POLITICO NIGHTLY: The Great Resignation goes to work

 

BY RENUKA RAYASAM Presented by A “Now Hiring” sign posted at a 7-Eleven store in Los Angeles. | Mario Tama/Getty Images IT’S NOT JUST QUITTING TIME — Headlines about the Great Resignation have conjured images of people leaving jobs en masse, destroying printers “Office Space” style on their way out the door with government checks that they use to vacation in Mexico. It’s true that a record number of people have quit their job this year: About 4 million people have done so every month since April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But it’s a fantasy that these Americans have given up on work in 2021. More than 6 million people a month are being hired right now, too. “The quits are people who are quitting their job to take another job,” Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank and a former Labor Department economist in the Obama administration, told Nightly. Back in February 2020, before we knew we were about to be hit with business and school closures, the labor force participation rate — the proportion of people working and looking for work — was 63.3 percent, according to the BLS. By April 2020, after tens of millions of Americans were fired or quit, it plummeted to 60.2 percent. During the summer, as shutdown orders lifted and businesses reopened, the rate crept back up, reaching 61.7 percent in Aug. 2020. And that’s where it’s more or less been since then: November 2021’s rate was 61.8 percent. That missing 1.6 percent is a lot of people — about 5 million. Many of them are workers, largely women, who left their jobs back at the very start of the pandemic because they were fired or because they didn’t want to get Covid or because they had to care for a child or other family member. And they have yet to come back. But they’re also not the people who are quitting right now. It’s hard to know what, if anything, will get this group back to work. Employers weren’t flooded with new resumes when enhanced unemployment benefits ended, nor when schools reopened. Cheaper child care options or paid leave policies could convince more people to start looking for work, Shierholz said. Women’s employment began to catch up in March of this year, but dropped after that even though a worker shortage helped people negotiate better benefits like paid leave and remote work, Heritage Foundation economist Rachel Greszler told POLITICO’s labor reporter Eleanor Mueller. And some people are never coming back. In addition to retirees, about 200,000 people between the ages of 18 and 64 have died from Covid. Immigration is also lower now than it was before the pandemic, according to a Brookings analysis of the labor market. Employers — and customers — may have to get used to an overall smaller workforce, Eleanor said. The Great Resignation isn’t about white-collar burnout or lazy Americans. It’s about workers, mostly those who work in restaurants, hotels and the rest of the hospitality sector, leaving their jobs for better or higher-paying ones. Employers are having to work harder to entice staff. The industry’s wages have risen 22 percent since March. If we’re living in “Office Space,” the Great Resigners aren’t the three guys who destroyed their printer. They’re more like Jennifer Aniston’s Joanna, a server who quits her job at Chotchkie’s to work in another restaurant because it has less flair and better uniforms. Shierholz doesn’t believe these lower-paying jobs will see continued strong wage growth. Eventually the pandemic will end and things will start to level off. But Eleanor told Nightly that she does sense a permanent change in labor markets. Kellogg workers just ended a nearly three-month strike that saw some consumers boycotting the company’s products. She said she plans to spend the next year reporting on this pandemic-driven shift in worker power. For this year at least, she said, “workers are calling the shots.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at rrayasam@politico.com, or on Twitter at @RenuRayasam. A programming note: Nightly won’t publish from Friday, Dec. 24 to Friday, Dec. 31. But don’t fret: We’ll be back and better than ever on Monday, Jan. 3.   A message from Mastercard: Holiday cheer is in the air and shoppers are returning to stores in force, including millions of small businesses across America. Mastercard SpendingPulse data shows that total retail sales are up nearly 30% compared to last year. By empowering small businesses with digital payment solutions, data insights and the tools to operate more efficiently, Mastercard is committed to helping them during this holiday season, and thrive in the future.   WHAT'D I MISS? — White House extends student loan payment freeze: The Biden administration announced today it would extend the pause on federal student loan payments through May 1 . A statement from Biden announcing the extension pointed directly to the pandemic and the economy as reasons for the pause. “[W]e know that millions of student loan borrowers are still coping with the impacts of the pandemic and need some more time before resuming payments. This is an issue Vice President Harris has been closely focused on, and one we both care deeply about,” the statement read. — FDA authorizes Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill: The Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s antiviral Covid-19 pill today for individuals 12 and older who test positive and are at high risk of developing a severe case of the virus. The announcement marks a significant development in the pandemic response, allowing Americans who contract Covid-19 to take a pill at home to prevent hospitalization and death. — Newsom, unions commit to keeping ‘our classrooms open’: Gov. Gavin Newsom today pledged to keep California schools open in a statement he issued with the state’s influential teachers unions the day after Biden said K-12 classrooms must not close. Their promise comes as the Omicron variant sweeps the U.S., prompting fresh anxieties among parents that schools might start closing again. California, home to more than 12 percent of the nation’s students, kept its classrooms closed long after they opened in other states as teachers unions pushed to prolong distance learning.   