Wall Street Journal: “Jeff Zients listed assets worth at least $89.3 million … Eric Lander disclosed assets worth at least $45.5 million. Susan Rice listed assets worth at least $37.9 million. … John Kerry, Mr. Biden’s special envoy for climate change, is likely to be among the wealthiest members of the current administration. His disclosure report hasn’t been made public.”
Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
The Irony of a GOP Senator’s Opposition to D.C. Statehood
Philip Bump: “Sen. Mike Rounds represents the 885,000 people of South Dakota. A Republican, he expressed his opposition to the idea that D.C. might become a state by appealing to the most obvious political effect of such a change.”
“He’s not wrong that granting statehood to the 693,000 residents of D.C. would almost certainly increase the number of Democrats in the Senate by two. He’s also not wrong that this is a specific aim of many of the idea’s proponents.”
“It’s just a bit ironic that a senator from a state created for exactly the same reason might take issue on this particular point.”
Why McConnell Gets Away With Filibustering
Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson: “The filibuster is in trouble. President Joe Biden has come out in favor of reforming it, and Democrats in the Senate are weighing alternatives. But the strongest sign that its days are numbered is that the Republican leader Mitch McConnell is threatening Armageddon if the other party touches it. No one presently—or perhaps ever—in the Senate has practiced the dark art of obstruction as relentlessly as the current minority leader. And the Kentucky senator’s most effective weapon, requiring 60 votes for virtually everything the opposing party wants to do, has been the filibuster.”
“Democrats can propose legislation that voters strongly support—a higher minimum wage, a path to citizenship for Dreamers, background checks for gun purchasers, safeguards for Americans’ ability to cast ballots—and McConnell can strangle it off camera with a minimum of notice or fuss.”
Strongest House Candidates Were (Mostly) Moderate
Nathaniel Rakich: “Moderate politicians are becoming an endangered species. The most liberal Republican in Congress nowadays is still ideologically to the right of the most conservative Democrat, reflecting the fact that the median voters in each party are drifting further and further apart as well.”
“But if winning elections were the only consideration, the parties likely wouldn’t be so eager to purge themselves of centrist members. It’s not an ironclad rule, but there is a lot of evidence that moderate candidates tend to perform better at the ballot box. And though the relationship may be growing weaker with time, an examination of split-ticket voting in the 2020 election suggests it’s still there.”
North Korea Fires Missiles In Challenge to Biden
“North Korea fired off multiple short range missiles last weekend after denouncing Washington for going forward with joint military exercises with South Korea,” the Washington Post reports.
“The missile tests, which have not previously been reported, represent North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s first direct challenge to President Biden, whose aides have not yet outlined their approach to the regime’s nuclear threat amid an ongoing review of U.S.-North Korea policy.”
Buttigieg Prepares to Sell $3 Trillion Infrastructure Plan
Wall Street Journal: “Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is talking like a small city mayor again as he prepares to help sell the Biden administration’s $3 trillion infrastructure plan to a bitterly divided Congress. Mr. Buttigieg, who served two terms as mayor of South Bend, Ind., said that focusing on the needs of local government will be particularly useful.”
“Mr. Buttigieg said he is confident that the administration can strike a deal, and isn’t above regional flattery to get conservatives on board.”
Biden Faces ‘Moment of Truth’ on Climate Promises
Washington Post: “By April 22, when President Biden convenes world leaders for an Earth Day summit, he is expected to unveil a new, aggressive plan to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2030. The moment is aimed at reestablishing American leadership in the fight to limit the Earth’s warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial levels — a threshold beyond which scientists predict irreversible environmental damage.”
“As he crafts the much-anticipated pledge, Biden is facing conflicting political pressures at home and abroad.”
“A sizable chunk of the Democratic Party’s base and climate activists who helped elect Biden — and a chorus of scientists — want the United States to take bold action to slash emissions at least in half by the end of this decade, compared with 2005 levels. They argue that’s critical to pressure other major economies to follow suit and to help the world avoid catastrophe.”
Green That Life: Easy Earth Day Tips for 2021.
Why Democrats Need Biden’s Approval In The Mid-50s
Perry Bacon Jr.: “A majority of Americans, about 55 percent, approve of President Biden’s job performance so far, whereas about 39 percent disapprove. Those are pretty good numbers for a president in this polarized era. And for Democrats to keep control of the U.S. House and Senate next November, Biden will probably need to keep his approval ratings in this vicinity. That’s unlikely, but possible, because of some broader shifts happening in American politics.”
“Why should we focus on presidential approval ratings when we are thinking about next year’s midterms? For two reasons. First of all, we don’t yet have a lot of other data to rely on…”
“Second and more importantly, presidential approval ratings in recent years have been a decent indicator of what will happen in the midterms.”
Majority of Republicans Now Back Same-Sex Marriage
A new PRRI poll finds a majority of Americans within all partisan groups, including Republicans, now support same-sex marriage.
GOP Candidates Focused on Immigration
“Republican hopefuls around the country are emphasizing immigration in their initial campaign pitches for 2022 statewide GOP primaries, concluding that voters still loyal to former President Donald Trump’s agenda will embrace tough-on-borders candidates,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Moderate Democrats Push for Minimum Wage Deal
“Moderate Senate Democrats are pushing their leaders for a more modest approach to the party’s signature minimum wage hike, arguing for a compromise that can attract broader support after the defeat of a $15 hourly wage proposal,” Politico reports.
Biden Will Cancel $1 Billion In Student Debt
“The Biden administration has reversed a controversial Trump-era policy that will lead to the cancellation of roughly $1 billion in student debt for borrowers who were defrauded by their colleges,” CNN reports.
“The change will deliver full loan forgiveness to 73,000 people who were deemed eligible for the relief under former Education Secretary Betsy Devos but received only partial loan forgiveness after she changed the cancellation calculation.”
Why My Latino Dad Went for Trump
Eric Garcia: “Democrats can certainly make inroads with Latino men — though my dad, as you can see, won’t be one of them. Instead, he’s a very stark reminder that Latinos span the political spectrum — and that, as confusing as it may be to progressives and to many pundits, it’s absolutely possible for some percentage of Americans to think of themselves as archconservatives and as Latinos.”
Kinzinger Brings Anti-Trump Crusade to Texas
“Armed with the backing of Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R), Tarrant County businessman Michael Wood (R) is hoping to convince Congressional District 6 voters that it’s time to for the GOP to move away from former President Donald Trump,” the Dallas Morning News reports.
Senate GOP Blocks Push for New Gun Control Laws
“A day after the seventh mass shooting in as many days in the United States, the Senate remains at an impasse over expanding background checks on gun sales,” CNN reports.
“Republicans in the Senate are offering an array of reasons why they won’t endorse bills to expand background checks, arguing they won’t work, they would eat away at gun rights and the focus should be on other matters addressing the root causes of crime.”
White House Confronted Over No AAPI Cabinet Members
“Two Democratic senators of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage confronted a senior White House official Monday night over the absence of AAPI representation in President Biden’s Cabinet,” Axios reports.
“Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), backed up by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), leveled the complaint to deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon during a Zoom call between the White House and the Senate Democratic Caucus.”
There’s No Crisis at the Border
Washington Post: “We looked at data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection to see whether there’s a ‘crisis’ — or even a ‘surge,’ as many news outlets have characterized it. We analyzed monthly CBP data from 2012 to now and found no crisis or surge that can be attributed to Biden administration policies.”
“Rather, the current increase in apprehensions fits a predictable pattern of seasonal changes in undocumented immigration combined with a backlog of demand because of 2020’s coronavirus border closure.”
Senate GOP Split on Earmarks
“Senate Republicans are split on whether to embrace or reject the return of earmarks as the caucus leans into deficit concerns under the Biden administration,” The Hill reports.
“There are sharp lines of division about the path forward, with conservatives pledging to fight any decision by leadership to return to earmarks and top appropriators signaling a willingness to reengage.”
