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☆ Senate Banking Chairman Brown to introduce bill closing 'shadow' banking loophole after Elon Musk says Twitter will process payments
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown will introduce a bill Tuesday that aims to close the so-called shadow banking loophole that allows retail and tech companies to offer banking services without the same stringent oversight as other financial institutions. Twitter is one of several non-bank companies that sought to enable banking services for users through state-chartered ILCs. Jack Dorsey, Musk's predecessor at Twitter, also was involved in financial services through his separate payments company Square. Other companies that have applied for ILC charters include eCommerce marketplace Rakuten, Ford Motor Company and financial services firm Edward Jones . The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation approved ILC deposit insurance applications for Square and Nelnet, a student financial services company, in 2020.

☆ Tulsi Gabbard's one-time Democratic colleagues are both perplexed and unsurprised by her far-right pivot: 'An Elise Stefanik kind of turn'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic Party before campaign with far-right Republicans. "Nope," Sanders said when Insider asked if he'd like to talk about former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, an early supporter of his 2016 presidential campaign. "I'm not surprised," said Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia, another former Armed Services Committee colleague of Gabbard's. Hawaii's two Democratic senators — Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz — both declined to speculate about what may be driving Gabbard's political movement, despite serving with her in the Hawaii delegation. "I think she's home," Hirono said repeatedly when asked what she thought had happened, referring to Gabbard's political home.

☆ Sen. Murphy proposes not funding police departments that don't enforce gun safety laws, such as the red flag laws
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Chris Murphy proposed defunding law enforcement agencies that don't enforce gun laws. Many counties that have red flag gun laws have said they will refuse to enforce them, Murphy said. Colorado officials said the 22-year-old suspected gunman should have triggered the state's red flag law, but officers at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office refused to utilize the red flag law. "The majority of counties in this country have declared that they are not going to enforce state and federal gun laws. The laws that we're talking about passing, red flag laws, assault weapons bans, they're wildly popular.

☆ Sen. Tommy Tuberville says he's 'not apologizing' for controversial 'reparation' comments, says 'only racists talk about racism'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tommy Tuberville made remarks about "reparation" at a Trump rally that were widely condemned as racist. But he insists that he wasn't talking about reparations for slavery, and was instead talking about crime. "A lot of my best friends are, you know, black, red — it doesn't make a difference," he told Insider. You know, a lot of my best friends are, you know, black, red — it doesn't make a difference." "I'm not apologizing for something I didn't talk about, you know, they can think reparation means just something, but reparation to me is a payback for something they think their owed."

☆ Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff says the difference in competence between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker is the 'most dramatic that I have ever seen in electoral politics'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff said fellow Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock is "an asset to the nation." Ossoff told Insider that Warnock stood above his opponent in "qualifications, competence and quality." Warnock is locked in a competitive Dec. 6 Senate runoff election with Republican Herschel Walker. "The contrast between Senator Warnock and his opponent in terms of preparedness, in terms of qualifications, competence and quality, is the most dramatic that I have ever seen in electoral politics," Ossoff told Insider. In the November general election, Warnock led Walker 49.4%-48.5%, with the incumbent Democrat receiving 1,946,139 votes to 1,908,424 for Walker, per Insider and DDHQ.

☆ A man disparaging Jews and someone pretending to be H.R. McMaster just created federal campaign committees. It may be weeks before regulators do anything about it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Two recently established political committees appear to violate FEC regulations. McMaster at the Richmond Forum in Virginia, a man says he found himself so inspired that he formed a political committee to support McMaster for president in 2024. Federal regulations generally prohibit committees from using the name of a prospective candidate in their committee's name. Then, two days after the McMaster filing, another man filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to form a committee with completely different — and hostile — intentions. As for Liu's antisemitic committee name, the FEC has a process for dealing with that — but it's a protracted one.

☆ Josh Hawley proclaims the 'old' GOP is dead after a disappointing midterms for Republicans: 'Time to bury it'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Josh Hawley thinks the "old" GOP is dead. Build something new," Hawley tweeted on Saturday. "The old party is dead. The old party is dead. Hawley is, per Politico, in the process of forging his own path in the Senate with other Trump Republicans.

☆ Sen. Ed Markey wrote to Elon Musk saying someone impersonated his Twitter with a verified blue check. Musk responded, suggesting his 'real account sounds like a parody.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Ed Markey said his account was "easily" impersonated with a fake account with a blue verification check. Musk responded to the complaint, saying Markey's real account "sounds like a parody." Musk laid off about half of Twitter's staff, including public policy staff who verify politician accounts. Musk responded on Twitter by saying the senator's real account "sounds like a parody." And you're spending your time picking fights online," Markey tweeted.

