MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – JANUARY 31, 2021

Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Monday January 31, 2022

1.) THE DAILY SIGNAL

January 31 2022
Good morning from Washington, where the Biden administration keeps pushing COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Fred Lucas has an update on agencies that want to track employees who seek exemptions. A Boston teacher faults her union for failing to fight for the unvaccinated, Virginia Allen reports. On the podcast, learn about an app that filters internet content for children. Plus: Salvation Army officials stay quiet on the financial consequences of woke training; identity politics weaken the nation; and your letters on pressing topics. On this date in 1950, President Harry Truman announces he will pursue development of a “superbomb” to dwarf the power of the U.S. atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Know someone who is perfect for an internship at The Daily Signal? Wednesday is the  application deadline.
NEWS
Vaccine Mandate 'Feels Like Coercion,' Says Boston Teacher Who Fears Being Fired
By Virginia Allen
“If we are not allowed to choose what goes in our body … that to me is the ultimate loss of freedom,” says a Boston teacher.
COMMENTARY
Will We Ever Eradicate the Cancer of Identity Politics?
By Josh Hammer
There is only one way to describe crass identity politics operationalized at this high a political level: evil.
NEWS
Pension Agency Latest to Track Exemptions From COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
By Fred Lucas
The federal agency overseeing government pensions is the latest agency to create a rule for keeping records on employees who seek medical exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
NEWS
Salvation Army Silent on Impact of Race-Based Training on Fundraising
By Kevin Mooney
Salvation Army chapters across the country reportedly saw a significant drop in donations in the weeks before Christmas because of fallout over a racially charged training curriculum.
ANALYSIS
How to Protect Your Kids From Internet Porn: There's an App for That
By Rob Bluey
Sean Clifford, a father of four, wanted to create a solution that blocked the worst of the internet.
COMMENTARY
We Hear You: Tracking Religious Objectors to Vaccine Mandates and Protecting the Unborn
By Ken McIntyre
“What conservatives need to do about this list of vaccine objectors is to enter comments on the Federal Register,” Kathi Robinson writes.
COMMENTARY
ICYMI: Meet Alvin Bragg, the Rogue Prosecutor Wreaking Havoc in Manhattan
By Cully Stimson
These are some of the many crimes you can now commit with impunity in Manhattan: trespassing, resisting arrest, prostitution, and most other misdemeanor offenses.
LOGO-CHARCOAL_75percent.jpg

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3.) DAYBREAK

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1.
Poll: Americans Want Biden to Consider “All Possible Nominees”

From the story: During the spring 2020 presidential primaries, days before his set of big wins on Super Tuesday, Biden pledged to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, if elected. Now, with the chance to do so, just over three-quarters of Americans (76%) want Biden to consider “all possible nominees.” Just 23% want him to automatically follow through on his history-making commitment that the White House seems keen on seeing through (ABC News).  From Senator Susan Collins: “… the way that the president has handled this nomination has been clumsy at best. It adds to the further perception that the court is a political institution like Congress when it is not supposed to be” (NY Post).

2.
Joni Mitchell Removing Music from Spotify to “Stand with Neil Young”

The cancel culture wants a Joe Rogan scalp (NY Post). Spotify says they will create a coronavirus information hub in response to the backlash (Daily Wire). From Erick Erickson: The anti-censorship crowd wants to de-platform Joe Rogan. The anti-racists want kids to be defined by their race and class. The anti-segregations wants kids locked into public schools with no way out. Post-modernism is really just insanity pretending it’s the sane one (Daily Wire). From New Yok Times reporter Matthew Rosenberg: Joe Rogan is what he is. We in the media might want to spend more time thinking about why so many people trust him instead of us (Twitter). From Michael Knowles: Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have inspired me to announce that I will be taking “The Michael Knowles Show” off of Spotify in order to bring attention to myself (Twitter).

Advertisement
3.
iPhone Adds Pregnant Man Emoji

Further buying into a concept that doesn’t exist (Fox Business). Even Bill Maher is mocking the left over this (Twitter).

4.
Study: Marijuana Impairs Driving for Up to 4 Hours

Also from the story: The researchers said in the report that the participants were hesitant to drive immediately after smoking but nearly 69% of the participants reported they were ready to drive at 1 hour 30 minutes post inhalation, setting up a potentially dangerous scenario. “Although users in the THC group felt impaired and were hesitant to drive at 30 minutes, by 1 hour-30 minutes they believed the impairment was wearing off and were more willing to drive. This was despite their performance not significantly improving from the 30 minute point.”

Fox News

5.
North Korea Completes More Missile Tests in January Than All of 2021

The worst dictators have no fear these days (Fox News).  Then comes this from the Wall Street Journal: Irony died at the United Nations a long time ago, but now North Korea is dancing on its grave. See the recent news that Pyongyang—which conducted its seventh missile test of the year on Sunday—will soon chair the U.N. Conference on Disarmament. The 65-member forum, whose presidency rotates based on alphabetical order, exists to support nuclear disarmament and oppose the creation of new weapons of mass destruction. China currently has the job as it conducts its own secretive nuclear buildup. North Korea will take the role in May after Cuba’s rotation is over. Iran is also a member, if anyone is wondering (WSJ).

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6.
Nebraska Mascot Eliminates “Okay” Hand Gesture to Not Offend the Absurdly Woke

Who have decided it has ties to white supremacy.

Daily Mail

7.
Anti-Defamation League Changes Definition of Racism to Fit Leftist Agenda

When you can’t win an argument because of the definition of your primary accusation, change the definition. They are calling it “The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.”

Daily Wire

8.
UPenn Threatens Suit if NCAA Doesn’t Allow Their Man to Compete Against Women

They are insisting the NCAA let the highly controversial and completely absurd male swimmer, who now goes by Lia Thomas, compete in the women’s swimming championship.

National Review

Advertisement
9.
Spice Company Hurting After Calling All Republicans Racist

The Penzeys Spices CEO sent out this email: “Remember how Republicans, going against a mountain of evidence to the contrary, once again lied and said BLM wasn’t a peaceful movement but instead terrorists inciting violence throughout the country and then raced out to buy a crapload of guns because maybe they were finally going to get their chance to shoot a Black person? What a bunch of racists.” The story then notes “Since sending his controversial email, Penzey sent out another missive Friday asking for gift card purchases and admitting that his company had since lost 40,005 subscribers, which is approximately 3% of their base.”  Just 3 percent unsubscribed?  After that?

Fox Business

10.
NYPD Cops Given Until February 11 to Get Vaccinate

Thousands have applied for religious or medical exemptions.

NY Post

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4.) THE SUNBURN

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 1.31.22

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

Good Monday morning

Shumaker Advisors announced Monday that former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman is joining the firm as Managing Principal of its U.S. Cities Practice.

At Shumaker, Kriseman will focus on economic development and urban planning, while working with clients locally and nationally. Kriseman will also join the Shumaker law firm as of counsel in the Public Policy and Government Affairs service line.

Rick Kriseman gets a new private-sector gig at Shumaker. Image via Twitter.

“We are honored to have Rick join Shumaker Advisors. His vision to achieve economic growth while focusing on sustainability and purpose inspires us all,” Shumaker Advisors president and CEO Ron Christaldi said. “It is a compliment to our team that Rick believes in our ability to make a true impact, and we are excited for more success ahead.”

Kriseman served as St. Pete Mayor from 2014 to 2022.

“Tampa Bay has incredible potential. With our top leaders and greatest minds working together, the region’s future is brighter than ever,” Kriseman said. “I am honored to join the prestigious team at Shumaker Advisors and to work with their clients who are committed to ensuring that our communities become better places for all.”

The announcement comes a few weeks after Shumaker Advisors announced that former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn had joined the firm to work on economic development opportunities and urban development strategies across the state.

___

Franco Ripple is leaving Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s office to serve as vice president at Direct Impact, a Washington-based public affairs firm and part of the international BCW Group.

Ripple served in several roles at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services since Fried’s inauguration, including as Director of Communications and Director of Strategic Initiatives. He also consulted on her successful 2018 campaign.

After boosting Nikki Fried’s profile as Agriculture Commissioner, Franco Ripple moves on to a new VP job.

At the department, Ripple oversaw a communications shop that built Fried’s profile with frequent local TV hits, national cable appearances, and strong earned media, as well as rollouts of major initiatives.

Ripple’s entry into public affairs and politics came 20 years ago as a White House Intern in the (George W.Bush administration in 2002, followed by bipartisan Capitol Hill internships. Part of every campaign cycle since 2004, he has served on gubernatorial, congressional, state legislative, and presidential campaigns, most recently as North Florida Director for the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris campaign.

He also spent five years at the CATECOMM public relations firm, consulting on advocacy communications, earned and paid media, digital campaigns, and public engagement for corporate, association, governmental and nonprofit clients.

Ripple will continue to be based in Tallahassee.

___

For your radar — Matt Isbell posted late last night 3,500 words on redistricting, specifically what may happen to Florida’s 5th Congressional District. Be sure to give it a read by clicking here.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

Tweet, tweet:

 

@ChrisSpencerFL: If the Biden infrastructure bill is such a big deal for you, then why do you know so little about it that you think this CDBG-MIT funding was in it? It was actually appropriated after Hurricane Irma.

@RepValDemings: Yesterday, neo-nazis rallied in Orlando. But America beat their disturbing ideology before, and we’ll do it again. As a police commander, I saw similar rallies, and I also saw that for every nazi, there were a hundred Floridians there to stand up for what’s right

Tweet, tweet:

 

@VoteRandyFine: This is crap. @GovRonDeSantis has stood with the Jewish people more than any Gov in America. I hate these ppl more than anyone. If I saw it live, I’d need bail. But these idiots can’t even spell Brandon right. So let’s put the anger where it belongs — at these people.

@MarcoRubio: One day, we will learn just what kind of deal with the devil the @NFL made in exchange for the last two weekends of playoff games

@GiancarloSopoPatrick Mahomes could still go to the Super Bowl if Mike Pence would just have the courage to do what is right.

@JoshAllenQB: Pain.

Tweet, tweet:

 

@JamesGrantFL: (TomBrady’s retirement leaking in the middle of Gasparilla is about as Tampa as it gets.

@Cam_Joseph: Not sure there’s a more rewarding feeling in journalism than closing all the tabs after you pub a story

— DAYS UNTIL —

XXIV Olympic Winter Games begins — 4; Super Bowl LVI — 13; Will Smith‘s ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ reboot premieres — 13; Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show begins — 16; season four of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ begins — 16; Spring Training report dates begin — 17; Synapse Florida tech summit begins — 17; ‘The Walking Dead’ final season part two begins — 20; Daytona 500 — 20; Special Election for Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 3 — 23; Suits For Session — 23; CPAC begins — 24; St. Pete Grand Prix — 25; Biden to give the State of the Union address — 29; ‘The Batman’ premieres — 32; the third season of ‘Atlanta’ begins — 51; season two of ‘Bridgerton’ begins — 53; The Oscars — 55; Macbeth with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga begin performances on Broadway — 57; Grammys rescheduled in Las Vegas — 62; federal student loan payments will resume — 90; ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 95; ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ premieres — 116; ‘Platinum Jubilee’ for Queen Elizabeth II — 122; ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 159; San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — 172; Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner novel ‘Heat 2’ publishes — 190; ‘The Lord of the Rings’ premieres on Amazon Prime — 214; ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 249; ‘Black Panther 2’ premieres — 284; ‘The Flash’ premieres — 287; ‘Avatar 2′ premieres — 319; ‘Captain Marvel 2′ premieres — 382; ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ premieres — 417; ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ premieres — 543; ‘Dune: Part Two’ premieres — 627; Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games — 907.

—TOP STORY —

Clash over election rules pits civil-rights groups vs. state, national Republicans” via Laura Cassels of Florida Phoenix — In a voting-rights case that will have national ramifications, DeSantis, top members of his administration, and two Republican national committees will convene in federal court Monday to defend Florida’s 2021 election reforms against state, national, and local plaintiffs who say the reforms suppress voting by Black voters, Latino voters, and others. At issue is Senate Bill 90, adopted by the Legislature and signed into law by DeSantis in May, immediately drawing lawsuits. It restricts the use of mail-ballot drop boxes widely used in the 2020 elections to accommodate record voter turnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opponents describe the measures as voter suppression, designed to make voting more difficult, especially among certain populations, and are asking a federal court to overturn the law. The trial starts Monday.

Let my people vote: Voting rights groups are taking Ron DeSantis to court over SB 90. Image via Engage Miami Civic Foundation.

— DATELINE TALLY —

Ron DeSantis vows to stamp out the ‘vicious ideology’ of ‘wokeness’” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — In a crystallization of his argument for re-election, DeSantis on Friday night went on the offensive against “wokeness,” a “vicious ideology” and a variant of what he called “cultural Marxism.” “This wokeness is dangerous, and we have to defeat it on all fronts,” DeSantis told the Common Sense Society during a speech Friday night. DeSantis said the movement intends to make conservatives “second-class citizens.” DeSantis suggested that priorities of Democrats, such as expanding the Supreme Court, abolishing the Electoral College, and “making D.C. a state, so you get two radical Senators for life,” are not issues that “many Americans are talking about over their kitchen table.”

Stamped: Ron DeSantis fires another salvo against ‘wokeness.’ Image via AP.

No migrant flight companies have state contracts, state records show — DeSantis has said he wants companies that transport unaccompanied migrant minors to be ineligible for state contracts, but the state has no contracts with any of the corporations involved. As reported by Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has compiled a list of companies that have contracted with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, but none of the companies on the list have any business with the state government. However, a handful of names on the list are not immediately identifiable, such as “World ATL.” Other names, such as “Elite Air,” are used by multiple companies. FDLE said it did not have any further information on the companies and that the information it did have came from an unnamed “source.”

‘Storm-prone state’: DeSantis pledges $80 million for climate adaptation in South Florida” via Anna Jean Kaiser and Alex Harris of the Miami Herald — DeSantis announced the state would award $80 million in grants to South Florida cities and counties to deal with stormwater and flood-control problems, with nearly $40 million going to two Miami projects. “As a storm-prone state, we need to make sure we’re mitigating the effects of these weather events,” DeSantis said at a news conference at Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on Friday morning. Miami will receive $19.8 million to improve stormwater infrastructure in the southwest part of Wynwood, and $18.4 million to alleviate chronic flooding in East Little Havana.

Miami will get the lion’s share of $80M in climate adaptation money.

Senators plan overhaul of coastal resiliency measures” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Sen. Jason Brodeur has filed an amendment fleshing out his bill to address rising sea levels, part of an effort to improve a 2021 law on environmental policy. During his first week in office in 2019, DeSantis signed an executive order on the environment that established the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection within the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Brodeur’s bill (SB 1940) would codify a Statewide Office of Resiliency within the Governor’s Office and place the Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) as the head of the office. But with Brodeur’s proposed changes to that bill, the one-paged measure would expand to more than 20 pages and include tweaks to state processes within DEP and beyond. The bill, including Brodeur’s amendment, is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. It would be the proposal’s first of three committee hearings.

—TALLY 2 —

Hurricane Catastrophe Fund reform could save insurance consumers $1 billion a year, backers say” via Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Florida home insurance customers could get a substantial break from rising rates, saving about $150 a year, if they no longer had to pay into the state’s hurricane insurance reserve fund and if insurance companies could access those reserves more easily, with fewer overall claims losses. Reforms proposed in the state Legislature by state Sen. Jeff Brandes could save Florida consumers $750 million to $1 billion a year in insurance costs, he said. The savings would come from two major reforms to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.

Rainy day fund: Jeff Brandes proposes changes in the state’s CAT fund to save Floridians as much as $1B.

Pending bill puts a high price on home rule” via Bill Cotterell of the Tallahassee Democrat — A fast-tracked Senate bill, approved by a near party-line vote of 22-14 last week, is an unnecessary and punitive act of financial intimidation that defies the concept of home rule. The Republican leadership on the Capitol’s fourth floor seems intent upon letting business operators sue local governing boards for passing local ordinances that have an impact of 15% or more on their profits. It’s a potentially crippling financial threat, giving business owners and their lawyers nothing to lose for harassing local governments and giving mayors and other local officials a weighty incentive to play it safe and not do much of anything, for fear of getting sued.

Florida Democrat delivers an emotional critique of ‘anti-woke’ bills: ‘ My opinion matters just as much as your opinion’” via Tim Craig of The Washington Post — The anger had been building inside Rep. Ramon Alexander for more than a year as he sat alongside his Republican colleagues in the Florida Legislature. One of the state’s highest-ranking Black legislators, Alexander watched as the state GOP responded to Black Lives Matter protests by making it easier to charge some demonstrators with felony charges. He watched Republicans impose new restrictions on voting by mail over the objection of Democrats. And he watched some GOP lawmakers downplay the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which Alexander considers a violent effort to disenfranchise Black voters.

Advocate pushing for ‘essential caregiver’ bills takes fight to Legislature” via Kent Justice of News4Jax — A Jacksonville woman is pushing to secure rights for every caregiver to see their loved one, pandemic or not. Mary Daniel is taking her fight to the Florida Legislature, which is moving into the fourth week of the Legislative Session. At the same time, Daniel is also fighting for change on the federal level. Daniel and her husband, Steve, have an incredible love story, partly because of tragedy. Her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at just 59 years old. Now 68, he’s in a long-term care facility that shut out Daniel and others when the pandemic crashed down on the world in 2020.

Mary Daniel is taking her fight for the right to visit her husband to the state and federal levels. Image via Mary Daniels/People.com.

Former Sen. Charlie Dean honored with college building name, endowment” via Mike Wright of Florida Politics — It was 1962, and a young Dean was trying to find his footing in life. The son of Citrus County’s Sheriff, Dean graduated from Citrus High School and attended Florida State University, but it didn’t work out well. He joined the Marines and, after fulfilling his commitment, gave higher education another try. This time he attended Central Florida Community College in Ocala, now College of Central Florida, where he would earn an associate degree. He followed that with a bachelor’s at Florida State, then a master’s at Rollins College. And then, success: schoolteacher, counselor, Citrus County Sheriff, state Representative, state Senator.

— SKED —

Happening today — Democratic Rep. Felicia Robinson will host an online news conference to oppose a bill (HB 7) that deals with issues such as race-related instruction, 11:15 a.m. Zoom link here. Meeting ID: 85028918609. Call-in code: NoOnHB7.

— The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee meets to consider SB 1658, from Sen. Aaron Bean, enabling the Governor to bypass the state Cabinet in appointing the secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, 3 p.m., Room 37 of the Senate Office Building.

— The Senate Judiciary Committee meets to consider SB 262, from Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, to allow parents of adult children to pursue mental pain and suffering damages in wrongful-death lawsuits alleging malpractice, 3 p.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.

— The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee meets to consider SB 1928, from Chair Ed Hooper, to update regulations for household moving services, 3 p.m., Room 110 of the Senate Office Building.

— The House Appropriations Committee meets to consider HB 3, from Rep. Tom Leek, to help recruit and train law-enforcement officers, 3 p.m., Room 212 Knott Building.

— The House Ways and Means Committee meets to consider HJR 1 and HB 1563, from Rep. Josie Tomkow, to increase the homestead property-tax exemptions to classroom teachers, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, child-welfare services professionals, members of the U.S. armed forces, or the Florida National Guard, 3 p.m., Room 404 of the House Office Building.


—STATEWIDE —

Judge rules former Sen. Frank Artiles must release more documents in election fraud case” via Bianca Padró-Ocasio and Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald — Former Florida Sen. Artiles will have to turn over some bank records, credit reports, cellphone communications, and other digital documents to be used as evidence in a high-profile corruption case against him, a Miami-Dade circuit judge ruled on Friday. But the files, which are part of the discovery in a wide-ranging criminal case involving dark money and a “ghost’ candidate in a Miami election, will be limited to anything produced between Jan. 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021. That period expands beyond when investigators have alleged Artiles paid a no-party candidate more than $40,000 to run and sway the outcome of the state Senate District 37 election.

State Ethics Commission clears former JEA board member who later became privatization consultant” via Nate Monroe of The Florida Times-Union — The Florida Commission on Ethics decided a former member of the JEA board of directors and vocal privatization advocate didn’t violate the law when, during his term on the board, he discussed becoming a paid consultant to help the utility get acquired by a private company. That board member, Alan Howard, eventually did become a privatization consultant to JEA through a $75,000 contract with his law firm after his term on the board had expired. The finding of no wrongdoing closes the book on one of several controversies that arose during the contentious JEA privatization campaign more than two years ago.

An ethics panel gives Alan Howard the all-clear. Image via Jacksonville Daily Record.

New phone, who dis? Florida cracking down on anonymous political text messages” via Fresh Take Florida — Ever receive one of those irritating political texts during an election, praising or criticizing a candidate and wonder who was behind it? The Florida Election Commission is cracking down on political texts that don’t explicitly say who paid for them, with new rules intended to improve transparency for voters and stem the spread of misinformation. Under the proposed new regulations, it will fine groups that break the new rules $200 to $250 for each text, amounts that could add up to tens of thousands of dollars for wayward texts blasted during a campaign. Even for honest campaigns, one consultant estimated that complying with the new rules could double their costs by adding characters to texts with limited lengths. The Election Commission disputed that estimate.

What Shannon Shepp is reading — “The next big squeeze: Florida orange juice could skyrocket in price” via Laura Reiley of The Washington Post — The next grocery item families could see skyrocketing in price: Florida orange juice. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report earlier this month, the state’s orange crop will be the smallest since World War II. And the threats to Florida’s “liquid gold” continue: Weather forecasters predict this weekend’s freezing temperatures in Florida will further hurt the season’s crop. Florida is the country’s largest producer of juice oranges, at its peak producing 244 million boxes of oranges annually. The USDA predicts that it will fall to only 44.5 million this year. Demand for orange juice had cooled in recent years as consumers became concerned about sugar in fruit juices. But COVID-19 brought it back.

— CORONA FLORIDA —

Florida logs more than 1,000 new COVID-19 deaths for first time since delta variant wave” via Chris Persaud of The Palm Beach Post — As the omicron wave of the coronavirus recedes across Florida, the scope of its deadliness has begun to take shape. For the first time since mid-October, Florida logged more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in a week, state health officials reported Friday. Viral fatalities rose by 1,192 since Jan. 21, data from the state Health Department shows. That’s nearly twice as many new victims reported last week, and more than seven times as many four weeks ago. And the omicron death wave appears to be rising as fast as the delta variant surge from last summer. During delta, it took six weeks for seven-day death totals to skyrocket from a low of less than 200 to more than 1,000. During this recent swing, health officials counted just 122 new deaths during the week ending Dec. 24, but in the six weeks since then, under omicron, that tally has grown, breaking 1,000 this week.

Another omicron wave hits Florida hard. Image via AP.

Sunday Florida COVID-19 update: Hospitalizations down by another 171 people” via David J. Neal of the Miami Herald — Continuing a trend that began over a week ago, the number of Florida hospital patients with COVID-19 fell by 171. There were 9,440 hospital patients who tested positive with COVID-19 in Florida in data reported to HHS from 261 hospitals. That’s the same number of hospitals in Saturday’s report. In the latest report, patients with COVID-19 take up 16.22% of all inpatient beds, compared to 16.47% among Saturday’s reporting hospitals. Of the people hospitalized in Florida, 1,445 were in intensive care units, a decrease of four from Saturday. That represents about 22.70% of the state’s ICU beds, compared to 22.75% the previous day.

Pandemic tensions deepen in Florida as DeSantis digs in” via Alexander Nazaryan of Yahoo News — The omicron wave appears to have crested in Florida, but you wouldn’t know it from the acrimonious battles Florida politicians have been fighting over the pandemic. DeSantis this week lashed out at Washington, and Democratic lawmakers protested the confirmation of Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who has expressed skepticism over vaccines and masks. Few states have received as much scrutiny throughout the pandemic as Florida, where DeSantis has rejected many of the safety measures recommended by health officials while also downplaying the efficacy of vaccines. DeSantis has spent the week charging the Biden administration with withholding monoclonal antibody treatments developed by Regeneron.

Ron DeSantis doubles down (again) on omicron. Image via AP.

DeSantis enlists Dwight Eisenhower in his war against Dr. Anthony Fauci” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Warning against “COVID authoritarianism” in a speech to the Common Sense Society, DeSantis invoked Eisenhower in his latest cautionary tale. In his Presidential farewell speech, Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex having an outsized role. DeSantis wanted to highlight a secondary message, however. “Eisenhower talked about how government was more involved with funding scientific research and how there was a danger that public policy could be hijacked by a scientific and technological elite,” DeSantis said. The Governor’s remarks were part of the right-of-center Common Sense Society‘s gala event Friday night at the Breakers Resort in Palm Beach.

— CORONA LOCAL —

Volusia Clerk of Courts short-staffed partly by COVID-19 asks people to use website” via Frank Fernandez of The Daytona Beach News-Journal — The Volusia County Clerk of Courts is experiencing “extreme staffing shortages,” in part due to COVID-19, and is asking people to be patient and check the clerk’s website at clerk.org for information and services. Volusia County Clerk of Court Laura Roth wrote in an email on Thursday that 21 people were out of the office due to COVID-19; either they or a household member were positive for the virus, Roth wrote. She wrote that seven employees are out from one division, hurting the call centers. Five of those are COVID-19-related, while two are for other reasons, she wrote. The clerk’s office is already stretched thin because while it has approximately 230 employees, it should have about 260, Roth noted.

Short-staffed: Laura Roth urges Volusia residents to go online for county clerk services. Image via The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

—“Polk COVID-19 infections decline for 2nd straight week” via Gary White of The Lakeland Ledger

—2022 —

Soros pours $125M into super PAC ahead of midterms” via Elena Schneider of POLITICO — Soros is seeding a super PAC with $125 million, an enormous investment that will aid Democratic groups and candidates for the 2022 election cycle and beyond. The group, Democracy PAC, has served as Soros’ campaign spending vehicle since 2019, channeling more than $80 million to other Democratic groups and candidates during the 2020 election cycle. The new, nine-figure investment from Soros aims at supporting pro-democracy “causes and candidates, regardless of political party.” Soros added that the donation to the super PAC is a “long-term investment,” intended to support political work beyond this year. Soros’ son, will serve as the PAC’s president.

George Soros is positioned to make a big splash in 2022 and beyond.

Petition drive to bring sports betting to Florida folds” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — There will be no proposed constitutional amendment to legalize online sports betting on the 2022 General Election ballot. One organization behind the push in Florida has conceded it cannot get enough petition signatures verified in time to qualify by next Tuesday’s deadline. Florida Education Champions, the organization funded by the big daily fantasy sports platforms DraftKings and FanDuel, announced Friday it is reassessing long-term options, still hoping one day to get voter approval for legal online sports gambling in Florida. The other proposed gambling constitutional amendment drive, for a North Florida casino driven by the Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s committee Florida Voters In Charge, has not given up its campaign.

Florida Voters in Charge defends its pro-gambling petition effort after being investigated for fraud” via Tom McLaughlin of the Northwest Florida Daily News — Florida Voters in Charge, a political action committee that has come under fire as supervisors of elections from all over the state report suspected fraudulent pro-gambling initiative petitions being turned in at their offices, has responded to what it says are “careless allegations” made against it. FVIC legal counsel Jim McKee said allegations of wrongdoing “in many instances” are being made by people and groups motivated to prevent a proposal to amend the state constitution and expand casino gambling in Florida from appearing on the ballot. In early December, supervisors of elections from six Florida counties notified the Secretary of State’s Office that fraudulent constitutional initiative petitions were being received by their offices from signature collectors working for Florida Voters in Charge.

How 2 Black women conquered Senate primary politics” via Maya King of POLITICO — As Black women running in two of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races, Rep. Val Demings and former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley are poised to make history if they’re successful in November. But that’s only part of what makes their campaigns stand out this year. Demings and Beasley have drawn notice, and a heavy dose of respect within their party, for accomplishing a feat that has all-too-frequently eluded candidates of color, especially Black women: Managing to clear their Senate primary fields of heavyweight competition. Demings and Beasley still face nominal competition for the Democratic Senate nomination. But thanks to their political muscle-flexing, they are largely free to focus the bulk of their attention and resources on winning the general election in November.

She believes: Annette Taddeo launches 67-county campaign for Florida Governor with RV tour” via James Call of USA Today Network — With her “I Believe” RV tour, Taddeo said she intends to visit all 67 Florida counties by Memorial Day to introduce herself to voters. State police closed the parking lot to the public park across from the mansion’s front gate, preventing Taddeo from using it as a staging area for a news conference. “We’re not going to let them dictate what we talk about,” said Taddeo. The turnout in the 44-degree morning was limited to about a dozen supporters and campaign staff and a handful of reporters. Taddeo harshly criticized DeSantis and the Republican-dominated Legislature for pushing an agenda she said was focused on inflaming a culture war instead of, among many other things, addressing building codes in the wake of the Surfside collapse.

Annette Taddeo hits the open road to campaign for Governor.

Not spotted — Florida’s 13th Congressional District race is noticeably absent from David Wasserman’s Top 25 Republican House primaries to watch from The Cook Report. Left open after Congressman Charlie Crist mounts another run for Governor, CD 13 has been considered by many a significant focus for the GOP to flip in the midterms. Republican Anna Paulina Luna is touting an endorsement from Donald Trump, while her opponent, analyst Amanda Makki, boasts several top endorsements and was recently named a “Woman to Watch” by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik’s group E-PAC, which supports the campaigns of Republican women. Local business owner and former prosecutor Kevin Hayslett, a self-described “Trump Republican,” has also just entered the race.

Vern Buchanan raised $316K in 4Q, $1.7M in election cycle to date” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — U.S. Rep. Buchanan pulled in another $316,000 in the fourth quarter of 2021. That means the Longboat Key Republican has built up more than $1.7 million as he prepares to run for a ninth term in Congress. “I’m humbled by such a strong show of support,” Buchanan said. “People are responding to my positive agenda of recovery and rebuilding, protecting veterans’ benefits and safeguarding Social Security and Medicare.” Notably, the $1,707,712 he has collected includes none of Buchanan’s own money. The wealthiest U.S. House member representing Florida has offered self-funding to his campaigns before, but this election cycle has been paying debt down instead. The heavy influx of dollars comes as Buchanan positions himself to be the next U.S. House Ways and Means Committee chair, one of the most powerful positions in Congress.

Janet Cruz collects nearly $90K in days leading up to Session” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — Sen. Cruz raised nearly $90,000 ahead of this year’s Legislative Session as she continues her re-election campaign for Senate District 18, her campaign announced this week. Cruz collected $86,416 in the time before Session, split between $22,416 raised by her campaign and $64,000 fundraised by her political committee, Building the Bay. “We’re all hands on deck for this race,” Cruz said in a statement. Throughout the 2022 cycle, Cruz has raised $693,409. And Cruz’s most recent haul will be her last through March, while the Legislature is in Session, sitting lawmakers are barred from fundraising, both for their campaign accounts and political committees.

Happening tonight:

Mike Caruso moving north to newly configured House District 87” via Anne Geggis of Florida Politics — Rep. Caruso said redistricting means he’s going to be spending his weekends house-shopping, as he plans to move north to the new House District 87. The Delray Beach address he’s called home since the 1980s is currently in House District 89, and that’s being reconfigured. The redistricting effort has renumbered his district and shifted its boundaries further west. The district no longer stretches along Palm Beach County’s coastal area. Instead, it is roughly bounded by Highland Beach and Boynton Beach, extending west mostly along Military Trail. The Democrat-Republican split of his newly reconfigured district he’s called home for decades shows it’s getting bluer, and it also draws in Rep. Joe Casello.

Interesting — “Dan Gelber calls on Florida Democrats to open their primaries” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Miami Beach Mayor Gelber is calling upon the Florida Democratic Party to open its Primary elections to independent voters, a move he suggested might do no less than help save democracy itself. In a letter to Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz, Gelber expressed strong and foreboding thoughts about political divides increasing in breadth and intensity, dubbing them threats to democracy. Political parties must find ways to bring independent voters and their generally more moderate views back in, broaden political appeals, and temper divisions, Gelber argued. He suggests that the way to do that would be for political parties to open their primaries to them. The Democrats should go first, just because they can, Gelber urges. The former state Senator does not mince words in criticizing the GOP.

— CORONA NATION —

Most Americans say pandemic will be over when virus becomes comparable to seasonal flu” via Amy Cheng and Adela Suliman of The Washington Post — As the coronavirus pandemic enters its third year, a new poll indicates that only a small minority of Americans need COVID-19 to be largely eliminated before they will regard the health emergency as over. By contrast, 83% of the 1,161 respondents said they would see the pandemic as a thing of the past once the virus evolves into a less severe, occasional presence in life, not unlike the seasonal flu. That’s a view taken by many public health experts and the countries that are pushing for “living with COVID” policies once the virus becomes endemic, or at “a point at which the infection is no longer unpredictably disruptive.” Seventy-three percent of respondents said getting vaccinated was important to ending the pandemic. Democrats were almost three times more likely than Republicans to believe that widespread immunization is essential.

Embattled CDC rethinks pandemic response after criticism of guidelines” via Felicia Schwartz of The Wall Street Journal — The CDC is looking to reassert itself in the country’s COVID-19 response amid criticism it has sown more confusion than it has offered answers. According to the agency, the first orders of business are upgrading data collection that has hobbled decision making and clearing up messaging that has confused many. Yet the steps may not be enough to fix problems at the nation’s premier public-health agency exposed by the pandemic. And the CDC may not have much time, as a new variant could emerge after omicron crests. “Moving fast and risk-taking in a setting of ambiguity is not CDC’s strength — it’s not what they do,” said Charity Dean, previously a California Department of Health official who resigned during the pandemic.

