While you were sleeping, Senate Democrats were holding court on the Senate floor, part of a 24-hour effort to highlight the unusually large amount of opposition to President Trump's education secretary pick, Betsy DeVos. All 48 Democrats and two Republicans are expected to vote against DeVos, and part of the Democratic marathon was aimed at peeling away one more Republican. "I am encouraging my colleagues to search your hearts, step aside from party politics and pay to play in politics, and fight for the children of the United States of America," Sen. Jeff Merkeley (D-Ore.) said before dawn. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) noted the deluge of phone calls from constituents opposed to DeVos. "You can ask the Senate Republicans whether they're getting phone calls, too — they're getting phone calls, too," he said.
Democrats point out that DeVos, a Michigan billionaire and activist for taxpayer-funded school choice, has no personal or professional experience in public education or elected public office, and seemed really unprepared in her confirmation hearing. Her Republican supporters celebrate that she's an outsider and say Democrats and the horde of constituents calling them are just taking out their bitterness at Trump's election on DeVos. "She is having her 15 minutes of fame — at the wrong time," Mike Petrilli of the pro-school-choice Thomas B. Fordham Institute tells USA Today. The vote on DeVos is expected at noon. You can watch some excerpts from the Democrats' all-nighter in this video from The Associated Press, followed by a more curated report from CNN. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Miami Showband massacre, 50 years onThe Explainer Unanswered questions remain over Troubles terror attack that killed three members of one of Ireland's most popular music acts
-
Tea app hack: user data stolen from women's dating safety appIn The Spotlight Data leak has led to fears users could be targeted by men angered by the app's premise
-
The Assassin: action-packed caper is 'terrific fun'The Week Recommends Keeley Hawes stars as a former hitwoman drawn out of retirement for 'one last job'
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned ParenthoodSpeed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
-
Trump contradicts Israel, says 'starvation' in GazaSpeed Read The president suggests Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians
-
Trump executive order targets homelessSpeed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White HouseSpeed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for TrumpSpeed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mountsSpeed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK filesSpeed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election lossesSpeed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
