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☆ 12 Republican senators so far have broken with their party to support a bill that would protect same-sex marriage. Final passage is expected Tuesday night.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Senate will vote on a bill to protect same-sex marriage on Tuesday night. Twelve Republican senators so far have voted to advance the bill. Senators have tweaked the bill, which passed the Democratic-controlled House in July, to get GOP support. So far, 12 Republicans have cast votes in support of advancing the bill, and more could emerge when the final version comes up. A Gallup poll from June 2021 found that 70% of Americans — including 55% of Republicans — support same-sex marriage.

A 19-year-old Missouri woman can't be a witness to her father's execution after a judge ruled Friday that a state law barring her from being present because of her age is constitutional. Kevin Johnson, 37, has been in prison since Ramey was 2 for the 2005 killing of William McEntee, a police officer in Kirkwood, Missouri. But Missouri law says that no person younger than 21 can witness an execution. Johnson's fate remains unclear after a motion asking for his execution to be halted was filed by a special prosecutor, Edward Keenan. The Missouri Attorney General's Office, however, believes Johnson's execution should go on and that "the surviving victims of Johnson's crimes have waited long enough for justice."

WASHINGTON — House Republicans' majority will be smaller than expected, but they're eager to use their new oversight powers and pass a spate of bills to draw contrasts with Democrats and give the Biden administration heartburn. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., joined by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., left, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in Washington on July 21, 2021. A growing number of Republicans say they have their sights set on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, bashing his handling of the border surge. LegislationDemocrats still occupy the White House, so any legislation Republicans pass on a partisan basis won’t be signed into law by Biden. But House Republicans say they will waste no time showing the parties’ stark differences as they battle for control of the White House in 2024.

☆ Trump tax return fight would get dropped by Republicans vying for key U.S. House committee chair
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Protestors take part in the 'Tax March' calling on President Donald Trump to release his tax records on April 15, 2017 in New York. The fight began in 2019, when the Democratic-controlled Ways and Means committee asked the IRS for Trump's returns. When Biden took office and the Treasury Department moved to hand over the returns, Trump countersued to stop the release. If the hold is lifted, Treasury would deliver the returns to the Ways and Means Committee, likely within days. Missouri GOP Rep. Jason Smith, who is not related to Nebraska's Adrian Smith, said he too would halt the years long effort to get Trump's tax returns.

Sen. Linsey Graham, a Trump ally, told reporters he voted "for change." "I welcome the contest," McConnell told reporters after Scott announced his bid. "I voted for change," he told reporters. Earlier this month during an interview with Fox News host Martha McCallum, Scott denied rumors spread by Trump that Scott "hates" McConnell. So we acquainted our members with the tools they have," McConnell told reporters at the US Capitol, adding, "I think that'll be used more often.

☆ Four Republican senators so far have broken with their party to support a bill codifying same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Senate is set to take a procedural vote Wednesday on a bill codifying same-sex marriage into law. Four Republican senators are publicly backing the bill so far, but more could emerge this week. Senators tweaked the bill, which sailed through the Democratic-controlled House in July, to get GOP support. A Gallup poll from June 2021 found that 70% of Americans — including 55% of Republicans — support same-sex marriage. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is broadly supportive of same-sex marriage, while retiring Republican Sens.

☆ Trump promises to ban lawmakers from trading stocks during his 2024 announcement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump endorsed a ban on members of Congress trading stocks. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle support a ban but progress has stalled during the current Congress. Trump has previously attacked the idea of lawmakers trading stocks before, but his comments on Tuesday appeared to be his most fulsome endorsement of a ban thus far. House leaders have pledged to move forward on stock-ban legislation this month, but it's not immediately clear where negotiations for passing a stock ban stand. While the issue has bipartisan support, lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol have a number of issues to deal with during the so-called "lame duck" session.

☆ Why a federal court blocked Biden's student-debt cancellation even after a major loan company undermined a key argument in the GOP-led lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The 8th Circuit blocked Biden's student-debt relief in response to a lawsuit filed by six GOP-led states. It said the states' argument that the relief would hurt student-loan company MOHELA has standing. But a district judge previously dismissed that argument, and MOHELA said it wasn't involved in the case. This was in response to a lawsuit filed by Missouri and five other Republican-led states who argued the loan forgiveness would hurt the states' tax revenues, along with that of Missouri-based student-loan company MOHELA. "This unanticipated financial downturn will prevent or delay Missouri from funding higher education at its public colleges and universities."

☆ Another federal court just slammed the brakes on Biden's student-loan forgiveness, keeping debt relief from millions of borrowers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The 8th Circuit just blocked Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan in response to a lawsuit filed by six GOP-led states. This means Biden cannot cancel any student debt while the injunction is in place, pending an appeal. It's the second court in recent days to put a block on Biden's plans to cancel up to $20,000 in debt. It also comes after a federal court in Texas struck down Biden's debt relief plan, declaring it illegal on November 10. The Education Department has not yet indicated whether that pause will be further extended, given the injunction on the relief.

