👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Happy Black History Month. Today is Day 2 of a partial government shutdown that began on Saturday at midnight after the continuing resolution Congress passed last November to end the…

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👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Breaking: Senate Democrats and the White House finalized an agreement this afternoon to strip the Homeland Security funding bill out of a broader spending package and replace it with a two-week DHS continuing resolution, a move designed to keep pressure on talks over ICE and Border Patrol reforms after the killing of Alex Pretti.

Senate Republican leadership is currently circulating the arrangement to see if anyone objects before it’s formally announced or voted on. I’m told none of this is final as of publication, but optimism is high that the deal will close.

Without an agreement in hand, the entire Senate Democratic Caucus this morning blocked a procedural vote to advance the minibus to the floor—an outcome Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said hours after the Pretti shooting would occur if DHS funding was not split off and immigration enforcement reforms were not addressed. Eight Republicans also voted against proceeding to debate, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) so he could bring it back up. The final vote was 45–55.

Even if the Senate clears the agreement tonight, a brief partial government shutdown is expected this weekend because the House is out until Monday, setting up a funding lapse—the second since last October—before any floor action next week.

“This was important to show that there was unanimity in the Democratic Caucus, that we’re not going to proceed with further funding for DHS at this moment, and that we can pass the other five bills, I mean, literally today, if they’ll break them out,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said after the failed test vote.

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👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) emerged from Senate Democrats’ weekly lunch this afternoon with an outline of the caucus’s three proposals to rein in the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier this month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol agents.

The proposed reforms include ending roving patrols and tightening rules governing the use of warrants, enforcing accountability through a uniform code of conduct and requiring federal agents to wear body cameras and carry proper identification.

“These are common-sense reforms, ones that Americans know and expect from law enforcement,” Schumer told reporters after the lunch. “If Republicans refuse to support them, they are choosing chaos over order, plain and simple.”

Schumer suggested the proposals were a starting point for compromise, not a red line: “What we want to do is negotiate with the Republicans, come up with a proposal that, again, reins in ICE, ends the violence.”

He also reiterated that Democrats would support the House-passed minibus, which includes labor, healthcare, education, military, transportation, and housing priorities they helped craft, if the Homeland Security funding bill were separated out and updated to reflect their demands.

Some Senate Republicans have publicly backed stripping the DHS funding bill from the minibus, passing the five non-DHS bills and a continuing resolution to maintain current appropriations for the agency, while the two sides negotiate a path forward on ICE.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) didn’t foreclose the possibility, but said he wanted to keep all options available until Democrats publicized their demands and emphasized his preference is to enact the minibus without alterations.

“There are potentially, obviously, lots of different things that could happen,” he said. “But the best thing to happen is the thing that we should do right now and that is pick up the six-bill package passed by the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority and send it to the president for his signature.”

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👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Moments after President Donald Trump told reporters on the South Lawn that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would not be removed and praised her work securing the southern border, House Democratic leadership threatened to impeach her if she isn’t fired.

The statement by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (Calif.) comes amid broader Democratic efforts to withhold funding for DHS and intensifying calls from—including moderate Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.)—for Noem’s impeachment or resignation over handling of the Renee Good and Alex Pretti shootings and characterization of the victims, as outrage and protests spread nationally.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” the leaders said.

Trump struck a different tune, though.

“I think she’s done a good job. I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure. You forget we had a border that I inherited, where millions of people were coming through. Now we have a border where no one is coming through. They come into our country legally,” he said before traveling to Iowa to give a speech on the economy. “So you have to remember those things. You know, people forget. As soon as you accomplish something, it goes into history and nobody ever wants to talk about it.”

Trump declined to say if Pretti’s death was justified but said his administration was conducting an investigation.

“I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it,” he said. “I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.”

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👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is already playing the shutdown blame game days before government funding is set to expire for a chunk of federal departments and agencies.

Schumer said this afternoon that Senate Republicans would be responsible for a funding lapse on Friday if Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) refused Democrats’ call for him to split the DHS funding bill from a package of measures filled with labor, healthcare, education, military, transportation and housing priorities they helped negotiate.

“If Leader Thune puts those five bills on the floor this week, we can pass them right away,” Schumer said. “If not, Republicans will again be responsible for another government shutdown.”

A spokesperson for Thune confirmed this afternoon that the Senate will begin the procedural steps today to move ahead as planned on the House-passed six-bill minibus, with the chamber back in session tomorrow.

Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee Chair Katie Britt (R-Ala.) called the death of Alex Pretti—the 37-year-old ICU nurse who was shot moments after the stood between an agent and a woman whom an agent pushed to the ground—tragic but leaned hard on supporting law enforcement and DHS’s broader mission. She also pushed back on rhetoric from the left that she characterized as endangering officers and communities. Britt urged the Senate to fund DHS and other agencies to avoid a shutdown, but also backed a fair investigation.

New Hampshire Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan became the sixth and seventh of eight Senate Democrats who voted in November to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history and oppose the DHS funding bill.

Shaheen said that DHS needs major reform after the shooting of Alex Pretti and said she would vote against the DHS bill until reforms and an independent probe with Minnesota law enforcement are in place. She also pressed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to bring the House back to act if the Senate splits the five non-DHS bills, an unlikely outcome.

Hassan echoed Shaheen’s calls for reforms, including concrete ICE guardrails—including body cameras, judicial arrest warrants and due process—while calling on the Trump administration to refocus immigration enforcement on truly violent offenders.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), the eight Democratic yes vote in November, said in a statement that the Minneapolis immigration operation should immediately end and argued Renee Good and Pretti should still be alive while criticizing ICE’s tactics and backing deportation of criminal migrants along with a path to citizenship. He opposes defunding or abolishing ICE and says he won’t vote for a shutdown, noting DHS already has major funding and calling instead to strip DHS from the minibus and force a broader debate on immigration reform.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) formally summoned ICE, USCIS and CBP leaders to testify by early February, citing DHS’s “extraordinary” funding levels and Congress’s duty to oversee immigration enforcement. House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) sent similar letters to agency leadership on Saturday, signaling that GOP oversight pressure is ramping up even as DHS funding hangs in the balance.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3.

Correction: The Sunday edition of Congress Nerd identified Pretti as an “ICE” nurse instead of “ICU.” The web version has been updated. I regret the error.

