Escaping winter never seemed so urgent. Last week, my old bones felt like they would snap. When days went by in the single digits, meaning the snow and ice would not melt but could only be shoveled back and forth, Erica and I knew it was time to head south to where the snowbirds fly.
Because we have Skipper, a big black lab who is 85 pounds of unchecked energy, we decided to drive. Officially, I am announcing that it will never happen again. Although ice was an ever-present threat, the drive was more tedious than dangerous. We slipped between two cold fronts and made it from our home in Cleveland to Nashville and then Atlanta, where we visited with our eldest daughter, Isabella. She is a CNN senior producer, and part of the news network is still based there.
Coincidentally, the first news event of the week was also coming out of Atlanta. There was an FBI raid on the headquarters of the local Fulton County, Georgia, election board. Turns out the feds had a search warrant signed by a judge to ferret out irregularities in the 2020 election, which was so five years ago. Remember when President Trump implored Georgia officials to find him just 11,000 or so more votes so he could win the crucial swing state? He didn’t.
What made the FBI raid so unusual was not merely the regurgitation of the stale old charge of election interference, which has been rebutted by every agency that has looked behind the curtains of the voting booths, but the fact that the raid was led by Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence.
What in the world did President Trump hope to find in the dusty Fulton County election records? Why did he give the FBI agents involved a highly charged pep talk? Why was the raid led by his DNI, the nation’s top spy? Is the theory that the Russians, Chinese, Iranians, or Venezuelans stole or somehow falsified the 2020 Georgia results?
It wasn’t long after we reached our Florida destination that the news cycle moved in a more ominous, heartbreaking direction.
We all watched the twisted, wicked, apparent kidnapping story of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie. Savannah is one of the best, most sincere broadcasters in the business. To watch her and her family go through something this terrible was a gut punch to all of us.
Like everyone with a television, Erica and I watched the news out of Tucson of ransom notes and blood splatters on the front entranceway to Nancy’s home. Savannah’s video plea to the people holding her beloved mother was unbearable, not least because historically happy endings in stories like this are so unlikely. We hope and pray that Nancy is returned safely to the family who loves her.
By Super Bowl Sunday, the weather in Florida had moderated, unlike New York and the Northeast, and our minds could turn to the unusual simultaneity of pro football’s huge event and the wonderful Winter Olympics. Still to come is the reporting on the Big football Game, but it must be noted how predictable it was that 41-year-old skiing superstar Lindsey Vonn would injure herself while attempting to medal in alpine skiing just a week after rupturing her ACL. Whose great idea was it to let her careen down the mountain at 75 mph, breaking her leg just 14 seconds into the event?
Hopefully, Grammy-winning Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny fared better than Lindsey and didn’t break anything during his Spanglish Halftime Show. Personally, I am thrilled to see him on the biggest stage anywhere, and I’m betting the television audience soars well over 100 million in the United States alone.
Bad Bunny’s music and commentary make clear that he feels a deep connection with Latinos in the U.S. and abroad. He is deeply moved by the plight of the tens of millions of undocumented immigrants, mostly Latinos, currently being targeted by ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and he is not afraid to say so.
There is much more to say in that regard, but for now, enjoy the grilled hot dogs and cold beer, chips, salsa, and family.
