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☆ Trump a target as U.S. Capitol riot probe votes on criminal referrals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] A mob of supporters of then-U.S. President Donald Trump climb through a window they broke as they storm the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. The committee is scheduled to meet Monday to consider referrals and vote on its final report, which it expects to release in full on Wednesday. It subpoenaed Trump in October, asking him to testify and provide documents, but he filed suit to block the action. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in October found that two in five Republicans believed Trump was at least partly responsible for the attack. Four of the committee's members, including both Republicans, leave Congress early next year.

☆ U.S. House Jan. 6 Capitol riot probe to consider Trump criminal referral
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The committee is scheduled to meet Monday to consider referrals and vote on its final report, which it expects to release in full on Wednesday. With Republicans due to take control of the House of Representatives next month, the Jan. 6 committee is expected to be disbanded, even as Trump seeks the Republican nomination to run for the White House again in 2024. It subpoenaed Trump in October, asking him to testify and provide documents, but he filed suit to block the action. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in October found that two in five Republicans believed Trump was at least partly responsible for the attack. Four of the committee's members, including both Republicans, leave Congress early next year.

☆ Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says 'it's hard to imagine' Pence 'getting by both Trump and DeSantis' in a GOP presidential primary
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gingrich said it would tough for Pence to topple both Trump and DeSantis in a 2024 GOP field. "It's hard to imagine him getting by both Trump and DeSantis," Gingrich told Politico's Adam Wren. While Trump has launched his 2024 White House bid, Pence and DeSantis are not currently in the race. Ron DeSantis of Florida in a GOP presidential primary if the former vice president were to jump into the 2024 race. "It's hard to imagine him getting by both Trump and DeSantis," Gingrich said.

Joe Biden beat Donald Trump once, and Democrats are crafting a strategy to try to beat him again in 2024 — even if his name isn’t on the ballot. But Democrats interviewed about the emerging 2024 strategy said they plan to make sure this particular comment isn’t soon forgotten. (Trump issued another statement on his Truth Social platform insisting he hadn’t said he wanted to “terminate” the Constitution.) A Trump ally, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, said he doesn’t believe Trump will suffer a backlash over his comment about the Constitution. Trump’s comment “is very serious,” said longtime Biden confidant Ted Kaufman, a former U.S. senator from Delaware.

CNN —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s official portrait was unveiled in a ceremony Wednesday at the US Capitol, with speeches from old allies and political sparring-mates who reminisced on her historic tenure. The painting, which depicts Pelosi standing before the speaker’s chair in the House chamber and holding a gavel, will hang in the Speaker’s Lobby just off the House floor. Leaders lead, Madame Speaker, and you Madame Speaker, have led,” he said. The announcement came just weeks after her husband, Paul, was violently attacked in the couple’s San Francisco home. Jeffries, 52, will represent a generational change from the current triumvirate of House Democratic leaders, who are three decades older than him.

☆ Ron DeSantis outflanks Trump on the right with his call for Covid vaccine probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ron DeSantis was positioning himself to get to the right of the former president over the issue of Covid vaccines. DeSantis, who is mulling whether to challenge Trump in the 2024 Republican primary for president, deepened those suspicions Tuesday. That’s his record,” said Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to Trump and an outspoken critic of DeSantis. The poll also showed DeSantis ahead of President Joe Biden in a theoretical general election matchup by 47%-43%, but Biden topped Trump 47%-40%. “So the only option for DeSantis to pose a challenge to Trump is to attack him on the vaccine.

The city's homelessness crisis, both an incubator for street crime and a corollary to skyrocketing housing costs, touches almost every facet of life in L.A., even when it's just a backdrop. Bass vowed Sunday to attack it head-on by declaring a citywide state of emergency, an idea that had been circulating through City Hall since at least 2015. Bass is promising a new day and inspiring L.A.'s guardians to forget about the bickering, at least for a moment. "Where there’s will, there’s women," she said. "And where there’s women, there’s forever a way."

☆ Kevin McCarthy's oversight agenda will be 'a recurring skit on SNL' if he makes MAGA cheerleaders Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert investigators: GOP strategists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert want in on the GOP oversight blitz. the Oversight Committee member said of the need to keep congressional probes above board. McCarthy's office has repeatedly told Insider that the House GOP steering committee, which McCarthy leads, will handle assignments for the next Congress "at the appropriate time." Aaron Cutler, a former House GOP leadership aide and now partner at Hogan Lovells, urged House Republicans to avoid "focusing on the wrong things," and to cut bait if needed. Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty ImagesGiven that some sort of spectacle is probably unavoidable at this point, Roe urged House Republicans to tread carefully.

☆ Former RNC chair says the Republican party 'is not going to survive' if it continues being 'fixated' on Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former RNC Chair Michael Steele said the GOP threatens its own longevity by focusing on Trump. Steele said some GOP leaders want the party to move on from Trump and hope he'll be arrested by 2024. But he added that many GOP voters and state party organizations are still loyal to Trump. Steele served as RNC chair from 2009 to 2011 and endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020 but remains a Republican. Michael Schwartz/Getty ImagesThe former RNC chair said McDaniel effectively chose Trump, citing how she dropped her middle name "Romney" at Trump's request in 2017.

