Senate Democrats pass Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the fight for the $15 minimum wage continues, and Joe Manchin opens the door to reforming the filibuster. Then Virginia State Delegate Danica Roem talks to Jon Lovett about the fights over trans rights happening in statehouses across the country.

Show notes

The Senate passes Covid relief 

• Politico: Senate approves Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan 
• NYT: Divided Senate Passes Biden’s Pandemic Aid Plan 
• NYT: What’s in the Stimulus Bill? A Guide to Where the $1.9 Trillion Is Going
• WaPo: What’s in the Senate’s $1.9 trillion covid bill: Checks, unemployment insurance and more
• CNN: Here’s what’s in the Senate stimulus plan 
• NYT: In the Stimulus Bill, a Policy Revolution in Aid for Children
• WaPo: Calculate how much you would get from the expanded child tax credit
• NY Mag: What Will Parents Get From the COVID-19 Relief Bill? 
• NPR: With One Move, Congress Could Lift Millions Of Children Out Of Poverty NYT: Private Insurance Wins in Democrats’ First Try at Expanding Health Coverage
• NBC News: Obamacare would get a big (and quiet) overhaul in the Covid relief bill 
• CNBC: 11 million families are at risk of eviction, reports the CFPB. Here’s how the American Rescue Plan helps 
• SHRM: Stimulus Bill Provides Extensive Pension Funding Relief
• HuffPo: Democrats’ Coronavirus Relief Plan Could Save The Pensions Of 1 Million People
• Axios: Senate COVID relief bill paves way for student debt forgiveness through executive action 
• WSJ: Senate Bill Would Clear Hurdle for Student Loan Forgiveness 
• Politico: Biden rides a Keep It Simple, Stupid strategy to early success
• WaPo: ‘We need the government’: Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief plan reflects seismic shifts in U.S. politics 
• WaPo: Biden stimulus showers money on Americans, sharply cutting poverty and favoring individuals over businesses
• NYT Analysis: To Juice the Economy, Biden Bets on the Poor 
• NYT: Here’s How the Senate Pared Back Biden’s Stimulus Plan
• USA Today: Some House progressives aren’t happy with Senate version of COVID relief package. Here’s what changed. 
• CNBC: The Senate just passed the American Rescue Plan—here’s how it differs from the House version 
• CNBC: Some Americans are frustrated that the Senate may limit eligibility for $1,400 stimulus payments: ‘This is a slap in the face’ 
• NPR: Senate Democrats, White House Agree To Tighter Income Limits For Stimulus Checks
• WaPo: Biden limits eligibility for stimulus payments under pressure from moderate Senate Democrats 
• Politico: Manchin dismisses concerns that he would have tanked relief package 
• CNN: How Democrats miscalculated Manchin and later won him back 
• Vox: The last-minute federal unemployment insurance compromise, briefly explained
• CNBC: Democrats reach deal on unemployment aid, allowing $1.9 trillion relief bill to go forward
• Politico: ‘I have no idea what he’s doing’: Manchin perplexes with Covid aid power play
• Politico: 8 Democrats defect on $15 minimum wage hike
• Axios: 8 Senate Democrats vote against adding $15 minimum wage to COVID relief
• Slate: Eight Democrats Join All Republicans in Taking a Stand Against $15 Minimum Wage
• HuffPo: Sinema Slammed For Exaggerated Thumbs-Down On $15 Minimum Wage 
• The Hill: Manchin: Every member of the Senate thinks minimum wage should increase
• WSJ: Democrats’ Minimum-Wage Setback Could Kick-Start Talks With Republicans
• Slate: Why Republicans Might Be Open to a Minimum Wage Hike 
• Politico: White House weighs minimum wage negotiations with Republicans 
• NYT: Republicans Grapple With Raising the Minimum Wage 
• Business Insider: This map shows the last time each state raised its minimum wage 
• National Employment Law Project: RAISES FROM COAST TO COAST IN 2021 
• The Hill: GOP targets ballot initiatives after progressive wins
• NYT: After Stimulus Victory in Senate, Reality Sinks in: Bipartisanship Is Dead
• WaPo Opinion: Opinion: Newsflash: Biden actually is governing in a bipartisan way 
• WaPo: Murkowski emerges as focus of Biden effort to find GOP support for his agenda
• Politico: `Check partisanship at the door’: Biden finds GOP allies for rescue money
• NY Mag: The COVID-19 Stimulus Bill Can Help Biden Transform Politics 
• NYT: Republicans Won Blue-Collar Votes. They’re Not Offering Much in Return. 
• Politico: Biden rides a Keep It Simple, Stupid strategy to early success 
• Message Box: Here’s How to Help Sell the American Rescue Plan
• Mother Jones: Joe Biden Is Already Starting His Victory Lap
• The Hill: Democrats gear up for PR battle on COVID-19 relief
• NBC News: Biden address to Congress could be pushed back for Covid relief promotion 
• WSJ: Biden Allies to Launch Advocacy Group to Promote Covid-19 Relief Plan, Other Policies (2/17)

What’s Next 

• Politico: Manchin wants to make filibuster ‘painful’ to use
• Vox: Joe Manchin opens the door to filibuster reform
• NY Mag: Joe Manchin Says He Might Reform the Filibuster and Save American Democracy
• CNN: Biden opposes gutting filibuster despite tough path for some legislative priorities in Senate 
• NY Mag: How Dems Can Turn Filibuster Reform Into the ‘Moderate’ Option
• WaPo Opinion: Democrats can’t kill the filibuster. But they can gut it. 
• Vox: How to fix the Senate without abolishing the filibuster
• Vox: 5 ideas to reform the filibuster that Joe Manchin might actually support
• Axios: Rep. Clyburn calls for filibuster loophole for voting rights 
• WaPo: The voting wars come to Capitol Hill: Democrats eye national elections overhaul amid GOP crackdown 
• LA Times Op-Ed: Op-Ed: How a voting-rights exception to the filibuster could help shore up our democracy
• NY Mag: Why Democrats Must Keep the Filibuster From Killing Voting Rights 
• WaPo: Pressure grows on Biden to end the filibuster 
• Axios: Democrats eye reconciliation for immigration
• Axios: Exclusive: Bernie ready to roll on roads

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