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The Senate is about to go nuclear

Susan Walsh / AP

Senate Democrats are prepared to block any Trump Supreme Court nominee.

Sen. Jeff Merkley told Politico on Monday that he will filibuster any pick that is not Merrick Garland, and that the vast majority of his caucus will oppose any nomination.

This is a stolen seat. This is the first time a Senate majority has stolen a seat ... We will use every lever in our power to stop this.

Why this matters: Mitch McConnell has said he wants to confirm a SCOTUS nominee without invoking the nuclear option, which would allow Republicans to push a nominee through with 51 votes. If Democrats won't cooperate, he'll be forced to decide between setting precedent and allowing Democrats to deny Trump a SCOTUS nominee.

Go deeper

Fadel Allassan
29 mins ago - Politics & Policy

DHS warns of "heightened threat" because of domestic extremism

Supporters of former President Trump protest inside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Photo: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday issued an advisory warning of a "heightened threat environment" in the U.S. because of "ideologically-motivated violent extremists."

Why it matters: DHS believes the threat of violence will persist for "weeks" following President Biden's inauguration. The extremists include those who opposed the presidential transition, people spurred by "grievances fueled by false narratives" and "anger over COVID-19 restrictions ... and police use of force[.]"

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Marisa Fernandez
41 mins ago - Health

OIG: HHS misused millions of dollars intended for public health threats

Vaccine vials. Photo: Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel alerted the White House and Congress on Wednesday of an investigation that found the Department of Health and Human Services misused millions of dollars that were budgeted for vaccine research and public health emergencies for Ebola, Zika and now the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why it matters: The more than 200-page investigation corroborated claims from a whistleblower, showing the agency's violation of the Purpose Statute spanned both the Obama and Trump administrations and paid for unrelated projects like salaries, news subscriptions and the removal of office furniture.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Zachary Basu
43 mins ago - Energy & Environment

John Kerry: U.S.-China climate cooperation is a "critical standalone issue"

President Biden's special climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday that the U.S. must deal with China on climate change as a "critical standalone issue," but stressed that confronting Beijing's human rights and trade abuses "will never be traded" for climate cooperation.

Why it matters: The last few years have brought about a bipartisan consensus on the threat posed by China. But as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China will be a vital player if the world is going to come close to reining in emissions on the scale needed to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow