Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Donald Trump is no longer President-elect.
The 45th — and now 47th — President was sworn in on Monday by Chief Justice John Roberts in the U.S. Capitol, marking an end to the Biden Era.
It didn’t take long for Trump to get to work unraveling some of the changes made since he last occupied the White House — shortly after taking the oath, Trump put a border app called CBP One in mothballs.
The move followed an inaugural address that saw Trump rail against immigrants, baselessly alleging they are flowing in from foreign mental institutions.
Reports indicate he will also rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America via executive order before the end of his first day in office. Trump has teased the change in the interregnum between his election and inauguration.
The U.S. Interior Secretary would be instructed to officially change the names of those locations, per the executive orders’ directives.
Perhaps the most significant change is the end of birthright citizenship. Under an executive order Trump is reportedly issuing soon, children born to non-citizens within U.S. borders will no longer be granted citizenship, which is a right guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Meanwhile, on the home front, Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez have canceled Committee meetings this week, citing frigid weather. Forecasts indicate that Tallahassee may see snow flurries.
“Weather forecasts predicting snow and ice in Tallahassee on Tuesday night and into Wednesday have not improved over the weekend, and schools in Tallahassee are closed on Wednesday in anticipation of severe winter weather,” Albritton said in a memo.
“I am concerned with Senators, staff, and visitors being out on the roads traveling to and around the Tallahassee area in these conditions.”
Senators and House members are now expected to return to the Capitol on Jan. 27.
— Evening Reads —
—“Donald Trump: Mr. Status Quo” via Ron Fournier
—“Inauguration Day’s Trump-tech extravaganza: At least $12 trillion in market value sat on dais” via Jason Dean of The Wall Street Journal
—“Trump executive order will attempt to end birthright citizenship” via Nick Miroff, Maria Sacchetti, Arelis R. Hernández and Dan Lamothe of The Washington Post
—”The law is clear on birthright citizenship. Can Trump end it anyway?” via Nicole Narea of Vox
—“Trump’s inaugural address, annotated and fact-checked” via Zachary B. Wolf and Curt Merrill of CNN
—“The Gilded Age of Trump begins now” via David A. Graham of The Atlantic
—“For Trump, a vindication for the man and his movement” via Peter Baker of The New York Times
—“Florida’s takeover of Washington is only just beginning” via Kimberly Leonard of POLITICO
—“Florida officials react to presidential inauguration of Trump” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—”Ron DeSantis fumes over Anthony Fauci pardon” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”Mason DeSantis picks underdog Notre Dame to win college football championship” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
Quote of the Day
“The swamp protects its own …”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, blasting Joe Biden over his pardon of Anthony Fauci.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Bring a tray of Tech Tonics to the U.S. Capitol, because the CEOs of the largest companies in the world are getting thirsty.
If you don’t order yourself a Gulf of Mexico soon, you may never be able to again — and pre-order an updated globe while you’re at it.
Order DeSantis something off this Best of 2021 cocktails list so he gets the hint and stops talking about that one guy who worked at NIH for a while.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Ohio State, Notre Dame play for college football championship tonight
The college football season culminates tonight as the Ohio State Buckeyes face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Ohio State (13-2) finished the regular season with a loss to Michigan but has been impressive in the playoffs. The Buckeyes scored more than 40 points in wins over Tennessee and Oregon, the latter gaining revenge for a loss to the Ducks in October. Ohio State topped Texas 28-14 in the semifinals to earn a berth in the finals.
Notre Dame (14-1) enjoyed a nearly perfect season. The only loss for the Irish came in a 16-14 upset by Northern Illinois on Sept. 7. While Ohio State has enjoyed a 19.3-point margin of victory in the playoffs, Notre Dame has won games by narrower margins, topping Indiana 27-17, Georgia 23-10, and Penn State 27-24 in the semifinals.
Ohio State has eight national championships in program history, six of which were awarded by The Associated Press and/or coaches’ polls. Notre Dame has 11 national championships, eight of which were awarded by the AP and/or coaches’ polls.
As expected, game tickets are a hot commodity. On StubHub, the most expensive single seat was listed at $1,800 for a spot in the upper corner of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. On SeatGeek, a handful of tickets were available for $1,783.
This is the first season of the new 12-team playoff and the first time since 2013 that Notre Dame has played for a national championship. Ohio State last played for a title in 2014. A 2022 study by strategy consultant TJ Altimore ranked Ohio State and Notre Dame as the college football programs with the two largest fan bases in America.
___
Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
