Family reunification is a top priority

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Finally. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has spoken out in defense of Rep. Liz Cheney and called folks like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene a "cancer" on the GOP. Well, welcome aboard, Senator. Always with an eye toward political standing, McConnell has been sparing in his criticism of the far-right authoritarian movement, epitomized by Greene, that has overtaken his party in recent years—to a frustrating degree. He's also more often than not avoided taking substantive action against it when it was within his power to do so. Perhaps that's changing with the stark realization that this approach has not only helped lose his party the House and the presidency and left him in the minority position in the Senate, but also caused a schism within the GOP that threatens its very existence. It's long past time for Republicans to clean up their act. It may even be too late. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

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** 'A moral failure and a national shame'
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President Biden is signing three executive orders today in an attempt to rectify the grave harm caused by his predecessor's "zero tolerance" immigration policy and "modernize" the nation's immigration system. One of the orders will create a family reunification task force focused on identifying all of the minor children separated from their parents or guardians under the former administration's policies. The orders will eventually require all federal agencies to conduct a "top-to-bottom review of recent regulations, policies, and guidance that have set up barriers to our legal immigration system." —The Hill ([link removed])
* — ICE is back on the job. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to resume deportations of asylum-seekers after a Texas judge ruled against a 100-day suspension previously ordered by Biden. The case against the moratorium was brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who played a leading role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election result. Drew Tipton, the federal judge in Texas who blocked the suspension, was appointed by Donald Trump last June. —The Guardian ([link removed])
*
* — Tough road through Congress. One of Biden's first legislative proposals, a wide-ranging bill that would provide pathways to citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants, is facing fierce headwinds in Congress. Democrats acknowledge that a thin majority in the House and the need for GOP support in the Senate is likely to determine what immigration proposals, if any, can pass Congress and make it to Biden's desk. —The Hill ([link removed])
*
* — "We expect that to have separate consideration." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does not plan to include a pathway to citizenship for undocumented essential workers, Dreamers, and Temporary Protected Status recipients in the upcoming coronavirus relief package, despite calls to do so from some Democrats and immigrant advocates. —Politico ([link removed])

MORE: Voters increasingly favor path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants —Morning Consult ([link removed])


** Consequences for MTG?
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House Republicans have so far done little to reprimand freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for recently unearthed racist, violent, and conspiratorial social media posts, so House Democrats are taking steps to remove her from her committee assignments. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is delivering an ultimatum to House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy: strip Greene of her committee assignments within 72 hours, or Democrats will bring the issue to the House floor. Stay tuned. —CNN ([link removed])

MORE: McConnell defends Cheney, rebukes Greene in rare set of statements —The Seattle Times ([link removed])


** Collinson: An early test for Biden in Myanmar
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"President Joe Biden now faces a test of his clout in Asia. He's already threatening sanctions, but strangling the economy amid the pandemic would cause more pain for its people. As the Myanmar military turns off internet and communications networks, closes banks, and sends soldier patrols into city streets, can Biden corral India, Japan, Australia, and the nine other Association of Southeast Asian Nations members to mitigate the severity of the crackdown? Ultimately, the U.S. response will show how far Biden will go in pursuit of his vow to restore global democracy..." —Stephen Collinson on CNN ([link removed])

Stephen Collinson is a CNN political analyst.

MORE: Democracy hero? Military foil? Myanmar's leader ends up as neither —The New York Times ([link removed])


** 'The number one threat'
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That's what Shemia Fagan, Oregon's secretary of state, calls election misinformation. She's not alone. A nationwide survey of more than 3,000 election administrators in all 50 states finds they consider misinformation to be the greatest challenge to future U.S. elections and American democracy. Seventy-six percent of respondents said they had to take steps to counter misinformation or disinformation in their communities in the runup to the 2020 presidential election. "It's going to be a permanent requirement for our elections, sadly," laments Denise Merrill, Connecticut's secretary of state. —NBC News ([link removed])

MORE: How these Detroit women combated mis- and disinformation campaigns in the 2020 election —Model D Media ([link removed])
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** Hudson: A chance to reinvigorate US-Ethiopia relations
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"President Joe Biden's foreign policy team arrived in Washington amid a mounting humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa, as the Ethiopian government continues its months-long military campaign against the northern Tigray region. The crisis is an early test of the Biden Administration's ability to balance its global advocacy for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law against its strategic interests in a vital yet unstable region." —Cameron Hudson in World Politics Review ([link removed])

Cameron Hudson is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Africa Center, and previously served as the director for African affairs at the National Security Council.

