Sarah Sanders to Run for Arkansas Gov.; Biden to End Transgender-Soldier Ban

BY JACK CROWE

January 25, 2021

Good morning and welcome to the News Editor's Roundup, a weekly newsletter that will ensure you're up to date on the developments in politics, business, and culture that will shape the week's news cycle — as well as those that might escape mainstream attention.

Former Trump Press Secretary Sarah Sanders Announces Run for Arkansas Governor

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced Monday that she will run for Arkansas governor in 2022.

"I'm fighting for you. I will not retreat. I will not surrender. And I will not bow down to the radical Left, not now, not ever. As governor, I will defend our freedom and lead with heart," Sanders said in a video message posted to Twitter, describing herself as a "proud Arkansan."

Biden to End Partial Ban on Transgender Soldiers in U.S. Military

President Biden is set to lift restrictions on transgender Americans who wish to serve in the U.S. military, according to multiple reports on Monday.

Former president Trump announced the partial ban via Twitter in 2017, taking then-secretary of defense James Mattis by surprise. The Obama administration took steps in 2016 to allow transgender soldiers to serve openly for the first time.

Trump's ban allowed transgender soldiers to serve as long as they did not require "special accommodations," such as hormone therapy or gender-reassignment surgery.

Struggling NYC Business Owners Not Buying Cuomo's Newfound Interest in Reopening

To many of New York City's struggling small business owners, Governor Andrew Cuomo's recent admission that "we simply cannot stay closed" means little after months of stonewalling.

"I had always been under the premise that the governor wasn't going to do anything until the election was over, because I think most of it is a political ploy," Joe Germanotta, owner of Italian restaurant Joanne Trattoria on the Upper West side, told National Review.

Lack of Dem Indictments in Flint Water Probe Raises Concerns about Political Prosecution

The absence of any elected Democrats among the officials indicted this month for their respective roles in the Flint water crisis has led to concerns that the charging decisions were motivated by political considerations.

Sanders Vows Dems to Use Budget Reconciliation to Pass $1.9T COVID Bill if GOP Balks

Senator Bernie Sanders said Sunday that Democrats will use budget reconciliation, a process requiring only a simple majority in the Senate, to pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package if Republicans refuse to get on board.

"We are going to use reconciliation, that is 50 votes in the Senate plus the vice president, to pass legislation desperately needed by working families in this country right now," Sanders told CNN's Dana Bash on State of the Union.

Rubio Says It's 'Arrogant' to Impeach Trump to Bar Him from Running Again

Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) on Sunday called the effort to impeach former President Trump in order to bar him from running for office again "arrogant," saying "voters get to decide" who is elected.

"I think that's an arrogant statement for anyone to make," Rubio responded when asked by host Chis Wallace on Fox News Sunday about whether Trump should be impeached to prevent a future campaign for office.

"Voters get to decide that. Who are we to tell voters who they can vote for in the future?" the Florida Republican asked.

Biden to Sign New Round of Executive Orders on Abortion, Immigration

President Biden will sign a fresh round of executive orders during his first full week in office, including actions loosening restrictions around abortion and immigration.

Biden will issue an order to rescind the Mexico City policy, which prohibits U.S. funding for foreign organizations that perform or promote abortions. The administration also dodged last week on whether Biden plans to scrap the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer funding of elective abortions under Medicaid.

On immigration, Biden plans to establish a task force focused on reuniting migrant families who were separated as a result of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, according to a memo outlining the upcoming executive actions obtained by The Hill.

McCarthy Says He Has 'Concerns' over Cheney's Vote to Impeach

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) said he has "concerns" over Representative Liz Cheney's vote to impeach former President Trump, though he supports the Wyoming congresswoman remaining in her role as the No. 3 House Republican.

"Look, I support her, but I also have concerns. She took a position as a number three member in conference, she never told me ahead of time. One thing about leadership, if we're going to work together, we should understand. We know that this is going to become a difficulty," McCarthy said in an interview with Greta Van Susteren set to air Sunday.

Russia Arrests Hundreds of Protesters Calling for Kremlin Critic Navalny's Release

Police on Saturday arrested hundreds of protesters in over 60 Russian cities, some of whom braved freezing temperatures as low as minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit to demand the release of top opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Navalny was arrested on January 17 upon his return to Moscow from Germany. He spent five months in Berlin recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning widely believed to have been perpetrated by the Kremlin.

Tulsi Gabbard: Domestic-Terrorism Bill Is 'a Targeting of Almost Half of the Country'

Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic representative from Hawaii, on Friday expressed concern that a proposed measure to combat domestic terrorism could be used to undermine civil liberties.

"It's so dangerous as you guys have been talking about, this is an issue that all Democrats, Republicans, independents, Libertarians should be extremely concerned about, especially because we don't have to guess about where this goes or how this ends," Gabbard said.

She continued: "When you have people like former CIA Director John Brennan openly talking about how he's spoken with or heard from appointees and nominees in the Biden administration who are already starting to look across our country for these types of movements similar to the insurgencies they've seen overseas, that in his words, he says make up this unholy alliance of religious extremists, racists, bigots, he lists a few others and at the end, even libertarians."

Broadcast Legend Larry King Dies at 87

Larry King, the award-winning TV host and radio personality, has died at the age of 87 amid a weeks-long battle with coronavirus.

"With profound sadness, Ora Media announces the death of our co-founder, host, and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at age 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles," King's official Twitter announced Saturday morning.