During an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier and in a statement blasted out to reporters, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Sunday he could not support the current version of the Build Back Better Act being considered in the Senate.
Continue reading “Manchin Says He Cannot Support Build Back Better Act In Most Definitive Statement To Date”COVID Notes #6
Keep an eye on an emerging discussion about the apparent peak of infections in Gauteng province in South Africa. That is the region where Omicron was first discovered and where its spread first caught fire. (We don’t actually know where it originated.) I don’t want to characterize what this means because I know nothing. But even the people who know a lot don’t appear to have a clear idea what it means. I note it here because even though it’s not clear what it means it does seem to be different enough to what was expected to require some explanation. And that explanation could deepen or change our understanding of what Omicron is.
Professor Shabir Madhi of University of the Witwatersrand notes that Omicron crested after 4 weeks compared to 8 weeks for the earlier two waves. In his thread Madhi provides other tentative but encouraging numbers on disease severity. But it’s the apparent plateau that seems to have people scratching their heads. Others, including Tulio de Oliveira who did the first lab work on Omicron, suggests caution, pointing to population shifts in Gauteng at this time of year.
Continue reading “COVID Notes #6”COVID Notes #5 (News You Can Use Edition)
Along with vaccines, masking has been one of the most solidaristic parts of the pandemic. If everyone masks up, then everyone’s risk goes down dramatically. That’s true and it should continue to inform our actions. But if you remain risk averse or are from a vulnerable population, you do have options if you live in a community with poor masking or simply want to up your odds. It wasn’t the case early in the pandemic. But today n95 and other related high filtration masks are pretty widely available. Not everyone finds these comfortable. It really depends on the person. I’m used to using them for woodworking and I wear them for long periods of time and don’t give it a second thought. Depends on the person.
Continue reading “COVID Notes #5 (News You Can Use Edition)”CNN: Rick Perry Pitched Meadows On Plan To Steal Election Even Before Results Were In
Investigators on the Jan. 6 Committee believe that former Energy Secretary Rick Perry authored a Nov. 4 text to Mark Meadows suggesting that three state legislatures overrule their voters and cast electoral votes for Trump, CNN reports.
Continue reading “CNN: Rick Perry Pitched Meadows On Plan To Steal Election Even Before Results Were In”Trump Spews More Anti-Semitism, Says Jews Used To Control Congress
Former President Donald Trump continued his long-running tradition of anti-Semitic statements in a recent interview, saying that Jews have historically controlled Congress.
Continue reading “Trump Spews More Anti-Semitism, Says Jews Used To Control Congress”Fox News Dealt Major Setback In Dominion’s Mega-Defamation Case
Fox News is staring down the barrel of a $1.6 billion defamation claim after it failed to get the case against it by Dominion Voting Systems dismissed.
The decision Thursday by a state judge in Delaware clears the way for Dominion Voting Systems to proceed to discovery in the case and cranks up the pressure on Fox News in the high-stakes battle over its coverage of the 2020 election aftermath.
Continue reading “Fox News Dealt Major Setback In Dominion’s Mega-Defamation Case”McConnell Says Public ‘Needs To Know’ Jan. 6 Committee Findings After Opposing Its Creation
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has apparently had a change of heart about the Jan. 6 committee, saying Thursday that “the public needs to know” its findings on the “horrendous event.”
Continue reading “McConnell Says Public ‘Needs To Know’ Jan. 6 Committee Findings After Opposing Its Creation”The Sausage Making: Senate Democrats Wrap Up 2021 On A Sour Note
Your intermittent briefing on negotiations over the reconciliation bill.
The year is ending for Senate Democrats on a note befitting the last few aggravating months.
Continue reading “The Sausage Making: Senate Democrats Wrap Up 2021 On A Sour Note”Melania Trump Cashes In Bigly On The NFT Craze
The First Lady Of Grift
Melania Trump is getting in on the NFT action.
- The best part:
Trump’s first NFT offering is a watercolor depiction of her “cobalt blue eyes” called “Melania’s Vision.” She said it would provide “the collector with an amulet to inspire.” Each NFT will cost about $187.
- Trump says some of the proceeds from the sales will go toward helping “children aging out of the foster care system,” but her office didn’t respond to questions about how much of the proceeds will go to good causes.