POLITICO TECH AT CES 2022 - We are bringing a special edition of the POLITICO Tech newsletter to CES 2022. Written by Alexandra Levine and John Hendel, the newsletter will take you inside the most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered together in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the Summit.     — Democrats prevail in New Jersey redistricting with map that could sacrifice Malinowski: New Jersey Democrats prevailed today in the state’s congressional redistricting process, convincing a tiebreaker to side with their proposed map over the one submitted by Republicans . Barring a massive wave election for either side, Democrats’ 10-2 majority in the New Jersey delegation is likely to shrink to 9-3 under the new map. That’s because the state’s 7th District, represented by Rep. Tom Malinowski, will shed Democratic areas to the benefit of three other previously vulnerable Democratic incumbents. — Cruz says he’s well-positioned for 2024: Sen. Ted Cruz today argued he is particularly well positioned to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, citing his second-place finish behind then-candidate Donald Trump in the party’s 2016 primary. The remarks from Cruz (R-Texas) came in an interview with The Truth Gazette, a conservative news service operated by 15-year-old Brilyn Hollyhand. Asked by Hollyhand whether he would consider launching another bid for the White House, Cruz responded: “Absolutely. In a heartbeat.”       AROUND THE WORLD WHO SOUNDS 2022 NOTE OF HOPE — The global pandemic should come to an end next year , according to officials at the World Health Organization. “2022 must be the end of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking today at the organization’s last planned briefing of the year on the coronavirus, Helen Collis writes. Tedros said he believed the pandemic will end next year because, two years into the situation, “we know the virus very well and we have all the tools [to fight it].” He said WHO projections show that vaccine supplies should be sufficient to vaccinate the entire global adult population and to give boosters to high-risk populations by the first quarter of 2022.   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.     NIGHTLY NUMBER $3.8 million The amount spent in the first year of operations of special counsel John Durham’s inquiry into the origins of the investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign . That includes roughly more than $2.3 million between April 1 and Sept. 30. Of that, nearly $1.9 million was directly related to the team’s investigation and approximately $471,000 was spent by other parts of the Justice Department in connection to Durham’s work. PARTING WORDS Roger Stone, a former adviser and confidante to former President Donald Trump, gets into his vehicle in front of the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Federal Building after his deposition before the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Attack in Washington. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images FOR THOSE LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS — Roger Stone, a longtime associate of Donald Trump, is auctioning off a copy of a 1990s magazine cover he says is signed by the former president as part of a larger fundraising campaign to pay for his legal defenses and medical bills, Alex Thompson writes. “To Roger YOU ARE THE GREATEST!,” reads a Trump note in his distinct scrawl on the cover of a now-defunct trade publication: Real Estate New York. If the bid exceeds $20,000 dollars, the bidder gets the physical version of the magazine along with “one of only one” digital copy, which Stone marketed as an NFT, or a non-fungible token. NFT’s, which are essentially non-interchangeable digital tokens of a visual item, have shaken up the art world this past year with many being sold for millions. Former first lady Melania Trump recently announced that she too was entering the industry. In an email, Stone said he believed Trump signed the magazine in 1999 and that it was “indeed real.” While Real Estate New York was a magazine, POLITICO was unable to confirm when or if Trump graced the cover. As of mid-day today, there were zero bids for Stone’s item. The NFT is part of a larger auction this past week for the Stone family sponsored by Stone’s friend Pete Santilli, a right-wing internet talk show host. They auctioned off two copies of a Stone-signed 1968 Richard Nixon pamphlet, which went for $400 and $300 respectively, along with a “rare Trump/Melania” poster depicting them as Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty ($550).   A message from Mastercard: What do you do when your dreams don’t go according to plan? That’s what many small business owners who depended on foot traffic wondered last year when the pandemic suddenly forced them to close their doors and change their business models. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, serving as the lifeline through which goods, services and livelihoods flow. And, when the pandemic hit, Mastercard solutions, insights and tools helped entrepreneurs evolve to succeed in the new digital economy. Now, as shoppers return to small businesses this holiday season, Mastercard is helping entrepreneurs prepare for the future.     Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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Jim Jordan makes awful COVID claim about 'real America'

 

Today's Top Stories:

Jim Jordan says "real America" is done with COVID as cases rise in his own state
Ah, yes. Real America. Let's hear more about Democrats and their politics of division.

