POLITICO NIGHTLY: Here come the Covid midterms

 

BY DAVID SIDERS House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joins a bicameral and bipartisan group of lawmakers on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol for a moment of silence for the more than 900,000 people who have died from Covid-19. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images THE VIRUS VOTERS — Joe Biden always said he’d “follow the science” on Covid, and with few exceptions — such as the White House’s premature declaration of victory over the pandemic — he’s spent the past year doing just that, largely with the support of Democrats in Congress and in the states. But from the beginning, politicians have weighed the politics of the pandemic along with the science. And in a Monmouth University poll last week, 7 in 10 Americans — including 47 percent of Democrats — agreed with the idea that “it’s time we accept that Covid is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives.” The poll was in line with other surveys suggesting people are tired of their restriction-altered realities. Almost on cue, Democratic-led states throughout the country started paring back mandates. Biden was elected president in part — perhaps largely — because he promised to defeat the virus, to take more aggressive measures instead of punting the problem to the nation’s governors, as President Donald Trump had done. But since he took office, the pandemic has been a persistent drag on Biden’s presidency. Public approval of his handling of the virus has fallen underwater. Republican strategists have described the pandemic to Nightly as a godsend, with its effects on both inflation and education, two of voters’ top concerns, as well as on Biden’s dismal public approval ratings. GOP strategists are vowing to run on unpopular Covid restrictions even if they’ve been taken away. They gleefully predict that Biden’s party will pay a price in the midterm elections for, in their view, waiting too long. “They are waving the white freaking flag, after they’ve completely lost the war and have nothing else to do besides retreat,” said Jeff Roe, the Republican strategist who managed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign in 2016 and helped elect Glenn Youngkin governor of Virginia last year. “The female suburban independent, college educated voter? Good luck. Add people who are married with kids, and put them in the Republican camp. [Democrats] did more damage to that coalition in the last 14 months than any Republican has done in the last 14 years.” Fred Davis, a Republican ad maker, said that in the November elections, “People will remember that the supply chain was broken down, that kids didn’t go to school … that the world closed up.” The prospect that people will remember school shutdowns and mask mandates — and punish Democrats for them — is one possible outcome of pandemic politics, assuming the lull continues. But let’s stipulate that, in November, children aren’t wearing masks in schools, that families have spent the summer posing for pictures at Disney World and hugging Mickey Mouse. In that Clorox-free scenario, it’s not clear that Republicans are the party that will gain an advantage. Take Covid away, and it’s not unreasonable to think the mood of the electorate may improve, and that Biden’s approval ratings might tick up — and perhaps help to limit Democrats’ losses in the House. “If Covid is in the rearview mirror and there’s a return to, quote, normal, whatever normal is, the occupant of the White House will benefit,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. The other possibility — the more likely one, judging by recent history — is that if the pandemic really does subside, it may quickly fade from our politics altogether. In the run-up to last year’s gubernatorial race in Virginia, politicians and strategists of both parties were bracing for the pandemic to feature heavily. But several weeks before the election, as Covid conditions improved, polling showed Covid receding as a priority for voters. Campaign advertising related to the pandemic nearly vanished. And by the time Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe, exit polls showed Covid lagging behind education and the economy and jobs as a top issue of concern. The pandemic still mattered to the extent that it infected those facets of life. But as a stand-alone issue, it was not all that salient. This year, a pandemic-stayed November may look a lot like that — with Republicans likely to win back the House, but not because of Covid. Republicans probably don’t need it. They will have Biden’s legislative difficulties to talk about — and gas prices and crime and critical race theory. And then there’s whatever else happens — or whatever else the right can dream up — in the nine months before the election. By November, voters may have other things to worry about. “I think what will be top on their minds is what they’re seeing — inflation, gas prices,” said Bob Heckman, a Republican consultant who has worked on nine presidential campaigns. “I don’t even think they’ll be thinking about Covid, to be honest.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at dsiders@politico.com, or on Twitter at @davidsiders.