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Tina Smith to take Al Franken's Senate seat this week

Khorri Atkinson

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton introduces Lt. Governor Tina Smith as the replacement to Senator Al Franken on Dec. 13 at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, who was tapped by Gov. Mark Dayton earlier month to replace the embattled Sen. Al Franken after his resignation amid a string of sexual misconduct allegations, is set to take office this week. She will fill the seat until the November 2018 midterm elections.

Background: Franken's resignation takes effect on Tuesday and Smith will be sworn in by former Vice President Walter Mondale the next day, per the AP. Smith, who served as Dayton's chief of staff prior to becoming his running mate in 2014, was the likely frontrunner.

What's next: Smith, who plans to run for the remaining two years of Franken's term in a special election in November, told the Star Tribune that doesn't yet know if she'll take over the outgoing senator's committee assignments — Judiciary; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Energy and Natural Resources; and Indian Affairs. However, Smith reportedly said she will take on much of Franken's staff — about 50 employees would be in Washington and Minnesota.

Go deeper: Every allegation against Al Franken

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Omicron dashboard

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

  1. Health: Pfizer and Moderna boosters overwhelmingly prevent Omicron hospitalizations, CDC finds — Omicron pushes COVID deaths toward 2,000 per day — The pandemic-proof health care giant.
  2. Vaccines: The case for Operation Warp Speed 2.0 — Starbucks drops worker vaccine or test requirement after SCOTUS ruling — Kids' COVID vaccination rates are particularly low in rural America.
  3. Politics: Biden concedes U.S. should have done more testing — Arizona says it "will not be intimidated" by Biden on anti-mask school policies — Federal judge blocks Biden's vaccine mandate for federal workers.
  4. World: American Airlines flight to London forced to turn around over mask dispute — WHO: COVID health emergency could end this year — Greece imposes vaccine mandate for people 60 and older — Austria approves COVID vaccine mandate for adults.
  5. Variant tracker
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Shawna Chen
6 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Arizona governor sues Biden administration over COVID funds tied to mandates

A teacher prepares a hallway barrier to help students maintain social distancing at John B. Wright Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona, on Aug. 14, 2020. Photo: Cheney Orr/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) filed a lawsuit Friday against the Biden administration for ordering the state to stop allocating federal COVID relief funds to schools that don't comply with public health recommendations such as masking, the Arizona Republic reports.

Why it matters: The Treasury Department said last week that the state would have to pay back the money if Ducey does not redesignate the $173 million programs to ensure they don't "undermine efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19."

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Jacob Knutson
11 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Federal judge blocks Biden's vaccine mandate for federal workers

President Biden speaking from Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Jan. 21. Photo: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal workers on Friday, citing the outcome of last week's Supreme Court ruling that nullified the administration's vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers.

Why it matters: It's a blow to President Biden's efforts to increase the U.S.' vaccination rates, though much of the federal workforce has already been vaccinated against the virus.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow