What went down last night

 

5 to 11-year-olds can now get the COVID-19 vaccine

Today's Top Stories:

Democrats jolted by statewide GOP sweep in Virginia, dead heat in New Jersey governor's race
The elections, the first major tests of voter sentiment since Biden took office, suggest growing voter frustration and ominous political headwinds leading up to the 2022 midterms.

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Hundreds of QAnon believers gather in Dallas expecting the arrival of long-deceased JFK Jr.
The conspiracy theorists managed to convince themselves that a man who died in a plane crash in 1991 is actually their mythical leader "Q."

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Republicans try to set TRAP for Democrats over Biden's new bill
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Disgraceful.

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Minneapolis voters reject proposal to replace police department with a health-centered Department of Public Safety
Voters in Minneapolis have resoundingly rejected a proposal to reinvent policing in their city, 17 months after the killing of George Floyd by police sparked massive protests and calls for change.

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Incumbent Buffalo mayor wins wild write-in vote over Democratic nominee who defeated him in primary
In a bitter loss for progressives, four-term incumbent Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, a Democrat, declared victory on Tuesday night, defeating his own party’s official nominee and self-described socialist India Walton in an unprecedented write-in campaign.

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Lauren Boebert takes homophobic swipe at Pete Buttigieg, suggests no one deserves paternity leave
"I delivered one of my children in the front seat of my truck. Because, as a mom of four, we got things to do. Ain’t nobody got time for two and a half months of maternity leave. We have a world to save here," the congresswoman said, before joking that the transportation secretary was trying to figure out how to "chest feed."

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Schumer announces deal on prescription drug pricing, a key obstacle to mega-bill
Democrats reached an agreement on lowering prescription drug costs, particularly for seniors, after holdout Sen. Kyrsten Sinema endorsed the latest proposal. Better late than never.

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Former cop Eric Adams elected as mayor of New York City
Former police captain Eric Adams, a Democrat, clinched victory to become the next mayor of New York and the second African American to hold the post.

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Judge throws out man’s guilty plea after bodycam footage reveals NYPD drug planting
Maybe Mayor-elect Adams can do something about those bad apples when he takes office on January 1st.

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Michelle Wu becomes first woman and person of color elected as mayor of Boston
Wu, a daughter of Taiwanese immigrants and a protégé of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, campaigned on police reforms and a Green New Deal for Boston.

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89 NYPD officers on leave over vaccine mandate, despite unions warning 10,000 would resist
Gee, it's almost like they weren't being forthcoming with the facts.

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Seriously?

Australia refuses to join pledge to cut methane emissions

FEC rules foreign governments can fund US ballot measures

Staten Island GOPer with secret '2nd family' still wins election

COVID victim reportedly dissected at ticketed event without family's consent

Yes. Seriously.

20 killed in attack on Kabul hospital

Very few think American democracy sets 'good example' for world

Palestinian families reject "unjust" deal with Israeli settlers

Yahoo pulls out of China due to restrictive government control

McDonald's CEO slammed for 'racist, ignorant' text about shooting deaths

Hope...

New antibodies could slow down aging process

Jeff Bezos pledges $2 billion to nature conservation

Genetic goldmine in desert could save crops from climate change

Facebook to shut down controversial facial recognition program

S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq rise to reach fresh all-time highs

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GOP reps openly fantasize about blowing up Capitol

 

Today's Top Stories:

Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert openly fantasize about using explosives to blow up Capitol metal detectors
Over the weekend, the far-right reps reflected on exactly what kind of explosives they'd use to destroy metal detectors in the Capitol building.

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Wife of Trump-backed Senate candidate Sean Parnell testifies he strangled her, beat their children
Laurie Snell, the estranged wife of Pennsylvania Senate candidate Sean Parnell, testified during a court hearing on Monday alleging that her husband strangled her, abused their children, and told her to "go get an abortion" during the course of their marriage.

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Republicans try to set TRAP for Democrats over Biden's new bill
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Disgraceful.

