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Thursday, December 9, 2021

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In 52-48 Vote, Senate Votes to Reject Biden Vaccine Mandate on Business

The Hill reports: The Senate on Wednesday voted to nix President Biden’s vaccine mandate for larger businesses, handing Republicans a symbolic win. Senators voted 52-48 on the resolution, which needed a simple majority to be approved. Democratic Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) voted with Republicans, giving it enough support to be sent to the House (TheHill). Indiana Sen. Mike Braun: This bipartisan vote is a crystal clear message to the @WhiteHouse: Back off, and stop this crazy federal overreach immediately (Twitter). Politico: Democrats Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Jon Tester (Mont.) joined all the Republicans present in the 52-48 vote after critics assailed the mandate as an example of federal overreach and dismissed its option of weekly testing for workers who refuse to get shots as an insufficient accommodation (Politico).

Amidst Record-Setting Crime, President Biden Blames Covid

New York Post: At least 12 major US cities have already set historical murder records in 2021, even as three weeks remain in the year (NYPost). Wall Street Journal: Asked last week at a press briefing whether the pandemic was to blame for the surge in crime, as President Biden has suggested, the White House press secretary Jen Psaki declared the virus is “a root cause in a lot of communities.” The “root cause,” the all-encompassing absolution that simultaneously strips criminals of agency and Democratic politicians of responsibility for the consequences of their policies (The Wall Street Journal). From Fox News: The head of the union that represents nearly 1,000 prosecutors within Los Angeles County accused District Attorney George Gascon on Monday of keeping silent amid a surge in brazen smash-and-grab burglaries and robberies that have become increasingly violent. Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, said the top prosecutor cares more about the rights of criminal suspects than crime victims as gangs of thieves continue to loot retail stores for thousands of dollars in merchandise, often in front of customers and staff (Fox News). Wall Street Journal: The U.S. experienced its largest-ever single year homicide spike in 2020, and crime now polls as one of the top voter concerns. This has many criminal-justice-reform advocates and their media allies scrambling to convince Americans that things aren’t really so bad. At CNN, data journalist Priya Krishnakumar explains “how crime stats lie” by pointing out that 2020’s murder rate was “40% below what it was in the 1980s and 1990s.” the claim that crime isn’t as bad as it was in the 1990s is no longer true for a long list of American cities, many of which have either surpassed or are currently flirting with that decade’s homicide tallies. Philadelphia just shattered its all-time annual homicide record (The Wall Street Journal).

President Biden Anxious Over Russia and Ukraine

Daily Wire: Russia is reportedly preparing to launch a massive invasion into Ukraine, as soon as within upcoming weeks, with up to 175,000 troops, armor, and artillery (The Daily Wire). From President Biden: We hope by Friday we’re going to be able to say and announce to you that we’re having meetings at a higher level, not just with us but with at least four of our major NATO Allies and Russia to discuss the future of Russia’s concerns relative to NATO writ large and whether or not we can work out any accommodations as it relates to bringing down the temperature along the eastern front (The White House). From Fox News: Jack Keane, a former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, told Fox News host Martha MacCallum that Russia is “absolutely poised” to attempt a military invasion of Ukraine—after forcibly annexing its Crimea region during the Obama years (Fox News).

Fauci: Definition of Fully Vaccinated Will Change Yet Again

Daily Wire: Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a CNN interview on Wednesday that it’s only a matter of time before the definition of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 changes. The report is not the first time the redefinition of “full vaccinated” has been discussed in the U.S. In October, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rochelle Walensky, told reporters the definition could change in the future (The Daily Wire). From RNC Research: Dr. Fauci says it’s “a matter of when, not if” the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ changes (Twitter). From CNBC: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Wednesday that people might need a fourth Covid-19 shot sooner than expected after preliminary research shows the new omicron variant can undermine protective antibodies generated by the vaccine (CNBC).

Sen. Marco Rubio: U.S. Is Economically Addicted to China

Speaking at Hillsdale, D.C.: “Our economy is now controlled by people who have more allegiance to the global economic order than to their own nation.” Corporate executives will protest, but how else to view actions such as Apple’s Tim Cook’s secret $275 billion deal with Beijing to spend more on Chinese-produced components in exchange for regulatory reforms that would help Apple’s bottom line? (WPost). From Hillsdale: According to Rubio, we need “a capitalism in which our market serves our people, not a capitalism in which our people serve the market” (Twitter).

Gallup Poll: Americans Are Still Partial to Capitalism Over Socialism

Wall Street Journal: A new poll from Gallup confirms that the American people still have more faith in capitalism than they do in socialism (WSJ). Gallup: Capitalism viewed positively by 60%; socialism, by 38%. Democrats continue to view socialism more positively than capitalism (Gallup).

Rep. Devin Nunes Announces Retirement; Will Serve as CEO of Trump Media Venture

Nunes was likely to be Chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee (Hill). Fox News: Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., will resign from Congress at the end of the year. Fox News has confirmed that Nunes plans to leave, with a source saying the lawmaker “got a job offer that he can’t refuse” as CEO of a newly established Trump media organization. Donald Trump, Chairman of TMTG, commented in the statement: “Congressman Devin Nunes is a fighter and a leader. He will make an excellent CEO of TMTG. Devin understands that we must stop the liberal media and Big Tech from destroying the freedoms that make America great” (Fox News). From The Daily Wire: Nunes is currently in his 10th term in Congress and has long been hailed as a hero by former President Donald Trump and his supporters for his drive to discredit the Steele Dossier (The Daily Wire). In his written statement, Nunes stated: Rest assured, I have not, by any means, given up our collective fight—I’ll just be pursuing it through other means (House.gov).

Under Threat of Teacher Resignations, Schools Returning to Online Classes

New York Times: After a few months of relative calm, some public schools are going remote— or canceling classes entirely—for a day a week, or even for a couple of weeks, because of teacher burnout or staff shortages. For many schools, the remote learning days—an option that did not exist before the pandemic—are a last-ditch effort to keep teachers from resigning. They are burned out, educators said, after a year of trying to help students through learning loss and working overtime to make up for labor shortages. Battles in the classroom—over mask mandates and critical race theory—have also taken a toll, said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second-biggest teachers’ union. “What you hear from teachers is that it’s been too much,” she said. “And they’re trying the best that they can” (NYT). HotAir: One thing you can bet on is that this trend will spread. As word gets around that teachers are deciding to take a weekly break or additional days off, more teachers will decide that sounds good and do likewise (HotAir).

White House Meets With Media Outlets to Garner More Positive Headlines

New York Post: The administration is “not happy” with the unflattering headlines and coverage of the supply-chain disaster and handling of the economy — and so “has been working behind the scenes trying to reshape coverage in its favor,” CNN’s Reliable Sources said (NewYorkPost). From Reliable Sources: The officials have been discussing with newsrooms trends pertaining to job creation, economic growth, supply chains, and more. The basic argument that has been made: That the country’s economy is in much better shape than it was last year. I’m told the conversations have been productive, with anchors and reporters and producers getting to talk with the officials… (Reliable Sources). Elite media seems more than willing to accommodate.

10.

If Roe Is Overturned, California Looks to Be Abortion “Sanctuary”

The California Future of Abortion Council was founded by none other than California Governor Gavin Newsom. Los Angeles Times: With more than two dozen states poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court gives them the OK next year, California clinics and their allies in the state Legislature on Wednesday revealed a plan to make the state a “sanctuary” for those seeking reproductive care, including possibly paying for travel, lodging and procedures for people from other states (LATimes). It would be no “sanctuary” for the unborn.