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     WHAT'D I MISS? — Biden says he’s thoroughly reviewed ‘about 4’ SCOTUS candidates so far: Biden said today that he had thoroughly reviewed about four “well qualified and documented” candidates to fill Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s seat on the bench. Biden, who has vowed to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, told NBC’s Lester Holt that he’d done the “deep dive” on those contenders, making sure there was nothing in their background checks that might disqualify them. Protestors and supporters set up at a blockade at the foot of the Ambassador Bridge, sealing off the flow of commercial traffic over the bridge into Canada from Detroit in Windsor, Canada. | Cole Burston/Getty Images — Canadian bridge blockade could worsen Biden’s economic headaches: The anti-vaccine protest blocking a critical trade route between the U.S. and Canada threatens to exacerbate two persistent economic challenges confronting the Biden administration: congested supply chains and rising consumer prices. A convoy of truckers opposing cross-border vaccine requirements has stopped traffic from crossing the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ont. and Detroit, the busiest international crossing in North America that facilitates the exchange of more than $300 million worth of goods per day. — Schumer moves to limit debate on FDA nomination: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture today on Robert Califf’s nomination to lead the Food and Drug Administration , signaling Democrats expect to have the votes to confirm him. The motion to limit debate on the cardiologist’s nomination sets up a vote next week, meeting Senate HELP Chair Patty Murray‘s goal of shepherding him through the chamber ahead of the Presidents Day recess. — Top D.C. lobbying firm reps company alleged by former employees to have paid off Taliban: A top Washington lobbying shop has agreed to represent the U.S. parent company of a major Afghan telecom alleged by three former employees and four former senior Afghan government officials to have paid money and extended other favors to the Taliban as they fought a bloody insurgency over the last 20 years. S-3 Group filed a lobbying disclosure Nov. 1 that it now represents Telephone Systems International, the holding company for Afghan Wireless, one of the largest mobile telephone operators in the country. The document, required by U.S. law, states three of its lobbyists — John Scofield, Jose Ceballos and Michael Long — will lobby on “access to wireless communication in Afghanistan.” — Senate clears #MeToo bill banning mandatory arbitration: The Senate cleared a bill today that would forbid clauses in employment contracts requiring workers to litigate sexual harassment and abuse cases in private , rather than a court, several years after the #MeToo movement drew attention to the issue. The legislation, which was passed by voice vote, has bipartisan support. Lawmakers drafted it in response to the #MeToo movement, which exposed how the clauses — known collectively as mandatory arbitration — prevent repeat offenders from being held accountable.   DON’T MISS CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO’s new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. CHECK OUT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE.     AROUND THE WORLD Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) surrounded by reporters. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images HILL HUNG UP OVER SANCTIONS — Bipartisan negotiations over how to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine are at an impasse, top senators said today, amid fears that a Moscow invasion is imminent, Andrew Desiderio writes. Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and the panel’s top Republican, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, indicated that their weekslong negotiations have hit several snags in recent days, including over the scope of sanctions to impose after a possible Russian incursion. “We’re running out of runway,” Risch said bluntly. “It’s important that the Senate of the United States express … where the United States is on this issue.” While both lawmakers have insisted that the effort isn’t dead, the remaining disputes continue to threaten the time-sensitive package. Republicans and Democrats have long disagreed over the best way to deter a Russian invasion, with GOP lawmakers insisting that some sanctions should be imposed on the front end while Democrats argue that the sanctions should come only after an incursion. “We’re thinking of a different process to move forward,” Menendez said, citing the impasse. NIGHTLY NUMBER 7.5 percent The annual inflation rate in the U.S., the highest since 1982 , according to a Labor Department report. This is the second report in a row where the number has broken 7 percent. PARTING WORDS THE DJT TP OMG — Breaking news reporter Samuel Benson emails Nightly: When it comes to Trump’s bathroom records-keeping practices, the fits are hitting the newsstands. A new book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, scheduled for publication in October, flushes out new material on Trump’s obsession with toilets. Staff in the White House residence told Haberman they periodically found a toilet clogged with wads of printed paper, leading them to believe Trump attempted to flush ripped documents. Trump was quick to refute the reporting. He released a statement today, calling the story “categorically untrue and simply made up by a reporter in order to get publicity for a mostly fictitious book.” But today’s powder room dust-up is only the latest saga in Trump’s yearslong crusade against low-flow toilets and sinks. Krystal Campos put together this video of the greatest hits from Trump’s WC CV. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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CC Newsletter 06 Feb - Amnesty International Calling Israel an Apartheid State shakes the Zionist state

