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☆ Ethics Committee deadlocks on releasing Matt Gaetz sex, drug probe report
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The bipartisan House Ethics Committee deadlocked Wednesday on whether to release a report on its investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and other wrongdoing by former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz. Ethics Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., told reporters after the closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, "There has been no agreement to release the report." She stressed that the vote in the 10-member committee, which is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, fell along partisan lines. In September he said he would no longer voluntarily participate in the ethics probe, while revealing that the committee had asked him whether he ever "engaged in sexual activity with any individual under 18." Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee urged the FBI earlier Wednesday to turn over all the evidence it had gathered from its investigation into Gaetz.

Persons: Sen, JD Vance, Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump's, Michael Guest, Susan Wild of, Wild, Guest's, Gaetz, Trump, Guest, Gaetz's, Dick Durbin Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Republican, Republicans, Democrats, Department of Justice, DOJ, Senate Locations: Washington ,, Susan Wild of Pennsylvania

A woman told the House Ethics Committee that she saw Matt Gaetz, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the U.S. attorney general, have sex with a minor, her lawyer said Friday. “My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Rep. Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando in 2017,” Joel Leppard said. Then-Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Capitol Hill, on April 30. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images fileLeppard said the woman he represents testified before the House Ethics Committee in April. A House Ethics Committee investigation was launched in April 2021.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s, “, ” Joel Leppard, Chip Somodevilla, Leppard, ” Leppard, “ Merrick, Garland, Gaetz, reauthorized, Mike Johnson, Trump Organizations: U.S, Republican U.S, Wednesday, Trump, Capitol, NBC News, ABC News, Florida Panhandle, Department of Justice, Republican, Republican Senate Locations: Orlando, Florida’s, Florida

☆ Inside the strain challenging the US Secret Service
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Betsy Klein | Jamie Gangel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

While the reputation of the US Secret Service is one of precision, vigilance and security, the reality is more complicated – a high-stress, high-intensity workplace beset by management and logistical issues. (The Secret Service is mandated to protect all foreign heads of state while they are on US soil). “Following the events of July 13, the U.S. Secret Service enhanced our protective model for protectees. According to the Secret Service official, the agency’s attrition rate was 10.26% in fiscal year 2022, 8.78% in 2023, and 8.85% for fiscal year 2024 so far. A USSS spokesman disputed any reports of tension between Secret Service and the Bidens.

Persons: Donald Trump, Butler, ”, Joe Biden, protectee, USSS, Kamala Harris, Sen, JD Vance, Tim Walz, That’s, ” Anthony Guglielmi, ” Guglielmi, ” Biden, “ They’re, Ronald Rowe, Kimberly Cheatle, “ You’re, Rowe, nodded, Jonathan Wackrow, Trump, Wackrow, Biden, ’, “, Trump’s Butler, CNN’s Whitney Wild Organizations: CNN, Service, Secret Service, San Francisco, Trump, Gov, United Nations General Assembly, Democratic, Republican, Secret, Places, Federal Government, Public Service, Boston Consulting, Washington Post Locations: Butler , Pennsylvania, Florida, San Francisco, Asia, Pacific, San, New York, U.S, Cheatle

☆ A 'man-made disaster' could make it trickier to buy or sell a home in some areas this fall, real estate expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-26 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

That's because the National Flood Insurance Program — the government-sponsored public insurance program that is the largest flood insurer in the U.S. — needs to be reauthorized by Sept. 30 to continue to issue new policies or increase coverage on existing policies. "There are very few private insurers that offer any type of flood insurance," said Daniel Schwarcz, a professor of law at the University of Minnesota Law School who focuses on insurance law and regulation. In that report, from 2011, it estimated a one-month NFIP lapse could affect about 40,000 closings. "There is no need to take the risk that the flood insurance program will lapse when you could close ahead of Sept. Then in 2021, FEMA implemented Risk Rating 2.0, a new pricing system that would accurately reflect the cost of an area's risk.

