The House Jan. 6 select committee on Monday sent a letter to Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) requesting information on his communications with the Trump administration in the run-up to the Capitol riot.
Driving the news: In a statement to Axios that mirrored tweets from Perry, the lawmaker said he declined the panel's request, calling the select committee "illegitimate, and not duly constituted under the rules of the US House of Representatives."
Why it matters: The 28-year-old is the second Jan. 6 rioter to be sentenced for assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon. The first, Robert Palmer, received a 63-month sentence last week.
Far-right conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones on Monday sued the House Jan. 6 select committee in an effort to block the panel from compelling his testimony and obtaining his phone records.
The big picture: The lawsuit also says that Jones plans to assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Why it matters: The U.S. labor force has struggled against the backdrop of rising demand, mental and physical health issues, and low wages, as businesses emerge from the economic damage incurred at the height of the pandemic.
Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) announced Monday she won't run for a fourth term in 2022.
Why it matters: Murphy, 43, is by far the youngest of more than a dozen House Democrats who are retiring without immediate plans to run for another office. The development, first reported by Politico, comes as Democrats face a historical disadvantage in keeping the House.
The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it will tighten pollution standards for cars and light trucks in an attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles.
Why it matters: Transportation overall is the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, so tougher standards for passenger vehicles are a major part of efforts to curb CO2 output.
Former President Trump revealed on Monday that he has received a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.
Why it matters: Trump was vaccinated at the White House in January. But he has often downplayed the pandemic and delivered mixed signals on the shot, despite the fact that Trump-supporting communities tend to have markedly lower vaccination rates.
Sen. Joe Manchin yesterday decapitated President Biden's "Build Back Better" legislation and, in so doing, maintained the status quo on business taxation.
The big picture: No changes are coming to carried interest or qualified small business stock, at least for the 2021 tax year. And forget about that 15% minimum tax on large corporations or the 1% excise tax on stock buybacks.
Why it matters: The lawsuit comes roughly two weeks after James requested a deposition from Trump as part of an investigation into whether the Trump Organization engaged in financial fraud by submitting false property valuations to reduce its tax burden.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday he tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
Why it matters: Hogan, who is vaccinated and has received a booster shot, said he did not have any symptoms and encouraged his constituents to get vaccinated and boosted because of the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Monday blamed White House staff for the breakdown in negotiations over President Biden's Build Back Better agenda and doubled down on his commitment to tanking the bill.
Why it matters: One day after he sent the Democratic Party reeling by announcing he will not support the $1.7 trillion package, Manchin leaned further into his opposition to the bill, making clear he has no plans of reversing course.
Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) declaration Sunday that he opposes President Biden's signature climate and social policy legislation makes the administration's task of meeting its climate goals far more difficult.
Why it matters: The setback to slashing emissions comes as scientists say time is running out to avoid far worse impacts from global warming.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Monday said Democratic leadership, including President Biden, were to blame for the death of the Build Back Better Act, saying that they could have never guaranteed support from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
What she's saying: "The president did say that ... the Build Back Better Act was promised and that he's got it. We said, you know, he can't— no one can really promise a Manchin vote," Ocasio-Cortez told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
Despite Sen. Joe Manchin's desertion, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tells colleagues in a letter this morning that he plans a vote on a revised Build Back Better "very early in the new year."
Schumer said he wants every senator to have "the opportunity to make their position known on the Senate floor, not just on television."
If Sen. Joe Manchin bolts the Democratic Party, he'd be more likely to switch to independent — and caucus with the Democrats — than become a Republican, people close to him tell Axios.
Driving the news: Manchin’s surprise body blow to President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda set off new speculation across the Democratic Party — including inside the White House — that he may leave the party next year.
Pro-Beijing candidates claimed victory in Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) election under the new "patriots only" system, per Reuters.
Why it matters: This was the first LegCosince Beijing lawmakers passed a sweeping law to ensure only "patriotic" figures can run for positions of power — which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called a "denial of democracy."
After months of back-and-forth negotiations and overtures from the White House, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) chose an appearance on "Fox News Sunday" to announce he was torpedoing President Biden's signature agenda.
The big picture: The unexpected announcement via the conservative-leaning Sunday morning show just days before Christmas sent fellow Democrats reeling. It infuriated progressives, who'd warned for months of the potential for such an outcome. And it stirred new speculation about the GOP courting a party switch.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she's still hopeful of reaching an agreement on President Biden's Build Back Better legislation, after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Sunday he wouldn't support the bill.
What she's saying: The Democrats' "work For The People demands that we stay at the table to pass the Build Back Better Act," Pelosi said in a "Dear Colleague" letter on Sunday night, which did not name Manchin.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced separately Sunday that they've tested positive for breakthrough cases of COVID-19.
Why it matters: Both Warren and Booker in Twitter posts reported mild symptoms and spoke of their gratitude of being fully vaccinated against the virus and having booster shots and advocated for others to do the same, as U.S. health officials warn of a surge in cases due to the Omicron variant.
Why it matters: Chile has long been a byword for stability and prosperity in the region, but it has become increasingly polarized since anti-government protests erupted in 2019, thrusting the country into a fierce debate over economic inequality and national identity, per Axios' Dave Lawler.
