A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.

Reaching The Finish Line

The Senate is slated for a final vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill this morning at 11 a.m. ET. It is expected to pass.

• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) declared last night that after the vote the chamber will “immediately” take up Democrats’ mammoth $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation resolution.
• You can read our breakdown of the reconciliation resolution in yesterday’s liveblog here.
• Democratic senators are gearing up for the next fight: lifting the debt ceiling in the face of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) stated refusal to do so. 
• Key analysis: “McConnell’s reckless new threat makes a strong case for ending the filibuster” – Washington Post opinion writers Paul Waldman and Greg Sargent

Texas Supreme Court Greenlights Abbott’s Strong-Arming

The state’s Supreme Court is declining to intervene in the big fight over new proposed voting restrictions that sent Democratic lawmakers fleeing the state. In retaliation against the Dems, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) had vetoed funding for the legislature. Democrats were asking the court to overturn the veto; it refused to do so.

• The court, which is comprised entirely of GOP justices, stated that the “principle dispute” that led to Abbott’s veto is between the Democratic and Republican lawmakers over the anti-voting bill. “​​This political dispute within the legislative branch is not an issue of separation of powers that we can decide,” the court wrote.
• Cheering the court’s decision, Abbott’s office said of the Democrats, “It’s time to stop the charades and get back to work doing the job they were elected to do.”
• State House Democratic leader Chris Turner (D) expressed disappointment that the court didn’t intervene to stop the governor’s “tyrannical violation of the separation of powers,” but Turner swore that his Democratic colleagues “will continue to fight back against Gov. Abbott’s systematic undermining of our democracy.”

DeSantis Tries To Bully Schools Into Exposing Kids To COVID-19

The Florida Board of Education “could move to” withhold the salaries of school superintendents and school board members who ignore Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) ban on mask mandates, the governor’s office claims.

• Dr. Carlee Simon, the superintendent for Florida’s Alachua Public Schools, told CNN that DeSantis has “other interests” that are informing his war on masks.

“I believe the Governor has other interests that he’s focusing on and I’m right now focusing on education and I would like him to let me do my job” pic.twitter.com/GXHBBncl06

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 10, 2021

• In Texas, the Dallas Independent School District is requiring all students, school employees and visitors to wear masks despite Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) similar mask mandate ban.

The Fight Over Trump’s Tax Returns Drags On

The Biden administration won’t be handing over the ex-president’s long-sought-after tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee until at least November.

• The administration told a court that it would agree to let Trump make his legal arguments against the Treasury Department turning over the returns even though the administration believes it ought to release the documents “promptly.”

Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination In The Military

The Defense Department is expected to require all active duty military members to get the COVID-19 vaccine by mid-September upon receiving approval by Biden.

A Dubious First

The Biden administration is being sued by lawyers of migrant children who say that they’ve been stuck in emergency detainment centers under poor conditions. 

• It’s the first time the Biden administration has been sued for allegedly violating the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which established rules for the treatment of migrant children.

Rudy Lonely-ani

Rudy Giuliani, sinking ever deeper in legal quicksand, still finds himself marooned by Trump and his allies, who won’t promote or even retweet links to the ex-Trump attorney’s legal fund when asked, according to the Daily Beast.

• Still, Giuliani apparently doesn’t want to burn that bridge; he’s reportedly told his associates not to call out Trump by name when publicly complaining about how MAGAland has left him in the dust.

Must-Read

“What 9/11 Did To One Family” – the Atlantic

But Why Tho

Fake COVID-19 vaccination cards are being sold online, and apparently there’s a market for people who would rather spend $400 dollars on getting one of those instead of spending zero dollars on a real card that comes with the added bonus of getting a vaccine that’ll protect you during a global pandemic.

Burner Or Boomer?

It’s not clear whether Caitlyn Jenner, currently running a vanity GOP gubernatorial campaign to unseat California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), accidentally forgot to switch to a fake Twitter account or if she just didn’t know how retweeting works when she posted this bizarre tweet:

oh man. pic.twitter.com/5sWa0himac

— It’s-a Tyler Dinucci ?? (@TylerDinucci) August 10, 2021

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