☆ Pence says Trump chided him for being 'too honest' when he insisted he couldn't overturn the 2020 election results on January 6
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former VP Mike Pence detailed Trump's efforts to get him to overturn the 2020 election results on Jan 6. He says Trump chided him for being "too honest" in his assessment of the legality of rejecting the electoral votes. Pence is set to release his forthcoming memoir the same day that Trump may announce a 2024 bid. Pence wrote about several instances in which he differed with Trump in the period between the 2020 presidential election and into January 2021. "Without a senator's support, I would have been required to dismiss House objections without debate, something I didn't want to do," wrote Pence."

☆ Cobb County, a longtime GOP stronghold, will be critical for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia's December runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cobb County, a one-time GOP stronghold, is now critical for Democrats running statewide in Georgia. Warnock's strong suburban support will be key as he again faces Walker in a Dec. 6 runoff election. With over 95% of county precincts reporting in the Senate race, Warnock was leading Walker by nearly 17 points (57%-40.5%) in Cobb County. The current raw vote total is 175,387 votes for Warnock to 125,324 votes for Walker, an advantage of over 50,000 votes in this jurisdiction for the incumbent. Which begs the question: why has Cobb County become such a bellwether for statewide Democrats?

☆ Raphael Warnock vs. Herschel Walker: Georgia US Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Democrat Raphael Warnock is running against Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia's US Senate race. Warnock was first elected to the Senate in a 2021 runoff election alongside Democrat Jon Ossoff. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who was first elected in a January 2021 runoff, is running for a full six-year term and faces Republican Herschel Walker. In the initial November 2020 special US Senate election, Warnock came in first place with nearly 33% of the vote in a multicandidate field that included then-Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Walker has raised nearly $37.5 million, spent $32 million, and has $5.4 million 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.

☆ Ted Cruz hit with beer during Astros World Series parade in Houston; man arrested
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was hit with a beer can during Monday's World Series victory parade for the Houston Astros and an arrest was made, police said. Cruz was on a float in Houston at the 2400 block of Smith Street when the can was thrown, the Houston Police Department tweeted. “The beer can struck the Senator in the chest/neck area,” police said, adding that he was not injured. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, center, attends the Houston Astros Championship Parade in Houston, on Nov 7, 2022. The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 Saturday in game six of the World Series to take the championship for the second time in team history.

☆ Raphael Warnock delivers a personal address at hometown rally in Savannah, while zinging Herschel Walker as tight race nears: 'We're on a different field today'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Raphael Warnock on Sunday energized an upbeat crowd at a rally in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. Days before the November general election, Warnock's return was met with pride from attendees. "He's doing a really great for us in the two years that he's had up there," Westbrook told Insider. When asked about Warnock's influence in Savannah, Westbrook said there's "a lot of pride" in the senator's trajectory. But he also pivoted to railing against Walker, praising his football career but saying that the election was being fought "on a different field today."

☆ Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is the latest member of Congress to violate a federal conflicts-of-interest law with improperly disclosed stock trades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, was weeks late disclosing two stock sales. Sullivan's office told Insider that an investment manager was tardy informing the senator that the stock had been sold. Since 2021, 75 members of Congress have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act's disclosure provisions. A personal financial disclosure filed on November 3, 2022, by Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican who represents Alaska. US SenateIn a statement to Insider, Sullivan spokesman Mike Reynard said that Sullivan wasn't aware of the sale of his stock until after a federal disclosure deadline had already passed.

Graham had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. 'UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE'Prosecutors sought Graham's testimony about phone calls he made to Georgia election officials in the weeks after Trump, a Republican, lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden. Graham has "unique knowledge" regarding communications "involved in the multi-state, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere," the prosecutors added. During the phone call, Trump urged Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss to Biden. Legal experts have said Trump's phone calls may have violated at least three Georgia election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties.

☆ Supreme Court rejects Sen. Lindsey Graham's request to block a grand jury subpoena in Georgia election probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court denied Lindsey Graham's request to block a grand jury subpoena. A Georgia grand jury is investigating alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In an unsigned order, the nation's highest court dismissed Graham's emergency request to block the subpoena, writing: "a stay or injunction is not necessary to safeguard the Senator's speech or debate clause immunity." Justice Clarence Thomas, who handles emergency matters arising from Georgia, referred the issue to the full Supreme Court after he temporarily halted a lower court ruling ordering Graham to abide by the subpoena. President Donald Trump also called Raffensperger and pressed him to "find" enough votes to swing the state to him.

