THE SHOW NOTES: Monday Night Football, #NeverKevin, & Marry The Short Guy
Welcome! Monday Night Football was suspended after a Buffalo Bills player suffered a cardiac arrest and required 9 minutes of CPR.
MUST READ: Biblical site where Jesus healed blind man excavated for public view: 'Affirms Scripture' - Fox News
NEW: Ukraine drone strike killed at least 63 Russian solders.
DESANTIS: Progressives are beginning to fret over a Ron DeSantis presidency.
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Tweet of the day:
Speaker McCarthy?
Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House Speaker is far from a done deal as the first vote to elect the next Speaker of the House takes place shortly. For the first time in 100 years, the vote for Speaker will likely head to a second ballot as allies of McCarthy admitted to Politico they do not have the votes to secure a win on the first ballot.
Give me the numbers: McCarthy needs 218 votes to become Speaker but only has 222 Republicans to whip. Currently, about 20 Republicans say they will vote for an alternative (likely Andy Biggs) leaving McCarthy well short of the mark. The number of McCarthy opponents stood at “less than 12” for weeks.
Who are the alternatives: Andy Biggs is the candidate the majority of the “Never-Kevin” crowd is currently supporting. Steve Scalise is considered the second strongest option but has stated he will not run against McCarthy.
Monday night last-ditch effort: McCarthy met with Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and House Freedom Caucus chair Scott Perry late Monday evening in a final attempt to convince them to support his bid. The meeting failed to change hearts and minds with Gaetz immediately walking out claiming he would vote “no.”
Tuesday morning last-ditch effort: In a closed-door conference meeting just hours before the vote, McCarthy exploded on his growing number of Republican detractors saying “I earned this job. We earned this majority, and God dammit we are going to win it today.” Here’s the best paragraph from the Politico story:
It wasn’t just the California Republican calling out the conservative hardliners. Many of McCarthy’s frustrated supporters, too, unloaded on the band of detractors. At one point, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) threatened that any Republican who opposes McCarthy should be stripped of committee assignments, prompting shouted profanity from Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).
Damar Hamlin
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after being transferred to the UC Medical Center following one of the most disturbing moments in sports history.
What happened: Damar Hamlin passed out on the field following a routine tackle that set in motion an avalanche of trainers and medics rushing to his side. An ambulance was brought onto the field and CPR was administered for nine minutes while visibly shaken teammates watched. Both head coaches met mid-field and determined it was best if each team returned to their respective locker rooms to regroup. After one hour, the NFL indefinitely suspended the game.
Official statement: “Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.” - Buffalo Bills
NFL exec slams notion players were given 5 minutes to warm up after Damar Hamlin incident: 'That's ridiculous' - Fox News
Trump Attacks Pro-Lifers
Donald Trump went on a blistering tirade on Truth Social blaming pro-life for the midterm loss. Since none of us are on Truth Social here’s the screenshot:
The rest of the news:
Still Wrong! New Year’s Paul Ehrlich Interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes - Human Progress
Russia, shaken by Ukraine strike, could increase drone usage - AP News
Russians angry at commanders over Ukrainian strike that killed scores - Reuters
Americans Largely Pessimistic About U.S. Prospects in 2023 - Gallup
Potent atmospheric river storm threatens California with flooding, heavy snow - Axios
UFC chief Dana White apologizes for slapping his wife of 26 years - Dailymail
Nearly 500 migrants come ashore in Florida Keys, forcing major park to close - NY Post
New York Times guest essay argues 'short people' better for the planet - Fox News
Tweets that caught my eye:
Market snapshot:
You are in the middle of your opening monologue (welcome back by the way. It was a tough two weeks without you :D ) on your rant about NOT voting for Kevin McCarthy and I cannot tell you how loudly my internal voice is shouting in agreement. If my wife weren't asleep, I would be physically pounding my desk in agreement.
For any of the congress-critters who might read this, PLEASE DO NOT VOTE FOR MCCARTHY. Don't.
Be principled. Be resolute. Be the conservative people we hope you are. Link arms and stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. Say, "no more." No more status quo. No more spending. No more progressive compromises chipping away at mine and my children's freedoms. NO MORE.
Hope I wasn't unclear.
I'm almost ready to support McCarthy simply because Gaetz is against him.
I'm scared witless (or something that rhymes with witless) that we're going to have Speaker Hakeem Jefferies.