CN Trivia question: What makes the Minneapolis VA Medical Center—where Alex Pretti worked as an ICU nurse—one of just five sites nationwide when it comes to caring for severely injured veterans?

(The answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.)

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The House achieved a meaningful feat this afternoon, albeit nearly four months late: It passed the final four of the 12 bills to fully fund the government through the end of September.

The bills cleared the chamber with relatively little drama from Democrats, who emerged from the appropriations process largely unscathed after negotiators successfully peeled off the controversial Department of Homeland Security bill to allow a more palatable minibus funding Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development to receive consideration on its own.

This significant Republican concession gave Democratic leaders room to vote against DHS as a signal of opposition to ICE—without formally whipping the bill and risking an egg-on-face moment from the seven members who backed it anyway. It also spared progressives and anti-ICE Democrats from having to choose between supporting major domestic investments and swallowing a Homeland Security package they argue lacked basic guardrails to rein in ICE as the Trump administration ramps up mass deportations and anti-immigration rhetoric.

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) suggested the DHS decoupling was the price Republicans had to pay for the votes on the other bill to avoid another government shutdown or a continuing resolution that would have kept the current funding levels in place.

“They needed us, I guess, which is why they separated them,” she said. “And I think it was a good decision.”

Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) agreed that House GOP leadership’s decision came down to the math.

“Everybody’s got to count the votes,” she said. “And I believe if we have power and leverage to hold ICE accountable, we’ve got to use all of it.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) told me he thinks all appropriations bills should be voted on separately because combining them often compromises members who may disagree with one but support another.

“But on top of that, we see ICE terrorizing our communities,” he said. “And it is important for Democrats to take a stand and say, ‘We’re not going to vote to fund an organization that’s being used to terrorize our people.”

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House Democrats walked into their weekly closed-door caucus meeting on Wednesday morning with few illusions about where the vote on the fiscal year 2026 Department of Homeland Security funding bill was headed. By the time they walked out, several members said they were even more firmly opposed.

The session—centered on presentations from Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Appropriations DHS Ranking Member Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who outlined what they described as Republican concessions in the bill—quickly became less about persuasion than confirmation. Most members had already made up their minds, and leadership wasn’t trying to change them.

Cuellar told members the bill includes a series of Democratic guardrails aimed at increasing oversight of DHS, including additional resources for the department’s inspector general to monitor detention beds and enforcement activity. He also emphasized that, for the first time, Democrats inserted oversight language tied to the massive DHS funding boost approved through reconciliation—along with funding to preserve the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Office—arguing that the inspector general would now have a role scrutinizing both regular appropriations and the reconciliation funds.

“ICE don’t give a fuck. They’ll put people on the floor if they have to—including American citizens,” a member, who like many in this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, told me. “I don’t want to give DHS another penny until they’ve regained the American people’s trust that those resources won’t be used to terrorize people and communities. It’s that simple.”

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Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) was stopped by a flight attendant this weekend on her way home from Minnesota, who told her that a white friend walking home at night had been shoved into a snowbank by ICE agents and ordered to show his ID—despite being an American citizen and, if true, an encounter that would raise serious Fourth Amendment questions.

It was one of several accounts the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration heard while she and more than two dozen House Democrats were in the Land of 10,000 Lakes last Friday for a shadow hearing examining the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign and the conduct of federal immigration agents on the ground.

“It’s hard to pick one thing because it was such a panoply of horrors, story after story after story,” Jayapal told me this evening. “But really the overwhelming feeling that I got from everyone is that Minnesota is under occupation by these ICE and CBP agents. And they are making it less safe and they are trying very hard to push people to violent action because the president wants to bring in the Insurrection Act.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who helped Jayapal coordinate the hearing, told me the stories her colleagues and she heard should mortify every American.

“No American should be picked up by ICE,” the four-term Minneapolis congresswoman added. “And so what we are seeing is really a reshaping of who we are as Americans.”

Jayapal returned to Washington with the impression that Minnesota wouldn’t be the last American city subjected to the Trump administration’s sweeping deportation efforts.

“Listen, this was happening in Illinois as well. It’s happened in other places across the country. So this isn’t just a one-off,” she told me. “I just think it’s because of the murder of Renee Good, it’s just much more clear because everyone saw the video and then saw the lies, kind of trying to assassinate her character, refusing to investigate the officer—just the complete impunity that these people are being allowed to operate under.”

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Programming note: Congress Nerd Sunday will not publish this weekend in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The edition will instead land Monday evening and the regular weekday schedule will resume Tuesday evening.

Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) this afternoon presented a simple theory of the case at the first-ever Congressional College Athletics Summit: For Congress to succeed in enacting rules of the road that allow college athletes to be paid for endorsements and other commercial uses of their personal brand, it can’t just treat name, image and likeness (NIL) as a standalone problem.

The former Division I volleyball player and member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee convened athletes, league executives, labor advocates, Title IX lawyers, and academics in the same room to publicly grapple with what comes after the collapse of the NCAA’s old model.

Against the backdrop of the dark wood paneling, classical detailing, and old-world gravitas of the Jefferson Building’s Members Room at the Library of Congress, the stakeholders stress-tested ideas for roughly three hours on federal guardrails, revenue sharing, the implications for women’s and Olympics sports and the limits of market solutions—before lawmakers commit to a path that could reshape college sports for decades.

“I truly believe that the system of college sports is better today than it was a decade ago,” Trahan said in her welcoming remarks. “Unfortunately, much of the conversation about the future of sports over the past year has taken a very different tone. Too often it’s been focused on restricting athletes’ rights, silencing their voices and attempting to return to a system that overwhelmingly benefitted a small group of traditional power brokers.”

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House Republicans this morning rejected a series of Democratic amendments to include the executive and judicial branches in a GOP-backed proposal that would ban members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing publicly traded stocks.

The bill, entitled the Stop Insider Trading Act, would also require advance public notice before any stock sales and is pitched by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wisc.) as a tougher follow-up to the STOCK Act aimed at curbing conflicts of interest and restoring public trust in Congress.

But the measure, which advanced out of committee during a markup this morning, reflects an abrupt halt to the rare bipartisan moment members demonstrated last year toward banning congressional stock trading, as frustration with the limits of the STOCK Act appeared to have reached a critical mass. (78 members signed a discharge petition sponsored by Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) to force a vote on a ban.)

“I think they were getting too much traction on doing an outright ban,” House Administration Committee Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) told me ahead of a panel meeting to mark up the legislation. “And so this is a way to take pressure off the many Republicans who had signed the discharge petition.”