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Sen. Sinema tells us exactly who Sen. Sinema is
It's short, but it sure isn't sweet.

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Republicans pull disgusting stunt over new COVID variant
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Beyond shameless.

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Senate passes stopgap bill to avert government shutdown, sends to Biden for signature
The 69-28 vote leaves government funding at current levels through Feb. 18.

Republican senator blocks gun control law in wake of Michigan shooting
Absolutely nothing about this news is surprising. [CHUCK GRASSLEY] 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/02/republican-senator-blocks-gun-control-law-chuck-grassley

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Candace Owens tells Tucker Carlson Black people are "most murderous group" in America
The conservative commentator claimed that Democrats downplay criminal incidents committed by non-whites and accused the party of being obsessed with race only when it benefited them.

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Mark Meadows agrees with Trump that his new book is "fake news"
Hours after Trump griped it was "fake news" that he tested positive for COVID before his Biden debate, Meadows obsequiously said his old boss was "right."

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Trump's schemes are STILL deporting America's Dreamers
American Refugee: America is the only country they've ever known, and it's about to kick them out.

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Pro-Trump lawyers ordered to pay $175,000 for 'frivolous' election lawsuit
US District Judge Linda Parker ordered Sidney Powell and other lawyers who sued in Michigan to overturn Joe Biden's election victory to pay a $175,000 penalty, reiterating an earlier finding that the lawsuit was frivolous.

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Trump should 'just shut up," longtime GOP congressman says
Rep. Don Young, 88, the longest serving member of Congress, had blunt advice for the former president: "Just shut up — that's all he has to do. He's not going to. I know that."

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DA who released Waukesha suspect ahead of massacre says it was the result of human error by an overworked staffer
Darrell E. Brooks was released on $1,000 cash bail just over two weeks before he killed six people and wounded more than 60 others by plowing an SUV through the Waukesha Christmas parade on November 21.

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New Jersey GOP lawmakers defy vaccine mandate
Disorder and confusion erupted in the halls outside the New Jersey Assembly on Thursday as several Republican lawmakers defied a new requirement to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test and were blocked by state troopers — albeit briefly — from entering the ornate chamber.

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Seriously?

Lin Wood makes wild Tucker Carlson-Hunter Biden 'buddy' claim

60+ Michigan schools closed today over copycat shooting threats

Huge stash of cash found hidden in bathroom wall of Joel Olsteen's megachurch

Homeless man sentenced to jail for 'not staying at home'

Yes. Seriously.

December heat wave triggers prairie wildfires in Montana

ISS swerves to avoid collision with space junk

1 in 44 US children diagnosed with autism, data suggests

WHO warns people 60 and up to avoid international travel due to omicron

Germany locks down unvaccinated, plans compulsory shots

Hope...

GoodGoodGood: Research shows doing good for others is contagious

WHO says measures used against delta should work for omicron

Democrat flips statehouse seat held by GOP since 1858

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Off-duty N.J. officer fatally struck pedestrian, put body in car, prosecutor says

Louis Santiago allegedly hit the man, put the victim in his car, went home and discussed what to do, then returned to the scene.d what to do, then returned to the scene. 

Nov. 25, 2021, 1:42 AM EST / Updated Nov. 25, 2021, 1:54 AM EST

By Phil Helsel

A New Jersey police officer is accused of fatally striking a pedestrian, taking the man's body home to discuss what to do, and then returning to the scene with the dead man in his back seat, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Newark officer Louis Santiago, 25, his passenger, and his mother are charged in the Nov. 1 incident, acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II said in a written statement.

Santiago, who was off-duty, allegedly struck Damian Dymka, a 29-year-old nurse, while he was walking around 3 a.m. on the shoulder of the Garden State Parkway.

Neither Santiago nor his passenger, Albert Guzman, called 911 or rendered aid to Dymka after he was struck, the prosecutor’s office said.

They reportedly went back to the scene multiple times before they put Dymka into the Honda Accord. They then went to Santiago's home, where he, Guzman and Santiago's mother, Annette Santiago, discussed what to do, Stephens' office said.

