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☆ Gov. Jim Justice Is Expected to Announce Senate Run for Joe Manchin’s Seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Jim Justice of West Virginia is set to announce a Senate campaign on Thursday, giving Republicans a strong recruit against Senator Joe Manchin III, one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in 2024. The West Virginia race is one of the most essential pickup opportunities for Republicans if they are to retake control of the Senate, which Democrats hold by a narrow 51-49 seat margin. Mr. Manchin, who represents by far the most Republican state held by any Democratic senator, has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election, but Republicans are hoping that Mr. Justice’s entry might spur him toward retirement. Mr. Manchin in recent years has been one of the few Democrats who can compete in the overwhelmingly Republican state.

☆ GOP Gov. Jim Justice set to launch bid for Joe Manchin's Senate seat in West Virginia this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R) and US Senator Joe Manchin (L), Democrat of West Virginia, attend a roundtable discussion on the opioid epidemic with local and state officials at the Cabell-Huntington Health Department in Huntington, West Virginia, July 8, 2019. West Virginia offers the GOP perhaps its best chance to flip a Democratic seat next year. Justice's team believes a Senate bid by the governor could make Manchin less likely to seek reelection, the GOP source told CNBC last month. Former President Donald Trump, who is deeply popular in West Virginia, backed Mooney in his most recent House election. Justice is set to announce his Senate bid at his own resort, furthering intermingling the governor's business and politics.

☆ RESTRICT Act explained: proposed TikTok ban is 'a PATRIOT Act for the digital age,' some lawmakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The RESTRICT Act, a bill that could ban TikTok nationwide, was introduced in the Senate last month. GOP Senator JD Vance of Ohio called the bill proposal "a PATRIOT Act for the digital age." But the RESTRICT Act — touted as a way ban TikTok nationwide — would do far more than prevent users from accessing an app known for its viral dance routines and conspiracy theory videos. "This will directly improve our national security as well as safeguard Americans' personal information and our nation's vital intellectual property." Even those who support a TikTok ban, such as Senator JD Vance of Ohio, don't see the RESTRICT Act as an appropriate solution.

[1/6] Tundra trucks and Sequoia SUV's exit the assembly line as finished products at Toyota's truck plant in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. April 17, 2023. TOYOTA'S PAST SUCCESSWashington's push to accelerate the shift to battery-electric vehicles amplifies the threat posed by Tesla to Toyota's position as the world's largest automaker. Toyota San Antonio has weathered a series of challenges since it built its first truck in 2006. The future for factories like Toyota San Antonio will play out across the next several years. Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in San Antonio, Texas, Joseph White in Detroit and David Shepardson in Washington Written by Joseph White Editing by Ben Klayman and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ IRS chief urges 2024 budget hike as Republicans criticize $80 bln spending plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Werfel told a Senate Finance Committee hearing that the Biden administration's $14.1 billion fiscal 2024 IRS budget request would allow for further improvements in taxpayer services after the agency improved its call center response times with 5,000 new employees funded by last year's Inflation Reduction Act. "It's not enough resources to fund a tax system in an economy that grows in size and complexity every year," Werfel said of the fiscal 2023 IRS budget of $12.3 billion. The Strategic OperatingPlan calls for spending nearly 60% of the Inflation Reduction Act funds, or $79 billion on expanded enforcement, but only $4.3 billion for taxpayer services. Senator John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said he was "deeply concerned" that the "funds committed to promoting the administration's radical energy agenda" were similar in size to the taxpayer services spending plan. Some Republicans in the House of Representatives have targeted repeal of the $80 billion in IRS funding as a key spending cut demand for raising the $31.4 trillion federal debt limit this year.

