The Fight for $15 falters

The Senate parliamentarian deals a blow to the Fight for $15; the US launched an airstrike in Syria. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. TOP NEWS Senate parliamentarian says no minimum wage hike in relief bill Alex Wong/Getty Images - The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that a Democratic provision to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour is insufficiently budget-related, and thus cannot be included in their Covid-19 relief bill to be passed via budget reconciliation. [[CBS News / Caroline Linton and Grace Segers](] - Democrats could ignore the ruling and keep the minimum wage hike in the bill. But doing so would expose deep divisions within the party — moderates including Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) say they are firmly against it — as well as require 60 votes to overrule a Republican challenge, making it a fruitless exercise. [[Vox / Li Zhou](] - President Biden and other top Democrats expressed their disappointment with the ruling. Progressives called on Vice President Harris, as the president of the Senate, to overrule the ruling, but Chief of Staff Ron Klain said she would not try to do so. [[The Hill / Morgan Chalfant and Jordan Williams](] - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will keep the minimum wage hike in the bill, which is expected to pass tonight. The Senate will then need to strip the provision, pass the bill, and send that version back to the House. [[CNN / Lauren Fox, Ryan Nobles, Manu Raju, and Phil Mattingly](] - The whole episode means the fight for a $15 minimum wage is likely off the table, for now. Democrats could pursue it as an independent bill, but it would need 60 votes in the Senate. No Republican has expressed support for a $15 minimum wage. [[Slate / Jim Newell](] - Notable progressives criticized the Senate parliamentarian’s ruling, saying Democrats should not let an unelected official dictate millions of Americans’ wages. But Manchin said his priority is to protect the Byrd Rule, which allows the parliamentarian to decide what is and is not budgetary. [[Newsweek / Matthew Impelli](] - The ruling was a blow to workers’ rights groups, which have spent years fighting for an increased minimum wage. They are looking to Democrats to continue advocating for them. [[Guardian / Michael Sainato](] - Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have said the next step is to introduce a provision that would authorize payroll tax penalties for corporations that do not pay employees $15 per hour. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is considering adding it to the bill. [[CNBC / Thomas Franck](] - Republicans applauded the Senate parliamentarian’s ruling, while some Democrats found it to be greater evidence that the Senate needs to eliminate the filibuster. [[NYT / Emily Cochrane](] [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Biden’s first airstrike kills one - President Biden undertook his first military action Thursday, launching an airstrike in Syria to target Iranian-backed armed Iraqi groups. The strike killed one and wounded others. [[AP / Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Lolita C. Baldor, and Robert Burns](] - Defense officials said the move was retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq and other moves against US interests in the area. The February rocket attack killed a civilian contractor and injured multiple US service members. [[NPR / Vanessa Romo](] - The Pentagon said the strike was not meant to stoke hostilities with Iran, and was done just over the border in Syria in order to not create any blowback for the Iraqi government. [[NYT / Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt](] - The move drew criticism from some Democrats in Congress, which did not authorize the use of military force; Biden is the seventh straight president to order strikes in the region so, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) called the action unacceptable. [[CNN / Alex Rogers](] - The strike occurred as the US and Iran are standing off on who will make the first move to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal. [[USA Today / Kim Hjelmgaard](] MISCELLANEOUS [A Vox investigation found evidence of bias and demotions against Black employees at Amazon.]( [[Recode / Jason Del Rey](] - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would support Donald Trump as the GOP’s 2024 candidate despite Trump’s attacks on him. [[Washington Post / Jaclyn Peiser](] - A new Superman film from DC Films will be written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. [[Variety / Angelique Jackson](] - A Variety investigation into director and writer Joss Whedon after several Buffy the Vampire Slayer actresses accused him of harassing and abusive behavior on set uncovered "a pattern of inappropriate, imperious and disparaging behavior toward those who worked for him." [[Variety / Adam B. Vary and Elizabeth Wagmeister](] Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3. [Contribute]( CROSSWORD OF THE DAY [Can you solve today's crossword?]( What was Tyler, the Creator's 2019 Grammy-winning album? [Solve today's new Vox crossword puzzle](, and stay tuned for more puzzles coming out Monday through Saturday. VERBATIM “We cannot allow the advisory opinion of an unelected parliamentarian and Republican obstructionism stop us from delivering on our promise to voters.” [[The Congressional Progressive Caucus, on asking Vice President Kamala Harris to overrule the parliamentarian’s ruling against the minimum wage provision](] LISTEN TO THIS [Why Biden hasn't reentered the Iran deal -- yet]( Zack, Jenn, and Alex break down why the Biden administration hasn’t yet reentered the Iran nuclear deal. They explain that the process of rejoining is more complicated than it might seem, but that it’s still likely the deal will come back eventually. They then debate the pros and cons of rejoining the accord and how well the Obama foreign policy team — many of whom have joined the Biden administration — handled the pact. One point of agreement: The Trump administration’s Iran policy failed. [[Spotify / Zack Beauchamp, Jenn Williams, and Alex Ward](] [Read more from Vox](#) [Such a pretty face]( [Why Putin wants Alexei Navalny dead]( [The state of America's Covid-19 outbreak, explained]( [How Dolly Parton became a secular American saint]( [The internet's most beloved fanfiction site is undergoing a reckoning]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.