Common Defense’s advertisement, while born from the same progressive frustration, takes a different tack, aiming to erode support for Ms. Sinema among one of her main constituencies.
For years, Ms. Sinema has tried to model herself after Senator John McCain, a Republican combat veteran and former prisoner of war who died in 2018, emphasizing her support for veterans, more than 500,000 of whom live in Arizona. Serving on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, she has shepherded several bipartisan bills that expanded veterans’ access to health care.
In the interview, Ms. Andersh singled out Ms. Sinema’s resistance to the drug-cost measure, which would allow Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription medicines, as a betrayal.
“You left us holding the bag, saying you were going to do something about Big Pharma,” Ms. Andersh said.
A Taliban spokesman, Bilal Karimi, said no decision had been made about a future role for female judges and lawyers.
“Right now, they are on hold,” Mr. Karimi said.
But the judges and lawyers say they have been effectively fired because it is too dangerous for them to continue their work, given the Taliban’s disapproval of women who sit in judgment of men.
“Women judging men is anathema to the Taliban,” Justice Glazebrook said.
Before the Taliban takeover, more than 270 female judges served in Afghanistan’s corrupt, male-dominated justice system. Special courts with female judges, along with special police units and prosecution offices, were set up in many places to handle cases of violence against women. A little more than a decade ago, nearly 90 percent of women experienced some form of domestic abuse in their lifetime, according to a 2008 study by the United States Institute of Peace.
These judges helped to bring some reform to many courts, particularly in urban areas, delivering justice to growing numbers of women and girls beaten and abused by husbands or male relatives.
The women defied a legal system that favored husbands, granting divorces to Afghan wives who in many cases would previously have been doomed to stay in abusive marriages. Among those now in hiding are former lawyers and judges who defended abused women or pursued cases against men accused of beating, kidnapping or raping women and girls.
The NIE identifies 11 countries in that category of acute risk: Afghanistan, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Myanmar, North Korea, Nicaragua and Pakistan.
Digital World Acquisition was the single most actively traded stock on the Fidelity platform Thursday, and was by far the most traded stock on the consolidated tape of New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq listings. Buy orders for the SPAC are outnumbering sell orders by nearly three-to-one.
Trump has been banned by the social media giants Twitter and Facebook since early this year after he was accused of inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by a mob of his supporters.
Before the ban, Trump had been a compulsive user of Twitter, often sending out multiple tweets per day during his presidency. Since the ban, Trump has struggled to get his off-the-cuff brickbats against political foes heard.
In a press release Wednesday night, the ex-president’s new Trump Media & Technology Group said its “mission is to create a rival to the liberal media consortium and fight back against the “Big Tech” companies of Silicon Valley, which have used their unilateral power to silence opposing voices in America.”
Digital World Acquisition was incorporated in late 2020, shortly after Trump lost a re-election bid against President Joe Biden.
DWAC is a blank-check firm, or special purpose acquisition company, which is specifically created to raise money in the public markets and then to use that capital to merge with a private firm.
In the press release, Trump’s new company said it and DWAC “have entered into a definitive merger agreement, providing for a business combination that will result in Trump Media & Technology Group becoming a publicly listed company, subject to regulatory and stockholder approval.”
DWAC opened trading Thursday at $12.73 per share. By 10:42 am. ET, the share price had risen to nearly $18 per share.
The ticker DWAC was among the top 10 most popular names on Reddit’s WallStreetBets chatroom Thursday, even exceeding meme stock GameStop’s mentions, according to alternative research provider Quiver Quantitative.
That could be a sign that retail investors active on social media platforms were fueling the rally in the SPAC.
The planned merge values Trump Media & Technology Group “at an initial enterprise value of $875 Million, with a potential additional earnout of $825 Million in additional shares (at the valuation they are granted) for a cumulative valuation of up to $1.7 Billion depending on the performance of the stock price post-business combination,” the press release Wednesday said.
“Trump Media & Technology Group’s growth plans initially will be funded by DWAC’s cash in trust of $293 Million (assuming no redemptions),” according to the release.
A corporate overview of Trump’s new company does not list any officers, employees, or operations.
Instead, the 22-page slide show contains several graphics showing how many followers Trump had on Twitter before he was banned, and suggestions that the new venture will compete with both Disney+ and Netflix.
Patrick Orlando, CEO of DWAC, said in the press release that, “Digital World was formed to create public shareholder value and we believe that TMTG is one of the most promising business combination partners to fulfill that purpose.”
“Given the total addressable market and President Trump’s large following, we believe the TMTG opportunity has the potential to create significant shareholder value,” Orlando said.
The release also said that “TMTG intends to launch a subscription video on demand service” called TMTG+.
“TMTG+ will feature ‘non-woke’ entertainment programming, news, podcasts, and more,” the release said.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
The JOE MANCHIN news that shook Washington on Wednesday was David Corn’s report in Mother Jones that the West Virginia senator is considering motoring his houseboat out of the Democratic dock:
“In recent days, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told associates that he is considering leaving the Democratic Party if President JOE BIDEN and Democrats on Capitol Hill do not agree to his demand to cut the size of the social infrastructure bill from $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion, according to people who have heard Manchin discuss this. Manchin has said that if this were to happen, he would declare himself an ‘American Independent.’ And he has devised a detailed exit strategy for his departure.”
We talked to Corn on Wednesday night and came away with the impression of a reporter who is 1,000% sure his story was correct.
“The sourcing was impeccable,” Corn said. “Even if he had told me it was bullshit the story still would have run.”
Corn contacted Manchin’s office early Wednesday telling his press secretary that he had a time-sensitive story and wanted to make sure he had a good Manchin contact who could respond. Manchin’s press secretary asked the reporter to send it to her.
At around 10:30 a.m., Corn sent her an email outlining what he would be reporting. No response.
