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Capital Journal
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Good morning from the WSJ Washington bureau. We produce this newsletter each weekday to deliver exclusive insights and analysis from our reporting team in Washington. Sign up.
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Biden's Day: President Biden will hold a bipartisan meeting on cancer legislation in the Oval Office and will participate in a virtual event with the House Democratic Caucus.
Congress: House Democrats consider legislation that would mark the biggest national expansion of voting access since the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Federal Reserve: The Fed releases its beige book report on U.S. economic conditions at 2 p.m. ET.
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114,857,764 cases world-wide and 2,551,338 deaths.
28,719,860 cases in the U.S. and 516,616 deaths.
Source: Johns Hopkins University, as of 8 a.m. ET.
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Mr. Biden said Tuesday that the U.S. would have enough Covid-19 vaccines for all American adults by the end of May, after regulators authorized the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine and Merck agreed to help produce it, report Sabrina Siddiqui and Tarini Parti.
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In Covid-relief legislation, Senate Democrats are seeking to bridge differences over jobless benefits, aid for state and local governments and $1,400 direct payments, Andrew Duehren and Kristina Peterson report. Mr. Biden urged them to stay united on the legislation.
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The White House is withdrawing Neera Tanden’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget amid opposition from Senate Republicans and a key Democrat in the first failed confirmation push for one of Mr. Biden’s cabinet picks, Andrew Restuccia and Alex Leary report. Ms. Tanden asked that her nomination be withdrawn.
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Lawmakers signaled they plan to support Shalanda Young, nominee for OMB deputy director. Republicans and some Democrats are advocating for Ms. Young to lead the office, reports Andrew Restuccia.
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Mr. Biden’s Labor nominee, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, is facing criticism over his city’s record on awarding contracts to Black- and Latino-owned firms, reports Amara Omeokwe.
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Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo won confirmation for commerce secretary, but faces big challenges ahead in addressing Chinese trade and technology threats, reports John D. McKinnon.
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Both Parties Push for Election Reforms, but With Very Different Goals
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A political battle over voting reform is heating up in Washington and across the country following the changes brought by the pandemic during the 2020 election.
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Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann
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Federal courts are increasingly skeptical of executive orders and agency edicts—a problem for the Biden administration, reports Jacob M. Schlesinger. Conservatives are determined to tap into the skepticism of the courts, which have been stocked by former President Donald Trump and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a new generation of judges adhering to a growing conservative movement dedicated to reining in what some refer to as the administrative state.
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Two minor restrictions on casting ballots in Arizona appeared likely to survive after Supreme Court arguments Tuesday, but justices appeared dissatisfied with the “polar positions” of attorneys representing both political parties alike over ways to identify election regulations that violate the Voting Rights Act, Jess Bravin reports.
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Steve Bannon has asked a judge to dismiss a fraud indictment in New York because he was pardoned, setting up an unusual legal battle with the Manhattan federal prosecutors, Corinne Ramey reports.
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Video: FBI Director Christopher Wray testified Tuesday at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, providing his most robust public remarks since the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
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FBI Director Christopher Wray defended the bureau’s intelligence work ahead of the Jan. 6 riot, saying Tuesday in the Senate that the ideologies motivating a variety of extremists were proving difficult to pinpoint and that domestic terrorism is “metastasizing” with more diffuse motivations, report Aruna Viswanatha and Sadie Gurman. The FBI now has roughly 2,000 open domestic-terrorism investigations, he said.
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Law enforcement agencies are using undercover stings and charges not directly related to terrorism, like gun violations, to arrest suspected domestic extremists, report Dan Frosch and Zusha Elinson. Some critics say the tactics may embolden potential extremists.
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“The information was raw, it was unverified. In a perfect world, we would have taken longer to be able to figure out whether it was reliable.”
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— Christopher Wray, FBI director
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The U.S. joined with the EU on Tuesday in sanctioning Russian officials and entities, accusing the Kremlin of trying to assassinate Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny by poisoning him and then detaining him for political purposes, report Alex Leary and Jessica Donati.
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A senior White House official said the Biden administration’s ongoing review of sanctions programs could take months as key personnel await Senate confirmation, Mengqi Sun reports.
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Vernon Jordan, a civil-rights leader whose pragmatism and charisma gave him access to corporate boardrooms, congressional leaders and the White House, died Monday at 85.
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The American Civil Liberties Union's fundraising and membership surged during the Trump administration, as it focused more firepower on progressive issues. It is stepping up that approach despite criticism from former leaders who say is neglecting its mission to protect rights, reports Laura Kusisto.
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President Biden's cabinet is taking shape at the slowest pace in modern history. (Associated Press)
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Numerous former Donald Trump aides are setting up Trump-allied political groups. (Politico)
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Time may be running short for the Biden administration to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. (American Conservative)
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This newsletter is a production of the WSJ Washington bureau. Our newsletter editors are Kate Milani, Troy McCullough, James Graff, and Toula Vlahou. Send feedback to capitaljournal@wsj.com. You can follow politics coverage on our Politics page and at @wsjpolitics on Twitter.
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