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A4 THE BULLETIN • MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 Who controls the Senate? Fight leaves Biden’s agenda in limbo Sides battle over $2 trillion virus package, impeachment — even basic legislative rules BY MIKE DEBONIS AND SEUNG MIN KIM The Washington Post WASHINGTON — When President Joe Biden took office last week, he promised sweeping, bipartisan legislation to solve the coronavirus pandemic, fix the econ- omy and overhaul immigration. But the Senate has ground to a halt, with Democrats and Republicans unable to agree on even basic rules for how the evenly divided body should operate. Meanwhile, key Republicans have quickly signaled discomfort with — or outright dismissal of — the cornerstone of Biden’s early legislative agenda, a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan that includes measures including $1,400 stimulus checks, vaccine distribution funding and a $15 minimum wage. On top of that, senators are preparing for a wrenching second impeachment trial for former president Donald Trump, set to begin Feb. 9, which could mire all other Senate business and further obliterate any hopes of cross-party cooperation. Taken together, this gridlock could im- peril Biden’s entire early presidency, mak- ing it impossible for him to deliver on key promises as he contends with dueling cri- ses. This reality could force Democrats to Trump, in the thick of a GOP civil war, teases a ‘MAGA Party’ PALM BEACH, Fla. 4 Former president Donald Trump threw himself back into politics this weekend by publicly endors- ing a devoted and divisive acolyte in Ari- zona who has embraced his false election conspiracy theories and entertained the creation of a new <MAGA Party.= In a recorded phone call, he offered his <complete and total endorsement= for an- other term for Arizona state party chair- woman Kelli Ward, a lightning rod who has sparred with the state9s Republican gover- nor, been condemned by the business com- munity and overseen a recent flight in party registrations. She narrowly won reelection. In recent weeks, Trump has entertained the idea of creating a third party, called the Patriot Party, and instructed his aides to prepare election challenges to lawmak- ers who crossed him in the final weeks in office. Trump has reportedly told people the third-party threat gives him leverage to prevent Republican senators from vot- ing to convict him during the Senate im- peachment trial. choose within a matter of weeks whether they will continue to pursue the sort of bipartisan cooperation that Biden — and many senators of both parties — have preached, or whether to pursue procedural shortcuts or rule changes that would side- line the GOP but also are likely to divide their caucus. “Things move faster and faster now- adays,” said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., commenting on the rising tensions Friday. “It doesn’t seem like there’s a honeymoon period.” Without an organizing accord, Republi- cans remain in the majority of most Senate committees — veteran GOP lawmakers such as Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa, Richard Shelby of Alabama and James In- hofe of Oklahoma continue as chairs of key panels while veteran Democrats eager to seize the gavels and advance their long dormant agendas can only wait and won- der. Panel budgets and staff hiring also re- main frozen pending a deal. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., for instance, is in line to be chairman of the Senate Judi- ciary Committee and thus oversee Biden’s appointments to the Justice Department and federal bench, as well as key legislative items including an immigration overhaul and police reforms. Asked last week about the status of the panel’s chairmanship, he said, “I have no idea.” Biden’s least controversial Cabinet nom- inees have moved forward, thanks to the unanimous consent of Republicans: Avril Haines was confirmed as director of na- tional intelligence and Lloyd Austin was confirmed as defense secretary last week, while Janet Yellen is set to be confirmed as treasury secretary Monday. But other, more controversial nominees could re- main in limbo. Inauguration Day Continued from A1 An on-the-ground view of Wednes- day’s protest shows the lack of cohesion, the divergent ideas of what constitutes free speech in Portland and the turbulence of the crowd. Monson identified himself as a member of Black Unity PDX, described as a civil rights collective on social media. He concluded as others shattered win- dows of the Democratic Party of Oregon headquarters: “We don’t know what that was — that was not us.” A daytime protest emerges People started gathering about 2 p.m. outside Revolution Hall — a rare daylight