Biden Wants $2K Checks, $2T Stimulus
Unemployment surges + the world is burning + NC expands vaccines + ABC closes 120 bars + Hurricanes vs. Trump Youth + NC’s driving less, dying more + Davidson County cow-thievin’
Friday, Jan. 15, 2021
Happy Friday … Weather: High of 56, scattered showers through the afternoon, evening, and overnight. (WRAL) … Today’s newsletter is an 11-minute read.
On This Day
588 BCE: Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem.
1535 CE: Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church of England, a key event in history’s most complicated breakup.
1559: Elizabeth I, Henry’s daughter, was crowned Queen of England.
1865: Fort Fisher, on the mouth of the Cape Fear River, fell to the Union in the largest amphibious assault by American troops until World War II.
1870: In Harper’s Weekly, a donkey was first used as the symbol for the Democratic Party.
1892: James Naismith published the “13 Rules of Basket Ball” in The Triangle, which, whatever it foreshadowed, was not located in North Carolina but rather was Springfield College’s school newspaper.
1895: Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” premiered in St. Petersburg.
1927: The Tennessee Supreme Court overturned (on a technicality) John Scopes’s conviction for teaching evolution.
1948: Josephus Daniels — white supremacist, editor of the Raleigh News & Observer, Democratic Party kingmaker, secretary of the navy, ambassador to Mexico, and instigator of the Wilmington massacre of 1898 — died of pneumonia in Raleigh.
1951: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that incitement to riot is not protected speech. (This seems relevant.)
2001: Wikipedia launched, spawning a generation of internet experts.
2009: Chelsey Sullenberger landed an airplane on the Hudson River.
One Year Ago
Top story: The House transmitted articles of impeachment to the Senate, triggering Donald Trump’s (first) impeachment trial.
Top 3 Google Search queries, Raleigh-Durham MSA:
Luke Kuechly: The 28-year-old Panthers linebacker announced his retirement.
Democratic Debate: The final Dem debate before the Iowa caucuses.
Duke vs. Clemson: The Tigers upset the 11th-ranked Blue Devils the night before.
Today’s Number: 965,000
Seasonally adjusted initial unemployment insurance claims for the week on Jan. 9, the highest level in five months. An additional 285,000 people filed initial Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, as well. (DOL, CNBC)
14,511 people filed initial unemployment claims in North Carolina.
11,904 people filed initial PUA claims in North Carolina.
Nationally, 18.4 million are receiving some form of unemployment benefits.
+TODAY’S TOP 11
1. Biden Wants Trillions in COVID Relief
Joe Biden will take office on Wednesday with the economy collapsing into a second recession, 400,000 people dead from a pandemic, and his predecessor’s vaccine rollout lackluster at best. To fix it, he announced yesterday, he’ll immediately ask Congress for a $1.9 trillion to fund:
$2,000 direct payments (technically, $1,400 on top of the $600 already approved).
$350 billion for local and state governments.
$130 billion to aid school reopening.
$400/week in federal unemployment supplements through September.
$25 billion in assistance for renters.
$20 billion for public transit.
Student loan forgiveness up to $10,000.
Provide emergency paid leave up to 14 weeks through September.
Hire 100,000 people to do vaccine outreach and contact tracing.
Create a national vaccine program.
Increase earned income and child tax credits.
Increase food stamp benefits by 15%.
Increase WIC by $3 billion.
Biden also wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and establish a moratorium on evictions through September.
Later this year, Biden will seek more money for clean energy projects, health care, education, and infrastructure.
Biden’s team thinks they can get enough Republicans to overcome a filibuster. Color me skeptical. If need be, however, they can do most of this through reconciliation, which can’t be filibustered.
But he’ll need every Democrat — including Joe Manchin, who already seems reluctant.
