“Dustin Stockton, a conservative activist who helped promote rallies leading up to Jan. 6, and Keith Kellogg, who served as the national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, arrived for interviews with the select panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection Tuesday morning,” Politico reports.
Wholesale Prices Surge
Wholesale prices increased at their quickest pace on record in November — up 9.6% from a year ago — in the latest sign that the inflation pressures bedeviling the economy are still present, CNBC reports.
Democrats Will Raise Debt Ceiling Hours Before Deadline
“Congressional Democrats will move to raise the debt ceiling Tuesday, one day before the Dec. 15 deadline that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned could mark the start of the first-ever U.S. default,” CNBC reports.
New Feature for Members
Join now to continue reading.
Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.
Most Americans Act as If the Pandemic Is Over
Matthew Walther: “I don’t know how to put this in a way that will not make me sound flippant: No one cares. Literally speaking, I know that isn’t true, because if it were, the articles wouldn’t be commissioned. But outside the world inhabited by the professional and managerial classes in a handful of major metropolitan areas, many, if not most, Americans are leading their lives as if Covid is over, and they have been for a long while.”
“I don’t mean to deny Covid’s continuing presence…. What I wish to convey is that the virus simply does not factor into my calculations or those of my neighbors, who have been forgoing masks, tests (unless work imposes them, in which case they are shrugged off as the usual BS from human resources), and other tangible markers of Covid-19’s existence for months—perhaps even longer.”
Why David Perdue Thinks He Can Beat Brian Kemp
“It’s not just Donald Trump’s endorsement that has former U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and his advisers optimistic about his divisive primary challenge against Gov. Brian Kemp (R), the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“An internal poll conducted by Perdue’s campaign showed the two Republican rivals deadlocked in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup before voters were told Perdue won Trump’s blessing.”
“The survey, released Monday by GOP pollster Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, pegged Perdue at 47% and Kemp at 44% — within the margin of error of 3 percentage points.”
The 25 Wealthiest Members of Congress
Insider compiles a list of the 25 wealthiest members of Congress — 13 Democrats and 12 Republicans.
It’s Not Just Manchin
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), chair of the Finance Committee, told Politico there are more than 20 issues about President Biden’s social spending bill that are currently playing out before the Senate parliamentarian.
That means it isn’t just Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) standing in the way of getting the bill done before Dems’ ideal Christmas deadline.
Mark Meadows Caught In a Rundown
Join now to continue reading.
Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.
Pfizer Pill Likely Works Against Omicron
“Preliminary laboratory tests gave encouraging signs that Pfizer’s experimental Covid-19 pill for the newly infected could work against Omicron,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Pfizer also said Tuesday that a final analysis of late-stage study results confirmed the drug, named Paxlovid, was 89% effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization and death in adults at high risk of severe Covid-19.”
Why Biden Can’t Win On Inflation
FiveThirtyEight: “It’s no secret that inflation is politically powerful. You can’t miss rising prices, and research has found that Americans care deeply about inflation. But the politics of handling it is messy, and should prices continue to rise, Biden has a difficult task. He faces a country that views inflation through a highly partisan lens — and that will judge his performance on the issue accordingly. If he ignores inflation, it could spiral as it did with Carter. But at the same time, should Biden react too forcefully, the cure could be worse than the disease.”
Evangelicals Shocked by Trump’s Outburst on Netanyahu
“One of former president Donald Trump’s major evangelical backers on Monday condemned recently reported attacks by Trump on former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warned that he risked alienating his Christian base by distancing himself from the Israeli leader,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Mike Evans, in a letter to Trump: “Please, I beg of you, don‘t put us in the position to choose between you and Bible land. There is no possibility you can win again if Bible-believing evangelicals see you as the ‘F–k Netanyahu’ president who considers Abbas a father-like figure and blames the State of Israel, and not the Palestinians, for not making peace.”
Why Did Mark Meadows Stop Cooperating?
Daniel Goldman: “Meadows was clearly on his way to full cooperation by turning over loads of documents. But then something happened before testimony. One new fact: the Committee subpoenaed his cellphone metadata, which would show the date and time of his calls. He stopped cooperating. What’s in those phone records?”
Daily Beast: Meadows personal cell is becoming a personal hell.
The GOP Now Leads America’s Anti-Democratic Movement
David Leonhardt: “An anti-democratic movement, inspired by Donald Trump but much larger than him, is making significant progress, as my colleague Charles Homans has reported. In the states that decide modern presidential elections, this movement has already changed some laws and ousted election officials, with the aim of overturning future results. It has justified the changes with blatantly false statements claiming that Biden did not really win the 2020 election.”
“The movement has encountered surprisingly little opposition. Most leading Republican politicians have either looked the other way or supported the anti-democratic movement. In the House, Republicans ousted Liz Cheney from a leadership position because she called out Trump’s lies.”
“The pushback within the Republican Party has been so weak that about 60 percent of Republican adults now tell pollsters that they believe the 2020 election was stolen — a view that’s simply wrong.”
Edward-Isaac Dovere: “Democratic governors are facing a messaging conundrum: they say American democracy may hinge on their elections in 2022, but they’re not sure they can get most voters to care.”
Quote of the Day
“Everything points to a large wave. A large wave is coming. It will be fast. It won’t be as severe, but regrettably, there will be plenty of hospitalizations.”
— A senior Biden administration official, quoted by Axios, on the Omicron variant.
Study Finds Omicron More Resistant to Vaccines
“Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than earlier variants of the coronavirus but is more resistant to the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine widely used in South Africa, according to the first major private study since omicron was first detected last month,” the Washington Post reports.
New York Times: Omicron is a dress rehearsal for the next pandemic.
Manchin Still Not Ready to Back Spending Bill
“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has signaled anew that he’s still not ready to back his party’s $2 trillion social and environment legislation, then talked to President Joe Biden as party leaders scrambled for a pathway to advance the long-stalled package — preferably by Christmas,” the AP reports.
“The West Virginia lawmaker declined to describe his telephone conversation with the president Monday, saying he and Biden are ‘talking about different iterations’ and saying ‘anything’s possible’ when asked if they could reach a deal by the holiday.”
Xi and Putin to Hold Virtual Summit
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to meet virtually with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, CNBC reports.
