Good morning! Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. I'm Brent Griffiths. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox each day.
Send your tips and thoughts to bgriffiths@insider.com or tweet me @BrentGriffiths.
Here's what you need to know:
1. HE'S BACK: Former President Donald Trump tore into his successor and disloyal Republicans in his CPAC speech, his first since leaving the White House. While he rejected the idea of creating a new party, Trump strongly hinted he'll run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
For now, activists and fellow Republicans say his biggest test is next year. More from our exclusive report.
We also fact-checked Trump's speech.
On paper, 2022 looks promising for Republicans: The president's party traditionally struggles in midterms. The GOP just needs to flip five House seats and one Senate seat.
One of the Republicans Trump attacked:
It won't be a glide to 2024: The CPAC/Washington Times straw poll released just before Trump's speech found 97% of attendees approved of his performance as president, but only 68% wanted him to run again in 2024. Straw polls aren't scientific, but higher numbers would have been expected for Trump from a heavily pro-MAGA crowd.
Other CPAC takeaways:
2. The New York AG rejected Cuomo's proposal on how to investigate sexual-harassment claims against him: Letitia James wants her office alone to select an outside lawyer to investigate claims about Gov. Andrew Cuomo under a referral that would give the investigation subpoena power. Cuomo also apologized to people who "misinterpreted" some of his actions as "unwanted flirtation," saying he was only trying to "add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business."
3. Dems could start pushing for long-sought gun reform laws this month: Top Democrats in the House and Senate tell Insider that they want to push for background check legislation, similar to what the House passed in 2019. Even with complete control in Washington, Democrats would still need 60 votes in the Senate. More on what else is on the table here.
4. Senate Democrats abandoned a plan B for a $15 minimum wage: Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden had proposed a tax on large corporations that do not pay their workers enough, after a straight $15-per-hour minimum wage was forced out of the COVID-19 relief bill last week. They're now ditching their proposal, The Washington Post first reported, so that the relief plan can quickly pass before unemployment insurance expires. More on what this means.
5. Biden backs efforts of Amazon workers to organize: The president offered his support for Amazon employees in Alabama, defending their rights as they consider forming a union. He did not mention the tech giant specifically, but said every worker has the right to determine whether or not to join.
6. The top things for your calendar, all times Eastern:
7. Republicans are using the "big lie" to push voting-rights restrictions: In statehouses across the country, the myth that the election was stolen from Trump is behind a number of proposals that would create new barriers to voting, The Times reports.
8. Fauci encourages Americans to get whatever vaccine they can: He said he would have "no hesitancy whatsoever" taking the newly-authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The two previously-authorized vaccines have higher efficacy rates, but Fauci noted that the three shots were not compared to each other. Americans could start receiving J&J's vaccine this week.
9. Everything you missed during the Golden Globes: Stars sometimes struggled with technology in the mostly-virtual affair co-hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Netflix won big, courtesy of "The Crown" (4) and "The Queen's Gambit" (2). "Schitt's Creek" ended its run with two more Globes, including for best comedy series. Here's the complete list of winners. The most awkward moments. And all the looks.
10. "SNL" skewered Cuomo and California Gov. Gavin Newsom: The Democrats were blasted in Saturday's cold open for their recent controversies. The sketch riffed on vaccine confusion by having Fauci, played by Kate McKinnon, host a game show called "So you think you can get the vaccine?" At one point, Fauci offered a contestant the "Kirkland-signature vaccine" that comes with "a free pack of 24 hot dogs." Watch the full sketch.
One last thing.
Today's trivia question: Today is the first day of Women's History Month. Who was the first woman to give a response to a State of the Union address? Note: We'll accept either the name of this woman or the first woman to provide a solo-response. Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.