“When House Republicans meet Wednesday, it will ostensibly be to decide the fate of Liz Cheney and Marjorie Taylor Greene, controversial figures representing the two wings of an increasingly fractured party. Cheney, the GOP Conference chair from Wyoming and third most powerful House Republican, faces scorching backlash from loyalists to former President Donald Trump who argue she should no longer be part of leadership, given her vote to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Greene, the pro-Trump freshman from Georgia, has drawn furor for her continued claims the election was stolen from Trump and recently unearthed social media posts that showed her ‘liking’ calls for violence against prominent Democrats, describing school shootings as staged and conspiracy theories about space lasers causing deadly wildfires. Experts say the results of the closed-door gathering could reveal a lot more about the direction of a party openly warring with itself. To this point, Republicans have remained mostly mum while Democrats called for Greene to be censured, removed from her committee and even ousted from Congress.” Read more at USA Today
“The coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. has been chiefly driven by young and middle-aged people, while killing mostly older people, Axios Vitals author Caitlin Owens writes.
Why it matters: The notion that non-vulnerable people can go about their normal lives, while vulnerable people self-isolate, has not borne out in the U.S.
Adults aged 20-49 were responsible for the vast majority of virus transmission last year, according to a study published in Science.
Three-quarters of new infections originated from adults 20-49 until mid-August of last year. Adults 35-49 contributed the most to spread.
The study estimates that school reopenings increased total infections by about 26% as of October, and deaths by about 6% — because children and teenagers spread the virus to adults, who are "more transmission efficient." Read more at Axios
“House impeachment managers filed a brief charging former President Trump with being ‘singularly responsible’ for inciting the insurrection last month at the US Capitol. The filing also underscored how rioters themselves have cited Trump as the reason they attacked. In response, Trump’s legal team argued his speech was protected by the First Amendment and claimed it is unconstitutional to move forward with impeachment since Trump is no longer in office. However, Dems have pointed out Trump was impeached while he was President, and prior impeachment proceedings for other US officials have run past the subject’s time in office. These pretrial briefs are a preview of the major issues that will be argued in next week’s Senate impeachment trial.” Read more at CNN
“Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been sentenced to more than two and a half years in prison by a Moscow court. The verdict sparked protests across the country and swift condemnation abroad. Navalny was first detained two weeks ago after returning to Moscow from Berlin, where he was recovering from poisoning. The court ruled that while he was there, he violated probation terms from a 2014 case. Navalny mocked that argument, since he was gravely ill at the time. He also called the Russian President “Putin the Poisoner,” referring to claims the Russian government was responsible for his poisoning. Following the verdict, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken called on the Russian government to "immediately and unconditionally release" Navalny. The UK, Germany, France and others issued similar statements.” Read more at CNN
Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
“Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries sustained during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol Building, returned Tuesday evening to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. President Joe Biden arrived at the Capitol to pay his respects to the fallen officer at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, alongside first lady Jill Biden. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy were present for the ceremonial arrival of Sicknick's ashes at 9:30 p.m. ET. Members of Congress will be able to pay their respects beginning on Wednesday at 7 a.m., and congressional leaders will speak at a ceremony later Wednesday morning.” Read more at USA Today
“The House voted Tuesday night to penalize lawmakers who seek to bypass the security screening measures that have been enacted in the wake of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, with members facing a $5,000 fine for the first offense and $10,000 each time thereafter.
The measure passed on a 216-to-210 vote, with all but three Democrats present voting in favor and all Republicans present voting “no.”
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Rules Committee, defended the move in an impassioned floor speech in which he blasted the ‘elitist mentality’ of those who have ignored the screening procedures, imploring his fellow lawmakers to recognize that ‘the rules apply to us, too — and it’s time all of us acted like it.’
