POLITICO Nightly: The year that Covid created

By Tyler Weyant Presented by The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing A man carries a mask as he walks along Roosevelt Avenue in New York City. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images AFTERSHOCKS — Within three years of the first government-mandated shutdowns, polling suggested that Covid-19 and its aftermath had become one of the least important issues to Americans. By the time the 2024 election rolled around, it barely registered at all in surveys. But looking back at the past year in politics and policy — as well as culture — it seems clear that this was once again a year shaped and created by Covid. The latest example? Vermont’s recently re-elected Gov. Phil Scott was forced to cancel public appearances this week after testing positive for the virus. The culture we live in, our politics, our politicians, the way we think about our economic circumstances, and even our families are still reckoning with the aftershocks every day. Few people still think about fomites, R-naughts or vaccine trials anymore. Rather, It is the spirit of the pandemic and its response that has seeped into our lives and reordered them. Take a trip to the grocery store. Ask yourself, if you see that paper towels are in short supply as you roll your cart down the aisle, do you wonder about shortages more than you used to? Do you wonder about supply chain resilience? That March 2020 spirit begins to move back in, even if the shortage is simply a store issue. (Or maybe they are still understaffed, as they have been for a couple years? The grocery store basically becomes a choose-your-own-adventure of Covid themes.) The pandemic experience spawned an entire cohort of voters for whom opposition to vaccine mandates and government lockdowns is central to their political identities. While the country clearly says it doesn’t want to think about Covid anymore, the federal government plans to continue probing its after-effects. Many who decried Biden-era pandemic policy on everything from the operation of schools to vaccines and business restrictions will now occupy top governmental seats in the second Trump administration. Even our biggest recent cultural moments are indelibly marked by the stamp of Covid — an expression of the desire to memory-hole Covid with mass events that run counter to an era of masking and social distancing. The Olympics this summer were one such blockbuster event — in television ratings and cultural attention — in direct contrast to the previous two editions, which were each unofficially Covid-themed oddities. In the world of concerts, fans clearly wanted to return to arenas and stadiums; five of the 10 highest-grossing concert tours of all time took place at least partially in 2024 (headlined, of course, by Taylor Swift.) Need further confirmation? Take the Billboard Hot 100 list’s now co-longest running song, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song,” which begins: “My baby want a Birkin , she’s been tellin’ me all night long, Gasoline and groceries, the list goes on and on, This 9 to 5 ain’t workin’, why the hell do I work so hard?” Yes, for 19 weeks, a song that began with complaints about the high cost of groceries was the No. 1 song in the country. That pandemic-related inflation — the biggest issue for Americans in the 2024 election — was the result of economic conditions created directly by the Covid outbreak and the efforts of governments around the world to pull themselves out of a recession spiral. Politics, culture and economy aside, there are smaller signs of Covid’s lingering influence. When I moved to a new DC apartment this year, I was greeted by a lovely ornament outside my door: the floor’s hand sanitizer station. But upon attempting to use it, it appeared empty. And it has sat, empty, for months right there. America may be done thinking about the pandemic, but its scars won’t stop reminding us. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at tweyant@politico.com on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @tweyant .   A message from The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing: Big Pharma’s patent abuse drives up drug prices and blocks competition – costing patients and the U.S. health care system billions. Patent thickets protect profits, not innovation, and extend monopolies on blockbuster drugs while millions of Americans struggle to afford their medications. This year, the Senate unanimously passed Cornyn-Blumenthal, a bipartisan solution to curb these anti-competitive tactics. Time is running out – Congress must pass Cornyn-Blumenthal and deliver relief to patients before it’s too late. Learn more.   What'd I Miss? — Connolly wins vote to be top Oversight Democrat: Rep. Gerry Connolly cemented his victory as the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee , besting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a closed-door caucus vote this morning, according to two people in the room for the vote. On Monday, Connolly (D-Va.) won the recommendation of the powerful Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which oversees committee assignments. The caucus has generally followed the steering panel’s picks. Connolly, a veteran investigator, had launched his bid after current Oversight ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) launched a bid to become the top Judiciary Committee Democrat. — Kamala Harris urges supporters to ‘stay in the fight’: Vice President Kamala Harris today sought to rally Americans demoralized by her electoral loss , urging them to “stay in the fight” ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office. “In moments like this, the true test of our character is how resilient and persistent we are to pursue the future that we all can see,” she said in a speech to young voters in Maryland, in which she did not mention Trump by name. “Do we throw up our hands, or do we roll up our sleeves?” The appearance represented Harris’ first major public remarks since she conceded the November election. TRUMP TEMPER TANTRUM! — Trump sues Iowa pollster over survey that showed Harris ahead: President-elect Donald Trump is suing retired Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer over her pre-election survey that showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading in the state, calling it “brazen election interference.” The shock poll, which drew national attention given Selzer’s record of success in Iowa, proved incorrect: Trump won the state by more than 13 points. But that has not stopped the president-elect from claiming the poll was intended to manipulate the results of the election.   Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today .     THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION CHINA IS LEADING THE WORLD WITH CHEAP CLEAN ENERGY & THEY'RE PROSPERING - YOU CAN THANK TRUMP, REPUBLICANS & DIRTY ENERGY! TRUMP-PROOFING — The Biden administration released a long-awaited report today that could make it harder for the incoming administration to expand U.S. natural gas exports — the latest attempt by President Joe Biden’s agencies to Trump-proof his legacy. While the report from the Energy Department stops short of recommending the U.S. cap exports, as environmentalists had demanded, it recommended that regulators take a much stricter line in determining whether the United States’ soaring gas permits are benefiting or imperiling the national interest. That advice could give opponents of the growing trade a new tool to challenge any new liquefied natural gas plants that the energy industry seeks to build on President-elect Donald Trump’s watch. And it could hand Trump’s critics new legal tools to file challenges that frustrate his wishes. BROOKS AT HHS — President-elect Donald Trump has tapped John Brooks to lead his HHS landing team , three people familiar with the selection granted anonymity to discuss government transition efforts told POLITICO. The elevation of Brooks, a former senior Medicare official during Trump’s first term who went on to advise former HHS Secretary Alex Azar on drug pricing policy, lends policy heft to a Trump health team that has faced scrutiny over its top nominees’ lack of government experience. DONOR PERKS — Trump donor Andrew McKenna is a leading contender for secretary of the Air Force , according to three people close to the transition. McKenna, a private pilot who heads a small Washington advisory and investment firm, would be the latest of Trump’s picks to take on a top job at the Pentagon without significant experience inside the building. McKenna served in the White House Liaison’s office at the Agriculture Department during the George W. Bush administration before jumping into the private sector, according to a biography on his firm’s website.   A message from The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing:     AROUND THE WORLD A view of the blast scene, which killed leading Russian military officer Igor Kirillov and his assistant outside a residential building in Moscow today. | Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images THE WAR COMES TO MOSCOW — Ukrainian operatives killed a leading Russian military official in a bomb attack in Moscow today. Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, commander of the nuclear, biological and chemical forces of the Russian army, died in a blast as he was heading out of a residential block in Moscow, the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement. An explosive device was hidden in an electric scooter parked nearby. Kirillov’s aide also died in the attack, the investigative committee said, announcing a criminal investigation. Video footage obtained by POLITICO corroborates that version of events. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed responsibility for Kirillov’s murder, a Ukrainian law enforcement official told POLITICO after being granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic. excerpt:  A few hours before the attack, the SBU charged Kirillov in absentia for ordering the massive use of banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian army on the eastern and southern fronts of the battlefield. “Since the beginning of the full-scale war, following Kirillov’s orders, the Russian army used different types of banned chemical munitions against Ukraine more than 4,800 times,” the SBU said in a statement Monday. More than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been sent to hospitals with varying degrees of chemical poisoning since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.  “Russians use ammunition with poisonous substances in the form of discharges from FPV drones,” the SBU added, claiming the Kremlin's troops utilize chemical weapons to force Ukrainian soldiers to come out of their trenches and face direct fire. The United Kingdom sanctioned Kirillov for the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine in October. Besides using banned munitions, Kirillov also regularly spread disinformation about the U.S. and Ukraine preparing to use contaminated battle mosquitos against adversaries. “Since the begin A few hours be   Write your own chapter in the new Washington. From the Lame Duck Congress Series to New Administration insights, POLITICO Pro delivers intelligence across 22+ policy areas to help you anticipate and navigate change. Discover how a Pro subscription empowers you. Learn more today .     Nightly Number MAGA GOP AGAIN JEOPARDIZE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN! Over $100 billion The amount of emergency aid for disaster relief in the bipartisan deal that will push the government funding deadline to March 14, according to House Republicans briefed on the plan. Speaker Mike Johnson said text of the bill could be released Tuesday, and he is not promising to allow lawmakers a full 72 hours to review the measure ahead of passage, according to two people who attended the closed-door meeting. If the House passes the package toward the end of the week, it will land in the Senate just ahead of the Friday night government shutdown deadline. On that side of the Capitol, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said negotiations are still ongoing. Johnson: Bipartisan funding bill includes disaster relief "Obviously we’re getting closer to the Dec. 20 deadline, so time is of the essence for Republicans to reach an agreement with us that we can act on quickly," he said Tuesday morning. While a brief funding lapse is still possible, an agreement to fast-track final passage in the Senate is likely since lawmakers are eager to leave town for the holidays. The inclusion of a policy that would approve increased ethanol sales is a major win for Republicans in corn states, and a large group of GOP senators strongly backed the move, helping Midwest Republicans in the House push the measure into the package. But many House conservatives, who had urged Johnson to forgo the policy and overwhelmingly oppose ethanol subsidies, are livid about its inclusion. RADAR SWEEP GREEN SKIING — As the world grapples with climate change, ski resorts countries are investing in a green alternative — dry slope skiing. A ski resort that opened in Denmark in 2019 now has a 400m-long ski piste made with a synthetic surface that imitates snow, drawing tens of thousands of visitors. And dry slopes elsewhere around the world are growing in popularity, with over 1,000 in 50 countries — including one in Lynchburg, Virginia. Skiing purists still prefer fresh powder that dry slopes can’t accommodate. But as there’s less snow the world over and weather patterns become less predictable, alternatives are once again in vogue, after a short-lived brush with popularity in the UK in the 1970s. For the BBC, Wendy Helfenbaum explores how artificial ski slopes are making a comeback thanks to climate change. Parting Image On this date in 1979: President Jimmy Carter offers a toast to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during a State dinner in honor of Thatcher at the White House. | Dennis Cook/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   A message from The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing: Big Pharma’s patent abuse drives up drug prices and blocks competition – costing patients and the U.S. health care system billions. Patent thickets protect profits, not innovation, and extend monopolies on blockbuster drugs while millions of Americans struggle to afford their medications. This year, the Senate unanimously passed Cornyn-Blumenthal, a bipartisan solution to curb these anti-competitive tactics. Time is running out – Congress must pass Cornyn-Blumenthal and deliver relief to patients before it’s too late. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   Follow us

