Madam Speaker:House Democrats are expected to roll out today an agenda of bills designed to make voting easier, tighten Washington ethics, and require presidents and candidates for high office to reveal their tax returns. It is largely symbolic because all that would have to pass the Republican Senate.

  Yesterday the Democrats passed bills to fund and re-open the government that were immediately rejected by the Senate because they didn’t include money for a border wall. “I would call it political theater,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

  The standoff continues as the Democrats say they will not pay for a wall and Trump will not allow the government to re-open without one.

  California Rep. Nancy Pelosi was elected yesterday to return as Speaker of the House as it convened with more women and racial diversity that it’s had in history. 

  Forty-two female freshmen joined the House yesterday, including two Muslims. Twenty years ago there were 29 women in the House, today, 102.

Stumbling in the Dark:The Dow Jones took a 660-point swan dive yesterday on news that Apple expects to miss its profit targets by billions of dollars. Apple stock was down just shy of 10 percent. 

  A couple of things are happening. China’s economy is slowing and Chinese customers are buying fewer iPhones.

  Also, though, Apple may be reaching the end of its most creative arc. Kara Swisher writes in The NY Times, “The last big innovation explosion — the proliferation of the smartphone — is clearly ending. There is no question that Apple was the center of that, with its app-centric, photo-forward and feature-laden phone that gave everyone the first platform for what was to create so many products and so much wealth.”

  She goes on, “Now all of tech is seeking the next major platform and area of growth. Will it be virtual and augmented reality, or perhaps self-driving cars? Artificial intelligence, robotics, cryptocurrency or digital health? We are stumbling in the dark.”

Chicawgo:Getting indicted is a rite of passage for members of the Chicago city council second only to getting elected. One of the most powerful and longest-serving Chicago city council members has been charged in federal court with trying to shake down a major fast-food restaurant chain seeking city remodeling permits.

  Alderman Ed Burke, 75, has been a council member for 50 years. He’s charged with one count of attempted extortion for telling company executives in 2017 that they’d get the permits only if they signed on as clients at Burke’s private property-tax law firm.

  Burke has been a vocal opponent of the National Rifle Association and has proposed multiple gun-control ordinances over the years. Prosecutors told the judge that Burke had 23 guns at his offices. The judge set a condition of bail that Burke must get rid of all his guns.

Death on the Highway:Seven people were killed and eight injured yesterday on a Florida highway in the collision of two big rigs and two passenger vehicles. At least five of the dead were riding in a passenger van and several were children.

  Another driver on Interstate 75 outside Gainesville said he heard the collision and saw vehicles bursting into flames in his rear-view mirror.

The Roundup: The American former marine Paul Whelan has been formally charged in Moscow with espionage.— Actor Kevin Hart said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he is considering a return as the host of this year’s Oscars after bowing out in a dustup over his jokes about homosexuals. DeGeneres, who is gay, said she had called the Motion Picture Academy asking for Hart to be re-instated. — Los Angeles has rolled out its first earthquake early warning system that will send alerts to cellphones. Earthquake warnings are tough to engineer. Seismic waves travel faster than the speed of sound so the further away the earthquake is, the more warning time you get. If a 10.0 rips under downtown Los Angeles, the warning will be falling buildings.

Bird Brains:Netflix has issued a warning that fans of the movie “Bird Box” should stop taking the “Bird Box challenge” in which they wander around while blindfolded.

  Sandra Bullock stars in the horror movie in which people become suicidal when they see shadowy monsters. Bullock shepherds her to kids to safety by rowing a boat down a river and through spooky forests all while blindfolded. Now fans of the movie are walking into walls, tripping over fences, and finding their way to the hospital while blindfolded.

  It’s the movie that should be watched while blindfolded. And with ear plugs.

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