year 6 – National News Roundup

Year 7, Week 6 (February 19-25)

February 28, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

There’s a lot of health-related news this week, much of which is excitingly horrifying if you’re me. (Possibly it is also excitingly horrifying if you are you! I don’t want to presume.) I think it’s likely we’ll keep seeing these stories for a while, as they’re part and parcel with the federal decisions to end our Public Health Emergency designation. I will definitely keep folks posted on changes to this landscape.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a 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 a discovery document!–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:

It has been a quiet week for Election Rejection, comparatively speaking, but there is Biden Rebuilding news to know. Here’s what I have for you:

Abysmal Asylum Adjustments. The Biden administration announced a new proposed asylum policy this week that, frankly, looks a lot like it was written by Cheeto POTUS. The proposed policy would dramatically curtail how people claim asylum in the US, requiring individuals to first seek asylum in other countries and invalidating their claims if they enter the U.S. without authorization. It was originally forecast in January, and has concerned a lot of Democrats–for good reason, because the new policy is probably illegal and it’s a far cry from his campaign promise to expand access. We’re currently in a 30-day comment period, with implementation planned in May, and I will definitely let folks know who’s organizing the public yelling as soon as I have more info.

Your New Normal:

SNAP Cold Snap. Speaking of changes in public policy, this upcoming week will also mark the sunset of food security protections that were put in place during the pandemic. The change was brought by December’s omnibus bill, much like the Medicaid redetermination process that has set up shop in my brain since January. That said, the SNAP policy goes into effect a month sooner, sunsetting on March 1 in 32 different states. That is very poorly timed, since we still haven’t fully recovered from intense inflation of grocery prices, and this is likely to hurt a lot of households.
One Medical to Rule Them All. Monopoly giant Amazon.com Inc has closed its acquisition this week of the primary care organization named, ironically, One Medical. The deal was able to close because the FTC decided not to sue about it, though it sounds like they are trying to retain the right to go after them later if Amazon does sketchy things with people’s medical data. This isn’t the first medical acquisition Amazon has made, as it purchased pharmacy services in 2020 and attempted to bring Alexa to hospitals in 2021. It does, however, mark a substantial expansion of Amazon’s medical services (which is a cursed phrase I’m mad I even have to type), and as far as I know it’s the first direct medical subscription service the company has offered. Many advocates are also rightfully concerned that it’s a bigger risk to patient privacy than previous acquisitions. I will definitely keep people posted on this deal.

The Bad:

Waste Fraught, Want Not in East Palestine. The Environmental Protection Agency took the opportunity this week to order Norfolk Southern to clean up their act in East Palestine, figuratively speaking. At the same time, however, they instructed the company to stop cleaning up the area, literally speaking, and paused shipment of the contaminated waste out of the area. The instructions highlight overall uncertainty about the long-term health effects, which remain an ongoing point of contention and concern. These things are only exacerbated by a preliminary report released from the National Transportation Safety Board, which cites an overheated wheel bearing as the cause of the derailment and notes that it took three defect detectors to pick up the issue. Needless to say, things are still a pretty big mess over there.

The Good:

Operation Rescue Doggos. In Seattle, a neighborhood pulled together impressively to rescue the occupants of a doggy daycare resort in Seattle when their building caught fire. After all 115 furry friends safely made it out of the building, the displaced doggos wound up staying in businesses and homes all over the neighborhood. The damage from the fire will cost about $300,000 in repairs, and the owner has started a Go Fund Me which has raised about a tenth of that cost already.

So that’s all the news I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news rebates. For making it through, you deserve this happy capy and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 your plan for universal healthcare!

Year 7, Week 5 (February 12-18)

February 22, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

A lot of this week’s stories are continuations of long-term topics we’ve been hearing about for some time–making it feel like Groundhog Day came a little late this month. Needless to say, this isn’t the first time we’ve been trapped in a news story, and it won’t be the last time either. But on the plus side, the NNR will be in Punxsutawney for the duration.

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

Most of this week’s Election Rejection news focuses on the investigation from Georgia, but there were a handful of other Trump updates as well. Here’s what I have for you:

Court Doc Discoveries. The judge presiding over the GA election grand jury investigation ordered the release of some of their documents on Thursday, which is how we learned the grand jury believed that some witnesses perjured themselves during said investigation. Consequently, the they recommended multiple indictments, though the mostly-sealed records mean we still are missing a lot of details. Meanwhile, Fox News was in the hot seat after the Dominion lawsuit against them revealed that the network knew full well there was no election fraud–even as they aired segments claiming otherwise.

