1. Today is the second anniversary of a violent insurrection against the United States government. As the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol explained, Former President Donald J. Trump and his allies planned this attack against our Constitution in order to prevent the peaceful transfer of power for the first time since the Civil War. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Will Bunch urges us to see the connection between the events of that day to the still incomplete Speaker of the House election. He writes, “In an alternate timeline, the news in this foggy first week of the new year might be dominated by anniversary journalism, about what we’ve learned since the shock of Jan. 6, 2021, to prevent something like that from ever happening again. Instead, America is again transfixed by utter chaos echoing across those exact same marble corridors of the U.S. Capitol. The only difference is that in this new national horror show, the calls are coming from inside the House. We can’t move on, let alone learn, from 2021′s insurrection when that uprising — crippling our government in the name of celebrity fascism — never ended.”
2 yrs ago: Jan 6, 5:04pm, I took this photo of law enforcement using flash bang grenades & tear gas on a violent mob trying to break into the U.S. Capitol. It was hr 4 in my gas mask, helmet & bulletproof vest photographing hand-to-hand combat between police & U.S. citizens. 1/9
— Leah Millis (@LeahMillis) 12:34 PM ∙ Jan 6, 2023
2. The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday proposed a rule prohibiting employers from imposing noncompete clauses on their workers. The FTC estimates this rule would help 30 million Americans and increase wages by nearly $300 billion annually. President Biden has been critical of noncompete clauses for decades, and he issued an executive order last July encouraging the FTC to curtail their use. Semafor’s Jordan Weissmann noted how important this action could be: “With all due respect to Kevin McCarthy’s wild odyssey to become speaker, this might actually be the most consequential thing that happens in Washington today. The action will either change the face of labor rights or lay the groundwork for a high-stakes showdown over the FTC’s power to shape the rules of antitrust.” Weissmann explains that the issue will likely end up in court, with representatives of the business lobby announcing their opposition to the FTC’s action. Initially reserved for executives, criticism of noncompete clauses rose when it became apparent that many hourly workers—infamously including Jimmy John’s sandwich makers—were subject to them. This proposed rule is the kind of significant policy decision liberals hoped to see from FTC Chair Lina Khan.
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3. James Fallows, the journalist and one-time presidential speech writer, highlights another outstanding speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his Breaking the News Substack. Fallows writes, “Two weeks ago I wrote about the remarkable care and eloquence of Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. Four days ago, on New Year’s Eve, Zelensky released a 17-minute video presentation, so exactly timed that he ended with “Happy New Year” greetings a few seconds before the clock reached midnight in his home country.” Fallows analyzes the English version of Zelenskyy’s speech, noting how his use of language, stagecraft, and skill as an orator again rises to the moment. Fallows writes, “Is this acting? Yes. Franklin Roosevelt was acting when he looked jaunty and confident while unable to walk and in severe pain. Theodore Roosevelt was acting when he gave a speech in Milwaukee in 1912 just after being shot in the chest. Performance consistent with values is admirable rather than meretricious. This was very well staged.” Such skill is a crucial quality for a wartime leader.
4. Jessica Valenti at Abortion, Every Day recaps the news from across the country regarding reproductive freedom and sexual and reproductive health care. There is good news to share as South Carolina’s Supreme Court rules that the state’s abortion ban is unconstitutional. We also learn that CVS and Walgreens will carry and sell abortion medication under the new FDA regulations. Valenti also covers the proposals for additional restrictions discussed in Utah, Nebraska, and Georgia.
5. Puck’s Tina Nguyen has some of the best sources among MAGA Republicans. In McCarthy’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold (gift article), Nguyen dives into what is happening behind the scenes as Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) loses vote after vote in his quest to become Speaker of the House. I don’t see how this ends well for him because, for the 20 Republicans who oppose McCarthy, this is personal. As Nguyen writes, “But the night before Thursday’s vote, the strategist close to the 20 predicted that these concessions would do nothing to change the bloc’s position. “Some of the members of the 20 are in a position now where, in order for the history books to show that they did anything, [the speaker] has to be another person. And that’s why I think that the rules, concessions and stuff has not really changed any of the dynamics.” The 20 do not trust him because they believe McCarthy lacks any strong political beliefs, financially supported moderate candidates in the primaries, didn’t help certain MAGA candidates in the general election, and initially criticized former President Trump after the insurrection. So, according to Nguyen, we shouldn’t expect a resolution soon unless McCarthy steps down. She writes, “For now, according to my conversations with allies of the 20, they’re dug in for the long haul. “It could go to next week. It could go to the week after,” a source with knowledge of the negotiations told me last night, seeming to enjoy the unfolding drama. “We’ll figure it out. We’re having fun. (emphasis added)” And I am glad that Twitter’s Allwftopic reminded us that it isn’t just the MAGA 20 who are responsible for what is happening: “All the Republicans are responsible for this madness. Republicans who gerrymandered districts for MAGA Republicans, Republicans controlled Supreme Court who helped them gerrymander those districts for MAGA Republicans, and McCarthy for jumping in bed with these MAGA Republicans.”
Quick Pitches:
The FBI has increased the reward for information about the pipe bombs placed near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters the night before the January 6 insurrection. Why did it take this long? (Kelly Hooper, Politico)
The ongoing U.S. Speaker of the House election provides an excellent excuse to remember the shenanigans involving the California Assembly Speaker nearly 30 years ago. Willie Brown made surprising things happen. (Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register)
Who are the most underrated players in Major League history? Joe Posnanski creates a formula to try to answer this difficult question. A few of them deserve to the in the Hall of Fame. (Joe Posnanski, Joe Blogs)
Over 20 trillion gallons of water are expected to fall across California over the next 2 weeks.
That’s enough water to cover a flat surface the size of California in over half a foot of water.
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) 7:00 PM ∙ Jan 5, 2023
Today’s Thought:
“History can be erased in ways other than by force of arms. It can be erased by accumulated myth. It can be erased by layer after layer of stony denial. And it can be erased by popular consensus, tacit or otherwise. But history erased is history weaponized, and it will have its day, one way or the other, until it is accorded the respect it is due.”—Charles P. Pierce.
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