Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Feb 17, 2017 - Politics & Policy

The takeaways from Mitch McConnell's Friday presser

Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Friday press conference comes before the start of a week-long congressional recess. The highlights:

Russia contacts: When asked whether he believes Trump's denial that no one from his campaign has been in contact with Russia, he said "I don't know."
"I'm not a great fan of [Trump's] daily tweets. What I am a fan of is what he's actually been doing." He added that he's also not a fan of "the extra discussions that he likes to engage in. But we're going to soldier on."
Applauded Trump's Cabinet as "the most conservative" he's seen in his time in office and blasted "left-wing agitators" for delaying the confirmation of Trump's nominees. He hopes that "at some point here the other side will accept the results of last year's election."
Indicated that any bill intending to end DACA may not be popular among Republicans on the Hill, and there may be support for passing bipartisan legislation to protect them from deportation. Added that he's "very sympathetic" with the Dreamers.
Republicans will pass their health and tax agendas with or without Democratic votes.
Incoming infrastructure plan: Predicts legislation on the creation of a new infrastructure investment program will head to Congress soon, and he hopes it will draw bipartisan support.
Hopes Judge Neil Gorsuch will be confirmed to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat before the start of the next congressional recess in mid-April.

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8 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Border officials project 13,000 child migrants in May

The "El Chaparral" border crossing at Tijuana. Photo: Stringer/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

A Customs and Border Protection staffer told top administration officials Thursday the agency is projecting a peak of 13,000 unaccompanied children crossing the border in May, sources directly familiar with the discussion told Axios.

Why it matters: That projection would exceed the height of the 2019 crisis, which led to the infamous "kids-in-cages" disaster. It also underscores a rapidly escalating crisis for the Biden administration.

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1 hour ago - World

U.S. strikes Iran-backed militia facilities in Syria

President Biden at the Pentagon on Feb. 10. Photo: Alex Brandon - Pool/Getty Images

The United States on Thursday carried out an airstrike against facilities in Syria linked to an Iran-backed militia group, the Pentagon announced.

The state of play: The strike, approved by President Biden, comes "in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement.

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2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Senate parliamentarian rules $15 minimum wage cannot be included in relief package

Photo: Al Drago/Getty Images

The Senate parliamentarian ruled Thursday that the provision to increase the minimum wage to $15/hour cannot be included in the broader $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.

Why it matters: It's now very likely that any increase in the minimum wage will need bipartisan support, as the provision cannot be passed with the simple Senate majority that Democrats are aiming to use for President Biden's rescue bill.

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