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☆ Alabama's redrawing of its congressional map defies US Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —It was a legitimate surprise when the conservative-dominated US Supreme Court ordered Alabama’s conservative-dominated state government last month to redraw its congressional map and include either a second majority-Black congressional district or something quite close to it. CNN’s Dianne Gallagher noted in her report that the old congressional map was invalidated by a three-judge federal district court panel that included two judges nominated to the bench by former President Donald Trump. “Outright defiance of the Supreme Court’s order,” is how Janai Nelson, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, described the new map to CNN’s Dana Bash Monday. The Supreme Court’s unexpected decisionAlabama had asked the Supreme Court to essentially nullify Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, something many court watchers thought the conservative majority was primed to execute. The Supreme Court also rejected out of hand the idea that the Gulf Coast area represents a community of interest on par with the Black Belt.

Persons: Milligan, Terri Sewell, Kay Ivey, “, ”, CNN’s Dianne Gallagher, Donald Trump, Alabamians, Gallagher, CNN’s Tierney Sneed, Allen, Janai Nelson, CNN’s Dana Bash, Joe Biden, Nelson, John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Sewell Organizations: CNN, Supreme Court, Democratic, Alabama, Republican, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Black, Civil Rights Movement, National Heritage Area, Democrat Locations: Alabama, Allen, New York, Gulf

☆ Alabama Republicans refuse to draw a second Black congressional district in defiance of Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jane C. Timm | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Alabama Republicans on Friday defied a U.S. Supreme Court order by passing a new congressional map that includes only one majority-Black district. But on Friday, state Republicans approved a new map with just one majority-Black seat and a second district that is approximately 40% Black. "There was never any intent in this building to comply with their court order," said state Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa. "There was never any intent in this building to comply with the Voting Rights Act." "We've chosen to outright, blatantly disobey the law and to further attempt and vote to bury the Voting Rights Act."

Persons: Chris England, Juandalynn, We've, Kevin McCarthy, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Nathan Ledbetter, Steven Stafford, McCarthy, Ledbetter, Tuberville Organizations: Alabama, U.S, GOP, Republican, Auburn University, NBC News Locations: Black, Tuscaloosa, England, Birmingham, Washington, Alabama , New York, North Carolina , Georgia, Texas, Alabama, New York

The winning candidate must receive at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes. Each of the 50 states is assigned a number of electoral votes that match the size of their congressional delegation. In all but two states, the winner of the popular vote receives all of the state's electoral votes. In most elections, the winner of the national popular vote has also won the Electoral College vote. Those electors met on Dec. 14, 2020, to cast their votes for Trump - the same day when legitimate electors cast their ballots for Biden.

Persons: John Eastman, Donald Trump's, Rudy Giuliani, Read, Dana Nessel, Republican Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Kenneth Chesebro, Trump, Biden, Mike Pence, Congress's, Pence, JAN, Jeffrey Clark, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Grant McCool Organizations: Trump, U.S, Congress, Michigan, Republican, Democrat, U.S . Constitution, of Columbia, Senate, Electoral, Trump's, U.S . Capitol, White, Capitol, U.S . Justice, Washington . Eastman, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington , U.S, WASHINGTON, U.S ., California, Vermont, Wyoming, Maine, Nebraska, The Michigan, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, New York, Washington

☆ Mountain Valley Pipeline Halted as Legal Wrangling Heats Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Coral Davenport | More About Coral Davenport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The LatestA federal court in Richmond has halted construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, setting off a battle with Congress that could end up at the Supreme Court. It was a highly unusual provision that was tucked into legislation that had nothing to do with pipelines — the law to raise the debt ceiling. Congress also included provisions to expedite construction of the pipeline and insulate it from judicial review. Those elements were added as a concession to Senator Joe Manchin III, the West Virginia Democrat whose vote has been crucial to President Biden’s domestic agenda. But environmentalists, Democratic members of the Virginia congressional delegation and some constitutional law experts argue that by directing a change in courts, Congress has violated the separation of powers clause in the Constitution.

