“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) pledged to speak to Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) about his allegation that people in Washington, D.C. have invited him to orgies and done cocaine in front of him after Republican members expressed frustration with the comments,” The Hill reports.
Perdue Now Claims He Didn’t Lose His Re-Election Race
Former Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) — who is running for Georgia governor — falsely claimed for the first time that he didn’t lose to Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in the 2021 runoffs claiming that he and Donald Trump were both victims of “stolen” elections, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Said Perdue: “Let me be very clear. Very clear. In the state of Georgia, thanks to Brian Kemp, our elections were absolutely stolen. He sold us out.”
Manchin Calls GOP Treatment of Jackson ‘Disgraceful’
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said the way Republican senators treated Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson at last week’s hearings was “disgraceful” and “embarrassing,” The Hill reports.
Said Manchin: “It was disgraceful, it really was, what I saw. And I met with her and I read all the transcripts. I listened to basically the hearings and it just was embarrassing.”
He added: “It’s not who we are. It’s not what we were sent here to do, to attack other people and just try to tear them down. I won’t be part of that. I think she’s extremely well qualified and I think she’ll be an exemplary judge.”
Biden to Sign Bill to Make Lynching a Hate Crime
“President Biden is poised to sign legislation Tuesday that would make lynching a federal hate crime, in a historic first that comes after more than a century of failed efforts against racial violence,” the Washington Post reports.
GOP Lawmaker Wants to ‘Expunge’ Trump’s Impeachment
Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who is running for U.S. Senate, is introducing a resolution to expunge former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment – saying Democrats didn’t prove “high crimes and misdemeanors,” Fox News reports.
Mullin’s nine-page resolution, if passed by the House, would declare “expunged” Trump’s 2019 impeachment over allegedly leveraging U.S. military aid to Ukraine for political favors involving investigations of the Bidens.
FDA Authorizes Second Booster Shot
The FDA authorized a second Covid-19 booster shot for Americans age 50 or older.
Panel Recommends Not Impeaching Jason Ravnsborg
A formal recommendation by the South Dakota House Select Committee on Investigation finds that Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg (R) should not be impeached after he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car nearly two years ago, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports.
Ukraine Releases Names of 600 Alleged Russian Spies
“Ukraine’s defense intelligence ministry released a list of more than 600 alleged Russian spies working in Europe in an apparent attempt to burn them and weaken Russia’s intelligence operations across the continent,” Fox News reports.
‘Significant Evidence’ Trump Misstated Finances
“The New York Attorney General’s Office has ‘uncovered significant evidence’ suggesting that the Trump Organization’s financial statements for more than a decade relied on misleading valuations of its real estate assets,” CNBC reports.
Merrick Garland Has More Than Enough on Trump
Tim O’Brien: “A federal judge thinks that former President Donald Trump likely committed fraud — and probably knew it — when he and one of his lawyers, John Eastman, plotted to block Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election so Trump could hold on to power.”
“So how much longer will it take Attorney General Merrick Garland to draw the same conclusion about that attempted coup?”
Australia Pitches Cash to Key Voters
“Australia announced a series of spending measures – from fuel-tax cuts to cash handouts – designed to cushion the impact of rising living costs and catapult Prime Minister Scott Morrison back into contention for a May election,” Bloomberg reports.
Tweet of the Day
“Missed opportunity. Chris Rock should’ve insulted Ted Cruz’s wife. The worst that would’ve happened is that Cruz would’ve endorsed Rock for president.”
— James Wigderson, on Twitter.
U.K. to Issue Fines Over Lockdown Parties
“London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed to Axios Tuesday 20 fines will be issued for people who attended lockdown-defying parties at Downing Street and Whitehall government offices in the United Kingdom, but it won’t identify who will receive them,” Axios reports.
“British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized for attending at least one party during a strict lockdown in May 2020 and faced calls to resign, even from members of his ruling Conservative Party, over the gatherings.”
GOP Senate Primaries Descend Into Chaos
“Republican frustrations are growing as multiple GOP Senate primaries have descended into infighting, threatening the party’s chances of retaking the upper chamber in November,” The Hill reports.
NATO Would Rethink World Order If Trump Re-Elected
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told CNN that NATO would have to “rethink” whether they can rely on the United States if Donald Trump was re-elected.
Said Romney: “If he were to come back as the U.S. president, I think it would represent a pretty dramatic departure for the world, and they would rethink whether they can count on the United States to lead NATO to lead other nations as they push back against China and against Russia.”
63 Republicans Oppose Honoring Justices
“Sixty three House Republicans opposed a bill honoring Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first two female justices of the Supreme Court, with statues in Congress,” Politico reports.
“For what it’s worth: The Senate cleared this legislation by unanimous consent in December 2021. So it is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk.”
Rand Paul Stalls Bill to Punish Russia
“Republicans have spent weeks hammering President Joe Biden as too slow in responding to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Enter Rand Paul,” Politico reports.
“The idiosyncratic GOP senator is undermining his own party’s message by single-handedly delaying a revocation of normal trade relations with Russia, thereby slowing efforts to further incapacitate Russia’s economy. Paul is refusing to allow a quick vote on the bill absent a deal to narrow presidential power to enact sanctions — an ask that leaders in both parties have spurned.”
Macron’s Lead Conceals Deep Rifts in French Society
Financial Times: “Every opinion poll suggests that French President Emmanuel Macron is likely to win another five-year term at the Elysée Palace in the French elections, which begin on April 10. But the lingering resentment towards the Paris elite in places such as La Ricamarie suggests a Macron victory would not for long suppress the anger in French society that erupted with the anti-government gilets jaunes protests, or defang the extremist French politicians who try to exploit it.”