The CDC is rethinking its COVID-19 strategy; first up, better data. Image via AP.

Boosters exacerbate the Republican-Democrat vaccine gap” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post — In part because of these gaps in outcomes, and because Republicans are significantly less likely to get vaccinated, the pandemic’s death toll has registered very disproportionately in red areas. Now new data suggest the gap in protection between red and blue is growing significantly. While much has been written about the partisan vaccination gap, the gap is now larger with boosters. To date, the survey shows about 9 in 10 Democrats and 6 in 10 Republicans have gotten vaccinated. But when it comes to those who are vaccinated and boosted, Democrats are about twice as likely to be in that group, 62% to 32%.

— CORONA ECONOMICS —

Despite omicron hurdles, strong economic recovery appears on track” via Abha Bhattarai of The Washington Post — Even as the U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in decades in 2021, the recovery has more recently flashed troubling warning signs, with soaring inflation, whipsawing financial markets and slowing consumer spending complicating the rebound. The economy grew at a blockbuster 6.9% annualized rate in the last three months of the year, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said Thursday, as growing business investments, consumer spending, and a rush by companies to bolster inventories helped drive GDP much higher in the final months of 2021. That strong reading still masks pressure from the omicron coronavirus variant that began sweeping through the nation late last year. This variant has left a swift and discernible imprint on retail sales, inflation, and even new claims for jobless benefits.

Is the U.S. economy ready to rebound? Some say it’s on track. Image via AP.

Tipping has soared during the pandemic” via Nathan Bomey of Axios — From restaurants to ride-sharing, Americans are tipping a lot more than they did before the pandemic. The past two years have upended how we express appreciation to the people who provide us food and services. We’re leaving tips much more frequently, in part because a lot more transactions are prompting us to, sometimes before the service that we’re tipping for has been completed. Immediately before the pandemic, people tipped on about 63% of in-person credit-card transactions that provided an option to tip. By August 2021, they were tipping on about 66% of such payments. The average tip amount was about 20%, pre-pandemic. It has risen slightly, to about 21%.

— MORE CORONA —

‘It’s just stressful’: Students feel the weight of pandemic uncertainty” via Jacey Fortin and Giulia Heyward of The New York Times — The school shutdowns in the spring of 2020 were hard enough for students. But this winter, as the omicron variant drove a spike in coronavirus case numbers, the disruptions began to feel like they would never end. Some school districts extended winter break or returned temporarily to remote learning. And some schools, already struggling with a nationwide labor shortage, were forced to cancel classes after staff members called in sick. Many students are still scrambling to catch up academically after months of struggling to learn online, and some switch schools or dropped out altogether. A sense of profound isolation persists. There are feelings of loneliness and angst. Many students feel that an entire system has failed them, leaving them to take on additional responsibilities far beyond what is typically asked of young people.

The pandemic is taking a toll on schoolchildren. Image via AP.

In the wake of the omicron wave, single parents are drowning” via Caitlin Gibson of The Washington Post — About 3 in 10 families with children are headed by single parents, and 75% of those parents are mothers. Single-parent families comprise more than 10 million households in America, yet some of those said they often feel like outliers, especially during the pandemic, and especially during this stage of the pandemic. Many parents say they’ve felt painfully overlooked: by school systems who expect them to be able to accommodate virtual learning; by employers who aren’t flexible when a day care closure upends a workweek; by lawmakers who have withdrawn financial safety nets; and by health guidelines that are often impossible for a solo-parent household to follow.

— PRESIDENTIAL —

Can Joe Biden, Republican Governors work together to implement infrastructure law?” via Alex Roarty and Bryan Lowry of the Miami Herald — President Biden and Republican Governors rarely see eye to eye on anything. Will the new infrastructure law be any different? Federal officials and state governments have begun an ambitious partnership this year to implement a trillion-dollar upgrade to the nation’s infrastructure, money made available last year when Biden signed into law a new spending bill that Congress passed with bipartisan support. It’s a process everyone agrees will require cooperation between the Democratic-led government and 28 Republican Governors, many of whom will have broad discretion about where to spend the money they receive from the federal government. It’s a difficult feat to pull off when deep political polarization makes cross-aisle cooperation a rarity. But for Biden’s administration, it’ll be a necessity.

Biden’s vow of Black justice a nod to his most loyal voters” via Nicholas Riccardi of The Associated Press — As he struggled to survive the 2020 Democratic Primary, Biden made a striking pledge before voting began in heavily African American, must-win South Carolina: His first Supreme Court appointment would be a Black woman. On Thursday, with his poll numbers reaching new lows and his party panicking about the midterm elections, Biden turned again to the Democratic Party’s most steadfast voters and reiterated his vow to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer with the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. The striking promise reflects Black women’s critical role in the Democratic Party and the growing influence of Black women in society. It’s also a recognition that Black women have been marginalized in American politics for centuries.

Joe Biden’s planned Supreme Court pick can right a wrong and bolster his standing among Black people. Image via AP.

A top candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court has roots in Miami” via Ariana Figueroa of Florida Phoenix — With the retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Breyer by this summer, Biden has said he will fulfill a campaign promise of appointing a Black woman to an open seat on the highest court in the land. A top contender, who was even vetted by the Barack Obama administration in 2016 as a potential nominee to the Supreme Court, is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Born in Washington, D.C., she grew up in Miami, where she graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High School before going on to Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Biden said on Thursday that he plans to announce a nominee by the end of February.

— D.C. MATTERS —

Republicans relish Biden’s troubles, eyeing a takeover of Congress” via Annie Karni of The New York Times — Republicans on Capitol Hill are using Biden’s failures to fuel their bid to retake control of Congress, focusing on his collapsing legislative agenda, his unfulfilled promise to “shut down” the coronavirus pandemic and rising voter anxieties over school closures and inflation as they seek a winning message for this year’s elections. Biden’s troubles have frustrated Democrats, prompting calls for a major course correction. At the same time, they have delighted Republicans, who have been intent on rehabilitating themselves in the eyes of voters after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol last year. Republicans believe they are finally able to capitalize on what they view as a historically advantageous environment. Republicans have spotlighted so-called kitchen-table issues like rising gas and home heating costs.

Republicans are ready to capitalize on Joe Biden’s troubles. Image via AP.

Marco Rubio calls on HUD to address Florida’s section 8 properties with failing REAC scores” via Florida Daily — Last week, U.S. Sen. Rubio urged U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sec. Marcia Fudge to immediately address several of Florida’s Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance properties with failing Real Estate Assessment Center scores that had previously experienced inspection delays. “ … failing scores and ongoing delays highlight an urgent need to address the unsafe and unsanitary conditions that many Florida families have been facing on a daily basis,” a letter to Fudge read.

Federal judge throws out oil lease sale in Gulf of Mexico” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — A federal court has rejected a plan to lease millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore oil drilling, saying the Biden administration did not adequately take into account the lease sale’s effect on planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, violating a bedrock environmental law. The decision by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington sends the proposed lease sale back to the Interior Department to decide the next steps. The judge said it was up to Interior to decide whether to go forward with the sale after a revised review, scrap it, or take other steps. Environmental groups hailed the decision and said the ruling gave Biden a chance to follow through on a campaign promise to stop offshore leasing in federal waters.

— CRISIS —

Committee investigating Jan. 6 attack issues subpoenas to 14 bogus Trump electors in states Biden won” via Felicia Sonmez and Beth Reinhard of The Washington Post — The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob has issued subpoenas to 14 individuals who cast bogus electoral votes for the former president in seven states won by Biden in 2020. The move comes as two Democratic Attorneys General asked federal prosecutors in recent days to investigate whether crimes were committed in assembling or submitting the “alternate” Trump slates. This week, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco confirmed prosecutors’ consideration of what she termed the “fraudulent elector certifications.”

Donald Trump suggests he might pardon some Jan. 6 defendants” via Kyle Cheney of POLITICO — Former President Trump suggested Saturday that he might pardon people associated with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol if he were to win a second term as president. “Another thing we’ll do — and so many people have been asking me about it — if I run and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly. We will treat them fairly,” he said at a rally in Conroe, Texas. “And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons. Because they are being treated so unfairly.” The assertion comes amid efforts by Trump and some of his fiercest supporters to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, baselessly claiming the attack on the Capitol was instigated by the FBI and that the approximately 50 pretrial detainees held in connection with the attack are “political prisoners.”

Tweettweet:

 

— EPILOGUE TRUMP —

Trump facing legal, political headwinds as he eyes comeback” via Jill Colvin of The Associated Press — As he prepared to tee off at one of his Florida golf courses, a fellow player introduced Trump as the “45th President of the United States.” “45th and 47th,” Trump responded matter-of-factly before hitting his drive. The quip was a reminder that the former President often has another presidential run on his mind. But the declaration belied the growing challenges he’s confronting as a series of complex legal investigations ensnare Trump, his family, and many associates. The probes, which are unfolding in multiple jurisdictions and consider everything from potential fraud and election interference to the role he played in the Jan. 6 insurrection, represent the most serious legal threat Trump has faced in decades of an often-litigious public life.

Another White House bid will be an uphill battle for Donald Trump. Image via AP.

Books, speeches, hats for sale: Post-presidency, the Trumps try to make money the pre-presidency way” via Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post — Trump’s advisers sent a “breaking” alert a few weeks before Christmas to his political supporters, informing them of a new opportunity to show their “loyalty” through a book of photographs. The book, based largely on photographs in the public domain, and sold unsigned for $75 and over three times that with Trump’s signature, has been published by a new company founded by his son, Donald Trump Jr. It paid the former president a multimillion-dollar advance for signing copies, writing captions and helping curate photos.

Do Republicans love Trump as they once did?” via Dan Balz of The Washington Post — No one should underestimate Trump’s standing within the Republican Party, especially the passionate allegiance of a substantial part of the GOP base. But there are signs that, since the assault on the Capitol last year, his support within the party may not be quite as robust as it once was. The suggestion that he has slipped comes with a sizable caveat. Majorities of Republicans have bought into Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election. A Washington Post-University of Maryland survey, completed at the end of last year, found that more than 6 in 10 Republicans said there is solid evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Nearly 6 in 10 say Biden’s election was not legitimate.

—LOCAL NOTES —

Feds try to block victims of Surfside condo collapse from accessing crucial evidence” via Nicholas Nehamas and Sarah Blaskey of the Miami Herald — After the deadly Surfside condo collapse, crucial pieces of evidence were trucked away from the disaster site and stored in a Miami-Dade police warehouse. The evidence is key for federal investigators and attorneys for victims. But now, NIST and Miami-Dade County are trying to prevent experts for the attorneys from testing and sampling the materials. “At this time, NIST will maintain exclusive custody and control of the debris to ensure the integrity of its investigation,” the letter to Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez III stated. “ Judge Michael Hanzman appeared outraged when informed of NIST and the county’s actions.

The towers and the ticking clock” via Matthew Shaer of The New York Times — Even in the most rigorously built structures, secured to the face of the earth by heavy pylons driven through yards of shifting sand, the coastal environment has inevitably taken its toll. Facades are pitted by the salt and sea air. Balconies are crumbling. Pool decks are spidered with cracks. And water, and rising sea levels, are a fact of life. Meaningful reform has long been notoriously hard to enact. Florida has roughly 1.5 million residential condo units, among the most of any state, and a highly lucrative condo and co-op industry.

Was Surfside just the tip of the iceberg? Image via AP.

Criminalizing free speech? Group challenges Miami Beach law used to cuff people filming cops” via David Ovalle of the Miami Herald — After last year’s unruly spring break on South Beach, the Miami Beach City Commission passed an ordinance that allowed for the arrest of people who “interrupt” and get too close to cops doing their job on the streets. The result: Miami Beach police, over a crowded weekend in July, arrested over a dozen people, almost all Black and in the process of video recording police officers. Since then, nearly every one of those cases has been quietly dropped. But in one of the few remaining cases, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers asked a court to dismiss the case against an Ohio tourist, saying the ordinance unconstitutionally punished the right to free speech. Given the opportunity to defend the law in court, Miami Beach’s city prosecutor last week backed down, simply dropping the case.

Jacksonville City Council member gets litigation letter from firm snared in dark-money controversies” via Nate Monroe of The Florida Times-Union — Matrix LLC, an Alabama consulting firm that has been drawn into controversies across Florida over political dark money, sent a legal notice to Jacksonville City Council member Garrett Dennis demanding he retain a broad array of records that might be in his possession because they could be relevant to a contentious legal fight between Matrix and its former employees. That legal fight, playing out in courtrooms in Alabama and Jacksonville, has reverberated across Florida. Matrix owner Joe Perkins has accused his former CEO, Jeff Pitts, and other former employees of going “rogue” and working on secret projects with a Florida client whose description in court papers matches Florida Power & Light, diverting millions in fees from Matrix in the process.

Citrus County officials want state to build turnpike extension” via Mike Wright of Florida Politics — Citrus County’s elected leaders agreed Friday that the “no-build” option for a possible Florida Turnpike extension is no option for them. Instead, members of the County Commission, School Board, and City Councils of Crystal River and Inverness said they would focus on ensuring whatever route the Florida Department of Transportation chooses has minimal effect on the community and its residents. “The no-build scenario is no scenario,” Commission Chair Ron Kitchen Jr. said. Kitchen chaired the annual Citrus County elected leaders’ summit, an idea he started seven years ago as a way of gathering policymakers together at least once a year to discuss issues of mutual interest. Friday’s meeting at the Lecanto Government Building opened with a presentation from turnpike officials about the proposed project, which would link the turnpike at Interstate 75 in Wildwood with U.S. 19 between Crystal River and Chiefland.

A Florida Turnpike extension will be built, says Ron Kitchen Jr. It’s just a matter of how disruptive it will become?

2 Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies found dead in St. Augustine” via Jacob Langston of Spectrum News 9 — Two Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies were found dead Saturday evening at a vacation rental home in St. Augustine. The deputies involved were in a romantic relationship and were heard arguing in a bedroom by fellow deputies that were on vacation with them, followed by the sound of gunshots, the sheriff’s office said. The preliminary investigation shows that the gunshot wound to Det. Daniel Leyden was self-inflicted, and he was the only shooter. Leyden worked in the Criminal Investigations Division, and the other deputy found dead was assigned to Uniform Patrol District III.

Woman goes bankrupt after suing Disney” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics — Xonia Book sued The Walt Disney Co. three times in nine years. Court records depict what happened next after Book lost twice at trial and fought a third pending lawsuit in her long legal war against a multibillion-dollar company: She filed for bankruptcy. In a recent interview, Book said the experience caused great stress in her life — from her marriage to her family and her health. It’s ruined her credit, too. Book sued over allegations that the company discriminated against her and wouldn’t promote her because she’s Colombian. She also accused Disney security director Melissa Merklinger of sexually harassing her when they took a photograph together at a Disney event.

— TOP OPINION —

For first time ever, Florida is tackling illiteracy at the doorstep” via Chris Sprowls for Florida Politics — Starting last year, the Florida House set out to champion literacy like no other state legislative body has done. Now, it’s important to talk about these programs so that every Florida parent can know and take advantage of the good things happening in our state for children’s literacy. To identify the challenges in the elementary school system, we established the RAISE program in House Bill 7011. Research also shows that we have to reach children early in development to ensure that they can be prepared for success when it comes time to learn to read. We created the New Worlds Reading Initiative, the largest state-funded free book delivery program for kids in the nation.

— OPINIONS —

Why Florida is lurching to the right” via The Economist — DeSantis recently released his “Freedom First” annual budget. If that sounds like a campaign slogan, it’s no accident. DeSantis is using Florida as a peninsular podium to advertise his policies. In his proposed $100bn budget, he is pushing for a special police force to oversee state elections, which he calls an “election integrity unit,” and wants to make it easier to penalize companies that “facilitate illegal migration” to Florida. He envisages bonuses for police officers who move to Florida and wants to create a state militia of volunteers that could work with the National Guard in emergencies. What explains Florida’s lurch to the right? Recently the number of voters registered as Republicans exceeded the number of registered Democrats for the first time in modern history. Republicans see momentum on their side. Chris Sprowls says people moving to Florida are “realizing that there’s a reason that they chose to come here,” which is, Republican policies.

When lawmakers get quiet, it’s time to worry” via the Orlando Sentinel editorial board — The bills with bland titles and vague wording that can be impenetrable even to experienced politicos. The bills nobody seems to care about, except the people who are paid to care. A committee took up HB 977. The legislation governs the sale of tax certificates, liens against land and buildings owned by people who have failed to pay their property taxes. Big investment firms flood the auctions with bids, placed through thousands or even tens of thousands of shell companies. An investigation exposed the practice, and several tax collectors took steps to shut down the thousand-armed bidders by requiring a deposit from any entity that wanted to place a bid. HB 977 would strip these local elected officials of that power, making it easier for big companies to swoop in and dominate the auctions once again.

Why secret searches for Florida university presidents are just a bad idea” via Judith Wilde and James Finkelstein for the Tampa Bay Times — The University of South Florida and the University of Florida are two of the four Florida public universities in the hunt for new Presidents, a process that should be open, both for philosophical and practical reasons. We have yet to identify any empirical evidence that supports the claim that “secret searches” result in hiring the best candidates and we’ve been studying this for 10 years. The Senate version claims that “if potential applicants fear the possibility of losing their current jobs as a consequence of attempting to progress along their chosen career path … failure to have these safeguards in place could have a chilling effect on the number and quality of applicants.” We doubt that.

Legislators not putting Jacksonville voters first in state House redistricting” via Matt Schellenberg of Florida Phoenix — It is an absolute disappointment that the Florida House Committee on Redistricting has totally embarrassed itself with a district in Duval County that crosses the St. Johns River. Crossing the St. Johns River over a three-mile bridge enables incumbent state Rep. Wyman Duggan to keep his seat but disfranchises people living in Jacksonville’s Southside. Has the committee never heard of community interest and having compact districts? The plan being floated in Tallahassee eliminates a compact and community-centered district on the Southside and creates a district specifically designed for the benefit of political consultant Tim Baker’s wife, Jessica.

— TODAY’S SUNRISE —

Gov. DeSantis laid the battle lines ahead, and the enemy is clear — wokeness. In a speech before a right-leaning group meeting in Palm Beach, the Governor called “wokeness” a disaster, cultural Marxism, and a danger to America, particularly America’s conservatives.

Also, on today’s Sunrise …

— Is this Legislative Session any different from those that came before? Veteran legislative reporter Gray Rohrer says there’s something of a pandemic hangover this year.

It’s Day One on the job for Rep. Daryl Campbell. He won the Special Election to represent HD 94, and — after some hiccups — the Secretary of State has certified his election.

Yeah, it was cold in Florida Sunday morning — iguana-dropping cold.

To listen, click on the image below:

— OLYMPICS —

Sport, politics and COVID-19 collide at the Beijing Winter Olympics” via Emma Graham-Harrison and Vincent Ni of The Observer — Hosting the Winter Olympics during a pandemic was always going to test the Chinese government by putting its ever-growing ability to exercise political control and virus containment on a collision course with its enthusiasm for international prestige and status. The 2022 Winter Games, which open on Friday, are being held at a time of particularly intense western criticism of China over human rights abuses, from the mass persecution of Uyghurs in far western Xinjiang, labeled a genocide by the United States, and other groups including Tibetans. There is so little trust in the host nation that many countries have told their athletes to take burner phones, and cybersecurity experts warned a health app for Olympians could spy on them and steal health and other personal data.

The Winter Olympics is a balancing act for China. Image via AP.

Sealed off: Inside the ‘closed loop’ at the Beijing Winter Olympics” via France 24 — Media and workers have to stay in approved hotels within the “loop,” the organizers’ alternative name for a coronavirus bubble, designed to protect participants from the virus and the Chinese population from the foreign mini-invasion. Wire fences seal off the area containing the Olympic venues and media center in Beijing from the rest of the capital, and the only way in is by shuttle bus or approved taxi. Security guards bar the way of anyone who tries to walk out of the hotel grounds. Bags are scanned as guests leave their hotels. Before boarding the bus, they must walk over to two cabins where staff in full protective gear awkwardly carry out mouth swabs from behind a plexiglass screen.

U.S. Olympic bobsled team dealing with COVID-19 ‘nightmare’” via Henry Bushnell of Yahoo News — The United States bobsled and skeleton team has been dealing with COVID-19 trouble a week before the Olympics, with multiple positive tests affecting travel plans in recent days. One bobsledder, Josh Williamson, revealed Wednesday that he had tested positive. He was not the only team member affected. Sources said that multiple coaches, support staff, and at least one other athlete have tested positive. A USA Bobsled and Skeleton official confirmed the team’s delegation had “had multiple positive COVID-19 tests” but did not provide further details. Olympic rules, however, present extra hurdles. According to updated protocols finalized late last week, Williamson will need four consecutive days of negative tests, plus a fifth-day buffer, before he can depart.

— ALOE —

Hundreds of volunteers with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful clean up Gasparilla litter” via Malique Rankin of WTSP — Gasparilla is the third-largest parade in the world. That means the litter left behind could probably hold some world records of its own. After the pirates have cleared out, all that’s left behind are thousands of beads scattered across the streets, in the trees, and on the sidewalks of downtown Tampa. “Our efforts today are to collect as much trash we can, and also recycle the beads that were collecting,” Debbie Evenson, executive director of Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, said. “I want to say in 2020, we collected about 5,000 pounds of litter and debris,” Evenson said.

Cleaning up after pirates takes dedication and lots of hard work. Image via Keep America Beautiful.

Robocops could be patrolling some Orlando theme parks by end of year” via Katie Rice of the Orlando Sentinel — Soon, guests strolling through Orlando’s theme parks might find themselves walking alongside an unusual companion: a robotic security guard. If the machine is from Robotic Assistance Devices, as CEO Steve Reinharz hopes, it won’t be easily mistaken for a person. Shaped more like the Mars Rover than the humanoid T-800 from “Terminator,” ROAMEO 2.0 stands 6-and-a-half feet tall and gracefully cruises on four wheels despite its 750-pound mass. But as these machines begin patrolling at amusement parks, they raise questions about employment, security and ethics. Though experts say robocops won’t be taking human jobs anytime soon, they acknowledge their use has to be closely monitored.

Elon Musk offers $5K to UCF freshman, asks him to stop tracking his private jet” via Nelly Ontiveros of the Orlando Sentinel — A UCF freshman received a $5,000 offer from Musk to take down his Twitter account, which tracks the billionaire’s private jet. Jack Sweeney, a 19-year-old freshman at UCF, manages @ElonJet, a Twitter account that uses a bot to track Musk’s private jet. Sweeney said he created an algorithm that tracks flight data through a plane’s transponder, the report said. The account caught the attention of Musk, who messaged Sweeney asking him to take the account down due to security risks, the report said. “Never intended for it to create a security concern,” Sweeney said in their private conversation.

— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —

Best wishes to Florida Politics rising star, Jason Delgado, as well as U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, the super-sharp Kelsey Deasy of Bascom Communications and Consulting, former #FlaPol’er Ryan Ray, and Ben Sharpe.

Happy birthday and all the best to Michael Waltz.

___

Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter SchorschPhil Ammann, Daniel Dean, Renzo Downey, Jacob Ogles, and Drew Wilson.


5.) MORNING BREW

January 31, 2022
Morning Brew
Fundrise

Good morning and congrats to the Bengals and Rams on making it to the Super Bowl.

If you’re looking for a convo starter that’s not NFL overtime rules, here’s this dumb but also kind of fun thing I saw on Reddit yesterday: Discover your dragon name.

  • Last two letters of your first name
  • Middle two letters of your last name
  • First two letters of your mother’s name
  • Last letter of your father’s name

My dragon name is Alymelh. Doesn’t exactly inspire terror but don’t hate it.

Neal Freyman, henceforth known as Alymelh

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

Nasdaq

13,770.57

S&P

4,431.85

Dow

34,725.47

10-Year

1.771%

Bitcoin

$37,939.43

Moderna

$159.47

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 7:00pm ET. Here’s what these numbers mean.
  • Markets: Stocks will hope to find their sea legs this week after being tossed and turned during a period of high volatility. Biotech companies in particular are feeling queasy. The sector is off to its worst start to a year since 2016 and Moderna is the worst performer in the S&P 500.
  • Geopolitics: The US Senate is preparing to unleash “the mother of all sanctions” on Russia should it decide to invade Ukraine, lawmakers said this weekend. NJ Senator Bob Menendez said negotiations on a final package were “on the one-yard line” and will target Russian sovereign debt, Russian banks, and other entities in order to cripple Russia’s economy.

MEDIA

Spotify listened to Neil Young

Daniel EkToru Yamanaka/AFP via Getty Images

Not on Spotify, though.

After Young and other artists removed their content from the platform over its distribution of Covid-19 misinformation, Spotify responded yesterday with a number of steps intended to calm the growing storm.

  • It’s adding a label to any podcast episode that discusses Covid-19, and providing a link to its Covid information hub.
  • It’s also publishing its previously hidden misinformation policies. What are they? Spotify said it will ban content that “promotes dangerous false or dangerous deceptive medical information that may cause offline harm or poses a direct threat to public health.” That includes claims that Covid-19 is a hoax and the idea that Covid vaccines are designed to cause death.

“We have had rules in place for many years but admittedly, we haven’t been transparent around the policies that guide our content more broadly,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote in a blog post.

How we got here

Last week, Neil Young asked Spotify to remove his music largely due to its deal with ultra-popular podcaster Joe Rogan, who’s been skeptical of Covid vaccines and has hosted guests who’ve pushed Covid conspiracy theories.

A small but growing number of artists followed his lead.

  • Legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell pulled her music from Spotify “in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities.”
  • Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren joined the artist boycott, and bestselling author Brené Brown said she’s not releasing any podcasts “until further notice.”
  • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who’ve inked a $25 million podcast deal with the platform, have been “expressing concerns” to Spotify about Covid misinformation on the platform, according to a spokesperson.

Zoom out: Spotify wants to be known as a “neutral platform” that allows a variety of ideas to run freely without censorship. But as observers like Hunter Walk have pointed out, the company’s relationship with Joe Rogan doesn’t really fit this narrative. When Spotify struck its exclusive deal with Rogan, it decided to treat Rogan as a strategic business partner rather than any random podcaster who throws their content on the platform.

So it’s not clear whether Spotify’s recent changes will silence its critics—Rogan, for one, isn’t going anywhere. None of his podcast episodes have violated Spotify’s Covid misinformation rules, a spokesperson said.

            

SPORTS

Is the GOAT getting put out to pasture?

Tom BradyNFL

On Saturday afternoon, ESPN reporter Adam Schefter fired off a tweet that made everyone in New England put down their snow shovels: Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champ and best quarterback ever, would retire after 22 seasons in the NFL. Schefter cited unnamed sources.

But as everyone was reminiscing about Brady’s stupefying career, people closest to the quarterback said this wasn’t a done deal.

  • Brady’s agent Don Yee said, “Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy.” (AKA, we want to control the narrative.)
  • The report was also dismissed by Tom Brady—okay, his dad Tom Brady, Sr.—who told reporters that his son hadn’t made up his mind yet.

Should Brady retire this year, he’ll have plenty to keep him busy: The man has been quietly developing a business empire. A quick tour…

  • Wellness: The age-defying Brady co-founded a wellness company, TB12 Sports, with his “body coach” Alex Guerrero in 2013.
  • Apparel: Brady launched a clothing line called Brady Brand, which sells “technical apparel for training and living,” earlier this month.
  • Crypto: Brady and his wife, Gisele Bündchen, have taken an equity stake in the fast-growing crypto platform FTX. He also co-founded an NFT company, Autograph, which recently raised $170 million.
  • Content: In 2020, Brady launched the content company 199 Productions—a reference to his selection as the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft.

Looking ahead…Yee said we should hear from Brady about his future “soon.”

            

CRIME

Social media is a scammer’s playground

More than 95,000 people lost a collective $770 million due to fraud on social media last year, a new FTC report found. That represents 25% of all reported losses to fraud in 2021 and a breathtaking 18x increase over social media scam losses in 2017.

Driving the surge, you will be unsurprised to hear, are scams promoting bogus cryptocurrencies (like that Squid Game crypto whose developers made off with $3.4 million).

In fact, investment-related scams were the most prevalent type of fraud on social media, accounting for 37% of all losses. Romance scams (24%) were No. 2, and online shopping scams (14%) won the bronze medal.

  • For all you youngsters who want to pin this on tech-illiterate boomers, think again: People ages 18–39 were more than twice as likely as older adults to lose money from a social media scam, the FTC said.
  • Another crazy stat: Of the scammed people who identified a social media platform associated with undelivered goods, nearly 9 out of 10 named Facebook or Instagram.

Bottom line: Social media is a “gold mine” for fraudsters because of the ease of developing a fake persona and the ability to use platforms’ advertising tools to target a specific audience, per the FTC.

            

TOGETHER WITH FUNDRISE

 Private Market Real Estate 

Fundrise

Investing can feel like staring down a long hallway in an abandoned motel—anything could be behind those doors. Stable, long-term gains. A risky stock. A creepy clown with bags of money.

Then there’s Fundrise, which feels like the opposite of all that terrifying uncertainty. Fundrise feels like magical double doors that open to the best of investing, above which is a neon sign blinking four, glorious words:

 Private Market Real Estate 

Known for consistent performance and traditionally high returns, big institutions turn to real estate to build long-term wealth even in volatile times. Now Fundrise, America’s largest direct-to-investor real estate investment platform, provides you with access to that same asset class.

With minimums as low as $10, Fundrise gives everyday investors an incredibly easy way to build a portfolio of powerful real estate created for stable, long-term success.

So let Fundrise get the door for you. You can join the community of 210,000 investors and start adding diversification to your portfolio today.

GRAB BAG

Key performance indicators

The "Make Way For Ducklings" statue after Winter Storm Kenan on January 30, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. Scott Eisen/Getty Images

Stat: Boston just had one of its snowiest days ever on Saturday. Logan International Airport received 23.6 inches of snow in 24 hours, which tied a record from 2003. Central Park in New York got 8.3 inches, Islip, Long Island, got 24.7, and other parts of Eastern MA got more than 30.

Quote: “We are super-spreaders of freedom.”

Maxime Bernier, the leader of the People’s Party in Canada, spoke at a protest over vaccine mandates that paralyzed downtown Ottawa this weekend. It was a mostly peaceful event, but police are launching several criminal investigations into the desecration of monuments and threatening behavior toward city workers. Swastika flags were also viewed in the crowd.

Read: The promise of DAOs, the latest craze in crypto. (The New Yorker)

            

CALENDAR

The week ahead

Ice rink at the Beijing OlympicsRichard Heathcote/Getty Images

The Olympics: The Beijing Olympics are set to begin Friday under a cloud of geopolitical controversy, tight Covid controls, and quiet sponsors. Still, can’t wait to watch these superhuman athletes do their thing.

Earnings: 77% of companies have beaten earnings estimates so far this reporting period, and heavyweights like Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and GM will hope to continue the momentum this week.

Jobs report: The employment picture for January drops Friday morning, but with Omicron forcing so many Americans to call out sick that month, no one’s quite sure what to expect of the data. Economists polled by Dow Jones are estimating the economy added 200,000 jobs last month.

Everything else:

  • The Lunar New Year is tomorrow.
  • Amazon workers at an Alabama warehouse will vote (again) on whether to form a union.
  • Groundhog Day is Wednesday, which calls for another viewing of the all-time great flick.
  • Jackass Forever is finally coming out Friday. Here’s a profile of Wee Man to tide you over.
            

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

  • Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open, breaking the record for most men’s Grand Slam singles titles with 21.
  • Ultrafast grocery delivery services are racking up huge losses as they battle for customers in NYC.
  • T-Mobile said it will fire corporate employees who aren’t vaccinated by April 2.
  • North Korea conducted what’s believed to be its biggest missile launch since 2017.

BREW’S BETS

 

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Metaverse, AI, drones: If it’s the next big thing, you’ll find it in Emerging Tech Brew, a newsletter produced by our extremely smart and good-looking colleagues. Try it out here.

Dive back into the week.

*This is sponsored advertising content

FROM THE CREW

Never miss another big event

A calendar of 2022

Missing marketing events is so last year. Download Marketing Brew’s exclusive 2022 content calendar and don’t miss a thing.

GAMES

The puzzle section

Turntable: See how many words you can pluck out a jumble of letters in our Monday puzzle, Turntable.

Nutritional facts

We’ll give you the ingredient list of a popular food product, and you have to name the product.

Corn Syrup, Sugar, Dextrose, Modified Cornstarch, Water, Contains Less Than 2% of Gelatin, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate (Whipping Aid), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Blue 1.

ANSWER

Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
✢ A Note From Fundrise

*Terms and Conditions apply

          
Written by Neal Freyman

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6.) THE FACTUAL

31 JAN 2022

The Factual

Facts, not fear.

TRENDING TOPICS
Border patrol dissatisfaction • Arizona election bill • Italy’s reluctant president • Islamic State assessment • European children vaccination
FEATURED UNDER-REPORTED STORIES
Pandemic homeschooling boom • Chinese corporate transparency • Arizona’s drought alliances
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TRENDING TOPICS, MOST CREDIBLE STORIES
#1 in U.S. News • 10 articles

Why are US border patrol agents expressing dissatisfaction to their leaders?

