DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Biden administration plans to reclassify marijuana, easing restrictions nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Julie Tsirkin | Monica Alba | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"DOJ continues to work on this rule," a Biden administration official said. "No one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana," the president said during the speech. "Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug sends the message that marijuana is less addictive and dangerous now than ever before. US President Joe Biden speaks during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner at the Washington Hilton, in Washington, DC, on April 27, 2024. Nearly six in ten Americans say that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational purposes, according to a Pew Research poll last month.

Persons: John Tlumacki, Biden, Joe Bidens, Tom Williams, Joe Biden, Barack Obama's, Jim Cole, Obama, Cole, Kevin Sabet, Brendan Smialowski, Brad Horrigan Organizations: Delta, Trade, Boston Globe, NBC, Drug, Department of Health, Human Services, DOJ, Biden, Internal Revenue, Justice's, DC Marijuana Justice, CQ, Inc, Getty, State, National Cannabis Roundtable, NBC News, Smart, Marijuana, Obama Administration, White, Correspondents ' Association, Washington Hilton, AFP, Management, CRA, Pew Research, Florida Supreme, Tribune, Service Locations: Wareham, deducting, New York, California, Washington ,, Florida

Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J., has died at the age of 65 after several weeks of being hospitalized following a "cardiac episode" in early April. "Deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman Donald Payne Jr., a good friend, highly effective public servant and compassionate leader. Payne succeeded his father, Rep. Donald M. Payne, who also died in office. Payne Jr., was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and served on the House Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. The special primary election must be held between 70 and 76 days after the governor's proclamation, and the special general election must be held between 64 and 70 days after the primary election.

Persons: Donald Payne Jr, Phil Murphy, Donald, Murphy, didn't, Hakeem Jeffries, Payne, Donald M, Payne Jr, Biden, Mike Gallagher Organizations: New, New Jersey Gov, New Jersey Globe, Congressional, Congressional Black Caucus, House Homeland Security, Transportation, Infrastructure, The New, The New Jersey Department, Daily, Republicans Locations: New Jersey, Newark, D, Essex, Hudson, Union, . New Jersey, The, The New Jersey, Payne's

US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, waits to speak during a news conference after a closed-door House Republican caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on February 29, 2024. It was not immediately clear how the House would act on her motion, which requires just a majority vote to remove the speaker. Greene told reporters that the motion to vacate was more of a warning shot and that she had not discussed it with President Donald Trump. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks to the media on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol after filing her motion to vacate Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., on Friday, March 22, 2024. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) leaves a closed-door House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol on October 20, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Drew Angerer, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Greene, Donald Trump ., Bill Clark, Raj Shah, Trump's, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Matt Gaetz, McCarthy, Gaetz, We'd, we've, Hakeem Jeffries Organizations: Republican, Capitol, AFP, Getty, NBC News, Donald Trump . Rep, U.S, CQ, Inc, NBC News House, Democrat, U.S . Rep Locations: Louisiana, Washington , DC, Washington ,

The other five funding bills were effectively settled by the end of last week, with only the Homeland Security bill presenting deep divisions Republicans and Democrats were unable to settle. The deal is being negotiated by Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the White House and top appropriators in both chambers. Republicans rejected additional funding for ICE in a bipartisan border deal agreed to by senators and the White House, demanding additional policy changes. But they, too, have demands in the funding bill. The White House has also sought increased flexibility to aid border operations, sources with knowledge of the discussion said.

Persons: Mike Johnson, he'll, Johnson, Chuck Schumer, Bob Good, Chip Roy, Joe Biden's, they're Organizations: WASHINGTON, Congressional, Department of Homeland Security, State , Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health, Human Services, Republicans, Democrats, DHS, White, Congress, Immigration, Customs, ICE Locations: Texas

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., attends a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol to call for the reversal of the Biden administrations Title 42 expansion and proposed asylum transit ban on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is considering running for re-election in November as an independent, two sources who spoke with him directly tell NBC News. He is now making calls to allies about his record and career and is preparing to collect petitions to run in November as an independent, the sources said. But running as an independent would give him more time; in that case, he would need only 800 signatures by June 4 to qualify for the ballot. Several New Jersey Democrats have already filed to run for Menendez's seat, including Rep. Andy Kim and the state's first lady, Tammy Murphy.

