Pro-Trump Republicans try to rewrite state election laws as a voting rights showdown looms in Congress
By Fredreka Schouten, In Michigan, a group of Donald Trump’s supporters is working on a petition to mandate an outside audit of the 2020 election and establish a grand jury with the power to arrest election officials who refuse to cooperate. In Wisconsin, some GOP lawmakers are trying to sideline a bipartisan commission that oversees elections in the state. And Republican legislators from Arizona to Florida are planning to take up new voting restrictions in upcoming legislative sessions. As a likely showdown looms in Congress this week over federal voting legislation, Republicans aligned with the former President are pressing ahead
Biden confronts challenges to democracy at home and abroad this week
By Stephen Collinson, President Joe Biden’s fresh vow to save democracy faces an immediate test at home and abroad this week, with a long-shot voting rights push and the most critical US diplomacy with Russia since the Cold War. With his forceful speech on the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection last week, Biden appeared to engineer a political pivot, putting his credibility on the line to pass new laws rolling back Republican state voter suppression bills and restoring minority voting rights. He will travel to Atlanta, a city synonymous with the civil rights movement, on Tuesday, to try to dislodge the “dagger” he suggested ex-President Donald Trump and his Republican Party are
Supreme Court hears challenges to Biden vaccine and testing mandates
By Ariane de Vogue, The Supreme Court on Friday will take up challenges to President Joe Biden’s most aggressive attempts so far to combat the spread of Covid-19 — vaccine or testing requirements for large businesses and many health care workers — as the number of infections soar and 40 million adults in the US are still declining to get vaccinated. Although the justices have rejected past attempts by states or universities to mandate vaccines, the new disputes center on federal requirements that raise different legal questions. Two set of rules were issued in November. The first would impact some 80 million individuals and
Biden to deliver voting rights speech next week in Atlanta
By Jeff Zeleny and Maegan Vazquez, President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a speech on voting rights during a visit to Atlanta next Tuesday, traveling to the cradle of the civil rights movement to shine a brighter light on election reform in advance of Martin Luther King Day. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Atlanta “to speak to the American people about the urgent need to pass legislation to protect the constitutional right to vote and the integrity of our elections from corrupt attempts to strip law-abiding citizens of their fundamental freedoms and allow partisan state officials to undermine vote counting processes,”
Kamala Harris to name Jamal Simmons as communications director
By Jasmine Wright, Jamal Simmons, a Democratic communications aide and media contributor, has been tapped to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ new communications director, a White House official confirms. News of Simmons’ hire is the first of what is expected to be a communications overhaul of sorts for the vice president, who spent her first year in office in defense mode following a myriad of reports, including by CNN, of staff infighting and dysfunction. Simmons, according to various biographies, has worked in politics and media for more than two decades, helping elect former Democratic presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack
Biden’s January 6 speech to focus on Trump’s ‘singular responsibility’ in the insurrection
By Maegan Vazquez and Clare Foran, President Joe Biden will mark the first anniversary of the January 6, 2021, insurrection by delivering remarks on Thursday morning focused on the “singular responsibility” former President Donald Trump had in the assault on the Capitol, the White House says. In Washington, DC, one year ago, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building following the then-President’s rally on the Ellipse outside the White House, where he cast doubt on the results of the 2020 presidential election. The events of the day led to Trump’s second impeachment by the House of Representatives. The insurrection launched the largest investigation in FBI history, with 700
Rep. Brenda Lawrence adds to growing number of House Democrats retiring at end of this term
By Shawna Mizelle, Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence of Michigan announced on Tuesday that she will not seek reelection to the House this year after four terms representing Michigan’s 14th District, becoming the 25th House Democrat to announce they’re leaving at the end of this term. “Today, after reflecting on my journey — and oh, my goodness, what a journey — and having conversations with my family, I am announcing that I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Lawrence said in a video posted to Twitter. “I’m incredibly grateful for the people of Michigan’s 14th Congressional District who have placed their
Biden’s 2022 challenges revolve around Covid, Russia and dealing with Congress
By Kevin Liptak, President Joe Biden will return to the White House from an abbreviated winter break facing a set of hurdles that will test his political, diplomatic and management skills at a trying moment for his presidency. The raging pandemic, a crisis with Russia and uncertainty surrounding his prized domestic priorities all await Biden in the new year. Determined to reset after a series of struggles — and to recalibrate expectations that some of his allies believe were unrealistic — the President is hopeful the coming weeks can provide much-needed momentum as another election cycle dawns. Biden spent much of his time away from
Why Democrats haven’t given up on Joe Manchin and voting rights
By John Harwood In 1947, the year Joe Manchin was born, the US Senate killed voting-rights legislation — again. The “gravedigger,” liberal Democrats complained, was filibuster rules empowering its opponents. Today, as 74-year-old Manchin serves his second Senate term, the chamber stands poised to bury his voting rights proposal the same way. But this time there’s a twist: The West Virginia Democrat, by continuing to support the filibuster, himself serves as sponsor and gravedigger alike. That incongruity keeps alive a continuing closed-door effort by fellow Democrats and the White House to change Manchin’s mind on the filibuster. Even those involved concede it’s a long shot. But
Biden’s Build Back Better plan is on ice. Here’s what that means for you
By Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco, No more monthly payments for tens of millions of families. No universal pre-kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds. No health insurance for more than 2 million low-income Americans. No funneling of billions of dollars into clean energy initiatives. The end of negotiations between President Joe Biden and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia means that these and a multitude of other provisions to strengthen the nation’s safety net won’t happen — at least not soon. The fate of the Democrats’ $1.75 trillion spending plan is now uncertain. Manchin announced on Sunday that he would not support the current version of the legislation, halting