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☆ Judge orders release of body camera footage and 911 call from Paul Pelosi attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A coalition of news organizations will gain access Thursday to all courtroom evidence from last year's attack on then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband at their San Francisco home. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Stephen Murphy on Wednesday granted a motion filed by a group of 13 news organizations, including NBC News and The New York Times, requesting the release of evidence in the case against David DePape, Paul Pelosi's alleged assailant. The evidence consists of footage from a body camera worn by an officer who responded at the Pelosis' home on Oct. 28, a 911 call Paul Pelosi made to police, portions of a police interview with DePape, and security video taken during the break-in recorded by U.S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C. The judge’s order comes after prosecutors had refused to release the evidence to news outlets. DePape, who allegedly demanded the whereabouts of Nancy Pelosi while in the house and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, is facing a pair of federal assault and attempted kidnapping charges in the case, in addition to related state charges.

☆ FDA official overseeing food policy and response to resign in wake of baby formula shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Frank Yiannas, a top official at the Food and Drug Administration in charge of the agency's food policy and response office, announced Wednesday that he is stepping down from his role as deputy commissioner. His resignation comes days after Abbott Laboratories confirmed that the Justice Department was investigating the company over its Michigan baby formula plant. "Today, I informed Commissioner [Robert] Califf that I will be resigning my position as Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Food Policy and Response effective February 24 ," Yiannas tweeted. Yiannas' resignation announcement comes weeks after an expert panel issued a scathing report on its investigation of the FDA's processes and organizational structure for its foods program. That investigation, was ordered by FDA Commissioner Robert Califf in July, following growing criticism that the agency had mishandled the formula crisis after illnesses were reported.

☆ AP African American Studies course rejected by Florida to be revised, College Board says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The College Board said Tuesday it would release a new framework for the Advanced Placement course in African American Studies that the administration of Gov. “The official course framework incorporates this feedback and defines what students will encounter on the AP Exam for college credit and placement,” the College Board said Tuesday. "We are glad the College Board has recognized that the originally submitted course curriculum is problematic, and we are encouraged to see the College Board express a willingness to amend," Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement. Lanfranconi said he expected the removal of content about topics "that violate our laws," including critical race theory, Black queer studies and intersectionality. The White House last week criticized DeSantis' opposition to the AP course, calling it "incomprehensible."

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday defended the Justice Department's handling of separate special counsel investigations into classified documents linked to former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, saying it does not have different rules for Republicans and Democrats. In his first public remarks on the topic after even more classified documents were found at Biden's home in Delaware, Garland was asked whether he believed the Justice Department was handling the two probes fairly. Garland announced this month that Robert Hur, who was a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor, would serve as a special counsel in the Biden probe. Congressional Republicans have launched their own investigations into the Biden documents. Biden and Trump have had contrasting responses to the discovery of classified documents, which are supposed to be handed over to National Archives when presidents or vice presidents leave office.

An Arkansas man who was photographed during the Jan. 6 riot with his feet on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, was found guilty on all counts Monday after brief jury deliberations. Richard Barnett faced eight charges stemming from the insurrection, including theft of government property. He said repeatedly in court last week that he regretted what transpired at the Capitol that day but did not consider his actions illegal. Barnett appears in images from the riot reclining in a chair in the speaker's office, with his feet propped up, and what the government referred to as a “stun device” tucked in his pants. Before leaving Pelosi’s office, Barnett took an envelope that he later displayed for cameras outside the Capitol.

☆ Jan. 6 rioter who put feet on desk in Pelosi’s office convicted on all counts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Daniel Barnes | Zoë Richards | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A supporter of US President Donald Trump sits inside the office of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as he protest inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021. An Arkansas man who was photographed during the Jan. 6 riot with his feet on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, was found guilty on all counts Monday after brief jury deliberations. He said repeatedly in court last week that he regretted what transpired at the Capitol that day but did not consider his actions illegal. Before leaving Pelosi's office, Barnett took an envelope that he later displayed for cameras outside the Capitol. Barnett also admitted to telling an officer in the Capitol: "We're in a war.

A cyber criminal took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Sen. Jerry Moran's campaign coffers last year, according to a form filed with the Federal Election Commission by the Kansas Republican's campaign. In the filing, the treasurer at Moran For Kansas said post-election reporting revealed the senator's campaign was the victim of a “third-party cyber-criminal” that included a pair of fraudulent transactions. “Cybercriminals targeted the accounting firm employed by Moran For Kansas and money was wired to fraudulent bank accounts,” Moran for Kansas spokesperson Tom Brandt told NBC News. The campaign also consulted with the FEC on how to transparently report the unauthorized expenditures.”The campaign told the FEC in the December filing that $168,184 of the lost funds had been recovered. He also sits on a Senate Commerce subcommittee that deals with data security, along with other committees.

