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Sarah Palin To Resume Court Battle With The New York Times After Covid Illness Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Is Due Back Thursday In A New York City Courtroom More Than A Week After The Start Of A Trial In Her Libel Lawsuit Against The New York Times Was Postponed Because She Tested Positive For Covid-19. The Trial Is To Begin In Federal Court In Manhattan Where Palin Will Be The Star Witness. She’s Seeking Unspecified Damages Based On Claims That An Editorial In The Times Hurt Her Budding Career As A Political Commentator. A Judge Put Off The Trial Last Week To Give An Unvaccinated Palin Time To Get Over Any Possible Symptoms. Away From Court, She Caused A Stir By Being Sighted Dining Out At An Upscale Manhattan Restaurant Twice, Both Shortly Before And After Her Positive Test Results Were Made Public. Palin, 57, Has Publicly Said She Won’t Get A Shot. Jan. 24: Sarah Palin Tests Positive For Covid, Postponing Libel Trial The Republican’s Defamation Case Survived An Initial Dismissal That Was Reversed On Appeal In 2019, Setting The Stage For A Rare Instance That A Major News Organization Will Have To Defend Itself Against Libel Claims Involving A Public Figure. Palin Sued The Times In 2017, Accusing It Of Damaging Her Reputation With An Editorial About Gun Control Published After Louisiana U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, Also A Republican, Was Wounded When A Man With A History Of Anti-GOP Activity Opened Fire On A Congressional Baseball Team Practice In Washington. In The Editorial, The Times Wrote That Before The 2011 Mass Shooting In An Arizona Supermarket Parking Lot That Severely Wounded Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords And Killed Six Others, Palin’s Political Action Committee Circulated A Map Of Electoral Districts That Put Giffords And 19 Other Democrats Under Stylized Crosshairs. In A Correction Two Days Later, The Times Said The Editorial Had “Incorrectly Stated That A Link Existed Between Political Rhetoric And The 2011 Shooting” And That It Had “Incorrectly Described” The Map. The Disputed Wording Had Been Added To The Editorial By James Bennet, Then The Editorial Page Editor. At Trial, A Jury Would Have To Decide Whether He Acted With “Actual Malice,” Meaning That He Knew What He Wrote Was False, Or With “Reckless Disregard” For The Truth. Bennet Has Said He Believed The Editorial Was Accurate When It Was Published.

At RNC Gathering, Rift Emerges Between Trump’s Interests And The GOP’s None Of The Officials Assembled Here For The Republican National Committee’s Winter Meetings Are Writing Off Former President Donald Trump. They All Recognize His Singular Hold Over The Party’s Electoral Base. But A Distinct Chasm Is Emerging Between Trump’s Obsessions And The Issues Many GOP Operatives Consider Crucial To Winning The Midterm Elections In November. Republican Candidates Need To Make Voters' Concerns A Central Focus, As Opposed To Trump’s Day-To-Day Attacks, RNC Members Suggested This Week. Few Will Put It Quite So Bluntly; They Are Loath To Antagonize Trump And Possibly Drive Off His Hard-Core Followers. Yet In Interviews, Party Officials Showed Little Appetite For Organizing The GOP Around Trump’s Grievances. A Winning Message Would Emphasize Inflation And Parental Rights, They Said — Not The 2020 Election, Which Trump Falsely Insists He Won. Strengthening The Party Would Require Opening It Up To New Voters — Not Punishing Republicans Who Have Disagreed With Trump, They Added. The Sentiments Echo Those Of Local GOP Leaders, Who Said Late Last Year That They Were Ready To Move Beyond The 2020 Election, Even If Trump Wasn’t. They Wanted To Put Issues Like Border Security, The Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal And Education Front And Center. A Goal Of The RNC Winter Meetings, Members Said, Was For Republicans To Project “Unity.” Yet Trump Remains A Source Of Division That Has Spilled Into The Party’s Gathering. One Of His Allies, RNC Member David Bossie Of Maryland, Submitted A Symbolic Resolution That Would Call Upon Congressional Republicans To Expel Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., And Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., From The House GOP Conference. Both Voted Last Year To Impeach Trump. The Resolution Was Watered Down To A Censure Thursday Amid Criticism From Some Members That It Undercut Efforts To Show The Party Tolerated Dissenting Views. "The Republican National Committee Hereby Formally Censures Representatives Liz Cheney Of Wyoming And Adam Kinzinger Of Illinois And Shall Immediately Cease Any And All Support Of Them As Members Of The Republican Party For Their Behavior, Which Has Been Destructive To The Institution Of The U.S. House Of Representatives, The Republican Party And Our Republic, And Is Inconsistent With The Position Of The Conference," Read The Resolution, Which Was Obtained By NBC News. That Version Passed The RNC Subcommittee On Resolutions Unanimously Thursday Evening. Whether The Full RNC Will Approve It At Its General Meeting Friday Is Unclear, And A Source Familiar With The Process Said There Could Still Be Additional Changes. "I Believe If You’re Trying To Build A Big Church, As I’m Trying To Build In Illinois, You Don’t Excommunicate People Who Are Alleged To Have Sinned," State GOP Chairman Don Tracy Said Wednesday. "Politics Is About Addition, Not Subtraction." The Model Campaign That Republican Donors And Strategists Here Are Studying And Hoping To Re-Create In Their Own States Is That Of Republican Glenn Youngkin, A Political Novice Who Won The Virginia Governor’s Race Last Year Over Former Gov. Terry Mcauliffe. "The Most Important Thing That Struck Me Was [Youngkin] Talked To The Voters About What They Wanted To Talk About," Said Michael Whatley, The Chairman Of The North Carolina Republican Party. By Keeping Trump At A Distance And Emphasizing Local Issues, Youngkin Prevailed In A State That President Joe Biden Won By 10 Percentage Points. His "Hyperlocal Focus On What Virginia Voters Were Concerned About And Talking About In Their Own Homes — That’s The Model That Our Candidates Need To Implement And We’re Focused On Trying To Implement, As Well," Said Caleb Heimlich, The Washington State Republican Chairman. William Palatucci, An RNC Member From New Jersey, Said There Are Things Trump Could Do To Help The Party Heading Into The Midterms But Things He Shouldn't Do, As Well. Trump "Needs To Figure Out A Way To Be Constructive And Not Destructive: Help The Party Raise Money; Stay Out Of Primaries Unless There’s A Really Good Reason," Palatucci Said. "Picking Fights With Really Good Candidates Is Not A Good Idea!" Trump Remains The Party’s Most Popular Figure, And Since He Left Office He Has Looked And Sounded As Though He Will Run Again In 2024. But Even If He Goes Through With It, RNC Members Would Prefer The Primary To Be An Open Competition Rather Than A Coronation, They Said. "We’re Probably Going To Have More Of A Traditional Primary For The Presidential, Which Means Three Or Four Candidates Who Are In [And] Have Solid Platforms," Said Paul Farrow, The Chairman Of The Wisconsin GOP. "If The President Decides To Run Again, I Think He’ll Be Formidable. ... We’ll See If We Got Some New Individuals That Are Out There That Have Some Good Platforms That They Can Work On." Whatever Trump Decides, He’ll Have Huge Sway Over The Shape Of The GOP Field. He Would Scare Off Some Hopefuls If He Jumps In And Create Opportunities For A Slew Of Candidates If He Opts Out. "The Race In ’24 Will Very Much Hinge On Whatever President Trump Decides To Do," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Said In An Interview Last Week. "And I Expect That Everyone Else Will React Accordingly When He Does Make That Decision." Some RNC Members Said They’d Like Former Vice President Mike Pence To Enter The Race No Matter What Trump Chooses To Do. Trump Is Angry With Pence For Refusing To Throw Out The 2020 Election Results Ahead Of The Jan. 6, 2021, Riot. He Put Out A Statement This Week Calling For The House Committee Investigating The Attack On The Capitol To Go After Pence. That Upset Some RNC Members, Who Said They Resented That Kind Of Treatment Of A Stalwart Conservative. Trump’s Statement "Diminishes Him Further," A Member Said, Speaking On Condition Of Anonymity To Avoid A Backlash From Trump Loyalists. "It Is Beyond What We Would Call Midwestern Common Courtesy. None Of Us Understand It. Pence Is A Conservative Republican. If Anyone Is A RINO [Republican In Name Only], It’s Donald Trump. Think About It." Since RNC Members Began Arriving Here This Week, Trump Has Been Pumping Out Statements That Deviate From The Forward-Looking, Issue-Focused Message A Number Of Members Have Embraced. He Has Gloated Over Jeff Zucker’s Abrupt Resignation As President Of CNN, A Network He Belittled Throughout His Presidency, And He Questioned Why The Jan. 6 Committee Wasn't Examining "Large-Scale Proof Of Fraud," Even Though None Exists. "The Voters, For The Most Part, Are Aspirational And Want To See Candidates Who Are Going To Talk About Tomorrow, Not Yesterday," Said A State Party Chairman Who Requested Anonymity To Speak Candidly. "I Think The More You Try To Look Backwards, The Less Likely You’re Going To Succeed In This Business Going Forward." None Of Which Is To Say The 2020 Election Was Off-Limits. Multiple RNC Members Were Seen Carrying Conservative Author Mollie Hemingway’s New Book, "Rigged: How The Media, Big Tech, And The Democrats Seized Our Elections," Around The Lobby Of The Grand America Hotel, Where She Spoke At An Unofficial Event Wednesday. In Her Telling, The 2020 Election Wasn’t Stolen; Instead, It Unfairly Advantaged Democrats Because Of Enhanced Efforts To Turn Out Democratic Voters And Pandemic-Inspired Changes To Election Laws Allowing For More Mail-In Balloting. One Way RNC Members Have Sought To Appease Trump Loyalists Is To Call For Changes In Election Laws And Improvements In "Ballot Integrity" Without Embracing Conspiracy Theories That The Election Was Stolen. Their Goal Is To Keep The Trump Vote Intact Without Driving Away Constituencies Republicans Need To Win Elections, Like Suburban Women — A Balancing Act GOP Leaders Everywhere Are Struggling To Pull Off. "The Focus Is Really What Are The Lessons You Learn From 2020? And Then How Do You Apply Them To Protect ’22? And ’24?" Whatley Said Of Changes To Election Rules. "For Us Right Now, The Economy Really, Really Matters. Inflation Really, Really Matters. High Gasoline Prices Really Matter. What’s Happening In Russia Right Now. Our Withdrawal From Afghanistan. You Look At All Of These Different Issues That Have Arisen Over The Course Of Last Year, That’s What People Are Talking About Today." While Trump Isn’t Going Away, There Are Still Unmistakable Signs That His Influence Within The Party Is Waning. An NBC News Poll Released Last Month Found That Only 36 Percent Of Republican-Leaning Voters Said They Were More Supporters Of The Former President Than Of The GOP — Down By 18 Points From The Eve Of The 2020 Election. "We Have Some Very Die-Hard Trump Supporters In The Party On One Extreme, And On The Other Extreme, We Have Some People That Are Strong Republicans Except They Don’t Like Donald Trump," Said Tracy, The Illinois State Chairman. "I Think Most People Are More In The Middle."

Russia Has Plan To Stage Attack As Pretext For Ukraine Invasion, U.S. Alleges The U.S. Has Intelligence About A Russian Plan To Fabricate A Pretext For An Invasion Of Ukraine Using A Fake Video Involving Actors, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer Said Thursday. "We Don't Know That This Is The Route They Are Going To Take, But We Know That This Is An Option Under Consideration That Would Involve Actors," Finer Said In An Interview On MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports." He Described The Plan As "Extremely Elaborate." The Actors Would Be "Playing Mourners For People Who Are Killed In An Event," Finer Said, Adding That It Would Involve "The Deployment Of Corpses Of Bodies Purportedly Killed In An Incident." U.S. Intelligence Suggests Russia Considering 'Elaborate' Pretext To Invade Ukraine A Western Intelligence Official Also Confirmed Details Of The Plan, Which Was First Reported By The New York Times And The Washington Post. The Plot Involves The Release Of A Video, The Official Said, That Would Accuse Ukraine Of Conducting A Genocide Against Russian Speakers. It Includes The Staged Aftermath Of An Explosion, As Well As Video Of Destroyed Locations With Images Of Corpses And Faked Ukrainian Military Equipment, The Official Said. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price Said At A Briefing That The U.S. Publicized Information About The Plan To Expose "Russia's Destabilizing Actions Towards Ukraine And Dissuade Russia From Continuing This Dangerous Campaign And Ultimately Launching A Military Attack." It Is The Second Release Of Intelligence By Western Officials Designed To Thwart A Russian Disinformation Campaign. Last Month, British Officials Released Intelligence That The Kremlin Was Developing Plans To Install A Pro-Russian Leader In Ukraine. Senators Emerged Thursday From A Briefing About The Escalating Situation Along The Russia-Ukraine Border From Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin And Secretary Of State Antony Blinken. After The Briefing, Some Senators Said Momentum Has Been Building To Pass A Package Of Sanctions To Deter Russia's Military From Invading Ukraine. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., The Chair Of The Foreign Relations Committee, Who Is Working On The Sanctions Package With Ranking Member James Risch, R-Idaho, Said It Has Been Gaining Extensive Bipartisan Support. The Ukraine Briefing, Risch Said, "Only Makes The Case That This Is More Pressing, More Timely, And That Time, In This Regard, If We Want To Be Preventative, Is Of The Essence." "Russia Is In The Process Of Producing Movies, Producing Press Releases, Producing False Proof That The Ukrainians Are Doing Something To Provoke Them. It's Important That You Get That Out There And That The World Understands That This Is A False Operation To Try To Justify Them In An Invasion," He Said. "Take My Word For It. That Is Happening." Senators Have Yet To Finalize The Measure. Some Who Attended The Briefing Said The Package Includes "Pre-Invasion Sanctions." Several Senators Also Indicated That They Were Closing In On An Agreement. However, Menendez Said "Pre-Invasion Sanctions" Isn't How He Would Characterize The Package. "We Are Looking At Sanctions For Actions That Have Already Been Taken By The Russians, Like Cyberattacks Against The Ukrainian Government By Those Who Are Trying To Undermine The Ukrainian Government As We Speak," He Said. "Those Are Sanctions For Actions Already Taken. They're Not Necessarily Pre-Emptive." The Sanctions Could Also Target "False Flag Operations," Said Menendez, Who Declined To Elaborate Further. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Said The Information In The Briefing "Reinforces The View That I Had Previously, Which Is We Need To Move Forward With The Sanctions Package Here Quickly." "You Know, We Need To Make It Clear That These Are Prospective Sanctions. In Other Words, Say To Putin And The Russians If You Take Further Aggressive Actions In Ukraine, You're Going To Face These Very Severe Penalties," He Said. "Deterrence Is The Idea That If You Do X, We Will Do Y. If You Put Penalties In Place In Advance, At Least Significant Penalties, You Obviously Take Away The Stick Of Deterrence." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Called The Briefing "Sobering" And Praised Menendez For The Work He Is Doing On Sanctions, Saying He Hasn't Seen Similar Bipartisanship Since After The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. "The Briefing, I Think, Will Accelerate The Bipartisan Sanctions Package," Graham Said. "It's Clear To Me That If There Is An Invasion In Ukraine, It Will Be Almost Impossible To Have A Normal Relationship With Russia. "This Is The First Time Since 1945 That We've Had A Real Chance Of A European War, And To The American People, If He Gets Away With This In The Ukraine, You Can Expect China To Move On Taiwan. We Can Expect The Iranians To Break Out And Try To Get A Nuclear Weapon, Believing Nobody Will Stop Them," Graham Added.