☆ Supreme Court denies Sen. Lindsey Graham's bid to avoid testifying in Georgia election interference case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to block a subpoena demanding his testimony before a Georgia grand jury investigating possible criminal interference in that state's 2020 presidential election. The subpoena to Graham calls for him to testify before the grand jury in Atlanta on Nov. 17. In its order Tuesday, the Supreme Court noted, "The lower courts also made clear that Senator Graham may return to the District Court should disputes arise regarding the application of the Speech or Debate Clause immunity to specific questions. " A day after that loss, Graham asked Thomas, the Supreme Court justice who has authority over emergency applications from 11th Circuit cases, to temporarily block the subpoena. "Secretary Raffensperger said that Senator Graham suggested that Georgia could discard or invalidate large numbers of mail-in ballots from certain areas," the filing said.

☆ An elephant-sized demon cat is said to appear at the US Capitol before national emergencies, according to reports as far back as 1862
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A demon cat is said to appear near the grounds of the US Capitol, the White House Historical Association says. Long considered a prophecy of coming tragedy, the first reported sighting of the demon cat was in the United States Capitol in 1862, during the Civil War. From then on, it was seen in the Capitol building basement before national emergencies, according to the White House Historical Association. "I can put enough pieces together to know where the legend came from," Livengood told Atlas Obscura. The White House Historical Association did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

WASHINGTON — A Georgia prosecutor on Thursday urged the Supreme Court not to block a requirement that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., testify in an investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and his allies tried to interfere in the 2020 election. She noted that under the lower court ruling, Graham would be immune from questioning about legislative activities and future disputes could be adjudicated by the lower court. On Monday, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who handles emergency applications that arise from Georgia, temporarily blocked the grand jury subpoena from being enforced while the court determines its next steps. Willis is investigating a pair of post-election phone calls Graham made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff. As an influential member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Graham helped ensure that Trump was able to make three appointments to the Supreme Court.

A South Carolina judge ruled Wednesday that former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows must testify before a special grand jury in Georgia investigating possible interference in the 2020 presidential election. Meadows, who lives in South Carolina, has tried to avoid testifying before the grand jury probe into possible election interference by then-President Donald Trump and his allies. A spokesperson for Willis said Meadows won’t appear before the grand jury until sometime after the midterm elections next month, as the investigation is in a “quiet period” around then. A federal appeals court ruled last week that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also must testify before the Fulton County grand jury. Trump's former White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have also testified before the grand jury.

☆ Ted Cruz says he and several GOP colleagues hid out in a supply closet during the Capitol riot
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In his new book, Ted Cruz says he hid out in a supply closet during the Capitol riot. "While we waited for the Capitol to be secured, I assembled our coalition in a back room (really, a supply closet with stacked chairs) to discuss what we should do next," Cruz wrote. And the Democrats were even angrier," Cruz wrote. But earlier this year, Cruz called the Capitol riot a "violent terrorist attack" at a Senate committee meeting on January 5. Cruz went on Carlson's show the same week and walked back his description of the Capitol riot.

☆ Clarence Thomas temporarily shielded Lindsey Graham from testifying before a Georgia grand jury investigating attempts to overturn the 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Justice Thomas briefly froze an order calling on Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify in a Georgia 2020 election probe. Last week, Graham filed an emergency application to block his testimony before an Atlanta grand jury. Graham was one of the lawmakers who asked the state's top election official to question absentee ballots, per a WaPo report. But last week's appeal to the Supreme Court wasn't Graham's first attempt to avoid testifying before the Atlanta grand jury. In a 23-page order filed in September, a federal judge rejected Graham's immunity claim, saying she was "unpersuaded by the breadth of Senator Graham's argument."

☆ Justice Clarence Thomas temporarily blocks Lindsey Graham's testimony in Georgia election interference probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Lawrencehurley_Pic.Jpg | Lawrence Hurley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday temporarily put on hold a requirement that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., testify in a Georgia prosecutor's probe of alleged interference in the 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and his allies. The decision by Thomas, who handles emergency requests that arise from Georgia, freezes the litigation while the justices weigh Graham's plea that the Supreme Court quash the subpoena. Thomas had previously asked lawyers for the Fulton County District Attorney's Office to respond to Graham's request by close of business on Thursday. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Graham's attempt to avoid answering questions about two phone calls he made to Georgia election officials after the 2020 election because, he argued, his actions were protected under the U.S. Constitution’s speech and debate clause. It does not mean the justices will grant Graham's request once the briefing is completed.

Thomas granted the Republican senator's request to halt the lower court's decision pending a further order to come, either from him or the Supreme Court. Graham, a Trump ally, filed the emergency application on Friday after a federal appeals court denied his request to block the questioning. Graham has argued that his position as a senator provides him immunity from having to appear before the grand jury. Testimony from Graham could shed further light on Trump allies coordinating to reverse the election results. Trump continues to appear at rallies repeating his false claims that the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud.

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