‘Apparently, some of my friends on the other side think differently,’ McGovern said. ‘Some are acting as though by being elected to Congress, they have been anointed to some sort of special club — one that gets to pick and choose what rules to follow.’” Read more at Washington Post
“The Senate voted along party lines on a procedural step that will let Democrats avoid a filibuster on President Biden’s coronavirus relief package and pass it with a straight majority.” Read more at New York Times
“Biden signed three executive orders on immigration, including one that aims to reunite migrant families that the Trump administration separated. Officials and immigration advocates cautioned that the changes would not happen immediately.” Read more at New York Times
“What a $15 minimum wage would do to the economy. President Biden’s plan would lift many low-wage workers out of poverty, but some businesses and economists warn it could cost jobs as the U.S. recovers from pandemic layoffs.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Northern New England will be digging out from under piles of snow Wednesday as the worst of the sprawling winter storm that dumped heavy snow on the region finally eases up. But not without some more weather misery: According to the National Weather Service, a foot or more could be on the ground in New England by the time the snow finally tapers off in the northernmost states by Wednesday evening. In New York City, the snowstorm – the city's biggest in five years, since the historic blizzard of 2016 – shut down public transport, canceled flights and closed coronavirus vaccination sites. In Pennsylvania, authorities said a 67-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease who was believed to have wandered away from her home was found dead of hypothermia Monday. About 60 miles north in Plains Township, three people died in a shooting after an argument over snow removal. Authorities said a married couple were found shot to death in the street Monday, and the body of the suspected shooter was later found inside a nearby residence.” Read more at USA Today
A demonstration outside Myanmar’s embassy in Bangkok on Monday against the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Credit...Adam Dean for The New York Times
“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Myanmar civilian leader deposed by the military in a coup, was charged on Wednesday with an obscure infraction of having illegally imported at least 10 walkie-talkies, according to an information officer from her National League for Democracy party. The violation can be punishable by up to three years in prison.
The court detention order, provided by officials from the party that governed Myanmar until the putsch on Monday, was dated on the day of the coup and authorizes Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention for 15 days. The document said that soldiers searching her villa in Naypyidaw, the capital, had turned up various pieces of communications equipment that had been brought into the country without proper paperwork.
It was a bizarre postscript to a fraught 48 hours in which the army placed the country’s most popular leader back under house arrest and extinguished hopes that the Southeast Asian nation could one day serve as a beacon of democracy in a world awash with rising authoritarianism.
The coup unseated an elected government that, during its five-year tenure, received two resounding voter mandates, most recently in general elections last November.” Read more at New York Times
Bangladesh Rohingya: Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in exile have condemned the military coup in their homeland, saying it makes them more fearful to return. A brutal crackdown by the Burmese military in 2017 forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. It has hosted them in crowded refugee camps, and is eager to begin sending them back to Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Several attempts at repatriation have failed because the Rohingya refused to go, fearing more violence. Refugees say they are more afraid now that the military is in complete control, Julhas Alam reports from Bangladesh. Read more at AP
“The China Factor: Before the coup, relations between Myanmar and China already were complicated by Chinese investments in its infrastructure and the Myanmar military’s campaigns along their shared border, Elaine Kurtenbach reports. Analysts say that even if China played no role at all in ousting Suu Kyi, Beijing is likely to gain still greater sway over the country. That's even more likely if the U.S. and other Western governments try to punish the new military regime through sanctions.” Read more at AP
“Vaccine diplomacy: In a new push to gain international influence, China said it'll provide 10 million doses of COVID vaccine doses to developing nations.” Read more at Axios
“Russia's Sputnik V vaccine got a significant boost yesterday with news an interim analysis of an advanced clinical trial showed efficacy of 91.6%. Mexico has now approved it for use, as has Pakistan. Chancellor Angela Merkel says she’s ready to consider using it in Germany.” Read more at Bloomberg
“The British government said that a variant of the virus first observed there had the potential to make the vaccines less effective. But that’s less alarming than it may sound. For now, the concern is hypothetical: No data shows the vaccines to be ineffective on the British variant. Even if they are less effective, other evidence suggests that modest levels of vaccine protection may almost always be enough to downgrade Covid to an ordinary flu.” Read more at New York Times