Biden Says ISIS Leader Died By Suicide Bomb In ‘Desperate Act Of Cowardice,’ Vows To Hunt Terrorists Down President Joe Biden On Thursday Said An Overnight Raid By U.S. Special Forces In Northwest Syria Had Resulted In The Death Of The Leader Of The Islamic State Terrorism Group, Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Qurayshi, In One Of The Most Significant Counterterrorism Operations Of His Presidency To Date. "As Our Troops Approached To Capture The Terrorist, In A Final Act Of Desperate Cowardice, With No Regard To The Lives Of His Own Family Or Others The Building, He Chose To Blow Himself Up," Biden Said At The White House. "Last Night's Operation Took A Major Terrorist Threat Off The Battlefield And Has Sent A Strong Message To Terrorists Around The World: We Will Come After You And Find You," He Said. "Once Again Today, We Continue Our Unceasing Effort To Keep The American People Safe And Strengthen The Security Of Our Allies And Partners Around The World." Watch President Biden’s Full Remarks Following Death Of ‘Global Leader Of ISIS’ During The Operation, Al-Qurayshi Reportedly Triggered An Explosion That Killed Himself Along With His Wife And Two Children, A Blast So Powerful That Bodies Were Blown Outside Of The House, A Senior Administration Official Said. A Deputy Of Al-Qurayshi And His Wife Were Also Killed After Attacking U.S. Forces, The Official Said. There Were No U.S. Casualties. Al-Qurayshi Was Named ISIS Leader In October 2019 After His Predecessor, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, Was Killed In A U.S. Raid In The Same Region Earlier That Month. U.S. Officials Said He Was Directly Overseeing ISIS Activities Across Iraq And Syria, And The Group Was Seeking To Reconstitute Under His Leadership. Biden Said Al-Qurayshi Was Responsible For A Recent Attack On A Prison In Syria Holding ISIS Fighters And Was A Driving Force Behind The Genocide Of Thousands Of Yazidis In Iraq In 2014. “We Anticipate That This Is Going To Lead To Disruption Within ISIS,” The Official Said Of Al-Qurayshi's Death. “He’s Really One Of The Few Remaining, Shall We Call Them Legacy Leaders, And So This Is A Continued Push That Has Been Underway For Quite Some Time To Continue To Remove Leadership Elements Of ISIS.” Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby Said Al-Quaryashi's Death Was Confirmed With Fingerprint And DNA Analysis. ISIS Leader Dead Following US Special Forces Raid In Syria, Biden Announces The Operation Was Months In The Making, With Biden Regularly Updated Over The Course Of The Planning, Including A Detailed Briefing In December That Laid Out Where Al-Qurayshi Was Hiding And The Complexities Of Carrying Out The Operation Given The Civilians Living In The House, The Official Said. On Tuesday Morning, Biden Gave The Final Go-Ahead For The Operation, Which Lasted Two Hours, And Monitored Developments In Real-Time Wednesday Night In The Situation Room, Along With Vice President Kamala Harris And Members Of His National Security Team, Until The Team Of U.S. Special Forces Had Left The Site. Biden Said The Operation Was Designed To Minimize Civilian Casualties, With U.S. Forces Choosing To Conduct A Raid, Putting The U.S. Troops In Greater Harm, As Opposed To An Airstrike, Due To Intelligence That Indicated Civilians Were Also Living In The Building. One Family Was Evacuated Prior To The Raid, And Four Children Were Removed From The Site After The Raid, The Official Said. "Thanks To The Bravery Of Our Troops, This Horrible Terrorist Leader Is No More," Biden Said. "Our Forces Carried Out The Operation With Their Signature Preparation And Precision, And I Directed The Department Of Defense To Take Every Precaution Possible To Minimize Civilian Casualties." U.S. Officials Had Assessed Before The Raid That If Al-Qurayshi Used A Similar Tactic As His Predecessor And Detonated Explosives On The Third Floor Where He Was Staying, It Wouldn’t Cause The Entire Building To Collapse And Kill Others On The Lower Floors. All Of The Casualties At The Site Were Because Of The Actions Of Al-Qurayshi, The Official Said. The Raid Was Said To Have Killed 13 People, Including Women And Children, According To Local Residents And First Responders. U.S. Officials Didn’t Confirm That Figure. Pentagon Spokesman Kirby Said U.S. Forces Had Successfully Evacuated Ten People, Including Eight Children, From The Building, But Acknowledged At Least Three Children Were Killed During The Raid. They Were Al-Qurayshi's Two Children, Who Were Killed In His Suicide Blast On The Third Floor, And Another Child On The Second Floor, Who Was Apparently Killed During A Firefight Between The ISIS Lieutenant And His Wife And The U.S. Forces. Kirby Said Two People Were Also Killed Outside The Building, Part Of A "Small Group Of Individuals That Approached The Compound" That Were "Appropriately Deemed As Hostile." A U.S. Official Told NBC News That A Military Helicopter Experienced A Maintenance Issue During The Operation. It Set Down Safely At Least A Mile Away From The Objective, But Was Deemed Unsafe To Fly Back And Was Detonated On Site, The Official Said. Biden Marked The Victory In U.S. Efforts Against ISIS With A Brief Address From The White House On Thursday, But It Was Unclear If The White House Would Seek To Leverage The Same Type Of Political Capital From The Military Achievement As Former President Donald Trump Did With The Killing Of Al-Qurayshi's Predecessor, Al-Baghdadi. Trump Would Often Bring Up The Killing Of Al-Baghdadi As An Applause Line At Campaign Rallies And Touted The Military Achievement In Campaign Ads. A Dog Injured In The Al-Baghdadi Raid Became A Mini-Celebrity Among Trump's Supporters, And The Then-President Brought The Dog To The White House For An Event. Asked If Any Dogs Were Involved In The Al-Qurayshi Raid, Kirby Said, "I Do Not Know."

Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program Fulfills An Elusive Promise: To Erase Debts The Notice From The Federal Government Took Lee Dossett, A Doctor In Lexington, Kentucky, By Surprise. "Congratulations!" It Began. After A Couple Of Years Of Denials For A Student Loan Forgiveness Program Designed For Public Servants, Dossett, Who Has Worked In The Nonprofit Sector For 10 Years, Was Told Last Week That Not Only Was His Application Re-Evaluated, But That The Department Of Education Had Determined He Should Have His Outstanding Medical School Loans Erased Altogether — About $75,000 Worth. "I Was Completely Shocked Because I Had Honestly Given Up On Getting It," Dossett Said. But A Record Number Of Student Borrowers Are Reaping The Same Benefit After The Biden Administration In October Began Relaxing Stringent Rules Around Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Which Launched In 2007 To Help Teachers, Health Care Workers, Military Members And Other Public Servants Earn Debt Relief On Their Federal Loans. As Of Last Week, More Than 70,000 Borrowers Qualified For Debt Forgiveness, Amounting To About $5 Billion In Relief, The Department Of Education Said. Before The Overhaul, Just 16,000 Borrowers Of About 1.3 Million Enrolled Applicants Had Their Loans' Remaining Balances Expunged Through The Program, According To Federal Data. Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Could Clear Debt For Thousands Of Americans Cody Hounanian, The Executive Director Of The Student Debt Crisis Center, A Nonprofit Organization That Advocates For Student Borrowers, Said The Sudden Notices Of Discharged Debts Are A Blessing For Many Applicants Who Dutifully Made The Required 120 Monthly Payments Or Were On Course To And Yet Were Denied Because They Were Inadvertently Enrolled In The Wrong Payment Plan Or Had The Wrong Type Of Loan Or Due To Another Technicality. "It's Very Emotional," Hounanian Said Of The Wave Of Financial Assistance. "It's Changing Their Lives For The Better." Student Borrowers Who Have Benefited In Recent Days Are Sharing Their Shock On Social Media. But The Latest Reversal Is Also A "Double-Edged Sword" For Many Borrowers, Hounanian Said. Those Hoping To Qualify Will Have Until Oct. 31 To Submit An Application Form Under A Limited-Time Waiver. Potentially 550,000 Borrowers Stand To Benefit, The Federal Government Said. In Addition, Student Borrowers Who May Previously Have Been Disqualified Because They Had A Loan Through Federal Family Education Loans, A Program That Ended In 2010, Are Now Eligible. The Catch Is They Will Have To Make Sure Such Loans Are Consolidated Into A New, Federal Direct Loan. Complicating The Process As Well Is That Last Year, Two Major Student Loan Companies — Navient And The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, Often Referred To As Fedloan — Announced They Were Ending Their Contracts To Service Loans With The Federal Government. Some 16 Million Student Borrowers Were Being Transferred To New Servicers, A Monumental Undertaking That Student Advocates Worry Could Present A Raft Of Bureaucratic Problems — And Only Make Applying For The Already-Troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness That Much More Arduous. "Unfortunately, There Are Some Folks Who With This News That Debt Relief Is Attainable May Find The Process Confusing," Hounanian Said. But The Federal Government Said It Is Trying To Simplify The Steps, With About 22,000 Borrowers Initially Having Their Debts Automatically Canceled. In December, President Joe Biden Also Announced The Federal Government Would Extend Its Moratorium On All Federal Student Loan Payments Through May Amid The Pandemic And Rising Consumer Costs. The White House Still Faces Pressure To Cancel Student Debt And Help A Broader Swath Of Borrowers — More Than 44 Million Americans Who Owe About $1.7 Trillion In Student Loans. A Town Hall Was Scheduled Thursday Among Advocacy Groups Like The Student Debt Crisis Center And Democratic Lawmakers, Including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Of New York And Sen. Elizabeth Warren Of Massachusetts, To Call For The Elimination Of Student Debt. At The Very Least, Those Advocates Say, The Loosening Of Rules Around A Program Like Public Service Loan Forgiveness Should Be Permanent. A 2019 Government Accountability Office Report Found That The Education Department Under The Previous Secretary, Betsy Devos, Had Rejected A Staggering 99 Percent Of Applications As Part Of A Temporary Expansion Of The Program In 2018. Crushing Student Loans Affecting Retirement Plans For Parent Borrowers Jane Saunders, Who Received Her Doctorate From The University Of Texas At Austin In 2008 And Taught English For A Decade, Didn't Know About Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Until A Friend Recommended She Consolidate Her Loans In 2011. But A Few Years Passed Before She Realized Her Mistake: Her Loans Were Being Handled By A Servicer That Didn't Qualify Her For The Program. She Then Switched Servicers, But At One Point, After Years Of Making Payments, She Was Told Some Of Them Didn't Count, And The Ever-Tightening Rules Of The Program Were Frustrating. "It Seemed Like They Were Building The Plane While We Were On It," Saunders Said. But Her Fortunes Reversed In December, She Said, After She Reapplied For Relief After The Biden Administration Altered Some Of The Program's Requirements. She Learned Her Outstanding Debt — $106,000 — Was Wiped Clear, And She Also Received Credit For A Few Months In Which She Paid More Than She Needed To. "I Couldn't Breathe When I Saw The Zero Balance," Saunders Said. "You Know How Your Life Is Supposed To Flash By You As You're Dying? It Was Kind Of Like That Only Now I Could See A Potentially Different Life In Front Of Me. One Where I Could Buy A Car Or Maybe Take A Summer Off For Once." The Stress Of Her Student Loan Obligation While Working As A Teacher, Getting Her Doctoral Degree And Also Making House Payments And Meeting Other Financial Burdens Felt Crushing As She Tried To Sock Away For Retirement. She Said She Remains Cautious. "Even Trying To Put More In Now That The Loans Are Gone Is Going To Mean I Work Until 70 Likely," Said Saunders, 56. "And It's Not Gonna Be A Luxurious Retirement Even At That Age." But Despite All Of The Agitation, Saunders Said She Doesn’t Regret Getting Her Degree. Neither Does Dossett, Who After Seeing His Medical School Loans Forgiven, Shared His Amazement In A Tweet That Went Viral. During The Pandemic, Dossett Has Been Helping To Care For Covid-Infected Hospitalized Patients, And The Burnout Coupled With Anxieties Over His Student Debt Have Been Taxing. But Now, He Said, He Sees A Way Forward For Not Only Himself But Others Who May Want To Pursue Medicine, Particularly People Who Are Uncertain About Medical School Because Of The Initial Debt They Can Incur. "With Forgiveness In Sight, Doctors Would Be More Willing To Go Into Lower-Paying Specialties, Such As Primary Care And Pediatrics," He Said. "The More Of These Doctors There Are, The Better For Society And The Health Of The Nation."

Latinos Are Showing Little Sign Of Shifting Away From Democrats, Gallup Finds Latinos Are Showing Little Sign Of Shifting Significantly Away From The Democratic Party, A Gallup Analysis Published Thursday States. Hispanics’ Identification With Democrats Edged Down In 2021 Along With The Larger Adult U.S. Population. But Latinos Continued To Identify With Democrats Over Republicans By About 30 Percentage Points, According To An Analysis By Gallup Senior Scientist Frank Newport. “We Do Not See A Major Shift At This Point On The Party With Whom Hispanics Nationally Identify,” Newport Told NBC News. Gallup Interviewed 1,338 Hispanics In 2021 Asking Whether They Consider Themselves Republican Or Democrat And Which Party They Lean Toward. In The First Six Months Of 2021, 58 Percent Of Hispanics Responded Democrat Or Lean Democrat, While 26 Percent Said Republican Or Lean Republican. In The Final Six Months Of 2021, That Changed To 54 Percent Democrat Or Lean Democrat And 26 Percent Republican Or Lean Republican. That Averaged Out To About A 30-Point Advantage For Democrats For The Year. Interviews Were In English And Spanish, Depending On Preference. “There Clearly Are Conjectures And Hypotheses And Assertions That The Hispanic Population Is Becoming More Republican, So It’s Important To Check On Long-Term Trends,” Newport Said. The Gallup Analysis Noted That The Behavior Of Hispanic Adults Nationally Is Different From Hispanic Adults Who Are Registered To Vote And Turn Out To The Polls. Lower Voter Registration Rates Among Hispanics Leave Room For Differences Between The Latino Population At Large And Smaller Groups Of Hispanic Voters. “However, It’s Reasonable To Assume That Broad Trends In Hispanic American’s Party Identification Parallel Trends In Voting Patterns,” The Analysis Stated. Trends In Individual States Also May Vary From National Trends, It Said. In 2020, Then-President Donald Trump Saw A Boost In Latino Support In Some States, Such As Texas And Florida. The Level Of Hispanic Support For Each Party Has Fluctuated Since 2011, But There Has Been “No Indication Of A Major Shift,” The Gallup Analysis Found. “The 30-Point Democratic Advantage In Party Identification Among Hispanic Adults In 2021 Is, In Fact, Greater Than The 26-Point Democratic Margin In 2011,” It Stated. In Fact, “If There Has Been Any Change Worth Noting, It Has Been The Modest Decrease In The Percentage Of Hispanic People Who Identify With Or Lean Toward The Republican Party Since 2011-14,” Gallup’s Analysis Stated. The Analysis Found That Hispanics Are More Likely To Identify As Independents, 52 Percent, Than Adults Nationally. But In Follow-Up Questions, Those Who Identified As Independent Were More Likely To Say They Lean Democrat Than Republican. The Share Who Identify As Independent Shows That About Half Of Hispanics Have A “Weak Allegiance” To Either Party Or None At All. Thirteen Percent Continued To Say They Are Independent After The Follow-Up Questions On How They Lean. “This, In Turn, Could Suggest That The Voting Choices Of Hispanic Americans May Be At Least Slightly More Up For Grabs Than Is The Case For Americans As A Whole,” Gallup Stated. Latino Voting Surged In 2018 In The Last Midterms. Latino Voters Were Credited With Democratic Senate Wins In Arizona And Nevada. The Next Indication Of Where Latino Voters Are Putting Their Support Will Be The Midterms In November. Follow NBC Latino On Facebook, Twitter And Instagram.