MORE: Tigray crisis: 'Genocidal war' waged in Ethiopia region, says ex-leader —Yahoo! News ([link removed])


** Focus on the insurrection
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In a pre-trial legal brief filed today, the House impeachment managers laid out their case against Donald Trump for inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. They accuse Trump of aiming a "loaded cannon" at the Capitol by stirring up violence against Congress in an attempt to upend the peaceful transfer of power. They also provide a constitutional defense for holding an impeachment trial of a former president. Trump "threatened the constitutional system that protects the fundamental freedoms we cherish," they conclude. —CNN ([link removed])
* — "They will do it again." Last night on Instagram Live, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez detailed her traumatic experience evacuating from her office during the Capitol attack, saying that in order to heal, the nation needs those who played a role in inciting the violence to be held accountable. "They're trying to tell us that it wasn't a big deal. They're trying to tell us to move on without any accountability, without any truth telling," she said. —BuzzFeed News ([link removed])
*
* — Don't let the lighthearted-sounding name or Hawaiian shirts fool you. There's nothing fun-loving about the Boogaloo Bois, another faction that showed up in force at the insurrection. The decentralized, online successor to the militia movement of the '80s and '90s, the group is notable for its commitment to the violent overthrow of the U.S. government and fixation on attacking law enforcement. It's also been a magnet for current and former military members. —ProPublica ([link removed])
*
* — Inciter-in-chief. Trump's new legal team is expected to argue that his second impeachment trial is unconstitutional because he is no longer president. Trump's entire previous legal team left the defense after a rift with the ex-president over trial strategy. Trump wanted to emphasize "voter fraud" issues during the trial. —USA Today ([link removed])

MORE: Inside the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency —Axios ([link removed])


** Gerson: The battle against American fascism
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"Much about the United States' political future will depend on shaping a compelling, responsible American conservatism as an alternative to the Trump temptation. This may or may not happen within the GOP. But for American democracy to fully function, civic republicanism will eventually need a home on the political right." —Michael Gerson in The Washington Post ([link removed])

Michael Gerson is a columnist at The Washington Post who formerly served as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the chief speechwriter for former President George W. Bush.

MORE: Martin Puchner: How subtle changes in language helped erode U.S. democracy—and mirrored the Nazi era —Milford Daily News ([link removed])


** Shots on wheels
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At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eileen Costello, the chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, had been forced to reduce patient visits by 90%. Even so, she tried to keep all appointments with kids to get their routine vaccinations for diseases such as measles, mumps, and whooping cough. ([link removed])
* — "We moved heaven and earth to book the kids in person who were due for a vaccine," said Costello, who is also a clinical professor at Boston University School of Medicine. "But it became evident that parents weren't going to come. They were too afraid." ([link removed])
*
* — So Costello got creative: With a van donated by a local ambulance company, she and her colleagues put together a mobile vaccination vehicle. All week, it brings pediatricians to patient neighborhoods, including underserved areas in and around Boston. ([link removed])
*
* — "I really hope that we continue to see, not just here at Lake Country but across the country, an investment in innovation," says Wisconsin pediatrician Nathan Fleming, whose practice is also offering mobile vaccinations. "We're making it easier for families to be healthy." —STAT ([link removed])
Story submitted by Jim V., New York.

I love your focus on election reform like what Alaska recently passed. What can be done to help Republicans in the U.S. Senate become aware that passing laws like this federally (The Fair Representation Act, The Ranked Choice Voting Act) would be strongly in their interests, freeing them to "do the right thing" in the impeachment trial without fear of being "primaried"? —Wes R., Washington
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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Got feedback about THE TOPLINE? Send it to Melissa Amour, Managing Editor, at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

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