DML Morning Briefing, Nov. 3

Today is November 3. Below are some of the stories grabbing headlines this morning. I hope you share this briefing as doing so will make you the smartest person in the room.

1.Biden’s war on ‘disinformation’ ramps up as GOP accuses officials of playing politics with the truth
FoxNews– A handful of President Joe Biden’s most important federal agencies are stepping up efforts to monitor and counteract “disinformation” on social media platforms, even in the face of criticism that the administration is attempting to silence conservative or opposing viewpoints.

The actions by the federal agencies come as Missouri and Louisiana are pursuing legal action against Biden, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top administration officials. The two states say these officials “pressured and colluded” with Big Tech social media companies to censor and suppress information on the Hunter Biden laptop story, COVID-19 origins and security of voting by mail during the pandemic.

Despite the ongoing lawsuit and vocal criticism by members of Congress, Biden’s agencies remain focused on countering disinformation from foreign adversaries attempting to influence U.S. elections and on certain topics, including COVID-19 origins, the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and more.

Ryan Lynch: When are we going to look into the people, social media companies, and agencies suppressing the real details of Hunter Biden’s Laptop.

2.Ukraine’s first lady urges West to provide more weapons to help Kyiv prepare for winter war
CNBC– Zelenska, who is the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine was grateful for the assistance received so far but added that continued support is needed, especially ahead of the winter.

As the war enters its ninth month, Zelenska said that the cold weather poses an additional crisis, with Russian President Vladimir Putin likely hoping to seize on waning resources and weakened morale in Ukraine, even as his own side suffers deep losses.

She added that the West weakening its support now would be a tragedy not only for Ukraine but for all of Kyiv’s allies.

Ryan Lynch: How much more money and weapons are we going to keep continuously sending to Ukraine every time Kyiv comes calling? We have problems here at home that the government needs to start addressing instead of throwing our resources at a proxy war against a nuclear armed country.

3.Congress confronts divide over Capitol Police and eyes more security funding after Pelosi attack
CNN– Lawmakers have at times been divided over whether providing more money to the Capitol’s law enforcement agency, the leadership of which came under scrutiny for its response to the January 6 attack, is enough to solve the problem. On Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, the chairwoman of the House Administration Committee who overseas US Capitol Police demanded answers from USCP Chief Tom Manger about the protection of congressional lawmakers following the break-in at Pelosi’s San Francisco home.

Sources said members are waiting to see what happens in next week’s midterms elections, as the balance of the House will impact how appropriators approach spending discussions. End-of-year funding fights are always a slog, and Congress is already facing a packed to-do list during the lame duck session. While Congress does not return to session until after the November midterm elections, sources said preliminary discussions are underway about how to better protect members, their families and homes.

Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, who chairs the House Committee on Appropriations, told CNN serious policy discussions need to be had to determine what could go into additional funding.

Ryan Lynch: For the Democrats they’ll push and push in order to protect themselves. But when it comes to protecting the American People from crime and fentanyl they’re nowhere to be found.  Meanwhile, the story about Paul Pelosi appears to be missing some pieces, and Biden’s speech yesterday was crazy enough to force my dad to speak about it at length today on The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast.

4.Powerball jackpot climbs to staggering $1.5billion after no one won Wednesday night’s draw – and that top prize could still grow if enough tickets are sold before Saturday’s draw
DailyMail– The Powerball jackpot has increased to a staggering $1.5 billion after no winning tickets were sold for Wednesday night’s draw.

The eye-watering prize, set to be drawn on Saturday night, would be the third largest lottery win in US history.

This would be just short of the record $1.586 billion prize shared between three winners in 2016 and a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in 2019.

Ryan Lynch: That’s a lot of money.

5.Federal health officials report shortage of widely used antibiotic
NBC-news– One of the most commonly used antibiotics in the country, amoxicillin, is in short supply, federal health officials say.

The notice from the Food and Drug Administration about an oral solution of the drug comes as pharmacy owners report diminished inventory of the medication, which is prescribed to treat bacterial infections, including pneumonia and bronchitis.

The department also listed a shortage for an oral powder. Amoxicillin is available in chewable tablets or capsules.

It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the shortage or how long it could last.

Ryan Lynch: I feel like every week there is a new item that is nearing a shortage in Biden’s America. Amoxicillin is an effective drug, something needs to change. Maybe we should stop importing our medications from China.