Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Wednesday January 19, 2022
1.) THE DAILY SIGNAL
Good morning from Washington, where liberals can’t wait to spend billions more on pandemic “relief.” Rachel Greszler has plenty of reasons to say no. The left just doesn’t get this capitalism thing, Richard Reinsch writes. On the podcast, we explore whether Americans are as indifferent to the plight of China’s Uyghur Muslims as an NBA investor claims. Plus: how to reform cash bail; a Christian singer says a major publisher fears the mob; and the media’s false racism charges against a conservative law clerk. Seventy years ago today, the Professional Golfers Association announces a committee’s vote allowing black golfers to compete in events co-sponsored by the PGA.
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2.) THE EPOCH TIMES
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POSITIVE NEWS EPOCH OPINION A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR ‘Unsilenced’ to Be Released in Select Theaters on January 21 Audience Award Winner – 2021 Austin Film Festival When the Chinese Communist Party launches a brutal crackdown against 100 million citizens, a jaded American reporter and a group of college students in Beijing risk everything to expose the deadly propaganda and fight for freedom. A thriller based on true events, Unsilenced exposes how a state-run propaganda machine fabricates deadly lies and crushes voices of dissent. It also shows the role that truthful journalism can play in times of oppression. For trailer and full theater list, visit UnsilencedMovie.com. EPOCH TV EPOCH FUN If this email has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up, please click here. Advertisement: Copyright © 2022 The Epoch Times, All rights reserved. The Epoch Times, 229 W 28th St, Fl.5, New York, NY 10001
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3.) DAYBREAK
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4.) THE SUNBURN
Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 1.19.22
Good Wednesday morning.
The fundraising arm for Democratic Senate campaigns has pulled in nearly $3 million since Sen. Lauren Book took over as Senate Democratic Leader.
Senate Victory said the fundraising total puts it in its “strongest position to date,” surpassing the previous high watermark of $2.1 million raised by then-Democratic Leader-designate Oscar Braynon during the same period in the 2016 election cycle.
The $2.9 million total includes money raised this year ahead of the Legislative Session fundraising blackout and benefited two funds: The official Florida Democratic Party committee account and the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
Finance reports show FDLCC pulled down $839,750 last year, with $568,250 coming in after Book was named Democratic Leader in late April. The committee started 2022 with $622,820 in the bank. The Florida Democratic Party raised about $6 million last year, including money not raised by Book. It had $13.6 million on hand on Jan. 31.
“This level of fundraising strength is truly unprecedented and speaks to Leader Book’s commitment to a successful election cycle that protects the 16-seats held by Senate Democrats today,” Senate Victory said in a memo outlining its fundraising efforts.
Senate Victory said the money will fund new hires in the “critical seats” currently held by Tallahassee Sen. Loranne Ausley and Tampa Sen. Janet Cruz. Additionally, Senate Victory has worked with filed candidates in likely competitive seats and plans to share more details once new district lines are finalized.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@Redistrict: Raise your hand if you expected the ultimate fate of 2022 redistricting to come down to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vs. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).
—@ChristinaPushaw: If you genuinely believe that Florida is the Third Reich, you are *free to leave any time*. Jews and others who were forced into concentration camps by Nazis, were not free to leave. That fact alone shows how absurd, offensive, and sick this entire comparison is.
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—@EvanAxelbank: Glad to see cases dropping in FL Not that the numbers are pretty, but to see 7-day avg go from 72k to 50k in a week is welcome Feel free to keep falling, and never come back!
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—@MinaKimes: Trying to dunk on NICK FREAKIN SABAN for not winning enough is like saying the weather sucks in California when it rains once a year. Galaxy brain stuff.
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‘Ozark’ final season begins — 2; ‘Billions’ begins — 4; Red Dog Blue Dog charity event — 6; James Madison Institute’s Stanley Marshall Day Celebration in Jacksonville — 9; XXIV Olympic Winter Games begins — 16; Super Bowl LVI — 25; Will Smith’s ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ reboot premieres — 25; season four of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ begins — 28; ‘The Walking Dead’ final season part two begins — 32; Daytona 500 — 32; Special Election for Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 3 — 35; CPAC begins — 37; St. Pete Grand Prix — 37; Joe Biden to give State of the Union — 41; ‘The Batman’ premieres — 44; the third season of ‘Atlanta’ begins — 63; season two of ‘Bridgerton’ begins — 65; The Oscars — 67; Macbeth with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga begin performances on Broadway — 69; Grammys rescheduled in Las Vegas — 74; federal student loan payments will resume — 102;’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 107;’ Top Gun: Maverick’ premieres — 128;’ Platinum Jubilee’ for Queen Elizabeth II — 134;’ Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 171; San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — 182; ‘The Lord of the Rings’ premieres on Amazon Prime — 226;’ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 261; ‘Black Panther 2’ premieres — 296; ‘The Flash’ premieres — 299; ‘Avatar 2′ premieres — 331;’ Captain Marvel 2′ premieres — 394;’ John Wick: Chapter 4′ premieres — 429; ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ premieres — 555;’ Dune: Part Two’ premieres — 639; Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games — 919.
— TOP STORIES —
“Ron DeSantis proposes special police agency to monitor elections” via Lori Rozsa and Beth Reinhard of The Washington Post — plan by DeSantis would establish a special police force to oversee state elections, the first of its kind in the nation, and while his fellow Republicans have reacted tepidly, voting rights advocates fear that it will become law and be used to intimidate voters. The proposed Office of Election Crimes and Security would be part of the Department of State, answering the Governor. DeSantis asks the GOP-controlled Legislature to allocate nearly $6 million to hire 52 people to “investigate, detect, apprehend, and arrest anyone for an alleged violation” of election laws. They would be stationed at unspecified “field offices throughout the state” and act on tips from “government officials or any other person.”
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“DeSantis shakes up Florida redistricting as veto concerns grow” via Matt Dixon of Florida Politics — DeSantis upended Florida’s redistricting process over the weekend, submitting his own proposed congressional map that carves out more Republican-friendly districts and is already sparking threats of lawsuits. DeSantis’ general counsel, Ryan Newman, formally filed the proposed map Sunday night in a move that surprised leaders in the GOP-led Florida House and Senate. The lawmakers see the highly unusual proposal as the most direct signal yet that DeSantis would veto the congressional map already awaiting a yet-to-be-scheduled floor vote in the Senate. Florida gained one seat in Congress in 2022 for a total of 28. The state Senate’s proposal includes 16 seats Donald Trump would have won in 2020 compared to 12 for Biden. DeSantis’ map consists of 18 seats Trump would have won that year.
“Al Lawson blasts congressional redistricting proposal from DeSantis” via James Call of USA Today Network — DeSantis’ entry into congressional redistricting landed with a thud among Democrats, minorities and data experts. A proposal released Sunday night wipes out a seat that includes half of Tallahassee and is currently occupied by the dean of Leon County politics, Lawson, who served nearly three decades in the Florida Legislature before his election to Congress in 2016. A quick review of the plan shows it benefits Republicans at the expense of Black and Hispanic voters. Two decades ago, the Legislature created six minority-access districts, three for each group of historically underrepresented residents.
—DATELINE TALLY —
“Carlos Guillermo Smith tests positive for COVID-19; several Senators absent from Capitol” via Skylar Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel — An Orlando legislator has COVID-19, and the absence of several state Senators prompted a legislative committee to cancel a meeting Tuesday. State Rep. Smith announced he tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday morning after experiencing moderate symptoms over the weekend. “I’m fully vaxxed, boosted, and now as a result — nearly 100% better!” he wrote in a tweet. Smith wrote he is in isolation away from the Capitol but will continue to work remotely. The Florida Capitol has no COVID-19 protocols in place. Smith has been wearing a mask, but most lawmakers haven’t.
—”Will omicron be a wrecking ball during the 2022 Session?” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics
“Florida could shield whites from ‘discomfort’ of racist past” via Brendan Farrington of The Associated Press — A bill pushed by DeSantis that would prohibit public schools and private businesses from making white people feel “discomfort” when they teach students or train employees about discrimination in the nation’s past received its first approval Tuesday. The Senate Education Committee approved the bill that takes aim at critical race theory on party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. Democrats argued the bill isn’t needed, would lead to frivolous lawsuits, and said it would amount to censorship in schools. They asked, without success, for real-life examples of teachers or businesses telling students or employees that they are racist because of their race.
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“Senate wants to boost benefits for foster families but can Wilton Simpson get the money he needs?” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — The Florida Senate is pushing ahead with the second round of changes to the state’s foster care system, a top priority this Session for Simpson. The question is: Can Simpson get the funding he needs in the state budget to make it happen? A Senate committee Tuesday unanimously agreed to introduce a bill that would boost the amount of money paid monthly to relatives and non-relatives who take in children, as well as provide a $200 monthly subsidy to foster parents and other caregivers who bring in preschool children to help cover the cost of child care or early learning programs. The measure is supported by the Florida Coalition for Children, the Children’s Home Society of Florida and the Florida Foster and Adoptive Parent Association.
“Florida’s ‘dire’ insurance market could get boost under Danny Burgess bill” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — One way Florida may try to bolster the state’s rickety property insurance market is by pushing ahead with a bill that would allow domestic insurers already in the state to start selling what is known as surplus lines insurance, a type of coverage that is less regulated than traditional policies. The measure unanimously cleared the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Tuesday. Sen. Burgess, the sponsor of SB 1402, said Florida was following the lead of 21 other states. While committee member Sen. Annette Taddeo voted for the bill, she asked Burgess to explain what happens if a surplus lines carrier becomes insolvent. He admitted that “there’s inherent risks in doing this. That is made abundantly clear to consumers when they are electing this coverage.” The bill comes when Florida’s property insurance market is in “dire” shape.
“Travis Hutson files amendment addressing home rule concerns with preemption bill” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Sen. Hutson has filed an amendment to a controversial preemption bill (SB 280) that could soften the blow to home rule. The legislation would still require counties and municipalities to provide a business impact estimate before passing local ordinances, but the amendment makes clear governments can outsource estimation to outside groups. Hutson also added to a list of exemptions for the estimate requirement. The law also allows a legal avenue for businesses to sue governments to stop ordinances from going into effect. But Hutson’s amendment empowers local governments to lift any stay on enforcement if they win in court, even if they are waiting on an appeal.
“Measure to prevent citizen initiatives from ‘diluting’ constitution advances” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — The proposed measure (HJR 1127), carried by Lithia Republican Rep. Mike Beltran, would limit the subject of citizen initiatives to procedural matters or the structure of government or the constitution. While the measure passed the House Public Integrity and Elections Committee, the proposed constitutional amendment received pushback from Democrats and activist groups. Lawmakers in recent years have imposed a variety of restrictions on the citizen initiative process to limit paid signature gathering and shorten the time for acquiring signatures. Proponents say that work is part of a broader effort to reserve the constitution for functional matters, not policy matters. Democrats contend proposed limitations to the amendment process are a response to the public passing constitutional amendments after the Legislature failed to act on popular policies.
“Corrections over counties: Jason Pizzo says Florida must prioritize DOC mission in addressing struggling prison system” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — Chris Doolin started, as he said, by putting a flag on the beach. “We know that (the Department of Corrections) is struggling. We know that the Legislature has to deal with the challenges they have,” he told the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. He spoke to the committee following a presentation from Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon. Dixon runs the country’s third-largest prison system. But the infrastructure used to house and rehabilitate Florida’s 80,000 incarcerated inmates and 144,000 supervised offenders is crumbling. The state prison system needs to fall at or below a 3% vacancy rate among officers to operate at safe and adequate levels. The department is currently sitting at a nearly 32% vacancy rate.
“$5K bonuses for police recruits, part of pro-cop agenda, advance in Legislature” via Michael Moline of Florida Phoenix — A key plank in DeSantis pro-cop, election-year agenda sailed through its first committee test in the Florida House on Tuesday, when only a single Democrat voted no. The measure (HB 3) calls for $5,000 signing bonuses for people who join state or local law enforcement agencies, whether transferring from police jobs in other states or entering the profession for the first time, plus additional bonuses and benefits for cops. When DeSantis first suggested the idea in October, some critics warned he wanted to reward cops fleeing workplace vaccine mandates in other states. He’s up for re-election this year and possibly eyeing a run for President in 2024. DeSantis disavowed that intent at the time, insisting the idea was to succor officers who feel they are being “mistreated” in their existing jobs.
“Florida resiliency plan scrutinized for failure to address prevention, aid smaller communities” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — The Florida Department of Environmental Protection presented its first Resilient Florida plan on Tuesday evening. The plan provided a preliminary outline for the Resilient Florida Grant Program, the state’s new annual $100 million commitment to tackle issues around sea level rise and mitigation efforts. The program was established under SB 1954, a 2021 legislative priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls signed into law by DeSantis last summer. Adam Blalock, the DEP Deputy Secretary for Ecosystems Restoration, presented the proposal to the committee. Pinellas County Democratic Rep. Ben Diamond criticized the framework of the grant program, saying it focused too heavily on the inevitability of sea-level rise rather than addressing the root issues that cause it.
— TALLY 2 —
—”Which incumbents could be forced to face off under the Senate map headed for a floor vote?” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
“League of Women Voters slams Senate’s proposed redistricting maps” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — The League of Women Voters of Florida President blasted the Senate’s two redistricting plans as unconstitutional. Their missive argued the maps “violate the U.S. Constitution, the Voting Rights Act and Florida’s Constitution because the new district maps don’t adequately reflect the growth of minorities in the state since the 2010 Census and they unfairly favor one party over another.” That’s especially noteworthy as the League served as a high-profile plaintiff in a successful challenge of maps produced by the Legislature a decade ago. The criticism from the League this year could portend more litigation.
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“New Florida House map settles disputes in old drafts” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Unlike a prior effort in November, when the House drafted two maps, only one map hit the state website. That could be an indication the House Redistricting Committee now wants to work off a single document. The map dropped less than a week after a chief House Redistricting Committee workshop. The map (H 8009) seems in many places to settle draft disputes in regions where two choices had been laid out before. For example, prior drafts disagreed about drafting House Districts 1 and 2. One map (H 8005) stacked HD 1 to cover the northwestern-most portion of Florida, with HD 2 located almost entirely to its south until hitting the coast. But the other (H 8007) Imagined an HD 1 that included all the low-density areas of the westernmost district in the Panhandle but encompassed a denser HD 2.
“House Democrats criticize previous lawmakers, DeSantis over affordable housing” via Tristan Wood of Florida Politics — House Democratic leadership is criticizing previous lawmakers and the current Governor for their inaction addressing affordable housing issues. Minority Leader Evan Jenne said legislators who are no longer in office failed to take affordable housing issues seriously, which has made it difficult to deal with the problem now that it is in every corner of the state. Rep. Fentrice Driskell criticized a process called sweeping, where the money allocated to affordable housing gets diverted to the General Revenue Fund for other things. The Legislature has swept more than $2 billion from affordable housing in the state since 2007.
“Lawmaker wants to remove three state holidays honoring the Confederacy” via WFLA — As celebrations pour in for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today, some Floridians are preparing for another birthday later this week. Wednesday, Jan. 19, is Robert E. Lee’s birthday, the general who commanded the Confederate Army. Lee’s birthday is one of three legal holidays in Florida celebrating the confederacy, along with Jefferson Davis’s birthday and Confederate Memorial Day. Democratic State Senator and Minority Leader Book filed a bill for the third time in five years to remove them from state law. “With all of the hate and divisiveness we see today, it’s more important than ever to condemn racism,” Book said in February of last year about her bill. But Book will face an uphill battle. Her previous bills failed in committee, and opposition has been vocal.
“Bill to create alternative to security deposit for Florida renters clears first hurdle” via Jeffrey Schweers of USA Today Network — A Republican lawmaker says his bill to allow landlords to charge tenants a nonrefundable fee in place of an upfront security deposit would help ease the state’s current affordable housing crunch. But some of his Democratic colleagues in the state Senate say the bill needs a lot more work to protect tenants’ rights before they can support the measure. “I know you are trying to do a good thing, but it needs a little more … parameters,” Sen. Audrey Gibson told bill sponsor Jim Boyd at the bill’s first hearing Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gibson is the panel’s vice-chair. Sen. Tina Polsky said her biggest concern was that the bill didn’t require landlords to deposit the fees in an escrow account or return the fees to the tenants at the end of their lease, as required with security deposits.
“College president search exemption bill advances, but with shorter open record time frame” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — Legislation that would provide a public records exemption for information about applicants seeking a state university or college presidential position cleared its first House committee stop Tuesday in a 14-4 vote, but it did not make it through unscathed. The measure (HB 703), filed by Rep. Sam Garrison, is known all too well by state lawmakers. This will be the proposal’s eighth time trying to cross the finish line in Florida’s Legislature, with Garrison introducing the bill as “further proof it’s hard to keep a good bill down.” “House Bill 703 seeks to ensure the Florida law does not disincentivize our state university system for college institutions attracting the deepest, most qualified diverse group of applicants,” Garrison said.
“Jason Brodeur proposal requiring city officials to file full financial disclosures advances” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — The Senate Community Affairs Committee unanimously OK’d a bill (SB 510) by Sen. Brodeur that would add mayors, commissioners and other local elected officials, as well as municipal managers, to the list of those required to file a Form 6 financial disclosure with the Florida Commission on Ethics. The bill, to which Rep. Spencer Roach of Fort Myers filed a House companion, would apply the financial transparency strictures outlined in Article II, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution to elected municipal officials. State officials are already required to follow those rules. Such an update is long overdue, according to Sen. Travis Hutson, who spoke on behalf of the bill.
“Bill extending life of VISIT FLORIDA breezes through House tourism committee” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — A bill to extend the sunset date of VISIT FLORIDA, the state-funded nonprofit tourism marketing corporation, breezed through the House Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee Tuesday. VISIT FLORIDA would cease to exist after Oct. 1, 2023, under current law. HB 489, sponsored by Rep. Linda Chaney, would extend its scheduled repeal date to Oct. 1, 2028. Chaney said VISIT FLORIDA uses a targeted approach to attract visitors to Florida. The bill received some pushback. Critics have accused the organization of being a form of corporate welfare and misusing taxpayer money.
“Play ball!: Joe Gruters’ national anthem bill clears first Senate committee” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee voted in favor of legislation (SB 1298) that would require a sports team to cue up the U.S. national anthem at the start of each team sporting event. “Florida is the freedom state,” said Sen. Gruters, the bill sponsor, “and if you want taxpayer dollars for your stadium, you will have to play the national anthem. It is reasonable and appropriate to think we would continue to play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at tax-funded stadiums.” The requirement would fall on any team entering into an agreement with a government entity in Florida. That includes every sports franchise playing in a government-owned or subsidized sporting venue. The presentation of the amendment sparked some curious questions.
Bill boosting AAPI history education advances — The Senate Education Committee approved a measure Tuesday requiring schools to teach Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) history. “The passage of this bill serves as an important first step in combating misinformation and discrimination around Asian cultures,” said Democratic Sen. Linda Stewart, the bill’s sponsor. “Education is key to creating a more inclusive and understanding society where we all can appreciate one another.” Schools are already required to teach African American and Hispanic history. The bill will next head to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani is sponsoring the House version.
— MORE TALLY —
“Evidence tampering ‘loophole’ bill clears House committee” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — Hiding evidence after a murder or any other capital offense may soon carry stiffer penalties under a proposal OK’d Tuesday by a House panel. Those who tamper, hide or destroy physical evidence related to a criminal case currently face a third-degree felony. Under the proposal, however, a person would face a second-degree felony, a stricter penalty, if they tampered with evidence in a capital felony case. Examples of capital offenses include first-degree murder, rape and even some drug trafficking offenses. The House Justice Appropriation Subcommittee approved the measure (HB 287) with a 12-1 vote. Republican Garrison is the bill sponsor.
“Bill to curb identity theft from crash reports narrowly avoids committee bump” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Legislation to prevent the personal information of people involved in car crashes from going public narrowly passed its first committee. The measure (SB 1614), carried by Rep. Gayle Harrell, would make indefinite the current 60-day public records exemption for the personal information of people involved in car crashes and who receive traffic tickets. Protecting that information is one way to cut down on identity theft, Harrell told the Senate Transportation Committee before the measure passed on a 4-3 vote. The hearing also featured pushback from press freedom advocates. Personal identifying information from crashes and traffic tickets are currently exempt for 60 days, except in cases that meet exemptions outlined in the 1994 federal Driver Privacy Protection Act.
“Legislature considers crackdown on kratom, a controversial herbal supplement” via Kirby Wilson of the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times — A Florida Senate committee on Tuesday advanced a proposal that could have major implications for the state’s kratom industry. The measure (SB 1076) would ban the sale of kratom to Floridians younger than 21 and put in place a series of quality-control regulations around kratom products. It would also require kratom sellers to affix a label to any product with directions for suggested use. Violators would be subject to a $500 fine for a first offense, then $1,000 fines for subsequent infractions. Sen. Joe Gruters, the bill’s sponsor, said his measure would help the state crackdown on unscrupulous businesses selling contaminated kratom products to customers.
“House committee advances boating safety bill dubbed ‘Ethan’s Law‘” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Mindy Isaacs thought little of it when she dropped off her son Ethan Isaacs at a boating event. The Sarasota Youth Sailing club would take care of him. Instead, he died in the water after a boat operator coming to help his capsized boat fell overboard and his foot hit the throttle. The motorboat then lost control and went into what boating experts call the “spiral of death.” In this case, Ethan’s life was lost. Mindy and Greg Isaacs have turned their grief into action in the year-and-a-half since their son’s death. They worked with Rep. Fiona McFarland on legislation to better educate boaters on the need to wear a cutoff device, so engines stop when an operator goes overboard. It would also require instructors of water sports, including sailing, to wear such a kill switch. On Tuesday, the House Tourism, Infrastructure and Energy Subcommittee advanced the bill (HB 701) in a unanimous vote.
FRF praises bill targeting stolen merchandise listings — The Florida Retail Federation lauded the Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism for advancing a bill (SB 944) to curb the online sale of stolen and fraudulent goods. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dennis Baxley, would require marketplaces to encourage customers to report suspicious activity and provide mechanisms for them to do so. “Online marketplace transparency will not only inform and protect Florida consumers, it will also support Florida businesses,” FRF President and CEO Scott Shalley said. “Local retailers who have suffered at the hands of organized retail crime rings will be protected through this good legislation. We are grateful to Sen. Baxley for spearheading this bill.”
“School bus camera bill passes first committee stop” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — School buses could soon carry cameras to monitor drivers around them in an attempt to prevent people from passing buses when they are stopped. The measure (SB 702), carried by Burgess, would allow school districts to install cameras on school buses to catch drivers who illegally pass buses as students are exiting. Sen. Keith Perry presented the bill to the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday, receiving unanimous support. Perry called the issue of drivers illegally passing stopped buses a “pervasive” problem. Lawmakers upped the fines for passing stopped school buses in 2019, raising the penalty for usual incidents to $200. That increased to $400 for drivers passing a bus on the same side the children get out.
Demi Busatta Cabrera named ‘Legislative Champion’ by Greater Miami Chamber — Rep. Busatta Cabrera has earned the “2022 Legislative Champion Award” from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. “Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera has been key to our state government’s focus on one of the most important issues to businesses: sea level rise,” said Greater Miami Chamber President and CEO Alfred Sanchez. “Having a comprehensive statewide plan and annual, dedicated funding was a significant accomplishment that will certainly open the door to creative, innovative solutions and business opportunities. It’s a win-win, and Representative Busatta Cabrera got it across the goal line!” The award will be presented to the Coral Gables Republican during a reception held as part of the Greater Miami Chamber’s annual Tallahassee fly-in this week.
— SKED —
Happening today — Trucking Day at the Capitol, sponsored by the Florida Trucking Association, features trucks from Walmart, Oakley, and the Florida Highway Patrol. Begins at 8 a.m. in the Capitol Courtyard.
Happening today — Sheriff’s Day at the Capitol, where Florida Sheriff’s Association members have displays and discussions with lawmakers about legislative priorities. Begins at 8:30 a.m. on the 3rd Floor Rotunda.
— The Senate Agriculture Committee meets to consider SB 732, from Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, to require employers in industries such as agriculture, construction and landscaping to take steps to prevent heat illness among workers, 8:30 a.m., Room 110 of the Senate Office Building.
— The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee meets to consider SB 520, from Chair Jeff Brandes, to extend public-records exemptions for information about applicants to become presidents of state universities and colleges, 8:30 a.m., Room 37 of the Senate Office Building.
— The Senate Health Policy Committee meets to consider SB 498, from Sen. Dennis Baxley, requiring health insurers to provide children through age 18 coverage for hearing aids, 9 a.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.
— The House Pandemics and Public Emergencies Committee meets to consider HB 215, from Rep. Nick DiCeglie, to bar closures of religious institutions during declared emergencies, 9 a.m., Room 404 of the House Office Building.
— The House Commerce Committee meets to consider HB 6031, from Rep. Chip LaMarca, repealing the limits on the sizes of wine containers, 9:30 a.m., Room 212 of the Knott Building.
— The Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee meets to consider SB 544, from Sen. Jim Boyd, to help develop the availability of opioid antagonists, used to prevent drug overdose deaths, 10:30 a.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.
— The Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee meets to consider SB 596, from Baxley, to update rules for offices of criminal conflict and civil regional counsels, 1 p.m., Room 37 of the Senate Office Building.
— The House Professions and Public Health Subcommittee meets to consider HB 5, from Rep. Erin Grall, to prevent doctors from performing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, 1 p.m., Room 212 of the Knott Building.
—The House Local Administration and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee meets to consider HB 619, from Rep. Anthony Rodriguez, requiring U.S.-made iron and steel used in public-works projects, 1 p.m., Room 404 of the House Office Building.
— The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee meets for an update from the Department of Environmental Protection on flooding and sea level rise resilience plan, 1 p.m., Morris Hall of the House Office Building.
— The House Early Learning and Elementary Education Subcommittee will receive an update on the implementation of early learning initiatives, 1 p.m., Reed Hall of the House Office Building.
Assignment editors — Sen. Travis Hutson, Garrison and the group K9s for Warriors will hold a news conference about a program that trains rescue dogs as service animals for veterans, 2:45 p.m., Fourth Floor.
— The Senate convenes a floor session to consider numerous issues, including proposed redistricting plans SB 102 and SJR 100, from Reapportionment Chair Ray Rodrigues, for congressional and Senate districts. Also, it will consider SB 7014, from Burgess, to extend COVID-19 legal protections for health care providers and SB 96 and SB 98, also from Burgess, to create a $1 billion fund that DeSantis could use during declared states of emergency, 3 p.m., Senate chamber.
— The House Civil Justice and Property Rights Subcommittee meets to consider HB 985, from Rep. Mike Beltran, to update the state’s sovereign immunity laws, including increasing a limit on payments by government agencies in lawsuits, 3:30 p.m., Room 404 of the House Office Building.
— The House Infrastructure and Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee meets to consider requests for money to fund local projects or programs, 3:30 p.m., Reed Hall of the House Office Building.
— The House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee meets to consider HB 557, from Rep. Michelle Salzman, to extend eligibility for certain cancer-treatment benefits to fire investigators, the same that are available to firefighters, 3:30 p.m., Morris Hall of the House Office Building.
— The House Secondary Education and Career Development Subcommittee meets to consider HB 573, from Rep. John Snyder, to help military members get certification as educators in Florida, 3:30 p.m., 212 of the Knott Building.
Stop on by:
— STATEWIDE —
“DeSantis gripes that Joe Biden shorted Florida on bridge repair funds” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — DeSantis’ remarks dissed the “inadequate allotment” as another “disservice to the state and its nearly 22 million residents.” He called it further evidence that Democrats in Washington just don’t want Florida to succeed. “Last week, the Biden administration announced it would continue to harm Florida for its success through the distribution of less than $245 million to Florida for bridge repairs out of the almost $27 billion in bridge investments that states will be receiving through the Bridge Formula Program within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA),” the media release read. “Despite obstacles created by the Biden administration, the State of Florida continues to thrive and foster an environment that draws new residents and tourists every single day.”
“Big business-linked group funded ‘ghost’ candidate ads, records show” via Jason Garcia and Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel — The advertising campaign promoting spoiler “ghost” candidates in key Senate races in 2020 was paid for by money from a nonprofit associated with some of Florida’s biggest businesses, according to records released Tuesday from a criminal investigation in Miami. The records show that the nonprofit, “Let’s Preserve the American Dream,” wired $600,000 on Sept. 29, 2020, to another nonprofit, “Grow United Inc.” Grow United then used that money to send $550,000 to a pair of political committees that paid for mailers touting independent candidates in three important Senate races, in what authorities say was a ploy to confuse voters and tilt the races to Republicans.
“Nikki Fried wants partisan politics out of UF presidential search” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Fried warned the University of Florida Board of Trustees against letting partisan politics cloud the school’s presidential search. Fried noted her deep involvement in the institution as a three-time University of Florida alum, a past Board of Trustees member, a current Board of Trustees member of the Levin College of Law’s Law Center Association, a past student body president, and a past presidential search committee member. She urged the board to look past the Governor’s desires in filling the position. “Allow me to express in the clearest terms: it is absolutely necessary that the search for the university’s next president be fully ethical, transparent, and nonpartisan, free from all political influence,” Fried wrote.
— The State Board of Education meets to discuss amendments to the 2022-2023 budget request, 9 a.m. 888-378-4398. Call-in code: 613479.
“Study: ICUF schools create 100,900 jobs, have $15.7B economic impact” via Florida Politics — A new economic impact study released this week that Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida institutions create 100,900 jobs and contribute $15.7 billion to the state’s economy. The study, conducted by The Regional Economic Consulting Group, also found that ICUF schools generate $1.1 billion in state and local tax revenues. Additionally, ICUF students pump $891 million into Florida communities and businesses during their time in school and every class of ICUF students adds $21 billion to Florida’s economy during the 30 years that follow graduation based on lifetime earnings for graduates who remain in Florida.
“New campaign aimed at preventing overdose deaths in Florida” via Dave McDaniel of WESH — A new initiative was announced Tuesday to prevent overdose deaths in Florida. Project Opioid named it the “Everyone Campaign,” and said the focus will be the dangers of synthetic opioids like the drug Fentanyl and urge those struggling to get help during the most recent spike in COVID-19 cases. Fentanyl is the leading driver of the massive spike in overdose deaths and was the cause of death on over 86% of the drug overdose deaths in Central Florida. The campaign will feature billboards, social media, and in-person events over the next 100 days. Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said the pandemic has made those struggling with addiction feel even more isolated. Lemma also said drug dealers are pressing pills to look like legitimate prescription drugs, but they’re pure fentanyl.
Personnel note: Samantha J. Gross is Boston bound — Reporter Samantha J. Gross announced Tuesday that she has taken a job at The Boston Globe and will leave the Miami Herald at the end of the week. “I’m incredibly honored and excited to be joining the esteemed Boston Globe politics team next month, and moving to Boston in the spring,” she tweeted. “I can’t wait for what’s to come in Massachusetts, where the political landscape is on the precipice of major change.” It’s a homecoming for Gross, who worked as a breaking news reporter at the Globe and The Dallas Morning News before joining the Miami Herald.
— CORONA FLORIDA —
“Weeks into Florida’s omicron wave, surge of COVID-19 deaths begins” via Chris Persaud of The Palm Beach Post — Florida on Friday reported its biggest COVID-19 death spike since the Thanksgiving holiday. Florida logged 470 more viral fatalities among residents statewide in the past week, health officials reported Friday, the biggest seven-day increase since Nov. 26. Deaths can take weeks to be processed and make their way into state statistics. The state’s death toll stands at 63,158 residents. Florida’s Health Department in June stopped publishing the number of nonresidents who died after testing positive here. Tourist season is in full swing.
“Florida to prioritize transplant hospitals, cancer centers for scarce COVID-19 therapeutic” via Daniel Chang of the Miami Herald — A scarce monoclonal antibody for people who cannot build immunity from COVID-19 vaccines will be prioritized for distribution to Florida hospitals with large numbers of organ transplant and cancer patients. Florida’s health department said that as of Jan. 14, “every registered provider that requested Evusheld received an allocation” and that the agency had identified 11 hospitals in the state with transplant and cancer patients and prioritized them to receive the drug, called Evusheld. “Evusheld is an important tool for providers to help protect these very high-risk patients,” Weesam Khoury, a health department spokeswoman, said. “To efficiently distribute this vital therapy, the Department prioritizes and ensures that transplant and oncology centers receive allocations of AstraZeneca for their patients.”
“Orange health officer Dr. Raul Pino on leave, under state inquiry involving vaccines” via Christie Zizo of Click Orlando — Dr. Pino, the director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange who has been so visible during the pandemic, is on administrative leave pending an inquiry. “As the decision to get vaccinated is a personal medical choice that should be made free from coercion and mandates from employers, the employee in question (Pino) has been placed on administrative leave, and the Florida Department of Health is conducting an inquiry to determine if any laws were broken in this case,” said FDOH press secretary Jeremy Redfern in a statement. “The Department is committed to upholding all laws, including the ban on vaccine mandates for government employees and will take appropriate action once additional information is known,” the statement added.
