— Pressley reveals private struggle, with powerful message on black women’s hair: Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s signature hairstyle of Senegalese twists became, as she called it, part of her political brand and a source of empowerment for her and other black women. But in a deeply personal video essay for The Root, Pressley revealed she has alopecia, and that on the eve of the House vote on impeachment she lost the last of her hair. She wore a wig on the House floor.
“When I saw myself in the mirror … I did not recognize myself,” she said. “I was wearing this wig, fully clothed. But in that moment, I couldn’t recall the last time I’d ever felt more naked.”
In the video, in which Pressley wears a wig but later reveals her bald head, she stressed she is learning to accept her look, saying: “It’s about self-agency. It’s about power. It’s about acceptance.”
— Warren, Markey split on USMCA: The USMCA trade deal is headed for the president’s desk, but it did not get the backing of Sen. Ed Markey.
While Markey praised improvements in labor standards and protections in the agreement -- changes that brought major labor unions on board -- the senator said the deal fails to hold fossil fuel companies to a tough enough standard.
“We cannot afford another 26 days, let alone years, of business as usual, where fossil fuel companies get to play by their own rules,” Markey said in a statement. “Despite this climate emergency, the USMCA trade deal fails to even mention climate change -- the most important issue of our time.”
Warren supports the trade pact, saying during Tuesday’s debate that it “will give some relief to our farmers, it will give some relief to our workers. I believe we accept that relief.”
— Justices likely holding Massachusetts assault weapons case: A challenge to Massachusetts' assault weapons ban has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, but the justices could wait a while before deciding whether to hear the case.
The case was one of several petitions the justices considered last week, but they announced no action on the matter. The case was not relisted for consideration at tomorrow’s conference. That could indicate the justices will hold the case until another Second Amendment case out of New York is decided first. Argued in December, it was the first major gun rights case the court has taken up in more than a decade.
— Moulton relaunches PAC recruiting vets for office: Rep. Seth Moulton has relaunched his PAC backing Democratic military veterans’ bids for public office.
Serve America PAC again endorsed the 21 House members it backed last cycle, noting 18 of them flipped red seats blue, and threw its support behind nine House and Senate candidates for the 2020 cycle.
For the House, the PAC backed: Janessa Goldbeck (Calif.-53); Zahra Karinshak (Ga.-7); Kai Kahele (Hawaii-2); Josh Hicks (Ky.-6); Dan Feehan (Minn.-1); Jackie Gordon (N.Y.-2); Nikki Foster (Ohio-1); Gina Ortiz Jones (Texas-23) and Kim Olson (Texas-24).
For Senate, it endorsed Michael Franken (Iowa); Amy McGrath (Ky.); and James Mackler (Tenn.).
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