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - British pop star Elton John urged U.S. senators on Wednesday not to ease up on the fight against HIV and AIDS, as Congress faces a September deadline for reauthorizing the multi-billion-dollar U.S. program to fight the disease. Congress must reauthorize PEPFAR for another five years before Sept. 30. REUTERS/Anna GordonA set amount has not been set for the reauthorization, but Congress typically has approved $6.5 billion to $6.9 billion for PEPFAR each year. Global AIDS Coordinator John Nkengasong told the committee PEPFAR has saved 25 million lives and created health networks that have helped fight outbreaks of Ebola and the COVID-19 pandemic. "I urge my colleagues to join me in working to reauthorize PEPFAR without delay and without new mandates and directives," said Senator Jim Risch, the panel's top Republican.

☆ Fetterman makes a video pretending to have a body double to address the conspiracy that has reached everyone from Melania Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

During Senator John Fetterman's stay at the hospital rumors swirled that he used a body double. The body double conspiracy is something many politicians deal with but spotting them is in the ears. "You know, during my time, during the hospital, the fringy fringies really came up with a conspiracy theory that I have a body double. A split-second later, the body double John Fetterman — who is actually just Fetterman, for those fooled by the camera work — walks into the room from a side door and asks the "real" Fetterman what event he was supposed to be covering for. Theories about political figures using body doubles often appear to correlate with rumors of illness or weakness — perceived or otherwise.

☆ Republicans want to ban banning gas ovens as part of their legislation to raise the debt ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republicans have finally put their demands for the debt ceiling in writing and released legislation. They also want to preserve consumers' access to gas stoves, a fiery issue for the right. When Richard Trumka Jr., a commissioner at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, told Bloomberg that the agency was contemplating banning gas stoves, uproar ensued. Ultimately, the CPSC said it wasn't looking to outright ban gas stoves, and instead wanted to look how to reduce potentially hazardous emissions from stoves. What remains to be seen, then, is if McCarthy has enough votes to pay the country's debts and hold onto gas stoves.

CNN —Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has returned to the Senate following a period of recovery in the wake of a fall. McConnell was at the Capitol on Friday, but Monday marks the GOP Senate leader’s first day back in session. I look forward to returning in person to the Senate soon.”Earlier this year, McConnell became the longest-serving party leader in Senate history. During his absence, Senate Republicans who spoke with the McConnell said he was itching to get back to the chamber. 2 Senate Republican, Minority Whip John Thune, noted that he was “anxious” to return, and Texas Senator John Cornyn told reporters that McConnell was “chomping at the bit” to come back to the Capitol.

☆ Debt ceiling fight shows stakes of Feinstein's Senate absence, Klobuchar says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - The standoff over raising the U.S. federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling illustrates the stakes of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein's lengthy absence from Washington, fellow Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Sunday. We have things like the debt ceiling coming up," Klobuchar said in an interview on ABC's "This Week" program. President Joe Biden's Democrats insist on a "clean" debt ceiling bill unaccompanied by cuts. "I have a lot of respect for Senator Feinstein, but she's missed 75% of votes this year.

☆ Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell to return to Washington Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said on Thursday that he will return to the Senate next week, more than a month after he was sidelined by a bad fall and as talks over the nation's looming $31.4 trillion debt ceiling shift to a higher gear. The 81-year-old Kentucky Republican, who is the longest-serving Senate party leader in history, tripped at a Washington dinner on March 8 and was admitted to a hospital for treatment of a concussion. McConnell was one of three lawmakers sidelined in the Senate, which Democrats control by a narrow 51-49 majority. Democratic Senator Feinstein, 89, is recuperating from a bout of shingles amid calls for her resignation from fellow Democrats. On Wednesday, Feinstein said her return to the Senate was delayed and that she would temporarily step down from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

☆ Fact Check-Florida driver who vandalized Pride crosswalk charged with criminal mischief and reckless driving, not hate crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Florida man pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and reckless driving after using his pick-up truck to vandalize a rainbow-colored Pride road crossing in West Palm Beach, Florida, in June 2021. The caption reads: “Burning rubber on a rainbow street was categorized as a hate crime but a trans terrorist massacring Christian children was not.”U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, introduced a senate resolution to name the Nashville shooting a hate crime (here). John Kennedy, another Republican Senator, asked Attorney General Merrick Garland if a hate crime investigation would be opened on March 28 at a senate hearing (here). Although a man who vandalized a Pride crosswalk in Florida was initially arrested for criminal mischief, reckless driving, and evidence of prejudice (also referred to as a hate crime), he was ultimately charged with the first two only.

