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☆ OpenAI CEO wows lawmakers at closed dinner: 'Fantastic…forthcoming'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke to an engaged crowd of about 60 lawmakers at a dinner Monday about the advanced artificial technology his company produces and the challenges of regulating it. The wide-ranging discussion that lasted about two hours came ahead of Altman's first time testifying before Congress at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy and technology hearing on Tuesday. The dinner discussion comes at a peak moment for AI, which has thoroughly captured Congress' fascination. "There isn't any question where he pulls back on anything," she said, adding that lawmakers had very thoughtful things to ask. Khanna said the question of openness of the model is something he's discussed with Altman before, though not at Monday's dinner.

☆ Trump is weaponizing the Russia report he demanded -- even though it lacks bombshells
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Another Trump ally, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, argued the report showed the “rule of law in America is subservient to political outcomes. In another politically sensitive part of his report, Durham found that the FBI did not pursue allegations against Clinton with the same vigor with which they acted against Trump. He pointed out that the Trump investigation was launched at a time when Russia was attacking Democratic National Committee servers and had used stolen information to attack Clinton. The investigation was only launched after the bureau received evidence from a friendly foreign government that the Trump campaign had been offered help by the Russians. But all Trump needed from the report was a headline and a general narrative of suspicion against the FBI.

☆ US special counsel faults FBI's handling of 2016 Trump-Russia probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The FBI lacked “actual evidence” to investigate Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and relied too heavily on tips provided by Trump’s political opponents to fuel the probe, U.S. Special Counsel John Durham concluded in a report released on Monday. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at his final campaign event at the Devos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. November 8, 2016. That Crossfire Hurricane investigation would later be handed over to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who in March 2019 concluded there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. In his new 306-page report, Durham concluded that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement did not possess any “actual evidence” of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia prior to launching Crossfire Hurricane. He also accused the bureau of treating the 2016 Trump probe differently from other politically sensitive investigations, including several involving Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

☆ Special counsel John Durham concludes FBI never should have launched full Trump-Russia probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Zachary Cohen Devan Cole Tierney Sneed Evan Perez Hannah Rabinowitz Jeremy Herb Marshall Cohen | Zachary Cohen | Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“Strzok, at a minimum, had pronounced hostile feelings toward Trump,” Durham wrote, while quoting in a footnote previously known texts between Strzok and Lisa Page, then an FBI attorney. Witness testimony exposed the FBI’s overreliance on the dossier as it sought court approval to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser in 2016. Mixed results over 3+ yearsBarr tapped Durham in 2019 to review the origins of the Russia probe, and the scope of Durham’s work grew over the years. Former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which inherited the initial Russia probe, released a detailed accounting of Russia’s effort to interfere in the 2016 election. Mueller found no evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but investigators documented numerous contacts between Trump associates and Russians.

☆ Takeaways from special counsel John Durham’s report on FBI’s Russia-Trump probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Special counsel John Durham released his final report on Monday in which he casts doubt about the FBI’s decision to launch a full investigation into connections between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. The report does not ultimately fulfill the expectations set by former President Trump and his allies who have long claimed that it would prove the FBI’s investigation was nothing more than a political witch hunt. That finding was at the core of Durham’s most scathing criticism of the FBI’s decision to launch a full investigation. “Strzok, at a minimum, had pronounced hostile feelings toward Trump,” Durham wrote, while quoting in a footnote previously known texts between Strzok and Lisa Page, then an FBI attorney. Witness testimony exposed the FBI’s overreliance on the dossier as it sought court approval to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser in 2016.

☆ U.S. House passes Republican bill tightening border security
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved Republican legislation intended to stop immigrants and illegal drugs crossing the nation's southwestern border with Mexico, leaving it to the Senate to attempt a broader, bipartisan immigration bill. It also would resume construction of a wall along the border and expand federal law enforcement efforts. The House voted 219-213 to pass the bill, with no Democrats in favor and one Republican opposed. Officials at the southwestern border were seeing large influxes of immigrants in the final days of Title 42 expiration. House Republican leaders at the last minute had to modify provisions of their bill for the U.S. agriculture industry to comply with "E-Verify" requirements for confirming U.S. employment eligibility.

