Spiegel Stuff: The Hill's 12:30 Report: Strong jobs report surprises economists

NEWS THIS MORNING

The U.S. gained an astonishing 467,000 jobs in January amid fears the omicron surge would impact the economy. https://bit.ly/34gksYE

For context — what economists expected: CNBC published predictions yesterday for today’s jobs report. “Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expect a gain of 150,000 jobs, but some economists expect big losses — as large as 400,000.” https://cnb.cx/3Ht52id

More on the fear for January: “Millions of Americans missed work in January after they or a loved one fell ill with COVID-19. The unprecedented number of Americans out sick and several alarming declines in private sector economic activity bred fears of a miserable January jobs report.”

More on what this means for the economy, via The Hill’s Sylvan Lane: https://bit.ly/34gksYE

Happy Friday! 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.

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IN BEIJING

BUM—BUM—ba-ba-ba-BAH-BAH:

^ Thank you, Business Insider, for showing me the proper way to write that ;)

The 2022 Winter Olympics have officially kicked off with this morning’s opening ceremonies.

Don’t worry if you weren’t up to watch it live: NBC will rebroadcast the ceremony at 8 p.m. EST. https://nyti.ms/3L4CAVV

GO, TEAM!:

Here’s a schedule of events and results of the games: https://bit.ly/3rqgFRa

SPOILER ALERT *IF* YOU CLICK THIS LINK:

Here’s an early highlight from an American athlete: https://nyti.ms/3LaENz9

The elephant in the room:

Via The New York Times’s John Koblin, “For this month's Winter Games in Beijing, NBC confronts an even trickier mix of challenges, threatening to diminish one of the network’s signature products and one of the last major draws to broadcast television.” https://nyti.ms/3La35Jt

From Bob Costas, who worked as NBC’s Olympic host for more than 20 years: “My friends and colleagues at NBC have been dealt the worst hand imaginable.”

The full story: https://nyti.ms/3La35Jt

YEP — ‘BEIJING OLYMPICS OPEN WITH A GLOSSY COAT THAT CAN’T COVER WHAT’S UNDERNEATH’:

Via The Washington Post’s Jerry Brewer: https://wapo.st/3J2r4Zl

‘FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CONTROVERSIAL BEIJING OLYMPICS:

Via The Hill’s Laura Kelly and Alex Gangitano: https://bit.ly/34BXMSg

IN CONGRESS

Take a seat, Bill:

Via The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Rebecca Beitsch, “Democrats are amping up the pressure on William Barr to testify before the panel investigating the Capitol attack of Jan. 6, 2021, saying the former attorney general has a unique window into the thoughts and actions of former President Trump leading up to the violent siege.” https://bit.ly/3L7xKaz

Why now: “[Recent] news reports have added layers of detail to Barr's one-on-one interactions with Trump in late 2020, as the former president sought ways to use the powers of the administration to overturn his election defeat. Those revelations have sparked new interest on Capitol Hill for Barr to brief the committee again — this time in a more formal setting.”

BY THE WAY — LAWMAKERS WERE GIVEN CLASSIFIED BRIEFINGS YESTERDAY ON THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE SITUATION:

What we know: https://bit.ly/34AwPhP

HELPFUL WRAP-UP — THIS WEEK’S MUST-WATCH MOMENTS ON CAPITOL HILL:

Watch the 2-minute 23-second video: https://bit.ly/3AV2bvX

IN THE GOP

*Leans in dramatically* — Did I hear you mention gossip? What's the tea?:

Via The Hill’s Brett Samuels, “Mike Pence will be in the spotlight on Friday afternoon when the former vice president is expected to address ex-President Trump’s most recent attacks on his handling of the 2020 election.” https://bit.ly/34yIeyI

What everyone will be watching: How far Pence goes in his criticism of Trump. It has been tense between the two since the Jan. 6 Capitol siege.

Trump threw some shade at Pence this week: “Trump turned his fire on Pence in a pair of statements this week, first declaring the former vice president should have unilaterally overturned the outcome of the 2020 election, and later suggesting the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot should be probing why Pence did not reject the results.”

What we know: https://bit.ly/34yIeyI

WHO ELSE IS SPEAKING AT THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY EVENT?:

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is headlining the event. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is also slated to speak. https://wapo.st/3B5h4f9

Keep in mind — we can’t watch: “What Gorsuch says Friday night will only be known to the organization’s guests. The media is barred from listening to his remarks.”

More on what to expect from The Washington Post’s Mariana Alfaro: https://wapo.st/3B5h4f9

LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS

All I can think of is the TikTok sound, ‘Am I the villain? I don’t think I’m the villain!’:

Via Politico’s Stephanie Murray, “Anthony Fauci has been a GOP target for nearly two years, as the party cast the president’s chief medical adviser as a villain for pandemic-era policies. Now he’s emerging as a star in Republican campaign commercials.” Examples: https://politi.co/3urHh6u

CASE NUMBERS:

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 75,997,123

U.S. death toll: 897,400

Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y

VACCINATION NUMBERS:

Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 541 million shots have been given.

Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 289,280 doses

For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million.

Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH

GETTING TRACTION

Oh, that’s dark, NASA. Dark.:

Via USA Today’s Asha C. Gilbert, “NASA says International Space Station will retire, then crash into the Pacific Ocean in 2031” https://bit.ly/3godTWl

A FEW REACTIONS THAT MADE ME LAUGH:

Punchbowl’s John Bresnahan tweeted: “Same”

@Gr8Believer tweeted: “NASA plans to retire the ISS program by 2031. They just have to fake it for another 9 years.” https://bit.ly/3ooKTCt

NOTABLE TWEETS:

Ahhh, amazing:

The Philadelphia Plain Dealer tweeted a photo and headline that reads, “BREAKING: the cheese shelf has collapsed at the Acme on Oregon Ave” Yes, there’s a photo: https://bit.ly/3LalMgf

CBS News’s Kathryn Watson tweeted a screenshot of the tweet with its best reply. I don’t want to ruin it, so I’ll let you see for yourself: https://bit.ly/34w6rWv

OK, but this actually is pretty spooky:

The Washington Post’s Dave Jorgenson tweeted, “NICOLAS CAGE HAS STOLEN THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL THIS IS NOT A DRILL” Photo of the ~missing~ memorial: https://bit.ly/3J6JJmH

ON TAP:

The House is in. The Senate is out until Monday. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.

9:30 a.m. EST: President Biden received the President’s Daily brief.

9:30 – 11:30 a.m. EST: First and last votes in the House. The House’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/3uqTDf6

5:30 p.m. EST: President Biden leaves for Wilmington, Del.

3 p.m. EST Monday: The Senate meets. The Senate’s full agenda: https://bit.ly/34iqsAb

WHAT TO WATCH:

10:45 a.m. EST: President Biden delivered remarks on the January jobs report. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3gptLYM

11:45 a.m. EST: White House press secretary Jen Psaki held a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3rmZhwJ

2 p.m. EST: President Biden delivers remarks and signs an executive order on Project Labor Agreements. Vice President Harris and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh also speak. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3AVDi38

IN LIGHTER NEWS:

Today is National Homemade Soup Day.

Let’s GOOOOOO — VeGaS, bAbY!:

CNBC tweeted some important news for travelers: “Southwest is bringing booze back on board Feb. 16 after nearly 2 years.” https://bit.ly/3rsc5SL

And to get your weekend off to a fantastic start, here’s a duck hoping to make the Olympic ice skating team. Nobody tell him the team has already been selected: https://bit.ly/3urkyan