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WASHINGTON Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind. joined House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) and 83 House Republicans to introduce the Keystone XL Pipeline Construction and Jobs Preservation Act. This legislation authorizes the construction and operation of the Keystone XL Pipeline following President Joe Bidens decision to rescind the border crossing permit.

The Biden Administrations decision to rescind this permit negatively impacts hardworking American families in our district and beyond. Pipelines like the Keystone XL Pipeline remain the safest and most environmentally friendly way to move fuel to heat our homes, float our ships, and power our cars. Canceling this pipeline has already cost thousands of working Americans their jobs. First, the liberal agenda goes after the Keystone XL Pipeline, but next theyll attack the over 44,000 miles of pipelines Hoosiers rely on in the Crossroads of America, Pence said in a statement.

Pence also joined Scalise and more than 30 members of the House Energy Action Team to strongly condemn the Biden administrations 60-day moratorium on issuing oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters.

For more on this story, see Thursdays Republic.

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Pence joins House Republicans in seeking to restore Keystone XL Pipeline project - The Republic

Warning: Disturbing stuff ahead.

Theres a conspiracy theory called Frazzledrip. Even for QAnon types, its pretty fringe, which is saying something. Recall that the central belief in Q-world is that theres a secret cabal of Satan-worshiping, sex-trafficking pedophiles running the government.

Frazzledrip is worse. It is the name of an imagined video of a young girl on Huma Abedins laptop in a folder labeled life insurance. Abedin, the ex-wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner, was an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

According to Vice, the nonexistent video shows Clinton filleting off the young girls face. The two women take turns wearing the girls face as a mask to terrify the child so blood is suffused with adrenochrome. They drink her blood as part of a satanic ritual.

Oh, Frazzledrip also believes Clinton murdered New York City police officers who saw the video and covered up their deaths as suicides.

Now, you dont have to be a Clinton fan Im certainly not to recognize this garbage as evil and insane. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon-friendly Republican representative from Georgia, disagrees. She endorsed the theory on her Facebook page in 2018.

Greene has spread other wicked stuff: Mass school shootings were false flag operations, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be shot for treason. Etc.

And yet, to listen to some Republicans, it would be too divisive to excommunicate Greene or other QAnon-aligned Republicans because the party must unify.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy plans to have a conversation with Greene. Hes under pressure to at least take her off the Education Committee, but some Republicans fear he wont even go that far because, Politico reports, Greene represents an energetic wing of the party and hell feel he cant afford to risk punishing one of Trumps favored office-holders.

The Hawaii GOP recently tweeted out support for QAnon, saying it was largely motivated by a sincere and deep love for America. When newly elected Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) appeared on a QAnon streaming site, the National Republican Congressional Committee responded to criticism by noting his opponent appeared on Russia conspiracy network MSNBC.

Meanwhile, these same people think real heretics in need of canceling are Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and nine other Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, who reportedly said that QAnon just believes in good government. Various state parties have moved to censure Cheney and others for supporting impeachment.

So, in the name of fighting cancel culture, Republicans who condemned a president who tried to topple the Constitution to hold power must now be canceled yet Republicans who think Clinton drinks the blood of children must not be canceled or even criticized in the name of conscience.

Indeed, QAnon is being recast into a kind of oppressed religious minority with an inalienable right to its beliefs and any attempt to curtail it would put America on a slippery slope to tyranny.

Tucker Carlson, a prime-time host at Fox News (where I am a contributor), recently ran a long montage of pundits not politicians fretting over QAnons influence. After mocking them for making such a fuss, Carlson declared, Theres a clear line between democracy and tyranny, between self-government and dictatorship. And heres what that line is. That line is your conscience. They cannot cross that.

Government has every right to tell you what to do, Carlson said, citing things like laws against rape, murder and jaywalking. But, he insisted, No democratic government can ever tell you what to think. Your mind belongs to you. It is yours and yours alone.

Once politicians attempt to control what you believe, he continued, they are no longer politicians. They are by definition dictators. And if they succeed in controlling what you believe you are no longer a citizen, you are not a free man, you are a slave.

This is all nonsense.

Sure, the government can police behavior like rape and murder. But it doesnt have every right to tell you what to do. See the Bill of Rights or, for that matter, conservative objections to the individual healthcare mandate.

Sure, government cant make you violate your conscience (if your conscience says you should rape or murder, youre out of luck, though). But government can and should try to make you believe some things. It should try to convince you that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and necessary. It can tell you the correct date of election day.

This isnt dictatorial by any definition. Its telling the truth, and truth-telling is supposed to be the first obligation of both politicians and pundits, because democracy doesnt work without the truth. And neither will the GOP.

