February 3, 2023

Friday, February 3,2023. Annette’s News Roundup.

To read an article included in this Roundup, click on its blue title. It is hyperlinked so you can read the whole article. Please feel free to share and invite others to subscribe.

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Joe is always busy.

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What McCarthy really thinks.

This 👇 is a video in which the GOP Speaker makes clear what he really thinks about the debt ceiling. He answered a question by Gabe Fleisher of Wake up to Politics right after leaving the White House on Thursday. -

There are not many ways for the debt ceiling logjam to end. None of the more gimmicky solutions seem workable: the White House has ruled out taking any of the unilateral actionstheoretically available to them; it might already be too late for a discharge petition to force something onto the House floor.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy refuses to accept a “clean” debt ceiling bill, while President Joe Biden refuses to swallow one that contains spending cuts. In the end, they will have to meet somewhere in the middle, or else the U.S. will be plunged into a historic — and economically ruinous — default.

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mitt Romney (R-UT), two of Washington’s most experienced dealmakers, have stepped into this breach and offered one of the few bipartisan compromises currently on the table: raising the debt ceiling in exchange for the creation of a commission, or perhaps several, to study federal spending, the long-term health of the nation’s social safety net, and possible areas for reforms.

The deal is similar to the one struck by then-Vice President Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during the debt ceiling crisis of 2011, which involved a bipartisan deficit reduction committee (known as the “Supercommittee”).

Manchin discussed the proposal with McCarthy last month; Politico reported before the speaker met with Biden on Wednesday that the idea was being floated around the White House as a possible route out of this whole mess.

But after leaving the Oval Office, McCarthy told me that he had no interest in the commission compromise.

“I don’t need a commission to tell me where there’s waste, fraud, and abuse,” McCarthy said. “I don’t need a commission to tell us we’re $31 trillion in debt. Nobody needs a commission...to tell us we have spent too much.”

Instead, McCarthy expressed confidence that “we can sit down and solve this problem” over the next five months. “Hopefully it doesn’t take that long,” he added. (Wake Up to Politics).

Watch McCarthy here. 👇

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More on the National Prayer Breakfast. What is it and why do Presidents attend it?

Congress takes reins of prayer breakfast from secretive Christian evangelical group.

On its face, the National Prayer Breakfast is a serene, bipartisan event full of spiritual reflection.

But over the years, the breakfast has also been a source of controversy — full of shadowy fundraising, behind-the-scenes lobbying and even infiltration by a Russian spy.

So lawmakers now have taken it out of the hands of the secretive Christian evangelical group that has run it for decades — the International Foundation, also known as the Fellowship Foundation or "The Family," a name popularized in recent years by a book by the same name and a 2019 Netflix docuseries based on it.

"When Sen. [James] Lankford, [R-Okla.], and I were co-chairs of the National Prayer Breakfast a number of years ago, there were a lot of questions raised about the finances, about who was invited, about how it was structured," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee and frequent participant in the prayer breakfast. "And we frankly had to admit, as co-chairs, we didn't know as much as we felt we should have."

With Coons' and several others' help, a new, nonprofit group was formed — the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation with the sole purpose of putting on the signature event. It's headed by former Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, who said the first big change, in addition to the new legal status, is it will be smaller and more controlled.

When did the National Prayer Breakfast begin and why?

It's been happening annually for 70 years.

Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 was the first president to attend one. He was convinced to be there by Billy Graham, the Christian evangelist. Eisenhower, not known as particularly outwardly religious, at one point in his presidency said the country was in need of a spiritual renewal.

He is responsible for adding, "In God We Trust" to U.S. currency and "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance as ways to combat the "Red Scare," or the perceived creeping rise of communism after World War Two with the United States jockeying for prominence with the Soviet Union.

From then on, presidents have attended annually. Billy Graham and then his son, Franklin, also an evangelist, were in the ear of presidents for decades and increased their influence in Washington — as did "The Family."

What is "The Family"?

The group ran the prayer breakfast for decades, but the breakfast is just the tip of The Family's influence. It has a wide and international reach of elite friends, and unlike the televangelists seen on TV screens on Sundays, the Fellowship is deliberately cloistered.

"I wish I could say more about it, but it's working precisely because it is private," Republican President Ronald Reagan said in 1985 of his work with Doug Coe, the longtime leader of the Fellowship. Coe died in 2017.

The group has ties reaching from the highest to the lowest rungs of the federal government. Senators and members of Congress huddle with representatives of the group in a townhouse on Capitol Hill, known as the "C Street Center," among other places.

Tax Status Of Lawmakers' Religious Refuge Disputed

Members close to the group have said they reflect on the kind of week they are having and sometimes do Bible studies.

Much of what they discuss, though, by design, is not known.

