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The comments ricocheted across the House Democratic Caucus – especially for the 15 House Democrats who didn’t vote for it, all of them members of color, some of them Muslim-Americans. An array of House Democrats are pushing unequivocal support for Israel, while a number of progressives have grown increasingly critical of the offensive impacting Palestinian civilians and are upping pressure on the Biden administration to call for a ceasefire. And he is also dealing with a push by Jewish House members to have a more prominent seat at the leadership table. Democrats say the divide is being reflected in their states – and is hurting the president. At a news conference last week, Jeffries was asked about a six-figure ad buy from the Democratic Majority for Israel, a pro-Israel group, criticizing Tlaib.

Persons: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, “, ” Wasserman Schultz, Hakeem Jeffries, Pramila, they’re, Wasserman Schultz’s, Israel –, Andre Carson, American –, Josh Gottheimer, ”, Rashida, Cori Bush, Brown, ” Jayapal, Wasserman Schultz, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Debbie Dingell, censuring, ” Tlaib, Jeffries, Tlaib, we’ve, Elissa Slotkin, Slotkin, “ They’re, who’s, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, it’s, There’s, Jamie Raskin, I’m, CNN’s Edward, Isaac Dovere Organizations: House Democratic Caucus, Israel, Hamas, CNN, Democrats, ” Democratic, Jayapal, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Democratic, Republicans, Michigan Democratic, Congressional Black Caucus, CBC, Florida Democrat, Democrat, Michigan Democrat, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Jewish, GOP, Capitol Police, Jewish Caucus, Biden, Senate, White, Capitol, Maryland Democratic Locations: Florida, Washington, Israel, Indiana, American, New Jersey, Palestinian American, Missouri, Alexandria, Cortez of New York, America

☆ Trump heads to the witness stand as new polls show him leaping past Biden in key swing states
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Biden, meanwhile, is absorbing brutal new polls showing him losing to GOP front-runner Trump in multiple key swing states. If the New York Times/Siena College survey is borne out in 2024, there would be no electoral path to victory for Biden. Biden supporters argue that his critics and media narratives set by the president’s low polls badly miss the most salient point that will define the 2024 election. Because this is a civil trial, Trump has no criminal liability. But the judge has already ruled that Trump, his adult sons and the Trump Organization committed “persistent and repeated” fraud.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Biden, ”, “, ” Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, CNN’s Dana, “ It’s, ” David Axelrod, Barack Obama, Axelrod, Vladimir Putin, Trump’s, Letitia James, James, Temidayo Aganga, Williams, “ We’ve, we’ve, ” Aganga, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Jack Smith, ” Biden, Spencer Weiss, scoffed, “ MAGA Republicans ’, Blumenthal, Pramila Jayapal, Jen Psaki Organizations: CNN, Republican, GOP, New York Times, ” Democratic, Connecticut, Trump, Twitter, Biden, Trump Organization, New York, Democrats, The New York Times, Siena College, Democratic, The Times, “ MAGA Republicans, Sunday, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Israel, MSNBC Locations: New York, Siena, “ State, Ukraine, Russian, Washington, Fulton County , Georgia, Florida, America, Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, In Michigan, Pennsylvania, Gaza, Arab

☆ Movies starring Matthew Perry include ‘Fools Rush in’, ‘The Whole Nine Yards,’ and ‘Almost Heroes’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Like many stars best known for a major hit, Matthew Perry’s association with “Friends” and the “Could he BE any funnier?” role of Chandler Bing loomed over the rest of his career. That included the movies that came his way during the series as well as various encores in TV after the Must-See TV sitcom signed off in 2004, among them “Mr. Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek in the 1997 romantic comedy "Fools Rush In." Columbia Pictures/Getty ImagesFools Rush In: All the “Friends” stars had movie opportunities, and relatively few of those measured up to the expectations raised by the show. If only the show had consistently remained as strong as its extremely good pilot.