The main story in Biden Rebuilding involves the war in Ukraine. Here’s what has happened:

Biden Time in Ukraine. President Biden went on an unannounced trip to Kyiv this week, days after his Vice President Kamala Harris called out Russia for war crimes against humanity. In response, Putin announced today that he will pull Russia out of its current nuclear arms détente with the US, a program called New START. Biden addressed Warsaw today in response, stressing that Russian aggression cannot be left unchallenged. Both sides are doubling down in part because we’re nearing one year of war in Ukraine, as the conflict officially began on February 24, 2022.

Your New Normal:

COVID Costs. A lot of advocates, including myself, are currently very concerned about what COVID vaccines will cost after the public health emergency ends on May 12. We saw a bit of promising news on that front this week, as Moderna walked back its initial threat to charge $110-130 for its vaccine. The change was probably related to Bernie Sanders threatening a hearing about it, but frankly I’ll still take it.

The Bad:

Care of a Statesman. Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman was hospitalized this week, apparently due to depressive symptoms that have worsened in recent weeks. Though Fox News was predictably catty, prominent Democrats have praised Fetterman for being transparent and seeking the care he needs through a brief medical leave. Several outlets have noted that depression is common for stroke survivors, which may be why his symptoms have worsened in recent weeks. That said, after three years of pandemic, studies show that depression is common for everybody, and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. I hope that Senator Fetterman is getting the care he needs, and I also hope that this type of story becomes more normalized over time.

The Good:

Paving the Way for Narcan Access. An FDA panel recommended this week that Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses, be made available for over-the-counter use. Though most states do make the treatment available without prescription in some contexts, obtaining it still generally requires interaction with a pharmacist. Given the stigma associated with overdose, which may prevent some people from wanting to approach a pharmacist about it, an over-the-counter determination would likely save lives. The change still needs to be cleared by the whole FDA, but this is a big step and I’m really excited about it.

So that’s all the news I have for this week, and I’m sorry, I cannot adjust the Internet to improve quality. For making it through, you deserve this fastidious greyhound and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 thoughts on what you’d do if you had to relive the same day indefinitely!

Year 7, Week 4 (February 5-11)

February 16, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The news is pretty dispiriting again this week, and I know I for one am getting tired of hearing myself sing that tune. If you’re having a tough time with all of this, you aren’t alone; we’ve lived through a lot in the last few years. I’m here if I can help.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a 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 a classified document!–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:

We did have some odds and ends on the Election Rejection news front. Here’s what has happened:

Subpoenas and Searches. Pence and Trump were both in the news a lot this past week, for various court-related reasons. On the Pence end, another classified document was found in his Indiana home; he was also subpoenaed in Trump’s ongoing January 6 investigation. Trump, for his part, is trying to stop Pence from testifying on that by using his tired ‘executive privilege’ refrain again. It’s also looking likely that records from the Georgia investigation into his election actions will be released in the near future.

We also had a couple of stories for Biden Rebuilding, though nothing I would call earth-shattering. Here’s what I have for you:

State of the Biden(s). The biggest Biden story of the past week was probably his State of the Union address, which largely touched on the debt ceiling, police reforms, and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s lack of social skills. His son Hunter’s laptop was also in the news yet again, this time because the House Oversight Committee used old social media restrictions from 2020 to create a whole censorship circus adventure.

Your New Normal:

Reproductive Health Updates. A lot of mixed reproductive health news surfaced this week. In Texas, a lawsuit may end access to abortifacients, which are supposed to be available under existing federal law. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Washington DC suggested that abortions may be protected by the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolishes slavery outside of penal contexts–it will be interesting to see what happens with that line of precedent. Finally, in Florida, the High School Athletic Association was considering forcing teen athletes to disclose their menstruation, which needless to say would have abortion implications, though the athletic administration voted not to adopt it.