☆ Former Trump probe prosecutor refuses to answer House Judiciary Committee questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mark Pomerantz, author, "People vs. Donald Trump: An Inside Account," appears on "Meet the Press" in Washington, Feb. 12, 2023. A former prosecutor refused Friday to answer questions at a deposition by the House Judiciary Committee about a criminal investigation of Donald Trump in which he once played a leading role. The Judiciary Committee, whose chairman Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio is a close Republican ally of Trump, has been investigating whether the Manhattan District Attorney's Office probe and charging of Trump was politically motivated. He argued he had the right to not answer questions if they were not pertinent "to a legitimate legislative function." Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a committee member, told reporters later Pomerantz refused to answer any questions at the deposition.

The release of a House Oversight Committee memo came as Hunter Biden faces legal scrutiny on other fronts, including on his taxes. Photo: Susan Walsh/Associated PressHouse Republicans released a pair of reports Wednesday related to President Biden’s family as they sought new momentum in investigations involving his son, Hunter Biden . In a memo from a House Judiciary subcommittee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, GOP committee staff alleged that an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency inappropriately sought at least one signatory for a letter aimed at helping both Bidens on the eve of the 2020 presidential election.

☆ US House committee to consider bill on pressuring OPEC oil group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - The House Judiciary Committee was set to consider a bill on Wednesday to pressure the OPEC oil production group to stop making output cuts that can result in higher fuel prices for U.S. drivers. The committee was expected to vote on the so-called No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels, or NOPEC, bill, which would change U.S. antitrust law to revoke the sovereign immunity that has protected OPEC+ members and their national oil companies from lawsuits over price collusion. Analysts were skeptical that the NOPEC bill would pass Congress while oil prices were relatively low as the market fears a recession. "House Judiciary Committee passage of NOPEC is more a biennial tradition than a sign of momentum," Rapidan Energy Group said in a note to clients. The committee has passed the bill in 2018, 2019 and 2021, Rapidan said.

☆ House Judiciary Chair threatens to hold Google in contempt of Congress for failing to produce subpoenaed documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, threatened enforcement action against Google that could include holding the company in contempt of Congress for failing to produce documents the committee subpoenaed to learn about tech company communications with the Biden administration. Jordan requested the companies comply by March 23. Congress can hold individuals in contempt for refusing to provide information requested by a committee. Alphabet didn't assert that those redactions included privileged information, according to Jordan, and the committee requires unredacted documents to be handed over. But those documents have yet to include an "appreciable volume" of several types of communications the committee assumes Google would have.

☆ Judge Rejects Montana Transgender Lawmaker’s Bid to Return to House Floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Zooey Zephyr at a House Judiciary Committee meeting in the Montana State Capitol on Monday. Photo: Thom Bridge/Independent Record/Associated PressMontana Rep. Zooey Zephyr cannot return to the state Legislature, a judge ruled, after the transgender lawmaker’s Republican colleagues barred her from participating in floor debates over her actions against a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, which they said broke decorum. Judge Mike Menahan, of Montana’s First Judicial District Court, on Tuesday denied a request to temporarily block officials from keeping Ms. Zephyr off the House floor for the remainder of this session, which is scheduled to end Friday. Judge Menahan said the request would require the court “to interfere with legislative authority in a manner that exceeds this Court’s authority.”

A person who works with the group, American Edge Project, told CNBC that the $34 million was from Facebook. A Meta spokesman declined to comment and referred CNBC to American Edge instead. The person who works with American Edge told CNBC that the $4 million was also entirely from Facebook. American Edge launched a wave of TV and digital ads from late 2020 through 2021, taking on antitrust proposals. American Edge spent over $5 million between TV and digital ads in 2021, according to data from AdImpact.

