Can a deal be made in a starkly divided Congress?

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Infrastructure. It may not be the most gripping topic, and yet it's arguably one of the most wide-reaching. Expect to hear a lot about it this week. With great progress made on the pandemic (half of all states at 50% adult vaccination rate, and eight states at 70%), and the Jan. 6 commission vote not expected in the Senate until next week, attention will turn to whether the White House can negotiate a bipartisan path forward on President Biden's proposal. Also ahead this week is the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, meaning the country will take a hard look at the progress we've made—or haven't made—on policing reform since that tragic and pivotal event. We're also keeping an eye on the ongoing battles within the GOP, as a small but steadfast minority struggles to reclaim the party from the forces of deceit and intolerance. Buckle up. Have a great week, everyone! —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

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** A new low for the GOP
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is being widely criticized for comparing coronavirus restrictions in the U.S. Capitol to what Jewish people endured during the Holocaust. In a recent interview, Greene complained about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to keep a mask mandate on the House floor over concerns that some Republican lawmakers might not be vaccinated. "We can look back in a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second-class citizens—so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany," Greene said. "And this is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about." —The Washington Post ([link removed])
* — "Beyond reprehensible." Fellow Republican Rep. Peter Meijer denounced Greene's remarks yesterday, saying, "I don't even have words to describe how disappointing it is to see this hyperbolic speech that, frankly, amps up and plays into a lot of the anti-Semitism that we've been seeing in our society today." Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger also publicly condemned Greene's comparison. No word from GOP leadership. —CNN ([link removed])
*
* — "Recipe for disaster." More criticism of the wider GOP by a Republican was leveled by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez on Friday. He warned his party that leaning into the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen is creating a "recipe for disaster." Gonzalez, who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, said, "I think as a party, frankly, we need to be on the side of truth, we need to be on the side of substance, and that's how we're going to win back majorities both in the House and the Senate and hopefully the White House in 2024." —The Hill ([link removed])
*
* — "It's a no-brainer." Speaking of the insurrection, another Republican, former Sen. Scott Brown, expressed support for an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the attack. "You look at what happened on 9/11. We were attacked by foreign terrorists, and we wanted to find out immediately, where was the breakdown, what happened, and why," Brown said on CNN yesterday. "Well this is no different." Indeed. —The Hill ([link removed])

MORE: National Guard ending mission at Capitol —CNBC ([link removed])


** It's infrastructure week
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The White House will continue its negotiations with Republicans on an infrastructure package this week. Republicans balked at President Biden's initial $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan and came back with a counterproposal costing less than $600 billion. The White House responded with a revised package with a price tag of $1.7 trillion. As Congress debates that proposal, a bipartisan group of senators led by Sens. Tom Carper, Shelley Moore Capito, Ben Cardin, and Kevin Cramer announced a surface transportation reauthorization bill that will be marked up by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. The Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021 would establish new baseline funding of $303.5 billion to support highways, roads, and bridges. —The Hill ([link removed])

MORE: Biden adviser: President will 'change course' in infrastructure talks if inaction seems inevitable —CNN ([link removed])


** McArdle: Seeking better—not less—policing
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"The question...is whether we can find some way to beef up the police presence in vulnerable communities without turbocharging this toxic and racially skewed dynamic. I think there are ways we can do that through better training and accountability and higher salaries to attract and retain top-quality officers. But we probably won't get there unless we can move right and left off the unhelpful polls of 'less' or 'more,' and toward 'more policing, but also better.'" —Megan McArdle in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Megan McArdle is a
Washington Post columnist and the author of "The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success."

MORE: Some bold local police reform efforts follow Floyd's death, but change at national level remains elusive —The Boston Globe ([link removed])


** What was the origin of COVID-19?
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Three researchers from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick enough in November 2019 that they sought hospital care, according to a U.S. intelligence report that could add weight to growing calls for a fuller investigation of whether the COVID-19 virus escaped from the lab. The disclosure of the number of researchers, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits come on the eve of a meeting of the World Health Organization's decision-making body, which is expected to discuss the next phase of its probe into the virus' origins. The Biden Administration hasn't disputed any of the assertions in the report. Stay tuned. —The Wall Street Journal ([link removed])

MORE: White House pushes for independent investigation on COVID-19 origins —The Hill ([link removed])
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** Vladeck: Congressional subpoenas need a new process
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"Imagine, for instance, a statute that provides that anyone who receives a congressional subpoena has seven days within which to contest the subpoena in federal court in Washington, and that lists the grounds on which the subpoena may be contested, including that the subpoena is invalid on its face or that the information it seeks is protected by a legally recognized privilege. If no challenge is filed, the statute would provide that the recipient then becomes subject to contempt fines—escalating by the day—if they refuse to cooperate." —Steve Vladeck on ([link removed]) MSNBC ([link removed])

Steve Vladeck is the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law, where he specializes in national security law, especially with relation to the prosecution of war crimes.