- Petri: “Melania Trump’s new NFT is the perfect holiday g(r)ift“
- But but but …. what would Nancy Reagan say?!?
BBB On Life Support
President Biden in a written statement Thursday evening conceded what had become obvious in recent days: BBB isn’t getting a Senate vote before the holidays.
- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) remains the biggest roadblock to passing the centerpiece of the Biden agenda.
- It no longer seems safe to assume that Senate Democrats will eventually reach some kind of agreement on BBB.
- Punting BBB into an election year doesn’t inspire confidence that a deal is within reach anytime soon.
More Bad News On BBB Front
Senate parliamentarian rules that latest immigration proposal in BBB violates reconciliation rules.
This Guy!
Retired Army Col. Phil Waldron, the creator of the Big Lie PowerPoint, has been subpoenaed by Jan. 6 committee.
- Note: Earlier this week, Waldron was an invited speaker at an official meeting of the state commission charged with revamping Louisiana’s voting system.
Insurrectionist Still Serving In National Guard
The National Guard has been slow in booting Jan. 6 defendants. Here’s the latest example.
The holy grail of this line of inquiry is whether any National Guard members participated on Jan. 6 then were deployed to defend the Capitol in the following days, but so far I don’t think anyone has turned up such a case.
Crazytown
The RNC has committed to paying up to $1.6 million of President Trump’s legal bills in the New York civil and criminal investigations of his business practices.
Texas Abortion Ban Gets A Boost From Gorsuch
The Texas abortion providers who won a narrow victory at the Supreme Court last week wanted the case sent back to the trial court. But instead Justice Neal Gorsuch referred it back to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case is expected to languish through additional procedural hurdles.
- The upshot: The Texas case may be stalled long enough to be rendered moot by the pending Supreme Court decision on Mississippi’s abortion ban, which is expected to gut Roe.
FDA Approves Abortion Pills By Mail
The lifting of the restrictions that required obtaining the pills in person is a win for reproductive rights in an otherwise bleak legal and political landscape.
Welcome To The College Admissions Revolution!
Harvard will not require standardized tests in admissions for at least another four years.
Get Ready To Resume Your Student Loan Payments
Here’s how it’s going to work.
All In On Voting Rights
Students hold hunger strike at White House to advocate for voting rights legislation.
Omicron For The Holidays
Ed Yong: “America Is Not Ready for Omicron“
CNN: “A Covid-19 ‘viral blizzard’ is about to hit the US, expert says“
NYT: “Scientists Are Racing to Gauge the Threat of Omicron“
CNN: “What can the world learn from countries where Omicron is surging?“
CDC recommends Moderna and Pfizer vaccines over J&J.
Must Read
DMN: How prison gerrymandering in Texas dilutes Democratic power and boosts the GOP
Bizarre
The Muslim civil rights group CAIR has fired the most senior official in its Ohio chapter, alleging that he was secretly recording meetings and passing confidential information to an anti-Muslim group for 13 years.
An additional twist, from the CAIR statement:
In the wake of Iqbal’s termination, the Columbus office of CAIR-Ohio has discovered suspicious purchases from ammunition and gun retailers made in recent weeks using a CAIR-Ohio credit card that Iqbal administered. Yesterday, CAIR-Ohio staff also found a suspicious package mailed to the CAIR-Ohio Columbus office containing parts for an AR-15 rifle. CAIR-Ohio has shared this information with law enforcement, which is currently investigating the matter.
Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement In Jeopardy
A federal judge in Manhattan ruled that the billion dollar settlement could not legally release members of the Sackler family from civil liability.
In Other News
Police obtain search warrant for Alec Baldwin’s iPhone as part of the “Rust” shooting investigation.
Remember When Trump Saved Christmas?
GOP Approved Footing Up To $1.6 Million Of Trump’s Legal Fees To Fight NY Probes
The GOP reportedly agreed to fund up to $1.6 million of former President Trump’s legal bills to fight probes into his business practices in New York, according to the Washington Post.
Continue reading “GOP Approved Footing Up To $1.6 Million Of Trump’s Legal Fees To Fight NY Probes”