Vice President Harris said Monday that she is "not going to absolve" any member of the Senate who will not take action to pass voting rights legislation when she was asked specifically about Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
Why it matters: The Senate this week will take up voting legislation that's already passed in the House. The bill is certainly doomed, due to a lack of Republican support and a refusal from Manchin and Sinema to change the filibuster rule.
Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
State of play: Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement that Milley — who is fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot — is experiencing "very minor symptoms" and is "working remotely and isolating himself."
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, calling him a "prophet" and saying that he "pushed for the freedom that unlocks all others: the freedom to vote."
Driving the news: Harris pushed for an expansion of voting rights as she addressed via video the congregation of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Georgia.
Some progressive Democrats and MAGA Republicans are uniting on a proposal to ban sitting lawmakers from trading individual stocks, although it's unlikely that leadership will bring the bill up for a vote.
Why it matters: Members of Congress have great power to move stock prices, and great financial incentives to do so.
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, one of the people taken hostage in a synagogue outside Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, said in an interview with CBS on Monday that he initially took in the man because he thought he needed shelter.
The big picture: Cytron-Walker said he spoke to the hostage taker, identified by the FBI as 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram, for several minutes and made him tea before Akram took the rabbi and three other people hostage for around 11 hours during Shabbat services in Colleyville.
School districts from Pennsylvania to Wyoming are bowing to pressure from some conservative groups to review — then purge from public school libraries — books about LGBTQ issues and people of color.
Why it matters: A pivotal midterm election year, COVID frustrations and a backlash against efforts to call out systemic racism — driven disproportionately by white, suburban and rural parents — have made public schools ground zero in the culture wars.
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Ikea were among over 70 brands on Monday to issue a joint statement calling for a global treaty to fight plastic pollution that would include reducing production of the material.
Why it matters: The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) that begins next month will see government officials gather to begin talks next month on a treaty on plastic pollution — "a key growth area for the oil industry," per Reuters.
France's National Assembly voted 215-58 on Sunday in favor of pandemic legislation that includes a vaccine pass barring unvaccinated people from venues including restaurants and sports arenas, per Euronews.
North Korea's military fired "two suspected short-range ballistic missiles" eastward from Pyongyang on Monday morning local time, per South Korean and Japanese officials.
Why it matters: The fourth such launch since Jan. 5 comes days after North Korea's military warned of "stronger" action if the U.S. moved to have more sanctions imposed on the country.
