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REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoDec 7 (Reuters) - Donald Trump should be immune from civil lawsuits over last year's siege on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, a lawyer for the former president told a federal appeals court on Wednesday. Democrats in Congress and police officers filed several lawsuits over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack that said Trump conspired with others to disrupt certification of the 2020 election results. But he reiterated that civil lawsuits should be barred because they could make other presidents vulnerable to future litigation over their speech. Joseph Sellers, arguing in defense of the lawsuits, said Trump does not have immunity because his actions disrupted the work of another branch of government. Several members of Congress who are suing Trump attended Wednesday's arguments, including Democrats Eric Swalwell and Pramila Jayapal.

☆ Asian American voters could help decide the Senate runoff in Georgia, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“We’re also meeting people at their doors.”When it came to appealing to South Asian voters in Georgia, Nabilah Islam said her “secret weapon” had been under her nose for years. During her recent campaign for state Senate, the 33-year-old Bangladeshi American brought conversations about issues to aunties and uncles on their home turf: WhatsApp. She's now the first South Asian ever elected to the Georgia state Senate. A bloc starting to gain more recognitionAccording to Karthick Ramakrishnan, co-director of AAPI Data, the concerted efforts to appeal to Asian voters in Georgia are reflected in nationwide politics. Steps like these prove grassroots efforts to appeal to AAPI voters work, Makhija said.

☆ New research may have just paved the way for a 4-day work week
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new global study found a four-day work week was a "resounding success" in a pilot program. The research found the shortened work week was a "resounding success on virtually every dimension." Over the trial period, revenue among the participating companies rose 8.14%, and when compared to the same time period last year, revenue jumped 37.55%. The four-day work week has also caught attention of some lawmakers. "The 32-hour work week would go a long way toward finally righting that balance."

Shortly before Pelosi’s announcement Thursday that she was stepping down, Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff signaled he would not run for House leadership and would focus his efforts on a future Senate bid instead. 2 leadership post, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal of Washington decided to run for another term leading her caucus of roughly 100 House liberals. Aguilar originally had his eyes set on the assistant leader position, but Clyburn’s move forced him to run for caucus chair. 4 and Democratic Caucus chair will move up to No. That left Rep. Joe Neguse, 38, who had been campaigning behind the scenes for months for caucus chair, as the odd man out.

☆ Any future tax breaks for big corporations must also come with restarting monthly checks to parents, 58 members of Congress say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In a letter, 58 members of Congress said any corporate tax breaks should be coupled with extended credits for families. The expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit both drastically decreased poverty during the pandemic. However, monthly CTC checks to parents wound down last year amid disagreements in Congress. That includes bringing back more generous monthly Child Tax Credit checks and extending the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, a suite of new tax measures that drastically reduced poverty after being included in President Joe Biden's initial stimulus package. However, Congress failed to renew the child tax credit when negotiations over the Build Back Better Act stalled, leaving some families struggling after the monthly checks ended in December 2021.

☆ House progressive leader Pramila Jayapal calls herself a Biden 'convert,' says he should run for reelection
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus called herself a Joe Biden "convert." Rep. Pramila Jayapal backed Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. But she has since found an ally in President Joe Biden, known as a moderate. But she has since found an ally in President Joe Biden, known as a moderate. They're hoping speculation about Klain leaving the White House isn't true, POLITICO reported.

Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday she will not be seeking re-election as House Democratic leader. Dozens of politicians, Republican and Democratic alike, expressed their gratitude for Pelosi's leadership. President Joe Biden greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, before Biden addressed the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference in Philadelphia earlier this year. "Nancy Pelosi's historic ascension to become the first woman Speaker of the House will forever inspire our nation on the power of possibility," he said. "Look I've been on both sides of Nancy Pelosi, it's much more pleasant when you're on the good side of her.

☆ Meet Maxwell Alejandro Frost, the 25-year-old gun-violence-prevention advocate backed by Bernie Sanders who will be the first Gen Z member of Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At 25, Frost is set to become the first Gen Z member of Congress. Frost, who would also be Congress' only Afro-Cuban member, beat Republican candidate Calvin Wimbish by nearly 20 points, per Decision Desk HQ. "It still hasn't fully sunken in," Frost told Insider at the time. At 25 — the minimum age to serve in the US House — Frost will be the youngest member of Congress. "You get in for one reason, and then you find out there's a lot of things that are messed up," he told Insider in May.