appearance by the loose band of demon- strators. A Twitter post on PNW Youth Liber- ation Front’s account had circulated with 189 retweets and 440 likes advertising “J20” and profanity aimed at “the state” and at Joe Biden himself. It also exhorted explic- itly: “No streamers! No peace police!” — a warning that they didn’t want any chal- lenges or recordings of their actions. Within minutes, a disorganized scrum formed and about two dozen people clashed with Portland bike officers out- side the hall, angered by the police appear- ance and their questioning of some in the crowd. When a sergeant removed a banner with poles from one person, the crowd was in- censed and yelled, “Move out! Move out!” as they pressed forward toward the police. The officer returned the banner, not the poles. Police set off a smoke grenade to keep the crowd back and allow the bike cops to ride off. Within an hour, the crowd had grown to about 200 as they marched through city streets. They wandered west and then north before finally ending behind Benson High in Northeast Portland. They first headed up SE 12th Avenue and turned on NE Davis Street. With two drummers keeping a beat in the middle of the group, marchers yelled chants including “No good cop, no good president!” “Black Lives Matter!” and “No cops, no prisons, total abolition!” They walked until they hit a literal road- block at Grand Avenue. People stood in the intersection, about 16 blocks north- west of Revolution Hall, debating which way to go next. “Take the bridge!” someone shouted, likely referring to the nearby Burnside Bridge. One man threw a large-sized rock at the back of a passing car. The car continued. Many shouted they felt unsafe staying still, so those at the head of the march turned north onto Grand as a police speaker blared in the background, order- ing people to obey all traffic laws. When the police loudspeaker directed people to remain on the sidewalks, the crowd ignored the command, chanting, “Off sidewalks and into the streets!” “I don’t know where the (expletive) I’m going, but I don’t give a (expletive),” yelled marcher Princess Warner, 20. At the start of the gathering, Warner said she came out to protest to stress that even with a new president in office, the nation must do more to address systemic racism. “With this Biden administration, I don’t want people forgetting that Black lives still matter,” Warner said. “They never stopped mattering.’’ Her friend, Teal Lindseth, 22, said they haven’t been on the streets the past months simply to protest Donald Trump. DEAR ABBY Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069 Dear Abby: My son had a yearlong affair with his wife’s best friend, which started when the two families took vacations together. My hus- band and I have always been close to our daughter-in-law and our grandchildren, ages 6 and 10, as well as our son. The divorces are final now, and the lovers are married. Abby, we can’t stand the new wife. We abhor the de- ceit, the betrayal and the pain she and our son have caused. Now he is demanding that we accept her. We don’t want to abandon our daughter-in-law, and I can’t bear the thought of her and our grandchildren’s inheritance going to the new wife. Also, I am so furious with my son for this selfish, egregious act I don’t even like seeing him. I don’t know what to do. Any advice? — Mother of a Cheater Dear Mother: Depend- ing upon the child custody arrangement between your son and his ex-wife, you may not have to spend much time with the happy newlyweds. Because you love your former daughter-in-law, see her as often as you wish and include her in celebrations. Refrain from acting out in anger. Be polite to your son’s new wife. Say nothing you might later regret. You do not have to love — or even like — the woman. As to what happens to your estate in the event of your and your husband’s death, this is a discussion you should have with your lawyer. You are under no ob- ligation to reward your son and the new Mrs., especially if you prefer to arrange for your grandchildren and the daughter-in-law you loved to have those assets. Dear Abby: After living with my husband’s gradual hearing loss for several years and his refusal to get hearing aids, I finally asked him to get them as a birthday gift to me. He agreed, and I expected that he would wear them once he got them. When he does, it greatly improves his hearing. Instances of my having to repeat myself di- minish noticeably. But he sel- dom wears them when he’s at home with me. I mentioned to him several times how important it was to me, then gave up. I man- aged to deal with it until the pandemic forced us to stay home so much of the time. I brought it up again recently, referencing the stay-at-home order and how much I would