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☆ The ways federal officials from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump — and now Joe Biden — have been accused of mishandling government records
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

President Joe BidenPresident Joe Biden speaks at the White House on January 12, 2023. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel, Robert K. Hur, to investigate Biden for potential mishandling of classified documents. Another State Department investigation that lasted for three years and ended in 2019 found Clinton's use of a private email server put classified information at risk but that there was "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information." Berger was found to have smuggled out highly classified documents, destroying some, and lying about possessing them. Lower-profile federal officials are more commonly chargedIn addition to former presidents and top White House officials, lower-profile federal agents are more commonly charged with mishandling government documents.

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden departs the White House to board the Marine One helicopter for travel to Delaware from the White House in Washington, U.S. January 13, 2023. The White House has said the documents were "inadvertently misplaced" and that it is cooperating fully but has declined to respond to detailed questions on the investigation. While working as the Obama campaign's general counsel in 2008, Bauer helped vet Biden as Obama's pick for vice president. He is married to Anita Dunn, another Biden confidant and senior White House adviser. Bauer will now work with White House lawyers as Biden responds to the special counsel's investigation.

☆ Prince Harry's book 'Spare' smashes records by selling an 'extraordinary' 1.4 million copies in a day, publisher says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

More than 1.4 million copies were sold on the first day in the US, Canada and UK, per New York Times. It's Penguin Random House's fastest-selling non-fiction book, beating Barack Obama's "A Promised Land". "Spare," which went on sale Tuesday, has become the publisher's highest-selling non-fiction title on day one, with more than 400,000 copies sold in Britain alone. His wife Michelle Obama's "Becoming", sold more than 725,000 copies on its first day and took a week to sell 1.4 million, per Penguin Random House. Penguin Random House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

☆ Explainer: Biden vs. Trump: What is the difference between the two classified records cases?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Neither Trump nor Biden should have had any classified material in their possession. It is unlawful to knowingly or willfully remove or retain classified material. Failure to properly store and secure classified material poses risks to national security if it should fall into the wrong hands. The matter was referred to the Justice Department, which issued a grand jury subpoena last May seeking the return of all classified records. It is a crime only if the retention and removal of classified records is intentional.

☆ U.S. agency plans to propose new fuel economy standards in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) plans to propose new fuel economy standards for the 2027 model year and beyond in April which could dramatically reshape new cars on America's roads. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it plans to introduce companion stringent vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards from 2027 through at least the 2030 model year by March. In March 2020, Trump's Republican administration rolled back then-President Barack Obama's standards to only 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026. In March, NHTSA reinstated a sharp increase in penalties for automakers whose vehicles do not meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements for model years 2019 and beyond. The company then known as Fiat Chrysler paid $152.3 million in total CAFE fines for 2016 and 2017 model years.

☆ Biden classified documents: White House won't say why it didn't disclose earlier that records were found
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a bilateral meeting at the North American Leaders' Summit in Mexico City, Mexico, January 10, 2023. "Why didn't the 'Justice' Department announce the Highly Classified documents found in the Biden Office before the Election?" Trump wrote in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. U.S. President Joe Biden attends a news conference at Waldorf Astoria in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia July 15, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters"This discovery of classified information would put President Biden in potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act," Turner wrote.

☆ Analysis: Democrats' downgrade of Iowa's role is a blow to Corn Belt, biofuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iowa's political importance created a cottage industry out of educating and supporting candidates on issues that corn farmers and ethanol manufacturers care about. "Forward looking, to get Democratic candidates exposed to farm issues and get these issues in front of them is going to be extremely challenging. “It’s a blow to the industry, in terms of educating and informing the Democratic candidates,” Link said. Link noted that many of the Democratic candidates vying for the nomination were often already serving as elected leaders in Washington or would later become vice presidents or cabinet secretaries. The Iowa caucuses helped developed empathy for rural issues that could later be tapped for legislative success.

☆ Want to prevent a civil war? Regulate social media algorithms, says an expert on political violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Political scientist Barbara Walter said unregulated social media is increasing the threat of a civil war. "Let people put whatever they want on social media," Walter said in an interview on Wednesday. And my answer is always the same: regulate social media," Walter said. Russia's Vladimir Putin, through his intelligence services and state-run media properties, has also used social media to pursue his own anti-democratic agenda. "Let people put whatever they want on social media," Walter said.

☆ Biden, McConnell Kentucky event is a roadmap for White House under new Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during an event to tout the new Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, near the bridge in Covington, Kentucky, U.S., January 4, 2023. That's the opposite of what the White House thinks voters want. In a stark sign of the Republican divisions that the White House hopes will work to their advantage, Trump endorsed McCarthy on Wednesday morning, while lobbing a racial slur at McConnell's wife. Biden and McConnell were joined by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, former Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. McConnell was among a handful of Republicans who voted for the infrastructure law while many House Republicans including McCarthy opposed it.

