Vox Sentences - Recess is over for Congress

Congress returns this week with a busy agenda ahead of the 2022 midterms; President Emmanuel Macron wins reelection in France.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

What Democrats hope to get done ahead of this year's midterms

Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

• Congress is back in session after a two-week recess, and Democrats have just six months to accomplish their congressional goals before the 2022 midterm elections. [The Hill / Jordain Carney]
• Up first is securing $10 billion for Covid-19 testing, treatment, and therapeutics. Before the holiday, Senate leaders reached an agreement that fell apart when GOP lawmakers demanded the funding be contingent on extending Title 42. [CNN / Betsy Klein]
• Presidents Trump and Biden have used Title 42 to prevent asylum seekers from entering the US because of the pandemic. The rule is set to expire in May; Republicans and vulnerable Democrats have demanded it be extended. [National Public Radio / Deepa Shivaram]
• Biden has also called on Congress to approve $800 million for heavy weapons and artillery for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s invasion. [Associated Press / Matthew Lee]
• And Democrats hope to restart negotiations on a pared-down version of Biden’s Build Back Better spending package. Prospects for doing so remain dim, as Sen. Joe Manchin, who tanked the plan last year, hasn’t publicly backed a reboot. [NBC News / Sahil Kapur and Benjy Sarlin]
• Lawmakers also hope to pass legislation bolstering competitiveness with China and reducing drug prices, if they can find bipartisan agreement on both issues. [Vox / Li Zhou]

Emmanuel Macron wins French presidential elections

• Emmanuel Macron beat far-right challenger Marine Le Pen in run-off elections Sunday, to become the first French president reelected in 20 years. [CNN / Joshua Berlinger and Joseph Ataman]
• Macron’s 59 percent to 41 percent victory over Le Pen was greeted with relief from leaders across the European Union and NATO who believe Le Pen is too close with Russia. [CBS News]
• But Le Pen, who also faced Macron in 2017, had her best showing yet, succeeding in bringing far-right ideas about Islam and immigration into the French mainstream. [The Atlantic / Yasmeen Serhan]
• Macron’s triumph could also be short-lived. If his party doesn’t win a majority in June’s parliamentary elections, Macron’s ability to advance his agenda will be limited. [Reuters / Sophie Louet and Ingrid Melander]

The Supreme Court appears likely to rule in favor of a Washington football coach’s right to pray publicly after games. [New York Times / Adam Liptak]

• On Monday, a judge held Donald Trump in contempt for failing to comply with document subpoenas in a New York state civil case. [BBC]
• Last week, Kane Tanaka of Japan, Guinness world record-holder for the oldest living person, died at 119. [NBC / Elisha Fieldstadt]
• Twitter’s board has accepted Elon Musk’s $44 billion buyout offer. [CNBC / Lauren Feiner]

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“My sense is this is a make or break moment,”

[Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Biden’s spending package, in the Washington Post]

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