THE SHOW NOTES: Seventh Times The Charm!
Welcome! The Buffalo Bills announced Damar Hamlin has shown “remarkable improvement” and appears to be “neurologically intact.”
HEADLINE: The FTC wants to ban companies from telling their employees they can't work for competitors - BI
NEW: Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow announces she will not seek re-election in 2024 - Fox News
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Clip of the day:
Seventh Times The Charm!
Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the necessary votes on a fifth and sixth ballot yesterday afternoon to become speaker before the house adjourned until last night. After intense negotiations all afternoon and evening, the House voted at 8 PM last night to adjourn again until today at noon when an alleged seventh vote will take place.
Where things stand: Progress has allegedly been made overnight to appease the 20 Republicans who voted no. The McCarthy team offered five concessions that appear to be winning some of the holdouts:
Motion to vacate: This is a huge concession from McCarthy that would allow a single member of congress to call a vote to oust the speaker of the house. This was the undoing of John Boehner.
Rules committee: The McCarthy team is offering to allow two Freedom Caucus members on the highly influential Rules Committee. We are told the holdouts are demanding four.
Term limits: A vote on term limits will be held to appease McCarthy holdout Ralph Norman who has lobbied extensively for a constitutional amendment to be added.
Changes to appropriations: The McCarthy skeptics don’t want another omnibus spending bill rushed through. The changes proposed would allow for votes on each of the 12 yearly appropriations bills.
Super-PAC: The McCarthy-aligned leadership PAC has reached an agreement with the conservative Club for Growth to stay out of open Republican House primaries. In exchange, the Club for Growth has dropped its opposition to McCarthy’s speakership quest.
Will it work: No one knows.
Did Democrats get caught drinking on the House floor? This is from Jamie Dupree’s newsletter: Maybe the most bizarre moment of Wednesday was when Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) accused Democrats of drinking on the House floor. "They want us to fight each other," Cammack said of Democrats. "That much has been made clear by the popcorn, alcohol, and blankets that has come in over there."
Global Warming Fights Inflation & Saves The Economy
An unseasonably warm winter has driven natural gas prices to shockingly low levels helping households grappling with inflation. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine left the majority of fossil fuel analysts expecting sky-high natural gas prices for the foreseeable future. The news is perhaps most welcome in Europe which had suffered brutal supply cuts from Russia in retaliation for its support of Ukraine. Get the full story at The Wall Street Journal (paywall).
Mass Layoffs
Large rounds of layoffs have been announced at major companies around the world. Here are the four big ones:
Salesforce: 10% of its workforce
Amazon: 18,000 positions cut
Vimeo: 11% of its workforce
Goldman Sachs: 4,000 bankers cut
Here’s the paragraph that matters from Yahoo Finance: According to data tracker layoffs.fyi, tech companies have collectively laid off 153,678 workers last year. That’s more than roughly 80,000 layoffs in the sector at the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, underscoring that recent reductions are likely a consequence of hiring overzealously during the tech boom in 2021.
Americans For Prosperity
My friends at Americans for Prosperity hate dysfunctional government almost as much as I do. Unlike think tanks that produce esoteric term papers, Americans for Prosperity is focused on policy solutions that will directly improve people’s lives. They have the largest network of community activists in the country and need your help. Learn more at AmericansForProsperity.org/Erick
The rest of the news:
US job openings totaled 10.5 million in November, more than expected - CNN
Kennedy passes on Louisiana gubernatorial bid - Politico
Idaho murders: FBI directed Indiana police to pull over Bryan Kohberger, seeking video images of his hands - Yahoo
The GOP's institutionalized anarchy - Axios
Mexico arrests capo Ovidio Guzman, son of "El Chapo" - Yahoo
CVS and Walgreens plan to sell abortion pill mifepristone at pharmacies after FDA rule change - CNBC
Here’s where Americans will pay less in state taxes in 2023 - CNN
Putin orders cease fire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas - Reuters
Climate change puts more women at risk for domestic violence - The Washington Post (paywall)
Tweets that caught my eye: