The LuLac Edition #4, 876, December 29th, 2022

TOP TEN NATIONAL STORIES

1.       RED WAVE A FIZZLE:   For the GOP, the outcome of the 2022 election was disappointing, especially when measured against expectations—including mine. Its leaders need to understand why the "red wave" never materialized. The GOP nominees in statewide races—former local TV anchor Kari Lake for governor and businessman Blake Masters for U.S. Senate—were untrained in the art of politics. Lake campaigned not as Ducey's successor, building on his reforms in taxes and education and regulation, but as a Trump clone—in a state Trump lost in 2020. "Be like Trump" might work in some places, but not there and not now. The equally inexperienced Masters never grasped the strong independent streak running through the Arizona electorate, so he ran to the Right and campaigned with ads better suited to the primary than the general election. His opponent, Democrat Mark Kelly, didn't have to do a thing.

2.       DEMS FAIL TO TAKE THE HOUSE: McCarthy’s Republicans do have the majority—a 222-213 advantage that was secured by flipping nine seats previously held by Democrats. It didn’t have to end this way. Yes, Republicans had significant advantages, not least the fact that opposition parties traditionally make substantial gains in a new president’s first midterm election. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats could have kept control of the House had they fought an offensive campaign instead of a defensive one. Instead of developing a coherent message, and a strategy that focused on getting financial and strategic resources to potentially competitive districts, Democrats ran a cautious strategy. They focused on reelecting incumbents and holding reliable seats rather than claiming new ground in rural swing districts. And it hurt.

3.       INFLATION ACT PASSES: Senate Democrats voted to pass the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, approving the landmark $430 billion climate, tax and healthcare bill after months of negotiations that ended in a marathon series of overnight debates and amendment votes.

4.       SHOOTINGS CONTINUE: This year is likely to be the second-highest year for mass shootings in the United States on record, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks gun violence incidents across the country. The Gun Violence Archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.

There have been at least 607 mass shootings through November 22 this year.

5.       JANUARY 6^TH HEARINGS: . Congress' 18-month investigation into Donald Trump's role in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack has led the panel to recommend the Department of Justice prosecute the former president over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including his role regarding the assault on the Capitol. The committee’s final report made 17 findings about the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, including that Trump plotted to overturn the 2020 results despite knowing he’d lost, sent an angry and armed mob to the Capitol and failed to respond to the violence as it unfolded on television.

      6. TRUMP’S MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS: From Mara lago security documents to asking for votes in Georgia, the multiple Trump inquiries are still going on. They will continue to do so in 2023.

7.       TRUMP ANNOUNCES RUN FOR RE-ELECTION: Former President Donald Trump announced that he is running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president, seeking to stage a dramatic return to the White House after having lost his bid for re-election to Joe Biden in 2020.

Trump, a Republican and the leader of the "Make America Great Again" movement, announced his third presidential bid on Tuesday during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home after having teased a bid since leaving office in 2021.

8.       ELECTION DENIERS LOSE: More than 370 GOP candidates on the ballot in the 2022 midterms denied or questioned the 2020 election results. Certain Republicans could have major impacts on certifying the 2024 election in battleground states. So far, at least 177 election deniers have won their races.Hundreds of Republican candidates who were on the 2022 midterm ballot denied or have refused to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.

9.       ANTI SEMETIC VIOLENCE ON THE RISE: President Joe Biden on Monday issued a forceful rebuke of anti-semitism while delivering remarks at a White House Hanukkah ceremony, Speaking to a crowd gathered o celebrate the ancient Jewish festival of lights, the president noted that this year's Hanukkah arrival comes "in the midst of rising emboldenment of antisemitism at home and, quite frankly, around the world."

10.   INFLATION COMING DOWN: Incomes grew while inflation slowed in November, according to the Commerce Department. The Bureau of Economic Analysis's personal consumption expenditures (PCE), which tracks how much Americans are spending on goods and services, rose by 5.5% year-over-year in November — a deceleration from the 6% increase in October. PCE is a key gauge for the Federal Reserve in its fight against inflation, so the 0.1%. 

10a. SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS ROE V WADE

 On Friday, June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark piece of legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States. The decision dismantled 50 years of legal protection and paved the way for individual states to curtail or outright ban abortion rights.