“In the weeks after the 2020 election, Rudolph W. Giuliani and other legal advisers to President Donald Trump asked a Republican prosecutor in northern Michigan to get his county’s voting machines and pass them to Trump’s team,” the Washington Post reports.
What You Know About Plastic Is Likely Wrong
A must-read: 6 Myths About Plastic Debunked.
Cheney’s Challenger Can’t Say Who Won In 2020
Harriet Hageman (R), who is challenging Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) in a Republican primary, told the New York Times she didn’t know who the legitimate winner of the 2020 election was (“I don’t know the answer”) and couldn’t say if former Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to block congressional certification of President Biden’s election (“I’m not an elections attorney”).
Said Hageman: “I wasn’t there on Jan. 6. I can’t tell you everything Pence did or didn’t do. What you need to understand is that, for most people out in the real world, none of us really care that much about what happened on Jan. 6.”
Kansas Senate Overrides Veto of New Map
Members of the Kansas state Senate overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s (D) veto of the new congressional map, despite initially falling short of the votes to do so, the Kansas City Star reports.
The override effort now heads to the state House.
Quote of the Day
“We should be pointing to the fact that these successes are because of things that we did. Democrats need to take the win on how far we’ve come.”
— Democratic pollster Brian Stryker, quoted by the New York Times, arguing that Democrats should celebrate the end of mask mandates.
Democratic Candidate Burns Confederate Flag In New Ad
Louisiana U.S. Senate candidate Gary Chambers (D), whose opening campaign video of him smoking a marijuana joint went viral, released another provocative ad in which he burns the Confederate flag, the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reports.
Said Chambers, as he lights the flag on fire: “It’s time to burn what remains of the Confederacy down.”
GOP Candidate Complains Students Can’t Taunt Trans Kids
“Shelley Luther (R), the hair salon owner who was catapulted into political stardom after being jailed for defying a pandemic lockdown order, put transgender kids in the crosshairs of her campaign for the Texas House over the weekend,” the Houston Chronicle reports.
“Luther, a former school teacher, said transgender children make her uncomfortable, and she complained that their classmates weren’t allowed to make fun of them.”
Said Luther: “I am not comfortable with the transgenders. The kids that they brought in my classroom, when they said that this kid is transgendering into a different sex, that I couldn’t have kids laugh at them … like, other kids got in trouble for having transgender kids in my class.”
The Republican Party’s Followership Problem
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Panel Says It Has Power to Disqualify Madison Cawthorn
“The North Carolina State Board of Elections said on Monday that it has the power to block GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn from running for reelection over his role in the January 6 insurrection — an open legal question at the center of liberal-backed efforts to disqualify him from future office,” CNN reports.
“The bipartisan election board made the assertion in a court filing in a case Cawthorn brought against the board, hoping to shut down the constitutional challenge to his candidacy.”
Senate Democrats Shift Strategy as Biden Agenda Falters
“Senate Democratic moderates are urging their leadership to tack to the center by moving bills to the floor that can pass with strong Republican support, but it’s creating tension with liberals who don’t want to abandon the core components of Build Back Better, voting rights legislation and other progressive priorities,” The Hill reports.
“Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) appears to have heard the message from moderates in his caucus loud and clear.”
Said Schumer: “We’re gearing up to have a productive couple of weeks.”
Meanwhile, in the House: “It may not last long (and we won’t overstate it), but the House advanced bills on big issues with pretty significant bipartisan support this week.“
Two Democrats Propose Gas Tax Holiday
“Two Senate Democrats up for reelection proposed a bill on Wednesday to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax through the end of 2022, as millions of Americans grapple with the economic impacts of surging oil prices,” ABC News reports.
“The Gas Prices Relief Act from Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) would suspend the $18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax through Jan. 1, 2023.”
McConnell Laughs Off Trump’s Criticism
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is shrugging off Donald Trump’s campaign to oust him as the top Senate Republican, chuckling that he views ‘Old Crow,’ the former president’s derisive nickname for him, as a compliment,” the Washington Examiner reports.
Said McConnell: “It’s my favorite bourbon.”
He then turned to a staffer and asked: “Aren’t we using Old Crow as my moniker now? It was Henry Clay’s favorite bourbon.”
‘Make an Appointment’
When House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) doesn’t want to answer a question from a reporter, he can sure walk away quickly.
Senseless Logjam Holds Up Nominations
Jonathan Bernstein: “Republicans continue to filibuster pretty much every judicial and executive-branch nomination. Democrats can overcome individual filibusters with a simple majority vote, but by forcing the Senate to spend maximum time with every nomination, Republicans are forcing them to choose which selections to prioritize, meaning that the relatively low-priority picks — for positions still important enough to merit Senate confirmation — are languishing.”
White House Backs Plan to Help Americans Leave Ukraine
“The White House has approved a Pentagon plan for U.S. troops in Poland to help thousands of Americans likely to flee Ukraine if Russia attacks, as the Biden administration tries to avoid the kind of chaotic evacuation conducted in Afghanistan,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
John Fetterman Still Gets Checks in the Mail
“Since entering the Democratic Senate primary in Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has consistently enjoyed a huge leg up in fund-raising. He’s already known for his online small-dollar money machine, a Pennsylvania-size version of the repeat donor model pioneered by the likes of Bernie Sanders,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“But he’s also getting money through good old-fashioned snail mail.”
“New financial filings last week showed that Fetterman’s campaign received about $2.1 million in unitemized, direct donations that weren’t made online. Direct donations under $200 are unitemized, meaning that campaigns aren’t required to provide information on the donors.”
Biden to Do Interview During Super Bowl
President Biden will sit down with NBC News anchor Lester Holt for an exclusive interview as part of the network’s pregame coverage of the Super Bowl on Sunday, The Hill reports.
Lincoln and the Fight for Peace
Another must-read from friend of Political Wire John Avlon: Lincoln and the Fight for Peace.
“Even during the Civil War, surrounded by reactionaries and radicals, he refused to back down from his belief that there is more that unites us than divides us. But he also understood that peace needs to be waged with as much intensity as war.”
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Avlon, John P. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 356 Pages - 02/15/2022 (Publication Date) - Simon & Schuster (Publisher)