The Bad:

Derailing Conversations. By now, I’m sure a lot of us have heard about the ongoing horrorshow happening in East Palestine, Ohio, where a massive derailed train dumped huge amounts of multiple kinds of toxic chemicals into the nearby Ohio river. The spill has killed a lot of local wildlife, and residents who were evacuated are understandably nervous about returning, wondering what this is doing to their air and water. Needless to say, this is a really concerning public health situation that seems like it’s being minimized, and it bodes watching carefully.

The Good:

Postpartum Antidepressant. The FDA is currently reviewing a promising new treatment for postpartum depression, which if approved could increase access to treatment considerably. (The only current form of postpartum pharmaceutical treatment is a 60-hour intravenous infusion that can cost thousands of dollars.) It’s a promising development, to say the least, though it may be some time before the drug is approved.

So that’s all I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this cat conversation and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 selfies you took recently!

Year 7, Week 3 (January 29–February 4)

February 7, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The news this week is kind of a funhouse mirror, reflecting an odd mix of Situation Normal and weird twists. I would imagine this is closer than average to what covering news looked like in the Before Times. If, y’know, the Before Times involved investigating investigators and sitting House reps wanted for fraud.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a 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 a classified document!–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:

We did have one story pop up on the Election Rejection news front. Here’s what has happened:

400 Fifths. A video was released this week of Trump’s August deposition with New York AG Leticia James, who you may remember brought a $250M fraud lawsuit against him this past fall. The video is noteworthy because it shows Trump invoking the fifth amendment literally over 400 times during the course of a four-hour deposition–for those of you playing the home game, that’s approximately 100 non-answers per hour. The civil case isn’t scheduled to go on trial until the fall, but it will be interesting to see if there’s further news on this before then.

We also had a handful of odds and ends for Biden Rebuilding, though nothing I would call earth-shattering. Here’s what I have for you:

Biden Admin Potpourri. The DNC approved Biden’s plan this week to dramatically change how Dem primaries work, pushing forward South Carolina’s primaries to the first date and pushing several other states forward or back. (That said, the plan still faces some logistical hurdles before it can be enacted.) In other news, the Fed raised interest rates again this week, for the eighth time this year–though it’s a milder hike than previous increases have been, at only 0.25%. Presumably, this is because inflation has been easing up since the last increase. Finally, on the classified document front, it turns out Biden’s beach home didn’t have any–and the FBI is planning a search of Pence’s home in Indiana.

Your New Normal:

Broken House Blues (Committee Edition). House committees were a hot topic again this week, with the GOP removing Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee because they didn’t like things she said four years ago. Meanwhile, newly-elected fraud entrepreneur George Santos stepped down from his committees, ostensibly because of ongoing investigations of him but possibly also because a former staffer just accused him of sexual assault in a letter to the House Ethics Committee. And in other House investigation news, Jim Jordan‘s new Judiciary Committee is apparently investigating the Department of Justice because… reasons? Candidly, I don’t think even he understands the reasoning he put forward in what is surely the first of many made-up investigations into the Biden administration.
African American Study Studies. After weeks of Florida governor Ron DeSantis threatening to ban the course, the College Board revealed this week that they have stripped much of the modern curriculum from AP African American Studies. The new version of the course has eliminated references to Angela Davis, Kimberle Krenshaw, the Black Lives Matter movement, mass incarceration, and reparations–all really significant omissions from a unit reviewing the 1960s through today. It’s unclear whether DeSantis will move off of his proposed ban based on these changes, but I’m gonna go ahead and guess that he will not. In support of my hypothesis, I offer the fact that he spent the week banning diversity programs at state colleges and ousting the college President at New College of Florida.

The Bad:

Tragedy in Turkey and Syria. Two massive earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria today, killing at least 4,100 people and injuring many thousands more. A quake of this magnitude hasn’t been seen in this region since 1939, and there were a lot of different factors contributing to the devastation caused by this one. Rescue and recovery operations are being slowed by the freezing temperatures, and we likely won’t know the full extent of the damage until those are completed. That said, it’s very likely that we’re looking at another humanitarian crisis in a region that has already suffered more than its fair share of them.

