• CONGRESS TO FCC: Around one-quarter of House Republicans wrote to Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urging the FCC to not lift the television ownership cap. Over 40 House Republicans, led by Rep. Dan Meuser (R., Pa.), “also urge the Commission to reject any merger or FCC waiver that violates the statutory Cap and fails to serve the public interest.”
  • DEFUND ICE 2.0: Senate Republicans are increasingly prepared to fight it out with Democrats over the Democrats’ demands to fund the DHS appropriations bill. Republicans are convinced that, in the long-term, defending ICE is a political winner. Senate Republican leadership has been sharing polls showing that a solid majority of Americans still favor deporting all illegal aliens. “Defund ICE is the new defund the police” said one Senate source.
  • WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM: Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) hosted a hearing about media ownership in the digital age. Among the witnesses were Newsmax’s CEO, Chris Ruddy, who argued that President Donald Trump is getting bad advice from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr when it comes to the Nexstar-Tegna merger.
  • NATSEC CONCERNS: Former Sen. Richard Burr (R., N.C.), the chairman of the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter), cautioned that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has more work to do when it comes to cracking down on illicit vapes that China is flooding America’s markets with. “At home and abroad, the downstream consequences of a misguided regulatory approach toward nicotine are playing out in real time and demonstrate the far-reaching impacts that jeopardize public safety and foster criminal activity,” Burr noted. “Unlike other illegal products that operate in the shadows, the illicit nicotine product market in the United States is operating in plain sight. We encourage FDA to continue their enforcement efforts and act with urgency to deliver product decisions on applications awaiting review so adult consumers have more legal options and retailers get the clarity they need.”
  • HERE’S TO THE HARPERS: State Affairs’s Caroline Bryant and Ethan Harper, the chief counsel to Sen. Eric Schmitt (R., Mo.), tied the knot this weekend at Bethesda’s Fourth Presbyterian Church. Among those in attendance were former Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Neb.), Alex Sasse, Gefen Kabik, Emily Jacobs, Jeremy Hunt, Jonah Wendt, McKenna Wendt, Haley Strack, Peter Berkowitz, Dylan Gresik, Jesus Osete, Austin Rogers, and Chris Zhen.
  • LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL: On Saturday, friends packed into Georgetown Piano Bar for a lively birthday bash celebrating Stephen Lewerenz, Luke Wilt, and Andre Torres. Among those spotted were Marisela Ramirez, Grace Newton, Meg Tome, Ryan Schmelz, Alex Miller, Haley Talbot, Blake Kernen, Zach Halaschak, Hunter Lovell, Bryn McCarthy, Eric Fejer, Hannah Eddins, Matthew Donnell, Sterling Stockwell, Joe Gulla, Anna Margaret Burnett, Gigi Powers, Olivia Fahrmann, Sarah Young, Anna Rose Moore, Kathleen Bochow, Carolyn Holran, Bryce Billiot, Ben Sharp, Perry Mains, Mitchell Shea, Aliza Fassett, Ben Sumner, Nate Lerner, Paycen Brouillette, Gardner McCabe, and Sarah Gallagher.