Louis Santiago eventually went back to the scene, and his father, who is a Newark police lieutenant, called 911, officials said.

New Jersey State Police arrived and found Dymka dead in the back seat, the prosecutor's office said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/-duty-nj-officer-fatally-struck-pedestrian-put-body-car-prosecutor-say-rcna6713?fbclid=IwAR1pFEswCXLUcXhgMdKLUp2hFeqMwPdO14SOhNexl_QxSKiXkxTrOO-wxhk

POLITICO NIGHTLY: The Biden pick the economy is waiting for

 

BY RENUKA RAYASAM Presented by With help from Phelim Kine and Lauren Gardner FEELING RESERVED — Everything seems to be more expensive these days. A record number of people are giving their employers the middle finger. Well, not literally, but you know. And a trillion dollar infrastructure bill, which some Republicans say will boost inflation, heads to President Joe Biden’s desk on Monday. It will be the job of the next Federal Reserve chair to sort this all out. Biden is expected to nominate his pick before Thanksgiving. The top contenders are current Fed Chair Jay Powell, a Republican who was first nominated to the Fed by President Barack Obama and then was promoted to chair by President Donald Trump, and Lael Brainard, a Democrat appointed to the Fed board by Obama. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies during a Senate Banking hearing at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Nightly chatted with POLITICO economics reporter Victoria Guida over Slack today about what about the job facing the next Fed chair. This conversation has been edited. What is Biden weighing in deciding between Powell and Brainard? The biggest pros for Powell are that he’s already in the job, so it would mean minimal disruption at a tricky time for the economy. He also has a lot of bipartisan support in Congress — he would likely easily clear 70 votes in the Senate. Brainard stuck it out at the central bank under the Trump administration and is a PhD economist unlike Powell (who is a lawyer and former private equity investor). Progressives appreciated the fact that she dissented against some of the deregulation that happened under Powell’s watch. They also think she’d be more focused on making sure the Fed is addressing potential financial risks from climate change. Talk me through this slew of economic data. We’re seeing inflation and people quitting their jobs in droves. Yes, it’s quite a lot to parse! The glass half full interpretation is that we’re getting this inflation because consumer demand is so strong, which means people have money to spend and they’re ready to spend it, but shipping and production delays are making it so supply can’t keep up yet. But demand is a necessary part of a recovery, so ideally this will just mean that supply chains adapt, and we explode into recovery rather than limping into it like we did last time. If job growth continues at the strong pace it’s been going, that also gives the Fed more breathing room to raise interest rates to fight inflation without hurting the broader economy. And quits are a good sign that people feel like they have options. The glass half empty interpretation is that all of these supply chain problems could eat up people’s savings and start to choke off demand. And at the same time that people start spending less, price hikes could lead people to start asking for higher wages for reasons entirely unconnected from any kind of actual growth or productivity — but because they need to afford things. That can be the start of a more dangerous cycle of inflation. How could Powell and Brainard’s approaches to the current economic situation differ? So the Fed has two jobs: price stability and maximum employment. The way it influences those things is by influencing how expensive it is to borrow money. Brainard is seen as slightly more “dovish” than Powell — that is, more likely to keep rates low to help grow jobs — but in reality, there’s been very little daylight between the two of them. Powell maybe has a better understanding of markets, while Brainard has a deeper understanding of economic theory. How would the infrastructure bill that just passed and the social spending bill still pending affect the economy? Infrastructure spending shouldn't be inflationary — it tends to be spread out over time, and done properly it should increase our economic capacity to produce, meaning it should increase supply, which is exactly what we need to happen. The social spending bill is trickier. If it’s paid for by taxes, it shouldn’t stoke inflation over the long run, but if a lot of the spending comes quickly while the revenue comes in later, it could feed inflation in the short term. It’s Friday, give me a fun fact about the economy. The percentage of workers who quit their jobs hit an all-time high of 3 percent in September. That’s a record 4.4 million people. It’s mostly lower-paying and/or in-person jobs. Indeed’s Nick Bunker points out that manufacturing quits are up 78 percent since February 2020. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly . Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at rrayasam@politico.com, or on Twitter at @RenuRayasam.   A message from Bank of America: Big changes in healthcare—will they change your financial life? Experts answer key questions to help you and your employees prepare for rising costs and offer practical ideas for saving and planning for healthcare at any age.   