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The House vote to oust Kevin McCarthy from his post on Tuesday marked a historic first, as a group of conservatives sided with Democrats to successfully boot him from the speakership. Immediately following the vote to oust McCarthy, a temporary speaker – Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina – took over based upon a list of succession that the former speaker submitted in January. In his first move in the temporary role, McHenry recessed the chamber to “discuss the path forward,” before lawmakers returned to their districts for the week. Following the vote, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was ordered to vacate her Capitol hideaway. Pelosi called the move a “sharp departure from tradition,” as other former speakers have been permitted to retain offices near the House chamber beyond their tenure.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Patrick McHenry of, Patrick McHenry of North Carolina –, ”, McHenry, –, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan of, Kevin Hern, Tom Emmer, Donald Trump, he’s, Matt Gaetz’s, Mitch McConnell, McCarthy –, “, ” McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi Organizations: White, Republican, GOP, Republicans, House Democrats, Capitol hideaway Locations: Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, McHenry, Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Florida

“I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week. But now, knowing full well he’s likely to soon face a so-called motion to vacate vote, McCarthy is taking his detractors head-on – and in increasingly combative terms. If the Senate bill advanced, McCarthy would have a harder time arguing his bill was the solution. 3 Senate Republican, opposed the Senate bill, breaking with McConnell, according to a source familiar with the matter. But that wasn’t enough to convince House Democrats to oppose the funding bill with a shutdown looming.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy didn’t, Bryan Steil, Steil, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Nick LaLota –, McCarthy, ”, Matt Gaetz, CNN’s Jake Tapper, “, ” Gaetz, McCarthy’s, it’s, ” McCarthy, –, Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy, Tom Cole, Tom Emmer, wouldn’t, chomping, ” Steil, Steve Womack, Ralph Norman of, “ I’m, Norman, “ We’ve, Andy Biggs, ” Biggs, Kevin, Don Bacon, Sen, Markwayne Mullin, Mullin, John Thune, Mitch McConnell, McCarthy chatted, Thune, John Barrasso of, McConnell, Hakeem Jeffries, ’, Democratic appropriators, Jamaal Bowman, Democrats ’, Mike Quigley, Congressional Ukraine Caucus –, Putin, ” Quigley, Shuwanza Goff, Steve Ricchetti, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Joe Biden’s, Biden Organizations: CNN, Republican, GOP, Rep, Wisconsin Republican, New York Republicans, Democratic, Florida, Union ”, Democrats, House Democrats, Republicans, Leadership, Border Patrol, Arkansas GOP, Arizona Republican, Nebraska Republican, Senate, White, Ukraine, Cannon, New York Democrat, House, Congressional Ukraine Caucus Locations: ”, Wisconsin, “ State, Ukraine, Arkansas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Arizona, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Thune, John Barrasso of Wyoming

CNN —Federal agencies are making final preparations with the government on the brink of a shutdown and congressional lawmakers racing against Saturday’s critical midnight deadline. “After meeting with House Republicans this evening, it’s clear the misguided Senate bill has no path forward and is dead on arrival,” McCarthy wrote on X. But there is still no consensus on what - if anything - they will put on the House floor Saturday to avoid a government shutdown. McCarthy argued on Friday that aid to Ukraine should be dropped from the Senate bill. Border security has also become a complicating factor for the Senate bill as many Republicans now want to see the bill amended to address the issue.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, ” McCarthy, ”, Friday’s, “ We’re, CNN’s Manu Raju, GOP Sen, Rand Paul of, “ Nothing’s, Sen, Mike Braun, “ Organizations: CNN, Federal, GOP, Republicans, House Republicans, Capitol, Senate, Indiana Republican Locations: Ukraine, America, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Indiana