Morelle said he would oppose any ban that excluded the president, vice president, and members of the Supreme Court because restrictions limited to the legislative branch would fall short of fully restoring public confidence that federal officials are fighting on their behalf rather than for their stock portfolios.

He also argued the Republican bill failed to live up to its name, warning that it does not actually stop lawmakers from trading stocks. He said members could still sell their holdings, reinvest dividend income to grow existing positions and even expand their exposure through commodities and futures trading, while new loopholes would allow assets to be held through spouses, dependent children, or aging parents—arrangements he suggested could easily cycle wealth back to a lawmaker through inheritance.

“There’s too many ways to get around this,” Morelle said. “It essentially says, ‘If you have great wealth, and you come to Congress, you can continue to have great wealth.’ And that’s not what we want.”

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The Senate on Tuesday cleared by unanimous consent the DEFIANCE Act, a bill lawmakers in both parties say would help confront the spread of nonconsensual, sexually explicit AI-generated deepfakes.

The legislation now goes to the House, where Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will harness her influence to shepherd it to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

“I am deeply encouraged that we’ve been able to build bipartisan consensus around trying to protect all sorts of people, especially children and victims of sexual assault,” Ocasio-Cortez told me this afternoon. “This is a very important step, I think, from a bipartisan perspective.”

The Bronx-area Democrat said her next step is to speak with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) about the path forward.

Specifically, the bill—led in the Senate by Dick Durbin of Illinois, the number-two Democrat and highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)—gives victims the right to bring civil lawsuits against people who knowingly create, distribute, or traffic in explicit digital forgeries made without consent.

In floor remarks this morning, Durbin justified the measure as a response to the rapid growth of deepfake technology and the real-world harm it has caused, including reputational damage, extortion, and severe emotional distress.

His office cited research findings that the number of nonconsensual pornographic deepfake videos available online has increased ninefold since 2019 and has been viewed almost four billion times. Monthly traffic to the top 20 deepfake sites increased by 285 percent from July 2020 to July 2023. And search engines directed 25.2 million visits to the top five most popular deepfake sites in July 2023 alone.

“The consequences can be profound. Victims may endure threats to their employment, education, or reputation, or suffer additional criminal activity such as extortion and stalking,” Durbin said. “Many experience depression, anxiety, and fear being in public. And in the worst cases, victims have been driven to suicide.”

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Much of the Democratic Party’s success in last November’s off-year elections and its ability to rally a House vote last week to extend the expired ACA premium subsidies stemmed from unusually disciplined messaging on health care and affordability.

But the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis—and the subsequent national backlash against Immigration and Customs Enforcement—has thrown the caucus’s position on immigration enforcement into turmoil.

Some Democrats are warning the party risks ceding the narrative to Republicans and reliving the kind of messaging backlash it endured over policing reform language earlier in the decade in the wake of the George Floyd murder.

Hill Democrats run the gamut on what they believe is the most effective strategy to rein in an agency that they say has operated with impunity since President Donald Trump returned to office last year.

Some members have called out what they view as the failure of Republican committee chairs to enforce their oversight authority on ICE. Others support withholding or restricting ICE funding. (House Republican leaders stripped the 2026 DHS appropriations bill from a package of measures to fund unrelated agencies after it became clear it lacked the votes to pass; they may attach it to the last minibus next week if Democrats can secure enough meaningful concessions to play ball.)

Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) is leading a push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, while Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) has introduced legislation to dismantle ICE and end its current enforcement authorities, in response to the resurgence of grassroots demands to abolish the agency.

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Before 17 House Republicans joined all voting Democrats this afternoon to extend the expired Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits, GOP leadership intensified their claims that the program is rife with fraud in defense of their opposition to the subsidies.

But Democrats dismissed the attacks as a distraction from the Trump administration and the GOP’s lack of solutions to the affordability crisis and the latest example of Republicans resorting to assertions of wasteful spending whenever they’re on the wrong side of a policy debate.

“Republicans always go to waste, fraud and abuse when they are trying to provide an excuse not to do anything to actually make life better for the American people,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who led the discharge petition that forced a vote on the subsidies extension, told me this morning. “The reason that the One Big Ugly Bill is so unpopular is because they enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. They did it to claim waste, fraud and abuse. And guess what? The American people aren’t buying it as it relates to Medicaid, and they certainly aren’t buying it as it relates to the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the committee with jurisdiction over the ACA subsidies, told me that if Republicans were serious about addressing fraud in the health care system, they would support his proposed anti-fraud legislation targeting insurance brokers.

“I wrote a bill that deals with the number-one issue,” Wyden added. “Not one of them signed on.”

Still, Speaker Mike Johnson’s office blasted Democrats ahead of the House ACA vote, arguing the program lacks basic verification safeguards and is a fraud cesspool backed up with recent Government Accountability Office findings that subsidies have flowed to fake identities, duplicate Social Security numbers, and deceased individuals.

The Louisiana Republican also pointed to Minnesota Medicaid fraud cases and rising federal costs as evidence that extending subsidies without reforms shifts financial risk onto taxpayers, contrasting Democrats’ approach with an alternative plan that passed the House last month, which GOP leaders say would stabilize markets, lower premiums, and restore accountability rather than an extension of the status quo.

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House Democratic Caucus Chair PETE AGUILAR (D-Calif.) on Wednesday brushed off President DONALD TRUMP’s warning to House Republicans that a Democratic House majority would impeach him again, dismissing the comment as a reflection of Trump’s self-interest rather than a governing concern. The number-three House Democrat reaffirmed that his members see oversight and accountability—not impeachment—as their constitutional obligation if they regain power.

Aguilar’s position offers an early window into how House Democratic leadership is trying to manage one of the most politically volatile questions of the 2026 cycle before it consumes the midterms.

“It says a lot about Donald Trump. He’s not concerned about the costs that people face. He’s not concerned about specific policies. It’s just about consolidating power and how it affects him,” Aguilar told me. “We’re not concerned about that. We’re going to continue to focus on how we help people.”

Aguilar’s response also signals that Democrats are intent on denying Trump the impeachment foil he is actively attempting to construct, while preserving Congress’s institutional authority to conduct oversight if power shifts. At the same time, he made the case that even though Democrats are in the minority, they’ve forced votes to release the Epstein files, extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits, and, later this week, override the first vetoes of President Trump’s second term.