Biden Announces Breyer's Retirement, Pledges To Nominate Black Woman To Supreme Court By End Of February President Joe Biden Formally Announced The Retirement Of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer On Thursday, Thanking Him For His "Remarkable" Service And Reaffirming His Commitment To Nominating The First Black Woman To The Court. "The Person I Will Nominate Will Be Someone Of Extraordinary Qualifications, Character, Experience And Integrity, And That Person Will Be The First Black Woman Ever Nominated To The United States Supreme Court," Biden Said. "I Made That Commitment During The Campaign For President, And I Will Keep That Commitment." "It's Long Overdue In My Opinion," He Said, Noting That He Would Make His Choice By The End Of February. The Announcement Kicks Off What Will Be A Monthslong Dance In Washington, With Candidates Jockeying For The Rare Vacancy, The White House Embarking On A Vetting Process, And Congressional Lawmakers Using The Confirmation Process To Score Political Points. 'It's Long Overdue': Biden Commits To Nominating First Black Woman To The Supreme Court Biden's Selection Will Not Only Help Shape The Court For Years To Come, It Will Also Provide A Political Tool To Motivate The Democratic Base As Well As Divert Attention From His Floundering Legislative Agenda. As A Presidential Candidate, Biden Promised In 2020 To Put The First Black Woman On The Supreme Court. The Move Could Re-Energize Black Voters Who Have Grown Disillusioned With The President Over His Failure To Push Voting Rights Legislation Through Congress. Democratic Senators Have Been Urging Biden To Carry Through On His Pledge To Nominate A Black Woman Ahead Of Biden's Remarks Thursday. "The Court Should Reflect The Diversity Of Our Country, And It Is Unacceptable That We Have Never In Our Nation’s History Had A Black Woman Sit On The Supreme Court Of The United States — I Want To Change That," Said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., In A Statement Wednesday. In Selecting A Replacement, Biden Said He Will Seek The "Advice And Consent" Of The Senate And Will Invite Senators From Both Parties To Share Their Input On A Nominee. He Also Said He Will Solicit Advice From Scholars And Lawyers, Along With Vice President Kamala Harris, Given Her Extensive Legal Background. "I Will Listen Carefully To All The Advice I'm Given, And I'll Study The Records And Former Cases Carefully, I'll Meet With The Potential Nominees, And It's My Intention, My Intention To Announce My Decision Before The End Of February. I Have Made No Choice At This Point," Biden Said. "Once I Select A Nominee, I'll Ask The Senate To Move Promptly On My Choice." Senate Democrats Eager To Begin Supreme Court Confirmation Process The Most High-Profile Contenders Are Federal Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger And Michelle Childs, A Judge On The U.S. District Court In South Carolina. Two Others Being Considered Are New York University Law Professor Melissa Murray And Wilhelmina Wright, A Judge On The U.S. District Court In Minnesota, Said A Source Familiar With The White House's Process. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Said Thursday That Biden Intends To Name The Nominee By The End Of February, While Noting That Isn't A "Set Deadline." Biden Has Been Reviewing Candidates Since Last Year, She Said, Adding That He "Believes That Sitting Judges Can Make Excellent Justices But He Does Not View That As A Prerequisite." In Addition To Harris, Biden Will Also Consult With White House Chief Of Staff Ron Klain, Senior Adviser Cedric Richmond, White House Counsel Dana Remus And Head Of Legislative Affairs Louisa Terrell, Psaki Said. During Remarks At The White House, Breyer Warned Of The Challenges He Sees Ahead For The American Experiment And Said That It Would Be Up To Future Generations To Determine Whether That Experiment Will Continue To Work. "We Are Now Engaged In A Great Civil War To Determine Whether That Nation, Or Any Nation So Conceived And So Dedicated, Can Long Endure," Breyer Said, Adding That He's An "Optimist And I'm Pretty Sure It Will." Justice Breyer Announces Supreme Court Retirement, Reflects On Love Of Teaching It Is Rare For A Sitting Justice To Announce Their Retirement At The White House Given The Court's Independence From The Executive Branch. Traditionally, They Notify The White House Of Their Retirement In A Formal Letter. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett And Chief Justice John G. Roberts Shared Warm And Humorous Statements About Their Colleague Following His Announcement. "His Pragmatism, Encyclopedic Knowledge, And Varied Government Experience Have Enriched The Court’s Deliberations," Roberts Said. "He Is Also A Reliable Antidote To Dead Airtime At Our Lunches, Moving Seamlessly From Modern Architecture To French Cinema, To Old Radio Shows, To A Surprisingly Comprehensive Collection Of Riddles And Knock-Knock Jokes." Although Breyer’s Tenure On The Court Draws To A Close, Thomas Said, "Our Friendship And Deep Affection Redoubles And Endures." "I Will Miss Him. He Is Brilliant, Passionate About The Law, And Dedicated To The Court. He Is Funny, Optimistic, And Giving," Sotomayor Said. "We All Will Miss His Commitment To Seeking Consensus And Ensuring Collegiality In All We Do. He Has Served The Country With Honor." As A Candidate, Biden Was Critical Of The Speed With Which Republicans Confirmed Barrett To The High Court In The Final Weeks Of The Trump Presidency. If Democrats Are Able To Maintain Their Slim Senate Majority, There Is Little Republicans Can Do To Stop Biden's Pick From Being Confirmed. But Confirmations Haven't Always Gone As Expected. Unanticipated Controversies Have Developed In The Past, Such As The Sexual Assault Allegations That Threatened Kavanaugh's Confirmation. Many Progressives Have Said They Expect Jackson To Be A Top Potential Successor. The Senate Confirmed Her To The U.S. Circuit Court Of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Last Year In A 53-44 Vote, With The Support Of Three Republicans: Susan Collins Of Maine, Lindsey Graham Of South Carolina And Lisa Murkowski Of Alaska. Childs, A 2010 Obama Appointee, Is Reportedly Backed By House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., A Prominent Biden Ally. Kruger Served As Principal Deputy U.S. Solicitor General During The Obama Administration. The Progressive Group Demand Justice Has Researched Many Of The Potential Candidates And “We Feel Pretty Ready To Defend The Record Of Whoever Biden Picks,” Said The Group’s Executive Director, Brian Fallon. Fallon Said Demand Justice Plans To Run Advertisements After The Nominee Is Announced, Though He Did Not Say How Much The Group Would Spend. He Added That They Also Plan To Make A Push In States With Republican Senators In An Attempt To Sway Them. “There's A Possibility That Some Republicans Vote For This Nominee,” Fallon Said. “At Least, It's Reasonable To Think They Could.” Biden’s Ability To Replace Breyer Will Not Change The Court's 6-3 Conservative Advantage. At 83, Breyer Is The Court's Oldest Member, And Liberal Activists Have Urged Him For Months To Retire While Democrats Hold Both The White House And The Senate — A Position That Could Change After The Midterm Elections In November. "The Significance Is Almost Impossible To Overstate," Jon Meacham, A Presidential Historian, Said On MSNBC Thursday. "Our Finest Hours As A Country Have Come In Some Ways Because Of The Supreme Court, And Some Of Our Worst."

White House Ramping Up Quick Selection Process For Breyer Replacement With His Presidential Candidacy Hanging In The Balance, Joe Biden Announced On A South Carolina Debate Stage In February 2020 That He Would Nominate A Black Woman To The Supreme Court If Elected. It Turned Out To Be A Critical Turning Point In The Campaign. Now, The Opportunity To Follow Through On That Pledge May Serve As A Similar Inflection Point For His Presidency. Though The White House And Biden Himself Withheld Comment About The Looming Vacancy Until Justice Stephen Breyer Formally Announces His Retirement, A Senior White House Official Told NBC News That Internal Preparations Are Now Ramping Up For What Could Be A Quick Selection Process. Biden, Who Learned Of Breyer’s Impending Retirement In The Middle Of Last Week, Is Expected To Put Forward A Nominee Relatively Quickly, People Familiar With The Process Said. But The First Decision That’s Been Put Forward For The President To Make Is Whether To Publicly Affirm His Campaign Promise To Select A Black Woman, Or Simply Allow That To Be Understood As His Intent. How Has The Biden Administration Been Preparing For Justice Beyer's Retirement? White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki On Wednesday Sidestepped The Question, Saying Only That Biden Has Already Reiterated That Commitment “And Certainly Stands By That.” No Decisions Have Been Made Yet About Whether Any Current White House Official Would Be Designated A Point Person For The Search Process, The Official Said, Though Chief Of Staff Ron Klain, Former Chief Counsel To Biden When He Was Chairman Of The Senate Judiciary Committee, And White House Counsel Dana Remus Will Probably Play A Key Role. But Biden’s Team Has Long Been Preparing For This Moment. In Advance Of His Inauguration Last Year, Biden’s Transition Team, Led By Remus And Former Obama White House Counsel Bob Bauer, Made A Presentation For The President-Elect About Potential Supreme Court Selections — Preparations That Were Seen As Critical, Given Biden’s Campaign Pledge And The Likelihood Of A Vacancy Early In His Term. That Presentation Coincided With A Decision To Nominate Merrick Garland, Then A Member Of The U.S Circuit Court Of Appeals For The District Of Columbia, To Serve As Attorney General. Upon Garland’s Confirmation To Lead The Justice Department, Biden Quickly Nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson To Replace Him, Having Already Eyed Her For A Further Promotion Should The Opportunity Come. Jackson Is One Of Eight Black Women Biden Has Nominated To Serve On Courts Of Appeal Since Taking Office, The Latest Being Put Forward Just Last Week. Four, Including Jackson, Have Already Been Confirmed. Another Eight Black Women Had Already Been Serving On Courts Of Appeals When Biden Took Office, Providing Something Of An Obvious Bench For His Team. Psaki Also Declined To Address Whether Biden Might Consider His Vice President For The Vacancy, Reviving A Favorite Washington Guessing Game As Kamala Harris Has Struggled To Find Her Footing In The No. 2 Job. Harris’ Tie-Breaking Vote Might Be Necessary To Confirm Whomever Biden Ultimately Selects. “The President Has Every Intention, As He Said Before, Of Running For Re-Election, And For Running For Re-Election With Vice President Harris On The Ticket As His Partner,” Psaki Said On Wednesday. By Making What Would Be A Historic Nomination, Biden And Congressional Democrats Have A Chance For A Political Reset After A Rough Few Months That Included The Inability To Change Senate Rules To Advance Voting Rights Bills That Have Been A Priority Of His Party’s Base. A Recent NBC News Poll Showed Biden’s Approval Rating Had Declined From Both The Center And Left, With Support Among Black Voters Dropping To Just 64 Percent, Down From 83 Percent Last April. Kelly O’Donnell: Breyer Retirement Could Give Pres. Biden ‘Historic Legacy Opportunity’ Biden, Pressed At His News Conference Last Week About Growing Disappointment Among Black Voters With His Presidency So Far, Defended His Record. “I've Had Their Back. I've Had Their Back My Entire Career,” He Responded. “I've Never Not Had Their Back.” People Familiar With The Process Said Biden Would Put Forward Someone With Experience To Do The Job, And Aim For A Quick Confirmation. “The Question Is Who On The Other Side Of The Aisle In The Senate Will Try To Block It,” One Source Said. The Move By Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell In 2017 To Lower The Confirmation Threshold For Supreme Court Nominees To A Simple Majority Paves The Way For Any Biden Pick To Advance With Only Democratic Votes. A Successful Confirmation Would Give Democrats A Clear, Concise Message To Help Energize Party Voters Who’ve Been Dispirited By Infighting Over The Infrastructure And Build Back Better Bills. Senate Democrats Are Aiming To Confirm Any Nominee On A Similar Timeframe To The One That Republicans Used To Confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett, According To A Democratic Source Familiar With Leadership’s Thinking. Barrett, Nominated Just Weeks Before The 2020 Presidential Election, Was Confirmed In 27 Days; Justice Brett Kavanaugh Was Confirmed In 88 Days, And Justice Neil Gorsuch 65 Days. The Historical Average From Nomination To Final Senate Vote Is 67 Days, According To The Congressional Research Service. Biden Will Have The Distinction Of Nominating The Replacement For A Justice Whose Confirmation He Presided Over As The Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman In 1994. The President’s Deep Experience In Confirmation Battles Has Been A Core Part Of His Political Résumé, At Times Used Against Him By Republicans. When President Barack Obama Nominated Garland In 2016 Following The Sudden Death Of Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, Mcconnell Justified His Decision To Block Any Consideration Of The Selection — Even A Committee Hearing — By Pointing To Comments Biden Made In June 1992 Cautioning Then-President George H.W. Bush Against Trying To Fill A Hypothetical Vacancy In A Presidential Election Year.

Senate Democrats Eye Speedy Confirmation Process To Replace Retiring Breyer Senate Democrats Are Vowing To Move Quickly In The Coming Confirmation Battle Over The Supreme Court Seat Expected To Be Vacated By Justice Stephen Breyer This Summer. “President Biden’s Nominee Will Receive A Prompt Hearing In The Senate Judiciary Committee, And Will Be Considered And Confirmed By The Full United States Senate With All Deliberate Speed," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Said In A Statement Wednesday. Biden Promised During His Campaign To Nominate A Black Woman With The First Vacancy, And Liberal Senators Quickly Called On Him To Fulfill That Promise. Democrats Run The 50-50 Chamber With The Tie-Breaking Vote Of Vice President Kamala Harris. That Gives Them Control Of The Judiciary Committee, Where Hearings Are Likely To Take Place, And The Senate Floor, Where Any Nominee Will Face A Final Vote On Biden's Eventual Nominee. NBC News Reported On Wednesday That Breyer Intends To Retire At The End Of The Term. The Supreme Court Did Not Immediately Announce His Plans, But Biden And Breyer Are Scheduled To Appear Together At The White House Thursday As The Supreme Court Justice Is Set To Announce His Retirement, A Source Familiar With The Matter Confirmed To NBC News. Confirming A Supreme Court Pick Requires A Simple Majority, Meaning Democrats Could Approve A Nominee Without Republican Support If They Stay United. The 60-Vote Senate Rule Was Abolished For High Court Picks In 2017. Senate Democrats Are Aiming To Confirm Any Biden Supreme Court Nominee On A Similar Time Frame As Republicans Used To Confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett, According To A Democratic Source Familiar With Leadership’s Thinking. Barrett Was Confirmed In 27 Days — A Much Faster Process Than Is Typical For Nominees — On The Week Before The 2020 Presidential Election. Before Her, Justice Brett Kavanaugh Was Confirmed In 88 Days And Justice Neil Gorsuch In 65 Days. The Historical Average From Nomination To Final Senate Vote Is 67 Days, According To The Congressional Research Service. The Senate Can Begin Processing The Nominee Before The Seat Is Vacated, A Democratic Aide Said, Adding That Biden Would Simply Need To Wait To Officially Appoint His Pick Until Breyer's Retirement Becomes Official. While Democrats Have Sole Power To Execute Confirmation Hearings — Like Republicans Did Under President Donald Trump — It Is Still Likely To Be A Pitched Battle. After A Nominee Is Named, Opposition Groups Typically Work To Dig Up Dirt On The Individual And Republican Senators Can Be Expected To Try To Leverage That Research To Gin Up Opposition Among Their Voters. "I Look Forward To Moving The President’s Nominee Expeditiously Through The Committee," Said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, The Chair Of The Judiciary Committee. While Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., And Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Have Broken With Their Party On Major Legislative Ambitions, They Have Tended To Be Reliable Votes For Biden's Judicial Nominees. How Justice Breyer’s Past Rulings Affected Legal Community, General Public "I Take My Constitutional Responsibility To Advise And Consent On A Nominee To The Supreme Court Very Seriously. I Look Forward To Meeting With And Evaluating The Qualifications Of President Biden’s Nominee To Fill This Supreme Court Vacancy," Manchin Said In A Statement. Sen. Patty Murray Of Washington, The No. 3 Democrat In The Chamber, Said: "I Trust President Biden To Move Forward An Exceptional Nominee Who Will Uphold All Americans’ Rights And Liberties — Including Protecting Voting Rights And Reproductive Rights. I Am Ready To Move As Quickly As Possible To Consider And Confirm A Highly Qualified Nominee Who Will Break Barriers And Make History As The First Black Woman On The Supreme Court Of The United States." Some Republicans Who Have Supported Democratic-Picked Justices In The Past Could Also Be Up For Grabs, Such As Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. "Justice Breyer Has Had A Distinguished Career, Including His Many Years On The Supreme Court. I Am Grateful For His Integrity, Devotion To The Judiciary, And Exceptional Commitment To Public Service," Collins Said In A Statement Wednesday. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Who Voted For Obama Picks Sonia Sotomayor And Elena Kagan, Said Regarding Breyer's Successor: "If All Democrats Hang Together — Which I Expect They Will — They Have The Power To Replace Justice Breyer In 2022 Without One Republican Vote In Support." The Debate Will Come At A Time Of Heightened Tensions Regarding The Supreme Court, Which Is Poised To Rule On High-Profile Cases This Year Involving The Future Of Legal Abortion, Gun Rights And Affirmative Action. Democrats Remain Furious At Senate Republicans For Refusing To Allow A Vote On President Barack Obama's Nominee For A Vacancy In 2016, Citing The Upcoming Election. After Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Died, They Moved To Quickly Confirm Barrett The Week Before The 2020 Presidential Election. Confirming A Liberal Justice To Replace The 83-Year-Old Breyer, Who Was Nominated In 1994 By President Bill Clinton, Would Not Disrupt The Court's 6-3 Conservative Edge. But It Would Likely Keep The Seat In Liberal Hands For Years To Come. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Tweeted Wednesday: "It Has Always Been The Decision Of Any Supreme Court Justice If And When They Decide To Retire, And How They Want To Announce It, And That Remains The Case Today. We Have No Additional Details Or Information To Share From @Whitehouse." Claire Mccaskill, A Former Democratic Senator, Said Part Of The Reason The Party Needs To Move Quickly Is Because Of Their Elderly Members In The 50-50 Chamber. "I Hate To Even Say It Out Loud," She Said On MSNBC. "There Is An Issue That We Have Members That Are Older. And So You Have One Health Problem, You Have One Person Who Is Not Physically Able Because Of Health To Be There, And The Whole Thing Goes Away."

