“One of the 39 bills Michigan Senate Republicans proposed to overhaul the state’s voting laws would make it a crime for certain officials to share information about an upcoming election on Twitter or other social media platforms,” the Detroit News reports.
Firing of U.S. Ambassador at Center of Giuliani Probe
New York Times: “The long-running inquiry reached a turning point this week when FBI agents seized telephones and computers from Mr. Giuliani’s home and office in Manhattan… At least one of the warrants was seeking evidence related to Ms. Yovanovitch and her role as ambassador.”
“In particular, the federal authorities were expected to scour the electronic devices for communications between Mr. Giuliani and Trump administration officials about the ambassador before she was recalled in April 2019.”
“The warrant also sought his communications with Ukrainian officials who had butted heads with Ms. Yovanovitch, including some of the same people who at the time were helping Mr. Giuliani seek damaging information about President Biden, who was then a candidate, and his family.”
Mark Kelly Bucks Biden on the Border
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) “sounded a rare note of criticism after Biden’s Wednesday night address to Congress, asking the president for more federal resources at the border and calling the influx of migrants coming into his state a ‘crisis’ — language that Biden’s White House is resisting,” Politico reports.
“In his characteristically low-key way, Kelly didn’t back down Thursday from his knock on Biden for omitting a detailed plan for the border and his vow to ‘continue holding this administration accountable.'”
Investigators Already Working with Giuliani’s Associates
“By the time federal investigators searched the Manhattan home of Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday, they had amassed a trove of evidence from his associates in Ukraine, focusing most intently on Giuliani’s ties to Ukrainian oligarchs,” Time reports.
“The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described lengthy interviews with investigators in Europe, Manhattan and Washington, starting in the fall of 2019 and continuing through February. The calls and meetings with investigators grew more frequent and ‘intense’ after Joe Biden’s victory in last fall’s presidential election.”
“Two of the witnesses say they were working with Giuliani while cooperating with federal investigators.”
Virginia Republicans Struggle With Voter ID
“As Republicans across the country insist more laws are needed to protect election integrity, Virginia Republicans have found themselves in a bit of a voter ID quagmire,” NBC News reports.
“At issue is a decision to quietly allow voters to participate in their complicated primary process even if they left blank parts of the application, including required fields that asked for their state-issued voter ID number and a signature.”
“Under party rules, the final decision should be made with input from the state party’s general counsel, but he had to recuse himself because he works for one of the campaigns.”
Vaccine Forgery Cards Spread
“Specific directions showing how to forge Covid-19 vaccination cards have proliferated on conspiracy, pro-Trump and anti-vaccination forums throughout the internet in recent weeks, as users have exploited a largely makeshift verification system,” NBC News reports.
“The cards, distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have been handed out to the more than 140 million Americans who have already received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccination. The Biden administration has declared it wouldn’t create a federal vaccination database, citing privacy concerns, paving the way for the cards to become the country’s default national way to verify if someone has been vaccinated.”
Trump Even Invites Candidates He Won’t Endorse
CNN: “Occasionally, the 45th President has invited candidates to meet with him at Mar-a-Lago who he has no intention of endorsing. One Trump aide said he enjoys the lavish praise and frequently crows to guests at the club about the weight his support carries.”
McCarthy Repeats Claim that Biden Wants Meat Limits
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) repeated the false claim that President Joe Biden has proposed to restrict how much red meat Americans are allowed to eat in a Fox News interview.
McCarthy’s interviewer, Sean Hannity, did not correct him.
Cuomo’s Vaccine Czar Suddenly Quits
“Larry Schwartz, one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s most trusted advisers, unexpectedly stepped down from his role as New York State’s vaccine czar, about five months after he was recruited by the governor to spearhead the state’s vaccine rollout,” the New York Times reports.
“His resignation was submitted on Wednesday, just as the State Legislature restored state provisions to the public officers law that would have affected Mr. Schwartz had he remained in the position.”
Gretchen Whitmer Ties Reopening to Vaccination Rates
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) outlined a plan that ties specific vaccination levels to rolling back COVID-19 restrictions, Detroit Free Press reports.
“In short: Two weeks after 60% of people get their first vaccine dose, the state will increase indoor capacity for sporting events, gyms and lift curfews on restaurants/bars; two weeks after hitting 65%, it will lift all indoor capacity restrictions; two weeks after hitting 70%, the state will rescind its mask mandate.”
Republicans Put Up Little Opposition to Biden’s Spending
Rich Lowry: “In 2009, President Barack Obama created a spontaneous, hugely influential conservative grassroots movement on the basis of an $800 billion stimulus bill and a health care plan estimated to cost less than a trillion. In 2021, Biden is proposing to spend about $6 trillion in his first three big bills, and he can barely create more interest than the debate on wearing masks outdoors.”
“The conventional wisdom was that after the free-spending Trump years, Republicans would snap back to being deficit hawks when out of power. There’s been some of that, but the relatively muted reaction to Biden’s almost incomprehensible spending ambitions is testament to the fact that, no, Republicans simply aren’t as interested in fiscal issues anymore.”
Val Demings Wants to Challenge Ron DeSantis
Playbook: “It’s sounding increasingly likely that Rep. Val Demings wants to run against Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, according to two sources who have spoken with her about it and two more who have been briefed on her conversations with donors and top Democrats.”
Said one source: “At this point, it’s more likely than not that she does run. And if she does, it’s almost definitely running for governor.”
“That puts Demings on a collision course with former governor and fellow Rep. Charlie Crist, who is expected to announce his own gubernatorial campaign as early as Tuesday.”
Quote of the Day
“No president has ever said those words from this podium. No president ever said those words and it is about time.”
— President Joe Biden, on C-SPAN, beginning his joint address to Congress with the words: “Madame Speaker, Madam Vice President.”
Ryan Zinke to Run for Congress Again
Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (R) has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to run for Congress.
Zinke plans to run for the new House seat that will be created in Montana in the new round of redistricting.
Conspiracy Theories Grip Miami Talk Radio
The Forward: “Multiple news stories have reported how Miami’s influential Spanish-language talk radio, the traditional bastion of anti-communist Cuba rhetoric, and conservative Hispanic social media groups have become dominated by far-right conspiracy theories, with frequent denunciations of George Soros as emblematic of a powerful Jewish cabal.”
“This shift toward insinuating Jews-as-communists arises from an intensive and successful branding of Democrats as socialists that has come to dominate Republican Hispanic political circles and messaging in South Florida.”
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Typo Dooms Marco Rubio’s Amendment
In an exchange captured on CSPAN, Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) request for unanimous consent to fix a typo on an amendment he was offering on a water infrastructure bill was objected to by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), killing the amendment.
GOP Senators Targeted for Opposing Biden’s Agenda
Bloomberg: “The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is targeting Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Ron Johnson and open seats in North Carolina and Pennsylvania in ads criticizing Republicans for not backing President Joe Biden’s efforts to boost the economy and vaccinate Americans against the coronavirus.”