AROUND THE WORLD A billboard showing Chinese President Xi Jinping in Jiuquan, China. | Kevin Frayer/Getty Images A VERY IMPORTANT ZOOM — The White House today confirmed a big-time meeting between global competitors: Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold a virtual summit Monday evening. Before the Zoom windows open, China Watcher author Phelim Kine talked to Nightly about what to watch for around the summit: — The goals: The purpose of this summit is to drain some of the rancor from the bilateral relationship that has effectively frozen substantive U.S.-China engagement for the past five years. The hope on both sides is that a meeting between the two heads of state, who have an existing relationship over a decade of one-to-one meetings during Biden’s tenure as Obama’s VP, will help to establish a meaningful connection with Xi that they can rebuild upon to help reset the relationship. The key objective for both sides is focussed on tone: Ensuring that the discussions on Monday evening don’t devolve into acrimony and vitriol as did Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in Anchorage in March and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's meeting with Wang in Tianjin in July. They want to project optics of mutual confidence, strength and measured congeniality. That in itself will make the success in that it will open the door for more substantive meetings on detailed issues in the weeks and months to come. — The issues and deliverables: We can expect both Xi and Biden to talk past each other on hot-button issues including human rights, the U.S. government’s designation of genocide in Xinjiang, the rollback of democracy, rights and rule of law in Hong Kong and the recent escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait over Taiwan. Their challenge is to ensure that they make their points on these issues and then move on. It is quite likely that both sides will announce some set of “low hanging fruit” initiatives aimed to demonstrate mutual resolve and goodwill toward shifting from a setting of intense competition/confrontation to greater cooperation in areas where there is mutual interest to do so, such as trade. But it will be awkward for either leader to emerge from the Summit and report back ambiguous platitudes about “positive tone” and “hope for future meetings.” So we can expect that both Xi and Biden will also emerge from the meeting with some tangible, if low-level, deliverables that demonstrate mutual resolve for long term productive engagement. That might include on the U.S. side an announcement of a scaling back of U.S. tariffs on Chinese products that have been proven to have been more painful for U.S. consumers that Chinese producers, in return for Xi announcing either new big-ticket U.S. export purchases and/or a firm commitment to abide by and perhaps even surpass U.S. product purchases stipulated in the U.S. China Phase One trade deal. But the message beyond that small scale deliverables is powerfully symbolic: We’re not just talking. We're acting, regardless of our other differences. And we're going to set in motion efforts — bilateral working groups on key issues, with benchmarks for progress. for example — to ensure that we maintain a trajectory of de-escalating hostile rhetoric and seeking cooperation and “win-wins” whenever and wherever possible because this relationship is too important to be left in drift any longer. — The run-up: The White House is seeking to lower expectations for this summit, saying that there are no “deliverables” and that the goal is “about setting the terms of an effective competition where we are in the position to defend our values and interests and those of our allies and partners.” The Chinese government has yet to confirm the date of the summit. But Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin today in Beijing responded to a question about the summit with messaging that aligns with that of the White House, stating, “It is hoped that the U.S. can work with China toward the same direction and make concerted efforts to make the heads-of-state meeting a success, which will steer the China-US relationship back to the right track of sound and steady development.” And it's worth noting that Xi and Biden telegraphed their intent Tuesday to establish a positive tone for the summit via letters of congratulations both leaders sent to the National Committee on United States-China Relations to mark its 55th anniversary. The intent of Xi’s letter’s message was underscored by its wide reporting Wednesday in Chinese state media.   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT: Join POLITICO's Sustainability Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and hear leading voices from Washington, state houses, city halls, civil society and corporate America discuss the most viable policy and political solutions that balance economic, environmental and social interests. REGISTER HERE.     WHAT'D I MISS? — Steve Bannon indicted for defying Jan. 6 committee investigation: The Justice Department has charged Steve Bannon, a former top adviser to President Donald Trump, with two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to provide documents and testimony to investigators probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The House referred Bannon to the Justice Department for prosecution last month, after he refused to cooperate with a congressional subpoena. The move is a major victory for the Jan. 6 select committee, which has viewed Bannon’s recalcitrance as a stumbling block in their probe, encouraging other potential witnesses to stonewall investigators. — Biden nominates Califf as FDA chief: Biden nominated former Commissioner Robert Califf to lead the Food and Drug Administration, in a move that would bring the Obama-era official back for a second tour atop the agency. The selection would end the administration's lengthy search for a permanent FDA commissioner and comes as the agency weighs a series of decisions that will determine the direction of Biden's Covid-19 vaccination campaign.   