The Good:

Recent Wrongful Death Suits. A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled this week that the father of a murdered protester can bring a wrongful death suit against the civilian “counter-protester” who killed him during the Kenosha shootings. It’s heartening to see this proceed forward, particularly against the backdrop of the wrongful death suit brought last month against two civilian “protesters” from January 6, whose assault with bear spray resulted in an officer’s death. (Interestingly enough, that family is also suing Donald Trump, on the theory that his incitement makes him liable.) It’s complicated news, to be sure, but it’s ultimately promising to see the possibility of consequence for political violence–especially figures like Kyle Rittenhouse, whose massive alt-right backing can allow them to escape criminal consequences.

So that’s all I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this confused chicken and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 your favorite cat picture!

Year 7, Week 2 (January 22-28)

January 31, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The news feels like a bleak Groundhog Day yet again, which is kind of impressive when it also contains some major changes. Still, if there’s one thing I’ve learned after six years of this nonsense, it’s that the news doesn’t have to make sense. In fact, most of the time, it doesn’t bother.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a 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 a classified document!–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:

We had a suspiciously quiet week in election rejection news, but Biden Rebuilding still features reruns in syndicate. Here’s what I have for you:

What’s Up with These Docs (cont). The new contestant on Who Wants To Be An Investigation? is apparently Mike Pence, who discovered classified documents in his own home this week. (Fun fact: His public statement on the matter admitted that ‘mistakes were made,’ which is a seasoned political move but also a queer romance novel, and I love that he would hate knowing that.) Outlets are beginning to opine that maybe our classified document system needs work, or at least more oversight–can’t imagine why.

Your New Normal:

Broken House Blues (Tax Edition). We’re starting to see more chatter about a House bill that apparently was part of The Great Q Anon Compromise of Kevin McCarthy, the Fair Tax Act. The bill would basically nuke how we handle taxes in the US–decentralizing the IRS, removing our entire income tax structure, and replacing it with a very heavy sales tax on literally everything. Shocking no one, this was was a political gift to career Democrats, and even McCarthy is signaling he’s not going to back it. Gosh, couldn’t be happening to a nicer sellout.
Contagion Corner News. The Biden administration announced today that they are officially ending the public health emergency on May 11. As far as I can tell, this is an attempt to find a compromise between giving in to Republican demands and listening to the grownups in the room–Republicans want it ended now, but the World Health Organization quite conspicuously announced this week that the international PHE is still ongoing. Nonetheless, the FDA also voted this week to evolve COVID vaccines moving forward, planning to retire the original vaccines but disagreeing with itself about whether to move to an annual vaccine model. So there was a lot of news, but most of it was a big mess.

The Bad:

Black Lives Still Matter. This week, footage was released of five Memphis police aggressively brutalizing Tyre Nichols, who they stopped in traffic for an alleged driving violation, before Nichols died of the injuries sustained. Though the murdering officers were charged and fired, the contradictory commands and disparate police reporting of their stop highlight that these disturbingly plethoric police brutalities are systemic in nature. People gathered this weekend to protest and demand action in both Memphis and across the country, and I will definitely keep folks posted on any meaningful policy reform that results. In the meantime, I have made the decision not to link directly to the footage, which can be needlessly traumatizing of Black communities. Instead, I want to relay and continue the trend of sharing images of sunsets in his memory, as Nichols was an avid photographer who photographed them often.

The Good:

Recent Reproductive Health Resilience. Advocates in two states are beginning to bring legal challenges to restrictions on abortion pills, which may be a way to improve access to reproductive health supports in those states. This is likely the beginning of a much longer battle, but it’s promising to see challenges emerge.

So that’s all I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this bear’s selfie game and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 more hours in the day!

Year 7, Week 1 (January 15-21)

January 24, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The NNR starts counting from Inauguration Weekend every year, which means that this trip round the sun, we happen to coincide with the East Asian cultural sphere’s Lunar New Year! Though it’s off to a tough start, I’m still hopeful that the Year of the Rabbit (or Year of the Cat, depending upon who you ask) will ultimately live up to its reputation. Rest assured that if it doesn’t, I will tell you about it.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a 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 a committee!–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:

It was a bit of a disturbing week on the Election Rejection news front. Here’s what has happened:

Sedition Stories. Most of the Election Rejection news this week involves political violence. On Capitol Hill, four more Oathkeepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy and separate conspiracy charges. Meanwhile, in New Mexico, a bitter and failed GOP candidate was taken into custody this week because he decided to pay people to shoot up the homes of several Democratic lawmakers he blamed for his election loss. (Thankfully, no New Mexican lawmakers were injured in the making of this news story.)