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Supreme Court justices seem to tilt toward abortion providers in Texas
The Supreme Court appeared inclined Monday to allow abortion providers to challenge a controversial Texas law that in effect bans all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

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Biden to announce tougher regulations on methane emissions from oil and gas production
The president will formally announce the proposals, including rules to plug methane gas leaks at hundreds of thousands of oil and gas wells in the US, during the second day of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

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Same-sex partners, spouses finally eligible for Social Security survivor's benefits
The DOJ and the Social Security Administration on Monday dropped federal appeals against two class-action lawsuits over the benefits, which allow surviving partners to access government payments.

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Joe Manchin throws new wrench in Biden spending bill he helped negotiate
The conservative Democratic demanded more time to evaluate Biden’s latest $1.75 trillion social spending bill, raising concerns from some that he's acting in bad faith.

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Biden apologizes for Trump pulling the US out of the Paris accords
President Biden apologized to other world leaders for his predecessor's decision to exit the Paris climate agreement and signaled the US's deep commitment to battling climate change.

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9000 New York municipal workers placed on unpaid leave for refusing to get vaccinated
Thousands of New York municipal workers, including police officers and firefighters, have chosen unpaid leave rather than getting inoculated against COVID-19 under the city's vaccine mandate.

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Senator Chuck Grassley confusingly attacks President Biden for stopping illegal fentanyl trafficking
The 88-year-old Republican tried to paint successful efforts to confiscate large quantities of the deadly drug as some kind of failure on the part of the White House.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene hit with 4 new fines over mask refusal
The QAnon congresswoman has now racked up over $15,000 in penalties due to her stubborn anti-mask beliefs.

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Seriously?

Autistic teenager sentenced to prison over internet posts

Man dressed as Joker goes on knifing spree on Tokyo train

Robert Durst finally indicted for murdering wife 39 years ago

Floridians smuggled guns to violent Haitian gang behind kidnappings

Texas gov targets 'pornographic' LGBTQ books in schools with no evidence

Yes. Seriously.

Gun dealers sell parts, ammo using anti-Biden meme

Hospitals strained by COVID in Colorado can now turn patients away

Veteran sentenced to 25 years for bomb plot in Long Beach

Nigerian high-rise collapses with dozens of people inside

Armed men board bus in Northern Ireland, set it on fire

Hope...

GoodGoodGood: First LGBTQ woman seated to federal appeals court

Hertz purchases 100,000 electric cars for its rental fleet

Lifeboat volunteers rush from wedding to save 7 people

Ecuador will enlarge Galapagos nature reserve by 60,000 sq. km.

Global leaders pledge to end deforestation by 2030

Organic molecules found on Mars for first time

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POLITICO NIGHTLY: Dems on the verge of a trial separation

 

