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Republican pressure builds to work through August recess

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel tells Breitbart and Fox News that Congress should delay or cancel their August break until they've repealed and replaced the Affordable Care Act.

"Our voters are depending on them and that's part of why we were elected to lead and we need to get that done."

Why this matters: McDaniel joins a growing chorus of Republicans pushing leadership to work on critical legislation through the August break. David Perdue of Georgia is leading the charge in the Senate. He initiated a letter, co-signed by 9 colleagues, urging McConnell to consider forgoing the summer break so they can finish health care and deal with other urgent priorities like the budget and debt ceiling. Perdue and a number of colleagues will hold a press conference on his tomorrow, a source familiar tells me. Republicans in the House have their own letter and resolution to delay or forego the August break

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Mike Allen, author of AM
53 mins ago - Economy & Business

America on borrowed time

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Economic recovery will not be linear as the world continues to grapple with the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Why it matters: Despite being propped up by an extraordinary amount of fiscal stimulus and support from central banks, the state of the global economy remains fragile.

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Jonathan Swan
12 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences — and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — stopped it.

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Axios
Updated 13 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: Coronavirus deaths reach 4,000 per day as hospitals remain in crisis mode — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution — Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead Operation Warp Speed amid rollout of COVID plan — Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
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