Underwood Archives/Getty Images Feinstein gets her makeup touched up for a photo shoot in San Francisco in 1955. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Feinstein attends a campaign event for her mayoral run in San Francisco in 1971. Clem Albers/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images Feinstein attends a memorial service for assassinated Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco in 1978. Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG/Getty Images Feinstein speaks at the signing of an anti-gun bill at San Francisco City Hall in 1982. Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images Feinstein greets first lady Hillary Clinton at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Persons: Washington CNN — Dianne Feinstein, Feinstein, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, NBC’s “, ”, Feinstein’s, Ramsay Hunt, I’m, “, ” Feinstein, Lindsey Graham, Amy Coney Barrett, Leah Millis, Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Sen, Dick Durbin, Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, “ Dianne Feinstein, ” Schumer, Sen, Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden, Celeste Sloman, Dianne Emiel Goldman, George Moscone, Harvey Milk, Duke Downey, Clem Albers, Janet Fries, Quentin Kopp, Sal Veder, Richard Blum, Walter Mondale, Georges, Roger Ressmeyer, Steve Ringman, Tony Bennett, Jeff Reinking, Neal Ulevich, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Eric Risberg, Willie Brown, Cecil Williams, Dr, Martin Luther King Jr, Paul Sakuma, Kim Komenich, Mark Reinstein, Barbara Boxer, Alan Greth, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Carol Moseley, Braun, Doug Mills, Charles Tasnadi, Kathleen Brown, Bill Clinton, Dirck Halstead, Lisa Leslie, Gigi Goshko, Douglas Graham, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Paul J, Richards, Orrin Hatch, Patrick J, Leahy, William H, Pryor Jr, Scott J, Ferrell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Schwarzenegger, Tim Sloan, Rick Friedman, Condoleezza Rice, George W, Bush, Colin Powell, Chuck Kennedy, John Roberts, Mark Wilson, Eileen Mariano, Mariano, interning, Tom Williams, Carson, Jay L, Barack Obama, Ralf, Finn Hestoft, Hina Rabbani Khar, Brendan Smialowski, Jacquelyn Martin, AP Sen, Chuck Grassley, Christine Blasey Ford, Brett M, Kavanaugh, Ford, Donald Trump, Chip Somodevilla, Barrett, Bonnie Cash, Graham, Samuel Corum, Jonathan Ernst, Simone Biles, Larry Nassar, Aly Raisman, Maggie Nichols, McKayla Maroney, Bob Dole, Oliver Contreras, Kent Nishimura, Kevin Dietsch, Dianne Feinstein's, Moscone, Milk, CNN’s Dana Bash, Dan White, ‘ Dan, ’, Harvey, California’s, Bash, Richard Blumenthal, Bill Clark, Annette Bening, Donald Trump’s, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham’s Organizations: Washington CNN, Senate, California Democratic, Democratic, Press, Democrats, Democratic Party, Capitol, Senate Intelligence, California Democrat, Capitol Hill, CNN, Golden State ”, Illinois, Republican, New York Times, Underwood Archives, Getty, San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, of Supervisors, Bettmann, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Ice Company, White, Steiner, Forbidden, Democratic National Convention, United States Senate, United, United States women's, team, Convention, Washington Post, Circuit, Images California, McClatchy, Tribune, Service, Supreme, California, Rancho, Pakistan's, AP, Committee, White House, Los Angeles Times, Stanford University, San, Supervisors, Administration Committee, federal, Inc, South Carolina Republican, Judiciary, Intelligence, Appropriations Locations: Washington, California, San Francisco, America, ” San Francisco, Washington , DC, DC, Forbidden City, Beijing, China, Feinstein , California, Los Angeles, United States, New York, AFP, Boston, Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, San Francisco , California, Maryland, San Francisco County, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut

CNN —The House is expected to take up a GOP stopgap bill to extend government funding on Friday – but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appears to lack the votes to pass it and Congress is still on track to trigger a government shutdown. McCarthy is gearing up to have his chamber consider a GOP stopgap bill with border provisions attached as House GOP leaders have insisted that border security must be addressed as part of the spending fight. “I still got time, I got time to do other things,” McCarthy responded when asked by CNN’s Manu Raju what will happen if the stopgap bill fails. Separately, House GOP leaders brought a series of spending bills to the floor Thursday evening as they try to show conservatives they are working in good faith to advance full-year funding bills. Meanwhile, the Senate is working to advance a bipartisan stopgap bill that would keep the government open through November 17 and provide additional aid to Ukraine and disaster relief.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, ” McCarthy, CNN’s Manu Raju, GOP Sen, Rand Paul Organizations: CNN, GOP, California Republican, of Agriculture Locations: California, Ukraine

The House saw progress late Thursday after weeks of intraparty squabbling, as Republicans came together to pass three full-year spending bills. Still, GOP leaders prioritized approving the bills this week to build goodwill with House conservatives who have opposed a stopgap measure to keep the government funded. But House Republicans’ border policy, attached to the continuing resolution, includes, among other things, a provision to restart construction of the border wall and is a nonstarter for most Democrats. The Senate is set to continue voting on the stopgap legislation Saturday in the hopes of approving it on the final day of the fiscal year. The White House chastised House Republicans for “marching our country toward an Extreme Republican Shutdown” on Friday, while endorsing the Senate’s spending plan.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, ” McCarthy, Biden, –, ’ ”, Karen Hult Organizations: Republicans, Democrat, Senate, White, GOP, Caucus, Republican Party, Virginia Tech, “, Republican Locations: Ukraine

☆ 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

☆ 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

Passage of the full-year appropriations bills themselves, chock-full of conservative priorities and spending cuts that are nonstarters in the Senate, would not avert a shutdown this week. The Senate’s continuing resolution would keep funding at current levels until Nov. 17, along with appropriating around $6 billion in aid to Ukraine and $6 billion for domestic disaster relief. “By constantly adhering to what the hard-right wants, you’re aiming for a shutdown,” the New York Democrat said. Moreso, the legislation, despite having backing from a number of Senate Republicans, may face headwinds in the House. And whether House leadership even moves to bring the bill to the House floor should it pass the Senate remains an open question.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, McCarthy, it’s, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Sen, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Joe Biden, Biden, “, ” McCarthy Organizations: GOP, Democrat, California Republican, New York Democrat, ”, Kentucky Republican, Ukraine, Moreso, Republicans Locations: California, Ukraine

“They’re working as a uniparty up there,” said GOP Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, referring to Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. Their split was also on full display last week when McConnell and Schumer publicly appeared together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Capitol, while McCarthy opted not to. “If you make a deal, you’ve got to stick to the deal,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, a member of Senate GOP leadership, told CNN. “I’m comfortable with the way we put together the Senate bill,” McConnell said. “I don’t see the support in the House,” McCarthy told reporters, referring to the bipartisan stopgap bill.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, McCarthy, wouldn’t, McConnell, Chuck Schumer, –, GOP Sen, John Cornyn of, McConnell’s, ” McCarthy, you’ve, Schumer, Hakeem, Jeffries, Cory Mills, “, Republicans couldn’t, ”, Max Miller of Ohio, Joe Biden, Donald Trump –, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Sen, Shelley Moore Capito, ” Capito, Schumer –, “ Mitch, “ He’s, Sen, ” McConnell, they’re, it’s, Kevin Cramer, Cramer, ‘, ’ ” Cramer Organizations: CNN —, GOP, Republicans, Democrats, Florida Republican, CNN, ”, Senate, Biden, Capitol, Republican, North Dakota Republican, House Republicans Locations: Washington, John Cornyn of Texas, Ukraine, Russia, Florida, West Virginia

Lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday with just a handful of days to avert a government shutdown and a treacherous path forward to keep the government funded as landmines crop up on all sides. It’s an extremely precarious situation, with the consequence of a shutdown looming if lawmakers can’t fund the government by midnight Saturday. House leadership is aiming to move forward on the four full-year spending bills, which are chock-full of conservative policies and face no prospects in the Senate. Even so, whether that fail safe would come in time to avert a shutdown remains to be seen. The White House has asked Congress for roughly $40 billion in funding for Ukraine, domestic disaster relief and border security.