BY ELANA SCHOR With help from Renuka Rayasam Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) steps away from the lectern after talking to reporters at the U.S. Capitol. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO — It’s the arranged marriage that promises to ruin Democrats’ year. But nearly three months ago, the Senate majority leader described the match in glowing terms. Centrists and liberals “need each other,” Chuck Schumer told our reporters back in August. “The moderates couldn't pass a bipartisan bill without the more progressive wing of our caucus,” Schumer said, referring to the $550 billion infrastructure bill that’s idling in the House after its Senate passage. “And the progressives couldn’t get a big, bold bill without the moderates,” Schumer added. That “bold bill” is the roughly $1.75 trillion social spending framework that could get a House vote as soon as this week. Occasionally shorthanded as the “two-track strategy,” what Schumer described was the bet that Democratic leaders have repeatedly raised in order to advance their and the president’s agenda: Get progressives to back an infrastructure bill shaped with GOP input (i.e. not as liberal as they’d like) and, in exchange, get centrists to back a party-line social spending bill shaped with no GOP input (i.e. too liberal for their tastes). This strategy likely would have worked a lot better had both bills been ready for action at the same time. But as it stands, the infrastructure measure is mired in the House awaiting an elusive consensus on the social spending measure. And the longer that both bills sit in the House, the more those centrist and liberal wings forget why they got engaged in the first place. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today bluntly told the House that “it’s time to pass” the infrastructure bill. Days after they balked at exactly that vote, progressives now sound ready to heed his instructions — even as the social spending bill they wanted to wait for is no closer to quick passage than it was last week. Before today, progressives, as much as Schumer, were insistent on sticking to the two-track strategy. Both party leaders and the left seemed to have decided that the only way to lock in centrist votes for their social spending vision was to hold up the infrastructure bill at the altar in the House, awaiting its promised legislative spouse. But the nuptials may have finally been called off, as Democratic confidence that weeks of delay on infrastructure would help pass the social spending framework looks increasingly misplaced. Manchin referred to the bipartisan Senate-passed measure as a “hostage” today. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), looking at a home-state gubernatorial race where his party’s nominee is floundering, is getting increasingly vocal in his criticism of the holdup. And while that duo are as centrist as two Democrats might come, progressives are sounding more eager to pass infrastructure as they get more evidence that they’ve pushed the rest of their party about as far as possible on social spending. It’s entirely possible that both bills will make it to lawful bliss on Biden’s desk – though less and less likely that they’ll stay connected, given that House passage of the social spending package will presage a much longer Senate consideration. From the start, Democrats never quite agreed on timing for these bills even as they set and missed repeated deadlines. Now we’re seeing their time — as well as their political capital — run short. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. 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.   JOIN TUESDAY FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AIR TRAVEL: As delegates descend on Glasgow for the COP26 global climate summit, reducing carbon emissions in the aviation sector will play a critical role in the progress of fighting climate change. Join POLITICO for a deep-dive conversation that will explore the increased use of sustainable aviation fuel, better performance aircraft, and other breakthroughs in to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet broader sustainability goals. REGISTER HERE.     WHAT'D I MISS? — Kavanaugh, Barrett air skepticism of Texas abortion law: The Supreme Court wrestled today with the most significant abortion cases it has heard in nearly three decades , mulling the fate of a Texas law that has sharply restricted abortions in the state by opening health care workers and others to the threat of private lawsuits for facilitating the termination of a pregnancy. Two appointees of President Donald Trump — Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — raised the hopes of abortion rights advocates with their questions in today’s arguments. Both aired concerns that Texas’ abortion ban was designed to evade federal law and constitutional review. — Biden underscores commitment to climate action in Glasgow: Biden joined world leaders today in pledging to address climate change, addressing a conference an ocean away from Washington, where his agenda and ability to deliver on those promises remained the subject of ongoing talks. In a speech to the United Nations climate change summit in Glasgow, Biden likened the global experience battling Covid-19 to the need to combat rising temperatures and the extreme weather events that accompany them. — Pregnant people were shut out of Covid vaccine trials — with disastrous results: The decision to exclude pregnant people from the first wave of Covid-19 vaccine trials created a data gap that inadvertently fueled vaccine hesitancy — in some cases, with deadly consequences. With a lack of concrete data on the vaccines’ safety in pregnant and lactating people when they first became available, trusted sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists hedged on recommending the shots for those