Persons: Matthew Perry’s, ”, Chandler Bing, Perry, Ted Kennedy, Ron Clark, –, Bruce Willis, Oscar Madison, Diana Canova, Matthew Perry, Salma Hayek, Chris Farley, Neve Campbell, Dylan McDermott, Joe Quincy, Wing’s ”, Mike Kresteva, Wing’s ” Aaron Sorkin, Bradley Whitford Organizations: CNN, ”, Columbia, “, West, Republican, Wing’s ” Democratic Bartlet Administration Locations: “

☆ Joe Biden: Democrats dismiss worries about president’s reelection bid as Dean Phillips launches primary challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —President Joe Biden is just as low in the White House’s internal polls as in any of the public ones. But while Biden advisers are dismissive of Rep. Dean Phillips’ primary challenge launched this week, they are also annoyed about it. Still, they remain confident that Biden is Democrats’ best option in 2024. Boyle told CNN this week that between the war in Israel and Gaza and the chaos of House Republicans electing their new speaker, he had not had “one conversation with anyone” about Phillips. Asked if he was worried about Phillips being a factor even back home in their state’s primary, Walz laughed.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mike Donilon —, —, Donilon, Biden, Dean Phillips, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, Phillips, Walz, “, ‘, ’, Ron, Brendan Boyle, ”, ” Boyle, daydreaming, Harris, Emanuel Cleaver, ” “ Joe Biden, ” Ben Wikler, ’ Phillips, Gretchen Whitmer, Louis, “ We’ve, ” Biden, Trump –, Trump, ” Harris, St . Louis, Boyle, Democratic Sen, Dianne Feinstein’s, Gavin Newsom, California politicos, Nancy Pelosi, Jamie Raskin, Raskin, Biden’s Organizations: CNN, ’, GOP, Democratic, Center, American, Florida Gov, president’s, MAGA Republicans, Democrat, Granite, Democrats ’, Biden, Democratic National Committee, Trump, “, New Hampshire Democrats, Republicans, Los Angeles Times, California Gov, Senate, Maryland, House Democratic Locations: Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, St, Louis, Wisconsin, Concord , New Hampshire, Michigan, Israel, St ., Gaza, Minnesota, California

☆ Republican blockade of Ukraine aid and Slovakia’s election play into Putin’s hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Fico anchored his campaign on his anti-US rhetoric, vows to stop sending weapons to Ukraine and a pledge to thwart Kyiv’s NATO ambitions. The GOP tide against Ukraine gathers strengthZelensky’s visit to Washington to shore up Ukraine aid last month looks prescient. At Republican campaign events, voters often voice antipathy to sending billions of dollars to Ukraine, and polls show rising public skepticism. Still, for now, there is a bipartisan Washington majority in favor of Ukraine aid, although the chaos in the GOP raises questions about how it will be delivered. So we’ve got to find a way that we can do this together.”But if McCarthy is toppled and replaced by a more radical speaker, Ukraine could run out of luck.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy didn’t, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, McCarthy, Robert Fico’s, Fico, –, Putin, Donald Trump, Fico’s, Trump, embolden Putin, “ Putin, Mike Quigley, “, ”, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “ Joe Biden, Dmytro Kuleba, ” Kuleba, “ They’re, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Russia, Ukraine, Republican, NATO, Ukraine –, Kyiv, Brexit, “, Soviet MiG, European Union, GOP, Democratic, Illinois, Congressional Ukraine Caucus, Democrat, Rep, Trump Georgia Rep, Foreign, CBS, Trump Locations: Ukraine, Slovakia, US, Poland, Warsaw, Western, Kyiv, France, Germany, “ Slovakia, Slovakian, Russia, Soviet, United States, Turkey, Sweden, Moscow, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Bratislava, Washington, Biden’s, Florida, ” Ukraine

☆ US near-miss with government shutdown illustrates Washington dysfunction
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. narrowly dodged its fourth partial government shutdown in a decade on Sunday, but the past week exposed the depths of political dysfunction in Washington and particularly within the splintered House Republican caucus. “The dysfunction caucus at work,” Republican Representative Don Bacon told reporters earlier this month, after hardliners blocked consideration of a defense appropriations bill that finally passed on Thursday. He’s a charlatan,” Representative Mike Lawler, a centrist Republican from New York, said of Gaetz after the failed Republican stopgap vote. There are a lot of personalities at play here, and multiple strategic objectives,” Republican Representative Kat Cammack told reporters. “There’s this sort of strange woulda-coulda-shoulda -- appropriations should have just moved faster,” said Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw.

