The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Connected Commerce Council – Dems regroup as Biden agenda stumbles
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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*
*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.
IN CONGRESS
The plan came, it hovered for a bit, and it went:
Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) voted with Republicans last night to officially kill Democrats’ goal to change the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation. https://bit.ly/3FNrsc2
The vote: 52-48 – Republicans were united in their opposition.
Was this a surprise?: Not at all, but it solidifies the defeat for Dems.
What happens now?: “Democrats are expected to pivot away from the voting rights push and the filibuster discussions as they are trying to revive a slimmed down Build Back Better bill and looking for potential areas of bipartisanship including potential Russia sanctions or funding the government.”
‘THE VOTING RIGHTS FIGHT HAS GONE FROM PARTISAN TO PERSONAL’:
Via The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Scott Wong: https://bit.ly/3fJiu5e
TIDBIT FROM VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:
“Asked by [CNN’s Manu Raju] if the elections would be illegitimate if these voting bills don’t pass … Vice President Harris replied: ‘Let’s get these bills passed before we have that conversation.’” (Tweet from CNN’s Ali Zaslav) Photo of Harris on the move: https://bit.ly/3qJPlwS
Now, what? How to package the failed bills into a nice little gift box with a bow:
Via The Hill’s Hanna Trudo, “Democratic National Committee (DNC) insiders are debating how to handle the disappointments of President Biden’s biggest legislative fallouts, adding to the already mounting sense of despair in a party searching for a 2022 comeback.” https://bit.ly/3FSjmze
Where things stand: “While officials desperately want to keep Democrats in power, some sources say there’s a lack of consensus about how to do that from outside the White House. And the thought that things could go downhill is further depressing those supportive of the president’s agenda who want to see him succeed.”
What to expect: https://bit.ly/3FSjmze
BIDEN’S AGENDA MAY HAVE HIT A STOPPING POINT, BUT THERE COULD STILL BE MOVEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE:
Via The New York Times’s Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman: https://nyti.ms/3fJWnf4
It’s Thursday. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.
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Congress is considering sweeping antitrust legislation that could hurt the digital economy – and put small businesses at risk. Learn more at connectedcouncil.org
IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Biden’s two-hour press conference:
President Biden held a rare press conference yesterday, where he took questions from reporters for nearly two hours. https://bit.ly/3qJKSu8
The biggest gaffe: “A predictable question on a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine produced an odd and damaging response. Biden suggested that a “minor incursion” by the Kremlin’s forces might not receive much aggressive push back from the United States.”
How Biden’s advisors tried to help: “White House aides immediately scrambled to try to clear up the confusion. They had little success.”
More takeaways from Biden’s presser: https://bit.ly/3qJKSu8
‘U.S., EUROPEAN OFFICIALS HOLD CRISIS TALKS AS UKRAINE STANDOFF INTENSIFIES’:
Via The Washington Post’s Missy Ryan and Loveday Morris: https://wapo.st/33UUCcg
LAWMAKERS IN BOTH PARTIES ARE URGING BIDEN TO SEND MORE AIDE TO UKRAINE:
Via The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell: https://bit.ly/3tIBF7n
‘RIFT GROWS BETWEEN BIDEN AND IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES’:
Via The Hill’s Rafael Bernal and Rebecca Beitsch: https://bit.ly/3GQdec2
LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS
Interesting read — ‘Can Omicron Cause Long Covid?’:
Via The New York Times’s Pam Belluck, “It is too soon to know, scientists say, but mild initial illness may not signal reduced risk.”
What we know, including if the vaccines help with long COVID-19: https://nyti.ms/3tIJx8U
CASE NUMBERS:
Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 68,572,066
U.S. death toll: 857,781
Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y
VACCINATION NUMBERS:
Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 530 million shots have been given.
Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 313,885 doses
For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million.
Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH
Congress is considering sweeping antitrust legislation that could hurt the digital economy – and put small businesses at risk. Learn more at connectedcouncil.org
T-MINUS 15 DAYS UNTIL THE WINTER OLYMPICS
NBC isn’t sending Olympic announcers to Beijing:
Via USA Today’s Christine Brennan, “As the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games approach and COVID-19 concerns mount, NBC Sports will not send any of its announcing teams to China, a spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports Wednesday afternoon.” https://bit.ly/3tIq1ta
Where will the announcers be?: At the NBC facility in Stamford, Conn.
THIS A.M. — ‘RALPH LAUREN UNVEILS TEAM USA’S OPENING OLYMPIC UNIFORMS’:
Details from The Associated Press’s Leanne Italie — plus photos: https://bit.ly/3GOvCBQ
IN OTHER NEWS
Robert Costa is leaving The Washington Post:
Robert Costa, a top journalist at The Washington Post, announced this morning that he is moving to CBS News.
Keep in mind: Costa recently wrote a newsy book about the 2020 presidential election with veteran reporter Bob Woodward.
Read his full announcement on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3AgfZRp
‘Nuff people say they know they can’t believe, Jamaica we have a bobsled team!’:
The Jamaican four-man bobsled team has qualified for the 2022 Beijing Olympics for the first time in more than 20 years (!)
If you’re totally confused why I would mention this: A Jamaican bobsled team was the premise of the 1993 film “Cool Runnings.”
What to know about the team and the significance, via NBC’s Scott Stump: https://nbcnews.to/3FL8fIa
I LOVE THIS — TEAM JAMAICA LEANED INTO THE COOL RUNNINGS REFERENCE:
Team Jamaica tweeted, “BREAKING: JAMAICA, WE HAVE A BOBSLED TEAM HEADING TO BEIJING! It will be fire on ice as #TeamJamaica secured their spot at the 2022 Beijing #WinterOlympics. This will be the 1st time JAM has qualified in 3 Olympic bobsled events: four-man, two-man and women’s monobob” https://bit.ly/3qN9Ysl
We’re all rooting for you!
NOTABLE TWEETS:
Oh my gosh — I can’t believe this woman continued to report live:
A West Virginia reporter was hit by a car while on-air. She says she is OK and continues to report live on air. She honestly deserves a medal. Video — it already has more than 1.5 million views: https://bit.ly/3Imdqjl
Reaction from NBC’s Gary Grumbach: “I can’t stop thinking about how horrendous this is, in a million ways. If a local newsroom doesn’t have the resources to adequately staff live shots, I’m not sure it’s the reporter who should have to suffer here.” https://bit.ly/3FI0DGh
This is a *horrendous* concept, but I love a good mystery:
CBS News’s Kathryn Watson tweeted an anonymous message to @overhearddistrict. It reads, “I witnessed a Congressman order a mayonnaise sandwich for lunch. Just bread and mayonnaise… that’s it.” https://bit.ly/3fN4OWE
The anonymous tipster then added that it was “a GOP congressman from North Carolina.”
Watson added: “There are only 7 of them, if I’m counting correctly, we can figure out this mystery, guys.”
ON TAP:
The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.
9:30 a.m. EST: President Biden received the President’s Daily Brief.
10:30 a.m. – noon EST: First and last votes in the House. The House’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/3nJxgNB
11:15 a.m. EST: President Biden and Vice President Harris met with the Infrastructure Implementation Task Force.
Noon: A judicial confirmation vote in the Senate. The Senate’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/3Kt17DS
1 p.m. EST: The Hill is hosting a virtual event, “The Future of Cities Summit,” featuring mayors from around the country. Details, speakers and how to RSVP: https://bit.ly/3fBONDd
7 p.m. EST: President Biden and Vice President Harris speak at a virtual Democratic National Committee grassroots event.
WHAT TO WATCH:
1:30 p.m. EST: White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/33TRnl3
4:15 p.m. EST: President Biden meets with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3FKK1Of
6:30 p.m. EST: NBC’s Lester Holt interviews White House chief of staff Ron Klain on “NBC Nightly News.”
IN LIGHTER NEWS:
Today is National Cheese Lover’s Day.
And to break up your afternoon, here’s a dog that totally destroyed a few books, but had a VERY good reason: https://bit.ly/3GP3ONL
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