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☆ Republicans soften on federal marijuana reform in a shift that could make it a reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Julie Tsirkin | Liz Brown-Kaiser | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The SAFE Banking Act would make it lawful for legal marijuana businesses to use major financial and banking institutions. Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action, a political organization opposed to marijuana legalization, urged Tuberville to oppose the legislation in a recent letter. Financial institutions, including small and community banks, have also put pressure on lawmakers, including Tuberville, to support the bill. There's been these attempts by the chairman of the Banking Committee to add a bunch of other stuff onto it, and I think that just completely torpedoes the chances." Ahead of his re-election campaign, President Joe Biden announced his intention to pardon federal convictions for simple marijuana possession offenses at the end of last year.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, We've, Sen, Steve Daines, Sherrod Brown, Kevin Cramer, Daines, Cramer, Dan Sullivan, Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy of, Cynthia Lummis of, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of, Kevin McCarthy of California, McCarthy, Tommy Tuberville, Steve Stafford, Tuberville, Sullivan, Jeff Sessions, Trump, Sheriff Dan Springer, Springer, I've, Jeff Merkley, Jack Reed, It's, Cory Booker of, Dave Joyce, Alexandria Ocasio, Joe Biden Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, SAFE, Republicans, Democrats, GOP, Auburn University, Smart, Senators, Republican, D.C, Sheriff, HOPE Locations: Ohio, GOP Sens, Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Susan Collins of Maine, Washington, Gallatin County , Montana, Montana, Cory Booker of New Jersey, R, Alexandria, Cortez

☆ Republican politicians are worried that Mitt Romney's new book will reveal their true feelings and private conversations about Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( John L. Dorman | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Mitt Romney announced that he's retiring from the Senate at the end of his term. In October, he'll release a book detailing how some of his fellow Republicans feel about Trump. The book, written by The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins, is based in part from hours of interviews with Romney. A former GOP presidential nominee, Romney has rarely been shy about discussing Trump. Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump on an impeachment charge related to improperly pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.

Persons: Sen, Mitt Romney, he's, Mitt Romney's, Donald Trump's, he'll, McKay Coppins, Romney, Coppins, —, Trump, Kevin McCarthy, anoint Trump Organizations: Trump, GOP, The New York Times, Service, Utah Republican, Senate, The Atlantic, The Times, Capitol, Republicans, Washington, Republican Locations: Wall, Silicon, Romney, California, ris, Ukraine

Neither President Biden nor former President Trump are leading their party to confront them," Romney said in his statement. Donald Trump calls global warming a hoax and President Biden offers feel-good solutions that will make no difference to the global climate. On China, President Biden underinvests in the military and President Trump underinvests in our alliances. Romney, his party's 2012 candidate for president, voted twice to convict Trump in the Senate after the House twice impeached the former president. When Romney was governor, he would speak often with Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy – the man Romney unsuccessfully challenged for a Senate seat – to discuss Massachusetts priorities.

Persons: Donald Trump, Sen, Mitt Romney, Romney, he'd, –, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, Biden underinvests, Trump underinvests, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ” Romney, Democratic Sen, Ted Kennedy –, Kevin McCarthy of, “, we’re, ” Sen, Steve Daines Organizations: Republicans, Republican, Trump, Washington, Democratic, GOP, Senate, Biden, Democrat, Utah, National Republican Senatorial Locations: Utah, Democratic, Massachusetts, Russia, China, Congress, Kevin McCarthy of California, Montana

☆ The new twist in Hunter Biden’s case is a huge political headache for his father
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —A sudden new twist in the investigation into Hunter Biden means his legal tribulations will likely stretch on for months, creating an unwelcome new drag on his father’s White House and reelection bid. Just weeks ago, the shadow of criminal suspicion over Hunter Biden seemed about to lift. The change of status followed the collapse of a deal last month that likely would have seen Hunter Biden get sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges. But the symbolic weight of an appointment of a special counsel stiffens the perception of scandal and potential wrongdoing even if the legal realities of the case haven’t shifted. Important differences between Hunter Biden and Trump casesThere are two important distinctions between Biden and Trump that the Republicans are trying to blur.