Persons: Ken Cedeno, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, ”, Sarah Binder, McCarthy, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump’s, Moody’s, Earl Blumenauer, ’, Don Bacon, Monica De La, Matt Gaetz, “ He’s, He’s, Mike Lawler, Gaetz, “, Kat Cammack, Chuck Schumer, Rosa DeLauro, Dan Crenshaw Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Republican, Capitol, REUTERS, Brookings Institution, Democratic, Senate, Aaa, ” Democratic, Republicans, Biden, Republican Party, Reuters, Trump Locations: Washington, Washington , U.S, House, United States, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, New York

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress passed a stopgap funding bill late on Saturday with overwhelming Democratic support after Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy backed down from an earlier demand by his party’s hardliners for a partisan bill. That move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable. Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs. House Republicans are demanding a further $120 billion in cuts. “House Republicans tried to walk away from that deal by demanding drastic cuts that would have been devastating for millions of Americans.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, McCarthy, ’, “, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Donald Trump, Don Beyer, Republicans ’, Republican Mitch McConnell, Michael Bennett, Chris Van Hollen, ” McCarthy, ”, Biden, ” Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Congress, Democratic, Republican, National Parks, WIN, Extreme MAGA Republicans, Republicans, Ukraine, Senate, creditworthiness, Social Security, “ Locations: National, Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress passed a stopgap funding bill late on Saturday with overwhelming Democratic support after Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy backed down from an earlier demand by his party’s hardliners for a partisan bill. That move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable. Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs. House Republicans are demanding a further $120 billion in cuts. “House Republicans tried to walk away from that deal by demanding drastic cuts that would have been devastating for millions of Americans.

☆ McCarthy’s Centrist Path Out of a Government Shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kaia Hubbard | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

But with a funding bill seemingly out of reach, all signs suggest that those entrenched positions will result in a long and painful government shutdown. And it may be enough to arouse a dormant group of centrists whose own interests favor a functional legislative branch. And adding to McCarthy’s bind is the pledge that conservatives will call for his ouster should he work with Democrats to avoid a shutdown. Moderate Republicans, flanked by House Democrats, seize upon the moment. Meanwhile, another possible path, however unlikely, appears open to willing Democrats and centrist Republicans.

Persons: It’s, Kevin McCarthy – beholden, naysayers, McCarthy, ”, John Pitney Jr, Kevin McCarthy, ” McCarthy, won’t, –, Matt Glassman, ” Glassman, “ MAGA, they’ve, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Hakeem Jeffries, appropriators, rousers, Karen Hult, “ Organizations: White, Democrats, Republicans, GOP, Claremont McKenna College, Caucus, Democrat, Republican, Senate Democrats, Moderate, House Democrats, Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University, House Republican, Democratic, Senate, Virginia Tech, Freedom Caucus

Chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer said that House Republicans have amassed “a mountain of evidence” showing that Biden “abused his public office for his family’s financial gain.”Yet, as has been the case since they began lobbing the sensational accusations, they offered nothing to support them. Turley added that, in his view, House Republicans passed the threshold for an impeachment inquiry into Biden’s conduct but that the evidence made public thus far lacks teeth and would, in his view, favor Biden. Thus far, no evidence has surfaced suggesting the president has accepted bribes or abused his positions in office. In at least one such cash transfer, Hunter Biden used the president’s home address in the wire form, which Republicans said on Thursday provides a critical link to the president. McCarthy gave his blessing to the impeachment inquiry earlier this month after pressure mounted from former President Donald Trump and his allies in the House.

Persons: Joe Biden, –, James Comer, Biden “, Hunter, ”, Jonathan Turley, Turley, Biden, ” Turley, “, “ Biden, Jamie Raskin, Kevin McCarthy, ” Raskin, Hunter Biden, Michael Gerhardt, Bill Clinton, McCarthy, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: Republicans, GOP, George Washington University, Republican, Democrats, Democratic, University of North, Senate Locations: United, America, China, University of North Carolina

☆ House Republicans take on Biden as government shutdown looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Republicans are about to deliver on the driving purpose of their House majority – enacting Donald Trump’s retribution. Rather than try to solve the crisis, hardline House Republicans are driving the country toward a shutdown that Trump ordered up on social media, insisting it will will damage Biden, his potential general election rival. The two showdowns – and the return to power of Trump’s movement in the House – could shape the fate of the Republican House majority, which was narrowly won in last year’s midterm elections. But paradoxically, the tiny House majority – McCarthy can only lose four votes and still pass legislation on a party line – has given the most extreme GOP members more leverage. Some House Republicans are now refusing to vote for any temporary spending extension expected to come over from the Senate.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, smarting, Biden, corruptly, –, Kevin McCarthy, Vladimir Putin, Trump, McCarthy, Biden’s, Trump’s impeachments, – McCarthy, tormentors, Mary, “, don’t, there’s, Mike Lawler, Ayanna Pressley, CNN’s Jake Tapper, ”, impeachments Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Trump, Republican House, GOP, Republican, Biden, Trump acolytes, Capitol, ” Democratic, Massachusetts, Wednesday, Transportation Security Administration Locations: Ukraine, Michigan, Detroit, California, Arizona, China, New York, San Francisco

CNN —House Democrats have begun internal discussions about how to deal with the prospects of a chaotic situation: The possibility that Speaker Kevin McCarthy could lose his job in an unprecedented vote on the floor. One of the strategies being discussed by Democrats is to vote “present” or vote to kill it all together if a motion to oust McCarthy is brought to the floor. Bacon warned that he would cut a deal with Democrats if they reach an impasse with conservative hardliners. Democrats considering bailing out McCarthy say it wouldn’t necessarily stop there. If McCarthy were challenged, it may only take a handful of Democrats to save him.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Hakeem Jeffries, he’d, McCarthy’s speakership, Jeffries, Dan Kildee of, “, Kevin can’t, –, ”, Joe Biden –, you’re, ” It’s, Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, Don Bacon, Bacon, Biden, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Dean Phillips, you’d, Paul Ryan, John Boehner –, Richard Neal of, ” Rep, Mary Gay Scanlon Organizations: CNN — House Democrats, Publicly, Democratic, ” Democratic, CNN, GOP, Democrats, Freedom Caucus, Republican, Republicans, Capitol, House, Florida, Dean Phillips of, Richard Neal of Massachusetts, ”, Pennsylvania Locations: Dan Kildee of Michigan, Florida, Nebraska, Dean Phillips of Minnesota

The White House is confronted by an autoworkers’ strike that Biden himself had predicted two weeks ago wouldn’t happen. White House tries to compartmentalizeAll presidents find themselves weathering tough stretches. Biden’s White House has sought to compartmentalize its response to McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry, walling it off from the ongoing work of the administration. On one side: President Biden, who is focused on delivering for the American people. “Being the son or daughter or granddaughter of a senator, a vice president, a president … everybody thinks it’s a great thing.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, –, Julie Su, Gene Sperling –, ”, Su, Sperling, Debbie Dingell, Gene Sperling, they’ve, We’ve, Shawn Fain, Kevin McCarthy, Hunter Biden, headwinds, he’s, David Weiss, Weiss, Volodymyr Zelensky, Jake Sullivan, “, Sullivan, “ That’s, ” Biden, I’ve, Donald Trump, Biden’s, walling, …, it’s Organizations: CNN, Labor, White House, Detroit “, United Auto Workers, Big Three, – Ford, General Motors, Democratic, CBS, United Nations General Assembly, UN, Republicans, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Broadway, Republican, New, White Locations: New York City, Detroit, Michigan, New York, California, Washington , DC, Washington, Northern Virginia

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers were scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to give Democratic Gov. Five companies paid roughly $750 million last year to lease areas off the California coast to build wind turbines. The bill before lawmakers Thursday would let the state buy the power. Consumers would not pay it until the wind projects are up and running, likely several years from now. The bill lawmakers approved on Wednesday also includes provisions to fast-track new electric transmission projects.

Persons: Gavin Newsom's, Alex Jackson, ”, Sen, Brian Dahle, ” Scott Wetch, Newsom, Henry Stern, Alice Reynolds, ” Reynolds Organizations: Democratic Gov, American Clean Power Association, Republican, of Water Resources, Democratic, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers voted Tuesday to put a proposal before voters next March that would overhaul how counties pay for mental and behavioral health programs in an effort to address the state's worsening homelessness crisis. In 2004, voters approved a special tax on millionaires to help pay for mental health programs. Gavin Newsom wants changes to restrict how local governments can use that money, with an emphasis on mental health and drug and alcohol use programs. Under his plan, two-thirds of revenue from the tax would pay for services for people who are chronically homeless and with severe mental health issues and unhealthy drug and alcohol use. The new mandates would result in a loss of more than $1 billion for existing programs such as mental health outpatients, crisis, recovery and peer-supported services, county officials said in a letter to Newsom over the weekend.

