“Right now, crazy is an amazing fuel, but so are crazy policies.”
— Former Rep. Denver Riggelman (R-VA), quoted by National Journal.
Giuliani Pledges to Make Governor’s Race National
“Andrew Giuliani is embracing his familiar last name and ties to former President Donald Trump as he begins his Republican campaign for governor of New York, hoping those connections make him a national presence in the state race,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Giuliani: “They are a part of who I am, right? I mean I worked for four years for President Trump and I am my father’s son.”
He added: “That’s one advantage that I’ll truly be able to bring to this race: We’ll be able to make this a national race and truly be able to fundraise not just in the 62 counties of New York, but in the 50 states of America.”
If you’re a Republican running for governor in New York, making it a national race is the exact opposite strategy you should embrace.
U.S. Treasury Offers 15% Corporate Tax in Global Talks
“The U.S. will accept a global minimum corporate tax rate as low as 15% in international negotiations, below the 21% level it has been seeking for U.S.-based companies’ foreign income,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The move could make it easier to reach the multilateral agreement that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has been seeking, but an agreement at 15% would raise less revenue for governments. And, depending on where the U.S. sets its policies, a 15% minimum tax on companies headquartered outside the U.S. could give those businesses an advantage over those based in the U.S.”
Matt Gaetz Buys Ads In Arizona
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is running a radio ad in Arizona ahead of an “America First Rally” on Friday.
From the ad: “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and I are holding a rally to defend President Donald Trump in the elections audit. The Biden DOJ is trying to stop the Arizona audit. We demand accountability.”
True Pandemic Death Toll Could Reach 8 Million
“The true death toll of the coronavirus pandemic could be much higher than the official figure of 3.4 million people, a World Health Organization official said Friday, estimating that the global loss of life could be as high as 8 million,” the Washington Post reports.
Paul Ryan to Hold Fundraiser for Adam Kinzinger
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) headlines a fundraiser Monday for Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Politico reports.
“It’s a decisive move against ex-President Donald Trump, who has set his sights on Republicans who voted to impeach him. Kinzinger is one of 10 Republicans who joined Democrats to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.”
“The Illinois Republican has continued to carry the anti-Trump mantle and it’s no surprise that Ryan would back Kinzinger. Ryan, who’s had a long-running feud with Trump, criticized Republicans who wouldn’t certify the Electoral College results that validated Joe Biden’s election as president.”
GOP Candidate Says He Got 14-Year Old Pregnant
U.S. House candidate Anthony Bouchard (R) told the Casper Star-Tribune he had a relationship with and impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18, hours after he disclosed the relationship in a Facebook Live video to his supporters.
Said Bouchard: “So, bottom line, it’s a story when I was young, two teenagers, girl gets pregnant. You’ve heard those stories before. She was a little younger than me, so it’s like the Romeo and Juliet story.”
Bouchard is challenging Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) in a Republican primary.
A Few Thoughts for the End of the Week
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Inside Biden’s Quiet Diplomacy
“As the first rocket fire was exchanged between Israel and Hamas, President Joe Biden settled on a strategy. And as he had throughout the 2020 campaign, Biden adhered to it despite mounting criticism from Republicans and even his own Democratic Party,” NBC News reports.
“His approach was stylistically muted and substantively more hard-line than some of his allies had expected. It was driven by a singular goal: to end the violence as soon as possible so he could train his focus back onto his domestic agenda.”
“To accomplish that, Biden chose not to publicly lay bare disagreements with his Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although the two have their differences. He said little publicly about the issue and entertained few questions about the topic.”
Why Tish James Joined the Trump Criminal Probe
Renato Mariotti: “Wednesday’s announcement didn’t materially change the liability Trump faces given that the DA’s office already had a criminal investigation underway. But James’ recent moves (including her decision to publicly join the criminal probe) are a sign that the evidence amassed by prosecutors is substantial and will likely result in charges. James wouldn’t rush to embrace a weak case. That should make Trump very concerned.”
White House Pessimistic on Infrastructure Deal
Associated Press: “The lead Republican negotiator Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia was encouraged by the talks and expected the White House to be back in touch by week’s end, her office said. But there was some dismay at the White House that the Republican counteroffer did not substantially alter the party’s original $568 billion proposal, leaving it far short of the White House’s plan.”
“The White House’s hopes for a bipartisan deal on infrastructure have cooled but they have not abandoned the effort, the official said.”
Why the GOP Killed the Jan. 6 Commission
New York Times: “There is really one overriding reason: They fear it will hurt their party’s image and hinder their attempts to regain power in next year’s midterm elections.”
Proud Boy Shouted About ‘Taking the Capitol’
“U.S. authorities have arrested three more alleged associates of two right-wing groups in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, including one who allegedly shouted, ‘Let’s take the fucking Capitol!’ an hour before the assault while marching with a large group of Proud Boys around the building,” the Washington Post reports.
“Charging papers identified Daniel Lyons Scott as the Proud Boys member nicknamed ‘Milkshake,’ who after allegedly yelling about taking the Capitol was admonished, ‘Let’s not fucking yell that, okay?’ by a Proud Boys leader on a video live-streamed by the group that day.”
“In the same moments, court documents allege, accused leader Ethan Nordean was recorded saying, ‘It was Milkshake, man, you know… idiot!’”
Arizona Official Says Voting Machines Should Be Replaced
“Arizona’s top elections official on Thursday urged the state’s most populous county to replace hundreds of voting machines that have been examined as part of a Republican-backed review of the state’s November election,” the New York Times reports.
“The request added fuel to charges by impartial election observers and voting rights advocates that the review, ordered in December by the Republicans who control the State Senate, had become a political sham.”
Arizona Republic: County’s vote counting machines may be unusable.
Putin Warns Would-Be Aggressors
Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged that some of the country’s foreign foes dream about biting off pieces of the country’s vast territory, warning that Moscow would “knock their teeth out” if they ever try,” the AP reports.
Trump to Hold Rallies In Swing States
“Former President Donald Trump revealed Thursday that he will hold campaign-style rallies in four battleground states in the coming weeks as speculation swirls that he’ll mount another bid for the White House in 2024,” the New York Post reports.
Said Trump: “Relatively soon, we’ll be doing one in Florida, we’re gonna do one in Ohio, we’re gonna do one in Georgia, we’re gonna do one in North Carolina…”
GOP Lawmaker Fined for Not Wearing Mask
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) got fined $500 for refusing to wear a mask in the U.S. House of Representatives’ chamber this week, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.
Massie posted a photo of a letter in a trash can.
What Happened to Joe Biden?
David Brooks: “Many people thought he was a moderate incrementalist, but now he’s promoting whopping big legislative packages that make many on the progressive left extremely happy.”
“I asked him that when I spoke on the phone with him this week. The answer seems to be — it’s complicated.”
“The values that drive him have been utterly consistent over the decades, and the policies he is proposing now are similar to those he’s been championing for decades.”
“It’s the scale that is gigantically different. It’s as if a company that was making pleasure boats started turning out ocean liners. And that’s because Biden believes that in a post-Trump world we’re fighting not just to preserve the middle class, but to survive as the leading nation of the earth.”
