| | | | | Good morning. Today is the beginning of the 119th Congress. The House is picking a Speaker, but the Senate already has a new majority leader — and he's shaking up the place. Plus, President-elect Donald Trump doubled down on his support for Elon Musk's H-1B visa position. | Mentioned in this edition: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, John Thune, Mike Johnson, Mike DeWine, JD Vance, Jim Jordan, Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, Brian Schatz, Josh Hawley, Alejandro Mayorkas, Christopher Wray, John Roberts, the New Orleans terror attack, the Speaker battle, and more. | | Have tips? Send them to me at ari@upward.news |
| | |
| | | WHAT WE'RE WATCHING | | 🗺 Trump said, "We need a lot of people coming in." In a New Year's Eve interview, the president-elect argued that America needs "competent people" and high-skilled workers to come in on programs like the H-1B. This followed earlier comments he made saying he "always liked" the visas. Many on the more immigration-skeptical side of the New Right lambasted the program over the past week. | 🗳 The House might pick a speaker today. Today is the first day of the 119th Congress, which means the House will need to pick a new speaker. Incumbent Mike Johnson (R-LA) has almost the entire GOP conference locked up. But with a barely-there majority, a few Republican holdouts, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), could cost him the gavel. No Democrats are expected to vote for him. | 👍 Trump is all-in on Mike Johnson. The president-elect is firmly in Johnson's camp, saying he would make calls to wavering lawmakers on behalf of the embattled speaker. Trump had previously expressed disdain for Johnson's inability to raise the debt ceiling amidst the near-shutdown in mid-December. But recently, he said Johnson is "the one who can win right now." | 💼 Senate Majority Leader Thune is putting senators to work. John Thune (R-SD) — who officially becomes Senate majority leader today — is reinstituting votes on Fridays; previously, senators took off Thursday nights for the weekend. He is also opening the amendment process and sticking with his plan to pass two separate reconciliation bills, with the first on border security coming in Trump's first 100 days. |
| | |
| | | 🦅 THE EXECUTIVE | Trump spent New Year's with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Elon Musk. Chief Justice John Roberts critiqued individuals "across the political spectrum" who have called for ignoring court rulings. Trump announced Justin Caporale as his Executive Producer for Major Events and Public Appearances. Caporale oversaw Trump's McDonald's campaign event and the Madison Square Garden rally. President Biden awarded former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) the Presidential Citizens Medal on Thursday, the nation's second-highest civilian honor.
|
| | |
| | | 🏛️ CONGRESS | 🔒 This section is for members only | Mentioned behind the paywall: Mike DeWine, JD Vance, Jim Jordan, Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, Brian Schatz, Josh Hawley, Alejandro Mayorkas, and Christopher Wray. | |
| | |
| | | 🗓️ WHAT'S AHEAD | 🔒 This section is for members only | Mentioned behind the paywall: President Carter's funeral and the election certification. | |
| | |
| | | The intra-Right's first battle: Mike Johnson's leadership | | Last week, President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) for another term as Speaker. Trump's close confidante Elon Musk followed suit, also endorsing the Louisiana Republican… | 🔒 This article is for members only | |
| | |
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment