Today in one sentence: The Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages; congressional leaders vowed to pass legislation "ASAP" to avert a nationwide rail strike; a federal jury convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes of seditious conspiracy; Mark Meadows was ordered to testify to the grand jury investigating Trump’s effort to overturn the election in Georgia; and Kevin McCarthy disavowed the white nationalist Nick Fuentes, but declined to criticize Trump for having dinner with him.

1/ The Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages. While the legislation doesn’t force states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, it does require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed, and protect current same-sex unions. The bill also repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. “For millions and millions of Americans, today is a very good day,” Chuck Schumer said prior to the vote. “An important day. A day that’s been a long time coming.” The bill’s passage sends it back to the House for another vote and then to Biden for his signature. (Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press / Politico / NPR / NBC News / CNN)

2/ Congressional leaders vowed to pass legislation “ASAP” to avert a nationwide rail strike, saying they agree with Biden that a railroad strike in the coming weeks would put the economy “at risk.” A rail strike could happen as early as December 9. “I am calling on Congress to pass legislation immediately to adopt the Tentative Agreement between railroad workers and operators – without any modifications or delay – to avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown,” Biden said in a statement. In September, the White House helped broker a tentative deal, but members of the largest unions rejected the proposal because it didn’t address scheduling and paid time-off issues. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Politico / CNN)

3/ A federal jury convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes of seditious conspiracy for plotting to forcefully disrupt the transfer of power after the 2020 election. Kelly Meggs, who ran the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers at the time of the Jan. 6 attack, was also convicted of seditious conspiracy and other felonies. Seditious conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. (Washington Post / NBC News / Associated Press / New York Times / Axios / CNN)

4/ Mark Meadows was ordered to testify to the grand jury investigating Trump’s effort to overturn the election in Georgia. Meadows had asked the state supreme court to block a subpoena for testimony, arguing that his appearance before the grand jury was barred by executive privilege. “We have reviewed the arguments raised by [Meadows] and find them to be manifestly without merit,” the justices wrote in a brief opinion. (Politico / CNBC)

5/ Kevin McCarthy disavowed the white nationalist Nick Fuentes, but declined to criticize Trump for having dinner with him. “The president can have meetings with who he wants,” McCarthy said. “I don’t think anybody, though, should have a meeting with Nick Fuentes,” adding: “The president didn’t know who he was.” Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, suggested that Trump is “highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States” after dining with a white supremacist and Holocaust denier. (New York Times / Business Insider / CNBC / Bloomberg / NBC News / Axios)

Four years ago today: Day 679: "Stayed away."
Five years ago today: Day 314: Wrong.