U.S. Offers Russia 'Serious Diplomatic Path Forward' But Rejects Demand To Ban Ukraine From NATO Secretary Of State Antony Blinken Said Wednesday That The U.S. Had Formally Responded To Russia’s Security Demands In A Letter He Described As A “Serious Diplomatic Path Forward” To De-Escalating Threats Against Ukraine. Blinken Said That There Had Been "No Change" In The Biden Administration's Position That NATO Maintains Its Open-Door Policy For Countries To Join The Alliance. The Kremlin Had Demanded That Ukraine Be Prohibited From Joining NATO. "NATO's Door Is Open, Remains Open And That Is Our Commitment," Blinken Said At A News Conference At The State Department Headquarters In Washington. Blinken Did Not Offer Specifics About The Response, Which He Said Won't Be Released Publicly, Because The U.S. Wants To Give It The Space For Diplomacy To Succeed And Prevent Russia From Invading Ukraine. President Joe Biden Was "Intimately Involved" In Crafting The Letter, Which Also Included Input From European Allies. Blinken Said It Contains The Concerns Of The U.S., Ukraine And Its Allies That Russia's Actions Could Undermine Security. It Also Reiterates The Biden Administration's Commitment To Upholding Ukraine's Sovereignty And Territorial Integrity And The "Right Of States To Choose Their Own Security Arrangements And Alliances." U.S. Military Supplies Arrive In Ukraine The Secretary Of State, However, Said That The Response Is "Not A Formal Negotiations Document" And Does Not Include "Explicit Proposals." "The Ball Is In Their Court," Blinken Said About Moscow. "It Remains Up To Russia How To Decide To Respond. We're Ready Either Way." The Document Came In Response To A String Of Security Demands That Russia Made Last Month, Including A Permanent Ban On Ukraine Joining NATO And The Rollback Of The Alliance’s Military Deployments In Eastern Europe. Blinken Said He Will Brief Congress About The Document Wednesday Afternoon And That He Plans To Speak With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov In The Coming Days. Speaking About Americans Who Are Currently In Ukraine, Blinken Said That The State Department Is Now Strongly Encouraging Them To Leave The Country Via Commercial Or Other Privately Available Options. He Said That These Transportation Options Are "Readily Available" And That The U.S. Embassy May Extend Loans To People Who Can't Afford A Commercial Ticket. Blinken Warned That The State Department Tries To Provide Consular Services Wherever Possible, But Said Russian Military Action Would "Severely Impact Our Ability To Perform That Work." "If Russia Invades, Civilians — Including Americans Still In Ukraine — Could Be Caught In A Conflict Zone Between Combatant Forces. The U.S. Government May Not Be In A Position To Aid Individuals In These Circumstances," He Said. Before Blinken's Remarks Wednesday, Russia Warned It Would Take "Retaliatory Measures" If Its Demands Are Not Met And Dismissed New Western Threats Of Sanctions As The Kremlin Showed No Signs Of Backing Down In The Standoff Over Ukraine. While Moscow Has Deployed More Forces To Its Neighbor's Frontier And Held New Military Drills, The U.S. Is Stepping Up Efforts To Support European Allies And Counter The Russian Threats. Biden Said He Would Consider Personal Sanctions Against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Washington Worked To Help Shield Europe From A Potential Energy Crisis, And A U.S. Plane Carrying Military Equipment And Munitions Landed In Kyiv On Tuesday. Russia Has Repeatedly Denied Planning To Invade Ukraine And Has Blamed The West For Stoking Tensions. Moscow Accuses West Of Pushing Ukraine To Provoke Russia Biden Said Tuesday He Would Consider Personal Sanctions On Putin If Russia Invades, A Sign Of The Measures Being Considered By The U.S. And Its Allies In An Effort To Ward Off A Potentially Devastating New Conflict In Europe. Such Sanctions Would Not Hurt Putin But Would Be “Politically Destructive,” Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov Said Wednesday After Britain Signaled It Would Also Not Rule Them Out. Russia Has Amassed Over 100,000 Troops Near Its Shared Border With Ukraine And In Belarus, Where It Deployed Fighter Jets On Wednesday Ahead Of Joint Drills Next Month. The Buildup Of Forces Has Sparked Fears Of An Imminent Invasion That Could Come From Multiple Fronts. Russia Is Holding A Series Of Military Drills Throughout Its Territory This Week, With New Exercises On Wednesday By Its Northern Fleet In The Arctic As Well As In The Southern Rostov Region, Not Far From The Ukrainian Border. Putin Continues To Enlarge Russia's Military Presence Near The Country's Borders With Ukraine, As American And Western Intelligence Agencies See An Increasing Likelihood Of An Incursion Over The Next Few Weeks, Intelligence And Defense Officials Told NBC News Wednesday. A U.S. Defense Official And A Western Intelligence Official Said They Counted 62 Russian Battalion Tactical Groups In The Area, Up From 59 At This Time Last Week, With Several More On The Way. Russian Forces Conducting Exercises In Belarus Are Also In A Position To Join Any Military Action. The Fresh Russian Activity, Being Watched Warily Across The West, Came Just Days After NATO Announced It Would Place Forces On Standby And Reinforce Eastern Europe With More Ships And Fighter Jets. Biden Reiterated Tuesday That He Had “No Intention” Of Moving U.S. Forces Into Ukraine After Washington Put 8,500 Troops On Heightened Alert Monday To Assist With The Defense Of NATO Allies In Case Of Russian Aggression Against Ukraine. In A Further Effort To Shore Up The Position Of European Countries If Conflict Breaks Out, White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki Said Tuesday That The Biden Administration Was In Talks With Major Energy-Producing Countries And Companies Around The World Over A Potential Diversion Of Supplies To Europe. The European Union Is Heavily Dependent On Russia For Its Gas Supplies, Prompting Fears Europe Could Be Left Facing An Even Greater Energy Crisis Should Moscow Decide To Cut Off Supplies As Leverage. Diplomatic Efforts To Resolve The Tensions Have So Far Failed To Reach A Breakthrough. In An Address To The Russian Parliament On Wednesday, Lavrov, The Foreign Minister, Said Moscow Would Not Allow Its Security Proposals To Be “Wrapped Up In Endless Discussions." “If The West Continues Its Aggressive Course, Moscow Will Take The Necessary Retaliatory Measures,” He Said, Accusing Russia's Rivals Of Being Caught Up In A "Military Frenzy" And Wanting "Some Kind Of Provocation." Against The Backdrop Of Escalating Tensions, Political Advisers From Russia, Ukraine, Germany And France Were Due To Meet In Paris Wednesday To Revive Stalled Discussions Around How To Resolve The Long-Simmering Conflict In Ukraine’s East Between Kyiv And Pro-Russian Separatists. While The West Continued To Voice Fears A Russian Invasion Could Be Imminent, Ukrainian Officials Sought To Play Down The Threat. In A Video Address To The Nation On Tuesday Evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Continued To Urge The Public To Beware Of Disinformation About A Possible Attack And Not To Panic. The Decision By Several Countries Including The U.S. To Withdraw Families Of Diplomatic Staff From Kyiv “Doesn’t Necessarily Signal An Inevitable Escalation,” Zelenskyy Said.

First Flight Of American Evacuees In Months Leaves Kabul Airport The First Chartered Flight In Months Evacuating Americans From Afghanistan Has Left Kabul Airport For Qatar, According To A Government Official, A Congressional Official And Two People With Knowledge Of The Matter. The Passengers On The Qatar Airways Charter Include More Than 30 Americans, One Of The Two People With Knowledge Of The Matter Said. The Chartered Flight, Run By The Qatari Ministry Of Foreign Affairs And Paid For By The U.S. State Department, Is The First To Leave Kabul Since November. The Government Official Confirmed That The Flight To Doha, Qatar, Is Carrying Americans But Did Not Provide Numbers. The Taliban Halted All Flights Of Afghan Evacuees In A Dispute About How The Kabul Airport Is Run And Who Is Allowed On The Evacuation Flights, A Congressional Source, Two Refugee Advocates And A Source Familiar With The Matter Told Nbc News In December. Philadelphia Chef Brings Comfort Food To Afghan Refugees At The Time, A State Department Official Involved In Relocation Efforts Confirmed That Flights Had Stopped: “We Are Hopeful That Flights Will Resume Shortly, Though As Usual, Winter Weather Conditions And Airport Operations Remain Additional Factors To Be Aware Of.” The Taliban Began Demanding Several Seats On The Flights For Taliban Fighters And Sympathizers To Leave The Country, So They Can Work In Other Countries And Send Desperately Needed Money Back To Afghanistan, According To A Congressional Official And The Source Familiar With The Matter. The Country’s Economy Is In Tatters, And Millions Of Afghans Are Short Of Food. Before The Taliban Suspended Flights, About One Or Two Chartered Flights A Week Were Heading To Qatar, Refugee Groups And U.S. Officials Said. When The Qatari Government Declined To Continue Providing Seats, The Taliban Stopped The Flights.

N.Y. Attorney General Moves To Dismiss Trump Lawsuit Challenging Probe New York Attorney General Letitia James Asked A Federal Judge Wednesday To Dismiss A Lawsuit Filed By Donald Trump That Aims To End Her Yearslong Investigation Of His Company, Saying The Attempt To Thwart The Probe Comes Only After The Former President Was Subpoenaed. In Papers Filed In Federal Court In Syracuse, Lawyers For The Attorney General's Office Questioned The Timing Of Trump's Lawsuit, More Than Two Years Into A Civil Tax Fraud Investigation Focused On The Trump Organization. "The Timing Of This Lawsuit Against The Attorney General — Coming Only As Oag Is Nearing A Conclusion Of Its Investigation, Is Contemplating The Filing Of An Enforcement Action, And Has Sought Mr. Trump’s Sworn Testimony — Belies Any Notion That There Is Any Objective Behind This Suit Other Than Distraction And Delay," The Court Filing Said. It Noted That While Trump And His Company Have Challenged Some Of The Attorney General's Legal Demands In State Court In New York City, “[A]T No Point, Despite Having Ample Opportunity To Do So ... Did The Trump Organization Or Mr. Trump Ever Challenge The Underlying Legal Basis For The Investigation Or Oag’s Statutory Authority To Conduct The Investigation. Until Now — Only After Mr. Trump Was Served With A Subpoena.” Donald Trump Jr. And Ivanka Trump Also Received Subpoenas. Trump's Lawsuit Claimed That James' Civil Probe Into His Company's Business Practices Was Politically Motivated And That He Is The Victim Of "Viewpoint Discrimination." The Lawsuit, Which Noted Several Instances In Which James Publicly Said She Planned To Go After Trump In Court, Seeks A Court Order Blocking Her From "Being Involved In Any Manner In Any Civil Or Criminal Actions Against" Trump And His Company. James Disputed The Accusation That The Probe Was Politically Motivated, Saying In Wednesday's Court Filing That Her Office Has "Uncovered Substantial Evidence Establishing Numerous Misrepresentations In Mr. Trump’s Financial Statements Provided To Banks, Insurers, And The Internal Revenue Service." She Urged The Federal Judge To Dismiss The Lawsuit, Arguing That The Syracuse Filing "Smacks Of Forum Shopping" — An Attempt To Find A Friendlier Legal Venue. James Added That Trump's Company Is In Manhattan, About 240 Miles From Syracuse. In A Statement Wednesday, James Said, "We Will Not Be Deterred By Frivolous Lawsuits And Will Continue To Follow The Facts Of This Case Because No One Is Above The Law.” A Lawyer For Trump And A Spokesperson For His Company Did Not Immediately Respond To A Request For Comment. In A Statement To The Associated Press, Trump Lawyer Alina Habba Said, “Once Again, Letitia James Fails To Address Her Egregious And Unethical Conduct In Her Weak Response To Our Complaint.” After James' Office Revealed Some Of The Evidence It Had Collected In A State Court Filing Last Week, The Trump Organization Said In A Statement That She Has "No Case." "Her Allegations Are Baseless And Will Be Vigorously Defended," The Company Said.

New York Judge Strikes Down State Mask Mandate A New York Judge Struck Down The State's Mask Mandate On Monday, One Week Before It Was Due To Expire, Ruling The Governor Overstepped Her Authority In Imposing A Rule That Needed To Have Been Passed By The State Legislature. Judge Thomas Rademaker Of New York State Supreme Court On Long Island Found That The State Legislature Last Year Curbed Any Governor's Ability To Issue Decrees, Such As A Mask Mandate, Amid A Declared State Of Emergency. It Was Latest Setback For Executive Branch Officials At State And Federal Levels. Earlier This Month, The U.S. Supreme Court Blocked President Joe Biden's Vaccination-Or-Testing Mandate For Large Businesses. A Judge In Texas Last Week Ruled That Biden Could Not Require Federal Employees To Be Vaccinated. Governor Kathy Hochul, A Democrat, Vowed To Fight Back, Saying In A Statement, "We Strongly Disagree With This Ruling, And We Are Pursuing Every Option To Reverse This Immediately." "My Responsibility As Governor Is To Protect New Yorkers Throughout This Public Health Crisis, And These Measures Help Prevent The Spread Of COVID-19 And Save Lives," Hochul Said. Disagreements And Court Action Over Mandates In A Number Of States Have Become A Flashpoint Of The Pandemic Response In The United States, Often Dividing Democrats And Republicans. The Requirements In New York State, Home To Around 20 Million People, Include Wearing Masks In Schools, On Public Transit And Other Public Indoor Spaces. Hochul Declared A State Of Emergency Almost Immediately After The World Health Organization Named Omicron As A Variant Of Concern On Nov. 26. At The Time, New York State's Seven-Day Average Of New Daily Cases Was Around 6,400. That Number Rapidly Rose Until Peaking At 73,815 On Jan. 10. It Has Since Fallen To About A Third Of That. When Hochul Imposed The Rule On Dec. 31, She Called It Temporary. She Later Extended The Original Expiration Date Of Jan. 15 Until Feb. 1. Rademaker Wrote That His Ruling Is Not Intended In Any Way To Question Or Otherwise Opine On The Efficacy, Need, Or Requirement Of Masks As A Means Or Tool In Dealing With The COVID-19 Virus, But That "Enacting Any Laws To This End Is Entrusted Solely To The State Legislature." Hochul's Democrats Hold Large Majorities In Both Houses Of He New York State Legislature.

Alabama's New Congressional Districts Map Blocked By Federal Judges Federal Judges On Monday Blocked Alabama From Using Newly Drawn Congressional Districts In Upcoming Elections, Ruling That The State Should Have Two Districts — Instead Of One — In Which Black Voters Are A Sizeable Portion Of The Electorate. “Black Voters Have Less Opportunity Than Other Alabamians To Elect Candidates Of Their Choice To Congress,” The Three-Judge Panel Wrote In The 225-Page Ruling That Found Plaintiffs Are “Substantially Likely” To Prevail On Claims That The Current Districts Violate The Voting Rights Act. “We Find That The Plaintiffs Will Suffer An Irreparable Harm If They Must Vote In The 2022 Congressional Elections Based On A Redistricting Plan That Violates Federal Law,” The Ruling Stated. The Judges Blocked Use Of The Map And Stayed The Candidate Qualification Deadline With Political Parties From Friday Until Feb. 11 To Allow The Legislature The Opportunity To Enact A Remedial Plan. “As The Legislature Considers Such Plans, It Should Be Mindful Of The Practical Reality, Based On The Ample Evidence Of Intensely Racially Polarized Voting Adduced During The Preliminary Injunction Proceedings, That Any Remedial Plan Will Need To Include Two Districts In Which Black Voters Either Comprise A Voting-Age Majority Or Something Quite Close To It,” The Judges Wrote. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s Office Said The Ruling Will Be Appealed. “The Attorney General’s Office Strongly Disagrees With The Court’s Decision And Will Be Appealing In The Coming Days,” Spokesman Mike Lewis Wrote In An Email. The Alabama Attorney General’s Office Did Not Immediately Respond To An Email Late Monday Seeking Comment On The Ruling. Alabama’s Seven-Member Congressional Delegation Consists Of Six Republicans Elected From Heavily White Districts And One Democrat Elected From The Only Majority-Black District The Alabama Legislature Last Year Approved Congressional District Lines That Maintain One Majority-Black District. About 26 Percent Of Alabama’s Population Is Black, And Some Lawmakers Argued The State Should Have A Second Congressional District With A Significant African-American Population. “It’s Past Time For Alabama To Move Beyond Its Sordid History Of Racial Discrimination At The Polls, And To Listen To And Be Responsive To The Needs And Concerns Of Voters Of Color. Not Ensuring Access To The Ballot For All Of The People And Communities In Alabama Is Holding This State Back From Realizing Its Full Potential,” Tish Gotell Faulks, Legal Director For The American Civil Liberties Union Of Alabama, Said In A Statement.