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  1. Highly-rated – last 48 hrs
    Leaked video shows tense exchange between Border Patrol chief and agents.
    Washington Examiner (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 76% • 2 min read

    Two days after leaked audio revealed a heated exchange between Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Border Patrol agents in the Yuma Sector of Arizona, the fresh footage shows Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz in Laredo, Texas, responding to agents accusing Biden administration leaders of hampering their ability to do their jobs and keep people safe.

    “We don’t give up. We stay focused. We continue to do the job and the mission we all signed up for. We all raised our hand,” Ortiz said. The crowd shot back with claims that the policies don’t match the rhetoric. One appeared to complain about the release of criminals into the country.

    Ortiz insisted that the agents are still doing good work every day by making arrests and getting rid of drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine. One of the crowd rebuffed Ortiz, saying “under this administration” over the past year, there was the “highest [number of] fentanyl deaths in the history of our country.”
  1. Selected local viewpoint
    Texas lawmakers ask Justice Department to investigate, end Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border program. [Free read link]
    Houston Chronicle (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 76% • 3 min read
  1. Selected long-read
    Common sense solutions to the border crisis. (2019)
    RAND Corporation (Center) • Factual Grade 72% • 5 min read

View all articles

#2 in U.S. News • 8 articles

How are Arizona Republicans attempting to modify the elections process?

The measure would require the state legislature to convene after primary and general elections to review the ballot counting process and “shall accept or reje…
    1. Full summaries, images, and headlines for subscribers only.

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TODAY’S POLL

Should individual states be allowed to set rules for federal elections?

All votes are anonymous. This poll closes at: 9:00 PDT

YESTERDAY’S POLLShould people require a reason to request a mail-in ballot?

726 votes, 111 comments

Context: PA court strikes down law that allowed people to get mail-in ballot without a specific excuse.

HIGHLIGHTED COMMENTS

 No – I find that absentee or mail in voting works great for me. For no other reason than no lines. No leaving work or spending your lunch break. However, I do believe that mail-in-ballots need to be requested and certified. You need I.D. to do everything in our society.

 Yes – I strongly believe we shouldn’t be trying to get larger turnouts for the sake of feeling good …

 Unsure – It is true that voting in person should be more secure and that if someone can’t bother, they shouldn’t vote. At…

#1 in World News • 14 articles

Why did Italian lawmakers reelect a president who did not want the job?

Italian President Sergio Mattarella, 80, had made it clear he did not want to be reelected. Saturday, Italy’s politicians reelected him anyway. The outcome was a testa…
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#2 in World News • 11 articles

How strong is the Islamic State’s presence in Iraq and Syria?

Residents in both countries say the recent high-profile IS operations only confirmed what they’ve known and feared for months: Economic collapse, lack of governance an…
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#1 in Health News • 8 articles

How are European countries setting covid vaccination policy for children aged 5 to 11?

The move comes after the UK drugs regulator approved a low-dose version of a Covid vaccine for children last month, deeming it safe and effective. Eligible children include those with learnin…
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UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS

HIGHLY CREDIBLE, UNDER-REPORTED STORIES

EDITOR’S PICKS

Highly-rated article from left-leaning source

Houston Chronicle • Grade 71%

Texas Republicans trumpet their support for another Trump presidential bid at Conroe rally.

Highly-rated article from right-leaning source

Washington Times • Grade 75%

Latest North Korean missile shot raises fears of a breakout.

8,803 Articles Analyzed Visit The Factual

7.) LIBERTY NATION

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FROM OUR NEWSROOM

Monday’s Breaking News

Click Here

Is Biden Pushing Europe into War with Russia?
By Dave Patterson

The only world leader talking imminent invasion of Ukraine is Joe Biden.

Click Here

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

– L.M. Montgomery

COVID-19 and CRT: Twin Pillars Threaten American Schools
By Kirsten Brooker

How are parents and students holding up?

Click Here

Today’s Political Meme

Sometimes, you just need to laugh!

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Putin’s Ukraine Gamble – LN Radio Videocast
By Mark Angelides

The West is dancing to Putin’s tune.

Click Here

The Truth About the ‘Best’ Economy Since 1984
By Andrew Moran

A morsel of truth and a mountain of mendacity at the Biden White House.

Click Here

From the Liberty Nation Studios

LN Radio 1.30.22 – Can the White House Take the Heat? – Is it time for Team Biden to get out of the Kitchen? by Mark Angelides – Watch Now

The Uprising Podcast: Bye-Bye Breyer – There’s zero chance Biden picks Kamala Harris to replace Stephen Breyer – she’s too dim-witted to do the job. by Scott D. Cosenza, Esq. – Watch Now

Liberty Nation On The Go: Listen to Today’s Top News 01.31.22
By Liberty Nation Staff

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

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

For more news, LibertyNation.com recommends the news aggregator WHATFINGER.com — the #1 Alternative to Drudge.

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8.) FOX NEWS

 


9.) UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

 


10.) THE FEDERALIST PAPERS

 


11.) AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE

AEI’s daily publication of independent research, insightful analysis, and scholarly debate.
Winning by points: Putin’s judo match with the West
Leon Aron | The Hill
Despite the barrage of threatening moves and belligerent rhetoric, Vladimir Putin doesn’t intend to invade Ukraine. A fan of judo, Putin knows one rarely wins by a decisive throw. Rather, victory is gained by a gradual accumulation of points. In this virtual judo match with the West, Putin is far ahead by points — and likely to score more.
Full Story
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House committees are hearing from fewer witnesses. That hurts public policy.
Kevin R. Kosar, John D. Rackey, and Lauren C. Bell | The Washington Post
Hearing from far fewer witnesses hurts Congress’ lawmaking. Rank-and-file members not only have less information to guide decisions, but the information is also of poorer quality. Hence, Americans know less about what information goes into making law, and congressional committees become unable to meaningfully oversee the executive branch.
Full Story
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Should Medicare decide if you can get an Alzheimer’s drug?
Scott Gottlieb | The Wall Street Journal
Medicare recently denied coverage of Aduhelm, a new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The episode is an illustration of why the government health program shouldn’t be in the business of deciding who can receive promising new therapies.
Full Story
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China’s Olympics app is pure spyware, preparing for cyber spillover, and simulating tomorrow’s reality
Klon Kitchen | The Kitchen Sync
Cybersecurity researchers say the My2022 mobile app — the official app of the Beijing Winter Olympics — has serious security vulnerabilities and that “all Olympian audio is being collected, analyzed, and saved on Chinese servers.”
Full Story
facebook
twitter
Economics, Housing, and Poverty
A Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program primer and reform outline
James C. Capretta | AEI Economics Perspectives
Biden’s job-creation numbers are nuts
Matt Weidinger | Fox Business
Elon Musk and the new ‘Woodstock for capitalists’
James Pethokoukis | AEIdeas
5 questions for Robert Zubrin on humanity’s multi-planetary future
James Pethokoukis | AEIdeas
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services–Georgia waiver battle
James C. Capretta | State of Reform
Who’s watching the children?
Naomi Schaefer Riley | City Journal
As national stimulus fades, local checks flow below the radar
Matt Weidinger | AEIdeas
Foreign Policy and Defense
Putin’s likely course of action in Ukraine, part III
Frederick W. Kagan et al. | Critical Threats Project and The Institute for the Study of War
China’s grand strategy
Oriana Skylar Mastro | National Bureau of Asian Research
Let’s not legitimize and empower the Taliban with US collaboration
Katherine Zimmerman | Straight Arrow News
America’s war for global order is a marathon
Hal Brands | Foreign Policy
Republicans should not give Democrats the fight they want
Marc A. Thiessen | The Washington Post
Politics, Society, and Culture
Putin can’t be appeased
Matthew Continetti | The Washington Free Beacon
Checking the box? Identity and representation on the Supreme Court
Karlyn Bowman and Samantha Goldstein | AEIdeas
‘Who cares . . . call them racists’: Explaining the dishonest attacks on legal scholar Ilya Shapiro
Timothy P. Carney | Washington Examiner
‘Society’ doesn’t mean ‘the federal government.’ Conservatives ought to know that.
Timothy P. Carney | Washington Examiner
Health Care and Technology
The Fed should consider token-based digital currency
Jim Harper | AEIdeas
Education
How New Hampshire high schoolers can earn credits essentially anywhere
Frederick M. Hess | Education Week
Confusing CDC guidance threatens to keep students out of school
John P. Bailey | RealClearPolicy
Podcasts
The Supreme Court’s historic year keeps getting more interesting
Adam J. White and Richard A. Epstein | “Reasonable Disagreements”
Judging the justices: Epstein and Yoo on the new originalist Supreme Court
John Yoo, Peter Robinson, and Richard A. Epstein | “Uncommon Knowledge”
The Breyer patch
Adam J. White et al. | “The Commentary Magazine Podcast”

12.) THE FLIP SIDE

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Monday, January 31, 2022

Spotify and Neil Young

Following protests of Spotify kicked off by Neil Young over the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, the music streaming service said that it will add content advisories before podcasts discussing the virus. In a post Sunday, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek laid out more transparent platform rules given the backlash stirred by Young, who on Wednesday had his music removed from Spotify after the tech giant declined to get rid of episodes of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ which has been criticized for spreading virus misinformation.” AP News

From the Left

The left is critical of Rogan for spreading misinformation about Covid, and Spotify for financially sponsoring his podcast.
“On the show, Rogan and guests identified as experts have said that vaccination isn’t necessary for the young and healthy (they are); that ivermectin is an effective treatment for Covid (it isn’t, and using it in large doses poses serious potential health risks); and that people who have Covid face health risks from getting vaccinated (they don’t). Rogan’s misinformation campaign, which reaches millions of listeners, has been so dangerous that hundreds of public health officials have signed an open letter asking Spotify to intervene…

“How much a streaming platform, like a social media platform, should control what people can say on it is admittedly a difficult question to parse… The Rogan / Spotify situation, though, is less akin to a freewheeling public square than, say, Twitter; there is a business relationship more akin to a traditional media house and its star talent. Rogan isn’t a random person on the internet; he’s a host imbued with the authority of the company that pays for his show. He should be given room to discuss what he wants, even if that offends people who disagree with him politically. But the company should draw the line at dangerous life-threatening conspiracy theories.”
Jill Filipovic, CNN

“Spotify has weathered these controversies in the past, but Young’s threats might represent the opening of a new phase… Spotify should have known what it was getting when it signed Joe Rogan to a multiyear, $100 million exclusive contract in May 2020. By that point, Rogan had already established a reputation for transphobia and Islamophobia, had compared a Black neighborhood to Planet of the Apes, and hosted, among others, Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes and right-wing troll Milo Yiannopoulos…

“But Spotify was locked in an arms race, trying to gobble up as much real estate in the podcasting world as quickly as possible in an effort to continue growing at a rapid clip. Rogan’s audience was loyal, built-in, and guaranteed to follow him wherever he went. For Spotify, that was all that really mattered… There is an element of just deserts here: In trying to corner the podcast market—a feat it may still succeed at, by the way—it’s mainly succeeded in having to deal with an unending series of controversies.”
Alex Shepard, New Republic

Others ask, “How is it that in an era where we are surrounded by the miracles of unprecedented technological and scientific advancement, millions of people have chosen to trust a stoned MMA enthusiast during [a] health crisis over public health experts?… Everyone knew masks were useless and not worth wearing, until everyone knew it was the opposite… Trump’s pledge to roll out a vaccine within a year was an objective falsehood, to the point that it was ‘fact-checked’ at the time, only for media outlets to criticize him for rolling it out too slowly once exactly that happened…

“The government’s top science advisor, Anthony Fauci, has contradicted himself and admitted to intentionally lying or fudging the numbers in his public messaging, before repeatedly prevaricating before Congress about his agency’s role in the kind of risky research that we still can’t rule out was the source of the virus… As always, censorship and similarly heavy-handed measures are the desperate resort of someone who refuses or has simply given up on tackling the root causes of a problem.”
Branko Marcetic, Jacobin Magazine

From the Right

The right is critical of efforts to censor Rogan, and notes that many on the left have become less supportive of free speech.
“I’m only an occasional listener to Rogan’s podcast, and any podcast, but seeing the enemies the man has made, and that they oppose him by trying to get him cancelled, makes me eager to defend him, even though I strongly disagree with him on some things (e.g., drugs, porn, Bernie Sanders). Joe Rogan has a right to be wrong, and I have a right to hear him and his guests be wrong, if I want to. Of course Young and Mitchell have the right to pull their music from Spotify, but do they really want to start this war? As artists, do they really want to put themselves in the position of playing self-righteous censors (because that’s what they’re trying to do: compel Spotify to cancel Rogan’s show).”
Rod Dreher, American ConservativeMany on the left were once militant in their support for free expression, believing that misinformed, even offensive, viewpoints were as worthy of airing as any other speech. When the Yale Political Union invited segregationist politician George Wallace to speak at the university, famed civil rights activist Pauli Murray (who was attending law school there) rose to defend freedom of speech. ‘This controversy affects me in a dual sense, for I am both a lawyer committed to civil rights including civil liberties and a Negro who has suffered from the evils of racial segregation,’ she wrote. But she could see no justification to deny Wallace the same freedoms she wanted for all people… This viewpoint bears little resemblance to that of the activists of the modern Left.”
Zaid Jilani, City Journal“It is ironic that public health officials are now insisting that covid orthodoxy–whatever it is at the moment–be enshrined, and that all questions, doubts or contrary views be censored, given that public health officials have been consistently wrong about covid, and as a result have frequently had to change their opinions and advice…

“If we allow the left to censor conversation about covid because it is a ‘life and death’ issue, what follows? Every foreign policy issue is a life or death issue, so should all criticism of the Biden administration’s Ukraine policy be suppressed?… In a country of 330 million people, pretty much everything is a life or death issue, at some level. Immigration, the federal budget, the composition of the Supreme Court–you name it, lives are arguably at stake. Those who believe in free speech think that the more important the issue, the more vital is vigorous debate. The left sees it otherwise.”
John Hinderaker, Power Line Blog

“What concerns me most about all this is the siloing of society into warring tribes. It’s not enough to signal disagreement with someone when they do or say something boneheaded; the only response is full separation, an immediate partition. There’s something deeply corrosive about attempting to live in a way that demands everyone agree with you, even on a fundamental issue such as vaccination…

“At least for the diverse cultural connoisseur, ‘Rogan or Young, not both’ is a false choice. There’s no real tension in enjoying a beverage from the Israel-based SodaStream while listening to a Pink Floyd album featuring anti-Israel activist Roger Waters, just as there’s no tension in switching from ‘Heart of Gold’ to ‘The Joe Rogan Experience.’ The interesting consumer — the consumer who accepts that art exists separately from the artist and the artist’s political stances — contains multitudes.”
Sonny Bunch, Washington Post

A libertarian’s take
“Generally speaking, it’s a mug’s game to demand that a given platform, service, record label, publishing house, or whatever conform to your singular moral demands. I hesitate to point out something that Neil Young, who has an official YouTube channel, probably already knows: Joe Rogan is also on that platform, with nearly 12 million subscribers. Should Neil Young, in the name of consistency, issue an ultimatum to YouTube and then bolt when the service refuses to yield to his demand? Where exactly does this sort of thing stop? Maybe all of us at our own paywalled sites, secure in our purity of association but with much less to talk about.”
Nick Gillespie, Reason
On the bright side…

Goldie the pufferfish went to the dentist for work – now look at her smile.
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13.) AXIOS

Axios AM

Good Monday morning! Smart Brevity™ count: 1,497 words … 5½ minutes. Edited by Zachary Basu.

1 big thing: Omicron Olympics
Featured image

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Health experts are worried the Beijing Olympics, which open Friday, offer the perfect conditions for a COVID outbreak:

  • That’s because of the lightning-fast spread of Omicron, vaccines’ weakened protection against it, and a mentality that the Games must go on in spite of the risks, Axios health care editor Tina Reed writes.

Why it matters: These Winter Games boast a “closed-loop system” that has been called the strictest ever created for a global sporting event. But China’s protocols seem more focused on keeping COVID from escaping the loop than protecting those inside it.

  • The rules even direct locals not to help if an Olympics vehicle gets in an accident.
  • “China has made their decision, and they’re gonna steamroll this thing,” Apolo Ohno, the most decorated American Olympian at the Winter Games, told Rolling Stone.

State of play: Omicron is still spreading fast, and now there are new warnings of an even more contagious version of the variant.

What’s happening: As with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, an International Olympic Committee playbook lays out a COVID safety strategy that begins well before an athlete’s departure for the Games.

  • Competitors and journalists must test negative to enter China, must wear masks in public areas, and are told to social-distance, practice hand hygiene and get tested for COVID daily.
  • Unlike the Tokyo Games, China is also requiring vaccinations or quarantine for 21 days after arrival. Delegations have been told to use higher quality respirator masks, including N95s or KN95s.
  • Locals working within the closed-loop system won’t be able to return to their homes until they’ve been quarantined. Even trash will be held in isolation.

Share this story.

2. White House braces for bad Omicron jobs numbers
Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Graphic: Axios Visuals
Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Graphic: Axios Visuals

Job growth numbers may be about to turn negative for the first time since President Biden took office, Axios chief economic correspondent Neil Irwin writes.

  • Vast numbers of Americans missed work this month due to the Omicron variant, which is likely to drag down January jobs numbers.

Why it matters: In a winter of economic discontent, the job market has been booming. The virus surge undermined that in January.

The White House, which is seeking to get ahead of potential negative headlines, believes these effects will be temporary.

  • “Forecasters see a large Omicron effect on employment in January, but expect that to reverse in future months as we see the wave beginning to come down,” David Kamin, deputy director of the White House National Economic Council, tells Axios. “That is very different from overall trends in the economy looking ahead.”

What’s happening: Jobs numbers are based on how many people are working during a “survey reference week,” which is generally the calendar week that includes the 12th of the month. That was Jan. 9 to Jan. 15.

  • COVID cases peaked in precisely that span, with the highest seven-day average case count coming on Jan. 15, according to the CDC.
  • Hourly workers who weren’t paid that week — because they were out sick, caring for someone, quarantining, or because their employer temporarily shut down — would subtract from payrolls.

👀 What we’re watching: That explains why forecasters surveyed by FactSet are projecting only 162,500 jobs added in January, which would be the weakest since December 2020. There is some reason to think the number could turn out to be significantly worse than that.

3. Rising workplace benefit: Fertility services

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Employers are beefing up benefits packages to lure workers in a tight labor market, and many are adding pricey fertility benefits — including in-vitro fertilization and egg freezing.

  • Why it matters: Benefits around fertility and family-building had long been overlooked by employer health care plans, Erica Pandey writes for Axios What’s Next.

What’s happening: In the past, many companies have avoided offering fertility benefits due to concerns about the cost, Erin Dowling of Mercer writes. But the rise in the number of fertility clinics — and growing demand for their services — is driving down the price.

  • 97% of employers who provide this coverage say it has not resulted in a significant increase in medical plan costs, per a Mercer survey.
  • Some companies — including Nike, Johnson & Johnson and IBM — even help with the costs of adoption.

Keep reading.

4. 🎾 Pic du jour: Tennis triumph
Combo photo: AFP via Getty images

Spain’s Rafael Nadal, 35, with trophies of his record 21 men’s tennis Grand Slam victories, from the French Open in 2005 to yesterday’s comeback at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

  • That puts Nadal one ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, his longtime rivals in the Big Three.

See 21 Nadal stats.

5. Ten years after Trayvon Martin

Cover art: Mixed media artist Deborah Roberts

“On February 26, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, because as a Black boy walking in a gated community, he was deemed ‘suspicious,'” New York magazine writes in introducing a 59-page special section.

  • The big picture: “Zimmerman’s acquittal appalled a nation often willfully blind to the vulnerability of living while Black. Ten years later, ‘Black Lives Matter’ has grown from a hashtag to a protester’s cry to a cultural force that has reshaped American politics, society, and daily life.”

Lindsay Peoples Wagner, editor-in-chief of the magazine’s The Cut, says the idea for the issue came to her in the months following a series of conversations with the families of Tamir Rice and Breonna Taylor.

  • “I still have the photo of myself wearing a hoodie, with Skittles in my pocket, protesting Trayvon’s death in Iowa in 2012,” Peoples Wagner says. “Trayvon’s life and legacy changed my life.”

Explore the section … About the special issue.

6. George Packer: What Biden should have done
Above: Afghans camp near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 24, as a U.S. C-17 takes off overhead. Photo: Andrew Quilty/Agency VU’. By kind permission of The Atlantic

In the March issue of The Atlantic, staff writer George Packer presents a 20,000-word, 30-page indictment of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan — “The Betrayal,” the magazine’s longest feature in years:

  • “While waiting for Kabul to fall,” Packer writes, “the administration could have timed the military withdrawal to support evacuations, rather than pulling out all the hard assets while leaving all the soft targets behind.”

It could have created an interagency task force, vested with presidential authority and led by an evacuations czar — the only way to force different agencies to coordinate resources in order to solve a problem that is limited in scope but highly complex. It could have assembled comprehensive lists of thousands of names, locations, email addresses, and phone numbers — not just for interpreters … but for others at risk, including women …

Afghan people climb atop a plane at Kabul airport on Aug. 16. Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images

It could have begun to quietly organize flights on commercial aircraft in the spring — moving 1,000 people a week — and gradually increased the numbers. It could have used the prospect of lifting sanctions and giving international recognition to a future Taliban government as leverage, demanding secure airfields and safe passage for Afghans whom the Americans wanted to bring out with them.

It could have used airfields in Herāt, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, and Kandahar while those cities remained out of Taliban control. It could have drawn up emergency plans for Afghan evacuations and rehearsed them in interagency drills. It could have included NATO allies in the planning.

“It could have shown imagination and initiative,” Packer adds. “But the administration did none of this. Instead, it studied the problem in endless meetings.”

7. Spotify won’t take action against Joe Rogan

Photo: Vivian Zink/Syfy/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is refusing to take action against the platform’s most popular podcaster, and has instead vowed to be more transparent about content rules and add advisories to podcasts that discuss COVID-19, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer writes.

  • Why it matters: Spotify is facing a very public boycott over its handling of an ultimatum from musician Neil Young, who demanded his music be taken down unless the streamer addressed vaccine misinformation spread by Joe Rogan.

Spotify inked an exclusive, multi-year deal to distribute all of Rogan’s podcasts in 2020, reportedly for over $100 million.

  • “The Joe Rogan Experience” is by far the most popular show on the platform, with millions of streams per episode.
  • Rogan denied last night that he promoted misinformation, but said he would “try harder to get people with differing opinions” on his show and “do my best to make sure I’ve researched these topics.”

Keep reading.

8. 🏈 Super Bowl in L.A.: Bengals vs. Rams
Fox’s Terry Bradshaw with Rams’ Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and head coach Sean McVay. Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The NFL scriptwriters outdid themselves again, with two more thrillers for America’s favorite TV showAxios Sports editor Kendall Baker writes:

  • Bengals 27, Chiefs 24 (OT)Cincinnati erased an 18-point deficit to beat heavily favored Kansas City and clinch the Bengals’ first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years.
  • Rams 20, 49ers 17L.A. had lost six straight games to the 49ers, and looked poised to make it seven. But a fourth-quarter rally in the Rams’ house — SoFi Stadium — snapped the streak, and set up a date on the same turf in two weeks.

The Rams opened as 3.5-point favorites for the Feb. 13 big game.

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Who Dey! Bengals defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin hoists quarterback Joe Burrow after their 27-24 overtime win against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

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In this file photo, people protest against critical race theory (CRT) outside the offices of the New Mexico Public Education Department&#39;s office, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio) ** FILE **

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Sen. Susan Collins: Biden pledge to name Black woman to high court will politicize institution

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Latest North Korean missile shot raises fears of a breakout

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COVID-19 fights bleed into larger ‘anti-vaxx’ movement, threaten longtime vaccine rules in schools

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Trump signals openness to pardoning individuals charged in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

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Biden’s U.N. ambassador: Russia’s 100K troop build-up signals intentions to invade Ukraine

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U.S.: Russia to face pressure at U.N. over Ukraine crisis

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State Department rebuffs Chinese propaganda on U.S. undermining Olympics

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Dinwiddie’s leadership not ‘necessarily welcomed’ as Wizards continue free fall

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Bengals top Chiefs in overtime to clinch Super Bowl trip

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Rams rally to Super Bowl with stunning win over 49ers

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17.) THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

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BY HUGO GURDON AND DAVID FREDDOSO
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HIGHLIGHTS

Trump early Tennessee House race endorsement a test of his political potency

Trump early Tennessee House race endorsement a test of his political potency

Former President Donald Trump made his preference known for the Republican nomination in a new Tennessee House district before the prospective candidate even declared for the seat. Now the Nashville-based district could be a test of Trump as kingmaker in Republican politics.

Elon Musk says Biden treating people ‘like fools,’ calls him ‘damp sock puppet’

Elon Musk says Biden treating people 'like fools,' calls him 'damp sock puppet'

Tech billionaire Elon Musk had some choice words for President Joe Biden on Twitter.

Congress aims to complete U-turn on decades of economic relations with China

Congress is moving closer to trying to direct the power of the federal government to bolster industries deemed necessary to compete with China in technology, a form of economic competition that is a reversal from the approach of the 1990s and 2000s.

Struggling Biden attempts big reset

Struggling Biden attempts big reset

After months of failures piling up with no end in sight, the end of January may have presented the Biden administration with a rare opportunity to hit the reset button.

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Tesla to focus on building robots over Cybertrucks in 2022

Tesla to focus on building robots over Cybertrucks in 2022

Electric carmaker Tesla announced that it would focus on designing a humanoid robot and won’t release any new models in 2022.

What Republicans are planning if they win the House majority

What Republicans are planning if they win the House majority

President Joe Biden’s approval ratings, a wave of Democratic House retirements, a razor-thin partisan breakdown, and numerous polls point to a favorable environment for congressional Republicans in 2022.

Defense: What to expect for US troop involvement with Russia and Ukraine

Defense: What to expect for US troop involvement with Russia and Ukraine

Washington Examiner Defense Reporter Mike Brest joins Jim Antle in the Reporter’s Notebook to discuss the tension between Russia and Ukraine and why U.S. troops are on “high alert,” even though President Joe Biden said no U.S. troops will go to Ukraine.

Energy crisis: China turning back on greenhouse gas promises made to US

Energy crisis: China turning back on greenhouse gas promises made to US

Washington Examiner Energy and Environment Reporter Jeremy Beaman joins Jim Antle in Reporter’s Notebook to discuss China’s changing of the goalposts in relation to the emissions promises made to John Kerry.

Capitol Hill: Supreme Court justice confirmation process will throw Senate Democrats into further disarray

Capitol Hill: Supreme Court justice confirmation process will throw Senate Democrats into further disarray

Washington Examiner Chief Congressional Correspondent Susan Ferrechio joins Jim Antle in the Reporter’s Notebook to discuss the obstacles that lay ahead for Senate Democrats when the Supreme Court confirmation hearings begin and what that may mean for passing Build Back Better.

Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst dead after jumping from apartment building

Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst dead after jumping from apartment building

A woman who died after jumping from a New York City apartment building Sunday morning has been identified as former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst.

THE ROUNDUP

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18.) ASSOCIATED PRESS

TOP STORIES

Russia, US, Ukraine to square off at UN Security Council

today
FILE - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks to reporters during a news conference at United Nations headquarters on March 1, 2021. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 for the first time on Russia’s troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the United States, and all key players are expected to square off in public over the possibility of a Russian invasion and its global impact. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday for the first time on Russia’s troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the United States, and all key players are expected to square off in public over the possibility of a Russian invasion and its global impact.

Omicron amps up concerns about long COVID and its causes

Nancy Rose, center in mirror, speaks with her mother, Amy Russell, right, who both contracted COVID-19 in 2021, in their dining room surrounded by pictures of relatives and family, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, in Port Jefferson, N.Y. More than a third of COVID-19 survivors by some estimates develop lingering problems. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
By LAURA UNGAR and LINDSEY TANNER

an hour ago

UAE intercepts Yemen missile as Israeli president visits

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks at Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. The UAE intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels early Monday as the Israeli president visited the country, authorities said, the third such attack in recent weeks. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
By JON GAMBRELL and ISABEL DEBRE

an hour ago

Cyberattacks increasingly hobble pandemic-weary US schools

Art teacher Sarah Hager works at a computer in her classroom at Cleveland Middle School on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, in Albuquerque, N.M. Public school systems – which often have limited budgets and cybersecurity expertise -- have become an inviting target for ransomware gangs. The coronavirus pandemic has forced schools to turn increasingly toward virtual learning, making them more dependent on technology and more vulnerable to cyber-extortion. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
By CEDAR ATTANASIO

today

From Kabul, pregnant reporter fights NZ govt to come home

In this recent photo provided by Charlotte Bellis, Bellis poses in a selfie with her partner Jim Huylebroek in Kabul, Afghanistan. Bellis, a pregnant New Zealand reporter who is expecting her first child with Huylebroek, has chosen Afghanistan as a temporary base for her uphill fight to return home because of her country's stringent COVID-19 entry rules. Huylebroek, a freelance photographer and Belgium native, has lived in Afghanistan for two years. (Charlotte Bellis via AP)
By KATHY GANNON

today

Rogan responds to Spotify protest, COVID advisories

This combination photo shows Neil Young in Calabasas, Calif., on May 18, 2016, left, and UFC announcer and podcaster Joe Rogan before a UFC on FOX 5 event in Seattle, Dec. 7, 2012. Spotify said Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, that it will add content advisories before podcasts discussing the coronavirus. The move follows protests of the music streaming service that were kicked off by Young over the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. On Wednesday, Young had his music removed from Spotify after the tech giant declined to remove episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has been criticized for spreading virus misinformation. (AP Photo)
By JAKE COYLE

today

N. Korea confirms test of missile capable of striking Guam

People watch a TV showing an image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. North Korea confirmed Monday it test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam, the North's most significant weapon launch in years, as Washington plans to respond to demonstrate it's committed to its allies' security in the region. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
By HYUNG-JIN KIM

an hour ago

Olympians worry as ‘Winter’ disappears from Winter Games

FILE - Skiers look east to the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains while skiing on man-made snow, Dec. 4, 2021, in Beaver Creek, Colo. Olympic athletes in Alpine skiing and other outdoor sports dependent on snow are worried as they see winters disappearing. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
By HOWARD FENDRICH and PAT GRAHAM

2 hours ago

Celebrations for Year of the Tiger are muted, but bring hope

A cartoon tiger is displayed as shoppers wearing face masks to help protect fro the coronavirus ride on escalators at a mall during the Lunar New Year Eve in Beijing, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. The pandemic is muting Lunar New Year celebrations again this year, though people around Asia are finding ways to mark the traditional holiday despite restrictions on travel, restaurants and large gatherings. The Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
By DAVID RISING and KEN MORITSUGU

38 minutes ago

On to Super Bowl: Bengals versus Rams, who will host game

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow celebrates with fans after the AFC championship NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. The Bengals won 27-24 in overtime. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
By BARRY WILNER

today

All Top News

WEEKEND READS

A customer carries a box of baked goods from a bakery at sunrise in Benson, Minn., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. One little town. Three thousand people. Two starkly different realities. It's another measure of how America's divisions don't just play out on cable television. It has seeped into the American fabric, all the way to Benson, where two neighbors, each in his own well-kept, century-old home, can live in different worlds. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In one small prairie town, two warring visions of America

  • Governor kept mum amid conflicting accounts of deadly arrest

  • Mexican town protects forest from avocado growers, cartels

  • Willow Biden joins long and varied line of White House pets

  • After huge pandemic losses, governments see rapid rebound

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Medical workers carry a body to a van outside a COVID-19 hospital in Kommunarka, outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. Russia's state coronavirus task force has reported more than 11.3 million confirmed cases and over 328 thousands deaths, by far the largest death toll in Europe. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Russia’s COVID-19 tally hits pandemic record due to omicron

  • Beijing seals off more residential areas, reports 12 cases

  • Ottawa police investigating some anti vaccine protesters

  • Cyprus Orthodox archbishop suspends 12 unvaccinated priests

  • Omicron drives US deaths higher than in fall’s delta wave

POLITICS

FILE - Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin works at his desk inside his private office at the State Capitol in Richmond, Va., Jan. 18, 2022. Youngkin has used his first two weeks in office to push Virginia firmly to the right, attempting a dramatic political shift in a state once considered reliably Democratic that's being closely watched by others in the GOP. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, File)

Youngkin hustles to push swing state Virginia to the right

  • Biden to meet Qatar leader as Europe energy crisis looms

  • Clyburn, architect of Biden’s court pledge, pushes his pick

  • Biden calls for release of US hostage in Afghanistan

  • EXPLAINER: Why US sanctions may target individual Russians

U.S. NEWS

Nancy Rose, center in mirror, speaks with her mother, Amy Russell, right, who both contracted COVID-19 in 2021, in their dining room surrounded by pictures of relatives and family, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, in Port Jefferson, N.Y. More than a third of COVID-19 survivors by some estimates develop lingering problems. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Omicron amps up concerns about long COVID and its causes

  • Cyberattacks increasingly hobble pandemic-weary US schools

  • Trial to resume for cops accused of violating Floyd’s rights

  • 2nd trial in Floyd killing centers on clash of duty, code

  • EXPLAINER: New federal law targets medical bill surprises

WORLD NEWS

FILE - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks to reporters during a news conference at United Nations headquarters on March 1, 2021. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 for the first time on Russia’s troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the United States, and all key players are expected to square off in public over the possibility of a Russian invasion and its global impact. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Russia, US, Ukraine to square off at UN Security Council

  • US pledges to put Russia on defensive at UN Security Council

  • N. Korea confirms test of missile capable of striking Guam

  • Ottawa police investigating some anti vaccine protesters

  • Top Hong Kong official resigns over birthday party fiasco

2022 WINTER OLYMPICS IN BEIJING

FILE - Skiers look east to the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains while skiing on man-made snow, Dec. 4, 2021, in Beaver Creek, Colo. Olympic athletes in Alpine skiing and other outdoor sports dependent on snow are worried as they see winters disappearing. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Olympians worry as ‘Winter’ disappears from Winter Games

  • Skeleton medalist out of Beijing Olympics with virus

  • Olympic athletes have 1 more thing to stress about: weather

  • Prepare for the Beijing Games with this Olympic quiz

  • Goggia recovery on track in race to recover for Olympics

ENTERTAINMENT

This combination photo shows Neil Young in Calabasas, Calif., on May 18, 2016, left, and UFC announcer and podcaster Joe Rogan before a UFC on FOX 5 event in Seattle, Dec. 7, 2012. Spotify said Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, that it will add content advisories before podcasts discussing the coronavirus. The move follows protests of the music streaming service that were kicked off by Young over the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. On Wednesday, Young had his music removed from Spotify after the tech giant declined to remove episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has been criticized for spreading virus misinformation. (AP Photo)

Rogan responds to Spotify protest, COVID advisories

  • Dolce&Gabbana drop animal fur starting in 2022

  • Cheslie Kryst, former Miss USA, dies at 30

  • On a quiet weekend in theaters, ‘Spider-Man’ is No. 1 again

  • Asghar Farhadi’s new film grapples with the idea of heroes

ODDITIES

  • Getting an F: Alabama city’s new logo stirs strong feelings

  • Gov tells Bette Midler to kiss dog’s ‘heinie’ – and shows it

  • Toyota heading to moon with cruiser, robotic arms, dreams

  • Fake poop helps evicted owls settle into new neighborhood

SPORTS

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow celebrates with fans after the AFC championship NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. The Bengals won 27-24 in overtime. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

On to Super Bowl: Bengals versus Rams, who will host game

  • Rams rally to Super Bowl with stunning 20-17 win over Niners

  • Bengals top Chiefs 27-24 in OT to clinch Super Bowl trip

  • Olympians worry as ‘Winter’ disappears from Winter Games

  • Analysis: Opposites attract as Stafford, Burrow get Super

LIFESTYLE

"Poon Choi" ingredients including chunks of seafood like abalone, sea cucumber, dried scallops, oysters and prawns together with pork knuckle and fragrant mushrooms, are seen in a basin at the RenRen Heping Restaurant in Hong Kong on Jan. 21, 2022. Tighter COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on dining in restaurants after 6 p.m., are making Hong Kong residents plan their annual reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s eve at home. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

AP PHOTOS: Savoring lucky Lunar New Year’s eve dish at home

  • Olympians worry as ‘Winter’ disappears from Winter Games

  • Dolce&Gabbana drop animal fur starting in 2022

  • Housework or sleep? Study says it depends when you were born

  • Willow Biden joins long and varied line of White House pets

BUSINESS

FILE - A man walks past the Euro sculpture in Frankfurt, Germany, March 11, 2021. Growth in the 19 European Union countries that use the euro slowed down in the last three months of 2021. The European Union statistics agency said Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 that it was at 0.3%, down from 2.2% recorded in the July-September quarter. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

Growth slows at end of 2021 in 19 countries that use euro

  • Rogan responds to Spotify protest, COVID advisories

  • EXPLAINER: New federal law targets medical bill surprises

  • Socialists win reelection in Portugal, eye major investments

  • Dolce&Gabbana drop animal fur starting in 2022

SCIENCE

This graphic illustration provided by Toyota Motor Corp. shows a vehicle called "Lunar Cruiser" to explore the lunar surface. Toyota is working with Japan's space agency on the Lunar Cruiser to explore the lunar surface, with ambitions to help people live on the moon by 2040 and then go live on Mars, company officials said Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. (Toyota Motor Corp. via AP)

Toyota heading to moon with cruiser, robotic arms, dreams

  • Fake poop helps evicted owls settle into new neighborhood

  • How many times can I reuse my N95 mask?

