At Ceremony for January 6 Capitol Police, Fallen Officer’s Family Refuses to Shake Hands with McConnell, McCarthy

Politico: “Police officers who responded to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and some of their family members pointedly declined to shake the hands of Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy as they accepted Congressional Gold Medals on Tuesday.

“Officers and the family of fallen officer Brian Sicknick shook hands with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as they accepted the medals, but quickly moved past the House and Senate Republican leaders — despite McConnell outstretching his hand. All senior congressional leaders were participating in the event to honor U.S. Capitol Police officers, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police and others who responded during the riot.”

Religion-Free Voters Wield Clout at Ballot Box

AP: “Voters with no religious affiliation supported Democratic candidates and abortion rights by staggering percentages in the 2022 midterm elections.

“And they’re voting in large numbers. In 2022, some 22% of voters claimed no religious affiliation, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide. They contributed to voting coalitions that gave Democrats victories in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona.

“The unaffiliated — often nicknamed the ‘nones’ — voted for Democratic House candidates nationwide over Republicans by more than a 2-1 margin (65% to 31%), according to VoteCast. That echoes the 2020 president election, when Democrat Joe Biden took 72% of voters with no religious affiliation, while Republican Donald Trump took 25%, according to VoteCast.

“For all the talk of the overwhelmingly Republican voting by white evangelical Christians in recent elections, the unaffiliated are making their presence felt.”

Senate Passes Bill Protecting Same-Sex Marriage

61 to 36

“The Senate on Tuesday passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which would enshrine marriage equality into federal law, granting protections to same-sex and interracial couples,” the Washington Post reports. “The bill passed in a 61-36 vote. The bill includes a bipartisan amendment that clarifies protections for religious liberties, and will now return to the House for another vote before it can go to President Biden to sign into law.”

Romney Likens Trump to a ‘Gargoyle’ Hanging Over GOP

“There is no bottom to the degree to which he’s willing to degrade himself, and the country for that matter. Having dinner with those people was disgusting… I voted to remove him from office twice… I don’t think he should be president of the United states. I don’t think he should be the nominee of our party in 2024. And I certainly don’t want him hanging over our party like a gargoyle.”

— Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), quoted by NBC News, on Donald Trump having dinner with Holocaust deniers.