Florida School District Cancels Professor’s Civil Rights Lecture Over Critical Race Theory Concerns A Florida School District Canceled A Professor’s Civil Rights History Seminar For Teachers, Citing In Part Concerns Over “Critical Race Theory” — Even Though His Lecture Had Nothing To Do With The Topic. J. Michael Butler, A History Professor At Flagler College In St. Augustine, Was Scheduled To Give A Presentation Saturday To Osceola County School District Teachers Called “The Long Civil Rights Movement,” Which Postulates That The Civil Rights Movement Preceded And Post-Dated Martin Luther King Jr. By Decades. He Said That He Was Shocked To Learn Why The Seminar Had Been Canceled Through An Email Wednesday But That He Wasn’t Surprised Because Educators Feel Increasingly Intimidated Over Teaching About Race. Less Than 24 Hours Before Butler Was Informed Of The Cancellation, A State Senate Committee Advanced Legislation Tuesday At The Behest Of Republican Gov. Ron Desantis To Block Public Schools And Private Businesses From Making People Feel “Discomfort” When They’re Taught About Race. Desantis Also Wants To Empower Parents To Sue Schools That Teach Critical Race Theory. “There’s A Climate Of Fear, An Atmosphere Created By Gov. Ron Desantis, That Has Blurred The Lines Between Scared And Opportunistic,” Butler Said In A Phone Interview. “The Victims Of This Censorship Are History And The Truth,” Butler Said. “The End Game Is They’re Going To Make Teaching Civil Rights Into ‘Critical Race Theory,’ And It’s Not.” Florida 'Individual Freedom' Bill Would Shield Whites From 'Discomfort' Of Past Racism A Spokeswoman For Desantis, Christina Pushaw, Denied The Allegation And Pointed Out That Desantis Had Nothing To Do With The Local Osceola County Controversy — One Of The Most Tangible Examples Of How The Debate Over Critical Race Theory Has Reached Public Schools In Florida. “Critical Race Theory And Factual History Are Two Different Things. The Endless Attempts To Gaslight Americans By Conflating The Two Are As Ineffective As They Are Tiresome,” She Said In An Email. “So Just To Be Clear, Mixing Up ‘Teaching History’ With ‘Teaching CRT’ Is Dishonest.” Between Local Classrooms And The Halls Of The State Capitol, Public School Administrators Have Been Left To Navigate Tricky Education Politics Intensified By State And National Forces. Desantis — An Early Opponent Of What He Called Critical Race Theory, Or CRT, Who Also Fined School Districts Over Covid Mask Mandates — Is Running For Re-Election And Is Widely Seen As A 2024 GOP Presidential Contender. Although There’s Scant Evidence That CRT Is Taught In Florida Public Schools, Desantis Pushed The State School Board To Bar It Anyway And Then Called On Legislators To Enshrine It In State Statute During The Lawmaking Session That Began Two Weeks Ago. Other Potential Republican White House Hopefuls, Like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Have Also Crusaded Against CRT And School Mask Mandates, Issues That Helped Propel Glenn Youngkin To The Governor’s Mansion In Virginia Last Year. CRT Was Developed In The 1980s As A Graduate-Level Academic Framework To Highlight And Quantify The Impacts Of Structural Racism, Including Disparities Among Black People And White People In Policing And Prosecution. It Was Rarely Something Likely To Be Discussed In A High School Classroom. But The Term Has Often Been Misapplied As A Shorthand For The Notion That White Guilt Was Being Taught In K-12 Schools In Lessons About Slavery, Civil Rights And Discrimination, All Core Elements Of The Nation’s Story Long Before The Advent Of Critical Race Theory In Law And Graduate Schools. The Debate Over The Teaching Of Racial History In Education Began To Boil Over In 2020 Amid Parental Unrest Over Covid Lockdowns, Distance Learning For Children And “Anti-Racism” Trainings. And Last Year, Organizations Like The Heritage Foundation, A Conservative Think Tank, And The American Legislative Exchange Council, Which Produces Model Bills For Republican Causes, Held Webinars That Warned That Teaching What They Called Critical Race Theory In Schools Is Un-American. At The Local Level, School Board Members Like Terry Castillo In Osceola County Said She Has Gotten Unprecedented Attention From Parents Over The Debate. “School Districts In Florida Are In A Precarious Position As We Navigate The Anti-CRT Administrative Order Which Has Little Guidance Yet Promises To Have Strong Consequences If Not Implemented,” She Said In A Written Statement That Pointed Out How “School Boards Have Been Punished For Going Against The Governor’s Orders Regarding Mask Mandates.” Castillo Said She Was Initially Unaware That Butler’s Seminar Had Been Canceled And That She Was Informed By The School District’s Superintendent, Debra Pace, That The Administration Initially Wanted To Postpone It Because Of Concerns About The Spread Of Covid. But As The Discussion Intensified In Tallahassee, Castillo Said, Pace Also Became Concerned About The Particulars Of Butler’s Lecture About The History Of Civil Rights. According To An Email Pace Sent Wednesday To “Social Science Educators” Scheduled To Attend The Event, A Copy Of Which Was Shared By Butler And Independently Verified By NBC News, The School District Wanted A Committee To Review His Presentation. “I’m Sorry We Are Unable To Offer The Planned Professional Development,” Pace Wrote. “We Needed An Opportunity To Review Them Prior To The Training In Light Of The Current Conversations Across Our State And In Our Community About Critical Race Theory,” She Continued, Saying The District Had Received Only A Summary Document Of His Presentation. “I Am Mindful Of The Potential Of Negative Distractions If We Are Not Proactive In Reviewing Content And Planning Its Presentation Carefully,” Pace Wrote, Adding That The Seminar Couldn’t Be Immediately Rescheduled Because Of Other Conflicts. Students Called Racial Slurs, Bullied As 'Critical Race Theory' Protests Spill Into Classes Pace Didn’t Respond To A Request For Comment In Writing, Nor Did She Provide An Original Copy Of Her Email As Requested. She Didn’t Dispute The Copy Furnished By Butler. Butler Said He Hadn’t Shared His Full Presentation With The School District. In The Presentation, Which He Provided To NBC News, Butler Doesn’t Mention The Theory, Nor Structural Racism Or Anti-Racism. Butler Said He Learned Why The Presentation Was Canceled From The Email, Which Was Forwarded To Him By One Of The Teachers Who Had Been Signed Up To Attend. The Teacher Locked His Or Her Twitter Account Out Of Fear Of Being Exposed For Speaking Out. Grace Leatherman, The Executive Director Of The National Council For History Education, Or NCHE, A National Nonprofit Group, Said That Her Organization Sponsors A Seminar Program In Partnership With The County District And That It Is Funded Through A Grant With The Education Department. She Said In An Email That The Organization Was Informed Wednesday That The Seminar Couldn’t Take Place Because The Materials Had To Be Reviewed. She Added That The Seminar Was Part Of The Series Her Organization Is Doing In The District And That It Couldn’t Be Moved. “The District Clarified That The Event Could Be Held Later Subject To Editing Of Materials. NCHE Will Not Continue With This Event, But Does Look Forward To Continuing Our Long-Standing Commitment To Osceola County Teachers,” Leatherman Said. In A Subsequent Phone Interview, Leatherman Said That While The Cancellation Wasn’t Due To The District’s Request To Edit Material, “Simply, Obviously, We Don’t Want Our Presenters To Need To Feel They Need To Edit Or Self-Edit Their Work.” “We Don’t Think That’s Appropriate,” She Said. Butler Said A Council Employee Also Informed Him That Local Administrators Felt The Topic Had Set Off CRT “Red Flags” At The School District. Leatherman Said The District Told NCHE The Seminar Could Not Take Place Because Butler's Materials Needed To Be Reviewed, But Could Be Held At A Later Date Subject To Editing — Logistically, However, It Was Not Feasible For The NCHE To Reschedule. Butler Said: This Is All Fact-Based Instruction. This Is Not Theory-Based. This Is Not Indoctrination.” Butler Said He Believes That The Legislation Being Debated In Tallahassee Is Too Vague And That It “Makes It So That Any Topic That Falls Under The Rubric Can Be Labeled As Potentially Critical Race Theory.“ “And The End Result Is That Any Teacher Training Any Educational Program Can Be Canceled, Postponed, Stonewalled So That It Never Happens,” He Said. The Bill’s Sponsor, Republican State Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., Said In A Text Message That The Law Wouldn’t Really Prohibit Teaching Critical Race Theory; Rather, He Said, It Would Prescribe “The Teaching Of Accurate And Objective History On All The Topics Listed.” “I Think Part Of The Confusion” Over Teaching Basic Civil Rights History “Is The Confusion That Has Been Created About What Is Or Isn’t CRT,” Diaz Said. Marc Caputo Reported From Miami, And Teaganne Finn Reported From Washington, D.C.

Free N95 Masks Arriving At Pharmacies And Stores Around The Country Pharmacies And Health Centers Around The Country Have Begun Distributing The First Of The 400 Million N95 Masks The White House Is Sending Out To Combat The Fast-Spreading Omicron Variant Of The Coronavirus. President Joe Biden Announced The Initiative Last Week, Sending Out Masks From The Strategic National Stockpile As Health Experts Stressed The Importance Of High-Quality Face Coverings To Protect Against The Omicron Variant. "We Know That These Masks Provide Better Protection Than Cloth Masks," Dr. Tom Inglesby, The Administration's Covid Testing Coordinator, Said Last Week. The Department Of Health And Human Services Said The Masks Would Be Available At "Thousands Of Pharmacies And Community Health Centers Nationwide." The Agency Described The Effort As "The Largest Deployment By The Strategic National Stockpile To Date" And Said "It's Also The Largest Deployment Of Personal Protective Equipment In U.S. History." A White House Official Said That Mills Civic Hy-Vee Of West Des Moines, Iowa, Began Distributing Masks Friday And That Hy-Vee Expected To Have Masks Available At Its 200-Plus Stores Across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, Wisconsin And Nebraska Soon. The Masks Arrived With Flyers Encouraging People To "Mask Up And Maximize Your Protection." Protecting Yourself Against Covid Variants: How To Choose The Right Mask The Meijer Supermarket Chain Has Also Received Masks And Will Make Them Available At Its Stores Across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky And Wisconsin, The Official Said. The N95 Masks Will Be In Boxes Set On Tables Near The Meijer Greeter Stands At Store Entrances. Masks Are Expected To Begin Arriving At Southeastern Grocers Locations As Early As Friday, And They Will Be Available At The Company's Fresco Y Más, Harveys Supermarket And Winn-Dixie In-Store Pharmacies. A Spokesperson For Walgreens Told NBC Chicago That The Chain Expects To Start Giving Out Masks At Some Locations By Friday, As Well. "Participating Stores Will Have Signage Indicating Mask Availability," The Spokesperson Said. Kroger, Meanwhile, Tweeted Monday That It Has "Free N95 Masks At Stores" With A Pharmacy. CVS And Walmart Have Said They Expect To Be Offering The Masks Soon. The White House Said People Will Be Limited To Three Masks Per Person To Ensure Broad Access. It's Unclear How Many Have Been Distributed To Date. Jeff Zients, The White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator, Said Late Last Week That "We've Already Shipped Millions Of These Masks Out And Across The Country, And In The Coming Days, Masks Will Begin To Be Available At Local Pharmacies And Community Health Centers." The White House Has Said The Administration Hopes To Have The Program Fully Operational By Early February. The White House Has Also Put Together A Plan To Mail Out Hundreds Of Millions Of Free Covid-19 Home Tests — Up To Four Per Household — To People Who Want Them.

Biden Caught Cursing About Fox News Reporter On A Hot Mic President Joe Biden Was Caught On Camera Monday Cursing About Fox News Reporter Peter Doocy. "What A Stupid Son Of A Bitch," Biden Said As Reporters, Including Doocy, Were Being Ushered Out Of A Room After He Made Remarks About Inflation. Biden Spoke Quietly, But The Insult Was Caught On His Microphone, Which Was Still On. The Remark Was Included In An Official White House Transcript Of The President's Remarks. Doocy Later Said On Fox News' "Hannity" That Biden Called Him On The Phone To Discuss The Matter. "He Called My Cellphone And He Said, 'It's Nothing Personal, Pal,'" Doocy Said On The Program. "He Cleared The Air And I Appreciated It. We Had A Nice Call," Doocy Added. Asked For Comment, A White House Official Pointed To Doocy’s Own Remarks On Fox News. Biden's Earlier Remark About Doocy Came After Reporters Shouted Questions About Ukraine. The President Was Taking Questions About His Call Monday With European Leaders But Complained That He Doesn't Like Taking Questions Because Reporters "Never Report On Why I Called The Meeting." "This Is Very Important," He Said. President Biden Gives An Update Following Call With European Leaders Doocy, Who's Known For Having Sometimes Testy Exchanges With White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Then Asked Biden Whether He'd Take A Question About Inflation And Asked Whether He Thought The Issue Is A Political Liability Ahead Of The Midterm Elections. Biden Turned Slightly Toward The Person Sitting Next To Him And Said: "No, That's A Great Asset — More Inflation. What A Stupid Son Of A Bitch." A Representative For Fox News Didn't Immediately Respond To A Request For Comment. Doocy Laughed Off The Comment In An Appearance On The Network Monday Before Going On "Hannity." "Nobody Has Fact-Checked Him Yet And Said It's Not True," Doocy Said. Doocy, The Son Of "Fox & Friends" Host Steve Doocy, Has A History Of Exasperating Biden. In August, Biden Exaggeratedly Hung His Head While Doocy Was Asking Him About The U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan. In November, Biden Snapped At Doocy When He Asked Him Whether The Administration Was Providing Incentives For Illegal Immigration By Discussing Large Financial Settlements With Victims Of The Trump Administration's Family Separation Policy. "If You Guys Keep Sending That Garbage Out, Yeah. But It's Not True," Biden Replied. The Exasperation Preceded Biden's Presidency. Doocy Would Often Ask Biden About His Son Hunter Biden's Personal And Business Dealings During The 2020 Campaign, Clearly Annoying Him. In One Instance, Doocy Asked Biden Whether His Son Had Fathered A Child In Arkansas. "Only You Would Ask That," Biden Snapped Back, Adding Sarcastically: "You're A Good Man. Classy." On Another Occasion, Doocy Asked Biden Who His Running Mate Was Going To Be. "You," Biden Replied. Biden Has Famously Been Caught On A Hot Mic Before. In 2010, He Was Overheard Telling President Barack Obama That The Health Care Bill He Was About To Sign Was A "Big F------ Deal."

'A Crucial Time': Senators Travel To Ukraine To Warn Against Russian Aggression A Bipartisan Group Of U.S. Senators Traveled To Ukraine To Meet With President Volodymyr Zelenskyy And Other Officials On A Trip To Show Solidarity Amid Fears Of Russian Aggression. "We Believe That This Is A Crucial Time For Us To Come," Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, A Member Of The Foreign Relations Committee, Told Reporters Between Meetings. "To Russia: We Stand With The Ukrainian People And With This Government. In Fact, Congress Recently Passed An Increase To $300 Million In Security Funding To Ukraine In The National Defense Authorization Act." With Tens Of Thousands Of Russian Troops Massed On Ukraine’s Border, The Biden Administration Is Threatening Unprecedented Sanctions And Other Tough Steps If Russia Takes Military Action Against Ukraine. The Administration Has Also Prepared A New Package Of Military Aid For Ukraine, In Addition To The U.S. Military Assistance That Is Already Flowing To Kyiv, Current And Former Officials Said. The Congressional Delegation Also Included Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy And Richard Blumenthal Of Connecticut, Jeanne Shaheen Of New Hampshire And Amy Klobuchar Of Minnesota And Republican Sens. Kevin Cramer Of North Dakota And Roger Wicker Of Mississippi. "I Think Vladimir Putin Has Made The Biggest Mistake Of His Career In Underestimating How Courageously The People Of Ukraine Will Fight Him If He Invades," Blumenthal, A Member Of The Armed Services Committee, Told Reporters Later Monday After The Meeting With Zelenskyy. "And We Will Impose Crippling Economic Sanctions, But More Important, We Will Give The People Of Ukraine The Arms, Lethal Arms, They Need To Defend Their Lives And Livelihood." Ukraine Was Hit With A Massive Cyberattack Last Week That Downed More Than 70 Government Websites. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Told CBS News On Sunday That The U.S. Still Working To Determine Who Was Behind The Attack But That "This Is Part Of The Russian Playbook." "If It Turns Out That Russia Is Pummeling Ukraine With Cyberattacks, And If That Continues Over The Period Ahead, We Will Work With Our Allies On The Appropriate Response," He Said. Cramer, A Member Of The Armed Services Committee, Said Monday That President Joe Biden Is "Right To Not Wait For Congressional Authorization" As He Moves To "Build A Set Of Multilateral Sanctions" And That Additional Action From Capitol Hill May Be Coming. "My Belief Is That We Will Be Able To Come Together In Congress Around The Sanctions Authority To Make Sure That President Biden Has Everything He Needs And Is Coordinated With Our Allies To Bring The Crushing Set Of Sanctions Before Any Invasion Plans," Cramer Said. Wicker, Also A Member Of The Armed Service Committee, Suggested Using The Magnitsky Act To Sanction "Actual Individuals Who Are Violating International Law." "There Is No Question The Aggression Has Already Begun," Wicker Said. Speaking To Reporters Later Monday, Murphy Said That The Senators On The Trip Felt An Urgency To Display Bipartisan Unity In Support Of Ukraine After The Senate Voted Against Imposing Sanctions Over Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Last Week. “I Think It Adds To The Deterrent Effect For Putin To See Republicans And Democrats Messaging Together In Kyiv, Rather Than Watching Republicans And Democrats Split On The Question Of Sanctions, As We Did Last Week," He Said. "So, You Know, We're Trying To Do Our Small Part To Telegraph To Putin And His Government That Last Week's Vote Is Not A Precursor To How We Will Act Moving Forward To Try To Put Together A Set Of Deterrent Measures.”