—> OTHER TRANSITION NEWS
Black farmers aren’t happy about Tom Vilsack again heading the Department of Agriculture after letting them down the first time. (NYT)
The Senate hasn’t held a single confirmation hearing on Biden’s Cabinet nominees. (Vox)
2. What Trump Wrought
Taking place two weeks after the Trump-inspired Capitol coup, Biden’s inauguration will look nothing like its successors.
Some 20,000 National Guardsmen and thousands more local law enforcement agents will man D.C. streets. The National Mall — where 1.8 million gathered to watch Barack Obama’s 2008 inauguration, and fewer than half that gathered for Trump’s — will be closed. Joe Biden will skip his planned Amtrak ride to Washington due to security concerns.
On Wednesday, after being briefed on the threats of additional violence, Trump released a video asking his supporters to remain calm. (He also whined about Twitter.)
—> OTHER TRUMP NEWS
Trump is pissed that no one defended him during impeachment, and he’s going to stiff Rudy Giuliani. (WaPo)
To lock down impeachment votes, Trump apparently intervened in the Air Force’s recommendation for the relocation of its Space Command headquarters. The HQ, which seemed destined for Colorado Springs, is now headed to Alabama. (KRDO)
Jared and Ivanka wouldn’t let their Secret Service detail use their bathrooms, which forced the government to rent a basement across the street for $3,000 a month. (WaPo)
3. Facebook Serves Military Gear Ads to Insurrection Posts
Earlier this week, Facebook employers warned their bosses that posts containing misinformation and other content related to the insurrection were being paired with ads for military equipment such as body armor and gun holsters. Facebook did nothing.
“In the aftermath of an attempted insurrection by President Donald Trump’s supporters last week at the US Capitol building, Facebook has served up ads for defense products to accounts that follow extremist content, according to the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit watchdog group. Those ads — which include New Year’s specials for specialized body armor plates, rifle enhancements, and shooting targets — were all delivered to a TTP Facebook account used to monitor right-wing content that could incite violence.” (Buzzfeed)
—> OTHER MEDIA NEWS
The Murdoch-owned New York Post instructed staff not to base articles on reporting from CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post — all sources Trump has labeled “fake news.” (NYT)
4. NASA: 2020 Was the Hottest Year on Record
On top of everything else, 2020 was the Earth’s hottest year since we started tracking these things — slightly besting by the super El Nino year of 2016 — according to NASA. Other agencies have 2020 a fraction of a degree below 2016, but the point is, it was hot, and global warming is to blame.
“Experts said that another year as hot as 2016 coming so soon suggests a swift step up the climate escalator. And it implies that a momentous new temperature record — breaching the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold for the first time — could occur as soon as later this decade.” (WaPo)
Compounding matters, 2020 had a La Nina, which usually cools things off.
“2020 was the warmest year on record in Europe, coming 1.6 degrees Celsius above the average temperature from 1981 to 2010 …. Last year also marked the busiest known hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as a historically damaging series of wildfires in the western US. The result was the US experienced its most billion-dollar disasters in 2020. The year also kicked off with some of the worst bushfires in Australia’s history. Moreover, carbon dioxide levels continued to climb in the atmosphere, hitting a new maximum of 413 parts per million last May.” (Buzzfeed)
—> OTHER CLIMATE NEWS
The Trump administration finalized a rule forcing banks to finance oil and gas drilling (and gun companies). The Biden administration will have several options to reverse it. (The Hill)
5. North Carolina Changes Vaccine Eligibility
Responding to a federal policy change, the state Department of Health and Human Services announced that anyone over age 65 is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine — if they can get it.
As DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen explained in a press conference, the number of people eligible now exceeds the number of available doses. To date, it’s been the other way around: “You can get it now, but that doesn't mean an appointment is available for you today.”
Cohen said that in the last week, North Carolina’s vaccine uptake has increased by 133%. But of the nearly 1 million doses the state has received, fewer than a third have ended up in arms.
