The League of Conservation Voters and Climate Power are aiming another $4 million worth of ads at centrist House Democrats, urging them to support the climate provisions in President Biden’s $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Progressive groups are trying to counter the onslaught of conservative money pouring into swing districts. Both sides are trying to define Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda and pressure lawmakers to support — or oppose — the legislation scheduled for a vote in the House this week.
The Senate will hold a futile vote Monday night — just 72 hours before a potential shutdown — on a House-passed bill to fund the government through Dec. 3 and raise the debt limit.
Why it matters: The bill is going to fail. Period. But then comes Plan B: A "clean" continuing resolution — stripped of language about raising the debt limit — that Democrats spent the past week preparing, Axios is told.
Standing on a flatbed hitched to a John Deere tractor in red Rockingham County, Virginia, Glenn Youngkin decried California liberalism and bashed his rival, Terry McAuliffe. He also encouraged early voting. Two words he avoided: Donald Trump.
Driving the news: Youngkin, the Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee, is mounting a serious challenge to McAuliffe — a former governor and veteran of Democratic politics. Axios caught up with him on Friday in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Two of the nine House centrists who demanded Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) bring the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to the floor by Monday are now publicly promising to vote for the separate $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: By explicitly announcing their support for a big package targeting climate change and expanding the social safety net, Reps. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) and Filemon Vela (D-Texas) are trying to convince progressives to vote for the infrastructure bill this week.
Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos offered veiled criticism Saturday of former President Donald Trump's continued hold over the Republican Party, saying that "principles have been overtaken by personalities," the Detroit Free Press reported.
Why it matters: DeVos was one of the longest-serving members of Trump's Cabinet and resigned following the Capitol riot.
BP, the second-largest fuel retailer in the U.K., said Sunday that nearly a third of its gas stations have run out of main grades, citing panic buying as a cause for the shortage.
Why it matters: The fuel panic comes amid an international gas price surge, which has forced several energy companies out of business. The country is also experiencing a shortage of truck drivers, per Reuters.
This epic week for President Biden on Capitol Hill is even bigger than his domestic agenda.
Why it matters: Biden has anchored his entire strategy for foreign affairs on the notion that "America is back." What that means in practice is that Biden needs to prove democracy works to rally America’s liberal allies against rising authoritarians.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday said she might not bring the $1 trillion infrastructure bill to the floor on Monday as previously pledged.
Why it matters: Pelosi's remarks on ABC's "This Week" come as Democrats have struggled to agree on the timing of the bill and as the divide between moderate Democrats and their progressive counterparts widen over the final value of the reconciliation package.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday defended the actions of U.S. Border Patrol agents who charged at Haitian migrants on horseback, blaming the Biden administration for not preventing them from crossing the border.
Why it matters: The Republican governor's remarks on "Fox News Sunday" comes amid increased backlash over the incident, with President Biden saying, "I promise ... those people will pay,” and the Department of Homeland Security launching an investigation.
Iceland has elected its first female-majority parliament, with women holding 33 seats in the North Atlantic island nation's 63-seat parliament after all the votes were tallied Sunday, AP reports.
Why it matters: The outcome is a landmark for gender equality in the country — and Europe as a whole — and came despite a poor election outcome for left-leaning parties, where female candidates are more frequently frontrunners.
Taliban authorities killed four suspected kidnappers and put their bodies on public display to deter others in the city of Herat, western Afghanistan, per multiple reports.
A federal appeals court is set to hear a challenge Wednesday to a vaccine mandate planned for New York City school employees.
Why it matters: The vaccine mandate was set to begin on Monday, prompting concerns over staffing shortages in schools across the nation's largest school system. But a judge on Friday temporarily blocked the measure, per AP.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Saturday she would declare a state of emergency if there were health worker shortages due to New York's upcoming COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Why it matters: Hochul moved to reassure concerns of staffing shortages in the health care sector in a statement that also outlined plans to call in medically trained National Guard members, workers from outside New York and retirees if necessary when the mandate takes effect Monday.