At noon he followed up. “I said we are going to post soon, will you be getting back to me,” Corn told Playbook. “And silence — crickets.”
We’ve known Corn for a long time and we trust him. We’ve known his scrupulous editor Clara Jeffery for even longer. (Full disclosure: One of us was her intern in 1997!) Corn and Mother Jones did not invent this. Manchin clearly told someone the account that Corn relayed in his piece.
Why now? We’ve heard several theories that this was a strategic leak. Some say it was designed to reduce Manchin’s leverage in the reconciliation talks by making him seem desperate.
“I’m just wondering if Joe is blowing off some steam to someone or whether someone planted the story to put pressure on Joe,” a friend of the senator told Playbook. “He hasn’t talked about leaving the party in a very long time. And he’s just not in a desperate situation. He’s feeling like he’s holding all the cards.”
Conversely, others say the story was meant to increase Manchin’s leverage by scaring Democrats. A Manchin exit from the Democratic Party would be hugely embarrassing for Biden. (Though, as several of Manchin’s Senate colleagues told us, even if Manchin became an independent it doesn’t necessarily mean that he wouldn’t caucus with the Democrats.)
But our best (informed) guess is that it was neither — that this story, like many good scoops, fell into Corn’s lap without any Machiavellian strategy behind it.
FWIW, we couldn’t help notice that both Corn and Manchin were spotted circulating at the same party Monday night at the French ambassador’s residence, where Steve Clemons was being honored with France’s Legion of Honor.
Manchin Democratic Party exit rumors seem to spike once a season, and they’ve been circulating recently. Even the most plugged-in operatives don’t completely discount the idea that Manchin may have discussed the idea. For instance, when we asked a senior White House official about the Corn report, the person replied, “It’s all been kicking around. Who knows.”
JOIN US — Biden’s ambitious domestic agenda is in political limbo as the White House tries to reach a deal among congressional Democrats to vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. Sen. MARK WARNER (D-Va.), who helped write the bill, will join Ryan on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. for a live interview to discuss the fate of Biden’s legislative agenda, including the more comprehensive reconciliation package as well as Virginia’s tight gubernatorial race and what its outcome could mean for the Democratic Party. Sign up here
BIDEN’S THURSDAY:
— 9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
— 11:55 a.m.: Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS will deliver remarks at the 10th-anniversary celebration of the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
— 6:45 p.m.: Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will depart the White House en route to Baltimore, where they are scheduled to arrive at 7:05 p.m.
— 8 p.m.: The president will participate in a CNN town hall.
— 10:10 p.m.: The president and first lady will depart Baltimore to return to the White House, where they are scheduled to arrive at 10:30 p.m.
HARRIS’ THURSDAY: The VP will also deliver remarks at a voter mobilization event for TERRY MCAULIFFE’s campaign at 6:40 p.m. in Dumfries, Va.
Principal deputy press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 2 p.m.
THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. and at noon will take up a vote on finding STEVE BANNON in criminal contempt of Congress, with first votes expected between 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. and last votes expected between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. A.G. MERRICK GARLAND will testify before the Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m. Speaker NANCY PELOSI will hold her weekly press conference at 10:45 a.m. House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY will hold his at 11:30 a.m.
THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to consider TANA LIN’s judicial nomination. At 10:30 a.m., the Senate will vote on cloture for Lin’s nomination, followed by a cloture vote on DOUGLAS PARKER’s nomination to be assistant Labor secretary for occupational safety and health, and a cloture vote on MYRNA PEREZ’s judicial nomination. At 1:45 p.m., if cloture is invoked on the Lin nomination, the Senate will vote on confirmation.
PLAYBOOK READS
RECONCILIATION ROUNDUP
“It’s a 9-way teeter totter.”
That was a senior White House official’s description Wednesday night of the complex negotiations right now to assemble the Democrats’ social services bill. Every attempt to lift up the priority of one party faction ends up crashing another faction’s pet project into the dirt.
On Tuesday, Democrats left meetings in the Oval Office excited by much of the framework Biden outlined. By Wednesday night, the complaints and threats were piling up.
“White House officials told Democrats during a private video meeting Wednesday that they now believe they can adopt only a more scaled-back plan that targets the ultrawealthy, including tax increases on billionaires and companies when they repurchase their own stock.”
Romm and Stein, in a separate report on the new tax ideas, note, “The potential shift still left some Democrats uneasy, especially since top party lawmakers had pledged for months to finance their new spending through new taxes on corporations and others that they argued had failed to pay their fair share.”
Burgess Everett and Heather Caygle note that tax policy, like climate and prescription drug pricing reform, is another policy where Sinema and Manchin are at odds, making a deal that satisfies both of them more complex: “Though Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has advocated raising rates on high-income earners, corporations and capital gains, Sinema has landed to the right of Manchin on tax policy.”
Democrats are increasingly frustrated that Sinema opposes two of the party’s most popular policies — lowering prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies and raising taxes on the wealthy, not just the ultrawealthy, and corporations:
— “On PhRMA and on revenue, I’m struggling to really grasp what her endgame is. But she insists: ‘I will get there, I’m not going to tank this. I will work out something,’” said one Democratic senator, addressing Sinema on condition of anonymity.
— “If we talk about people paying their fair share of taxes — which they’re whittling down in order to get two people’s vote — I don’t blame Manchin or Kyrsten. I blame Schumer,” Rep. BILL PASCRELL (D-N.J.) yelled in anger after the Ways and Means lunch.
— Rep. ROSA DELAURO (D-Conn.) is angry that Biden wants to renew the Child Tax Credit for just a year: “A one-year extension is a mistake, and I think that it is very harmful to the country,” she said.
— “House Financial [Services] Committee Chair MAXINE WATERS (D-Calif.) told reporters she’s been ‘working very hard’ to preserve housing programs in the package: ‘I am putting a lot of heat on, to say, this is the basis for everything.’”
— Even Pelosi seemed irked with the cuts floated by Biden on paid leave and tuition-free community college, the trio report:
“News to me,” Pelosi said when asked about those programs being scaled back. “That’s not a decision.”
— “We were moving toward a solution on that when all of a sudden Schumer took over the discussion,” Pascrell said. “He became a puppy. And you can’t be a puppy now, this is hard stuff.”
— After a long day of seeking clarifications, Rep. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-N.J.) said in a statement, “I remain confident that SALT will be included in the final bill.”
“In private meetings with members of Congress this week, Biden outlined particular trade-offs, explaining for example that he wants universal prekindergarten care rather than free community college tuition, citing research that shows money spent on younger children has more impact.
“He has floated the idea of giving seniors a debit card loaded with $800 to spend on dental benefits as part of an expansion of Medicare. He has revealed that he’s feeling pressure from his wife, Jill, who teaches at a local community college, to push for higher-education spending, joking that otherwise he would have to find somewhere else to sleep.
For most of the year, mainstream media coverage has focused on Biden as FDR, but the current phase of lowered expectations has reporters reaching for LBJ analogies. NYT’s Michael Shear, Emily Cochrane and Jim Tankersley portray a president “paring back his ambitions” as he plays the roles of “a mediator, a listener and at times an exasperated negotiator.”
JUST DON’T CALL IT DISARRAY: The reconciliation sausage-making is freaking out Dems in charge of winning elections.
In Virginia, Zach Montellaro and Elena Schneider reporton a “creeping sense of worry among Democrats” after “a new Monmouth University poll showing former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe deadlocked with Republican GLENN YOUNGKIN less than two weeks before Election Day.” Elena also looks this morning at how the Virginia gubernatorial is a precious opportunity for the GOP to regain ground in the suburbs after Republicans “spent every election of the Trump era hemorrhaging” voters there.
Meanwhile Chris Cadelago reports that Democratic operatives in charge of Senate races next year are panicking:
“In a private presentation to allies this week, Senate Democrats’ main super PAC offered ominous warnings about the political climate the party faces. … The last slide in a deck reviewed by POLITICO showed that one of the party’s most popular policy planks remained allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.
“‘And we are going to end up leaving [that] out of the [reconciliation] bill,’ the person said.”
IF YOU ARE A DEM IN DISARRAY THIS MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUIZ FROM THE WHITE HOUSE MIGHT MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER — A senior White House official offered Playbook this thought experiment to put things in perspective:
“Go in a time machine. It’s Jan. 1, 2021. Someone tells you Joe Biden is going to pass $1.9 trillion ARP, $1.2 trillion infrastructure, $1.8 BBB — more than FDR and LBJ combined — in his first year.
“Do you say:
1. Wow he really got his BBB plan cut back dramatically. It’s a hobbled initiative 2. No f-Ing way 3. But of course.”
Then the official added: “But also it all could still blow up.”
JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH
BANNON SHOWDOWN — The full House will vote today whether to hold Bannon in criminal contempt for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee. If the vote passes, as expected, the issue would go to the U.S. Attorney’s Office that decides whether or not to prosecute.
As Kyle Cheney and Olivia Beavers write, the committee is “betting a Bannon-Trump conversation on Dec. 30 and Bannon’s Jan. 5 meeting with other figures of interest at D.C.’s Willard Hotel hold clues to [DONALD] TRUMP’S awareness of the prospect for Jan. 6 violence. … ‘Every insurrection needs a headquarters,’ said Rep. JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.), a member of the Jan. 6 select committee, when asked about the significance of the Willard meeting.”
THE PANDEMIC
MIX AND MATCH — FDA approved booster shots for those who received two doses of the Moderna and one of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines, giving the go-ahead to millions nationwide, NYT’s Noah Weiland and Sharon LaFraniere report.
HOW WILL CITIES EMERGE FROM COVID? — In the latest installment of POLITICO’s Recovery Lab series, out today, Eric Scigliano, Renuka Rayasam and Annette Choi look at how big and small American cities were affected by the pandemic, and what’s to come for them with the end nearing. It’s a very rich and revealing report. Check out the cover page here.
MEDIAWATCH
FOX NEWS VS. DEVIN NUNES — CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter scooped Wednesday nightthat 35 prominent news companies, journalists, and professional organizations — including, most notably, Fox News — are lining up against Rep. DEVIN NUNES (R-Calif.) in the Republican’s lawsuit against our own Ryan Lizza and his former employer, Hearst Magazine. The organizations signed an amicus brief asking the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its September decision to partially revive Nunes’ lawsuit, which a lower court had tossed out. The media companies write that the recent ruling would alarmingly “lower the bar” for public officials “to state claims for defamation and encourage the filing of meritless defamation lawsuits by imbuing them with the power to stop subsequent critical speech.”
WaPo’s Erik Wemple had a good summary of the case and the ruling after it was issued. The short version: The court ruled that tweeting a link to an old story can be considered “republication” for the purposes of lodging a defamation claim. The wide array of news organizations getting involved — from legacy outlets like the NYT, AP and WSJ to newer entities like Vox Media, ProPublica and Vice to non-traditional publishers like Substack — indicates how seriously major media players regard the outcome of the case. The media brief argues that if not reversed, the 8th Circuit’s ruling “threatens to upend how information is disseminated and sourced,” “drastically reduce the flow of information to the public,” and “significantly chill protected speech.” Read the amicus brief here
DONALD TRUMP VS. JASON MILLER — Trump announced a new media venture Wednesday night that he said will include a new social media platform — one that if it actually materializes would put him in direct competition with a longtime confidante. GETTR, the Twitter alternative for the MAGA crowd founded by former Trump aide Jason Miller, has been up and running for months. But now the former president is coming for GETTR. The new Trump Media & Technology Group is planning to launch Truth Social, which is already available for pre-order in the Apple App Store.