@JonahDispatch

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Column: Where QAnon goes, so goes the Republican Party - Los Angeles Times

Biden wants $1.9 trillion. Republicans want a lot less. POLITICOs Victoria Guida breaks down what would really save the Covid economy and why we shouldnt care too much about the price tag for now.

In the spirit of bipartisanship and unity, we have developed a COVID-19 relief framework that builds on prior COVID assistance laws, all of which passed with bipartisan support, the senators wrote to Biden. We request the opportunity to meet with you to discuss our proposal in greater detail and how we can work together to meet the needs of the American people during this persistent pandemic.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a member of the group, estimated the legislation would cost roughly $600 billion. Senate Republicans contend there are hundreds of billions of dollars left over from previous bills, undercutting the need for the amount proposed by Biden.

"If you want unity, you want bipartisanship, you ought to start with the group that's willing to work together," Cassidy said on "Fox News Sunday." "They did not."

The letter is a clear attempt to head off Democratic efforts to pursue budget reconciliation as the pathway to the next round of coronavirus aid. This week, Democrats in both chambers are planning to pass budget resolutions allowing the party to approve Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan without GOP votes. That tactic, called budget reconciliation, would allow Democrats and Biden to move more quickly than trying to cut a deal with Republicans that can get 60 votes.

Noting the failings of the government response to the last economic crisis in 2009 and the GOP reluctance to spend money, White House officials and Democratic senators contend that the biggest risk at the moment is not going big enough.

Biden "is absolutely willing to negotiate," said Jared Bernstein, a top Biden economic adviser, on "Fox News Sunday." But, he added: "The cost of inaction is extremely high."

Still, that path has little room for error: All 50 Senate Democrats would need to be on board, and House leaders could afford few defections. And Republicans in a bipartisan negotiating group have urged Biden to squash the effort to move forward without them, though Democrats are skeptical they will ever come on board with the large spending plan they say is needed to revive the economy.

Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, spoke to the Senate Democratic Caucus last week and has been engaged directly with members of both parties. He said on NBC's "Meet the Press" he would continue doing that and that the president's open to compromise: "What he's uncompromising about is the need to move with speed on a comprehensive approach here."

The Republican senators will release more details of their plan Monday, according to a Republican aide. Sundays letter indicated the proposal will also extend unemployment benefits that expire in March, match Bidens request for nutrition assistance and send a new round of payments to those families who need assistance the most, including their dependent children and adults. It will also address child care, small business aid and school funding.

Republicans and some Democrats have complained that high-earning people would be eligible for the next round of $1,400 payments under Biden's plan. And no Republicans have indicated even tepid support for Bidens $1.9 trillion top-line spending number. Thats led Pelosi and Schumer to say they will move forward if Republicans are an obstacle to their plan.

In addition to Collins and Cassidy, the letter was signed by GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Todd Young of Indiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Mike Rounds of South Dakota. They say that if Biden is willing to hear them out, Congress doesnt have to pass a partisan coronavirus bill.

In 2020, members of the House and Senate and the previous administration came together on a bipartisan basis five times, they wrote on Sunday. With your support, we believe Congress can once again craft a relief package that will provide meaningful, effective assistance to the American people and set us on a path to recovery.

See the rest here:
Biden agrees to meeting with GOP senators on Covid relief - POLITICO

Doug Livingston|Akron Beacon Journal

Republican Mike Rasor is looking again to get back into public office with an announcement Wednesday that hell run for clerk of courts in Stow.

The Stow Municipal Clerk of Courts race is unique in that the political parties hold primaries in May for candidates who run without party labels on the general election ballot in November. Tom Bevan, chair of the Summit County Democratic Party, said hes unaware of any fellow Democrats challenging incumbent Amber Zibritosky in the May 4 primary.

Zibritosky was appointed to the position in 2019. She held the seat by defeating three opponents that fall, including Republican Jeff Iula.

After reaching the term limiton Stow City Council, Rasor narrowly lost a 2018 statehouse race against Democrat Casey Weinstein and gathered 44% of the vote in his 2020 loss toSandra Kurt, who held her seat as Summit County Clerk of Courts.

The Stow Municipal Court serves 330,000 residents from 16 northern Summit County communities including: Boston Heights, Boston Township, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Macedonia, Munroe Falls, Northfield, Northfield Center Township, Peninsula, Reminderville, Sagamore Hills, Silver Lake, Stow, Tallmadge, Twinsburg, and Twinsburg Township.

In announcing his candidacy hours before the 4 p.m.Feb. 3 filing deadline, Rasor touted his record as a fiscal conservative, saying he served as president of Stow City Council during a time when debt fell, funding for roads and police increased,and no new taxes were passed.