He said the spouses of some high-profile lawmakers may need security details in the future, in addition to using home security systems. Court documents allege the suspect had been in search of the House speaker and was on a "suicide mission" with additional targets. However, "there are not enough resources available to me to do that," she said on MSNBC following the attack on Paul Pelosi. “Bloodshed is coming," Swalwell tweeted at the time, foreshadowing the Pelosi attack. The Paul Pelosi attack was foreseeable," Schuman said.

☆ At least 7 Republicans vying for a spot in Congress this November were at the Capitol on January 6
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Several Republican candidates for Congress have ties to the January 6 Capitol attack. Van Orden at the time wrote that he had been in Washington, DC, for "meetings and to stand for the integrity of our electoral system as a citizen." A representative for Van Orden did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Smith won a crowded primary against seven other Republican candidates in May and secured Trump's endorsement in September. Jeff Zink is up against Democratic incumbent Rep. Ruben Gallego in Arizona's 3rd Congressional District.

☆ Assault on Nancy Pelosi's husband is dangerous escalation of political violence because individuals now feel 'empowered' to carry out these acts alone, extremism expert says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But one extremism expert told Insider that the isolated assault is in many ways more dangerous. Individuals now feel "empowered to carry out those acts of political violence," Eric Ward said. "This is the unfolding of events since January 6," Eric Ward, senior advisor to the Western States Center, told Insider. Authorities said a 42-year-old man broke into the Pelosi residence early Friday morning and violently attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, sending him to the hospital. "The attacker who injured Paul Pelosi was looking for Nancy Pelosi, likely wanting to finish the job of Jan.

☆ A Progressive Reversal on Ukraine Letter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Congratulations to Democratic leaders for taking on a progressive revolt in Congress and causing a reversal of a statement suggesting reduced support for U.S. aid to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin watches American politics closely, and this was a sign of U.S. retreat that needed to be beaten back. Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal , chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, withdrew on Tuesday a letter that 30 Members of the caucus had sent a day earlier to the White House. The letter had urged President Biden to pursue diplomacy with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The missive was a terrible message to send while Mr. Putin is bombing civilian targets in Ukraine even as his troops retreat from territory they occupied early in the invasion.

☆ Democratic Rep. who signed withdrawn letter on Ukraine said nobody told them it was getting released: CNN
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A controversial letter went out without those who signed it knowing, per a Rep. who spoke to CNN. 30 progressive Democrats signed a letter urging diplomacy with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Unnamed aides to other members of Congress told CNN the same thing. In withdrawing the letter, Jayapal said it "was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting." The anonymous member who said that Jayapal's office did not check back with signatories before the letter's release told CNN that the "timing is terrible."

☆ House Democrats Retract Ukraine Letter After Backlash
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.) said a letter on the Ukraine war from progressive Democrats to President Biden ‘unfortunately was released by staff without vetting.’WASHINGTON—A group of 30 House Democrats retracted a letter they had sent to President Biden urging him to seek direct talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, following backlash within the Democratic Party and disavowals from some signatories. The reversal Tuesday underscored the sensitivity of the issue on Capitol Hill, where Congress has approved more than $65 billion in aid for Kyiv since the Russian invasion, and Mr. Biden and party leaders have said that any peace talks or terms of a cease-fire should be driven by Ukraine’s government.

☆ U.S. Congress progressives withdraw letter urging negotiations to end Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus withdrew a letter to the White House urging a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine, Chair Pramila Jayapal said on Tuesday. “The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine," Jayapal said in a statement. She added: "The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting." read moreReporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ House progressives press Biden to engage in direct talks with Russia on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Summer Concepcion | Summer Concepcion Is A Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

A group of progressive House Democrats asked President Joe Biden in a letter Monday to directly engage with Russia in an effort to end the conflict in Ukraine. The push by progressives, which asks the president to take a more aggressive strategy on the Ukraine war, swiftly prompted pushback from fellow Democrats and some Ukrainians. The lawmakers urge the president to pair the military and financial support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a “proactive diplomatic push” that involves direct talks with Russia. It comes as Republicans threaten to cut aid to Ukraine if they retake control of the House in the midterm elections next month. “We’d all like to see this war end today, and quite frankly it could end today if Putin did the right thing and pulled his troops out.”

☆ House Democrats Urge Biden to Speak Directly With Russia to End Ukraine War
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—A group of 30 House Democrats sent a letter to President Biden on Monday asking him to seek direct talks with Russia to reach a diplomatic settlement to the war in Ukraine, marking a new sign of unease in Congress over America’s approach to the fighting. The letter’s signatories include Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as well as influential progressives Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.). Rep. Barbara Lee (D., Calif.), the only member of Congress to vote against the resolution authorizing war in Afghanistan in 2001, also signed the letter.