appreciate his wearing them, but he still wears them only occasionally. I feel disrespected because he isn’t willing to do this small thing to make both our lives easier during this period of confinement. How do you suggest I explain this to him so he “hears” me? — Still Frustrated in California Dear Still Frustrated: This may not be a matter of your husband “tuning you out.” Have you asked him WHY he doesn’t wear the hearing aids? Could it be they are uncom- fortable and need adjusting? Is inserting the batteries diffi- cult because they are so tiny? Is he bothered by the ampli- fied background noise? Once you know why he is resistant, you can consult the doctor who prescribed the devices. YOUR HOROSCOPE By Madalyn Aslan Stars show the kind of day you’ll have õ õ õ õ õ DYNAMIC | õ õ õ õ POSITIVE | õ õ õ AVERAGE | õ õ SO-SO | õ DIFFICULT Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian Portland Police square off with demonstrators at Revolution Hall before backing off during a protest Wednesday. or photograph the destruction. No uniformed police were in sight. Some in the crowd could be heard mur- muring that they weren’t OK with the van- dalism. “That’s not what I came for,” one person said. Dave Killen/The Oregonian Protesters tagged and smashed windows at the state Democratic Party’s headquarters in Portland on Wednesday. “We don’t know what that was — that was not us,” said Reese Monson, who was at Wednesday’s march and identified himself as a member of a group known as Black Unity PDX. “We’re doing marches because Black lives (expletive) matter,” Lindseth said. “In- justice. It’s time for this to be done. “My 6-year-old should not have to go through what I have gone through,” Lindseth said. “My child should see Black history stuff. In school we don’t even learn enough about that. Biden really needs to change education. Foster care needs to change. There’s so much wrong with this world. It needs to change.” ‘That’s not what I came for’ As the crowd reached the entry ramp to Interstate 84 off NE Grand Avenue, it halted. “Where the (expletive) are we going?” one man yelled. Some shouted for everyone to turn around. Another responded, “There’s po- lice cars behind us!” “This is the worst (expletive) march I’ve ever attended!” another person yelled. Many cut through a car lot and headed back east on NE Ninth Avenue. About 3:40 p.m., one woman urged unity. “It’s not about making a riot happen if it’s not going to happen,” she yelled. Moments later, the group marched past Ninth and Everett Street, where several people suddenly used metal batons and crowbars to smash out windows of the Democratic Party of Oregon headquarters and tagged the building with profanity tar- geted at Biden. At least three people tagged and broke windows, while several others stood in front, trying to shield them by holding up black umbrellas. Others turned over a dumpster in the street and lit the contents on fire. Some people demanded media not film Police close in The crowd splintered some after the property damage. Police now trailed the group. As some people marched north on NE Flanders and past the Franz Bakery Outlet, a man inside peered out a window, just watch- ing the demonstrators in black walk by. Soon, Portland bicycle cops arrived, prompting some in the crowd to warn oth- ers that police were closing in. “Bike cops!” some shouted. Many ran to- ward Benson High School, just a block away, as others in the group yelled, “Don’t run!” About 50 people now walked on a path just south of the high school, past people playing tennis on nearby courts. As the marchers passed by Buckman Field Park south of Benson, a youth soccer coach yelled out from the track, “There’s a lot of kids here! There’s a lot of kids here!” Someone shouted back not to worry. Police blocked off a parking lot beside the field behind the high school and or- dered no one to enter the lot. People in the crowd taunted the officers and squeezed little pig toys to make them squeal as the officers stood in a line, block- ing the lot and processing some people ar- rested in the vandalism. Several parents from the field stood at the edge of the lot, watching the standoff, wondering what was going on. By then, some in the crowd, like Mon- son, had left. Some veered off to Irving Park, where a Defend Democracy Coalition had orga- nized a rally. Monson said he was headed to Irving Park where “the real movement is happen- ing.” Police said they arrested eight people, ranging in age from 18 to 38, on allega- tions including criminal mischief, disor- derly conduct and reckless burning. Police said they removed two metal batons and a pry bar from people they alleged were in- volved in the vandalism to the Democratic Party office. Police also removed four Molotov