Cost Of Masks And Tests Deepens A Pandemic Wedge Between The Haves And The Have-Nots In Recent Weeks, As The Omicron Variant Spread Rapidly Across The United States, Americans Have Found That The Financial Costs Of The Pandemic Are Increasingly Falling On Their Shoulders. As Covid-19 Cases Have Climbed, Public Health Experts Have Urged People To Dump Their Cloth Masks In Favor Of Higher-Quality Options And To Test More Frequently To Curb The Virus. The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention On Friday Updated Its Mask Guidance To Note That The Disposable N95 Or Kn95 Masks Offer The "Highest Level Of Protection" Against The Virus. For Some, The Added Financial Burden Is An Irritation — But Still Affordable. To Others, The Prospect Of Paying $1 For A Single Disposable Mask Or $24 For A Test Kit Is An Economic Impossibility, Raising The Specter That The Pandemic Will Continue To Exacerbate Inequalities. During The Pandemic, Three Quarters Of Workers Said It Was Very Or Somewhat Difficult To Make Ends Meet, 40 Percent Said They Couldn’t Come Up With $400 In The Event Of An Emergency And Around 20 Percent Said They Went Hungry Because They Couldn’t Afford Enough To Eat, According To The Shift Project, An Ongoing Survey Of American Hourly Wage Workers Operated By Harvard University Sociologist Daniel Schneider. Most Also Do Not Get Paid Sick Leave And Have Continued To Work When Ill Because They Cannot Afford To Miss A Paycheck, He Said. “These Are The Workers Facing The Virus, And We Are Asking Them To Buy High-Quality Masks And Pay For Rapid Tests?” Schneider Said. “For Many Of These Workers, It’s Just Not A Possibility — This Is About Food On The Table. And When You Face That Impossible Choice, The Devolution Of Pandemic Prevention To Impoverished Workers Is Really Unrealistic.” The White House Also Announced That Private Health Insurance Companies Would Be Required To Reimburse Up To Eight At-Home Covid-19 Tests A Month, And Later This Week The Biden Administration Will Make Up To Four Tests Available To U.S. Residents Via An Online Portal. President Biden Also Said Thursday His Administration Was Planning To Make “High-Quality” Masks Available To The Public At No Charge But Declined To Offer Details, Including When The Masks Would Be Available. How Health Insurance Will Cover At-Home Covid Tests Still, Workers And Experts Have Expressed Frustration That The State And Federal Governments Are Not Moving More Quickly And Transparently To Provide Rapid Tests And High-Quality Filtration Masks, Such As The N95 And The Kn95, To Residents At Low Cost Or For Free, Especially In Recent Months As Case And Hospitalization Numbers Spiked Amid The Very Infectious Omicron Variant. Many Can’t Afford To Wait To Be Reimbursed Or Don’t Have Health Care Coverage. In Some Cities, Local Mutual Aid Groups — Many Created Amid The George Floyd Protests During The Summer Of 2020 — Have Worked To Fill The Gap. Organizers In Portland, Oregon, And In Seattle Have Poured Their Own Money Into The Effort And Put Out Calls For Cash And Test Kits To Hand Out To Those In Need. The Founders Of The Groups Said They Hoped To Raise Enough Money To Make Up For Their Expenses, But Ultimately They Said They Couldn’t Ignore That Testing Had Become Inaccessible To Those Without Financial Means. The Founder Of Seattle Rapid Test Bloc, Who Asked To Remain Anonymous Out Of Fear That The Personal Publicity Might Bring, Said People In The Community Had Donated Tests And Cash For The Effort. The Group Also Charged $2,000 For 100 Tests To A Credit Card And Hoped To Recoup The Expense Through Fundraising. As Of The Weekend, It Had Raised $1,200. “We Know That We Are All We Have And All We Can Rely On, And So We Have To Be A Community And Look Out For Each Other Because No One Else Is,” Said The Group’s Founder, Who Noted That The Cost For 100 Tests Had Increased By $500 Since Its Order. “It Sucks To Be At This Point And Know By The Time The Government Or Anyone Does Anything, It Will Be Too Late.” Sam Stettiner, Who Is Disabled And Lives In Brooklyn, Said That Fear Of The Disease And Anger And Sadness Over The Response, Particularly On Behalf Of Disabled People, Had Almost Defined His Time During The Pandemic. He Said It Has Been Hard To Acquire Tests, And The Cost Is Difficult To Swallow Because His Chronic Illnesses Make It Impossible For Him To Work. Having Enough Supplies For Himself Is One Challenge, But He Would Also Like To Have Rapid Tests Available For The Various Home Health Aides Who Come To His Apartment — Especially After One Came Despite Being Ill. “The Cost Is A Big Issue For Me, And I Think For A Lot Of Other Folks That Are On Low Fixed Incomes,” Stettiner Said. “We Can’t Necessarily Spend Hundreds Of Dollars To Stock Up, And At The Same Time We’re Going To High-Risk Environments More Often Than Nondisabled People For Medical Appointments And Procedures We Can’t Skip.” Health Care System Strained As Worker Burnout Increases Some Members Of Congress Are Putting Increased Pressure On The Biden Administration To Take Greater Action In Response To The Ongoing Spread Of The Virus. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Joined Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., And Other Democrats Last Week To Push For A Bill That Would Provide Three N95 Masks To Every Person Living In America. They’ve Also Pushed To Expand Access To Rapid Testing. The Hope, Khanna Said, Was For The Federal Government To Use The Defense Production Act To Expand The Number Of Rapid Tests And Masks Available, And Then Provide Them Free To Every Person In The U.S. Who Needed Them. Even Allowing People To Be Reimbursed For Tests They Purchased Through Their Health Insurance Companies Does Not Go Far Enough, He Said, Noting That There Are Many Here Who Have Neither Health Care Coverage Nor The Time To Tangle With Their Insurance Companies. “A Lot Of People Don’t Have The Cash To Pay Up Front And Wait For Reimbursement,” Said Khanna, Adding That Even He Had Waited Months To Be Reimbursed For Tests That Were Covered By His Insurance. “That’s Why I Think It’s So Important For The Government To Purchase Them, Mail Them To People And Allow People To Order Them Online Or By Calling A Hotline And Then Provide Them At Grocery Stores, At Health Centers, At Postal Offices — It Just Should Be Ubiquitous.” In A Friday Text, Khanna Sounded More Optimistic After A Meeting With White House Officials Regarding The Need For A More Aggressive And Equitable Response, Particularly In Their Effort To Provide High- Quality Masks To Americans. “I Had A Good Call With The White House. They Get It,” He Said In A Text. “They Are Doing Everything Now To Expeditiously Get High Quality Masks To Americans And I Expect A Big Announcement Soon.” The Specifics Of That Announcement Remain Unclear, But It Will Likely Come Shortly After The Biden Administration Begins Distributing The Free At-Home Tests — Up To Four Per Household. But The 500 Million Tests The Administration Is Distributing Are Not Nearly Enough, Many Experts Say, Especially For Families Who Have Children In School And Parents Back At Work. “It’s Good, But It’s Really Just A Drop In The Bucket,” Said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, An Epidemiologist And Senior Fellow At The Federation Of American Scientists. "Considering That We Need To Test Millions And Millions Of People Regularly, 500 Million Tests Is About One And A Half Per Person. It’s Really Negligible.” It’s A Particular Challenge For Students And Workers, As Some Schools And Employers Require That Those Who Test Positive Or Have Been In Close Contact With Someone Who Has Must Provide A Negative Test To Return To The Classroom Or Their Place Of Work. For Low-Income Workers, The Inability To Pay For Tests Or Find Tests Can Further A Cycle Of Poverty, As Many Do Not Have Paid Sick Leave Or The Ability To Pay For Child Care. Consumers In Other Countries Appear To Have Much Less Expensive Or Even Free Options. In India And Germany, Tests Can Be Bought For A Few Dollars Apiece. The United Kingdom Mails Rapid Tests To Residents Who Request Them, Or They Can Be Picked Up From A Number Of Pharmacies Or Central Hubs. The Demand In The U.S. Is Too High Compared With The Available Supply, Said Feigl-Ding, Who Said That He Knew People Who Had Bought Huge Numbers Of Tests Because They Wanted To Use Them For Parties. “We Have To Invoke The Defense Production Act To Make Them Cheaper And Ensure There’s No Price Gouging,” He Said. “We Have To Make Them Bottom-Basement Available. The Pandemic Profiteering Is Just Not Acceptable, And It Actively Hurts Economic Progress Because It Hurts Our Recovery.” But It Does Not Seem That Covid Tests Are Getting Any Cheaper. Walmart And Kroger Said They Were Raising The Prices Of Rapid Tests After An Agreement They Had With The Biden Administration To Sell Tests At Cost Expired. Tricia Moriarty, A Spokesperson For Walmart, Said That The Company Was One Of Only A Few Retailers That Participated In The White House Program To Sell Abbott Binaxnow Tests At Cost For Three Months. Though She Said There Was Ongoing Demand And That The Company Had Placed Purchase Limits, She Acknowledged Walmart Had Raised Its Prices. “When The 90 Days Expired In Mid-December, We Still Kept The Product Priced At Cost Through The Holidays,” She Said Over Email. “Now That We Have Returned To Our Original $19.98 Price Point, We Believe We Are Still The Lowest Priced Compared To Other Retailers.” At Kroger, Another Company That Had Agreed To Keep Its Prices Down, Spokesperson Kristal Howard Also Emphasized That The Grocery Chain Was One Of Three Companies That Had Reduced The Cost Of Rapid Tests. She Said They Were Adding Tests From Other Manufacturers To Store Shelves To Increase Product Availability. “Of Note, We Fulfilled Our Commitment To The Biden Administration To Sell At Cost For 100 Days, And That Pricing Program Has Now Phased Out And Precommitment Retail Pricing ($23.99) Has Been Reinstated,” Howard Said In An Email. Still, Critics Have Said, Walmart And Kroger's Own Retail Workers Would Probably Have To Work Multiple Hours To Afford A Single Test Kit At Those Prices. Increasingly, The Pandemic Prevention Strategies — Masks, Rapid Testing, Working From Home And Paid Sick Leave — Have Become A Luxury, Schneider Said. “It’s An Upside-Down World Because Front-Line Workers Who Actually Are Out There Encountering Risk And Facing The Public Can’t Afford Tests, Are Not Being Rigorously Tested By Their Employers, Lack The Resources And The Time To Go Chasing After These Pandemic Prevention Strategies And Are Least Likely To Have Paid Sick Leave And Must Work In Person,” He Said. “It’s Exactly Backwards.”