Persons: Jaret Seiberg, Cowen, Jeremy Porter, Daniel Schwarcz, Cowen's, Yanjun Liao, Liao, Schwarcz, Foundation's Porter, Porter Organizations: Getty, Federal Reserve, National Flood Insurance, Federal Emergency Management Agency, First Street Foundation, University of Minnesota Law School, National Association of Realtors, FEMA, Resources Locations: U.S, New York, Washington ,

The House has put a modified surveillance bill on track for final passage as soon as Friday, just days after an earlier version failed to advance in a public rebuke to GOP leadership. The House voted Friday morning to approve the rule governing debate surrounding the modified bill behind Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization, a key step before final passage. Greene was seen on the House floor speaking to Johnson, who later told reporters the two spoke about “all sorts of things.”“Marjorie and I agree on our conservative philosophy,” Johnson said. Johnson organized a classified reading room off the House floor for members to view classified information ahead of Friday’s vote, according to a GOP leadership aide. White House National Security communications adviser John Kirby reiterated the White House’s support for the reauthorization ahead of the final House floor vote expected later Friday.

Persons: Mike Johnson –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Greene, ” “ Marjorie, ” Johnson, “, Donald Trump, ”, Joe Biden, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Kirby, CNN’s Aileen Graef Organizations: Foreign Intelligence, GOP, Louisiana Republican, FISA, Trump, House, FBI, Senate, reauthorization, White, National Security Locations: Louisiana, Georgia, Ukraine, Florida, Iran

☆ What information is the government actually collecting under FISA?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They scuttled House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to extend the FISA Section 702 program with minimal tweaks. It is true that the FBI obtained warrants through FISA to wiretap Carter Page, an adviser to Trump’s first presidential campaign. According to the National Security Agency, 60% of what appears in the Presidential Daily Brief has some data that comes from the 702 program. The 702 program has been updated in the years since its inception, including in 2018, to include new protections to minimize Americans’ communications from being accessed without a warrant. Additionally, these proposals would bar the government from sidestepping warrant requirements by simply buying the data of Americans from so-called data brokers.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump, “, Mike Johnson’s, Carter, Trump’s, Trump, Read, Katie Bo Lillis, Johnson, Christopher Wray, ”, Leon Panetta Organizations: CNN, Foreign Intelligence, Trump, FISA, Republicans, FBI, Privacy, Civil, National Security Agency, Center for Justice, New York University, Brennan Center, Intelligence Community, National Intelligence, House, CIA, New Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, New York City

☆ Trump is recreating his web of chaos at home and abroad in a preview of what a second term could look like
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Some top Democrats worry that Americans have forgotten the chaos that raged every day Donald Trump was president, and that voters’ faded recall of the uproar will end up handing him a second term. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is threatening to topple Johnson if he dares to pass it. — Nationwide chaos is, meanwhile, spreading in the wake of the Trump-built Supreme Court conservative majority overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. — Bipartisan efforts to solve a border crisis are in tatters after Trump’s House followers in February killed the most sweeping and conservative bill in years. Yet Trump has vowed to end the war in 24 hours if he wins a second term.

Persons: Donald Trump, ’, Trump, Mike Johnson, Ukraine –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Roe, Wade, Trump’s, Joe Biden, —, Johnson –, Lago Trump, bucked Johnson, Bill Barr, CNN’s Annie Grayer, ” Barr, ”, Barr, “ We’re, Greene, “, ” Greene, CNN’s Manu Raju, We’re, laud, Ronald Reagan’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, don’t, CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen, Putin, Christopher Cavoli, ” Cavoli, Biden, majority’s handiwork, he’d, didn’t, –, he’s Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican, Trump, Washington, Trump -, Mar, Foreign Intelligence, FBI, FISA, Kremlin, Ukraine, European Command, House Armed Services Committee, Arizona Locations: Ukraine, Arizona, tatters, America, Washington, Russia, Georgia, Florida, Russian, Mar, Alabama

