Axios

The New York State Board of Elections on Monday certified Republican Claudia Tenney as the winner of the last open U.S. House race, after a monthslong legal battle to determine the election results in the state's 22nd Congressional District.

The state of play: Following the board of elections vote, Democratic incumbent Anthony Brindisi conceded, saying that while he believes the election was "riddled with errors, inconsistencies and systemic violations" of election laws, it was "time to close the book on this election and focus on building a better community and more united Country for our children."

Former President Trump's legal team filed a brief on Monday condemning his impeachment as “political theater," as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell closed in on an agreement setting the parameters for the historic trial kicking off Tuesday.

The state of play: Impeachment managers and Trump's attorneys will debate the issue of constitutionality of the trial on Tuesday, which the Senate will then vote on at a simple majority threshold.

An analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released Monday found that the $15 federal minimum wage bill proposed by Democrats would cut jobs for 1.4 million workers by 2025, but lift 900,000 people out of poverty.

Why it matters: President Biden included a proposal to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour in his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan, but it's facing resistance from moderate Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). Biden said over the weekend that he does not expect the provision to survive negotiations, but that he'll push for it in a separate bill.

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) announced Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2022.

Why it matters: The 86-year-old lawmaker is the top Republican on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. He was first elected to the Senate in 1986 as a Democrat, before changing parties in 1994.

Rep. Ron Wright (R-Texas) died on Sunday night following a battle with COVID-19, according to a statement from his office. He was 67.

Why it matters: Wright was first elected to Congress in 2018 and re-elected last year. He'd battled multiple bouts of lung cancer in recent years and was hospitalized last fall due to complications with his treatment, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The top headlines from the Feb. 7 episode of "Axios on HBO."

• Pete Buttigieg talks future of flying, cars and cities
• Trump’s World Bank head speaks out on climate change, inequality
• AFL-CIO leader: Clinton, Obama let down unions
• Top union leader: Biden's Keystone plan wrong, will cost U.S. jobs
• Ex-Parler CEO John Matze says he didn't want Trump deal

On "Axios on HBO," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told me what it was like to be sworn in as the first openly gay U.S. Cabinet member to be confirmed by the Senate — with the oath administered by Vice President Kamala Harris, and his husband, Chasten, holding the Bible:

Her husband, Doug, and Chasten have become good friends. And just think about that sentence — that the vice president's husband is friends with the secretary of transportation's husband. That's not a sentence you could have said very long ago. And it's a reminder of the changes that are underway and a reminder that we've got some work to do as a country ... so that one day that's unremarkable.

Vanderbilt University, in the red state of Tennessee, today launches the Project on Unity & American Democracy, seeking to counter America's drift from evidence and reason, toward ideological certitude and reflexive partisanship.

Details: The project — co-chaired by historian Jon Meacham, former GOP governor Bill Haslam and former Obama White House fellow Samar Ali — will conduct case studies, host conversations, and engage with business leaders, faith leaders, and urban and rural voices to elevate reason in an age of passion.

In this episode of How It Happened: Trump's Last Stand, national political correspondent Jonathan Swan chronicles how President Donald Trump destroyed his most valuable political relationship — his partnership with Vice President Mike Pence — and set the events of Jan. 6 into motion.

• Swan uncovers the surprising catalyst that drove a wedge between Trump and his most loyal ally, a vice president often described as "subservient."
• Swan tracks Trump's increasing desperation as December became January and how he turned up the pressure on Pence to refuse to certify the election.

Note: This episode contains some explicit language.

Credits: This show is produced by Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin and Alice Wilder. Dan Bobkoff is the executive producer. Additional reporting and fact checking by Zach Basu. Margaret Talev is managing editor of politics. Sara Kehaulani Goo is Axios’s executive editor. Sound design by Alex Sugiura and theme music by Michael Hanf.

About this series: The reporting in this series is based on multiple interviews with current and former White House, campaign, government and congressional officials as well as direct eyewitnesses and people close to President Trump. Sources have been granted anonymity to share sensitive observations or details they would not be formally authorized to disclose. President Trump and other officials to whom quotes and actions have been attributed by others were provided the opportunity to confirm, deny or respond to reporting elements prior to publication.

This series was reported by White House reporter Jonathan Swan, with writing, reporting and research assistance by Zach Basu.