Tuesday News & Notes
OCTOBER 19, 2021 -- BRITISH DEFEATED AT YORKTOWN, ENDING AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1781
•President Biden will host progressive and moderate Democrats at the White House today in separate meetings in his continuing effort to reach a deal on his Bring Back Better social infrastructure program, the budget reconciliation bill with the $3.5 trillion sticker price. Wouldn’t it be more productive to get both sides in the same meeting?
•The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the Capitol is expected to approve contempt charges against Stephen K. Bannon for his failure to respond to a subpoena in a 7:30 EDT session tonight.
•Booster shots for COVID-19 do not have to be from the same source as the initial vaccines, the CDC has ruled. Those who have received the single-jab initial vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, which has proved to be less effective than Pfizer or Moderna two-shots, would be better off with a Moderna booster (WaPo).
Trump Sues Committee to Block Release of his White House Records – Former President Trump has filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the January 6 Select Committee from obtaining records related to the Capitol insurrection. Trump’s attorneys argue the House of Representatives Select Committee’s request is “almost limitless in scope,” and that most records sought are covered by executive privilege, reports NPR’s Morning Edition.
Note: We’re off to the races, as Trump attempts to block release of the records long as possible. Most analysts and Constitutional scholars agree that the ex-president doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on, though that hasn’t stopped him in more than 4,000 lawsuits during his real estate, reality television and political career. The longer Trump can draw this out, even into next year’s midterm election campaigns, the better for him. Meanwhile, Washington is agog waiting to see whether former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon, who was never an official in the administration and nevertheless claims executive privilege, will be carted off to jail.
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Colin Powell’s Multiple Myeloma Compromised COVID Vaccine Effectiveness – It shouldn’t be necessary to say this, but former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s death at age 84 Monday from complications of COVID-19 despite having been fully vaccinated was related to his suffering with blood cancer that compromised his immune system. But there are reports that right-wing social media used his death to again question the effectiveness of the vaccines.
“I’ve got multiple myeloma cancer, and I’ve got Parkinson’s disease, but otherwise I’m fine,” Powell told The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward in July, in what was likely his last interview. “Don’t feel sorry for me,” he added.
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Alternative to Clean Electricity Program? – Sen. Joe Manchin III’s, D-WV, refusal to accept a $150 billion clean electricity provision in the $3.5 trillion Bring Back Better budget reconciliation bill is sending his congressional colleagues back to the drawing board, as they look for an alternative to appease the coal country senator.
“I’ve been told it would be prudent to plan alternatives and be very happy if it’s not out,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, described by Roll Call as one of the Senate’s climate hawks.
Manchin opposes the clean electricity provision, which seeks to fund a shift to solar, wind, nuclear and other renewable energy sources, because “he thinks energy companies are already making the transition,” Roll Call says.
Note: Punchbowl News says “I told you so,” in a post Tuesday noting that Manchin is sticking with the position he has taken since negotiations begun. That includes a $1.5 trillion cost ceiling with little wiggle-room even though progressive and moderate Democrats reportedly are zeroing in on a final price tag closer to the $2 trillion mark.
But Manchin’s receptiveness to negotiation was on display yesterday, as he and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, posed for news cameras together on the Capitol grounds. News & Notes finds it notable that while Roll Call calls Manchin a “moderate Democrat” in its report, Punchbowl News uses the term, “conservative Democrat.” We’d bet the latter tag determines Manchin’s final position, and that the progs will want to develop that clean electricity alternative tout suite.
--Edited by Todd Lassa and Nic Woods