From Beto O’Rourke to the president’s first veto, it’s been a busy week in American politics. Here are some of the biggest stories you might have missed (and some links if you’d like to read further).
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Congress stood up to the president this week.
Three votes in Congress this week demonstrated a newfound willingness among some of Mr. Trump’s Republican allies to stand up to him.
The first came Wednesday, when the Senate again rebuked Mr. Trump for his defense of Saudi Arabia after the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Senators voted for a second time to end American military assistance for the kingdom’s war in Yemen.
On Thursday, a dozen Republicans joined Senate Democrats to overturn President Trump’s national emergency declaration at the southwest border, delivering the second bipartisan rebuke of the week for what lawmakers in both parties deemed executive overreach. That led to the president’s first veto on Friday.
And arguably the week’s most consequential vote also happened on Thursday, when House Republicans joined Democrats to demand that the Justice Department publicly release the full findings of Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Additional Reading
• G.O.P.’s Attempt to Avoid Emergency Showdown With Trump Is Scuttled, by Trump
• How Every Senator Voted on Ending Trump’s National Emergency
• Impeaching Trump Is ‘Not Worth It,’ Nancy Pelosi Says
An even-more-crowded primary.
A poll of likely Iowa caucusgoers released this weekend found Joe Biden atop the field of potential 2020 Democratic candidates, followed closely by Senator Bernie Sanders.
But will Beto O’Rourke, whose near-miss Senate run in Texas last year propelled him to Democratic stardom, change the polls? His entrance into the race on Thursday adds a relentless campaigner with a small-dollar fund-raising army to the crowded field.
Policy issues around the Democratic primary are also coming into focus. The leading candidates have largely embraced progressive ideas on health care, taxes, the environment and Middle East policy. This has unnerved moderates, who fear the party could blow its chance to beat Mr. Trump by careening over a liberal…
