Plus: Historic DeSantis stat | Monday, February 13, 2023
| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sneak Peek | | By Hans Nichols and Zachary Basu · Feb 13, 2023 | | Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 977 words ... 3.5 minutes. 📅 Mark your calendars: Axios is hosting our second annual What's Next Summit on March 29 in D.C. Check out our speaker lineup and register to livestream the event here. | | | | | | 1 big thing: GOP readies vaccine probe |  | | | Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios | | | | Congress is venturing into unknown and potentially explosive territory with the first House GOP-led investigation into COVID vaccines, Axios' Andrew Solender and Victoria Knight report. Why it matters: The coming probe marks a sharp turn from last year's Democrat-led investigation, which focused on "political interference" in the Trump administration's pandemic response. The big picture: The Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has been given a broad writ to investigate a wide array of topics, from the virus' origins to federal COVID restrictions to the pandemic's economic impact. - But with far-right members like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) eager to flex their new committee power, expect vaccines to play a starring role.
- "It's Time To Investigate the COVID Vaccines," Greene's campaign declared in an email the day the panel's members were announced, linking to a tweet that raised unfounded speculation about a conservative influencer's death.
What to watch: Greene told Axios she wants to hold hearings with people who experienced side effects and look at VAERS reports — a public database of unverified reports of post-vaccination health effects often seized on by anti-vaccine groups. - Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), upon being appointed, tweeted: "Every LIE about the vaccine will be revealed."
- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), by contrast, said the goal shouldn't necessarily be to dent public trust. "We should see if there's any correlation between the vaccination and people dying," she told Axios. "And if there isn't ... we should disprove it."
- Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), a physician, said she expects the panel's hearings will "shed light on the FDA approval process, the potential for side effects, and ultimately the success rate and safety of the vaccine."
The other side: "There's no doubt that vaccines work," Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the panel, told Axios. - "It would be interesting to look at the efficiency of developing a vaccine for a novel virus ... the equity in vaccine distribution, the lives saved and productivity gained by having vaccines."
Share this story. |     | | | | | | 2. 🛸 White House: "No indication of aliens" |  | | | White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and national security spokesman John Kirby. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images | | | | A remarkable moment: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre felt compelled to publicly state today that there's "no indication of aliens or other extraterrestrial activity" related to the downing of three unidentified flying objects over the weekend. - "I don't think the American people need to worry about aliens with respect to these craft," White House national security spokesman John Kirby added.
Context: A top Air Force general declined to rule out the possibility of aliens at an off-camera briefing held at the same time as yesterday's Super Bowl. Why it matters: E.T. jokes aside, the U.S. government's inability to explain the nature or source of these "objects" has been met by the American public with fascination and alarm. - President Biden is facing real criticism — including from some Democrats — over the information vacuum.
- In a letter obtained by Axios' Andrew Solender, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) warned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the lack of explanations is leaving "room for conspiracy theories to grow."
Screenshot: Fox News The latest: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has directed an "interagency team to study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis, and disposition" of UFOs. - All senators will receive a classified briefing on the issue tomorrow at 10am ET.
Flashback: Out of 366 reports of unidentified aerial phenomena reviewed by the Pentagon since last summer, 171 "demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis," according to an unclassified report released in January. | | | | | | | | 3. 🧾 Biden touts Social Security "receipts" |  | | | President Biden reads from Sen. Rick Scott's "12 Point Plan to Rescue America" during remarks about protecting Social Security and Medicare. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images | | | | The White House is ignoring demands from Republican leaders to stop accusing them of seeking cuts to Social Security and Medicare — doubling down on an attack that drew outcry at last week's State of the Union. Why it matters: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have insisted the programs will be off the table in negotiations over spending cuts. But individual Republicans keep feeding Biden ammunition to claim otherwise. - Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), for example, has doubled down on his proposal to sunset all federal legislation after five years, though he denies that would amount to cutting Social Security and Medicare.
- A day after the State of the Union, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) reiterated his call for annual votes on funding the programs, labeling Social Security "a legal Ponzi scheme."
What they're saying: "The receipts are undeniable," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Axios' Sophia Cai, pointing to "a continuing list" of Republicans who "keep proving [Biden's] point." The intrigue: McConnell has aggressively distanced himself from Scott's controversial plan, saying in a podcast interview last week, "That's not a Republican plan. That was the Rick Scott plan." - McConnell's vengeance campaign against Scott — who unsuccessfully challenged him in last month's leadership election — is widening cracks in the Senate GOP conference.
- "Would Chuck Schumer ever do this to any member of his conference?" Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) tweeted in response to McConnell's criticism of the Scott plan.
Share this story. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The news you need in 10 minutes. | | |  | | | | Catch up on the biggest stories of the day and why they matter with the Axios Today podcast. Host Niala Boodhoo is joined by journalists from Axios' newsroom to unpack the stories shaping your world and the trends shaping our time. Listen for free. | | | | | | 4. 📈 Historic DeSantis stat | | Photo: Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Since 1976, only six first-time candidates for president (excluding former vice presidents) have averaged more than 20% in early primary polls, according to the N.Y. Times. - It's a star-studded list: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, George W. Bush, Ted Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is currently averaging 32%, would join them if he decides to run.
Why it matters: DeSantis would be in a far stronger position than other promising first-time candidates — like former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker or now-Vice President Kamala Harris — who failed to live up to expectations. | | | | | | | | 5. 👽 Tweet du jour | | | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The news you need in 10 minutes. | | | | | | | | Catch up on the biggest stories of the day and why they matter with the Axios Today podcast. Host Niala Boodhoo is joined by journalists from Axios' newsroom to unpack the stories shaping your world and the trends shaping our time. Listen for free. | | | | 📬 Thanks for reading tonight. This newsletter was edited by Zachary Basu and copy edited by Kathie Bozanich. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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