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Wednesday's Mini-Report, 2.3.21

Today's edition of quick hits.

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Today's edition of quick hits:

* He's right: "The push to pass a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package through Congress escalated Wednesday as President Joe Biden made clear to Democrats that the need for aid is urgent and lawmakers prepared to use a special budget process to allow the Senate to advance the measure with only a simple majority vote."

* A RICO approach would be interesting: "The U.S. Justice Department is considering whether to charge members of far-right groups involved in the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol under a federal law usually used against organized crime, according to two law enforcement sources."

* Big news out of Ottawa: "Canada formally labeled the Proud Boys, the far-right extremist group that's been gaining increased notoriety in America, as a terrorist group, Ottawa announced on Wednesday."

* An important move from late yesterday: "President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a second spate of orders to undo his predecessor's immigration policies, demonstrating the powers of the White House and its limitations without support from Congress."

* Rioters undercut Trump's defense: "Former president Donald Trump formally responded Tuesday to the charges filed by House Democrats in his second impeachment, denying that he incited a mob to violently descend on the Capitol building to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's win. But court records in the 175-plus criminal cases filed so far in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection reveal that's exactly what at least some of Trump's supporters thought he was directing them to do."

* Capitol Hill: "The House on Tuesday night adopted a rule to impose fines on lawmakers who flout new security measures requiring they pass through security screening, including metal detectors, to enter the House floor. Under the measure, lawmakers that refuse to comply would be fined $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for a second offense."

* This 63-year-old Republican, four months following her election, now faces 20 criminal charges: "As she planned a run for the Missouri House last April, Patricia Ashton Derges went on local TV to trumpet a stem cell treatment offered at three clinics she owns as a 'potential cure' for the coronavirus. But when federal officials began investigating the claim, they found Derges was making 'misleading statements' about the treatment, prosecutors said — it didn't actually include any stem cells."

See you tomorrow.