"I have never figured out what critical race theory is, to be totally honest." - Tucker Carlson, man who hasn't stopped screaming about it for weeks
In Scoring Position
After a dismal election day, many Democrats suggested they had a new fire under their asses to get the big things done and start improving the political climate. If only the moderates who stalled everything in the first place were among them.
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After releasing the latest version of the Build Back Better Act on Wednesday (all 2,135 pages of it), Democratic leaders hoped to hold a House vote on the bill as soon as Thursday night, with an eye towards both chambers sealing the deal on President Biden’s full agenda before Thanksgiving. One teensy snag: A handful of centrist Democrats, including beloved icon Rep. Josh Goatherder (D-NJ), said in a Tuesday letter that they would first need 72 hours to read the full text, as well as a formal analysis showing that the bill wouldn’t add to the federal deficit.
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They’re in luck! On Thursday, the Joint Committee on Taxation released an official score finding that the reconciliation bill would raise about $1.5 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years. That score didn’t factor in cost-saving provisions that would beef up IRS enforcement and allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices; once those offsets are included, the $1.75 trillion package fully pays for itself. Some centrists will likely push to wait for a separate analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, which could still be weeks away.
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In any event, once the House passes both bills, the fate of the Biden agenda will be in the royal hands of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), and he’d like everybody to know that he’s in absolutely no rush. That puts him at odds with the Democratic PAC Priorities USA, which warned in a Wednesday memo that campaigning against the malevolent ghost of Donald Trump won’t be enough to retain Democratic majorities in the midterms. The solution, the memo advised, is for the party to get these bills passed and then get busy selling them.
The Virginia and New Jersey elections painted a picture of 2022 that looks plenty hostile for Democrats, even before you factor in rampant voter suppression and gerrymandering.
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So maybe let’s hurry up and take those antidemocratic handicaps off the table? On Wednesday, Senate Republicans once again filibustered to block Democrats from even opening debate on voting-rights legislation—this time the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. On Thursday, long-time filibuster-defender Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) published an op-ed announcing he’s had enough of this shit: “No barrier—not even the filibuster—should stand in the way of our sacred obligation to protect our democracy.”
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We’ve been saying “it’s now or never” on election protections for a while now, but “now” really does mean now, now. The GOP-controlled North Carolina legislature has given its final approval to a wildly gerrymandered congressional map, which Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) can’t veto. Without federal redistricting reform, it will be up to state courts to block extreme maps like these from tilting the electoral playing field towards Republicans for the next 10 years, and not all of them will be terribly inclined.
Democrats have urgent work to do on multiple fronts to have a fighting chance of holding onto the House in 2022. The party has now seen what the electorate looks like when there’s nothing to counter GOP culture wars but endless negotiations and filibustered bills; with any luck, it will have been unsettling enough to try something different.
Look No Further Than Crooked Media
Catch up on the latest episode of Pod Save America to hear a breakdown of all the political news, issues that matter, and what each of us can do about them. New episodes out Tuesday and Thursday. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Under The Radar
Republicans might not be able to pass voter-suppression legislation in solid blue states, but they sure can successfully shut down efforts to expand ballot access when Democrats aren’t on their toes. New York votes rejected three ballot measures on Tuesday that would have allowed voters to register on Election Day, implemented no-excuse absentee voting, and ended prison gerrymandering in the state. Republicans fired up their base to defeat the measures by going on tour around the state yelling about voter fraud, while the Conservative Party spent about $3 million on TV and radio ads arguing that the proposals were an “invitation to fraud and a scam to rig the system.” The state Democratic Party, by contrast, spent no money directly backing the proposals. It’s possible it wouldn’t have changed the outcome–New York Republicans had a big night across the board—but it’s also possible that voter-fraud lies were what energized the GOP base to turn out, while pro-democracy voters, unaware of what was on the ballot, stayed home. A metaphor for all of Tuesday.
What Else?