“World Health Organization (WHO) investigators on Wednesday visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The research center has been the subject of speculation about the origins of the coronavirus, with one member saying they'd intended to press key staff on critical issues. The WHO team's visit was a highlight of their mission to gather data and search for clues as to where the virus originated and how it spread. The team of experts has over the past six days visited hospitals, research institutes and a wet market linked to many of the first cases. In the U.S., the Biden administration said Tuesday it will begin distributing COVID-19 vaccine doses directly to retail pharmacies in an effort to expedite vaccinations across the nation. White House official Jeff Zients said the program will start with about 1 million doses sent to 6,500 pharmacies beginning next week. The number of pharmacies could expand to reach 40,000 as the supply grows, he said.” Read more at USA Today
“New York prosecutors are investigating Steve Bannon, weeks after Trump pardoned him. Bannon could face charges of defrauding donors to the border wall.” Read more at New York Times
“A shootout in South Florida killed two F.B.I. agents and injured three others. They were investigating violent crimes against children.” Read more at New York Times
“Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO of Amazon. The multibillionaire has helmed the company since it was founded in 1995, overseeing its rise from online bookseller to $1.7 trillion global retail behemoth. Bezos will transition into an executive chair role. He will be succeeded by Andy Jassy, who now serves as CEO of the company's cloud business, Amazon Web Services. In a letter to Amazon employees, Bezos says he’s stepping down to focus on nonprofit initiatives and other parts of his vast empire, including aerospace and media ventures.” Read more at CNN
“Capitol Minority Concerns: Civil rights groups and communities of color are watching warily for any moves to expand law enforcement power as federal officials grapple with how to confront the security threat posed by domestic extremists after the deadly siege of the Capitol. They say their communities have felt the brunt of security scrutiny over the last two decades and they fear new tools meant to target right-wing extremism or white nationalists risk harming Muslims, Black Americans and other groups.
It underscores the complexity of the national debate on how to balance protecting First Amendment freedom of speech rights with law enforcement’s need to prevent extremist violence before it occurs, Noreen Nasir and Eric Tucker report.” Read more at AP
“The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Homeland Security secretary, the first Latino and immigrant to serve at the helm of the department.
His confirmation will fill a critical role in the new administration and he'll be expected to swiftly begin rolling back Trump administration immigration policies while juggling the response to a global pandemic and national security threats, along with restoring a department that's been rattled by leadership turnover and vacancies in recent years.
The Senate also voted Tuesday to confirm Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making him the first Senate-confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet secretary.
Buttigieg's confirmation elevates the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to a top post in the federal government.” Read more at CNN
“An idea prompted by a late-night beer run has now become a billion-dollar business.
On Tuesday, Uber Technologies announced it is buying Boston-based alcohol delivery service Drizly for $1.1 billion in cash and stock. The deal comes amid a massive shift in consumer behavior accelerated by the pandemic, as shoppers increasingly turn to delivery apps to fulfill their everyday needs.
Uber is known for its ride-hailing service, but these days the company is finding more success delivering food, groceries, and alcohol to doorsteps. In the last quarter, Uber’s ride-hailing revenue was down more than 50 percent from the previous year, whereas revenue from Uber Eats grew by 125 percent.” Read more at Boston Globe
“ Two historians are facing a libel trial for a scholarly examination of Poland’s behavior during World War II, a case whose outcome is expected to determine the fate of independent Holocaust research under the country’s nationalist government.
A verdict is expected in Warsaw's district court on Feb. 9 in the case against Barbara Engelking, a historian with the Polish Center for Holocaust Research in Warsaw, and Jan Grabowski, a professor of history at the University of Ottawa.
It is the first major legal test of a 2018 law that makes it a crime to falsely accuse the Polish nation of crimes committed by Nazi Germany. The law caused a major diplomatic spat with Israel.” Read more at Boston Globe
“The pandemic walloped the job market but has strengthened unions, Axios @Work author Erica Pandey writes.
Why it matters: The pandemic exposed the ways workers, especially those on the low end of the wage spectrum, can be treated. That revitalized the appeal of unions and underscored the importance of worker voices.