☆ GOP campaign veterans call Rick Scott one of the worst reelection chairs in modern history after 2022 midterms flop: 'Leave the national political arena to the grown ups'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Senate reelection chair Rick Scott is taking heat for not delivering during the midterm elections. "It will take years to undo Rick Scott's mistakes," a former NRSC aide said of the 2022 cycle. The former NRSC staffer who billed Scott as a historic failure said the freshman lawmaker courted disaster by going rogue this spring. "That stuff takes care of itself — if you win," the second former NRSC staffer told Insider. "It will take years to undo Rick Scott's mistakes," the second former NRSC staffer said.

☆ Here's how Donald Trump could theoretically run for president in 2024 and govern the US from prison, according to 9 legal scholars
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Robin Bravender | Tina Sfondeles | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

If Trump landed in prison, nothing in the Constitution would block him from another White House run, according to nine legal experts interviewed by Insider. He served eight years in federal prison after being convicted on public-corruption charges. In the Oval Office, Trump conducted business at the ornate Resolute Desk. If he wound up in federal prison, he'd likely have more sway over his fate. Hochul would all but certainly reject calls to cut Trump legal slack in any fashion, pardons included.

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing a brewing challenge to his position as the top Republican in the Senate. Going into the midterm elections Tuesday, McConnell appeared to have a firm grasp on the leader's job and Republicans appeared poised to take control of the Senate. Asked in January what his agenda would be if Republicans took control of the Senate, McConnell deflected. Don’t disenfranchise @HerschelWalker.”A Rubio adviser said the senator is concerned McConnell has not laid out a vision for the future. “The Senate Republican Conference must change the way it operates — regardless of the outcome of the still-pending elections," the letter states.

☆ Ex-college basketball player and wife identified as pair killed in a murder-suicide inside the Dallas medical examiner’s office
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | David K. Li | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The man who killed his estranged wife, a Dallas medical examiner, inside her office before turning the gun on himself, was identified as a former college basketball player, authorities said Friday. James "Jed" Frost, who played at the University of Missouri in the early 1990s, fatally shot his wife, Dr. Beth Ellen Frost, on Tuesday afternoon inside her office at the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office, officials said. The shooting is still under investigation, a Dallas County Sheriff's spokeswoman said. Frost's office near downtown Dallas after shots were heard at about 4:45 p.m., sheriff's deputies said. "We don't expect anyone to occupy that office," Price said.

☆ We just learned the limits of marijuana legalization in the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jeremy Berke | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marijuana legalization was on the ballot in five states and only passed in Maryland and Missouri. Legalization failed in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Arkansas. Deep-red Arkansas, as well as both North Dakota and South Dakota, defeated legalization measures. A recent poll show that most Americans, both Republican and Democrat, support legalization. For its part, South Dakota passed legalization in 2020, but the law was struck down in court after Republican Gov.

☆ Pence says Trump chided him for being 'too honest' when he insisted he couldn't overturn the 2020 election results on January 6
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former VP Mike Pence detailed Trump's efforts to get him to overturn the 2020 election results on Jan 6. He says Trump chided him for being "too honest" in his assessment of the legality of rejecting the electoral votes. Pence is set to release his forthcoming memoir the same day that Trump may announce a 2024 bid. Pence wrote about several instances in which he differed with Trump in the period between the 2020 presidential election and into January 2021. "Without a senator's support, I would have been required to dismiss House objections without debate, something I didn't want to do," wrote Pence."

☆ Republican state attorney general Eric Schmitt faces off against Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine in Missouri's US Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican state attorney general Eric Schmitt is running against Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine to represent Missouri in the US Senate. Missouri's US Senate race candidatesSchmitt serves as the attorney general of Missouri, a position he was appointed to by Republican Gov. Mike Parsons following former Attorney General Josh Hawley's election to the US Senate. Prior to being appointed attorney general, Schmitt served as state treasurer and state senator. His opponent, Valentine, has raised $12 million, spent $11.6 million, and has $327,578 cash on hand, as of October 19.

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake speaks at a get-out-the-vote rally Saturday in Scottsdale. A recent Marist College poll found Lake and Hobbs deadlocked in the final stretch of the nationally watched race. "That’s why I’ve spent the last two years working to lower costs and create better-paying jobs in Arizona." "We're getting pretty sick and tired of politicians who just lie," he went on, suggesting that Kelly "tricked" Arizona voters into thinking he was an independent when he is really a Democrat. Tucson voter Suzy Jacobs, a Democrat, said Masters represents a rising extremism in the Republican Party that she does not want to see control Arizona.

☆ Student-loan companies are 'ready to apply' debt cancellation to borrowers' balances, Biden's Education Secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Miguel Cardona said student-loan companies are "ready to apply" debt relief. But they cannot actually cancel any student debt right now because the plan continues to be stalled. That's due to a ruling from the 8th Circuit in response to a GOP-led lawsuit seeking to halt the relief. "Unfortunately, our ability to process loan forgiveness has been paused," Cardona wrote. "We believe strongly that the lawsuits are entirely meritless, and that the debt relief plan is lawful and necessary," he added.

☆ Tim Ryan doubles down on his go-it-alone strategy in Ohio's crucial Senate race as Democratic leaders campaign elsewhere: 'They don't need to rescue me. I need to rescue them'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Democratic Senate hopeful Tim Ryan is facing off against Trump-backed challenger JD Vance in Ohio. He added, somewhat defiantly, "They don't need to rescue me. Fans of Democratic Ohio Senate hopeful Rep. Tim Ryan chat in front of his campaign bus during a rally in Xenia, Ohio on November 4, 2022. "We don't need people from the outside coming in to sell us something, because his message is so strong," Saul added. Matheny said, adding that it "shows working-class people that you don't need all that extra money in your pocket."

☆ Conscious capitalism falls behind in the polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NEW YORK, Nov 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - As America heads to the polls on Tuesday, and the political climate gets more acrimonious, powerful companies have two choices. Their bid to avoid unwanted attention comes with a cost, because the alternative to conscious capitalism isn’t democracy but apathy. BlackRock affirmed its commitment on Thursday to letting individual customers vote shares in companies at annual meetings, rather than BlackRock voting on their behalf. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has taken aim at “woke” capitalism by barring state pension funds from investing based on non-pecuniary goals. From the other side, New York’s City comptroller is “reassessing” its relationship with Fink’s firm because BlackRock isn’t being progressive enough.

☆ Missouri Amendment 3: Voters could legalize marijuana for personal use
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Missouri Amendment 3 would legalize marijuana use. Ballot measure detailsWhile the use of medical marijuana was legalized in the state in 2018, Amendment 3, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, would legalize personal marijuana use for adults over the age of 21. Several groups support it, including the ACLU of Missouri, Empower Missouri, Missouri AFL-CIO, Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, MoCannTrade, NAACP St. Louis City, NORML KC, and Reale Justice Network, according to Ballotpedia. "Missouri shouldn't legalize marijuana without automatically expunging thousands of criminal records for marijuana offenses that will soon be legal," John Bowman, president of the St. Louis County NAACP, told the Missouri Times. Mike Parson, State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Missouri Catholic Conference, Missouri Constitutional Conservatives PAC, and Missouri NAACP all oppose the measure, according to Ballotpedia.

☆ A major student-loan company just undermined the GOP-led lawsuit that temporarily halted Biden's debt cancellation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Six GOP-led states said in a lawsuit that Biden's student-debt relief will hurt loan company MOHELA. "It is unconscionable that your company—as one of the largest student loan companies in the world—would be involved in overtly political efforts to rob millions of their right to student loan debt relief," Bush wrote in her October 18 letter. Any available funds above reasonable operating needs and reserves are devoted by MOHELA to student financial aid." Even with this new information, it's unclear when the 8th Circuit will make a decision on whether the debt relief can move forward. "MOHELA has cut the single thread this frivolous lawsuit was hanging by, Braxton Brewington, spokesperson for advocacy group the Debt Collective, said in a statement.

☆ Black and Hispanic adults less likely than Whites to receive ‘potentially lifesaving’ bystander CPR during cardiac arrest, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The data also showed that 38.5% of Blacks and Hispanics received bystander CPR when the cardiac arrest happened at home, compared with 47.4% of Whites. He added that not receiving bystander CPR during a cardiac arrest can have “significant clinical outcomes” for the person whose heart stopped pumping. “Bystander CPR ensures some level of blood circulation, oxygenation of the brain and other vital organs,” Benjamin said. “Certainly time to intervention is critical, and bystander CPR and defibrillator access and use is a part of that,” she said, adding that disparities in how much CPR training is conducted in communities also plays a role in the likelihood of someone receiving bystander CPR. “We need to use what we learn about disparities to help improve the likelihood of bystander CPR for everyone.

☆ Insider asked 38 Republicans whether they're concerned about growing anti-Semitic sentiments in their party. Their responses included silence, deflection, and rehashing old statements.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Insider reached out to House Republican leaders, GOP senators auditioning for the 2024 presidential race, the Republican National Committee, retired GOP lawmakers, seasoned Republican strategists and former Donald Trump administration officials about this disturbing phenomenon. The non-respondents included RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, former Vice President Mike Pence, National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Rick Scott, House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik, Florida Gov. Meghan McCain, the daughter of late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, lashed out at West, Trump and House Republican "idiots" cheering on their reprehensible behavior. "You can say that his particular words in this particular case are not antisemitic," Rosen said Tuesday during Commentary's daily podcast. Nor have they convinced House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan to quit hailing West and Trump as personal heroes.

☆ Biden's student-loan forgiveness can move forward for now after a federal judge just threw out one of the most serious GOP lawsuits against the debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It was regarded as one of the most serious challenges to the loan forgiveness plan. The GOP-led states could still appeal the case, but for now, Biden's debt relief can move forward. The suit was regarded as one of the most serious cases challenging the debt relief plan. Autrey said that the plaintiffs failed to show concrete harm the debt relief would cause them and will no longer consider the case. "It is unconscionable that your company — as one of the largest student loan companies in the world—would be involved in overtly political efforts to rob millions of their right to student loan debt relief," Bush wrote.

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