Ted Cruz, speaking now about his Cancún trip, says he began to have regrets right as he got on the plane.
He says he understands why people are upset with him.
Ted Cruz says there needs to be “a serious inquiry” into why the electrical grid in Texas was unable to meet the state’s needs.
Cruz says his thinking in going to Cancun was: “I was taking care of my family the way Texans all across the state were.”
He adds: “It was obviously a mistake and in hindsight I shouldn’t have done it. I was trying to be a dad.”
Ted Cruz says his daughters were cold and wanted to leave town: “When you’ve got two girls who’ve been cold for two days and they haven’t had heat or power and they’re saying ‘Hey look, we don’t have school, why don’t we go — let’s get out of here.’”
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So the $15 wage is in Biden’s Covid relief bill headed to the House floor next week. But he’s predicting it won’t survive. Why? He says it’ll likely get stripped out in the Senate under the “Byrd rule” that limits reconciliation to budget changes, i.e. spending and taxes.
Bernie Sanders, the Budget Committee chairman, and Chuck Schumer disagree. They’re crafting a case to the parliamentarian that it should be allowed. But there’s a decent chance she disagrees. nbcnews.com/politics/congr…
NEW: Democrats introduce a sweeping bill to remake the US immigration system, backed by Joe Biden. It includes a path to citizenship for "Dreamers" and others here illegally, eliminates hurdles for legal immigration and replaces "alien" with "noncitizen."
On immigration, Speaker Pelosi says Democrats have discussed a piecemeal approach as well as potentially using reconciliation to bypass a Senate filibuster.
"How it happens through the legislative process remains to be seen. But it is a priority."
This is significant. The House is on track to pass a $15 wage in the Covid bill. If it survives the Byrd rule then a federal minimum wage hike becomes likely. Senate Democrats aren’t all on board with $15/hour but they unanimously want to raise the current floor of $7.25/hour.
And in that case, which Democrat is going to want to stand up and wage a fight against $15, which according to polls has 2-to-1 public support and 80-85% support w/Dem voters?
For those citing Manchin and Sinema—this is where the process matters. If the parliamentarian rules a minimum wage is noncompliant, it’s probably over. Those two credibly say they won’t overrule her. But if it complies, their only leverage is to shoot down the entire Covid bill.
NEW: The Republican civil war ended today. Donald Trump won.
The party’s decision to acquit him on charges of inciting the 1/6 siege on the Capitol frees him to run for president again and cements his status as kingmaker for years to come.
The vote by 43 of 50 Republicans to acquit Trump shows the deep and enduring hesitation in the party to disown Trumpism, however they justify it. Senators know their voters care about how they vote, not the caveats they later add in a speech or statement.
The Senate is voting now on "whether or not it shall be in order to consider and debate under the impeachment rules any motion to subpoena witnesses and or documents."
Republicans voting YES on calling witnesses in this Trump trial: Collins, Murkowski, Romney, Sasse.
(Vote not final yet.)
! Lindsey Graham just changed his vote to YES on calling witnesses in the Trump trial.