Persons: It’s, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Chuck Schumer teed, ” Schumer, bipartisanship, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sen, Rand Paul of Kentucky Organizations: Republicans, Senate, Biden White House, California Republican, Russia, Capitol Locations: Washington, Ukraine

However, it is not clear that even those bills can advance amid deep divisions within the House Republican conference. McCarthy is expected to face yet another test of his leadership on Tuesday as House GOP leadership has indicated that they plan to hold a procedural vote on a rule to advance those measures. The expected vote comes after hardliners tanked a similar procedural vote for a defense bill last week in a major embarrassment for the House GOP leaders. If they include Ukraine funding, GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has threatened to slow down the bill’s passage. Legislative text of a Senate stopgap bill has not yet been formally unveiled.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, tanked, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, there’s, GOP Sen, Rand Paul of, Schumer, we’ve, ”, ” McCarthy Organizations: CNN, Defense and Homeland Security, Republican, House Republican, GOP, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Locations: Ukraine, Rand Paul of Kentucky

☆ ‘Gold’: A Word Rarely Mentioned in Menendez’s Senate Disclosure Forms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Tracey Tully | More About Tracey Tully | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The reporting lapses that federal prosecutors in Manhattan noted on his Senate financial disclosure forms might seem to pale in comparison. But they could also suggest an effort to hide his newfound wealth to evade notice by the Senate’s Select Committee on Ethics. “Knowingly and willfully filing a false personal financial disclosure report can result in a civil penalty of up to $50,000,” Brett Kappel, a Washington-based lawyer and expert in campaign finance, lobbying and government ethics, said in an email. “It may also be prosecuted as a violation of the False Statements Act — a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.”The first mention of gold on Mr. Menendez’s financial disclosure report came in March 2022, on a report amended to indicate that in 2020 his wife owned as much as $250,000 in bullion. The alteration made it appear that Ms. Menendez had possessed the gold since before or soon after the couple married in October 2020.

Persons: Menendez, “, ”, ” Brett Kappel Locations: Egypt, Manhattan, Washington

A series of setbacks in the House on Tuesday pointed to the difficult reality for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the lower chamber, which appears deadlocked amid the latest revolt by House conservatives. Time is running out.”Lawmakers entered the week eager to see progress, after headway was stymied last week by House and Senate conservatives. I think we are well positioned to do that again.”Political Cartoons on Congress View All 237 ImagesBut by Tuesday afternoon, the continuing resolution vote had been scrapped. Indeed, some analysts have noted that for the House conservatives, perhaps armed with the understanding that their demands have little chance of becoming reality, the ultimate goal may be McCarthy’s removal after all. On the other side of the Capitol, where the House-proposed continuing resolution would have no prospects, senators began to express new levels of angst Tuesday, as the funding deadline nears.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, “, ”, Jim McGovern, “ You’re, –, Dusty Johnson, bemoaned House Republicans ’, MAGA, Susan Delbene, won’t, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, ’, Gaetz, shutdowns –, Mitch McConnell, they’ve, ” Sen, Jeanne Shaheen, Sen, Patty Murray, Chuck Schumer Organizations: ” Lawmakers, House, GOP, Republicans, Dusty Johnson , South Dakota Republican, Democrats, bemoaned House Republicans, ”, Washington Democrat, Republican, Caucus, Senate, Capitol, Jeanne Shaheen , New, Jeanne Shaheen , New Hampshire Democrat Locations: Massachusetts, Dusty Johnson , South, Washington, Wisconsin, Jeanne Shaheen ,, Jeanne Shaheen , New Hampshire, Ukraine

