(Confusing cacophony of cheering and booing.)

Wednesday, October 20, 2021
BY SARAH LAZARUS & CROOKED MEDIA


** -Chuck Schumer ([link removed]) on S.Res.422, paving the way for a Halloween dog parade
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Democrats’ slimmed-down reconciliation package has begun to take shape, with negotiators newly hopeful about reaching an agreement by the end of the month. A spooky-season miracle.

* So what kind of shape is it? A substantially smaller one, for starters. President Biden told Democrats on Tuesday that he was now aiming for a deal between $1.75 trillion and $1.9 trillion ([link removed]) , which would still include some sort of Medicare expansion, universal pre-K, and billions of dollars to address climate change (somehow), as well as narrower or shorter-term versions of the extended child tax credit, paid family leave, and affordable housing. Tuition-free community college has likely been cut from the package.

* “I haven't seen this much optimism since right before we passed the American Rescue Plan,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said on Wednesday ([link removed]) . But there are still some big question marks, primarily around whether and how to stop the oceans from boiling. Now that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has dumped proposals for a clean-energy program and a carbon tax over the side of the Almost Heaven, it’s not clear what the bill’s final climate provisions will look like.

* While we’re waiting, let’s check in with the latest news on how Manchin’s climate obstruction will hurt his own constituents! In addition to dealing with worsening, inescapable floods ([link removed]) , West Virginia residents can look forward to continuing to pay sky-high electricity bills ([link removed]) . While most states now generate less than 40 percent of their electricity from coal, West Virginia relies on it for 89 percent of its power. The state’s reliance on coal might be lining Manchin’s own pockets ([link removed]) , but his constituents will face unmanageable bills every winter as the cost of coal-fired power continues to rise.

The scramble to find Manchin-proof climate provisions isn’t the only remaining tangle.

* Manchin’s insistence on means-testing every social program in the bill could have harmful side-effects beyond the obvious cruelties of things like limiting the child tax credit ([link removed]) to families making less than $60,000. (Progressives have called that number a nonstarter.) According to one analysis, the current design of Democrats’ child care plan could wind up hurting middle class families ([link removed]) : By raising wages for child-care workers (good), it would also raise the cost of unsubsidized child care, but families earning just over their state’s median income would receive no subsidies for the first three years of the program, so their child-care costs would simply spike (awful).

* A spokesperson for the House Committee on Education and Labor defended the program’s design ([link removed]) , arguing that worker wages wouldn’t rise abruptly enough to gouge middle-class parents before their subsidies kicked in. Best-case scenario, that’s right, and means-testing just makes the plan annoyingly complicated. Worst-case scenario, that’s wrong, and a whole bunch of voters discover that Democrats have accidentally saddled them with extra costs just in time for some hugely important elections. Seems like something to take a closer look at before it becomes law!

It looks increasingly likely that Democrats will manage to bring Smanchinema on board to pass something, and improve a lot of Americans’ lives in the process. Whether that final deal will include the kind of game-changing climate initiative the world needs—and exclude the kind of political self-own that Democrats can’t afford—remains to be seen.

Looking for a podcast that dives deep into the latest nerd news of your favorite franchises, from Shang-Chi to Squid Game? This week on X-Ray Vision, Jason Concepcion reacts to the news coming out of the DC Fandom, including the new Batman trailer. Plus, Dave Schilling of the Galaxy Brains podcast stops by to talk about the season three premier of Succession. New episodes out on Wednesdays. Follow wherever you get your podcasts ([link removed]) .
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The Trump Organization is facing a whole new criminal investigation ([link removed]) , marking the third probe by a New York prosecutor’s office. If we didn’t know better, we’d think this Donald Trump guy was some sort of lifelong criminal! (U up, Attorney General Merrick Garland?) The Westchester, NY, district attorney’s office has subpoenaed records from Trump National Golf Club Westchester, as well as from the town of Ossining, which sets property taxes for the course—evidently looking into whether the Trump Organization lied about the golf club’s property value to catch a break on taxes. For those keeping track at home, the company is already under indictment for tax fraud in Manhattan, and both Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance and New York Attorney General Letitia James are still investigating the valuations of other Trump properties.
* Senate Republicans once again filibustered a vote to open debate on the voting-rights bill ([link removed]) that Joe Manchin specifically molded to attract Republican support, as expected. President Biden called the GOP filibuster “unconscionable,” ([link removed]) but hasn’t yet publicly called for a voting rights carveout.