☆ Clarence Thomas' billionaire benefactor Harlan Crow has also spent thousands boosting Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and an anti-Trump super PAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

They include Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign, major Senate campaigns, and an anti-Trump PAC. The Texas billionaire also gave $50,000 in 2015 to "Right to Rise," a super PAC associated with Jeb Bush. Senate super PAC spendingIn addition to being a major super PAC spender at the presidential level, Crow has given thousands to outside spending groups supporting the party's Senate candidates over the years. He also gave $50,000 to "Show Me Values PAC," a super PAC set up to prevent the scandal-plagued former Gov. And in 2016, he gave $55,000 to "Let America Work," a super PAC boosting Sen. Ron Johnson against former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold.

☆ Battle over Biden labor nominee Julie Su heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Julie Su applauds while being nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as the Labor secretary during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 1, 2023. Crucial senators in Montana, West Virginia and Arizona, who voted for Su to become deputy Labor Secretary in 2021, are on the fence about her confirmation for the top job. The AFL-CIO will target Montana, West Virginia, Arizona and Maine, communicating support for Su to its members to get them to contact their state senators. A spokesperson for Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins said she does not support Su's nomination. She voted no on Su's deputy secretary nomination in 2021, as did all Republicans.

☆ Blinken to visit Vietnam next week, US senator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Vietnam next week, Senator Jeff Merkley told a news conference in Hanoi on Saturday, as part of Washington's efforts to move diplomatic relations with Hanoi on to a higher level this year. The United States is hoping to upgrade relations with Hanoi this year, ideally to coincide with the 10th anniversary in July of its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam. "Next week the Secretary of State will be here," Senator Merkley told reporters during a visit to Vietnam by a delegation of U.S. lawmakers aimed at boosting relations with Hanoi. Blinken is expected to visit Vietnam, likely on Saturday, before he heads to a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries in Japan on April 16-18. Before the call, multiple analysts had said Vietnam was cautious about an upgrade this year fearing that could cause tensions with China.

☆ US senators defend push to give Biden new tools to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The White House and 26 senators support the Restrict Act that would apply to foreign technologies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. Critics say the bill is overbroad and hurts civil liberties of Americans including the more than 150 million U.S. TikTok users. The senators denied targeting individual users or people using a virtual private network to access TikTok. Last week, Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked a bid to fast-track a separate bill to ban TikTok introduced by Senator Josh Hawley, who said the Restrict Act "doesn’t ban TikTok. Then President Donald Trump's attempts in 2020 to ban TikTok were blocked by U.S. courts.

☆ Trump says his fans didn't just give him $5 million in 48 hours — more than 16,000 people also signed up to become campaign volunteers within 2 days of his indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump's 2024 campaign said it raised $5 million in the 48 hours after he was indicted, per Axios. More than 16,000 people also signed up to volunteer on Trump's website in the first 24 hours after his indictment, Axios reported, citing Trump's campaign spokesperson. On Friday, Trump's campaign said it raised $4 million in the 24 hours after the indictment announcement. More than a quarter of these contributions came from first-time donors, and the average sum given was $34, the Trump campaign said. In a Sunday message to supporters seen by Insider, Trump's campaign bragged that it had "OUTRAISED THEM ALL!"

Senator John Fetterman has been discharged from hospital where he was treated for weeks for depression, his office said on Friday, adding he will return to the Senate mid-April. Fetterman's depression is now in remission, his office said in a statement, citing a doctor. Fetterman had checked into a Washington-area hospital for treatment for clinical depression in mid-February. Fetterman, who suffered a stroke last May and later acknowledged he had "almost died," has faced challenges adjusting to life in the Senate during his recovery. During the course of Fetterman's depression treatment, his speech abilities also improved as he worked with speech-language specialists, his office said on Friday.