  • US judge won’t rein in federal wild horse roundup in Nevada

  • He won a trip to space. Then he gave it away to a friend

TECHNOLOGY

Art teacher Sarah Hager works at a computer in her classroom at Cleveland Middle School on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, in Albuquerque, N.M. Public school systems – which often have limited budgets and cybersecurity expertise -- have become an inviting target for ransomware gangs. The coronavirus pandemic has forced schools to turn increasingly toward virtual learning, making them more dependent on technology and more vulnerable to cyber-extortion. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)

Cyberattacks increasingly hobble pandemic-weary US schools

  • Rogan responds to Spotify protest, COVID advisories

  • In blow to telecoms, California’s net neutrality law upheld

  • Ohio lured Intel’s chip plant with $2B incentive package

  • Apple’s holiday iPhone sales surge despite supply shortages

AP INVESTIGATIONS

FILE - Gov. John Bel Edwards speaks during a news conference at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, La., on Thursday, June 17, 2021. Text messages obtained by The Associated Press show Louisiana's governor was informed within hours of the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene.(Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)

Governor kept mum amid conflicting accounts of deadly arrest

  • Staffers complain of racism, abuse by WHO leader in Asia

  • Migrant abuses continue in Libya. So does EU border training

  • Bitcoin pyramid schemes wreak havoc on Brazil’s ‘New Egypt’

  • Security scanners across Europe tied to China govt, military

MOST RECENT

Wife of convicted Israeli spy Pollard dies of COVID-19

3 minutes ago
FILE - Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard and his wife, Esther, leave the federal courthouse in New York, Nov. 20, 2015. The wife of Jonathan Pollard, who championed a years-long campaign for his release from prison, has died from complications of COVID-19. Israeli media said Esther Pollard battled cancer in recent years and died on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. She was 69. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

JERUSALEM (AP) — The wife of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, who championed a years-long campaign for his release from prison, died on Monday from complications of COVID-19.

Esther Pollard battled cancer in recent years and died after recently contracting the coronavirus, Israeli media reported.

Growth slows at end of 2021 in 19 countries that use euro

3 minutes ago
FILE - A man walks past the Euro sculpture in Frankfurt, Germany, March 11, 2021. Growth in the 19 European Union countries that use the euro slowed down in the last three months of 2021. The European Union statistics agency said Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 that it was at 0.3%, down from 2.2% recorded in the July-September quarter. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European economy slowed noticeably at the end of last year as surging COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant piled on top of supply shortages and rising energy prices that dented consumer purchasing power.

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Pritzker’s budget includes $1B in sales, property tax relief

3 minutes ago
FILE - Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks on Oct. 27, 2021, in Springfield, Ill. Pritzker, facing an expensive campaign for re-election in November, will take on an equally imposing foe, inflation pushing 7%, by proposing nearly $1 billion in spending relief in his upcoming budget plan, an aide said. (AP Photo/John O'Connor, File)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, facing a costly reelection campaign, plans to tackle another foe — inflation approaching 7% — in a state budget proposal that would lift or freeze taxes on groceries and gasoline and give homeowners a one-year rebate of up to $300, an aide told The Associated Press.

Germany: 2 police officers shot dead during traffic stop

10 minutes ago
Police officers block the access road to the scene where two police officers were shot during a traffic stop near Kusel, Germany, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. Police say two officers have been shot dead while on a routine patrol in western Germany. Police in Kaiserslautern said the shooting happened during a traffic check near Kusel at about 4:20 a.m. on Monday. They said that the perpetrators fled but police had no description of them, the car they used or what direction they fled in. Police called on drivers in the Kusel area not to pick up hitchhikers and warned that at least one suspect is armed. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP) — Two police officers were shot dead on a rural road in western Germany while on a routine patrol early Monday, police said.

The shooting happened during a traffic check near Kusel at about 4:20 a.m., police in Kaiserslautern said in a statement.

Dolce&Gabbana drop animal fur starting in 2022

16 minutes ago
FILE - People stand outside the Dolce & Gabbana store on Fifth Avenue, Nov. 21, 2021, in New York. Dolce & Gabbana announced Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 that it will drop the use of animal fur in all its collections starting this year, and transition to eco-friendly faux fur. The Milan fashion house joins other luxury brands, including Armani, Gucci, Prada and Moncler, in adhering to guidelines set by the Fur Free Alliance, a network of animal rights groups around the world. (AP Photo/Pamela Hassell, file)

MILAN (AP) — Dolce&Gabbana announced Monday that it would drop the use of animal fur in all its collections starting this year, and transition to eco-friendly faux fur.

The Milan fashion house joins other luxury brands, including Armani, Gucci, Prada and Moncler, in adhering to guidelines set by the Fur Free Alliance, a network of animal rights groups around the world.

Biden to meet Qatar leader as Europe energy crisis looms

17 minutes ago
FILE - Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. President Joe Biden is hosting the ruling leader of Qatar at the White House on Monday, Jan 31, 2022, as the West faces the prospect of a European energy crunch if Russia further invades Ukraine. (Eduardo Munoz/Pool Photo via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is hosting the ruling leader of Qatar at the White House on Monday as he looks for the gas-rich nation to step up once again to help the West as it faces the prospect of a European energy crunch if Russia invades Ukraine.

Eriksen set for playing return after signing for Brentford

an hour ago
FILE - Denmark's Christian Eriksen controls the ball during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group B match between Denmark and Finland at Parken stadium in Copenhagen, June 12, 2021. Denmark international Christian Eriksen is training with the second team at his former club Ajax to stay fit while he seeks a new club. The 29-year-old playmaker has not played since collapsing during Denmark’s opening match at the European Championship against Finland in June. His contract with Inter Milan was terminated by mutual agreement last month because he is unable to play in Italy since being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. (Wolfgang Rattay/Pool via AP, file)

With a thumbs up to the camera, Christian Eriksen revealed his new team and planned return to playing — almost eight months after having a cardiac arrest on the field at the European Championship.

“I’m happy to announce that I’ve signed for Brentford Football Club,” Eriksen said in Monday’s social media video.

Skeleton medalist out of Beijing Olympics with virus

an hour ago

MOSCOW (AP) — Skeleton silver medalist Nikita Tregubov and one of his teammates will miss the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing after contracting the coronavirus and other athletes are also in doubt, Russian officials said Monday.

India economy projected to grow 8% in coming fiscal year

an hour ago
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, addresses the media on the opening day of the budget session of the Parliament, in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s economy is projected to grow 8% to 8.5% in the financial year beginning April 1, signaling a strong recovery after it was slammed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government’s annual economic survey, released Monday, comes a day before Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is due to present the national budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Top Hong Kong official resigns over birthday party fiasco

an hour ago
FILE - Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui lines up during a news conference in Hong Kong on April 22, 2020 to announce the new appointed principal officials. Tsui said Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 he would step down from his post, weeks after he attended a birthday party where at least one guest later tested positive for the coronavirus amid the city’s local omicron outbreak. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

HONG KONG (AP) — A top Hong Kong official resigned Monday for attending a birthday party with about 200 guests in early January as the city was battling a coronavirus surge.

Pakistani police widen manhunt, day after killing of priest

an hour ago
A man shows a picture to journalists of Christian priest Father William Siraj, shortly after he was killed by unknown gunmen, at a church in the northwestern city of Peshawar Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022. Police said gunmen killed Siraj and wounded another priest as they were driving home from Sunday Mass. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police said they widened their manhunt Monday, searching for two unidentified assailants who shot and killed a Christian priest and wounded another the previous day in the country’s northwest.

Portugal’s center-left Socialists get landslide election win

an hour ago
Portuguese Prime Minister and Socialist Party Secretary General Antonio Costa waves to supporters following election results in which Portugal's center-left Socialist Party won a third straight general election, returning it to power, Lisbon, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. Portuguese voters went to the polls Sunday, two years earlier than scheduled after a political crisis over a blocked spending bill brought down the country's minority Socialist government and triggered a snap election. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The center-left Socialist Party won a landslide victory in Portugal’s general election, removing a political roadblock that had halted its plans to spend billions of euros (dollars) of European Union aid for the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quadrant’s new facility bringing 200 jobs to Kentucky

2 hours ago

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An electric vehicle-related operation will build a facility in Kentucky, creating 200 full-time jobs.

The $95 million Louisville plant will be Quadrant’s first mass production facility in the U.S., Gov.

Video classes to help employers with safety requirements

2 hours ago

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Employers who want to make sure their businesses are complying with Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements will be able to take courses being offered by West Virginia University Extension.

Global stocks higher with China, Korea closed for holiday

2 hours ago
A man walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index at Hong Kong Stock Exchange Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. Asian stocks followed Wall Street higher Monday at the start of a week when China, South Korea and Southeast Asian markets will close for the Lunar New Year holiday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

BEIJING (AP) — Global stocks rose Monday following a big Wall Street gain at the start of a week when China, South Korea and Southeast Asian markets will close for the Lunar New Year holiday.

At least 10 killed in Kenya when vehicle runs over explosive

2 hours ago

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A local official in northeastern Kenya says at least 10 people are dead after their vehicle ran over an explosive device on a highway Monday morning.

North Eastern regional commander George Seda said the blast occurred outside Mandera town.

Phoenix puts home win streak on the line against Brooklyn

2 hours ago

Brooklyn Nets (29-20, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (40-9, first in the Western Conference)

Phoenix; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Phoenix hosts Brooklyn looking to continue its four-game home winning streak.

DeRozan leads Chicago into matchup against Orlando

2 hours ago

Orlando Magic (11-40, 15th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (30-18, second in the Eastern Conference)

Chicago; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: DeMar DeRozan leads Chicago into a matchup with Orlando.

France: Man tried over killing 8-year-old girl, other crimes

2 hours ago
FILE - The father of killed girl, Maelys, Joachim de Araujo, left, and his wife, Jennifer, hold a press conference in Lyon, central France, Sept.28 2017. Nordahl Lelandais, goes on trial Monday Jan.31, 2022 in Grenoble accused of kidnapping and killing Maëlys, as well as for sexual violence against two of his cousins, age 5 and 6, and possession of pedophile images. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)

GRENOBLE, France (AP) — It started with the disappearance of 8-year-old Maëlys de Araujo at a wedding in the French Alps. After a massive search that drew nationwide attention, investigators identified a wedding guest as the main suspect.

Calgary visits Dallas following shutout victory

2 hours ago

Calgary Flames (21-13-6, fourth in the Pacific) vs. Dallas Stars (23-17-2, fifth in the Central)

Dallas; Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Calgary visits Dallas after the Flames shut out Vancouver 1-0.

Pittsburgh hosts Washington, aims to break home skid

2 hours ago

Washington Capitals (24-12-9, fourth in the Metropolitan) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (27-11-7, third in the Metropolitan)

Pittsburgh; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh takes on Washington looking to end its three-game home skid.

Seattle faces Boston for non-conference battle

2 hours ago

Seattle Kraken (14-26-4, eighth in the Pacific) vs. Boston Bruins (25-14-3, fourth in the Atlantic)

Boston; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Boston and Seattle face off in a non-conference matchup.

Colorado plays Arizona, aims for 19th straight home win

2 hours ago

Arizona Coyotes (10-29-4, eighth in the Central) vs. Colorado Avalanche (32-8-3, first in the Central)

Denver; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Colorado hosts Arizona aiming to continue its 18-game home winning streak.

San Jose travels to play Stamkos and the Lightning

2 hours ago

San Jose Sharks (22-20-3, fifth in the Pacific) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (29-10-6, second in the Atlantic)

Tampa, Florida; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Steven Stamkos and Tampa Bay take on San Jose.

Vegas hosts Buffalo after shootout victory

2 hours ago

Buffalo Sabres (14-23-7, sixth in the Atlantic) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (26-16-3, first in the Pacific)

Paradise, Nevada; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres visit Vegas after the Golden Knights knocked off Tampa Bay 3-2 in a shootout.

Columbus hosts Florida after Laine’s 2-goal game

2 hours ago

Florida Panthers (31-9-5, first in the Atlantic) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (20-21-1, fifth in the Metropolitan)

Columbus, Ohio; Monday, 7 p.m. EST

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blue Jackets +208, Panthers -256; over/under is 6.5

FILE - United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in the women's combined downhill at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Jeongseon, South Korea, Feb. 22, 2018. Winter Olympians in outdoor sports such as Alpine skiing or snowboarding say the weather can be a key factor in success or failure. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati, File)

Olympic athletes have 1 more thing to stress about: weather

2 hours ago

Japan starts mass COVID boosters as omicron cases soar

today
A local resident receives the booster shot of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at a mass vaccination center operated by Japanese Self-Defense Force Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo has launched a mass inoculation drive for COVID-19 booster shots at a temporary center operated by the military as Japan tries to speed up delayed third jabs to counter surging infections.

Analysis: Opposites attract as Stafford, Burrow get Super

today
Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford celebrates after the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. The Rams won 20-17 to advance to the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow had almost nothing in common before Sunday except that they were top overall picks in the NFL draft.

Now, they are both Super Bowl quarterbacks.

Their journeys are almost polar opposites since each left an SEC powerhouse.

AP PHOTOS: Savoring lucky Lunar New Year’s eve dish at home

today
"Poon Choi" ingredients including chunks of seafood like abalone, sea cucumber, dried scallops, oysters and prawns together with pork knuckle and fragrant mushrooms, are seen in a basin at the RenRen Heping Restaurant in Hong Kong on Jan. 21, 2022. Tighter COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on dining in restaurants after 6 p.m., are making Hong Kong residents plan their annual reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s eve at home. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

HONG KONG (AP) — Tighter COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on dining in restaurants after 6 p.m., mean many Hong Kong families are eating their reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s eve at home this year.

Howard Hesseman, star of ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ dies at 81

today
FILE - Howard Hesseman arrives at the International Myeloma Foundation 7th Annual Comedy Celebration at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, in Los Angeles. Hesseman, who played the radio disc jockey Johnny Fever on the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" and the actor-turned-history teacher Charlie Moore on "Head of the Class," has died at age 81. Hesseman died Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Los Angeles due to complications from colon surgery, his manager Robbie Kass said Sunday. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Howard Hesseman, who played the radio disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” and the actor-turned-history teacher Charlie Moore on “Head of the Class,” has died.

Nadal wins Australian Open for record 21st major title

today
Men's singles champion Rafael Nadal of Spain poses for a photo with his trophy at Government House after the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Searching for inspiration when he was down two sets and facing triple break point, with his prospects of winning a record 21st Grand Slam title almost shot, Rafael Nadal thought back to some of his most difficult defeats.

Youngkin hustles to push swing state Virginia to the right

today
FILE - Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin works at his desk inside his private office at the State Capitol in Richmond, Va., Jan. 18, 2022. Youngkin has used his first two weeks in office to push Virginia firmly to the right, attempting a dramatic political shift in a state once considered reliably Democratic that's being closely watched by others in the GOP. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has used his first two weeks in office to push Virginia firmly to the right, attempting a dramatic political shift in a state once considered reliably Democratic that’s being closely watched by others in the GOP.

Universal health care bill faces deadline in California

today
FILE - Supporters of single-payer health care march to the Capitol, Wednesday, April 26, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. On Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, California Democrats face a deadline to advance a bill that would create a government-funded universal health care system. The proposal has the support of some Democratic leaders and powerful labor union, but it faces strong opposition from business groups who say it would cost too much. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Democrats must decide Monday whether to advance a bill that would make the government pay for everybody’s health care in the nation’s most populous state; a key test of whether one of their most long-sought policy goals can overcome fierce opposition from business groups and the insurance industry.


19.) FORT MYERS (FLORIDA) NEWS-PRESS

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21.) CHICAGO SUNTIMES

FBI affidavit lifts curtain on FBG Duck murder case

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Chicago Sun-Times Morning Edition
Good morning, Chicago —
Here’s the latest news from around the area.
A recently unsealed FBI affidavit provides more details on what happened the day that rapper FGB Duck – real name Carlton Weekly – was murdered on a Gold Coast street in broad daylight. The document lays out key evidence that led to the indictment of five alleged O Block gang members now accused of the shooting. Read Jon Seidel and Frank Main’s full story.
President Joe Biden yesterday called on the Taliban to immediately release hostage Mark Frerichs, a Lombard-raised man who’s now been held captive in Afghanistan for the last two years. Frerichs’ sister, who’s been campaigning for his freedom, said she’s grateful for Biden’s statement but really wants her brother back home safe.
And the father of a 20-year-old Forest View woman found dead in Austin last week remembers her as “the person that everybody calls when they were down.” Charisma Ehresman, whose death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner’s office, had recently enrolled in nursing school. “That’s who she is — she wants to help people,” her father, Jeffery, said yesterday. “It’s all she ever wanted to do was help people.”
Get even more news below, and thanks for reading.
Satchel Price, assistant audience engagement editor
15 seconds of mayhem on Gold Coast: FBI affidavit lifts curtain on FBG Duck murder case
Biden calls for Taliban to release Mark Frerichs, hostage in Afghanistan from Lombard

First-year nursing student reported missing from Forest View, found dead in Austin: ‘She brightened people’s days’

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22.) THE HILL MORNING REPORT

The Hill's Morning Report
Ukrainians drive in an armored personnel carrier near front line position in the Luhansk area, in eastern Ukraine

© Associated Press/Vadim Ghirda

 

 

Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. It is Monday! We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the co-creators. Readers can find us on Twitter @asimendinger and @alweaver22. Please recommend the Morning Report to friends and let us know what you think. CLICK HERE to subscribe!

Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported this morning: 884,260.

 

As of today, 74.5 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 63.1 percent is “fully vaccinated,” according to the Bloomberg News global vaccine tracker and the government’s definition. The percentage of Americans who have received third or booster doses is 26.1.

The United States and leading allies will meet today at the United Nations Security Council to try to pressure Russia as talk of tough sanctions, now or following any invasion of Ukraine, dominate conjecture about what Russian President Vladimir Putin will do and how the international community would respond.

 

This week, U.S. senators believe they can iron out differences and take up a tough sanctions measure aimed at deterring Putin and the Kremlin, putting their weight behind a big-stick approach to diplomacy that emphasizes pain and long-term international consequences for Russia (The Hill).

 

Gauging disagreements within NATO about specific proposed sanctions and strategy, as well as the rifts within the Republican Party about whether Biden’s policy toward Moscow is too weak or too tough, Russia sought to delay today’s United Nations meeting, calling it “a stunt” orchestrated by President Biden and his administration (The New York Times).

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who will likely speak again this week with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accused the United States and NATO of desiring to pull Ukraine into the European alliance (The Hill). Biden has publicly said Ukraine, with its own internal governance problems, including corruption, is not poised to be a NATO member anytime soon. Lavrov says Moscow wants more clarification from NATO (Reuters).

 

The Hill: The United States assails Russian disinformation.

 

As President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine continues to publicly play down the idea of an imminent attack by 127,000 Russian troops now encircling his country’s borders, Biden and his advisers play up the dangers, arguing that Russia’s military movements and evident preparations for violence contradict its many months of denials.

 

CNN: Russia positioned blood supplies near Ukraine’s borders as part of its accumulation of medical supplies, troops and military equipment in the area that could signal plans for an invasion, U.S. officials said.

 

On Friday, Biden said he’ll soon send more U.S. troops to Eastern Europe. Last week, he warned Zelensky it was “a distinct possibility” Russia could invade Ukraine in February. Putin will be in Beijing later this week for the Winter Olympics and is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping, a Kremlin ally and influencer, to discuss security in Europe.

 

The HillOksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, said on Sunday that Russia has aims beyond its neighbor. “I believe nobody’s safe if Ukraine will be attacked,” she warned.

 

The Wall Street Journal: In Eastern Ukraine’s largest city, pro-Russia sympathies wither as war looms.

 

The United States insists the U.N. Security Council will today be “unified in calling for the Russians to explain themselves.” U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Sunday during an ABC interview, “We’re going into the room prepared to listen to them, but we’re not going to be distracted by their propaganda.” Although the United States has worked to learn what Russia’s representatives have to say, Biden has commented that his advisers are unsure that Putin’s lieutenants know what Putin will do.

 

“You don’t amass 100,000 troops if you don’t have intentions to use them,” Thomas-Greenfield said (The Hill).

 

The Hill: Pentagon spokesman John Kirby repeated on Sunday that the United States is considering a range of sanctions against Russia not levied before.

 

The Associated Press: Why U.S. sanctions may target individual Russians.

 

The New York TimesBritain moved to broaden its range of sanctions available against Russia if it attacks Ukraine. It has long been a financial hub for Russia’s wealthy and well connected, with one British parliamentary report describing London as a “laundromat” for illicit Russian money. The U.K. is supplying defensive weapons to Ukraine and has offered to increase its troop deployments elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

 

With both the House and Senate back to work this week in Washington, the legislative branch may act. But there are challenges: GOP leaders who urge Biden to be tougher must reckon with the party’s isolationist far-right flank, reports The Hill’s Cristina Marcos. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) assailed Biden on “Fox News Sunday” for what he called “appeasing” Russia. He called the president’s foreign policy “feckless.”

 

The Wall Street Journal: A Senate bill nearing completion would hit major banks in Russia and limit the market for Russia’s sovereign debt if the country attacks Ukraine.

 

The Hill’s roundup of Sunday shows: Russia sanctions, Biden Supreme court nominee dominate.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is shown during his talks with U.S. President Joe Biden via videoconference

© Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via Associated Press

 

 

Here’s what else we’re watching this week:

 

> The Washington Football Team encouraged suspense ahead of its planned announcement Wednesday about an official post-Redskins name, and some wonder whether the choice actually leaked last week (Sporting News). It won’t be Wolves or RedWolves, which means the finalists are Commanders, Admirals, Armada, Brigade, Sentinels, Defenders, Red Hogs, Presidents and the status quo “Washington Football Team” (The Associated Press). … On Thursday, the House Oversight and Reform Committee will be more interested in hearing from a roundtable of witnesses about the Washington Football Team’s “toxic workplace culture” at 10 a.m.

 

Biden will focus on gun crimes and policing on Thursday in New York City following the recent shooting deaths of two officers who were among those responding to a domestic dispute in Harlem between a mother and her 47-year-old son, who was shot and killed on the scene by a rookie police officer. Urban crime, guns and law enforcement are potent political issues for candidates in both parties this election year (CNBC).

 

Nominees for three vacancies at the Federal Reserve, including Sarah Bloom Raskin, nominated for the top financial institution supervisory role, face Senate Banking Committee members on Thursday during a confirmation grilling.

 

The Winter Olympics in Beijing start Friday with the opening ceremony and conclude on Feb. 20. Expect plenty of political controversy, boycotts, activism and a dearth of official international delegates because of anti-China fervor (The Associated Press). The athletes, however, are the ones to watch, and NBC explains how.

 

Wall Street analysts on Friday will pore over the government’s employment report for January (and Biden will have remarks). With omicron cases rising in January, nonfarm payroll growth may have slowed more than was recorded in December, pointing to economic headwinds.

LEADING THE DAY
CONGRESS: Lawmakers return to Washington this week with a growing smorgasbord of items on the to-do list, headlined by chatter surrounding one item that won’t be determined for weeks: the president’s nominee to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court.

 

Focus on Sunday surrounded District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs, a top candidate to fill Breyer’s spot on the bench. Childs had been tapped to serve on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, but the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Friday that she is not part of its agenda for a planned confirmation hearing for nominees on Tuesday.

 

Childs is a favorite of House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who is unabashedly and publicly championing her public-university, Southern roots and her skills in the law. Childs also got a boost on the GOP side on Sunday. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), praised Childs as a “fair-minded” and “highly gifted” jurist, adding that Biden could not do better if he tried.

 

“I can’t think of a better person for President Biden to consider,” Graham told “Face the Nation.” “One of the most decent people I’ve ever met. … I cannot say anything bad about Michelle Childs. She’s an awesome person,” the former Judiciary Committee chairman added.

 

The Hill: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine): Biden’s campaign pledge to nominate Black woman to court politicized nomination process.

 

Jordain Carney, The Hill: Senate GOP faces uncharted waters in Supreme Court fight.

 

No matter who Biden taps to fill the slot, the selection could alter the internal dynamics of the court. As The Hill’s John Kruzel writes, the next justice is likely to add youth, diversity of experience as a Black woman and a more liberal viewpoint than that of the retiring 83-year-old Breyer, who is known for his pragmatic and somewhat centrist instincts.

 

The president’s nominee could impact the court’s liberal minority of women, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, as well as the dynamics of those in the conservative majority, including Chief Justice John Roberts, who are increasingly willing to take on the constitutionality of precedent and hot-button social issues in a hyper political environment.

 

The Brookings Institute: What is Biden drawn to in judicial appointees?

 

The Washington Post: Possible Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, former public defender, saw impact of harsh drug sentence firsthand.

 

Judge J. Michelle Childs, who was nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. District Court, listens during her nomination hearing

© Associated Press/Charles Dharapak

 

 

> Stock options: A number of Republican Senate candidates running on anti-Big Tech platforms have stock holdings in the same companies they are vowing to hold accountable if elected to Congress.

 

That dynamic has brought forth accusations from some on both sides of the aisle of hypocrisy. According to others, arguing that someone won’t hold Facebook, Google or Apple accountable because they have stock in the company is a weak attack and the conflict-of-interest accusations are small potatoes.

 

As The Hill’s Rebecca Klar notes, high-profile candidates on the GOP side, including Ohio’s Jane Timken and Pennsylvania’s Jeff Bartos, both have substantial holdings in Big Tech companies.

 

Some GOP strategists say the investments could open candidates up to criticism, but any further attacks centered on how hypocrisy creates conflicts of interest could be a harder argument to follow.

 

Bloomberg Businessweek, Joshua Green: Congress’s Big Tech stock stakes make regulation awkward as an antitrust bill casts a spotlight on enormous portfolios held by lawmakers, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in a government institution with iffy rules about potential stock conflicts of interest. Pelosi has downplayed her own and her husband’s lucrative tech stock trades, referring to a “free-market economy.”

 

The Wall Street Journal: Democrats put Build Back Better in the court of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

 

Reuters: House to vote this week on “finished version” of CHIPS for America Act, and go into conference.

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES
POLITICS: Former President Trump’s suggestion on Saturday that he might potentially grant pardons to Jan. 6 rioters if he is reelected in 2024 landed with a thud among some of his supporters and other Republicans a day later.

 

Graham, a top ally and frequent golf partner of the ex-president, told CBS News that Trump’s suggestion is “inappropriate” and would send the wrong signal following the deadly attack on the Capitol.

 

“I don’t want to send any signal that it was okay to defile the Capitol,” Graham told host Margaret Brennan. “There are other groups with causes that may want to go down to the violent path that these people get pardoned.

 

“I think it’s inappropriate. … I don’t want to do anything that would make this more likely in the future,” Graham added (The Hill).

 

Trump raised the idea during a rally in Texas on Saturday night, telling supporters that those who were arrested in the Capitol attack are “being treated so unfairly.”

 

The Washington Post: Trump’s Texas trip illustrates his upsides and downsides for Republicans and their midterm hopes.

 

The New York Times: Campaigning to oversee elections, while denying the last one.

 

Yahoo News: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) scorns Trump’s pledge to pardon Jan. 6 rioters: “Oh, my Goodness, no!”

 

The New York Times: New York Democrats could gain three House seats under proposed district lines.

 

The HillVirginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) sparks Democratic backlash.

 

> Last Frontier: Alaska is by no means a swing state, but it is on the front lines of the GOP civil war ahead of key contests up and down the ticket in the November midterm elections.

 

As The Hill’s Tal Axelrod writes, three of the state’s top politicos — Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) and Rep. Don Young (R) — are all up for reelection, but all are under the microscope for a number of reasons.

 

Murkowski’s situation remains the most contentious, having voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. She is the only one to do so while also being up for reelection this fall, with a number of Trump orbit figures throwing their weight behind Kelly Tshibaka.

 

On the gubernatorial front, Dunleavy is the target of a primary challenge, in part due to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. As for Young, he has largely sidestepped the issues facing Murkowski and Dunleavy but also faces a primary opponent.

 

ABC News poll: Majority of Americans want Biden to consider “all possible nominees” for Supreme Court vacancy.

 

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, campaigning at a busy street corner in Anchorage

© Associated Press/Mark Thiessen

 

OPINION
Rhapsody for a boy in blue, by Maureen Dowd, columnist, The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/3GeIdgs

 

Stopping Putin means hitting him where it really hurts, by Lara Williams, social media editor, Bloomberg Opinion. https://bloom.bg/3IO3QWF

WHERE AND WHEN
The House meets on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

 

The Senate convenes at 3 p.m.

 

The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9:30 a.m. The president and Vice President Harris at 11 a.m. will host members of the National Governors Association at the White House. Biden will meet at 2 p.m. at the White House with Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The secretary of State will attend (Reuters and Al Jazeera).

 

First lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff at 9:45 a.m. will host spouses of members of the National Governors Association at the Kennedy Center, where they plan to deliver remarks.  

 

The National Governors Association concludes a three-day annual winter meeting, this year with 39 governors participating in Washington. Agenda is HERE.