And there have been concerns about The Family's access and questions about its agenda. The group has paid for overseas trips for members, been close in particular to GOP members, is linked to anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives and, in recent years, the Prayer Breakfast ballooned from a relatively small event into a multi-day affair that drew thousands and went beyond just prayer.

The Secret Political Reach Of 'The Family'

It served as a recruitment and networking event for the Fellowship and included plenty of guests from outside the U.S.

That included Maria Butina.

In 2018, the Department of Justice charged Butina with "conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the United States without prior notification."

Maria Butina Pleads Guilty In Foreign Agent Case, Admits Clandestine Influence Scheme

In other words, the U.S. government said she was really a spy. She was arrested, convicted and served 15 months in federal prison. (When she got out, she began serving in the Russian parliament.) (NPR).

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Severe damage to Democracy continues in Florida.

New College of Florida’s President Fired Amid Shake-Up.

The board of trustees at the New Col­lege of Flor­ida, a small lib­eral-arts col­lege in Sara­sota that Gov. Ron De­San­tis has tar­geted for an over­haul as part of his higher-ed­u­ca­tion agenda, fired its pres­i­dent and named the state’s for­mer ed­u­ca­tion com­mis­sioner as the in­terim re­place­ment.

In early Jan­uary, the Re­pub­lican gov­er­nor named six new trustees to the 13-mem­ber board, in­clud­ing Christo­pher Rufo, a con­ser­v­a­tive ac­tivist known for his bat­tles against crit­i­cal-race the­ory. The gov­ernor’s ad­min­is­tra­tion has crit­i­cized the 700-stu­dent col­lege for what it views as a left-wing ide­o­log­i­cal fo­cus that is out of touch with the state’s val­ues.

Mr. De­San­tis, a po­ten­tial 2024 pres­i­den­tial can­di­date, has made ed­u­ca­tion an es­sen­tial part of his gov­ern­ing agenda. He has pledged to over­haul higher ed­u­ca­tion in Flor­ida and strip it of what he con­sid­ers “woke ide­ol­ogy,” which his rep­re­sen­tagives have de­fined as a be­lief that the U.S. suf­fers from sys­temic in­jus­tice.

At Tues­day’s board meet­ing—the first in­clud­ing the new mem­bers—the trustees voted to ter­mi­nate the em­ploy­ment agree­ment of Pres­i­dent Pa­tri­cia Okker, who held the job for about a year and a half. Mr. Rufo had pre­vi­ously sug­gested changes to the uni­ver­si­ty’s lead­er­ship among his pro­pos­als for the in­sti­tu­tion, and an­other new trustee, Ja­son “Ed­die” Speir, had specif­i­cally called for Ms. Okker’s re­moval.

The trustees tapped Richard Cor­co­ran, who was ed­u­ca­tion com­mis­sioner for more than three years un­der Mr. De­San­tis and pre­vi­ously a state House speaker, as in­terim pres­i­dent. Be­cause he isn’t avail­able to as­sume the po­si­tion un­til March, they named a New Col­lege chief of staff to the po­si­tion tem-porarily. They plan to con­duct a for­mal search for a per­ma­nent new pres­i­dent.

Un­der the pro­posal Mr. De­San­tis de­tailed Tues­day, ahead of the March start of the Flor­ida leg­isla­tive ses­sion, the pub­lic-uni­ver­sity sys­tem’s board of gov­er­nors and the state board of ed­u­ca­tion would re­view and re­align cer­tain core cour­ses. The aim, as laid out by his of­fice, would be to en­sure they “pro-vide his­tor­i­cally ac­cu­rate, foun­da­tional and ca­reer-rel­e­vant ed­u­ca­tion, not sup­press or dis­tort sig­nif­i­cant his­tor­i­cal events or in­clude cur­ricu­lum that teaches iden­tity pol­i­tics.”

The gov­er­nor pro­posed for­bid­ding in­sti­tu­tions from us­ing any fund­ing to sup­port ini­tia­tives re­lat­ing to di­ver­sity, eq­uity and in­clu­sion, or DEI, crit­i­cal-race the­ory and other pro­grams he con­sid­ers dis­crim­i-na­tory. His mea­sure also would pro­hibit DEI state­ments in the hir­ing process. And it would al­low in­sti­tu­tions’ pres­i­dents and boards of trustees to con­duct post-ten­ure re­view of fac­ulty mem­bers at any time.

In his re­marks, Mr. De­San­tis high­lighted new in­sti­tutes at some state uni­ver­si­ties that are fo­cused on con­sti­tu­tional and civic ed­u­ca­tion. He said his bud­get rec­om­men­da­tions for the next fis­cal year would in­clude ad­di­tional money for such cen­ters. He also pro­posed fund­ing to hire new fac­ulty and pro­vide schol­ar­ships at the New Col­lege, as well as money for fac­ulty re­cruit­ment more broadly at other state uni­ver­sities. (Wall Street Journal).