Meanwhile in Biden Rebuilding, the scandal story continues to grow more heads. Here’s what I have for you:

What’s Up with These Docs (cont). I can’t believe I’m typing this again, but another search at Biden’s place turned up six more classified documents this week, bringing the total number of caches up to four. Since these searches were prompted by the White House, the total document number is pretty small, and Biden’s administration appointed the special counsel in the first place, we appear to still be in “oops my bad” territory. That said, it does make Biden look bad, so here’s hoping I’m not continuing this story again next week.

Your New Normal:

Broken House Blues. More news about House committees came down this week, and it features just as much vindictive and scary hell-brokering from McCarthy as forecast. Q Anon caucus reps Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar are both back on the Oversight committee despite being stripped of committees last year due to dangerous and threatening conduct. Meanwhile, McCarthy is trying to block former Intelligence committee chair Adam Schiff from serving on the committee at all because he’s mad about the Greene and Gosar thing, which as far as I’m aware is completely unprecedented. Finally, the House let the US go ahead and hit its debt ceiling this week, which could have catastrophic consequences as soon as July if it isn’t addressed before then. In the short term, the U.S. treasury is taking ‘extraordinary measures’ to avoid an immediate default, which basically means that some government employees aren’t getting their pensions properly because the GOP won’t shut up and do their literal job.
Contagion Corner News. There was some significant news on long COVID this week–bluntly, that it’s not good. Which, to be fair, we already knew, but recent research publications reinforce that it can create serious symptoms that last more than a year and impacts ten percent of total COVID cases. This means that tens of millions of people worldwide likely need ongoing treatment, and that number will likely keep going up. We also currently don’t have any known interventions to prevent it, though researchers are working on that. All told, long COVID remains a serious concern that isn’t going away anytime soon and should be approached accordingly.

The Bad:

Yet Another Mass Shooting. A mass shooting at Star Ballroom in Monterey Park, California on Saturday evening has killed eleven people as I type this and injured ten more. The shooter also attempted a second mass shooting at Lai Lai Ballroom two miles away, but was subdued by a staff member who managed to disarm him. The assailant died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds after a standoff with police the next day, and it’s unclear what motivated him to attack people celebrating the new year. I feel the need to note that this incident is already the thirty-third mass shooting this year, which means we’ve had more mass shootings than days so far in 2023.

The Good:

Recent Reproductive Health Resilience. New York City has introduced free access to abortifacients at public health clinics in the Bronx and three other locations. This supplements access available at eleven local hospitals, and is intended to support other comprehensive access initiatives across the city. This is particularly welcome news as plans to offer abortifacients in pharmacies hit legal snags in much of the country; the clinic access will likely increase access for a lot of people.

So that’s all I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this dramatic reenactment and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 your favorite tea blends!

Year 6, Week 52 (January 8-14)

January 17, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

Much like my dog every time he goes outside, the news seems unsure where it is going this week. We have a lot of meandering threads that continue from last week, with little resolution in sight. Nonetheless, the NNR will keep you posted on the updates.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I guess after six years I’m conceding that I’m a journalist, 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 a gas stove!–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:

Since it’s otherwise a quiet week for Election Rejection news, now seems like a fine time to catch everyone up on the Santos saga. Here’s what has happened:

Santos Malos. If you somehow have not yet caught up on the impressive fraudulence of George Santos, let me give you the Cliff notes: He has lied about basically everything it is possible to lie about. Over the past few weeks, we’ve caught lies on topics ranging from his family of origin to his qualifications to how he spent his donations to whether he’s wanted by the Brazilian government. As you might imagine, this kind of thing leads to federal and House investigations, as well as ethics complaints from the Dem side of the aisle. As of this week, we can also add hostilities from his own aisle to that list, as half the GOP attempts to kick Santos off the island. Nonetheless, as we’ve seen so ably demonstrated over the past few weeks, McCarthy isn’t doing anything that might challenge his fragile hold on the House, and that includes making Santos answer for any of this. I’ll keep folks posted on whether anything comes of any of this, but it’s my guess that we’ll be stuck with him until 2024.