 

The White House press briefing is scheduled at 1 p.m.

 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will speak about the crisis in Ukraine at 11 a.m. ET during an event hosted by The Washington Post Live. Information is HERE.

 

📺 Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube.

ELSEWHERE
 INTERNATIONAL: North Korea on Sunday fired what appeared to be the most powerful missile it has tested in the past year. The Japanese and South Korean militaries said the missile was launched on a high trajectory, apparently to avoid the territorial spaces of neighbors, and reached a maximum altitude of 1,242 miles and traveled 497 miles before landing in the sea (The Associated Press). Pyongyang confirmed the test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of striking Guam. North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missiles now pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland (The Associated Press). Thomas-Greenfield said Sunday on ABC News that the administration continues to be open to discussions with North Korea “without conditions.” … A small fraction of migrants subjected to the court-ordered reimplementation of the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy gain asylum in the United States. December figures released by the administration show that just 12 percent of migrants were able to make the case that they would face danger if sent across the border to Mexico while pursuing asylum claims in the U.S. (The Hill and The Associated Press).

 

 CYBER SPYING WEAPONRY: Israeli-invented spying tool Pegasus, owned by company NSO, has helped law enforcement crack global criminal cases. But the many abuses of Pegasus have been well documented. The U.S., which bought a version of the spyware through the FBI and racked up bills of $5 million, decided last year to seek to ban it. Israel, which has ultimate say over the international customers to whom NSO sells its spy tools, is infuriated and perceives the United States as supremely hypocritical. NSO’s spy system, called Phantom, was able to hack data behind any mobile phone number in the United States without the knowledge of American users or U.S. telecommunications companies or tech giants such as Apple and Google. The FBI decided last summer after prolonged debate in two administrations not to deploy the NSO weapons it had eagerly assembled, now tucked away in New Jersey, reports The New York Times Magazine after a lengthy investigation.

 

 CRYPTO: The values of most cryptocurrencies have plummeted recently, wiping out billions of dollars of wealth. And instead of mostly harming niche crypto enthusiasts, the impact was felt widely. Cryptocurrencies have seen their popularity skyrocket during the pandemic, pulling in countless celebrity endorsements and even being integrated into more traditional asset portfolios. With tax filing season underway, many investors in the red are bracing for massive tax bills on winnings they no longer have (The Hill).

 

 SPORTS DRAMAS: After a topsy-turvy Championship Sunday, Super Bowl LVI is set. The Cincinnati Bengals will make their first appearance in the big game since 1988 after going on the road and pulling an upset of the heavily-favored Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24. They will face the Los Angeles Rams, who came back from 10 points down to top the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17. The Rams will not have far in the next two weeks as Super Bowl LVI will take place at SoFi Stadium, their home park. Sportsbooks have installed the Rams as 4-point favorites (NPR). … Tennis great Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open in a dramatic, five-hour and 24-minute final match against Daniil Medvedev. It ended early Monday Down Under (The Associated Press).

THE CLOSER
And finally … Tuesday kicks off Black History Month, marking the 46th annual commemoration of African American history in the U.S.

 

The 2022 theme of the monthlong celebration is “Black Health and Wellness.” According to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the theme explores “the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora.” It also takes into account “activities, rituals and initiatives that Black communities have done to be well.”

 

Black History Month was officially recognized in 1976 by President Ford, who called on individuals to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history” (History.com).

 

Black History Month logo on back of backboard in Pepsi Center

© Associated Press/David Zalubowski

 

 

A young boy walks past a painting depicting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a Juneteenth celebration in Los Angeles

© Associated Press/Jae C. Hong

 

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23.) THE HILL 12:30 REPORT

 


24.) ROLL CALL

Image

Morning Headlines

ImageThe House committee investigating the Capitol riot sent subpoenas to a group of people from seven states Joe Biden won in the 2020 presidential election who allegedly submitted fake slates of Electoral College votes for Donald Trump. Read more…

ImageA Black mechanic for the Architect of the Capitol, was referred to as a racial slur and as “lazy” by colleagues, was tasked with “dirty jobs” and subjected to different working conditions than his white co-workers, a lawsuit filed Friday against the agency alleges. Read more…

Democrats mull how much to build back, and when, in budget bill

 

ImageDemocrats eager to enact some form of their climate and safety net package before the midterms are floating disparate strategies for resurrecting talks that Sen. Joe Manchin III squashed last month. Manchin suggests “starting from scratch,” but his Democratic colleagues don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Read more…

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Listen: Budget priorities clash in coming months

 

ImageCongress faces a Feb. 18 deadline to complete overdue appropriations, but distractions are multiplying. That means as each day passes, the chances for a revival of the “Build Back Better” package dwindle. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Lindsey McPherson preview what’s coming up in a very busy next few months. Listen here…

IRS budget in focus as brutal tax filing season arrives

 

ImageAnticipation of a fraught tax season is leading Democrats to consider more funding for the IRS. Another filing period complicated by COVID-19, new tax breaks and a backlog of unprocessed returns have put the spotlight on years of stagnant funding for taxpayer services. Read more…

In wildfire ‘pivot,’ experts question federal focus

 

ImageIn 1935, the U.S. Forest Service set policy to extinguish wildland fires the morning after detection. More than a century later, the Forest Service is trying to pivot from that practice and instead use smaller fires as a tool to limit catastrophic blazes fed by decades of fuel buildup. Read more…

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

 

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25.) POLITICO PLAYBOOK

POLITICO Playbook: Congress confronts a February deluge

Presented by

DRIVING THE DAY

Lawmakers return from recess this week to a massive February to-do list before President JOE BIDEN’s March 1 State of the Union address. And the pressure is on: The White House and vulnerable House Democrats are desperate to quickly pass a $250 billion package aimed at boosting manufacturing and relieving supply-side clogs — a win they’d love the president to be able to trumpet at his big speech.

But Congress also has to avert a government shutdown and possibly begin vetting a Supreme Court nominee. And that’s to say nothing about trying to resuscitate Build Back Better.

Can they do all this in a few weeks? Color us extremely skeptical:

1. A COMPLICATED COMPETITION BILL — As our Sarah Ferris reports this morning, Speaker NANCY PELOSI’s House Democrats will be in “tunnel vision” this week as they clear their own version of a Senate-passed China competition bill, which garnered 19 GOP votes last June. Given those bipartisan numbers, you’d think it should sail through. Guess again.

The House bill, dubbed the COMPETES Act, is full of controversial Democrat-sponsored trade provisions that trouble Republicans. That means it’s destined for a conference committee, where Senate Republicans will have all the leverage since 10 of them will be needed to get it through the Senate.

That’s especially true considering the White House’s desperation to have Biden sign the bill by March 1. Senior administration officials, including Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO, have made clear they see this as the Hill’s top priority before SOTU, particularly because it includes money to address the nation’s semiconductor shortage.

Complicating everything: House Republicans, we’re told, are planning to come out in unified opposition to the bill. A Republican Study Committee memo obtained by Playbook, which will circulate this morning, claims the measure will actually “help China,” not the U.S., while saying it should be called the “CONCEDES Act.”

Dems won’t need House GOP support to pass it, but the House Republican campaign will almost certainly complicate the ability of Congress to move quickly to get anything done by March 1.

One more thing: Our trade reporter Gavin Bade is hearing that Democratic members are privately peeved that leadership is circumventing the committee process on such major trade issues. So we could see internal House Dem drama too.

2. NEVER-ENDING APPROPS NEGOTIATIONS — The government runs out of money Feb. 18. Appropriators are still haggling over a long-term spending deal, with Republicans feeling zero pressure to make a deal they don’t like. (No deal means Trump era-spending policies stay in place, which is fine by them.)

Few expect a government shutdown — leaders are already talking about passing another stopgap spending bill to prevent it — but the issue will eat into floor time in both chambers.

3. BBB COMPLICATIONS — Democrats hoping to revive BBB talks are coming to terms with the fact that this may take a while. Last week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus called on the party to pass the bill by the SOTU — a deadline White House press secretary JEN PSAKI and Pelosi both dismissed.

Progressives aren’t alone in trying to up the urgency. This morning, a group of 250 left-leaning business leaders and nonprofit groups will call on the Senate to get moving on BBB, according to a copy of the letter shared with Playbook that will run as an ad in the NYT. But as we reported last week, senior Democrats have no idea what they can get Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) to agree to and how long it will take. Because of that, Democratic leaders are loath to set another deadline.

Even if BBB talks commence soon, there are complications afoot: Sarah caught up with PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) about BBB on Friday, and while the Progressive Caucus leader did indicate that her members would swallow a smaller version of the bill than they want, she also insisted that Manchin is on board with the framework the party agreed to in October. “I believe that, even from his conversation with me after he went on Fox News [to announce he was a ‘no’], that those are still the things that he supports,” she said.

That’s news to us and pretty far from what Manchin and his allies have indicated to reporters. Not only did Manchin turn his back on that framework a long time ago, he also walked away from an even narrower deal he offered to the White House in December (pre-K, health care and climate). Yet still many on the left are struggling to accept the new reality. The businesses on the BBB letter, for example, are also still pushing for the expanded child tax credit and paid family leave, which are pipe dreams at this point.

The disconnect underscores just how much work the party still has to do on BBB — and the fact it will have to compete for attention with a SCOTUS confirmation process that will take center stage in a matter of weeks. Happy legislating.

MORE ON BBB: WSJ’s Andrew Duehren nicely captures the near-total leverage that Manchin now has over his progressive colleagues, who are desperate to get him back to the bargaining table. “Manchin should have the pen, we should respect that whatever he wants to do will be reasonable and ultimately be historic,” Rep. RO KHANNA (D-Calif.) told Duehren.

A NEW GIG — Some news on the home front this morning from our editor Mike Zapler: “After a terrific run on Playbook the past year, Tara is taking on a new gig as POLITICO’s Chief National Correspondent. She’ll be launching and headlining a new Sunday night product that aims to set the agenda for the week in Washington and beyond — plus bringing her distinctive reporting and voice to our coverage of the midterms. Finally, as a newsroom announcement that just went out put it, ‘She’ll continue to report on Washington and its people, and on the intersection of politics, media and culture nationally.’

“Those of you who’ve enjoyed Tara’s Friday Playbook editions of buzzy scoops on all these fronts can expect to see even more of them in the coming weeks. We’re excited to see what she has in store.”

Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. We’ll be spending a lot of time on the road in 2022 reporting on national politics and elections to supplement our core Washington coverage. Drop us a line and let us know what races you want to know more about and the places you’d like us to visit: Rachael BadeEugene DanielsRyan Lizza

JOIN US — Today at noon, Raimondo will join White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López for a virtual Women Rule interview on POLITICO Live. The interview will cover Raimondo’s first year in the Biden administration, her role in pushing some key legislation, including Build Back Better and the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, and her path to Washington from working in venture capital and serving as Rhode Island governor. RSVP here to watch live

BIDEN’S MONDAY:

— 9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.

— 11 a.m.: Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS will host the National Governors Association for a meeting at the White House.

— 2 p.m.: Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh TAMIM BIN HAMAD AL-THANI.

Psaki will brief at 1 p.m.

THE SENATE will meet at 3 p.m. to take up BRIDGET BRENNAN’s judicial nomination, with a cloture vote at 5:30 p.m.

THE HOUSE is out.

BIDEN’S WEEK AHEAD:

— Thursday: The president and VP will attend the National Prayer Breakfast, and Biden will head to New York for an event with Mayor ERIC ADAMS focused on guns, crime, violence and police funding.

— Friday: Biden will deliver remarks on the monthly jobs report.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PLAYBOOK READS

CONGRESS

SCOOP: ECA GROUP TAKES ON ROGUE ELECTORS — The bipartisan Senate group trying to strike a deal to overhaul the Electoral Count Act is adding to its mission as it tries to ensure another Jan. 6 never happens again: a new legal process to ensure no rogue slates of electors come to D.C., according to two sources familiar with the conversations.

In addition to clarifying that the VP has no authority to ignore electoral slates, raising the bar for the number of lawmakers needed to protest slates, and protecting election workers, the group is considering a legal process that would rely on a federal judge to quickly litigate any discrepancies about who won the state.

The move comes after DONALD TRUMP tried to get GOP statehouses to send rogue slates of electors on his behalf to Congress on Jan. 6. The Senate gang wants to ensure that if that were to ever happen, the legal system could quickly dispense with the matter — rather than relying on Congress to figure out how to handle the situation.

We’re also hearing that group leader SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) has been encouraging the members to work quickly so they can release an outline as soon as possible, perhaps in the coming days. Lawmakers in the group are meeting over Zoom again today, and staff worked all week trying to iron out the pillars of an agreement, we’re told.

Talks heated up after top Democrats from Biden to Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER have sent positive signals on ECA reform, after weeks downplaying the talks. Group members have taken note and were particularly encouraged to see JENNIFER RUBIN — the WaPo opinion columnist known to be close with the Biden White House — appear to suggest ECA reform is worth pursuing after dismissing it just a few weeks ago.

JAN. 6

TRUMP PUTS IT IN WRITING — Trump said in a statement Sunday that MIKE PENCE “could have overturned the Election!”

The context was an attack on bipartisan efforts to reform the Electoral Count Act. In an interview with CNN’s Pamela Brown, Rep. ZOE LOFGREN, a member of the Jan. 6 committee, noted, “I guess he’s saying [Kamala Harris] gets to choose who the next president is.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s recent vow to pardon Jan. 6 criminals if he’s ever president again had reporters asking several Republicans to respond …

— Lindsey Graham: “I think it is inappropriate. I don’t want to reinforce that defiling the Capitol is OK.”

— Chris Sununu: “Look, the folks that were part of the riots and, frankly, the assault on the U.S. Capitol, have to be held accountable.”

Also, a pair of GOP governors, ASA HUTCHINSON and LARRY HOGAN, said Trump should not be the future of the GOP. “With America on the wrong path, the stakes are too high to double down on failure,” Hogan said.

Back to the future: Look for congressional Republicans to be blanketed with questions about both of Trump’s weekend statements.

WHAT MAKES A WIN STREAK — The Jan. 6 select committee has been notching a string of victories in public and in private lately. But what does it really mean? In reality, the recent success “has heightened the importance of turning lofty expectations for the select panel’s probe into results that are tangible to the public,” Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu write. In other words, “the biggest challenge for the Capitol riot committee has morphed into crafting a final product that will actually resonate with a polarized and occasionally desensitized electorate, considering the relentless campaign by Trump and his allies to diminish the significance of the insurrection.”

UKRAINE-RUSSIA LATEST

THE VIEW FROM UKRAINE — Ukrainian Ambassador OKSANA MARKAROVA downplayed any perceived tension between the country and the U.S., but continued to preach caution and patience from the West. Markarova said “there is no friction,” but added: “At the same time, in order to defend our country, we cannot afford to panic. We have to get ready. All of us — not only our military, our very capable military and veterans — but also all civilians. So we know and we see what’s going on.” (More from Quint Forgey)

ON THE GROUND — Even in holdout Ukrainian cities like Kharkiv, pro-Russian sentiments are all but gone as they stand on the brink of a war between the neighboring nations, WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov reports.

AT THE U.N. — The U.S. is preparing to put Russia “on the defensive” at today’s U.N. Security Council meeting, AP’s Jim Heintz and Ellen Knickmeyer write. U.N. Ambassador LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD “said the Security Council will press Russia hard in a Monday session to discuss its massing of troops near Ukraine and fears it is planning an invasion.”

INSIDE THE KREMLIN — Top advisers to Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN are pushing some outlandish claims. “The West is legalizing marriage between people and animals. Ukraine’s leaders are as bad as Hitler, and the country’s nationalists are ‘nonhumans.’ These are the views found in President Vladimir V. Putin’s inner circle, among the top Russian security officials who are likely to be at the table as their leader decides whether to launch an open war against Ukraine,” NYT’s Anton Troianovski reports from Moscow.

JUDICIARY SQUARE

KNOWING THE NOMINEES — WaPo’s Ann Marimow and Aaron Davis have a fascinating story on KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, a leading contender to become Biden’s Supreme Court nominee. Not only would she make history as a Black woman on the bench, but she would also become the “first justice in decades with deep experience as a criminal defense attorney.” Marimow and Davis go on to shed new light on another unique facet of Jackson’s life experience: Years ago, her uncle was “sentenced to life under a ‘three strikes’ law” for a non-violent drug offense. “After a referral from Jackson, a powerhouse law firm took his case pro bono, and President BARACK OBAMA years later commuted his sentence.” The full story is worth your time.

CLYBURN’S CHOICE — House Majority Whip JIM CLYBURN endorsed Biden in the South Carolina primary in 2020 after extracting a promise from Biden that as president he would nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Clyburn is now trying to steer Biden toward his own pick for the job, AP’s Meg Kinnard writes. “As the lobbying begins over filling the open court seat, Clyburn is harnessing his history with Biden and his stature as the No. 3 House Democrat to make a forceful case for his preferred choice, U.S. District Judge J. MICHELLE CHILDS, a jurist from his native South Carolina. It’s a campaign he’s making in public and in private, helping elevate Childs to an emerging short list of Black women who could soon make history.”

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS — Biden won’t need any GOP votes to confirm his Supreme Court selection, but Marianne LeVine reports that it isn’t out of the question that the vote could garner some Republican support. “The three GOP senators who most frequently backed Biden’s picks for the federal bench over the past year did so at a rate similar to the three Democrats who most often crossed the aisle to support Donald Trump’s judicial nominees during his first year in office, according to a POLITICO analysis.” Who are they? SUSAN COLLINS of Maine, LISA MURKOWSKI of Alaska and LINDSEY GRAHAM of South Carolina have all voted to confirm at least 60 percent of Biden’s judges since his term began.

ALL POLITICS

CHARLIE COOK: “My friends who are Democrats, particularly those of the more progressive variety, don’t seem to understand how deep they are in the political hole this year — and just how hard it might be to get out of it in 2024, particularly in the Senate.”

THREE’S A TREND — After a pair of pieces in WaPo and AP over the weekend that entertained the question of whether Trump’s hold over the GOP is waning, NYT’s Shane Goldmacher adds to the conversation this morning: “[A] fresh round of skirmishes over his endorsements, fissures with the Republican base over vaccines — a word Mr. Trump conspicuously left unsaid at Saturday’s rally — and new polling all show how his longstanding vise grip on the Republican Party is facing growing strains.”

A GERRYMANDER WORTHY OF N.Y.’S NICKNAME — New York legislators have brought forward a “redistricting plan that could allow the size of the state’s Democratic delegation in Congress to grow from 19 to as many as 22 members,” Bill Mahoney reports. “The maps are expected to be approved in the coming week. Democrats, who have supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature, are poised to control the outcome of the mapmaking process in New York for the first time in generations.”

AN UPHILL BATTLE IN OHIO — WaPo’s Michael Scherer hits the road to profile Rep. TIM RYAN (D-Ohio), whose direct appeal to blue-collar voters in the Ohio Senate race has made “him one of the most consequential Democratic candidates of the 2022 cycle, a test case on whether his party has any hope of reclaiming its erstwhile White working-class voting base.”

GOVS DISH TO ZACH — The nation’s governors descended on Washington’s Marriott Marquis over the weekend for the National Governors Association’s winter meeting, the organization’s first in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic. Zach Montellaro interviewed Republican Governors Association Chair DOUG DUCEY and Democratic Governors Association Chair ROY COOPER. (The Ducey interview … The Cooper interview)

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

HOT ON THE RIGHT — Seattle Times’ Daniel Beekman and Lewis Kamb report that Seattle’s mayor considered handing over a police building to protesters:

“At the height of Seattle’s racial justice protests in 2020, then-Mayor Jenny Durkan’s administration drafted legislation to transfer the Police Department’s East Precinct building to a Black Lives Matter activist organization and researched relocating the station’s operations, newly released documents show.

“That June, as cops lobbed tear gas from behind barricades, and protesters on the streets surrounding the precinct called for the Police Department to be defunded, Durkan’s office behind the scenes briefly contemplated handing over the multimillion dollar property that had become the focus of the demonstrations.”

HOT ON THE LEFT — Across the country, states are seeing attempts to ban certain books at a pace that hasn’t ever been experienced before. “Such challenges have long been a staple of school board meetings, but it isn’t just their frequency that has changed, according to educators, librarians and free-speech advocates,” NYT’s Elizabeth Harris and Alexandra Alter write, “it is also the tactics behind them and the venues where they play out. Conservative groups in particular, fueled by social media, are now pushing the challenges into statehouses, law enforcement and political races.”

PLAYBOOKERS

Tweet of the day — Seung Min Kim“Peak Bloomberg story: The ‘Jeopardy’ winner could owe an eye-popping $630,000 in taxes

Colin Allred has Covid.

Themis Klarides, a Connecticut Republican, is running for Senate instead of for governor.

Ira Glasser, the former longtime head of the ACLU, criticized the organization’s recently updated guidelines on what free speech cases to take.

Marc Elias, the prominent Dem election lawyer, was savaged on Twitter after writing, “it probably is time for the courts to revisit New York Times v Sullivan,” the landmark free speech case.

Nick Confessore responded: “In a story as old as America, a powerful man doesn’t get the press coverage he wants, and then wonders whether the press has too much freedom.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Tyler Q. Houlton is joining Convergence as VP of public affairs. He most recently was at Wolf Global Advisors, and is a Trump DHS and State Department alum. Convergence is also adding Will Flores as a client strategy director, Austin Fiala as a client strategy manager, Matt Heitmann as a junior graphic designer and Wesley Meadowcroft as a client strategy analyst.

 Dentons Global Advisors-ASG is adding Xiaoqing Boynton as SVP for China, Paul Triolo as SVP for China and technology policy lead, and Kevin Allison as VP for Europe and Eurasia and technology policy. Boynton most recently was at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, and Triolo and Allison were at the Eurasia Group.

NEW — The Hudson Institute today is launching a Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, led by senior fellow Mike Doran. The policy initiative will focus on promoting American interests in the region, particularly in the context of great power competition with Russia and China; bolstering Israel and other allies; and countering Iran and its proxies. It will also include Jonathan Schachter, Ezra Cohen, Mohammed Khalid Alyahya, Robert Greenway, Ahmad Hashemi, Rania Kisar and William Lombardo.

TRANSITIONS — Sierra Kelley-Chung will be a senior policy adviser to Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.). She most recently was senior adviser to Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.), and is a DCCC alum. … Daniel Harder is now director for government affairs and public policy at Biogen. He most recently was director for U.S. government and public affairs at EMD Serono, and is a Mike Bishop and House Ways and Means alum. … Mike Danylak is now an SVP at the CGCN Group. He previously was comms director for Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). …

… Aaron Zelinger is now chief of staff and public policy lead at Arena-AI. He most recently co-led government deployments at Palantir Technologies and was a visiting research associate with the office of Condoleezza Rice. … Hallie Pence is now senior policy adviser for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. She most recently was senior adviser for Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.). … Michael Tadeo is now director of corporate development at McGuire Research Services. He previously was a senior adviser for Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio).

ENGAGED — Allie Kopel, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), and Will Baskin-Gerwitz, comms director for Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), got engaged last week. They met in 2019 in New York while working for Mayor Bill de Blasio. Pic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Garret Graves (R-La.) (5-0), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) … David Plotz … Dylan Byers … former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt … Nic Pottebaum … BuzzFeed’s Katherine Miller … former Interior Secretary James Watt … Heather Riley … Chris Marklund … Barbara Slavin of the Atlantic Council … Ali Zaidi … Nathan Lewin … former Reps. Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) and Gwen Graham (D-Fla.) … David Thomas … CNN’s Christine Romans and Clarissa Ward … Fox News’ Martha MacCallum … NBC’s Sarah Blackwill … E&E News’ Michael Doyle … Sam Dorn … Ray Kerins … NPR’s Peter Sagal … Tim Naftali … Karen Petel … USTR’s Conor Harrington … Christopher Alan Chambers … Bobbie Brinegar … Rahul Prabhakar … Michael Kempner of MWW … Fred Karger … Christopher Semenas … Matthew Gottlieb … Amos Friedland … Tom O’Donnell … Tricia McLaughlin

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

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26.) AMERICAN MINUTE

“‘Wall of Separation,’ a phrase nowhere to be found in the Constitution”-Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart – American Minute with Bill Federer

  “‘Wall of separation  ‘ a phrase nowhere to be found in the Constitution”-Justice Potter Stewart – American Minute with Bill Federer

Italian socialist Antonio Gramsci wrote:
“Socialism is precisely the religion that must overwhelm Christianity.
Socialism will triumph by first capturing the culture via infiltration of schools, universities, churches and the media by transforming the consciousness of society.”

Gary North explained (Remnant Review, March 14, 2013):
“Gramsci in the 1930s acknowledged that Western society was deeply religious, and that the only way to achieve a proletarian revolution would be to break the faith of the masses of Western voters in Christianity and the moral system derived from Christianity. He placed religion and culture at the base of the pyramid.”

On January 10, 1963, Democrat Congressman Albert Sydney Herlong, Jr. (FL-4th) read into the Congressional Record 45 Communist goals to capture America. These included:
“24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them ‘censorship’ and a violation of free speech and free press …
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights …
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of ‘separation of church and state.'”

The Communist goals also included:
“17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under communist attack …
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as ‘normal, natural, healthy.’
27. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a ‘religious crutch.'”

With the stated goal of socialists to use the phrase “wall of separation between church and state,” it is helpful to review opinions regarding it by past Supreme Court Justices.
Justice William Orville Douglas served the longest term on the bench in the Supreme Court’s history — 36 years, until his death January 19, 1980.
He was one of the eight Supreme Court Justices nominated by Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
He previously taught law at Columbia Law School and Yale Law School, and served on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Justice William O. Douglas wrote the majority decision in the 1952 case of Zorach v. Clauson:
“The First Amendment, however, does not say that in every and all respects there shall be a separation of church and state …
Otherwise the state and religion would be aliens to each other — hostile, suspicious, and even unfriendly …
  • Municipalities would not be permitted to render police or fire protection to religious groups.
  • Policemen who helped parishioners into their places of worship would violate the Constitution.
  • Prayers in our legislative halls;
  • the appeals to the Almighty in the messages of the Chief Executive;
  • the proclamations making Thanksgiving Day a holiday;
  • ‘So Help Me God’ in our courtroom oaths …

  • these and all other references to the Almighty that run through our laws, our public rituals, our ceremonies would be flouting the First Amendment.
… A fastidious atheist or agnostic could even object to the supplication with which the Court opens each session: ‘God save the United States and this Honorable Court …'”

Justice Douglas continued:
“We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being … When the state encourages religious instruction … it follows the best of our traditions.
For it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs.
To hold that it may not would be to find in the Constitution a requirement that the government show a callous indifference to religious groups. That would be preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe …”

Douglas concluded:
“We find no constitutional requirement which makes it necessary for government to be hostile to religion and to throw its weight against efforts to widen the effective scope of religious influence …
We cannot read into the Bill of Rights such a philosophy of hostility to religion.”

Chief Justice Warren E. Burger cited Justice Douglas’ Zorach v. Clauson opinion in the 1984 decision of Lynch v Donnelly:
“The concept of a ‘wall’ of separation between church and state is a … figure of speech … but the metaphor itself is not a wholly accurate description of the practical aspects of the relationship that in fact exists between church and state.
The Constitution does not require complete separation of church and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any.
Anything less would require the ‘callous indifference’ (Zorach v. Clauson), that was never intended by the Establishment Clause …
Indeed, we have observed, such hostility would bring us into ‘war with our national tradition as embodied in the First Amendment’s guaranty of the free exercise of religion. (McCollum) …”

Justice Stanley Reed wrote in his dissent of McCullum v Board of Education, 1948:
“Rule of law should not be drawn from a figure of speech.”

Justice Potter Stewart wrote in his dissent of Engle v Vitale, 1962:
“The Court … is not aided … by the … invocation of metaphors like the ‘wall of separation,’ a phrase nowhere to be found in the Constitution.”

Justice William Rehnquist wrote in his dissent of Wallace v Jaffree, 1984:
“The ‘wall of separation between church and State’ is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.
It is impossible to build sound constitutional doctrine upon a mistaken understanding of Constitutional history …
The establishment clause had been expressly freighted with Jefferson’s misleading metaphor for nearly forty years …
There is simply no historical foundation for the proposition that the framers intended to build a wall of separation …
The recent court decisions are in no way based on either the language or intent of the framers … But the greatest injury of the ‘wall’ notion is its mischievous diversion of judges from the actual intentions of the drafters of the Bill of Rights.”

Judge Richard Suhrheinrich wrote in ACLU v Mercer County, 2006:
“The ACLU makes repeated reference to ‘the separation of church and state.’ This extra-constitutional construct has grown tiresome.
The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state. Our nation’s history is replete with governmental acknowledgment and in some cases, accommodation of religion.”

In Committee for Public Education & Religious Liberty v. Nyquist, 413 U.S. 756, 760 (1973), the Court stated:
“This Nation’s history has not been one of entirely sanitized separation between church and state. It has never been thought either possible or desirable to enforce a regime of total separation.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court stated in Carden v. Bland, March 9, 1956:
“Great stress is laid upon the need of maintaining the doctrine of ‘separation of church and state’ … but it should not be tortured into a meaning that was never intended by the Founders of this Republic, with the result that the public school system of the several states is to be made a godless institution.”

The U.S. Supreme Court stated in Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971):
“Our prior holdings do not call for total separation between church and state; total separation is not possible in an absolute sense.”

Chief Justice Warren E. Burger continued in Lynch v Donnelly, 1984:
“That neither the draftsmen of the Constitution, who were Members of the First Congress, nor the First Congress itself, saw any establishment problem in employing Chaplains to offer daily prayers in the Congress is a striking example of the accommodation of religious beliefs intended by the Framers …
Our history is pervaded by official acknowledgment of the role of religion in American life, and equally pervasive is evidence of accommodation of all faiths and all forms of religious expression and hostility toward none …

… It would be ironic if the inclusion of the creche in the display, as part of a celebration of an event acknowledged in the Western World for 20 centuries, and in this country by the people, the Executive Branch, Congress, and the courts for 2 centuries, would so ‘taint’ the exhibition as to render it violative of the Establishment Clause …
To forbid the use of this one passive symbol while hymns and carols are sung and played in public places including schools, and while Congress and state legislatures open public sessions with prayers, would be an overreaction contrary to this Nation’s history and this Court’s holdings …”

Burger continued in Lynch v Donnelly:
“A significant example of the contemporaneous understanding of that Clause is found in the events of the first week of the First Session of the First Congress in 1789.
In the very week that Congress approved the Establishment Clause as part of the Bill of Rights for submission to the states, it enacted legislation providing for paid Chaplains for the House and Senate …

… It is clear that neither the 17 draftsmen of the Constitution who were Members of the First Congress, nor the Congress of 1789, saw any establishment problem in the employment of congressional Chaplains to offer daily prayers in the Congress, a practice that has continued for nearly two centuries.
It would be difficult to identify a more striking example of the accommodation of religious belief intended by the Framers …”

Chief Justice Burger continued:
“Our history is replete with official references to the value and invocation of Divine guidance in deliberations and pronouncements of the Founding Fathers and contemporary leaders.
Beginning in the early colonial period long before Independence, a day of Thanksgiving was celebrated as a religious holiday to give thanks for the bounties of Nature as gifts from God.
President Washington and his successors proclaimed Thanksgiving, with all its religious overtones, a day of national celebration and Congress made it a National Holiday more than a century ago …
That holiday has not lost its theme of expressing thanks for Divine aid any more than has Christmas lost its religious significance …

… Executive Orders and other official announcements of Presidents and of the Congress have proclaimed both Christmas and Thanksgiving National Holidays in religious terms.
And, by Acts of Congress, it has long been the practice that federal employees are released from duties on these National Holidays, while being paid from the same public revenues that provide the compensation of the Chaplains of the Senate and the House and the military services …
Thus, it is clear that Government has long recognized — indeed it has subsidized — holidays with religious significance.”

Burger added:
“Other examples of reference to our religious heritage are found in the statutorily prescribed national motto ‘In God We Trust,’ which Congress and the President mandated for our currency, and in the language ‘One nation under God,’ as part of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. That pledge is recited by many thousands of public school children — and adults — every year.

… Art galleries supported by public revenues display religious paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries, predominantly inspired by one religious faith.
The National Gallery in Washington, maintained with Government support, for example, has long exhibited masterpieces with religious messages, notably the Last Supper, and paintings depicting the Birth of Christ, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, among many others with explicit Christian themes and messages.
The very chamber in which oral arguments on this case were heard is decorated with a notable and permanent — not seasonal — symbol of religion: Moses with the Ten Commandments. Congress has long provided chapels in the Capitol for religious worship and meditation.
There are countless other illustrations of the Government’s acknowledgment of our religious heritage and governmental sponsorship of graphic manifestations of that heritage …”

Burger continued:
“Congress has directed the President to proclaim a National Day of Prayer each year ‘on which (day) the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.’
Our Presidents have repeatedly issued such Proclamations. Presidential Proclamations and messages have also issued to commemorate Jewish Heritage Week, Presidential Proclamation No. 4844, 3 CFR 30 (1982), and the Jewish High Holy Days, 17 Weekly Comp. of Pres. Doc. 1058 (1981) …”

Chief Justice Warren E. Burger concluded the Lynch v. Donnelly decision:
“One cannot look at even this brief resume without finding that our history is pervaded by expressions of religious beliefs such as are found in Zorach.
Equally pervasive is the evidence of accommodation of all faiths and all forms of religious expression, and hostility toward none.
Through this accommodation, as Justice Douglas observed, governmental action has ‘follow[ed] the best of our traditions’ and ‘respect[ed] the religious nature of our people.'”

