Sinema’s Senate shakeup

The release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian penal colony yesterday—in a detainee swap that freed notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout—had its share of controversy. First, the deal itself. Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” had been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the U.S. in 2012 on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, as one of the world’s most prolific suppliers of arms to terrorist groups. The release of such a character is admittedly awfully tough to stomach. Second, the one left behind. Paul Whelan, an ex-U.S. Marine who has been detained in Russia for four years, was not part of the deal, leaving him and others to speculate when his chance will come. Whelan, unfortunately, faces a tougher road: his espionage charges make his release more tricky than Griner’s trumped-up drug trafficking charge. Third, the dangerous precedent. Critics say the move puts Americans in danger, making them highly prized pawns in potential negotiations for U.S.-held foreign prisoners. These are all valid concerns. But often lost in yesterday’s breathless discourse was this: an American held prisoner under deplorable conditions by a foreign enemy is back on U.S. soil today. That’s something every American can be grateful for and celebrate. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

• House passes bill protecting same-sex marriage, sending it to Biden’s desk —The Wall Street Journal

• U.S. House overwhelmingly approves bill backing record military spending —Reuters

• Bipartisan senators advance measure to support Iranian protesters —The Hill

• Biden administration to appeal ruling striking Title 42, pledges new regulation from CDC —The Hill

• Judge declines DOJ request to hold Trump team in contempt over classified documents —ABC News

Walking away

For the first time in a decade, a senator is making a party affiliation switch—but this time, it’s from one party to no party. Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced today that she is changing her party affiliation to independent, shaking up the Democrats’ oh-so-narrow Senate majority. The first-term senator said she will not caucus with Republicans, with whom she has worked closely during her tenure. Sinema also said she intends to vote the same way she has for the past four years. “Nothing will change about my values or my behavior,” she said.

• Democrats still have the edge. Provided that Sinema sticks to her vow of neutrality, Democrats will have a workable Senate majority in the next Congress, though it won’t be the 51 seats they assumed. They’re also expected to have the votes to control Senate committees. Sinema said she’s not concerned about how any changes in Senate control will affect her work.

• “Partisan control is a question for the partisans, and not really one for me.” Sinema said her closely held decision to leave the Democratic Party reflects that she’s “never really fit into a box of any political party”—a description she said also applies to her fiercely independent state and millions of unaffiliated voters across the country.

• Other considerations? Sinema would not address whether she will run for re-election in 2024. But even before her party switch, she faced rumblings of a primary challenge from Rep. Ruben Gallego. Becoming an independent will avoid a head-to-head primary against Gallego or another Democrat, should she seek another term. —Politico

MORE: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona: Why I’m registering as an independent —The Arizona Republic

NYT Ed Board: This case has no business being in the Supreme Court 

“There’s an old saying that only close cases make it to the Supreme Court. If they weren’t close, they would have been resolved in the lower courts. But Moore v. Harper isn’t a remotely close case. A ruling for the North Carolina lawmakers would flood the federal courts with election litigation that normally plays out in the states, upending the balance of federalism that defines American government. That’s not a conservative result; it’s a dangerously radical one.” —The New York Times

MORE: Arizona GOP legislator: Danger to democracy in Supreme Court case isn’t theoretical —Politico

Focus on global democracy

An attempted coup was thwarted yesterday in Germany, where 23 people of interest have been held for questioning. Authorities are investigating a far-right group that prosecutors say wanted to overthrow the state and install a former member of a German royal family as national leader. Investigators have said the group, many of whom were members of the movement Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich), planned to install aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss as leader of a new state and found evidence that some members planned to storm the German parliament and seize lawmakers. —Reuters

• Peru. Dina Boluarte became Peru’s first female president on Wednesday, after her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was arrested for rebellion and impeached by lawmakers. The tumultuous day began when then-President Castillo announced plans to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government, which Peru’s Ombudsman described as an “attempted coup d’état.” Castillo also called for parliamentary elections to work on a new constitution. A majority of 101 members in the 130-person legislative body voted to impeach Castillo, after which Boluarte, the former vice president, was sworn in. —CNN

• Sudan. The Sudanese military and the country's coalition of civilian parties signed a political agreement this week that could be a first step toward the exit of the military from the political system and the establishment of a full-fledged civilian government. But there’s a lot of skepticism about whether it will truly lead to a transition to democracy, and details still must be worked out. Namely, the deal doesn't yet have the support of the major ex-rebels. These groups, which supported the 2021 coup in the country and are seen as allies to the military, are warning that the deal will backfire. All sides are now continuing to negotiate a final deal. —Axios

• Iran. The Iranian government has executed the first protester in connection with the demonstrations sparked by the September death of a woman while in the custody of the country's “morality police.” Authorities hung Mohsen Shekari after a Revolutionary Court found him guilty of "enmity against God" for blocking a main road in Tehran during a protest and injuring a member of the paramilitary. Amnesty International criticized Shekari's execution, calling his trial and failed appeal shams. The human rights organization expects other executions to follow. —United Press International

MORE: Iranian forces shooting at faces and genitals of female protesters, medics say —The Guardian

Social media: Good or bad for democracy?

Turns out, it depends on where you live. Social media has become the modern public square for discussing—and often arguing bitterly—about political and social issues. And in the minds of many analysts, it’s one of the major reasons for the declining health of democracy in nations around the world. However, as a new Pew Research Center survey of 19 advanced economies shows, most ordinary citizens believe it has had a positive impact overall on democracy. Across the countries polled, a median of 57% say social media has been more of a good thing for their democracy, with 35% saying it is has been a bad thing. But the U.S. is a clear outlier: Just 34% of U.S. adults think social media has been good for democracy, while 64% say it has had a bad impact, with larger shares of Americans seeing social media as divisive. —Pew Research Center

MORE: DOJ undermines Google in Supreme Court case over social media content —CNBC

DeWitt: We can’t ignore the power of Gen Z

“We must invest in the youth vote, and we have to start today. We should put their issues front and center: fight against voter suppression and for pro-voter policies, and fund year-round voter registration, education, and mobilization efforts. Every day, roughly 11,000 young people in the U.S. turn 18 and become eligible to vote. Between today and the 2024 presidential election, approximately 8 million more young people will be able to vote. Any party, campaign, donor, or organization failing to organize young people is already behind.” —Carolyn DeWitt in The Hill

Carolyn DeWitt is president and executive director of Rock the Vote.

MORE: Gen Z's voting habits are all the proof companies need to act on societal issues —Fortune

Taylor: Farewell to a maverick 

“If Ronald Reagan believed freedom was always ‘one generation away from extinction,’ [former U.S. Rep.] Jim Kolbe believed courage was the deciding factor. So he spent time at the wooden ‘page’ desk on the House floor, mentoring the next generation. Gunmen stormed the chamber in 1954, he told them, and pages bravely hauled wounded members to safety amidst the gunfire. He was fixated on the metaphor—America being saved by the next generation—when he retired in 2007. … Jim Kolbe left behind a challenge. The standoff image from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack poses the question: If violent rioters return to democracy’s gates, will the next generation push back?” —Miles Taylor in The Arizona Republic

Miles Taylor is former chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security, co-founder of The Forward Party, and the author of "A Warning." 

MORE: Longtime Arizona GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe dies at 80 —Politico

The incoming Republican majority in the House, led by Kevin McCarthy, seems to be focused on investigations of sideshows, including the salacious Hunter Biden laptop, the Jan. 6 committee, Democrats, and Republicans who haven’t toed the Trump line. They don’t seem to be capable of dealing with actual legislation to address the economy, threats from the war in Ukraine, tension in the South China Sea, or any other topics that are beyond the intellectual limitations of Jim Jordan and MTG. At a time when the world needs American unity and leadership, it will be left having to watch Republican self-gratification, and the hollow results that follow. —Jim S., Texas

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