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Essential U.S. political news & intel to start your week.
May 16, 2021
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Good morning, we hope you’re having a nice Sunday so far. Here’s your weekly quiz:

 

 

A large number of Americans who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 are still uncomfortable getting back to their daily routine in public. The question: Which activity is the vaccinated population most likely to express comfort doing?

 

 

A. Going to a gym
B. Flying on a plane
C. Attending a work conference
D. Dining at a restaurant

 

 

Check out the answer at the bottom of today’s newsletter.

 

What’s Ahead

House action regarding Jan. 6: The House is set to vote this week on two major pieces of legislation related to the Capitol insurrection. One measure would establish a 9/11-style bipartisan, independent commission equipped with subpoena power to investigate the incident, while the other would provide $1.9 billion in emergency spending to cover bills from the Jan. 6 incident and enhance security on Capitol Hill going forward.

 

What we’re watching: While the House is likely to pass both pieces of legislation, it’s unclear how much GOP support the measures will draw, and the prospect of Senate passage is also murky. 

 

 

Infrastructure talks: A group of Senate Republicans are expected to submit a new offer to the White House on specific infrastructure items that could garner enough bipartisan support to clear the Senate through regular order. The Biden administration reportedly expects to receive the counterproposal by Tuesday.

 

What we’re watching: The Democratic response to the latest GOP offer will provide something of a make-or-break moment ahead of a self-imposed informal Memorial Day deadline on making progress in bipartisan talks. While some Senate Democrats have expressed openness to some of the pay-fors proposed by Republicans, Biden is also facing increasing leftward pressure to ditch the bipartisan inclination he projects in public and move to advance his sweeping package via reconciliation rules with Democratic votes alone.

 

 

China legislation: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is pushing to pass legislation by the end of the month that would increase federal support for research and development aimed at competing with China.

 

What we’re watching: The measure advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee last week in a 24-4 vote. And while lawmakers from both parties agree on confronting China on its technological advancements, getting agreement in an evenly divided chamber is nonetheless a major hurdle.

 

 

Vaccine safety: Two top executives from the biotech firm Emergent BioSolutions are set to testify to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus this week.

 

What we’re watching: The company is subject of a committee probe into its manufacturing failures that led to millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine being ruined, and Democrats are particularly interested in whether it used contacts with the Trump administration to land multimillion-dollar vaccine contracts.  

 

 

McGahn testimony: Former White House counsel Don McGahn will testify privately to the House Judiciary Committee about Trump’s attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation, according to a court filing. 

 

What we’re watching: While the testimony — which Democrats have sought for two years now — will happen behind closed doors “as soon as possible,” a transcript is expected to be released publicly about a week later.

 

Events Calendar

 

Week in Review

Cheney out, Stefanik in

 

  • In a voice vote, the House Republican Conference removed Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as its chair over her continued criticism of former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the presidential election was stolen. Two days later, the caucus elevated Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom Trump endorsed for the role earlier this month, as Cheney’s replacement despite wariness among some conservatives about her voting record.
  • Cheney’s popularity among GOP voters soured after her vote to impeach the 45th president, and half backed her ouster as she continued her attacks on Trump. Three in 4 Republicans had no opinion of Stefanik. 

 

COVID-19

 

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12-15, after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices signed off on the drug in a 14-0 vote. The move to vaccinate adolescents is viewed by public health officials as critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and allowing a full return to schools.
  • The CDC loosened its face mask guidance, saying fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear face coverings indoors except in crowded places like busses, planes and hospitals. The move could help clear the way for the reopening of workplaces and schools. 
  • Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, endorsed a full reopening of America’s schools for the next academic year. 

 

Immigration

 

  • Customs and Border Protection released data showing the number of unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border fell last month from a record high set in March. Overall, the Border Patrol’s encounters with migrants at the border increased 3 percent in April, reaching their highest level since April 2000, driven by single adults.
  • The Biden administration put forward a regulation to allow undocumented students living in the United States to access some of the $36 billion in emergency stimulus aid that’s being sent to colleges, including direct payments. The move marked a reversal from the Trump administration, which blocked international and undocumented students from receiving emergency relief funds.
  • Views on President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration issues remain underwater: 48 percent of voters disapprove, compared with 42 percent who approve. Plus, according to our latest polling with Politico, 47 percent disapprove of his decision to raise the cap on the number of refugees allowed into the United States this fiscal year. 

 

Pipeline

 

  • Colonial Pipeline Co., the operator of the largest gasoline pipeline in the United States that took itself offline for several days following a cyberattack, resumed operations Wednesday. In order to get things back online, the company reportedly paid an approximately $5 million ransom to the hackers, who wreaked havoc on gasoline supplies in much of the Southeast.
  • Biden issued a temporary waiver to a U.S. shipping mandate to help ease the scarcity, and signed an executive order meant to improve the federal government’s response to cyberattacks amid questions about its infrastructure security preparations. 

 

Campaigns

 

  • J.D. Vance, who gained national acclaim as the bestselling author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” formed an exploratory committee to run for the Republican nomination for Senate in Ohio, where Republican Sen. Rob Portman is retiring.
  • News outlets reported that Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy is preparing to announce a campaign within the next month for the Democratic nomination to challenge Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) next year.
  • Sean Parnell, who challenged Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) in a tight congressional race last year, launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for Senate to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey. Parnell enters a large Republican primary field, but is backed by Donald Trump Jr., putting to test the strength of an endorsement from the son of the 45th president.
  • Glenn Youngkin, a former private-equity executive, won the Republican nomination for governor of Virginia, beating business executive Pete Snyder, state Sen. Amanda Chase and former state House Speaker Kirk Cox. Youngkin, Snyder and Chase all embraced the political style and rhetoric of Trump, and of the top four finishers, only Cox clearly acknowledged Biden’s victory in November. 

 

Congress

 

  • The Senate Rules Committee deadlocked in a 9-9 party line vote on whether to advance the Democrats’ sweeping voting and election overhaul. While the measure can still head to the floor of the full Senate, it faces long odds as long as the chamber’s 60-vote threshold for most legislation remains in place.
  • As of Thursday, 41 Democrats, two independents and 18 Republicans in the Senate had signed on as co-sponsors of the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act sponsored by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). While the measure does not yet have enough support to overcome the Senate filibuster rule, it does have backing of lawmakers who span the ideologies of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), putting pressure on Schumer – who’s supported previous iterations of the legislation – to act.
Stat of the Week
 

21% 

That’s the share of Republican voters who say they plan to engage “a lot” with Trump’s new blog, “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” where he has begun to post statements amid a sustained ban from major social media platforms.

 
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