 

Dear Friend,

Amnesty International’s declaration of Israel as an apartheid state was a resounding announcement that resonated worldwide. The importance of this announcement is that it came from an organization with a respected reputation globally. Amnesty international has human rights lawyers who study every word before publishing the report.

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew

Editor

Countercurrents.org

Amnesty International Calling Israel an Apartheid State shakes the Zionist state

by Dr Salim Nazzal

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/the-report-that-shakes-the-zionist-state/

Amnesty International’s declaration of Israel as an apartheid state was a

resounding announcement that resonated worldwide. The importance of this announcement is that it came from an organization with a respected reputation globally. Amnesty international has human rights lawyers who study every word before publishing the report.

Amnesty’s Israeli Apartheid Report Versus Zionist, IHRA & US Lies

by Dr Gideon Polya

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/amnestys-israeli-apartheid-report-versus-zionist-ihra-us-lies/

Amnesty International’s 2022 report exposing and condemning Israeli apartheid has provoked false allegations of lying and anti-Semitism from the mendacious and  genocidally racist Zionists and their US Alliance supporters.  In actuality, denial of Israeli apartheid is a lie, and the Zionists and their supporters  are manifestly mendacious, and both  anti-Arab anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish anti-Semitic by falsely defaming anti-racist Jewish, Arab, Palestinian and Muslim critics of Apartheid Israel.

The Curious Case of the State of Israel

– A Country Without Borders

by Anthony Fulton

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/the-curious-case-of-the-state-of-israel-a-country-without-borders/

If Israel is perceived as an apartheid state, then there is a link to this frontierism, to choices made by Israeli voters regarding borders. You can’t defend Israel against such accusations if you do not consider the West Bank to be ‘abroad’. The evidence of the last fifty years suggests that Israel is a frontier settler state set on expansion beyond ‘indefensible’ pre-1967 borders. How long can Palestinians live within these frontiers without rights? The international community and many Israeli citizens seem happy to avoid the question.

Hemispheric Gangsterism: The US Embargo Against Cuba Turns 60

by Dr Binoy Kampmark

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/hemispheric-gangsterism-the-us-embargo-against-cuba-turns-60/

It all seems worn, part of an aspic approach to foreign policy.  But US President Joe Biden is keen to

ensure that old, and lingering mistakes, retain their flavour.    Towards Cuba, it is now 60 years since President John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Proclamation 3447 imposed an embargo on all trade with the island state.

Covid Mandate Protests: ‘Freedom Convoy’ Blockades Leave Ottawa On Edge

by Countercurrents Collective

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/covid-mandate-protests-freedom-convoy-blockades-leave-ottawa-on-edge/

Canada’s capital Ottawa on Saturday was bracing for a surge of demonstrators to join a week-long protest against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that has blockaded much of the downtown core, unnerved residents and been described by officials as an “occupation” and a “siege.”

Russia – China pledge to expand cooperation

Press Release

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/russia-china-pledge-to-expand-cooperation/

Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International

Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development

Signature Campaign: Citizens Demand Repeal of Anti-Conversion Laws in India

by Concerned Citizens

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/signature-campaign-citizens-demand-repeal-of-anti-conversion-laws-in-india/

We, the citizens of secular and democratic India, are shocked to witness the , moves of the state governments ruled by the BJP and other political parties, targeting Christians, Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis and Hindu women using Anti-Conversion Laws in India.

