Happy Wednesday, my valentines! 💝 Today is both Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday.The White House lawn is decked out with conversation hearts and giant letters. How cute! Here’s what’s happening today:

• Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) won back his old seat to replace expelled former GOP Rep. George Santos in the New York special election Tuesday. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it flipped the seat, making House Republicans’ narrow majority even slimmer. Plus, it’s a potential preview of November. 

• House Republicans impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas  Tuesday in their second attempt. Not much changed except for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) returned to cast his vote — while others were absent due to travel and health issues.

• Two of former President Trump‘s criminal cases will have dueling, blockbuster hearings Thursday. 

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) won back his old seat in the House Tuesday in the special election to replace former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). 

Why this important for Congress: It cuts House Republicans’ already razor-thin majority by one. Once Suozzi is sworn in, Republicans will control the House 219-213 with three vacant seats. That means that only two Republicans can defect in any given party-line vote. 😅 

What to know about Suozzi — The SALT guy is back:  Suozzi served in Congress for six years and then left for an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid. He has positioned himself as a moderate who will work with Republicans. One of Suozzi’s policy priorities has been repealing the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions to reduce the cost of living.  

Any hints for November?: The Hill’s Jared Gans explains that “the race was seen as an important bellwether heading into the November general election, as New York will be key to Democrats’ strategy to win back control of the House. The 3rd Congressional District is one of five in the state that voted for Biden in 2020 but elected a Republican representative in 2022.” (The Hill) 

• “Democrats avert a disaster.”
• “House Republicans’ math gets even harder.”
• “GOP messaging on immigration wasn’t enough.”
• “Democrats exceed turnout expectations.”
• “GOP faces mail-in voting problem.” 

Explainer for each, from The Hill

‘Not an Ordinary Special Election, and Yet a Typical Result’: The New York Times  

GOP  hopeful Nikki Haley blames Trump: Haley’s campaign called former President Trump a “huge weight” on Republican candidates.  

What does Santos think about it all?:  Santos who was expelled in December over criminal charges and the many false claims he made about his background, told NewsNation that he has “mixed feelings” about who will replace him. Santos said that on one hand, he doesn’t want a Democrat to win, but on the other hand, he wants to “stick it to the people who took me out.” 📹 Watch the clip 

Some finger-pointing: Punchbowl News’s Jake Sherman posted that there’s been “a healthy round of finger pointing this morning among Republicans here on Capitol Hill this morning about NY3. So far I’ve heard: 

– People say the Nassau County GOP machine is useless after supporting Pilip and Santos.  

– People blame the leadership 

– People blame Pilip herself for hiding out and not raising enough cash.”  

Trump blamed a ‘foolish’ GOP candidate: In a Truth Social post, Trump posted that he “just watched this very foolish woman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, running in a race where she didn’t endorse me and tried to ‘straddle the fence,’ when she would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America.” Trump’s full post 

House Republicans impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday in a tight, 214-213 vote. 

This is significant : Mayorkas is the first Cabinet official to be impeached since the 1870s. 

Does this mean he will be removed from office? : No! It moves to the Democratic-led Senate where the impeachment articles are not expected to move. The impeachment is widely considered to be a partisan move.  

This vote failed last week. What changed?: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is back in the House and was able to vote. He was absent last week for cancer treatment.  

The three Republicans who opposed Mayorkas’s impeachment: Reps. Mike Gallagher (Wis.), Ken Buck (Colo.) and Tom McClintock (Calif.). (The Hill) 

Senate Republicans are pretty annoyed with Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) attempts to tank the $60 billion Ukraine funding bill — and are now pressuring him to bring it to a floor vote. 

How Johnson tried to meddle with the Senate bill : “Johnson took the unusual step of panning the Senate bill Monday evening, moments before senators took three crucial procedural votes to advance the legislation. Twenty minutes before the votes were to begin, Johnson released a statement declaring senators ‘should have gone back to the drawing border to include real border security provisions that would actually help end the ongoing catastrophe.’”  

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton explains the significance and repercussions of Johnson’s move. 

Two of former President Trump ’s criminal cases will have dueling, blockbuster hearings on Thursday. 

In New York:  “[A] judge will weigh Trump’s bid to toss his hush money case, the indictment that made the former real estate mogul the first former or current president in history to ever be criminally charged.” 

In Georgia:  “[Lawyers] for Trump and some of his co-defendants will attempt to seek the disqualification of the top prosecutors overseeing their election interference case after the duo’s alleged romantic relationship was exposed in court filings.” 

Where will Trump be?:  “[As of] Tuesday, Trump’s lead Georgia attorney indicated he would not travel to Georgia and instead go to the proceeding in New York, though Trump is known to change his plans at the last minute.” 

What to expect, via The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is loosening its COVID-19 isolation recommendations, no longer suggesting that Americans who test positive for the virus stay home for five days, reports The Washington Post’s Lena H. Sun.  

The expected recommendation — decide based on symptoms: “Under the new approach, people would no longer need to stay home if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication and their symptoms are mild and improving, according to three agency officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions.”  

Why?: “The new reality — with most people having developed a level of immunity to the virus because of prior infection or vaccination — warrants a shift to a more practical approach, experts and health officials say.” (The Washington Post )  

• ‘The Six Months That Short-Circuited the Electric-Vehicle Revolution’: The Wall Street Journal 
• ‘Trump vs. Haley battle enters nastier phase’: The Hill 
  ‘I was head of the NSA. In a world of threats, this is my biggest worry.’: Washington Post op-ed from Paul M. Nakasone
• ‘Europe Wants to Stand on Its Own Militarily. Is It Too Little, Too Late?’: The New York Times 
• ‘Uber, Lyft drivers to strike on Valentine’s Day over pay’: The Washington Post

💝 Celebrate: Today is National Chocolate-Filled Chocolates Day! That checks out. 

❣️ Lol, how romantic: Former President Trump sent a Valentine’s Day letter to former first lady Melania Trump in the form of a fundraising email. “Dear Melania, I LOVE YOU. Even after every single INDICTMENT, ARREST, and WITCH HUNT, you never left my side,” Trump’s message starts. Read the full email / Another screenshot 

⛪️ Notre Dame’s new spire: Scaffolding came down this week on Notre Dame’s new spire after the 2019 fire destroyed parts of the Paris landmark.  New photos of Notre Dame 

💊 Advil is magic: “How Much Advil Is Too Much?” The New York Times’s Melinda Wenner Moyer writes that “Ibuprofen can be a blessing for those with aches and pains, but overdoing it poses serious risks.” New York Times explainer 

The House is in. The Senate is out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.  (all times Eastern)

• Noon: Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have lunch together. 

• Noon: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and national security adviser Jake Sullivan brief reporters. 💻 Livestream

• 1 p.m.: Biden and Harris receive the Presidential Daily Briefing. 

• 4:15 p.m. First and last House votes. 🗓️ Today’s agenda
• 7 p.m.: Former President Trump holds a campaign rally in Charleston, S.C. 💻 Livestream
• 8:30 p.m. : Harris leaves for Munich, Germany. 

To leave you feeling festive, here’s a dog who put a lot of thought into Valentine’s Day.   

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