Persons: Sen, Bob Menendez, Biden, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Andy Kim, Tammy Murphy Organizations: U.S, Capitol, NBC, New, New Jersey Democrat, Senate Foreign, Democrat, New Jersey Democrats, Democratic Locations: New Jersey

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks during a "Politics & Eggs" event at the New Hampshire Institute Politics at St. Anselm College on January 12, 2024 in Manchester, New Hampshire. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Friday that he is not running for president after spending months mulling a bid that would have shaken up the 2024 campaign. I will not be involved in a presidential run," Manchin said during a speech. In a statement following Manchin's announcement, former Connecticut Sen. Joe Liberman, former North Carolina Gov. Democrats feared a Manchin candidacy would have pulled votes away from President Joe Biden and boost former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican frontrunner, in a general election.

Persons: Sen, Joe Manchin, — Sen, Manchin, Connecticut Sen, Joe Liberman, Pat McCrory, Benjamin Chavis Jr, Mitt Romney, Rob Portman, Joe Biden, Donald Trump Organizations: New Hampshire, St, Anselm College, Democracy, White, North Carolina Gov Locations: Manchester , New Hampshire, MORGANTOWN, W.Va, Connecticut, R, Utah, Ohio

WASHINGTON — House and Senate leaders have reached an agreement on a short-term spending deal that would avert a government shutdown in the next few weeks, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. The deal would keep the government funded until March, buying legislators more time to craft longer-term, agency-specific spending bills, following the agreement last weekend to set the overall spending level for fiscal year 2024 at $1.59 trillion. Speaker Mike Johnson is set to hold a call with fellow House Republicans at 8 p.m. Sunday to discuss spending negotiations. Several hard-right Republicans have objected to the top-line spending deal he previously cut with Senate Democrats and have urged Johnson to go back on it, though he said Friday that the agreement remains intact. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats praised the top-line spending agreement after it was announced last weekend, even as they acknowledged that a short-term bill would be needed to buy more time to negotiate.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, pushback, Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries Organizations: U.S . Capitol, U.S, Congress, WASHINGTON —, NBC News, Republicans, Democrats, New York Democrats Locations: Washington , U.S, Jan, Louisiana

☆ House Republicans unveil their plan to avert a government shutdown next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Scott Wong | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Saturday unveiled their stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown set to begin next weekend. GOP hardliners had been pushing Johnson to include budget cuts as part of his two-tiered CR plan, a source involved in discussions told NBC News. "My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated. The laddered plan has the backing of Congress' most conservative members, including Republicans who normally never vote for stopgap bills. "I want a clean CR," declared Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Chip Roy, Texas, Roy, Pelosi, Ken Buck, Rosa DeLauro, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Dan Bishop, you've, that's, Bishop Organizations: U.S, Capitol, WASHINGTON —, Republicans, Saturday, Israel, GOP, NBC News, One, Republican, House Republicans, Democratic, Caucus, CR, Senate, Connecticut Rep, House Republican, North Locations: Hama, Gaza, Washington , DC, Ukraine, Southern, Connecticut, New York, Israel, North Carolina

☆ A new hope for Ukraine aid in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Sahil Kapur | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — There's a renewed hope for approving additional aid to Ukraine after House Republicans resolved their speaker paralysis, and as some hard-right lawmakers critical of new funding hint at a viable path to vote on it. One month ago, then-Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., voted with 93 Republicans to cut off Ukraine aid. Now, as speaker, Johnson said he's asked White House staff "bifurcate" aid to Israel and Ukraine. But notably, some of those Republicans now say they could accept holding separate votes on Ukraine money, which they oppose, and aid to Israel, which they favor. Good also suggested pairing Ukraine aid with border security money and policy changes to the asylum system.

