CNN panel brutally mocks Biden for attempting to change definition of recession: 'You can't fake this!'



Not even a CNN panel is buying what the Biden administration is trying to sell on the possibility of a recession.

What is the background?

Beginning last week, the Biden administration has repeatedly claimed the definition of a recession — generally defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth — is not actually the definition of a recession.

On Monday, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked President Joe Biden how worried Americans should be over the possibility of a recession. Biden's response jettisoned objectivity altogether.

"We’re not going to be in a recession, in my view," Biden said.

What happened?

On CNN's "The Lead," a panel of commentators knocked the Biden administration for doing pre-emptive damage control ahead of a potentially negative economic report.

"The Biden administration is trying to point out the definition of a recession is nuanced. But I got to tell you, I struggle with this. I get why they want to do it from a political perspective, but you can't fake this!" host Kasie Hunt exclaimed.

CNN editor at large Chris Cillizza then mocked what Biden told Doocy.

"I was laughing to myself with the 'in my view' thing. Like in my view, I should be drafted to the NBA," Cillizza mocked.

"It doesn't really matter what you think," he continued. "There is a technical definition, two straight quarters of negative economic growth. They clearly believe that is likely to come to pass later this week. They're trying to prebut it."

Cillizza agreed that everyone understands why the Biden administration would want to change the definition of a recession, but condemned them for doing so.

"We have these terms for a reason. You don't have to like it. Of course, they don't like it because the economy — you know, Joe Biden's handling of the economy was 25% or 30% in our most recent poll. It's a problem for them; this adds to the problem," Cillizza explained. "But you don't get to change the nomenclature in the middle of a campaign because it doesn't work for you."

\u201cRepublican strategist: GOP Sen. Rubio fighting same-sex marriage bill just to show he\u2019s fighting for something. @ScottJenningsKY, @repdonnaedwards, @fran_chambers and @ChrisCillizza discuss. @kasie\u201d
— The Lead CNN (@The Lead CNN) 1658785645

After the U.S. economy shrank 1.6% in the first quarter of 2022, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, economists remain split over what the BEA's first second-quarter estimate will say. The estimate will be published on Thursday.

Economists with Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs, for example, predict meager growths of under 1%, but the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's GDPNow is predicting another GDP contraction of 1.6%.

Fauci opposes judge ending transit mask mandate: 'This is a CDC issue, it should not have been a court issue'



Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, voiced his opposition to a judge ending the public transit mask mandate.

Fauci made the comments in an interview with Kasie Hunt on CNN that was published Thursday.

"Both surprised and disappointed because those types of things really are the purview of the CDC. This is a public health issue, and for a court to come in and if you look at the rationale for that, it really is not particularly firm, and we are concerned about that, about courts getting involved in what is unequivocally a public health decision, I mean this is a CDC issue, it should not be a court issue," said Fauci.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said Monday that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had exceeded its statutory authority when it ordered the mandate on public transit.

"So we're hoping that the inevitable increase in cases which we're seeing are not going to be associated with an increase in hospitalizations. So all of these dynamic things going on at the same time, it was perfectly logical for the CDC to say, 'Wait a minute, we were planning on ending this mandate on a certain date, let's wait a period of time until May 3rd.' Which was a very sound public health decision," Fauci continued.

"So for a court to come in and interfere in that is really unfortunate," he added. "It's unfortunate because it's against public health principles, number one, and number two, is because that's no place for the courts to do that, this is a CDC decision and that's very bad precedent when you have courts making a decision. And looking at what the basis of the decision was, it was not sound."

Liberals have criticized the judge who issued the order to end the mandate because she was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Others say that the premature end of the mandate is putting the public at risk, but polling shows that the end of the mandate is very popular.

Here's the video of Fauci's comments:

WATCH: Dr. Fauci tells me on #TheSourceKasie "This is a CDC issue, it should not have been a court issue." @CNNpic.twitter.com/rZZyHnFqJ5
— Kasie Hunt (@Kasie Hunt) 1650575322

Mitt Romney, who voted against confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson last year, says he has not decided whether he will support elevating her to the Supreme Court



Republican Sen. Mitt Romney told CNN's Kasie Hunt that he has not decided whether he will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Romney, who voted against confirming Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last year, said that he has started a "much deeper dive than ... during the prior evaluation."

"I'll complete that analysis and then reach a decision," he said, noting that he has not made a choice yet.

CNN+ Exclusive: Sen. Mitt Romney talks to @kasie about his pending vote on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson\u2019s confirmationpic.twitter.com/lhPrOF6EGX
— The Lead CNN (@The Lead CNN) 1648509855

Even if no GOP senators choose to lend their support, the Senate Democratic caucus could still place Jackson on the high court if they all vote to confirm and then Vice President Kamala Harris casts a tie-breaking vote.

GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted to confirm Jackson last year.

Sen. Ben Sasse, who was listed as "Not Voting" on the confirmation vote last year, issued a statement last week in which he called Jackson "an extraordinary person" but said that he will not vote in favor of confirming her to the high court.

"Judge Jackson has impeccable credentials and a deep knowledge of the law, but at every turn this week she not only refused to claim originalism as her judicial philosophy, she refused to claim any judicial philosophy at all," Sasse said in the statement. "Although she explained originalism and textualism in some detail to the committee, Judge Jackson refused to embrace them or any other precise system of limits on the judicial role," he said.