A message from Bank of America:     — Ciattarelli concedes in New Jersey governor's race, vows to run again in 2025: Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli conceded to Gov. Phil Murphy today, marking the end of an unexpectedly tight race that’s forced the state’s Democrats to reassess their priorities going into 2022. Citing the close race, Ciattarelli set aside any speculation around his plans for when Murphy concludes his second term and will be term-limited from running for a third consecutive stint. — Biden's bid to host Asian summit in U.S. is blocked: Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum today failed to agree on Biden's offer to host the regional forum in 2023 after concerns raised by one member nation. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern downplayed the impasse, telling reporters that she expected a decision on the issue in the coming weeks. — U.S. huddles with allies over possible Russian invasion of Ukraine: U.S. officials, increasingly alarmed by Russia’s monthslong troop build-up near Ukraine, are warning their European counterparts that the Kremlin may be on the verge of another invasion of that country. One senior U.S. national security official even suggested Russian leader Vladimir Putin may also be trying to establish some military capabilities along his western borders in case he sees a need to intervene in Belarus, whose Kremlin-aligned ruler is feuding with European neighbors. NIGHTLY NUMBER 12 days The amount of time since White House press secretary Jen Psaki tested positive for Covid-19. Psaki returned to the White House briefing room podium today for the first time since testing positive. PUNCHLINES GETTING JOLLY PRE-HOLIDAYS — Matt Wuerker is in a festive mood as he brings us his latest Weekend Wrap, chronicling the latest in political cartoons and satire on Big Bird’s vaccine advocacy, Aaron Rodgers’ continued controversies and the passage of the infrastructure bill.   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.     PARTING WORDS A pair of beagles. | Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images IT WASN'T JUST A PUPPY — Health care reporter Lauren Gardner emails: In the past few weeks, social media has gone full John Wick on White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci, fueled by spurious claims that he signed off on brutal medical experiments involving beagles. The assertions have been debunked or explained by internet fact checkers (speed read: There’s no proof Fauci personally approved beagle experiments, but his arm of the National Institutes of Health has funded some — just not a particularly gruesome one in Tunisia that’s been meme-ified). But that hasn’t stopped two seemingly polar-opposite constituencies — the animal rights movement and right-wing influencers — from uniting to traffic anti-Fauci agendas. An FDA reporter by trade, I have close ties to the subject. My 10-year-old beagle Barkley is no stranger to social media, which may influence some of the accounts I follow (#grumpybeaglesunited, obviously). In scrolling for cute pupper pics of late, it doesn’t take long to find images of Trump precariously holding a hound and anti-Fauci memes starring Snoopy. “This illustrates how social media very distinctively provides a mechanism for extreme causes to mix and mingle,” Paul M. Barrett, deputy director and senior research scholar at New York University’s Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, told me. The White Coat Waste Project, a conservative group that advocates against taxpayer-funded animal experiments, first lobbed the accusations. PETA and the Beagle Freedom Project, an organization that works to rescue beagles from laboratories, quickly piled on, likely amplifying the misinformation to a wider network of beagle enthusiasts. Social media platforms promote content that drives engagement to satisfy advertisers, Barrett said, so their algorithms easily blend extreme content from one source with that from another, spurring more “likes,” comments and other interactions. “Here, you see the turbocharging by social media, taking what could be a legitimate debate and amping it up into an ideological clash that partisans are using to try and generate hatred against their foes,” said Barrett, who coincidentally grew up with a beagle named Houdini. “I don’t think Ted Cruz is walking around worrying about beagle puppies,” he added, noting that the Texas senator was among those accusing “Fauci’s NIH” of torturing animals.   A message from Bank of America: Life expectancy in the U.S. has been steadily rising over the past several decades, and new innovations and medical advances are dramatically improving our quality of life. On the other hand, longer lives, high-tech treatments, rising insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses are greatly increasing the cost of care, and that has many of us wondering how we’ll pay for it all. This webcast hosted by Lorna Sabbia, head of Retirement & Personal Wealth Solutions at Bank of America, explores this and other key questions on many people’s minds today as we emerge from the pandemic, including: ● How can we rethink our overall approach to health and wellness? ● How can employees and families plan for rising healthcare costs? ● Are there opportunities to invest in healthcare innovation? Watch to learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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