Shopping Mall or Shocking Mall

by Moumita Alam

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/shopping-mall-or-shocking-mall/

Eight farmers have taken their own lives.

The dead certificate is very crystal clear.

It’s suicide not murder.

The potatoes they had to sell

In zero profit

Are in shopping trolley now

With a tip – top price tag.

Rahul Gandhi and Our Constitution

by Hiren Gohain

https://countercurrents.org/2022/02/rahul-gandhi-and-our-constitution/

The initial remarks in Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Parliament the motion of thanks to the President’s speech have provoked a storm of abuse from BJP ranks within and outside the house.The matter needs some scrutiny

POLITICO NIGHTLY: What we ask when we ask about Trump

 

BY ELANA SCHOR Former President Donald Trump throws a cap into the audience during his arrival at the ‘Save America’ rally in Conroe, Texas. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images LIGHTS, CAMERA, REACTION — A subgenre of congressional journalism flourished during President Donald Trump’s four years in office, one that I’ll call “the Republican react piece.” The formula was simple: Reporters would confront GOP lawmakers with the most ill-advised or objectionable statements from their party’s president, which forced them to align with the statement or disavow themselves from their party’s leader. A few greatest hits from this subgenre: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) agreeing that Trump’s 2019 tweets about House Democratic women of color were racist; Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) offering that “I can’t control that … I don’t think it’s helpful” after Trump blasted the special counsel investigating Russia’s ties to his 2016 campaign; and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) replying, “Oh no, ugh,” when asked about Trump’s tweets attacking a 75-year-old demonstrator who was shoved by police. Trump lost the White House and has been deprived of his favorite social media platform. But he remains the de facto head of the Republican Party and the favorite for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. And he hasn’t stopped airing sentiments that smack of distaste for the democratic process that denied him a second term, like his suggestion during a Texas campaign rally this weekend that he would offer pardons to those prosecuted for besieging the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. So it’s time to get back to regularly asking Republicans in Congress what they think of the president’s statements. It’s time to bring back the Republican react piece in all of its glory. (And speaking as our Congress editor, you can bet that POLITICO’s reporters will do so.) These stories aren’t mere diversions; they’re important. They’re not conceived to focus conservative ire on centrists like Collins and Murkowski who more readily criticize Trump, nor are they gotcha devices geared to yoke most Republicans to a former president whose approval ratings were nosediving by the time he left office. Asking what GOP officeholders think of Trump’s individual statements helps suss out, on an almost granular level, how deep his hold on the party remains. And it’s also likely to further illuminate a significant divide among Republicans in Congress: the House-Senate split. Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell’s conferences have shown signs of divergence from each other all year long, from the infrastructure bill to a debt-limit deal. The House minority leader has kept Trump close, while the Senate minority leader (and his members) has shrugged off the former president’s active campaign to dislodge him. The more Republican react pieces we see as Trump resumes his public rallies, and the more the members of the House and Senate GOP are asked to contextualize Trump’s enduring fury toward the Jan. 6 select committee and other politically resonant topics he takes up, the more we’re likely to see a split between the two chambers’ leading Republicans. As both McCarthy and McConnell push to take back control of their respective chambers this fall, their treatment of each other and of Trump becomes ever more important. Their differences matter for more than just legislation — efforts at accountability for the insurrection that led to Trump’s second impeachment also may hang in the balance. McCarthy has rejected the Jan. 6 panel’s request for an interview about his conversations with Trump, decrying its “abuse of power,” while McConnell has dryly observed that “it will be interesting to reveal all the participants who were involved” in the insurrection as the committee continues its work. We may already be headed toward a resurgence of the Republican react story. Sen. Susan Collins was pressed Sunday during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” about Trump’s dangling of pardons for the Capitol rioters. In response, the centrist Mainer said she was “very unlikely” to support Trump in 2024, though she also didn’t totally rule it out. The Collins interview occurred before Trump released a statement claiming that former Vice President Mike Pence “did have the right to change the outcome” of the 2020 election. It’s reasonable to expect that she and her colleagues will be asked about that assertion this week. Their responses will be deeply newsworthy as she and more than a dozen other senators hash out a deal to update the Electoral Count Act, the 135-year-old law that governs the congressional certification of Electoral College votes for president. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), asked tonight about Trump’s latest statements on overturning the election (see, it’s happening…), “chided reporters for focusing on ‘low priority’ news,” according to HuffPost’s Igor Bobic. Keep asking them anyway, reporters. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. The viral game Wordle has been acquired by The New York Times for “ an undisclosed price in the low-seven figures,” which is what we would be willing to pay some mornings for a hint when we’re on our sixth and final guess. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at eschor@politico.com, or on Twitter at @eschor. WHAT'D I MISS? — FDA gives full approval to Moderna’s Covid-19 shot: The Food and Drug Administration has approved Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, the company announced, making it the second to be fully licensed for use in the United States. The approval for people 18 and older will make it easier for schools and workplaces to require vaccination against the virus, now that there are two approved products to choose from, including Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid shot. It will also allow Moderna to market its vaccine directly to consumers. In other vaccine news, Novavax has asked the FDA to authorize its Covid-19 shot for emergency use, opening the door for it to become the fourth vaccine available for adults living in the U.S. An audience reacts to the speaker at a rally against Covid-19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa, Canada. | Alex Kent/Getty Images — Trudeau on trucker protest: ‘We are not intimidated’: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is refusing to bend to demands of a raucous trucker protest that has swarmed Canada’s capital in an effort to force authorities to abandon Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates. The movement has drawn thousands of people — and dozens of honking big rigs — to Ottawa’s famously placid core around Parliament Hill. The demonstrations have been nonviolent, but smaller, more menacing elements in the crowds have threatened lawmakers and journalists and to destabilize Trudeau’s government. — Trudeau tests positive for Covid-19: Trudeau said in a tweet that he tested positive this morning. “I’m feeling fine — and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines,” the Canadian leader wrote. “Everyone, please get vaccinated and get boosted.” The prime minister’s positive test comes the same day as the House of Commons is reconvening for the first time since before December. — Crypto advocates score win as Himes revises ransomware safeguard: Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) is proposing that the House narrow a financial crimes provision he drafted in Democrats’ China competitiveness bill, after cryptocurrency advocates warned the proposal threatened the industry and its users. The section at issue would expand the Treasury Department’s authority to monitor and freeze accounts at financial institutions — a policy intended to address the use of digital assets in ransomware attacks, money laundering and other illegal activity. It would give Treasury more latitude to identify any “transmittals of funds” as money laundering concerns. — Biden to designate Qatar a ‘major non-NATO ally’: Biden today said that he intended to designate Qatar as a “major non-NATO ally,” during a meeting with the country’s head of state, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, at the White House. Bahrain and Kuwait are the only other non-NATO allies in the Gulf. — Navy Secretary Del Toro tests positive for Covid: Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement released today. Del Toro returned from official travel on Friday afternoon, the statement said, and had received negative tests on Jan. 21 and the morning of Jan. 28. He was in Pascagoula, Miss., last week, where he toured Ingalls Shipbuilding. Mississippi Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo and Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith also took part in the shipyard tour. AROUND THE WORLD Members of the United Nations Security Council meet to discuss the situation between Russia and Ukraine in New York. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images TUSSLE AT TURTLE BAY — In a public showdown today at the United Nations Security Council, the U.S. accused Russia of undermining international peace and security by massing troops on the Ukrainian border, David M. Herszenhorn writes. But Russia slapped back, arguing Washington was fear-mongering and forcing an unnecessary debate — allegations China later echoed. The heated, at times angry, rhetoric at U.N. headquarters in New York came as some 100,000 Russian troops are positioned along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia as well as its northern border with Belarus. The U.S. called the Security Council meeting to confront Russia over fears that an invasion is imminent. “Russia’s actions strike at the very heart of the U.N. Charter,” said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “This is as clear and consequential a threat to peace and security as anyone can imagine.” She added: “Russia’s aggression today not only threatens Ukraine. It also threatens Europe. It threatens the international order.” Russia objected to the open meeting from the outset, immediately demanding a procedural vote seeking to prevent it, which failed. NIGHTLY NUMBER 70 percent The proportion of Americans who agreed with the statement “It’s time we accept that Covid is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives” in the latest Monmouth University poll. PARTING WORDS The logo for Super Bowl LVI is seen outside the stadium before the NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. | Meg Oliphant/Getty Images A NON-OVERTIME-RULES NFL GAME SCANDAL — California Gov. Gavin Newsom defended himself amid outrage over a maskless photo he took Sunday with basketball legend Magic Johnson at an NFL playoff game in Los Angeles where all spectators were required to wear masks, Susannah Luthi writes. “I was trying to be gracious,” the governor told reporters at a news conference on state mental health initiatives. “I took the mask off for a brief second. But I encourage people to continue to wear them.” Celebrities and elite politicians gathered Sunday at SoFi stadium in Southern California to watch the Los Angeles Rams defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the final playoff game before the Super Bowl. Newsom wasn’t the only high-profile California politician facing backlash from the photo. Johnson posed with a maskless San Francisco Mayor London Breed and outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — and tagged Breed, Newsom and Garcetti in his Instagram posts. But Newsom is seeing special outcry because he has presided over some of the nation’s strictest mask mandates. Last year’s failed recall effort against the governor gained steam after photos circulated showing him dining unmasked with lobbyists at an exclusive restaurant during a late 2020 surge, as he asked Californians to avoid gatherings.   Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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POLITICO NIGHTLY: The résumé line Biden loves in judges

