The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Washington braces for first Jan. 6 testimony

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

TALK OF THE MORNING 

Lawmakers are dabbling with prime time: 

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol is holding its first hearing tonight at 8 p.m. EDT. 

What evidence the committee will present tonight: Recorded depositions from former White House officials and Trump family members. The committee has also said it will share new footage that hasn’t been shown publicly.  

Should we expect partisan bickering like most hearings?: “While the panel includes two Republicans, the committee is aligned in its goal, and it will likely avoid the partisan squabbling that is a feature of both standard hearings and even those dedicated to major investigations.”  

Full preview from The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch and Harper Neidig 

Hearing livestream: It starts at 8 p.m. EDT. 

➤ ‘WHAT DOES A JAN. 6 HEARING VICTORY LOOK LIKE FOR DEMOCRATS?’:  

There is some disagreement among Democrats, according to The Hill’s Mike Lillis. 

The goal for some: “[To] provide a high-stakes history lesson of sorts, revealing not only what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, when a pro-Trump mob tried to block the peaceful transfer of power, but why the threat to democracy remains real.” 

The goal for others: “Another group is voicing hopes that the public airing of new revelations about the deadly riot will lead to greater accountability for those who executed it.” 

^ And some want to take that a step further: “[Some] want the investigators’ findings to amp up the pressure on the Justice Department to prosecute more members of Trump’s inner circle — or even the former president himself — for their role in orchestrating the attack.”  

➤ ‘HOW JARED KUSHNER WASHED HIS HANDS OF DONALD TRUMP BEFORE JAN. 6’’: 
Via The New York Times’s Pete Baker

IT’S THURSDAY. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

🎥 In the White House 

I’ve been asked this question a lot lately. Couldn’t Biden regulate guns through executive orders?:

President Biden said he isn’t planning to issue an executive order on guns. 

Biden’s reasoning — he said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”: “I don’t want to emulate Trump’s abuse of the Constitution and constitutional authority. I mean that sincerely because I often get asked — ‘Look, the Republicans don’t play it square, why do you play it square?’ Well, guess what. If we do the same thing they do, our democracy will literally be in jeopardy.” 

What Biden said he has done: “I have issued executive orders within the power of the presidency to be able to deal with everything having to do with guns, gun ownership, whether or not you have to have a waiting period. All the things that are within my power.” Watch Biden’s interview with Kimmel 

➤TO ANSWER THE QUESTION FURTHER OF WHAT BIDEN COULD DO:  

Here’s a segment from NPR’s Tamara Keith discussing the actions Biden could take. Listen to the 3-minute clip

🧾In Congress 

I’m just a bill. A symbolic bill. That will forever live here on Capitol Hill: 

The House passed a big gun reform package Wednesday, which is largely symbolic as a bipartisan group of senators continue to negotiate a passable gun bill. 

A few examples of what’s in the House bill: The bill “would raise the minimum age for buying a semi-automatic weapon from 18 to 21, prohibit civilian use of ammunition magazines with more than 15 rounds, and enact new federal criminal offenses for gun trafficking and straw purchases of firearms…” More on what’s in the bill, via The Hill’s Mychael Schnell 

It was a party-line vote, except for two Democrats: Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.) voted against the bill. 

And five Republicans — Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.) and Fred Upton (Mich.) — voted “yes.” 

➤NEW NPR POLL — AMERICANS ARE MORE LIKELY TO VOTE AFTER THE RECENT MASS SHOOTINGS: 
72 percent of Americans said they are more likely to vote in upcoming elections after the shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. More from the poll 

Speaking of the Senate negotiations, they’ve made some progress!: 

Via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, “Senate negotiators have sketched the outlines of a bill to address gun violence and respond to recent mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, but they haven’t yet nailed down the crucial details that will determine whether the legislation can get 60 votes to pass.”  

What the group of Democrats and Republicans agree about: “[T]he legislation should encourage states to set up red flag laws to remove guns from dangerous people, strengthen the national criminal background check system and provide money for mental health treatment.” 

^Oh and: “There’s also bipartisan discussion about encouraging safe storage of firearms and further regulating people who sell large numbers of weapons without obtaining a Federal Firearms License, which would require them to conduct background checks for all sales.” What we know about the legislation so far

🦠 Latest with COVID 

➤ BY THE NUMBERS 

Cases to date: 84.9 million 

Death toll: 1,004,732 

Current hospitalizations: 23,439 

Shots administered: 589 million 

Fully vaccinated: 66.7 percent of Americans 

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets 

Lol: 

CNN’s Kasie Hunt tweeted, “Oh right, the tourists are back around Capitol Hill: [Overheard] in Dirksen: ‘Yesterday, I rode on the Senate subway with [Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)] in his workout uniform. It was so cool.’”  

Another lol: The Washington Post’s Marianna Sotomayor replied to Hunt’s tweet with a similar story: “Just overheard teenagers say they’re ‘pretty sure’ they saw [Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)] at &pizza, but I’m pretty sure that’s probably not the case.”

⏱On tap 

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Los Angeles.

• 10:45 – 11:45 a.m.: First and last votes in the House. The House’s agenda today 
• 1:45 p.m.: A Senate confirmation vote. The Senate’s agenda today 
• 2:45 p.m.: Biden participates in a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 
• 4:30 p.m.: Biden and Harris meet with leaders of Caribbean nations. 
• 6:30 p.m.: Biden participates in bilateral meeting with Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro. 
• 10:45 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden host a dinner for heads of state and their spouses for the Ninth Summit of the Americas. 

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch 

• 2 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks at the IV CEO Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. Livestream 
• 5 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks at the opening plenary of the Ninth Summit of the Americas. Livestream 
• 8 p.m.: The first hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Livestream

🍓 In lighter news 

Today is National Strawberry Rhubarb Day.

And to leave you just as confused as this pup, here’s a dog watching golf and wondering where to personally catch the ball.