— CORONA LOCAL —
“New monoclonal antibody treatment sites open in South Florida” via Wells Dusenbury of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — The three new sites are spread throughout Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties at the West Boynton Recreation Center at 6000 Northtree Blvd. in Lake Worth; Markham Park at 16001 W. State Road 84 Sunrise; and Miami Dade College North Campus at 11380 NW 27th Ave. in Miami. Monoclonal antibodies are created in laboratories and administered to patients to prevent COVID-19 from becoming severe. They block the COVID-19 virus from entering the body’s cells, making the patient more likely to experience a mild case.
“COVID-19 levels in northern Palm Beach County sewage skyrocket as local groups try to fill testing gap” via Katherine Kokal of The Palm Beach Post — As residents recover from holiday gatherings and COVID-19 testing lines run long, results from sewage tests by the Loxahatchee River District show levels of coronavirus prevalence are five times higher than the previous record. Samples from Jan. 3 had 5.3 million virus copies per liter of sewage, compared to 1.18 million on Dec. 20. Bud Howard, the district’s director of information services, called the numbers from the Jan. 3 test “eye-watering.” Since May 2020, the Loxahatchee River District has contracted with a Massachusetts lab to test for virus prevalence in sewage from the Jupiter-Tequesta area that it serves. Those tests have accurately predicted clinical cases because wastewater carries virus fragments that appear before someone with COVID-19 even is symptomatic.
“Schools Superintendent Mike Burke recovering from COVID-19, credits vaccine for mild symptoms” via Sonja Isger of The Palm Beach Post — Palm Beach County schools Superintendent Burke confirmed Tuesday that he is days into recovery from COVID-19. Burke said his symptoms were mild, beginning with a scratchy throat that surfaced in the days after his return from a trip to see state lawmakers in Tallahassee last week. He said the symptoms kept him home Thursday and Friday despite negative at-home tests each day. Then Saturday, a third test came back positive, he said. “I have no idea where I got it,” Burke said. “I’m vaccinated. I’m boosted. But I guess it wasn’t enough for omicron. The good news is that’s probably why it was so mild.”
“Cocoa Beach sewage shows early January coronavirus spike” via Jim Waymer of Florida Today — The virus that causes COVID-19 bumped up to record levels in Cocoa Beach sewage at the same time it was plummeting in neighboring Cape Canaveral. City officials aren’t sure why but say they need more data before drawing any conclusions. The virus has been dropping significantly during the first few weeks of January in the sewage samples in Cape Canaveral and other municipalities that have been testing for more than a year, such as in Orange County and Boston. But the most recent data available shows that’s not quite the case yet in Cocoa Beach, which began sampling sewage in the second half of 2020. The values from early January were much higher than what the city experienced over a year ago, said Brad Kalsow, director of Cocoa Beach’s water reclamation department.
“Monoclonal clinics to fight COVID-19 open in Seminole County, statewide” via Caroline Catherman of the Orlando Sentinel — A former Walgreens on West State Road 436 will serve as a monoclonal antibody treatment center starting Tuesday. It is one of five treatment centers opened statewide to treat individuals who have contracted or been exposed to COVID-19. The clinics opened following an announcement that DeSantis had secured 15,000 doses of Regeneron for statewide distribution. There are four other monoclonal antibody sites near Orlando: An Orange County site at Clarcona Elementary, located at 3340 Damon Road; a site in The Villages’ Barnstorm Theater, at 2720 Brownwood Blvd; the St. Cloud Civic Center, at 3101 17th Street; and the Rockledge City Center, 920 Barton Blvd., in Rockledge.
“Health department again reports record-high COVID-19 cases for Sarasota, Manatee” via Anne Snabes and Mike Stucka of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Sarasota and Manatee counties once again broke records for the number of COVID-19 cases reported by the state health department in a week. The Florida Department of Health reported 6,089 new cases in Sarasota County and 5,423 in Manatee County the week of Jan. 7-13. These numbers surpass the previous records for weekly case numbers, which were set the previous week. The Department of Health reported 5,010 cases in Sarasota County and 4,567 cases in Manatee the week of Dec. 31 to Jan. 6. Sarasota County’s positivity rate was 25.9%, and Manatee’s was 27.2% for the week ending Thursday.
“USF Health leader Charles Lockwood gets top citizen award from Chamber” via Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times — Lockwood, dean of Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida, senior vice president for USF Health, and executive vice president at Tampa General Hospital, has been named the 2022 Citizen of the Year by the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce. In a statement this week, Chris Bentley, chair of the Chamber’s board, said that Lockwood was selected for his leadership through the pandemic.
“Tampa General offers new drug to protect vulnerable from COVID-19” via Christopher O’Donnell of the Tampa Bay Times — While the omicron variant is believed to be less deadly than delta, it’s far more contagious. So, it’s still a deadly threat to those at high risk from COVID-19: The elderly, immune-compromised and those with preexisting conditions. That makes COVID-19 an even greater concern at Tampa General Hospital. The hospital performs about 1,000 transplants a year, and the recipients are immunocompromised. Evusheld is an injection of long-acting antibodies that boosts the body’s ability to fight off COVID-19. The drug should lower the risk of catching or developing severe COVID-19 symptoms for at-risk individuals, including transplant patients who, even when vaccinated, have low levels of antibodies, said Tampa General chief medical officer Peggy Duggan.
— 2022 —
Assignment editors — Charlie Crist will join a group of parents from across Florida for a virtual news conference unveiling the “Parents for Crist” coalition, 9:30 a.m. Livestreaming here on Facebook. Media RSVP to press@charliecrist.com to ask questions of the attendees.
—”Anti-Defamation League rebukes Fried’s comparison of DeSantis to Adolf Hitler” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“America’s shift to the right in 2021 is worse news for Democrats than it seems” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post — So when Gallup released updated data on partisan identification on Monday showing a big swing to Republicans in 2021, my initial response was to recall that this metric in particular moves around a lot. There are two reasons that the shift measured by Gallup is important. The first affects the short-term: this year’s midterm elections. The second is about the argument that Democrats are making about their opponents, which appears not to be landing. Over the past 15 years or so, most of the movement has been among independents, a group mostly made up of voters who align with one party or the other. There were shifts in actual party identification as Republicans gained a bit and Democrats lost a bit. The shifts among leaning independents were bigger.
“Latino Dems warn about midterm falloff” via Sabrina Rodriguez of POLITICO — Democrats admit they’re losing ground with Latino voters. But Latino Democratic leaders and operatives are increasingly worried that time is running out to do anything that would make a significant difference ahead of the 2022 midterms, when the party needs a robust Latino turnout to preserve its slim majorities in Congress. For years, those leaders have warned that the party needs to invest earlier in outreach, hire more Latinos for decision-making positions and talk to Latino voters about more issues than just immigration.
“Who will challenge Carlos Giménez, Maria Salazar for seats in Congress? Don’t ask Florida Democrats” via Bianca Padró Ocasio — Evidence is piling up that Democrats in Florida have no clear bench of candidates willing to challenge Republican incumbents in South Florida, in what’s expected to be a daunting and expensive 2022 cycle for their party. Two first-time candidates who made early announcements they would run for South Florida House seats have both since dropped their bids to pursue runs for state office. Party leaders have repeatedly pointed to redistricting as the cause, but there’s growing suspicion among some Democrats that the wait-and-see approach from two former members of Congress on whether to announce runs for the seats is running out the clock for newer candidates to step up to run and appeal to donors.
“Mariya Calkins becomes first candidate for Jayer Williamson’s seat, earns Matt Gaetz endorsement” via Alex Miller of the Pensacola News Journal — Earlier this month, state Rep. Williamson announced he would not run for re-election in 2022, and by the end of that week, Calkins, wife of Santa Rosa County District 3 Commissioner James Calkins, became the first candidate to file for the seat. “My main intention to be in politics, (is) I believe I could be an asset for the conservative movement,” Mariya Calkins said. Williamson represents the 3rd District in the Florida House, which covers most of Santa Rosa County and northern parts of Okaloosa County. As of Tuesday, there were no other active candidates for the seat, according to the Florida Department of State.
“HD 34 field attracting plenty of takers in Citrus County” via Mike Wright of Florida Politics — When then-Rep. Jimmie T. Smith gave up his House seat six years ago, political novice Ralph Massullo was elected without opposition. His name didn’t even need to appear on the ballot. That won’t be the case for whoever succeeds Massullo. An Inverness man has become the sixth candidate in the House District 34 race. J.J. Grow joins a former Citrus County Commissioner, retired highway patrol trooper, and a lawyer among the five Republicans and one Democrat competing in the contest. Grow, an agribusiness owner, informed friends and supporters by text Tuesday morning of his candidacy. “My family and I are prepared to work hard for you and our community,” he wrote. “I look forward to talking with each of you face to face over the next few weeks and months.”
“James Buchanan raised $50K in run-up to Session” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Rep. Buchanan raised more than $50,000 in the lead-up to the 2022 Legislative Session. His campaign reports that in the first 10 days of January, the Venice Republican’s re-election campaign pulled in $26,300 in new donations. Those checks arrived before a moratorium on fundraising during Session kicked in on Jan. 11. That brings the two-term lawmaker’s total to $78,150 raised as he prepares to run again. His political committee, Buchanan For Florida, collected another $26,500. The associated committee has tallied $134,500 in contributions to support the lawmaker’s political goals. Subtract expenses, and it leaves Buchanan with $118,309 in cash on hand between the campaign account and committee coffers.
“Ricky Tsay enters HD 118 race, matches Daniel Sotelo war chest in two weeks” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — For months, Sotelo has been the sole candidate for House District 118. But as Sotelo’s fundraising slowed in December, hotelier Ricky Tsay entered the race on Dec. 13 and over the next two weeks put together a war chest of $155,000, roughly the same amount of money it took Sotelo seven months to amass. A spokesman said he has committed to financing his campaign with up to $500,000. While it remains to be seen whether the two Republicans will face one another in a Primary post-redistricting, which could pit Tsay against incumbent Rep. Alex Rizo in House District 110, they remain on a collision course for now.
— CORONA NATION —
“A year ago, Biden unveiled a 200-page plan to defeat COVID-19. He has struggled to deliver on some key promises.” via Dan Diamond of The Washington Post — Biden entered office a year ago this week, staking his presidency on defeating the coronavirus pandemic with a battle plan hailed for its scope and specificity. “Our nation continues to experience the darkest days of the pandemic,” the White House declared in its national pandemic strategy, released Jan. 21, 2021, Biden’s first full day as President. “Businesses are closing, hospitals are full, and families are saying goodbye to their loved ones remotely.” Yet after a period when Biden’s vaccination focus appeared to be paying off, many of those problems have roared back as the delta variant, and then omicron tore across the country. Once again, doctors and nurses are pleading for relief, as hospitalizations set new daily records and more facilities move to ration care.
“White House soft-launches COVID-19 test request website” via The Associated Press — The Biden administration quietly launched its website for Americans to request free at-home COVID-19 tests, a day before the site was scheduled to officially go online. The website, COVIDTests.gov, now includes a link for Americans to access an order form run by the U.S. Postal Service. People can order four at-home tests per residential address, to be delivered by the Postal Service. It marks the latest step by Biden to address criticism of low inventory and long lines for testing during a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.
“School closures were a catastrophic error. Progressives still haven’t reckoned with it.” via Jonathan Chait of New York Magazine — Recently, Nate Silver found himself in the unenviable role of the main character of the day on Twitter because he proposed that school closures were a “disastrous, invasion-of-Iraq magnitude policy decision.” The comparison generated overwhelming anger and mockery, and it is not an easy one to defend: A fiasco that led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and rearranged the regional power structure is a very high bar to clear. But these complications do not fully explain the sheer rage generated by Silver. The furnace-hot backlash seemed to be triggered by Silver’s assumption that school closings were not only a mistake but an error of judgment. The failed experiment finally came to an end in the fall of 2021. Many districts have shut down during the Omicron wave, but this is mainly a temporary response to staff shortages rather than another effort to stop community spread.
“People are hiding that their unvaccinated loved ones died of COVID-19 “via Andrea Stanley of The Atlantic — In 2020, dying of COVID-19 was widely seen as an unqualified tragedy. But that was before the vaccines. Before COVID-19 deaths got caught up in a culture war. Now the majority of COVID-19 deaths are occurring among the unvaccinated, and many deaths are likely preventable. The compassion extended to the virus’s victims is no longer universal. Sometimes, in place of condolences, loved ones receive scorn. Vitriol doesn’t come just from familiar names, but also from strangers. Websites, message boards, and social media accounts have cropped up as forums to insult the unvaccinated dead. One Reddit page even gives out “awards” to those who refused the vaccine and then died.
“The real reason Americans aren’t isolating” via Olga Khazan of The Atlantic — Realistically, many Americans were never able to take a full 10, or even five, days off to recover from the coronavirus. Like the hotel worker, many people who think they might have COVID-19 can’t immediately find tests. The federal government offers no services for or payments to people in isolation, and has no one checking in with the sick. Most importantly, millions of Americans still don’t have paid sick leave, so taking any time off work can be financially ruinous. About a fifth of all U.S. workers don’t get paid sick leave, and the lowest-paid workers are least likely to have it. The emergency paid-sick-leave law passed by Congress in 2020 prevented about 400 COVID-19 cases per state per day. That provision has since expired, as has a second one granting tax credits to employers that offered paid leave voluntarily.
— CORONA ECONOMICS —
“Omicron is making America’s bad jobs even worse” via Amanda Mull of The Atlantic — Even on a good day, service jobs are pretty hard. Your schedule is constantly changing, you’re on your feet, you’re at the mercy of the general public, and the pace of your shifts swings between crushing boredom and frenetic activity. In workplaces with Omicron outbreaks, there may not be enough available workers to continue operating the business for days or weeks at a time, which means everyone loses their shifts. For businesses that remain open, understaffing and supply shortages make workers’ interactions with customers even more tense and dangerous. One of the most obvious issues is service workers’ widespread lack of access to paid sick leave.
“Florida gasoline prices head higher” via the News Service of Florida — Gasoline prices in Florida increased 3 cents a gallon during the past week and are expected to continue rising because of higher oil prices. The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $3.22, up from $3.19 a week earlier. That was slightly below the $3.24 a gallon a month ago but far higher than the $2.31 a gallon last year. Mark Jenkins, a AAA spokesman, cited increased oil prices, which were up 6% last week. “Based on last week’s oil price hikes, drivers could soon see another round of rising prices,” Jenkins said in a statement. “It’s unclear how much of an increase to expect, but the last time oil prices were this high, the state average was above $3.30 per gallon.”
— MORE CORONA —
“Pfizer’s new COVID-19 pill works against Omicron in lab” via Jared S. Hopkins of The Wall Street Journal — Pfizer Inc.’s new COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid, was effective against the Omicron variant in laboratory tests, an encouraging early sign the drug will be an important tool while the strain spreads. Pfizer said Tuesday the drug’s main component, nirmatrelvir, worked in three separate laboratory studies. Patients take two tablets of nirmatrelvir with one tablet of another antiviral called ritonavir twice a day for five days. The research hasn’t been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Health authorities, doctors and patients say the pill is a valuable addition to the COVID-19 medicine chest because, unlike other available therapies, newly infected people can easily take it at home to avoid becoming hospitalized.
“COVID-19 infected lions prompt variant warning in South Africa” via Antony Sguazzin and Renee Bonorchis of Bloomberg — Lions and pumas at a zoo in the South African capital of Pretoria got severe COVID-19 from asymptomatic zoo handlers, raising concerns that new variants could emerge from animal reservoirs of the disease, studies carried out by a local university showed.
“NHL to stop testing asymptomatic players post-All-Star break” via The Associated Press — The NHL will stop testing asymptomatic players, coaches and staff who are fully vaccinated following the All-Star break in early February, saying coronavirus cases continue to decline across the League. The League and Players’ Association announced the protocol changes Tuesday. The current policy will remain in place until the All-Star break begins on Feb. 3. Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, who is expected to be behind the bench for the Metropolitan Division at All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, called the change “common sense.” There will still be testing of asymptomatic individuals when it is needed for crossing the U.S.-Canada border.
— PRESIDENTIAL —
“GOP takes a potent but risky new path: Hitting Biden on COVID-19” via Olivia Beavers and Adam Cancryn of POLITICO — House Republicans are edging toward harder hits at Biden while he struggles to contain COVID-19’s omicron variant. Just don’t expect it to become a centerpiece of their midterm-election messaging. That’s in part because the GOP has to walk a fine line on the pandemic — thanks to Trump. After Biden and Democrats campaigned on a vow to help steer a virus-weary nation back to normalcy, arguing that the GOP failed to quickly respond when COVID-19 first descended, Republicans now say Biden has proved himself unprepared to deal with the omicron surge. It’s an argument that Republicans are eager to fling back at the White House after more than a year on the back foot.