Persons: Hunter Biden, David Weiss, Joe Biden’s, Weiss, Joe Biden, Alberto Gonzales, Jake Tapper ”, it’s, …, ”, Gonzales, George W, Bush, Merrick Garland, Hunter Biden’s, Abbe Lowell, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Lowell, Trump, Garland, Clinton, Biden, Donald Trump, It’s, Tanya Chutkan, David Axelrod, Barack Obama, Biden’s, Hunter, Tapper, James Comer –, –, “, Joe Biden hasn’t, ” Comer, Comer, he’s, General Garland, Kevin McCarthy, couldn’t, Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, General Garland’s, Hunter Biden – Organizations: CNN, House, Justice Department, White, House Republicans, Trump, Republican, GOP Locations: Delaware, Weiss, Florida, Ukraine, China, Kentucky, California, Carolina

That vote underscored the need for Democrats to help pass the measure in the House, which is controlled by Republicans with a narrow 222-213 majority. The Congressional Budget Office also said the measure, if enacted into law, would reduce interest on the public debt by $188 billion. Many Democrats in Congress did not want Biden to engage in budget-cutting negotiations with Republicans until they lifted their hold on enacting a debt limit bill. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoWhite House Budget Director Shalanda Young, who was one of Biden's lead negotiators, urged Congress to pass the bill. The debt-ceiling standoff prompted ratings agencies to warn that they might downgrade U.S. debt, which underpins the global financial system.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Biden, McCarthy, we've, Wednesday's, Hakeem Jeffries, Calif, Jacquelyn Martin, Shalanda Young, Biden's, Young, Republican Mike Lee, White, Moira Warburton, David Morgan, Richard Cowan, Steve Holland, Gram Slattery, Scott Malone, Mark Porter, Matthew Lewis, Gerry Doyle, Himani Organizations: Republicans, Senate, Treasury Department, Treasury, Congressional, Republican, Democratic, Capitol, Internal Revenue Service, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

McCarthy called the bill the "most conservative deal we've ever had." The pair, Representatives Chip Roy and Ralph Norman, said they may vote against it if it is not changed to their liking. "I think it's important to keep in mind the debt limit bill itself does not spend money," he wrote on Twitter. A successful vote there would set up a vote by the full House on Wednesday. The debt-ceiling standoff prompted ratings agencies to warn that they might downgrade U.S. debt, which underpins the global financial system.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Calif, Jacquelyn Martin, McCarthy, we've, Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Roy, MASSIE, Thomas Massie, Biden, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, Republican Mike Lee, White, Moira Warburton, David Morgan, Richard Cowan, Gram Slattery, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Matthew Lewis, Mark Porter Organizations: Capitol, WASHINGTON, Republican, Democratic, U.S . Treasury Department, Republicans, Twitter, Top, Internal Revenue Service, Thomson Locations: Washington

Representative Stephanie Bice, a Republican vote counter, said she was confident it would pass. "I think it's important to keep in mind the debt limit bill itself does not spend money," he wrote on Twitter. At least one, Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, is a member of a moderate group that supports the deal. The debt-ceiling standoff prompted ratings agencies to warn they might downgrade U.S. debt, which underpins the global financial system. Reporting by Moira Warburton and Andy Sullivan; Editing by Kieran Murray and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 10 Things Before the Opening Bell: Negotiators race to finalize a tentative debt ceiling deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Phil Rosen here in New York. The White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement in principle on the debt ceiling. The deal will allow government borrowing to rise and avoid a default ahead of a June 5 deadline. Negotiators are now racing to finalize the bill's text ahead of a vote which is expected to take place on Wednesday. Curated by Phil Rosen in New York.

☆ Don’t expect the stock markets to rejoice about the debt ceiling deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —You’d expect the stock market to surge after the White House and House Republicans reached a tentative deal to raise the debt ceiling, But markets may have other plans. The stock market, for the most part, has been ignoring the serious risks associated with the United States defaulting on its debt. Even if Congress passes a bill to raise the debt ceiling and President Joe Biden signs it, it could take months before stocks and other financial markets move on. That will temporarily suck some liquidity out of the stock market, he said. A look back at the 2011 debt ceiling crisisIn 2011, lawmakers came to an agreement on raising the debt limit just hours before the United States would have defaulted.

☆ White House and Republicans reach a tentative deal to avoid U.S. default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — House Republicans reached a tentative deal with the White House on Saturday night to raise the nation's borrowing limit and avoid a catastrophic default on U.S. sovereign debt. "I expect to finish the writing of the bill, checking with the White House and speaking to the president again tomorrow afternoon," said the California Republican, "Then posting the text of it tomorrow, and then be voting on it on Wednesday." The White House has invited all House Democrats to attend a virtual briefing on Sunday afternoon, presumably to explain what is in the deal and urge Democrats to vote for it. Nonetheless, many Republicans have come to view the biennial vote to raise the debt limit as an opportunity to extract concessions from Democrats in exchange for their votes to avoid a debt default. Unless the debt limit were raised in time and the government was allowed to borrow more, "Our projected resources would be inadequate to satisfy all of these obligations."

