“The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that once provoked a deadly weekend of violence in Charlottesville will soon be melted down and turned into a new piece of public artwork,” the Washington Post reports.
Pence Aides Cooperating with House Probe
A source tells CNN the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection is getting “significant cooperation with Team Pence,” even if the committee has not openly discussed that.
200 Capitol Police Officers Have Left Force
About 200 officers have left the U.S. Capitol Police since the January 6 insurrection, according to testimony from the force’s inspector general.
Lawmakers Close In on Debt-Ceiling Deal
“House leaders introduced legislation that would pave the way for Democrats to raise the debt ceiling in the Senate without Republican support, as lawmakers closed in on a procedural agreement to resolve the partisan clash over lifting the government’s borrowing limit,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Punchbowl News: “It’s early, but our reporting this morning from Capitol Hill leads us to believe that House and Senate leaders have found a way to raise the debt limit with a good possibility of minimal drama.”
Bannon’s Trial Won’t Start Until Next Summer
A federal judge today set a July 18 date for Steve Bannon’s trial for contempt of Congress, Politico reports.
Playbook: “What this means for the Jan. 6 committee: This is a significant step backward. Allies of former President Donald Trump have shown — once again — that they can effectively use the courts to evade accountability and slow down investigations.”
“What this means for Democrats: They had hoped the panel would wrap up its work this spring, leaving the party plenty of time before the midterms to pivot its focus to kitchen-table issues that resonate with voters. This new trial date could make that difficult. Now, the party has a choice not unlike what it faced in the first and second Trump impeachments: do they fight for evidence to the bitter end, or do they wind down their probe without talking to these critical people?”
Voters Pessimistic About Biden
A new Wall Street Journal poll finds that President Biden’s approval rate is 41% to 57% overall, but just 29% to 63% among undecided midterm voters and 30% to 60% among independent voters.
In addition, more voters say they would back a Republican than a Democrat for Congress, 44% to 41%, if the election were held today.
This is the first poll from a new, bipartisan polling team that brings together the firms of Democrat John Anzalone, the lead pollster for Mr. Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, and Republican Tony Fabrizio, the lead pollster for former President Donald Trump’s two campaigns.
Trump Considered Yanking Brett Kavanaugh’s Nomination
“During Brett Kavanaugh’s controversial 2018 Supreme Court confirmation hearings, President Donald Trump ‘strongly considered’ dropping the nominee and instead going with a ‘stronger candidate,’ according to a new book by Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows,” Politico reports.
“It wasn’t because of accusations that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford while in high school, but because he’d professed that he ‘liked beer’ during his hearings and was, in Trump’s estimation, being too apologetic.”
Trump Feels Betrayed by Mark Meadows
A source close to Donald Trump tells the New York Times the former president hates Mark Meadows’ new book and feels betrayed by him.
France Arrests Suspect In Khashoggi Killing
A French judicial official says a suspect in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested in France, the AP reports.
Prosecutors Need Just One Day for Bannon Case
“Federal prosecutors told a judge that they could present their case against Steve Bannon to a jury in a single day, pushing back on the former White House strategist’s efforts to delay his criminal trial over his refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena,” The Hill reports.
The Political Education of Peter Meijer
The Atlantic has a very good profile of freshman Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI), in which he describes what he saw during the Capitol insurrection:
“On the House floor, moments before the vote, Meijer approached a member who appeared on the verge of a breakdown. He asked his new colleague if he was okay. The member responded that he was not; that no matter his belief in the legitimacy of the election, he could no longer vote to certify the results, because he feared for his family’s safety.”
Said Meijer: “Remember, this wasn’t a hypothetical. You were casting that vote after seeing with your own two eyes what some of these people are capable of. If they’re willing to come after you inside the U.S. Capitol, what will they do when you’re at home with your kids?”
Dan Crenshaw Blasts the House Freedom Caucus
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) trashed House Freedom Caucus members as “performance artists,” while defending Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) as a “real legislator” who voted more often with former President Donald Trump.
Said Crenshaw: “We have grifters in our midst… Lie after lie after lie.”
One Party Literally Doesn’t Care About You
Join now to continue reading.
Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.
Biden Begins Video Summit with Putin
Russian state television shared a clip of the start of Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden’s virtual summit this morning.
The Republican Party Is Not Pro Life
Michael Gerson: “Under the intellectual and moral leadership of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Republicans in the House have done their best to set a standard of deadly misinformation, poisonous bigotry and mental vacuity. But Republicans in the Senate — possessing greater intellectual kilowattage and fewer excuses for cowardice — have recently taken center stage in the GOP festival of small-mindedness.”
“During last week’s budget negotiations, and as America prepared for the full-scale arrival of the omicron coronavirus variant, every present Senate Republican voted to ‘defund’ the federal vaccine mandate on businesses, the military and the federal workforce…”
“This is the strangest political cause of my lifetime. In the midst of a public health emergency that has taken more than 1 of every 500 American lives and which has reduced average life expectancy by 1.67 years (reversing about 14 years of life expectancy gains), Republican officials are actively discouraging citizens from taking routine medical precautions for their own welfare. This is not just a disagreement about policy. It is a political movement organized around increasing the risk of death to your neighbors, particularly your ill and elderly ones. And while it is certainly selfish, is not ultimately self-interested. Fatalities have increased especially in Republican-leaning portions of the country. A death cult has adopted a death wish.”
Flashback Quote of the Day
“If there’s anyone who has mistakenly attached themselves to our party in the belief that we are not open to citizens of every race and religion… the exits which are clearly marked are for you to walk out of as I stand this ground without compromise.”
— Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS), accepting the Republican presidential nomination in 1996.
Biden Makes Plans to Evacuate Americans from Ukraine
CNN: “The contingency planning is being led by the Pentagon and comes as the administration briefs Congress on how the US is preparing. In a ‘gloomy’ briefing to senators by senior State Department official Victoria Nuland on Monday night, Nuland outlined the tough sanctions package being prepared by the administration in response to a potential Russian attack, but acknowledged that the US’ options to deter an invasion are fairly limited.”
“It is still unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade… But he has amassed enough forces, equipment and supplies near Ukraine’s borders that he could move to attack on very short notice.”
McConnell Won’t Say If He’s Spoken to Trump
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) declined to tell the Wall Street Journal whether he had spoke to Donald Trump since the January 6 insurrection.
Said McConnell: “I don’t have anything to say. Nice try.”
When reminded that Trump has been very critical of McConnell, he replied: “You get that impression.”