☆ Liberal U.S. lawmakers withdraw Ukraine letter after blowback
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Clodagh KilcoyneWASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus withdrew a letter to the White House urging a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine, the group's chairperson, Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal, said on Tuesday. “The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine," Jayapal said in a statement. The letter drew immediate pushback, including from some members of the Progressive Caucus. In her statement withdrawing the letter, Jayapal said that, because of the timing, the letter was being conflated as being equivalent to McCarthy's remark. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter," Jayapal's statement said.

☆ An ex-Hill staffer who worked closely with a top progressive Democrat says there's no chance she didn't vet the controversial Ukraine letter. 'She keeps a tight grip on media relations'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A top progressive Democrat withdrew a controversial letter to the White House on Ukraine, blaming a staffer for its release. But an ex-Hill staffer who worked closely with her office said that's "absurd." "Everyone who has worked with her office knows that she keeps a tight grip on media relations," the former Hill staffer said. "Everyone who has worked with her office knows that she keeps a tight grip on media relations. After intense criticism, Jayapal withdrew the letter Tuesday and said she accepted responsibility for its release.

☆ Pelosi reaffirms US support for Ukraine 'until victory is won' after progressive lawmakers push for talks with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued an implicit rebuke of progressive lawmakers. Pelosi reaffirmed US support for Ukraine after 30 lawmakers called for the US to hold direct talks with Russia. "Under President Biden, our support for Ukraine – and our determination to defend democracy – is here to stay until victory is won. The letter written by 30 House progressive lawmakers to President Joe Biden did not threaten future aid. "Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," as Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

☆ Progressive Democrats withdraw letter calling on Biden to pursue talks with Russia after being accused of extending an 'olive branch to a war criminal'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Progressive Democrats withdrew a letter to Biden urging him to pursue talks with Putin to end the Ukraine war. One Democratic lawmaker said the letter extended an "olive branch to a war criminal." "The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine," Jayapal said in a statement. "This letter is an olive branch to a war criminal who's losing his war. By illegally annexing the Ukrainian regions and claiming them as part of Russia, Putin effectively threw the possibility of any negotiations out the window.

☆ 30 House Democrats urged Biden to negotiate with Russia, a crack in support for the White House's Ukraine strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A group of liberal Democratic representatives wants Joe Biden to negotiate with Russia. They say they want to avoid a prolonged conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The US has provided Ukraine with $60 billion in aid, and says it's up to Kyiv when to negotiate. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has said that GOP backing for Ukraine aid is not assured, remarking recently that there would be no "blank check" for Kyiv. The US has provided Ukraine with more than $60 billion in humanitarian and military aid since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion in February.

☆ U.S. liberal Democrats urge Biden to seek negotiated Ukraine settlement
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Thirty liberal U.S. congressional Democrats urged President Joe Biden on Monday to shift his strategy for the Russia-Ukraine war by pursuing a negotiated settlement along with his current provision of military and economic support to Kyiv. Some Republicans have warned there could be tighter control of funding for Ukraine if their party wins control of Congress. The letter comes with just two weeks to go before Nov. 8 U.S. mid-term elections that will determine which party controls Congress. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy recently said there will be no "blank check" for Ukraine if Republicans win control of the chamber from Biden's fellow Democrats, raising concerns that Republicans might choke off Ukraine aid. However, analysts said the party was more likely to slow it down or pare it back.

House Democrats have unified as they fight to retain their fragile majority in next month’s midterms. But given Biden’s unpopularity and the GOP lead on the generic congressional ballot (which asks only which party people would support), the more likely scenario is a bad election night for House Democrats. If Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn head for the exits, the leadership matchups become pretty clear. Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on Sept. 20. The Massachusetts Democrat has significant support from fellow female members and has stayed close to the Black, Hispanic and Asian caucuses — big voting blocs in the diverse 220-member Democratic Caucus.

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed a package of police funding and public safety bills, legislation that will help vulnerable Democrats blunt GOP campaign attacks that they want to “defund the police” and are ignoring rising crime. John Minchillo / AP fileThe passage of four policing and safety bills came after some last-minute, intraparty drama earlier in the day. Had they followed through, it would have derailed the entire package and dealt Democrats an embarrassing blow on a major campaign issue before the midterms. The Gottheimer bill, which easily passed 360-64, would provide grants to local police departments with fewer than 125 sworn officers. While there is Senate support for some of the House-passed bills, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has no plans to bring a policing package to the floor before the Nov. 8 midterm election.

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