It’s Thursday.
This is Cate Martel, reporting from CPAC. Just kidding, I’m at “Titanic: The Exhibition” next door. Are you even remotely surprised? 😏 - The annual Conservative Political Action Conference
(CPAC) is happening right outside Washington, D.C. There are some fascinating tidbits — like a Jan. 6 pinball machine and “Woke Tears Water” bottle merch. And SO. MUCH. red.
- Republicans are trying to preserve the credibility of their Biden family probe after Russia revelations.
- Happy National Margarita Day!! Lots of restaurants have margarita specials today, so keep reading for that list.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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The land of the elephants and the home of the red-themed attire: |
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It’s former President Trump
’s “pre-convention convention,” as I overheard someone describe it today. The annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which describes itself as the largest gathering of conservatives in the world, is happening this week in National Harbor, Md.
I’m having weird flashbacks: I haven’t been to CPAC since February 2020, right before the world shut down due to COVID-19. That was the last big event I attended, and for weeks, I kept wondering and worrying whether I had been exposed to the then-mysterious coronavirus at CPAC. At the time, we had heard of the coronavirus, but masks were only for health care professionals. #TBT: Four years ago, former Vice President Mike Pence was speaking at CPAC and was still buddies with former President Trump. And on that same day, Pence appointed Debbie Birx to serve as the White House coronavirus response coordinator. The Feb. 27, 2020, story And Trump named Pence to lead his administration’s COVID-19 response. The story from that day Who is speaking today?: Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
(I), former United Kingdom Prime Minister Liz Truss 🥬 and Lara Trump, the GOP presidential front-runner’s daughter-in-law and his pick for co-chair of the Republican National Committee. 🗓️ Today’s agenda
Trump is speaking Saturday: On the same day that South Carolina is holding its Republican presidential primary. 👀 Livestream of today’s CPAC events: And a liveblog of CPAC highlights |
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➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM CPAC:
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What’s on their minds?: The theme of this year’s conference — written right above the main stage — “WHERE GLOBALISM GOES TO DIE.” 📸 Photos from CPAC: Including a flyer for a “Post Jan 6th Life in America.” Matt Schlapp, chair of CPAC, tells the crowd: “If you call yourself a journalist but you spend all your time trying to destroy Americans … and people from MAGA and J6 … we don’t want you here.” |
Songs on the CPAC playlist: Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country,” Lil Nas X
’s “Old Town Road,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” Carrie Underwood’s “The Champion (feat. Ludacris),” John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” The merch: Here’s a photo of “Woke Tears Water” bottles. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) swiped at the New York judge who ordered Trump to pay $355 million in the civil fraud case
: “Lady Justice is supposed to be even handed, not deciding that a Green New Deal is way more important than a basic rule of law that everybody can see and follow. They got this stupid judge in New York with the $400 million fine. What kind of craziness is this? By the way, can you business owners in New York come to Florida?” 📹 Watch the floodgates open: When the CPAC doors opened
There’s a Jan. 6 pinball game: Jon Linowes brought a custom pinball machine that he created. It includes nods to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Each game mode had a themed name — “political prisoners,” “it’s a setup,” “peaceful protest,” “fake news” and “stop the steal” and includes video footage of the insurrection. Photos of the game — it’s quite detailed / Explainer of the game from its creator
The merch: Overheard from a CPAC attendee: “That’s what I love about Trump. He’s the only billionaire who actually knows how to talk to blue collar workers.” Also overheard about the conference: “This is like conservative Red Bull.”
My favorite game at the Gaylord
: The venue is a massive hotel and convention center that can host several simultaneous conferences. My favorite is when CPAC shared the venue with a big cheerleading competition a few years ago. One of my favorite parts of CPAC is roaming around the hotel and guessing which guest is here for which conference. The biggest hint for CPAC is wearing anything red.
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➤ FIVE THINGS TO WATCH AT CPAC:
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What does Nikki Haley think about the Alabama embryo ruling?: |
The Alabama Supreme Court recently ruled that frozen embryos are children under state law, meaning they are subject to wrongful death lawsuits. More on that ruling Well, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told NBC News that she thinks frozen embryos are “babies.” Haley told NBC
: “‘Embryos, to me, are babies,’ Haley told NBC News in an interview, adding that she used artificial insemination to have her son, a different process than IVF that doesn’t present the same complexities around creating embryos in a lab. ‘When you talk about an embryo, you are talking about, to me, that’s a life. And so I do see where that’s coming from when they talk about that.’” ^ Yes, but: Haley later told the hosts of CNN’s “King Charles” that she did not endorse the court’s ruling. Haley told CNN: “Well, first of all, I didn’t — I mean, this is again, I didn’t say that I agreed with the Alabama ruling. What the question that I was asked is, ‘Do I believe an embryo is a baby?’” Haley said. “I do think that if you look in the definition, an embryo is considered an unborn baby. And so, yes, I believe from my stance that that is.” Keep in mind about the ruling
: “Classifying embryos as children under state law raises significant questions about whether the practice, used by families having trouble conceiving, could continue in states like Alabama. Unused embryos are often destroyed, which could open families or clinics up to wrongful death lawsuits under this policy. Storing frozen embryos, meanwhile, is expensive.” (NBC News
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You think Mike Johnson is worried about his job security?: |
The House Freedom Caucus has been pushing Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for spending cuts in the government funding fight. But because Freedom Caucus members recognize that may not be possible politically, they are now pressing Johnson on their backup plan: Instead of passing a government funding bill, they want Johnson to put forward another extension, a yearlong extension. Plus: The conservative caucus asked for an update on the spending talks with Democrats. Read the Freedom Caucus’s letter |
Tidbit — Republicans were warned about FBI informant’s claims:
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“Rep. Ken Buck
(R-Colo.) revealed Wednesday that his Republican colleagues were previously warned that the former FBI informant’s claims at the center of the Hunter Biden probe could not be corroborated.” (The Hill) Buck told CNN’s “The Source”: “We were warned at the time that we received the document outlining this witness’s testimony. … We were warned that the credibility of this statement was not known … And yet, people, my colleagues went out and talk to the public about how this was credible and how it was damning and how it proved President Biden
’s — at the time Vice President Biden’s — complicity in receiving bribes.” 💻 Watch Buck’s interview on CNN |
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The Hill’s Niall Stanage
reports how Republicans are on defense over the President Biden investigation after revelations about a discredited claim related to Russia. Read Stanage’s full reporting |
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| 🐿️ This headline hooked me: The Washington Post’s Kate Morgan writes, “How (and why) to peacefully coexist with squirrels.” (The Washington Post) 🐼 But, but … Washington, D.C., would love to have some pandas again
: China is planning to send two pandas to the San Diego Zoo. (NPR) |
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in California, and Vice President Harris is in Michigan.
(all times Eastern) |
- 2:20 p.m.: Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a news conference in Rio de Janeiro. 💻
Livestream
- 2:45 p.m.: Harris speaks at one of her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour stops. 💻 Livestream
- 5:45 p.m.: Biden participates in a campaign reception in Los Altos Hills, Calif.
- 7:10 p.m.: Harris returns to Washington, D.C.
- Midnight: Biden returns to the White House.
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