Extra, Extra
Liberal Snowflakes: “President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office from inside the Capitol Rotunda on Monday due to forecasts of intense cold weather.” (“Pardon me, are you Aaron Brrr, sir?”)
+ New ERA? “President Biden on Friday declared that he considers the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution ‘the law of the land,’ a surprising declaration that does not have any formal force of effect, but that is being celebrated by its backers in a rally in front of the National Archives.” More from Laurence Tribe: The Equal Rights Amendment at Long Last. “Thanks to President Biden, the Constitution will finally guarantee equality for all.” (Great. But is that right?)
+ Hostages Inch Closer to Home: The Israeli security cabinet has approved the ceasefire and hostage deal as the release of some hostages inches closer to reality. Here’s the latest from CNN and BBC. Here are the 33 hostages set to be returned in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire. It’s not entirely clear if all of them are alive. I continue to believe that much of what happens in the weeks and months to come will be defined by the stories they tell about their captivity.
+ Internal Revenue Nervous: “Though the commissioner’s term wasn’t due to expire until 2027, Trump had previously announced plans to fire Werfel, who took office in 2023, and nominate Billy Long, a former Missouri congressman without any tax policy experience, to replace him.” WaPo: IRS commissioner to resign as Trump eyes replacement. (This is just one of many norm-busting replacements. Hold on tight, folks.)
+ Indefensible: “Russia handed prison sentences on Friday to three lawyers who had defended opposition leader Alexei Navalny until his death in a Russian prison last year, capping a protracted legal saga that has sent a chill through the shrinking community of lawyers defending Russian political prisoners and defendants.”
+ Screen of Death: “In a high-profile experiment, Walgreens sought to modernize its stores by replacing traditional refrigerator doors with digital screens. The attempt failed.”
+ Out of Office: “By the time [screenwriter Dan Erickson] and Ben Stiller began developing ‘Severance,’ he had quit the door-parts company and was doing Postmates deliveries on his scooter. The day he and Stiller pitched the show at Apple’s L.A. office, Erickson was broke enough that he took a Postmates order on his way home.” The New Yorker on The Hollywood Slog That Led Adam Scott to Severance.