☆ Judge sanctions Trump and his lawyer nearly $1 million for 'frivolous' lawsuit targeting Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A federal judge on Thursday sanctioned former President Donald Trump and one of his top attorneys nearly $1 million for filing a sprawling lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and other perceived political enemies "that should never have been filed." No reasonable lawyer would have filed it," Middlebrooks wrote, adding that the suit was intended "for a political purpose." He knew full well the impact of his actions,” Middlebrooks wrote. “As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Habba.”NBC News has asked Habba and a Trump spokesperson for comment. Such lawsuits, Middlebrooks said, undermined the rule of law, siphoned resources "from those who have suffered actual legal harm" and painted judges as partisans.

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☆ Trump mistook photo of E. Jean Carroll for ex-wife during deposition in rape allegation lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald Trump confused E. Jean Carroll, the writer who has accused him of rape, with ex-wife Marla Maples in a photo he was shown during a deposition, newly unsealed court documents show. "That's Marla, yeah. Trump lawyer Alina Habba corrected the mistake, saying, "No, that's Carroll." Trump, who has launched a 2024 presidential bid, asked a federal judge to dismiss Carroll's lawsuit last week. In the earlier excerpt, Trump denied the allegations and repeatedly insulted Carroll, calling her a “whack job” who’s “not my type."

☆ Lesion removed from Jill Biden's left eyelid was 'non-cancerous,' doctor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A lesion that was found and removed during first lady Jill Biden's outpatient surgery last week was a "non-cancerous growth," according to a medical memo her press secretary released Wednesday. The lesion, found on Biden's left eyelid, had been sent out for a traditional biopsy, said Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the physician to the president. Results from the biopsy were "consistent with seborrheic keratosis,” O'Connor said in Wednesday's memo. He described the biopsied lesion as a "very common, totally harmless non-cancerous growth" that did not require further treatment. O’Connor said at the time that the procedure was a success and that “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed.”

☆ GOP Rep. Steube sustains 'several injuries' after accident on his property
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., sustained "several injuries" Wednesday after he was involved in an accident at his property, his office said. The severity of the injuries and how they occurred were not immediately clear. "Congressman Steube was involved in an accident on his property late this afternoon and has sustained several injuries," his office tweeted. NBC News has asked Steube's office for details. Rep. Vern Buchanan, who represents the 16th District, tweeted that it was "horrible" to hear for Steube's accident and that he wished his fellow Republican a speedy recovery.

It’s horrendous that he could lie and steal and cheat his way through life,” Osthoff said. “Fake,” Santos told the news outlet. When the veterinarian treating Sapphire said she would need a different surgeon, Santos suggested using his vet, instead, Osthoff said. Asked whether he wanted the money, Osthoff said, “The money doesn’t mean anything.”“That dog was the thing that kept me alive,” he said. … We do stupid things in life.”The Hill reported last week that Santos told reporters, “I have done nothing unethical.”Santos has resisted calls from fellow members of Congress to resign.

☆ Capitol Police investigated more than 7,500 threats against lawmakers last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Capitol Police investigated 7,501 threats against members of Congress last year, according to new figures released Tuesday. Last year's numbers marked the first decline in at least five years but remained "historically high," nearly double the 3,939 cases investigated in 2017, Capitol Police said. “The threats against Members of Congress are still too high,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement. Threats of political violence have also extended to the state and local levels. Solomon Pena, an unsuccessful GOP candidate for the New Mexico state House, was arrested Monday in connection with four shootings at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators.

☆ David Kessler, top health official for Covid vaccines, to leave Biden administration
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

David Kessler, a key official in the Biden administration's Covid vaccine and treatment efforts, is stepping down from his role as chief science officer, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday. Since January 2021, Kessler has played a leading role in the development and roll out Covid vaccines. Kessler, 71, is the latest Covid response official to step down at President Joe Biden's two-year mark in office. The Biden administration and health officials have had to combat misinformation and conspiracy theories about Covid vaccines during their rollout. The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 78.8% of U.S. adults have completed their primary series of Covid vaccines.

☆ Democratic win in Virginia special election stymies Gov. Youngkin's push for 15-week abortion ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Democrat Aaron Rouse has won a special election for a state Senate seat in Virginia after his Republican opponent conceded in a race that was widely viewed as a proxy fight over abortion. Democrats will have a 22-18 majority in the state Senate, and Rouse is expected to provide a crucial vote against efforts by Gov. “Reproductive rights and freedom in Virginia have been hanging by a tenuous thread, especially in the wake of Roe being overturned, and the only thing standing in the way is a one-vote margin in the Virginia state Senate," Tarina Keene, the executive director of REPRO Rising Virginia, said Wednesday. During the campaign, Rouse said protecting access to abortion was a priority, vowing on his website that he would “not compromise” on abortion rights. In his State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday, Youngkin called on the General Assembly to pass a 15-week ban.

☆ White House says Biden doesn't support banning gas stoves
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The White House is pushing back on Republicans who have accused the Biden administration of wanting to prohibit the use of gas stoves in U.S. households. “The president does not support banning gas stoves,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Wednesday’s briefing. “And the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves. “When it comes to the question about safety or the effect of gas stoves, that is not something that we can speak to here at the White House,” Jean-Pierre said. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric also issued a statement saying that while research indicated emissions from gas stoves can be hazardous, he is “not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.”

