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We’re inflating faster than a Party City helium balloon: |
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© Giphy Via The Hill’s Sylvan Lane, “Consumer prices rose 0.8 percent in February and 7.9 percent over the last 12 months, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department.” https://bit.ly/369D0Kz What drove the spike?: Gasoline, housing and food prices For context: “Annual inflation jumped to the highest rate since 1982 in February and monthly inflation rose for the first month since October 2021.” What is responsible for the rising prices?: “A combination of labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and the swiftness of the economic recovery has fueled rapid price increases for essential goods as unemployment plunges close to pre-pandemic levels.” |
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| ‘CORPORATIONS RAISE PRICES AS CONSUMERS SPEND “WITH A VENGEANCE” ’: |
| Via The New York Times’s Jeanna Smialek: https://nyti.ms/34vmVys Excerpt: “Doughnut sellers, milkshake purveyors, tire manufacturers and rental car agencies are all discovering that something is different about America’s pandemic-weathered economy: People are willing to pay more for the goods and services they want to buy. Companies are taking advantage of a moment of hot and seemingly unshakable demand …” |
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| It’s Thursday. 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/2UoupvN |
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Step one, complete: |
| The House passed a $1.5 trillion bill last night to fund the federal government through September. https://bit.ly/3hSGUdH So, are we out of the woods for another shutdown?: Well, the Senate now needs to pass the bill. Senate negotiators are hoping the bill can be passed by Friday. ^ But don’t worry, lawmakers bought themselves a little more time: “Lawmakers also passed a stopgap measure by voice vote that lasts until Tuesday to ensure that the Senate has enough time to clear the omnibus package without risking a government shutdown.” More on what’s in the bill — and the COVID-19 relief drama — via The Hill’s Aris Folley and Cristina Marcos: https://bit.ly/3hSGUdH |
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| ^ THE DRAMA YESTERDAY: |
| Via The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Aris Folley, “Facing a revolt from rank-and-file Democrats, party leaders on Wednesday yanked billions of dollars in emergency funding from a $1.5 trillion government funding package …” https://bit.ly/3tJmXeF |
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| WHY THIS VOTE WAS BIG: |
| Via The New York Times’s Emily Cochrane, “Bipartisan approval of the first major government spending legislation of Mr. Biden’s presidency marked the first time since he took office that Democrats were able to use their congressional majorities and control of the White House to set funding levels for their priorities, including climate resilience, public education and child care.” https://nyti.ms/364Oa3l |
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What a great headline — ‘Lawmakers feast on pork in omnibus’: |
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© Giphy Via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, “After an 11-year drought, congressional earmarks are back with vengeance. The $1.5 trillion, 2,741-page omnibus spending package is loaded with funding for lawmaker pet projects, some of which could help incumbents in this fall’s elections.” https://bit.ly/3MEoJX4 How many lawmaker pet projects are we talking?: “The legislation includes more than 4,000 earmarks, according to a list of projects provided to The Hill by a Senate Republican aide that spanned 367 pages.” 
