Just One Thing: What a Mess
UPDATE: after a noncommittal reply when asked about McCarthy's effort to become Speaker of the House, on Wednesday morning former President Trump issued a much stronger pro-McCarthy statement: "Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY, & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA,THE ONLY SPEAKER IN U.S. HISTORY TO HAVE LOST THE “HOUSE” TWICE! REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT. IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT. Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB - JUST WATCH!" @realDonaldTrump's post | Truth Social
This is important information as far as electing the Speaker: R44243 (congress.gov)
History: How long could Speaker battle drag on? 1856 offers a stark example | The Hill
After three votes on Tuesday to elect the next Speaker of the House, during which Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) went from losing 19 Republicans to losing 20, the House adjourned until this morning. (The non-Kevin votes in 2nd and 3rd rounds went to Congressman Jim Jordon (R-OH) seen in this blog's thumbnail picture, who nominated McCarthy for Speaker and voted for McCarthy for Speaker and is, at least for now, not running for Speaker.
The rhetoric on both sides is heated, with Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert taking a leading role in opposing McCarthy unless the small faction of ultra-conservative congresscritters get what they want. Meanwhile, McCarthy is accusing them of wanting things that are best for themselves, not for the country. It's ugly and it could get much uglier because Kevin McCarthy, while he has a lot of loyalists, is not really an inspiring figure. And the longer this goes the more likely the opposition will become more emboldened. That said, I believe that McCarthy and MANY other Republicans in the House truly believe that McCarthy has earned the job and he arguably has even though I think he's an unprincipled jellyfish.
Lauren Boebert explained herself a bit on Fox News last night: Kevin McCarthy will continue to see 'increased opposition:' Lauren Boebert | Fox News Video
I have no idea what happens next. Some of the possibilities, although remote, become more possible as time passes, including the idea of a Democrat winning the Speakership. Indeed, McCarthy may at some point be willing to gamble that the rogue group will support him if their alternative is that Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) becomes speaker, which could theoretically happen if the House were to change the vote rules or if Republicans start voting "present" instead of voting for a specific person other than McCarthy. It's really a clusterf*** but some Republicans feel like that's what they were elected to create.
It's hard to know whether Lauren is really trying to make beneficial changes or if she's doing performance theater...or both. I suspect it's both.
One of the most interesting things is how completely owned Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene is by McCarthy since McCarthy promised her some sort of committee seat. Even if you don't like Lauren's antics, you can't say that she sold out the way "rebel" MTG did.
In a private conversation with a senior Republican House member yesterday, the person said "I don't see anybody budging right now."
Neither do I. I'm not very surprised to see no movement on the first day. But if there's no movement on Wednesday, that would bode very poorly for the functioning of the House going forward, which is a HUGE win for the Democrats. Meanwhile, the Dems are (literally) eating popcorn and watching the shenanigans. (See just below.)
The perspective of a presumed liberal but basically right: This was supposed to be Kevin McCarthy's moment. Instead, GOP chaos reigns
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Today's Guests
Journalist Samantha Young joins the show to explain the difference between a coroner and a medical examiner, and why having the former could pose real risk to effective determination of causes of death and to honest prosecutions.
Coroners often determine cause of death, but they aren't always trained or experienced | CNN
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I saw a cool story about Mickey Mussett over on the 9News website and asked him to join the show. He lost his job as an advertising exec and went into the next obvious career in that progression: custom cowboy-boot maker.
Man makes custom cowboy boots in Denver | 9news.com
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Other Stuff
I didn't mention this yesterday but it's still worth talking about...a New Year's gift from Ukraine.
First, an update on how it happened: Russia says cellphone use led Ukraine to target its troops - ABC News (go.com)
Ukraine Strikes Russian Forces in Donbas in Deadliest Attack in Months - WSJ
Moscow says Ukrainian rocket strike kills 63 Russian troops | AP News
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I know lots of folks won't like this news but I do:
Retail pharmacies can offer abortion pills, FDA says (axios.com)
More: Abortion Pills to Be Available More Widely Under New FDA Rules (WSJ.com)
More information about "medication abortion" (from a pro-abortion group): Medication Abortion | Guttmacher Institute
Abortion pill(s) now comprise the majority of abortions in America: Majority of abortions in US now done with pills, data shows - ABC News (go.com)
And a much larger majority of abortions in Colorado: Abortion pill skyrockets to nearly 70% of all abortions in Colorado (liveaction.org)
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Are robots and drones the future of war? https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-advances-6591dc69a4bf2081dcdd265e1c986203
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If THIS is what's notable, gotta say that these returns are darned boring: Trump tax returns: Five notable facts | Fox Business
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CO Gov Jared Polis bussing illegal aliens to New York and Chicago (because that's where they want to be): Colorado is busing migrants to New York and other major cities (msn.com)
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The most dangerous neighborhoods in Denver: Denver Neighborhoods With the Most Violent Crime in 2022 | Westword
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Ben Sasse's farewell message as a senator, as he heads off to be president of the University of Florida: Ben Sasse: America’s True Divide: Pluralists vs. Zealots
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Axios: Natural gas hits pre-war price in Europe: https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-markets-9ab18c30-3954-4c4e-a28b-68c502df8241.html?chunk=0&utm_term=emshare#story0
Down a lot in the US too, to roughly the price at the start of the war: Natural Gas PRICE Today | Natural Gas Spot Price Chart | Live Price of Natural Gas per Ounce | Markets Insider (businessinsider.com)
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A great piece about Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety who's still struggling for his life today: Why Damar Hamlin is exactly what the Buffalo Bills need (Tyler Dunne)
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Florida man (and woman) strike again: Florida sheriff: Burglars call 911 to get help moving stuff (wral.com)
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Have you seen this art? Boulder police searching for stolen artwork valued at $400K (denver7.com)
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Celebrate life: The Paul Ehrlich Apocalypse Is Back His predictions have been famously wrong, but doom springs eternal.(WSJ.com)
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Today's Must-Watch Video
The always excellent Peter Zeihan explains why 1) electric vehicles are far from "green" and not going to be a truly significant part of our transportation mix for a long time, and 2) Tesla specifically has very difficult issues facing its business and its stock price:
And today's "just for fun" video
You're Number 1, Dude!!!