BY MYAH WARD Presented by AT&T With help from Zi-Ann Lum The U.S. Supreme Court building. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images PLAYING DEFENSE — In his first year in office, President Joe Biden nominated 81 people to become federal judges, and 42 of them were confirmed by the Senate. They don’t look like the average federal judge: Only 31 percent of the judges confirmed under Biden are white, and only 21 percent are men, according to the American Constitution Society . Nearly 72 percent of sitting federal judges are white, and almost 65 percent of them are men. As striking as those numbers are, when Nightly asked three experts who follow the courts closely what else they have noticed about Biden’s judicial selections — a hint about what his first nominee for the Supreme Court might have on her résumé — they all pointed to the same thing: career diversity. An unprecedented number of Biden’s judges have experience as public defenders.  Fourteen of Biden’s first-year judges, or about a third, have some experience as a public defender, according to an analysis from Brookings visiting fellow Russell Wheeler, who worked at the Federal Judicial Center from 1977 to 2005. Of former President Barack Obama’s 302 judges, only 14 percent, or 42, had some experience. Former President Donald Trump, who had 231 judges confirmed, appointed only 2 percent, or 4 judges, with experience as public defenders. It’s far more common to see federal judges with experience working as prosecutors. If you look at federal courts after Trump, who appointed 85 former prosecutors to the bench, only 58 federal judges had experience as public defenders, while 318 had experience as prosecutors, according to a May 2021 analysis from the Cato Institute. In other words, for every public defender on the federal bench, there are roughly five former prosecutors. The makeup of the Supreme Court reflects that trend: Of the current nine justices, only Amy Coney Barrett never represented the government before becoming a judge. And when Wheeler typed “public defender” in the Federal Judicial Center database of justice bios, his search came up empty. That doesn’t mean that no Supreme Court justice has ever done defense work. “Justices like Abe Fortas and his pro bono defense of Clarence Gideon remind us that other justices may have performed pro bono defense work in private practice,” Wheeler said. “And of course, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall provided representation, much of it civil, to litigants in public interest litigation, as did Louis Brandeis.” Professional experience, as well as race, gender and personal history, has been shown to influence how a person interprets the law, Gbemende Johnson, a professor of government at Hamilton College, told Nightly. “It shouldn’t be seen as, ‘OK, someone has this background, so they’re going to rule this way’ in these cases,” Johnson said. “But it’s the broader idea that this set of experiences will affect their jurisprudence and the way in which they interpret certain legal issues that appear before them.” If Biden wants to nominate a public defender, that might help the cause of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is already widely reported to be a top contender for the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Stephen Breyer. Brown Jackson was an assistant federal public defender in Washington from 2005 to 2007, in addition to working as a staff member for the U.S. Sentencing Commission early in her career. “Public defenders have experiences that many other justices on the Supreme Court haven’t had. They have an understanding of the kinds of problems people encounter, particularly poor people,” said Jill Dash, who oversees the progressive American Constitution Society’s work on issues surrounding the judiciary. “It’s so important that our leaders understand the backgrounds of Americans of all walks of life.” Biden himself was briefly a public defender in Wilmington, Del., when he was 26, Wheeler noted, which could explain in part his push to nominate more former defenders. The president touted that line on his résumé during the first Democratic primary debate in 2019. “I was a public defender,” Biden said, responding to an attack from then-candidate and former prosecutor Kamala Harris. “I didn’t become a prosecutor.