Meanwhile in Biden Rebuilding, the scandal story from last week has grown more heads. Here’s what I have for you:

What’s Up with These Docs (cont). Remember last week, when the GOP had already started comparing Biden’s classified cache to Trump’s? They got slightly more supporting facts this week, because we learned about more classified oopsies in Biden’s home in Delaware. I do want to stress that there’s still a dramatic difference between the two in terms of context and magnitude, but it’s not a great look for Biden, especially when the new House is desperate to investigate him already. Attorney General Merrick has appointed special counsel, in the form of Robert Hur, to investigate the matter further. I’ll keep folks posted on this one as well.

Your New Normal:

Out Of Gas. The GOP went all the way off the rails about gas range stoves this week, apparently in response to a Biden official from the Consumer Product Safety Commission saying he considered a ban on them during a routine interview. The chair of the commission had to publicly clarify that nobody was banning gas stoves in the near future, but people are still defending their Constitutional right to them anyway. (That said, there really are health concerns associated with gas stovetops, as has been highlighted in major studies in recent years. There just aren’t any federal plans to do anything about it.)

The Bad:

Climate Change Catastrophes (cont). The severe storms in California that I documented last week are still ongoing as I type this, though experts believe that the state may see a break soon. Flooding is still a major concern; according to NWS, some areas have weathered over half their annual rainfall in the past three weeks. Needless to say, this isn’t normal, and we may be rebuilding local infrastructure for quite a while after this.

The Good:

Recent Economic Resilience.* Several outlets reported this week that consumer prices fell in December by a 0.1% monthly rate overall. It’s a small decrease, but it’s also the first decrease since May 2020, so it’s still worth getting excited about. The annual inflation rate dropped as well, largely due to falling gas prices. Incremental progress!

So that’s all I have for this week, and here’s hoping it doesn’t get worse. For making it through, you deserve these penguin bros and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 head scritches for my dog!

Year 6, Week 51 (January 1-7)

January 11, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

Well, another week has happened, and we once again have as many questions as answers. That said, we did at least see the stunning conclusion to Mr. Speaker’s Wild Ride–so now the official House dysfunction can truly begin.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I guess after six years I’m conceding that I’m a journalist, 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 a Rules package!–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:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the changing of the guard, this was a quiet week for Election Rejection news. Here’s what has happened:

Jury Went Down in GA. The grand jury investigation into Trump’s election interference in Fulton, Georgia wrapped up this week, submitting its charge recommendations to the local district attorney before a judge officially dissolved it yesterday. Now that it’s over, we have something of a waiting game–if the district attorney decides to press charges, this will be followed by a criminal grand jury investigation. That said, we have no idea what the charge recommendations actually were, because there will be a hearing on January 24 to determine whether the recommendations become public. Here’s hoping it was something good.

The Biden Rebuilding updates, surprisingly, look a lot like the above this week. Here’s what I have for you:

What’s Up with These Docs. President Biden’s attorneys found 10 Obama-era classified documents at Biden’s think tank this week, which appear to have been left in his old office. The documents were promptly turned over to the National Archive upon their discovery, but Republicans wasted no time equating the incident with Trump’s ongoing Mar-a-Lago fight. For those of you playing the home game, Trump had over 300 classified documents strewn about his country club, which sees significantly more traffic than a think tank office–this is like saying the dust you find under your couch is the same as the dumpster out back.

Your New Normal:

Setting Up the Speaker. After a record fifteen votes (and a near fistfight on the House floor), the House of Representatives finally elected Kevin McCarthy as new Speaker of the House late Friday night. He made a broad range of scary concessions to achieve the majority vote, some of which we may never even know, because they occurred as handshake deals behind closed doors. That said, we definitely know some of the terms he agreed to, because they showed up in the House Rules package that passed yesterday. These changes will likely create a lot of headaches as we move into the next fiscal year, especially because the Senate has no obligation to accept any of the bonkers bills that result. The most noteworthy and likely Clown Caucus concessions to show up in the package: 1) streamlining defunding things; 2) making it easier to bring motions to kick out the Speaker; 3) making it harder to raise the debt ceiling; 4) kicking out half the Office of Congressional Ethics with surprise term limits; 5) reviving the ability to terrorize federal workers; and 6) limiting how much the Speaker can negotiate with other bodies like the Biden Administration. Finally, though the committee itself was already planned, it’s likely that McCarthy agreed to establish Jim Jordan as head of the newly-minted Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government as a concession as well, since Jordan was an early alternate candidate in the voting circus–although, surprisingly, not one of the 21 professional pains in McCarthy’s rear otherwise.

