Spiegel Stuff: The Hill's 12:30 Report: House Dems press for infrastructure bill vote

ON CAPITOL HILL

Could it be, dare I say it, INFRASTRUCTURE DAY?!:

The House has been in session since 8 a.m. ironing out the final details of President Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending bill and climate package.

This could be THE DAY: House Democrats are planning to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the social spending bill today (!) https://bit.ly/3ELGvTF

Livestream of the House: https://bit.ly/3EKO25a

Live coverage: This page is constantly updated: https://bit.ly/3nZKeGy

^ But before you get too excited, there is ~*~always~*~ a ‘but’:

A few centrist Democratic lawmakers are now demanding to see a full Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score on the social spending bill before voting on the bills. https://bit.ly/3nZWx5I

Can they get that today?: Nope, it would not be ready today. The bill is 2,000 pages long.

Soo, what does this mean for today: That’s unclear. House Democrats can only afford three defections from their party to pass the bill.

So everything is a bit up in the air right now — again.

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:

Oh boy: CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted a little after 8 a.m., “It’s going to be a long and slow-moving day in the House. Andy Biggs just forced a roll-call vote on a motion to adjourn the chamber.” https://bit.ly/31AeEYn

President Biden is basically begging: "I'm asking every House member, member of the House of Representatives, to vote yes on both these bills, right now. Send the infrastructure bill to my desk. Send the Build Back Better bill to the Senate." (NBC’s Sahil Kapur) https://bit.ly/31nAXAf

Progressives think they should go for broke: Congressional Progressive Caucus Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said she thinks it’s worth passing the mammoth bills even if that means Democrats risk losing the House in 2022. In her words: “Of course it's worth it if we're making people's lives better … part of what we have to do is really understand the economic frustration that people have right now. And I think that is really important for us.” https://bit.ly/3EMVLzB

Is what the House passes the ~final~ bill?: Haha, no. “Every single lawmaker understands the BBB is going to get massively worked over by Senate (and the parliamentarian) and sent back to the House for final passage.” (NBC’s Garrett Haake) https://bit.ly/3GTI57R

^ That’s why this is an unusual holdup: Because the bill will almost certainly be tweaked and altered, NBC’s Haake adds, “Moderate D's hung up on a CBO score at this stage seems a weirdly processy hill to die on.” https://bit.ly/3GTI57R

Uhhh?:

^ Bloomberg’s Emily Wilkins added: “Also, Rep. Stefanik knows all this. So view her tweet in that context.” https://bit.ly/3o3Fyzg

INTERESTING CONTEXT TO THE BILL — THE WEALTHIEST AMERICANS GET A TAX CUT FROM DEMS:

Via The Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey, “If they're lucky, Dems will pass a bill today that cuts taxes for rich people, after they promised—for years—to do the opposite of that. They admit this is ‘inherently contradictory.’ But they also admit they can't stop it because, well, politics.” The full story: https://bit.ly/3k9udMU

It’s a chilly Friday in D.C.! Sunday is the end of daylight saving time, so don’t forget to change your clocks — and enjoy that extra hour of sleep ;)

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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NEWS THIS MORNING

Give me a ‘J!’ Give me an ‘O!’ Give me a ‘B!’ Give me an ‘S!’:

The U.S. added 531,000 jobs in October, as the delta COVID-19 variant surge that derailed the labor market has finally eased. https://bit.ly/3qaC94C

For context: Economists had expected a gain of roughly 450,000 jobs in October.

The unemployment rate: Dropped from 4.8 percent to 4.6 percent.

