| | | | | |  | | By Olivia Beavers | Presented by |  | | | In less than the span of a week, at least eighteen people have died in two high-profile mass shootings, reigniting Democrats' rallying cries for Congress to pass comprehensive gun control measures. While the House passed a gun safety bill less than two weeks ago, its fate appears roadblocked in the Senate, which will likely only amplify the progressive push to nix the legislative filibuster. "We don't know all the details yet, but we DO know our country has a horrific problem with gun violence. We need federal action. Now," tweeted Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper (D). This recent violence is guaranteed to be at the forefront of today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence prevention, which had previously scheduled with witnesses slated to talk about "constitutional and common sense steps to reduce gun violence." The tragedies: On Monday, a shooter opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colo., leaving 10 people dead, including one police officer, Eric Talley, a father of seven children. Their deaths came as Washington reckoned with the aftermath of a shooting last week in Georgia that killed eight people, six of them Asian women. That attack launched broader conversations about racial attacks, mental health, and gun violence. More than 41,000 people in the U.S. were killed by gun violence last year, USA Today reported in December. Your Huddle host caught up with Gabby Giffords, a former Arizona congresswoman who became a leading gun control advocate after a would-be assassin shot her in 2011. Giffords survived but six others died in the attack. In Atlanta: "It appears as though the suspect passed a background check, which serves as an important reminder that universal background checks are an essential but not sufficient policy," Giffords, who is married to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), wrote to me via email. "There is not one single solution to ending gun violence—we need to enact a comprehensive gun safety agenda." She pointed to how waiting periods, or a few days between background checks and taking possession of a firearm, can "provide a critical cooling-off period," citing studies that have shown this span of time can reduce homicides by around 17 percent. When your Huddle host asked Giffords what she would tell someone -- whether a lawmaker or a John Doe -- who is skeptical about implementing the gun control measures she is advocating, Giffords replied that there is a lot of common ground on this issue once the public gets past "the gun lobby's lies" and "fear mongering." "Let's start with our number one priority right now: universal background checks... It doesn't matter if you are a gun owner, mom, or activist, anywhere in America you'll find broad support for requiring a background check on every gun sale," Gifford said. "This isn't about taking away the Second Amendment right. It's about exercising rights safely in a way that reduces the horrific toll of gun violence." Colorado is no stranger to gun violence. In 2012 -- and less than an hour away from Boulder -- 12 people died in a movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. And a little bit further out from there, there is Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., where 13 people were shot and killed in 1999. Related: A tragedy and a nightmare': Ten dead, including officer, after shooting at Boulder King Soopers, by the Boulder Daily Camera's Mitchell Byars: http://bit.ly/3vMZdGZ | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION : Power dynamics are shifting in Washington and across the country, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy, and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops, and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country, and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out on this new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | TRAIL (FILI)BUSTERS: You may think you have heard enough about the filibuster already these -- *checks calendar* -- past three months, but talk of gutting the Senate rules is just the beginning. Midterms are around the corner and Democratic candidates -- including those in three of the most competitive Senate races -- are already campaigning on killing the filibuster, which they blame for holding up an array of legislative priorities. "I would be surprised if there's anyone in any of these [competitive] states... that would support maintaining the filibuster," Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is pursuing his party's nomination for an open Senate seat next year, told my colleagues. "Getting rid of the filibuster is as close to a litmus test for our party as I can describe." If Democrats gain ground during the midterms -- even by two or three seats -- moderate Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) would likely hold less sway over their caucus, which could mean nixing the chamber's supermajority threshold once and for all. More here from Burgess and James Arkin: http://politi.co/2NJkaBn FIRST IN HUDDLE: Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are calling for another hearing with Vanita Gupta, President Joe Biden's nominee to serve as the DOJ's associate attorney general. In a letter to Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), they argue that she provided several "misleading" answers and statements, warranting her immediate return before the panel. "While under oath, Vanita Gupta misled the Committee on at least four issues: (1) Her support for eliminating qualified immunity; (2) her support for decriminalizing all drugs; (3) her support for defunding the police; and (4) her death penalty record," they write. "Unfortunately, in her responses a week later to our written questions, Ms. Gupta was no more forthcoming." Backatcha: They also noted how in Nov. 2017, Gupta advocated for the very thing they are asking Durbin to do, citing an open letter she wrote to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), then Judiciary Committee chairman, asking him to bring back two Trump nominees and citing "credible evidence" that they were not forthcoming with the panel. Context: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), the key Dem swing vote, has signaled he may support Gupta, so her confirmation is not as hobbled as that of Colin Kahl, Biden's nominee to be undersecretary of defense for policy. Read the letter here first: https://politi.co/3cZo4P5 BIDEN CHATS UP SENATE DEMS: Biden spent about 30 minutes speaking to Senate Democrats Monday evening, as part of their virtual retreat. During his remarks, Biden took two questions from swing state senators up for reelection next year: one from Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) on the border and the second from Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) on voting rights, according to multiple Democratic sources. In response to Warnock's question on voting rights , Biden said that Democrats need to pressure Republicans on the issue and recalled his own work on the subject while he was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He added that the White House will continue to push executive orders related to voting rights and briefly mentioned talking filibuster reform. Per WaPo: "Kelly, a border-state freshman who is likely to face a tough reelection challenge in 2022, told Biden he was concerned that the state's resources could become strained under the migration challenges. In response, Biden did not delve into specifics but stressed to the senators that his administration was building additional capacity to care for the migrants, and that the current challenges began under his predecessor." | | | | A message from McDonald's: Protecting our restaurant crew and customers is our number one priority. McDonald's national COVID safety plan is fact-based, data-driven, and informed by epidemiologists and health authorities. As science evolves, we update our plan. We train and retrain to always stay on top of what's happening. That's Safety + Commitment.