The Bad:

Climate Change Catastrophes (cont). A lot of media attention is (rightfully) turning to ongoing severe storms in California, which have created mudslides and flooding throughout the state. The storms have led to evacuation of hundreds of thousands and killed at least seventeen people as I type this; it has also left hundreds of thousands without power. The conditions contrast dramatically with the ongoing three-year drought that the state experienced, which only ended this past fall. Needless to say, it’s a rough situation that may get worse before it gets better.

The Good:

Recent Labor Resilience. The Federal Trade Commission proposed a new rule this week that would ban noncompete agreements from employment contracts, leaving employees free to take other jobs in their field if they leave their current one. This would be a massive win for workers if it went through, and frankly, even the fact that it was proposed is very exciting. I’ll try to keep folks posted on this!

So that’s all I have for this week, and here’s hoping it doesn’t get worse. For making it through, you deserve baby hippo zoomies and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 your favorite Tumblr posts!

Year 6, Weeks 49-50 (December 18-31)

January 5, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

Hello, and welcome to 2023! The last few weeks of the year went much like the rest of 2022 did: There were some wins, some rough moments, and a lot of “what just happened.”

Standard standing reminders still apply: I guess after six years I’m conceding that I’m a journalist, 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 a report!–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:

The end of the year remained a relatively frenetic time for Election Rejection news. Here’s what has happened:

Election Rejection: Winding Down the House (some more). As I forecast before the break, the House committees of 2022 took a number of shots at Trump on their way out the door. The House Ways and Means committee did indeed vote to release Trump’s taxes, which is how we learned that the IRS didn’t follow policy and therefore never audited him during his first two years in office. We also learned that he held foreign bank accounts while President and paid no taxes in 2020. Meanwhile, the January 6 committee released its final 814-page report, as foretold by prophecy. Though much of that information was already public, report highlights include recommending overhauling the Election Count Act and banning Trump permanently from office.

The Biden Rebuilding updates are once again mostly legislative, but they’re nonetheless big news for Biden. Here’s what I have for you:

Pile of Spending Bill. The biggest news from the Biden administration is definitely the passage of the 2023 fiscal spending bill, which Biden signed into law just before the new year. I’ve been rummaging in its innards for two days now to track the changes to Medicaid and CHIP, but this bill has a mountain of other important stuff stashed in it too. Among the noteworthy provisions: 1) An overhaul of the Election Count Act (as mentioned above) to avoid a repeat of January 6; 2) a federal ban on Tiktok apps for government devices; 3) funding for aid to Ukraine; and 4) a bunch of new rules for retirement savings.

Your New Normal:

Contagion Corner. We’re experiencing another new dominant COVID subvarient spike, this time XBB.1.5, which the WHO warns is the most transmissible strain we’ve seen to date. This creates extra risk for seniors, though we’ll likely see other major effects as well. On a related note, the CDC reports that U.S. life expectancy has fallen for another year, in part due to the impact of COVID on older populations. Meanwhile, the US is imposing travel restrictions on people from China–which is pretty hypocritical, when we created XBB.1.5 and our COVID transmission rate still dwarfs theirs.
House Hot Mess. The House of Representatives has been stalled out for the last two days because there’s no new Speaker of the House, which is preventing them from addressing any business. More specifically, the QAnon Caucus has been sticking it to prospective Speaker and garbage human Kevin McCarthy over and over again; as I type this, they’ve managed to keep him from the position for six straight votes and counting. It’s a spite-fueled clown show that didn’t even have a competitor until they coalesced around Jim Jordan somewhere around Vote 3, and by Vote 4 this morning they had moved on to local Florida Man Byron Donalds. Notably, House Democrats have held fast in their support of minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has remained the plurality winner every single time. Several of them also brought popcorn with them yesterday, because the lack of a Speaker means there are not yet rules of decorum, so there’s no rule against it.

The Bad:

Climate Change Catastrophes. Most of the country saw unusually dangerous weather over the holiday week, which messed up water mains, knocked out power, caused a 46-car pileup in Ohio, and killed 40 people in Buffalo. The storm also created a mess for many airlines, but Southwest Airlines stood out as the clear loser in that regard. The company wound up canceling thousands of flights for several days straight due to a combination of weather woes, poor infrastructure, and poor management.

