News Roundup: Biden Caught on Video Violating D.C. Mask Mandate at Upscale Restaurant

BY JACK CROWE

October 18, 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.

Biden Caught on Video Violating D.C. Mask Mandate at Upscale Restaurant

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were seen violating Washington, D.C.'s indoor mask mandate at an upscale Georgetown restaurant on Saturday.

Video of the incident shows the Bidens walking through Fiola Mare without masks, in violation of the district's indoor mask policy, which Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated in July amid rising cases of the delta variant of COVID-19.

The Italian seafood restaurant, where the pair dined after attending a service at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, has a mask policy that is in line with that of the city.

Fauci Claims He Is Only Controversial Because He Tells 'Inconvenient' Truths

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday dismissed concerns that he is a polarizing figure, saying he merely speaks truths that may be "inconvenient for some people," causing them to lash out.

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace noted that Fauci was "generally regarded as the authority on infectious diseases" when the COVID-19 pandemic began but that as time has gone on, he has become a polarizing figure.

He added that critics accuse Fauci of having sent mixed signals on public-health issues and also of helping fund dangerous research at the Wuhan lab before asking Fauci why he believes he's become "so controversial" and asked if Fauci had done anything to contribute to that.

"Well, I'm not so sure I could answer the latter because I can't think of anything but I'm sure some people will," Fauci said. "I have stood for always making science, data and evidence be what we guide ourselves by and I think people who feel differently, who have conspiracy theories, who deny reality that's looking them straight in the eye, those are people that don't particularly care for me."

Pete Buttigieg Says He Won't 'Apologize to Tucker Carlson' for Taking Paternity Leave

Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday pushed back against criticism of his decision to take a two-month long paternity leave amid a supply-chain crisis, saying he is "not going to apologize to Tucker Carlson or anyone else."

Buttigieg's comments came during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union, days after Fox News's Carlson lambasted the transportation secretary for taking paternity leave after adopting two children with his husband. Carlson suggested that Buttigieg was "trying to figure out how to breastfeed."

"As you might imagine, we're bottle-feeding and doing it at all hours of the day and night," Buttigieg said Sunday in response to Carlson's comments.

"And I'm not going to apologize to Tucker Carlson or anyone else for taking care of my premature newborn, infant twins," Buttigieg added.

Gang Members Kidnap American Missionaries and Their Families in Haiti

A group of 17 missionaries and family members, most of whom are American, are believed to have been kidnapped by a gang in Haiti on Saturday.

The missionaries, who had been on a site visit to an orphanage, were stopped by a gang on their way to the airport to drop off some members, according to the The Washington Post.

The group is believed to be a part of the Christian Aid Ministries, which sent out a "prayer alert" to members to pray for the missing missionaries that includes "men, women and children" who are being held by an armed gang, the report says.

Atlanta Business Owners Say Possible World Series Windfall Won't Make Up for All-Star Game Loss

Six months after Major League Baseball pulled its All-Star Game out of Georgia to protest the state's new election-security law, Atlanta is back in the national spotlight as the hometown Braves make a drive to a possible spot in the World Series.

Local business owners told National Review that playoff baseball has been good for business, but it hasn't offset the harm caused by the Delta variant and coronavirus-related restrictions. They also are still miffed over losing the All-Star Game, which according to some estimates could have injected $100 million into a local economy still reeling from the pandemic.

Does Masking Students Make a Difference? Florida's Policy Patchwork Offers Some Answers

In late summer, as the Delta variant of the coronavirus surged through the American South, Victoria Defenthaler kept a close eye on the data in her Florida community. Cases of COVID-19 had spiked about 600 percent since June. Defenthaler was worried.

A member of the Martin County school board on the state's Treasure Coast, Defenthaler warned that the district's mitigation efforts might not be enough. She tried and failed to convince other board members to bring in health-department officials to provide counsel.

And she urged her colleagues to defy Governor Ron DeSantis and reinstitute a school mask mandate. Neighboring school districts were mandating masks. They should too, she argued.

"I don't really care what the governor is saying," Defenthaler said. "I want to do what is right."

Biden Admits Democrats Are 'Not Going to Get $3.5 Trillion' for Reconciliation Bill

President Biden said his administration's proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill would probably have a lower price tag, in remarks to reporters on Friday.

"To be honest with you, we're probably not going to get $3.5 trillion this year; we're going to get something less than that," Biden said while visiting a child care center in Hartford, Conn., according to a White House transcript of the remarks.

"I'm convinced we're going to get it done. We're not going to get $3.5 trillion," Biden repeated later in his remarks. "We'll get less than that, but we're going to get it."

Manchin Rips Sanders over Reconciliation-Bill Op-Ed in West Virginia Newspaper

Senator Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) slammed Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) for writing an op-ed in a West Virginia newspaper urging him to support the Biden administration's potential $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.

"This isn't the first time an out-of-stater has tried to tell West Virginians what is best for them despite having no relationship to our state," Manchin said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Manchin derided Sanders for calling to "throw more money on an already overheated economy while 52 other senators have grave concerns about this approach."

Manchin added, "I will not vote for a reckless expansion of government programs. No op-ed from a self-declared Independent socialist is going to change that."

British Police Label Fatal Stabbing of Lawmaker 'Terrorist Incident'

British police declared the fatal stabbing of Conservative MP Sir David Amess a "terrorist incident" late Friday evening.

"The fatal stabbing in Leigh-on-Sea has tonight been declared as a terrorist incident, with the investigation being led by Counter Terrorism Policing," the London Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement. "The early investigation has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism."

Police said they arrested a 25-year-old suspect who is currently being held in a station in Essex.

Loudoun County School-Board Member Resigns amid Backlash over Alleged Transgender Bathroom Assault

A member of the Loudoun County School Board announced her resignation on Friday, amid a recall effort and ongoing controversies over a reported case of sexual assault in school.

"Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from the Loudoun County School Board effective November 2, 2021," Beth Barts wrote in a Facebook post. "This was not an easy decision or a decision made in haste. After much thought and careful consideration, it is the right decision for me and my family."

Barts was already facing a recall attempt by a parent group called Fight for Schools, which accused Barts of initiating a "targeting campaign" against parents who opposed critical race theory.