Tipsheet — Five ways Senate could change Biden's spending plan

View in your browser     Five ways Senate could change Biden's spending plan BY JORDAIN CARNEY   President Biden's climate and social spending plan is facing an overhaul in the Senate, where Democrats are splitting with their House counterparts on key provisions. Though House Democrats stress that they are in agreement on large parts of the bill, Senate Democrats aren't being shy about outlining how they plan to change the bill once it comes up. Read the full story here     Five things to know about omicron, new COVID-19 'variant of concern' BY LEXI LONAS   The announcement of a COVID-19 variant called B.1.1529 this week by scientists in South Africa, where it was first detected, has sent governments and financial markets around the world reeling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its worst single-day drop of the year, plummeting more than 900 points. And multiple nations, including the U.S., quickly imposed travel restrictions as the omicron variant was also detected in Israel, Hong Kong, Botswana and Belgium. Read the full story here     Interior recommends imposing higher costs for public lands drilling BY RACHEL FRAZIN   A long-awaited report from the Interior Department recommends taking steps to increase fees for drilling on public lands, arguing that taxpayers are currently being shortchanged. Read the full story here     Boebert apologizes to Muslims as Democrats call for 'real action to confront racism' BY MAUREEN BRESLIN   Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) tweeted an apology to Muslims on Friday after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) called her out for "anti-Muslim bigotry" over an anecdote she shared in a recent speech. Hours later, Democratic leadership released a statement blasting Boebert's "Islamophobic and racist comments" and calling on their GOP counterparts to "finally take real action to confront racism.” Read the full story here       Graham emerges as go-to ally for Biden's judicial picks BY JORDAIN CARNEY   Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) went viral during the Trump administration, and bolstered his conservative cred, with a fiery defense of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But now, he is quietly emerging as one of the GOP's most frequent supporters of President Biden's judicial nominees. The evolution is the latest turn for the South Carolina Republican and former Judiciary Committee chair — regarded by his critics as a political chameleon but one known for his relationships with Democrats and willingness to shift within his own party. Read the full story here     Jan. 6 panel faces double-edged sword with Alex Jones, Roger Stone BY REBECCA BEITSCH   The House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol faces both risk and reward by turning to two Trump allies with a history of lying as it seeks to map out the planning and financing of the Jan. 6 rallies. Read the full story here     GOP holds on Biden nominees set back gains for women in top positions BY LAURA KELLY   Women are set to make unprecedented gains in leadership positions on President Biden’s foreign policy and national security teams, but their confirmations for key appointments are being held up in the Senate. Read the full story here     Dow drops 900 points amid fears over new COVID-19 variant BY OLAFIMIHAN OSHIN   The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 900 points on Friday amid fears over the new COVID-19 variant. While the Dow dropped 2.5 percent, the S&P 500 dropped 1.9 percent and the Nasdaq slid 1.5 percent. Read the full story here     NATO head warns Russia against Ukrainian incursion BY MONIQUE BEALS   NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Friday that Russia would face ramifications if attempted to invade Ukraine, amid a worrying buildup of forces along the border between the two countries. Read the full story here     FDA calls Merck COVID-19 pill effective, but points to safety concerns BY SARAKSHI RAI   The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that while Merck's experimental COVID-19 antiviral pill is effective, the agency has yet to determine whether the medication can be safely administered during pregnancy. Read the full story here     Pandemics are a matter of national security — Congress should act like it BY AUSTIN SARAT AND DENNIS AFTERGUT   The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, yet Congress seems to have already put it in the rearview mirror. It is true that lawmakers took important steps over the past year to address the economic and health impacts of the virus here in the U.S. and abroad. But as cases and deaths continue to mount, it’s time to do much more. Right now, there’s a comprehensive piece of legislation wending its way through Congress that we believe is America’s best shot at ending this pandemic and preventing future ones. Read the full story here     The GOP's post-1/6 playbook is clear — and it's dangerous BY JAMIE NEIKRIE   History repeats itself, or so they say. But this isn’t quite accurate. It would be more precise to say that we allow history to repeat. We all witnessed the horror that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. We now understand the insurrection as part of a larger, well-coordinated effort to overturn the will of the people, an effort that continues to this day. And we recognize that, unless we face the realities and ramifications of that day, Jan. 6 will repeat itself again and again. Yet, in the wake of Jan. 6 and in the lead-up to the 2022 midterms, a dangerous playbook is being deployed by the leaders of the MAGA-dominated Republican Party. Their message is clear: It's time to move on. Read the full story here     WaPo:Countries race to cut travel links with southern Africa, amid fears of omicron’s potential to spread BY CHICO HARLAN   ROME — A new round of countries on Saturday rushed to cut off or restrict travel to the southern region of Africa, aiming to slow the spread of the just-discovered omicron variant, which has a high number of mutations and has raised fears about the global trajectory of the pandemic. Read the full story here     NYT: Afghan Economy Nears Collapse as Pressure Builds to Ease U.S. Sanctions BY CHRISTINA GOLDBAUM   MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan — Racing down the cratered highways at dawn, Mohammad Rasool knew his 9-year-old daughter was running out of time. Read the full story here     AP: Omar seeks action over House colleague’s remarks on Muslims BY JAMES ANDERSON   DENVER (AP) — Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota called Friday for House leaders to take “appropriate action” against Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert for using anti-Muslim language in describing a recent encounter she had with Omar at the U.S. Capitol. Read the full story here     NBC: 'It's scary': Overdose deaths driven by fentanyl mixed with other drugs BY PHIL MCCAUSLAND   The spike of drug overdose deaths this year and last year has many drug abuse and addiction researchers, doctors and health officials worried about a growing trend among overdose victims that appears to indicate a new and different wave of the opioid epidemic. Read the full story here     CNN: Feds are sending doctors and nurses to Michigan as Covid-19 cases rise BY AMANDA WATTS and JASON HANNA   With Michigan's Covid-19 case and hospitalization numbers hovering near all-time highs, the federal government will send doctors, nurses and others to support certain hospitals, the state health department said Wednesday. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet   You Might Like       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©1998 - 2021 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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