The Good:

Reproductive Health Resilience. We saw a major expansion of access for reproductive health over the last few days, when the FDA finalized rules which permit retail pharmacy sale of abortifacient medication. This clears the path for increased telemedicine access, particularly as the DOJ issued an opinion this week that the pills may be legally mailed to recipients in any state under federal law. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see of this rule, but it’s a really meaningful expansion of access and I’m excited about it.

So that’s all I have from the holidays, and here’s hoping it doesn’t get worse. For making it through, you deserve this cat eating a sweet potato and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 notes about your tai chi exercises!

Year 6, Week 48 (December 11-17)

December 20, 2022December 20, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

This week was pretty eventful as everyone gears up for the holidays, but there’s still a surprising dearth of horrorshow news. It’s a Hanukkah miracle, y’all. (Speaking of holidays, the NNR will take its customary end-of-year break after this roundup. Barring any unforeseen nightmare news, we will return in the new year on Tuesday, January 3.)

Standard standing reminders still apply: I guess after six years I’m conceding that I’m a journalist, 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 indictment!–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 is a relatively big week on the Election Rejection front. Here’s what we are tracking:

Election Rejection: Winding Down the House. The House January 6 committee confirmed today that they are referring Trump to the DOJ for 4 different crimes in connection with January 6, most notably incitement of an insurrection itself. They’ve also released an executive summary of their full report, which is already 160 pages long–the full report, which will be even longer, will be released on December 21. The referrals are not binding, and the DOJ already has an investigation open on this matter, but they are likely to review the House committee’s compiled testimony as part of that investigation. In related news, the House Ways and Means Committee will spend tomorrow discussing Trump’s tax returns, which will likely have interesting repercussions as well.

The Biden Rebuilding updates are once again mostly about other branches interacting with the Biden agenda, though we do have one story from the Fed. Here’s what I have for you:

End-of-Year Updates. There are a lot of odds and ends to report this week as we head into the holiday break. On the legislative side of things, the Senate did indeed pass the military bill that made its way through the House last week, which will end mandated COVID vaccination for the armed services. Meanwhile, on the judicial side, Attorney General Garland is moving to end sentencing disparities in federal cases involving distribution of crack and powder cocaine. This is a long-overdue move for an issue of racial inequity that has been on the books for over thirty years and was originally crafted by Biden himself. The Supreme Court also issued an administrative stay on Title 42, which will preclude Biden from ending it and letting asylum seekers enter the country properly again. Finally, the Fed raised interest rates again, but at a lower increase than the previous several have been.

Your New Normal:

Contagion Corner. With COVID cases still on the rise, the Biden administration is reviving their free test campaign again–households can now order another four tests by U.S. mail. Meanwhile, yet more studies were published showing that Republican policies increase COVID fatalities, and as if to underscore this point Ron DeSantis announced he wants to indict people who implemented COVID vaccines. There was also a study finding that long COVID has killed about 3,500 people since the pandemic began. But in more positive tripledemic news, there were also a few stories suggesting that the flu season may be peaking early, which would hopefully ease things a bit if it recedes.

The Bad:

Twitter Trash Fire. Twitter with Elon Musk at the helm continues to be a hot and concerning mess. This week, he banned a bunch of journalists from the platform because they covered a story about a bot that tracked his jet’s flights. Eventually the accounts were reinstated, only for Twitter to release a new policy stating that it will ban users who share links to other social media platforms. Then that policy was deleted without being officially rescinded. Finally, Musk capped off the week by taking a poll about whether he should step down as CEO, which resulted in users collectively voting him off the island (though he has not stepped down as I type this).

The Good:

Recent Environmental Advancement.* Scientists in California achieved a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion this week, when they successfully created ‘ignition’ using giant lasers–in other words, they created a reaction that generated energy at a rate exceeding the activation energy. This breakthrough reflects decades of work, and has a lot of potential applications for clean energy and safer nuclear use. It’s an exciting advancement!

So that’s all I have for this week, and for that, we can all be grateful. For making it through, you deserve this baby tortoise routine and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week 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 more hours in the day!