Persons: Mike Johnson, WASHINGTON —, Johnson, he's, Vladimir Putin, We're, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, it's Organizations: Republican Conference, House Republicans, Republicans, White House, Fox News, Capitol, NBC, Biden, Republican, GOP, Republican House Locations: Longworth, Ukraine, Israel, U.S, China, Taiwan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is embraced by U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, September 21, 2023. The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, did not say when the missiles would be delivered or when a public announcement would be made. Defense officials have said the U.S. does not have a large stockpile of excess ATACMS, which have a bigger payload than traditional artillery, to provide to Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration has shifted its stance on which weapons it is ready to provide to Ukraine's military. At the same, Ukraine has intensified a campaign of missile and drone strikes targeting sites deep behind Russian lines.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden, — Henry Austin Organizations: U.S, White, NBC, Army Tactical Missile, Defense, Rights, Sea Fleet Locations: Washington, United States, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Eastern Europe, America, Crimean

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands during an expanded bilateral meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 21, 2023. The U.S. will provide Ukraine with an additional $325 million in military aid, President Joe Biden announced Thursday during a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Before the meeting began in the Oval Office, Biden and Zelenskyy gave brief remarks to the press. In Washington, Zelenskyy met for a little more than an hour with senators on Capitol Hill. Zelenskyy visited Washington in December and delivered an address to a joint meeting of Congress.

Persons: Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Abrams, Biden, Amanda Sloat, Andrea Mitchell, Sloat, Zelenskyy, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Kamala Harris, Defense Lloyd Austin, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Zelensky, Sen, Mike Rounds, Zelenskyy's, Cynthia Lummis, Rounds Organizations: White, Washington , D.C, National Security Council, Office, Russia, Pentagon, Defense, United Nations General Assembly, Punchbowl News, NBC, Republicans, Management, Shalanda Young, Wall Street, Capitol, General Assembly, NATO, Department of Defense Locations: Washington ,, U.S, Ukraine, Europe, Ukrainian, Washington, Russia, New York City, Zelenskyy, Ukrainians, Vilnius, Lithuania

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., conducts a news conference after the senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has quietly made changes to the Senate's informal dress code to allow senators to wear whatever they want on the floor, one person with direct knowledge told NBC News. The change would let Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who is often seen wearing a hoodie and baseball shorts, wear his casual attire on the Senate floor whenever he wants. Fetterman, who was elected during last year's midterm elections, was seen wearing a suit and tie during his swearing-in in January. However, the senator has worn his casual clothes after he returned to the Senate following treatment for clinical depression earlier this year.

Persons: Charles Schumer, Chuck Schumer, Sen, John Fetterman, Fetterman Organizations: U.S, Capitol, NBC News

☆ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet with senators at the U.S. Capitol
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Julie Tsirkin | Summer Concepcion | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit the Capitol and meet with senators on Thursday, a Senate leadership aide told NBC News. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will host an all-senators meeting with Zelenskyy on Thursday at 10 a.m. More from NBC News:Zelenskyy is also expected to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday, a person familiar with the plans previously told NBC News. "I hope we finally have put to bed the notion about whether or not Ukraine is welcome in NATO. It is an investment in global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way," he told U.S. lawmakers.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Zelenskyy, Kevin McCarthy's, Joe Biden, Biden, Antony Blinken, Blinken Organizations: Capitol, NBC News, NBC, White, United Nations General Assembly, Zelenskyy, NATO, State Department, U.S Locations: Ky, New York City, U.S, Ukrainian, Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukraine, Kyiv, United States

