News Roundup: Democrats to Use January 6 Anniversary to Lobby Manchin and Sinema on Filibuster Changes

BY JACK CROWE

January 03, 2022

Good morning and welcome to the News Editor's Roundup, a weekly newsletter that will ensure you're up to date on the developments in politics, business, and culture that will shape the week's news cycle — as well as those that might escape mainstream attention.

Democrats to Use January 6 Anniversary to Lobby Manchin and Sinema on Filibuster Changes

Democrats are resuming their push to change Senate filibuster rules in the hope of passing elections legislation, and they plan to use the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot to win over two hold outs, Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

Party leaders are hopeful that they can sway the two moderates by arguing both publicly and privately that the riot set off a sustained Republican effort to erode voting rights in state capitals across the country, Politico reported Monday.

Senate Democrats and activists have floated several proposals for rule changes, including eliminating the 60-vote threshold needed to open debate on the Senate floor while retaining that threshold to close debate, or imposing time limits on debate and amendment votes, the Wall Street Journal reported. A separate proposal would require at least 41 Senators to be present in person to block a vote on a bill, instead of setting a 60-vote threshold to proceed to a vote.

Fauci Floats Covid Testing Requirement to End Quarantine Despite Test Shortage

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may recommend that people infected with Covid-19 get tested before leaving isolation after five days, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday.

The CDC reduced the recommended isolation period for people who test positive for Covid from ten to five days on December 27. That change was "motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness," according to a CDC statement.

However, Fauci noted that after pushback from some public health officials, the CDC may add a testing recommendation before infected individuals can emerge from isolation.

"You're right, there has been some concern about why we don't ask people at that five-day period to get tested," Fauci told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week on Sunday. "That is something that is now under consideration…. I think we're going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC."

AOC Spotted in Miami Beach as NYC Reports Record Covid Cases

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was spotted dining in Miami Beach, Fla., on Thursday, according to a tip received by National Review, on the same day that her native New York City reported a record number of Covid-19 cases.

Photos obtained by National Review show Ocasio-Cortez seated outside Doraku Sushi and Izakaya in Miami Beach Thursday afternoon, raising a cocktail in one and checking her phone in another.

South Africa Says Its Omicron Wave Has Likely Peaked

South Africa lifted a Covid-19-related curfew on Thursday as officials believe the fourth Covid-19 wave driven by the Omicron variant has receded, a cabinet statement announced.

The South African cabinet statement noted there was only a "marginal increase" in fatalities, as deaths remained low compared to previous surges.

The announcement comes as the number of cases fell by roughly 30 percent to just under 90,000 for the week ending on December 25, down from roughly 127,000 in the prior corresponding period, government data obtained by the Washington Post show.

Cook Report Projects GOP as Favorite to Win House Majority

The Cook Political Report released several ratings on Thursday showing the GOP as the clear favorite to take control of the U.S. House in the 2022 midterms.

Three Democratic-held districts have fallen into the "lean Republican column," while another two are in the "likely Republican" column. Meanwhile, just one Republican-held district currently leans toward Democrats.

The nonpartisan outlet dedicated to analyzing and predicting elections published projections showing that Democrats will be forced to defend eight toss-up districts across seven states, with Republicans needing to defend just six toss-up seats in four states.

John Roberts Affirms Judicial Independence from 'Inappropriate Political Influence' ahead of 2022 Docket

Chief Justice John Roberts affirmed the independence of the judiciary from "inappropriate political influence" ahead of the Supreme Court's review of major cases on the 2022 docket.

In a report released Friday, Roberts recounted the political drama of the last year that he suggested threatened the integrity of the high court, as well as the nation's 107 district and appeals courts.

"Decisional independence is essential to due process, promoting impartial decision-making, free from political or other extraneous influence," Roberts said. "The Judiciary's power to manage its internal affairs insulates courts from inappropriate political influence and is crucial to preserving public trust in its work as a separate and co-equal branch of government."

Teachers' Advocacy Group Demands Pause on In-Person Learning due to Omicron Wave

Teachers' advocacy organization National Educators United is demanding a pause to in-person learning due to the Omicron wave spreading across the school districts.

NEU describes itself as an ally of national teachers' unions such as the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, which were both instrumental in influencing CDC guidelines to favor school closures or more stringent school Covid-19 restrictions.

In a Twitter post from Friday, the group said: "Recklessly opening school buildings right now instead of working to reduce community transmission is, once again, needlessly putting millions of lives at risk. National #2weeks pause NOW to #ProtectOurCommunity Let's #Unite4SafeSchools."

Ron DeSantis Was Joining Wife at Cancer Treatments as AOC Accused Him of Going 'Missing'

Florida Republican governor Ron DeSantis cared for his wife as she underwent cancer treatment while left-wing media pundits accused him of vacationing and neglecting his duties amid a Covid-19 surge.

The governor reportedly accompanied his wife Casey to medical appointments for breast cancer on December 29 as critics claimed he had abandoned his post, DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw told Fox News.