Axios

Democrats are down a crucial vote in the Senate after New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján suffered a stroke. While the 49-year old senator is expected to make a full recovery, his absence means a shift in the balance of power in the Senate. For now, Republicans have a 50-49 working majority until Luján's return in 4 to 6 weeks.

• Plus, hundreds of thousands of U.S. bridges are in need of major repair.
• And, how Americans really feel about the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Guests: Axios' Margaret Talev, Jennifer Kingson and David Nather.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Erica Pandey, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Alex Sugiura, and Ben O'Brien. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Go deeper:

• Senator's stroke catches Democrats by surprise
• Exclusive poll: Why Americans are turned off by the Olympics
• America's bridges are falling apart faster than expected