McConnell wants to get credit from voters in his home state of Kentucky for the spending project, while Biden wants to highlight the on-the-ground impacts of lawmakers working together. That's the opposite of what the White House thinks voters want. Democrats' unexpected success in the last midterms shows "the American people said very loudly and clearly they wanted us to come together and work for a common ground,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday. The two will be joined by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, former Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. McConnell, of Kentucky, was among a handful of Republicans who voted for the infrastructure law while many House Republicans including McCarthy opposed it.

☆ Hardliner Jim Jordan emerges as a Republican alternative for U.S. House speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Twenty Republicans voted for Jordan - fewer than a tenth of those backing McCarthy, but enough to stop his progress. The House recessed after three votes without giving McCarthy the House majority he needed on Tuesday and adjourned until noon ET (1700 GMT) on Wednesday to try again. A champion wrestler in high school and college before becoming a college coach, Jordan denied the accusations and thrived in Congress. In 2011, with a newly installed Republican majority in the House, Jordan made President Barack Obama's life miserable by demanding deep budget cuts opposed by Democrats. With then-Speaker John Boehner maneuvering to bring a similar bill to a vote in the House, Jordan told Reuters at a key moment that it was dead.

WASHINGTON — Patrick Leahy was swept into the Senate nearly a half-century ago in the wake of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon’s resignation and pardon. Ron Frehm / APSen. Leahy take photos on the inaugural stand during Barack Obama's presidential inauguration at the Capitol on Jan. 21, 2013. Let’s stay here and vote where we can be seen.”Sen. Leahy, D-Vt., walks to the Senate Chamber on Jan. 6, 2021. Ira Schwarz / APSupreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in by committee chairman Sen. Leahy, D-Vt., during her confirmation hearing in 2009 in Washington. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in the Senate subway.

☆ Biden doesn't fully trust his Secret Service detail, and is suspicious of a story that one was bitten by his dog, book says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden doesn't fully trust his Secret Service detail, a new book says. Per the book, Biden thought parts of the account were untrue. The White House confirmed Major bit someone in March 2021, and the Secret Service confirmed it was an agent. Per the book, Biden went to the spot with a friend and said "Look, the Secret Service are never up here. Insider contacted the White House and Secret Service for responses but did not immediately hear back.

"It's a combination of the FTC and (Justice Department) being willing to litigate and the fact that companies are fighting back," Grosberg said. More recently, they have lost four attempts to block mergers in court, though they are appealing two of the cases. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Break-up fees that acquirers agree to pay their targets if their deal gets shot down by antitrust regulators are also on the rise. Many companies facing merger challenges say they will fight on, emboldened by the four court losses of the Justice Department and FTC.

☆ The author of 'Station Eleven' couldn't update her Wikipedia page to reflect her divorce without citing an article where she confirmed it, so she got a magazine to interview her
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Emily St. John Mandel said getting interviewed was the only way to update her relationship on Wikipedia. The author wanted to update her page to say she is divorced, and needed to cite a published article. After being interviewed by Slate, Mandel was able to update her page to say she's not married. In this case, that's what a volunteer editor used to originally verify the marital status of Emily St. Mandel. Now, her Wikipedia page says Mandel, "has a daughter with former husband Kevin Mandel," and that she has a girlfriend.

☆ How FTX founder SBF and friends quietly donated to political groups and relatives
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is led by officers of the Royal Bahamas Police force following his arrest. The disgraced CEO donated to his brother Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit organization, Guarding Against Pandemics. Alameda Research donated more than $12 million to Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit since late last year, according to California state campaign finance records. California state campaign finance records show Alameda donated $5 million to Guarding Against Pandemics last year and $7.1 million this year. Guarding Against Pandemics also paid political communications and media company GMMB just over $690,000 last year for advertising and production, its tax form says.

☆ Biden's 2024 primary calendar gives Kamala Harris an edge in a future White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's push to make South Carolina the first major battleground in Democratic presidential primaries has a second big beneficiary: Vice President Kamala Harris. "It's a good demographic mix of having to appeal to Black voters, White working-class voters and Latino and Asian American voters." “How many Black voters are persuaded that the Democratic Party cares about them because South Carolina goes first? South Carolina, one of the most Republican states in the country, isn't competitive at the presidential level in general elections. “South Carolina is also known to be kind to those who’ve been kind to her,” he said.

☆ Nancy Pelosi announces leadership exit after 2 decades leading House Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she is stepping aside from her leadership role. The decision comes after Republicans narrowly won the House majority. The decision comes in the wake of Republicans narrowly winning the House majority, ending Pelosi's latest two consecutive terms as Speaker. "Never had I thought that someday I would go from homemaker to House Speaker," the California Democrat, first elected in 1987, said. At 82, Pelosi has long served alongside House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 83, and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, 82, in leadership.

