Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the on the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.
In today’s edition, senior national political reporter Sahil Kapurbreaks down Mitch McConnell’s decision to step down from his long-held position as Senate Republican leader. Plus, chief Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell takes a look back at the decisions that defined McConnell’s tenure.
McConnell’s exit as leader highlights Trump’s growing influence over the Senate GOP
By Sahil Kapur
Mitch McConnell made the long-anticipated, yet seismic, announcement on Wednesday that he’ll step down as Senate GOP leader at the end of this year, ending his tenure as the longest-serving Senate leader in U.S. history.
The move is, at least in part, a product of his advanced age. The 82-year-old, first elected 40 years ago, has had a few recent high-profile freeze-ups on camera.
But it’s also driven by political considerations. The Senate Republican conference has increasingly transformed itself in the image of Donald Trump, a dynamic that has diminished McConnell’s once-formidable influence over his members.
That shift was evident in the recent McConnell-backed bipartisan deal for tougher border security and Ukraine aid, which just four of his members supported. In an awkward reversal, McConnell himself voted against it, a stark acknowledgement that he was overruled.
Trump, who had pushed for McConnell’s ouster, recently said he’s not sure he could work with the Kentucky Republican if he returns to the White House. McConnell, whose relationship with Trump broke irreparably in the aftermath of the 2020 election, is the only member of congressional GOP leadership who hasn’t endorsed the former president’s 2024 White House bid, even as he marches to the party’s nomination.
Trump will surely loom large over the battle to replace McConnell as well. That contest begins with the “three Johns” — Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota — who are all current or former deputies to McConnell. Cornyn and Thune both have mixed histories with Trump, while Barrasso has been more consistently in line with the former president.
McConnell’s internal critics, who were once small and quiet, have grown bigger and louder. He was guaranteed to face a challenge if he sought another term, and his path was rocky, at best. Instead of dealing with that, he’s now leaving leadership on his own terms.
The question now is what role McConnell will play outside of leadership: He indicated in his speech Wednesday that he’ll serve out the remainder of his Senate term, which ends in January 2027.
McConnell’s old-school approach often collided with raw politics
Analysis by Andrea Mitchell
As a leader, Mitch McConnell was a study in contrasts: an old-school Senate “gentleman” from the good old days when your word was your bond.
But he was also willing to break precedents and deny Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee even a hearing at the start of an election year. And then he reversed course to get Donald Trump’s third nominee confirmed a week before Election Day.
Think of McConnell as Lucy with the football: leading Joe Biden as vice president, and then president, to think he could always count on negotiating a deal with his old Senate pal Mitch. Until he couldn’t.
And there’s McConnell denouncing Trump for provoking the Jan. 6 mob at the U.S. Capitol, but a month later protecting Trump from being convicted for it. Then endorsing Trump-backed election deniers for the Senate.
In his announcement that he’ll step aside as Senate Republican leader, McConnell confessed to loving Ronald Reagan so much he married his wife on the former president’s birthday, acknowledging that’s not the most romantic thing to admit. Probably the truest burden contributing to his decision is grief over the death of his beloved sister-in-law, Angela Chao, in a car accident.
Now the Senate minority leader’s final test on an issue of principle could be whether he’s able to persuade an unschooled House speaker to deliver on the Ukraine aid McConnell believes in so fervently, a hallmark of Reagan Republicanism.
That won’t be easy because what was left unsaid in McConnell’s Senate speech: The veteran leader has lost control of his conference — and the GOP — to Trump. And there’s nothing old school in that.
????️ Today’s top stories
???? We have a deal: Congressional leaders have reached an agreement to avert a partial government shutdown — for now. Read more →
⚖️ On the docket: The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether Trump can claim presidential immunity over criminal election interference charges. Justices will hear the case the week of April 22. Read more →
???? Hunted becomes the Hunter : During closed-door congressional testimony on Wednesday, Hunter Biden pushed back on GOP claims that his father was involved in his business dealings. Read more →
⌚ It’s getting late early: Chuck Todd writes about how the window for third-party presidential alternatives may have already closed. Read more →
???? An offer they couldn’t refuse: The Washington Post looks at how NRSC Chair Steve Daines has attempted to avoid messy GOP primary fights this year in what they call the “return of the party boss.” Read more →
???? New maps, New York: State lawmakers approved a new congressional map for New York that will give Democrats a slight boost in their battle for the House majority this fall. Read more →
???? Time for a check-up: A White House doctor said Joe Biden is “fit for duty” after the president underwent a routine physical Wednesday morning. Read more →
???? Guess who’s back: Marianne Williamson announced she is relaunching her Democratic presidential campaign after bowing out of the race weeks ago. Read more →
????️ March Forth: In the DC area on March 4th ? Our friends at MSNBC Live are hosting a power lunch that day to preview Super Tuesday and the State of the Union address – hosted by Luke Russert and featuring Steve Kornacki, Jen Psaki, Stephanie Ruhle, and special guests Quentin Fulks, Former Governor Larry Hogan, and Sophia Bush. The event is invite only and space is limited, so click on the link to request a spot. Please note: request does not guarantee an invitation. Request an invitation →
That’s all from The Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