☆ Biden says 'MAGA Republicans' are wiling to risk a debt default in order to hurt his reelection bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Biden said the GOP would have to move away from "extreme positions" over the debt limit. After the G7 summit on Sunday, Biden sought to set the tone for ending the impasse in Washington. "All four congressional leaders agree with me that default is not an option," the president said. "It is time for Republicans to accept that there is no bipartisan deal to be made solely on their partisan terms. "All four congressional leaders agree with me that default is not an option," Biden said during his conference.

Rep. Santos is in federal custody after turning himself in on Wednesday as he faces numerous charges. Santos is being charged on 13 total counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds. He is being charged with 13 counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds. Federal prosecutors accused Santos — the embattled GOP lawmaker who's admitted to lying about his resume — of stealing supporters' money, illegally taking unemployment payouts, and lying to Congress. The congressman was taken into custody in Melville on Long Island, before being transported to a federal courthouse in Central Islip, per CNN.

Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against Rep. George Santos, CNN and ABC reported Tuesday. A rep for Santos didn't respond to Insider's request for comment. Santos was previously found to have lied about his background during his campaign. CNN reported they were filed under seal and that the New York congressman is expected to appear in federal court as soon as Wednesday. But the revelations about Santos' background convinced many Long Islanders — including local Republicans who had backed his candidacy — to call for his resignation.

☆ Tucker Carlson helped broker the deal that made Kevin McCarthy House speaker after 14 failed votes, text messages show
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Tucker Carlson won concessions from Kevin McCarthy in a deal that made him House speaker, per his texts. McCarthy needed 218 votes to win his bid to become House speaker, giving him a small margin of error. The result was 14 rounds of votes that failed to produce a House speaker, making it the most contested speaker election in more than 150 years. Grossberg discussed some of the conversations between her and Carlson regarding McCarthy's House Speaker election in an interview with CNN on Tuesday night. On January 7, the House held its 15th vote for House Speaker.

☆ Is the Debt Limit Constitutional? Biden Aides Are Debating It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Top economic and legal officials at the White House, the Treasury Department and the Justice Department have made that theory a subject of intense and unresolved debate in recent months, according to several people familiar with the discussions. It is unclear whether President Biden would support such a move, which would have serious ramifications for the economy and almost undoubtedly elicit legal challenges from Republicans. Mr. Biden is set to meet with Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California at the White House on May 9 to discuss fiscal policy, along with other top congressional leaders from both parties. But it remains unclear what type of compromise may be reached in time to avoid a default. House Republicans have refused to raise or suspend the debt ceiling unless Mr. Biden accepts spending cuts, fossil fuel supports and a repeal of Democratic climate policies, contained in a bill that narrowly cleared the chamber last week.

☆ McCarthy Offers to Host Netanyahu in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Speaker Kevin McCarthy offered on Monday to host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for high-level bipartisan meetings in Congress — issuing an implicit challenge to President Biden, who has refrained from welcoming the Israeli leader to the White House in a protest against his domestic agenda. The offer fell short of a formal invitation, but the comments were a break with diplomatic custom and tradition, and reminiscent of a similar move by congressional Republicans during the Obama administration when tensions in the U.S.-Israeli alliance were similarly fraught. The move also risked exacerbating tensions between Democrats and Republicans over how the United States should manage its alliance with Israel, a bond that has traditionally had bipartisan support in Washington. Mr. McCarthy’s comments, at a news briefing after he spoke at the Israeli Parliament, suggested a business-as-usual approach to Mr. Netanyahu’s government.

☆ House GOP's attempt to shut down Alvin Bragg is unlikely to save Trump but could serve despots in training, say oversight experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Donald Trump's formal arraignment in Manhattan criminal court sent House Republicans into a tizzy. Stretton wondered about House Republicans' attempt to defang state prosecutors they consider to be political persecutors. "It's hard to say what overstepping bounds are any more," Davis told Insider. "When you defend somebody before you've even seen the indictment, you're kind of hitching your wagon to all the investigations," Goldberg told Insider. He also warned that spotlight-chasing House Republicans risk drowning in unfinished business at the end of the term by floating new Biden-focused inquiries "every couple of weeks."

