The Hill’s 12:30 Report — US prepares for Tyre Nichols footage response

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

HAPPENING TODAY 

The making for a tense day: 

Video footage of the beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after a traffic stop in Memphis, Tenn., earlier this month, is expected to be publicly released today. 

What happened?: “Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving on Jan. 7, and he died three days later from wounds sustained during what the department initially called a ‘confrontation’ with five officers on the scene. It later was revealed that Nichols was beaten for three minutes by police officers.” More from The Hill’s Cheyanne M. Daniels 

A warning from the Memphis police chief: Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis told “CNN This Morning” that the footage is “about the same, if not worse” than the 1991 beating of Rodney King. Full quote from the Memphis police chief 

When to expect the footage release: This evening, “sometime … after 6 p.m.,” according to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.  Watch Strickland’s statement 

What to expect after the footage is released: The city of Memphis is preparing for potential civil unrest following the footage’s release.  

What about the officers involved?: Five Memphis police officers were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. More on the charges from the AP

FBI Director Christopher Wray said he watched the video and was “appalled.”

IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN FOLLOWING THIS CASE: 

‘What We Know About Tyre Nichols’s Lethal Encounter With Memphis Police’: From The New York Times 

CNN timeline of the death and the investigation 

‘How family and officials who have seen the video of Tyre Nichols’s arrest are responding to the footage’: From CNN’s Travis Caldwell 

It’s Friday! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

⛄️ News this morning 

More good signs about inflation:

“Inflation showed more signs of cooling Friday, according to data released by the Commerce Department, keeping the Federal Reserve on track to slow down its interest rate hikes next week.”  

The numbers: “The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation, was up 5 percent annually in December, down from a 5.5 percent annual inflation rate in November and a nearly 7 percent rate in June of last year.” Breakdown and explainer 

‘CONSUMER SPENDING SLID AGAIN IN DECEMBER’:
From The New York Times’s Ben Casselman and Jeanna Smialek 

GOLDMAN SACHS’S PREDICTION:
The New York Post’s Mary K. Jacob reports that “in a note to clients earlier this month, Goldman Sachs forecasted that four American cities in particular should gear up for a seismic decline compared to that of the 2008 housing crash.”  

Which cities? San Jose, Calif.; Austin, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz.; and San Diego, Calif.

💵 In Congress 

A 30 percent sales tax isn’t the most popular in Congress:  

A group of Republicans is pushing to abolish the tax code in favor of a 30 percent national sales tax. 

Meaning: No income taxes, payroll taxes, estate taxes or gift taxes 

This proposal’s newest problem: Republican leadership opposes the proposal. “As the bill becomes fodder for growing Democratic attacks from the White House down, some Republicans are distancing themselves from the legislation.”  

How this could play out, via The Hill’s Aris Folley and Tobias Burns

TIDBIT — ELON STOPPED BY CAPITOL HILL YESTERDAY: 
Twitter chief Elon Musk met with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in the Capitol on Thursday.  

Oh and: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who was meeting with McCarthy when Musk arrived, according to The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell

Why?: To discuss “ensuring that this platform [Twitter] is fair to both parties,” Musk tweeted. 

To misquote Dua Lipa, ‘I need you all night, come on, dance with me, I’m LEGISLATING’:  

–> https://bit.ly/3XTpwsa  😉 

“The House opened up its amendment process for the first time in seven years on Thursday, and began debating on the floor more than 140 proposed changes to an oil-related bill.”  

How this is different: “Unlike structured or closed rules, which limit the number of amendments considered — as determined by the House Rules Committee for each bill — a modified-open rule allows anyone to submit an amendment as long as they do so the day before a bill is debated.”  

What’s the bill that is being debated in this way?: The Strategic Production Response Act, which would limit President Biden’s ability to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. More on the bill

🗳️ Happening today 

Choose your leader: 

Republican National Committee (RNC) members are voting by secret ballot today to elect their chair of the party. 

Who’s running: Current RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel — plus former President Trump’s 2020 campaign legal adviser Harmeet Dhillon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. 

“DESANTIS SCRAMBLES RNC RACE AFTER PRAISING DHILLON AND URGING ‘NEW BLOOD’”:
From Politico’s Natalie Allison and Meridith McGraw

🦠 The COVID-19 numbers 

Cases to date: 102.1 million 

Death toll: 1,103,615 

Current hospitalizations: 27,197 

Shots administered: 668 million 

Fully vaccinated: 69.2 percent of Americans 

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets 

Getting traction — this tweet ruffled a lot of feathers:

The Associated Press tweeted, “We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing ‘the’ labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated. Instead, use wording such as people with mental illnesses. And use these descriptions only when clearly relevant.” 

After a lot of pushback, AP tweeted: “The use of ‘the French’ in this tweet by  

@AP was inappropriate and has caused unintended offense.  An updated tweet is upcoming.” The account then tweeted the statement again excluding “the French.” 

I’m partial to ‘ain’t my first snowdeo,’ but every single finalist deserves to win:

WCCO’s Carolina Cummings posted a screenshot of an open vote to name a snowplow. “Never change, Minnesota,” she tweeted. The finalists

⏱On tap 

The House is in. The Senate is out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. 

• 9 a.m.: Biden received his daily briefing. 
• 10:30 a.m.: First and last House votes. Today’s House agenda 
• 2 p.m.; Harris hosts the Accelerating Lead Pipe Replacement Summit at the White House. She and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan will participate in a moderated conversation. 
• 5:30 p.m.: Biden leaves for Camp David. 

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch 

• Noon: The White House Lead Pipe Summit. Livestream 
• 1:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gives a press briefing. Livestream 
• Sunday morning: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”  

🎂 In lighter news 

Today is National Chocolate Cake Day. 

“You can do it Brucey! You can do it, Bruce!” 

Omg, this headline: 

“Marie Kondo admits she’s ‘kind of given up’ on tidying up after having 3 kids.” The full Market Watch story 

The full quote, according to The Washington Post: “Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times. I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home.” 

I confidently knew the winner even before I opened this link: 

The Washington Post’s Emily Heil writes, “We tested 12 supermarket marinara sauces. Only one was a clear winner.” The ranked list of marinara sauces 

And to leave you on a happy note before the weekend, here’s a T-ball play that made me laugh out loud.