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Donald Trump GIVES UP and SURRENDERS to Michael Cohen like a COWARD

 

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OD Action is now atAdvocacy!

Today’s Action: Support Temple graduate students on strike!

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100,000 Ukrainian civilian deaths: Shocking toll of Putin’s bloody invasion one year later

Daily Dose of Democracy:

Trump, FBI director can be deposed in lawsuit from ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok, judge rules
The disgraced ex-president has found himself dragged into yet another lawsuit, this time by one of his favorite punching bags, ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok. Strzok was infamously fired from the FBI at Trump's behest after the former agent's text messages were leaked and found to contain criticism of the then-president. Strzok is suing over his dismissal, and it looks like ole Donny — who never passes up a chance to rip on Strzok at his rallies — is going to have to go under oath yet again over this obviously retaliatory firing.

Take Action: Disbar the 15 state attorneys general who dispute the 2020 election!

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Gloves off: Buttigieg finally attacks Trump in must-see takedown
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, where he publicly called out the disgraced ex-president and the GOP for their decades-long push to weaken rail safety regulations.

Take Action: Tell Congress to overturn Citizens United!

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Lauren Boebert gets bad news in Colorado
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Wow.

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A Norfolk Southern policy lets officials order crews to ignore safety alerts
As the nation grapples with the fallout from the disastrous East Palestine train derailment, ProPublica has discovered that ignoring safety concerns is official Norfolk Southern policy. Norfolk Southern allows a monitoring team to instruct crews to ignore alerts from train track sensors designed to flag potential mechanical problems. While investigators are still looking into whether this played a role in the East Palestine derailment, it directly led to an earlier derailment near Cleveland that poured paraffin wax — which is thankfully nonhazardous — into the town of Sandusky. In that incident, the monitoring team ignored worker warnings and ordered the train to continue rather than take a one-hour delay. The train jumped the tracks four miles later.

Take Action: Tell the Senate to confirm Biden's judges ASAP!

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Lawyer argues fetus of jailed pregnant woman is being illegally detained
A clever lawyer is throwing Republicans' own deeply flawed, incoherent arguments back in their faces in order to get a pregnant client out of jail. Attorney William M. Norris argued that, since the Florida Constitution says a fetus is a person, the state is subjecting his client's baby to "unlawful and illegal detention” since it has not been charged with any crimes. Norris also alleges that his pregnant client has not received OBGYN care in four months, and the state is failing to provide the mother-to-be with adequate prenatal nutrition or medical care. Folks, this should not come as a suprise. The GOP's obsession with banning abortion care isn't about the welfare of unborn fetuses — it's about controlling women's bodies.

Take Action: Tell Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment ASAP!