cocktails from the backpack of one man arrested in connection with the smashing of at least one window after de- tecting the smell of gasoline coming from his pack, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office. HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR MONDAY, JAN. 25, 2021: Highly sensi- tive, talented and fascinating, you lead a difficult but interesting and reward- ing life. This year, you meet challenges head-on, stay stable and encounter great success. Your fortunes rise again in 2022. If single, relationships are in upheaval, and when you do commit it9s an achievement. You meet your soulmate in June. It takes time. If attached, you9re happiest with each other. SCORPIO lets you in 4 eventually. ARIES (March 21-April 19) õõõ An unusual person becomes visible in your neighborhood. Good or bad neighbors aren9t quite as they appear. You9ll have an opportunity to reevaluate the accuracy of your first impressions and satisfy the need to get both sides of every story. Tonight: Catching up with work. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) õõõõ Today encourages you to examine what material possessions and wealth really mean. There is an urge to acquire new belongings and to dis- card those that are outdated and superfluous. Treasure and appreciate what really matters and let go of the rest. Tonight: Relief. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) õõõõõ Your passion for everything from love to work to social concerns will be expressed dramatically today. Your capacity for effective action will astound and amaze. The winter months are about the proper use of this power. Tonight: You9re driven to explore new planes of expression. CANCER (June 21-July 22) õõõõ Your perpetually active inner life becomes more colorful and vivid, while you shun fanfare outwardly. It will surprise you if friends and relatives born under air signs accuse you of withholding information. Tonight: You9ll satiate their curiosity and still be discreet. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) õõõõõ You will be motivated and encouraged by positive, productive friends today. Involvement with organizations and worthwhile causes or po- litical issues adds new meaning to your life. Tonight: Your dream time helps you recognize long-range goals and select the proper group affiliations. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) õõõõõ You question authority today and become more vocal and visible at work. Extra effort and attention to detail make the recognition positive. Sentiment is replaced by an affinity for all that is contemporary and progres- sive. Tonight: Mastering new techniques and technologies helps you move forward. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) õõõõõ Your intellectual horizons widen through exposure to publications or other learning experiences. An email or call from afar suggests a worth- while idea. Entries made in your journal will prove therapeutic and valuable when reviewed in the future. Tonight: Welcome new opportunities. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) õõ Resist temptation. Seek fulfillment of wholesome desires. The positive and negative potentials of passions of every kind are evident today. Pursue expression through the spoken or written word, but be careful when writing to someone in particular. Tonight: Relax. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) õõ Letting go of a destructive love that doesn9t bring you joy is often a prelude to finding true happiness. You must be careful of involvement in love triangles today or associations with those who have addictive tendencies. Tonight: Talk it over with a trusted friend. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) õõõ The knees, skin and teeth tend to be vulnerable for Capricorn. Plenty of calcium in your diet is a must. Sage, which has an association with longevity and wisdom as well as purification, is the ideal herbal tea. Tonight: Be gentle and good to yourself. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) õõõõ Friends include you in projects that combine pleasure with serious work. You have the opportunity to become more active in a worthwhile or- ganization. Leisure pursuits will be stimulating mentally as well as physically. Tonight: Feeling well and an awakening of the senses. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) õõõõ Balance sentiment and affection with humor and regard for the in- dividual growth and goals of loved ones. It9s easy to be a little too protective and generous today. Add music or a new piece of art to your home. Tonight: A relaxing herbal soak. e e Looking for local events or want to add your own? Go to bendbulletin.com/events Questions? Call 541-383-0304 or email go@bendbulletin.com.