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in Town of Greece v. Galloway, May 5, 2014:
“In Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U. S. 783, the Court found no First Amendment violation in the Nebraska Legislature’s practice of opening its sessions with a prayer delivered by a chaplain paid from state funds.
The decision concluded that legislative prayer, while religious in nature, has long been understood as compatible with the Establishment Clause.
As practiced by Congress since the framing of the Constitution, legislative prayer lends gravity to public business, reminds lawmakers to transcend petty differences in pursuit of a higher purpose, and expresses a common aspiration to a just and peaceful society …
Legislative invocations are compatible with the Establishment Clause.

… The First Congress made it an early item of business to appoint and pay official chaplains, and both the House and Senate have maintained the office virtually uninterrupted since that time …
That the First Congress provided for the appointment of chaplains only days after approving language for the First Amendment demonstrates that the Framers considered legislative prayer a benign acknowledgment of religion’s role in society …

… In the 1850’s, the judiciary committees in both the House and Senate reevaluated the practice of official chaplaincies after receiving petitions to abolish the office. The committees concluded that the office posed no threat of an establishment.”

Justice Kennedy was referring to the House Judiciary Committee Report of Congressman James Meacham of Vermont, March 27, 1854:
“At the adoption of the Constitution, we believe every State — certainly ten of the thirteen — provided as regularly for the support of the Church as for the support of the Government.”

Justice Kennedy continued in Greece v. Galloway:
“Any test the Court adopts must acknowledge a practice that was accepted by the Framers and has withstood the critical scrutiny of time and political change …
An insistence on nonsectarian or ecumenical prayer as a single, fixed standard is not consistent with the tradition of legislative prayer outlined in the Court’s cases …
The Congress that drafted the First Amendment would have been accustomed to invocations containing explicitly religious themes of the sort respondents find objectionable …”

Kennedy continued:
“One of the Senate’s first chaplains, the Rev. William White, gave prayers in a series that included the Lord’s Prayer, the Collect for Ash Wednesday, prayers for peace and grace, a general thanksgiving, St. Chrysostom’s Prayer, and a prayer seeking ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c’ …
The decidedly Christian nature of these prayers must not be dismissed as the relic of a time when our Nation was less pluralistic than it is today …”

Kennedy added:
“The Court instructed that the ‘content of the prayer is not of concern to judges’ …
To hold that invocations must be nonsectarian would force the legislatures that sponsor prayers and the courts that are asked to decide these cases to act as supervisors and censors of religious speech,
a rule that would involve government in religious matters to a far greater degree than is the case under the town’s current practice of neither editing or approving prayers in advance nor criticizing their content after the fact …
It would be but a few steps removed from that prohibition for legislatures to require chaplains to redact the religious content from their message in order to make it acceptable for the public sphere.

… Government may not mandate a civic religion that stifles any but the most generic reference to the sacred any more than it may prescribe a religious orthodoxy …
See Lee v. Weisman, 505 U.S. 577, 590 (1992) (‘The suggestion that government may establish an official or civic religion as a means of avoiding the establishment of a religion with more specific creeds strikes us as a contradiction that cannot be accepted’);
Schempp, 374 U. S., at 306 (Goldberg, J., concurring) (arguing that ‘untutored devotion to the concept of neutrality’ must not lead to ‘a brooding and pervasive devotion to the secular’) …”

Justice Kennedy added:
“The First Amendment is not a majority rule, and government may not seek to define permissible categories of religious speech …
While these prayers vary in their degree of religiosity, they often seek peace for the Nation, wisdom for its lawmakers, and justice for its people, values that count as universal and that are embodied not only in religious traditions, but in our founding documents and laws.

… The first prayer delivered to the Continental Congress by the Rev. Jacob Duché on Sept. 7, 1774, provides an example:
‘Be Thou present O God of Wisdom and direct the counsel of this Honorable Assembly; enable them to settle all things on the best and surest foundations; that the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that Order, Harmony, and Peace be effectually restored, and the Truth and Justice, Religion and Piety, prevail and flourish among the people.
Preserve the health of their bodies, and the vigor of their minds, shower down on them, and the millions they here represent, such temporal Blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting Glory in the world to come.
All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Saviour, Amen’. W. Federer, America’s God and Country 137 (2000) …”

Justice Anthony Kennedy concluded the Town of Greece v. Galloway decision, May 5, 2014:
“As a practice that has long endured, legislative prayer has become part of our heritage and tradition, part of our expressive idiom, similar to the Pledge of Allegiance, inaugural prayer, or the recitation of ‘God save the United States and this honorable Court’ at the opening of this Court’s sessions …
It is presumed that the reasonable observer is acquainted with this tradition … Their purpose is largely to accommodate the spiritual needs of lawmakers and connect them to a tradition dating to the time of the Framers …
Ceremonial prayer is but a recognition that, since this Nation was founded and until the present day, many Americans deem that their own existence must be understood by precepts far beyond the authority of government to alter or define
and that willing participation in civic affairs can be consistent with a brief acknowledgment of their belief in a higher power, always with due respect for those who adhere to other beliefs.”
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27.) CAFFEINATED THOUGHTS

 


28.) CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS

 


29.) PJ MEDIA

The Morning Briefing: Reminder—Some Teachers Are Truly Horrible People

(Lake Fong/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Top O’ the Briefing

Happy Monday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Go with your gut if you ever get the feeling that your neighbors are doing weird things with canned green beans.

Before we get to today’s main topic can we discuss the 800 lb gorilla in the Joe Rogan/Neil Young/Spotify room? Neil Young’s singing voice sounds like one of Dr. Mengele’s heirs is performing experiments on a ferret that hasn’t been given anesthesia.

Hey hey, my my, nobody wants to hear a ferret cry.

One of the most persistent leftist narrative myths is that of the saintly teacher. We have been repeatedly assured by the Democrats and their flying monkeys in the mainstream media that all educators in America have halos we can’t see and deserve to be paid kajillions of dollars more per year. Now, I do know a lot of great teachers but I’ve happened upon some who were absolute garbage too.

Maybe teaching is like every other profession: there’s plenty of both good and bad to go around.

Today, we focus on some of the bad.

Like, terrorist bad, to begin with.

Robert has the story:

Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, a schoolteacher from Overbook, Kan., has been accused of organizing and leading an all-female battalion of jihadis for the Islamic State (ISIS). The Department of Justice announced Friday that Fluke-Ekren has been charged with “providing and conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.” She was caught in Syria and was scheduled to appear Monday at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va.

It’s not your average career trajectory for a Kansas schoolteacher, but Fluke-Ekren, who also went by “Allison Elizabeth Brooks,” “Allison Ekren,” “Umm Mohammed al-Amriki” (that is, the mother of Muhammad the American), “Umm Mohammed,” and “Umm Jabril,” seems to have been a true believer. She “traveled to Syria several years ago for the purpose of committing or supporting terrorism.” While she was in Syria, Fluke-Ekren kept herself busy by putting together a battalion of female ISIS jihadis, known as the Khatiba Nusaybah. This wasn’t exactly a knitting circle: the women trained to fire AK-47s as well as use hand grenades and even suicide belts. In her spare time, Fluke-Ekren trained children in all this as well.

Imagine the field trips she would have preferred to take her students on.

Robert points out that there isn’t a clear explanation as to how Fluke-Ekren made the transition to “The Terrorist Next Door.” We can be sure, however, that if she’d been outed as a Republican the FBI would be doing a deep dive into the roots of her radicalization.

Over at HotAir, my colleague Jazz Shaw has a post about one New York teacher’s horrendous response to the funeral procession for slain detective Jason Rivera:

Unfortunately, not everyone was feeling the spirit of paying tribute to the life of the officer who was murdered during a cowardly ambush. One New York City public school teacher took to Instagram and posted a suggestion that someone might want to take a vehicle and plow into the sea of police officers. Christopher Flanigan, a math teacher in Brooklyn, received an immediate response and is probably wishing he’d kept his opinions to himself about now.

Anybody who thinks that whack-job leftists teachers like this refrain from letting their personal opinions get passed along to their students is delusional. This lunatic has no doubt let his biases bleed all over the curriculum.

Last night, The New York Post reported that Flanigan was fired for his insane oversharing. He probably won’t be unemployed for long though. That kind of thinking really isn’t outside of the mainstream for modern educators.

Finally, our sister site Twitchy had a story about American Federation of Teachers head commie Randi Weingarten trying to cover up the fact that she called parents who disagree with her “racists.” Comrade Randi was irked that the parents had the audacity to want to recall elected officials.

While not all teachers are awful people, the same can’t be said for the union higher-ups. They’re evil. As I wrote a full year ago, COVID has exposed them for the garbage human beings that they are, especially Weingarten.

Something else I’ve written about a lot is the need for the Republican party to prioritize school choice as an issue.

Now more than ever.

Everything Isn’t Awful

 

PJ Media

VodkaPundit. CNN Tries to Memory-Hole Ukraine President Telling Biden to ‘Calm Down’

Kansas Schoolteacher Joins ISIS, Plots Jihad Massacres in U.S., Leads All-Female Terrorist Battalion

Let the Genocide Games Begin!

Whistleblower at T-Mobile Releases Internal Emails: Get Jabbed or Get Lost!

Thousands of Truckers and Ordinary Canadians Gather on Parliament Hill to Protest Mandates

Ugh, this year already. Howard Hesseman, Who Played Dr. Johnny Fever on ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ Dies at 81

[WATCH] Russell Brand Calls Out Fake News Media for Convoy Protest Blackout, Goes Viral

Barry Manilow Denies Joining Neil Young in Laughable Spotify Battle Over Joe Rogan Podcast

DC Comics’ Bisexual Climate Change-Fighting Superman Is Kryptonite to Sales

Biased CNN Reporter Uses the Word ‘Lie’ 19 Times in Propaganda Piece About 2020 Election

Border Patrol Agents in ‘Heated’ Exchange With Leadership While Mayorkas Watches

Police Officers Attacked in Five States in the Last Week: What Gives?

National Governors Association Chair Asa Hutchison Thinks GOP Should Move On From Trump

Elon Musk Responds to Conservative Commentator’s Suggestion That He Should Start His Own Media Platforms or University

Big Justin Is Watching You, Truckers

Substack Has the Right Anti-Censorship Philosophy, But Do They Have the Right Technology?

Key Pennsylvania Democrats Decline the Honor of Appearing With Biden During His Visit

West Coast, Messed Coast™ – Where Do We Get Our Reputation Back? – Edition

Townhall Mothership

Schlichter. Keep on Truckin’, Working Class Rebels

Democrats Decline to Offer Endorsement for Key Open Senate Seat

Justin Trudeau Has Fled Due to ‘Security Concerns’ Arising Out of Peaceful Protests

Cotton Says GOP Will Refrain from Launching ‘Grotesque Smear Campaigns’ Against SCOTUS Nominee

Oh. Meghan and Harry Insert Themselves Into the Spotify-Rogan Controversy

The Hypocrisy of the Left Knows No Bounds, as School Reveals New ‘Banned Words’ List

WATCH: California Shop Owner Defends Property During ‘Smash and Grab’ Attempt

Tacoma business leaders demand city address crime

2A groups’ assault on California’s non-privacy law

Constitutional Carry bill faces first test in Alabama

Is the DNC Chairman looking for an exit door as the midterm elections approach?

Has the UFO community become a political movement? Some advice from a veteran political operative

Fake vax card scam on Long Island really racked up the big bucks

NY Times reporter says media should spend time ‘thinking about why so many people trust Joe Rogan instead of us’   

‘Shut the f**k up and admit you were WRONG’: Adam Carolla has BRUTAL words for Bill Maher’s audience NOW clapping for ‘normalcy’

New York Post: Black Lives Matter transferred millions to a Canadian charity run by the wife of its co-founder

VIP

‘Unwoke’ With Kevin and Kruiser #28: SCOTUS Speculation While Enjoying Stiff Manhattans

VodakPundit, Part Deux. Ranking the Bond Movies: Part 005 (Shaken and Stirring)

The Fringe with Megan Fox, Episode 83: A Spicy Scolding to Save America

60 Years of Bond Theme Songs, Part 005 of 007

Not Content with Destroying U.S. Economy, Biden Now Destroying Ukrainian Economy

You’re Not Going to Believe How Much Money George Soros Is Pouring Into the Midterms

Congress Nears Deal on ‘Heavy’ Russia Sanctions

Why Bill Maher’s Rants Against the Left Are Important

Around the Interwebz

Cheslie Kryst Dies: Miss USA 2019 And ‘Extra’ Correspondent Was 30

Have Babe Ruth Teach Your Kids How to Pitch 

Roland Emmerich Confronted David Benioff About the Ending of Game of Thrones

Bee Me

 

The Kruiser Kabana

Kabana Gallery

 

Kabana Comedy

#RIP Howard Hesseman. What a show this was. It doesn’t get talked about enough as one of the great sitcoms of all time.


30.) WHITE HOUSE DOSSIER

 


31.) THE DISPATCH

The Morning Dispatch: The Spotify-Rogan Snit

Plus: The awkward dance Olympic corporate sponsors are doing ahead of the controversial Games in Beijing.

Happy Monday! The Morning Dispatch is hiring! If you are detail-oriented, love the news, have some journalism experience, and want to work with Declan to put TMD together every day, check out our Deputy Editor job listing here—and email declan@thedispatch.com with any questions.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

  • President Biden told reporters on Friday he will be moving some—but “not too many”—U.S. troops to Eastern Europe and NATO countries “in the near term” to counter potential Russian aggression. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also told reporters on Friday Russia has amassed enough troops to have the “capability” to seize Ukrainian cities, if President Vladimir Putin decides to go that route. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, sought to downplay the threat of an imminent invasion, saying Friday Ukrainians “don’t need this panic.”
  • The Wall Street Journal reported Friday the Biden administration is “finalizing” an economic sanctions package that would hit major Russian banks, prohibit the trade of Russian sovereign debt, and apply semiconductor export controls if Putin goes through with an invasion of Ukraine. Sanctions on Russia’s oil and natural gas exports—and disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT payment system—are reportedly “off the table” for now, but could be reconsidered at a later date.
  • North Korea conducted its seventh missile test of the month on Sunday, launching an intermediate-range, “Hwasong-12” ballistic missile into the sea for the first time since 2017. A senior White House official told reporters the administration plans to respond to the escalation in the coming days.
  • CNN reported Friday the Biden administration had informed Congress it will withhold $130 million in military aid from Egypt due to the African country’s refusal to address the State Department’s human-rights concerns. The State Department has not yet confirmed the news.
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that total compensation costs for employers increased 4 percent in 2021, as last year’s tight labor market drove workers’ wages and benefits up at the fastest annual pace since at least 2001.
  • The January 6 Select Committee announced Friday it had issued subpoenas to 14 people who claimed to be “alternate electors” for former President Donald Trump and submitted “bogus” slates of Electoral College votes in the wake of the 2020 election.
  • A Pennsylvania state court ruled 3-2 on Friday that the state’s election law—which allowed no-excuse absentee voting and passed on a bipartisan basis in 2019—was unconstitutional. The ruling has been appealed to Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court.
  • pre-print, non-peer reviewed study out of South Africa found that the COVID-19 beta variant virus was able to accumulate more than 20 additional mutations while incubating within a 22-year-old, HIV-positive woman for nine months. The authors said there is “no evidence” this specific variant spread into the general population, but warned additional variants could emerge in a similar fashion without widespread antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive people.
  • Super Bowl LVI is set: The Los Angeles Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Los Angeles on February 13 after the two teams defeated the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, respectively.

Spotify and Joe Rogan Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World

(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.)

Last Tuesday, Neil Young—the 76-year-old singer-songwriter—briefly posted on his website a letter to his manager demanding Spotify remove all his songs from its popular music-streaming service. Why? “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines—potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” he wrote, noting that Spotify accounts for 60 percent of his global streaming. “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”

“Rogan,” in this instance, refers to 54-year-old comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan, who signed a deal with Spotify worth more $100 million in May 2020. His “Joe Rogan Experience” show—which features hours-long conversations with guests ranging from family-friendly comedian Jim Gaffigan and CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta to conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones and Alex Berenson—reportedly averages 11 million listens per episode, and became exclusive to Spotify last year.

The show exhibits an anti-establishment bent—Rogan endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president in 2020—and has picked up a cult-like following since it launched in 2009. The host has earned the trust of his fans, mostly younger men, by being both genuine and willing to have taboo conversations with figures shunned by the mainstream. Two such conversations—with prominent anti-vaccine advocates Dr. Peter McCullough and Dr. Robert Malone—have put the podcaster at the center of an international firestorm. After the Malone episode aired on December 31—featuring a host of misleading COVID-19 vaccine statements and Nazi Germany comparisons—a group of more than 250 scientists and healthcare professionals published an open letter calling on Spotify to implement a more stringent misinformation policy.

On Sunday—after Young’s music was taken down and the singer’s cause was joined by singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren, and podcaster Brené Brown—Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek published a blog post addressing the controversy, without calling out Rogan by name. “Personally, there are plenty of individuals and views on Spotify that I disagree with strongly,” he wrote. “It is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.”

Neither of the two Rogan episodes in question will be removed. But going forward, any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19 will include a content advisory that directs listeners to Spotify’s COVID-19 hub. And to increase transparency, the company also released its longstanding platform rules publicly for the first time: Content that dismisses COVID-19 as a hoax, encourages the consumption of bleach, suggests vaccines are “designed to cause death,” or tells listeners to purposely get infected with COVID-19 is in violation.

Rogan, in a video message released last night, sounded receptive to the changes, saying that he agrees with disclaimers making clear some of his more controversial guests are in the distinct minority of medical experts. Noting that he’s had more mainstream public health officials like Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Dr. Michael Osterholm, and Dr. Peter Hotez on the show, Rogan also admitted he could be better about scheduling those episodes to air right after the ones featuring anti-vaccine advocates. (Osterholm and Hotez joined Rogan in March and April 2020, while the Gupta episode aired in October 2021. Hotez has petitioned Rogan to have him back on the show to talk about vaccine hesitancy, to no avail.)

“I do not know if [McCullough and Malone] are right,” Rogan said yesterday. “I’m not a doctor, I’m not a scientist. I’m just a person who sits down and talks with people and has conversations with them. Do I get things wrong? Absolutely, I get things wrong. But I try to correct them.” Rogan—who has said the COVID-19 vaccines are “safe” and that vulnerable people should take them—similarly backtracked last April after he came under fire for suggesting young, healthy people should not: “I’m not a doctor, I’m a f—ing moron. … I’m not a respected source of information.”

The saga opened yet another chapter in our ever-present free speech v. misinformation debate. Thousands of social media users claim to have ended their Spotify subscriptions over the flap—Spotify competitors Apple Music, Amazon Music, and SiriusXM have playfully egged them on—and it’s thrust the Swedish music streamer into content moderation discussions typically reserved for social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, who have struggled mightily to implement fair and transparent content moderation policies. (A key difference, it should be noted, is that Spotify doesn’t just host Rogan’s content—it actively pays tens of millions of dollars to be the exclusive distributor and promoter of it.)

But Young—who has threatened to pull his music from Spotify in the past over its streaming sound quality—is adamant he’s not trying to censor anybody. “I support free speech,” he wrote on Friday. “Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information.” If more musicians—already frustrated with Spotify’s business model—join Young’s campaign, it could change the streamer’s calculus.

But Spotify has thus far stood by Rogan—who maintained yesterday he’s a “huge Neil Young fan” and not mad at the musician—for obvious reasons: The company made an enormous investment in him two years ago as it was expanding into the podcast space, and Rogan’s popularity has certainly contributed to Spotify reportedly surpassing Apple last year as the largest podcast distributor in the U.S.

And if Spotify does abandon ship? As The Verge noted last fall, Rogan’s exclusivity deal is likely limiting his reach. Were he unshackled, Rogan would just take his millions of fans—and millions of dollars—and set up his show somewhere else, where listeners probably wouldn’t be directed to a COVID-19 hub or hear vaccine content advisories at all.

The Coca-Cola Ad You’ve Never Seen

The Winter Olympics begin in four days, but we wouldn’t blame you for not knowing that. Typically, the Games bring with them a cacophony of PR campaigns and marketing blitzes aimed at boosting viewership; an effort on the part of sponsors to make good on their sizable investments.

But those sponsors have been remarkably quiet this year—and it’s not too difficult to understand why. In a piece for the site, Andrew looks at the corporate complications that arise when the International Olympics Committee refuses to move the Games from a country actively perpetrating a genocide.

Coca-Cola, one of those Olympic sponsors, is running advertisements ahead of the Games—but only in China.

Like many other Olympic sponsors pressing the brakes on their domestic advertising this year, Coca-Cola is keeping silent on its reasons for letting its nine-figure Olympic sponsorship deal go to waste in the English-speaking world. (The company did not respond to a request for comment for this piece, nor has it opened up on the subject to other outlets.)

Explicit or not, the strategy is hard to mistake: The Beijing Olympics are shaping up to be a public-relations disaster for companies trying to straddle both U.S. and Chinese markets. The human rights abuses the Chinese government is perpetrating toward the predominantly Muslim Uyghur people, which the U.S. last year termed a genocide and Human Rights Watch has labeled crimes against humanity, hang as a pall over the Games. The U.S. and several other Western countries have opted for a diplomatic boycott.

Ordinarily, the Olympics are as bankable a cash cow for brands as any other sporting event—more so, when you consider the event’s peerless visibility around the globe.

From Albania to Zimbabwe, the Games are synonymous with traits any brand would love to be associated with: youth, vigor, beauty, endurance, excellence. Thus the monster payouts to secure exclusive licensing rights.

“The Olympics is the best opportunity for them to connect on a world stage with a very large audience, especially for these multinational corporations,” Dr. James Blair, who teaches sports marketing at Eastern Kentucky University, told The Dispatch. “They’ve got these very large brands, and for them to be able to connect with and be associated with the Olympics, which is considered the most premium prestige sporting event in the world, also raises their profile and keeps other brands from attaining that image.”

But those exclusive contracts, it turns out, can be a double-edged sword. Any company without a preexisting Olympics relationship might look at the controversy surrounding the Beijing games and decide simply to save its advertising dollars for better days—the 2024 Paris Games aren’t far away! For the sponsors, though, even beyond the sunk cost of the exclusivity rights themselves, there’s no way simply to slink out of the spotlight. They can’t remove themselves from the political question, because either remaining a part of or ducking out of the Olympics would be to make a political statement.

The result? The awkward two-step we’re seeing now.

They’ve determined that the financially optimal play is to keep partnering with the Beijing Olympics, but to do so with as little of the miasma surrounding these particular Games as possible sticking to their clothes afterward. It may be the world’s first example of companies devising their marketing strategy around trying to ensure people think of them as little as possible.

Worth Your Time

  • Two New York City police officers, Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora, were shot and killed on January 21 while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Harlem. Rivera’s funeral was Friday, and you should take ten minutes to watch the eulogy his widow, Dominique Luzuriaga, delivered at St. Patrick’s Cathedral—and then read Maureen Dowd’s New York Times column on the tragedy. “​​We don’t hear much about good cops these days. Their stories get lost amid the scalding episodes with trigger-happy, racist and sadistic cops. The good ones get tarred with the same brush, even though the last person who wants to get in a squad car with a bad cop is a good cop,” she writes. “[Rivera, 22,] epitomized what we want in an officer—full of compassion and joy, with an infectious smile. His older brother, Jeffrey, remembered Tata, as his family called him, stripping down to his tighty-whities as a child to do Latin dances. Rivera was the mirror opposite of the brutal Derek Chauvin. As Jeffrey recalled, ‘My brother was afraid of heights, he was afraid of rats, he was afraid of dogs.’ But he ‘was not afraid to die to wear that uniform.’”
  • Sonny Bunch’s take on the Rogan/Young spat—getting at the tension between freedom of association and social cohesion—is worth reading. Neil Young is, of course, free to disassociate from anyone or anything he disagrees with, and Spotify, of course, is free to pick Rogan over Young if that’s what makes the most financial sense. “But I do worry about the continued fragmentation of society that attends the idea that everyone sharing a cultural space must align ideologically to coexist,” Bunch writes. “What concerns me most about all this is the siloing of society into warring tribes.”

Presented Without Comment

Twitter avatar for @thebennatanBen Natan @thebennatan

Right on time.

Image

Ben Natan @thebennatan

My dad is going to be furious. He’s a lifelong Spotify user that specifically loves Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. This is not a joke.

Also Presented Without Comment

Also Also Presented Without Comment

Toeing the Company Line

  • Steve took over hosting duties on Friday’s Dispatch Podcast, asking questions of Sarah, Gregg Nunziata, and John McCormack about Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement and the coming Supreme Court nomination process. Now that Breyer’s move is official, what’s happening behind the scenes at the White House and on the Senate Judiciary Committee?
  • In the latest Uphill (🔒), Haley dives into House Democrats’ COMPETES Act, legislation aimed at boosting the United States’ competitiveness vis-à-vis China. “Any final bill reconciled between the two chambers will look different than the House Democratic package,” she notes. “Some components were already defeated in the Senate, and others are controversial among Republicans and the business community.”
  • Jonah’s Friday G-File touches on the Joe Rogan/Neil Young brouhaha to make a larger point about nationalization. “Facebook itself, Twitter, and all other social media platforms are forces of nationalization,” he argues. “What the hell is all this ‘Meta’ and ‘augmented reality’ crap if not a rejection of the idea that physical space—literally where you live—is an inconvenient barrier to be overcome?”
  • In his Sunday French Press, David explores why many good Christians feel a sense of attachment to flawed—or even corrupt—leaders. “We often fail to distinguish between God’s love and mercy for us and God’s approval or favor or endorsement of the man or woman who built the institution or delivered the message,” he writes. “It’s very easy to attribute to man what comes from God—or to place loyalty to any particular man as a special instrument of God.”
  • In a piece published over the weekend, Catholic Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso and Southern Baptist Pastor Alan Cross take on “great replacement theory,” the idea—increasingly popular on the nationalist right—that welcoming immigrants is a nefarious plot to diminish white people’s political and cultural power. “While national immigration policy is complicated and our government has a job to do in both securing the border and enforcing the rule of law, we also must reject any kind of demonizing fear-based rhetoric concerning our immigrant neighbors,” they write.

Let Us Know

A chicken-or-egg question: Do you think anti-vaccine sentiment is as prevalent as it is because a handful of high-profile influencers have been spreading it for months, or have those handful of high-profile influencers spread anti-vaccine sentiment for months because there’s an existing market for it?

Put another way, would Spotify kicking Rogan off its streaming platform actually do anything to tamp down vaccine hesitancy?

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


32.) LEGAL INSURRECTION

University of Pennsylvania Event Uses MLK to Promote Abortion

Some Instructors at Boston University No Longer Grading Students on Writing

Colorado State University Sets Up Multiple Resources for Students ‘Affected’ by Free Speech

 

  • William Jacobson: I’M IN A HOLE, SHOULD I STOP DIGGING?” 
  • Mary Chastain: “The X-Files is on Hulu! I’m so excited. Since the pilot, my dad has called me Scully. It was my nickname in Junior high and high school. I won lookalike contests, too! I like looking like Gillian Anderson.”
  • Fuzzy Slippers: “James Carville is sounding the alarm for Democrats.  Ditch the radical fringe, or the Party’s over.  Carville, a Clintonista who undoubtedly knows where all the bodies are buried, knows full well that the Democrats can pull the plug on the woke crazy just as fast as they pulled the plug on the KKK, BLM, Occupy, the SDS, the Weather Underground, and a zillion other fringe commie organizations that outlived their usefulness.  The question that remains: Will they heed the warning before it’s too late?  My money’s on “Hell to the no.””
  • Leslie Eastman: “I have been following the Freedom Convoy’s progress since early last week. Perhaps the best analysis comes from Neil Oliver, a Scottish television presenter, author, and presenter of several documentary series on archaeology and history. After watching his video support of the Canadian truckers, I wanted to paint my face blue, don a kilt, yell “Freedom!”, load up my CRV, and head North.”
  • Vijeta Uniyal: “China’s population growth hits a new low as birth rates drop to the lowest level in over sixty years, official Chinese figures show. The birth rates across the country are in sharp decline despite stringent measures taken by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to boost the population growth.”
  • David Gerstman: “A little while ago, I read a quote from Dr. Scott Atlas’s interview with Tucker Carlson. Atlas said, “I was the only one who had scientific papers. Not one of the other medical people (e.g: Fauci, Birx, etc.) had scientific papers…they were sort of a group of people who knew how to navigate the POLITICS.”  Really nothing in Jane Coleman’s review of Atlas’s battle with the COVID bureaucrats surprised, except, perhaps, how incredibly petty they were. It’s a shame that our media was more interested in undermining President Trump than it was in containing COVID.”
Legal Insurrection Foundation is a Rhode Island tax-exempt corporation established exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to educate and inform the public on legal, historical, economic, academic, and cultural issues related to the Constitution, liberty, and world events.

For more information about the Foundation, CLICK HERE.

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33.) THE DAILY WIRE

 


34.) DESERET NEWS


35.) BRIGHT

Monday, January 31, 2022

We Got a Great Big Convoy
“Rockin’ through the night
Yeah, we got a great big convoy
Ain’t she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy
Ain’t nothin’ gonna get in our way
We gonna roll this truckin’ convoy
‘Cross the USA”

Well, across Canada and it was a beautiful sight. From the New York Post:

“The so-called “Freedom Convoy” started as a protest against a vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but grew into a mass demonstration against the Canadian government over other coronavirus regulations.Dozens of trucks were lined up in front of the Parliament buildings Saturday morning, blowing their horns while thousands of people gathered peacefully on snow-covered lawns. By the end of the day, about 2,700 trucks were expected, a federal government source told Reuters.”

Even PM Justin Trudeau, who ran off to a safe space in the U.S., once agreed that we should #ThankATrucker.

Author Walter Kirn summed up the weekend perfectly in several tweets:

“One reason truck drivers get my attention & have my respect when they decide to take a stand is that they live their days, their weeks, their years, their decades in hard-working, round-the-clock, honest & dignified obscurity If they choose to speak up, it means something.”

“The people & regions & vocations being harmed economically by the push for a new automated & centrally controlled way of doing things are also the ones being culturally demonized in advance of their inevitable surge of discontent. It has become impossible not to see this.”

The truckers and their supporters continued to make their voices and honks heard well into Sunday evening… in way below freezing temperatures.

More Weekend Reads
WATCH: Thousands Of Officers Fill NYC Streets To Honor Slain 22-Year-Old Cop Jason Rivera (The Federalist)

It’s Cuba Libre!, Mr. Biden. There’s a reason the administration is silent about Cuba’s dissidents. (American Greatness)

With Biden You Get All Of The Drama Of Trump Without Any Of The Benefits (The Political Insider)

Pop Culture Warriors: An interview series dedicated to the significant work of freedom lovers who chose the path of more resistance (Human Events)

Girls, It’s OK To Be Beautiful (The Federalist)

Artists for Censorship
Full disclosure: I stole this phrase from Thaddeus McCotter.

“Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World” singer Neil Young lost his battle to force Spotify to drop Joe Rogan and now Joni Mitchell has joined in canceling herself from the largest music streaming service and pulled her music from Spotify. From the New York Post:

“Young said he ‘sincerely hopes that other artists can make a move’ but that didn’t expect them to. Mitchell appears to be the first to follow suit. 

‘I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue,’ she said in her statement.”

On Sunday, however, the Spotify CEO and cofounder released a statement saying, “We are working to add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19.” Daniel Ek, author of the statement and cofounder of Spotify, also gave a list of COVID-related and vaccine awareness causes the company has donated to during the pandemic.

Later on Sunday night, Joe Rogan also spoke out on the controversy and Spotify’s content advisory, which he said was a good idea. He also said he would do more to research controversial topics and have more differing opinions/guests back to back. He said he pledged to balance out the program on all topics. He concluded, “It’s a strange responsibility to have this many viewers and listeners. Very strange. It’s nothing that I prepared for and nothing I ever anticipated.” Watch it here.

So, stay tuned.

Texas or Bust: A Series on Preparing to Make a Red State Redder
The movers arrive in 45 days! As I mentioned last week, I booked the movers after researching several options. Since I’m moving from the DC area to Texas by myself and have a car, renting a truck and driving it wasn’t really an option. Not to mention I’m passed the age of getting away with offering friends pizza and beer in exchange for a day of manual labor. The options I considered ranged from $4,800 to $17,000. The highest was a local company, so the price is higher because you have to pay for the truck and movers both ways, but only your stuff is on the truck and you get the same movers at both locations. A huge plus to me. The lowest is a national company where they basically put all your stuff on a small truck, then that goes on a semi-truck and you get a two-week window of when your stuff will arrive. I ended up going with a combination of the two options — expedited service from a national company. Only my stuff on a truck and it arrives in three business days. The price is almost exactly in the middle of the highest and lowest quotes. Now I just have pray for good weather and beat the truck to Texas! 