Persons: Joe Manchin III, Biden’s Organizations: Supreme, U.S, Appeals, Fourth Circuit, Congress, U.S ., District of Columbia Circuit, West Virginia Democrat, Democratic Locations: Richmond, West Virginia, Virginia

☆ Taiwan says 11 Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, June 30 (Reuters) - Eleven Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Friday morning, an unofficial barrier between the two sides, Taiwan's defence ministry said, as China ramps up military pressure on the democratic island. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory despite the island's objections, has complained in recent years of almost daily missions by the Chinese air force, often in the southwestern part of its air defence identification zone. A total of 24 Chinese war planes including fighter jets and bombers were spotted near Taiwan on Friday morning from around 8 a.m. (00:00 GMT), the defence ministry said, adding five Chinese battleships also joined a "joint war readiness patrol." Taiwan sent aircraft and ships to warn away the Chinese activities, while missile systems monitored them, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response. Taiwan's government strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and vows to defend itself if China attacks the island.

Persons: Mike Rogers, Tsai Ing, Taiwan's, Yimou Lee, Ben Blanchard, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Armed, U.S . House, Representatives, The U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan Strait, China, Taiwan, Taipei, The, Lincoln

☆ Bipartisan lawmakers visit Taiwan as Biden seeks to stabilize China relationship
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Taiwan is a self-ruling democracy, but China views Taiwan as a province of the Chinese mainland. The visit comes at a sensitive time for America's relationship with China, its largest trading partner and strategic competitor in political, economic and security arenas. WASHINGTON — A bipartisan congressional delegation led by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers landed in Taiwan on Tuesday for a three day visit, according to the American Institute in Taiwan. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly plans to visit China in July, Bloomberg News reported this week. But while visits by senior Biden administration officials to China may help normalize the U.S.-China relationship, visits like Rogers' delegation to Taiwan tend to have the opposite effect.

Persons: Mike Rogers, Tsai Ing, Adam Smith, WASHINGTON —, Rogers, Biden, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Janet Yellen Organizations: Republicans, U.S, Capitol, Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Alabama Republican, House Armed Services, American Institute, Congressional, United, Bloomberg News, Treasury, Biden, ., National Security Council Locations: Afghanistan, Taiwan, Washington, Pacific, China, Beijing, WASHINGTON, Taipei, United States

☆ More than 100 U.S. political elites have family links to slavery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +46 min

Then the war came, and according to the family history, Union soldiers plundered Sessions’ 27-room house. About 48 years old at the time, he did not stand a chance to succeed without slavery, the family history suggests. ‘A Better Nation’Some historians and genealogists say there is a valuable reason for white leaders – and other white Americans – to explore their links to slavery. Nicka Sewell-Smith, a professional genealogist with the family history website Ancestry.com, said people frequently ask her what to do with such documents. The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Meeks said in an interview that he has spent years trying to trace his family history back before 1870.

Persons: Black, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, James Lankford, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, Joe Biden, –, Donald Trump –, Jimmy Carter, George W, Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Trump’s, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch –, Asa Hutchinson, Doug Burgum, Tim Scott, James Clyburn, Henry McMaster, ”, Henry Louis Gates Jr, Gates, ” “, ” Gates, enslavers, Tony Burroughs, Biden, Obama, McConnell, Burroughs, Joseph Maddox, Maddox, Sela, Rubin, James, Sal, Sam ”, Graham, Graham didn’t, Nancy Mace, Drucilla, Drucilla Mace, John Mace, Hector Godbolt, John Mace’s, Godbolt, “, ” Nancy Mace, Henry Coe, Duckworth, Coe, Margaret, Isaac, Warner, George …, Isaac Franklin –, “ There’s, ” Duckworth, George Floyd, Donald Trump, ” Biden, ‘, ’, Ben Affleck, ” Affleck, Independent Angus King, Mo Brooks, ” Brooks, Sean Kelley, Kelley, White, don’t, wasn’t, Richard Sessions, Pete Sessions, Richard’s, William Sessions, John Cowger, Tom Cotton of, ” Cotton’s, Cowger, Cotton, Archibald Crawford, Juneteenth, Shaheen, Pocahontas, Edmond Dillehay, Peter ”, Milly, Lankford, ” Lankford, Joe Wilson, Stephen H, Wilson, Boineau, General David Addison Weisiger, Wilson –, Addison Graves Wilson –, Weisiger “, ” Wilson, Daniel Weisiger, Daniel Weisiger’s, Samuel, Samuel Weisiger, Daniel, Julia Brownley, Jesse Brownley, Brownley, ” Brownley, Thomas Ferguson, Brooks, Manumission, Marie Jenkins Schwartz, ” “ It’s, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, Harvard’s Gates, Sherman, Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, Nicka Sewell, Smith, Ancestry.com, ” Sewell, LaBrenda Garrett, Nelson, Garrett, Rick Larsen, John Wiggins, Larsen, – Gilbura, George, Agg –, ” Larsen, Gilbura, Agg, Gregory Meeks, Meeks, Jim Crow South, – Meeks, – “, ” Meeks, “ I’m, I’m, Tom Bergin, Makini Brice, Nicholas P, Brown, Donna Bryson, Lawrence Delevingne, Brad Heath, Andrea Januta, Gui Qing Koh, Tom Lasseter, Grant Smith, Maurice Tamman, Catherine Tai Design, John Emerson, Jane Ross, Emma Jehle, Jeremy Schultz, Blake Morrison Organizations: Reuters, Republicans, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Harvard University, PBS, United States Congress, Representative, WikiLeaks, Sony, Facebook, White, FedEx, National Museum of, 117th, Independent, University of Essex, Geographic, American Economic, Pete Sessions, Sessions, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jeanne Shaheen U.S, CNN, Biden, Trump, ” Reuters, South, South Carolina General Assembly, Confederate, statehouse, Congressional, Chesterfield County, Mount Vernon College, George Washington University, Mo Brooks Former U.S, “, New York Times, United, Federal Government, Union, Black, Southern, Democrat, House Foreign Affairs, Klux Klan Locations: U.S, America, Confederate States, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Carolina, Congress, Black, Northern, Southern, Illinois, Virginia, Frederick County , Virginia, United States, Minnesota, ”, Mo Brooks of Alabama, American, Texas, Mississippi, Chicot County , Arkansas, Chicot County, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Yell County, Yell County , Arkansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tulsa, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Frankfurt, Germany, Chesterfield County , Virginia, California, Portsmouth , Virginia, Alabama, Haywood County , North Carolina, Antebellum, United States of America, Washington, Nicholas County , Kentucky, Queens , New York, New York, York County, Mende, Sierra Leone, Africa, Bunce

