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Democrats Push to Borrow More

February 12, 2021 at 6:39 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “As top Democrats continued to push a $1.9 trillion economic aid package through the House, some lawmakers and aides to President Biden raised the prospect of borrowing even more money to finance the president’s next set of spending plans, on infrastructure, buoyed by new projections that showed the nation’s fiscal picture was not as dire as officials feared in the fall.”

A key line on the administration’s thinking on infrastructure: “Mr. Biden proposed tax increases to pay for those plans during the campaign, but in recent days, some of his economic aides have hinted privately that some or all of the infrastructure package could be deficit financed.”

Pence’s ‘Nuclear Football’ Was In Danger During Riot

February 12, 2021 at 6:31 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

CNN: “Military officials overseeing the authorization process to launch nuclear weapons were unaware on January 6 that then-Vice President Mike Pence’s military aide carrying the ‘nuclear football’ was potentially in danger as rioters got close during the violent Capitol insurrection, according to a defense official.”

“US Strategic Command became aware of the gravity of the incident after seeing a video played at the Senate impeachment trial Wednesday showing Pence, his Secret Service agents and a military officer carrying the briefcase with classified nuclear launch information running down a flight of stairs inside the Capitol to get to safety.”

Biden to Rescind Medicaid Work Requirements

February 11, 2021 at 11:09 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Biden administration is planning Friday to wipe out one of the core health policies of the Trump era, taking actions that will immediately rescind permission for states to compel poor residents to work in exchange for receiving Medicaid benefits,” the Washington Post reports.

“Federal health officials will withdraw their predecessors’ invitation to states to apply for approval to impose such work requirements and will notify 10 states granted permission that it is about to be retracted.”

Biden Considers Prominent Republicans as Ambassadors

February 11, 2021 at 9:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Biden administration officials are weighing nominating prominent Republicans to ambassadorships — including Cindy McCain and former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake — to highlight the importance of bipartisanship in U.S. foreign policy,” Axios reports.

“President Biden hasn’t put any Republicans in his Cabinet, but a move like this would symbolize a return to the Truman-era adage that partisan politics stops ‘at the water’s edge.'”

Three GOP Senators Meet with Trump’s Lawyers

February 11, 2021 at 8:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A trio of Republican senators allied with former President Donald Trump met with his defense team Thursday evening, in the middle of an impeachment trial in which they will vote on whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from holding public office again,” CNN reports.

“Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah were spotted going into a room in the US Capitol that Trump’s lawyers were using to prepare for their arguments.”

Court Filing Details Bribes to Paxton

February 11, 2021 at 5:46 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Late last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) fired multiple senior aides who accused him of accepting a bribe. A court filing reveals for the first time what four of those aides believe Paxton received in exchange for helping a donor with his business affairs,” the Texas Tribune reports.

“An updated version of a lawsuit filed by the four whistleblowers claims that Austin real estate developer Nate Paul helped Paxton remodel his house and gave a job to a woman with whom Paxton allegedly had an affair.”

“In return, the aides allege, Paxton used his office to help Paul’s business interests, investigate Paul’s adversaries and help settle a lawsuit.”

National Republicans Jump Into Newsom Recall

February 11, 2021 at 5:43 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“National Republicans for the first time are jumping into the effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the party’s most aggressive move yet to oust the first-term Democrat,” Politico reports.

Impeachment Managers Wrap Up Case Against Trump

February 11, 2021 at 4:36 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“House managers on Thursday wrapped up their case against former president Donald Trump, imploring the Senate to convict him while warning that he could stoke violence again,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO): “We humbly, humbly ask you to convict President Trump for the crime for which he is overwhelmingly guilty of. Because if you don’t, if we pretend this didn’t happen, or worse, if we let it go unanswered, who’s to say it won’t happen again?”

Trump Was Sicker Than Previously Disclosed

February 11, 2021 at 3:59 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump was sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus,” the New York Times reports.

“His prognosis became so worrisome before he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator.”

“Mr. Trump’s blood oxygen level alone was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s.”