☆ Republicans soften on federal marijuana reform in a shift that could make it a reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Julie Tsirkin | Liz Brown-Kaiser | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The SAFE Banking Act would make it lawful for legal marijuana businesses to use major financial and banking institutions. Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action, a political organization opposed to marijuana legalization, urged Tuberville to oppose the legislation in a recent letter. Financial institutions, including small and community banks, have also put pressure on lawmakers, including Tuberville, to support the bill. There's been these attempts by the chairman of the Banking Committee to add a bunch of other stuff onto it, and I think that just completely torpedoes the chances." Ahead of his re-election campaign, President Joe Biden announced his intention to pardon federal convictions for simple marijuana possession offenses at the end of last year.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, We've, Sen, Steve Daines, Sherrod Brown, Kevin Cramer, Daines, Cramer, Dan Sullivan, Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy of, Cynthia Lummis of, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of, Kevin McCarthy of California, McCarthy, Tommy Tuberville, Steve Stafford, Tuberville, Sullivan, Jeff Sessions, Trump, Sheriff Dan Springer, Springer, I've, Jeff Merkley, Jack Reed, It's, Cory Booker of, Dave Joyce, Alexandria Ocasio, Joe Biden Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, SAFE, Republicans, Democrats, GOP, Auburn University, Smart, Senators, Republican, D.C, Sheriff, HOPE Locations: Ohio, GOP Sens, Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Susan Collins of Maine, Washington, Gallatin County , Montana, Montana, Cory Booker of New Jersey, R, Alexandria, Cortez

☆ Bragg pushes back after House Republicans escalate oversight into Trump hush money case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Summer Concepcion | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has dismissed another letter by three House Republican chairmen seeking more information related to the hush money probe that could lead to an indictment of former President Donald Trump. "Contrary to the central argument set forth in your letter, this matter does not simply involve local or state interests," the lawmakers wrote. It is not appropriate for Congress to interfere with pending local investigations," Bragg wrote. Their request came after Trump falsely predicted last weekend in a post to his social media platform Truth Social that he would be arrested Tuesday. The Manhattan DA's office then slammed the Republicans on Thursday, arguing they had overstepped with their request.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, on Sunday called for "extensive public hearings" if the U.S. intelligence community conclusively determines that Covid-19 leaked from a Chinese laboratory. The committee is "reviewing the classified information provided," the spokesperson said. "There is a variety of views in the intelligence community. Some elements of the intelligence community have reached conclusions on one side, some on the other. "But right now, there is not a definitive answer that has emerged from the intelligence community on this question."

☆ DOJ 'actively working' to brief senators on Biden and Trump classified documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Senators of both parties voiced frustration after they left a closed-door briefing last week with National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, who declined to show them copies of the classified documents discovered at Trump’s Florida resort and Biden’s office and Delaware home. Haines also declined to discuss the sensitive material, citing ongoing special counsel investigations, according to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee who attended the classified briefing. In a joint appearance Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Warner and Rubio called for immediate document oversight. That means we need these documents,” Warner said. Jordan this month announced the committee had opened an investigation into the Obama-era classified documents found in Biden's possession.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday, a White House official confirmed to NBC News, amid Republicans’ debt-ceiling showdown with Democrats. McCarthy first announced that he'll meet Biden this week to discuss the debt ceiling in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” earlier Sunday. The House speaker said Republicans would not allow the U.S. to default and expressed an interest in reaching an agreement with the president. House Republicans have been demanding spending cuts in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling and averting a default on U.S. debt. The White House previously said there won’t be any negotiations, and Congress must allow the government to pay its bills.

☆ AI wrote a bill to regulate AI. Now Rep. Ted Lieu wants Congress to pass it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Kate Santaliz | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — One way to get Congress to support regulating artificial intelligence is by using it to write a resolution calling for just that. Write a comprehensive congressional resolution generally expressing support for Congress to focus on AI.”The resolution doesn’t specify that it was written using artificial intelligence. And as a member of Congress, I am freaked out by A.I., specifically A.I. Lieu isn’t the first member of Congress to bring artificial intelligence to the House chamber. 34-year-old Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., delivered a speech Wednesday on the House floor written by Chat GPT.