☆ Lawmakers Give New Senate Dress Code a Dressing Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Annie Karni | More About Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator J.D. And recently, he announced his plans to block all nominations to the Justice Department until it stops what he describes as a “political prosecution” of Mr. Trump. But on Tuesday, Mr. Vance spoke about a different gripe altogether: the relaxing of the Senate dress code, which he said would demean America’s government institutions. They’re frustrated by it, but they respect it and I think the dress code should reflect that.”The recent decision by Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, to relax the Senate’s informal dress code and allow members to enter the chamber in casual attire, or even gym clothes, has set off waves of consternation and cries of dismay in the stuffy upper chamber. Many senators, mostly Republicans, have publicly expressed concerns along the same lines as Mr. Vance’s, and privately have said that the change could harm America’s standing on the international stage.

Persons: J.D, Vance of, Biden, ”, Donald J, Trump, Vance, demean, “, Chuck Schumer, Vance’s Organizations: Justice Department, Senate, United States Senate Locations: Vance of Ohio, Appalachia, Cincinnati, New York

☆ The Senate Dress Code Gets a Casual Overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Robert Jimison | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the tradition-bound halls of the Senate, customs die hard and rules can be next to impossible to change. But on Monday, with a potential government shutdown days away, a newly begun impeachment inquiry and lawmakers preparing for a visit this week from the president of Ukraine, a major change had the Capitol abuzz. For the first time in centuries, lawmakers are no longer expected to suit up to conduct business on the Senate floor. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, has established a new dress code — or rather, done away with the old one — allowing members to take a more business-casual approach to their workwear. The change, reported earlier by Axios, involved directing the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms — whose job, aside from directing security in the chamber, also entails enforcing outfit standards for all who enter it — that the previous policy that all senators must be clad in business attire when on the floor is no longer to be enforced.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Axios Organizations: Capitol Locations: Ukraine, New York

And he retains the shield of the attorney general's office in legal battles still to come. The former deputies' accusation that Paxton abused his power to help Paul were at the core of Paxton's impeachment. The judge overseeing it said in August that she would set a trial date after the impeachment trial. THE DISCIPLINARY HEARINGAlso on hold during Paxton's impeachment trial was an ethics case brought by the state bar. ___Find AP’s full coverage of the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at: https://apnews.com/hub/ken-paxton

Persons: Ken Paxton, acquit Paxton, Joe Biden, Paxton, INVESTIGAITON Paxton, Nate Paul, Paul, Drew Wicker, Paxton’s, Wicker, Nate ”, general’s Austin, Dan Cogdell, Weeks, Cogdell, Donald Trump's, Brent Webster, he's, paxton Organizations: DALLAS, Texas, FBI, Republican, Lawmakers, U.S, Supreme, State Bar of Texas Locations: Paxton, Austin, Texas, Washington ,, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston

House Republicans, trying to win support from the far-right wing of the party, have loaded up their government funding packages with spending cuts and conservative policy priorities. Political Cartoons View All 1163 ImagesThe Senate strategy is being led by the first female duo to hold the top leadership spots on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sens. But as the Senate grinds toward votes on their funding bills, they have won plaudits from leadership in both parties. A few GOP senators allied with conservatives in the House are working to slow the Senate’s work on appropriations bills. They have also loaded the House's appropriations bills with conservative policy wins, ensuring Democratic opposition.

Persons: Patty Murray, Susan Collins, “, ” Murray, Murray, Collins, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Collins “, ” Collins, Kevin McCarthy, you’ve, ” McCarthy, Kay Granger, Rosa DeLauro, Conn, McCarthy, gavel, Joe Biden, Biden, ”, Hakeem Jeffries, Republican appropriators, Tom Cole of, ” “ We’re, Don Bacon Organizations: WASHINGTON, Capitol, House Republicans, GOP, Democrats, Associated Press, Republicans, Republican, Caucus, American, Democratic, “, Department of, Social Security Locations: United States, Ukraine, Maine, Washington, Kentucky, Kay Granger of Texas, Texas, New York, Tom Cole of Oklahoma