Miller texted Playbook to note that while he tried to recruit his former boss to invest in GETTR, “we just couldn’t come to terms on a deal.” But no hard feelings, apparently. “Congratulations to President Trump for re-entering the social media fray!” Miller said.
The NYT offered this reality check about the Trump press release: “The details of Mr. Trump’s latest partnership were vague. The statement he issued was reminiscent of the kind of claims he made about his business dealings in New York as a real estate developer. It was replete with high-dollar amounts and superlatives that could not be verified.”
Neil Cavuto has Covid-19 and said his situation — he has multiple sclerosis and other health issues — would be “far more dire” had he not been vaccinated.
Joe Biden showed up in the press cabin of Air Force One for the first time.
OUT AND ABOUT — Scott Stapp of Creed played a fundraiser show for Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) at Pearl Street Warehouse on Wednesday night. Also SPOTTED: House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), John Joyce (R-Pa.), William Timmons (R-S.C.) and Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), Alex deGrasse, Michael Abboud, Tyler Houlton, Janette Nesheiwat and Julia Nesheiwat.
— At a party for Fiona Hill’s new book, “There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century” ($30), hosted by Molly Levinson, Josh Wachs, Lee Wolosky and Amy Foote on Wednesday night at Molly and Josh’s house, Hill referenced George Orwell’s famous quote, “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” She told the crowd, “We are all revolutionaries.” SPOTTED: Frank Foer and Abby Greensfelder, Dana Bash, Natasha Bertrand, Jamie Kirchick, Jeremy Bash, Daniel Lippman, Sophia Narrett, Melissa Moss, Fred Hiatt, Margaret Brennan, Ruth Marcus, Julianna Goldman, Kelly O’Donnell, Michele Kelemen and Ellen Nakashima.
— Engage, a bipartisan nonprofit promoting economic security for women, had a reception Wednesday at the American Pharmacists Association. SPOTTED: Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), DJ Mad Marj (Marjorie Gubelmann), Rachel Pearson, Mickey Guyton, Alexandra Huynh, Linda Tarplin, DK Bartley, Nancy LeaMond,Jennifer Griffin, Kristi Rodgers, Nathan Daschle, Joe Hack, Amy Baier, Giovanna Gray Lockhart, Betsy Fischer Martin, Elizabeth Thorp, Susanna Quinn and Tammy Haddad.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Atlantic Council will award its 2021 Distinguished Leadership Awards to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,Dua Lipa, Pfizer Chair and CEO Albert Bourla and BioNTech co-founders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci. A gala will be held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Nov. 10.
TRANSITIONS — Shawn Townsend and Jonathan Carvalho are joining the Dewey Square Group. Townsend will be on the state and local affairs and multicultural strategies team and previously was D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s director of nightlife and culture. Carvalho will be in the comms practice and previously was deputy chief of staff and press secretary to New Bedford, Mass., Mayor Jon Mitchell. …
…Ayshia Connors is joining the Madison Group as director of government relations. She most recently was president of Saratoga Strategy Group, and is a Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Woodall, Mia Love and RNC alum. … Caroline Knox Burns is now CFO at the American Council of Engineering Companies. She most recently was CFO at the American Directions Research Group.
WEEKEND WEDDING — Adam Elias, head of government affairs at Barclays, and Julia Tishman, VP of government relations at Blackstone, got married Saturday at the Plaza Hotel. The two were introduced by a mutual friend at a happy hour at Joe’s in August 2017. Pic… Another pic
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) (5-0) … Hope Hicks … NYT’s Mikayla Bouchard … Cate Martel of The Hill … Bob Charrow of Greenberg Traurig … AT&T’s Kim Hart … POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre,Rachel Jongerius and Victoria Blinn … Hannah Edwards … Eric Heighberger of the House Homeland Security GOP … Kaitlyn Dwyer of Rep. Jody Hice’s (R-Ga.) office … Dafna Linzer … Jamari Torrence of Sen. Raphael Warnock’s (D-Ga.) office … Megan Smith of shift7 … NBC’s Anna Schecter Zigler … Alison Baker of Straus/Baker … Matt Ide of Rep. Mary Miller’s (R-Ill.) office … NSC’s Nimita Uberoi … Joe Franco of the Advocacy Association … Charlie Joughin of the First Five Years Fund … Dan Simon … J. A. Green & Company’s Andrew Tabler … Mark Glaze … Jon Rawlson … Wilson Baldwin … Mike Fazzino … Jonathan Poe … Kathleen Porter … Edelman’s Alex Abrahamson … Brian Doory … former Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) … NYT’s Taylor Lorenz
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Send Playbookers tips to [email protected]. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.
Some simpler solutions would change the formula of the existing Medicare prescription drug benefit to limit out-of-pocket costs, especially in the event of a catastrophic health event.
Mr. Wyden is also pressing to enact legislation he drafted with Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, that would force drugmakers to offer rebates to consumers on products whose prices rise faster than inflation. Mr. Grassley said he still supports the measure, as does Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and a traditional ally of the pharmaceutical industry in his state.
Mr. Schrader and Mr. Peters said negotiations were progressing around their proposal, which would grant the government power to negotiate prices under Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient services and some of the most costly medications, once outpatient drugs like chemotherapy have outlived their patent exclusivity.
Their bill would also force rebates for drug prices rising faster than inflation, and limit out-of-pocket medication expenses for older Americans. That is projected to save the government $300 billion over 10 years, about half what the broader measure would save.
“Frankly, based on discussions we’ve had with the White House, senators and other members in our party, this could get done,” Mr. Schrader said. “That’d be huge.”