“Those are significant wins, and we’re going to continue to keep doing that all the way through November,” Aguilar said. “And if we’re given an opportunity to lead the American people, we’ll see what that all looks like.”

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The Capitol was blanketed with a deep solemnity on the fifth anniversary of the failed attempt to block the certification of a presidential election. House Democrats marked the day with a special hearing in the Capitol basement, dressed up with studio lights and staging despite lacking formal approval.

It featured a video montage of the violence that occurred that afternoon when President DONALD TRUMP encouraged supporters, whom he ginned up for months with baseless claims of election fraud, to march to the Capitol as the counting of the electoral votes was underway. Another played clips from the first day of Trump’s second term, when he pardoned roughly 1,500 people convicted for their roles in the attack and commuting the sentences of a small group of others.

Three panels of former law enforcement officers, state officials, members of Congress and Americans who were in the Capitol on the day of the attack offered harrowing personal accounts of their experiences—and the stain they say remains as Trump’s MAGA movement continues to downplay and misrepresent the violence that occurred during those fraught hours.

“The Jan. 6 violent attack on the Capitol that took place five years ago today was shameful then, it is shameful now, and it will be shameful always and forever,” House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-N.Y.) said.

The top House Democrat said the country still has lessons to learn from that day and that safeguarding democracy means defending free and fair elections, the peaceful transfer of power, and the rule of law.

Beyond the somber mood of the event, members also expressed a palpable resentfulness towards Trump when they spoke about his pardons. Some pardoned offenders have since been charged or arrested on new crimes, including violent and unrelated offenses. One was arrested and charged in October with threatening to kill Jeffries at a New York City event.

I’m told members were steered to highlight the consequences of the pardons in their remarks and in witness questioning. One source acknowledged that the approach could read as a coordinated narrative, but stressed it emerged organically rather than through formal direction.

The star witness of the hearing was PAMELA HEMPHILL, a Jan. 6 rioter who publicly rejected President Trump’s pardon and accepted responsibility for her actions.

A 72-year-old retired addiction counselor, cancer survivor, and grandmother, Hemphill told lawmakers she pleaded guilty because she committed the crime and received due process, insisting the Justice Department was not weaponized against her, as Trump and his supporters have claimed.

She described falling into what she called the MAGA cult, traveling from Idaho after believing Trump’s lies and the fear-driven rhetoric she heard around her, and going from Trump’s speech to the Capitol under the mistaken belief he would join the crowd. When he never showed and the violence erupted, she said the reality of what she had done became clear.

“The police officers were the heroes. They protected the Capitol and everyone inside the Capitol—and even people like me,” she said. “I was trampled on by the rioters, and if it weren’t for the Capitol Police helping me that day, I might have died.”

Hemphill apologized directly to former Capitol Police officer WINSTON PINGEON for her role in the attack, then appeared visibly overwhelmed as members embraced her afterward, praising her courage and contrition.

“I can’t believe people are still disrespecting you and trying to lie about Jan. 6,” she told Pingeon, who spoke on the panel before her. “I will do everything I can to stop the lies about our brave officers like you who protected us during the attack.”

NANCY PELOSI said during her testimony that one of her proudest moments as House Speaker was leading members back to the floor that night to certify the election despite being urged to delay the task for days out of security concerns.

She had plenty of smoke for the president, whom she accused of insulting Americans by continuing to claim the 2020 election was stolen.

“The president is always saying to me, ‘You weren’t ready.’ Yeah, I wasn’t ready for a President of the United States to incite an insurrection against the Congress of the United States, against the Constitution, against the Capitol of the United States,” she said. “Who would be ready for that? But we are ready to save our democracy. The times have found us to do that.”

During a pause in the hearing, I asked Reps. ROBIN KELLY (D-Ill.) and TERRI SEWELL (D-Ala.) to reflect on the day. Both did so with visible emotion, underscoring how raw it remains.

Kelly recalled being trapped in the gallery, saying members were locked in and crawling on their hands and knees as they waited to escape, only able to get out after police shot ASHLI BABBITT and the mob retreated.

“I’d never forget: Three knocks on the door,” she said. “Nobody wanted to answer, but that’s how we escaped.”

Sewell said she hadn’t publicly spoken about the day since it happened and described the shock of watching violence overtake what she called her workplace—the People’s House—a space that was supposed to be safe, not a scene of terror.

“It was incredulous to me and the fact that we were on our knees, like crawling from one end of the gallery to the other,” she added. “It’s surreal.”

Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) this evening on the Senate steps saluted the bravery of the law enforcement officers who protected members from the rioters before leading Hill Democrats in a moment of silence. The lawmakers then sang “God Bless America.”

Sen. ALEX PADILLA (D-Calif.) led nearly 20 Senate Democrats in floor speeches to honor the injured law enforcement officers, including those who later lost their lives. As you’re reading this, senators are still speaking.

Padilla and Sen. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.) also introduced two bills that would block federal payouts to the Jan. 6 rioters, as many who were pardoned or granted clemency by Trump are now seeking compensation from the federal government for prosecution.

While Democrats held their hearing this morning, House Republicans were two-and-a-half miles west of the Capitol at the Kennedy Center for a day-long policy retreat. President Trump addressed members for nearly an hour and a half on a range of topics, including Venezuela, the practically nonexistent GOP majority, health care and his prediction that Democrats would try to impeach him for the third time if they won the majority in November.

“They should be ashamed of themselves. The Capitol Police protected everybody,” Kelly told me of the split screen between the Democrats’ hearing and the Republicans’ off-site meeting. “They were running for their lives too. I think they forgot.”

CN TRIVIA QUESTION: January 6, 2021, marked the first time since what year that the U.S. Capitol was violently breached during a constitutional proceeding?

In the Know

— Rep. DOUG LAMALFA (R-Calif.) died this morning at the age of 65 after experiencing a medical emergency at his home followed by a heart attack and an aneurysm during emergency surgery. LaMalfa leaves behind a legacy of fierce advocacy for California water rights, especially for Central Valley farmers. His death lowers the Republican majority to 218–213 and leaves Speaker Johnson with a two-vote margin on party-line bills with full attendance. LaMalfa’s northern California district is one of five currently held by Republicans that were redrawn to offset the gerrymander by Texas Republicans this summer.

