🇺🇸 Biden Says We Beat the Bug

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Good morning, and happy Wednesday! Valentine’s Day is a great time to spread love and holiday cheer to people who are in hospitals, nursing homes shelters, and essential worker industries. Here’s how to get started.

Plus, the latest viral food trend on TikTok is a blend of two things: french onion soup and pasta.

Also, be sure to check out today’s partner, RYSE, the first retrofit solution to motorize and automate installed window blinds and shades.

FLAG POLLS

📈 Monday, February 6: President Biden Job Approval: Approve 46, Disapprove 44 (IBD/TIPP)

📉 Tuesday, February 7: President Biden Job Approval: Approve 44, Disapprove 54 (Rasmussen Reports)

📉 Monday, February 6: Direction of Country: Right Direction 30, Wrong Track 65 (Rasmussen Reports)

📉 Monday, February 6: Direction of Country: Right Direction 24, Wrong Track 73 (Monmouth)

TRENDING

Left: Harris Struggles To Define Her Vice Presidency Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times

Left: America's Labor Shortages Are Good, Actually Eric Levitz, New York Magazine

Left: The Ukraine Crackup in the GOP Susan Glasser, The New Yorker

Right: Spy Balloon Story Is Even Bigger Than It Seems Byron York, DC Examiner

Right: The Lethal Cost of Covid Lockdowns David Livermore, Spiked

Right: Ukrainian Paradoxes Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness

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QUICK CLICKS

State of the Union, Earthquake Aftermath, Powell Braces for Bumpy Ride

US: Biden to push for new taxes, ending extremism in State of the Union speech (Reuters) + Makes a case for re-election (AP) + Booed by GOP (Fox News)

US: Sarah Sanders delivers GOP rebuttal to Biden SOTU, says Americans have a choice 'between normal or crazy' (Fox News)

US: Navy releases close-up photos of Chinese surveillance balloon recovery (ABC News) + China sends message to US about destroyed debris of spy aircraft — and blasts US response to flight (Fox News)

World: Turkey and Syria earthquake: race to find survivors as death toll passes 7,800 and hundreds of thousands seek shelter (The Guardian)

US: Joe Rogan accused of anti-Semitism while defending disgraced Rep. Ilhan Omar (NY Post)

Economy: Fed's Powell: Slowing inflation will "probably be bumpy" (Axios)

US: Memphis city attorney says seven more police officers facing discipline for Tyre Nichols beating (CNN)

Entertainment: Disney removes ‘Simpsons’ episode with China ‘forced labor’ reference from Hong Kong (NBC News)

UK: Gender-neutral God to be considered by Church of England (The Telegraph)

COVID

Biden Says We Beat the Bug

President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech last night which included an update on the nation’s status regarding the pandemic. "We’ve saved millions of lives and opened our country back up. And soon we’ll end the public health emergency," the President said.

For context, last Monday Biden informed Congress that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID on May 11. In a sharp rebuke, the Republican-controlled House passed a resolution on Wednesday that would immediately end the COVID national emergency, instead of waiting until May.

Reporting from the Right: Republicans introduce ‘Pandemic Is Over’ act after Biden’s ‘unacceptable’ extension of COVID emergency (Fox News)

Reporting from the Left: These benefits will disappear when Biden ends the Covid national and public health emergencies in May (CNN)

From the Flag: Here’s what both sides are saying about Biden’s decision to end the COVID emergencies in May, plus recent polling on how most Americans feel about the pandemic.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

With the Most Serious Challenges Behind Us, Don't Call It an Emergency

• There’s a danger associated with not ending the emergency: people will be less likely to take it seriously next time if we don’t.

• It’s time to start treating COVID-19 like the endemic that it is, as hospital capacity is largely holding up, despite flu and RSV spikes.

• Emergency powers have granted the Biden administration flexibility, but lack of legislative progress makes current policy vulnerable, given Republicans now control the House.

“Biden is right to end the national emergency for covid-19” Leana S. Wen, Washington Post Opinion: “This is the right decision… Covid has become endemic, and the focus going forward must shift… (to) protecting those still vulnerable to severe outcomes from the virus. Few would dispute that covid today is a very different disease than it was in early 2020. At that time, the virus had a much higher fatality rate, and young, previously healthy people were succumbing to a deadly pneumonia. There were no vaccines and very limited treatments. … Americans have largely moved on from… and rightfully so, given that vast majority have some immunity because of vaccination, prior infection or both. Continuing to call covid a national emergency is out of step with public opinion, which has a major cost: When there is a true public health emergency in the future, many people might not believe health officials and could defy their guidance.”

“End the Emergency Powers” Michael R. Bloomberg, Bloomberg Opinion: “The emergency declarations were necessary… and they proved indispensable in vaccinating two-thirds of the US population for free, maintaining health coverage for millions of Americans, and increasing food assistance for low-income families. But nearly three years later, the expansive powers claimed by the executive branch are still in effect, inviting policy discretion that tests the limits of what’s legal — and holds the possibility for abuse. Meanwhile, businesses are open. Social distancing is gone. Mass gatherings are back. Mask wearing is optional and, increasingly, infrequent. This is not to say that we’re in the clear. Covid is still killing some 300 Americans every day, and the need to exercise caution has not gone away, especially for those with underlying health conditions. But vaccines and treatment are widely available, most people have some level of immunity, and hospital capacity, while strained in some places, often because of flu and RSV spikes, is holding up.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Biden’s Covid ‘emergency’ has become a well-worn, flimsy crutch Noah Rothman, MSNBC Opinion

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

The Slowest Moving and Least Urgent Emergency of All Time

• It’s clear we’re no longer in a state of emergency concerning COVID, but Biden is looking to protect government workers who have been enjoying work-from-home and other benefits.

• The Biden administration, and by extension Democrats in Congress, have expanded the welfare state through these emergency powers.

• Biden declared the pandemic was “over” in September, then cited COVID as the reason to cancel student loans, all while arguing Title 42 could end because COVID wasn’t a threat.

“Biden’s base: Why he won’t end the COVID ‘emergency’ for months” John Podhoretz, New York Post Opinion: “So what gives here? What’s with the three months? It’s simple. This is not about an emergency, and it hasn’t been for more than a year. This is about the people who have actually gained things from the emergency and who need to be weaned off the unhealthy and society-killing benefits they have reaped since March 2020. … People don’t need COVID tests and treatments in the way they did before. Know why? Because there’s way less COVID, and what does persist is vastly less dangerous. This is all disingenuous hogwash anyway. What the Biden people are doing here is trying to provide a soft landing for their government-worker constituents, so many of them toiling from home, who have been the true beneficiaries of the changes in workplace rules since 2020 — not the people for whom they work, namely us.”

“Who will pay for Joe Biden's reckless spending? Your children will for decades.” Bragdon & Dublois, USA Today Op-ed: “For at least the past year, the public health emergency has been more about sending checks than saving lives. Washington, D.C., is soaking taxpayers with hundreds of billions of dollars in higher food stamp and Medicaid costs tied to the emergency, while pushing millions of people out of the workforce. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The public health emergency was supposed to help America contain the spread of a little-understood illness. Then, in March 2020, Congress passed a slew of policies making the welfare state more generous and less connected to work while the emergency lasts. Lawmakers surely thought these policies would be temporary, but Democrats discovered they could move toward a permanently larger welfare state by repeatedly extending the emergency.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: ‘This Is the White House, What’s Your Emergency?’ Judson Berger, National Review

FLAG THIS

Americans More Focused on Economy Than COVID

Polling data shows Americans consider dealing with the COVID outbreak to be a lower priority in comparison to things like strengthening the economy (75%), reducing health care costs (60%), and defending against terrorism (60%).

The number of people who list COVID as the top concern (26%) has dipped considerably over the past two years.

In 2021, 93% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans listed fighting the COVID outbreak as their number one priority. By last year, that had dipped to 80% and 35% respectively, and now checks it at 38% for Democrats and 12% for Republicans (Pew Research).

FLAG FINDS

Window of Opportunity, Water is Dry, Cravings Satisfied

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💧 Wouldn’t it be nice if the water in your bottle were so clean? Chances are it’s not though – reusable water bottles attract puddles of bacteria. Improper drying is often the culprit. And there’s only one right way to dry: Kuppy. Breathable, storable, portable, and affordable, Kuppy will keep you drinking clean water, all day long. All life long, in fact – guaranteed.

🥡 No more locals only. Don’t let something as silly as a couple thousand miles keep you from enjoying cult classic local eats from legendary chefs like Michael Symon and Mashama Bailey. Goldbelly will ship America’s most iconic foods to your doorstep. Get your Superbowl party or Valentine’s Day dinner catered by a Michelin star chef without leaving your living room. Choose your food adventure.

WATERCOOLER

Guadalcanal Evacuated, Turn Your Brain Off, Earthquake Diplomacy

On February 8, 1943, Japanese troops evacuate Guadalcanal, leaving the island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign. The American victory paved the way for other Allied wins in the Solomon Islands.

Forbes: How To Turn Your Brain Off At Night, According To A Sleep Psychologist

Inc: Train Your Brain to Remember Anything You Learn With This Simple, 20-Minute Habit

Nautilus: Top 10 Design Flaws in the Human Body

Today I Learned about the "Earthquake diplomacy" initiated between Turkey and Greece after successive earthquakes hit both countries in the summer of 1999. Since then, both countries help each other in the case of an earthquake, no matter how their relations are.