Ultimately, if any significant price controls survive, it will be the logic of the policy overcoming the power over the lobby, said Representative Ron Kind, a Democrat whose Wisconsin district is being hit with pharmaceutical industry advertising. Mr. Kind, an influential centrist, said he has been speaking with like-minded Democrats, trying to buck them up against the onslaught.
Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ latest effort to rewrite America’s election and voting laws Wednesday, as progressive activists piled on the pressure to modify the chamber’s 60-vote legislative filibuster — or scrap it completely.
The motion to end debate on the measure, now known as the Freedom to Vote Act, received 49 “yea” votes and 51 “nay” votes. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) initially voted “yea” but changed his vote to “nay” so that he could bring up the motion again at a later date.
Following the vote, Schumer accused Senate Republicans of giving their “implicit endorsement of the horrid new voter suppression and election subversion laws pushed in conservative states across the country.”
The initial version of the bill, then known as the For the People Act, was introduced in March and quickly passed the Democratic-controlled House. Progressives portrayed it as a way to counter laws in states like Texas, Georgia and Florida that enhanced voter ID measures and restricted the availability of absentee and mail-in ballots.
However, the measure has stalled in the upper chamber due to the filibuster hurdle. Wednesday marked the third time this year that the bill has failed to clear a test vote.
The version of the bill that was voted on Wednesday includes several alterations sought by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — including a provision that would limit, but not prohibit, state voter ID requirements. The measure also would establish national rules for running elections, ban partisan gerrymandering, and force the disclosure of many anonymous campaign donors.
The version of the bill included compromises sought by moderate Sen. Jone Manchin.Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Despite Manchin’s efforts to make the legislation more appealing to Republicans, no GOP senator has even supported opening debate on the measure.
In remarks on the Senate floor prior to the vote, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) described the bill as “only a compromise in the sense that the left and the far left argued among themselves about exactly how much power to grab in which areas.”
“This latest bill still subjects popular, commonsense state election integrity protections like voter ID to the whims of federal bureaucrats,” McConnell said. “It still sends government money to political campaigns, for goodness sakes. It still puts Washington in the middle of the states’ redistricting decisions. And on and on. The same rotten core is all there.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday that the Senate GOP’s intransigence was “an incredible frustration” to the Biden administration.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell claimed the new version of the bill has the same “rotten core” of the previous one.EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS
“Today, what happened was Republicans in Congress refused to even allow a vote — even allow a vote to protect people’s votes across the country,” she said. “What are they so afraid of? Why are they so fearful of allowing more people to have access, making it easier across the country?”
“The right to vote – to vote freely, to vote fairly, and to have your vote counted – is fundamental,” Biden himself said in a statement before the vote. “It should be simple and straightforward. Let there be a debate and let there be a vote.”
Following the vote, Sen. Angus King (I-Me.), who caucuses with the Democrats, indicated that he was willing to support an exception to the legislative filibuster for the election reform legislation.
“I want a compromise, first and foremost,” King said. “But absent that, I am open to protecting our democratic system of government through structural reforms that ensure that we protect ballot access for all of our citizens. Our elections are the backbone of America’s democracy – and that democracy is more important than any Senate rule.”
Changing the Senate filibuster rule would require the support of all 50 Senate Democrats, and both Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have said they will not support such a move.
The ensuing stalemate has aggravated liberal and progressive groups, who made themselves heard again on Wednesday.
“They have failed to pass substantive legislation, and they are failing to act now,” said Joseph Geevarghese, the executive director of Bernie Sanders-aligned group Our Revolution. “It needs to be made even more clear by the President that he is 100% on the side of the American people’s most sacred right, and if that means fixing the filibuster then we must do it for the sake of our democracy.”
NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson called the outcome “reprehensible” and “appalling.”
“There is no such thing as bipartisanship when one half of a legislative body does not respect the Constitution which they swore an oath to protect,” Johnson said in a statement. “Don’t forget that Black voters landed a victory for this President and this Congress, so don’t fail us again.”
Former United States President Donald Trump has announced the launch of his own social media platform, nine months after being expelled from all major sites for his role in allegedly inciting violence at the US Capitol following his election defeat last year.
In a statement on Wednesday, Trump said the launch of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) and its “TRUTH Social” app is meant to remedy his suspensions from sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the wake of the January 6 storming of the Capitol by his supporters as legislators met to certify the victory of the Republican’s Democratic rival, incumbent President Joe Biden.
“We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable,” Trump said in the written statement included in a news release.
“I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all. I’m excited to soon begin sharing my thoughts on TRUTH Social and to fight back against Big Tech,” he said.
The social network is set for a preliminary rollout in November and a full rollout in the first quarter of 2022, according to the release. It is being created through a new company formed by a merger of the TMTG and a special acquisition company.
The social media platform is the first of the three stages in the company’s plans, followed by a subscription video-on-demand service called TMTG+ that will feature entertainment, news and podcasts, and an entry to the cloud-computing space, according to the release.
Trump, who was impeached by the US House of Representatives for his role in egging on rioters on January 6, but later acquitted of the charges in the then Republican-controlled US Senate, has been vocal about his desire to launch his own media platform following his presidency.
An earlier effort to launch a blog on his existing website was abandoned after the page drew dismal views.
In May, a semi-independent Facebook oversight board upheld Trump’s suspension from the site, on which he had about 35 million followers, while criticising the open-ended nature of the ban and calling for the company to determine a more concrete timeline of the ban within six months.
In July, Trump sued Facebook, Twitter and Google, along with their chief executives, seeking the restoration of his accounts and punitive damages.
For years, he has been making this case, crafting a public persona as a pugilist for the American working class. But in recent months, the messaging has taken on elevated importance. His presidency rests on passing a massive social spending and climate bill through Congress in the next few weeks or months. And in order to do that, he’s sold it as a generational chance to create economic equity.
