- An unlikely Trump turncoat shows the GOP way to resist his influence (Politico) – Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state said her role may be helping Republicans “return to who we are.”
- No. 2 Senate Democrat torches filibuster (The Hill) – “The filibuster is still making a mockery of American democracy. The filibuster is still being misused by some senators to block legislation urgently needed and supported by a strong majority of the American people,” Durbin said during a floor speech.
- The American middle class is dead — The PRO Act would resuscitate it (The Hill) – It should come as no surprise that big business lobbyists and anti-union politicians are lining up to block the PRO Act, the massive labor law reform bill that passed the House on Tuesday.
- Biden is boxed in on immigration as migrant children crisis continues (CNN) – President Joe Biden is facing growing political tension, including from within his own party, over his administration’s strategy on the US-Mexico border as officials race to address the number of children crossing the border alone.
- Opinion: Biden is sending the wrong signals on the border (Washington Post) – Biden’s intention to reverse Trump’s immigration policies gives the country a golden opportunity for bipartisanship. Republicans and moderate Democrats should come together to push a series of measures to ensure the administration adequately enforces existing immigration laws.
- Deb Haaland Becomes First Native American Cabinet Secretary (New York Times) -The Senate confirmed Ms. Haaland to lead the Interior Department. She’ll be charged with essentially reversing the agency’s course over the past four years.
- Trump pressured a Georgia elections investigator in a separate call legal experts say could amount to obstruction (Washington Post) – President Trump urged Georgia’s lead elections investigator to identify wrongdoing in the state’s vote in a December phone call, saying the official would be praised for doing so.
- U.S. Capitol Police to begin removing Capitol fencing, saying no ‘known, credible threats’ (Washington Post) – The USCP will continue to monitor the threat posture, should a change occur, plans will be reevaluated.
- Texas Republicans target Houston with raft of bills seeking new voting restrictions (CNN) – GOP lawmakers introduced two dozen bills that would make it harder to vote in Texas.
- Democrats roll out coordinated effort to save Newsom from recall effort as D-Day approaches (Fox News) – Last week the campaign to recall Newsom announced it had reached its goal of collecting 2 million signatures.
