Playbook elaborated on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s “scorched-Earth” threat from this morning:

“McConnell knows the ins and outs of Senate rules better than anyone. In an institution that operates by unanimous consent for everything — from turning on the lights, to allowing senators to give floor speeches or speed through the customary reading of lengthy legislative text — McConnell can slow down everything with one simple demand: Require quorums for everything. And he signaled he will.”

“McConnell also sought to appeal to Democrats’ pragmatic side: If they go nuclear, Republicans will utilize the new chamber rules when they return to power — and that’s just a matter of time, folks. Abortion legislation. Defunding sanctuary cities. Concealed-carry permits nationwide. Right to work. Energy drilling. Southern border lockdowns.”

Politico: “Dick Durbin recently won the toughest race of his long career — and then immediately started charming the fellow Democrat he’d just trounced.”

“Durbin bested Sheldon Whitehouse in a fierce competition for their party’s top spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee this winter after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) stepped down from the position. But Durbin (D-IL) could not afford any long-term bad blood with his Rhode Island colleague: when he’s not leading one of the chamber’s most important committees, Durbin is also the Democratic whip in the most narrowly divided Senate in two decades.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) burst out laughing when asked how Senate Republicans would react to President Biden’s tax proposals, the Washington Times reports.

Said Collins: “I would not anticipate that it would be well received.”

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a scathing warning to Democrats on Tuesday, amid growing pressure to nix the legislative filibuster, The Hill reports.

Said McConnell: “Let me say this very clearly for all 99 of my colleagues: Nobody serving in this chamber can even begin, can even begin, to imagine what a completely scorched-Earth Senate would look like.”

Washington Post: “McConnell’s warning, delivered on the Senate floor Tuesday, came after the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat, Majority Whip Richard Durbin backed eliminating the filibuster in a Monday floor speech — reversing his previous opposition.”

“A bipartisan group of senators who successfully pushed for a second coronavirus aid bill last year will meet on Wednesday as they weigh whether to wade into another thorny topic, such as immigration or the minimum wage,” Politico reports.

“The group of 20, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, was formed to push Congress to pass a $900 billion pandemic stimulus bill late last year. Its meeting this week comes as the House prepares to pass immigration bills that will further reinforce the Senate’s gridlock on that issue without some bipartisan framework to break the impasse.”

Kansas Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop (R) was booked into the Shawnee County Jail early Tuesday, accused of driving under the influence, attempting to flee or evade a law enforcement officer, speeding and improperly crossing a divided highway,” the Kansas City Star reports.