Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The first indoor inauguration since 1985: “President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony is moving indoors to the Capitol rotunda because of a frigid weather forecast in the nation’s capital Monday, the president-elect announced on social media Friday. Inauguration Day is often cold, but Monday looks to be especially brisk. The high is expected to be roughly 20 degrees, with a low of six degrees, and strong winds.”
* Presidential clemency on a historic scale: “President Joe Biden said Friday he is commuting the sentences of more than 2,000 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, cementing his legacy as the president who has issued the most individual pardons and commutations in U.S. history. Biden said in a statement that commuting the nearly 2,500 sentences would help ‘equalize’ sentencing disparities.”
* Some news is predictable and mortifying at the same time: “Three lawyers for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison camp just under a year ago, were sentenced to prison Friday, highlighting the risks of having any ties to the opposition in Russia, even in a professional lawyer-client relationship.”
* An alliance worth watching: “Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation pact Friday as their countries deepened their partnership in the face of stinging Western sanctions.”
* I’m glad Biden took this step, though it’s largely symbolic: “President Joe Biden announced Friday that the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the U.S. Constitution, making a symbolic statement that’s unlikely to alter a decades-long push for gender equality … It’s unlikely that Biden’s support will have any impact. On Friday, the National Archives reiterated its position by saying ‘the underlying legal and procedural issues have not changed.’”
* When good journalism leads to important outcomes: “The Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday that it had reached a settlement with General Motors that would ban the automaker from providing drivers’ behavior and geolocation data to consumer reporting agencies. The ban will last for five years. The New York Times reported last year that G.M. was collecting data about people’s driving behavior, including how often they sped or drove at night, and selling it to data brokers that generated risk profiles for insurance companies. Some drivers reported that their auto insurance rates increased as a result.” * I’d guess the odds of Trump trying to take credit for this are roughly 100%: “The Biden administration on Friday released the next round of prescription drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations, including Ozempic and Wegovy — the blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs.” * For a Justice Department that’s supposed to have been weaponized against Republicans, the Biden-era DOJ sure does prosecute a lot of Democrats: “Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her longtime partner and two local businessmen were named in an indictment unsealed Friday alleging the four conspired to funnel city business to companies owned by the men in exchange for money and benefits to Thao and her partner.” Have a safe weekend.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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