— D.C. MATTERS —
“Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend granted immunity in sex trafficking probe” via Michael Kaplan of CBS News — Prosecutors granted immunity to an ex-girlfriend of Rep. Gaetz before she testified last week in front of a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the investigation of the congressman. She is viewed as a potential key witness. One of the sources said she has information related to the investigation of both the sex trafficking and obstruction allegations. Gaetz has been under investigation to determine if he violated sex trafficking laws and obstructed justice in that probe. Gaetz has previously denied all wrongdoing and has said he has never paid for sex nor had sex with an underage girl.
“Brian Mast ends 2021 with second-best stock record in Congress, with help from ‘unusual’ trade” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Rep. Mast had the second-best rate of return on stock purchases in all of Congress in 2021. A report last highlighted congressional members’ propensity for outperforming the market. While many have focused attention on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s portfolio in recent weeks, Mast even outperformed Pelosi in terms of rate of return. He trailed only Rep. Austin Scott last year. There was a bipartisan level of success in outperforming the market in 2021. Pelosi has defended members’ ability to trade despite potentially being privy to information regarding policy and legislation ahead of time that could seriously affect the market.
“Judge approves deal to resolve Puerto Rico bankruptcy” via Patricia Mazzei, Frances Robles and Coral Murphy Marcos of The New York Times — Puerto Rico received approval from a federal judge on Tuesday to leave bankruptcy under the largest public-sector debt restructuring deal in the history of the United States, nearly five years after the financially strapped territory declared it could not repay its creditors. Since Puerto Rico entered bankruptcy, its economic crisis has only been further deepened by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, a series of earthquakes and the coronavirus pandemic. The restructuring plan will reduce the largest portion of the Puerto Rico government’s debt, some $33 billion, by about 80%, to $7.4 billion. The deal will also save the government more than $50 billion in debt payments.
“Could an NBA investor’s comments about the Uyghurs box in Florida Democrats?” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — NBA owner and hefty Democratic donor offered an out-of-bounds assessment of human rights violations in China. National Republicans responded with a full-court press on any politicians taking contributions from Golden State Warriors investor Chamath Palihapitiya, a former Facebook executive That’s a roster that includes U.S. Reps. Crist, Val Demings and Darren Soto, as well as Agriculture Commissioner Fried. On his “All-In” podcast, the venture capitalist dismissed China’s alleged persecution of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province, as reported by NPR. “Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, OK,” he said.
— CRISIS —
“Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell” via Axios — The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot released its latest round of subpoenas on Tuesday evening, this time focusing on several of Trump’s lawyers, including Giuliani and Powell, and former adviser Boris Epshteyn. The panel said the four individuals subpoenaed were involved in efforts to publicly promote Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud as well as efforts to “disrupt or delay” the certification of the election’s results. Committee chair Bennie Thompson said in a statement that he expects the four individuals to “join the nearly 400 witnesses who have spoken with the Select Committee.”
— EPILOGUE TRUMP —
“A year after leaving office, Donald Trump looks to 2022 to rebrand his legacy” via Gabby Orr of CNN — A lot has changed in the year since Trump left Washington. Though his presidency ended in disgrace, his endorsement remains one of the most coveted prizes in Republican primaries. His political apparatus, after sending cease-and-desist letters to three of the largest GOP fundraising outfits last March, has now amassed more than $100 million in cash and convinced the Republican National Committee — one of the letter recipients — to partially cover some of his personal legal bills. And Trump’s once-dysfunctional operation, which nearly blew up the Ohio U.S. Senate primary with a premature and unvetted endorsement last spring, has become noticeably more organized in its assessment of candidates under the command of GOP campaign veteran Susie Wiles.
“Trump’s advisers point the finger at Mitch McConnell as reports of DeSantis feud swirl” via Marc Caputo, Jonathan Allen and Peter Nicholas of NBC News — When Florida Gov. panned COVID-19 lockdowns Trump encouraged early in the pandemic, the remarks made for irresistible headlines — the two GOP heavyweights and possible 2024 contenders were feuding. Days before, Trump appeared to take a swipe at DeSantis, calling politicians who refused to reveal their vaccination status “gutless.” Both camps denied any real friction and blamed “the media” for overhyping tensions, but Trump advisers say they see a hidden hand at play: that of Senate Minority Leader McConnell, who is in a pitched battle with Trump over the future of the Republican Party.
“‘Made-up animosity’: Jeanette Nuñez claims there’s no rift between DeSantis, Trump” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — During an appearance on the Fox Business Channel, Lt. Gov. Nuñez dismissed reports swirling that the former President and “America’s Governor” aren’t in sync anymore. Asked about the reported rift … Nuñez termed it a “media obsession” that distracts from real policy issues. “It’s a media obsession because they want to detract from what is really affecting individuals,” Nuñez told host Stuart Varney. “That made-up animosity is not what’s affecting individuals.” “So, I think it’s just a distraction to take away from the real issues,” Nuñez added.
“‘Fat, slow and dumb’: Trump ally Roger Stone ramps up attacks on DeSantis as feud escalates” via Brad Reed of Raw Story — Stone on Monday described DeSantis as “fat, slow, and dumb” in a diatribe against the man who could be Trump’s rival for the 2024 GOP nomination. Stone also said of DeSantis that “the Yale Harvard governor will never be president” because, among other reasons, he “opposes constitutional open carry.” Trump and DeSantis have now been trading barbs for weeks, with DeSantis slamming Trump for not firing Dr. Anthony Fauci at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Trump implying DeSantis was “gutless” for refusing to say that he received a booster shot against COVID-19. Trump has also reportedly called DeSantis “dull” and is angry that the Florida governor is not giving him more deference and gratitude for helping him launch his political career.
“Former Trump administration officials hold call to strategize against former boss’ efforts in 2022 and 2024” via Jake Tapper of CNN — Around three dozen former Trump administration officials, disillusioned with their former boss and concerned about his impact on the GOP and the nation, held a conference call last Monday to discuss efforts to fend off his efforts to, in their view, erode the democratic process. The only items the group seemed to agree upon in its first meeting, however, were that they’re not sure what their way forward should be and that they are way behind the efforts of Trump and his allies to set the stage for 2022, 2024, and beyond. The highest-ranking participant was former White House chief of staff and retired Marine Gen. John Kelly.
“Trump blows a hole in 2024 Presidential debates” via David Siders of POLITICO — Trump thumbed his nose at traditional retail politics, preferring large rallies and appearances on conservative TV. In defeat, he refused to deliver the familiar concession speech and falsely claimed that his Republican or Democratic opponents stole elections. Now it’s the presidential debates that are about to get a Trump makeover. They may never be the same again. With last week’s Trump-inspired threat to boycott 2024 debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Republican National Committee began priming the electorate for a race in which the GOP nominee might not debate at all. The RNC’s war on the debate commission will serve as yet another reminder of how expansive the former President’s influence remains.
“After Miami-Dade prosecutors recuse themselves, Broward will probe Miami corruption claim” via Nicholas Nehemas of the Miami Herald — Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle recused her office from investigating claims of corruption made by former Miami police chief Art Acevedo against City Commissioners, according to unsealed documents obtained by the Miami Herald. DeSantis ordered Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor to take over the case on Dec. 17, the documents show. Shortly before being fired last year, Acevedo wrote a memo accusing Miami Commissioners Joe Carollo, Alex Díaz de la Portilla and Manolo Reyes of corruption and improperly interfering in police matters. He passed his accusations on to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami and the FBI, which have expressed little interest in pursuing them. He also alerted Fernández Rundle’s office.
“UF will take over Jupiter Scripps campus, 70 acres nearby. Check out the price tag.” via Katherine Kokal of The Palm Beach Post — The University of Florida has purchased The Scripps Research Institute’s three buildings in Jupiter and 70 empty acres once reserved for Scripps nearby in Palm Beach Gardens. Also included in the sale are the research institute’s staff, equipment, $102 million in cash and investments, use of the Scripps name and — potentially the most valuable — all royalties from future discoveries or research projects at the campus. The selling price? $100. Scripps’ sale closed at midnight, according to an asset transfer agreement provided to The Palm Beach Post by the University of Florida on Jan. 14. The move continues the complicated history between Palm Beach County and Scripps, one of the world’s leading bioscience research organizations, and expands UF’s footprint in the state’s third-largest county.
“To build a village of cargo containers in Homestead, developers want no-bid land deal” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald — Developers with plans to create an open-air entertainment venue made with cargo containers are chasing 47 acres of government land outside of Homestead currently slated to become a maintenance yard for Miami-Dade County’s new fleet of electric buses. The developers out of St. Petersburg have the backing of Commissioner Kionne McGhee, who has been fighting the new rapid-transit route that will use electric buses. McGhee wants Miami-Dade to hold out for the extension of rail to South Miami-Dade and has legislation up for a vote Wednesday instructing the county to sell the bus-depot land to the team behind the container project instead.
— TOP OPINION —
“True ‘COVID-19 relief’ demands a new economic consensus” via Marco Rubio for Real Clear Politics — The United States is experiencing an economic crisis. Nobody could’ve predicted COVID-19 and the strain it would place on the global market, but the pandemic is only partly to blame. The current crisis is also the result of incompetent leadership and failed economic policy. First and foremost, on working families’ minds today is that inflation is through the roof. From the moment he assumed office, Biden decided to pump free money into our economy under the pretense of “COVID-19 relief.” Supply chains were unnecessarily vulnerable from the beginning. The first step toward halting inflation is to stop doing the very thing that’s causing it. The government can directly incentivize innovation and development in key industries.
— OPINIONS —
“Kimberly Jackson: It’s time to restore civility in American politics, life” via Florida Politics — For our communities to thrive, we have to find commonality. Commonality does not mean agreement. There are many ways to connect that do not negate our individuality or ideological principles. In fact, our differences should make us stronger. Our ideologies are viewed through geographic lenses, economic mobility, and overall access to generational growth. At the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions (ISPS), we know where the battle lines are in politics. But we also know there can and must be civility. We invite spirited but civil dialogue on a range of issues with leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors — all in a nonpartisan way. That creates a space and time to unpack differing perspectives without packing punches that pollute any conversation.
“Florida shouldn’t ignore racism’s toll” via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board — DeSantis has a dream. It’s a dream in which Florida lives in a post-racial world — not because he’s dedicated to righting the myriad disadvantages and inequities that beset racial minorities in this state, but because the official policy is that they must be ignored. We reject this feverish dream for Florida. It is a cruel and suppressive vision, one that pours acid on the still-festering wounds of the Jim Crow era and blocks paths to healing and reconciliation. We call upon members of the Legislature to reject it as well, quashing DeSantis’ proposed law that would enshrine policies of official fiction in statute books.
“Rosemary McCoy, Sheila Singleton: The fight for voting rights marches on” via Florida Politics — Months after Amendment 4 passed, the Florida Legislature enacted S.B. 7066, which requires citizens to pay all financial obligations related to their criminal sentence before being eligible to vote. Returning citizens can be fined for many reasons, and often face steep interest rates and no payment plan options. Those fines can run into tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is a poll tax that discriminates against lower-income people, and especially women of color, who face the stigma of former convictions while searching for the jobs we desperately need to financially support ourselves and our families. And although significant progress has been made since 1965, when the Voting Rights Act passed, women — especially Black women — still face laws like S.B. 7066 that make it more difficult for us to vote than our male counterparts.
“Fried’s comparison of DeSantis to Hitler was absurd” via Joe Henderson of Florida Politics — Fried loves to portray herself as a fighter, and as the lone Democrat elected to a statewide office, it seems like she’s always involved in some kind of controversy. Republicans love to kneecap her at every opportunity. That’s still no excuse for what she said on NPR’s Florida Roundup. We know politics often is best played with shoulder pads and a helmet. However, even by that standard, Fried went way, way, way over the line when she compared DeSantis to Hitler. There should have been a siren going off in her head at that point. She should have heard that warning when asked if she was comparing a Governor she detests and wants to unseat to a monster who orchestrated the murder of 6 million Jews.
“Sal Nuzzo: Protecting public safety in 2022” via Florida Politics — While hyperpartisan conversations pushing to “defund the police,” shifts in public attitude toward law enforcement in 2021 reveal a need to support officers in their mission to protect and serve the community. As a means of freeing up resources appropriated for public safety, policymakers ought to consider proposals from Rep. Toby Overdorf and Sen. Keith Perry. By modifying delayed arraignment policy, their reform would make significant strides toward reallocating Florida’s police time, resources and dollars to focus on the most serious crimes and most serious criminals behind the spike in homicides. As a result, this bill prioritizes and promotes public safety.
“Restrictions on domestic energy production leave consumers vulnerable” via Kevin Doyle for the Fort Myers News-Press — The United States needs good energy policy that will ensure families and businesses can access the energy they need while protecting America’s most vulnerable populations. But instead, the federal government continues to put up roadblocks that make affordable and reliable energy more difficult and more expensive. Inflation is on the rise, and energy prices are soaring. Future forecasts are bleak. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Winter Fuels Outlook projects a colder winter this year that will lead to a 30% increase in natural gas prices, a 54% increase for propane, and a 43% increase in heating oil prices from October through March. American consumers will pay at least $13.6 billion more for energy this winter as prices for gasoline, natural gas and propane surge.
“Fight to keep starving manatees alive” via the Orlando Sentinel editorial board — Tuesday morning’s frigid snap had many Floridians worried about the fate of cold-stressed and starving manatees that are already dying in record numbers. The concern is justified. Last year, more than 1,100 manatees died, more than double the toll of the next-worst year on record, with many showing clear signs of starvation. Scientists are pulling more emaciated and possibly doomed manatees from the water on a daily basis. And there’s more at stake than the survival of one beloved species: Throughout the Indian River Lagoon system, sea grass beds are vanishing, and those same beds that feed manatees also provide critical spawning grounds for fish, shrimp and other marine species that contribute to the lagoon’s reputation as one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in the United States.
—TODAY’S SUNRISE —
COVID-19 absences at the 2022 Session have begun. We have a conversation about how bad it could get and what might be done to prevent the Session from becoming a spreader event.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— Debate has begun on legislation to keep critical race theory out of schools, and in the case of one bill … businesses. Democratic opponents predict a lot of fallout.
— Democratic leadership doesn’t think much of DeSantis’ map drawing skills.
— And a bill to protect the national anthem at pro sports events advances.
To listen, click on the image below:
— ALOE —
“Personnel note: Fried appoints Titus O’Neil to Florida State Fair Authority Board” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — Fried announced the appointment of Thaddeus Bullard, better known by his stage name as O’Neil, to the Florida State Fair Authority’s board of directors. Bullard, a Florida native, is noted for his philanthropy work in addition to his professional wrestling career. Through his Bullard Family Foundation and in partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools, he established the Thaddeus M. Bullard Academy at Sligh Middle Magnet School. There, Bullard has implemented programs focused on community, mentorship, technology, arts and sports, as well as opportunities for parents to receive workforce development training and support services. He was named a finalist for the ESPN Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award in 2020 and 2021.
“‘Betty White Challenge’ brings big boost to Central Florida animal rescue groups” via Kate Santich of the Orlando Sentinel — It should have been a slow Monday morning in January, but at the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, the donations started rolling in early. By 9:45 a.m., Central Floridians had already chipped in nearly $9,000 in support of the “Betty White Challenge,” a social-media appeal to contribute to animal welfare groups on what would have been the beloved actress’s 100th birthday. By day’s end, it was a stunning $50,500. And that was just a drop in what turned out to be an international outpouring of generosity for dogs, cats, horses and other critters, all a nod to White’s lifelong advocacy for animals.
— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —
Happy birthday to Rep. Jayer Williamson, Dan Holler, and Rick Porter.
___
Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Daniel Dean, Renzo Downey, Jacob Ogles, and Drew Wilson.
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13.) AXIOS
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Happy Wednesday! Smart Brevity™ count: 1,143 words … 4½ minutes. Edited by Zachary Basu.
🚀 Launching today: Axios goes Pro … A hyper-wired team of journalists at Axios Pro, our new subscription service, dives deep into deals and dealmakers in retail, health tech and fintech — with media and climate coming soon.
The Omicron wave is likely beginning to recede in the U.S., experts tell Axios health care editor Tina Reed.
- Why it matters: Omicron is still wreaking havoc in parts of the country. But infectious disease experts are optimistic that relief is around the corner.
In South Africa and in the U.K., which experienced their Omicron waves before the U.S., cases spiked dramatically and then fell almost as quickly.
- That appears to be happening now in parts of the U.S. that got hit with the variant early, including Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.
- “The trajectory was incredibly steep and rising to, of course, a new height in infections,” Chris Beyrer, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told Axios. “That does appear now, in aggregate, to be starting to decline.”
Reality check: While cases are beginning to fall in the East Coast cities that were among the first to see the variant take hold, Omicron likely hasn’t peaked yet in other parts of the U.S.
- Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “We shouldn’t expect a national peak in the next coming days. The next few weeks will be tough.”
