”: Andy Cohen, who co-hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve special with Anderson Cooper, took a jab at Ryan Seacrest, who was hosting ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” the same night. On Monday, Cohen expressed regret.
🎶 “We are devastated by this loss”: Jay Weaver, a co-founding member and the bassist in contemporary Christian band Big Daddy Weave, has died of complications from COVID-19.
🌏 119 years old and counting: Kane Tanaka, who was born in 1903 and is the world’s oldest person, celebrated her 119th birthday over the weekend in a nursing home in Japan.
🗑 “Supply chain,” “new normal” and more: People want these phrases banished in 2022, according Lake Superior State University’s annual “Banished Words List.”
🏈 “He left the field and that was it”: Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians denied that former receiver Antonio Brown indicated that he could not play Sunday because of an ankle injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown (81) gestures to the crowd as he leaves the field while his team's offense is on the field against the New York Jets during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. Brown left the game and did not return. (Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media via AP)
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown gestures to the crowd as he leaves the field during the Buccaneers’ win over the New York Jets on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. Brown left the game and did not return.
The Associated Press

Judge to hear arguments in Prince Andrew case
A federal judge in New York is expected to hear arguments Tuesday on Prince Andrew’s motion to dismiss a civil suit accusing him of sexual assault. The hearing comes after an unsealed court document says that Virginia Roberts Giuffre accepted a $500,000 settlement from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2009, and agreed she wouldn’t sue Epstein or any other “potential defendant.” The Duke of York’s lawyers say that agreement should bar Giuffre from suing Andrew now​​​​​​. Giuffre’s lead lawyer, David Boies, said the 2009 settlement is “irrelevant” to the lawsuit against Andrew because it doesn’t mention the prince by name. The hearing comes in the wake of  last week’s conviction of Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, also a longtime friend of Andrew’s, who was found guilty of five of six federal counts, including sex trafficking and conspiracy, after a month-long trial.

Bye bye Blackberry
Are you still holding on to that BlackBerry for dear life? It’s time to say goodbye for good. As of Tuesday, legacy services for BlackBerry devices will go away. That means any devices running BlackBerry software “will no longer reliably function, including for data, phone calls, SMS and 9-1-1 functionality,” said the company. BlackBerry ushered in the era of smartphones, positioning itself as the dominant player in the industry in the 2000s. But with the rise of Apple’s iPhone and Google Android devices starting in 2008, BlackBerry devices fell out of favor with consumers and businesses. In 2016, BlackBerry announced it would no longer manufacture BlackBerry devices. In 2020, the company revealed it also planned to shut down legacy services tied to BlackBerry devices.
As technology for smartphones continues to evolve and develop, take a look back at the devices that started it all. From flip phones and sliders to the iPhone, take a look at 10 of the most iconic cell phones of all time, like the Blackberry Bold seen here.
The Blackberry Bold
Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

Also on Tuesday: Duke basketball and Starbucks’ Pistachio Latte
🏀 “It’s really been a very difficult time for our program”: Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said Monday that most of his players and staff contracted COVID-19, which forced the postponement of the Blue Devils’ last two games. Duke players and staff, who have not been all together since Dec. 22, will return to action Tuesday night against Georgia Tech. Duke (11-1) was ranked No. 2 in the latest Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
☕ So long, holiday drinks and pumpkin spice lattes: Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks has changed seasons and announced the return of its Pistachio Latte on Tuesday at participating U.S. and Canada locations for a limited time this winter.

📸 Photo of the day: Roethlisberger acknowledges fans after Steelers’ win 📸
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger acknowledges the fans in the stands at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh after the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 26-14 on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger acknowledges the fans in the stands at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh after the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 26-14 on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.
Philip G. Pavely, USA TODAY Sports
Ben Roethlisberger passed for 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception in what is likely his last start at home at Heinz Field, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7-1) handled the Cleveland Browns 26-14 on Monday night.
The sellout crowd roared as Roethlisberger, now 39, jogged out onto the Heinz Field turf for the 135th time as the starting quarterback and began chanting “Let’s Go Ben! Let’s Go Ben!” as he made his way out for the opening coin toss, an honor the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback took by himself.
Roethlisberger had tears in his eyes during a postgame interview with ESPN.
Click here to see more of the best photos from the Week 17 games in the NFL.  
FOLLOW US
FB TW IG
Problem viewing email? View in browser

Unsubscribe • Manage Newsletters • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights • Privacy Notice • Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy • Feedback

© 2022 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC.
7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102