— Rep. JIM BAIRD (R-Ind.) is in stable condition and good spirits after his vehicle was struck while Baird was driving back to D.C. with his wife to resume House work. His office said there are no changes in his duties despite the accident, which comes as House Republican margins are razor-thin and member availability critical.

— Senate Judiciary Committee Chair CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) held a classified call with Attorney General PAM BONDI this morning on the arrest of former Venezuelan President NICOLÁS MADURO and his wife last weekend. The two leaders slammed the Trump administration’s decision to exclude their committee from the briefing it provided to congressional and national security leaders since the president and Secretary of State maintained the arrest was a law enforcement operation requested by the Justice Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency—three agencies under Judiciary’s jurisdiction.

— The Supreme Court announced Friday as an opinion day, raising the possibility of a decision on President Trump’s tariff authority. The case has immediate implications for his authority to unilaterally impose and expand tariffs under existing statues.

Read All About It

“Trump’s assault on the environment has been even worse than experts predicted” by Thor Benson: “The administration’s hostility toward clean energy is setting back America’s ability to fight climate change, and to compete economically.”

“The data center rebellion is here, and it’s reshaping the political landscape” by Evan Halper: “As the buildout of AI infrastructure alarms communities, it is fast emerging as a potent electoral issue across the political divide.”

“How to turn casual friends into close friends” by Hannah Seo: “Better friendships can just start with an emoji.”

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Last But Not Least

Here’s what I’m watching tomorrow (all times Eastern):

— The Senate is in at 10 AM and will vote at 2 PM to begin debate on a disapproval resolution that would overturn the EPA’s approval of South Dakota’s regional haze plan.

— House Republican leadership will hold its weekly post-meeting press conference at 10 AM. House Democrats will follow at 10:45 AM.

— The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing at 10 AM on fraud and misuse of federal funds in Minnesota.

— The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform and Antitrust will hold a hearing at 10 AM on competition and consumer choice in digital streaming.

— The House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions will hold a hearing at 10:15 AM on modernizing retirement policy for today’s workforce.

— Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Ill.), Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic veteran members will hold a press conference at 1:15 PM on military operations in Venezuela.

— The House Judiciary Committee on Federal Courts will hold a hearing at 2:30 PM on holding rouge judges accountable.

— Members of the California congressional delegation will hold a press conference at 2:30 PM to honor the lives lost during the firestorms that ravaged the southern part of the state and demand immediate federal disaster aid.

CN TRIVIA ANSWER: 1814, during the War of 1812.

First Things First

Senior Trump officials briefed top national security lawmakers this evening on Venezuela, with an all-members briefing for both chambers expected to soon follow.

But many Democrats will head into those classified presentations with deep skepticism about the conclusions they’ll hear and whether the administration can credibly back them up.

House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-N.Y.) has in the past been critical of Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO, Secretary of Defense PETE HEGSETH and Attorney General PAM BONDI—three of the five officials who briefed the members as complicit in what he perceives as corrupt and blatant executive overreach. But he told me before the briefing that House and Senate Democrats would press each administration official for answers on why the operation was undertaken without congressional authorization and on their future plans for Venezuela.

“Donald Trump had the nerve to dismiss the popular opposition leader of Venezuela, said that she was not popular, did not have the support of the Venezuelan people. Donald Trump does not have the support of the American people,” Jeffries added. “He’s historically unpopular, and yet he’s questioning the legitimacy of who should actually succeed the deposed former president of Venezuela? So there are a lot of questions that need to be answered today by the highest levels of the administration and later on this week, when the entire House and the entire Senate will be briefed.”

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First Things First

A quick programming note: Tonight’s Congress Nerd is the final edition of the year—barring any true breaking news that calls for a special issue. As Congress winds down and we head into the holidays, I want to say thank you for reading, supporting Once Upon a Hill and spending part of your day with my work. I’ll be back in your inbox on Jan. 4, 2026, with fresh reporting and analysis to help you get ready for the start of the second session of the 119th Congress. Until then, wishing you a restful, joyful holiday season and a strong start to the new year!

HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-N.Y.) this week notched the most significant tactical win in his three years as the top House Democrat when he successfully secured a bipartisan majority of signatures on a procedural measure to force a vote on legislation that would extend the expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits for three years.

And while the vote didn’t occur before the House adjourned for the year—and likely won’t until it returns next year after the subsidies will have lapsed—the mere reality that Jeffries empowered four Republicans to break ranks with Speaker MIKE JOHNSON (R-La.) on an issue that the Brooklyn Democrat has centered for months through high-profile extended fights during the reconciliation process, government shutdown and the final days of the legislative year as Americans approach an Obamacare cliff is impressive.

“Let me just say how historic it is for the leader of the minority party—we’re the opposition—to be able to outmaneuver the majority and to get a vote on the most important critical issue facing our country right now, which is health care,” Rep. STEVEN HORSFORD (D-N.Y.), a Jeffries ally and member of House Democratic leadership told me. “And only Leader Jeffries was able to deliver that result.”

Jeffries filed a discharge petition—a procedural move that lets a majority of House members force a bill onto the floor for a vote even if party leaders don’t want it to advance—the day before the government shut down in late September to facilitate floor action on a three-year extension of the ACA tax credits, which is the same period of time they were in 2022 under the Inflation Reduction Act. By early December, all 214 House Democrats signed it, leaving Jeffries four signatures short of the majority threshold.

Along the way, a bipartisan group of self-styled dealmakers in the House and Senate negotiated behind closed doors on plans that would shave years off Jeffries’ proposals and restrict eligibility through income caps and other reforms. Reps. BRIAN FITZPATRICK (R-Pa.) and JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-N.J.) introduced their own discharge petitions to force floor votes on their bills, with each garnering enough Republicans to cross the finish line the moment Jeffries gave his antsy rank-and-file members the go-ahead to do so. But Jeffries was resolute, standing firmly behind his petition as the most viable vehicle to extend the subsidies. I’m told that there was never a concern among leadership that House Democrats would break ranks in large enough numbers to make any of the other petitions viable.

Johnson, who told reporters for weeks during the shutdown that the expiring tax credits were a “December issue” Republicans had always planned to address once the government reopened, released a counterproposal last week that didn’t extend the subsidies and shifted toward structural changes to the health care system that Republicans argued would lower premiums and broaden options. The plan didn’t even include an expansion of Health Savings Accounts despite President DONALD TRUMP’s long-standing obsession with HSAs and how reflexively popular they are with rank-and-file Republicans.