What’s next: Even though Omicron seems to cause milder illness than prior variants, it has still strained hospitals’ resources, and the virus has continued to kill more than 1,000 people per day, on average.
- “Unfortunately, the ‘loss of life peak’ is still ahead of us,” Beyrer said. “We’re probably going to see that in the next week, or two.”
The Biden administration will announce today that 400 million non-surgical N95 masks will be made available for free at thousands of “convenient locations” across the U.S., Axios’ Yacob Reyes reports.
- Why it matters: This is the largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history, a White House official told reporters.
How it works: The administration will begin shipping the masks this week, and they’re slated to be available at pharmacies next week.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted that he’s going to be “living on Airbnb,” starting in Atlanta this week.
- “I’ll be coming back to San Francisco often, but for now my home will be an Airbnb somewhere,” wrote Chesky, who rode the pandemic’s shutdown phase at his San Francisco home.
Between the lines: Chesky is using his “digital nomad” status to embody one of the big ways Airbnb has thrived during the COVID era, after a scare when travel first came to a halt.
- “In the past year, 100,000 Airbnb guests booked stays of 3 months or longer,” Chesky said. “In 2022, I think the biggest trend in travel will be people spreading out to thousands of towns and cities, staying for weeks, months, or even entire seasons at a time.”
The nation’s hottest job market is the City of Boise, Idaho, with 94.8% job growth compared to its pre-pandemic baseline in February of 2020, Axios’ Erica Pandey writes from a dataset by the jobs site Indeed.
- Boise, a burgeoning tech hub, has seen steady job growth — and outpaced other U.S. cities — for the last decade or so, AnnElizabeth Konkel, an economist at Indeed, tells Axios.
💡 Axios insight: Almost every city in the top 10 for job growth has a lower cost of living than the national average, Konkel notes.
- The exceptions are the Austin and Phoenix metro areas, which are right around the average.
- Most of the top 10 are also cities in warm climates.
The metro area that’s lagging the most in job growth is Honolulu. That’s due in large part to the hit that Hawaii’s tourism industry has taken.
At 4 p.m. ET, President Biden holds an East Room news conference. An Axios AM reader suggests this Q:
An NBA owner was criticized this week for saying “nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs” in China. How do you get Americans to care about this, and what message does it send to be celebrating China at the Olympics next month while a genocide is taking place?
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Axios AM brings you coverage from on-the-ground Axios Local journalists:
Cartwheel — a startup studio based in Bentonville, Ark. — tries to generate the idea for a product idea, then hire a pilot to navigate the launch, writes Worth Sparkman of Axios Northwest Arkansas.
- Cartwheel CEO Joshua Stanley says: “We’re seeking to pull the known ‘90% failure rate of startups’ up to the pre-formation phase to produce new companies that have the highest probability of success.”
- The studio will focus on software used by frontline workers, including waitstaff, manufacturing workers or retail employees.
Why it matters: As Northwest Arkansas broadens beyond depending on a few huge companies, startup accelerators like Cartwheel can help build a regional entrepreneurial mindset and attract out-of-market talent.
How it works: A startup studio identifies a commercial need. Then it vets the concept, tests its potential and develops the skeleton of a company.
- Studios can provide back-office support (accounting, legal, recruiting), and hire a CEO to bring the product to the marketplace.
Cartwheel is partnering with Winrock International, an economic-development nonprofit, on a yearlong effort to sprout two to three tech companies in the region.
- The Walton Family Foundation provided $1.2 million for the project.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under growing pressure to resign today amid a revolt by his own lawmakers who are angry over a series of boozy parties at Downing Street while the U.K. was in COVID lockdown.
- A brewing coup revealed last night is being called the “pork pie plot” because one alleged rebel lawmaker is from Melton, home of the Melton Mowbray pork pie, Reuters reports.
Pork pie is London slang for a lie.
This title for a memoir out March 8 captures the post-presidency mood of Bill Barr, former President Trump’s attorney general.
- The publisher says Barr, also attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, “takes readers behind the scenes during seminal moments of the Bush administration in the 1990s, from the LA riots to Pan Am 103 and Iran Contra. With the Trump administration, Barr faced an unrelenting barrage of issues, such as Russiagate, the opioid epidemic, Chinese espionage, big tech, the COVID outbreak, civil unrest, the first impeachment, and the 2020 election fallout.”
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22.) THE HILL MORNING REPORT
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23.) THE HILL 12:30 REPORT
24.) ROLL CALL
Morning Headlines
With legislatures across the country getting back to work this month, the Supreme Court’s consideration of a near-total abortion ban in Texas and other limits in Mississippi are motivating state officials to pursue either tougher abortion restrictions or protections in case legal precedents change. Read more…
ANALYSIS — Former President Donald Trump did more than perform his greatest hits Saturday night in Arizona, revving up his loyalists with claims of anti-white discrimination and contending that no U.S. election is legitimate unless Republicans count the votes. Read more…
Joe Biden and the dangers of inbred optimism
OPINION — Joe Biden has had his successes as president, but looking back on his first 364 days in the Oval Office, it is startling how many of the president’s missteps flow from a buoyant optimism reminiscent of a gambler who thinks he’s on a lucky streak. Read more…
Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developmentsin finance and financial technology.
Rare snowy owl dazzles onlookers from Union Station perch
A snowy owl, a rare sight in Washington, has been dazzling crowds of birders making pilgrimages to Union Station’s Columbus Circle with binoculars and cameras, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare Arctic visitor. The juvenile female has been spotted on top of the marble statue, returning night after night to feast on pigeons and rats. Read more…
Democrats tie ‘talking filibuster’ gambit to Senate’s two-speech rule
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer plans to try to implement a “talking filibuster” rule that would allow the chamber’s voting rights debate to be brought to a close by a simple majority once Republicans have run out of turns to speak, but his proposal lacked buy-in from the entire Democratic caucus. Read more…
House, Senate eateries won’t enforce DC vaccination mandate
Lawmakers griping about needing to travel to the suburbs for food to avoid Washington’s new vaccination requirement won’t have to go far to get grub without proof of a jab. Eateries on both the Senate and House sides of the Capitol complex are still serving masked and unmasked diners alike without proof of vaccination. Read more…
Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and Boris Epshteyn subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel
Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and two other allies of former President Donald Trump who promulgated election fraud claims about the 2020 presidential election and worked to delay or overturn the results are being subpoenaed by the House select committee examining the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Read more…
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25.) POLITICO PLAYBOOK
POLITICO Playbook: What reporters want to ask Biden at his presser
DRIVING THE DAY
President JOE BIDEN will face the White House press corps today at 4 p.m. He’s due for a grilling given the state of his presidency one year in: His poll numbers are underwater, his agenda is stalled, inflation is soaring, Covid-19 is raging. And the midterms are coming.
We reached out to White House reporters and editors at more than a dozen outlets from Fox News to the wires on Tuesday night, inquiring about questions they’d like to hear the president answer. Here’s what we heard from those who responded:
— NPR’s MARA LIASSON said she’s “watching to see how Biden tries to reposition himself after a rocky six months.” After a string of failures on everything from Build Back Better to expanding voting rights, she’s curious whether he will articulate a new vision for the future — a question, she notes, many Democrats are asking right now.
“How does he plan to proceed on voting rights now that the chances for federal legislation seem nil?” she asks. “Would he accept a BBB bill written by JOE MANCHIN? And on Covid, while we are sure he will tout his free mask and home test distribution program, what about the new Pfizer Paxlovid Covid treatment pill? Does he have plans to make that widely available too?”
— SAM STEIN, our indefatigable White House editor, notes that “voters in poll after poll say they think the country is on the wrong track.” He would ask Biden if they’re wrong, and if so, why? He also notes that the party’s much ballyhooed expanded child tax credit just expired. “What is your message to families who were able to lift their children out of poverty because of that and who now have deep financial uncertainty in their lives?” he wants to know.
— TheGrio’s APRIL RYAN, who just marked 25 years covering the White House, says Biden owes an explanation to Black voters about why policing reform executive action hasn’t happened and the voting rights push stalled. White House officials have said they wanted to get infrastructure done first. But now many civil rights activists and people of color who helped him clinch the nomination are questioning whether Biden miscalculated by waiting as long as he did.
“His disapproval is because many promises have not come through,” Ryan told us Tuesday night. “The White House says people are ‘Covid weary,’ but it’s a little bit more than that. … I’m looking for issues that pertain to Black America, particularly as Black America happened to be the catalyst for Joe Biden.”
On a related note, we’re curious whether Biden thinks his failure to pass national voting standards will hurt the party in the midterms, particularly in states where Republican legislatures have made it tougher to vote.
— The pandemic is bound to be a major topic. Our health care team colleague ADAM CANCRYN says one of the biggest outstanding questions is what success looks like for Biden when it comes to Covid.
“Biden campaigned on eradicating the virus altogether. A year and multiple variants later, there’s virtually no chance of achieving that,” he says. “So what will now be good enough for Biden, and what level of living with Covid-19 does he think Americans should accept — and judge him by in November?”
— SCOTT BIXBY of The Daily Beast wants to know what Biden has to say about recent statements from ANTHONY FAUCI and other scientists suggesting we’ll all get Covid at some point. Does Biden “now believe that fully beating the pandemic — à la polio or smallpox — is no longer possible”?
— One White House reporter who asked not to be named is curious whether Biden plans to watch the Winter Olympics in Beijing given the diplomatic boycott due to human rights violations. Does he think Americans should watch?
The same person wants Biden to weigh in on the Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down his vaccine mandate for the private sector. “Given that development, are other measures needed to entice people into getting their shots, like a domestic travel mandate?” she asks. Republicans might ask another follow-up: Does Biden think his vaccine mandate was a mistake?
— Another White House correspondent is focused on the format of Biden’s presser: “I want a proper press conference, one where the press asks hard questions, and the president gives straight answers, not just to the networks or to the White House’s favorite reporters either. I’m not asking for much.”
Here are a few other dynamics we’ll be watching:
— How hard does Biden go after Manchin and KYRSTEN SINEMA for tanking his agenda? What does he think of threats from the left to primary them?
— Will Biden open the door to any sort of bipartisan action? With his poll numbers dragging, Republicans don’t have much political incentive to work with him. But the GOP did signal a willingness to deal on Electoral Count Act reforms, an offer the White House has snubbed so far. And his press conference comes just hours before Republicans will filibuster the Democratic Party’s voting bill — again. Will Biden double down on the party’s all-or-nothing approach, or crack open the door to compromise?
— The newsiest bits could come on Biden’s legislative strategy. The White House has seemed eager to make another attempt to get Manchin back to the negotiating table on BBB. But some Democrats on the Hill say it’s time to cut their losses and move on.
Frontline Democrats are now pushing for one-off votes on BBB proposals. Progressives are demanding the president use executive action to enact what he can. Will Biden lay out a new game plan?
— Don’t forget about inflation — it’s only the biggest concern on voters’ minds. Does the president lean into predictions that the worst is behind us, or does that risk setting high expectations that could be dashed with the next CPI release? Also, what’s his long-term plan to deal with the matter?
— And lastly, some clarity on messaging: Administration officials said they’re going to stop negotiating in public and focus on talking straight to the American people. What does that even mean? And is that an acknowledgment that the White House needs a reset after failure of BBB and the upcoming failure of voting rights?
Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.
BIDEN’S ONE-YEAR REPORT CARD — The latest POLITICO-Morning Consult poll offers fresh data on Biden’s free fall:
- Sixty-eight percent of voters say the country is on the wrong track.
- Forty percent of voters approve of the job Biden is doing as president.
- Republicans in Congress are favored over Democrats to handle the economy (47%-34%), jobs (45%-35%), immigration (45%-37%), national security (49%-32%) and gun policy (45%-36%).
- Democrats are barely beating out the GOP on several issues they owned just a year ago: education (41%-38%), the pandemic (39%-35%) and voting rights (43%-39%).
Perhaps most ominous for Biden is that an American public that elected him for his competence and trustworthiness now has significant doubts about his character:
Majorities of voters told our pollsters that they disagreed with the following statements:
- Biden is energetic (58%).
- Biden is a strong leader (57%).
- Biden is a clear communicator (56%).
- Biden keeps his promises (53%).
- Biden is capable of leading the country (51%).
Also, 49% of voters disagreed with the statement that Biden is mentally fit. Toplines … Crosstabs
Finally, when asked to grade Biden a year into his term, voters are harsh: Thirty-seven percent of registered voters give Biden an “F” — compared with 11% who give him an “A” and 20% a “B.” Check out the breakdown of voters’ grades here (plus more detail online):
SPEAKING OF GRADES, read our White House bureau chief Jonathan Lemire’s story assessing Biden at the one-year mark. Lemire notes that Biden has had success on the vaccines, two massive pieces of legislation and an economy surging out of its pandemic hole. But he also points out his struggles on everything from the variants to the Afghanistan pullout.
Chief of staff RON KLAIN goes on the record in the piece: “It does not surprise me that despite progress on Covid, despite progress on the economy, voters are not going to give us a passing grade yet,” he tells Jon. “But President Biden was elected to a four-year term, not a one-year term.”
“I’ll be looking to see how [Biden] sells to the American public that his administration can turn things around and deliver again,” Lemire tells us of his own expectations for today’s presser.
BIDEN’S WEDNESDAY:
— 10:15 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
— 4 p.m.: Biden will hold a press conference in the East Room.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ WEDNESDAY — The VP will swear in MARK BRZEZINSKI to be ambassador to Poland at 1:50 p.m.
THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to take up the voting rights legislation, with floor speeches throughout the day and a cloture vote at 6:30 p.m. Additional roll call votes are expected into the night. The chamber will recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for weekly conference meetings.
THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. and will take up a few pieces of legislation at noon. JON STEWART and several others will testify before the Veterans’ Affairs Committee at 2 p.m. on “toxic-exposed veterans.”
PHOTO OF THE DAY
PLAYBOOK READS
JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH
JAN. 6 COMMITTEE LATEST — The panel subpoenaed and received records from phone numbers tied to ERIC TRUMP and KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, the fiance of DONALD TRUMP JR., CNN’s Jamie Gangel, Jeremy Herb and Elizabeth Stuart scoop.
And it is setting its sights on DONALD TRUMP’s legal efforts to overturn the election — issuing subpoenas to Trump attorney RUDY GIULIANI, campaign lawyer JENNA ELLIS, attorney SIDNEY POWELL and former Trump adviser BORIS EPSHTEYN on Tuesday.
Chair BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) said those subpoenaed “advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes,” signaling the investigations latest focus, our Kyle Cheney, Betsy Woodruff Swan and Nicholas Wu report.
AMERICA AND THE WORLD
RUSSIAN TROOPS HEADING WEST — “Russia is sending an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major war games, a deployment that will further beef up Russian military presence near Ukraine amid Western fears of a planned invasion,” AP’s Vladimir Isachenkov reports.
“Amid the soaring tensions, the White House warned that Russia could attack its neighbor at ‘any point,’ while the U.K. delivered a batch of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister ALEXANDER FOMIN said the joint drills with Belarus would involve practicing a joint response to external threats. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine from several directions, including from its ally Belarus.”
CONGRESS
FILIBUSTER SHOWDOWN — As the voting rights push and filibuster fight comes to a head, Manchin still isn’t budging, report Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine. They write that Manchin “told reporters ahead of a Democratic Caucus meeting he would not go along with instituting a talking filibuster, which could be used to evade the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, nor would he entertain a rules change by a simple majority.
“‘The majority of my colleagues in the Democratic caucus have changed their minds. I respect that. They have a right to change their minds. I haven’t. I hope they respect that too. I’ve never changed my mind on the filibuster,’ Manchin said.”
— New this morning, per Jonathan Weisman at the NYT: “In Voting Rights Fight, Democrats Train Ire on Sinema and Manchin”
THE WHITE HOUSE
HARRIS TO HONDURAS — Harris is heading to Honduras for the inauguration of President-elect XIOMARA CASTRO on Jan. 27, her office announced Tuesday. This will be “the second time Harris has traveled to a Northern Triangle country since she was tasked last spring with leading the administration’s efforts to address root causes of migration to the U.S.,” after visiting Guatemala in the summer last year, The Hill’s Brett Samuels notes.
ALL POLITICS
LOSING GROUND WITH LATINOS — Democrats acknowledge support from Latino voters is slipping, and Latino Democratic leaders “are increasingly worried that time is running out to do anything that would make a significant difference ahead of the 2022 midterms, when the party needs a robust Latino turnout to preserve its slim majorities in Congress,” Sabrina Rodríguez reports.
“For years, those leaders have warned that the party needs to invest earlier in outreach, hire more Latinos for decision-making positions and talk to Latino voters about more issues than just immigration. But even after a presidential election marked by Trump’s impressive gains with Latinos across the country — not just in Latino-heavy South Texas and South Florida — they see a lack of urgency in addressing those issues.”