92.) THE DAILY BEAST

93.) JUST THE NEWS

 

94.) SHARYL ATTKISSON

 

95.) RIGHTWING.ORG

 

96.) NOT THE BEE

 

97.) US NEWS & WORLD REPORT

 

98.) NEWSMAX

 

99.) MARK LEVIN

January 3, 2022

Posted on January 3, 2022

January 3, 2022

On Monday’s Mark Levin Show, the left will subpoena all of Donald Trump’s children, and anyone else they can to cover up for Speaker Pelosi’s dereliction of duty to keep the Capitol building safe. They will pretend that Trump is the greatest threat since the Civil War, but it’s the Democrat Party and Pelosi that is the greatest threat to democracy. This country has seen 4 presidents assassinated, it’s seen Black people prevented from voting because of Democrat Jim Crow laws, and yet the Democrats will try and trick you into believing that whatever they say is the biggest threat to democracy. What the Democrats have done to the Constitution and the presidency during Trump’s term is the biggest affront to this republic’s history. Then, a radical group focused on the secession of Puerto Rico, opened fire inside the US Capitol Building shooting 4 US Congressmen in 1954. The Weather Underground set off a bomb at the Capitol in 1971. In May of 1972 leftwing terrorists set off a bomb outside the State Department. Democrats, however, will not call these attacks an insurrection or the biggest threat to democracy, will they? Afterward, Liz Cheney admitted on cable news that her purpose on the January 6th Committee is to make sure Donald Trump never gets near the White House again. Not as Pelosi says, to get to the bottom of what really happened. This, along with the attacks from the New York Attorney General on Trump and his family are the real threat to democracy. Later, why do you think that Democrats want non-citizens to vote? Why do Democrats resist voter ID laws? It’s because they want to choose who can vote so they can make voting eligible for all, not only those legally qualified to vote.

THIS IS FROM:

Reuters
U.S. House panel eyes interim report by summer 2022 on Jan. 6 attack

C-SPAN
1954 Shooting in Congress

Daily Signal
It Didn’t Start on Jan. 6: Brief History of Terrorist Violence at Capitol

You Tube
Weather Underground Bombs the Capitol, Pentagon, and State Department

The Federalist
J6 Committee Fabricates More Evidence, Says Trump Waited 187 Minutes To Call For Peace. It Was Actually 25

Red State
Reporters Describe January 6, 2021, Like They Were at Omaha Beach, and It Turns My Stomach

Reuters
Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump subpoenaed in New York probe

Breitbart
WATCH: Bill Filed in Florida Would Allow Video, Audio Recording in Classrooms

Rumble
Gov DeSantis Slams Liberals For Saying He Was Missing

Breitbart
Hannah-Jones: Parents Shouldn’t Decide what’s Being Taught In Schools — ‘Leave That to the Educators’

Washington Post
Schumer says Senate will vote by Jan. 17 on changing rules if GOP continues to block voting rights legislation

Twitter
FLASHBACK: Sen Schumer in 2005: Eliminating the filibuster would “be a doomsday for democracy.”

The podcast for this show can be streamed or downloaded from the Audio Rewind page.

Image used with permission of Getty Images / Tasos Katopodis

100.) WOLF DAILY

 

101.) THE GELLER REPORT

Breaking news stories the media complex won’t cover. Share widely.

For more information on any post below, click through to read the full article on our website.

Schumer: Senate to Vote on Filibuster Change to Boost Stealing the Vote Bill

There it is, the final death blow – codifying election fraud. Without free and fair elections, all the flapping tongues in this once great nation will not save the republic.Schumer: Senate to Vote on Filibuster Change to Boost Voting Bill …

Iran vows revenge for Soleimani killing if Trump not put on trial

Remember when President Trump used America’s awesome power to restrain the worlds dictators and bad actors? Those days are long gone. Under the weak Biden Administration our adversaries are openly threatening America. It’s stunning. How can the …
Dan Rather, Father of Fake News, Claims ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Really Means ‘You Can’t Handle the Truth’

The media is the enemy of the people. Americans may just be waking up to that horrible truth but it has been decades in the making. The difference now is the mask is off.Dan Rather, Father of Fake News, Claims ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Really …
Non-Covid Deaths Skyrocket to Record Numbers

The inflammatory and autoimmune havoc is causing “non-covid” deaths down the line…Unprecedented: Deaths in Indiana for ages 18-64 are up 40%

This is huge. Something is killing healthy people at an unprecedented rate. It isn’t COVID. …
Jan. 6 panel to recommend new intelligence-gathering legislation, chairman says

They want to spy on Americans. Plain and simple.The Jan 6 narrative is a bigger hoax than the Russia hoax. They stole the election and they will severely punish anyone who questions it. blockquote>

Jan. 6 panel to recommend new …
MARXIST ANTOINETTE: AOC Caught Partying/Kissing Maskless at Packed Florida Bar as NYC Gets Crushed by COVID

AOC pays COVID lip service: Maskless Squad leader gets HUGE kiss from Broadway star Billy Porter at packed Miami drag bar: Florida cases spike 948%Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was spotted partying in Miami on Sunday without a face mask together …
China threatens US with ‘unbearable cost’ over Taiwan

China has no fear or respect for the Biden Administration. They also know that they have a three year window of opportunity to strengthen their global position, before President Biden is replaced by a strong POTUS. Be prepared for the possibility …
Inside Joe Biden’s disastrous negotiations with Iran

The fraudulent Biden administration careens from one catastrophe to the next -taking the country down with it.Under the Trump Administration Iran was on it’s knees. The Biden Administration came into office and immediately reversed all of …
Dr. Robert Malone to Rogan: US in ‘Mass Formation Psychosis’ Over COVID-19

Needless to say, Twitter has permanently suspended the American virologist and immunologist and ey mRNA contributor.Related: The Powerful Pfizer Presentation That Got Dr. Robert Malone Kicked Off Twitter

Real Clear Politics:

ollowing a …
2024 Watch: Trump enters 2022 as clear frontrunner for next GOP presidential nomination

President Trump is unquestionably the clear frontrunner for the Republican Party nominee in 2024. Governor DeSantis is the second most popular figure in the Republican Party. The two should just run together in 2024 to take down the Left. If …
FeedBlitz Top Slot
powered by ad choices

Did we miss anything? Let us know by hitting reply or sending an email through our site here.

We cover the news for you, and as always – you’re our best source!

 

Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy
Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz, LLC • 1800 Camden Road, Suite 107-258 • Charlotte, NC 28203, USA

 

102.) CNS

 

103.) RELIABLE NEWS

 

104.) INDEPENDENT SENTINEL

Independent Sentinel

Forgive me if I made a few spellos or repeated myself. I’ve been ill. I spent today in the hospital with several infections, but not COVID. I was surrounded by people with COVID coughing, not keeping their masks on or even putting their hands to their mouths as they coughed so there is still a chance I could get COVID. One doctor screamed at a man, Robert, who had asthma and was overweight. He has COVID. The infectious disease doctor wanted him to take Remsidir, but when Robert rejected the pills, the doctor started to yell that he’s listening to fakes on TV and the Internet, but he, with 20 years as a doctor. knows how this works. I had the impression he wanted Robert to live and was very sincere, but Robert rejected the drug. The doctor also told Robert he was going to die if he didn’t take the drugs. I’m praying for Robert.

Back to Politics.

The Arizona auditor found substantial counterfeit balloting.

Pfizer has a COVID pill with a microchip in it to make sure people are behaving and taking the pill.

Amsterdam told Australia, here, hold my beer, and set the dogs on protesters to maul them while police hit them with batons.

image 10 Richest Billionaires’ Increased Wealth as Middle Class Went DownIf you want a look at The Great Reset, this next article will give you a sense of it. The Elite take over and own everything, we become the feudal…
image Mass Psychosis Explains It AllDespite the terrible state of the country and the absolutely immoral racist policies of this administration, the fact that half the country is still behind it is alarming. Obviously, the…
image AZ Auditor Found Substantial Counterfeit BallotingAudit principal Jovan H Pulitzer confirmed last night on his podcast that the counterfeit ballot issue is substantial and under active AZ AG investigation. Canadian specialty ballot paper manufacturer is assisting.…
image More Anchor Babies Are Born in the US Than Citizen babiesOpen borders activists have worked with far-left politicians to push Presidents Obama & Biden to abuse their prosecutorial discretion, violating the Constitution. Obama and Biden told the DHS and U.S.…
image Planeload of Illegal Aliens Crashed on Our Side of the BorderA call for an airplane crash led deputies with the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office to the scene of a human smuggling attempt gone wrong Thursday, according to PCSO. A plane…
image Bannon Warns of Imminent Catastrophe Because of Inept JoeOur supermarkets are hiring armed guards. Crime is skyrocketing in 16 major cities. The CDC issues guidelines that have nothing to do with the science. The economy is collapsing, our…
image Pfizer Has a COV Pill with a Microchip In ItWTH! Now Pfizer has a Cov pill with a microchip in it. This is way past vaccine passports. What kind of crazy Orwellian world are we living in? Do you…
image Amsterdam Police Let Dogs Maul Protesters as They Beat Them With Batons to Improve HealthAmsterdam has modeled themselves after Australia with tanks, tear gas, rubber bullets against protesters. They get them fired.They decided it wasn’t enough so they went further. Now, they look like…
image RACE DISCRIMINATION IN COV TREATMENT REACHES BEYOND NYRACE DISCRIMINATION IN COVID TREATMENT REACHES BEYOND NEW YORK The unelected governor of New York will only allow monoclonal antibodies for all non-whites. Whites can only get them if they…
image Why Won’t the GOP Remove Liz Cheney from the CaucusGood question, “Why won’t the GOP remove Liz from the caucus?” Perhaps they are afraid of her high-powered, deep-pocketed donors. Or maybe they want to hurt Trump and their own…
image RFK Jr: Nobody Has Complied Their Way Out of TotalitarianismRKF: “Nobody has ever complied their way out of totalitarianism . . .” pic.twitter.com/RYfsCDtDp0 — Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) January 2, 2022
To change your subscription, click here.

