Good morning. These are today’s top stories:
Senate Republicans silence Elizabeth Warren
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was cut off on the Senate floor last night for quoting Coretta Scott King while voicing her concerns about Sen. Jeff Sessions’ nomination for Attorney General. The Democratic lawmaker was asked to sit down for violating Senate rules for “impugning the motives” of Sessions. She later spoke out in tweets, saying, “I will not be silent.” The Senate is expected to vote on Sessions’ confirmation today.
Betsy DeVos is confirmed as Education Secretary
Billionaire philanthropist Betsy DeVos was narrowly approved to be the nation’s next Secretary of Education yesterday after Vice President Mike Pence stepped in to break a tie in the Senate. In a historic move, Pence voted in favor of DeVos, becoming the first vice president to break a tie on a Cabinet nomination. DeVos was sworn in yesterday evening.
Yemen moves to ban U.S. ground missions
Yemen is reportedly no longer allowing the U.S. to carry out Special Operation anti-terrorist ground missions in the country. The decision comes after a deadly raid in Yemen last month that left an American commando and several Yemeni civilians dead.
Battlestar Galactica actor dies at 71
Richard Hatch, who starred as Captain Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica series, has died at age 71. The actor had pancreatic cancer.
Also:
Tornadoes caused chaos in Louisiana, injuring dozens of people and leaving 10,000 homes without power.
A federal appeals court’s ruling on Trump’s immigration ban could be announced as early as today.
The Department of Defense wants to rent space in Trump Tower.
Merriam-Webster added more than 1,000 words to its dictionary, including “weak sauce”—a popular term among young people for something unimpressive.
People are really amused by new photos of former President Barack Obama enjoying his island vacation with Richard Branson.
The Morning Brief is published Mondays through Fridays. Email Morning Brief writer Melissa Chan at melissa.chan@time.com.
- What We Know So Far About the Deadly Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
- Beyoncé's Album of the Year Snub Fits Into the Grammys' Long History of Overlooking Black Women
- How the U.S. Shot Down the Alleged Chinese Spy Balloon
- Effective Altruism Has a Toxic Culture of Sexual Harassment and Abuse, Women Say
- Inside Bolsonaro's Surreal New Life as a Florida Man—and MAGA Darling
- 'Return to Office' Plans Spell Trouble for Working Moms
- 8 Ways to Read More Books—and Why You Should
- Why Aren't Movies Sexy Anymore?
- How Logan Paul's Crypto Empire Fell Apart