MEDIAWATCH
MISCONDUCT ALLEGATION AT NY POST — MICHELLE GOTTHELF, a digital editor-in-chief for the New York Post who was fired last week, filed a lawsuit alleging “that in 2015 she was ‘sexually propositioned’ by COL ALLAN, the notoriously brash editor who ran the tabloid for many years,” N.Y. Mag’s Shawn McCreesh and Angelina Chapin report. “The suit says Gotthelf complained and that Allan was let go as a result, but the Post and owner RUPERT MURDOCH brought him back a few years later, when he allegedly bullied her. The suit names Allan, the Post, its parent company News Corporation, and editor [KEITH] POOLE as defendants.”
NY MAG UNION GETS DEAL — WSJ’s Allison Prang: “[T]he union says the framework includes salary increases for more than half of staffers and guaranteed yearly increases in pay. … A date hasn’t been set for magazine staffers to vote on ratifying the contract with parent company Vox Media and New York magazine management. That date will be determined in the coming weeks.”
GOOD NEWS FOR CHICAGO JOURNALISM — WBEZ’s board approved its acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday, bringing the public radio station and the historic newspaper close to becoming “one of the largest nonprofit news organizations in the country,” the Sun-Times’ David Roeder reports. They’re hoping to close the deal by the end of the month.
PLAYBOOKERS
Matt Gaetz says he’s canceling his Capitol Hill Club membership because it is following D.C.’s vaccine mandate.
Chuck Schumer wouldn’t say whether he would support primary challengers for Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin. But Bernie Sanders certainly would.
It was casual Tuesday for Manchin and Jon Tester at the Senate Democrats’ caucus meeting.
EMILY’s List says it will no longer endorse Sinema if she “can not support a path forward for the passage” for voting rights.
Roger Marshall has turned Anthony Fauci calling him a “moron” into merch.
Herschel Walker’s Instagram account “shows he follows several accounts with links to racy material,” per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “One of the accounts has a name not suitable for a family newsletter. Several others also have accounts on OnlyFans, a social media platform popular with porn stars.”
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics has named its spring resident fellows: Brendan Buck, Christine Chen, Kim Janey, Jody Olsen, Maya Rupert and Gerald Seib.
— Independent Women’s Forum is announcing its spring class of fellows: Rebecca Burgess, Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, Jennifer George, Mandy Gunasekara, Heather Hunter, Madeleine Kearns, Kimberly Pinter, Lindsey Stroud, Kristin Tate, Mary Vought and Kaylee McGhee White.
— Ryan Shay is now director of government and regulatory affairs at Faegre Drinker. He most recently was legislative director for Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.).
— Liza Romanow has been hired as executive comms lead at Ralph Lauren. She most recently was director of comms to the chair at Albright Stonebridge Group.
TRANSITIONS — Uber is adding Erin Reif as senior manager for federal affairs and Punya Krishnappa as manager for federal campaigns. Reif is a Hill veteran who most recently was a senior policy adviser to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). Krishnappa most recently was a senior strategist for Mike Rosenbaum’s Maryland gubernatorial campaign, and is a DCCC alum. … Rishi Bharwani is rejoining the Hub Project as the new chief of staff. He most recently was director of partnerships and policy at Accountable Tech, and is a Cory Booker alum. … Melissa Harrison is now senior director of policy and executive comms at the Consumer Technology Association. She most recently was an SVP at Ogilvy. …
… Preston Beard is now director of policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute. He most recently was senior adviser to the director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement at the Department of Interior in the Trump administration. … Melissa Connolly is now assistant VP for government affairs at the Association of American Railroads. She most recently was legislative director for Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). … Christopher Brown is joining Forbes Tate Partners as a senior analyst on the research and policy analysis team. He most recently managed policy development, research and strategic comms at Global Strategy Group.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (4-0) … Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker … Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) (5-0) … Del. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (I-Northern Mariana Islands) … Jon Karl … UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba … CNN’s John Avlon and Evan McMorris-Santoro … Dan Holler of Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) office … CAP’s Anne Dechter (4-0) … WaPo’s Drew Harwell and Catherine Valentine … POLITICO’s Ben Torres and Angela Yang … Fox Business’ Tyler Kendall … Jerry Howe of Leidos … Megan Shannon of No Labels … Philip Reeker … Jason Waskey of Civic Nation and Blue Crab Strategies … National Women’s Law Center’s Melissa Boteach … Brennan Hart … Twitter’s Caitlin Rush … Sean Downey … Mike Goodman of Cornerstone Government Affairs … Shelley Fidler … Brooke Ericson Donilon … Vice News’ Subrata De … Aruna Kalyanam … Catie Horst … Ann Compton … Paul Thacker … Sarah Farnsworth … Marc Schloss … Tammy Wincup … Craig Turk … Preston Elliott … Jacquelyn Fain Duberstein … Adrienne Jacobs
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26.) AMERICAN MINUTE
27.) CAFFEINATED THOUGHTS
28.) CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS
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29.) PJ MEDIA
The Morning Briefing: Glenn Youngkin Wastes No Time Triggering Crybaby Libs Everywhere
Top O’ the Briefing
Happy Wednesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. A gentleman never wears striped pantaloons to a root beer hootenanny.
Rarely have I enjoyed the politics in another state as much as I have the goings-on in Virginia the last couple of months. The election there in November was one of the few rays of political sunshine in an otherwise bleak year for American conservatives.
There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth by liberals throughout America long before newly-elected Republicans in Virginia were even in office. It appears that they had good instincts about how it was going to play out once the new regime took over.
When Glenn Youngkin was sworn in last weekend he hit the ground running, signing an executive order to end mask mandates in the state. Here was my initial reaction:
We’re now a little more than half of a week into Youngkin’s tenure and the hits just keep on coming. The state has had some rough weather and the mere fact that the new Republican governor tried to get out ahead of it sent Democrats into a frenzy that didn’t work out well for them.
Youngkin has also drawn the attention of White House Spokesditz Jen Psaki, who was probably thrilled to take a few minutes away from having to explain her train wreck of a boss.
Yesterday, Matt wrote a post about the childish behavior of Democrats in Virginia’s legislature:
Newly sworn-in Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin addressed a joint assembly of the state legislature on Monday, and the Democrats in attendance were not happy about it.
In his speech, he pledged to work with both parties to “usher in a sweeping vision of change.” He also promised to protect parental rights, and that’s where the response from Virginia Democrats truly spoke volumes.
“My message to parents is this,” Youngkin said. “You have a fundamental right, enshrined by law by this general assembly, to make decisions with regards to your child’s education, upbringing, and care, and we will protect and reassert that right.”
And the chamber applauded… Well, the Republicans in the chamber did. They rose to applaud while Virginia Democrats, apparently not caring about parental rights, sat quietly in their seats.
If they are this angsty after Youngkin has been on the job only a few days then the next four years should be better than anything on Netflix.
Youngkin and Co. have a lot of messes to clean up after years of having idiots like Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam in charge. There should be triggering aplenty, especially during the first year.
So pop some popcorn or maybe grab the adult beverage of your choice and sit back to enjoy the show.
You might also need some earplugs when the Democrats really start screaming.
Everything Isn’t Awful
PJ Media
VodkaPundit. Insanity Wrap: Ivermectin Doctor Suspended, Forced to See Shrink
Manchin Defends Filibuster Again: ‘I Just Don’t Know How You Break a Rule to Make a Rule’
Unbelievable: ‘Education’ Group’s Agitprop Video Shows White Cracker ‘Karen’ Whipping Black Kids
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Set to Speak at CPAC
The Left Calls for Tossing NBC’s Chuck Todd Off Nakatomi Plaza Again
Emails Shows Fauci More Concerned With ‘International Harmony’ Than Finding the Origins of the Virus
Biden’s Free COVID Test Site Is Live
Exposed: Progressive Democrats’ Totalitarian Obsession in COVID Crisis
2022-2024: America First or Go Home
Studies Show That Anti-Police Protests Have Led to Rise in Violent Crime
Former Obama Advisor Caught With His Hand in the Cookie Jar
White Supremacists Wanted, Immediate Openings, Applicants Need Not Be White
Media Meltdown Over Justice Sotomayor’s Failure to Cope with the Risk of Living
Michigan Democrats Delete Facebook Post Critical of Parents’ Role in Education
Here’s What We Know About the Migrant Caravan Headed to the Southern Border
Shapiro. The Quest to Destroy Work
Townhall Mothership
Schlichter: Trump v. DeSantis: Advantage, DeSantis
Fox News Debunks NPR’s Report Claiming Justice Gorsuch Refused Request to Wear a Mask
What a Democratic Strategist Just Said Proves Liberals Are Their Own Worst Enemy
Even More Dems Rush to the Exits as Midterm Wipeout Looms
Another Twist in Ray Epps Saga Raises More Questions About That Jan. 6 Committee Interview
Sen. John Kennedy Humorously Sums up Joe Biden’s First Year in Office in Just 20 Seconds
Soft-on-crime NY DA vows to address violent crime surge
Cam&Co. SHOT Show kicks off with good crowds, new guns
Mark Kelly’s silence speaks volumes about his campaign strategy
This story about Seattle Public Schools’ director of ethnic studies is pretty remarkable
As China faces a baby bust what’s to stop Xi Jinping from making children mandatory?
Putin has been emptying out Russia’s embassy in Ukraine
Here are some Australians who ‘absolutely’ would get their pets vaccinated against COVID-19
‘Ask a Venezuelan’: CNN asks if the government should control the price of food and gas
VIP
TERRIFYING: Dr. Zeke Emanuel Weighs in on the ‘New Normal’ to Follow COVID
Pennsylvania Democrats Want to Remove Sex Designation From Birth Certificates
Here’s What Joe Biden Doesn’t Want You to Know About Voter ID
No, the Biden White House Doesn’t Have a Communications Problem
Around the Interwebz
Mick Fleetwood Drums Up Musical Drama Series ’13 Songs’ In Development At Fox
New Mars snapshot captures tumbled boulders near planet’s grand canyon
The Icelandic Bakery That Buries Its Bread in Hot Springs
Bee Me
The Kruiser Kabana
Kabana Gallery
Kabana Tunes
30.) WHITE HOUSE DOSSIER
31.) THE DISPATCH
The Morning Dispatch: Getting Hot Out There
Plus: The collapse of Boris Johnson’s popularity across the pond.
The Dispatch Staff |
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Happy Wednesday! We’re glad Hong Kong has found a logical and humane way of curbing the spread of COVID-19: Slaughtering thousands of innocent hamsters.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- A January 2021 report from Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko was declassified Tuesday, revealing that Sopko warned the Defense Department months before President Joe Biden announced the United States’ final withdrawal from Afghanistan that the Afghan air force was at risk of collapsing without continued U.S. support.
- The January 6 Select Committee announced Tuesday it had issued subpoenas to Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and Boris Epshteyn for their roles in “publicly prompt[ing] unsupported claims about the 2020 election and participat[ing] in attempts to disrupt or delay the certification of election results.” The committee has also subpoenaed and obtained phone records from Eric Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle, according to CNN.
- At least 26 people are dead after a magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck western Afghanistan on Monday, according to a spokesman for the Badghis province where the tremors occurred. Five women and four children were reportedly among the casualties.
- Crude oil prices hit their highest level since 2014 on Tuesday amid geopolitical concerns in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) data indicating the Omicron wave hasn’t dampened demand as much as expected.
- After keeping silent throughout the country’s violent unrest this month, Kazakhstan’s autocratic former president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, released a video message on Tuesday standing behind current President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and denying reports of internal dissension. “There is no conflict or confrontation in the elite,” he said.
- Reps. Jim Langevin of Rhode Island and Jerry McNerney of California both announced Tuesday they will not seek reelection this year, becoming the 27th and 28th House Democrats to do so this cycle.
2021 the Sixth Warmest Year on Record
It feels strange to be writing this days after two separate D.C. snowstorms, but 2021 was one of the warmest years on record—the sixth warmest, according to an annual National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report released late last week, and tied for sixth, according to similarly timed NASA data. Only 2016, 2020, 2019, 2015, and 2017 came in hotter.
All told, the global temperature last year was 1.51°F (0.84°C) higher than the 20th-century average that serves as one benchmark for these kinds of calculations, and even warmer—1.96°F (1.09°C)—in the Northern Hemisphere alone. This near-record heat came despite a naturally occurring La Niña episode across the Pacific Ocean early in the year that rendered February 2021 the coldest February since 2014. (Compared to a benchmark used internationally—the “pre-industrial baseline”—temperatures were 2.17°F (1.21°C) higher in 2021.)
Without that weather pattern—whereby heat is redistributed from the atmosphere to the ocean—2021 would have likely ended up even higher in the rankings, which is part of why climate researchers are so alarmed. “You don’t expect every year to be a new record because there is variability in the system, there’s chaos, there’s weather,” Gavin Schmidt, the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies who heads up the agency’s climate modeling, told The Dispatch. “So we mostly focus on the long-term trends.”
Those don’t paint any prettier a picture. Last year was the 45th year in a row warmer than that 20th-century average, and ten of the eleven hottest years on record have come since 2010. “The long-term trend is very, very clear,” Schmidt told The Associated Press. “It’s because of us. And it’s not going to go away until we stop increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”
According to The Global Carbon Project, worldwide CO2 emissions nearly bounced back to 2019’s record high last year after a more than 5 percent drop in 2020, when, for at least a few months, much of the global population was locked down. But the rate of this year-over-year emissions growth has been slowing: It averaged 3 percent per year globally from 2000 to 2009, but just 0.9 percent per year from 2010 to 2019.
What’s starting to reverse the trend? Heightened adoption of cleaner and more efficient technologies in more developed economies. According to a 2018 European Union report, annual CO2 emissions fell 16.5 percent in the EU from 2005 to 2017, and 14.5 percent in the United States—despite the latter’s population increasing by nearly 30 million people over that span. But those improvements, have, for now, been drowned out by the continued industrialization of the developing world: India’s CO2 emissions more than doubled and China’s were up 73.7 percent during that period. In 2019, China—which still relies heavily on coal—accounted for about 30 percent of the world’s emissions, compared to 15 percent for the United States, 7 percent for India, and 5 percent for Russia.
Are Boris Johnson’s Days Numbered?
How quickly can a major political party’s fortunes change? Barely a year after sweeping Donald Trump out of the White House, maintaining control of the House, and taking back the Senate majority, Democrats are entering 2022 in a mess, with President Biden badly underwater in approval polling, his legislative agenda stalled out in Congress, and Republicans barreling toward a likely triumph in the 2022 midterms.
Across the pond, a similar situation is playing out in reverse. Just over two years ago, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party handed Labour its worst defeat in nearly a century, breaking through the political deadlock surrounding the biggest issue of the day—Brexit—and making significant inroads among the working-class voters who had long been Labour’s backbone.
But of course Brexit wasn’t going to remain front of mind for voters for long, no matter how things looked in December 2019. Mere months later, the COVID pandemic hit, and Johnson—like most other world leaders—struggled to mount a coherent, effective response. He did enjoy a brief, towering spike in his approval ratings in March and April 2020—a clear example of the rally ‘round the flag effect—but, aside from a short-lived boost in early 2021, support for the former London mayor has continued to decline as the pandemic has dragged on. Lately, it’s entered free fall, with a YouGov-UK poll this week pegging his approval at a term-low 22 percent, with a whopping 73 percent of respondents disapproving of his performance. He’s now less popular than Theresa May, his Conservative predecessor who resigned in 2019.
Worth Your Time
- In a piece for The Atlantic, Andrea Stanley details the dwindling empathy supply since the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines. “In 2020, dying of COVID-19 was widely seen as an unqualified tragedy. It was the beginning of the pandemic, when it felt as if the entire world was in a state of collective grief,” she writes. “Now the majority of COVID deaths are occurring among the unvaccinated, and many deaths are likely preventable. The compassion extended to the virus’s victims is no longer universal. Sometimes, in place of condolences, loved ones receive scorn. Vitriol doesn’t come just from familiar names, but also from strangers. Websites, message boards, and social-media accounts have cropped up as forums to insult the unvaccinated dead. They scour social-media pages for ‘covidiots’ and screenshot their photos and posts, turning them into memes. One Reddit page even gives out ‘awards’ to those who refused the vaccine and then died.”
- Progressive comedy writer Jeff Maurer wanted Democrats’ voting reform bills to pass, but concedes in his latest I Might Be Wrong newsletter the stakes are not nearly as high as party leaders have made them out to be, and worries that Democratic rhetoric over the past week has made them look like “sanctimonious losers” who are “cosplaying” the civil rights movement. “The message we chose to go with was basically: ‘This is exactly the same as Jim Crow and nothing less than the future of democracy is at stake.’ To call this argument ‘overwrought’ would be a massive understatement,” he writes. “Personally, I think Republican voter suppression tactics are sh—y, but not very effective. As I’ve mentioned before, the evidence that low turnout helps Republicans is increasingly thin. I also think that voter ID laws are less effective than they used to be; most folks are wise to this gambit, and people who try to measure these laws’ effects typically find nothing or close to nothing. … We matched their base-driven hyperventilating with some of our own.” (Warning: Colorful language used throughout this piece.)
Presented Without Comment
Anything but an “of course not, I support our incumbents” is news here 👇
Burgess Everett @burgessev
Asked if he’d support primary challenges to Manchin and Sinema, Schumer says he’s not getting into the politics
Also Presented Without Comment
NEW from @jaketapper: Former Trump administration officials hold call to strategize against former boss’ efforts in 2022 and 2024
Toeing the Company Line
- In this week’s Sweep, Sarah touches on the Biden administration’s voting reform cynicism and the brewing feud between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis before turning to a recent Gallup poll on party identification and the Republican National Committee’s hardline negotiations with the Commission on Presidential Debates.
- In Tuesday’s Uphill, Haley focuses on how companies are scrambling to rejigger their supply chains to comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. “The government is expected to issue guidance on the burden of proof to obtain exemptions in the coming months, but one thing is certain,” she writes. “Congress did not intend it to be an easy bar to meet.
- David’s latest French Press focuses on Ukraine, and why you should care if Russia invades. Part of the case is built on democratic idealism and concern for Ukrainian human rights, he writes. But there are also pragmatic reasons it would be bad for America if Ukraine falls. “Russia’s desire to dominate the nations along its border extends when Russia’s border extends,” David argues. “[And] the reintroduction of Great Power territorial aggression would once again destabilize the world order.”
Reporting by Declan Garvey (@declanpgarvey), Andrew Egger (@EggerDC), Charlotte Lawson (@lawsonreports), Audrey Fahlberg (@AudreyFahlberg), Ryan Brown (@RyanP_Brown), Harvest Prude (@HarvestPrude), and Steve Hayes (@stephenfhayes).
Subscribe to The Morning Dispatch
An essential daily news roundup, TMD includes a brief look at important stories of the day and original reporting and analysis from The Dispatch team, along with recommendations for deeper reading and some much-needed humor in these often fraught times.
32.) LEGAL INSURRECTION
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33.) THE DAILY WIRE
34.) DESERET NEWS
35.) BRIGHT
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36.) AMERICAN THINKER
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37.) LARRY J. SABATO’S CRYSTAL BALL
38.) THE BLAZE
39.) THE FEDERALIST
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40.) REUTERS
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41.) NOQ REPORT
42.) ARRA NEWS SERVICE
43.) REDSTATE
Former Trump Officials Plot to Block Donald’s Return to White House
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44.) WORLD NET DAILY
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45.) MSNBC
January 19, 2022 THE LATEST Despite kicking off his presidency with major accomplishments, Joe Biden is approaching the end of his first year on a low note. That’s partly because of unreasonable demands made by progressive allies and his administration’s failure to effectively manage expectations. But there is a way to right Biden’s stagnant ship, Noah Rothman writes. “The failure of initiatives — ranging from a vaccine mandate for private businesses, to Build Back Better and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act — have set the White House up for a comeback,” Rothman notes. “The only question is, can the administration make the most of it?”
Read Noah Rothman’s full analysis in your Wednesday MSNBC Daily. TOP STORIES Biden wants private insurers to make Covid tests free. It’s not going well. Read More The NBA has no interest in practicing what it preaches. Just look at its franchise owners. Read More There is yet another twist in the GOP’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Read More Democrats likely won’t overcome conservative obstruction, but they claim the conversation will be valuable on its own. Read More TOP VIDEOS MORE FROM MSNBC As the 2022 midterm season begins, MTP Daily kicks off “Meet The Midterms.” Today and Thursday, Chuck Todd hosts live special shows from the most important swing state this cycle: Georgia.
How do we make sense of this unprecedented moment in world history? Why is this all happening? Chris Hayes asks the big questions that keep him up at night every week on his podcast, aptly titled, “Why Is This Happening?”
This is a special episode that dives into the big Supreme Court year ahead of us. We’re excited to share our first crossover episode with the hosts of “The Strict Scrutiny” podcast: Kate Shaw — who happens to be Chris’ wife — Melissa Murray and Leah Litman. Between the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned, historic potential rulings on voting and gun rights and more contentious political battles, the year ahead will certainly be one for the books. Listen now.
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46.) BIZPAC REVIEW
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47.) ABC
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48.) NBC MORNING RUNDOWN
To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today’s Top Stories from NBC News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022 Good morning, NBC News readers.
The New York Attorney General’s office is turning up the heat in its probe of former President Donald Trump’s businesses. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Kyiv today amid mounting fears that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent. And get ready for “Cool Runnings Part 2”: Jamaica’s bobsled team has qualified for the Olympics for the first time in over 20 years.
Here’s what we’re watching this Wednesday morning. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office has uncovered significant evidence that former President Donald Trump and his company falsely valued multiple assets to bolster its bottom line.
“Thus far in our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence that suggests Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit,” James said in a statement Tuesday.
James is conducting a civil investigation into whether the Trump Organization committed fraud in reporting the value of certain properties to banks and tax authorities.
Tuesday’s filing is in response to legal efforts by the former president to quash a series of subpoenas against him, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump. James is seeking an order to compel all three to appear for sworn testimony.
Her office added that it “has not yet reached a final decision regarding whether this evidence merits legal action.”
Read the full story here. Wednesday’s Top Stories
Secretary of state Blinken’s trip to Europe comes after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki warned of an “extremely dangerous situation” building along the Ukrainian border where Russia is amassing troops. “We believe we’re now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine,” Psaski said Tuesday. The flight changes come despite Verizon and AT&T agreeing to temporarily limit the launch of the new C-Band 5G service around some U.S. airports. The high-quality masks will be available for free at thousands of locations nationwide, including pharmacies and community health centers. The White House also launched a website Tuesday for Americans to order free at-home Covid tests. For decades, the former Vogue creative director and editor-at-large shaped fashion trends and broke down color barriers in a notoriously elite industry. Also in the News
Editor’s Pick
EXCLUSIVE Unlike so many fellow conspiracy theorists, Justin, 30-year-old Brooklynite, would ultimately crawl out of the dark place his own mind had taken him. His first steps began at the U.S. Capitol. Select
In January, experts expect to see substantial sales on exercise equipment, bed and bath linens, and more. One Fun Thing
They’re back!
Nearly 30 years after “Cool Runnings” became a feel-good hit movie, it’s time for a reboot.
The Jamaican four-man bobsled team is back in the Winter Olympics for the first time in decades after it qualified for a spot in next month’s competition in Beijing.
It’s the first time the four-man Jamaican team has earned a berth in the Winter Olympics since the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.
Read the full story here.
Want to receive NBC Breaking News and Special Alerts in your inbox? Get the NBC News Mobile App 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 |
49.) NBC FIRST READ
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From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman and Alexandra Marquez
FIRST READ: Meet 2022’s most important swing state – Georgia
If it’s Wednesday… President Biden holds a news conference at 4:00 pm ET capping his first year as president… White House announces it’s making 400 million N95 masks free… Senate set to vote on voting-rights legislation later this evening… NBC’s Benjy Sarlin reports on how Democrats are quietly laying the groundwork for a scaled-back “Build Back Better” bill… And New York’s AG says investigation into Trump found “significant evidence” suggesting fraud.
But FIRST… MSNBC’s “Meet the Press Daily” is reporting live from Georgia today, because no other 2022 state can tell as many important political stories as the Peach State will this year. (Arizona, by the way, is a close second here.)
Competitive Senate race that could decide control of that chamber? Check.
Super-important gubernatorial contest? Yup.
Presidential battleground that was decided by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020? Uh-huh.
Trump-fueled GOP primaries for governor and secretary of state? Most definitely.
The voting rights story? Absolutely.
Maybe the two most important parts of the Biden coalition – African-American voters and the growing suburbs? Yep.
A Dem member-on-member primary after redistricting. Yes.
And a criminal investigation of the former president? You betcha.
Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images file
When it comes to Georgia, the question we have this morning is did Donald Trump and his unpopularity in Atlanta’s gigantic suburbs make Georgia more competitive than it should have been?
Or did Trump just accelerate ongoing demographical and political trends that were already evident in the Peach State.
Whatever the answer, Georgia isn’t just going to be a must-watch state in 2022.
It also will be near the center of the political universe in 2024 (next presidential), in 2026 (when Sen. Jon Ossoff is up for re-election), and 2028.
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Tweet of the Day: The other story hanging out there
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Data Download: The number of the day is … 400 million.
That’s how many N95 masks the Biden administration is distributing across the country as more experts argue that the widespread availability of high-quality masks is an important tool in fighting the omicron variant.
Tom Inglesby, the White House’s Covid testing coordinator, bluntly told NBC in an interview that “we know that these masks provide better protection than cloth masks.” Last week, the CDC put out new guidance saying N95 and KN95s offer the “highest protection” while stopping short of recommending people wear them.
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Other numbers you need to know today
156,914: The seven-day average of Covid hospitalizations in America, up 47 percent in the last two weeks, per an NBC News analysis.
5: The number of consecutive days that child hospitalizations have declined, from a peak of 5,473 to 4,569.
774,139: The seven-day average of new, daily Covid cases reported in America, per an NBC News analysis.
1,883: The seven-day average of Covid deaths in America.
2: That’s how many House Democrats announced yesterday they are not running for re-election. Rhode Island Rep. Jim Langevin and California Rep. Jerry McNerney are heading for the exits, bringing the total number of retiring House Democrats to 28.
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Talking policy with Benjy: Can Democrats Build Back ‘Build Back Better’ Better?
Build Back Better may have fallen out of the conversation for now, but the Senate is still quietly laying the groundwork to try and revive talks with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., after its voting rights push.
Leadership and committee chairs are discussing a new scaled-back version of BBB that’s in line with Manchin’s stated demands, according to a Democratic source familiar with talks, most notably his call for any new spending programs to be paid for on a permanent basis. The White House denied a Reuters report on Tuesday that they were working on a similar package of their own.
One new feature that Senate Democrats are considering to lure Manchin back to the table is reserving a portion of the plan’s revenue for deficit reduction, the source said, to help address his concerns about inflation. Manchin’s initial offer in July, which he outlined in a letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, called for “any revenue exceeding $1.5 trillion” to be used to help pay down debt.
Democratic leaders may be reluctant to endorse a slimmed-down bill publicly, however, unless Manchin shows significant interest and it can be presented as a “take it or leave it” deal on his behalf. Without him acting as a shield, they risk making themselves a target for members and interest groups upset that their priorities were dropped.
“No senator wants to put their name on something that throws half the bill overboard without a real commitment he goes along with this,” the source said. “As much as every member realizes what needs to happen, no one wants to be the person to say ‘Here’s our revised proposal: Paid leave is gone, child care is gone, the Medicare benefits are gone.’”
A potential iteration could include climate spending in line with the $550 billion discussed in prior versions, universal pre-K (but not child care), Affordable Care Act subsidies, home care funding, and a smaller Child Tax Credit with a requirement to show a W-2 form.
Spending may not be the only area of concern. The source noted that Manchin was skeptical of the revenue side of BBB as well, which was largely written to meet demands from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz not to raise tax rates. Manchin called for raising the corporate tax rate in his July letter and has reportedly considered a tax on billionaires that was left out of the House bill.
Manchin’s level of interest in a deal is still unclear — he’s denied being involved in new talks — and there are still numerous potential hurdles even if he were to approve a new bill.
But even if there is movement, it may not be quick. The House and Senate face a Feb. 18 deadline to fund the government with a bipartisan spending bill, which could be complicated by a new burst of activity around BBB. An optimistic scenario for Democrats might mean securing a breakthrough with Manchin ahead of Biden’s March 1 State of the Union, and then using the momentum from the speech to pass it shortly afterwards.
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Midterm roundup
Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz, aren’t up for re-election until 2024, but they’re already facing primary threats as Democrats squabble over the path forward on voting rights. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he’d consider backing their primary challengers. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dodged a question about whether he’d support the two senators in primaries. Manchin’s response? “Bring it on.”
EMILY’s List announced yesterday it would not endorse Sinema if she doesn’t back a filibuster change to advance voting rights legislation. The group’s independent expenditure arm spent $1.4 million on Sinema’s 2018 race, per OpenSecrets.
Fundraising reports are due this month in a slew of competitive governor’s races. In Texas, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott raised $18.9 million in the last six months, ending the year with a whopping $65 million on hand. Democrat Beto O’Rourke raised $7.2 million in six-and-a-half weeks, according to The Texas Tribune. Former Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage nearly matched Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ six-month haul, but Mills still had more cash-on-hand, per the Portland Press Herald.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul raised $21.6 million last year, a record breaking sum according to The New York Times. Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also said yesterday he won’t run for governor.
And here’s what some of our NBC News reporters have been tracking on the campaign trail: Natasha Korecki told MTP Daily, “even Democrats are admitting to me, [Ron Johnson] is the frontrunner” in the Wisconsin Senate race. This comes as Democratic candidate and partial Milwaukee Bucks owner Alex Lasry spent over $1 million on a new ad buy in the state, Korecki reported Tuesday.
And NBC’s Dasha Burns broke down a recent straw poll conducted by Pennsylvania’s Republican Central Caucus in the race for the state’s open Senate seat. Real estate developer Jeff Bartos finished first, with activist Kathy Barnette and former hedge fund executive David McCormick the only other candidates who finished in double digits.
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ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world
The New York Attorney General says her investigation into Trump and his business found ‘significant evidence’ suggesting fraud.
The Jan. 6 committee subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani and three other Trump allies, accusing them of pushing election lies.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is warning of an “extremely dangerous situation” between Ukraine and Russia.
University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban and other sports elder statesmen signed a letter supporting the Democrats’ voting bill.
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Officials say Biden’s advisers are exploring several opportunities for him to
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Did a friend forward this? Subscribe here. Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Internet Insider, where we tell you what you should be watching this week. TODAY:
BREAK THE INTERNET It’s the perfect time to join the ‘Yellowjackets’ hive Between the TV I wrote about and the stuff I sought out on my own time, I watched a lot of television last year. Some of it was terrible, some of it was fine, and some of it was great. But nothing captivated my attention like Showtime’s Yellowjackets, which concluded its first season on Sunday. I already recommended the series as part of the Daily Dot’s best-of-streaming list a few weeks ago while the show was still airing. Now that the season is over, I want to talk about Yellowjackets again.
The series—which is from Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco—is two stories running parallel. One half is a mix of Lost, Lord of the Flies, and elements that may or may not be supernatural as it centers on a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team in 1996 whose plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, where they would spend the next 19 months trying to survive. The other half is more aligned with our current wave of prestige TV dramas featuring survivors trying to keep darker elements of their past hidden; this one happens to be filled with beloved actresses from the ’90s Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, and Christina Ricci. You might end up favoring one half over the other, but both are fascinating in their own ways (and are held together by the connection between the two sets of actors playing these characters). As you’d expect, it has an incredible ’90s soundtrack.
Ritualistic cannibalism is teased in the show’s opening minutes, and throughout the 10-episode season, the characters of Yellowjackets have to deal with blackmail, kidnapping, séances, secrets, young love, people whose identities are a mystery, dealing with menstruation while out in the wilderness (Lost would never), the occult, someone known to us as the Antler Queen, and a looming high school reunion. We’re picking apart every detail—the show’s subreddit was a central hub over the past 10 weeks—and people are already eagerly fancasting at least one character who we now know will have a 2021 counterpart. (To fit the meta-commentary of Lynskey, Lewis, and Ricci’s casting, they’re leaning toward other actresses who came of age during the ’90s.) The show’s rise has been a boon for Showtime, which renewed it for a second season a few weeks ago—the creators originally pitched it as a five-season show—and it’s aiming to return by the end of 2022.
I found myself gravitating towards other elements of Yellowjackets, too. Even though I’m generally a theory person, I didn’t mind that Yellowjackets didn’t try to pull one over me as shows like Westworld have continually done; the answers we got were pretty straightforward. I love its Jersey sensibilities, the fact that it spends time working through these characters’ trauma vs. being a show that’s “about” trauma, and I love that every day, more people are discovering it. It’s prime for memes, and I’m still thinking of Jeff’s (Warren Kole) line reading of “There’s no book club?!” from episode 9. It’s the journey (how and why the soccer team resorts to cannibalism), not the destination (resorting to cannibalism). And the final shot of season 1 had me wanting season 2 immediately. The show might crash and burn before the end, but right now? It’s the anticipation that has me excited.