In the region — specifically, in CBS 17’s viewing area — more than 131,000 first doses have not yet been used. Of allocated doses:
Wake County has administered 54%
Sampson County: 60%
Orange County: 50%
Chatham County: 48%
Cumberland County: 46%
Mecklenburg County: 40%
Edgecomb County: 12%
Hoke County: 15%
Nash County: 15%
Vance County: 15%
Halifax County: 12%
Durham County isn’t listed.
There are several reasons the state is lagging, according to the N.C. Watchdog Reporting Network (via WRAL).
Problems include:
The public health workforce in many counties is stretched thin.
Social distancing guidelines and facility size limit how many patients health care workers can see at a time.
A new vaccine management system launched by the state has made record-keeping more complex.
And planning has been difficult – both for the state and county health departments – because they learn how many doses they’re getting only week to week.
—> OTHER COVID NEWS
Family caregivers wonder when they’ll be eligible for the vaccine. (NC Health News)
More than 100 Wake County jail detainees and staff members have tested positive for COVID. (N&O)
6. ABC Commission Abruptly Cancels 120 Bar Permits
According to the North Carolina Bar Owners Association, the ABC Commission canceled 120 bar permits without warning as of Jan. 4. Here’s what the bar owners say happened:
Because bars were forced to close on March 16, the General Assembly allowed them to defer their permit fees until 60 days after they reopened.
On Oct. 2, Cooper allowed private bars to reopen at 30% of outdoor capacity. But most bars don’t have outdoor space, so they didn’t reopen. The ABC Commission started the clock anyway but never bothered to tell the bars.
NCBOA: “Yet another detrimental action aimed at private bars in the state, which have taken the greatest burden of the pandemic and economic restrictions.”
7. State Revoked JDIGs from Two Manufacturers
On Tuesday, state officials yanked Job Development Investment Grants from two manufacturers that failed to live up to their promises, the TBJ (sub. req.) reports.
“GKN Driveline Newton failed to meet its deadline to file an annual report regarding its progress on a 2014 commitment to bring 228 jobs to Catawba County in exchange for $3 million in incentives. … According to Commerce, the state has already paid out $773,864 to the company. [Commerce spokesman David] Rhoades said no more payments will be issued — but the state is not planning any clawbacks.”
“West of Charlotte in Shelby, Metal Works Manufacturing Company, which was awarded a grant in 2015, experienced cash flow issues that actually caused the firm to halt the 86-job project. … According to Rhoades, the state had already paid out $242,326. A clawback is not being considered.”
There are plenty of companies vying for JDIG funds this year.
8. MAGA Kid Says NHL, Hurricanes Got Him Fired
A 20-year-old Liberty University grad who interned with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy claimed on Twitter Thursday night that the Carolina Hurricanes had gotten him fired because he’s a Trump supporter. The Hurricanes say they have no idea who he is.
Dawson Buchanan, who went to the Jan. 6 sedition rally but says he didn’t participate in the insurrection, says he had a job for a private company that does charter flights for the Hurricanes.
On Monday, he says, he was abruptly fired. The owner told him: “The reason they had to let me go was the National Hockey League and some other clients apparently found out I worked for Trump and worked on the Trump campaign. They said because I worked for Trump, the National Hockey League, and other folks threatened to cancel their contracts, so [Private Jet Services] had to let me go.” (N&O)
The Hurricanes: “Until Mr. Buchanan’s social media posts Tuesday night, the Hurricanes knew nothing about him.” The NHL denied his claim as well.
Republicans have ensured that North Carolina is an at-will employment state, meaning Buchanan’s boss could fire him for almost any — or no — reason at all.
Victimhood is a right-wing cottage industry, and Buchanan’s getting in on the game:
“I kind of knew I wasn’t the only one in the Trump world who experienced this. I know I’m not the only conservative to be canceled and I think it’s something toxic and something that needs to be called out. That’s why I felt the need to come forward and share my story. I wanted to share the truth.”