Persons: Sen, Susan Eggman, Gavin Newsom, Jim Wood, Assemblymember Marie Waldron, ” Lawmakers, Jacqui Irwin, Sacramento Mayor Darrel Steinberg, Karen Larsen, ” Larsen, Newsom Organizations: Democratic, Republican, ”, Sacramento Mayor, Steinberg Institute, Mental Health Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — How much does an extramarital affair matter to whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton keeps his job? Most of the senators are Republicans and one is his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, although she will not have a vote in the verdict. She said Angela Paxton sometimes called the office with questions about her husband’s schedule and that the conversations made staff uncomfortable. Angela Paxton took notes at her desk as Cary testified about the affair that began in 2018, the year Angela was won her senate seat. “We’d be impeaching people for the next 100 years.”___Find AP’s full coverage of the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at: https://apnews.com/hub/ken-paxton

Persons: Ken Paxton, Paxton, Sen, Angela Paxton, —, Tony Buzbee, “, ”, Katherine Cary, Nate Paul, Paul, Jeff Mateer, Paxton's, Ken Paxton's, Ann Johnson, General Paxton, Cary, ” Ken Paxton, Angela, Obama, ” Buzbee, paxton Organizations: Texas, FBI, Democratic, Rep, Labor Locations: AUSTIN, Texas, Cary, Dallas, Austin

Lawmakers backing the bill say a large number of companies in the state already disclose some of their own emissions. California’s climate disclosure bill would be different because of all the indirect emissions companies would have to report. But the California bill would go beyond that, by mandating that both public and private companies report their direct and indirect emissions. Companies would have to report indirect emissions including those released by transporting products and disposing waste. Companies would have to begin publicly disclosing their direct emissions annually in 2026 and start annually reporting their indirect emissions starting in 2027.

Persons: Chris Ward, Christiana Figueres, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, Sen, Scott Wiener, “, ”, Brady Van Engelen, Danny Cullenward, Cullenward, it’s, Mary Creasman, ___ Sophie Austin, Austin @sophieadanna Organizations: —, Democratic, Apple, United Nations, Democratic Gov, Lawmakers, administration’s Department of Finance, San, San Francisco Democrat, National Conference of State Legislatures, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Companies, California Chamber of Commerce, Western States Petroleum Association, California Hospital Association, University of Pennsylvania’s, Center for Energy Policy, California Environmental Voters, California Air Resources Board, Wiener, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California, Patagonia, Christiana, Paris, San Francisco, Ceres, ”

☆ Ron DeSantis faces new leadership test as Hurricane Idalia barrels toward Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Steve Contorno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —With the eyes of the country on Hurricane Idalia as it spins toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential ambitions are also under the spotlight as he puts his campaign on hold to manage the crisis at home. The Florida governor is also staving off a field of GOP contenders, who must now also balance sensitivities around Hurricane Idalia with their attempts to overcome DeSantis in the polls. DeSantis has also asserted that he could send his “Florida people” to the southern border to build a wall. “The governor of our state of Florida has created an environment ripe for this.”

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, ” DeSantis, Ian, Republican Rick Scott, Hurricane Michael, Bill Nelson, Scott, Jeb Bush, George W, Bush, Chris Christie, Christie, “, ”, Alex Conant, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio’s, Andrew Romeo, ” Romeo, Hurricane Ian, Joe Biden –, Biden, Joe Biden, Saul Young, Donald Trump, Todd Belt, Angie Nixon Organizations: CNN, Gulf Coast , Florida Gov, Republican, White, Hurricane, US, GOP Gov, GOP, Knoxville News Sentinel, George Washington University, Democrats, Trump, ” Democratic, Jacksonville Locations: Gulf Coast , Florida, Tallahassee, Iowa, Florida, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Fort Myers Beach , Florida, Lee County, Florida’s Big, Jacksonville, DeSantis

☆ Niger response: 'Washington has to thread a very difficult needle'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —The United States and its Western allies are faced with a difficult conundrum as they navigate potential responses to the military takeover in Niger if democratic rule is not restored. Experts told CNN that punitive measures could push Niger toward Russian mercenary groups like Wagner and away from its partners in the West. US officials have said there are no indications that the organization was involved in the military takeover. We don’t really know who this new general is” who has seized power, she told CNN. Felbab-Brown told CNN that Prigozhin is trying to “personally” take advantage, given his “precarious” place following his failed revolt.