☆ US Senator Schumer condemns Speaker McCarthy for supplying Jan.6 videos to Fox
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Monday, Fox's right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson used some of the security videos, showing protesters walking through the Capitol, to argue that they were merely "sightseers". In a Senate speech, Schumer condemned the broadcast and urged the cable network to cancel any follow-up segment. He added that McCarthy was "every bit as culpable as Mr. Carlson" for providing the footage. "To say January 6 was not violent, is a lie, a lie, pure and simple," Schumer said. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declined to comment on McCarthy's decision to supply the videos.

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson "is not credible," after the right-wing commentator showed footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol that portrayed rioters as peaceful. "We also agree with what Fox News's own attorneys and executives have now repeatedly stressed in multiple courts of law: that Tucker Carlson is not credible," Bates added. The Biden White House has tread carefully in its criticism of Fox's coverage of the 2020 election and its aftermath in the past, sometimes citing the Hatch Act that prevents administration officials from speaking about campaign-related matters. Carlson has defended his decision to run the footage, saying it was needed for transparency. Supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was certifying the outcome of the 2020 elections.

☆ U.S. Senator Schumer condemns Speaker McCarthy for supplying Jan.6 videos to Fox
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to the news media after attending a closed Senate Democratic Caucus lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday accused House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy of helping Fox News stoke conspiracy theories by providing videos that were used by the cable network to portray the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters as peaceful. On Monday, Fox's right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson used some of the security videos, showing protesters walking through the Capitol, to argue that they were merely "sightseers." In a Senate speech, Schumer condemned the broadcast and urged the cable network to cancel any follow-up segment. No such fraud has been documented and Trump, who is running for president in 2024, continues to falsely repeat the charge.

☆ Nikki Haley on Republicans' tepid midterms: The party 'looked like chaos'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Republicans came across as chaotic during the midterms, Nikki Haley said. And from an independent standpoint it looked like chaos, and they didn't want to be a part of that." Democrats have also singled out Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia as representative of the party. In preliminary exit polls following the midterms, about equal proportions of voters said both Republicans and Democrats were "too extreme." Despite Republican disappointment over the midterms, the party did secure a narrow majority in the US House.

☆ Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, blasts a Texas GOP congressman after he questioned her loyalty to the US: 'It is racist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Judy Chu criticized Lance Gooden after he seemingly questioned her "loyalty" to the US on Fox News. "I think she has drug along the other Chinese American members to sign this letter. I very much doubt that he would be spreading these lies were I not of Chinese American descent." "Lance Gooden's slanderous accusation of disloyalty against Rep. Chu is dangerous, unconscionable and xenophobic," Jeffries said in a statement. Rep. Gooden accused Democrats of bringing up race after his criticism of Rep. Chu.

☆ U.S. Democrats attack McCarthy over Fox News access to Jan. 6 riot videos
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Congress Democrats accused House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy of endangering Capitol Police officers and potentially exposing security secrets if he releases thousands of hours of video footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot to Fox News' Tucker Carlson. "The speaker is needlessly exposing the Capitol complex to one of the worst security risks since 9/11," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a letter to his fellow senators on Wednesday. Carlson has been a critic of the House investigation into Jan. 6 and has falsely accused the government of orchestrating the attack. Meanwhile, on Wednesday House Democrats were to hold a virtual caucus, according to Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Five people including a police officer died during or shortly after the riot and more than 140 police officers were injured.

☆ How Social Security and Medicare became the latest battleground in Biden's showdown with the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Social Security and Medicare have taken the spotlight in the battle to raise the debt limit. Then came the big question of what exactly Republicans want to cut, and Social Security and Medicare entered the frame. "So, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now. White House, Biden double down on GOP attacksThe receipts kept coming once Republicans claimed they never proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare. It noted, though, that Social Security and Medicare "are earned benefit programs that must be saved and strengthened."

☆ GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene dismissed any concerns of being reprimanded by Kevin McCarthy over her conduct at Biden's State of the Union address: 'Not one single bit'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene told the NYT she wasn't worried about GOP pushback due to her SOTU behavior. "I have the speaker's support, and he has mine," she told the newspaper after Biden's address. Greene called Biden a "liar" after he called out some Republicans over Medicare and Social Security. When Greene was asked about potential pushback against her behavior by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, she expressed no worries. While McCarthy had earlier warned the House Republican Conference to behave themselves, Greene instead decided to do the opposite.

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