☆ Chuck Schumer hosts tech companies Google, Meta, Microsoft, and X over AI regulations including Chat GPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Among those attending the in-person event will be the CEOs of Anthropic, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, Palantir and X, the company formerly known as Twitter. But crucially, the event could also shed light on the political feasibility of a broad, sweeping AI law, setting expectations for what Congress may achieve. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna will also seek to “demystify” a widely held impression that AI development is done only by a handful of companies like OpenAI or Google, Padilla said. Some authors have sued OpenAI over those claims, while others have asked in an open letter to be paid by AI companies. New AI legislation could also serve as a potential backstop to voluntary commitments that some AI companies made to the Biden administration earlier this year to ensure their AI models undergo outside testing before they are released to the public.

Persons: Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Chuck Schumer, he’s, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, ”, Christopher Padilla, Padilla, Arvind Krishna, Sam Altman, Clement Delangue, OpenAI, Maya Wiley, they’ve, Wiley, “, ” Wiley, Schumer, South Dakota Republican Sen, Mike Rounds, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Indiana Republican Sen, Todd Young —, “ It’s, Biden Organizations: Washington CNN, Anthropic, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Twitter, Senate, CNN, The New York Times, Disney, Conference, Civil, Human, South Dakota Republican, New, New Mexico Democratic, Indiana Republican, Capitol, European Union Locations: Washington, New Mexico

☆ US Senate races ahead of House on spending bills, aims to avoid gov't shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Appropriations Committee have backed the 12 separate spending bills that would finance most government operations for fiscal 2024, while their House Appropriations Committee has been producing bills with only Republican support. Some hardline House Republicans have dismissed the risks of a government shutdown, saying it could be a cudgel for achieving deeper spending cuts to address the $31.4 trillion national debt. 'A PRETTY BIG MESS'Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell has voted for every one of the 12 fiscal 2024 bills advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee, as have nearly all of his fellow committee Republicans. Meanwhile, as some hardline House Republicans push for defense spending cuts instead of a buildup, there is pushback within their 222-member caucus. He was referring to a special House-Senate negotiating team that likely would be tasked with ironing out differences between House and Senate defense appropriations bills.

Persons: Kevin Wurm, Joe Biden's, Biden, Republican Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, McCarthy, Andrew Bates, William Hoagland, Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Tom Cole, we'll, Richard Cowan, Trevor Hunnicutt, Scott Malone, William Maclean Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Democrats, Senate, Republicans, Democratic, Republican, White, Center, Senate Republican, House Republicans, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Ukraine, Kentucky

The Senate returns Tuesday from a month-long recess as Congress gears up for a rocky September with a whole host of to-dos – including averting a government shutdown – before the fiscal year’s end. Accordingly, congressional leaders have made clear that a stop-gap measure to keep the government funded will be necessary. But even without the demands on the CR, reconciling the House and Senate's spending bills more broadly is expected to be a heavy lift this month, and perhaps beyond. Even so, some Senate Republicans were quick to come to McConnell’s defense. But questions about the leader’s health are expected to run in the background this week as the Senate gets to work on a number of priorities.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, ”, Sen, Susan Collins of, McConnell “, Mike Rounds, McConnell, Joe Biden, Biden, Marjorie Taylor Greene Organizations: Caucus, Republicans, New York Democrat, Kentucky Republican, South Dakota, CNN, Senate, Georgia Republican, House Locations: Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Washington, Georgia

☆ Mitch McConnell’s Health Scares Shine Spotlight on Senate’s ‘Three Johns’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Lindsay Wise | Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones, ad0e3831

☆ McConnell’s frozen moment renews questions about America’s aged leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Also in the Senate, California’s Dianne Feinstein, 90, has been ill and displayed apparent cognitive decline in public in recent months. But given that Biden, McConnell and Feinstein are public officials, voters are entitled to a high level of transparency. Biden, for instance, would be 86 by the time his second term ends, which represents his biggest vulnerability in the 2024 election. Remarkably, in an age where major questions divide on party lines, 69% of Democrats shared that view. Should Biden, if he wins a second term, experience a similar moment to McConnell, questions about the continuity of US leadership would reverberate around the world and offer openings for US adversaries.

