A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
A Senator To Take Very Seriously
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accused Big Bird of spreading “government propaganda” on Saturday after the Sesame Street resident tweeted (ho ho ho) that he’d gotten the COVID-19 vaccine to “give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.”
- And for those of you who’re mocking him for trying to take his culture war to a children’s TV character, Cruz wants you to know that he’s actually laughing and that it’s you, not him, who’s the fool!
- “Libs are really triggered by Big Bird,” Cruz tweeted when “Rafael” (his real Cuban name, the one he doesn’t use For Some Reason) and “CancunCruz” started trending (why he would want to remind anyone of the time he ran away to Mexico while his constituents froze back in his home state is a mystery).
- Cruz also retweeted a right-wing media outlet’s story claiming that “FROTHING libs” were having “MELTDOWNS” over his weird-ass whining about a Sesame Street character.
- The senator also accused Seth MacFarlane of “shilling for petty authoritarians” who “would deny you the right to make your own medical choices” on Sunday when the comedian noted that Big Bird was smarter than Cruz.
How Bipartisan Infrastructure Vote Shook Out
Alright so it’s done: The House passed bipartisan infrastructure bill (BIF) late Friday night after months of tug-o-war between moderate and progressive House Democrats, the latter of whom fought to stick to Biden’s original two-track plan to pass BIF and the reconciliation bill containing the Build Back Better plan simultaneously. Now BIF goes to Biden’s desk for signing.
- Six progressives broke from their party to vote against the legislation: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Cori Bush (D-MO) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY).
- 13 House Republicans voted for BIF, making up for the six progressives’ “no” votes: Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Don Young of Alaska (R-AK), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Fred Upton (R-MI), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), John Katko (R-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and David McKinley (R-WV).
- Their fellow GOP colleagues promptly raked them over the coals.
- Now the Democrats’ intra-party negotiations over the reconciliation bill is heating up. The President and Democratic leadership have to continue working on a deal with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), the two holdouts on reconciliation.
- Additionally, several moderates in the House are demanding for a score from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the reconciliation bill before they’ll vote on it–and they want the score no later than Nov. 15.
Must-Reads
“‘Nobody should have to live like this’: Black residents hope infrastructure bill will fix city’s water woes — if state allows it” – The Washington Post
“Countries’ climate pledges built on flawed data, Post investigation finds” – The Washington Post
A First All-Muslim City Council
The city of Hamtramck, Michigan has elected what’s likely to be the first all-Muslim city council in the country.
Roger Stone Tries To Bully DeSantis Into Not Running In 2024
The convicted Trump associate on Friday repeated his previous threat to torpedo Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reelection campaign in 2022 by running as a libertarian candidate.
- The terms of Stone’s demand were slightly different this time, though: The ex-convict demanded DeSantis pledge that he won’t run for president in 2024, “particularly” if Trump plans to run a reelection bid.
- Stone had previously demanded that DeSantis do an “audit” of the 2020 election a la Arizona–even though Florida, unlike Arizona, had chosen Trump over Biden.
Trump Election Probe In Georgia Heating Up
Fani Willis, the district attorney of Georgia’s Fulton County, is moving toward convening a special grand jury in her investigation into Trump and his cronies’ 2020 election meddling in her state, according to the New York Times.
- Her decision isn’t final, however, and a special grand jury can’t issue criminal indictments like a regular grand jury can.
- Willis’ office has also reportedly been consulting with the House Jan. 6 select committee. But her investigating has been partially hindered by the hurdles the committee is facing in its efforts to gather evidence amid Trump’s lawsuit.
John Eastman Subpoena A-Comin’
The House’s Jan. 6 committee is set to put out a new round of about 20 subpoenas to Trump’s top stooges in its sweeping investigation as soon as this week, according to the Guardian.
- Ex-Trump legal adviser John Eastman, who came up with a House of Cards-esque plot to have Mike Pence hijack Congress’ 2020 electoral vote count to steal the election for Trump, is among the potential subpoena targets.
- Eastman has publicly insisted that he didn’t actually think the “crazy” scheme would work and that he would never try such a silly thing. Then he admitted to undercover liberal activists that he did, in fact, think the crazy scheme would’ve worked if Pence hadn’t been such an “establishment guy.”
Hawley Enlists In The Manly War
Sen. Josh Hawley, apparently committed to the bit of pretending to be a champion of masculinity, told Axios he plans to make manliness his signature issue because “the left” is being super mean to men.
- Hawley once again complained about men spending too much time watching porn and playing video games. Conservatives “got to call men back to responsibility,” Hawley told Axios.
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