Trump's Advisers Point The Finger At Mcconnell As Reports Of Desantis Feud Swirl When Florida Gov. Ron Desantis Went On A Top Political Podcast Last Week, He Panned The Covid Lockdowns Former President Donald Trump Encouraged Early In The Coronavirus Pandemic. The Remarks Made For Irresistible Headlines — The Two Gop Heavyweights And Possible 2024 Contenders Were Feuding. Just Days Before, Trump Had Appeared To Take A Swipe At Desantis, Calling Politicians Who Have Refused To Reveal Their Vaccination Status “Gutless.” Both Camps Have Denied Any Real Friction, And They Blamed “The Media” For Overhyping Tensions, But Trump Advisers Say They See A Hidden Hand At Play: That Of Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-Ky., Who Is In A Pitched Battle With Trump Over The Future Of The Republican Party In Political Races All Over The Country. They Pointed To The Podcast Itself, Because Desantis Made The Attention-Grabbing Remarks On Ruthless, Which Is Co-Hosted By Mcconnell’s Longtime Adviser Josh Holmes. Shortly After The Podcast Was Posted Friday, Twitter Was Flooded With The Suggestion That Desantis Had Knocked Trump By Saying One Of His Biggest Regrets Was Not Having Been “Louder” About The Harms Of The Lockdowns Intended To Help Slow The Spread Of The Virus. To Many In Trump’s Camp, It All Looked Like A Setup. “I Like Josh. Josh Is Great. But He’s A Wholly Owned Subsidiary Of Mcconnell World. And There’s No Way You Can Tell Me That This Was All A Coincidence,” A Top Trump Adviser Said, Echoing Four Others Who Spoke On Condition Of Anonymity Because They Didn’t Have Authorization To Speak Publicly About Private Discussions In His Political Shop. “Also, Desantis And His Staff Knew What They Were Doing. How Many Florida General Election Voters Are Listening To The Ruthless Podcast?” The Adviser Asked In An Interview. “Now, That Said, They Might Have Been Hoping For More Out Of Ron, Because, Let’s Face It, He Didn’t Really Criticize Trump. But They Knew The Media Would Instantly Jump On It And Wish-Cast It Into Existence." The Adviser Said Mcconnell Clearly Sees Desantis As A Lesser Of Two Evils And A Way To Annoy Trump. Holmes, Who Said He Didn’t Want To Get Into A Dispute Over The Interview, Vehemently Denied Any Ill Intent Toward Trump Or Any Coordination With Mcconnell. He Declined To Comment Further Beyond Denying The Speculation About Mcconnell’s Involvement, Laughing It Off As “Insane.” A Republican Operative Scoffed At The Notion That Mcconnell, Who Has Said Publicly That He Would “Absolutely” Support Trump If He Were To Win The 2024 Republican Nomination, Is Plotting To Subvert His Chances. “I’m Sure Josh Holmes Would Like You To Believe That Mitch Mcconnell Is Behind The Scenes, Moving Pieces Against Trump,” Said Sarah Longwell, An Anti-Trump Republican Strategist. “But I Don’t Think That’s It. I Think That Mcconnell Is Wholly Owned By Trump.” Mcconnell’s Senate Spokesman Declined To Comment, Directing Questions To John Ashbrook, Who Speaks For Him On Matters Of Electoral Politics And Is Holmes’ Business Partner. In A Brief Message, Ashbrook Indicated That Mcconnell Wouldn’t Respond To “Background Sniping.” But There’s No Dispute That Trump And Mcconnell Have Refused To Speak To Each Other Since A Mob Of Trump’s Supporters Rioted In The U.S. Capitol On Jan. 6 To Stop The Counting Of The Electoral Votes Confirming President Joe Biden’s Victory Over Trump. Mcconnell Criticized Trump For Lying About His Loss, And Trump Has Repeatedly Called Mcconnell An “Old Crow” And A Fake Republican While Urging Gop Senators To Oust Him As Leader. Trump Is Backing A Slate Of Republican Senatorial Candidate Across The Country This Year. In Alaska, The Trump-Backed Candidate Kelly Tshibaka, Who Is Challenging Sen. Lisa Murkowski, An Ally Of Mcconnell, Has Pledged Not To Support Mcconnell For His Leadership Post. Trump Is Also Pressuring Candidates From Nevada To Alabama To North Carolina To Do The Same. In Arizona, Mcconnell Is Striking Back By Trying To Recruit Gov. Doug Ducey — A Trump Foe — To Run For The Senate. Trump Has Pledged Never To Back Ducey After He Refused To Help Him Overturn The 2020 Presidential Election Results In The State. “Mcconnell Asked Me To Push On Ducey When I Talked To Him A Month Ago When I Was In D.C.,” Said Dan Eberhart, A Republican Donor. He Added That He Has Texted Ducey Since Then But Not Made A Pitch In Person. John Mclaughlin, Who Polls For Trump, Said: “The Senate Leader’s Poll Numbers Aren’t As Strong As President Trump’s. What Mcconnell Can Do Is Direct Money And Resources To Candidates From Washington. That’s About It.” Mcconnell Is Also An Ally Of And A Contributor To The Campaign Of Rep. Liz Cheney Of Wyoming, Whom Trump Has Targeted After She Voted To Impeach Him In Response To The Jan. 6 Riot. She Faces A Primary Challenger. In Florida, Desantis Is Running For His Second And Final Term This Year, Not For The Senate — A Point Trump Backers Are Quick To Note. “Everything I Hear Is That The Governor Is Focused On Re-Election,” Mclaughlin Said. He Added: “Trump Would Crush The Field If Anyone Wanted To Run Against Him In The 2024 Republican Primary. And Most Say They Won’t.” But It’s The Speculation About Desantis’ Potential Plans For 2024 That Has Put Him At Cross-Purposes With Trump — And Which May Have Him Caught Him In The Crossfire Between Trump And Mcconnell. As One Of The Most Outspoken And High-Profile Governors Resisting Covid Lockdowns And Mandates, Desantis Has Steadily Risen As A National Figure In Gop Politics And Is Polling As A Republican Primary Front-Runner For President In 2024 If Trump Doesn’t Run Himself. “There Are Stories Out Now About Trump And Desantis Snapping Towels At Each Other,” Said John Bolton, Who Was National Security Adviser In The Trump White House, “Because Trump Can See The Same Thing That Everyone Else Can: Desantis Is Getting Ready [To Run] No Matter What Trump Does.” The Republican Love For Desantis And The Favorable Coverage He Has Earned In Conservative Media Circles Have Irked Trump For Months, Insiders Say, As Has Desantis’ Refusal To Say Publicly That He Wouldn’t Run Against Trump For President. Trump Is Fond Of Noting That He “Made” Desantis In 2018 By Endorsing Him When He Was Little-Known Member Of Congress, Which Enabled Him To Win The Gop Gubernatorial Primary Against A Better-Known And Better-Funded Rival. And When Trump Swiped At “Gutless” Politicians Last Week, It Looked Like A Defining Moment In Republican Politics And A Perfect Topic To Address On The Ruthless Podcast When Desantis Recorded It Thursday Evening With Holmes In St. Petersburg, Florida. Ruthless Is Consistently One Of The Most Popular Political Podcasts In The Country, And While It’s Unabashedly Pro-Republican, It’s Not A Pro-Mcconnell Mouthpiece, Nor Is It Remotely Anti-Trump. Of The 107 Top Conservatives Interviewed On The Show, Mcconnell Has Been On Just Once. Holmes, One Of The Early Republican Voices To Identify Desantis As A Top-Tier Republican Candidate For President If Trump Didn’t Run In 2024, Asked Desantis An Open-Ended Question About Whether There Was “Any Animosity” Between Him And Trump. Desantis Said No And Blamed The Media. “I Think This Is What The Media Does,” He Said. “You Cannot Fall For The Bait. ... You Know What They’re Trying To Do, So Just Don’t Take It. Just Keep On Keeping On.” Moments Later, Holmes's Co-Host Asked Desantis About His Regrets, Prompting Him To Mention That He Believes He Should Have More Vocally Opposed The Covid Lockdowns In The Spring Of 2020 And Should Have Opposed Travel Restrictions, Which He Had Embraced. Desantis Criticized The Government’s Top Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, By Name — Not Trump. The Comments Were Almost Identical To Remarks Desantis Had Made Months Before, But The Reaction From Insiders And The Media Appeared To Lend Credence To The Idea That Desantis Was Gunning For Trump. Even Some Allies Of Both Men Thought Desantis Was Taking On Trump, His Former Benefactor. “Desantis Doing A Josh Holmes Podcast To Thump Trump Is Not What I Had On My Bingo Card,” Said A Republican Who Spoke Anonymously To Avoid Criticism. “This Is A Thing.” A Top Trump Adviser Noted The Difference Between Desantis’ Posture Toward Trump Today And His Attitude In 2018, When He Released An Ad Poking Fun At Himself For Being So Unabashedly Pro-Trump. “Desantis Is Definitely Asserting His Independence,” The Adviser Said. “And Yeah, It’s Hard Not To See The Hand Of Mcconnell In All This. Who Benefits From A Trump-Desantis Feud? The Democrats. The Media. And Mcconnell.” Said A Third: “There Are No Coincidences.” But A Former Trump Adviser Said The Former President Is Hypersensitive About The Governor For A Simple Reason. “I Don’t Think He Likes People Being More Popular Than Him,” The Former Adviser Said. Marc Caputo Reported From Miami And Jonathan Allen And Peter Nicholas Reported From Washington, D.C.

At Ground Zero For 2024, Trump Spins Lies And Conspiracy Theories In This Tiny Prison Town Between Phoenix And Tucson, Former President Donald Trump Riled Up His Base Saturday Night With A Raft Of Lies, Tinfoil-Hat Conspiracy Theories And Absurd Equivalencies. But While Frayed Threads Of Fiction Are Nothing New To Trump, His Open-Air Rally Here Was Exotic And Portentous Even By His Standards, A Tacit Acknowledgment Of How Much This Year's Midterm Elections Mean For His Chances To Reclaim The Oval Office. Having Endorsed More Than 90 Candidates Across The Country, Including Republicans In High-Profile Races Here, He Is Trying To Stock Ballots With Acolytes. If His Favored Candidates Fare Well, He Will Tighten His Stranglehold On The Gop And Improve His Chances Of Winning In 2024. Arizona Is Ground Zero For Both Missions. "This Is Maybe The Most Important Election We've Ever Had, But I Do Believe 2024 Will Be Even More Important," Trump Told Several Thousand Supporters At A Music Venue. "This Is The Year We Are Going To Take Back The House, We Are Going To Take Back The Senate And We Are Going To Take Back America. And In 2024, We Are Going To Take Back The White House." Trump Set For First Rally Of 2022 Arizona Is The State He Lost By The Narrowest Margin In 2020, Less Than 10,500 Votes. And His Undercard Saturday Night Featured A Blizzard Of Trump-Styled Radicals — All Of Them Election Deniers — Who Hope To Purge Establishment Figures From The Party And Take Control Of State And Federal Elections. They Included Three House Members — Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs And Debbie Lesko — Who Voted Against Certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 Election Victory; Mark Finchem, A Candidate For Secretary Of State Who Has Associated Himself With Qanon; And Kari Lake, A Candidate For Governor Who Said Saturday That She Wants To Imprison State Officials Who Conducted The 2020 Election. Gosar, Who Was In Contact With The Organizers Of The Jan. 6 "Stop The Steal" Rally, Called Himself "The Most Dangerous Man" In Congress In A Warmup Speech. As If To Ensure That He Couldn't Be Out-Trumped At His Own Rally, The Former President Questioned Whether The Fbi Helped Stage The Jan. 6 Attack On The U.S. Capitol — A Favorite Fabrication Of Fox News Host Tucker Carlson — And Suggested An Upside-Down Equivalency Between A Capitol Police Officer And The Rioter He Shot. "Exactly How Many Of Those Present At The Capitol Complex On Jan. 6 Were Fbi Confidential Informants, Agents Or Otherwise Working Directly Or Indirectly With An Agency Of The United States Government?" Trump Asked. Only Minutes Earlier, He Said Lt. Michael Byrd Shot Ashli Babbitt, Who Was Trying To Enter The House Speaker's Lobby Through A Broken Window, "For No Reason." "Let's See How He Could Do Without The Protections That He Got," Trump Said. "If That Happened The Other Way Around, They'll Be Calling 'Let's Bring Back The Electric Chair.' ... He's A Disgrace The Way He Shot Ashli." The Combination Put Trump Firmly On Babbitt's Side But Against An Attack That He Incited And She Participated In. The Crowd Didn't Seem To Care Much About The Logic. Trump Was Cheered Intermittently Between Chants Of "Let's Go Brandon," "F--- Joe Biden" And "Lock Him Up!" — The Latter A Reference To Dr. Anthony Fauci, The Director Of The National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases. Mike Mcnulty, 66, A Teacher From Phoenix, Tore Into Fauci In An Interview Before Trump Spoke, Comparing Him To The Nazi "Angel Of Death," Josef Mengele, Who Performed Inhumane And Fatal Experiments On Prisoners At The Auschwitz Concentration Camp. "Fauci's Worse Than Mengele," Mcnulty Said, Adding That Trump Is "Probably A Walking Dead Man" Because He Has Been Vaccinated. Still, Mcnulty Said He'll Back Trump If He Survives The Vaccine. Many Of Trump's Supporters Began Leaving Before He Stopped Lying. But That Had More To Do With The Concern About Thousands Of People Departing At The Same Time Down A Long Two-Lane Feeder Road Than A Lack Of Enthusiasm For Him. Rosetta Murphy, 60, Traveled From Albany, Oregon, More Than 1,000 Miles Away, To See Trump. Like The Speakers Saturday Night, She Said Trump Was Robbed In 2020. "It Was Stolen, Definitely Stolen," She Said. "Everybody Loves Trump." Bertha Lopez, 61, Of Florence, Didn't Have To Go Very Far To Attend The Rally. But She Was No Less Excited About Trump And His Prospects For 2024. She Said There's No One Else In The Gop She's Interested In Seeing Run. "Hell No — Just Him," Lopez Said. "I'm Not A Traitor. I'm Here For Trump." So Was Mypillow Founder Mike Lindell, A Close Trump Friend Who Has Been Peddling False Claims That Voting Machines Were Rigged. Dominion, A Company That Makes Voting Machines, Has Filed A $1.3 Billion Defamation Suit Against Him. At The Same Time, Lindell Is Suing To Block The House Committee Investigating The Jan. 6 Attack From Obtaining His Phone Records. Asked Whether He Had Had Any Discussions With The Panel, Lindell Quickly Pivoted. "I Think You Should Be More Worried About Things In Our Country That Matter, Like The Next Election And Getting Rid Of The Machines, Dominion," He Said.

On MLK Day, Biden Pushes Voting Rights Bills As Senate Prepares For Fight President Joe Biden Renewed His Calls To Pass Voting Rights Legislation At A Breakfast Monday Honoring Martin Luther King Jr., A Day Before The Senate Is Expected To Begin A Contentious Debate Over The Two Bills. "On This Federal Holiday That Honors Him, It's Not Just Enough To Praise Him. We Must Commit To His Unfinished Work To Deliver Jobs And Justice, To Protect The Sacred Right To Vote," Biden Said In Recorded Remarks To The Annual Breakfast Honoring King Organized By The National Action Network, The Civil Rights Organization Founded By The Rev. Al Sharpton, The Host Of MSNBC's "Politicsnation." "The Attack On Our Democracy Is Real, From The January 6th Insurrection To The Onslaught Of Republicans' Anti-Voting Laws In A Number Of States," He Said. "It's No Longer About Who Doesn't Get To Vote. It's About Whether Your Vote Counts At All. It's About Two Insidious Things, Voter Suppression And Election Subversion." The White House Has Pressed Congress To Pass Two Major Pieces Of Legislation, The Freedom To Vote Act And The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Which Aim To Broaden Access To The Ballot Box, Protect Election Officials From Undue Partisan Influence And Raise The Bar For States With Recent Histories Of Discrimination To Change Voting Laws. Voting Rights Bill Heads To Senate Amid Growing Pressure The Bills Passed The House In One Package Last Week And Have Majority Support In The Senate. But They Have No Path To 60 Votes To Break A Filibuster In The 50-50 Senate, Where Lisa Murkowski Of Alaska Is The Only Republican To Support The John Lewis Bill And No Republicans Support The Second Bill. Democrats Also Don't Have The 50 Votes Needed To Change The Rules To Carve Out A Filibuster Exception For Voting Rights, With Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., And Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Supporting The 60-Vote Rule. The Senate Hopes To Begin Debating The Election Bills Tuesday, But It Isn't Expected To Vote Before Wednesday, A Democratic Leadership Aide Said, Suggesting That Debate May Begin With Unanimous Consent. After The Debate Begins, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Will Eventually Make A Motion To End Debate, Which Will Set Up A 60-Vote Threshold Vote To Move To A Final Vote. That's When Republicans Are Expected To Filibuster To Block The Legislation. Once That Happens, Schumer Has Said, The Senate Will Then Consider Rules Changes; He Hasn't Said Which Rules It Will Consider Changing. Despite The Likely Failure, Democratic Leaders Intend To Hold A Vote On Some Form Of A Filibuster Change. "This Is What The Caucus Wants," A Senior Democratic Aide Said, Acknowledging That Democrats Have A "Difficult Hand To Play" In The Evenly Divided Senate. "It's A Historic Vote, And Everybody Needs To Go On The Record Here. ... Nobody's Just Going To Give Up. Sometimes Having A Vote Puts Pressure On People." Senators Who Are In A Delegation Visiting Ukraine Will Return In Time For Votes This Week, An Aide To One Of The Senators Said Monday. Biden Sought, Again, To Add Pressure On Senators. "We're At Another Moment Right Now Where The Mirror Is Being Held Up To America Again," Biden Said In His MLK Day Remarks. "The Question Being Asked Again: Where Do We Stand? Whose Side Are We On?"

