Post Politics Now ‘I had to show up,’ Obama says as he joins Biden to celebrate the ACA

There’s some fox news at the U.S. Capitol — police alerted the public Tuesday to several reports of an “aggressive” fox roaming the Hill’s grounds.

A fox was caught later in the evening by animal control officials, but only after at least half a dozen people reported they were bitten or nipped by a fox in the past few days, including Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) and Ximena Bustillo, a reporter for Politico.

From The Post’s Dana Hedgpeth:

Animal control officials were planning to relocate the fox they trapped Tuesday, Capitol Police said. Officials did not say where the fox would be taken.

In an email, Sam Miller, a spokeswoman for the Humane Rescue Alliance, whose crews were involved in capturing the fox, said officers were able to “net her.” Miller said officers were “working to track down any kits she may have in the area” and that humane traps “have been placed” on the grounds of the Capitol.

Capitol reporters have spotted the furry animals since Monday. Check out these fox shots from CQ Roll Call’s Bill Clark and Michael Macagnone:

An online phenomenon was quickly born: On Tuesday, like many D.C. celebrities, the fox was given a dedicated joke Twitter account:

If you were hoping to spot one of these cuties on the Hill, here’s a reminder from Dana:

Foxes are considered wild animals and officials warned that no one should approach them. They’re known to be “protective of their dens and territory.” If you see a fox in that area, please call U.S. Capitol Police at 202-224-0908.

Read more about the foxes here.

Democrats in Michigan are planning to ask the national party to make their home state the location of the first presidential nominating contest in 2024, scoops our colleague Michael Scherer.

With this move, Michigan Democrats are challenging the election-year status of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — which are often the first stops — making Michigan the first state to make a public play to dethrone the early voting order that has ruled the presidential nominating race for decades.

Michael spoke to Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who told him she’s spoken with stakeholders throughout the state, including the office of Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), about putting together a bid later this spring. That’s when the Democratic Rules and Bylaws Committee is expected to open the process for applications for the next nomination order.

Dingell said Michigan is perfectly situated to start the nominating process because “we are purple.”

“The issues we are facing reflect the diversity of what the country is facing, from rural areas to urban areas, manufacturing areas to farming areas,” Dingell said. “We are a mini-America.”

The Michigan effort follows moves from Democratic leaders nationwide to rethink the calendar after the tumultuous 2020 election.

Here’s Michael on what to expect from these efforts:

Democratic National Committee officials are expected to vote later this month to allow any state and territory to apply for the opportunity to hold its nominating contest in the early window in 2024, before the first Tuesday in March. They are expected to allow as many as five states to cast votes early, and have proposed a framework that would prioritize states that can show a diverse electorate, general-election competitiveness and an “inclusive nominating process,” a reference to state-run primaries.

Read more from this challenge here.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson might have defended Nazis during the 1940s Nuremberg trials.

“The last Judge Jackson left the Supreme Court to go to Nuremberg and prosecute the case against the Nazis,” Cotton said. “This Judge Jackson might have gone there to defend them.”

Cotton made the remark Tuesday as he compared former Supreme Court justice Robert Jackson to Biden’s nominee.

Cotton appeared to be referencing Ketanji Brown Jackson’s record as a defense counsel for four men who were held at Guantánamo Bay. Jackson has repeatedly defended her work as a defense attorney there as Republicans have latched onto that piece of her résumé to attack her record and accuse her of defending “terrorists.”

Jackson repeatedly noted to Republicans that she didn’t choose to represent the detainees but was assigned their cases while employed as a federal public defender from 2005 to 2007. Her role was to research and write, and she never met the four men.

“Federal public defenders do not get to pick their clients,” she said during her confirmation hearings, adding that it is a “core constitutional value” that even those accused of the most heinous crimes are represented by a lawyer.

A spokeswoman for Cotton didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.

A bipartisan backlash to the Biden administration’s decision to relax a pandemic mitigation measure at the border could put the passing of billions of dollars in coronavirus aid at risk.

Democrats were hoping to swiftly pass the $10 billion in aid, but that was before the administration announced its plans to reverse Title 42, a public health order that, for the past two years, has overridden asylum laws and allowed the federal government to summarily remove migrants amid the pandemic.

Activists and progressive Democrats have long criticized the measure as inhuman. It was established during the Trump administration and successfully kept thousands of migrants from crossing the border.

The covid relief measure needs all 100 senators to vote for it to pass the Senate quickly, but multiple Republicans said Tuesday that they would seek a vote on the border restrictions as a condition to pass the pandemic relief.

Our colleagues Mike DeBonis and Rachel Roubein have more on the potential amendment that could delay swift passage of covid aid:

Such an amendment could be adopted with votes from lawmakers of both parties, which could upend a carefully negotiated compromise to continue funding the country’s domestic pandemic response by, among other things, restocking supplies of vaccines and therapeutic drugs.

Tuesday’s ultimatum represents another bout of whiplash for coronavirus aid negotiations that have been underway for months.

Read more from Mike and Rachel here.

Biden has nominated Adm. Linda Fagan to be the first female commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

If confirmed, she will also become the first female service chief.

“Her leadership and integrity are second to none,” Biden said in a tweet announcing the nomination.

The nomination follows Biden’s promise to diversify the leadership ranks of the government and his administration.

Fagan is the Coast Guard’s 32nd vice commandant, a role she assumed last summer. She is also the Coast Guard’s first Gold Ancient Trident, which means she’s the officer with the longest service record in the Marine safety field.

If confirmed as the Coast Guard’s 27th commandant, she will replace Adm. Karl L. Schultz, who is retiring.

“Admiral Fagan is an exceptional senior Coast Guard officer and nominee, possessing the keen intellect, the depth of operational experience, and the well-honed leadership and managerial acumen to serve with distinction as our Service’s 27th Commandant,” Schultz said in a statement.

Newly reelected Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, who has been accused by the European Union of undermining democracy, will headline the May global meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest.

Orban, who will deliver a keynote speech, has refused to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin directly for his invasion of Ukraine, even though Hungary joined the rest of the E.U. in imposing sanctions on Russia. Under Orban’s control, Hungarian state media has defended Russia’s invasion and promoted Putin’s claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a criminal.

The E.U. has accused the Hungarian leader, a right-wing nationalist, of suppressing democracy. Orban won reelection Sunday by a large margin and will serve a fifth term. His opponent, Peter Marki-Zay, said he was disadvantaged by gerrymandering and exclusion from advertising on state-run television.

CPAC is of the most prominent gatherings of conservatives in the United States. The Budapest gathering will also include Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s right-wing party Vox, and Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, according to Reuters.

A spokesperson for CPAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Orban’s participation.