Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon (R) released a Super Bowl ad depicting him in armed “showdown” with Democratic leaders including incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), The Hill reports.
Police Records Complicate Herschel Walker’s Story
The Associated Press obtained a heavily-redacted police report involving Hershel Walker (R), who is running for U.S. Senate in Georgia:
“One warm fall evening in 2001, police in Irving, Texas, received an alarming call from Herschel Walker’s therapist. The football legend and current Republican Senate candidate in Georgia was ‘volatile,’ the therapist said, armed with a gun and scaring his estranged wife at the suburban Dallas home they no longer shared.”
“Officers took cover outside, noting later that Walker had ‘talked about having a shoot-out with police.’ Then they ordered the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and onetime Dallas Cowboy to step out of the home.”
Clinton to Speak to New York Democratic Convention
“Hillary Clinton is expected to speak at next week’s New York State Democratic Party Convention,” CNBC reports.
“The development comes as Clinton, who also worked as secretary of State during the first half of President Barack Obama’s administration, works to maintain relevance in a party that could be headed for defeat in this year’s midterm elections.”
“It may also stoke speculation about a potential new Clinton bid for elected office.”
Trump ‘Terrified’ of Forthcoming Book
Former Trump communications director Alyssa Farah told The View that Donald Trump is “terrified” of a forthcoming book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
Said Farah: “There is quite a bit more to come.”
Adam Kinzinger Warns of Civil War
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) told The View that “we have to recognize” the possibility of a civil war, adding, “I don’t think it’s too far of a bridge to think that’s a possibility.”
He added: “We’re identifying now by our race, by our ethnic group, we’re separating ourselves and we live in different realities And I think we have to warn and talk about it so that we can recognize that and fight hard against it and put our country over our parties because our survival actually matters.”
Manchin Wants to Boost Social Security Taxes
“Fired up by sky-high inflation prices, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he has the political will to do the unpopular thing: lift the cap on income taxed for Social Security to $400,000 in order to sustain that program,” Politico reports.
Said Manchin: “You could raise it to $400,000 overnight… I’ve got the will to do it, that’s all I can tell you because I’ve got grandchildren. Ten grandchildren. We’ve got future generations depending on us to the right thing. I’m willing to do a lot of good things on climate too.”
Most Biden Detractors Like Nothing He’s Done So Far
A new CNN poll finds just 41% of voters approve of the way President Biden is handling his job while 58% disapprove.
This is striking: “When those who disapproved of Biden’s overall performance were asked to name a single thing he’d done that they did approved of, 56% had nothing positive to say.”
Jockeying Among SCOTUS Candidates Gets Going
“Black female lawmakers are elated that President Biden will soon nominate the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court,” the Washington Post reports.
“But there are concerns that the early jockeying over whom he should choose will pit potential nominees against each other at a time when the party should be focused on celebrating a historic moment.”
The longer Biden waits to announce, the more jockeying there will be.
Politics Will Decide the End the Pandemic
Olivier Knox: “With relatively few exceptions in U.S. history, the top brass at the Pentagon has known more about waging war than the president of the United States, but he’s the one in charge. The CIA has more spycraft. NASA has actual rocket scientists. But they, too, answer to the Oval Office.”
“The pandemic has given Americans a refresher course in federalism, reminding us of the central importance of governors, even if Washington made many of the most consequential decisions, like spurring vaccine development. But it is also testing American attitudes about whether elected officials or infectious-disease experts should call the shots…”
“Politicians get the last word for the same reason the Constitution anoints the president commander in chief and reserves the power to declare war for Congress — they’re directly accountable to the voters. The experts are not.”
Investigators Find Gaps in Records of Trump’s Calls
“The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has discovered gaps in official White House telephone logs from the day of the riot, finding few records of calls by President Donald Trump from critical hours when investigators know that he was making them,” the New York Times reports.
“Investigators have not uncovered evidence that any official records were tampered with or deleted, and it is well known that Mr. Trump used his personal cellphone, and those of his aides, routinely to talk with aides, congressional allies and outside confidants.”
“But the sparse call records are the latest major obstacle to the panel’s central mission: recreating what Mr. Trump was doing behind closed doors during crucial moments of the assault on Congress by a mob of his supporters.”
Congress Passes Landmark Bill on Sexual Harassment
“With rare bipartisan support, the Senate passed landmark workplace legislation on Thursday that forbids companies from forcing sexual harassment and assault claims into arbitration,” Axios reports.
CNN: “The legislation ends the use of forced arbitration clauses for sexual harassment and assault claims. According to lawmakers, more than 60 million Americans are subjected to these provisions in employment contracts.”
U.K. to Declare End of the Pandemic
“The prime minister will effectively declare the end of the pandemic in two weeks, scrapping compulsory isolation for people with Covid-19 and starting the winding-down of free tests,” the Times of London reports.
“The move will be part of a ‘strategy for living with Covid,’ to be published on February 21.”
The Judge Wars Go On
“The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the selection of Andre Mathis to be a judge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals by a 12-10 vote despite the fact his home-state senators, Tennessee GOP Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, oppose his nomination,” Politico reports.
“It’s the first time a circuit court nomination has advanced without the return of a ‘blue slip’ — a committee tradition that allowed home state senators to effectively block nominations — during the Biden administration. Republicans effectively threw the staple out the window during the Trump administration, confirming 17 circuit court picks over the objections of home-state senators.”
Gas Prices Surge Across U.S.
“Gasoline prices across the U.S. are surging to the highest level in eight years as the price of crude oil rises, spiked by worries about geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe,” CBS News reports.
Americans Increasingly Critical of Pandemic Response
A new Pew Research survey finds Americans are increasingly critical of the response to Covid-19 from elected officeholders and public health officials.
“Amid debates over how to address the surge in cases driven by the omicron variant, confusion is now the most common reaction to shifts in public health guidance: 60% of U.S. adults say they’ve felt confused as a result of changes to public health officials’ recommendations on how to slow the spread of the coronavirus, up 7 percentage points since last summer.”
“Evaluations of elected leaders at all levels of government have also moved lower. A majority (60%) now describes the job Joe Biden is doing responding to the coronavirus as only fair or poor.”
Russia Steps Up Activity on Ukraine Border
“US officials have warned that Russia has continued to ramp up its military activity around the Ukrainian border, despite a flurry of diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis including a high-profile visit to Moscow this week by French president Emmanuel Macron,” the Financial Times reports.
Boris Johnson to Be Questioned by Police
“Boris Johnson is expected to be among 50 people in Downing Street who will be questioned by police over lockdown-breaching parties,” the Times of London reports.
“The prime minister attended six of the events. They included a ‘bring your own booze’ No 10 garden party, a gathering to celebrate his 56th birthday in the Cabinet Room and an alleged party in his flat to celebrate the departure of Dominic Cummings, who was his chief adviser. He also attended three leaving parties.”
Another Man Connected to Matt Gaetz Agrees to Cooperate
“A Florida collectibles dealer connected to the federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz formally entered a guilty plea in Orlando on Wednesday, marking another twist in the ongoing probe into the Republican congressman,” Politico reports.
“Joe Ellicott, known as ‘Big Joe,’ pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit fraud and drug charges and has agreed to cooperate with federal authorities.”