☆ Noose found at Obama Presidential Center site, pausing construction, builders say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Phil Helsel | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Construction has been suspended at the Obama Presidential Center after a noose was found at the site on Chicago’s South Side, the builders said Thursday, condemning what they called an “act of hate.”“We are horrified that this would occur on our site,” the Lakeside Alliance, the group of construction companies building the center, said in a statement. The Lakeside Alliance said it was informed Thursday morning about the discovery at the project site and reported it to police. The Lakeside Alliance said it is pausing construction and offering a $100,000 reward to help find the person or people responsible. “This shameless act of cowardice and hate is designed to get attention and divide us,” the foundation said. The project broke ground in September 2021 and is expected to open in 2025, according to the center.

Former President Donald Trump was demonstrably weakened — and President Joe Biden strengthened — by Tuesday's midterm election results, just as the two begin to circle each other for a possible 2024 rematch. Democrats were in position to lose fewer seats in Congress in this year's midterms than Republicans did when Trump was president in 2018. "It’s not even a good night,” one former Trump campaign official said of the GOP's performance, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering fellow Republicans. Because it can’t be both," the former Trump campaign official said. "If Democrats want to lose the general election in 2024, they should start screwing with Joe Biden."

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar is the winner in Texas' 28th Congressional District, NBC News projects, returning to Congress for a 10th term. With 77% of the vote, Cuellar had 56.9% and Republican Cassy Garcia had 43.1%, according to the NBC News Decision Desk. Garcia was one of three Republican Latinas running in South Texas congressional races hoping to cut into the region’s Latino support for Democrats. Cuellar survived a close Democratic primary after the FBI raided his home and after he cast the lone Democratic vote against legislation that would codify federal protection for access to abortion. He has criticized Biden administration policies on immigration and criticized Garcia for her past criticisms of President Barack Obama's health care law, known as Obamacare.

☆ Live Results: Democratic state Sen. Wiley Nickel defeats Bo Hines, a Trump-endorsed Republican, in North Carolina's 13th Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Hanna Kang | Jake Epstein | Nov | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Democrat Wiley Nickel defeated Republican Bo Hines in North Carolina's 13th Congressional District. Raleigh MayorDemocrat Wiley Nickel, who is a member of the North Carolina State Senate, has defeated the Trump-endorsed Republican Bo Hines in North Carolina's 13th Congressional District. 2022 General EmbedsNorth Carolina's 13th Congressional District candidatesHines, 27, a political newcomer with virtually no experience, raised eyebrows even within the GOP when former President Donald Trump offered him his endorsement. If elected, he will replace Rep. Ted Budd — a staunch Trump ally and Republican nominee in North Carolina's US Senate race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr. Voting history for North Carolina's 13th Congressional DistrictNorth Carolina's 13th Congressional District encompasses Johnston County and parts of Wake, Wayne, and Harnett counties.

☆ Live Results: Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, a low-key moderate who once ran for president, faces off against first-timer Joe O'Dea in a surprise battleground
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Michael Bennet is running against Republican Joe O'Dea in Colorado's US Senate race. CO-08CO-07 House Governor Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado faces off against first-time Republican candidate Joe O'Dea in a surprise battleground. No fan of the current president, O'Dea added that "seeing a Biden-Trump rematch again in 2024 would rip the country apart." His opponent, O'Dea, has raised $7.3 million, spent $6.8 million, and has $469,354 of cash still left to spend, as of October 19.

☆ Republican Sen. Mike Lee faces off against independent Evan McMullin in the Utah Senate race
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee is running for a 3rd term against independent candidate Evan McMullin. In the Senate, Lee serves on the Judiciary Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the Joint Economic Committee, and the Special Committee on Aging. Utah independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin. Republicans have won every presidential race in the state since 1968, often with landslide margins, and the last Democrat to win a Senate race in the state was Frank Moss in 1970. In the 2020 presidential election, Trump defeated now-President Joe Biden in Utah by 20 points (58%-38%), a significant drop from Romney's sweeping victory (73%-25%) over Obama in 2012.

☆ Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa's longest-serving US senator in state history, faces off against Democrat Mike Franken
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Explore more race results below. Sen. Chuck Grassley is running against Democrat Mike Franken in Iowa's Senate race. Iowa Senate candidatesGrassley, who is seeking an 8th term that would keep him in office well into his 90s, is one of the chamber's feistiest octogenarians. The money raceAccording to OpenSecrets, Grassley has raised more than $9.8 million, spent more than $8.6 million, and has $2.16 million cash on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, Franken, has raised more than $9.2 million, spent $8.6 million, and has $608,000 million cash on hand, as of October 19.

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