Vandals defaced the homes of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with graffiti after Congress failed to pass a standalone measure to increase coronavirus relief, AP reports.
Why it matters: Senate Republicans refused to allow debate on a bill passed by the House to increase stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 despite calls from President Trump for increased payments.
A growing number of Republican senators — led by Ted Cruz — announced today they also will object to certifying state Electoral College votes on Wednesday and called for resurrecting an Electoral Commission to conduct an emergency audit of the results.
Why it matters: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had hoped to avoid the spectacle of his party leading a last-ditch effort to prevent Joe Biden from being declared the 2020 election winner, but Josh Hawley of Missouri said he would raise a general objection and now other Republican senators plan to air more specific grievances.
Experts are warning that the District of Columbia is becoming a battleground for violent confrontations between far-right extremists and counter-protesters, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: "[T]he nation’s capital — with its strict gun laws and history of orderly, peaceful protest — has largely avoided these violent conflicts."
President Trump is torching his own party and its leaders on his way out of power — and tossing gas on the fire with a public call for mass protest next week and a vote to overturn his defeat.
Why it matters: Trump is demanding Republicans fully and unequivocally embrace him — or face his wrath. This is self-inflicted, self-focused — and dangerous for a Republican Party clinging to waning Washington power.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that a federal judge was wrong when he delayed the execution of Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row.
Why it matters: If Montgomery is executed, she will be the first female federal inmate put to death in almost 70 years, per The New York Times.
The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to rewrite its rules — swapping out male and female references like "he" and "she" for gender-neutral terms — in a diversity and inclusion push by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats that's drawing scorn from Republicans.
Why it matters: The proposal comes as transgender and non-binary candidates are being elected around the country, progressives are gaining influence in the Democratic politics and U.S. schools and companies are adjusting policies and language to reflect society's changing views on sexuality and gender identification.
Congress handed President Trump a rare blow on Friday when the Senate joined the House in voting to override his veto of the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Why it matters: The bipartisan New Year's Day legislative rebuke is the first veto override of Trump's presidency. It comes less than three weeks before Trump leaves office and underscores the popularity of the military legislation, passed each Congress since 1967, that includes increased pay for troops.
The United Kingdom's abolishment of a tax on menstrual products goes in effect today, according to a release from the government.
Why it matters: The repeal is among the first acts the U.K. is taking as part of its formal separation from the European Union because EU law prevents member nations from reducing the value-added tax on menstrual products below 5% because they are considered "luxury items."
It took four years and an election defeat. But someone with real power inside the Republican Party is standing up to — and swatting back — President Trump: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Why it matters: This is a preview of the power struggle that will define the Republican Party in 2021.
A new phase in the battle against the coronavirus and the beginning of Joe Biden's presidency will dominate the news this year, but there will be plenty of other changes ahead that will shape our lives, too.
Here’s what Axios’ newsletter authors and expert reporters will be watching — from the future of the economy and Big Tech's antitrust fights to the next stages in developing artificial intelligence and biotechnology. (Sign up for their newsletters here.)
President Trump on Thursday extended pandemic-era bans on certain immigrant and work visas until March 31.
Why it matters: The bans — issued in April and June and set to expire on Thursday — go against the recommendations of business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and tech companies who have argued that they will encourage investment abroad, inhibit economic growth and reduce job creation.