REACTIONS — HOW EACH SIDE IS SPINNING IT:

Via The Hill’s Sylvan Lane: “Democrats say the report shows the importance of beating the pandemic (that's not false) and passing their agenda”

“GOPers say the job growth is in spite of Biden and his policies would make it worse. Some don't acknowledge COVID/delta at all” https://bit.ly/3k4xNIj

BIDEN TOOK A BIT OF A VICTORY LAP THIS MORNING:

President Biden reacted to the news of the strong jobs report. "There’s a lot more to be done. We still have to tackle the costs that American families are facing, but his recovery is faster, stronger, and fairer and wider than almost anyone could have predicted.” (The Hill’s Morgan Chalfant) https://bit.ly/3ERbYDM

THE NUMBERS MAY NOT BE OUT OF THIS WORLD, BUT IT IS GREAT NEWS:

Read The New York Times’s Neil Irwin’s analysis of the numbers: https://nyti.ms/3ERl4AO

They’re still the dancing queeeeeens. Young and sweet, no longer 17:

Nearly 40 years since releasing their last album, ABBA is back and just released a new album (!)

Here it is! — listen to the full ‘Voyage’ album: https://bit.ly/3k9LBB7

ABBA posted a 2-minute 50-second video, “The Story Behind The Album”: Including what it was like to walk into the studio after 39 years. Watch: https://bit.ly/2ZWaz0e

LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS

Science is incredible:

Via The New York Times’s Rebecca Robbins, “Pfizer announced on Friday that its pill to treat Covid-19 had been found in a key clinical trial to be highly effective at preventing severe illness among at-risk people who received the drug soon after they exhibited symptoms.” https://nyti.ms/3nUegew

If this is sounding familiar to you: “The antiviral pill is the second of its kind to demonstrate efficacy against Covid. It appears to be more effective than a similar offering from Merck, which is awaiting federal authorization.”

Wow this is incredible if this is true: “Pfizer’s pill, which will be sold under the brand name Paxlovid, cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 percent when given within three days after the start of symptoms.”

What we know: https://nyti.ms/3nUegew

Please be right about this, Scott:

In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this morning, Pfizer board member and former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Scott Gottlieb predicted that the end to the pandemic is in sight for the U.S.

Watch: https://bit.ly/2ZZd1Tq

Gottlieb also put a lot of stock into the Jan. 6 vaccine mandate for businesses: "These mandates that are going to be put in place by Jan. 4 really are coming on the tail end of this pandemic. By Jan. 4, this pandemic may well be over, at least as it relates to the United States after we get through this delta wave of infection. And we'll be in a more endemic phase of this virus." https://bit.ly/3EMT1Cj

Watch more from Gottlieb’s CNBC appearance: https://cnb.cx/3GUhNCs

CASE NUMBERS:

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 46,341,833

U.S. death toll: 751,635

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

VACCINATION NUMBERS:

Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 425 million shots have been given.

Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 901,367doses

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

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

IN THE WHITE HOUSE

‘Everybody get up it's time to slam now … welcome to the Space Jam!’:

Via The Hill’s Brett Samuels, during Vice President Harris’s trip to NASA’s Maryland campus this afternoon, she is expected to announce the first meeting of the National Space Council will happen on Dec. 1. https://bit.ly/3o4pw8g

Watch Harris’s live remarks: She is scheduled to speak at 4:45 p.m. EDT. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3nXTo6l

NOTABLE TWEETS:

*Tries to hold in a laugh*:

How pretty!:

^ Keep in mind: Yesterday, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) called for permanent daylight saving time. https://bit.ly/3o0Qm15

ON TAP:

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

9:30 a.m. EDT: President Biden received the President’s Daily Brief.

Noon: President Biden and first lady Jill Biden attend the funeral of Colin Powell.

4:05 p.m. EDT: Vice President Harris tours the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

This afternoon: President Biden leaves for Rehoboth Beach, Del.

WHAT TO WATCH:

Today: A memorial service for Colin Powell at the Washington National Cathedral. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3kbiUDX

10:15 a.m. EDT: President Biden delivered remarks on the October jobs report. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3k988hB

2:30 p.m. EDT: White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/303s9iP

4:45 p.m. EDT: Vice President Harris delivers remarks at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3nXTo6l

Sunday morning: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will appear exclusively on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

IN LIGHTER NEWS:

Today is National Doughnut Day!

Hahah — ‘in my opinion’ is the best part’: