Big changes in Congress

Is this the right time to reduce oversight of our political leaders? Do we really need fewer ethics in the political system? Republican House members think so. The new rules they passed yesterday to govern the chamber over the next two years will substantially weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics. The independent panel was established in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct against members of Congress. Good-government organizations are alarmed. They published a letter on Jan. 4 warning, “The proposed rules package severely curtails the ability of OCE to do the job it exists to do.” The timing is perfect for newly sworn-in Rep. George Santos, however. It was recently revealed that Santos lied about much of his background, is under investigation in multiple countries, and faces at least two OCE complaints related to allegations of sweeping campaign finance violations. Santos’ reaction to the rule change? "I think it's fantastic,” he said. Indeed. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

• Biden Administration prepares more measures to curb border crossings, keep migrants from journeying to the U.S. —CNN

• Pentagon to train Ukrainians on Patriot missile system in Oklahoma —The Washington Post

• Proud Boys trial: Will U.S. win another seditious conspiracy case? —The Washington Post

• Republicans filed record number of anti-voting lawsuits in 2022 —The Guardian

• California storm: Mass evacuations as atmospheric river brings flooding —Axios

New Congress, new priorities 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, fresh off a long, bellicose battle to win the gavel, presided over his first session in the role yesterday. In a 220-213 vote largely along party lines, the House passed the rules under which it will operate for the 118th Congress. Among the changes: Lawmakers no longer have to walk through metal detectors before gaining access to the House floor. And when they vote, they will have to do so in person—no more voting by proxy from home. Interestingly, the new rules also give lawmakers the ability to remove the Speaker from the job through a “motion to vacate”—a majority vote of all House members would be needed for an ouster. Careful, Kevin. —Associated Press

• McCarthy’s concessions. In addition to the numerous other deals McCarthy made with far-right Republicans to secure enough votes to be Speaker, he has also ensured that the extremists will multiply. According to The xxxxxx, “The Congressional Leadership Fund, which calls itself ‘the independent super PAC endorsed by Kevin McCarthy’—that’s lawyer-speak for McCarthy’s super PAC—cut a deal to get right-wing support for his speakership bid. Under the deal, CLF agreed that it will no longer ‘spend in any open-seat primaries in safe Republican districts.’ Nor will it ‘grant resources to other super PACs to do so.’” Oh goody. —The xxxxxx

• Committee on “weaponization.” Also coming to the House, courtesy of the GOP: a subcommittee on the “weaponization” of the federal government, housed under the House Judiciary Committee. The panel would specifically take aim at the Department of Justice and FBI. “The fact that we have members of Congress who are willing to vilify them for political gain is stunning to me,” said Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who argued that Congress already has the oversight powers that the committee is intended to take on. —The Hill

• And it’s all thanks to…Trump? Donald Trump has lost some of his sway with Republicans, but you’d never know it by McCarthy’s expressions of gratitude to the ex-president. "It's actually a pretty disturbing moment to see Kevin McCarthy coming off the two-year commemoration of Jan. 6 standing in the hall saying 'thank you' to Donald Trump for all he's done for the party," said former Rep. David Jolly. "Kind of a disgusting moment right there. And it also shows exactly the kind of person Kevin McCarthy is.” —Newsweek

MORE: Robert Tracinski: Congressional monkeys of the great disappointment —The UnPopulist

Biden’s own classified doc scandal

They aren’t just for Mar-a-Lago anymore. Roughly 10 Obama-era documents marked classified were recently discovered in President Biden's vice-presidential office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington. The material was identified by personal attorneys for Biden on Nov. 2, when they were packing files to vacate the office space. The White House counsel's office notified the National Archives, which took possession of the materials the following morning. Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned U.S. Attorney John Lausch to conduct a preliminary review of how the documents came to be located there. Garland will determine whether further investigation is necessary, including potentially appointing a special counsel. Stay tuned. —CBS News

MORE: Why documents found at Biden's office are different from Trump Mar-a-Lago documents —Insider

Brazil’s own Jan. 6-style insurrection

As America goes, so goes the world. Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro proved that on Sunday by storming Brazil’s capital in a scene eerily reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The country’s far-right elements, which refuse to accept Bolsonaro’s Oct. 30 electoral defeat, have camped outside military barracks to plead for intervention to allow Bolsonaro to remain in power. When no such coup materialized, they took matters into their own hands. Brazilian police have rounded up around 1,500 rioters, some who were caught in the act of trashing Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace. Counter-protesters have taken to the streets to demand punishment for the rioters. —Associated Press

MORE BRAZIL NEWS:

• Brazil leaders condemn ‘terrorist acts,’ vow to defend democracy —Al Jazeera

• Where is Bolsonaro? Brazil's ex-president in Florida hospital after riot —The Washington Post

• Attack on democracy: How does Brazil's political violence compare with the U.S.? —Euronews

• Bannon on Brazil riots: ‘I’m not backing off 1 inch’ —Politico

• 5 elections to watch in 2023—what’s at stake as millions head to the ballot box around the globe —The Conversation

TCO Ed Board: Accountability is key to preventing another Jan. 6

“Failing to hold…people accountable for their behavior threatens to normalize it. If there are no consequences, how can we stop something like Jan. 6 from happening again? ‘Our nation cannot only punish the foot soldiers who stormed our Capitol,’ Rep. Liz Cheney said at one of the Jan. 6 hearings. ‘Those who planned to overturn our election, and brought us to the point of violence, must also be held accountable.’ It’s the people with the most power, the most money, and the most influence who pose the greatest threat to our democracy.” —The Charlotte Observer

MORE: Georgia grand jury probing Trump ends work, unclear if charges coming —Reuters

Shapiro: Gerrymandering isn’t dead

“[T]he majority parties in…40 states continue to approach redistricting as a political opportunity—and in the era of big data, the resources for successful gerrymandering have never been greater. Both parties can access databases with all the information they need to predict voting behavior, including every adult’s age, gender, income, race, education, occupation, party registration, and past voting history, by household. It’s simple to apply that data to geography-based software to draw House districts to one party’s substantial advantage.” —Robert Shapiro in Washington Monthly

Robert Shapiro is a Washington Monthly contributing writer, the chairman of Sonecon, and a senior fellow at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He previously served in the Clinton and Obama administrations.

MORE: 1st Congressional District illegally gerrymandered, judges rule —Charleston City Paper

Ellis: Fixing the broken system

“For more than a decade, we have watched the increasing ineffectiveness of the two-party system play out with the lack of civility, cooperation, and compromise. We see it most prominently in the U.S. Congress. But the same is occurring in many state legislatures where the will of the public on issues—whether about sensible gun control measures, access to health care, immigration reform, increase in the minimum wage, and myriad others—has been derailed by special interests and extreme voices.” —Janice Ellis in Missouri Independent

Janice Ellis is a commentator and author of “From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream” and “Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism Should be Practiced.” She analyzes educational, political, social, and economic issues across race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status.

MORE: Steve Silverman: The fight for American democracy is here —U.S. News & World Report

Poor Kevin. Had he stood by what he had said just after the insurrection, he could have presided over a sizable majority acting in a responsible manner. Instead, by going to Mar-a-Lago and kissing Trump's gluteal region, he has a smaller-than-expected majority and is hostage to the crazies. Shows why you don't deal with gangsters and terrorists. —Ron T.

One can debate the wisdom of permitting thousands of Latin American immigrants and asylum-seekers from being allowed into the United States, but it seems kind of misguided to keep out decent, hard-working people who are fleeing poverty, violence, and oppression while Florida welcomes the former president of Brazil, who is certainly more of a threat to democracy than a Guatamalan who only wishes to take a minimum-wage job that no American wants. —Jim V., New York 

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 Renew America Foundation.