For 10 years, I had the humbling opportunity to serve my community on Stow City Council, Rasor said in his emailed statement. We made the government competent, fiscally conservative, and accountable to residents. I will take these same goals to the Clerks office.

Stow municipal clerks serve six-year terms.

Nonpartisans who plan to run against Zibritosky or Rasor must turn in petition signatures by May 3, the day before the partisan primaries.

Summit County Republican Party Chair Bryan Williams has said he is hoping to see fewer candidates in the general election, blaming the crowded field in 2019 for syphoning votes away from Iula, a Republican on Cuyahoga Falls City Council.

Williams is trying to strike a deal to give Rasor a better chance in thegeneral election by settling an old feud between the party andJudge Kim Hoover, an independent who wields influence at theStow Municipal Court. In the past, Hoover has supported candidates who've run against Republicans for the clerk of courts race.

Williams is lobbying the governor to appointHoover's daughter, family law attorney Corinne Hoover Six,as the next Summit County Domestic Relations judge. Gov. Mike DeWine has yet to announce his pick for the one seat in the domestic relations court, where the judgeships are now controlledby theRepublican Party.

Reach reporter Doug Livingston at dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3792.

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Mike Rasor runs in second clerk of courts race in as many years - Akron Beacon Journal

Former first lady Michelle Obamas winter CSA came courtesy of current first lady Jill Biden and the White House garden,which Obama originally planted. Obama posted a picture of the basket on Instagram, writing, So thankful for this beautiful care package from our amazing @FLOTUS! These fresh veggies from the White House Kitchen Garden were such a wonderfuland delicioussurprise. Love you, Jill! To which, Jill, who shares her husbands gentle corniness, responded, Food is love.

One can read this as a clear statement on Bidens part, just as Obamas choice to build the garden was a clearstatement. The former first lady broke ground on the garden in 2009, and at the time the symbolism wasnt subtle: She believed buying local and organically grown food, with less of a reliance on industrialfarming, would make for healthier Americans. To that end, the first lady chose to grow vegetables, which hadnt been done at scale at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt tended her victory garden.

It was a deeply intentional project, and Obama published a book in 2012,American Grown,in which she explained every choice made. She said she wanted it to be a learning garden, where children could plant seeds and come back and see the literal fruits of their labor, as well as a statement on childhood nutrition.

As both a mother and a first lady, I was alarmed about reports of skyrocketing childhood obesity rates and the dire consequences for our childrens health, she wrote. And I hoped this garden would begin a conversation about this issuea conversation about the food we eat, the lives we lead, and how all of that affects our children.

It certainly started a conversation, though not the one she intended. The gardenand what it represented (namely, the2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act)became a conservative talking point, able to fill minutes of airtime with gleeful bad faith arguments that, looking back, seem as quaint as a tan suit. The argument at the time? Vegetables are elitist (really, it was that Obamas efforts to improve school lunches threatened industrial agricultures bottom line).

So when Trump won the election, all eyes, or at least some eyes, were on the garden. Ann Coulter even tweeted in 2016: I respectfully suggest a new name for Michelles White House vegetable garden: Putting green.

Melania Trump instead chose to quietly-ish maintain the garden that Michelle built. That equivocating mirrors the equivocating on the part of the first lady at the time, which we grew used to over the past four years. She could have easily taken steamroll to it and put upI dont knowa cold, modern sculpture garden. Would have been cool! But a lot less nutritious.

Instead Melania chose to publicly harvest the vegetables that the Obamas planted, and also add cement reinforcements to help make the garden permanent.It was one of the first things she did once at the White House in 2017. Im a big believer in healthy eatingit encourages a healthy mind and body, the first lady told the children gathered around her at the event, all from a local Boys and Girls Club.Was the event in and of itself a sign that she would try to continue Obamas school lunch efforts or otherwise promote some food policy at all? No, there was never any legislation support or lobbying or even another day in which she hosted children at the garden after that. Where there was explicit intentionality before, here therewere just some simple platitudes and a lot of guesswork. Most people focused on the$1,380 Balmain top she chose to garden in, anyway. No conservative pundits managed to rail against elitism on that one.

So now the garden is back front and center, via a care package from one first lady to another, posted for all to see on Instagram. Its a signal that Obamas efforts are at least approved of in Jills East Wing, and bodes well for the support of small farms or school lunch effortsthough what, exactly, support of the garden materially means will have to be seen.

Its something of a lovely image of continuity beyond that too: The vegetables were planted during the Trump administration. Even though Melania chose not to advertiseit, beyond that 2017 photo-call, someone kept planting.At least we have the peaceful transfer of vegetables.

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From Michelle to Melania to Jill: At Least the White House Garden Experienced a Peaceful Transfer of Power - Vanity Fair