* Manchin has denied a report ([link removed]) that he’s considering leaving the party to become an independent ([link removed]) if the Build Back Better Act isn’t to his liking, calling it a “bullshit” rumor. He’s ours for good! (Confusing cacophony of cheering and booing.)

* Former Trump aide Dan Scavino doesn’t feel ready to respond to the January 6 committee’s subpoena ([link removed]) by this Thursday’s deadline, according to his attorney.

* Facebook plans to rebrand the whole company under a new name ([link removed]) , which ought to fix it.

* Hey. Hey! Throw out your onions ([link removed]) .

* A new Monmouth poll shows Glenn Youngkin gaining ground in the Virginia gubernatorial race ([link removed]) , but FWIW, the Monmouth polls followed the same pattern in 2017 ([link removed]) , before Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) won decisively. Might as well ignore the polls and make some calls: votesaveamerica.com/virginia ([link removed]) .

* Trans Netflix staffers organized a walkout in protest of the company’s actions around Dave Chapelle’s transphobic new special ([link removed]) , leading CEO Ted Sarandos to do some furious backpedaling.

* Then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper shut down Stephen Miller’s idea of sending 250,000 troops to the southern border in the spring of 2020 ([link removed]) , before the Trump administration figured out it could use the pandemic as a pretext to shut down immigration.

* San Francisco’s lone In-N-Out location pushed back on San Francisco’s vaccine mandate ([link removed]) and has been temporarily closed.

* The owners of the escaped Maryland zebras plan to lure them to a corral using more zebras ([link removed]) . When those zebras escape? That’s when you bring out your biggest zebras.

The world’s governments plan to continue ramping up fossil-fuel production over the next several years ([link removed]) , according to a new U.N. report, despite the pledges they made under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Government energy plans will more than double fossil-fuel usage in 2030, with a modest dip in coal production, and the increase in fossil-fuel production will extend to at least 2040. That does not jibe with world leaders’ promise to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the ceiling for avoiding the most catastrophic climate scenarios. Leaders will be able to discuss that discrepancy when they gather at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow at the end of the month—and President Biden will be in a much stronger position to pressure other countries to change their ways if Democrats have passed some hefty climate legislation before it rolls around.
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As temperatures cool off, we at What A Day are staying cozy in the Outerknown Blanket Shirt ([link removed]) . It feels as good as it sounds: Sturdy, yet incredibly soft and breathable, and sustainably made from 100% organic cotton. The Blanket Shirt is the perfect layer for fall and winter—and Outerknown's all-time best seller. With tons of colors to choose from for men and women, everyone should have a Blanket Shirt in their closet (Jon, Jon and Tommy all do!)

Sustainability isn't something Outerknown takes lightly; it's the reason pro-surfer and 11-time world champion Kelly Slater started the company in the first place. Outerknown’s mission is to provide great clothes that don’t harm the environment, and 95% of their products are made from organic or recycled materials. Not only will your Blanket Shirt fit great and look timeless, it's made to last for years. Best of all, our readers can use the promo code WHATADAY for 20% off ([link removed]) !

Surgeons at NYU Langone Health ([link removed]) successfully transplanted a pig’s kidney into a human patient for the first time, a major breakthrough that could pave the way to help thousands of people in need of transplants each year.

The FDA ([link removed]) has authorized booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and given the greenlight to mixing and matching.

The White House ([link removed]) has laid out its plans to vaccinate young children as soon as regulators authorize shots for kids ages five to 11, which they’re expected to do within weeks.

Hawaii ([link removed]) has become the first state to vaccinate 90 percent of its eligible residents.
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