Biden Has Secured 200 Million More Vaccine Doses

February 11, 2021 at 3:46 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Biden is expected to announce Thursday afternoon that his administration has secured deals for another 200 million doses of coronavirus vaccine,” the Washington Post reports.

“The purchases would increase available supply by 50 percent, bringing the total to 600 million doses. Because both products are two-dose regimens, that would be enough to fully vaccinate 300 million people.”

Flashback Quote of the Day

February 11, 2021 at 3:32 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I think you’d have riots. I think you’d have riots. I’m representing a tremendous many, many millions of people.”

— Donald Trump quoted by NBC News in March 2016, warning what would happen if he failed to secure the Republican presidential nomination.

Democrats Dig In on Minimum Wage Hike

February 11, 2021 at 3:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Democrats in both chambers are skeptical that the minimum wage hike will pass muster under the Senate’s strict rules. Some members and aides are already discussing other opportunities to muscle the increase through both chambers, such as a jobs package that is expected to be Biden’s second major legislative priority, or another reconciliation bill this fall.”

NBC News: “Some moderate House Democrats worry that it would be a strategic mistake to keep it in the bill, especially given the chances of its being removed in the Senate. They have privately expressed concerns that it may slow down the package and highlight party divisions.”

Greene ‘Openly Cheated’ on Her Husband

February 11, 2021 at 2:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This is quite the lede from the Daily Mail: “Controversial conspiracy congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene cheated on her husband with a polyamorous tantric sex guru.”

Federal Debt to Exceed Size of U.S. Economy

February 11, 2021 at 2:04 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The federal government’s total debt is expected to exceed the size of the American economy this year, a figure that does not take into account President Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package,” the Washington Post reports.

“The CBO’s debt projections are sure to invigorate the ongoing debate over Biden’s stimulus proposal, as Republicans try to argue that the U.S. faces unsustainable debt burdens after spending more than $4 trillion in response to the virus.”

House Managers Seek Verdict From the Public and History

February 11, 2021 at 1:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “With conviction in a polarized Senate seemingly out of reach, the House managers, as the prosecutors are known, are aiming their arguments at two other audiences beyond the chamber: the American people whose decision to deny Mr. Trump a second term was put at risk and the historians who will one day render their own judgments about the former president and his time in power.”

“Through the expansive use of unsettling video footage showing both Mr. Trump’s words and the brutal rampage that followed, the managers are using their moment in the national spotlight to make the searing images of havoc the inexpungible legacy of the Trump presidency. Rather than let the outrage subside, the managers are seeking to ensure that Mr. Trump is held accountable even if he is acquitted in the Senate.”

Pompeo Spent $10,000 on Engraved Pens

February 11, 2021 at 1:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The State Department spent more than $10,000 in taxpayer funds over two years for engraved pens handed out to guests at former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s “Madison Dinners,” during which the secretary and his wife routinely hosted GOP donors and conservative media figures, The Hill reports.

CNBC reports the dinners had raised concerns among some State Department officials, who worried that the “events were essentially using federal resources to cultivate a donor and supporter base for Pompeo’s political ambitions.”

Is the Republican Party Headed for a Schism?

February 11, 2021 at 1:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Bernstein: “The truth is that a lot of Republicans seem willing to let the party become more and more Trumpy. That means being comfortable playing footsie with white supremacist and other violent groups; eager to make voting more difficult and even to overturn election results when necessary; and generally less and less supportive of the rule of law and democracy. A party like that, with little aspiration to appeal to anyone beyond its strongest supporters, might still be competitive electorally thanks to the way two-party politics tends to work. And if it wins, it could put most of its efforts into tilting the rules more in its favor.”

“But plenty of Republicans find Trump and his politics abhorrent, including a lot of governing and campaign professionals and a fair number of former elected officials. One such group is considering formally breaking away and forming a new party. Whether a real schism is possible comes down to one thing: Will any current Republican politicians take the plunge and join them?”

Fauci Says Everyone Can Get Vaccinated by April

February 11, 2021 at 12:44 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Dr. Anthony Fauci told Today that the pace of coronavirus vaccinations will pick up “as we get into March and April” and that by April, it will be “open season” for “virtually anybody” to receive shots.