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at mward@politico.com, or on Twitter at @MyahWard.   A message from AT&T: Accessible, affordable broadband helps communities reach their American Dream. That’s why we’re making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment toward helping close the digital divide, so more low-income families have the ability to succeed. Learn more.   WHAT'D I MISS? President Joe Biden visits the site where the Fern Hollow Bridge bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh's East End. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo — Biden visits site of collapsed bridge in Pittsburgh: Biden visited the site of a bridge that collapsed in Pittsburgh during his scheduled trip this morning to deliver remarks on the bipartisan infrastructure package he signed into law last November. Fern Hollow Bridge near Frick Park in Pittsburgh collapsed just hours before Biden was scheduled to visit the city. The president was joined by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) and Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, among others. — Ukrainian president downplays U.S. assessment of imminent invasion: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly downplayed the threat of an imminent Russian invasion, adding to the dissonance between Kyiv and Washington. His remarks put more daylight between the Ukrainian government and the assessments of U.S. officials, who repeatedly have warned that Moscow could move its troops across the border at any moment. — Pennsylvania voting fight escalates as court strikes down mail ballot law: A Pennsylvania state court struck down the law allowing any voter to cast a ballot by mail, handing a victory to Republican lawmakers who have sought to curtail the practice. A panel of judges from Pennsylvania’s commonwealth court ruled that Act 77 — which passed out of the state legislature with bipartisan support and was signed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2019 — violated the state constitution.   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER:  The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.     — Biden admin blocks military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns: The Biden administration informed Congress that it is withholding $130 million in military aid from Egypt after the country failed to address U.S. concerns over its human-rights record, according to two people familiar with the matter. The decision comes after intense pressure from Democratic lawmakers who wanted to see Egypt’s leaders address human rights abuses, such as the jailing of political opponents, before receiving additional security assistance. — Hochul extends New York’s ‘mask or vax’ policy amid court challenge: Gov. Kathy Hochul said that she’s extending a contentious state policy that requires New Yorkers to wear face coverings in all public indoor settings or show proof of Covid-19 vaccination through Feb. 10. The governor, who instituted the “mask or vax” requirement as the Omicron variant began to drive a resurgence in Covid cases and hospitalizations across the state, had been undecided publicly about whether she would continue the policy, which was set to expire on Feb. 1.   A message from AT&T:     AROUND THE WORLD Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and three Cabinet ministers. | Photo by Adrian Wyld/CP CONVOYS, CONCERN HEAD TO OTTAWA — Canada reporter Zi-Ann Lum emails Nightly: As an exhausted Canada heads into Year Three of the pandemic, people want normalcy, whatever that means. For some, normalcy looks like a convoy of protesters, led by truckers, descending Saturday on Parliament Hill in the capital city of Ottawa. The overarching objective of the convoy, organizers say, is to get the government to drop its vaccine mandate requiring cross-border truckers to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19, despite the U.S. Department of Homeland Security bringing in a reciprocal rule last week . Some extremist supporters along for the ride have made flippant calls to imitate the Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill. “The demonstrations this weekend will be unique,” Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly told reporters today, calling the situation “fluid, risky and significant.” The