Spiegel Stuff: The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook

Presented by Facebook

IN WASHINGTON, DC

Via The Hill’s Cristina Marcos, “Washington is bracing for Saturday's ‘Justice for J6’ rally where demonstrators will be backing people who invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6 — a scarring memory for many in the Capitol Hill community worried about a potential repeat of that day’s terror.” https://bit.ly/3zhl4H2

The enormous pressure security forces are under to prevent a repeat attack: https://bit.ly/3nHwIZF

Road closures in D.C.: Via Fox 5 DC: https://bit.ly/3CfXU5G

THE GOAL OF TOMORROW’S RALLY — ‘TO REWRITE JAN. 6 HISTORY’:

Via The Associated Press’s Brian Slodysko: https://bit.ly/3EvacJ8

DHS IS WARNING OF POTENTIAL VIOLENCE TODAY AND TOMORROW:

Via CNN’s Geneva Sands, The Department of Homeland Security shared a briefing with local authorities on the threat of violence on the day of the rally — and the day before.

Anything specific?: Not that we know of. https://cnn.it/3lvXCB2

TRUMP CALLED TOMORROW’S RALLY A ‘SETUP’:

In an interview with The Federalist’s Sean Davis, former President Trump commented on Saturday’s demonstration. In Trump’s words: “On Saturday, that’s a setup,” Trump said. “If people don’t show up they’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s a lack of spirit.’ And if people do show up they’ll be harassed.” https://bit.ly/3Esy7sH

This was some pretty fast work on Wednesday night:

It’s 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.

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

A MESSAGE FROM FACEBOOK

Internet regulations are as outdated as dial-up

Facebook supports updated regulations, including four areas where lawmakers can make quick progress:

– Reforming Section 230
– Preventing foreign interference of our elections
– Passing federal privacy law
– Setting rules that allow people to safely transfer data between services

HAPPENING TODAY

Will it give us a magic Mario Kart booster start?!:

A Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee meets to discuss whether booster shots are needed for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Do we know how this will go?: It could get tricky. “The meeting and vote … come amid a fraught debate within the Biden administration about whether booster shots are needed now, and for whom. If the discussion mirrors the acrimony in the administration, the expert committee may end up divided, complicating the F.D.A.’s decision.”

Is this panel the end all be all?: It doesn’t have to be. “The F.D.A. is not obligated to follow the advice of the committee, but often does. The panel’s meetings earlier in the pandemic to consider vaccine authorizations were mostly agreeable, ending in decisive votes in favor of the F.D.A.’s presumed position.”

More on what to expect, via The New York Times’s Noah Weiland and Sharon LaFraniere: https://nyti.ms/3hFHH1I

Livestream of today's meeting: https://bit.ly/3hHETkL

CASE NUMBERS:

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 41,796,204

U.S. death toll: 670,128

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

VACCINATION NUMBERS:

Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 383 million doses have been given.

Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 781,574 doses

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

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

IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Why you keep seeing headlines about Mark Milley:

Veteran journalist Bob Woodward and The Washington Post's Robert Costa published excerpts of their new book, in which they describe calls from Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to his Chinese counterparts in the final stretch of former President Trump’s administration.

The gist of the revelations: Via The Associated Press’s Jonathan Lemire and Robert Burns, “[F]earful of Trump’s actions in his final weeks as president, twice called his Chinese counterpart to assure him that the United States was not going to attack China. One call took place on Oct. 30, 2020, four days before the election that Trump lost. The second call was on Jan. 8, 2021, less than two weeks before Biden’s inauguration and just two days after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Trump.” https://bit.ly/2YXAHqq

The newsy quote from Milley to China, according to the book: “You and I have known each other for now five years. If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise.” https://bit.ly/3kj0RMM

Read the excerpt in The Washington Post: https://wapo.st/3zdLCc4

Republicans are furious: Milley has come under attack from Republicans who allege that Milley leaked classified information to the Chinese. https://bit.ly/3kj0RMM

HOW THIS COULD FURTHER POLITICIZE THE MILITARY:

Via The Washington Post’s Missy Ryan: https://wapo.st/3CiOFSj

Update this morning — Milley comments on the controversy:

General Mark Milley spoke with The Associated Press, where he defended his calls as “routine.” https://bit.ly/3hJFAdj

“In his first public comments on the conversations, Gen. Mark Milley said such calls are ‘routine’ and were done ‘to reassure both allies and adversaries in this case in order to ensure strategic stability.’”

Sooo, about those storms yesterday:

Watch: https://bit.ly/3nIKn2o

A MESSAGE FROM FACEBOOK

Why Facebook supports updated internet privacy regulations

Protecting privacy means something different than it did in 1996 — the last time comprehensive internet regulations were passed.

We’ve introduced tools like Privacy Checkup that help people control their information. Now we need updated regulations to set consistent data protection standards.

IN CONGRESS

To quote Miley Cyrus, it’s the cliiiiiiiimb:

Via The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Scott Wong, Democrats are set to face the toughest stretch yet in passing President Biden’s agenda. https://bit.ly/3hHplxc

Progress this week: “House Democrats this week wrapped up the bulk of committee work on a $3.5 trillion package of social benefits and climate programs — a massive undertaking that advances what would be a legacy-defining domestic agenda for President Biden.”

^ That was just the easy part: 13 committees separately agreed to their relevant parts of the legislation. Now those separate pieces must be ironed out into one piece of legislation. Good luck…

What to expect: https://bit.ly/3hHplxc

NOTABLE TWEETS:

Lol, hello and welcome!:

Watch: https://bit.ly/2Xk8itX

Oooh, fancy!:

My favorite reaction to the setup: Politico’s Bake Hounshell tweeted, “7/10 add books and pineapple” https://bit.ly/39u72aF

ON TAP:

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is heading to Delaware this afternoon.

10 a.m. EDT: President Biden received the President’s Daily Brief.

12:20 p.m. EDT: President Biden leaves for Rehoboth Beach, Del.

WHAT TO WATCH:

Today: A Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee meets to discuss booster shots. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3hHETkL

8:30 a.m. EDT: President Biden reconvened the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) to discuss climate change. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3ke1p6p

11:45 a.m. EDT: The White House COVID Response Team held a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3tMZVmR

IN LIGHTER NEWS:

Today is National Apple Dumpling Day.

Oh my:

Via Fox 5 DC, six lions and three tigers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo have tested positive for COVID-19.

We’re still waiting for the official test result, though: “Animal keepers observed symptoms like decreased appetites, coughing and sneezing in several of the animals last week. Officials say final test results are expected in the next few days.” https://bit.ly/3tSKREb

Lol, I can’t stop thinking about this: My colleague, Reid Wilson tweeted: “Imagine having to do those nose swabs” https://bit.ly/3tLsRf2

And to get your weekend off to a good start, here’s how dogs make phone calls: https://bit.ly/3nHGUkT

^ Make sure your sound is on ;)