Florida Teachers Hide Their Books to Avoid Felonies.

It’s not just the ridiculous “Stop W.O.K.E. Act” or restrictions on discussing issues of gender and sexuality in early grades or last week’s decision not to allow an Advanced Placement African American Studies course to be taught in Florida high schools. Governor Ron DeSantis’s crusade against independent thought is leading to bare bookshelves in classrooms as teachers panic about whether their own classroom libraries violate state law.

Last year DeSantis signed HB 1467, which barred pornography and “age inappropriate” books and required that all reading materials “be suited to student needs.” But school district administrators haven’t been clear about how they’re going to ascertain that. This month school officials instructed teachers in Manatee and Duval counties to either remove books from classrooms or cover them up with paper sheeting until the districts come up with a way to ensure that none of the reading material ran afoul of the new law. Teachers who don’t make sure their books pass DeSantis’s muster are risking up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for displaying a forbidden book, which is a third-degree felony. (The Nation).

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Another look at Florida. The same people who vote for DeSantis in Florida love their ObamaCare. Florida. Number 1 state for ACA enrollment in the country.

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Amy Walter, editor-in-chief of The Cook Political Report, says keep your eye on GOP Georgia Governor Kemp as a possible GOP 2024 Presidential candidate.

Trump and DeSantis Get All the Attention. But Kemp Is Strongly Positioned for 2024.

Trump is used to the glare of attention. And, is clearly desperate to get back in it (hence his travel later this month to key primary states of South Carolina and New Hampshire). DeSantis has skillfully used his post as governor to build a national brand as a “woke” killer. But the scrutiny—and sniping—from his rivals has only just begun. In fact, I’d argue there’s more pressure on DeSantis to perform well these next few months than there is pressure on Trump to dominate. 

The best place to be at this point is under-the-radar but also in the public eye. When the others wilt, wobble or whiff, this person looks like an attractive alternative.

That’s why I’m watching Gov. Brian Kemp very closely these days. In a recent column about Kemp’s wooing of electric car battery manufacturing to the state, POLITICO’s Alex Burns writes that “[w]hile national Republicans are bereft of a positive vision — still reeling from the chaos of the Trump presidency and the misery of a disappointing midterm election — Kemp is a rare actor in his party trying something shrewd and new.” Burns argues, and I agree, that Kemp is “the most resilient conservative politician of the Trump era, with a gift for finding a solid spot on shifting ground and fixing himself there.”

He’s also the only GOP Governor who can boast of winning—twice—in a purple state (and under non-ideal circumstances at that). Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin can lay claim to winning an election in hostile territory, but unlike Kemp, Youngkin didn’t have to face a primary and can’t run for re-election. Kemp’s Lazarus-like rise from 2021, where he was a favorite target of a furious Donald Trump, to an easy win over well-funded Democratic superstar Stacey Abrams a year later is proof of his understated but incredible political skill.

A new poll out this week only helps to underscore Kemp’s 2024 appeal. The University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs survey found the GOP Governor’s approval rating at a whopping 62 percent, including 34 percent approval from Democrats and 49 percent among independents.

For his part, Donald Trump’s favorable rating in the state clocks in at an anemic 38 percent with only 22 percent of independent voters viewing him favorably. Most notably, Kemp’s 90 percent approval among Republicans is almost 20 points higher than Trump’s 71 percent. (The Cook Political Report).

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An aside.

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The House isn’t the only place where members of Congress were removed.

Rick Scott on McConnell's Decision To Remove Him From Commerce Committee: 'That's Life.’

The Senate minority leader also ousted Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who had supported Scott's bid for the chamber's GOP leadership last year.

McConnell was able to unilaterally make the decision because Commerce was the third “Class A” panel assignment for both senators.

Scott remains a member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Armed Services panel, while Lee sits on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Judiciary panel. (HuffPost).

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Republicans kicked Ilhan Omar off the House Foreign Affairs Committee to get revenge on Democrats.

From left, US Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Adam Schiff, and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speak at a press conference on committee assignments for the 118th US Congress, at the US Capitol Building on January 25, 2023, in Washington, DC

On Thursday, House Republicans voted 218-211 to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a three-term progressive, from the Foreign Affairs Committee. It’s an act that’s the latest GOP effort to secure political revenge for Democrats’ conduct during the last Congress.

Republicans have been eager to target certain Democrats and their committee assignments ever since Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) were removed from their committees in bipartisan votes last term, due to threats of political violence both espoused.

Previously, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had barred Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from sitting on the House Select Committee on Intelligence. McCarthy has criticized Schiff for his handling of President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, and claims that Schiff advanced false information as part of it. He’s also pointed to connections that Swalwell had to a Chinese intelligence operative, though the lawmaker has not been accused of wrongdoing, per Axios. Swalwell and Schiff, both of whom were outspoken and high-profile critics of Trump, have denounced McCarthy’s moves as an act of “political vengeance.”

