Today’s Times
- The Supreme Court on Tuesday effectively struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, freeing nine states, mostly in the South, to change their election laws without advance federal approval, Adam Liptak reports.
- But those who have studied the region closely say that a more unstoppable force is approaching that will alter the power structure throughout the South and upend the understanding of politics there: demographic change, Jonathan Martin writes.
- President Obama announced sweeping measures to reduce greenhouse gas pollution on Tuesday, starting the clock on his goal to draft and put into place a complicated set of climate change rules in just two years, Mark Landler and John M. Broder report. He aims to reduce emissions by 17 percent by 2020, wholeheartedly embracing an issue that could help define his legacy.
- Though immigration legislation has solid bipartisan support in the Senate, the fate of the bill remains in doubt, Jonathan Weisman reports. Republicans in the House are torn between pleasing their constituents and courting Hispanic voters.
Happenings in Washington
- Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will administer the oath of office at the swearing-in ceremony for Penny Pritzker as secretary of commerce.
- The Smithsonian will host the F! olklife Festival on the National Mall on Wednesday, focusing on endangered languages and cultural programs.