☆ Supreme Court allows for Louisiana congressional map to be redrawn to add another majority-Black district
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Louisiana congressional map to be redrawn to add another majority-Black district. The appeals court expedited a fuller review of the case, but those proceedings were frozen last summer once the Louisiana officials successfully sought intervention from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in late June of last year, took up the case but put it on pause while it decided the challenge to the Alabama map. The state’s opponents countered that the district court in the Louisiana case had decided that the 5-1 map likely violated the Voting Rights Act under the same exact legal test the Supreme Court sanctioned in its Alabama ruling. “Black voters in Louisiana have suffered one election under a congressional map that unlawfully dilutes their political influence.

Persons: “, ”, Steve Vladeck, Vladeck, Shelly Dick, John Bel Edwards, Dick, Robinson, –, Milligan, Abha Khanna, ” Khanna, ” Angelique Freel Organizations: CNN, Alabama, CNN Supreme, University of Texas School of Law, Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Republican, Democratic Gov, Louisiana State, NAACP, Louisiana Republican, Elias Group Locations: Louisiana, Black, Alabama, ” Louisiana

☆ Here are all of Republican elected officials backing Ron DeSantis' 2024 presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis is officially announced his 2024 presidential campaign in May, launching the most formidable challenge yet to former President Donald Trump. In the two months before DeSantis' announcement, Trump locked up the support of most of the Republican House members from Florida — and he's garnered far more endorsements overall than DeSantis. As of June 20, five House members and one governor have announced they're backing DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination. Thomas Massie — the Kentucky congressman and outspoken libertarian endorsed DeSantis in April, saying he's been "honored to call Ron DeSantis a friend for over a decade." Rich McCormick — the Georgia congressman endorsed DeSantis in May, saying in a Twitter video that the 2024 "election is about winning" and "who can earn victory in Georgia."

Persons: Ron DeSantis, —, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Trump, he's, Republican Sen, Cynthia Lummis of, dislodging Trump, Kevin Stitt —, Joe Biden, Bob Good —, Kevin McCarthy's speakership, Laurel Lee, Thomas Massie —, Rich McCormick —, Chip Roy — Organizations: Florida Gov, Trump, Service, Gov, Capitol, Republican House, Capitol Hill, Republican, GOP, Republicans, Five, State, Caucus Locations: Florida, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Oklahoma, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas

☆ The Army Corps’s Flood Plan Could Ruin New York’s Waterfront. It Doesn’t Have To. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Mr. Gutman is an environmental planning consultant and a member of the New York-New Jersey Storm Surge Working Group. In terms of population at risk, New York City is the most vulnerable city in the country, according to Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization. These highly effective and reliable harborwide surge barriers can protect large areas while leaving shorelines free for recreation and other uses. Hudson River Park 12 feet 12 feetHudson River Park 12 feet 12 feetHudson River Park 12 feet 12 feetGantry Plaza State Park 12 feet 12 feetGantry Plaza State Park 12 feet 12 feetImagine bicycling up the Hudson River Greenway in Manhattan next to a concrete wall between you and Hudson River Park. It consists of walls, small storm surge barriers and other shoreline barriers.