—> OTHER LOCAL NEWS
Durham’s Northgate Mall will be remade into — you guessed it — a mixed-use development. (N&O)
Citing rising COVID cases, Wake County’s board of education voted 7–2 to stick with remote learning for the foreseeable future. (N&O)
9. N.C. Driving Less, Dying More
Here’s an interesting data point: In 2020, drivers drove about 99 billion miles in North Carolina, down from 123 billion in 2019. But 1,506 people died in 1,491 fatal accidents, up from 1,479 deaths last year. What gives?
“Chief among the factors contributing to last year’s road deaths: speeding, alcohol, lane departures, and motorists who did not wear seatbelts. Experts and law enforcement officials said they’re troubled by a sharp rise in the number of people who neglected to buckle up. That contributed to a third of the fatal crashes last year — a 20% increase over the previous year.” (N&O)
“The number of teenagers who died in wrecks also surged. Crashes claimed the lives of 154 teens in 2020 — a 15% jump over 2019.”
10. Davidson County Man Charged with Cow-Thievin’
A 38-year-old gent in the community of Wallburg allegedly stole a four-month-old calf named Dolly Mae and tied it to his deck. Why? No idea!
“Detectives identified the calf as Dolly Mae by two physical characteristics unique to the animal, the sheriff's office said. The investigators also learned that the calf was stolen from a home on Old Greensboro Road in northeastern Davidson County. The calf was then returned to her home and reunited with her family, the sheriff's office said.” (W-S Journal)
11. What I’m Reading Today
“The Double Standard in Protest Coverage”
The typical pattern in media coverage of protests is this: The more radical protesters’ tactics, or the more their aims challenge the status quo, the more delegitimizing the coverage is. Thus, conservative protests tend to receive more favorable coverage than protests seeking radical change, such as Black Lives Matter and anti-racism protests.
My own research analyzed about 1,500 protest-related news stories published throughout 2014 in mainstream, alternative, partisan, and online news publications. Articles about conservative protests — like protests opposed to immigration or LGBT rights, or protests supporting Trump and gun rights — are less likely to be negatively framed as “riots” than other types of protests. In contrast, Black Lives Matter protests are more likely to be framed as riots, as news coverage focuses more on violence, property damage, and confrontations with police.
For example, a 2017 San Antonio Express-News article about an anti-white supremacy protest, which was included in another study I did, starts with a reference to “brawls” that broke out and the arrest of protesters who “swarmed the sidewalk hurling insults and chanting.” The aim of the protest is placed in quotation marks — “white supremacy” — which arguably delegitimizes protesters’ grievances.
Source: Summer Harlow | WaPo
“That Swamp Had It Coming”
There’s no one, large document that represents the North Carolina constitution. There have actually been three of them, enacted in 1776, 1868, and 1971. The first version made the governor so weak that, among other things, he could only serve a one-year term. It also made property ownership a requirement if you wanted to vote for a state senator. The next constitution, in 1868, came with a lot of progressive changes that North Carolina had to agree to in order to rejoin the union after the Civil War. Hence, it was hated by white supremacists. Hence, when those white supremacists took power several years later, they started adding to it, and over time, the General Assembly and voters went on to make 70 amendments. Among them: A poll tax and literacy test for voting that was added in 1900. By the middle of the 20th century, the document had become antiquated and unwieldy, so the whole thing was rewritten. The 1971 constitution, the one we use on today, cleaned up and cleared out a lot of things. But it still left in a lot of stuff that should have been left out, and vice versa.
One example:
The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.
Jesus is cool and all, but your elementary school civics class probably taught you that this wasn’t gonna fly. And yet, there it still is, staring back at you from the foundation OF ALL OF NORTH CAROLINA’S STATE LAWS.
Now before you think, ah, well, who cares, I’d like to remind you that this particular provision of the state constitution was used to challenge an election in 2009.