Persons: Biden, Vedant Patel, John Kirby, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ”, Cameron Hudson, ‘, Antony Blinken, Vanda Felbab, Brown, Bob Menendez, Jim Risch, Kirby, Mohamed Bazoum, Gen, Abdourahamane Tiani, Bazoum, “, ” Hudson, Kamissa Camara, Camara, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, We’re, ” Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, “ It’s, Prigozhin, Putin, shouldn’t, ” Kirby, Blinken, United Nations Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Kamala Harris, Bola Tinubu, African Affairs Molly Phee, Hassoumi Massoudou, Mahamadou Issoufou “, Patel Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Nigerien, State Department, National Security Council, Experts, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Central African, West, Brookings, Senate Foreign Relations, Democratic, US Institute of Peace, Russian Foreign Ministry, African Union, Economic, West African States, United Nations, African Affairs, Nigerien Foreign, ” State Department Locations: United States, Niger, Russian, Africa, “ Washington, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Niamey, “, Hudson, Russia, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Sudan, New Zealand, Nigeria

☆ Detained Yet Defiant, Niger’s Ousted President Vows to Save Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Declan Walsh | More About Declan Walsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Hours after soldiers seized power in the West African nation of Niger, the country’s ousted president sounded a defiant note on Thursday morning, vowing to protect his “hard-won” democratic gains, even as he was being held by his own guards. The president, Mohamed Bazoum, appeared to be still in detention at the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey, where his guards turned on him early Wednesday, prompting a crisis in the vast, largely desert nation twice the size of France. “The hard-won gains will be safeguarded,” Mr. Bazoum said in a message on social media. “All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom would want this.”The country’s foreign minister adopted a similar tone, telling a French television station that Mr. Bazoum remained the sole “legitimate power” in Niger, and that the military was not united in the attempted coup.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Mr, Bazoum Locations: West African, Niger, Niamey, France

☆ US intel report details increasing importance of Chinese technology to Russia’s war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The report says Chinese firms are “probably” helping Moscow to evade these sanctions – though it is “difficult to ascertain the extent” of that help. Those supplies have been largely banned by the US and Europe in an attempt to cut off Russia’s war chest. “Russia’s war against Ukraine has been enabled in no small part by China’s willingness to support them, in direct and indirect ways. The US believes that at the outset of the war, China intended to sell Russia lethal weapons for use in Ukraine, a US official previously told CNN. China has claimed neutrality over the war in Ukraine and called for peace in the conflict.

Persons: Russia ”, China “, ”, Jim Himes, “, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Li Shangfu Organizations: Washington CNN, National Intelligence, Russian, ” Semiconductor, ” CNN, Congress, House Intelligence, ” Democratic, CNN, Chinese Defense Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, People’s Republic of China, Moscow, Beijing, Washington ,, Europe, United States

A House Oversight subcommittee convened Wednesday’s hearing on UFOs, as the lawmakers who pushed for the hearing are calling for the government to be more forthcoming about the unidentified anomalous phenomena. The hearing is the latest push by lawmakers, intelligence officials and military personnel working on unexplained aerial phenomena to probe the issue on a national platform. “This is an issue of government transparency,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who pushed to hold Wednesday’s hearing. We’re going to uncover the cover up, and I hope this is just the beginning of many more hearings.”No government officials testified at Wednesday’s hearing. Lawmakers have pressed the Department of Defense on the sightings, describing them as potential national security threats.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Ryan Graves, Graves, David Fravor, David Grusch, ” Fravor, Tim Burchett, “ We’re, … We’re, Sean Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick, “, Robert Garcia of, Garcia, Jared Moskowitz, ” Moskowitz, ” Graves Organizations: CNN, Navy, Safe Aerospace, US Navy, Air Force, Tennessee Republican, Department of Defense, Democratic, Florida Democrat, House Intelligence Locations: Robert Garcia of California, Florida

