THE SHOW NOTES: Where Does the GOP Stand Now?
Welcome! Hunter Biden finally admits infamous laptop is his.
NEW: Biden economic adviser Brian Deese to step down this month - Fox News
BREAKING: The Justice Department is planning to search Mike Pence’s home for additional classified documents. - WSJ (paywall)
The Show Notes is my blueprint for radio but is only for subscribers. You can subscribe and listen here. The show starts now.
Clip of the day: Ouch…
NEW:
2024: On The Fence
A surprising number of potential Republican candidates are on the fence or sitting out 2024. With Nikki Haley and Donald Trump being the only two announced candidates, the field sits at a historically small size relative to recent cycles.
Two-man race: A growing consensus of Republican consultants claim the size of the field has more to do with DeSantis than Trump. This is from Politico:
“They don’t have a Trump problem, they have a DeSantis problem,” explains Scott Jennings, a GOP strategist, of the potential field. “It’s going to be hard fighting for the other 60 to 70 percent of the vote [not going to Trump] when another guy could get 90 percent of it.”
DeSantis has, thanks to Covid and his ubiquity on right-wing media, become a “national conservative celebrity,” said Jennings, and the other would-be contenders are not likely to claim that status “by giving a bunch of speeches.”
Related: Eager to Challenge Trump, Republicans Aren’t So Eager to Be the First - The New York Times (paywall)
Semi-related: DeSantis to Rick Scott: Get your 'house in order' - Politico
“Don’t Worry About Your Gas Stoves” They Said
Gas stoves are coming under fresh scrutiny from a second government agency. The Energy Department submitted a proposal that would limit the energy consumption gas stoves would be allowed to use in order to fight climate change. Read the full story at Bloomberg.
Why this matters: After the Consumer Product Safety Commission suggested a total ban on gas stoves, progressives said that conservatives were overreacting and claimed no government entity was coming after gas stoves.
Pelosi Backs Schiff
Nancy Pelosi has decided to Back Adam Schiff for Senate assuming the 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein doesn’t run. The news is significant as Pelosi snubbed Katie Porter, a younger more progressive candidate. Full story at The Washington Post.
The Hike
The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates by the smallest margin in almost a full calendar year with Powell claiming there may still be some pain ahead. “I’m not going to try to persuade people to have a different forecast, but our forecast is that it will take some time and some patience, and that we’ll need to keep rates higher for longer.”
Despite Powell’s warning, markets continued their upward trajectory in 2023 as inflation fell to 6.5% in December from 9.1% in June.
The quote that matters from The Wall Street Journal: “The market’s big comeback in January is indicative of one thing: Investors don’t believe the Federal Reserve is going to keep interest rates high for long.”
The rest of the news:
Many Georgia Republicans want no part of Trump’s comeback - AJC
McCarthy: We can find 'common ground' with Biden over U.S. debt ceiling - Reuters
Ugandan man with 102 children, 12 wives admits he has been ‘irresponsible’ - South China Morning Post
US to widen military presence in Philippines amid China fear - AP News
Trump forfeits his vaccine success to attack DeSantis - The Spectator
America’s war on words - The Spectator
Missouri Democrat Debuts Southern Accent After Launching Senate Bid - Free Beacon
Big Tech Layoffs Are Hitting Diversity and Inclusion Jobs Hard - Bloomberg (paywall)
Inclusive or Alienating? The Language Wars Go On - NYT (paywall)
Tweets that caught my eye: