A new Quinnipiac poll finds 50% of Americans say the U.S. Senate should convict former President Donald Trump while 45% say the Senate should not convict him.
Pence to Join Heritage Foundation
“Former Vice President Mike Pence is joining the Heritage Foundation as a distinguished fellow,” Politico reports.
“The move comes a day after the former vice president launched his transition office and announced plans to relocate to his home state of Indiana this summer. Pence is expected to announce additional plans related to his future in the coming weeks, beyond his efforts to boost House and Senate Republicans ahead of the 2022 midterms. He reportedly plans to also launch a fundraising committee related to policy.”
Biden Freezes Troop Redeployment In Germany
“During his first major foreign policy speech, President Biden on Thursday will announce an end to U.S. support for offensive operations in Yemen and a freeze on troop redeployments from Germany,” the Washington Post reports.
Romney Unveils Childcare Plan
“Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) on Thursday will propose providing at least $3,000 per child to millions of American families, lending bipartisan support to President Biden’s push to dramatically expand child benefits,” the Washington Post reports.
“Romney’s proposal would provide $4,200 per year for every child up to the age of 6, as well as $3,000 per year for every child age 6 to 17.”
Kinzinger Upset with GOP Ovation for Greene
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) told CNN that it was “disappointing by a factor of 1,000” to see Republican colleagues give Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) a standing ovation after she apologized for her past controversial remarks.
Said Kinzinger: “I don’t like to reveal a ton of conference details, but she stood up and kind of gave a bit of contriteness, but then it pivoted to ‘they’re coming after you next.'”
U.S. Satisfaction Sinks
Gallup: “Americans’ satisfaction with seven broad aspects of the way the country functions is collectively at its lowest in two decades of Gallup measurement. This includes satisfaction with the overall quality of life in the U.S., assessments of government, corporate and religious influence, and perceptions of the economic and moral climates.”
“The average percentage satisfied with these seven dimensions has plunged to 39% at the start of 2021.”
Militia Alliance In Georgia Signals New Phase
“The leader of a private paramilitary group that provided security for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said he has formed alliances with other far-right groups to advocate for Georgia’s secession from the union, following the arrests of participants in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Biden to Outline Foreign Policy Objectives
“President Biden, faced with a range of early foreign policy challenges, is expected to outline his vision for an expansion of multilateral engagement with the world and an emphasis on human rights during a State Department visit Thursday,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In his first foreign policy speech as president, Mr. Biden plans to shift from the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ doctrine and emphasize traditional U.S. alliances.”
Biden Weighs Plan to Send Masks to All Americans
“The Biden White House is considering sending masks directly to American households,” NBC News reports.
“The Covid-19 Response Team is evaluating the logistics of mailing out millions of face coverings, but no decision has been made, and the proposal hasn’t yet reached President Joe Biden for final approval.”
Hunter Biden Writing a Memoir
Biden’s Approval Rate Remains High
A new AP-NORC poll finds 61% approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of his job in his first days in office.
“Even at a moment of deep national divisions, those numbers suggest Biden, as with most of his recent predecessors, may enjoy something of a honeymoon period. Nearly all modern presidents have had approval ratings averaging 55% or higher over their first three months in office, according to Gallup polling. There was one exception: Donald Trump, whose approval rating never surpassed 50% in Gallup polls, even at the start of his presidency.”
House GOP Faces Tough Vote Over Greene
“House Republicans will be forced to go on the record, defending or rebuking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has drawn bipartisan condemnation over her embrace of far-right conspiracy theories, as well as her past endorsement of violence against Democrats,” the AP reports.
“The politically agonizing vote expected Thursday, which will determine whether the Georgia Republican is stripped of her committee assignments, underscores tension over the best political path forward that has riven the party since Donald Trump lost the White House.”
Democrats Face Vote-a-Rama Drubbing
“The self-inflicted suffering has begun for Senate Democrats trying to muscle through President Joe Biden’s pandemic aid plan without a single Republican vote,” Politico reports.
“The procedural trick that shrinks the vote hurdle from 60 to 51 is often described as ‘a powerful budget tool.’ But reconciliation is also painful to wield. The first agonizing step: enduring a barrage of amendments from Republicans, who have promised to inflict maximal political pain on Democrats during an unbridled evening of ‘vote-a-rama’ on Thursday.”
Biden Hits the Gas on Covid Relief Bill
Politico: “Inside the White House, there is a belief that so much of Biden’s agenda is tied to the success of the Covid relief package — the most vital of which is containing the spread of coronavirus — that inaction would cripple the presidency and delay would endanger it. They also view the bill as critical to resolving some of the thornier issues they’ve confronted in their short time in office, including school reopenings, which would be accelerated with a massive resource infusion if the relief bill were to pass.”
“And so, on Wednesday, Biden got more directly involved in the process than he had been at any time prior.”
A Head-Spinning Night In Republican Politics
Playbook: “If you’re trying to figure out the direction of the Republican Party after Wednesday’s circus of a five-hour (!) House GOP Conference meeting, good luck. One hour, Republicans were rallying around — and literally standing to applaud — the QAnon congresswoman. The next, they voted to protect the avatar of the Republican establishment from Donald Trump cronies itching to boot her from leadership.”
“A day that was supposed to be clarifying was anything but. Yet many House Republicans emerged feeling more confident about their political fortunes — a bit of a mystery to us.”
Biden to Welcome More Refugees
New York Times: “President Biden’s expected announcement on Thursday that he intends to allow more refugees into the United States this year will bring him face to face with a policy barrier left by his predecessor: a gutted resettlement system unable to quickly process the tens of thousands of desperate people whom Mr. Biden would like to let in.”
“Stripped of personnel and weakened by the coronavirus, the government’s refugee program is simply not equipped to welcome a flood of foreigners fleeing disaster, officials and experts said.”
Biden’s Grand Plan
“President Biden told Republican senators in the Oval Office this week that he has ‘an open door and an open mind’ on his $1.9 billion coronavirus rescue bill. But he has the votes on the Hill and overwhelming support in the country, so he knows he doesn’t have to make any huge compromises,” Axios reports.
“Well, power matters. And Biden holds all of it.”
Biden Surprises Staff with Visits
Politico: “Since he moved in two weeks ago, Joe Biden has taken to strolling around the White House. He’s popped into the press offices. He’s walked to the East Wing to visit the military office, which handles everything from food service to presidential transportation. And on the day the Senate confirmed his secretary of State, he stopped by the office of Antony Blinken’s wife, White House Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan, to congratulate their family.”
“Biden has long relished engaging in person — with aides, policy experts, local officials, members of Congress, everyday Americans, you name it — and being sworn in as president hasn’t changed that, according to four people familiar with how he operates. If anything, his desire to visit with staff has only increased as coronavirus precautions have curtailed White House visits and travel around the country.”