What I’m Reading This Week
I often joke that I’ll miss more dogs than people when I leave the area. There are certainly people I will miss and the title of this book got me thinking about the difficulties and rewards of making new friends. From the description of I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants) by Amy Weatherly:

“Is it just me? Am I the only one who’s lonely? Am I the only one without friends?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston, founders of the widely popular “Sister, I Am with You,” are raising their hands to say, “Yeah, us too.” And they want to encourage, equip, and reassure you that you have what it takes to build the kind of friendships you want.

I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants) provides you with the how of cultivating deep relationships in this messy, chaotic, beautiful life. Through Amy and Jess’s wisdom, humor, and confessional stories about the ups and downs of sisterhood, you’ll learn how to

  • admit you need friends—then go out and find them,
  • dismantle the lies you’ve believed about friendship,
  • love yourself so you can find people who will love you for you,
  • be a good friend even though you can’t be a perfect one, and
  • heal from a friend breakup—and find the courage to try again.

It’s time you felt completely accepted as you are—from the top of your messy bun to the tips of your unpedicured toes. Let’s start making friendships a priority—together.”

A Case of the Mondays
God folds an ear to remember his favorite dogs (Twitter)

These Are the Most Affectionate Dog Breeds Out There (Cosmo — probably the only time I’ll link to them 🤣)

Morning Person vs. Night Owl (Jean Shorts Comedy)

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36.) AMERICAN THINKER

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Recent Articles

RFK, Jr. — Crackpot or Cassandra?

Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
But what did Kennedy actually say that was so offensive?   Read More…


Biden’s SC Nomination Reveals Democrat Contempt for Black Americans

Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
Joe Biden has reinforced a 220-year Democrat Party message to everyone in the world: Do not be confused — Black people remain inferior.  Read More…


Feminist Hypocrisy on Display as Feminists Ignore Transgender Athletes

Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
Where, exactly, is NOW, now that a biological male is winning swim tournaments in Pennsylvania? Read More…


A Black Female SCOTUS Judge Won’t Do a Darn Thing to Help Blacks

Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
Whoever ‘Madame X’ is, she’ll vote like a white leftist, not anyone who represents black interests such as they are. Read More…


Medicine: The Latest Log on the Left’s Bonfire of Meritocracy

Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
The further Marxists succeed in destroying professional standards, the more guaranteed it becomes that the meritless will rise in those professions’ ranks. Read More…


Defeating American Marxism

Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
Poland successfully, nonviolently defeated Marxism, and is a model for defeating Marxism in America today.   Read More…


Recent Blog Posts

Where a push to become world’s first 100% organic farming nation has led to catastrophe
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
It turns out that organic farming is not something that one can turn a switch to accomplish  Read more…


Trudeau trolls truckers
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
Having already established his cowardice by fleeing Ottawa before the arrival of the truck convoy, Justin Trudeau now proves the wisdom of the ancient observation that bullies are often cowards.  Read more…


The latest lame Democrat excuse to prevent President Trump from running in 2024
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
Beyond the blatant hypocrisy, this is proof that the Democrats have conceded defeat in the arena of ideas to improve the lives of the citizen.  Read more…


Joe Biden, enemy of America
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
From the moment Joe Biden stepped into the Oval Office as president it became clear that he stole the job in order to destroy America from within.  Read more…


Must-see video: A woman from a communist country explains liberty to a Canadian reporter
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
An exuberant spontaneous response to a reporter that you won’t soon forget.  Read more…


Joe Rogan promises Spotify he’ll be a good boy
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
He still gets to keep his show but he’s essentially agreed to dance to the leftists’ tune.  Read more…


Republican pols preemptively surrender on Supreme Court, but Americans don’t
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
An ABC poll shows that Americans find appalling quotas for Supreme Court justices but, sadly, too many Republican politicians are fine with it.  Read more…


Abbott beating O’Rourke with Hispanics
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
Texas shows that, contrary to the Democrats’ expectations, minorities are not a monolithic voting bloc that will love them forever.  Read more…


Must-see video: A reminder why the Second Amendment matters
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
In California, shoplifters no longer fear the law but there is something that they still do fear.  Read more…


New study: lockdowns didn’t work
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
A new study from Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics destroys big-government arguments for lockdowns.  Read more…


Whoopi Goldberg for SCOTUS
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
The real story here is that nothing is going to change.  Read more…


From a retired NYPD chief: Words matter
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
Why so many police officers been killed in the line of duty, and what to do about it.  Read more…


Understanding what lay behind the Beit Israel Islamic attack
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
It was not a coincidence that an Islamic terrorist from Bradford, England, chose to take people hostage in a Texas synagogue.  Read more…


A short review of 2022 Texas politics
Jan 31, 2022 01:00 am
A new video interviewing south Texas George Rodriguez.  Read more…


When the people stop believing the government and the media
Jan 30, 2022 01:00 am
Arguably the USSR crumbled because everybody was lying to everybody else, so that nothing could be believed, including (especially) economic transactions. We are entering that stage of disbelief and decline now.  Read more…


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37.) LARRY J. SABATO’S CRYSTAL BALL

 


38.) THE BLAZE

 


39.) THE FEDERALIST

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40.) REUTERS

The Reuters Daily Briefing

Monday, January 31, 2022

by Linda Noakes

Hello

Here’s what you need to know.

North Korea tests its biggest missile since 2017, the UAE blocks a missile strike as the Israeli president visits, and a stunning election win for Portugal’s center-left prime minister

Today’s biggest stories

Veterans of the Ukrainian National Guard Azov battalion conduct military exercises for civilians in Kyiv, January 30, 2022

WORLD

Britain urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “step back from the brink” over Ukraine, warning that any incursion would trigger sanctions against companies and people with close links to the Kremlin. Ukrainian police detained a group of people suspected of preparing mass riots in the capital Kyiv and other cities to cause instability as tensions rise with Russia, Ukraine’s interior minister said.

North Korea confirmed it had launched a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile, the same weapon it had once threatened to target the U.S. territory of Guam with, sparking fears the nuclear-armed state could resume long-range testing. North Korea’s unusually active month of missile testing appears aimed at securing global acceptance of its sanctioned weapons programs.

The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement as the UAE hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog on his first visit to the Gulf business and tourism hub. It was the third such attack on the U.S.-allied Gulf state in the last two weeks.

Defying all odds, Portugal’s center-left Socialists won an outright parliamentary majority in a snap general election, securing a strong new mandate for Prime Minister Antonio Costa. The result, boosted by a higher-than-expected turnout despite the pandemic, comes as a surprise after the Socialists had lost most of their advantage in recent opinion polls.

During the past four days China has detected some 119 cases of COVID-19 among athletes and personnel linked to the Beijing Winter Olympics, with authorities imposing a “closed loop” bubble to keep participants, staff and media separated from the public. Some 3,000 athletes, along with coaches, officials, referees, federation delegates and media are expected for the Games, due to run from February 4-20.

A view of buildings and a street covered in snow in Nantucket, Massachusetts, January 29, 2022

U.S.


More than 1,400 U.S. flights were canceled after the nation’s northeast states were walloped by a deadly winter storm that prompted several states to declare emergencies.

Senator Dick Durbin, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, is reaching out to Republicans to assure them they will have the chance to meet with President Joe Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court.

Cyrus Vance Jr, whose 12 years as Manhattan district attorney was notable for a criminal probe into Donald Trump’s business as well as high-profile sex crime cases, is joining the law firm Baker McKenzie as a partner. A Democrat, Vance became district attorney in 2010 as the handpicked successor to Robert Morgenthau, who made that office among the country’s most powerful in law enforcement.

U.S. federal prosecutors have reached plea agreements with two of the three white men facing federal hate-crimes charges for the 2020 murder of Black man Ahmaud Arbery, according to court filings. The three men – Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan – were convicted last November in a Brunswick, Georgia state court of murdering 25-year-old Arbery.

More than 100,000 Americans died from diabetes in 2021, marking the second consecutive year for that grim milestone and spurring a call for a federal mobilization similar to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

BUSINESS

Growth in China’s factory activity slowed in January as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases and tough lockdowns hit production and demand, but the slight expansion offered some signs of resilience as the world’s second-largest economy enters a likely bumpy new year.

Oil prices will build on a strong start to the year with geopolitical risks to supply complementing a strong demand rebound as fears over the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant fade, a Reuters poll showed.

Swiss prosecutors are pursuing around $45.5 million in compensation from Credit Suisse in a money-laundering trial due to begin on February 7, the Swiss Federal Criminal Court said. The bank was indicted in December 2020 after an investigation into the activities of a Bulgarian crime ring involving top-level wrestlers accused of laundering profits from cocaine trafficking.

Vodafone has teamed up with Intel and other silicon vendors to design its own chip architecture for nascent OpenRAN network technology, aiming to weaken the grip of traditional telecoms equipment suppliers. OpenRAN allows operators to mix and match suppliers in their radio networks, posing a challenge to the likes of Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia that dominate the market with their proprietary technologies.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will help fund a new container yard for agricultural exports at California’s Port of Oakland, as the government, ports and food companies scramble to ease costly shipping delays.

BREAKINGVIEWS

Agenda-setting insight from the international commentary brand of Reuters

Read Robyn Mak on a FOMO video-game challenge for Sony and Nintendo, Lisa Jucca on how Italy’s presidential race has delivered the least bad option, and Gina Chon and Oliver Taslic on real profit and loss in the metaverse.

Quote of the day

“I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives so we can maybe find a better point of view”

 

 

Joe Rogan apologizes, Spotify to add advisory to COVID podcasts

Video of the day

Canada rally against vaccine mandates blocks capital

Thousands descended on Canada’s capital city to protest against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and COVID vaccine mandates.

And finally…

Florida is so cold iguanas are falling out of trees 

Although most of the reptiles will likely survive this period of immobilization, freezing temperatures are a threat to the species.

More from Reuters

COVID The Great Reboot Disrupted Legal News Breakingviews

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41.) NOQ REPORT

 


42.) ARRA NEWS SERVICE

 


43.) REDSTATE

 


44.) WORLD NET DAILY

WATCH: How thousands of ‘mules’ dropped harvested ballots in 2020
Posted by WND Staff
Finally, the smoking-gun video has been released.

Will the national news media ever seriously report on documented vote fraud such as this? Sound off in the poll inside the story. Read more…

Related
‘Insane and evil’: The Party of Insurrection finally exposed
Posted by David Kupelian
Here’s a big hint: Whatever the Democrats are falsely accusing their critics of doing and planning, that is precisely what they themselves are actually doing and planning. Read more…
Related
Is this like Y2K? Nope, it’s truly ‘the quantum apocalypse’
Posted by WND News Services
Just what we needed now – another existential threat to civilization. And this is one you probably never even considered.

‘They are a threat to our way of life.’ Read more…

Related
Billions of people act out God’s message each night and morning in their own bed
Posted by WND Staff
Every single night and morning, we all do something that is actually broadcasting two of the most important messages in the entire plan of God. But do most of us even realize the incredible significance? Read more…
Related
The politics of expiation and propitiation
Rejectors of God compound sin upon sin upon sin and call it liberation. Read more…
Seek holiness, and you’ll find happiness
“Never be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God. God’s plans for us are better than our plans for ourselves.” Read more…
Offer up a sacrifice of praise
Go back and watch the first 62 episodes if you missed them. Read more…
Jenny Beth Martin: Has Russia Been Waiting 77 Years for an American President Like Biden?
Biden, entrusted with defending US interests abroad, finds himself in a pickle of his own making. Read more…
The hidden value of Islam’s ‘gift cards’
Interesting. A ‘kill the infidel’ Muslim leader from the 7th century shares this woman’s name. Read more…
WND News Services
These reports are produced by another news agency, and the editors of WND believe you’ll find it of interest.
How much dirt and how much house?
Dear Dave, My wife and I own a small catering business. We have a few big corporations as clients, and our company has been very successful over the last two… Read more…
It’s not government’s job to ‘root out’ misinformation
Would someone let the surgeon general know about the First Amendment and how it works? Read more…
The preconditions for nationhood are dying: Secession ahead?
Crucial distinction between a nation and a people here … Read more…
Look what’s the ‘hardest place to be a Christian’ after Biden’s action
‘They are killing the souls of our children by taking all that is beautiful away from them.’ Read more…
Stranglehold: Couple’s fight to build home on own land returns to Supremes
What in the world is going on at the Environmental Protection Agency? Its attack on this couple has left them unable to use their own property for more than 15 years! Read more…
WATCH: How thousands of ‘mules’ dropped harvested ballots in 2020
Finally, the smoking-gun video has been released.

Will the national news media ever seriously report on documented vote fraud such as this? Sound off in the poll inside the story. Read more…

‘Insane and evil’: The Party of Insurrection finally exposed
Here’s a big hint: Whatever the Democrats are falsely accusing their critics of doing and planning, that is precisely what they themselves are actually doing and planning. Read more…
Nation declares: ‘No clear’ benefit to COVID shot for kids under 12
Health agency argues children at ‘low risk for serious disease’ Read more…
Pregnant journalist can’t return home because of COVID rules — but guess which country let her in?
When the Taliban provides more comfort to a desperate New Zealand journalist than her own country did, that should raise some red flags. Read more…
6 people found murdered together, police reveal sick thing in common
All six of the victims were killed in the same vicious way. Read more…
Chicago mayor roasted after spelling vaccine message to public in cash money
This didn’t go over like she probably expected it to. Read more…
Watch: ‘Truckers for Freedom’ Revolt Spreading Fast
These truckers are fighting against mandatory COVID vaccinations, which could strip them of a job if they refuse the jab. Read more…
Red Alert: Look What Soros Is Doing Across America
Check local races to see if there is a Soros-backed candidate. Read more…
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45.) MSNBC

 


46.) BIZPAC REVIEW

 


47.) ABC

January 31, 2022 – Having trouble viewing this email? Open it in your browser.
Morning Rundown
Powerful nor’easter slams East Coast, with heavy snow and strong winds: Millions of Americans are under winter weather alerts after a nor’easter slammed the Northeast over the weekend. Whiteout conditions persisted as the winter storm made its way toward the New England coast. In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker said that snow fell at a rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour on Saturday. And parts of New Jersey, including Atlantic City, saw snowfall rates upward of 2 inches per hour, while eastern Connecticut saw as much as 3 inches per hour. In addition to the snowfall, strong wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph have been reported along the Northeast coastline. States of emergency were in effect in several states as they braced for the worst of the storm system Saturday afternoon. And as of Sunday afternoon, 1,700 crews worked to restore electricity after more than 100,000 lost power at the height of the storm in Massachusetts. Watch “Good Morning America” at 7 a.m. ET for the latest on the storm.
American woman who allegedly trained women of ISIS arrested: A Kansas woman was charged with providing material support to ISIS, according to charges unsealed by the Justice Department on Friday night. On six separate occasions between 2014 and 2017, authorities say Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, allegedly expressed interest in carrying out terrorist attacks in the U.S. in support of ISIS, the foreign terrorist organization that’s based in Iraq, Syria and other locations in Africa and the Middle East. Fluke-Ekren moved to Syria in 2012 and married a “prominent” ISIS leader, court documents said. She can reportedly speak four languages, and the documents alleged she rose up the ranks to command her own battalion. According to the complaint, “Fluke-Ekren’s main objective in this role was to teach the women of ISIS how to defend themselves against ISIS’ enemies.” She also allegedly housed, translated for and trained women to fire automatic weapons, the Justice Department said. Among the attacks she was interested in carrying out were ideas to bomb a mall and a college in the U.S. She also “fantasized” about committing an attack where there was a large amount of people, documents said. Fluke-Ekren was arrested in Syria and is expected to make her first federal court appearance in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday.
FDA approves 1st automated, tubeless insulin pump for people with Type 1 diabetes: A new technology for people with Type 1 diabetes has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Omnipod 5, which has been under FDA review since last year, is a hybrid, closed-loop insulin delivery system, meaning its insulin pump communicates directly with a user’s continuous glucose monitor, in this case the Dexcom G6, to determine how much insulin to safely deliver. The Omnipod 5 is the first tubeless system of its kind on the market and the first to be fully controlled via a smartphone app, eliminating the need to carry a separate device. It also delivers insulin through a pod, smaller than the size of a desktop mouse, that the user manually fills with insulin, adheres to their skin, typically on their stomach, and replaces every three days. “It is a remarkable technology that can dramatically improve the lives of people living with Type 1 diabetes,” Shacey Petrovic, president and CEO of Insulet, the Massachusetts-based maker of Omnipod, told “GMA.” “Omnipod 5 helps to protect against highs and lows [blood glucose levels] during the day and at night to simplify life for people with diabetes.”
‘Don’t Weigh Me’ cards designed to empower people to skip the scale at the doctor’s office: Hopping on the scale at the doctor’s office can be a discouraging experience for many when they go for their annual check-ups. But thanks to “Don’t Weigh Me” cards that some doctor’s offices have on display, the focus of a doctor’s visit doesn’t have to be about weight. Four years ago, Ginny Jones, the founder of More-Love.org created “Don’t Weigh Me” cards after she asked to not be weighed at doctor’s offices. Jones, who at the time began recovery from a decades-long eating disorder said she decided to not be weighed “unless it was necessary.” She said that after years of asking not to be weighed, it was never required for her care. The cards were a way for people to have something in their pocket they could ust easily hand to a doctor or a nurse. Jones posted the cards on her website and many wanted to purchase them. She said she hopes the conversation around weight changes in society to the point that it puts her “Don’t Weigh Me” cards venture out of business.
GMA Must-Watch
This morning on “GMA,” New York Times best-selling author Eva Chen joins us to talk about her new picture book, “I Am Golden,” which showcases the immigrant experience of Chinese American children. And Bellamy Young joins us to talk about her role in the new ABC family drama, “Promised Land.” Plus, Josh Groban tells us all about his music, upcoming tour and celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album. All this and more only on “GMA.”
Bob Saget’s daughter Lara pens tribute to dad: He ‘loved with everything he had’
The “Full House” alum died Jan. 9 at the age of 65.
Put some good in your morning
PHOTO: Makeup Eraser This Week from 40 Boxes: Deals to treat yourself this Valentine’s Day
PHOTO: In this undated file photo, a group of women have fun on a beach. 12 Galentine’s Day gift ideas sure to make your besties smile
PHOTO: UGG boots in the process of being converted into mini-UGGS by Emily Keenan in a DIY tutorial TikTok video are shown in a composite image. Give new life to your UGG boots with this viral DIY TikTok hack
VIDEO: Dad transforms old golf cart roof into sled Dad transforms old golf cart roof into sled
Read more →
What’s new on Hulu in February 2022
Check out the full list of arrivals on Hulu this February.

48.) NBC MORNING RUNDOWN


49.) NBC FIRST READ

Image

From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman and Alexandra Marquez

FIRST READ: Trump’s once dominant hold over politics has faded a year after leaving office

If it’s Monday… President Biden meets with the nation’s governors… Biden’s considering more than a dozen Supreme Court candidates, per NBC News… NBC News also reports on tensions inside the DNC… Val Demings rakes in more than $7 million for the quarter in FL-SEN… And Donald Trump says the quiet part out loud.

 

But FIRST… There are two ways to look at Trump’s last year after being removed from Twitter and from the daily political spotlight.

 

One, it’s weakened Trump’s siren’s call with Republicans. Just look at our most recent NBC News poll, which shows the share of Republicans who consider themselves more Trump supporters than party supporters declining over the past year.

 

And the drop has been pretty much across the board.

NBC News Poll, Jan. 14-18

Two, Trump’s daily – if not hourly – disappearance from the political spotlight has hurt Biden (who now gets compared more to The Almighty rather than to The Alternative) and Democrats (who spent five years using Trump’s tweets and actions as fodder to fire up their voters).

 

Just consider Trump’s latest controversial statement below. Does anyone doubt that it would have dominated the day’s political conversation had he tweeted it out – instead of getting screen-grabbed by reporters?

 

Make no mistake: Trump still remains the greatest singular force in the GOP; Democrats still will use him to fire up their voters, especially if he runs in ’24; and he can still generate headlines.

 

Like this one from over the weekend: “Trump suggests he might pardon Jan. 6 defendants if he returns to White House.”

 

But those headlines don’t pack the punch they once did.

Tweet of the Day: Saying the quiet part out loud

Data Download: The number of the day is … 13.

That’s the number of candidates who NBC News can report are being considered for the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy, with the list of potential candidates swelling to at least 13, per NBC’s Josh Lederman and Carol Lee.

 

Lederman and Lee say that Biden is casting a wide net, and that there isn’t a short list yet to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, although Biden pledged during his campaign to nominate the first Black woman to the court.

 

While the White House has confirmed U.S. District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs is being considered, Lederman and Lee are also reporting others being considered, too. They include D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi of the Seventh Circuit, outgoing NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Sherrilyn Ifill and North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls.

Other numbers you need to know today

$1.57 million: How much West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who isn’t up for re-election until 2024, raised during the fourth quarter of 2021, per the FEC.

 

$7.1 million: How much Florida Democratic Rep. Val Demings says her Senate campaign raised in the fourth quarter of 2021, closing the year with $8.1 million on hand.

 

More than $1 million: The amount Wyoming Republican Harriet Hageman announced raising in her primary race against Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

 

3: The number of seats Democrats could gain in New York under a new map proposed by party leaders.

 

14 percent: The average increase in rent last year in America, according to a Redfin analysis discussed in the Washington Post.

Midterm roundup

There is a “strained relationship” between the DNC and the White House as the party heads into a difficult midterm election, NBC’s Natasha Korecki, Jonathan Allen and Lauren Egan report. DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison, who considered leaving his post, pushed back on his critics, writing on Twitter, “To unnamed sources, if you expect me to go away or roll into a ball and whimper…you picked the wrong one.”

 

Meanwhile, the White House is trying to assuage concerns about its midterm messaging. NBC’s Peter Nicholas, Carol E. Lee and Mike Memoli obtained part of a recording of a Zoom call with donors where White House counselor Steve Ricchetti said Biden plans to hit the campaign trail and tout the administration’s accomplishments.

 

For their part, Republican leaders are divided over whether the party should unveil a policy agenda before November’s elections, Nicholas also reports. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to leave the focus on Democrats, while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is crafting an agenda to win over voters.

 

Michigan Republican John James, the party’s nominee in each of the last two Senate races, announced Monday he’s running for the newly-drawn 10th District.

 

Republican Chuck Morse, president of the New Hampshire state Senate, officially launched his campaign against Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan on Saturday, riding to his launch event in a “skid-steer loader,” per WMUR.

 

Members of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party failed to endorse a candidate in the Senate primary Saturday, although Conor Lamb got the most votes. Committee members did endorse Attorney General Josh Shapiro for governor.

 

Rep. Marcy Kaptur said she will not be joining the scores of fellow House Democrats who are retiring. Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in House history, is running for re-election regardless of Ohio’s new congressional map, NBC’s Henry Gomez reports.

 

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., endorsed Blake Masters, a Peter Thiel associate, in Arizona’s Senate primary.

ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world

The West is warning Russia it could face the “mother of all sanctions” as a response to any action it takes against Ukraine.

 

Democrats are considering replacing Iowa’s as the first-in-the-nation caucus spot for upcoming presidential elections, Politico reports.

 

NBC News’ Allan Smith explores Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential ambitions and what it would take for him to run in 2024.

Thanks for reading.

If you’re a fan, please forward this to a friend. They can sign up here.

 

We love hearing from our readers, so shoot us a line here with your comments and suggestions.

 

Thanks,

Chuck, Mark, Ben, Bridget and Alexandra

Download the NBC News Mobile App

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50.) CBS

 


51.) REASON

 


52.) MANHATTAN INSTITUTE

 


53.) LOUDER WITH CROWDER

 


54.) TOWNHALL

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Colorado Democrats getting a little gun (control) shy ahead of elections? | Cam Edwards
So <em>now</em> an AR-15 is a hunting rifle? | Tom Knighton
Tacoma business leaders demand city address crime | Tom Knighton
Is Constitutional Carry in trouble in Nebraska? | Cam Edwards
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55.) REALCLEARPOLITICS MORNING NOTE

 


56.) REALCLEARPOLITICS TODAY

 


57.) CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY

 


58.) BERNARD GOLDBERG

 


59.) SARA A. CARTER

 


60.) TWITCHY

 


61.) HOT AIR

 


62.) 1440 DAILY DIGEST

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Good morning. It’s Monday, Jan. 31, and we’re covering a prolific snowstorm in the Northeast, the possible retirement of a sports great, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at hello@join1440.com.
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NEED TO KNOW

Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse

Ten people were injured in Pittsburgh Friday morning after a 52-year-old steel bridge collapsed. Three of the people were taken to a hospital. The structure fell hours before President Joe Biden was scheduled to deliver a speech in the city about the recently passed $1.2T bipartisan infrastructure bill.

 

The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, the city’s fire chief said. The condition of the deck and superstructure of the 447-foot-long bridge had been listed as poor by state inspectors since 2011. The bridge was last inspected in September, but the report hasn’t been made available to the public.

 

Known as Fern Hollow Bridge, the structure is a popular route into downtown Pittsburgh. A 60-foot bus and five other vehicles were on the bridge when it gave way. The collapse also caused a gas line in the area to break, which was then turned off and isolated.

 

See video from the site here.

Northeast Blizzard 

At least 100,000 homes were without power over the weekend as a powerful winter storm moved up the East Coast. The system dropped snow from the Mid-Atlantic through the Northeast, with Massachusetts bearing the brunt of the storm—Boston recorded almost 24 inches of snow in the course of a single day, tying a record set in 2003. Nearby Providence, Rhode Island, broke its own single-day snowfall record, notching almost 19 inches Saturday.

 

On top of snow, the storm brought near-hurricane force winds in some areas and left bitter temperatures in its wake. The weather caused the cancellation of more than 3,500 flights. See photos—including a New Yorker skiing along the Brooklyn Bridge—here.

 

Separately, Northern Europe was pummeled by successive winter storms that left at least four dead and thousands without power.

Brady (Maybe) to Retire 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is expected to announce his retirement in the near future, according to leaked reports over the weekend. The decision would bring 44-year-old Brady’s career, which spanned more than two decades, to a close. Conflicting reports also suggested Brady informed his team he had not yet made a decision (follow updates) and was upset about the leaked plans.

 

The future Hall-of-Famer owns records for most touchdowns (624), most passing yards (84,520), most wins (243), and most playoff wins (35). He played in 10 Super Bowls, winning seven—both records—the first six of which were with the New England Patriots. See his career stats here.

 

Separately, the Cincinnati Bengals continued their Cinderella run, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime. They’ll face the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17, in Super Bowl LVI (Feb. 13, 6:30 pm ET, NBC).

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Motley Fool cofounder—Tom Gardner—developed a bit of a reputation.

 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

In partnership with Dropps
> Rafael Nadal wins Australian Open, breaking tie with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer by winning a record 21st Grand Slam title (More) | Ashleigh Barty becomes first Australian in more than four decades to win Aussie Open singles title (More)

 

> Canada tops the US 2-0 in men’s World Cup qualifying to remain atop CONCACAF qualifying standings (More) | See latest CONCACAF standings (More)

 

> Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren join Neil Young in asking Spotify to remove their music over alleged vaccine misinformation (More) | Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst dies at 30 after jumping from New York City high-rise (More) | Howard Hesseman, character actor best known for role on “WKRP in Cincinnati,” dies at 81 (More)

From our partners: Remove BS (bad stuff) from your laundry and dishes. Dropps harnesses the power of nature to make products that are convenient and actually clean. By using Dropps, you’ll help turn the tide against toxic pollution, ocean waste, harmful dyes, phthalates, phosphates, and animal cruelty. So in short, you’ll get eco-friendly laundry and dishwasher detergent that cleans like there’s no tomorrow. Sign up to Dropps today and receive your first 30-day supply of bestselling detergent pods for just $5.

Science & Technology

> Orcas are able to hunt and kill blue whales, Earth’s largest animal, using coordinated pods; study is the first to directly observe and document the behavior (More, w/video)

 

> Archaeologists uncover two sphinx statues at an ancient burial site in Luxor, Egypt; 26 feet long, the statues are believed to honor Amenhotep III, the grandfather of King Tutankhamun (More)

 

> Astronomers propose new method of detecting gravitational waves from black holes by measuring their effect on the properties of nearby pulsars (More) | Pulsars explained (Watch)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close higher Friday (S&P 500 +2.4%, Dow +1.7%, Nasdaq +3.1%) to end choppy week (More)

 

> Google to invest $700M for 1.3% stake in India’s second-largest telecom operator, Airtel (More)

 

> US employers invested 4% more on wages and benefits in 2021 than the previous years; increased at fastest pace since 2001 (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Canadian trucker protest over COVID-19 vaccine mandate snarls traffic in the capital city of Ottawa; parallel protests expected throughout the week (More) | See US COVID-19 stats here (More)

 

> Northern Ireland marks the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday; 14 people were killed and 15 injured when British soldiers opened fire on protesters (More) | What were the Troubles? (More)

 

> North Korea carries out its longest-range ballistic missile test since 2017, analysts say; missile traveled more than 1,200 miles high and 500 miles from land before falling into the sea (More)

WORDS TO INVEST BY

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ETCETERA

America’s best vegetarian restaurants.

 

One year on Roblox.

 

The winners of the annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo contest.

 

Scientists discover the third-known species of branching worms.

 

Why the metaverse is filled with floating torsos.

 

A renovation discovery of a lifetime.

 

Meet Jonathan, the 190-year-old tortoise.

 

A 5-year-old boy explains how to handle nerves.

 

Clickbait: Who needs a driver’s license?

 

Historybook: Guy Fawkes is executed (1606); 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, passes in Congress (1865); Jackie Robinson born (1919); HBD actress Kerry Washington (1977); HBD Justin Timberlake (1981).

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63.) AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH

 


64.) NATIONAL REVIEW

 


65.) POLITICAL WIRE

 


66.) RASMUSSEN REPORTS

 


67.) ZEROHEDGE

 


68.) GATEWAY PUNDIT

 


69.) FRONTPAGE MAG

 


70.) HOOVER INSTITUTE

 


71.) DAILY INTELLIGENCE BRIEF

 


72.) FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION

 


73.) POPULIST PRESS

It’s been almost two months since Chris Wallace has left Fox News. He left to join CNN and their new online streaming news service.

 

 

IN DEPTH… 

  1. Russia will hit US with cyberattack if sanctioned, cyber expert warns: ‘We are already in warfare state’  1 hour ago
  2. FCC revokes China Unicom’s authorization to operate in US  2 hours ago
  3. After years of complaining about ‘dark money’ in politics, Democratic groups outspent the GOP in 2020  2 hours ago
  4. EXCLUSIVE: Jim Jordan Slams Senate Democrat Attempts to Revive Media Cartel Act  2 hours ago
  5. Dan Bongino: Democrats are obsessed with tearing down values  2 hours ago
  6. NATO Command of USS Harry S. Truman Sends Signal to Russia, Says Secretary General Stoltenberg 
  7. Is Russia’s Navy Getting Ready to Attack Ukraine?  2 hours ago
  8. Cyberattack Targets Belarus’ Rail Network To Slow Flood Of Russian Forces Into The Country  2 hours ago
  9. Xi Jinping Is Watching His Back  2 hours ago
  10. Why Intermediate-Range Missiles Are a Focal Point in the Ukraine Crisis — War on the Rocks  2 hours ago
  11. Accused Texas Cop-Killer Was a Fugitive for 25 Years, Also Wanted for Murder in El Salvador, Say Police  3 hours ago
  12. America Must Not Cede the Middle East to China  3 hours ago
  13. Russia’s Military Plan for a War on Ukraine: An Attack on Kyiv?  3 hours ago
  14. 50 Years on, Bloody Sunday Still Scars Northern Ireland  3 hours ago
  15. “Meet the Heroes”: Is anyone still talking about the Americans left behind in Afghanistan?  3 hours ago
  16. U.K. Bishop: Putin Wants to Bring Back the Soviet Union  3 hours ago
  17. ‘Journalists’ That Rushed to Trash Ron DeSantis End up With Egg on Their Faces  3 hours ago
  18. Russia to move naval exercises away from Irish coast, ambassador says  3 hours ago
  19. Fauci Admits to WaPo His $10.4M Financial Portfolio Was Hidden  3 hours ago
  20. The problem with infrastructure isn’t government spending — it’s out-of-control costs  3 hours ago
  21. CNN’s Jim Acosta Accuses Youngkin of Turning VA Into a ‘Soviet-style Police State’  3 hours ago
  22. China’s draconian one-child policy has led to a disastrous baby bust  3 hours ago
  23. Statehood for D.C. is Unconstitutional and a Partisan Power Grab  3 hours ago
  24. Neocons, Neolibs & NATO Inch Us Closer To Nuclear War With Russia  3 hours ago
  25. White House Confirms Judge Michelle Childs Is Under Consideration For Supreme Court  3 hours ago
  26. Texas Dept. of Public Safety Lt.: Remain in Mexico Is ‘Not Making an Impact’ — Biden’s Use of It Is Sparse  3 hours ago
  27. New Yorkers refuse to let go of COVID restrictions — even as Omicron wanes  3 hours ago
  28. President Biden’s Wandering Rhetoric Encourages Putin’s Aggression  3 hours ago
  29. DNC chair reportedly looking to leave amid tensions with Biden White House  3 hours ago
  30. Build Back Better: New bill, same stumbling blocks  3 hours ago
  31. Biden-Buttigieg DOT to tap infrastructure spending to promote speed cameras nationwide  3 hours ago
  32. Joni Mitchell removing her music from Spotify: ‘I stand with Neil Young’  3 hours ago
  33. Law profs: Most states may recognize ‘multiparent families’ in the near future  3 hours ago
  34. Trump touts borders at home and abroad during Texas rally  3 hours ago
  35. Britney Spears calls sister Jamie Lynn ‘scum’ in scathing online post  3 hours ago
  36. Tom Brady to announce retirement after 22 seasons  3 hours ago
  37. Trudeau and family moved to secret location as thousands converge to protest COVID-19 rules: Report  3 hours ago
  38. Ash Barty defeats Danielle Collins for Australian Open women’s title  3 hours ago
  39. US Olympic bobsled team already facing COVID-19 ‘nightmare’  3 hours ago
  40. Pregnant journalist stranded in Afghanistan forced to turn to Taliban for help  3 hours ago
  41. Longtime Steelers GM Exits With Big Ben  3 hours ago
  42. Kansas woman accused of leading all-female ISIS battalion  3 hours ago
  43. Jerry Jones Commits To Mike McCarthy For 2022, Squashes Sean Payton Rumors  3 hours ago
  44. Former ACLU Head SLAMS Org’s Sad Decline Into ‘Partisanship’  3 hours ago
  45. Arizona governor calls for Mayorkas to “step down and step aside” for failing on southern border  3 hours ago
  46. NYT Goes Full-Bore Delusional Explaining How Biden Attacking Doocy Was ‘Feel-Good Moment’  3 hours ago
  47. Chevron CEO: $100 per barrel oil is possible  3 hours ago
  48. Boeing invests $450 million in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company  3 hours ago
  49. Leftist FCC nominee Gigi Sohn faces another ‘conflict’ hurdle  3 hours ago
  50. Media Companies Look for Next Act After Streaming  3 hours ago
  51. BRADY RETIRES?  4 hours ago
  52. CONFUSION  4 hours ago
  53. BLIZZARD 2022…  4 hours ago
  54. TOTALS APPROACH 2 FEET…  4 hours ago
  55. THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER…  4 hours ago
  56. NANTUCKET UNDERWATER…  4 hours ago
  57. Kansas man traveled to DC to kill ‘Antichrist’ Biden…  4 hours ago
  58. Split-screen pandemic: Families resume lives as hospitals overwhelmed…  4 hours ago
  59. TX Gov Faces Backlash Over Troop Deployment…  4 hours ago
  60. IRS plan to scan face prompts anger in Congress, confusion among taxpayers…  4 hours ago

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74.) THE POST MILLENNIAL

 


75.) BLACKLISTED NEWS

 


76.) THE DAILY DOT


77.) HEADLINE USA

 


78.) NATURAL NEWS

 


79.) POLITICHICKS

 


80.) FIRST RIGHT

January 31st, 2022

 


01/31/2022 05:15 CDT


TRUMP TELLS TEXAS CROWD IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON FROM COVID; PENNSYLVANIA BALLOT RELAXATION LAW RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL


TODAY’S TOP TEN

TRUMP: TIME TO MOVE ON FROM COVID

PRESIDENT TRUMP TELLS MASSIVE TEXAS CROWD, “We are moving on from COVID.” The Last Refuge.