Scranton was an obvious backdrop, tailor-made to provoke a sense of working class America. Biden had crafted his 2020 presidential campaign around these ideas too, a Robinhood-themed agenda, minus the actual thievery. It was Scranton vs. Park Avenue—the place of his birth held up as the very symbol of the plight of the average family against the extravagances of the wealthy.
But scripts like this aren’t always without complications. And what Biden has found out is that populism may sell electorally but it doesn’t always translate into legislative language.
Back in Washington on Wednesday, reports emerged that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) was balking at the president’s proposal to pay for his agenda by raising tax rates on the wealthy and corporations. Democrats insisted that they had other ideas for revenue. But, for the time being, chalk one up for Park Avenue.
Biden showed no signs of concern as he spoke. His party is still inching toward a deal on a multi-trillion Build Back Better domestic spending plan that could end up funding everything from parental leave to child and elderly care.
But the path to this point has taken an obvious toll. Sinema’s opposition to corporate and income tax hikes on high earners, threatensone of the party’s more attractive lines of messaging — that the rich need to finally pay their fair share. And, in the Capitol, Democrats have begun to concede that all the messiness of negotiations has hurt their standing with the public. When reporters asked Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) about a recent poll showing few Americans knew what was contained in the Build Back Better plan, the majority whip blamed his own party.
“I don’t doubt that one bit, and I think [it’s] our fault. We oversold it and underperformed for too long,” Durbin told reporters Wednesday. “Now we get a chance to close it the right way, hopefully.”
On Wednesday, Biden tried to get a little of that momentum back. He has largely operated in private in recent weeks, giving just five economic-themed speeches since Labor Day. But back in Scranton, he spun tales of his youth, how his relatives congregated around tables after meals, dispensing worldly advice to maintain his courage, loyalty and dignity — all eventually built into his constitution. He retold stories of his dad losing his job and his health insurance, then of the death of his first wife and daughter, and how he worked as a single dad for years.
“I believe that home is where your character is etched,” he said.
Shane Cawley, a fourth generation iron worker and union member who introduced Biden to the crowd, gave a boost to Biden’s domestic spending plan, pointing to added assistance for child care and elder care as vital to his family in Pennsylvania.
“We work hard for every dollar that we earn and some days it feels like the odds are stacked against us,” Cawley said, before introducing Biden.
Biden’s last trip to Scranton had been on Election Day, when he stopped at his childhood home and signed a wall there. “From this house to the White House with the grace of God,” he wrote.
Biden did indeed make it to the presidency, as he was reminded of on the drive to Wednesday’s speech. Just weeks earlier, new signage had gone up along Interstate 81 designating the Central Scranton Expressway as President Biden Expressway. Another roadway in town was renamed Biden Street just before his visit.
Scranton transformed Biden. The question now is how far beyond street signs he can transform Scranton.
“I think the Scranton visit brings back the conversation to where Biden and the average American sees it — are we going to fix the things we need to fix in this county?” said Greg Schultz, Biden’s former campaign manager. “So much of the recent debate has been about the legislative process and policy maneuvering — these are important but at the end of the day people want their government to understand their problems and try to make them a little better. Biden returning home helps bring him and the issues back to a home base.”
(CNN)After nearly a year without rain, a series of potent Pacific storms are directed at Northern California this week, potentially bringing as much as a foot of rainfall and up to three feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada.
Burn scars — the charred landscape — left behind after the Dixie Fire, near Mount Lassen and the Caldor Fire, not far from South Lake Tahoe, remain susceptible to flash floods and debris flows. This deadly, fast-moving mass made of water, rock, soil, and vegetation can wreak havoc on communities downstream, destroying homes and infrastructure. These geologic hazards are a byproduct of burned soil, which can be as water repellent as pavement. Rainfall that would otherwise be absorbed by the soil, now can run-off quickly after a wildfire.
(CNN)What appears to be human remains and items belonging to Brian Laundrie, including a backpack, have been found in the Carlton Reserve in North Port, Florida, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson.
The FBI confirmed that partial human remains were found inside the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on Wednesday near where a backpack and notebook believed to have been Brian Laundrie’s were found earlier in the day. Mr Laundrie’s parents visited the park to examine the items. The Sarasota medical examiner has been called to the scene, as have human remains detecting dogs.
Shortly after an FBI press conference announcing the findings protesters began chanting “Justice for Gabby.”
A large tent has been erected at the park where the clothes were found. The clothes were found shortly after Mr Laundrie’s parents joined law enforcement to search the park on Wednesday morning.
The attorney representing Mr Laundrie’s parents has said that Mr Laundrie’s parents are being “tortured” by protesters “in their own home.”
“They are being tortured in their own home by these protesters outside,” Steven Bertolino, was quoted as saying by the Insider.
Gabby Petito’s parents said they want a face to face meeting with Mr Laundrie’s parents so they can ask them why they are continuing to protect their son in the face of mounting evidence that he may have been involved with the woman’s murder.
Meanwhile, Mr Laundrie’s father, Chris, received court summons for tearing up a protester’s sign. The sign read “What if it was Cassie?” and had been placed on the family’s front lawn.
It appears that police may be permanently scaling back their search for Mr Laundrie at the Carlton Reserve. However, that has not stopped the overall search for Mr Laundrie, including a number of false alarms.
Earlier, a man resembling Mr Laundrie found himself handcuffed by US Marshals. The man looked so similar to Mr Laundrie that he adopted the trial name “Not Brian” to ward off the comparison.
What would happen if Brian Laundrie is never found?
With human remains found at a campsite believed to belong to Brian Laundrie, The Independent’s Graig Graziosi asks what would happen if the prime suspect is Gabby Petito’s murder is not found alive. Can his parents be charged with a crime? Can he be tried in absentia?
“In the meantime, former FBI agents have warned that the agency cannot indefinitely task agents to hunting Mr Laundrie, and that at some point – likely soon – the agency will have to shift focus back to its primary mission. Even Dog the Bounty Hunter – who sustained an ankle injury – has left Florida to return to Colorado, vowing he would rejoin the search if a “solid lead” surfaces.”