Persons: Mitch, “, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, California’s Dianne Feinstein, Feinstein, –, Strom Thurmond, Robert Byrd of, Biden, McConnell, Jonathan Reiner, CNN’s Erica Hill, ”, Reiner, Trump, Karine Jean, Pierre, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Tapper, Jean, Nikki Haley, – Trump, Haley, Kamala Harris, Harris, ” Haley, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, they’ve, Sen, Shelley Moore Capito, CNN’s Manu Raju, John Thune, McConnell “, Jim Banks, CNN’s Raju, Sprightly Iowa GOP Sen, Chuck Grassley, who’s Organizations: CNN, Kentucky Republican, Senate, George Washington University, United States Senate, Associated Press, White, White House, Former South Carolina Gov, GOP, Republicans, Biden, Fox News, Democratic, Supreme, Labor, West Virginia Republican, Republican, prudential, Indiana, Sprightly Iowa GOP, California Democrat, Capitol Locations: Kentucky, South Carolina, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Rehoboth Beach , Delaware, Ukraine, Washington, Dakota, Sprightly Iowa, California, It’s

Here are six takeaways from the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate:Taking shots at RamaswamyWith Trump absent from Wednesday’s debate, the the early target of most of the debate participants was not DeSantis or South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott or any candidate who has ever held elected office before. DeSantis clarified: “Well, statewide.” Asked if he would support a federal six-week abortion ban, DeSantis talked about his electoral victory in Florida. And no one clearly stated they would sign a six-week federal abortion ban – even if they’d approved such laws as governors. At one end of the spectrum stood Haley, who sparred with Pence over the possibility of passing a federal ban. Ahead of the debate, Republican strategists argued that this was the approach Scott wanted to take because it’s his authentic self.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, – brawled, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis, Ramaswamy brawled, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Trump, Ramaswamy, Christie, Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, “ Vivek, can’t, I’ve, Vivek, Ramaswamy’s, ChatGPT, ”, DeSsantis, – DeSantis, DeSantis, “, Joe Biden, Hunter, Fox’s Brett Baier interjected, Roe, Wade, fides, Haley, Pence, ” Pence, Lindsey Graham, Scott, Doug Burgum –, Burgum, ” DeSantis, he’d, “ Mike, Pence “, ” Haley, Nice, ‘, Scott wasn’t, ” Scott Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, New, New Jersey Gov, Trump, Former Arkansas Gov, Fox News, Wing, Ramaswamy, Republican, DeSantis, North Dakota Gov, South, United Nations, United, Ukraine Locations: New Jersey, Fulton, Georgia, Milwaukee, South Carolina, Pence, United States, America, Florida, Miami, Wisconsin, Texas, Russia, Ukraine, Ramaswamy

☆ A Senator’s New Wife and Her Old Friends Draw Prosecutors’ Attention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Tracey Tully | More About Tracey Tully | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But their whirlwind romance has taken a sudden dark turn. Mr. Menendez, the 69-year-old Democratic chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, is under investigation by the Justice Department for the second time in less than a decade. And this time, his wife is also in prosecutors’ cross hairs. Unlike her husband, who took a seat on a New Jersey school board as a 20-year-old and rose to prominence in Hudson County’s famously sharp-elbowed political scrum, Ms. Menendez, 56, has lived a mainly private life. She is described by friends, acquaintances and two former lawyers in much the same way: social, smart and highly fashion-conscious.

Persons: Menendez, Ms, Hudson County’s Organizations: Foreign Relations, Justice Department, U.S, New York University Locations: Manhattan, New Jersey, New, Bergen County, N.J

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