☆ Democratic US Senator Fetterman discharged from hospital
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Senator John Fetterman has been discharged from hospital where he was treated for weeks for depression, his office said on Friday, adding he will return to the Senate mid-April. Fetterman's depression is now in remission, his office said, citing a doctor. The return of Fetterman, who flipped a Republican-held seat in last November's midterm elections, will be good news for Democrats, who hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate. Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward in WashingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill to help news media negotiate with Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers reintroduced a bill to allow news organizations to join together to negotiate ad rates with tech giants such as Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google. The measure would allow news broadcasters and publishers with fewer than 1,500 full-time workers to jointly negotiate ad rates -- many of which face financial struggles. The bill was introduced by Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee, along with Senator John Kennedy, a Republican. The News/Media Alliance, a media trade association, praised the bill it says will protect and sustain local journalism. Reporting by Diane Bartz; additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fetterman released from Walter Reed after 5-week hospitalization for depression: 'I'm excited to be the father and husband I want to be'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Senator John Fetterman has returned to his home in Pennsylvania following a five-week hospitalization for severe depression, the Democrat's office announced Friday. "I'm excited to be the father and husband I want to be, and the senator Pennsylvania deserves." Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke suffered last year, had voluntarily checked in to Walter Reed Medical Center in February. Dr. David Williamson, who oversaw the freshman senator's treatment, said his depression was now "in remission," according to Fetterman's office. In a discharge briefing, Williamson said Fetterman is "ready to return to his family, pursue outpatient treatment, and resume work."

☆ Lindsey Graham tried to fundraise for Trump on Fox News hours after the former president was indicted: 'Give the man some money so he can fight!'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lindsey Graham tried to raise funds for Trump's war chest just after the former president was indicted. Graham told Fox News viewers to donate to Trump and "give the man some money" to fight the case. During the interview, Graham also called the New York indictment of Trump "legal voodoo." After Trump falsely predicted that he would get arrested on March 14, the Trump campaign pumped out multiple fundraising emails calling for contributions. The Democratic Governors Association and multiple Democrat PACs have sent out their own donation requests since Trump's indictment, The Times reported.

☆ Fact Check-Distorted photo of US Senator Fetterman not proof of a ‘body double’
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator John Fetterman is being shared alongside false claims that he received a “head replacement” or has a “body double” after he was admitted to hospital in February 2023. That’s not Fetterman on the right” alongside two photos of Fetterman (here). In other posts, people remarked the photo on the right shows a “body double” (here), (here). The photo on the right shows Fetterman being discharged from a hospital on May 22, 2022, as seen in Pittsburgh’s NPR News Station WESA article (here). Side by side comparisons of two photos of Fetterman are not proof he was replaced by a body double.

☆ Republican Senator Rand Paul blocks bid to ban Chinese-owned TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday blocked a bid to fast-track a ban of popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which more than 150 million Americans use, citing concerns about free speech and uneven treatment of social media companies. Republican Senator Josh Hawley had sought unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. We're going to be just like China and ban speech we're afraid of?" Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a TikTok video on Friday opposed a TikTok ban, calling it "unprecedented" and said Congress has not gotten classified TikTok briefings. Then President Donald Trump's attempts in 2020 to ban TikTok were blocked by U.S. courts.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., will return to the Senate during the week of April 17 after about two months of treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center for depression, his office tells NBC News. The announcement comes as Fetterman introduces a new bill Wednesday focused on bolstering railway safety regulations in the aftermath of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The legislation is the first bill that Fetterman is leading since being elected to the Senate — he's previously introduced legislation alongside fellow Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who also join Fetterman in backing his new bill. Fetterman has also worked in bipartisan tandem with Senator JD Vance, R-Ohio, on legislation aimed at preventing future rail disasters. The new legislation includes measures to ensure that railroads provide warning equipment to railroad watchmen and mandates mechanics inspect rail cars to attest to their safety, among other proposals.

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