The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Florida braces for Ian impact

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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. 

TALK OF THE MORNING 

Stay safe, Tampa:

Hurricane Ian is currently off the coast of Cuba as a Category 3 and is headed almost directly for Tampa, Fla. It is expected to hit the Tampa Bay region on Wednesday.  

The Tampa Bay Times’s Michaela Mulligan breaks down what we know about the storm. 

What to expect as far as Ian’s strength: “Ian’s maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph with higher gusts. The Hurricane Center does not expect Ian’s strength to change much as it passes over Cuba but anticipates the storm will grow to a Category 4 hurricane when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico.”  

Keep in mind — Ian’s path could change: “The Hurricane Center said there is still an abnormally large spread in Ian’s track for the next 36 to 48 hours, making some adjustments to Ian’s path possible.”  

Here’s a detailed map of evacuation zones in Tampa: From the City of Tampa 

Video of traffic headed east: This was taken around 10 p.m. last night. (From meteorologist Mike Masco) 

WFLA-TV meteorologist Jeff Berardelli explains why Tampa is particularly prone to a storm surge: “The gentle slope of the continental shelf (it’s shallow far offshore). We have so much waterfront property and a huge bay. Water is forced in and up into the nooks and crannies.” Video that illustrates it 

To put the potential storm surge into perspective: Here’s a graphic of the monthly maximum water levels for the area since 1960, via WPLG’s Michael Lowry 

To protect the hospital: An AquaFence has been built. Photo from The Weather Channel’s Justin Michaels 

The risk of storm surges in each area of the Florida west coast: Here’s a map 

How many people are under evacuation orders?: More than 2 million residents, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

It’s Tuesday. 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.

📞 Jan. 6

Plot twist:

“Former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), who previously worked as an adviser to the Jan. 6 select committee, is at the center of a new controversy engulfing the panel after he dropped a bombshell revelation while promoting his forthcoming book.”  

A revelation from the book: Someone at the White House called a rioter at the Capitol late in the afternoon on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Reaction from the panel: “The revelation about the committee’s largely-private investigation drew swift pushback from committee members, who are downplaying Riggleman’s knowledge of the panel’s operation and brushing away the significance of the call.”  

More on the significance of the controversy, via The Hill’s Mychael Schnell and Rebecca Beitsch

HOW MEMBERS OF THE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE REACTED TO FINDING OUT RIGGLEMAN IS PUBLISHING AN UNAUTHORIZED BOOK — NOT WELL: 
Members and committee staff were not aware of the book — and that it would be published the day before their final hearing, according to The Washington Post’s Jacqueline Alemany and Josh Dawsey. They are not pleased. 

ANOTHER TIDBIT — RIGGLEMAN’S MOM HAD SOME SHARP WORDS FOR HER SON:  

Riggleman wrote in his forthcoming book that after he went on CNN to condemn QAnon, his mother texted him: “You are now part of the swamp…I’m sorry you were ever elected…You are officially a politician…I have cried over you and my heart is broken by you.” The full quote 

‘JAN. 6 PANEL SCRAMBLES TO CRUNCH “AVALANCHE” OF EVIDENCE’: 
From The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Rebecca Beitsch 

‘HOUSE JAN. 6 PANEL FACES KEY DECISIONS AS IT WRAPS UP WORK’: 
Via The New York Times’s Luke Broadwater and Katie Benner

🚦News this morning 

A partial win for Trump: 

“A federal appeals court in New York on Tuesday handed former President Trump a partial victory in a defamation lawsuit brought by a woman who accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s, with the court ruling that presidents are covered by a federal law that gives broad legal immunity to government employees.” 

How so: “A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit said a lower court erred when it ruled that Trump’s accuser, E. Jean Carroll, could sue Trump personally for the allegedly defamatory statements he made about her during his presidency.”  

The full story, from The Hill’s John Kruzel

🚦In Congress 

Operation Keep-This-Government-Running:

The Senate is holding a procedural vote on Tuesday on the “shell” bill that will ultimately be used to keep the government funded. Included in that bill is Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) top legislative priority to reform the permitting process for energy projects.  

Why is Manchin’s proposal included?: Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) promised Manchin a vote in exchange for Manchin’s “yes” vote for the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act last month.  

The tricky part: It’s a tough vote. Republicans oppose the proposal — and so do some Democrats. 

The ironic part of the politics here: “If Republicans defeat Manchin’s bill, they will hand a political victory to Senate and House progressives, including Sanders, who are strongly opposed to Manchin’s reforms, which they argue would be a huge give-away to the fossil fuel industry.” 

What will happen if Tuesday’s vote fails?: “If Republicans block the motion to proceed to the House shell bill on Tuesday, then Schumer will have to come up with plan B to pass a short-term funding resolution before government funding expires at 12 a.m. Saturday. The Democratic leader could then opt to bring to the floor a continuing resolution that doesn’t include Manchin’s permitting reform bill.”  

How this could play out, via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton 

WHAT’S MISSING FROM THE GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL?: 
President Biden’s request for emergency funding for COVID-19 and monkeypox. Why that was excluded 

‘MCCONNELL WORKS TO BOX OUT MANCHIN’: 
From Politico’s Burgess Everett and Caitlin Emma 

‘FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CONGRESS’S SPENDING SHOWDOWN’: 
From The Hill’s Aris Folley

🦠 Latest with COVID

➤ THE COVID-19 NUMBERS

Cases to date: 95.8 million 

Death toll: 1,051,126 

Current hospitalizations: 16,357 

Shots administered: 616 million 

Fully vaccinated: 67.8 percent of Americans 

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets 

Oh hey, Jupiter!: 

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy captured a stunning photo of Jupiter last night when the planet reached its closest point to Earth in 59 years. The photo

When I grow up, I want to hit asteroids with NASA spacecrafts: 

NASA via AP

NASA successfully crashed into an asteroid roughly 7 million miles away last night as part of a test. Watch the moment of impact, from NASA.

⏱On tap 

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

• Today: Harris met with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, followed by a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Harris then attended the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. 
• 10:30 a.m.: Biden received his daily briefing. 
• 5:30 p.m.: The Senate holds a cloture vote related to the continuing resolution to fund the government. Tuesday’s Senate agenda 

 All times Eastern.

📺What to watch

• Noon: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell hold a press briefing. Livestream
• 1:15 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks on lowering health care costs and strengthening Medicare and Social Security. Livestream

🥛 In lighter news 

Today is National Chocolate Milk Day. 

Wow, this is incredible:

CNN tweeted: “An Illinois family is shocking viewers across the country after posting a now viral TikTok video of their epic Halloween decorations inspired by the Netflix show ‘Stranger Things.’ ” Footage of the decked out home

And to leave you on an entertaining note, here’s a dog with just a little too much energy.