This past cycle has been something of a surreal odyssey of election (rejection), between Iowa primaries last week and New Hampshire semi-official primaries this coming Tuesday. It makes me think we’re getting a preview of what Year 8’s prolonged election season will be like, and let me tell you, I don’t really want to see that movie. Alas, we all bought a ticket just by living here.
Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be rounding out my seventh year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not an election campaign!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!
Cleanup in Aisle 45:
This cycle featured an unholy melding Election Rejection and semi-regular election news. Here’s what has happened since last time:
- Primary Chaos. I’m sure most folks reading this already know that Trump won the Iowa primary by a country mile, forcing most other GOP primary candidates to drop out – including Ron DeSantis, who had originally been considered his strongest contender. We’re now left with only two GOP candidates as we go into New Hampshire’s primary tomorrow: Nikki Haley and the indicted Cheeto. Meanwhile, it’s still an open question whether he’s even allowed to be a candidate in Colorado and Maine – oral argument on the Colorado case will be on February 8, and Maine has decided to pause until that is resolved. And while all this is happening, people in New Hampshire are reporting they are receiving robocalls telling them not to vote from an AI that sounds like Joe Biden. We’re definitely back on the track to unprecedented times, if we ever even left.
With election season officially underway, much of Biden Rebuilding looks like a campaign trail – but more about that below. Here’s what I have for you:
- Another Month, Another Stopgap. As foretold by prophecy, we did indeed reach a deal to avoid shutdown this cycle with a 314-108 House vote–but just like last time, it only kicks the can down the road. The process also wasn’t without its drama, as the Freedom Caucus doesn’t seem to like the new Speaker much more than the old one; in fact, all but two opposing votes came from Speaker Johnson’s own party. And now we get to do this whole thing again in a little over a month, when the first of the funding runs out on March 1.
Your New Normal:
- SCOTUS POCUS. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Supreme Court activity from this cycle. In oral arguments last Wednesday, the court appeared to signal that it plans to gut our existing administrative law system, which has functioned under the Chevron precedent for as long as I’ve been alive. (That said, we won’t know the full extent until the opinion is issued, which will likely be months from now.) Then today, in the wake of three migrants dying while trying to cross the Rio Grande, it agreed that Texas needs to stop basically usurping the federal immigration process at the southern border. This paves the way for the Biden administration to remove the razor wire that Texas placed there, among other things, though the underlying case is still ongoing.
The Bad:
- Shouldn’t We Talk About the Weather? Most of the continental U.S. was hit this week with a series of winter storms, resulting in bitter cold and/or severe flooding in many places. The storms set new low records in much of the country, as normally-temperate places like Houston hit the teens and ordinarily-cold places like Kansas City had highs in the negatives. The weather also leaves more properties than normal at risk of repeat flooding. Shocking no one, research suggests that these extremes may also be caused by artificial climate change.
The Good:
- Recent Campaign Resilience. As Biden hits the beginnings of his campaign trail, he has been forecasting or introducing a lot of constituent-pleasing initiatives this cycle. Last week, he announced a proposal to curtail surprise overdraft fees from most banks, which will be open for public comment until April 1. Some outlets have also suggested that the White House is again considering moving the menthol ban forward. But the biggest news of the cycle came just today, when he announced additional plans to expand access to reproductive health care through coverage of contraceptives and medications. It’s quite clear that the Biden administration plans to make reproductive health a central issue of his campaign.
So that’s what I have for you, and there’s definitely more where that came from. For making it through, you deserve this brave rescue pupper and a more functional government. I’ll be back next time with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me a better timeline before November!
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