Learn more at mcdonalds.com/safety | | | HAPPY TUESDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this March 23, where it is National Puppy Day, which just feels all too fitting with our Pups of Capitol Hill photo competition. NPR digs into clues about your dog's behavior. MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Daily Beast's Op-Ed on how this Voting Rights bill could turn the next election into a clusterf*ck was the big winner. PUPS OF CAPITOL HILL: What better way to ring in the holiday (let's make it a holiday) than to do our final first round of Pup votes. But first, the winners from yesterday include Emmy, the chocolate lab pup, and Grayson, the 140 pound, 1.5-year-old Great Dane. (If you sent in a Pup and did not see them featured, please email me. No pup left behind!) The rounds today: Batch 11 … Batch 12 … Batch 13… THE TORTOISE AND THE HOUSE: You know how those papers just keep piling up on your desk (or for you millennials, those emails in your inbox)? That's what's happening to the Senate as the House laps the pace set by its Capitol Hill counterpart. As Sarah and Marianne report: "The problem starts with schedules: House Democrats have sped more than a dozen major bills over to the Senate during less than three months in session, but the upper chamber is preoccupied with confirming Biden's Cabinet. That's not to mention the operational constraints that mean Senate Democrats likely will need several days this week to approve a routine extension for a bipartisan pandemic aid program, let alone the time required to pass bills like voting rights or policing reform." More here: http://politi.co/3d01FkM Related: Securing a presidential pardon is rare. But SC's Sen. Tim Scott landed one for his cousin, by The Post and Courier's Thomas Novelly: http://bit.ly/3sfCAZx COME TOGETHER, RIGHT NOW, OVER WAGES: Top Senate Dems will meet today to revive discussions about raising the minimum wage. The fresh effort comes after progressives pushed but failed to get a $15 minimum wage hike included in the passage of Biden's Covid relief bill earlier this month, HuffPo's Igor Bobic reports. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) , key committee chairs like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) ― and the seven Senate moderates who voted against Sanders' $15 minimum wage proposal earlier this year are slated to huddle and discuss the path forward. A TRILLI, A TRILLI, A TRILLI: If Republicans didn't like the price tag on Biden's Covid relief bill, just wait until they hear about Biden's economic advisers moving towards a sweeping $3 trillion infrastructure package (if not more) that they hope will boost the economy, fix roads, help the environment, and narrow the economic inequality gap. The White House is preparing to share the spending proposal with Biden and congressional leaders this week, in addition to industry and labor groups, the NYTs' Annie Karni and Jim Tankersley report. His advisers are expected to suggest a piecemeal approach, where they will first propose a massive infrastructure plan that they hope they can get moderate and GOP support (though a lot of that depends on how the admin plans to pay for the big legislation). Efforts would then shift to a second part of the package, which would reportedly include more people-focused measures like free community college, a national paid leave program and universal prekindergarten. More here from the NYT: http://nyti.ms/319eaoA | | | | TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today. | | | | | HART PALPITATIONS: Moderate Democrats are sounding the alarm about an Iowa congressional race being challenged in the House by Democratic candidate Rita Hart, who lost by just six votes last November. A small, but growing, number of frontline Dems -- including Reps. Dean Phillips (Minn.), Susan Wild (Pa.) and Josh Gottheimer (N.J.) -- have started to publicly express reservations that the House might overturn GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks's victory over Hart. They've also voiced their concerns behind the scenes: The topic came up yesterday during a tense call between the House Democrats' campaign arm and the party's most vulnerable members, sources tell my colleagues. And some swing district Dems also plan to conduct an informal whip count this week to gauge how many of their colleagues would oppose unseating a sitting GOP member, though sources believe there wouldn't be enough votes to succeed. Dems emphasize the situation is not unprecedented and is different than what Donald Trump and his allies tried to do in Congress earlier this year. But some of them are still anxious about the potential optics of tossing out a state-certified victory after they just hammered Republicans for challenging President Joe Biden's win. Meanwhile, Marc Elias, a lawyer for Hart, filed responses to questions from House Administration Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), proposing that the committee make a decision about what to do next by July 12. All the latest from Ally Mutnick, Sarah and Mel: http://politi.co/3cdS9LM ANOTHER KEY READ: 'A conversation that needs to happen': Democrats agonize over 'defund the police' fallout, by our Holly Otterbein: http://politi.co/3sfzIfc QUICK CLICKS: Heated DC statehood hearing illuminates its rocky path forward, by Bloomberg Government's Emily Wilkins: http://bit.ly/3rh6evT | DOJ said to be weighing sedition charges against oath keepers, by NYT's Katie Benner: http://nyti.ms/3d2IEhH READ BETWEEN THE RETIREMENT LINES: Democratic Rep. Filemón Vela (D-Texas) announced Monday he will not seek reelection next fall, which comes after he was identified as a potential GOP target in 2022. His announcement