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Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Biden Wants Action On Voting Rights


President Biden yesterday called on the Senate to act on voting rights legislation and to change the filibuster rules to get it done over unified Republican opposition, the first time he's advocated the rules change. Speaking in Atlanta, Biden said he'd been having quiet conversations with senators for months over the two voting rights bills, but declared, "I'm tired of being quiet!," reflecting his frustration with the lack of progress, which has also led to criticism of him by some Democratic activists. In his forceful remarks, Biden compared more restrictive voting rules passed in Republican-led states since the 2020 election to voter suppression of the past, calling them "Jim Crow 2.0," and accused Senate Republican of not having the, quote, "courage to stand up to a defeated president to protect the right to vote." Biden framed the voting rights push as an historic inflection point, saying, "Today, we call on Congress to get done what history will judge," asking, "Will you stand for democracy, yes or no?"

Republicans reject Biden's claims, saying the voting rights legislation Democrats are trying to pass it meant to give them an advantage. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell charged Biden invoked, quote, "the brutal racial hatred of Jim Crow Segregation to smear" new voting laws passed by states.


➤REPORT..SIGNS OMICRON SURGE MAY BE SET TO PEAK IN U.S.: Scientists are seeing signs that the huge omicron-drive Covid surge is about to peak in the U.S., after which cases may start plunging, according to the Associated Press, because it's so highly contagious that it may already be running out of people to infect. The University of Washington's influential model, for instance, projects the number of daily reported cases in the U.S. will peak by January 19th, just one week from now, and then fall sharply. However, experts also warn that there's still uncertainty, and hospitals are still likely to continue to be inundated for weeks or possibly more ahead even if cases due start to quickly drop.

 
➤FED CHAIR SAYS PREPARED TO RAISE RATES TO FIGHT INFLATION: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said yesterday that the Fed is prepared to raise interest rates faster than it currently plans to if needed to fight inflation. Speaking before the Senate Banking Committee, which is considering his nomination for a second term, he said, "If we have to raise interest rates more over time, we will." Powell also warned that high inflation could hurt efforts to get the job market fully restored, stating, "High inflation is a severe threat to the achievement of maximum employment." Inflation has risen to the highest level in four decades, driven in part by supply chain problems.

➤JUSTICE DEPT. CREATING SPECIAL DOMESTIC TERRORISM UNIT: The Justice Department's top national security official told the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday that the department is creating a specialized unit that will be focused on domestic terrorism. Citing an "elevated" threat from violent extremists in the U.S., Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said, "We have seen a growing threat from those who are motivated by racial animus, as well as those who ascribe to extremist anti-government and anti-authority ideologies."

 
➤REPORT..2021 DEADLIEST YEAR FOR U.S. POLICE, COVID LEADING CAUSE: Last year was the deadliest on record for U.S. police, according to a new report from the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, with 458 officers killed in the line of duty. The leading cause of death in 2021 was Covid-19, with the Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report finding that 301 police officers died of Covid, up 65 percent from 2020. Additionally, 61 officers were killed by firearms, up 36 percent from 2020, and 58 were killed in traffic-related accidents, an increase of 38 percent from the year before.

➤CHICAGO MAYOR TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday that she'd tested positive for Covid-19, tweeting, "I am experiencing cold-like symptoms but otherwise feel fine which I credit to being vaccinated and boosted. I will continue to work from home while following the CDC guidelines for isolation." The 59-year-old Lightfoot's last public appearance had been a press conference the night before at which she announced deal with the teachers' union allowing public school students to return to school after a week.

🍪DOOR DASH WILL BE DELIVERING GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: You'll be able get your Girl Scout cookies through DoorDash this year, with the organization revealing the news on Tuesday. The new way of getting your Thin Mints or Samoa fix, which begins in February, will be in addition to the usual sales methods. The Girl Scouts have also announced a new cookie in the line-up this year, called Adventurefuls. They are described as a "brownie-inspired cookie with caramel-flavored crème and a hint of sea salt."

Daily Mail graphic 1/12/22

➤FOUR REASONS YOU’RE SEEING EMPTY GROCERY STORE SHELVES:  You may have noticed grocery store shelves are looking rather empty lately. There are four reasons why this is happening: 1) the virus surge—the omicron variant means stores have more work to do from deep cleaning to enforcing mask policies, just as more staff members are calling out due to illness and quarantine; 2) winter weather- sweeping weather systems have made road conditions difficult in many parts of the country over the last two weeks, which means people in the affected areas bought up certain items before storms hit, and that weather has delayed delivery to grocery stores around the country; 3) supply chain snarls—it’s not just about shipping containers out at sea, as production has slowed on many of the goods that the United States imports, and 4) many people are eating at home- this means grocery stores are facing higher demand, and are struggling to stay stocked.


🏈GIANTS HEAD COACH JUDGE FIRED AFTER TWO SEASONS: The New York Giants fired head coach Joe Judge on Tuesday, one day after general manager Dave Gettleman retired. Judge had 10-23 record in two years with the Giants, including having gone 4-13 this season, closing with a six-game losing streak. Since winning the Super Bowl in 2012, the Giants have made the playoffs only once, and have gone through four coaches in the past six seasons.

🏀TEXAS TECH UPSETS NUMBER 1 BAYLOR, ENDING 21-GAME WINNING STREAK: Texas Tech upset Number 1 Baylor 65-62 last night, ending their winning streak at 21 games. It was the first loss for Baylor's basketball team since before last season's NCAA Tournament, at which it won the championship. Baylor was the last Division I team to have still be undefeated this season, after fifth-ranked Southern California had their first loss earlier in the day. The 19th-ranked Texas Tech team got the win days after also beating Number 6 Kansas.

 

⚾REPORT: MLB TALKS TO RESUME THURSDAY: Talks between MLB and the players' association are set to resume Thursday, after a 42-day break that started in early December when the league began a lockout, baseball's first work stoppage since 1995, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Citing sources familiar with the negotiations, AP said management is planning to present a new proposal to players. The scheduled start of spring training is five weeks away.

🏈ESPN: ALABAMA'S WILLIAMS TORE ACL IN CFP CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams tore the ACL in his left knee when he was injured early in the second quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game Monday night that his team lost to Georgia 33-18, ESPN reported Tuesday. Doctors expect that he'll have a full recovery after surgery, according to the report.

🚘SHOULD YOU WARM UP YOUR CAR IN THE WINTER?:  Is it necessary to warm up your car in cold weather? It was in the old days, but not so much anymore due to our modern cars. The AAA says you only need to let the engine run for about 30 seconds, or as long as it takes you to get situated and buckled up, before driving. That will give enough time for the oil to circulate. AutoZone notes that some states and cities have laws restricting the practice for environmental reasons and carry fines in excess of $1,000. Electric cars should be kept plugged-in on cold days, when possible, as they have conditioning systems that can keep their batteries at the ideal operating temperature and can also be programmed to heat the cabin without emitting any tailpipe emissions. The experts say the only time you should really consider an extended warm-up is if you’re having trouble scraping snow and ice off the windows before they’re defrosted, but a good scraper and a can of remover can accelerate the process.


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