Family and friends of murdered radio personality Gaby Ramos hold candlelight vigil
Activist Martha Black remembers Gaby Ramos as a “marvellous woman” whose “light has not been dulled and voice has not been turned off… she was positive, she was happy, she was sunshine,” writes The Independent’s Enrique Limón.
“Calling on the Gabby Petito case, Ms Black asked the media present to continue sharing Ms Ramos’ story and image after the initial wave of interest quiets down.”
Brian Laundrie parents respond to remains found at campsite
Chris and Roberta Laundrie, through their attorney Steven Bertolino, confirmed they directed authorities to the campsite where the remains were found but said they would wait for forensic identification before saying more.
Read the full statement below, via News Nation Now reporter Brain Entin:
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie were at the reserve earlier today when human remains and some of Brian’s possessions were located in an area where they had initially advised law enforcement that Brian may be. Chris and Roberta will wait for the forensic identification of the human remains before making any additional comments.”
FBI calls Gabby Petito death ‘murder’ for first time after human remains found in Brian Laundrie search
Investigators are now calling the death of Gabby Petito “murder” following the discovery of human remains believed to belong to suspect Brian Laundrie.
At a press conference announcing the discovery at a campsite in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Tampa office, Michael McPherson, said it would take some time to confirm whether the remains belong to Mr Laundrie.
“A person of interest in the murder of Gabby Petito,” Mr McPherson said.
The case has been ruled a homicide by the Teton County Coroner, and this is believed to be the first time her death has been described as murder by a law enforcement official.
The difference between homicide and murder is a significant legal distinction, as homicide is a broad term that includes both the legal and illegal killing of one person by another person. A murder, however, is when that killing is illegal and done with some form of malice or intent. All murders are homicide, but not all homicides are murders.
Watch FBI announcement that items belonging to Brian Laundrie and partial human remains found at park near Carlton Reserve
The FBI announced that a backpack and notebook believed to have belonged to Brian Laundrie as well as partial human remains were found at a park near the Carlton Reserve.
FBI confirms human remains and items believed to have belonged to Brian Laundrie found at park near Carlton Reserve
FBI special agent Michael McPherson confirmed that human remains and personal items were found today. The items are believed to have belonged to Brian Laundrie in an area that was previously underwater.
“Earlier today, we found what appears to be human remains along with personal items including a backpack and a notebook which appeared to belong to Mr Laundrie,” Mr McPherson said.
Mr McPherson said teams will likely be on site for several days investigating the findings. He also referred to Gabby Petito’s death as a “murder.”
Portions of the Carlton Reserve and a connecting park will remain closed to the public. The investigation is still considered active as the FBI continues to investigating the findings.
Protesters began chanting “Justice for Gabby” immediately after the press conference ended.
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has more on the announcement below…
Watch the FBI update on Carlton Reserve discoveries live
The FBI is holding a press briefing today at 4:30pm EST to discuss items found at a park connected to the Carlton Reserve today that are believed to have belonged to Brian Laundrie.
Human remains were also reportedly found, but it those claims have not been confirmed by law enforcement.
The FBI are holding a press conference after human remains were found at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on Wednesday.Remains were discovered by police close to where belongings believed to have been Brian Laundrie’s were found earlier in the day.A senior law enforcement official told NBC they are located in the vast, alligator-infested swampland in a location that had previously been underwater.There has not yet been any official confirmation that the remains belong to Mr Laundrie, who is a “person of interest” in Gabby Petito’s death.Sign up to our breaking news email alerts here.
Who are Brian Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta?
Brian Laundrie’s parents have become the focus of countless hours of press and social media attention in the wake of Gabby Petito’s death and their son’s disappearance.
Who are they and why have they received so much attention over the course of the case?
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has those answers in the story below…
Temporary flight restriction issued over Carlton Reserve
The FAA has issued a temporary flight restriction over the Carlton Reserve where police are examining items that were found they believe may have belonged to Brian Laundrie.
Partial human remains were also reportedly found at the park connected to the reserve. Law enforcement has not confirmed that remains have been found.
The FBI is holding a press conference at 4:30pm EST to give an update on today’s findings.
Partial human remains have been discovered at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park near Carlton Reserve. The remains were found near items that are believed to have belonged to Brian Laundrie.
What happens if the remains belong to Mr Laundrie? What happens if he’s never found? What would that mean for the Gabby Petito case?
The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more on the story below…
The Taliban have promised plots of land to the family members of suicide bombers who targeted US and Afghan forces, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry tweeted Tuesday.
The tweet, posted in English, echoed an announcement made the previous day by acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who offered clothes and roughly $112 to dozens of male family members of “martyred” bombers who died for Islamic “jihad and sacrifices.”
The spokesman, Saeed Khosty, also said Haqqani considered the dead bombers “heroes of Islam and the country.”
“Now you and I must refrain from betraying the aspirations of our martyrs,” Haqqani reportedly said.
The acting interior minister’s comments suggest extreme aggression could see a resurgence in the now Taliban-ruled country — a move at odds with previous assurances following the fall of Kabul in August.
The US and its Western allies have warned the Taliban that they will not recognize its government as a legitimate legislative body should the Taliban allow terrorism and extremism to flourish.
The Taliban leaders’ meeting at a Kabul hotel Monday was the latest in a series of steps taken by the group to seemingly push Afghanistan back to a radicalization not seen since 2001.
The United Nations has predicted the entire country could soon be in a dire economic situation and will require additional humanitarian support.
The US has frozen billions of dollars in Afghan assets following the Taliban takeover in accordance with US sanction policies.
International monetary organizations have additionally paused as much as 75 percent of all fiscal disbursements the previous Afghan government relied on, the Associated Press reported.
The US has evacuated upward of 124,000 Americans, Afghan allies and at-risk Afghans since the fall of Kabul.
The State Department has said it will continue to evacuate individuals still stuck in Afghanistan.
Fox News could not immediately reach the State Department for comment.
Vaccination rates among officers lag behind those in the broader city population. About 70 percent of the department’s 36,000 uniformed and 15,000 civilian employees have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the city, compared to roughly 85 percent of adult city residents. The Police Benevolent Association vowed on Wednesday to fight Mr. de Blasio’s mandate in court.
Mr. Gilbert said he did not believe that action would be taken against the maskless officers he encountered.
Yes. The F.D.A. has updated its authorizations to allow medical providers to boost people with a different vaccine than the one they initially received, a strategy known as “mix and match.” Whether you received Moderna, Johnson & Johnson or Pfizer-BioNTech, you may receive a booster of any other vaccine. Regulators have not recommended any one vaccine over another as a booster. They have also remained silent on whether it is preferable to stick with the same vaccine when possible.
The C.D.C. has said the conditions that qualify a person for a booster shot include: hypertension and heart disease; diabetes or obesity; cancer or blood disorders; weakened immune system; chronic lung, kidney or liver disease; dementia and certain disabilities. Pregnant women and current and former smokers are also eligible.
The F.D.A. authorized boosters for workers whose jobs put them at high risk of exposure to potentially infectious people. The C.D.C. says that group includes: emergency medical workers; education workers; food and agriculture workers; manufacturing workers; corrections workers; U.S. Postal Service workers; public transit workers; grocery store workers.
Yes. The C.D.C. says the Covid vaccine may be administered without regard to the timing of other vaccines, and many pharmacy sites are allowing people to schedule a flu shot at the same time as a booster dose.
“I don’t have much confidence there will be any punishment,” said Mr. Gilbert, who added that he planned to seek legal guidance before determining whether he would file a grievance with the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which investigates complaints from the public about officer misconduct.
It is unclear whether any officers have ever been disciplined for mask violations.
Between May 2020 and August 2021, the Civilian Complaint Review Board referred about 316 complaints about officers who failed to adhere to Covid-era protocols, including social distancing guidelines and mask mandates, to the Police Department. But the department did not respond to questions on Wednesday about whether any personnel had been penalized for such behavior.
The Rev. Fred Davie, who chairs the review board, said in an interview that while mask-related complaints are referred back to the police, the issue could fall within the group’s purview as an abuse of officers’ authority.
“We see it quite a bit in the body-worn camera footage that we get,” he said. “It may be time for the board to review this and now start investigating ourselves.”
Janno Lieber, the acting chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said Wednesday that incidents with officers like the one in the video were “really undermining” broader efforts to enforce mask-wearing on public transit, which has begun to decrease.
Liane Shekter Smith, the only Michigan official fired in the Flint water disaster, was likely a “public scapegoat” who lost her job because of politics, an arbitrator said.
Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP
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Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP
Liane Shekter Smith, the only Michigan official fired in the Flint water disaster, was likely a “public scapegoat” who lost her job because of politics, an arbitrator said.
Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP
DETROIT — The only Michigan official fired in the Flint water catastrophe likely was a “public scapegoat” who lost her job because of politics, an arbitrator said in ordering $191,880 in back pay and other compensation.
It’s a remarkable victory for Liane Shekter Smith, who served as head of the state’s drinking water office when Flint’s water system was contaminated with lead. She was removed and then fired in 2016 and subsequently faced criminal charges in one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
Shekter Smith was dismissed while engineers in her department — the “boots on the ground” in Flint — were suspended with pay before ultimately returning to work, the arbitrator said in a 22-page report obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
Sheldon Stark said the state had failed to show by a preponderance of evidence that there was “just cause” to fire Shekter Smith, who had an “exemplary” record in government.
The arbitrator noted that Keith Creagh, director of the Department of Environmental Quality, fired Shekter Smith without even speaking to her about Flint or waiting for a state police investigation that exonerated her.
“No one ever asked (Shekter Smith) for her story,” Stark said.
“Politics and the need for a public scapegoat helps explain why Shekter Smith might have been terminated when so many others who were directly involved and actually did make” decisions in Flint were not fired, Stark said in his September report.
He ordered $166,053 in back pay and $25,827 in retirement compensation. The state agency, which now is known as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, declined to comment but said an appeal was being considered.
A message seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned by an attorney for Shekter Smith.
In 2014-15, Flint’s water was pulled from the Flint River, a money-saving decision that was made by state-appointed managers who were running the poor city. The highly corrosive water wasn’t properly treated before it flowed through aging pipes to roughly 100,000 residents, causing lead to leach from old pipes.
The disaster in majority-Black Flint has been described as environmental racism. In 2016, a task force appointed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, said his environmental agency misapplied lead-and-copper rules and “caused this crisis to happen.”
The arbitrator’s report reveals behind-the-scenes moves by Snyder’s influential fix-it man, Rich Baird, who asked Creagh to take control of the department after a director quit amid the scandal.
Creagh testified that Baird “encouraged Shekter Smith’s termination.”
Richard Benzie, who supervised the state engineers making key decisions in Flint, was not disciplined but “promoted and given more responsibility!” the arbitrator said in highlighting the different treatment.
After her dismissal, Shekter Smith was charged with misconduct in office and neglect of duty, and put on notice that an involuntary manslaughter charge would be pursued because bacteria in the water were linked to a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.
But charges were dropped in 2019 in exchange for a no-contest plea to an obscure misdemeanor. The case was erased after a year, under a deal with special prosecutor Todd Flood.
Flint’s water quality greatly improved after it returned to a regional water supplier. Meanwhile, nine people, including Snyder and Baird, were charged with crimes in January after a new investigation. Their cases are pending.
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