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Half the country experiencing summer temps while a blizzard warning looms in California
Over one million people have lost power as a brutal blizzard swirls through half the country, while the other half enjoys unheard-of summertime temps. Great Lakes ice coverage is only at 7% instead of the usual 30% for this time of year, while there's a blizzard warning in Los Angeles for the first time in decades. This seems...bad. Almost as if...the climate is changing and we're not doing anything about it.

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Family files lawsuit after Colorado police kill unarmed man at point-blank range in middle school pickup line
Prepare to tear your hair out in fury. Last February, a 32-year-old man waiting in a carpool line with his mother mistakenly opened the door of another car while waiting tp pick up his brother from school. Minutes later, a Pueblo County sheriff's deputy dragged the young man out of his own car, shot him three times at point-blank range, let him bleed out on the ground, and THEN ARRESTED HIS MOTHER AND SEIZED HER PROPERTY. The District Attorney's office bought the responding officers' bullshit excuse that they felt they were in danger and justified their killing of an innocent man in front of a school of children, a decision that let both officers return to their jobs just days later. Bodycam footage of the horrific incident was withheld from the public for a full year. This is everything that's wrong with American policing.

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Subscribe to Brian Tyler Cohen’s YouTube channel
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: With indictments against Trump now “imminent,” make sure to subscribe to Brian Tyler Cohen’s YouTube channel to the latest news and analysis as soon as it breaks. Subscribe here.

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US frees two Pakistani brothers held for almost 20 years without charges at Guantanamo Bay
The United States has finallly repatriated two brothers to their native Pakistan after holding them for almost two decades in military prison without charges. Abdul Rabbani, 55, and Mohammed Rabbani, 53, were arrested by Pakistani authorities in their home city of Karachi in 2002 before swiftly being transferred to US custody for allegedly operating al-Qaida safe houses.

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Man charged with eating two bags of stolen chips
In the latest example of the complete absurdity of the American "justice" system, a Tennessee man, who is of course Black, was arrested and charged for picking up and eating $5 worth of chips that fell to the ground after ANOTHER person stole a display of snacks from a nearby convenience store. Seems like a good use of public resources.

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DOJ pressured to investigate 100+ West Virginia jail deaths
Activists with the Poor People's Campaign and relatives of some of the 13 inmates who died at West Virginia's Southern Regional Jail last year held a press conference Thursday to implore the Biden administration to investigate conditions at the notorious lockup, as well as the deaths of more than 100 prisoners in the state during the last 10 years.

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The 9-question survey many doctors use to diagnose depression was actually created by an antidepressant manufacturer
It turns out that a Zoloft marketer who worked for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer wrote the nine-question test that many doctors use to diagnose depression. The test was designed specifically to be answered in a 15-minute doctor's visit — and then used to justify prescribing anti-depressants, which of course puts money right back in the pockets of Big Pharma's vampiric executives. Why this test has been used to diagnose serious mental issues and prescribe powerful brain-changing drugs for so long is beyond comprehension. It also raises serious questions about the overprescription of drugs in America in general.

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For the union makes us strong!

Toyota accepts union demands for biggest wage hike in two decades

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Omaha teachers union approves new contract, secures $7200 base pay raise

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Dispatches from the GOP's war on trans people

Texas bill would ban nearly all gender-affirming care, including for trans adults

North Dakota lawmakers advance another round of anti-trans bills

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Kansas House debate on latest installment of trans athlete ban produces laughter and name calling

Nebraska heartbeat, trans youth bills moving to Legislature floor for debate

Hope...

First look at Ryugu asteroid sample reveals it is organic-rich

Russia successfully launches "lifeboat" mission to the ISS

Scientists record first-ever brain waves from freely moving octopuses

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Today’s Action: Support Temple graduate students on strike!

Temple University recently revoked tuition remission for the entire semester in response to graduate students striking for better pay and benefits. University officials aren’t even trying to hide their union-busting scheme — they sent a rather straightforward email identifying the strike as the sole reason for the tuition removal. Furthermore, they notified students that the full semester tuition woud be due by March 9th or students would be subject to $100 late fees.

It’s ironic that the union’s call for adequate pay was met with more explicit greed from the university. At the bargaining table, the university continued pressuring students to accept an inferior contract that would conveniently keep their yearly pay below the annual cost of living in Philadelphia. 80% of the union rightfully rejected the woeful terms, which means their strike will continue.

Temple University graduate students need our support! Donate to the Temple Strike Fund and spread the word with their social media toolkit! Amplify their (more than) reasonable demands for a living wage, healthcare for families and dependents, longer parental and bereavement leave, and better working conditions today!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition to call for the judge to rule that Fox News defamed Dominion and Smartmatic, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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