Washington Post: “The gunman who terrorized a D.C. pizzeria is out of prison. The QAnon conspiracy theories he helped unleash are out of control.”
States Get Big Boost In Vaccine Doses
USA Today: “States will receive their biggest boost yet in coronavirus vaccine doses this week, a 23% increase over the previous week and a 57% increase since President Joe Biden took office… The White House also announced that it’s doubling to 2 million the number of doses being sent directly to local pharmacies.”
Trump Criminal, Civil Probes Continue
“Former President Donald Trump might have easily avoided conviction at his second impeachment trial — but he could find it a lot tougher to beat the several serious criminal and civil probes that he now faces,” CNBC reports.
“And at least one of those investigations carries the potential for Trump to be sent to jail if convicted.”
“That would be an unprecedented event in American history, as no ex-president has ever been charged with a crime, much less locked up for one.”
Son of Prominent Conservative Charged In Riot
“Leo Brent Bozell IV, the son of conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III, was captured on video inside the Senate chamber during the attack on the U.S. Capitol and has been charged with three federal offenses,” the HuffPost reports.
Will Meghan Markle Run for Office?
Top political strategists say Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, could have a bright future in politics in her home state of California, arguing that she could use her global fame as a British royal to follow the “well-worn path” that was adopted by Arnold Schwarzenegger ahead of his run for governor, the East Bay Times reports.
Fixing the Senate Without Abolishing the Filibuster
Ian Millhauser notes that filibuster reforms happen regularly and suggest four changes that could help make the Senate function more smoothly:
- Make fewer bills subject to the filibuster.
- Reduce the power of individual rogue senators.
- Make it easier to break a filibuster.
- Reduce or eliminate the time it takes to invoke cloture.
Trump Ambassador Likely to Run for Senate
“Former Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard this week released a statement indicating that she likely will run for the U.S. Senate seat set to be vacated in 2023 when Republican Alabama Senator Richard Shelby retires at the end of his term,” the Alabama Political Recorder reports.
7 GOP Senators Who Voted to Convict Are Safe for Now
NPR: “Of those seven Republicans, two are retiring and only one — Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski — faces her state’s voters in the next election cycle, 2022.”
“Alaska has an open primary and ranked-choice voting, which means all contenders for the seat will be on the same ballot for all primary voters. The top four will advance to the general election and then voters will rank them in order of preference.”
“Murkowski herself told Alaska Public Media that she thinks the new system puts her in a better position.”
Ron Johnson Warns McConnell
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) position on former President Donald Trump “put the minority leader at odds with the bulk of his own party,” Politico reports.
Said Johnson: “From my standpoint, Leader McConnell speaks for himself. In this case, I don’t believe he speaks for the conference, and I think he needs to be a little careful. You know when I speak, I do actually try and take in mind how it might reflect on the party.”
Romney Proposes Minimum Wage Hike
“As Democrats try to plot a way forward to raise the minimum wage to $15-an-hour, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced that he’s working on a separate bill to increase the long stagnant minimum wage while ‘ensuring businesses cannot hire illegal immigrants,'” NBC News reports.
“Romney said he’s working on the bill with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and it also includes a provision for the minimum wage to ‘increase automatically with inflation.'”
GOP Donor Wants His $2.5 Million Back
Washington Post: “True the Vote was one of several conservative ‘election integrity’ groups that sought to press the case in court. Though its lawsuits drew less attention than those brought by the Trump campaign, True the Vote nonetheless sought to raise more than $7 million for its investigation of the 2020 election.”
“Documents that have surfaced in Eshelman’s litigation, along with interviews, show how True the Vote’s private assurances that it was on the cusp of revealing illegal election schemes repeatedly fizzled as the group’s focus shifted from one allegation to the next.”
Sasse Warns GOP Against Short-Termism
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) told NPR that the Republican Party is in an internal battle between “conservatism and short-termism.”
Said Sasse: “I think it’s important to give a frank assessment of where the party of Lincoln and Reagan is right now. I think there’s a whole bunch of stuff the party of Lincoln and Reagan needs to do to persuade people we have a 2030 agenda, not a 20-minute Twitter agenda.”
John White: “While the Republican gamble with history may pay dividends in the short-term, it is a long-term loser.”
What’s Sherrod Brown’s Secret?
Kate Riga: “He’s made his brand on wrinkled suits and a gravelly-voiced authenticity, championing workers rights as well as those of women and LGBTQ people. He speaks in economic populism, a language that may have endeared Ohioans to both him and Trump.”
“And he appears to have figured out a way to appeal across-the-board to a large state in which politics vary dramatically depending on what corner of the state you’re in.”
Conor Lamb Eyes Pennsylvania Senate Race
Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) told MSNBC that he will look at running for Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R) open seat but hasn’t made a decision and wants to talk to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) about the possibility.
The Trumpiest Republicans Are at State and Local Levels
Perry Bacon: “In Trump’s bid to overturn the election results, GOP state legislators, local and state party officials and GOP state attorneys general were often enthusiastically supporting his moves…”
Said political scientist Jake Grumbach: “The state level is where we see the most important democratic backsliding, and it’s happening at the behest of Republican state officials.”
“According to an analysis by Grumbach, the greatest predictor of whether a state has taken antidemocratic steps, such as really aggressive gerrymandering or efforts to make it harder for people to vote, is if Republicans control its state legislature and governor’s office.”
For members: The Downside of a Smaller Republican Party
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m on the ground here in Virginia in the 5th District and I would still say a majority of Republicans believe Trump shouldn’t have been impeached, that there was a false flag operation at the Capitol and that stop the steal is real.”
— Former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA), in a CNN interview.
Schumer Primary Watch
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is up for re-election in 2022, has a 69% to 19% favorable rating among registered Democratic voters in New York, according to a new Siena Poll.
Lesko Says Americans, Not Hispanics, Need Vaccine First
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) said that Hispanics are “very good workers” but implied they are not Americans in comments she made during a congressional hearing on vaccine distribution, the American Independent reports.
Said Lesko: “I worked with people that are Hispanic. I mean they’re very good workers. You know, we’re compassionate people, but for goodness sakes, we have to take care of American citizens, or people that are here legally, first.”
