| |
| |
| |
| |
Capitol Hill is looking a bit different these days: |
| 
© Getty Images The Senate is holding a confirmation hearing this morning for the nomination of 37-year-old Judge Justin Walker to be on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. What to know about Walker: https://cnn.it/3frVhmM Meanwhile, a House subcommittee is holding a hearing on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Livestream of the Senate confirmation hearing: https://cs.pn/2WtdGqy Livestream of the House coronavirus hearing: https://cs.pn/2YCQ0Tc |
| |
| SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM CAPITOL HILL AMID THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK: |
| What a socially distanced House hearing looks like: “Attending the first socially-distant House subcommittee hearing today, on pandemic response. Lots of space between seats. Everybody in masks, but members are taking them off to speak.” (Via MSNBC’s Garrett Haake) Photo: https://bit.ly/2SGVglg Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is joining by teleconference: Here’s a photo: https://bit.ly/2SHA12s Ugh, agreed: “This is the grimmest looking confirmation hearing I've ever seen,” The Huffington Post’s Jennifer Bendery tweeted. Photos: https://bit.ly/3dkPEVy Oh, interesting. The foam board could be multipurpose!: 
© Twitter Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is sporting a nice, blue mask: https://bit.ly/2YA6602 Mitch McConnell is wearing a mask: Here’s a photo of the Senate Majority Leader entering: https://bit.ly/3dnryJU |
| |
| It’s Wednesday. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook. Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2kjMNnn |
| |
| |
Should I stay or should I go?: |
| President Trump said this morning that the White House Coronavirus Task Force will not be dismantled entirely, but will shift its focus. https://bit.ly/2WARmeL Trump tweeted: “The Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN. We may add or subtract people .... to it, as appropriate. The Task Force will also be very focused on Vaccines & Therapeutics. Thank you!” Read Trump’s full Twitter threat on the task force: https://bit.ly/3b8kejF |
| |
| WHAT SPARKED THIS TWEET: |
| Yesterday, Vice President Pence’s office said it was in the early stages of dismantling the White House Coronavirus Task Force. https://bit.ly/2A5c66N |
| |
| SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM TRUMP’S ARIZONA TRIP: |
| Wow, this photo is stunning: Via The New York Times’s Doug Mills, here’s a photo of President Trump walking off Air Force One yesterday: https://bit.ly/2WDCJYe 
© Twitter From his tour of protective equipment: “The president is wearing safety goggles but no mask on his tour of Honeywell PPE manufacturing line.” (Via The Associated Press’s Zeke Miller) Photo: https://bit.ly/2yy3Njs |
| |
| |
Stocks had a good morning: |
| The stock market rose this morning as President Trump and more than 30 governors push the United States toward reopening. https://bit.ly/2SD4yhW The numbers: “The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 100 points Wednesday, rising 0.5 percent for its third consecutive day in the green. The Nasdaq rose 1.1 percent, and the S&P 500 rose 0.7 percent.” |
| |
| |
| Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 1,206,303 Deaths in the U.S.: 71,152 Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y |
| |
The coronavirus was circulating several months longer than we thought: |
| Via The Hill’s Reid Wilson, “The coronavirus that has exploded into a pandemic has almost certainly been circulating for several months longer than public health experts first suspected, masked by asymptomatic cases or illnesses incorrectly diagnosed.” https://bit.ly/3bfVGpa Timing: “Scientists believe the first known case of a patient contracting the coronavirus happened in mid-November, in a 55-year-old resident of China's Hubei province. That was six weeks before the World Health Organization's (WHO) surveillance network picked up reports of a cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan, the province's largest city.” What we know about the outbreak’s timing: https://bit.ly/3bfVGpa |
| |
| |
The ‘Never Trumpers’ are getting under Trump’s skin: |
| Via The Hill’s Niall Stanage, the feud between President Trump and the so-called “Never Trump Republicans” is back on display. https://bit.ly/2L6bWy9 What happened now: Anti-Trump Republicans of The Lincoln Project, including George Conway, released an ad slamming the president. Watch the ad, ‘Mourning in America’: https://bit.ly/2SJzHQZ Trump then tweeted: “A group of RINO Republicans who failed badly 12 years ago, then again 8 years ago, and then got BADLY beaten by me, a political first timer, 4 years ago, have copied (no imagination) the concept of an ad from Ronald Reagan, ‘Morning in America’, doing everything possible to … get even for all of their many failures.” Read Trump’s full Twitter threat on the ad: https://bit.ly/3catvsV Why Trump’s reaction is note-worthy: “Trump’s volcanic reaction made clear that the TV ad got under his skin. But whether that means such criticism can hurt his electoral chances is a very different question.” HOW TRUMP IS TAKING THE UNDERDOG ROLE IN HIS CAMPAIGN AGAINST JOE BIDEN:
Via The Hill’s Jonathan Easley: https://bit.ly/3fmeTZo |
| |
| |
RBG is working from the hospital: |
| Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized to treat inflammation of her gallbladder. https://bit.ly/2WvPXG9 How is she feeling?: The Supreme Court said she is “resting comfortably” and will likely be in the hospital for one to two days. The Supreme Court said in a statement “Following oral arguments on Monday, the Justice underwent outpatient tests at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., that confirmed she was suffering from a gallstone that had migrated to her cystic duct, blocking it and causing an infection.” |
| |
| |
This is THE most relevant pop culture reference to COVID-19: |
| 
© Twitter Watch: https://bit.ly/2yBsECO |
| |
| |
| The Senate is in. The House is out. President Trump and Vice President Pence are in Washington, D.C. Noon: A roll call vote in the Senate. The Senate’s full schedule today: https://bit.ly/2YQyXxp 12:15 p.m. EDT: President Trump signs a proclamation in honor of National Nurses Day. 12:45 p.m. EDT: President Trump has lunch with Vice President Pence. 2 p.m. EDT: President Trump and Vice President Pence meet with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R). 2 p.m. EDT: The Senate votes. 3:30 p.m. EDT: President Trump receives an intelligence briefing. 4 p.m. EDT: Vice President Pence leads a White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting in the Situation Room. |
| |
| |
| This morning: The Supreme Court hears the oral argument in a birth control case. Livestream: https://cs.pn/2SBxeIf 11 a.m. EDT: The Supreme Court hears the oral argument in “Barr, Attorney General v. American Association of Political Consultants, Inc.” Livestream: https://cs.pn/2YBb8cJ 11:30 a.m. EDT: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) gives an update on his state’s coronavirus outbreak. Livestream: https://bit.ly/2yy32H6 4 p.m. EDT: White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3dnckV7 |
| |
| NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...: | |
| Today is National Crepe Suzette Day. |
| |
*Blank stare*: |
| Elon Musk and singer Grimes had a baby boy, which they named X Æ A-12 Musk. Really. How it’s pronounced: It’s unclear, but “one of the most popular theories is that the baby's name is X Ash Archangel.” https://cbsn.ws/2zbUFB9 Grimes posted an explanation of the name: Yet, I’m even more confused now. https://bit.ly/3c5zwXI 
© Twitter |
| |
| And to lighten your Wednesday afternoon, here’s a video of Nacho and Goat, two penguins at the Oregon Zoo, going for a hike: https://bit.ly/2SD5nY4 Are they holding hands...err, flippers?! Photo: https://bit.ly/2yByV1k |
No comments:
Post a Comment