The tool, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, will expire at the end of December unless the White House and Congress can cut a deal and resolve an unusually vexing debate that has yielded unlikely alliances at the intersection of privacy and national security. Without the program, administration officials warn, the government won't be able to collect crucial intelligence overseas. National security officials have said that 59% of articles in the president’s daily brief contain Section 702 information. The White House has already dismissed as unworkable the one known legislative proposal that’s been advanced. Despite the clear challenges in reaching a compromise, the last-minute scramble between the White House and Congress has come to be expected each time the government’s surveillance powers are set to be renewed.

Persons: Biden, Matthew Olsen, Ayman al, Donald Trump, Trump, “, ”, Jamil Jaffer, George Mason University’s, That’s, Jim Jordan, Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyden, Andy Biggs, —, We’re, ” Wyden, “ We’ve, Farnoush Amiri Organizations: WASHINGTON, Foreign Intelligence, House, Department's, Hamas, Trump, White House, Congress, National Security Institute, George, White, Capitol, FBI, Republican Rep, Democratic, Republican, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Russia

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Critics of an Illinois program providing private school scholarships say there's no proof it improves academic achievement. Opponents say it's a drain on public education and want it ended. “They take money out of the public coffers for public education, the schools that receive this money are not accountable, some of them exclude students with special needs. It's not a good use of public dollars.”Bridget Shanahan, spokesperson for the Illinois Education Association, stood by the group's position. Nothing prevents the lawmakers from restarting the program during its spring session, but there would be a disruption in scholarships.

Persons: adjourns, Critics, John Curran, Curran, ”, Jaclyn Matthews, couldn't, Dan Montgomery, “, ” Montgomery, It's, ” Bridget Shanahan Organizations: Ill, COVID, Invest, Kids, Republican, Associated Press, Republicans, Pritzker, The Illinois, of Teachers, Illinois Education, Illinois State, of Education . Research, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Education Association Locations: SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Downers Grove, COVID

☆ Fashion police, brawls, and heckling: House Republicans' petty drama has no end in sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

House Republicans are stuck in an endless loop of infighting as they search for a new leader. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Cameras watching the floors have documented the now weeks-long effort to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy after his historic ouster. McCarthy, according to multiple reports, screamed at Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to sit down during a testy exchange on Thursday. The first time in January came as House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers had to be restrained from charging at Gaetz.

Persons: —, America's, Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Mace, Mace, Greg Murphy, Murphy, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, I'm, Lauren Boebert, Mike Rogers, Boebert, Mike Bost, Richard Hudson, Andrew Harnik, George Santos, Jasmine Crockett, Independent Sen, Kyrsten Sinema —, Santos, Crockett, Mitch McConnell, Sen, Joe Manchin, Jim Risch, Joe Biden, Jordan, It's Organizations: Republicans, Service, South, North Carolina Republican, Armed, Republican Rep, — Democratic, Independent, WHO, Lawmakers, West, West Virginia Democrat, Big 12, Manchin, Ohio Republican, DC Locations: Florida, Colorado, Illinois, West Virginia, Idaho, Israel, Ukraine, Southern

☆ Opinion: How long can America continue to be arsenal to the world?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10. Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9. Erik Marmor/AP Six-month-old Sama Alwadia is rescued from the rubble in Gaza City on October 9. Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

Persons: David A, CNN —, David Andelman, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukraine —, Eden Guez, Violeta Santos Moura, Mohammed Salem, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Mohammed Abed, Atef Safadi, Fatima Shbair, Tamir Kalifa, Ohad, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Yuri Cortez, Belal Khaled, Samar Abu, Amir Cohen, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Ali Jadallah, Oren Ziv, Mohammed Saber, Ronen Zvulun, Majdi, Ilia Yefimovich, Ramez Mahmoud, Mahmud Hams, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Khan, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Jalaa Marey, Oded, Khan Younis, Ahmad Hasballah, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Tsafrir, Ahmad Gharabli, Baz Ratner, Mustafa Hassona, Ilan Rosenberg, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, ” Ely Ratner, ” Ratner, Ratner, “, Julianne Smith, Will, Will Israel Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, David Andelman CNN, America, Ukraine, Defense, Fighters, Nova Festival, Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, New York Times, Getty, Ben Gurion, AP, Mount, Anadolu Agency, Shifa, West Bank, Rockets, Israel's, United Nations, Palestinian, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets, [ Peoples Liberation Army, House Armed, Committee, Taiwan Relations, Senate, Washington Post, Israel, Capitol, House, Ukraine –, NATO, Taiwan Locations: United States, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza, Iran, China, Taiwan, Washington, Ashkelon, Gaza City, Kfar Azza, Kfar Aza, AFP, Tel Aviv, Mount Herzel, Jerusalem, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Yassin, Palestinian, Beitar Ilit, Mount Herzl, Sderot, Ramat Gan, Khan Younis, Israeli, Kiryat Shmona, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion, Taiwan Strait, Beijing, Will Ukraine, Crimea, America

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks on PEPFAR at World AIDS Day event hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding in Washington, U.S. December 2, 2022. A deadline to renew long-term funding for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) passed on Saturday, despite a stop gap deal reached to avoid a government-wide shutdown. Smith insisted that PEPFAR should not be reauthorized unless it barred nongovernmental organizations that used any funding to promote or provide abortion services. Advocates say PEPFAR does not fund or provide abortion services and that none of its money goes directly or indirectly to fund abortion services. The State Department says more than $100 billion has been spent on the global HIV/AIDS response through the program, which has saved 25 million lives.

Persons: Antony Blinken, PEPFAR, Jonathan Ernst, Matthew Miller, Miller, Biden, George W, Bush, Chris Smith, Smith, Simon Lewis, Patricia Zengerle, Alistair Bell Organizations: Business Council, International, REUTERS, United, U.S, State, President’s, AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, Republican, The State Department, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, Congress, U.S, Washington, Africa, PEPFAR

☆ PEPFAR Turned the Tide of AIDS and It’s Now at Risk - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Heritage Foundation critique also argued that AIDS is primarily a “lifestyle disease” and so “should be suppressed through education, moral suasion and legal sanctions” rather than medication. The most dangerous thing a woman there could do, it was said then, was to get married. If American conservatives want to fight AIDS with finger wagging instead of antiretrovirals, those women will again be at great risk. Only 40 percent of Republicans say that the benefits of Covid vaccines outweigh the risks (which is why research suggests that Covid may have disproportionately killed Republicans). The denunciations of PEPFAR horrify the Republican Party’s grown-ups, who recognize how important the program has been.

Persons: Biden, PEPFAR Organizations: Foundation, Zambian Locations: sanctimony, U.S

☆ Flood insurance swamps US government
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The U.S. government’s flood coverage could soon find itself financially underwater. The National Flood Insurance Program, which covers nearly 5 million properties, needs to be reauthorized by Congress by the end of the month to avoid a housing crunch. A FEMA report seen by the Associated Press estimated another 1 million fewer Americans will buy flood insurance by the end of the decade, further starving the program of much-needed funds. The program’s flood fund lost nearly $1.9 billion in fiscal 2022, up from a $236 million loss the year prior. Follow @BenWinck on XCONTEXT NEWSCongressional authorization for the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program is set to lapse on Sept. 30 if lawmakers don’t approve a new extension.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Evelyn Hockstein, Hurricane Lee, Lee, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Flood Insurance, National Association of Realtors, FEMA, Associated Press, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Association, U.S, National Flood Insurance, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Hurricane Center, Thomson Locations: Oak, Florida, U.S, United States, Singapore, East Coast

