Good afternoon,
Today marks the 5-year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol and attempted coup to overturn a free and fair election. Spurred on by weeks of lies from Donald Trump, his supporters caused over $2.7 billion worth of damage to the Capitol complex, assaulted hundreds of police officers, and caused the death of Officer Michael Sicknick.
This sad day should never be forgotten, and we must never again allow a president or political party attempt to overturn an election without facing consequences for their illegal actions.
Here are a few important updates...
REPUBLICANS TARGET BROADBAND FUNDS
Joni Ernst, the soon-to-be retired Senator from Iowa has introduced <a href='[link removed]'>a bill</a> - The RECAPTURE Act – or Recovering Excess Communications Appropriations while Protecting Telecommunications Upgrades, Reinvestment, and Expansion- that would claw back $21 billion worth of funds from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The funds in question are not specifically for the deployment of physical infrastructure. Instead, the $21 billion in question would be used for permitting, telehealth programs, cybersecurity updates, and preparedness for artificial intelligence data centers integrating into the broadband system.
Ernst, a Republican Senator from a state that has already received and spent nearly $415 million in BEAD funds, is now attempting to snatch these funds away from other states. Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz is a co-sponsor of the bill. As recently as November Cruz was touting his role in securing over $1.2 billion in BEAD funds for his state. As Missouri Republican state representative Louis Rigs told <a href='[link removed]'>The Daily Yonder</a>, 'You're punishing people in rural America, again, for being rural.'
Broadband deployment is key to supporting many rural economic activities, including precision agriculture, which can increase margins for growers while also mitigating environmental impacts. We will continue to watch this bill.
FLU RAMPAGES THROUGH THE COUNTRY
After a yearslong campaign of vaccine disinformation, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr spent most of 2025 spewing false information from behind the HHS seal. RFK Jr's actions included changing vaccination recommendations and availability without any medical justification for making changes. As a result, U.S. flu vaccinations fell by 27% year-over-year from 2024 to 2025.
Now, the seeds of pestilence RFK Jr spent the year sewing are bearing their vile fruit. The U.S. currently has more patients seeking outpatient treatment for respiratory illnesses than at any time since record keeping began. 30 states are now ranked in the CDC's worst tier for tracking the illness and considered to have very high flu activity levels. The U.S. is on pace for one of the worst flu seasons ever. A particularly troubling development as millions of Americans are losing access to basic health care.
If you have not already done so, please consider getting vaccinated. <a href='[link removed]'>Click here to find a pharmacy near you</a>.
SABER RATTLING CONTINUES
In the wake of the legally questionable military abduction of the Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro, the Trump administration has continued threatening U.S. neighbors and allies with the threat of military invasion.
In the last 24 hours Trump and his underlings have threatened Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Finland, and Mexico with military actions. These threats come from the new and very stupidly named 'Donroe Doctrine' approach to diplomacy in the western hemisphere. As we have already seen with the Kennedy Center, Trump will slap his name on anything, apparently including the Monroe Doctrine.
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
218: The current number of elected Republicans in Congress.
With the death of California Representative Doug LaMalfa, Speaker Mike Johnson now can only lose 2 votes in the House to pass legislation. That margin will tighten further as special elections to fill seats vacated by Democrats in Texas and New Jersey will be held in January and April respectively. No special elections have yet been scheduled to fill the vacant seats of LaMalfa and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
WHAT WE'RE READING
Brownfield: <a href='[link removed]'>Senate Bill Targets Biden Era Broadband Funding</a>The American Prospect: <a href='[link removed]'>Bush Walked So Trump Could Run Into Venezuela</a>States Newsroom: <a href='[link removed]'>Most Kentucky counties have no nurse trained to examine, treat sexual assault victims</a>MPR News: <a href='[link removed]'>Walz abandons reelection campaign; Klobuchar weighs possible run for governor</a>Washington Monthly: <a href='[link removed]'>The Dangers of AI and Extreme Wealth Inequality</a>Truthout: <a href='[link removed]'>Fracking Industry Executives Are Salivating Over the AI Data Center Boom</a>Politico:<a href='[link removed]'>'Mexico should indeed be concerned': Trump's threats rattle Mexican officials, businesses</a>
Be sure to follow the One Country Project on <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>Bluesky</a>, <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>Twitter</a>, <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>Facebook</a> and <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>Substack</a>, and listen to <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>The Hot Dish</a> podcast.
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