BREAKING: At least 2 officers 'seriously' injured after vehicle rams into barricade at US Capitol; lockdown ensues



At least two officers were injured Friday afternoon after a suspect rammed a vehicle into a barricade at a U.S. Capitol checkpoint.

The incident also reportedly led to at least one suspect being shot in the altercation.

The U.S. Capitol Police on Friday afternoon tweeted, "CRITICAL INCIDENT: USCP is responding to the North Barricade vehicle across point along Independence Avenue for reports someone rammed a vehicle into two USCP officers. A suspect is in custody Both officers are injured. All three have been transported to the hospital."

CRITICAL INCIDENT: USCP is responding to the North Barricade vehicle access point along Independence Avenue for rep… https://t.co/vv4JerAYnn
— U.S. Capitol Police (@U.S. Capitol Police)1617384377.0

What are the details?

According to a report from KWQC-TV, Capitol Police said that the incident caused a lockdown at the U.S. Capitol complex, and that staff were told they could not enter or exit Capitol buildings.

Capitol Police, according to the station, said that a suspect "rammed a vehicle into two USCP officers," and that a suspect had been taken into custody in connection with the apparent attack.

One officer was taken by police car to a local hospital for treatment, and the second was transported by emergency medical crews.

A source purporting to be close to the situation told The Daily Beast that the two officers are "seriously hurt."

MSNBC reported that the driver of the vehicle reportedly jumped out of the car armed with a knife after ramming the officers.

At least two Capitol Police officers injured in security incident at U.S. Capitol, @kasie reports."It's just anot… https://t.co/iOqMlLyzLO
— MSNBC (@MSNBC)1617386418.0

This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.

Mitch McConnell debunks 'myth' that the GOP won't have time to confirm a SCOTUS nominee



Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor of the Senate Monday to debunk claims that the Senate does not have sufficient time to consider a Supreme Court nominee before the general election in November.

Citing historical precedent, McConnell argued that the Senate has plenty of time to confirm a nominee and promised that there will be a vote on President Donald Trump's nominee this year.

"President Trump's nominee for this vacancy will receive a vote on the floor of the Senate," McConnell said, reiterating a statement he issued Friday after the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, passed away from complications due to pancreatic cancer.

"Now already, some of the same individuals who tried every conceivable dirty trick to obstruct Justice [Neil] Gorsuch and Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh are lining up to proclaim the third time will be the charm," he continued.

"The American people are about to witness an astonishing parade of misrepresentations about the past, misstatements about the present, and more threats against our institutions from the same people who've already been saying for months — well before this — already been saying for months they want to pack the court."

Already, Democrats and some in the media have misrepresented the so-called "McConnell rule," claiming the Republicans are hypocrites for promising to move forward with a Supreme Court nomination during an election year after previously refusing to consider President Barack Obama's nominee Merrick Garland to fill Justice Scalia's vacancy on the court in 2016. Though Democrats say McConnell's 2016 position was no Supreme Court confirmations during an election year, McConnell's actual position was that if the presidency and the Senate majority are of different political parties and cannot agree on a nominee, then the American people may resolve the matter with an election.

This year there is a GOP majority in the Senate and President Trump is a Republican president. Republicans have the constitutional power to fill a Supreme Court presidency and they say it is their obligation to do so.

McConnell also addressed "incorrect" claims that the Senate does not have time to complete the confirmation process before the election.

"We are already hearing incorrect claims that there is not sufficient time to examine and confirm a nominee," McConnell said. "We can debunk this myth in about 30 seconds."

"As of today there are 43 days until Nov. 3 and 104 days until the end of this Congress," McConnell said. "The late iconic Justice John Paul Stevens was confirmed by the Senate 19 days after this body formally received his nominations — 19 days from start to finish."

"Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, another iconic jurist, was confirmed 33 days after her nomination. For the late Justice Ginsburg herself it was just 42 days. Justice Stevens' entire confirmation process could've been played out twice between now and Nov. 3 with time to spare. And Justice Ginsburg herself could've been confirmed twice between now and the end of the year, with time to spare.

"The Senate has more than sufficient time to process a nomination. History and precedent make that perfectly clear."

So far only two Senate Republicans have publicly stated their opposition to confirming Trump's nominee before the election.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters Friday she will not vote to confirm a new SCOTUS justice until after inauguration day, saying "fair is fair," presumably in reference to Republicans refusing to confirm Garland.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) issued a statement Saturday giving her support to holding confirmation hearings on Trump's nominee before the election but opposing a confirmation vote until afterward.

"In order for the American people to have faith in their elected officials, we must act fairly and consistently — no matter which political party is in power. President Trump has the constitutional authority to make a nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, and I would have no objection to the Senate Judiciary Committee's beginning the process of reviewing his nominee's credentials," she said.

"In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on November 3rd."

On Friday, Sen. Mitt Romney's (R-Utah) communications director Liz Johnson refuted a claim that Romney "committed" to not confirming a nominee until after Inauguration Day.

This is grossly false. #fakenews https://t.co/HZuqAyYToz
— Liz Johnson (@Liz Johnson)1600478833.0

Romney is reportedly waiting to meet with Sen. McConnell at Tuesday's GOP conference lunch before making a statement on his position.

.@MittRomney doesn’t plan a statement on RBG seat vote until after Tuesday GOP conference lunch — he wants to hear… https://t.co/EmKMqJ8zZM
— Kasie Hunt (@Kasie Hunt)1600705082.0