☆ What the pro-business tax agenda is chasing in a changing Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Main Street could find itself stuck in gridlock next year in terms of advancing pro-business tax objectives. For House Republicans, legislative priorities are likely to include extending business-friendly provisions of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed by the Trump Administration in 2017. Even so, a divided Congress means that major pro-business legislative changes will be difficult to enact. Rather, tax and policy professionals expect House Republicans to focus on a number of positioning moves next year — ones that will establish their pro-business agenda ahead of the 2024 presidential election. "There are a host of provisions in the tax code that businesses would like to see changed or revised," said Rochelle Hodes, a principal in Crowe's Washington National Tax office.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema's Democratic defection without a difference
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Specter’s switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party briefly gave Democrats a filibuster-proof majority and allowed them to pass the Affordable Care Act. Joe Lieberman, the moderate Democrat and former longtime senator, lost a Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006, largely over his support for the Iraq war. A defection without a differenceArizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appears to be different as she becomes the 22nd senator to change party affiliation while in office. A Senate independence trioSinema will be the first independent senator who isn’t from New England in more than a generation. The most complete political evolution may be that of Lincoln Chafee, the Rhode Island politician who was a Republican senator, independent governor and failed Democratic and Libertarian presidential candidate.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party reshapes the dynamics of the 2024 Senate race in Arizona, creating fresh obstacles for Democrats to hold the seat in two years. But I’m still shockingly disappointed at how awful she continues to be,” said Michael Slugocki, an outgoing vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. A bipartisan poll by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research in September found that Sinema's favorable rating among Arizona Democrats was 37%. The state party censured Sinema last year after she opposed a Senate rules change to pass a major voting-rights bill. “There is every intention that the Arizona Democratic Party will run a true Democrat in 2024,” he said, adding that he favors Gallego.

There’s no doubt that our country is still incredibly divided after the deadly Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Recipients were the heroic law enforcement officers of the U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6. McConnell and McCarthy shouldn’t be allowed to just go on as if these moments are just business as usual. During the ceremony, McConnell touted the bravery of the officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6. He and many of his GOP colleagues have made it abundantly clear that they believe the investigation was purely a political vehicle to attack Trump.

☆ Georgia runoff: Democratic U.S. Senator Warnock beats Trump-backed rival
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With 99% of the estimated vote counted, he led Walker by 50.8% to 49.2%, according to Edison Research. The result cements Georgia as a battleground state certain to play a prominent role in the 2024 presidential election. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) speaks during an election night party after a projected win in the U.S. midterm runoff election between Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 6, 2022. It is his second runoff victory in two years, after he won the seat in January 2021. Venkayla Haynes, 28, said Warnock's win was especially meaningful after months of organizing get-out-the-vote efforts for both the general election and then the runoff.

☆ Democratic U.S. Senator Warnock wins Georgia runoff, Edison Research projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Senator Raphael Warnock won re-election in a hard-fought Georgia runoff on Tuesday, expanding his party's razor-thin majority as he turned back a challenge by Republican former football star Herschel Walker, Edison Research projected. With 97% of the expected vote counted and Warnock commanding a lead of 50.6% to 49.4%, Edison projected that Warnock had won reelection. Warnock's victory cements Georgia as a battleground state certain to play a prominent role in the 2024 presidential election. [1/17] Reverend Raphael Warnock, Democratic Senator for Georgia, delivers remarks during a visit at a campaign office during the midterm Senate runoff elections in Norcross, Georgia, U.S., December 6, 2022. It is the second runoff victory in two years for Warnock, who first won his seat in January 2021.

☆ Biden appeals to keep COVID restrictions in place for migrants at U.S.-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ted Hesson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The administration also said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working on a regulation to formalize the border restrictions. Biden, a Democrat who took office in 2021, pledged to undo Trump asylum restrictions. But his administration initially kept the order in place for more than a year amid record migrant arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. officials have been preparing for a possible increase in illegal border crossings if Title 42 ends. The appeal comes as a coalition of states with Republican attorneys general are seeking to intervene in the lawsuit to keep Title 42 in place.

☆ Warnock gains early voting edge as both candidates barnstorm Georgia in final day before Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

An early vote that topped 1.85 million showed other positive signs for Warnock, with Democrats enjoying a 13-point edge — larger than the party’s 8-point lead in November’s early vote, according to TargetSmart’s model. But Walker is widely expected to win more of the votes cast on Election Day. Residents wait in line to vote early outside a polling station on Nov. 29 in Atlanta. Walker “needs to win Election Day by double digits,” said Cody Hall, an adviser to Kemp, who said the Republican candidate will have to outperform his advantage from November's Election Day. “But I would just caution everyone that base Republican voters in the last couple of cycles have liked turning out on Election Day.