S.D. Gov. Kristi Noem Releases National Ad Targeting Transgender Student Athletes Kristi Noem Released A National Advertisement On Thursday Promoting Legislation That Targets Transgender Youths. Without Saying The Word "Transgender" Or "Trans," The Ad Promotes A Bill That Noem, A Republican, Introduced Last Month. The Measure Would Prevent Trans Girls From Playing On Any Female Sports Teams At School, Including Club Teams. Noem, The First Woman To Serve As South Dakota Governor, Said It Would Be "The Strongest Law In The Nation Protecting Female Sports." "In South Dakota, Only Girls Play Girls' Sports," The Ad Begins. "Why? Because Of Gov. Kristi Noem's Leadership. Noem Has Been Protecting Girls' Sports For Years And Never Backed Down." Noem Wrote On Twitter That The Ad, Which Promotes Her 2022 Re-Election Campaign, Will Appear On Prime-Time National News Shows Thursday Evening. In March, Noem Vetoed A Similar Bill That Would Limit Trans Women And Girls From Competing In Female Sports Leagues, Citing "Significant Unintended Consequences." But Last Month, She Made An About-Face, Introducing The New Bill, Which Mandates That Students Compete On Sports Teams That Match The Sex Listed On Their Birth Certificates “Issued At Or Near The Time Of The Athlete’s Birth.” “Common Sense Tells Us That Males Have An Unfair Physical Advantage Over Females In Athletic Competition,” The Governor Said In A Statement At The Time. LGBTQ Advocates Denounced Thursday's Ad. Student Reacts To Bills Targeting Transgender Athletes: ‘It So Clearly Sends The Message That We Are Not Welcome Here’ "I Am Certain That Governor Noem Would Much Rather Talk About This Issue Than Her Pandemic Response," Said Gillian Branstetter, A Longtime Trans Advocate And The Media Manager For The National Women’s Law Center. "We Have Significantly Larger Problems, For Example, Problems That Exist! Those Would Be Good Problems To Solve As Opposed To Conjuring Fictional Ghosts Of A Changing Society And Attempting To Exploit People's Ignorance." Major Sports Organizations, Including The NCAA And The International Olympic Committee, Allow Transgender And Nonbinary Athletes To Compete On Teams That Correspond To Their Gender Identity Under Certain Conditions. The IOC Updated Its Guidelines On Transgender Athletes In November, Removing Policies That Required Competing Trans Athletes To Undergo What It Described As “Medically Unnecessary” Procedures Or Treatment. However, South Dakota And 29 Other States Introduced Restrictions On Trans Athletes Last Year, According To The Human Rights Campaign, An Advocacy Group. Ten States Have Passed Laws Restricting Trans Athletes, With Nine Doing So Last Year. Since The Start Of The New Year, State Lawmakers In At Least Seven States Have Proposed Laws That Would Limit The Rights Of Transgender And Nonbinary Youths. Several Of Those Measures Mirror Noem's Bill, Blocking Trans Students From Competing On School Sports Teams That Align With Their Gender Identity. Follow NBC Out On Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Martin Luther King III Wants No 'Empty Promises' When It Comes To Voting Rights Martin Luther King Jr. And His Fellow Leaders And Legions Of Foot Soldiers Who Battled Segregation And Racial Discrimination Marched In Countless Acts Of Civil Disobedience And Defiance That Fueled The Civil Rights Movement. Decades Later, To Mark This Year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday Observances, King’s Eldest Son, Martin Luther King III, His Wife Arndrea Waters King, And Granddaughter Yolanda Renee King Are Marching Too. They Intend To Cross Literal And Symbolic Bridges Alongside National And Grassroots Groups, And Individual Supporters. “We’re Working To Restore The Very Voting Rights Protections My Father And Countless Other Civil Rights Leaders Bled To Secure,” Said King, Chairman Of The Drum Major Institute, Initially Launched In The 1960s. “We Will Not Accept Empty Promises In Pursuit Of My Father’s Dream For A More Equal And Just America.” Their Mass Mobilization, Deliver For Voting Rights, Is Part Of An Ongoing Campaign To Expand Voting Rights Legislation And Restore Full Power Of The Voting Rights Act Of 1965. Although A Seminal Achievement Of The Movement, And Part Of King’s Legacy, The Shelby County V. Holder Decision By The Supreme Court In 2013 Stripped Key Provisions Of The Law. Then In 2021, The High Court’s Ruling On Brnovich V. Democratic National Committee Further Gutted The Legislation. Last Year Alone, State Legislatures Across The Country Introduced Some 440 Voter Suppression Bills In 49 States. At Least 19 States, Including Georgia And Texas, Have Enacted Voter ID Requirements And Other Laws That Critics Say Restrict Access To The Ballot, While Supporters Have Described Them As Voter Integrity Measures. The Mobilization Began In Phoenix On Saturday, On What Would Have Been The Slain Leader’s 93rd Birthday. There, Members Of The King Family Will March And Rally For Voting Rights, In Tandem With The Arizona Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee And Other Allies. On Monday, The Federal Holiday, King’s Family And Hundreds Of Supporters Have Planned A Morning Crossing Of The New Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, Which Spans The Anacostia River In Washington, D.C. They’ll Meet Up With Those Taking Part In The MLK Holiday D.C. 16th Annual Peace Walk. The Same Day, The Kings Will Also Host A Noon News Conference At Union Station With Guest Speakers, And Participate In A Breakfast With Al Sharpton And The National Action Network. About 150 Multiracial Civil Rights, Labor, Clergy And Other Groups Are Helping To Organize, Amplify And Support The King Commemorative Voting Rights Actions. “On The Historic Day Of Service To Commemorate My Father-In-Law And Continue His Work, We Will Join Our Voices Together To Call For No Celebration Without Meaningful Voting Rights Legislation,” Said Arndrea Waters King, President Of The Drum Major Institute And A Longtime Activist Who Worked With The Late Reverend C.T. Vivian, A Civil Rights Stalwart And Proponent Of Nonviolence. “Voting Is An Essential Part Of Our Democracy’s Infrastructure, And We Cannot Afford For It To Crumble Any Further.” The MLK Holiday Actions Come Amid Protests, Arrests For Civil Disobedience And Fervent Calls For Federal Voting Rights Legislation. President Joe Biden And Vice President Kamala Harris Recently Traveled To Atlanta, Where They Met With King’s Youngest Daughter, Bernice King, At The King Center, Founded By The Late Coretta Scott King. For More Than A Year, Congress Has Considered Federal Voting Rights Legislation. While Democrats In The House Have Passed Measures Mostly Along Partisan Lines, To Date, Senate Action Has Stalled. Democrats Accuse GOP Senators Of Using The Filibuster To Block Debate On Three Separate Voting Rights Bills. They Include The For The People Act In June 2021; The Freedom To Vote Act In October 2021; And The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act In November 2021. This Week, The House Passed The Freedom To Vote: John R. Lewis Act. The Legislation Now Heads To The Senate, Where Its Fate Is Uncertain. While The Chamber Adjourned On Thursday Because Of Covid-19 Concerns And A Winter Storm Threat To The D.C. Region This Weekend, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Vowed On The Senate Floor That A Planned Recess Would Be Postponed So The Senate Could Vote On Voting Rights. “We Will Return On Tuesday To Take Up The House-Passed Message Containing Voting Rights Legislation,” He Said To His Senate Colleagues. “Make No Mistake, The United States Senate Will — For The First Time This Congress — Debate Voting Rights Legislation Beginning On Tuesday.” Schumer Noted That Senators Were “Elected To Debate And To Vote, Particularly On An Issue As Vital To The Beating Heart Of Our Democracy As This One. And We Will Proceed. And If Senate Republicans Choose Obstruction Over Protecting The Sacred Right To Vote — As We Expect Them To — The Senate Will Consider And Vote On Changing The Senate Rules — As Has Been Done Many Times Before — To Allow For Passage Of Voting Rights Legislation.” President Biden Met On Capitol Hill With The Senate Democratic Caucus On Thursday, And Had Separate Meetings At The White House With Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., And Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., Who’ve Publicly Expressed Reticence Over Changes To The Filibuster, And More. On Thursday, Sinema Said She Was Not Changing Her Position On The Filibuster. Asked By Reporters If He Was Confident About Getting A Voting Rights Bill Passed, Biden Said, “I Hope We Can Get This Done. The Honest To God Answer Is, I Don’t Know Whether We Can Get This Done.” He Added, “As Long As I Have A Breath In Me, As Long As I’m In The White House, As Long As I’m Engaged At All, I’m Going To Be Fighting To Change The Way These Legislatures Have [Been] Moving.” Martin Luther King III Told NBC News He Could Not “Speak To Speculation” About The Fate Of The Bill. “I’m Not Gonna Say,`Oh We’re In Trouble. I’m Not Going To Embrace That,” He Said. He And His Family Vow To Press Forward. “The Legislative Process Ultimately Can Transform When The Right Pressure Is Placed Upon, Oftentimes, Elected Officials. We’re Gonna Continue Demonstrations That Say Give Us Legislation That Protects, Preserves And Expands Voting Rights.” Follow NBCBLK On Facebook, Twitter And Instagram.

Behind Trump's Vaccine Boosterism, Allies See Chance For Political Payoff When Former President Donald Trump Told His Supporters To Get Covid Shots Over The Summer, He Was Booed At A Rally In Alabama. When He Told A Friendly Audience In Dallas Last Month That He Had Had A Booster Shot, He Was Jeered. And When He Praised The Efficacy Of The Vaccines In An Interview With The Conservative Influencer Candace Owens, She Pushed Back. None Of It Deterred Trump, Who Now Sounds Like An Evangelist For Vaccines That His Administration Helped Develop But That Large Parts Of His Base Deride. In Some Of His Most Forceful Comments Yet, He Described Politicians Who Won’t Reveal Their Booster Status As “Gutless,” A Comment Widely Seen As A Shot At Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, Who Polls Show Is The Second Choice Of 2024 GOP Primary Voters. It’s A Significant Shift For Trump, Who At One Point Expressed Doubt About The Need For Boosters And Has Mostly Abstained From Actively Promoting The Shots. The Message Is Welcomed By Allies And Advisers, Who Have Privately Pushed Him To Use His Platform More Forcefully To Promote The Highly Effective Vaccines To The Public. “I Think His Actions All Along Suggested That He Was A Huge Supporter Of Vaccines,” Said Paul Mango, Who Was A Top Official In Trump's Department Of Health And Human Services And With Operation Warp Speed, The Administration’s Public-Private Partnership To Accelerate Vaccine Development. “And Now His Words Are Matching His Actions.” Trump’s Effort To Change The Dialogue Around Vaccines May Be Part Of A General Election Strategy To Take On President Joe Biden In 2024, According To Trump Advisers, Former Aides And Administration Officials. These Allies Don’t Think There’s Any Downside To His Promoting The Shots And His Administration’s Efforts To Accelerate Their Development In A GOP Primary — Which Trump Would Enter As The Prohibitive Favorite Should He Decide To Run — Even With Surveys Showing 30 Percent To 40 Percent Of The Republican Base Declining So Far To Be Vaccinated Or Saying They Never Will. “He Has A Right To Believe In Them, And He's Taking Them, And He Thinks That Other People Should,” Said Conservative Talk Show Host John Fredericks, The Chair Of Trump’s Campaigns In Virginia In 2016 And 2020. "Also, He's Not For Mandates. He's Not For Making People Put Something In Their Body Or Take Something They Don't Want." He Predicted That The Controversy Would Have "Zero Impact” On The Primaries. Before His Recent Flurry Of Appearances Promoting The Vaccines, Trump Had Been Hearing Privately From Allies And Advisers That He Needs To Be More Full-Throated In Urging People To Get The Shots. That Was No Accident. For Months, Former Trump Administration Aides Had Quietly Been Trading Emails With One Another, Considering How Best To Persuade Him That He Needed To Be More Aggressive In Promoting The Vaccines Among His Core Voters. Their Concern Was Twofold: Biden Didn’t Seem To Be Making Headway In Coaxing Trump Supporters To Get Vaccinated, And Biden's Overall Response To The Pandemic, In Their View, Seemed To Be Lacking. “There Were A Number Of Former Trump Administration People Who Thought It Important That Trump Take Credit For The Vaccines And Encourage Americans To Get Vaccinated, Especially When The Biden Administration Was Incapable Or Unwilling To Reach Out To Those People,” A Former Administration Official Said On Condition Of Anonymity To Talk More Freely. “And There Were A Number Of Conversations And Emails Amongst People About How We Could Make That Case To The President. We Felt It Was Important That Trump Speak Up About Peoples’ Skepticism Toward The Vaccine.” With Biden’s Poll Numbers On His Handling Of The Pandemic Slipping, Trump’s Allies And Advisers Saw An Opening He Could Exploit. Scientists Had Developed The Vaccines On Trump’s Watch — Which Might Look More Impressive To Voters. Still, Trump’s Own Handling Of The Virus Was Unpopular, With His Response Having Come Under Heavy Criticism. That Included His Constant Downplaying Of The Severity Of The Coronavirus From The Start, Failing To Focus On Widespread Testing, Offering Mixed Messaging About Masking While Largely Refusing To Wear Masks In Public Himself, Promoting Discredited Cures Like Hydroxychloroquine And Bleach Injections, Pushing To Eliminate Mitigation Measures Just Weeks Into The Pandemic Over The Objection Of Public Health Experts, And Hosting Large Events That Spread The Virus. Republicans Broadly Have Lambasted Biden For Not Shepherding In The End Of The Pandemic— While Seeking To Actively Undercut His Administration’s Vaccination And Mitigation Strategies. “He’s Heard From A Lot Of People Who’ve Said, ‘Listen, You’ve Done Something That Nobody Could Ever Do, And You Should Embrace It,’” Said A Person Close To Trump, Who Requested Anonymity To Discuss Private Conversations With The Former President. “It’s One Of The Great Successes Of His Administration, And He’s Finally Understood That It’s A Great Success.” His Allies See Minimal Political Risk Given That Much Of Trump’s Base Of Supporters Has Proved To Be Unwaveringly Loyal. They Believe Republican Voters Dubious About The Vaccines Aren’t About To Abandon Trump For Promoting Vaccination, As Long As He Doesn’t Demand It. At His Rally Saturday In Arizona, Trump Praised A Supreme Court Ruling Against The Biden Administration’s Vaccination-Or-Test Requirements For Large Workplaces And Boasted Of Being "The Anti-Mandate President" Who Would "Always" Stand Against Such Requirements. In Addition, They Argue, There’s Always The Chance That Independents Or Undecided Voters Might Reward Him For Using His Megaphone To Get More Of The Population Immunized. “He’s Setting An Example Not Just For His Supporters But For The Entire Republican Party,” Said Dr. Jerome Adams, The Surgeon General In The Trump Administration, Adding: “He’s A Major Influencer, And He’s Going To Add To That Steady Drumbeat Of Reasons That Help People Get Over Their Fears And Concerns. It Won’t Be Instantaneous Or The Only Reason One Chooses To Get Vaccinated, But I Absolutely Do Believe It Will Be Helpful.” Surveys Suggest That The Majority Of Trump Voters And Republicans Have Been Vaccinated, And The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Says Nearly 75 Percent Of The U.S. Population Has Received At Least One Dose Of A Covid Vaccine. Still, Conservatives Appear To Be Among The Staunchest Holdouts. An Economist/Yougov Poll Published This Month Found That 32 Percent Of Trump Voters And 33 Percent Of Republicans And Conservatives Said They Will Never Get Vaccinated, The Highest Among Any Demographic Group In The Poll. That Survey Found That 40 Percent Of Trump Voters And 43 Percent Of Republicans Haven’t Yet Had A Vaccine Shot, Similar To 18- To 29-Year-Olds And White Women Without College Degrees, Although Those Holdouts Aren’t As Hardened In Their Opposition. “His Supporters, Like Myself, Will Certainly Point To It,” Barry Bennett, A 2016 Trump Campaign Aide, Said Of The Trump Administration’s Vaccine Development Operation. “But There's No One To Persuade.” Meanwhile, Anti-Vaccination Misinformation Has Thrived Online, Particularly In Conservative Spaces, And Trump’s Recent Comments Touting The Vaccines Drew Backlash In Corners Of The Online Right. Owens, The Conservative Influencer, Said Trump Believes In The Vaccines Because He “Only Reads Mainstream News.” The Far-Right Cartoonist Ben Garrison Painted Trump As Confused. The Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Was Enraged. And On Far-Right Forums, Posters Were Trying To Figure Out Just How To Interpret Trump’s Vaccine Boosterism. Trump Allies Said The Potential For A Rift With Core Supporters Wasn’t A Worry. A Top Trump Adviser, Who Requested Anonymity To Speak Freely About A Subject He Wasn’t Authorized To Address, Said Trump “Is Not Concerned That, You Know, 30 Percent To 40 Percent Of The GOP Primary Base Is Not Vaccinated.” “And If He Starts Telling People To Get Vaccinated And He Gets Booed By A Few Of Them, He's Not Concerned That's Going To Cost Him,” The Person Added. “That's Not A Political Liability. The Real Third Rail Here Is Not Telling People You Think They Should Get Vaccinated — It’s Telling People What To Do. It’s Forcing People With Mandates.” Supporters In Arizona Who Were Interviewed Before The Rally Agreed. Several Said That Only If Trump Were To Advocate For Vaccination Mandates Would He Face Political Backlash. John Brewer, 44, A Union Elevator Operator Apprentice From Surprise, Arizona, Said He Voted Twice For Trump And Isn’t Vaccinated. "He Can Push It," Brewer Said Of Vaccinations. "But Mandating It, I Would Lose All Respect For Him, And I Wouldn't Vote For Him If Those Words Came Out Of His Mouth." Erin Campbell, 36, Of Chandler, Who Works For A Staffing Coordinating Company, Said She Isn’t Upset With Trump For Promoting The Vaccines, Even Though She Is Against Them. “I Think He Was Pressured Into It,” She Said, Adding That She Was Pleased That He Wasn’t Advocating For Mandates. “He Gave Us A Choice." Mike Mcnulty, 66, A Teacher From Phoenix Who Attended The Rally, Said Trump Got “Brainwashed” By Dr. Anthony Fauci, The Longtime Head Of The National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases, Who Is Biden's Top Medical Adviser On Covid. “He Has To Atone,” Mcnulty Said Of Trump. “He Made A Mistake.” But That Doesn’t Mean Mcnulty Is Against Him In 2024. “Who Else?” He Asked. “Who Else Is Going To Go Up Against The Deep State?” Chris Wilson, A Republican Strategist And Pollster, Said Trump’s Ramped-Up Vaccine Promotion “Shows That Trump Considers The Primary A Formality If He Decides To Run In 2024.” “He's Setting Up A Comparison With Biden For The General [Election] And Wants To Own The Vaccine Itself,” He Said. More Broadly, Trump’s Taking Credit For The Vaccines Is A Way To Reframe What Polling Showed Was Widespread Opposition To His Handling Of The Pandemic, Which As Much As Anything Else May Have Been Responsible For Voters’ Ousting Him From Office In 2020. “What He Wants Is That His Biggest Failure Isn’t Seen To Be A Failure In Hindsight," A Former Trump Adviser Said On Condition Of Anonymity To Avoid Incurring His Ire. "That’s Classic Trump." Allan Smith Reported From New York, Peter Nicholas Reported From Washington, D.C., And Jonathan Allen Reported From Florence, Arizona.