© AP/Evan Vucci For example: [Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.)] name is attached to 59 earmarks totaling nearly $80 million in the omnibus’s transportation and housing and urban development (HUD) section alone, according to a review by The Hill.” More on the 4,000+ earmarks: https://bit.ly/3MEoJX4 ^ If you want a refresher on what an earmark is: Here’s a Washington Post explainer: https://wapo.st/3vW7ZVy |
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TSA extended the mask mandate for another month: |
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© AP/Ringo H.W. Chiu Via NBC News’ Teaganne Finn, Heidi Przybyla and Jay Blackman, “The Transportation Security Administration is extending the mask mandate on public transportation until April 18, according to a White House official and a TSA official.” https://nbcnews.to/3CxCnXl When the mandate would have been lifted without today’s update: March 18. |
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| CASE NUMBERS: |
| Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 79,413,957 U.S. death toll: 963,869 Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y |
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| VACCINATION NUMBERS: |
| Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 556 million shots have been given. Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 120,083 doses For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million. Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH |
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How do we think this will play out?: |
| Via The Washington Post’s Ashley Parker, John Hudson, Michael Birnbaum and Paul Sonne, “[T]he Biden administration and its allies say they see no clear end to the military phase of this conflict, according to interviews with 17 administration officials, diplomats, policymakers and experts.” https://wapo.st/369V1Zu What the world had predicted would happen: “When Russia first invaded Ukraine two weeks ago, the near-unanimous global assumption was that it would score a quick and easy military victory over its neighbor to the west.” What is now looking more likely: “The situation seems destined to result in an even deadlier and more protracted slog, wreaking devastation in Ukraine and causing a massive humanitarian crisis.” More on where the conflict stands: https://wapo.st/369V1Zu |
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Sickening images: |
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© AP/Evgeniy Maloletka Via The Associated Press’s Evgeniy Maloletka, “A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow’s invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn.” https://bit.ly/3hWggR5 How many people were hurt: At least 17 people. These innocent civilians: “Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying out a heavily pregnant and bleeding woman on a stretcher as light snow fell on burning and mangled cars and trees shattered by the blast. Another woman wailed as she clutched her child. In the courtyard, a blast crater extended at least two stories deep.” What we know about the attack: https://bit.ly/3hWggR5 |
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| UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY TWEETED A VIDEO OF THE HOSPITAL’S DESTRUCTION: |
| It is chilling: https://bit.ly/35KcYha And here’s a photo of a pregnant woman being evacuated: It has been getting traction on social media. Photo: https://bit.ly/3sZsVZT |
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| KEEP IN MIND ABOUT MARIUPOL: |
| Former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, pointed out: “Mariupol has a very large Russian population. Putin is slaughtering innocent Russians.” https://bit.ly/3HZQx4R |
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What are your thoughts? I’m feeling a bit queasy thinking about it: |
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© Giphy Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams’ is bringing back its “Everything Bagel” ice cream flavor on March 21. “Cream cheese ice cream with everything bagel gravel,” the pint reads. CNN’s Betsy Klein tweeted a photo of the sign: https://bit.ly/3MGSqa0 |
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| DETAILS AND WHERE TO FIND THE ICE CREAM FLAVOR: |
| Via People’s Dave Quinn: https://bit.ly/3KzxcJg |
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Tidbit — a huge Ukrainian flag is across the street from the Russian Embassy: |
| WJLA-TV’s Heather Graf tweeted, “The Glover Park Hotel just unfurled a 60-foot Ukrainian flag — the hotel sits directly across from the Russian Embassy on Wisconsin Avenue NW.” Photo: https://bit.ly/3J2iKJA Video of the flag being hung: https://bit.ly/3sZfRnd |
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| The Senate is in. The House is out. President Biden is in Washington, D.C. Vice President Harris is in Warsaw, Poland. 4:15 a.m. EST: Vice President Harris met with Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki. 5:10 a.m. EST: Vice President Harris met with the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda. 8:45 a.m. EST: Vice President Harris met with people displaced from Ukraine. 9:30 a.m. EST: President Biden received the President’s Daily Brief. 10 a.m. EST: President Biden spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey to discuss the situation in Ukraine. 10 a.m. EST: The Senate met. The Senate’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/3CtWDct 11 a.m. EST: Vice President Harris met with staff from the U.S. embassies in Kyiv, Ukraine and Warsaw, Poland. 12:50 p.m. EST: Vice President Harris holds a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 1:40 p.m. EST: President Biden holds a meeting with Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez. 7:15 p.m. EST: President Biden speaks to Democratic National Committee members at their winter meeting in Washington, D.C. |
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| 6:30 a.m. EST: Vice President Harris held press availability with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3KPGUYr 12:45 p.m. EST: White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3J1qFXD |
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| Today is National Ranch Dressing Day. |
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Feeling a little wild the next time you go to Chipotle?: |
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© AP/Mark J. Terrill Chipotle announced this morning that it will offer a new chicken flavor, pollo asada, for a limited time. https://cnb.cx/3MEu5BN What is pollo asada?: “The pollo asado is made with grilled chicken, garlic, fresh lime, guajillo peppers and hand-chopped cilantro.” Keep in mind: “An entree with pollo asado will sell for an average price of $9.11 in the U.S., 65 cents more expensive than the standard chicken option.” Photo of the new menu item: https://cnb.cx/3MEu5BN |
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| And because you read this far, here’s a top-secret meeting of the puppies: https://bit.ly/3KuRAva |
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