☆ Safety official's remarks about possible gas stove ban fuel hot GOP takes about Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Republicans are warning that the Biden administration is coming for your stove if it's fueled by gas. “Gas stoves are the next thing the Biden Administration is coming after,” he tweeted. “Washington bureaucrats should have no say in how Americans prepare their dinner.”Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Biden to "get your hands off our gas stoves!!!!" “There’s been a lot of gaslighting today about gas stoves,” Beyer tweeted Tuesday. “To be clear, I didn’t call for a ban on gas stoves.

☆ House Republican files articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Mayorkas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

In the first week of the new GOP-led House, a Texas Republican has filed articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Rep. Pat Fallon, in a document filed Monday night, accused Mayorkas of "high crimes and misdemeanors" in his role as Homeland Security chief. He has willfully abdicated his duties as Secretary of Homeland Security and actively misled Congress and the American people. To make any progress at our southern border, he must go.”Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, at the Capitol on March 18, 2022. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., first filed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in August 2021.

☆ Biden speaks with Brazilian president after Bolsonaro supporters storm government buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

President Joe Biden extended U.S. support to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil in a phone call a day after supporters of the country's former far-right leader stormed government buildings in the country's capital. Lula accepted an invitation from Biden to visit Washington early next month to consult on a "wide-ranging shared agenda," the statement said. The call with Lula comes just a day after a group of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace, similar to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. On Sunday, Lula vowed to prosecute rioters involved in the assault on government buildings. He pinned "responsibility" for the attack on Bolsonaro, suggesting that there were “several speeches by the former president encouraging this."

☆ Jill Biden to have 'small lesion' surgically removed after skin cancer screening
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The president's physician, Kevin O’Connor, said in the memo that a "small lesion" was found above Biden's right eye during a routine skin cancer screening. According to the American Cancer Society, Mohs surgery involves removing a very thin layer of the skin, including the lesion, and checking the sample under a microscope. If cancer cells are found, additional layers of skin are removed until samples are free from cancer cells. Jill Biden, 71, has been an advocate of cancer prevention and treatment, and teamed up with the American Cancer Society in October to launch roundtables on breast and cervical cancer. Her scheduled surgery comes roughly a year after she vowed to “end the tragedy of cancer as we know it,” by working to support cancer patients and their families and encouraging Americans to prioritize cancer screenings.

☆ Virginia on track to send first Black woman to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan is on track to become the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress after she won the Democratic primary Thursday to fill the seat of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin, who died last month from cancer. Lamont Bagby, the chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, in the primary. Morrissey resigned from his state House seat in 2014, but he then ran for that same seat as an independent and won in 2015 — while serving time in jail. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia also threw his support behind her. McClellan had also won the support of other Black leaders in the district, including Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.

☆ Zelenskyy to meet with Biden and Congress in D.C.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with President Joe Biden and deliver an address to members of Congress during a visit to Washington on Wednesday, Zelenskyy and a senior administration official said. The official said Zelenskyy will also travel to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are expected to be voting on a massive funding bill that includes roughly $44.9 billion in Ukraine aid. He is expected to cap off the day with a formal speech to a joint session of Congress, the official said. Zelenskyy in a tweet early Wednesday said he was traveling to the U.S. "to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities" of Ukraine. Biden and Zelenskyy had been discussing details of the visit for more than a week, with Biden extending an invitation to Zelenskyy to visit the White House last Wednesday, the official said.

WASHINGTON — Officials in Washington are preparing for a possible visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, according to five sources familiar with the planning. Zelenskyy could address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening, three sources said. A European official also familiar with the planning confirmed that preparations are underway for a potential visit Wednesday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested members attend Wednesday's session in person in a letter to colleagues Tuesday. Weeks after the war got underway in March, Zelenskyy made an emotional virtual address to Congress asking for support with more aggressive measures to curb the conflict.

☆ George Santos responds to report that accused him of misrepresenting credentials on campaign trail
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Santos, 34, was elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District, beating Democrat Robert Zimmerman last month. Representatives for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs told NBC New York they had no record of his employment. In a statement Monday, Santos’ lawyer, Joseph Murray, dismissed the story, insisting that Santos was being smeared by "enemies" at the paper, and suggesting that Santos, posed a threat to Democrats. "It is no surprise that Congressman-elect Santos has enemies at the New York Times who are attempting to smear his good name with these defamatory allegations. The upset means Santos will succeed Democrat Tom Suozzi, who lost a primary bid for governor this year.

☆ Capitol riot defendant planned to kill FBI agents who investigated him, unsealed filing alleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Zoë Richards | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Michael-Kosnar-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Kelley and Carter made their initial appearance in federal court in Knoxville on Friday. A cooperating witness earlier this week presented authorities with a printed document including about 37 names, positions and in some cases phone numbers of law enforcement personnel involved in the criminal investigation, the filing states. The list also identified which officers were present when Kelley was arrested in May, according to the filing. Marina Medvin, who has been representing Kelley in the Jan. 6 charges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More than 850 defendants have been arrested on Jan. 6 charges ranging from misdemeanor parading to felony seditious conspiracy.

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