House Republicans passed Johnson’s plan against unanimous Democratic opposition on Wednesday afternoon with little fanfare. But the fireworks occurred the night before when a group of politically vulnerable House GOP centrists made the case for a trio of amendments to be ruled in order and were rejected at Johnson’s direction. By the next morning, Fitzpatrick, Reps. MIKE LAWLER (R-N.Y.), ROB BRESNAHAN (R-Pa.) and RYAN MACKENZIE (R-Pa.) had all signed onto Jeffries’ discharge petition because allowing the subsidies to expire was worse for Americans—and their political careers—than joining the opposition to extend them.

“The American people are demanding Congress act and ensure that the Affordable Care Act tax credits do not expire. We knew that our position was the position consistent with the feelings of the American people who wanted to make sure that tens of millions of hard working American taxpayers don’t experience dramatically increased health insurance premiums,” Jeffries told me when I asked why he was so steadfast in his belief that his petition was the best approach.

Horsford said Jeffries’ most effective leadership skills have been on display during this health care fight, including listening closely to members across the caucus and to voters themselves, traveling to districts and holding forums where health care consistently emerged as a top concern. He described Jeffries as a consensus builder who prioritizes unity before taking positions—both within the House and with Senate Democrats—and who focuses on delivering tangible results, even amid competing strategies and internal debates over how best to advance health care protections.

“There are so many wrongs coming from Speaker Johnson and Trump that it is easy to get distracted,” another House Democrat told me about the caucus’s ability to remain mostly on message and unified throughout the process. “But we are walking and chewing gum!”

A person familiar with Jeffries’ thinking agreed with Horsford and added that another key to the successful outcome is that Jeffries didn’t discourage members like Gottheimer and Rep. TOM SUOZZI (D-N.Y.) from seeking a bipartisan solution with Republicans because Jeffries knew he could offer his discharge as an off-ramp to vulnerable Republicans if Johnson screwed his members, as he ultimately did. The fact that Jeffries also persuaded Schumer and Senate Democrats to sing from the same songbook was instrumental, as was projecting cross-chamber unity.

And while the fate of a clean three-year extension is uncertain if it reaches the Senate since the same proposal fell short of the 60-vote threshold last week, Democrats will be working from a position of strength if the House sends over a bill passed with bipartisan support.

“I am encouraged that there are a handful of Republicans speaking out and fighting for their constituents. A three-year extension is what we gave the Senate an opportunity to vote on just last week and it failed,” Sen. TAMMY BALDWIN (D-Wis.) told me. “When it comes, I hope that we’ll schedule it, and I hope we’ll get more Republicans, but I’m not holding my breath right now.”

But what’s more certain is the fire Democratic leaders like Jeffries have been under since Trump returned to power. Some Democrats and outside allies argue leadership has been ineffective in matching the bare-knuckle politics the president and his MAGA supporters deploy at every turn.

Perhaps this was the impetus of a midday statement from the Congressional Black Caucus that praised Jeffries for what it described as disciplined, results-oriented leadership since the start of this Congress, crediting him with holding the caucus together and helping secure bipartisan backing for a clean three-year extension of the ACA subsidies without negotiating from what Democrats saw as a weakened position. The caucus argued that effective leadership requires cohesion and strategic judgment—not reacting to every criticism—and said Jeffries has demonstrated both as Democrats look toward 2026, vowing to stand with him in what it called a continued fight on behalf of the American people.

A person familiar with the matter said the statement was issued with deliberate intentionality, reflecting the caucus’s view that its role is to advance both the broader House Democratic agenda and the priorities of CBC members—who, they noted, take pride in the fact that a CBC member would become speaker if Democrats retake the House. The person said the caucus has grown concerned about internal second-guessing of Jeffries, both from some members of the caucus and outside allies, and wanted to make clear that while Jeffries is not perfect, leadership decisions are rarely black-and-white and require trust and flexibility. With 2026 approaching quickly, the person framed the coming year as a sprint to the midterms with no tolerance for infighting, saying the CBC felt it was important to put its support for Jeffries firmly on the record before the end of the year.

Jeffries told me he hadn’t had a chance to read the full statement, but described the CBC as a treasured community he’s deeply grateful to have been part of since his first days on Capitol Hill. He reflected on walking into his first CBC meeting alongside figures like JIM CLYBURN, MAXINE WATERS and the late ELIJAH CUMMINGS, EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON and JOHN LEWIS, while adding that sense of history, mentorship and belonging is something he has always cherished and will continue to value throughout his service.

Then, as he is wont to do, Jeffries returned to his talking points.

“Our focus is going to continue to be on making life better for everyday Americans, on lifting up the principle of liberty and justice for all, and on ending this national nightmare that Donald Trump and Republican extremists have visited on the American people all year,” he told me. “Donald Trump and these Republicans have broken every single promise that they made in terms of making life better for everyday Americans—every single promise, and it’s indisputable at this moment.”

McBride condemns pair of anti-trans bills

Rep. SARAH MCBRIDE (D-Del.) made history last year when she was the first openly transgender person to be elected to Congress. But in her first year on Capitol Hill, she’s tried to put her work and constituents ahead of her identity.

That’s why it was striking when she took to the Capitol steps on Wednesday morning to denounce a pair of anti-trans bills the House passed this week and spoke in detail about her youth before she came out at 21 years old.

“And that means 21 years of pain, 21 years of unwavering homesickness that only went away when I was able to get the care that I needed. And my biggest regret in life is that I never had a childhood without that pain,” McBride said. “None of us know how much time we have on this planet. It is already hard enough to raise a family. It is already hard enough to be a kid. And government should not make it harder.”

She later told me her remarks included many thoughts that had been on her mind and heart.

“Look, I am very cognizant of the desire to caricaturize a first, as always consumed with whatever identity makes them that first,” McBride said. And so I am judicious in my approach.”

She added that the moment called for her to speak plainly and publicly, arguing that while much of the work happens out of view, the extremity of the proposal demanded clear lines about what—and who—was at stake.

“I wanted to guarantee that people understood the seriousness and extremism of this proposal and that we are talking about people.”

The House passed the first bill—the Protect Children’s Innocence Act—on Wednesday, which would impose a government-wide ban on federal funding for gender-affirming care for minors, with supporters calling it child protection and opponents warning it blocks evidence-based care and overrides medical and parental judgment. Three Democrats joined all Republicans on final passage.