☆ White House to address rising anti-Semitism, attacks on Jews
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The White House will address rising anti-Semitism in a roundtable event with Jewish leaders on Wednesday focused on attacks against Jews across the United States and how to combat hate. The White House did not say which leaders from the Jewish community would attend the event, hosted by second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or a vice president. The move comes as reports of anti-Semitism have increased nationwide. The issue has drawn headlines in recent weeks after former Republican President Donald Trump hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes and the musician formerly known as Kanye West at his private club in Florida. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting anti-Semitism wherever it hides.

When I first started investigating China’s top spy agency in 2020 for my book, “Spies and Lies: How China’s Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World,” I thought espionage was its main game. In October, the Justice Department charged 13 people with plotting to covertly advance China’s interests in the United States. Several of those charged are allegedly officers of China’s Ministry of State Security. I soon realized that the Ministry of State Security’s covert influence operations have been at the forefront of its work to shape the world. Many countries, including the United States, are working to combat espionage but lack laws suited to tackling covert influence operations.

☆ Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich warns Republicans to stop 'underestimating' Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Newt Gingrich recently warned Republicans to stop "underestimating" President Joe Biden. The ex-GOP House speaker blasted Biden's policies but said Democrats had been able to pass "radical" bills. Gingrich said conservative "hostility" to Biden has prevented Republicans from fully judging his record. Gingrich said on Wednesday that GOP opposition to Biden has caused the party to minimize the success of the president and his party. Gingrich represented a slice of suburban Atlanta in the US House of Representatives from 1979 to 1999 and was its speaker from 1995 to 1999.

☆ Georgia voters cast over 350,000 ballots for the Senate runoff on the last day of early voting, setting a single-day record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Georgia voters on Friday cast over 350,000 ballots, setting a one-day statewide early voting record. The previous one-day early voting record was on Tuesday when nearly 310,000 voters cast ballots. On Friday night, Sterling praised the efforts of election officials and precinct workers who had prepared for early voting, which began in some localities last week. Before Friday, the one-day record for early voting in Georgia was set during the 2018 midterm cycle, when 233,000 people voted on the last day of early voting that year. Headed into Election Day on Tuesday, turnout among Georgia voters sat at 26.4% as of December 3, per the secretary of state's office.

☆ Former RNC chair Michael Steele says MTG 'will be the most powerful speaker of the House' if McCarthy wins the speakership, arguing she'll be able to 'control what comes out of Kevin's mouth'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Steele said MTG would be the "most powerful" speaker if McCarthy wins the House speakership in January. The ex-RNC chair said on MSNBC that the controversial MTG would constantly have the ear of McCarthy. Steele opined that MTG "will have the opportunity to control what comes out of Kevin's mouth." That small fraction of the party still has political, financial, and other sway and control over the leadership," Steele said. "Marjorie Taylor Greene will be the most powerful speaker of the House because she will have the opportunity to control what comes out of Kevin's mouth around the things that matter to that small cadre," he continued to say.

☆ Dispute over North Carolina congressional districts tees up major elections case at Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Lawrencehurley_Pic.Jpg | Lawrence Hurley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

WASHINGTON — When the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down the Republican-drawn congressional district maps in February, Rep. Tim Moore, the Republican speaker of the state’s House of Representatives, reached for some potent ammunition. Moore said in an interview that he backed the theory because it is the only way to challenge a state court ruling that he believes was not based on law or precedent. Republicans, led by Moore, immediately asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the maps. Gary D. Robertson / AP fileThe independent state legislature theory claims state legislatures have the final say over election laws, potentially shielding their actions from state courts. He also said he believed that the governor had the power to veto elections legislation, a procedure cast into doubt by at least one interpretation of the independent state legislature theory.

☆ Federal appeals court rejects Biden's bid to revive student debt plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A federal appeals court on Wednesday declined to put on hold a Texas judge’s ruling that said President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt was unlawful. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Biden administration’s request to pause a judge’s Nov. 10 order vacating the $400 billion student debt relief program in a lawsuit pursued by a conservative advocacy group. Circuit Court of Appeals that, at the request of six Republican-led states, had barred it from cancelling student loans. Biden announced in August that the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for married couples. About 26 million Americans have applied for student loan forgiveness, and the U.S. Department of Education had already approved requests from 16 million by the time Pittman issued his ruling.

Nov 30 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Wednesday declined to put on hold a Texas judge's ruling that said President Joe Biden's plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt was unlawful. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Biden administration's request to pause a judge's Nov. 10 order vacating the $400 billion student debt relief program in a lawsuit pursued by a conservative advocacy group. Circuit Court of Appeals that, at the request of six Republican-led states, had barred it from cancelling student loans. Biden announced in August that the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for married couples. About 26 million Americans have applied for student loan forgiveness, and the U.S. Department of Education had already approved requests from 16 million by the time Pittman issued his ruling.

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