☆ Colorado Governor Signs Bills Strengthening Gun Laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Adeel Hassan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jared Polis signed three bills into law on Friday that tighten restrictions on gun purchases and possession, as well as a fourth that makes it easier for victims of gun violence to sue firearm companies. Before, only law enforcement officers and family members were able to file such requests. The fourth law makes it easier to sue gun manufacturers by eliminating the requirement that plaintiffs automatically pay the legal fees of gun-industry defendants when cases are dismissed. The law also will allow manufacturers to be sued under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, which applies to all other businesses in the state. A fifth bill, which would have banned semiautomatic firearms, failed to make it out of the House Judiciary Committee.

☆ Opinion: What happens when you knock on a door
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In Kansas City, Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old White homeowner shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who rang his doorbell. And, “with Trump as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, Fox has resumed coverage of him which often veers into the free-advertisement category. Neither Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced his candidacy last week, nor Marianne Williamson represents a serious threat, Axelrod noted. “The calendar reads 2023,” wrote the Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, “but it feels like 2016 all over again.

☆ An ex-GOP congressman says Ron DeSantis didn't say 'a single word' to him for two years as they sat beside each other during House hearings: 'He's just a very arrogant guy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An ex-GOP congressman told Playbook that DeSantis didn't speak to him for two years during hearings. "I was new to Congress, and he didn't introduce himself or even say hello," Trott said this week. Trott told the outlet that they sat beside each other during Foreign Affairs committee hearings. Trott told Playbook he eventually introduced himself to DeSantis, whom he said had sharp political instincts despite their limited personal interactions. I don't think [he] has that," Trott told Playbook.

The district attorney, Democrat Alvin Bragg, had earlier this week appealed a lower court's ruling that the Republican-led House of Representatives committee may depose Mark Pomerantz, who led the Trump probe before resigning in February 2022. Pomerantz's testimony had been scheduled for Thursday, but the 2nd U.S. In papers filed on Friday, Jordan said the subpoena was covered by a constitutional protection for "speech or debate" in Congress. He said Pomerantz's testimony was necessary for the committee to consider possible legislation to "help protect current and former Presidents from potentially politically motivated prosecutions." Bragg has said Pomerantz's testimony could improperly reveal confidential information related to his office's probe, and that Congress did not have oversight of state-level criminal cases.

☆ Bragg Agrees to Let Ex-Prosecutor Testify About Trump Case in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The former prosecutor, Mark F. Pomerantz, is now scheduled to testify under oath to representatives of the House Judiciary Committee in a closed-door deposition on May 12. Mr. Pomerantz worked for the Manhattan district attorney’s office for about a year, but resigned more than a year before Mr. Trump was indicted, and wrote a book that described his frustration with Mr. Bragg’s approach to the investigation. Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, subpoenaed Mr. Pomerantz this month, shortly after Mr. Bragg unveiled charges against Mr. Trump, accusing him of orchestrating the cover-up of a hush-money payment made to a porn star in 2016. Mr. Bragg then sued Mr. Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, accusing him of meddling in the affairs of the district attorney’s office after its indictment of Mr. Trump. The lawsuit sought to block the questioning of Mr. Pomerantz.

☆ Ex-prosecutor in New York Trump probe to testify in congressional deposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Mark Pomerantz, the former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney's criminal inquiry into the business practices of ex-president Donald Trump, is set to appear for a deposition before a Republican-led congressional committee on Thursday. The subpoena came from the House Judiciary Committee, and the closed-door deposition is scheduled for 10 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. But Jordan's lawyer countered that the committee needed Pomerantz's testimony to weigh legislation restricting what he called "politically motivated prosecutions" of presidents. But in her written ruling, she said he would be free to object and decline to answer questions if appropriate. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Diane Craft and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

In this Aug. 12, 2002 file photo, attorney Mark Pomerantz arrives at Federal Court in New York. A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily blocked a House Judiciary Committee subpoena for testimony from a former Manhattan prosecutor who was involved in a criminal investigation of ex-President Donald Trump. In response to the subpoena to Pomerantz, Bragg sued the Judiciary Committee to try to block the former prosecutor from testifying. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, a Trump nominee, on Wednesday denied Bragg's effort to invalidate the subpoena for Pomerantz. "The subpoena was issued with a 'valid legislative purpose' in connection with the 'broad' and 'indispensable' congressional power to 'conduct investigations,'" Vyskocil wrote in federal court in Manhattan.