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is worried about the safety of chemical facilities across the country after its power to keep dangerous substances out of the hands of extremists lapsed a month ago. Homeland Security officials say this left gaping holes in the country's national security, and they are calling on Congress to act quickly when it returns this week. The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, which falls under DHS, then determines whether the facility is considered high risk and therefore must develop a security plan. Congress gave the department the authority to begin the chemical security program in 2006, and it went into effect the following year. Homeland Security officials say the program's lapse has left them without a vital security tool.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, ”, Kelly Murray, Sen, Rand Paul, Paul, ” Paul, there's, Murray, she's, reauthorized, they're, Matt Fridley, “ They’re, Scott Jensen Organizations: WASHINGTON, Department of Homeland Security, Chemical, Homeland Security, Homeland, Chemical Security, Infrastructure Security Agency, DHS, Congress, Kentucky Republican, & Infrastructure Security Agency, American Chemistry Council Locations: Virginia, Kentucky

☆ Intelligence Board Recommends Curbing F.B.I.’s Power to Use Surveillance Program
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Charlie Savage | More About Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The White House was studying the recommendation, a senior administration official said in a background briefing on Monday. The program traces back to a once secret warrantless surveillance program that the George W. Bush administration started after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. After the program was exposed, Congress legalized a version of it. The U.S. government can currently use the program to gather information about other governments, counterterrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. How the government can use its database of intercepts that have been already collected when scrutinizing Americans has been a subject of heated debate.

Persons: “, George W, Bush Organizations: Google, National Security Agency Locations: U.S

☆ White House recommends scaling back FBI authority under intelligence act
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) - A White House review on Monday recommended that the FBI's ability to conduct non-national security queries under a controversial surveillance law be removed as part of reforms aimed at getting the law reauthorized. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act's Section 702 permits the U.S. government to collect digital communications of foreigners located outside the United States. "If Congress fails to reauthorize Section 702, history may judge the lapse of Section 702 authorities as one of the worst intelligence failures of our time," concluded the review, which was conducted for the White House by the president's Intelligence Advisory Board. The review recommended that Attorney General Merrick Garland "remove FBI’s authority to conduct queries for evidence of a non-national security-related crime in its Section 702 data." "FBI’s use of Section 702 should be limited to foreign intelligence purposes only and FBI personnel should receive additional training on what foreign intelligence entails," the review said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Jon, Steve Holland, Mark Porter, Deepa Babington Organizations: Foreign Intelligence, Republican, White, president's Intelligence, Department, FBI, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ Jim Cramer says ‘it's really a mistake not to be a buyer’ of these 2 bank stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. The S & P 500 shot up more than 15% in the first six months of this year. Jim Cramer said Wednesday, "It's really a mistake not to be a buyer" of these two stocks. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER .

Persons: Jim Cramer, Stocks, Dow, Jim Cramer's, Wells, Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley reauthorized, Jim Organizations: CNBC, Nasdaq, Procter, Gamble, WFC Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ McCarthy, US House hardliners reach deal to allow votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 8, 2023. If we don't have that, there are going to be fights," Representative Ralph Norman told reporters after he and several other members of the House of Representatives met with McCarthy. "We had a very productive meeting tonight," McCarthy told reporters after the meeting. The House is scheduled to begin voting on delayed Republican bills on Tuesday, starting with a floor rule governing debate and votes on passage. But the hardliners are also looking to expand their influence over the House Republican agenda.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, McCarthy, Ralph Norman, Joe Biden, Matt Gaetz, David Morgan, Andy Sullivan, Mary Milliken, Matthew Lewis Organizations: ., Capitol, REUTERS, Republican, Freedom Caucus, Congress, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, WASHINGTON, Washington

☆ Biden’s Debt Deal Strategy: Win in the Fine Print
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Biden had insisted for months that he would not negotiate over raising the borrowing limit. But privately, many aides had been planning on talks all along — though they refused to admit those talks were linked to the debt limit. The Biden team reasoned that it would have to negotiate fiscal issues this year anyway, both on appropriations bills and on programs like food stamps that are included in a regularly reauthorized farm bill. It featured work requirements and measures to speed fossil fuel projects, and it raised the debt limit for one year. Mr. Biden, under fire from business groups and others who feared the standoff could result in the United States running out of money before the debt limit was raised, soon agreed to designate a team of negotiators.

