Tipsheet: The 9 politicians who had the most impact in 2021

View in your browser     The 9 politicians who had the most impact in 2021 By NIALL STANAGE   The inauguration of a new president, the long shadow of the Jan. 6 insurrection and the pandemic’s peaks and troughs made 2021 another tumultuous year. A handful of politicians exerted enormous influence over the year’s events. Here are those who made their presence felt the most. Read the full story here     Omicron puts pinch on Biden vaccine mandate efforts By NATHANIEL WEIXEL   The rapidly spreading omicron variant poses a problem for the White House as officials try to convince a skeptical public that vaccine mandates are necessary.  Opponents of mandates are seizing on early evidence that shows vaccines are not as effective at stopping transmission of the new strain, which they say undermines the administration's key arguments for championing them.  Read the full story here     Fauci defends new CDC isolation guidelines By MONIQUE BEALS   Anthony Fauci on Thursday defended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) decision to cut its recommended isolation time to five days for people infected with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic.  Fauci said there was a need to cut the isolation period for asymptomatic people to keep society running as the nation is hit with the highly contagious omicron variant. Read the full story here     FDA expected to authorize Pfizer boosters for ages 12 to 15: report By MONIQUE BEALS   The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve booster shots of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds on Monday, people familiar with the agency's plan told The New York Times. Read the full story here       Biden tells Putin US will respond 'decisively' if Russia invades Ukraine By JORDAN WILLIAMS   President Biden in his second call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month warned that the U.S. will respond "decisively" if Moscow invades Ukraine. Read the full story here     Jan. 6 panel urges Supreme Court to deny Trump bid to shield records By JOHN KRUZEL   The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has asked the Supreme Court to turn away former President Trump's effort to block the release of his administration's records. Read the full story here     Nearly three-quarters of GOP doubt legitimacy of Biden's win: poll By MAX GREENWOOD   Nearly three-quarters of Republicans doubt that President Biden’s 2020 electoral victory was legitimate, according to a new poll from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  Read the full story here     Five takeaways from the Ghislaine Maxwell verdict By SARAKSHI RAI   British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on five of six counts by a Manhattan jury Wednesday for crimes related to the grooming and trafficking of underage girls for financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here are the five main takeaways from the verdict. Read the full story here     Jury finds pharmaceutical company liable for New York opioid crisis By NATHANIEL WEIXEL   A jury on Thursday found drug manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals liable for fueling the opioid crisis in New York. Jurors concluded that the actions by Teva and its subsidiaries helped create a "public nuisance" by flooding the state with pills that killed thousands of people. Read the full story here     Rep. Mike Turner to replace Nunes in top House Intel spot By CAROLINE VAKIL   House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced the appointment of Rep. Mike Turner (Ohio.) as the GOP's top member on the House Intelligence Committee.  Read the full story here     Holidays and omicron: What is safe to do? By DR. CARLOS DEL RIO   OPINION | Omicron is not impacting in a significant way the demand for holiday travel (although there have been major flight cancellations). In fact, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened over 2 million passengers on Dec. 26 compared to just over 1.2 million the same day last year. As people travel to go on vacation or to visit family there are many questions of what is safe to do and what precautions one should take. Here is a summary of the recommendations I have been giving to family and friends: Read the full story here     Year that broke the recall? Why COVID led to recalls flopping nationwide By JOSHUA SPIVAK   OPINION | With the high profile recall against California Gov. Gavin Newsom and efforts targeting hundreds of school board members over pandemic restrictions, 2021 seemed to be the year of the recall — but the idea that this was a banner year for recalls is far from true. The stats show that 2021 may instead have been the year that broke the recall, as the measure repeatedly, and embarrassingly, flopped. Read the full story here     CNN: Governor reduces sentence of truck driver who was given 110 years in fatal crash By AMIR VERA   Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is commuting the sentence of a truck driver who was sentenced to 110 years in prison for an interstate wreck that killed four people, he announced Thursday, calling the sentence "highly atypical and unjust." Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Omicron surge could reach its US peak in mid-January, experts say By JOEL ACHENBACH   The rapid surge of omicron infections in the United States may be relatively brief, measured in weeks rather than months, according to infectious-disease experts who have been astonished by the speed of the coronavirus variant’s spread — and who are hoping this wave ebbs just as quickly. Read the full story here     Bloomberg: Biden warns Putin on Ukraine while Kremlin says it's 'satisfied' after 50-minute talks By JENNY LEONARD and ILYA ARKHIPOV   Russia expressed satisfaction with the outcome of Thursday’s phone call between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, easing the month-long standoff over Ukraine even as the U.S. repeated its warning to Moscow to de-escalate tensions. Read the full story here     USAToday: California man allegedly had 'hit list,' planned to kill Biden, Fauci By ANDREA MAY SAHOURI   An armed California man was arrested recently in Iowa while allegedly on his way to the White House. Read the full story here     ABC News: Cop who fatally shot Denver shooting suspect identified By MEREDITH DELISO   Police have identified the officer who fatally shot a suspect involved in a deadly shooting spree that occurred across the Denver area earlier this week. 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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