Retiring Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.), the sponsor of the bill, used her leverage last week to secure a floor vote on it by initially withholding her support for the rule governing consideration of the NDAA before flipping her vote after House Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE (R-La.) promised a standalone vote on her legislation.

Four Democrats joined all Republicans this afternoon to pass the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act—a bill that would bar Medicaid from covering or reimbursing gender-affirming care.

The votes came as the Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled proposed rules aimed at severely restricting access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors, including blocking Medicare and Medicaid funding for such care and barring hospitals that provide it from participating in federal programs.

Critics say the move would effectively shut down most access for transgender youth and lifesaving health care, while advocates label it discriminatory and harmful.

These proposals build on broader Trump-era efforts targeting transgender rights and are not yet final. They must go through rulemaking and face legal challenges. (The ACLU has already announced it will file a lawsuit against the administration.)

Every major U.S. medical association, including the American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Psychiatric Association, Endocrine Society, and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, recognizes gender-affirming care for transgender youth as evidence-based, medically necessary treatment.

These organizations agree that such care—ranging from counseling and social transition to puberty blockers and hormone therapy when appropriate—improves mental health outcomes, reduces suicide risk and supports healthy development. They also emphasize that decisions should be individualized and made in consultation with medical professionals, patients and families, not dictated by government restrictions.

“Everyone we’re talking about in this quote-unquote debate is a real person who loves and laughs, who hopes and dreams, who fears and cries just like everyone else. And that is too often lost in the debate,” McBride told me. “To the degree that my presence here, implicitly or explicitly, can remind my colleagues of that, then it has some purpose.”

Holder huddles with House Dems

Former Attorney General ERIC HOLDER met with House Democrats this morning to discuss the voting rights landscape amid the redistricting wars and ahead of a monumental Supreme Court decision on whether the Voting Rights Act will be weakened to enable states to pass voting maps and rules that dilute minority voting rights.

He told a small group of reporters that his main message was that Democrats need to stay unified around fairness, arguing Republicans are resorting to aggressive gerrymandering because they’re afraid to face voters in 2026—and that if the GOP truly believed in its policies, it wouldn’t be manipulating maps in places like Texas or preparing to do so in Florida.

Holder told me the Democratic Party’s response to Republican redistricting efforts has been strong and appropriately aggressive, pointing to Texas and California as examples and signaling that other states are prepared to act if needed. But he cautioned against viewing the fight narrowly as a gerrymandering dispute, arguing instead that Republicans’ tactics amount to a broader effort to undermine democratic norms.

He framed his involvement in this moment as a continuation of the work he began as attorney general—using his role as chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee to focus attention on voting rights, work with lawmakers and push the country closer to its founding democratic ideals, which he said it has not always fully lived up to.

Holder declined to predict how the Supreme Court will rule in Callais, but noted that the same court upheld the vitality of Section 2 just two years ago in Milligan, arguing there’s no clear reason for it to reverse course now. He said both the substance and timing of the decision matter for 2026, especially given filing deadlines and the Purcell doctrine. He warned that some Republican states are already adjusting their calendars in anticipation of a favorable ruling.

Asked whether Democrats should consider aggressive redistricting in blue states if Section 2 is struck down, Holder said it would depend entirely on the court’s language and practical implications for individual states. And on the prospect of perpetual mid-decade redistricting, he warned against a “race to the bottom,” expressing hope that a future Democratic trifecta would use congressional power to establish rules preventing the kind of map-manipulation now unfolding.

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Last But Not Least

• Inflation rose 2.7% in November, slowing from 3% in September and coming in below forecasts, which had expected slightly higher inflation due to tariffs, food/energy costs, and insurance, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released this morning. Core inflation—a measure excluding food and energy—also dipped below estimates last month to 2.6% from 3%. But the October shutdown disrupted data collection, so it’s unclear whether the broader economic picture is incomplete as a result.

• Democratic health leaders sent letters to major pharmaceutical companies demanding transparency on their announcements with the Trump administration on the cost of certain medications, including GLP-1 drugs. Specifically, the lawmakers requested more information by Jan. 5 on the contours of the agreements President Trump touted in his combative, grievance-soaked address to the nation last night—including the effects on Medicare, future pricing predictions, the parameters of TrumpRx (a Trump-branded prescription drug pricing plan aimed at lowering costs without congressional action), along with any other benefits the companies are receiving from the administration as a result of these agreements.

• In my latest COURIER column, I dug into the human impact of the Education Department’s move to end the SAVE student loan repayment plan effectively—and why it lands as another gut punch for borrowers already navigating higher health care costs, housing pressures and rising prices across the board. The column stations SAVE’s demise within the broader affordability squeeze that has animated most of the first year of Trump 2.0, including the contrast with the administration’s $12 billion farm aid package and what it says about who Washington moves fastest for.

I was nervous when I woke up this morning and remembered House Democrats were holding their weekly caucus meeting up the street from the Capitol at the Democratic National Committee. This meant the usual stakeout in the basement hallway would move to outside the DNC while members came together within the warm confines of the building.

It’s been teeth-chattering cold in the nation’s capital. Yesterday, sustained winds were strong enough that the “feels like” temperature dipped into the high teens to low 20s, especially in the morning and evening hours, even though the actual low was in the upper 20s.

Thankfully, this morning was a different story: It felt warmer than it actually was since the sun was up and the winds had eased. Still, a member offered to let me sit in their minivan to stay warm—a first for me in all my time covering Capitol Hill. As generous as the offer is, I chuckled and politely declined.

Many of you know my journalism career was rooted in the fashion industry, so I’m always thrilled to return to my essence. As members were trickling in, I spotted Rep. SHARICE DAVIDS (D-Kan.) in a pair of ANGEL REESE 1s in the Charm City colorway.

Davids, who is the first openly LGBTQ+ Native American elected to Congress, the first elected to Congress from the Jayhawk State and one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, let me snap a pic as she left the meeting.

And it warmed the heart within my freezing body when she told me she also owned a pair of AJA WILSON’s A’Ones in the Pink Aura colorway.

Back to that meeting: I’m told members were presented with polling showing a 13% swing among independent voters against Trump, driven by the perception that the president is only helping himself and the billionaire class.

