The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Biden’s annual physical; Haley takes shots at opponents’ ages

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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. 

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL 

It’s not ~your~ age, it’s ~my~ age:

In an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) was asked how she differs from former President Trump in the 2024 presidential primary. 

Her answer: “Look at everything that’s wrong in this country and tell me we don’t need new leadership. But the difference is we need new generational leadership. We have to leave the status quo. We have to leave this chaos behind and we’ve gotta start talking about the future.” Watch Haley’s appearance on ‘Hannity’ 

It wasn’t her only reference to age yesterday: During Haley’s presidential campaign launch, she called for mandatory “mental competency tests” for politicians over the age of 75.  

In Haley’s words: “In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire. We’ll have term limits for Congress and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”

^ Keep in mind: Biden is 80 years old and would be 82 years old if sworn in for a second term. Trump is 76 years old and would be 78 after the next election. 

HOW TRUMP REACTED TO HALEY ENTERING THE RACE: 
“The more the merrier,” Trump told Fox News. 

Also from Trump: “I’m glad she’s running. I want her to follow her heart — even though she made a commitment that she would never run against who she called the greatest president of her lifetime.” 

It’s Thursday. 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.

📑 Breaking 

There was no widespread fraud in Biden’s Georgia win:

The Georgia grand jury investigating former President Trump’s interference in the state’s 2020 election found no evidence of widespread fraud in Georgia. 

Plus: The grand jury called for witnesses who may have lied to the panel to be prosecuted. 

How we know: Portions of the grand jury report were just released. 

What we know from the limited portions of the report 

🎢 In Congress 

It’s been a wild ride so far:

“House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) is experiencing the highs and lows of his new position, underscoring how his tenure leading a fractious House GOP majority is likely to be something of a rollercoaster.”  

Some of the highs: “He’s squeaked out a number of wins, showing the GOP can divide House Democrats with the right messaging bills. Allies also see opportunities for bipartisan agreement on issues such as China policy.” 

Some of the lows: “At the same time, internal Republican disagreement that is derailing some of the leadership’s plans for bills forecasts the challenges ahead. With just a four-vote majority, McCarthy will face difficulties in getting his conference completely on board with on difficult policy measures.”  

^ Yes, but: The lows have so far been more dramatic. The Hill’s Emily Brooks explains

‘REPUBLICANS WORRY AS SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS PILE UP’:
From The Hill’s Alexander Bolton 

NEW DEVELOPMENT — SOCIAL SECURITY WILL RUN OUT OF FUNDING IN ABOUT 10 YEARS:
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said on Tuesday that Social Security will run short of funds in 2032, a year earlier than expected. 

What that would mean: Beneficiaries would see a more than 20 percent reduction of benefits, according to CBO Director Phillip Swagel. 

🚁 In the White House 

What’s up, doc?:

President Biden received his annual physical at Walter Reed Medical Center this morning. 

Will we know the results?: Yes, the White House said it will release a public written summary of his physical.  

Video of Biden leaving for Walter Reed: From The Associated Press’s Seung Min Kim 

🎈The balloon 

Look at all the damage that one balloon caused: 

The news that China flew a spy balloon over the United States earlier this month has significantly raised tensions and has sent U.S.-China relations from bad to worse. 

Oh good, good, good — from Tim Bergreen, former staff director of the House Intelligence Committee Democrats: “Whether you call it competition or whatever, the U.S.-China relationship at the moment is bad in pretty much every possible dimension. And that includes the military one.”  

What are we worried could happen?: “For Washington, the most immediate threat is Beijing’s tacit support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and threats to Taiwan. And China views Biden’s commitment to Taiwan’s defense – raising the possible use of American troops – as crossing a bright red line of Beijing’s self-determination.”  

^ But this is important — from National Security Council spokesman John Kirby: “It doesn’t change the fact that we want to avoid a conflict with China, we’re not seeking conflict with China.”  

Helpful explainer on where U.S.-China relations stand — and what this could mean in the future, via The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Laura Kelly 

‘RECENT ENCOUNTERS HAVE RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT JUST WHAT ELSE MIGHT BE IN THE SKY. HERE’S A LOOK AT WHAT’S FLYING OVERHEAD.’:
From The New York Times’s Eleanor Lutz 

🍳 In other news 

This headline has unsurprisingly ruffled feathers:

The Wall Street Journal’s Gabriel T. Rubin writes, “To Save Money, Maybe You Should Skip Breakfast.” Read the full article 

The gist: “Several breakfast staples saw sharp price increases due to a perfect storm of bad weather and disease outbreaks—and continued effects from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Read some of the tweets about this headline 

🦠 The COVID-19 numbers

Cases to date: 102.7 million 

Death toll: 1,110,364 

Current hospitalizations: 21,442 

Shots administered: 670 million 

Fully vaccinated: 69.2 percent of Americans 

CDC data here. 

🐥Notable tweets 

BENNY IS INNOCENT!:

@nagy_minaj tweeted a series of photos last week of Benny the pug visiting Capitol Hill. It looks like Benny may have broken a candy jar. “A story in three parts,” Keith Nagy tweeted. Photos 

But I stress that MY CLIENT IS INNOCENT.

By the way: Benny is the pug Rep. Jared Moskowitz’s (D-Fla.) communications director Dylan Smith.  

Well, we have an update: Nagy tweeted this morning, “Hide your candy jars he’s back.”  Photo of Benny at work 

⏱On tap 

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

• 4:30 a.m.: Harris landed in Munich, Germany. 
• 8 a.m.: Biden received his daily briefing. 
• Saturday: Harris is expected to speak at the Munich Security Conference. Details from The Washington Post

All times Eastern. 

📺What to watch

• 12:45 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream 
• 5 p.m.: Biden hosts a screening of “Till” in the East Room of the White House. Livestream 

🥜 In lighter news 

Today is National Almond Day. 

OK, don’t panic, but Barney had a makeover:

Mattel announced this week that it will reboot Barney in 2024. 

The part that is getting attention: Barney looks a bit different these days… Before and after photos 

Details from NBC News’s Kalhan Rosenblatt 

LOL:
Buzzfeed writes, “Millennials Are Having Legit Meltdowns Over Barney’s 2023 Makeover.” A few reactions to Barney’s new look 

It has barely felt like winter this year!:

The Capital Weather Gang’s Ian Livingston writes that “one of the top-five warmest winters on record seems inevitable based on averages during the core months of December, January and February — also known as meteorological or climatological winter. While February still has two weeks left, data plugged in from the latest forecast models indicate this winter should rank as the fourth-warmest in the modern record.” The full forecast and historical context 

And because this made me laugh, here’s a cat who has found a clever way to get out of a pickle of a situation. 

^ Make sure your sound is on.