“Dutch prosecutors said Wednesday that it was likely Russian President Vladimir Putin personally signed off on a decision to supply long-range antiaircraft missiles systems to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine before they shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew,” the Washington Post reports.
The Best Part of Biden’s Speech
Even if you saw it last night, it’s worth watching again.
New York Times: “Mr. Biden turned the tables on his Republican opponents and argued in real time with the insurgents. It appeared to be the start of his re-election campaign.”
McCarthy Has No Control of His Caucus
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “had warned his colleagues ahead of the speech to behave, but they ignored him and the new speaker had to resort to shushing them repeatedly from the rostrum,” Politico reports.
Amanda Carpenter: “Back in 2009, when South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson yelled ‘You lie!’ in the middle of an address by President Barack Obama to a joint session of Congress, sensibilities were shocked. Wilson’s outburst became a days-long story, and he was formally reprimanded by the House.”
“Nowadays, though, the House Republican Conference has a whole contingent of Joe Wilsons: boorish loudmouths whose lack of impulse control is only matched by their desire for attention.”
Doctors Concerned Over Florida Seeking Menstrual Info
“While a change in diet, medication, exercise and stress can all affect a girl’s menstrual flow, doctors say cycle irregularities don’t affect their ability to play sports and are raising privacy concerns over a state board proposing to mandate that information for Florida students to play high school sports,” the Miami Herald reports.
Quote of the Day
“Marjorie Taylor Greene is now the face of the Republican Party and it’s a mistake. There are some people who like what she does and that’s why she does it. But the vast majority of people — and especially people who are temperamentally Republicans but have been pushed away by Trump and others — react negatively to that kind of behavior, understandably. It’s a mistake.”
— Former national security adviser John Bolton, quoted by NBC News.
The House GOP’s Hunter Biden Problem
Politico: “The turf battle has flown largely under the radar, but it threatens to undermine one of House Republicans’ most highly visible priorities for their new majority. Investigating Hunter Biden is one of the few things they could do unilaterally, at least in theory. But the DOJ looms as a potential roadblock.”
“In fact, Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) suggested in a brief interview with Politico that the Justice Department should hold off on issuing any indictment against Hunter Biden so Republicans can complete their probe.”
China Isn’t Ready to Talk About the Spy Balloon
New York Times: “The Pentagon said on Tuesday that China had rejected a request from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to speak with his Chinese counterpart on Saturday soon after an American fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.”
Related from the Associated Press: “As jets closed in on China balloon, hobbyists were listening.”
Police Officer Took Photos of Bloodied Tyre Nichols
“Documents released Tuesday provided a scathing account of what authorities called the ‘blatantly unprofessional’ conduct of five officers involved in the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop last month — including new revelations about how one officer took and shared pictures of the bloodied victim,” the AP reports.
“The officer, Demetrius Haley, stood over Nichols as he lay propped against a police car and took photographs, which Haley sent to other officers and a female acquaintance.”
Why Biden’s Speech Worked
Jeff Greenfield: “Here’s an opening line I did not expect to write an hour or so ago: President Joe Biden gave a pretty good State of the Union address — indeed, one of the better ones I’ve heard.”
“What made it work was not just that Biden was in a buoyant spirit, with an energy that’s often lacking, but that it was a clearly political speech with a clear political goal: to define Biden as the guy who is on your side, going after the big boys who were flourishing at your expense.”
Why the White House Is Celebrating
Playbook notes President Biden had a few goals last night:
- Remind his audience of his accomplishments over the last two years.
- Reiterate his positions in the spending debate (no negotiations over the debt ceiling and no touching Social Security and Medicare).
- Detail the most popular highlights of his 2023 agenda.
- Expose his congressional GOP opposition as unreasonable and chaotic.
“The speech accomplished the first three goals if you listened or read it carefully. But it will be best remembered for the dramatic clashes with jeering members of the GOP which may have done more than Biden ever could have hoped to accomplish goal No. 4.”
John Harris: “With boos, taunts, groans, and sarcastic chortles, the opposition party effectively turned themselves into prime-time props for President Joseph Biden.”
Democrats Win Three Special Elections in Pennsylvania
“Democrats won control of the Pennsylvania House in special elections Tuesday, wresting partial power from Republicans for the first time in a dozen years in the competitive swing state,” the AP reports.
“Democrats won all three vacant Pittsburgh-area House seats to claim a slim edge over Republicans, finally securing a majority they first appeared to have won in last November’s General Election. Republicans still hold the Senate, creating a political division that could make it difficult for lawmakers to send priority bills to new Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.”
“The special elections capped several months of electoral drama.”
My Reaction to Biden’s State of the Union Address
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The Hunter Biden Laptop Hearings Begin
“House Republicans are set Wednesday to launch hearings into what they describe as collusion between social-media companies and Democrats—starting with their scrutiny of the 2020 episode involving Hunter Biden‘s laptop,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Members of the House Oversight Committee plan to question former Twitter Inc. executives over their decision to limit the reach of two 2020 New York Post articles that contained disclosures from the president’s son’s laptop that was dropped off at a Delaware repair shop.”
Trump Goes Negative on DeSantis
The Daily Mail amplifies Donald Trump’s posting of photos of Ron DeSantis as a teacher, allegedly partying with high school girls.
Big Majority of Viewers Liked Biden’s Speech
A CNN flash poll of the State of the Union found 72% of viewers had a positive reaction to President Biden’s speech.
Key takeaway: 71% of speech watchers said Biden’s policies will move the country in right direction — up 19 percentage points from before his speech.
Republicans Jeered Biden
Punchbowl News: “It was, to say the least, an unusual SOTU speech, even shocking at points, yet also a mostly effective one for the president. The focus was very heavy on domestic issues and there was little discussion of foreign policy.”
“Despite being warned by Republican leaders to behave themselves, there were constant jeers, boos and interjections from rank-and-file GOP lawmakers in the audience.”
“Yet Biden – who has more than 50 years in politics – rolled with it. At one point, Biden had a sort of call-and-response exchange with Republicans over preserving Social Security and Medicare. Biden sarcastically agreed with them that the hugely popular programs are off the table in any budget talks.”
Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Biden’s 72-minute address was interrupted several times by Republican lawmakers. One GOP representative was caught on camera calling the president a liar, and another yelled, ‘your fault,’ when Mr. Biden spoke of the rise in fentanyl-related deaths.”
Earthquake Death Toll Tops 11,000 in Turkey and Syria
“The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 11,000 people, with the number of victims in the two countries climbing quickly two days after earthquakes leveled cities and towns,” the Washington Post reports.
Boebert Says God Had Her to Stand Up to ‘Demon’ McCarthy
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) suggested that God used her to stand up to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), whom she indirectly referred to as one of her “demons,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Boebert: “God is using you in mighty ways… Maybe he’ll have you ball up your fists and stand in front of some demons — maybe a speaker of the House?”