Since those seats were on a select committee, McCarthy was able to block both lawmakers on his own. However, a majority of the House had to vote on a resolution to remove Omar from Foreign Affairs.

All 211 Democrats present wound up opposing the resolution, while 218 Republicans voted in favor of it, and one Republican — Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) — voted present.

Republicans’ case against Omar sitting on Foreign Affairs centered on past statements she’s made that some have characterized as anti-Semitic, including describing US lawmakers’ support for Israel as “all about the Benjamins,” a comment that Democrats also condemned as trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes. Following outcries, Omar apologized for her remarks. Ahead of Thursday’s vote, Omar also cosponsored a resolution that condemned anti-Semitism and recognized “Israel as America’s legitimate and democratic ally.”

The focus on Omar’s committee assignments also marks the latest instance that the lawmaker, who is a Muslim American woman and Somali refugee, has been targeted and singled out by Republicans, including members of the far right. (Vox).

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Big News Yesterday.

Speaker Pelosi endorses Representatives Adam Schiff in California Senate Race - if Senator Diane Feinstein retires.

Rep. Nancy Peolsi on Thursday endorsed Rep. Adam Schiff in California’s high-profile Senate primary, backing the former House Intelligence Committee chair but only on the condition that Sen. Dianne Feinstein opts not to run again.

“If Senator Feinstein decides to seek re-election, she has my whole-hearted support. If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy,” Pelosi (D-Calif.), a two-time speaker of the House who stepped down from leadership earlier this year, said in an email. “In his service in the House, he has focused on strengthening our Democracy with justice and on building an economy that works for all.”

Pelosi’s conditional endorsement comes one week after Schiff (D-Calif.) officially launched his campaign. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) was the first to jump into the race, and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) has privately told her colleagues that she intends to run. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has also expressed interest, saying that he will consider a bid “over the next few months.” (Politico).

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Update on the missing radioactive capsule. It was found.

A tiny capsule containing radioactive material that went missing and sparked a massive search in the Australian Outback has been found.

A tiny cap­sule con­tain­ing ra­dioac­tive ma­te­r­ial that trig­gered a vast search of a high­way in the Aus­tralian Out­back has been found, as au­thor­i­ties in­ves­ti­gate how the cap­sule went miss­ing in tran­sit from a mine and whether any­one is to blame.

Search teams lo­cated the cap­sule Wednes­day morn­ing af­ter a seven-day ef­fort that in­volved 100 per­son­nel from var­i­ous gov­ern­ment agen­cies, in­clud­ing the po­lice, health au­thor­i­ties and the mil­i­tary, of­fi­cials said. Au­thor­i­ties de­ployed hand-held sen­sors and car-mounted de­tec­tion equip-ment to sur­vey a nearly 900-mile stretch of road where the cap­sule van­ished en route from a Rio Tinto PLC mine to Perth.

Of­fi­cials said the cap­sule was found nearly 50 miles south of New­man, the clos­est large town to Rio Tin­to’s Gu­dai-Darri mine, one of the new­est op­er­a­tions for the world’s sec­ond-largest min­ing com­pany by mar­ket value. It had fallen about 7 feet from the side of the road. [ It was less than an inch long.] ( Wall Street Journal).
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Save the birds. Put the stickers outside your windows!

Window Stickers to Prevent Bird Strikes Only Work One Way.

A thump on the window, if you’re around to hear it. A dead songbird below. Many people seek to prevent this sorrowful scenario by warning birds away with decals or film applied to windows of homes and office buildings. But there’s a big catch, a new study suggests: These products only work if affixed to the outside of the glass.

“People who are buying decals and putting them on the windows, they want to do good, they want to do right by the birds,” said John Swaddle, a professor of biology at the College of William & Mary and an author of the study, published Thursday in the research journal PeerJ. “You do have to take the extra step of putting it on the outside of the window.” (New York Times)

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March 7 is the launch day for Michele Obama’s celebrity-filled podcast. Get ready!

Michelle Obama launching podcast based on 'Light We Carry'.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michelle Obama’s recent celebrity-filled book tour is becoming a podcast.

Audible announced Wednesday that the former first lady will launch the “Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast” on March 7. It’s based on Obama’s tour promoting “The Light We Carry,” her recent bestselling book, which featured special guests like Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyler Perry, David Letterman and more.

“Though only a few thousand people were able to attend the events live, these remarkable conversations can now be heard by everyone,” Audible said in a news release. The eight-episode podcast “goes beyond the book as Michelle Obama and her friends share personal stories and insights listeners won’t encounter anywhere else.” (AP).