PENNSYLVANIA COURT RULES THAT LAW that allowed 2020 absentee voting is unconstitutional. Breitbart.

BIDEN DOJ PUSHES FOR LENIENT SENTENCE for George Floyd rioter who burned down pawn shop, killing a man. TheBlaze.

THE UGLY TRUTH BEHIND THE FIVE DEATHS from January 6th and 7th. Tayler Hansen.

BIDEN, BUTTIGIEG TO TAP “INFRASTRUCTURE” spending to promote speed cameras nationwide. Just the News.

GEORGIA SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLISHED PLANS to teach Critical Race Theory, then hid them. The Federalist.

NEARLY ONE-THIRD SAY DESANTIS should only run for president if Trump does not. Breitbart.

BLACK LIVES MATTER CAN’T ACCOUNT for $60 million after leaders jump ship. Washington Examiner.

DOES SUBSTACK HAVE THE RIGHT DIGITAL infrastructure to withstand the left-wing censorship mob? PJ Media.

POLITIFACT SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY to defend Biden than check his facts. NewsBusters.


If you’d like to share First Right with a friend, text FIRSTRIGHT (all caps, no spaces) to 30161


COMMENTARY WORTH READING


VIDEO WORTH WATCHING

  • Democrat voter has strong message for Biden. Fox News.
  • Biden stumbles and mumbles in speech. Twitter.
  • Pastor Brooks reveals how he become a conservative. Fox News.

LATEST FIRST RIGHT PODCAST

  • An interview with Nicole Solas, a Rhode Island mom courageously fighting Critical Race Theory in her daughter’s school. Rumble.

OFFBEAT BEAT

  • Hiker falls to his death after attempting picture on mountain peak. Daily Caller.

TWEETS OF NOTE

  • (@EricMMatheny) People who wear masks while driving alone drive exactly as you’d expect them to drive. Tweet.
  • (@yesisworld) Hungary passed a law called “The Stop Soros Law” which makes it a felony to aide and abet illegal immigration. Our Congress needs to pass that law. It would put NGOs out of business. Tweet.

MOST CLICKED ITEM FRIDAY

  • FLORIDA’S DESANTIS RIPS WH press secretary Psaki for “lying through her teeth every single day.” The Republic Brief.

BONGINO REPORT TOP HEADLINE AT TIME OF EMAIL

  • Trump Holds “Save America Rally” in Texas – Hints at 2024 Run. BONGINO REPORT.

81.) THE WESTERN JOURNAL

 


82.) CNN


83.) THE DAILY CALLER

 


84.) POWERLINE

Daily Digest

Link to Power LinePower Line

Lindsey Graham is confused about what affirmative action is

Posted: 30 Jan 2022 09:08 PM PST

(Paul Mirengoff)Sen. Lindsey Graham has long believed that a president’s judicial nominees should receive great deference from the Senate. He has made this clear over and over, both for nominees of Democrats and nominees of Republicans. For example, he defended his vote to confirm Justice Sotomayor on that basis.

Graham’s view on the matter used to be shared by the vast majority of Senators. Today, almost no Senator really holds it, not when the nominee is a member of the opposite party.

My view is that with Democrats constantly voting against well-qualified conservative nominees, Republicans should routinely vote against liberal nominees, regardless of qualification. But Graham doesn’t see it that way. I give him credit for standing by his principles.

However, giving deference to the president doesn’t require making bad arguments on his behalf. If you want to vote for a nominee, just say the nominee is qualified and cast the “yes” vote.

Lindsey Graham has never been a minimalist, though. He likes to preen and pontificate, and that’s what he’s doing now regarding the impending nomination by Joe Biden of a black female Supreme Court Justice.

For example, Graham insists that setting aside a Supreme Court slot for a black female is not affirmative action. He states:

Put me in the camp of making sure the court and other institutions look like America. You know, we make a real effort as Republicans to recruit women and people of color to make the party look more like America.

Affirmative action is picking somebody not as well qualified for past wrongs.

But picking people for jobs to make an organization “look more like America” is a form of affirmative action. More importantly, it’s a form of race discrimination because it entails favoring one candidate over another out of a desire to achieve racial balance — i.e., because of race. And when, as in Biden’s case, people of certain races are excluded from even being considered for the job, the affirmative action is a particularly egregious form of race discrimination.

I’m not sure what Graham means by his statement that “affirmative action is picking somebody not as well qualified for past wrongs.” It’s true that rejecting a white or Asian candidate in favor of a less qualified black candidate to atone for “past wrongs” is a form of affirmative action. But it’s not the only form.

The motive for favoring someone due to race — be it atoning for past wrongs, making a workforce “look like America,” or something else — has no bearing on whether the favoritism is affirmative action. It’s affirmative action, regardless.

“Picking someone not as qualified” because of her race is affirmative action, but so is refusing even to consider the qualifications of candidates of certain races and a certain gender. That’s what Biden has decided to do.

Graham made his comment in the course of touting a black South Carolina judge — J. Michelle Childs — who reportedly is under consideration for the Supreme Court. Graham is indulging in home state boosterism. He probably figures Biden’s black female nominee will be confirmed, and the spot might as well go to a South Carolinian.

Childs’ qualifications don’t leap off the page. She is a district court judge, not a U.S. court of appeals judge, like all current Supreme Court members other than Justice Kagan were before they joined the Court. She lacks Kagan’s stellar background as an academic and high-ranking Justice Department lawyer.

I see no credible argument that Childs is as qualified as, say, Sri Srinivasan. But Srinivasan has been ruled out because of his race and gender. He’s an Asian-American male, not a black female. As an Asian-American, his nomination would be “historic,” but that’s not the history Biden promised to make when he was hunting the endorsement of black politicians and leftists.

I don’t know whether the Childs boomlet will lead to her nomination, but if it does she will definitely be an affirmative action nominee.

  
Do Republicans love Trump as they once did?

Posted: 30 Jan 2022 06:54 PM PST

(Paul Mirengoff)Recent polling shows they do not. However, it also shows that Republicans still like Trump enough to nominate him in 2024.

Dan Balz notes that on the eve of the 2020 election, 54 percent of Republicans and independents who lean Republican said they considered themselves more a supporter of Trump than of the Republican Party, compared with 38 percent who said they considered themselves more a supporter of the Republican Party. By January 2021, views were evenly divided, with 46 percent saying Trump and 46 percent saying the GOP.

What about now? According to Balz, a poll released last weekend shows that 56 percent of Republicans say they are more supporters of the party than of Trump, while 36 percent say they are more supporters of Trump than of the party. The numbers have basically flipped since October 2020.

The defectors come from a wide range of constituencies. Since October 2020, Trump has lost 26 points in this survey among white Republicans without college degrees and 21 points among conservative Republicans. He has lost 18 points among Republican men and 17 points among Republican women. He has lost 23 points among Republicans age 65 and older and 19 points among white evangelical Republicans.

That’s the good news, from my perspective. The bad news is that, regardless of whether Republicans still think of themselves as Trumpites first, they still like the former president enough to make him the clear, and perhaps overwhelming, favorite for the 2024 nomination.

Balz reports that he latest Economist/YouGov poll finds 82 percent of Republicans with a favorable impression of Trump, including 59 percent who view him very favorably. That’s down from December 2020, when 91 percent viewed him favorably and 74 percent viewed him very favorably, but the current numbers are still ones that any normal politician would be delighted with.

There’s also a new Marquette University Law School survey finding that 73 percent of Republicans nationally view Trump favorably. The same poll shows that 63 percent of Republicans and 51 percent of Republican-leaning independents say they would like to see Trump run again in 2024.

The director of the poll says:

That’s an interesting gap between 73 percent liking him but only [63] percent saying they would like him to run again. That still leaves him as the odds-on favorite in a primary today, but you can see. . .the opportunity to think about future candidates rather than past candidates.

Can we? At this point, it’s not clear to me that “future candidates” themselves are seriously thinking about challenging Trump in 2024.

Anyone under the age of 55 (or so) can pass up a run in 2024 and still have several opportunities to seek the presidency. To seek it in 2024 risks (1) drawing the permanent ire of Trump’s base and (2) being cut down to miniature size by Trump himself.

Think back to 2016. The GOP field consisted of some of the brightest young GOP presidential prospects. Are any of them still mentioned as possible contenders in 2024? Only Chris Christie comes to my mind.

But Christie played on Trump’s team in 2024. He helped take down Marco Rubio and then endorsed Trump fairly early in the primary season. Moreover, Christie is far down the list of serious potential non-Trump contenders in 2024, I think. The main names I hear are Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Tom Cotton.

Balz concludes, correctly I think, that “for now, Trump remains the leader of the Republican Party and the nomination is his to lose — if he decides to run.” Only if Trump continues to slip pretty dramatically in the next year-and-a-half might this state of affairs change.

  
Smearing the Truckers

Posted: 30 Jan 2022 03:06 PM PST

(John Hinderaker)You no doubt are aware of the protest being staged by thousands of Canadian truck drivers who have now converged on Ottawa. The truckers began by protesting against a vaccination mandate for truckers crossing the U.S. border, but it has grown into a movement opposing extreme and irrational anti-covid measures, and promoting freedom generally.

Naturally, the liberal press is horrified. You likely have seen this bizarre editorial cartoon that appeared in–where else–the Washington Post:

When I first saw the cartoon, I literally did not understand it. Someone had to explain that the Post’s cartoonist is calling the truckers who are demonstrating on behalf of freedom fascists. Freedom is slavery, after all.

Liberals have hoped for the protest to turn violent, but it hasn’t happened, as the New York Times grudgingly acknowledges:

Despite fears that the demonstration could turn violent, by Saturday evening the police said there had been no significant incidents.

This is how the Times describes the crowd:

Thousands of protesters on foot, many carrying handmade signs on hockey sticks, wandered through the parked vehicles and the slow-moving traffic or gathered on the lawn in front of Parliament. Some of them carried Canadian flags upside down; at least one flag had swastikas drawn on it.

Liberals always try to imply that if someone draws a swastika it means that person is pro-Nazi. Actually, it means (in this context, at least) that the person is accusing the Canadian government of using Nazi-like tactics. I don’t agree, but let’s not smear the protesters by inverting the intent behind their signs.

The London Times does the same thing, a little more blatantly:

There were chaotic scenes over the weekend as scores of articulated lorries began to roll in on Friday, joined by hundreds of pick-ups and cars, paralysing a large chunk of downtown Ottawa near the parliament building and filling the air with honks. Yesterday Canadian flags, “F*** Trudeau” banners and messages about tyranny mingled with Confederate flags, swastikas and the emblems of far-right groups.

The Times story includes a video of the protest that I can’t embed here. You see hundreds, maybe thousands of Canadian flags. No Confederate flags that I could spot. No swastikas. No “far right” emblems that I recognized. Just a sea of Canadian flags. But misrepresenting the right is the principal business of the left.

The press is making a big deal out of the fact that Justin Trudeau and his family were moved from their residence as a precaution. I have no problem with that, although given the total lack of violence–you might have thought they were expecting a George Floyd riot–it was an unnecessary precaution. But I would note that there was no similar outpouring of press angst when the Secret Service moved President Trump and his family out of the White House during a violent George Floyd riot. The AP headlined, “Trump took shelter in White House bunker as protests raged.” But there was no sign of sympathy or concern about the propriety of the protesters’ violence:

Trump continued his effort to project strength, using a series of inflammatory tweets and delivering partisan attacks during a time of national crisis.

Here is more on the truckers’ protest from the BBC.

Defence Minister Anita Anand said the incidents were “beyond reprehensible”.

No incident described was even remotely violent. This one is darkly humorous:

Ottawa police said in a Twitter post that “several” investigations were now under way into the “desecration” of a number monuments in the capital city….

So now the Left is against desecrating monuments! I thought it had become more or less compulsory.

Putting aside whatever you may think about vaccination mandates, the hostility of the press’s response to any movement that expresses a desire for freedom is striking.

  
Biden’s Bad Bet on Race

Posted: 30 Jan 2022 01:01 PM PST

(Steven Hayward)Biden’s pledge to name a black woman—and only a black woman—to the Supreme Court is going down badly with Americans, a majority of whom are growing tired of the left’s relentless identity politics.  A new ABC News/Ipsos poll begins its report thus:

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds that a plurality of Americans view the Supreme Court as motivated by partisanship, while President Joe Biden’s campaign trail vow to select a Black woman to fill a high-court vacancy without reviewing all potential candidates evokes a sharply negative reaction from voters. . .

Just over three-quarters of Americans (76%) want Biden to consider “all possible nominees.” Just 23% want him to automatically follow through on his history-making commitment that the White House seems keen on seeing through. . . a majority of Democrats (54%) also prefer that Biden consider all possible nominees.

Biden has backed himself into a corner on this appointment, and can’t reverse himself now without offending the most privileged constituency in the Democratic Party. My guess is that most of the names floated so far will be confirmed without much of a fuss. But Democrats want Republicans to make a fuss. Aside from some tough questioning in Judiciary Committee hearings, I expect Republicans will keep a cool head, vote no in large numbers, but without giving Democrats a “racist” spectacle to exploit.

One potential appointment might give Democrats the spectacle they crave to motivate their base: Kamala Harris. Oh please please, Mr. Biden: pile folly on top of pandering stupidity!

There’s no good news for Biden on other issues in the poll. He’s underwater on just about everything. Despite boasts of strong 4th quarter 2021 economic growth, “only 1% of Americans view the state of the nation’s economy as ‘excellent,’ and only 23% say it’s ‘good.’ Three out of four Americans said the state of the economy was ‘not so good / poor.’”

  
Do Lockdowns Work? The Numbers Say No

Posted: 30 Jan 2022 11:43 AM PST

(John Hinderaker)The effectiveness of lockdown measures by countries and states has been hotly debated for the last two years. Various measures have been tried enough times, in enough places, over a long enough period of time, that we ought to be able to arrive at a reasonably definitive answer.

This study, titled “A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Lockdowns on COVID-19 Mortality,” published by The Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise, seeks to do just that. The study’s methodology strikes me as impressive. It began with a population of several thousand studies that could be relevant, but the authors winnowed the field down to 24 studies that met the authors’ criteria for inclusion.

This study is well worth reading in its entirety, but the abstract states its conclusion clearly:

This systematic review and meta-analysis are designed to determine whether there is empirical evidence to support the belief that “lockdowns” reduce COVID-19 mortality. Lockdowns are defined as the imposition of at least one compulsory, non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI). NPIs are any government mandate that directly restrict peoples’ possibilities, such as policies that limit internal movement, close schools and businesses, and ban international travel. This study employed a systematic search and screening procedure in which 18,590 studies are identified that could potentially address the belief posed. After three levels of screening, 34 studies ultimately qualified. Of those 34 eligible studies, 24 qualified for inclusion in the meta-analysis. They were separated into three groups: lockdown stringency index studies, shelter-in-place-order (SIPO) studies, and specific NPI studies. An analysis of each of these three groups support the conclusion that lockdowns have had little to no effect on COVID-19 mortality. More specifically, stringency index studies find that lockdowns in Europe and the United States only reduced COVID-19 mortality by 0.2% on average. SIPOs were also ineffective, only reducing COVID-19 mortality by 2.9% on average. Specific NPI studies also find no broad-based evidence of noticeable effects on COVID-19 mortality.

While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted. In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument.

Emphasis added. This study’s conclusion is consistent with the broad observation that, whether one looks at different countries or at the U.S. by states, there is no apparent correlation between lockdown measures that have been taken, and results in terms of covid deaths, hospitalizations or cases. The same is true of mask requirements. The burden is on those who would continue to oppress the rest of us with limitations on our activities or mask requirements to prove, empirically, that such measures have benefits that outweigh their enormous costs.

  
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85.) THE POLITICAL INSIDER – WAKE UP EDITION

 


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90.) CONSERVATIVE TRIBUNE

 


91.) USA TODAY

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Daily Briefing
MONDAY, JANUARY 31
Workers plow snow on 6th Avenue after a blizzard hit the Northeast on January 30, 2022 in New York City. A powerful nor'easter brought blinding blizzard conditions with high winds causing some power outages to the Mid-Atlantic.
East Coast digs out after ‘historic nor’easter’
East Coast residents clear snow, Rams will face the Bengals in Super Bowl 56 and more news you need to know Monday.
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Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. A big cleanup is underway on the East Coast after a deadly nor’easter wreaked havoc. An American woman will appear in court accused of leading an all-female battalion of Islamic State militants in Syria. And the Cincinnati Bengals will face-off against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56 after a wild day of football.
It’s Jane, with Monday’s news.
💣 North Korea confirmed it test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam.
🔵 The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet for the first time on Russia’s troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the U.S.
🔴 She “embodied love”: Cheslie Kryst, the 2019 winner of the Miss USA pageant and a correspondent for the entertainment news program “Extra,” has died at age 30.
Miss USA Cheslie Kryst onstage at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant.
Miss USA Cheslie Kryst onstage at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant.
Paras Griffin, Getty Images
💰 The one-year extension Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2022 season included a $20 million signing bonus – with $15 million of it to be paid on Feb. 4, 2022, according to a report.
🚔 Two Connecticut detectives involved in the death investigations involving two Black women have been suspended from their duties and put on administrative leave, city officials announced.
📺 “Emily in Paris” has a surprising “fan” in Peyton Manning, the Hall of Fame quarterback revealed on “Saturday Night Live.”
🏅 Who are you rooting for? Meet the American athletes competing at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in our searchable database.
📱Olympics updates, straight to your phone: Get behind-the-scenes access to the Beijing Games by signing up for USA TODAY’s Olympics texts.
🎧 On today’s 5 Things podcast, national correspondent Deborah Barfield Berry talks about the renewed fight for voting rights legislation. You can listen to the podcast every day on  Apple PodcastsSpotify, or on your smart speaker.
Here’s what’s happening today:

Crews continue clearing snow on East Coast after ‘historic nor’easter’

Crews and residents are continuing to clear snow on the East Coast Monday after a “historic nor’easter” swept across the region over the weekend. Authorities on Long Island reported three storm-related deaths. More than 100,000 lost power at the height of the storm, mostly in Massachusetts. Boston tied its record for biggest single-day snowfall on Saturday, with 23.6 inches, the National Weather Service said. Meanwhile, some sections of New York City were blanketed by more than foot of snow. The storm stretched from Maine to the Carolinas and the cold reached even farther: The temperature in Tallahassee, Florida, dipped below 20 degrees for the first time in more than 10 years. The storm became a bomb cyclone when it rapidly strengthened, or underwent bombogenesis, between Friday and Saturday afternoon as it rolled up the East Coast, AccuWeather said.
The Old Massachusetts State House is enveloped in whiteout conditions as a storm pushes through Boston on Jan. 29, 2022.
The Old Massachusetts State House is enveloped in whiteout conditions as a storm pushes through Boston on Jan. 29, 2022.
Scott Eisen, Getty Images

Super Bowl LVI preparations begin after Bengals, Rams advance

Super Bowl preparations will begin for the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams Monday, after the two teams claimed conference titles Sunday. The Bengals advanced after erasing an 18-point deficit against the Kansas City Chiefs, winning the AFC title game in overtime, 27-24. In the NFC, the Rams had a comeback of their own, defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17, after trailing 10 points in the fourth quarter. Super Bowl LVI will be played on Feb. 13, at SoFi Stadium, the Rams’ home field in Los Angeles.
🏈 Super Bowl 56: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams live stream, time, TV, betting odds, halftime show.
San Francisco 49ers free safety Jimmie Ward pulls on the jersey of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
San Francisco 49ers free safety Jimmie Ward pulls on the jersey of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports
📸 Scroll through the gallery of the best photos from the championship games.

Just for subscribers:

🔵 Lincoln abolished slavery in Washington, D.C., months before the Emancipation Proclamation. Here’s the story behind the act.
☑️ Pennsylvania, Arizona, Alabama: These are the Senate primary races to watch in 2022.
🔴 Ravaged by ongoing war, people in Ukraine’s Luhansk region want the shooting to end.
🏈 Opinion: The Cincinnati Bengals?! are headed to the Super Bowl!? The Bengals? writes NFL columnist Jarrett Bell.
🗳 “This is a time of reckoning”: Civil rights activists are ramping up efforts to press Congress to advance voting rights legislation, including returning to Selma, Alabama.
These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Here is all of our subscriber content.

American woman accused of leading Islamic State battalion to appear in court

former Kansas resident charged with joining the Islamic State and leading an all-female battalion of AK-47-wielding militants in the Syrian city of Raqqa in late 2016 is scheduled for an initial appearance at U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday. Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, has been charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization, according to the U.S. attorney. The criminal complaint was filed under seal back in 2019 but made public Saturday after Fluke-Ekren was brought back to the U.S. Friday to face charges. Her alleged participation in the Islamic State had not been publicly known before Saturday’s announcement. Prosecutors say Fluke-Ekren wanted to recruit operatives to attack a college campus in the U.S. and discussed a terrorist attack on a shopping mall.

‘America’s Golden Girl’: NBC to air special honoring the life and career of Betty White

NBC will air a one-hour special, “Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl” Monday night (10 ET/PT), a month after the beloved actress died at the age of 99. President Joe Biden will join a lineup of A-list stars featured in the event dedicated to the life of the star of such iconic TV comedies as “The Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Other celebrities scheduled to appear include Cher, Carol Burnett, Goldie Hawn, Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Jean Smart, Tracy Morgan and Bryan Cranston. The NBC special comes several weeks after the documentary “Betty White: A Celebration” was released in theaters nationwide by Fathom Events.
A man walks a dog past a new mural of the late actress Betty White by artist Corie Mattie, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2022, in Los Angeles.
A man walks a dog past a new mural of the late actress Betty White by artist Corie Mattie, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2022, in Los Angeles.
Chris Pizzello, AP

Spotify to add advisories to podcasts discussing COVID-19 information

Following protests of Spotify kicked off by Neil Young over the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, the music streaming service said that it will add content advisories before podcasts discussing the virus in the coming days. In a post Sunday, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek laid out more transparent platform rules, saying that the advisories will link to Spotify’s fact-based COVID-19 hub in what he described as a “new effort to combat misinformation.”  The move comes after backlash stirred by Young, who had his music removed from Spotify after the tech giant declined to get rid of episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has been criticized for spreading virus misinformation. Ek did not specifically reference Rogan or Young in his post.

ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday

🚨 Nine people were dead and another was clinging to life in Nevada after a car raced through a red light and slammed into several vehicles, North Las Vegas police said.
📺 “Today” show anchor and meteorologist Dylan Dreyer is saying goodbye to the weekend team to spend more time with her family.
🔵 Howard Hesseman, enshrined in pop culture history for his role as radio disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on CBS sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati,” has died. He was 81.
📱Can’t get enough of Wordle? A student has created a website archiving previous Wordle puzzles, allowing players to dive in to the dozens they missed.

Dry January: Booze-free living doesn’t have to end today

Monday marks the end of the month of January, and with it the official end of Dry January, the popular trend in which people go alcohol-free for 31 days to reflect on the influence drinking has on their lives. Dry January can have a range of health benefits, doctors told USA TODAY, including feeling more alert and well rested. So why not keep it going all year? Staying off the sauce means having a good plan, says research psychologist Dawn Sugarman. “If you enjoy drinking because you feel less stressed, you can work on figuring out what are some other ways you can reduce stress in your life. It’s really examining your relationship with alcohol.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
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95.) RIGHTWING.ORG

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96.) NOT THE BEE

 


97.) US NEWS & WORLD REPORT

 


98.) NEWSMAX

 


99.) MARK LEVIN

January 28, 2022

January 28, 2022

On Friday’s Mark Levin Show, the constitutional case for the 2020 election in Pennsylvania that was brought by Greg Teufel and Julie Levin scored a victory today in the state’s Commonwealth Court. The court ruled that the practice of no-excuse mail-in ballots, put in place by Democrats right before the 2020 election was unconstitutional. This case was initially dismissed outright by the U.S Supreme Court despite being meritorious. Attorney Greg Teufel joins the show to discuss his big win for liberty. This is a real David versus Goliath story. The law Teufel challenged (Act 77) included expanded mail-in voting and absentee voting in a manner that was unconstitutional. Teufel argued that the doctrine of latches did not apply in this case and won. The case now heads to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for appeal. Then, as more and more officers are shot at by criminals, the widow of slain NYPD Officer Jason Rivera spoke at his funeral and called out the pro-crime progressive prosecutors that fail to keep people safe. Cops are human and they come in every race across this country. Later, George Soros is pumping more money into a new Political Action Committee that will be led by his son Alexander Soros. They will be supporting congressional Democrats and Democrat secretaries of state. While they fight to reverse gerrymandering the practice was created to ensure representation for African American voters, yet the Democrats use gerrymandering to ensure victories for Democrats who are usually White. Afterward, President Biden should be impeached from the office of President of the United States. The House must look into impeachment and/or the use of the 25th Amendment. The border crisis alone is enough for impeachment, but there are so many other issues.

THIS IS FROM:

Just The News
Pennsylvania Senate Republicans score court victory in elections investigation

Rumble
Widow of Fallen NYPD Officer: We’re Not Safe Anymore With New DA

Just The News
Liberal megadonor Soros pumps $125 million into super PAC to help Democrats in 2022 midterms

Breitbart
DCCC Endorses Aggressive Gerrymander to Leave New York with 3 GOP Seats

Breitbart
Ukraine Releases Photos of President Zelensky After Controversial Biden Phone Call

The Post Millennial
White House urged to release transcripts of call with Ukraine after Biden allegedly told to ‘calm down’ over Russian invasion remarks

Reason
The Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Looks an Awful Lot Like Entrapment

The podcast for this show can be streamed or downloaded from the Audio Rewind page.

Image used with permission of Getty Images


100.) WOLF DAILY

 


101.) THE GELLER REPORT

Breaking news stories the media complex won’t cover. Share widely.

For more information on any post below, click through to read the full article on our website.


Trump’s Texas rally SHATTERS state record with MASSIVE crowds For ‘SAVE AMERICA” Rally

President Trump was in top form during Saturday night’s ‘Save America Rally’ in Conroe, Texas. The huge crowd was a sight to behold. Americans from states such as Tennessee, Washington, Michigan, California, and elsewhere, drove in to be a part of …


Judge: Skirt Wearing Boy Who Raped Virginia High Schooler Is Not A ‘Sex Offender’

A Virginia judge ruled Thursday that the male high school student who has sexually assaulted female students on at least two different occasions in two Loudoun County high schools will not be required to register as a sex offender.I wonder how …


‘Government Overreach Is Coming to an End’: Massive Truck Convoy Heading to Washington After Ottawa

Living for this! Gotta get me an 18 wheeler.Holy Shit pic.twitter.com/tvKYL4us5c

— Adam Crigler (@AdamCrigler) January 29, 2022

 

Related:

FREEDOM CONVOY: Canadians Furious After Trudeau Calls MASSIVE Trucker Convoy ‘Fringe …


WATCH NEW VIDEO! “2000 Mules” Exposing Ballot Traffickers Who Stole the 2020 Election in MASSIVE Election Fraud Bombshell

This is the smoking gun. Jim Hoft is reporting that True the Vote has been working on a bombshell movie that uses footage they obtained of ballot boxes in key states across America to steal the election in 2020. No wonder they stopped the challenge …


Russia will hit US with cyberattack if sanctioned, cyber expert warns: ‘We are already in warfare state’

This didn’t happen during the Trump Administration. With the inept Biden Administration decimating America’s credibility and deterrence, chaos is now the new normal.When you take your eye off the ball in foreign policy & put climate change at …


American Muslim woman, a former Kansas teacher, leading all-female ISIS battalion

Allison Fluke-Ekren is an Overbook, Kansas, teacher who is accused of organizing and leading an all-female ISIS military battalion. A teacher, think about that.She plotted to blow up a shopping mall here in the USA.

Note to media orgs: …


Netherlands: Muslim adviser to ruling party spent time in prison as part of jihad group that wanted to kill Wilders

A remarkable news story out of the Netherlands vividly illustrates how much mass Muslim migration has already transformed Europe, and will continue to transform it in the near future. A Muslim woman named Soumaya Sahla has just resigned as an …


14 illegal immigrants on TERROR watchlist made it to border, former Border Patrol chief says, terrorist on FBI’s terror watchlist released in Michigan

The Biden administration is the enemy of the people.Terrorist Issam Bazzi, who was caught near the Rio Grande River in Texas last November, was released on his own recognizance ahead of his March asylum hearing in Detroit. Bazzi reportedly …


“Palestinian” Authority hasn’t removed hateful, genocidal content from textbooks, producing worse content

Palestinianism embodies the ideology and aims of jihad, the elimination of the Jews.The left calls the Palestinian Authority ‘moderate.’ In reality, the Palestinian Authority is a virulently antisemitic and corrupt terrorist organization. It …

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111.) UNITED VOICE

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Dear Reader,

There’s been a lot of talk about inflation lately.

Prices have been skyrocketing for months.

We saw the biggest jump in used car prices in 68 years. The steepest increase in home prices in three decades. And grocery prices went up the most they had in a decade in 2020.

But when I sat down with Larry Kudlow the other day, what he had to say was even more eye-opening.

He said a “lethal combination” is hitting that could be devastating to savers.

Washington threatens to create a major retirement crisis,” he told me.

If you are saving for retirement, you need to see this right away. Click the video below to see Larry’s warning about the coming inflation time bomb.


Good investing,

Marc Lichtenfeld Chief Income Strategist, The Oxford Club

P.S. It’s not all bad news. Larry and I both discussed a solution to this mess. It’s something two Ph.D. professors called “a never-ending income stream.”

Again, if you are saving for retirement, this is something you should definitely consider.

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WATCH: Dan Crenshaw Snaps at Young Girl at Fundraiser — Crowd Starts Yells and Calls Him a Moron (VIDEO)
WATCH: Dan Crenshaw Snaps at Young Girl at Fundraiser — Crowd Starts Yells and Calls Him a Moron (VIDEO)
Politicians thirst for public approval. In our democratic system of…
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WATCH: New York Nurse Blows the Whistle on Botched CΟVID Vaccines Given to Kids
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113.) INSURGENT CONSERVATIVES

Voters Oppose 'Transformative' Policies, Want Reform of Dysfunctional Bureaucracies

Do Americans really want transformative change? The evidence accumulates that they don’t. That is a problem for the Joe Biden Democrats, whose policies are…

Insurgent Conservatives

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114.) WAKING TIMES

 


115.) UNCOVER DC

 


116.) DC DIRTY LAUNDRY