For what it’s worth, a double-digit shift among independents suggests the Trump coalition isn’t locked in the way it sometimes appears. These voters aren’t reacting to ideology or process; they’re reacting to perceived self-dealing. That’s important because independents tend to disengage or split late. When they move this early, it’s usually in response to something visceral—not abstract.

But to be clear, polling shown to caucuses is often directional, not predictive. A significant swing today is not a guarantee one year out. But it does tell you where persuasion lives and which kind of argument resonates with voters who actually decide midterms.

These meetings are also opportunities for leadership to implore rank-and-file members to pay their DCCC dues. House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-N.Y.) used the carrot approach instead of a stick: A source in the room confirmed the Brooklyn Democrat would match dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000 in member contributions made between today and the end of the year, a detail Ally Mutnick at Punchbowl News had first.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair SUZAN DELBENE (D-Wash.) projected confidence to reporters at a post-meeting press conference that the DCCC was on track to win back the majority, as proven by the committee expanding the map of offensive opportunities last week.

But the nation is awaiting whether the Supreme Court will overturn Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in time to clear the way for states to redraw 2026 congressional maps without having to protect minority voters’ ability to elect candidates of their choice. This would make it easier for partisan majorities to weaken or eliminate minority-opportunity districts under the guise of race-neutral line-drawing. It could also decimate the Congressional Black Caucus, which is at its highest membership in its history.

She said that, just as her team is monitoring the GOP’s efforts to gerrymander Democrats out of seats in red states, they would continue to update their map on any changes resulting from the looming SCOTUS decision.

“How soon that will be or how late that will be will help us understand what impact it might have,” DelBene said. “But we understand we could hear any time on that.”

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Lawmakers returned to the Capitol this evening against a backdrop of domestic and international horrors that have left the nation and world grappling with unthinkable loss during what’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.

ICYMI, here’s a solemn summation of the trio of tragedies:

• BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTING: A mass shooting on the campus of the Providence, Rhode Island, Ivy League school during a final-exam review left two students dead and nine others wounded, many of whom remain in critical or stable condition. Law enforcement initially detained a person of interest but later released him and the suspected gunman remains at large.

• BONDI BEACH SHOOTING: Two gunmen, believed to be a father and son, opened fire on the crowd at Archer Park near Bondi Beach in Australia, killing at least 15 people—including a child and several community figures—and injuring more than 40 others in what authorities have described as an antisemitic terrorist attack. The older suspect was killed by police and the younger was critically wounded and taken into custody. A bystander disarmed one of the shooters in the midst of the chaos, and police later found improvised explosive devices that failed to detonate.

• REINER HOMICIDE: Film director Rob and his wife, MICHELE SINGER REINER, were found dead Sunday afternoon inside their Brentwood, Los Angeles, home in what police have called an apparent homicide (both suffered fatal stab wounds). Los Angeles police arrested the couple’s 32-year-old son, NICK REINER, on suspicion of murder. He is being held in custody with bail set at $4 million, though formal charges are pending.

President DONALD TRUMP reacted to the Reiner deaths on Truth Social with a message that falsely suggested that the couple’s deaths were connected to what he repeatedly called “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Several House Republicans publicly pushed back against Trump’s characterization of the Reiner deaths as inappropriate and insensitive, but the president later doubled down in the Oval Office.

Democrats have spent the better part of the past year arguing that Trump is an egomaniac more invested in himself than in the Americans he promised to lead into a new “Golden Age.” Posts like his Truth Social message only reinforce that case and in a moment that called for basic restraint. My thoughts are with the families, loved ones and communities grieving the lives lost at Brown University and Bondi Beach, and with those mourning the Reiners, as they navigate unimaginable loss and begin the long process of healing.

Here’s what Congress Nerds need to know tonight:

• CBC puts 2028 hopefuls on notice

• Crockett dishes on that viral campaign launch video

• Instacart denies using dynamic pricing after Schumer seeks FTC review

• OBBBA’s rural health fund too little to offset Medicaid cuts

• How Brown University’s congressman responded to mass shooting

FIRST IN CONGRESS NERD: The Congressional Black Caucus is already thinking ahead to 2028 and quietly tracking how potential presidential hopefuls engage with its priorities, according to a Democratic operative close to the group.

The operative, whom I granted anonymity to speak freely about internal dynamics, said the caucus is “keeping good notes” on where support for CBC issues and candidates shows up, signaling that members are paying attention not just to rhetoric but to consistent, tangible engagement over time.

The message, the operative added, is that this reality should inform how ambitious Democrats conduct themselves through the 2026 midterms, which are viewed internally as a proving ground. Support for CBC incumbents, responsiveness during high-stakes moments, and a willingness to show up beyond safe or symbolic gestures are expected to factor into the caucus’s political calculus as the next presidential cycle unfolds.

Democrats are staring at a crowded, factional primary in 2028 rather than a clean heir-apparent situation. The field is likely to include multiple governors running on executive competence and post-Trump normalcy, at least one high-profile senator with national security or economic credentials, and a generational lane defined by age, style, and media fluency rather than ideology- or issues-anchored candidates tied to affordability, democracy, climate or racial justice. The primary is more likely to fracture along lines of coalitions, trust, and governing instincts—especially around turnout, base mobilization and who is seen as reliable when stakes are high.

Black voters remain the most reliable Democratic voting bloc, but they are often treated as a late-cycle constituency rather than a governing partner. The CBC is trying to reset that dynamic. This early posture establishes expectations years in advance and discourages candidates from parachuting in once polls tighten. It also could winnow unserious contenders and elevate candidates who invest in real relationships.

RELATED: The CBC formally endorsed the Justice for BREONNA TAYLOR Act, renewing its push to ban no-knock warrants by prohibiting their use by federal law enforcement and conditioning federal funding for state and local police departments on compliance. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was killed in March 2020 when Louisville police fired into her apartment while executing a late-night no-knock search warrant during a botched raid, striking her multiple times as she stood in the hallway.

Rep. MORGAN MCGARVEY (D-Ky.), Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.), Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.), Rep. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-Texas) and CBC Chair YVETTE CLARKE (D-N.Y.) reintroduced the legislation last week.

“We’ve worked with her mom every step of the way on this because it’s the right thing to do,” McGarvey told me last week of Taylor’s mother, TAMIKA PALMER. “This is a bill that, of course, is born out of tragedy, but we know will actually keep everyone safe. And so it’s important to continue that work and not give up.”

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The Senate on Thursday morning took show votes on competing health care proposals that underscore the deep gulf between…

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