The Daily Roundup: January 29

As news of Donald Trump’s latest attempt at subverting the election results dominates the airwaves, I felt it necessary to conduct a brief review of some facts. 1) When asked about their voting preferences, Americans routinely told pollsters that they intended to vote for Biden over Trump. At the time…

Politics MANCHIN, COLLINS, AND ROMNEY TO OPPOSE OMB NOMINEE NEERA TANDEN Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced on Friday that he would oppose Neera Tanden’s nomination for director of the Office of Management and Budget. Manchin’s announcement was followed by similar declarations on Monday from Sens. Susan Collins and Mitt Romney,…

Curating the day’s top stories so you don’t have to. 1. Coronavirus by the numbers: 5.9 million: Number of Americans who have received one of the two coronavirus vaccines 365,400: Number of coronavirus deaths in the United States 4,112: Number of coronavirus deaths yesterday, marking a new record high With…

JUDGE BLOCKS 100-DAY DEPORTATION MORATORIUM A federal judge in Texas temporarily halted Joe Biden’s 100-day moratorium on deportations, after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against the administration last week. In his order, Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton expressed his belief that Texas was likely to succeed on…

Curating the day’s top stories so you don’t have to. 1. An Indonesian jetliner crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday with 62 people on board. The Boeing 737-500 lost 10,000 feet of altitude in less than a minute, losing radar contact four minutes after takeoff amidst heavy rain. It…

Joe Biden recommitted the United States to the Paris climate accord on Wednesday in one of his first official moves as president. The order attracted the praise of world leaders and climate hawks alike but drew criticism from some Republicans in Congress. Sen. Marsha Blackburn said that the decision would…

Last week was a big week for both the House and the Senate, as the two chambers each passed legislation with significant implications. Below, we discuss the contents of each bill, as well as the case for praise or criticism. For the People Act The House passed the For the…

Politics HOUSE RELEASES FIRST DRAFT OF RELIEF BILL House Democrats released the first draft of their COVID-19 relief bill on Monday with provisions for $1,400 stimulus checks, a hike in the minimum wage, extension and expansion of unemployment benefits, increases in the annual child credit and earned income tax credit,…

“I briefly considered that it might be too early to start drinking, but then I remembered that people frequently drink after funerals.” This was the message that adorned my Facebook wall, four years ago today.  It wasn’t the death of America, of course—though at times it might have felt like…

It has been an eventful few days, and The Middle is here to walk you through it. So without further ado, here are the day’s top stories. 1. Senate leaders arrived at an agreement Friday to delay Donald Trump’s impeachment trial until February 8, allowing President Biden time to install…

We’re rounding up all of the stories of voter fraud or other impropriety, along with their associated fact-checks, so that you can access them one in place.  CLAIM: A dead 118-year-old man voted by absentee ballot in Wayne County, Michigan this year.  FACT: The man’s son—who lives at the same…

Politics HOUSE VOTES TO REAUTHORIZE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT The House voted Wednesday to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act by a vote of 244-172. 29 Republicans joined Democrats in the vote. VAWA, the landmark 1994 law that strengthened protections for women who have experienced domestic and sexual violence, had…

Politics CBO RELEASES REPORT ON PROPOSED MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE According to a Congressional Budget Office report released on Monday, raising the minimum wage to $15 would cut employment by 1.4 million workers over the next four years and add $54 billion to the federal deficit over the next 10. On…

We’re rounding up all of the claims of voter fraud or other impropriety, along with their associated fact-checks, so that you can access them all in one place. CLAIM: The number of votes cast in key battleground states exceeded the number of registered voters, thereby indicating fraud. FACT: This claim…

Politics MATT GAETZ HIRES TRUMP ORG DEFENSE ATTORNEY AMID DOJ PROBE Reportedly the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation, Rep. Matt Gaetz is retaining two New York defense attorneys to represent him, one of whom currently represents the Trump Organization in an ongoing criminal probe into possible bank and…