Not bad for a show that was, in part, sparked by the backlash to reports of an all-girl Lord of the Flies movie, which was based around disbelief that girls could ever be as vicious or uncouth as boys. By Michelle Jaworski Staff Writer SPONSORED Who wants to give up space in their dresser for uncomfortable clothes? That’s why Bombas created the most comfortable apparel, from socks to underwear and T-shirts, made from the highest-quality materials and designed to make everything you do cozier. Plus, since they believe everyone deserves clean, comfortable clothing, Bombas donates an item for every purchase to those experiencing homelessness. Shop today and get 20% off your first order with COMFORT20, plus free shipping with orders $50+. REVIEWS Netflix horror series ‘Archive 81’ is an eerie twist on the found footage genre Drawing inspiration from 20th-century occultism, paranormal phenomena, and investigatory podcasts like Serial, Archive 81 shares a lot of DNA with audio dramas like The Black Tapes, Limetown (also adapted for TV), and The Magnus Archives. It’s a popular subgenre, but this adaptation suffers from sticking too close to the original format.
Dan (Mamoudou Athie) spends far too much time watching and reacting to video footage, an uphill struggle for a lead actor. Meanwhile, Melody (Dina Shihabi) has to carry her camcorder in virtually every scene because we’re only meant to see things she personally filmed. Several other characters also record helpful clues for Dan to discover, straining credulity in an era before smartphones.
By episode five or six, Dan’s investigation begins to feel like a point-and-click video game, relying on a constant stream of environmental storytelling as he watches new video clips, discovers hidden rooms in his house, and so on. When further exposition is required, his loyal BFF Mark (Matt McGorry) invariably phones up with a fresh clue: Another amusing fictional conceit because what kind of millennial always calls instead of sending a text?
Archive 81 may actually work better if you’re not familiar with this style of podcast. Format problems aside, it’s better paced than most Netflix shows, combining mystery thriller cliffhangers with some effective horror direction. There’s also a strong supporting cast among the inhabitants of the Visser Building and a finale that wraps things up.
Archive 81’s first season is now streaming.
—Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, staff writer
DAILY DOT PICKS
NOW STREAMING ‘How I Met Your Father’ can’t escape the shadow of its polarizing predecessor Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, which debuts nearly eight years after its predecessor, the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, went off the air, comes ready to play with a lot of baggage. While the series was popular throughout its run, HIMYM is remembered more for an ending that may have hued close to its original vision but burned its audience in the process. It also, sight unseen, reminds us that HIMYM creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays once tried making a gender-flipped spinoff (and even shot a pilot starring Greta Gerwig) that was never picked up. (Thomas and Bays are attached to HIMYF as executive producers.)
Creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger (Love, Simon; This Is Us) tweak the format along the way—dating apps are a natural part of things, for instance—and the show’s version of New York is a lot more inclusive than its predecessor ever was. But the baggage is heavy, and in the first four episodes provided to critics, HIMYF struggles with that weight. The cast is full of mostly likable characters, but they struggle to gel together, and while most of the show may take place in a COVID-free 2022, the show feels dated by several years. The first two episodes of How I Met Your Father are now streaming on Hulu. —M.J.
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Wednesday 01.19.22 I’m a coffee person, but if you prefer starting your mornings with orange juice, I have some sour news. OJ prices are surging because the orange crop this year is set to be the smallest in more than 75 years. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a news conference following a meeting on voting rights on Capitol Hill yesterday. Voting Rights
Voting rights are the focus on Capitol Hill this week as Senate Democrats seek to advance legislation that would impact voting procedures nationwide ahead of the midterm elections. Several Republican-controlled states have enacted new restrictions on such things as mail-in voting and early voting in the name of election security — measures Democrats fear may affect turnout, especially in battleground states. In response, Democrats are considering measures to counter such restrictions, including making Election Day a federal holiday and setting minimum national standards for voting by mail. Prospects are slim, however, as Democrats do not have the votes to break a Republican filibuster and pass the legislation.
Coronavirus
The federal government has launched its website to sign up for free Covid-19 tests. COVIDtests.gov allows people to order a maximum of four tests that will be shipped directly to their households within 7 to 12 days. The Biden administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to Americans for free starting next week, a White House official told CNN. The masks — which are coming from the Strategic National Stockpile — will be made available at a number of local pharmacies and community health centers, the official said, adding that the program will be “fully up and running by early February.” Separately, The White House announced yesterday that the US Department of Education has completed distribution of $122 billion in school Covid-19 relief funding to states. Capitol riot
The House committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol has subpoenaed and obtained records of phone numbers associated with one of former President Donald Trump’s children, Eric Trump, as well as Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr., sources tell CNN. It appears to be the first time the select committee has issued a subpoena targeting a member of the Trump family, marking a significant escalation of the investigation into the former president’s role in the insurrection. The records obtained by the committee show incoming and outgoing calls, and the calls’ date, time and length. The records also show a log of text messages, but not the substance or content of the messages. Such information can be a critical investigative tool for the committee in piecing together a road map of who was communicating before, during and after January 6. Trump Organization
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office says it needs the testimony of former President Donald Trump and two of his adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, to determine their knowledge of what investigators say they have identified as numerous “misleading statements and omissions” in the Trump Organization’s tax submissions and financial statements used to obtain loans. In a court filing yesterday, investigators stated the office “intends to make a final determination about who is responsible for those misstatements and omissions.” The attorney general’s office emphasized it is zeroing in on miscategorized assets, misstatements about the processes Trump and his associates used to reach valuations, and even the size of the Trump Tower penthouse. Antitrust laws
The Federal Trade Commission and US Justice Department announced yesterday they are reviewing guidelines for corporate mergers and will announce updated rules by the end of the year. The move is an effort to combat the concentration in a range of industries that can reduce competition and consumer choice. Decades of less aggressive antitrust enforcement has led to an increase in merger filings, which nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021. The FTC and the Department of Justice have recently cracked down on the tech industry for antitrust violations, filing a lawsuit targeting Google’s dominance in search and advertising, and a separate suit aiming to break up Meta, Facebook’s parent company. Sponsor Content by Noom Join Noom To Take Back Control Of Your Health This Year Noom uses psychology to help you understand your behavior, so you can make healthier decisions. With Noom’s revolutionary approach to weight loss, you can create a sustainable, healthy routine to achieve your goals.
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Disney’s animated film “Encanto” draws praise from families and therapists alike You’ve done it again, Disney. Thanks for making me smile, laugh and cry all in under two hours.
A 555.55-carat black diamond from space is going on sale The rare gem called “The Enigma” will be auctioned next month and I’m beyond obsessed. It’s out of this world.
Stunning images of the Wolf Moon, the first full moon of the year Did you see it? It seriously looked like it should’ve been in a movie with howling wolves.
Cate Blanchett dressed up as her daughter’s teacher to homeschool during the pandemic The actor refused to break character, even at home. Now that’s commitment.
White Castle cancels ‘fine dining’ on Valentine’s Day What could possibly be more romantic than $1 burgers? The fast food chain is canceling this tradition and opting for socially distanced festivities instead. we want to hear from you!
Let’s face it, you did not learn everything you needed to know in school. Tell us what skills you’re struggling to master as an adult: taxes, household chores, social situations, basic life knowledge — anything you had to learn the hard way, we want to hear about it. Go here to tell us your story! in memoriam
André Leon Talley, the former longtime creative director for Vogue and a fashion icon in his own right, has died at age 73, according to a statement on his official Instagram account. Talley was a pioneer in the fashion industry, a Black man in an often insular world dominated by White men and women. 1.6 million That’s the number of US immigration cases currently backlogged due to a spike in arrivals, pandemic-related delays and court closures. Immigration courts, which fall under the Justice Department, have been faced with an overwhelming number of cases piling onto the docket, and without the resources to address them, immigrants are waiting longer to learn if they face deportation. The relocation of the capital city to Kalimantan is based on several considerations, regional advantages, and welfare. With the vision of the birth of a new economic center of gravity in the middle of the archipelago.
Suharso Monoarfa, Indonesia’s Minister of National Development Planning, on Indonesia naming its new capital Nusantara. Lawmakers approved the shift from the urban region of Jakarta to a jungle-covered area known as Kalimantan due to concerns over Jakarta’s congestion and rapidly sinking political center. Brought to you by CNN Underscored 3 reasons it’s not too late to refinance your mortgage Refinancing your mortgage can not only save you thousands of dollars in interest over time, but it can also lower your current monthly payment. If you’re worried that you’ve missed the boat on refinancing, here are three reasons it’s not too late to take advantage of a mortgage refinance. Happy National Popcorn Day Sponsor Content by Bankrate Auto insurance savings made simple Tired of overpaying but don’t know where to turn? Let Bankrate find you the best deal with personalized quotes from top carriers. Compare rates and save today.
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83.) THE DAILY CALLER
84.) POWERLINE
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
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92.) THE DAILY BEAST
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93.) JUST THE NEWS
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94.) SHARYL ATTKISSON
95.) RIGHTWING.ORG
96.) NOT THE BEE
97.) US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
98.) NEWSMAX
99.) MARK LEVIN
January 18, 2022
On Tuesday’s Mark Levin Show, the framers spent 5 months in Pennsylvania figuring out how to form a government since the Articles of Confederation were a failure. The new nation was in debt and states were unfairly levying taxation on one another. Enter the founding of the Constitution by well-read men who understood the fall of Rome and were informed by their predecessors and contemporaries like John Locke, Montesquieu, and Sir Edmund Burke. They had challenges over slavery, mob rule, representation in Congress, and many other issues of where they reached compromise but agreed that the federal government should not have plenary power of election, but rather that the states should. Then, the Democrat party is the party of the KKK, racism, and segregation. They were that way during the civil war, and they are that way today. Chuck Schumer and his razor-thin majority will peddle every lie they can to convince people that the Democrats’ voting bill does something more than weaken a citizen’s right to vote. Later, Nancy Pelosi’s January 6th select committee is said to be weighing whether or not it can cook up some federal charges against former President Trump to prevent him from holding public office ever again. Such charges are purely political as there is no basis for such allegations. Afterward, Schumer’s daughters work for Amazon and Facebook while Schumer is overseeing antitrust legislation that affects both tech giants, according to the New York Post. This raises substantive concerns over ethics and the appearance of improprieties as Schumer has the ability to kill this legislation before there’s even a vote on it.
THIS IS FROM:
Rumble
Sen Schumer: Trump’s Republican Party Is Trying To Take Away The Vote From Black, Brown People
The Hill
Democrats see good chance of Garland prosecuting Trump
Washington Examiner
Jan. 6 panel member floats 14th Amendment as way to bar Trump from holding office
Washington Examiner
Flip: More adults identify as Republicans, giving biggest edge in 25 years
Red State
Ron DeSantis Goes Yard on Florida Republicans Looking to Surrender on Redistricting
American Spectator
Trump Supporters Swarm Pennsylvania GOP Senate, Gubernatorial Debate
NY Post
Schumer’s daughters work for Amazon, Facebook as he holds power over antitrust bill
Powerline Blog
The New York Times Does Trump Vs. DeSantis
100.) WOLF DAILY
101.) THE GELLER REPORT
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102.) CNS
103.) RELIABLE NEWS
104.) INDEPENDENT SENTINEL
A teacher was fired for not meowing to a student who identifies as a cat. (She was a wee bit sarcastic too). After it was on PJ Media I decided to post it, but I’m sure I’ve entered the Twilight Zone.
Gen. Milley is busy getting nonbinary to serve openly. How many people could there be who don’t identify as male or female and why are we doing this?
Dems were angry with Gov. Youngkin for saying parents are responsible for the ‘upbringing, education, and care’ of their children.
Ashli Babbitt’s killer didn’t have to give a statement, was never formally interviewed, and didn’t cooperate. Then he got a medal for the great job he did. Yep, I’m in the Twilight Zone.
CA will give ‘free’ everything health care to the world who comes through their door but taxpayers will pay double.
Leftists canceled all Black food icons, just whites are left.
Helmet Prof who greeted his students with, “You’re vectors of disease to me,” is suspended pending review.
Bring back MLK Jr’s vision, dump CRT.
Oh, and Warren is lying again.
Milley Plans to Have Nonbinary They/Thems Serve Openly in the MilitaryIncompetent fool General Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wants people who are confused about what gender they are to serve in our military openly. The Defense… | |
Teacher Fired for Not Meowing at a Boy Who Identifies as a CatAccording to a PostMillennial report, a teacher was told by school officials — after failing to meow at a student — “We no longer need your services if you can’t identify with… | |
Schumer Will Begin Debate on Gutting the Filibuster WednesdayChuck Schumer will begin debate tomorrow to put in place a talking filibuster which will gut the filibuster. Democrats will just use the carve-out for their corrupt voting rights. They… | |
Parents’ Right to Decide Children’s ‘Upbringing, Education and Care’ Opposed by VA DemsGlenn Youngkin, Virginia’s new Republican governor, delivered his State of the Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the state’s General Assembly on Monday in Richmond. Youngkin called for raises… | |
CA to Nearly Double Taxes to Pay for ‘Free’ Single PayerCommunist California is proposing a constitutional amendment to their state constitution, adding Single Payer for health-eye-hearing-dental-long-term care. There will be no private practices, the government will run everything 100%, and… | |
McConnell Might Be Fueling a Phony DeSantis -Trump FeudThe New York Times is now exploiting the alleged feud between Ron De Santis and Donald Trump. Whether it’s exaggerated, we can’t say but we don’t believe most of it. RINOs… | |
Stephen Colbert Wants to Axe the Senate, Says It’s Anti-UndemocraticStephen Colbert, a far-left ‘comedian’, says the Senate should be axed if the filibuster can’t be eliminated. He sees no purpose for it to exist. Colbert claims he’s serious. He… | |
Warren Claims GOP Bars Black & Brown People, College Kids from VotingSen. Warren hasn’t abandoned her penchant for lying and did so during an interview on CBS Morning with friendly hosts who gave her a puff interview. No matter how crazy… | |
Alert: No Formal Probe, Statement, or Cooperation by Ashli Babbitt’s KillerU.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd was never formally interviewed by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department before being cleared of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt during the… | |
Canadian Truckers Protest Vax Tyranny at US-Canada BorderTruckers are traveling from every province converging in Ottawa. Patriots from all over Canada will be attending. Will stay there until this ends! Convoys are being organized to head to… | |
Sen. Warren Responds to the Question — Is Biden “fit”Elizabeth Warren was asked if she thought Joe Biden was fit during a CBS Morning panel. The host mentioned Biden’s “polls are very, very, very bad — three “very-s”. She… | |
Soviet Throwback? Doc Suspended, Forced Psych Eval Over IvermectinDr. Meryl Nass cannot practice medicine in Maine despite her decades of experience and the fact that she says she has saved lives with drugs the bureaucrats do not approve… | |
Leftists Canceled All the Black Food IconsThis is a good segment with Greg Kelly from his show last night. He made note of the one thing that is being overlooked. The leftist cancel culture canceled all… | |
Helmet Professor to Students: You’re ‘Vectors of Disease to Me.’A professor welcomed students to class by calling them ‘vectors of disease to me’, among other crazy things He has been suspended. Michigan Professor Barry Mehler, a tacher at Ferris… | |
Twilight Zone: Xi, Schwab, Fauci Lead WEF to Take Down the Western World“It is my distinct honor and great privilege to introduce His Excellency Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China, to open the Davos Agenda” ~ Klaus Schwab The… | |
Biden Doesn’t Have Enough Info to Figure Out the Synagogue AttackA reporter asked Biden about the Colleyville synagogue attack. “Do you know why he targeted that specific synagogue, Mr. President? “We don’t have — I don’t think there is sufficient… | |
Global Survey: We Think Government and Media Are Lying to UsTrust in governments around the world is collapsing, especially in democracies, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer writes from a new global survey. According to the survey, people don’t think… | |
Race Quota in KentuckyA Kentucky school is ignoring the election and demanding they go back and find minorities. This on the day we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr’s speech calling for equality, not… | |
Dragon Ladies of ‘The View’ Used MLK Jr to Trash Republicans“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by… |
105.) DC CLOTHESLINE
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106.) ARTICLE V LEGISLATORS’ CAUCUS
107.) BECKER NEWS
108.) SONS OF LIBERTY
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109.) STARS & STRIPES
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110.) RIGHT & FREE
111.) UNITED VOICE
112.) THE DAILY SHAPIRO
113.) INSURGENT CONSERVATIVES
This practice has allegedly been taking place in blue states like Washington. “The most dangerous pronoun discourse has nothing to do with gender identity. It’s the undefined ‘we’ in public policy debates that’s the problem.” These are… Pelosi is grasping at straws. This is the biggest advantage for Republicans since 1994. Youngkin managed to make Democrats’ blood boil. Rex Chapman pleaded guilty to four felony charges in 2014. 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
116.) DC DIRTY LAUNDRY
117.) THE THOMPSON REPORT
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