Persons: Biden, Lael Brainard, Janet L, McCarthy, Young, Michael Linden, Louisa Terrell, Ricchetti Organizations: Biden, National Economic Council, Social Security, White House Locations: United States

CNN —The FBI improperly searched an intelligence database for information on suspects in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot and people arrested at 2020 protests after the police killing of George Floyd, according to a court opinion that was unsealed and released Friday. The new details about the database misuse are likely to complicate the Biden administration’s efforts to renew a key foreign surveillance program. The FBI searches were not “reasonably likely” to retrieve foreign intelligence information or evidence of a crime, Justice Department officials who reviewed the searches concluded, according to the opinion from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which oversees US spy agencies. Analysts at the FBI and other agencies can then search the data gathered for leads related to foreign intelligence missions. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said Friday that congressional action was needed to curb the privacy violations of Americans revealed by the court opinion.

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - British pop star Elton John urged U.S. senators on Wednesday not to ease up on the fight against HIV and AIDS, as Congress faces a September deadline for reauthorizing the multi-billion-dollar U.S. program to fight the disease. Congress must reauthorize PEPFAR for another five years before Sept. 30. REUTERS/Anna GordonA set amount has not been set for the reauthorization, but Congress typically has approved $6.5 billion to $6.9 billion for PEPFAR each year. Global AIDS Coordinator John Nkengasong told the committee PEPFAR has saved 25 million lives and created health networks that have helped fight outbreaks of Ebola and the COVID-19 pandemic. "I urge my colleagues to join me in working to reauthorize PEPFAR without delay and without new mandates and directives," said Senator Jim Risch, the panel's top Republican.

☆ College students are drowning in textbook costs. There's a push in Congress to make them free.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Some members of Congress have joined the movement to provide free textbooks to university students. The college textbook landscape, however, isn't a free market, as students must buy whichever course materials their professor selects for their class. As states across the country create their own grants for open textbooks, members of Congress have also begun to take notice. "We are helping cut the cost of attending college by supporting the creation and expansion of open college textbooks," Durbin told Insider in a statement. And while there's no timeline for the Affordable College Textbook Act to make it through Congress, federal legislators have granted $47 million in funds for open textbooks since 2018 as part of the Open Textbook Pilot Program.

☆ The Buffett test: This one chart shows how much every Club holding spends on stock buybacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

When Warren Buffett speaks, Wall Street listens — and the "Oracle of Omaha" issued a full-throated defense of stock buybacks in his latest annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. After spending more than $1.2 billion on stock buybacks in 2022, Coterra's board approved a $2 billion buyback authorization last week. Costco: In January, the wholesale retailer's board reauthorized a $4 billion stock repurchase program , which is set to expire in four years. It's part of a $10 billion buyback authorization issued by Salesforce's board last August. As the chart makes clear, the vast majority of Club holdings engage in some level of stock repurchases, which is good news for shareholders.

In Wisconsin, the Democratic president told workers at a union training facility "it looks like we negotiated a deal last night" on Social Security. Deal or no, Biden reasserted that Republicans want to cut the popular old-age and healthcare programs in Wisconsin, pointing to statements by some Republican lawmakers. Democrats hope Biden can turn the economy - a perceived weakness among some independent voters despite record-setting job creation - into a selling point during his expected re-election campaign. Wisconsin is a closely contested state that flipped from supporting Republican former President Donald Trump in 2016 to favoring Biden in 2020. Biden is expected to address Social Security and Medicare in Florida, a state where more than 20% of the population is 65 years and older.

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