And now, a message from Google. The spirit of innovation is deeply ingrained in America,

and Google is helping Americans innovate in ways both big and small. Central Texas Regional Mobility

Authority is using Google AI to create smarter tolling systems and improve traffic flow for Texans.

This is a new era of American innovation.

Find out more at G.co slash American Innovation.

Good morning, I'm Anna Palmer and welcome to The Daily Punch, brought to you by Punchable News. It's Wednesday, January 29th, 2025. Let's get into the mix. Here are your Washington headlines of the day. Number one, Democrats find their groove with help from one Donald Trump.

Number two, Steve Scalise on Trump's agenda. And number three, the best commute in Washington,

Jim Justice's private jet to West Virginia. Happy Wednesday, everybody. I hope you're having a good week. Let's get into the top story of the morning. Democrats

should have had a very bad Tuesday. Senator Gary Peters, the Democrat from Michigan, stunned

Capitol Hill by announcing he wouldn't run for re-election in 26. This puts an open Senate seat in play

in a key swing state. The party has no clear leader with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris gone and the DNC is currently picking its new chair.

And Democratic congressional leaders were getting an earful from rank-file lawmakers who complained they had no clear strategy to counter President Donald

Trump and GOP leaders on immigration and Israel. But for the first time in weeks, Democrats were

able to go on offense, and that's all things to Trump and a Monday night memo from the Office

of Management and Budget, ordering a freeze in federal grant and loan

programs that sent congressional Republicans scrambling and helped Democrats rally behind a clear

anti-Trump message. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted Trump as, quote,

lawless, destructive, and cruel. Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the

Appropes Committee, warned that thousands of federal programs could be impacted, including

veterans, law enforcement, and firefighters, suicide hotlines, military aid to foreign allies,

and more.

Democrats all of a sudden had a rallying cry,

...