groups, instead advising patients to consult with their doctors. — Satellite images show new Russian military buildup near Ukraine: New commercial satellite photos taken today confirm recent reports that Russia is once again massing troops and military equipment on the border with Ukraine after a major buildup this spring. The new images taken by Maxar Technologies and shared with POLITICO show a buildup of armored units, tanks and self-propelled artillery along with ground troops near the Russian town of Yelnya close to the border of Belarus. The units, which began moving in late September from other areas of Russia where they are normally based, including the elite 1st Guards Tank Army. — On election eve, Trump touts ties with Youngkin: Trump sought to tether himself to Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin on the eve of Virginia’s highly anticipated gubernatorial election, encouraging his supporters to show up to vote in what polls predict will be a tight race. “The Fake News media, together with some of the perverts doing ads ad nauseam on primarily Fox (Fox shouldn’t take those ads!), are trying to create an impression that Glenn Youngkin and I are at odds and don't like each other,” Trump said in a statement today. AROUND THE NATION Boston mayoral candidate City Councilwoman at-large Michelle Wu talks with a campaign worker. ONE IF BY DORCHESTER, TWO IF BY SOUTH END — Boston will elect one of two women — Michelle Wu, a progressive who would be the city’s first Asian American mayor, and Annissa Essaibi George, a moderate by liberal Boston standards, who would be the city’s first Arab American mayor — Tuesday in a mayoral race that has demonstrated how the city’s changing neighborhoods are shifting political power in the city. For the first time, Boston residents will elect a woman of color as mayor. Until March, when city council president Kim Janey took over for now-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, the city had been led by white men for nearly 200 years. Nightly’s Renuka Rayasam chatted over Slack today with Massachusetts Playbook author Lisa Kashinsky today about what to look for in the election. This conversation has been edited. What does this moment tell us about Boston politics, beyond the historic nature of the candidacies? The September preliminary election results cemented this race as a classic progressive-versus-moderate clash that will test how liberal this liberal bastion really is. Progressives have been winning more seats on the Boston City Council in recent years (a trend that really accelerated with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, followed by Wu). But now they’re poised to take the mayor’s office. Essaibi George, whose politics align more closely with two-term former mayor Walsh, has been the underdog throughout the general election. Wu has a roughly 30-point lead in most polls, and surveys show majority support for some of her most progressive policies, including bringing back rent control that was abolished in Massachusetts nearly three decades ago. What is driving the popularity of progressive politics in Boston? Boston’s demographic shifts over the past couple of decades have led us to this point. More liberal-skewing young professionals are moving in and families in the city’s more traditional — and more traditionally conservative — Irish American and Italian American neighborhoods have been heading for the suburbs. And voters in more liberal neighborhoods have been increasingly turning out to the polls. Will the election tell us something about Democratic politics nationally? Wu, a disciple of Sen. Elizabeth Warren who’s proposed a city Green New Deal, offers one of the best chances for a progressive win to help change the narrative emerging from these off-year races that the future of the Democratic Party is more moderate.   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.     AROUND THE WORLD Q’S ABOUT THE QUEUES — The COP26 U.N. climate talks today gave delegates a welcome of queues, cold and confusion. With security heightened as more than 100 world leaders gathered to address the summit, thousands of diplomats, journalists and activists were left standing in long lines to get into the venue, delaying some negotiating meetings, Karl Mathiesen writes. U.N. climate talks veterans said the queues reminded them of the disastrous 2009 Copenhagen conference, where poor logistics and politics colluded to poison the atmosphere. “This has an effect on the mood. Some are starting to talk about the conference that shall not be named,” said a negotiator from Europe. Adding to the sense of disorder, a helpline set up for disabled delegates was not responding to messages. Many delegates — including some leaders — are staying in Edinburgh after affordable accommodations in Glasgow ran out. “Why on earth was this venue selected if they knew it could not handle the crowd?” said an adviser to Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who is commuting from the Scottish capital each day. NIGHTLY NUMBER 9,000 The number of city workers New York placed on leave without pay today as its coronavirus vaccine mandate for the public workforce kicked in . The requirement ordered by Mayor Bill de Blasio — one of the most aggressive in the nation — has pushed the vaccination rate among all city workers to 91 percent. PARTING WORDS “What people have been attempting to figure out is, if this community can hold on to the ideas that we espoused after the summer of hate. We are not doing such a good job with that.” — NIKUYAH WALKER, CHARLOTTESVILLE’S FIRST BLACK FEMALE MAYOR, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH RENU, COMING TUESDAY IN POLITICO MAGAZINE   Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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Judge deals Trump major blow in sexual assault suit