☆ New York appeals court halts first subpoena in House Judiciary Committee's Trump prosecution inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A NY court has blocked the first subpoena issued by a House GOP inquiry into Trump's hush-money prosecution. Ex-Manhattan prosecutor Mark Pomerantz had been ordered to submit to Judiciary Committee questioning Thursday. That's now on hold while committee chair Jim Jordan and DA Alvin Bragg continue fighting over the inquiry. Bragg's office must file court papers by Friday explaining why Pomerantz should not testify, and why Wednesday's decision should be overturned. Bragg has sued to fight the committee's inquiry into the hush-money prosecution, under which Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

New York CNN —A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office for a temporary restraining order to stop a House Judiciary Committee subpoena of former prosecutor Mark Pomerantz. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil said Pomerantz must appear for a deposition as the House panel investigates Bragg’s recent indictment of former President Donald Trump. Bragg’s office says it will appeal. During the hearing, an attorney for Bragg’s office argued – unsuccessfully – that Pomerantz ignored cautions from the DA before publishing the book, so the district attorney’s office should not be penalized. The clash between federal and state powers began in March when Jordan asked Bragg’s office for documents and communications after news organizations reported that Bragg’s office was moving closer to seeking to indict Trump.

☆ In win for MAGA Republicans, judge lets House Judiciary Committee start inquiry into Trump's Manhattan prosecution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge in Manhattan handed Trump's NY prosecutors their first legal setback Wednesday. Ex-prosecutor Mark Pomerantz must now testify before the House Judiciary Committee as early as Thursday. The inquiry will also explore the need for legislation to protect former presidents from "political prosecution," judiciary committee attorney Matthew B. Berry had argued. Lawyers for both sides — the judiciary committee and Bragg's office — are accusing each other of abusing their power for political gain. Attorneys for the judiciary committee did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment on the decision; a spokeswoman for Bragg said an appeal will be filed in hopes of delaying Thursday's testimony.

☆ Congressional Democrats bash Ron DeSantis for alienating Florida job creator Disney World in service of a 'flailing presidential campaign'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Warren Rojas | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ron DeSantis's Tuesday swing through DC, calling it ill-timed, his political resume goofy, and his ongoing fight with Walt Disney World a devastating vanity project. Walt Disney World has roughly 80,000 employees in Florida and is the state's biggest tourist attraction. The Florida governor wasn't being offered much cover by Florida Republicans on Capitol Hill. When another reporter asked whether DeSantis had gone too far by threatening Disney with state prisoners for neighbors, Scott claimed ignorance. "Ron DeSantis is out campaigning outside of the state of Florida and picking fights with Mickey Mouse," Fried said.

☆ Republican US congressman asks judge to let probe into Trump case proceed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and an ally of fellow Republican Trump, made the request to U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil two days before she is due to hold a hearing in the case in federal court in Manhattan. In a separate filing, Pomerantz urged Vyskocil to block the subpoena and said he played no role in Bragg's decision to charge Trump. Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024, has denied the liaison took place. Bragg has accused Jordan of impeding New York's "sovereign authority" and interfering in an ongoing criminal case. "Such legislation could help protect current and former presidents from potentially politically motivated prosecutions," Jordan's lawyers wrote in court papers.

☆ Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan holds Manhattan hearing to blast DA's record on crime despite 73% higher murder rate at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Jim Jordan held a Manhattan hearing criticizing its 'soft-on-real-crime' DA. The House Judiciary Committee hearing was met with pushback about crime in red states like Jordan's. NYPD stats show that the first three months of 2023 have seen a decline in Manhattan crime compared with the first three months of last year. The chairman is doing the bidding of Donald Trump," Nadler said. Bragg responded by suing Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee; his lawsuit seeks to block the subpoena and to stop Jordan's investigation.

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