Persons: Robert Yaro, Daniel Gutman, Quoctrung Bui, Taylor, John Lehr, Yaro, Gutman, Hurricane Sandy, Rohit Aggarwala, Aggarwala, Jeroen Aerts, “, Sandy Hook, Arthur, Sandy, David Ralston Organizations: The New York Times, Regional Plan Association, Metro Flood Defense, New Jersey Storm, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, Corps, Hurricane, Climate Central, United Nations, New, LaGuardia Airport, Vrije University Amsterdam, New York City, Bronx Manhattan, Bronx Manhattan Jersey City Queens, Bronx Manhattan Jersey City Queens Brooklyn Jamaica Bay, U.S . Army Corps, Engineers, Oceanographic, Dade Locations: York, New, New York, New Jersey, floodwalls, New York City, Rotterdam, Netherlands, London, St, Petersburg, Russia, New York Harbor, Central, Greenpoint, Manhattan’s, Jersey City, Hudson, Greenway, Manhattan, United, Jersey, Bronx, Queensbridge, South Williamsburg, Yonkers, Ossining, Market, Newtown, New York State , New Jersey, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Arthur Kill, Jamaica, Bronx Manhattan Jersey, Bronx Manhattan Jersey City Queens Brooklyn, Bronx Manhattan Jersey City Queens Brooklyn Jamaica Bay Staten, Texas, Galveston, Houston, Hurricane, Miami

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - A surprise Supreme Court ruling on Thursday has handed Democrats a potential boost in the 2024 congressional race by calling into question the constitutionality of Republican-drawn electoral districts throughout the U.S. South. That could force Alabama to redraw its seven House districts so that two would contain Black majorities or near-majorities, up from one now. Analysts said that would give Democrats a greater chance of winning seats across the South, where voting often breaks down along racial lines. Democrats said the ruling would give them a greater chance at winning back the chamber in the November 2024 election. "This decision will affect redistricting cases across the country and help deliver a House of Representatives that better reflects the diversity of our nation," said Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democrats' House campaign arm.

Persons: Suzan DelBene, Jack Pandol, Terri Sewell, Gram Slattery, Moira Warburton, Andy Sullivan, Stephen Coates Organizations: Republican, Analysts, Republicans, Representatives, Democrats, House, Democratic, Thomson Locations: U.S, Alabama, Washington, Louisiana, North Carolina, Alabama's

☆ US bans new oil and gas leasing around New Mexico cultural site
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tribes, conservationists and state officials have long called on the federal government to ban drilling in the area. Structures in the area date back thousands of years, and the park is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency. It is aligned with his goal to conserve at least 30% of federal lands and waters by 2030. But, the Interior Department ban on new leasing on federal lands around Chaco will last for just 20 years and does not extend to private, state or tribal lands. Oil and gas industry groups have opposed withdrawing the lands around Chaco for leasing.

Persons: Read, Biden, Joe Biden, Biden's, Deb Haaland, Nichola Groom, Kim Coghill Organizations: Chaco Culture, Historic, UNESCO, United Nations, Interior Department, New, Congressional, Navajo Nation, U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Thomson Locations: Pueblo, Chaco, New Mexico, U.S, New Mexican, American, Laguna

☆ Trump has already shattered the lead DeSantis seemingly held in polling: Monmouth
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis led all listed Republican candidates in a Monmouth University poll. New polling from Monmouth University shows that Trump now leads the governor by 24 percentage points. Ron DeSantis in polling in recent months, shattering the lead held by the leader of the Sunshine State, according to a recent Monmouth University poll. In December 2022, DeSantis was the leading candidate among Republican and Republican-leaning respondents to Monmouth University's poll, drawing in 39% support to Trump's 26%. While DeSantis took his time to announce his run for president, Trump picked up a bevy of GOP endorsements including more than 50 representatives, 11 senators, and two governors.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Donald Trump's, Trump, —, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, David Sacks, FiveThirtyEight, who've, Byron Donalds, Doug Steube Organizations: Florida Gov, Monmouth University, Service, Sunshine State, Elon, GOP, Republican, Trump, DeSantis, Rep, Representatives, Disney Locations: Florida, Monmouth