protests are national in scope, he said, massive in scale. Far-right individuals haven’t been exactly discreet in hitching their causes to the high-profile rally. As a result, Parliament Hill staffers and media in the capital have spent the past few days making safety plans. A memo came from Sergeant-at-Arms Patrick McDonell late Thursday, warning federal politicians in the area to “close and lock all exterior doors” of their homes and offices. “As a reminder, any individual or group of individuals who do not hinder vehicular traffic or trespass on your property have the right to demonstrate,” the memo read. “However, should the situation escalate, the police will take action.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to budge on the truckers vaccination policy. He blamed opposition Conservatives for fuelling the gathering with foreign stock photos of empty grocery shelves and torqued messaging. He called the convoy a “small fringe minority of people.” “The fact that close to 90 percent of truckers in this country are vaccinated means that the Conservatives unfortunately are again engaged in a campaign of disinformation,” the prime minister told reporters Wednesday. Conservative politicians argue that the mandate is irritating Canada’s supply chain, already under pandemic strain. Federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole wants an immediate exemption for border-crossing truckers, calling the policy “ an attack on common sense.” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos had his own common sense message on the eve of the rally, saying the enemy is not vaccination — it’s Covid-19. “And the best tool to fight this enemy is to be vaccinated,” he said. NIGHTLY NUMBER 14 The number of illegitimate GOP presidential electors, who tried to submit their names to Congress in 2020, subpoenaed today by the Jan. 6 select committee. The panel investigating the Capitol riot is seeking documents and testimony from two pro-Trump electors each from seven battleground states — all won by Biden — in which Republicans sought to deliver their own slate of electors to Congress. PUNCHLINES MAUS-TRAP — Our scribbler-in-chief Matt Wuerker has some thoughts on the latest news regarding the banning of “Maus” in a Tennessee school district. He also gives us the latest in political cartoons and satire in a new Weekend Wrap , including debates on vaccine mandates and masking in schools, the tensions over Ukraine, and the SCOTUS vacancy.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     PARTING WORDS DeAndre Carter of the Washington Football Team returns a kickoff during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField in Landover, Md. | Rob Carr/Getty Images AVOID DOLPHINS AND SEAHAWKS ON THE SEA — The Navy’s public image has been taking on water. And some of its most notable advocates have thrown a Hail Mary in the hope of bailing it out, Bryan Bender writes. The recent rumor that the Washington Football team might be called “The Admirals” came as a pleasant surprise to the small flotilla of retired officers who have not so quietly been pushing the rebranding. “The Navy hasn’t had the best couple of years in terms of some of the publicity,” said retired Adm. James Stavridis, who has steered an online campaign since July 2020 to rename the franchise the “Fighting Admirals.” “It needs a little punch,” the prolific former NATO commander, commentator and naval historian added in an interview. “This could be a turning point for the Navy.” The team is expected to make a public announcement Wednesday.   A message from AT&T: Brooke Dryden’s daughter was diagnosed with learning disabilities at an early age. She requires an individualized education plan and weekly therapy with speech specialists. However, rural Colorado does not have the kind of specialists she needs. With the help of accessible and affordable broadband, Brooke is able to ensure that she receives regular virtual therapy and never falls behind. Brooke’s dream is to see her daughter not just survive but thrive in the world. That’s why AT&T is dedicated to helping close the digital divide with a $2 billion, 3-year commitment, so more low-income families like Brooke's can achieve their American Dream. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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