The Biden administration announced that its vaccine rules for companies with over 100 employees will go into effect on January 4. Workers must either be fully vaccinated by that date, or start getting tested weekly.
The 12-person jury in the trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s killers includes just one Black juror, after the selection process included questioning about whether potential jurors considered the Confederate flag a “racist symbol.” The judge noted that the defense seemed to be intentionally discriminatory (lmao), but allowed the case to move forward.
A federal judge seemed rightly skeptical of Donald Trump’s request to block the release of National Archives documents to the January 6 committee based on the executive privilege he no longer has.
In other obstruction efforts, Trump allies Matt and Mercedes Schlapp have set up a legal fund to pay for the defense of people who have been subpoenaed by the January 6 committee.
Igor Danchenko, who provided key information in the 2016 Steele dossier, has been indicted for lying to the FBI as part of special counsel John Durham’s very substantive and fruitful probe into the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation.
The gun-control advocacy group Giffords, founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), has filed a lawsuit alleging that the NRA illegally funneled up to $35 million to GOP candidates, using a network of shell companies.
Incoming New York City Mayor Eric Adams pledged to take his first three paychecks in Bitcoin and make the city “the center of the cryptocurrency industry,” before unzipping his skin to reveal a cackling, vengeful Andrew Yang.
The Trump administration used its 2020 Food to Families program for political gain, congressional investigators found, confirming earlier reporting/the obvious.
Today in Headlines We Are All Going to Hide From Dianne Feinstein At All Costs, Capiche, a 97-year-old won re-election as mayor in Tinton Falls, NJ.
Sand™ has been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Congratulations to the makers of Sand.
Be Smarter
In an ideal 2021, Americans would be knee-deep in rapid coronavirus tests, wading through them on our way to Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement party. In reality, they’re expensive and often hard to find, largely due to a bizarrely difficult FDA-regulation process combined with a lack of federal funding. The FDA has been so wary of approving a rapid test that’s not perfectly accurate that companies have spent months trying to get tests approved, in contrast to other countries that have prioritized accessibility and affordability. FDA officials, meanwhile, have blamed a lack of government investment: Without public funding, manufacturers are less willing to take the financial risk of going through the authorization process at all. The Biden administration recently announced new steps to improve home test accessibility, but manufacturers won’t be able to ramp up their supply chains instantly. The shortages boil down to a delayed realization in the U.S. about what the role of rapid testing should be in the pandemic response, something European countries figured out much earlier.
What A Sponsor
Shut Down ICE Detention Sites Now
There’s no question: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention is known for abuse, pervasive medical neglect, and complete disregard for the dignity of people in its custody. Last year alone, reports emerged of increased use of force, solitary confinement, patterns of sexual abuse, forced sterilization, unprecedented fatality rates, and an utter failure to protect people from COVID-19 – and it is all paid for with more than three billion dollars of taxpayers’ money a year.
It's time to shut down the ICE Detention Machine. Add your name to the ACLU petition now.
While Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has moved to close two detention sites so far, ICE has doubled the number of immigrants and asylum seekers locked up in detention centers under his watch and kept dozens of facilities with appalling records of abuse and neglect open.
For the detention sites that are closing, ICE is sometimes choosing to transfer people to other detention facilities rather than release them to their communities and families – jeopardizing the health of detained people and their ability to effectively present their cases.
It's clear. This ICE detention machine must end. But we need your help to bring lasting change and repair the harm that ICE has caused. Take action today. Sign our petition and tell the DHS to shut down ICE detention facilities now.
Thanks for taking action,
ACLU Team
Light At The End Of The Email
The Justice Department has sued Texas over its new voter-suppression law.
New York City taxi drivers have won a better debt relief deal from the city after a two-week hunger strike.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) has signed legislation to end Michigan’s sales tax on feminine hygiene products.
The HPV vaccine has significantly reduced cervical cancer rates, according to a new U.K. study.
Enjoy
✨V✨ on Twitter: "are duolingo employees ok?"
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