☆ Biden bets DeSantis’ ‘Florida blueprint’ will help him flip the Sunshine State and win reelection
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Shevrin Jones, a Florida state senator and member of the Biden campaign’s advisory board of elected officials, said he’s eager to tell the country the story of what he’s seen under DeSantis’ leadership. Biden and DeSantis and their wives walk to meet with local residents affected by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on October 5, 2022. The voter registration advantage Florida Democrats had when President Barack Obama narrowly won the state in 2012 has flipped to Republicans. An adviser to the former New York City mayor told CNN that so far, there has been no outreach to Bloomberg’s operation from either the Biden campaign or the DNC. There was also a fleeting belief that they could push Biden over the top in Florida – though Trump ended up carrying the state by 3 points.

☆ With Feinstein Ailing, Newsom’s Vow Looms Over Senate Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Thomas Fuller | Shane Goldmacher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California vowed on national television that if Senator Dianne Feinstein stepped down early, he would appoint a Black woman to replace her. It was a promise that was only theoretical at the time even though questions were already emerging about the fitness of Ms. Feinstein, who turns 90 next month, to serve out her term. But after Ms. Feinstein contracted shingles earlier this year, was homebound and then returned to Washington frailer than ever, the contingency plan has become far more pressing — and more politically complicated. Now, if a vacancy comes, Mr. Newsom would have to decide whether to elevate Ms. Lee over her white rivals or find a caretaker who would agree not to seek a full term in 2024, presuming he keeps his pledge.

☆ A Loud Republican Minority Opposes More Ukraine Military Aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Robert Draper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A congressional delegation of five Republicans and two Democrats met with representatives of Ukraine’s Parliament this month in Poland, where the Ukrainians thanked the delegation for American aid and asked for F-16 fighter jets to help in the war against Russia. Three members of the delegation described the meeting as cordial and informative. One left the session in a state of indignation. Ms. Luna is among the boisterous proponents in Congress of former President Donald J. Trump’s “America first” worldview that regards financial commitments overseas with extreme skepticism. Senior Republicans who support the war, and maintain the hawkish traditions of the establishment G.O.P., fear the movement will gain momentum as the conflict grinds on and Mr. Trump’s candidacy consumes the 2024 spotlight.

☆ The countdown is on for DeSantis' presidential kickoff, just as 2024 frontrunner Trump readies powerful exit from Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Polling has him second to Trump, who has been living in Florida at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Donald Trump's permanent residence is in Palm Beach, Florida, at his Mar-a-Lago oceanside estate. New Jersey, therefore, is set to become the new go-to spot for the GOP right around the time that the DeSantis campaign kicks off. On Monday, DeSantis' political team moved to a new office in Tallahassee, NBC News reported. The DeSantis political operation declined to share details of the governor's plans, including formal rollouts and events that may come later.

☆ The 'brain' behind Ron DeSantis' likely presidential campaign was involved in a major 'ghost candidate' scandal in Florida: 'If it's not illegal, it should be'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Florida pollster Ryan Tyson is expected to be a top advisor in Ron DeSantis' presidential bid. Ron DeSantis' presumptive presidential bid, was deeply enmeshed in a major Florida political-corruption scandal that has resulted in criminal charges for five people, two of whom have been convicted. At the center of the scandal are "ghost candidates" — those drafted to run purely to siphon votes from an opposing party in close races. It's not illegal to run ghost candidates, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, a Democrat, said at a news conference in 2021 after two people were arrested on campaign-finance charges in connection with the scheme. Tyson is "Ron DeSantis' brain," Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics, said.

☆ This GOP senator declared DeSantis the 'leader of the Republican Party.' Despite his recent struggles, she still thinks that holds true.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sen. Cynthia Lummis declared that Ron DeSantis was the "current leader" of her party in November. Ron DeSantis — not former President Donald Trump — was the "current leader of the Republican Party." That's why I think he's the leader of the party." Her initial November comments in support of DeSantis came on the heels of a poor midterm performance that many in the party blamed on Trump. In 2020, the party notably opted not to adopt a platform, citing pandemic-era restrictions and its "strong support" for Trump.