105.) DC CLOTHESLINE

View in Browser
Unsubscribe
DC Clothesline
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
DC Clothesline
1038 Merchants Drive
Dallas, GA 30132
Copyright © 2022 DC Clothesline. All Rights Reserved.
UNSUBSCRIBE | PRIVACY POLICY

106.) ARTICLE V LEGISLATORS’ CAUCUS

 

107.) BECKER NEWS

 

108.) SONS OF LIBERTY

View in Browser
Unsubscribe
Sons of Liberty Media
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
You Might Like
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Sons of Liberty Media
P.O.Box 1126
Annandale, Minnesota 55302
Copyright © 2022 Sons of Liberty Media. All Rights Reserved.
UNSUBSCRIBE | PRIVACY POLICY

109.) STARS & STRIPES

 

 

110.) RIGHT & FREE

 

111.) UNITED VOICE

 

112.) THE DAILY SHAPIRO

 

113.) INSURGENT CONSERVATIVES
My Christmas Story

“It’s a Wonderful Life” occupies a top spot on my list of favorite Christmas movies, but “The Family Man” is not far behind. The first is about a man who, in…

Insurgent Conservatives

PO Box 8161 Greenwood, IN 46142

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe here.

114.) WAKING TIMES

 

115.) UNCOVER DC

 

UncoverDC

Actual Journalism™
Excerpts:

Insurer Says Deaths For Ages 18-64 Up 40%, COVID-19 Not to Blame

Compared to pre-pandemic levels, deaths among people 18-64-year-olds are up by 40%— the highest ever recorded by the industry responsible for protecting against loss of life. Declaring the increase has no connection to COVID-19 “vaccines,” Scott Davison, CEO of Indianapolis-based insurance company OneAmerica, discussed the unprecedented data at an online news conference held by the […]

The post Insurer Says Deaths For Ages 18-64 Up 40%, COVID-19 Not to Blame appeared first on UncoverDC.

Read on »

Dark To Light: Beanz Energy – First Show Of The Year

Beanz flies solo today and lets it all out. She talks about the ever-changing COVID narrative and why they have to do it, the vaccine rollout, breaking news on boosters for kids, what Fauci and Hayes are now saying, and the ridiculousness of it all is talked about today during the podcast. Lots of links […]

The post Dark To Light: Beanz Energy – First Show Of The Year appeared first on UncoverDC.

Read on »

The News of Today is the History of Tomorrow January 3, 2022

The News of Today is the History of Tomorrow IN POLITICAL NEWS 1) The investigation into the great fraud of 2020 isn’t quite dead yet. Over 70 subpoenas issued in the Wisconsin election investigation. Michael Gableman Issues Over 70 Subpoenas In Wisconsin Election Investigation 2) Slimy RINO Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan (who voted for […]

The post The News of Today is the History of Tomorrow January 3, 2022 appeared first on UncoverDC.

Read on »
Share
Tweet
Forward
View this email in your browser
Copyright © 2022 UncoverDC, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

 

116.) DC DIRTY LAUNDRY

View in Browser
Unsubscribe
DC Dirty Laundry
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
DC Dirty Laundry
1038 Merchants Drive
Dallas, GA 30132
Copyright © 2022 DC Dirty Laundry. All Rights Reserved.
UNSUBSCRIBE | PRIVACY POLICY