 

Today’s Action: Pass the Build Back Better Act!

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Today's Top Stories:

Judge rules Trump must be deposed in former "Apprentice" contestant's lawsuit
The serial assaulter was given a Dec. 23 deadline to undergo questioning in a lawsuit filed by a former contestant on "The Apprentice" after he denied her sexual assault claims.

Take Action: Tell Facebook to end its algorithm that spreads disinformation NOW!

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Whistleblower bombshell: Facebook knew platform was used to "promote human trafficking and domestic servitude"
Frances Haugen filed at least eight whistleblower complaints based on tens of thousands of internal documents secretly copied before she left the social media company in May.

Take Action: Demand Trump testify for January 6th committee!

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Kyrsten Sinema pulls DISGUSTING stunt
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Unreal.

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Oil spill pipeline operator cited dozens of times for safety violations, records show
Beta Operating Co., which operates the pipeline suspected in one of California's largest oil spills on record, has been cited 72 times for safety and environmental violations that were severe enough that drilling had to be curtailed or stopped to fix the problem, regulatory records show.

Take Action: Tell President Biden to cancel Trump's deadly Line 3 oil pipeline!

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Stephanie Grisham says it was a mistake to work for Trump
The former White House Press Secretary will make amends by profiting off her crimes.

Take Action: Arrest and charge every insurgent involved with the Trump-inspired MAGA coup on the Capitol!

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Report finds 330,000 children victims of Catholic church sex abuse in France
There are no words.

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Mark Zuckerberg loses $6 billion due to major Facebook outage
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp faced a massive outage yesterday that took down all services offered by the company for over six hours, costing CEO Mark Zuckerberg more than $6 billion.

Take Action: Tell Facebook to end its algorithm that spreads disinformation NOW!

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America's race crisis through the lens of one man and his dog
American Refugee: A black man walks his pit bull through a white neighborhood. What could go wrong? LISTEN.

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New York AG blasts NRA's decision to reelect its embattled leader: "The rot runs deep"
New York Attorney General Letitia James tore into the National Rifle Association on Sunday after it reelected its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, citing her ongoing financial abuse lawsuit against the pro-gun rights group.

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Chamber of Commerce withdraws support of bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal after GOP freeze out
Republicans are simply not interested in governing.

Take Action: Add your name to support Cori Bush's bill to STOP THE EVICTION CRISIS!

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Trump tumbles off Forbes rich list after pandemic slashes his fortune
"One day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear."

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Sen. Susan Collins floats GOP support for a debt limit hike in exchange for Democrats abandoning Biden's $3.5 trillion social spending plan
Collins is not a serious legislator.

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Seriously?

Melania wanted to send African kids... mirrors

Ahmaud Arbery murder suspect wants racist evidence banned from trial

Refugee admissions hit record low, despite Biden's reversal

Anti-vaxxers destroy mobile testing site in NYC

Yes. Seriously.

COVID patient whose wife sued to use ivermectin dies at 51

Taiwan on alert after 56 Chinese warplanes enter air defense zone

COVID vaccine mandate takes effect for NYC teachers, staff

Hope...

GoodGoodGood: Indigenous communities are decolonizing Hawaii through 'DeTours'

Biden lifts abortion referral ban on family planning clinics

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has 1st all-female guard change in history

Wisconsin wildlife officials drastically reduce wolf hunt quota

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Today’s Action: Pass the Build Back Better Act!

House Democrats kept their promise to fight for working class families and delay the bipartisan infrastructure bill until the Build Back Better Act passes. Now, Senator Schumer says his goal is to get the social spending bill and infrastructure package passed by the end of October — but with moderate Democrats continuously pushing a watered-down version of the $3.5 trillion plan, the stalemate could last longer than the American people can wait. 

The Build Back Better Act promises significant investments in childcare, paid family and medical leave, expanded Medicare and Medicaid, and universal pre-k education, as well as a permanent child tax credit which has already cut childhood poverty in half across the country. On top of that, it could turn the United States into a global force for cleaner energy and real emissions reduction.  

Call (202-224-3121) or write your representative in the House and tell them the Build Back Better Act can’t wait, and remind them that the infrastructure package must be delayed until the full reconciliation bill is passed!

With the threat of yet another government shutdown looming, the clock is ticking to pass Democrats’ sweeping social infrastructure bill. The Build Back Better Act is our elected officials’ opportunity to help millions of working families across the country, and we need to flood their inboxes to make sure they seize the moment. 

The benefits of the legislation cannot be overstated.

Call (202-224-3121) or write your representative to remind them America’s future depends on their commitment to the passage of the Build Back Better Act! Then sign this petition with over 10,000 signatures signaling your support.

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition telling Facebook to stop spreading right wing hate and disinformation, and be sure to follow OD Action on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.