☆ Senator Ben Cardin Will Retire, Teeing Up Competitive Primaries in Maryland
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Trip Gabriel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, a long-serving Democrat, announced his retirement on Monday, clearing the way for highly competitive primaries to replace him in 2024, especially among Democrats in a deep-blue state. The state’s liberal-leaning voters have not sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1980, and the eight-member congressional delegation includes just one member of the G.O.P. “I have run my last election and will not be on the ballot in 2024, but there is still much work to be done,” Mr. Cardin said in a statement. “During the next two years, I will continue to travel around the state, listening to Marylanders and responding to their needs.”High-profile Maryland Democrats who could be in the mix to replace Mr. Cardin include Representatives Jamie Raskin and David Trone, and Angela Alsobrooks, the executive of Prince George’s County.

☆ A Hostile, Under-the-Radar Primary Splinters Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Nick Corasaniti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“A celebrity versus the resources versus old school,” said Scott Jennings, a Republican operative in the state, summing up the contest between the three top contenders. “Cameron is the front-runner, but there’s no doubt this race has gotten close and remains fluid,” added Mr. Jennings, who like many other Republicans has remained neutral. Indeed, many of the major forces in Kentucky Republican politics are staying on the sidelines. For Republicans, part of the challenge of defeating Mr. Beshear has to do with the G.O.P. Yet that has kept Mr. Beshear from contentious showdowns with Republicans on hot-button issues, and has let him focus on using state resources to help repair infrastructure and improve the economy.

☆ George Santos, Instead of Shrinking From the Spotlight, Steps Into It
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If it is an unorthodox, and perhaps still futile path, Mr. Santos has few other options. His local Republican Party has banned him from its events, and pushed other civic organizations to blackball him, too. Representatives for New York’s senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, said he has yet to seek to work with them. “I have no doubt that he will be a one-term congressman,” said Representative Anthony D’Esposito, a fellow New York Republican who, like Mr. Santos, flipped a Democratic-leaning suburban district on Long Island last November. Mr. D’Esposito said he had gone out of his way to make sure his name did not appear on letters or bills with Mr. Santos, and bemoaned the constant churn that seemed to follow his colleague, and overshadow his own work.

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - A Republican bill that would raise the U.S. government's $31.4 trillion and slash spending took a step forward in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, after party leaders agreed to last-minute changes in the face of opposition. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy allowed overnight changes to the bill aimed at assuaging Midwestern Republican concerns about biofuel tax credits and conceding to hardliners' calls to toughen work requirements for some low-income Americans. McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday that the House would vote later in the day. Other Republican critics including hardline House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry and Representative Nancy Mace said they had dropped their opposition to the bill. House Republicans are offering to increase Washington's borrowing authority by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, whichever comes first.

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said lawmakers would vote on Wednesday on a bill to raise the $31.4 trillion federal debt ceiling and slash spending, despite lingering dissension within their ranks over the measure. Another critic of the bill, hardline House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, said he and other conservatives who had held out for changes to work requirements were ready to move forward. Representative Kevin Hern, chairman of the 175-member Republican Study Committee, welcomed the changes, which he said most Republicans would support. Bending to the far-right wing of the party, Republicans also accelerated some new, tougher work requirements for receiving Medicaid healthcare benefits for the poor. House Republicans are offering to increase Washington's borrowing authority by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, whichever comes first.

☆ DeSantis, an Enigma on Foreign Policy, Praises U.S.-Japan Ties in Tokyo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Motoko Rich | Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I’m a big supporter of the U.S.- Japan alliance,” Mr. DeSantis, standing beside his wife, Casey DeSantis, said in brief remarks to reporters in Tokyo after a 30-minute meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. “I think Japan’s been a heck of an ally for our country, and I think a strong Japan is good for America, and I think a strong America is good for Japan.”Mr. DeSantis’s comments appeared to depart from the stance taken by Donald J. Trump, the current front-runner for the Republican nomination. Before becoming president in 2017, Mr. Trump attacked Japan over its trade policy and accused it of exploiting its military alliance with the United States to protect itself at low risk and minimal cost. Mr. DeSantis has not yet announced a presidential campaign but is widely expected to run, even as his prospects of winning the primary have seemed to dim in recent months. Mr. Trump, who once trailed Mr. DeSantis in some polls, is now firmly ahead and is consolidating endorsements from Florida’s congressional delegation.

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