makes him the second House Dem to announce their retirement in what could be a difficult cycle for the party looking to hold onto its House majority. More here from Ally: http://politi.co/3vORIPJ ON TAP THIS WEEK: Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) announced Monday he will lead a CODEL this Friday to the Carrizo Springs Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facility for unaccompanied children at the border, where lawmakers will be "providing oversight to ensure the humane treatment and orderly process for kids to be united with families while their asylum cases are adjudicated." Related: Intern pay was supposed to boost diversity in Congress. Most of the money went to white students, by Roll Call's Jim Saksa: http://bit.ly/2QwTpBb | Evanston, Ill., leads the country with first reparations program for Black residents, WaPo's Mark Guarino: http://wapo.st/3d2ZE7c | | | | A message from McDonald's:   | | | CAMPAIGN CENTRAL: -Eric Greitens announces bid for U.S. Senate three years after resigning MO governor's office, by the Kansas City Star: http://bit.ly/3cduCdy -Controversial Reo. Mo Brooks could emerge as favorite in Alabama Senate race despite inflammatory remarks, by CNN's Manu Raju and Alex Rogers: http://cnn.it/2PdH1W1 CABINET CORNER: Today: The Senate is expected to invoke cloture on Shalanda Young's nomination to be deputy director of the OMB and vote on her confirmation today. If confirmed, Young will lead the agency on a temporary basis after Neera Tanden, Biden's initial pick to lead the OMB, asked the White House to withdraw her nomination. Later in the afternoon, the Senate is also set to invoke cloture on the nomination of Vivek Murthy for surgeon general. 10 a.m.: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will have a hybrid hearing on the nomination of Samantha Power to be administrator of the USAID. 5:25 p.m.: Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a ceremonial swearing in for Marty Walsh as Biden's Labor secretary. Withdrawn: White House yanks Interior nominee after Murkowski opposition, by our Ben Lefebvre: http://politi.co/3rguCxM TRANSITIONS Ricky Le is joining the office of Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) as her chief of staff. Le brings with him two decades of political and Capitol Hill experience, including most recently working on emerging technology issues for a California-based software company. He is an Eric Swalwell and Zoe Lofgren alum. Abigail Marone is joining Sen. Josh Hawley's office as his new press secretary after most recently serving on Rep. Matt Rosendale's comms team. She is also a Trump Campaign alum. Adrian Boafo is leaving Leader Steny Hoyer's office after three years to join Oracle as Director of Government Affairs. Boafo most recently served as Hoyer's Campaign Manager. Rricha Mathur deCant is joining Sen. Alex Padilla's (D-Calif.) office as counsel, focusing on immigration and homeland security policy. She previously was legislative counsel to Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.). Rita Siemion is now senior counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee under Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). She previously was director of national security advocacy at Human Rights First. John Lynch is joining Platinum Advisors DC as a senior associate. He previously was senior legislative assistant for Rep. T.J. Cox (D-Calif.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate will convene at 10 a.m. AROUND THE HILL 10 a.m.: The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing to examine steps to reduce gun violence. 11 a.m.: The House Rules Committee holds a virtual hearing on reforming the war powers resolution. 12 p.m.: The House Financial Services Committee will have a virtual hearing on the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve's pandemic response, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell testifying. 3:15 p.m.: Pelosi and Schumer will participate in an online event to mark the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. TRIVIA MONDAY'S WINNER: Bob Bissen was the first person to correctly guess that Chester Arthur is buried at the Albany Rural Cemetery, in Albany, NY. TODAY'S QUESTION: From Bob: It's rare that a state elects both its U.S. Senators in one general election as Georgia did earlier this year, but which state elected two U.S. Senators from one party in the 1978 General Election then two U.S. Senators from another party in the 2018 General Election? (Bonus points for noting that one of those parties changed its name between those two elections.) The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to obeavers@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Olivia on Twitter: @Olivia_Beavers | | | | A message from McDonald's: Safety + Commitment: Protecting our restaurant crew and customers is our number one priority. Over the last year, we have developed a comprehensive, national COVID safety plan to help ensure that McDonald's remains a safe place to eat and to work.
Safety + Science: McDonald's COVID safety plan is fact-based, data-driven, and informed by epidemiologists and health authorities. Every time CDC guidelines are updated, as science evolves, we update our plan.
Safety + Training: Early on, we created a nationally recognized set of COVID safety standards. All 850,000 managers and crew were trained on its effective usage. We train and retrain on safety, to always stay on top of what's happening. And provide the protection that our customers, crew and communities expect from us.
Learn more at mcdonalds.com/safety | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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