The share of U.S. workers who are union members rose half a point over the past year to 10.8%, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
That's because union members held onto their jobs at higher rates than non-union members. "[U]nions did a good job at protecting their members from layoffs," says John Logan, a U.S. labor historian at San Francisco State.
What we're watching: Unions lost power in the U.S. for decades.
But unions have started showing up in new and unlikely places: Google workers formed one. And Amazon warehouse workers are getting closer to organizing in Alabama.
President Biden has said he'll be "the most pro-union president you've ever seen." Read more at Axios
“Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, was formally tasked by Italy’s president with forming a government of national unity to steer Italy out of its political, economic and health crises.
Italy is turning to one of Europe’s most respected public officials at a time when it needs to shore up its credibility within the European Union.” Read more at USA Today
“Iran upgrades nuclear facilities. Iran has installed new advanced centrifuges at its Natanz and Fordow nuclear sites, according to Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The new equipment has a higher capacity for uranium enrichment, making it easier to surpass purity levels previously prohibited under the Iran nuclear deal. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Iran’s move increased U.S. ‘urgency’ to tackle Iran’s nuclear program, although no schedule for talks has been announced.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Lives Lived: Tom Moore, a British Army veteran nicknamed “Captain Tom,” became a symbol of determination early in the pandemic when he raised $45 million for hospitals by walking laps in his garden. He died at 100, after having recently been hospitalized with Covid.” Read more at New York Times
“NYC mayor race: Andrew Yang, the former 2020 presidential candidate and current candidate to become mayor of New York City, announced Tuesday that he has contracted COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms from the virus.
Yang said in a statement that he ‘will continue to attend as many virtual events as possible, in addition to working with our incredible campaign team to continue our mission of getting New York City back on its feet’’” Read more at The Hill
“A woman accused of participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol asked a federal judge for permission to leave the country on vacation later this month – and got it.
In a Monday court filing, lawyers for Jenny Louise Cudd requested the court's blessing to travel to Mexico's Riviera Maya from Feb. 18-21 for a prepaid "work-related bonding retreat" with her employees and their spouses.
Cudd, a small business owner in Midland, Texas, is currently on pretrial release after being charged with two misdemeanor offenses, including entering a federal building without permission and engaging in disorderly conduct.” Read more at USA Today
“My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell has seen his personal and corporate Twitter accounts suspended in the past week due to violating a disinformation standard regarding his repeated false claim that President Donald Trump won the November election.
He was shut down again Tuesday for propagating that conspiracy theory, but this time by a surprising source: Newsmax, the Trump-friendly, right-wing upstart cable network. After repeatedly trying to cut Lindell off as he perpetuated election falsehoods, Newsmax anchor Bob Sellers eventually gave up and, in a bizarre scene, got up and walked away from his anchor chair.
In December, both Newsmax and Fox News Channel aired segments shooting down election-fraud claims after two election-technology companies, Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, raised the prospect of legal action over what they claim is false reporting about them. Dominion has since filed a $1.3 billion defamation suit against former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell.” Read more at USA Today
“Awards season continues Wednesday with nominations for the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards, chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to honor the best in film and TV. The nominations will be unveiled online at 8 a.m. ET. Just a few of the movies that could draw accolades include ‘Nomadland,’ ‘News of the World’ and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ in the drama category, and ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,’ ‘Hamilton,’ and ‘The Prom’ in the comedy/musical category. The awards ceremony will be held Feb. 28 in Beverly Hills, California. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host.” Read more at USA Today
“While India’s government attempted to block the Twitter accounts of farm protest leaders and journalists, pop star Rihanna and environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg sought to draw global attention to the demonstrations against new agriculture laws. ‘Why aren’t we talking about this?!’ Rihanna tweeted to her more than 100 million followers, linking to an article on moves to cut internet services at protest sites. The foreign ministry urged people not to respond to ‘sensationalist social media hashtags’ from celebrities. Read more at Bloomberg
Farmers protest on a blocked highway at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh state border in Ghaziabad on Feb. 2.
Photographer: Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images
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