The next front in the voting wars

View in browser   January 3, 2022 Good afternoon and happy 2022! With a new year comes a new Democratic agenda. Next up: filibuster reform. In a letter released today, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that Democrats would hold a vote to change the filibuster by January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is virtually the only way Democrats will be able to pass crucial voting rights legislation at a time when Republican state legislatures have used Donald Trump's election lies as an excuse to enact an anti-democracy program founded on voter suppression, gerrymandering, and the takeover of election boards.  It's unclear how exactly Democrats intend to modify the filibuster. Possible changes include reestablishing the "talking filibuster," which requires a filibustering minority to hold the floor as long as a filibuster is in effect, or a temporary carve-out for voting rights legislation. But to do any of this, Democrats will have to bring on board—you guessed it—Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.  Sinema already seems like a hard no. In mid-December, she publicly stated that she opposes filibuster reform to protect the right to vote. Manchin, who co-wrote the Freedom to Vote Act, has made it clear that he won't consider abolishing the filibuster under any circumstances, but he's dropped some enigmatic hints that he might support less aggressive changes to the rules. Democrats will most likely need both of them on board for any rules change, or one of them and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the only Republican to vote for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. What we'll likely see over the next few days is Democrats attempting to use the first anniversary of the January 6 Capitol riot to pressure Manchin and Sinema to support their agenda. But it's unclear how effective such a lobbying campaign will be. Fierce criticism from Manchin's own party failed to persuade him to support Biden's Build Back Better bill, and it's unlikely that voting rights will be any different. Simply put, the odds aren't high. —Noah Y. Kim Advertisement   New York Subpoenas Trump Kids in Probe of Family Business. They Say They Won’t Comply. Ivanka and Don Jr. have been asked to hand over documents BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG   A key reason January 6 rioters aren't facing sedition charges: They're white BY ANTHONY CONWRIGHT Chuck Schumer just announced a major potential vote on the future of the filibuster BY NOAH Y. KIM 56 counties, cities, and states just raised their minimum wage BY HANNAH LEVINTOVA Farewell to Marjorie Taylor Greene's toxic Twitter feed full of Covid lies BY HANNAH LEVINTOVA Advertisement   Desperate Patients Are Shelling Out Thousands for a Long Covid Cure. Is It for Real? Two doctors, their unusual treatment program, and the "wild bisons" who swear by it. BY KIERA BUTLER   Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. Donate Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by forwarding it to a friend or sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. Donate Subscribe This message was sent to franchmaverickk.secretwords123@blogger.com. To change the messages you receive from us, you can edit your email preferences or unsubscribe from all mailings. For advertising opportunities see our online media kit. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today. www.MotherJones.com PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755