Calls for bipartisan election reform

Plus: RNC censures Cheney and Kinzinger; ISIS leader killed [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( Feb. 5, 2022 This week, we looked at possible changes to the Electoral Count Act, the RNC's censure of Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger, and the team that will help Biden's Supreme Court pick navigate the confirmation process. Plus, Pence calls Trump "wrong" for saying he could have overturned the 2020 election. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images Now that broad voting rights legislation failed to pass Congress, attention is turning toward whether reforming the Electoral Count Act will happen. The law outlines the process for counting the votes that elect the president. But its language is confusing and, after former President Donald Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election, experts called for clarifying and updating the law. There is some bipartisan support for working on it, and there are several Republicans involved. But there are some questions: - Are there 60 votes? At this point, it's not clear. - What will the language of the legislation be? Because some worry it could eliminate reporting of the national popular vote, for example. - And what does it mean that Trump has come out against the effort? On that third question, one school of thought is that it will make Republicans who fear Trump less likely to support the effort. Others say that because Trump falsely claimed that his vice president, Mike Pence, had the power to overturn the election – which, [as Pence said Friday]( he did not – some Republicans think that demonstrates why the law needs to be rewritten. Democrats had initially been reluctant to push the effort because they saw it as a distraction from broader voting rights. But with that failing in Congress, there’s some evidence they are [softening their stance](. — [Domenico Montanaro]( NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Top Stories J. Scott Applewhite/AP RNC censures Cheney, Kinzinger: The [Republican National Committee on Friday censured GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger]( the only two House GOP lawmakers on a panel investigating the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. The move highlights the strong hold former President Donald Trump maintains on the party. The same day, former [Vice President Mike Pence said Trump is "wrong" to say that Pence]( had the authority to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election. ISIS leader killed: President Biden said a counterterrorism operation in northern Syria [resulted in the death of ISIS leader Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi](. A senior administration official said that al-Qurayshi "detonated a blast, a significant blast killing himself and several others, including his wife and children." SCOTUS nominee latest: Former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones has been [named to help Biden’s eventual Supreme Court nominee navigate the Senate confirmation process](. Jones will be part of a White House team including senior White House officials and counsel, as well as outside experts. Seditious conspiracy history: The Justice Department charged 11 members of the far-right Oath Keepers with seditious conspiracy for their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection. In the past four decades, [DOJ has brought around a half dozen seditious conspiracy cases]( and those prosecutions have ended with mixed results. Trump’s racist rhetoric: At recent rallies, Trump [has escalated his racist rhetoric and has again flirted with mob violence]( calling for mass protests if prosecutors investigating him do anything he deems to be "wrong or illegal." "When you're denied the normal ways in which you reach your demographic, you intensify to garner more attention," Casey Kelly, a professor who has studied Trump’s rhetoric, told NPR. — [Brandon Carter]( NPR Politics social media producer The Shot: Claire Harbage/NPR An NPR reporting team recently spent time in Donbas, Ukraine, on the border with Russia. It's where the bulk of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops are amassed. Tensions have been simmering in this region since Russian-backed separatists moved in in 2014. NPR photographer Claire Harbage’s images from the area offer a look at a place where the threat of war has become a way of life. [The photos and NPR's report from Donbas are here](. — [Heidi Glenn]( NPR digital editor --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]