☆ Opinion: Supreme Court drops the H-bomb and D-bomb
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Graduates of Harvard and other Ivy League schools earn significantly more than most college graduates –— the credential opens doors. Maybe the best confirmation of that is that eight out of the nine Supreme Court justices went to law school at either Harvard or its Ivy rival, Yale. “The court’s decision Thursday is consistent with its view that race-based preferences should and would have a limited shelf life. And the Supreme Court has just guaranteed that this will be the case for many years to come.”“The court made the right decision,” wrote Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University.

Persons: Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana, ”, Harvard isn’t, –, Michael Gerhardt, Roe, Wade, Donald, Trump, Bill Bramhall, Tan, ” Ana Fernandez, Richard Kahlenberg, Harvard …, Lanhee Chen, Peniel, Joseph, Joe Biden’s, Rachel Clark, “, Ilya Somin, Biden, ” Clay Jones, Somin, Leah Litman, isn’t, aren’t, Timothy Holbrook, Nicole Hemmer, Drew Sheneman, Phil Hands, Julian Zelizer, Yorkers, Walt Handelsman, Jill Filipovic, ’, Patrick T, Brown, DeSantis, Duncan Hosie, Ken Ballen, Trump Jack Ohman, Jennifer Martin, ” Martin, Vladimir Putin’s, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, David A, Putin, Jade McGlynn, CNN’s Chris Good, it’s, Frida Ghitis, Keir Giles, Victory, Don’t, Agency Dean Obeidallah, Keith Magee, France Kara Alaimo, Vicki Shabo, Leroy Chiao, Abdullah, Billy Lezra, MonaLisa Leung Beckford, Timothy Naftali, David Horsey, It’s, Blake Moore, Marc Veasey, Hershel “ Woody ” Williams, Moore, Veasey, “ Williams, Williams, Hershel ‘ Woody ’, Abraham Lincoln, ” Moore, Lincoln Organizations: CNN, Harvard, Harvard College, Wall Street Journal, of Harvard, Ivy League, Yale, Supreme Court, University of North, University of North Carolina —, Wellesley College, Blacks, …, George Mason University, “, University of Michigan, Democratic, Agency, Trump, New Yorker, American Academy of Sleep, Soviet Union —, RFK, Republican, Utah Republican, Texas Democrat, Marines Locations: Boston, University of North Carolina, California, “, Chicago, Detroit, Great, Bedminster, New Jersey, New, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, France, Hong Kong, China, America, Utah, Texas, Iwo Jima, Lincoln

He urged Americans read the indictment to understand the “scope and gravity” of the charges, which he said were necessary to preserve “bedrock” democratic principles. “We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone,” he said. The investigation had been conducted with utmost integrity, he added, and, in an implicit nod to the election calendar — Mr. Trump remains the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — promised to seek a speedy trial. Mr. Trump and his allies continued their effort to portray the prosecution as politically motivated and unjustified, with House Republicans rallying behind him and arguing that President Biden had weaponized the Justice Department against his potential rival in 2024. Mr. Biden stuck to his calculated silence about the prosecution, judging it best not to provide ammunition to Republicans who are trying to convince voters that he was behind the decision to charge Mr. Trump.

Persons: Trump, ” Jack Smith, ”, —, Biden, Mr Organizations: Justice Department, House Republicans, Republicans Locations: Washington

CNN —Senators are racing the clock to pass a bill to suspend the nation’s debt limit through January 1, 2025 – but it’s not yet clear when a final vote will take place as the threat of default looms. Once the Senate passes the measure, it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Suspending the debt limit through 2025 would take the threat of default off table until after the presidential election. In addition to addressing the debt limit, the bill caps non-defense spending, expands work requirements for some food stamp recipients and claws back some Covid-19 relief funds, among other policy provisions. There were 149 Republicans and 165 Democrats who voted for the bill and 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats who voted against it.

Persons: Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Schumer, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Sen, Jeff Merkley Organizations: CNN, Senators, Senate, Republican, Treasury Department, Republicans, Democratic Locations: Vermont, Oregon

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