10 things you need to know today: January 2, 2021

Senate overrides Trump's veto of defense bill, Judge rejects GOP lawsuit against Pence, and more

The U.S. Capitol.
(Image credit: Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

1. Senate overrides Trump's veto of defense bill

The Senate voted 81-13 on Friday to override President Trump's veto of the $741 billion defense authorization bill. This was Congress' first veto override of Trump's presidency, which is now in its final days. Earlier in the week, the House voted to back the legislation. It authorizes pay raises for service members and imposes new limits on how much of the military's construction budget the president can move by emergency order. Trump said he vetoed the measure because he did not like how it restricts the president's ability to draw down troop levels, as well as the fact that it directs the Pentagon to strip the names of Confederate figures from U.S. military installations. Trump also wanted the legislation to include a repeal of liability protections for tech companies, a completely unrelated issue.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.