This year, women will hold all four of the top positions on the House and Senate Appropriations committees for the first time in history. “Oftentimes people say, you know, ‘We need to have women at the table.’ Well, women are the table.”Spending and debt fights loomOver the decades, these women have seen their share of spending fights. But I’m absolutely convinced that we have to stand together,” said Granger, who last week became the first female Republican to chair the House Appropriations Committee. Women, Murray said, are good communicators, and she and her colleagues can translate a big, complicated appropriations bill for everyday Americans. But as a 14-year House Appropriations staffer, she also intimately knows each of the top appropriators and recognizes the significance of this glass-ceiling-shattering moment.

☆ House Oversight chair calls for release of visitor logs from Biden’s Delaware home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., on Sunday asked for the release of visitors logs from President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware in a letter to White House chief of staff Ron Klain. “Given the serious national security implications, the White House must provide the Wilmington residence’s visitor log,” Comer wrote in the letter to Klain. The former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was searched by the FBI last year after multiple attempts to obtain classified documents. The president is cooperating with the Justice Department and National Archives amid the discovery of the classified documents, she said. "He showed no interest in investigating the far more serious situation with about 100 classified documents at Mar-a-Lago with evidence in the public domain of obstruction.

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., was briefly hospitalized Friday night after she and her husband were hit by a car in Portland, according to her spokesperson. Natalie Crofts, Bonamici's communications director, said in a statement shared to Twitter that the incident occurred as the lawmaker and her husband, Michael Simon, were walking across a street after leaving an event. A woman turned into Bonamici and her husband "at low speed and knocked them down," according to Portland police. Bonamici was treated at a hospital for a concussion and laceration to her head while Simon was treated for minor injuries, Crofts said. The lawmaker is a leader on the Education and Labor Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human services.

☆ Rep. Mike Rogers apologizes to Matt Gaetz for losing temper during chaotic speaker votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Mike Rogers, R-Ala., on Sunday publicly resolved their differences after tensions boiled over on the House floor late Friday night during the votes for House speaker. Rogers was physically restrained after he charged towards Gaetz. After Gaetz voted present in the 14th ballot, McCarthy approached Gaetz in the back of the chamber, where a tense exchange occurred, a number of Republican lawmakers crowding them. Rogers, the incoming chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee, then walked over and appeared to lunge in the direction of Gaetz, but was physically restrained by Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., before storming away. McCarthy ultimately gained the votes to secure the speakership in the 15th ballot, when Gaetz and several other McCarthy opponents switched their votes to “present.”

“I’m not telling you we have an agreement,” McCarthy said at one point, according to two people. Share this -Link copiedReporters appear to be live tweeting the GOP conference call Members of the Capitol press corps were live-tweeting what was being said on the House GOP Conference call Friday morning. Share this -Link copied‘I’m not even a congressman’: House lawmakers and staffers can’t function while speaker fight drags on WASHINGTON — There is no speaker of the House. And because of the GOP’s new razor-thin majority, McCarthy can only afford four GOP defections on any speaker vote. If members are not present for votes, it would lower the threshold McCarthy, of California, needs to win a majority and become House speaker.

The House Ways and Means Committee plans to release Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, a spokesperson for the Committee said Tuesday. The assortment of six years of the former president's personal returns and some of his business returns are expected to be placed into the Congressional record on Friday as part of the House’s pro-forma session. The clock is ticking for the committee, which will turn over control to Republicans when the new Congress is sworn in next week. The committee obtained the returns in November, following a years-long court fight for the closely-held documents that other presidents have routinely made public for the last four decades. A 39-page report from the Joint Committee on Taxation released last week showed Trump had been paying relatively little in taxes, including paying only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and none in 2020.

Search resuls for: "Julie Tsirkin"

25 mentions found