MORE: A multitude of Trump-era mysteries are poised to come roaring back into the headlines. Everyone involved is bracing for what happens after that —Insider ([link removed])


** Global roundup
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Belarus made history over the weekend for committing a "state-sponsored hijacking." Faking a bomb threat, the regime of President Alexander Lukashenka used fighter aircraft to force down a Ryanair civilian airliner over Belarusian airspace to arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich in Minsk. It's the latest in a string of iron-fisted tactics used by Lukashenka. The U.S. and other nations have strongly condemned the shocking, unprecedented act. —Politico ([link removed])
* — Brazil. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro led a raucous motorcycle rally through the streets of Rio yesterday in an attempt to reenergize his far-right supporters as public anger grows over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Bolsonaro defenders assembled under a white banner reading "Legend, you are not alone!", while counterprotesters gathered nearby. "I feel profound sorrow," said protester Marcio Vellozo. "We've lost nearly 500,000 lives, and people are hitting the streets to celebrate. What are they celebrating?" —The Guardian ([link removed])
*
* — Russia. In discussing his recent talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that it is Russia's choice whether to have good relations with the U.S. "A more stable, predictable relationship with them, I think, would be good for us, good for them, and...good for the world," Blinken said, while emphasizing that the administration will call out Russia and defend American interests if Russia pursues "reckless and aggressive actions." —Politico ([link removed])
*
* — Israel. Blinken also affirmed President Biden's commitment to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, arguing that without solutions that afforded Palestinians more dignity, the cycle of violence was likely to continue. "Ultimately, it is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, and of course the only way to give the Palestinians the state to which they're entitled," he said. —Politico ([link removed])

MORE: Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds, UN to launch Gaza aid appeal —Reuters ([link removed])


** Micek: 'We're a republic, not a democracy' doesn't check out
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"There's a pattern that emerges if you start examining those who most often make this shopworn argument: They're white, privileged, and speaking from a position of great power. Thus, it behooves them to envision as limited an idea of political participation as possible." —John L. Micek in Pennsylvania Capital-Star ([link removed])

John L. Micek is the editor-in-chief of Pennsylvania Capital-Star, a syndicated columnist, and the author of "Ordinary Angels."

MORE: John Harwood: Dismissed in 2012, this diagnosis of GOP ills has now become undeniable —CNN ([link removed])

In response to Dr. David G.'s comments in The Topline on May 19, we need to remember the context around past failures of third parties and the context of the failures of the Republican Party these days (not to mention the problems with the Democratic Party, too). Given the explosion in communications technology and the continued drive toward authoritarianism on the right, I think a third party now would have better chances than in times past to make an impact, much like Lincoln did leaving the Whig Party. —Dr. Michael L., Arizona

I find myself once again struggling with so many whys: Why are the Republicans doing what they're doing? Why is there an unlawful recount going on in Arizona? Why might the Republicans retake the house in 2022 and run roughshod over the country again? Why is Mitch McConnell once more doing everything in his power to thwart another Democratic president's agenda? Why are Sens. Manchin and Sinema continuing to act like Republicans instead of the Democrats they proclaim to be? And why, almost overnight, are state, county, and local governments, run by so many Republicans, demanding recounts of the already certified 2020 election?

It is apparent that the statement "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it" has come to pass, thanks to the sore loser who knows the truth but refuses to accept it. As more information comes out about the former president, it is frightening to think of what would have happened had he, in fact, won the election in 2020. This person has become America's Hitler; he is a master manipulator, and there are far too many people who believe his BIG LIE.

Finally, why am I defending someone with whom I almost totally disagree on everything—Liz Cheney? She's one of the few Republicans, along with Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Sen. Mitt Romney, who has integrity. The other Republican congressional members continue to run rampant over our democracy/republic, telling the world their way is the correct way when we all know it is not. How could one person have thrown this country into such turmoil, bringing the traitors and seditionists out of the woodwork by the hundreds? Thousands? What is the matter with these people?

I am beyond concerned, because the Democrats seem to be doing little or nothing to stand up against it. I've read articles on what they should be doing, but they're not. Do the rest of us really deserve what we're going to get? —Marylea L., New York
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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Got feedback about THE TOPLINE? Send it to Melissa Amour, Managing Editor, at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
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