Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court, which means the Senate just got one step closer to confirming Gorsuch and one step closer to blowing up their own rules. Every democrat on the committee voted against Gorsuch because of his record as an extreme conservative and because no president should be allowed to make a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court while under FBI investigation.
The final Senate vote to confirm Gorsuch will be as soon as Thursday. Forty one Senate Democrats have promised to enforce the historical norm requiring 60-votes to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is prepared to choose the nuclear option, which would mean making a Supreme Court confirmation possible with a simple majority or, as Sen. Cornyn put it, “the end of the Senate as we know it.” Congress is supposed to serve as a check on the president’s power, but Senate majority leaders are proving ready to throw out that responsibility for Donald Trump.
ACTION OF THE DAY
#ResistGorsuch. The senate will vote on Gorsuch as soon as this Thursday and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is considering blowing up Senate rules to push his nomination through. That means your senator needs to hear from you TODAY. Call your Senator now at 1-855-713-0060 and tell them to resist Gorsuch. Then go to our toolkit at ResistGrosuch.com to find a complete list of actions you can take to contact the senators who need to hear from you most.
WHAT’S TRENDING
Russia. It’s been in the news a lot recently. The latest? Earlier today, a bomb ripped through the St. Petersburg metro, killing at least 10 and wounding scores more. The story is still developing and it remains unclear who is responsible for the attack.
Disclosure. As in, ethics disclosures. Over the weekend, news broke that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have kept a stake in their business. Despite, both Trumps’ efforts to divest neither has adequately unraveled themselves from their sprawling business dealings. And unlike Trump, both Ivanka and Jared are subject to federal laws barring conflicts of interest. The high-powered couple are also officially apart of the richest White House in history.
Bipartisanship. After suffering a pretty dramatic defeat with Trumpcare, Trump has promised/threatened to leave the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus behind and make a deal with democrats for “a bipartisan form of healthcare.” A deal that would lower premiums and expand coverage is possible, CAP’s Topher Spiro and Emily Gee explain here.
Denial. A few weeks ago, Trump’s EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt reiterated his climate denial saying carbon emissions are not “a primary contributor” to global warming. That comment has been so thoroughly rebuked that even Fox News called Pruitt out for it this weekend.
UNDER THE RADAR
Conflicts. So much for divestment. New reports show that under broad language Trump used to set up his not-blind, blind trust, the president can pull money from his businesses whenever without disclosing it. Specifically, the 400 or so businesses Trump benefits from “shall distribute net income or principal to Donald J. Trump at his request” or whenever his son and longtime attorney “deem appropriate.”
GOOD NEWS
Opening Day. Get ready sports fans, baseball is back. Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball. Usually, the president gets in on the fun and throws an opening pitch. However, President Trump broke tradition and refused the Nationals invitation, citing scheduling conflicts.