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☆ On Capitol Hill, Democrats Panic About Biden but Do Nothing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Christopher S. Murphy, an ambitious young Democrat from Connecticut, went on television on Sunday with a carefully worded warning to President Biden about the viability of his campaign. “This week is going to be absolutely critical; I think the president needs to do more,” Mr. Murphy said, arguing that Mr. Biden needed to hold a town hall and participate in unscripted events because “the clock is ticking” for him to put to rest the doubts about his candidacy raised by a disastrous debate performance. Multiple times, Mr. Murphy emphasized his deadline, saying that he, as well as voters, must see more action “this week.”Senator Michael Bennet, the Colorado Democrat who briefly ran for president himself, said Mr. Biden had to “reassure the American people that he can run a vigorous campaign to defeat Donald Trump.”Senator Patty Murray of Washington, a senior member of the Democratic leadership team, put out a statement that passed for fighting words, saying that the president “must do more to demonstrate that he can campaign strong enough to beat Donald Trump.”

Persons: Christopher S, Murphy, Biden, Mr, Michael Bennet, Donald Trump, Patty Murray, “, ” Organizations: Colorado Democrat, Democratic Locations: Connecticut, Washington

☆ In the Aging Senate, Nobody Wants to Be the One to Nudge Biden Aside
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For some time, Senate Democrats knew there was an issue with their aging colleague, but they hesitated to publicly criticize or question someone they considered one of their own. This person was a legend in the party, after all, someone with a storied legacy who had earned the right to remain and who had made it clear they weren’t going anywhere, ever — at least not voluntarily. Besides, many senators were not much younger themselves, and nudging aside someone whose age was showing would prompt uncomfortable self-reflection. Even when the issues reached a point where they were too obvious for anyone to ignore, no party leader in Congress — including Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader — wanted to be the first to start a public campaign to push out a friend and ally. The dilemma Democratic senators are now facing regarding what to do about President Biden’s teetering presidential campaign is a familiar one for members of the aging chamber, who have watched many of their colleagues — including Mr. Biden, who served in the Senate for three decades — hold onto positions of power as they grow older.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, —, Biden’s teetering, Biden Locations: New York

On Today’s Episode:Top House Democrats Privately Say Biden Must Go as Allies Insist He Must Do More, by Luke Broadwater, Robert Jimison and Annie KarniFrench Election Yields Deadlock as Left Surges and Far Right Comes Up Short, by Roger CohenBeryl Strengthens Into a Hurricane as It Approaches Texas, by Edgar Sandoval, Miranda Rodriguez and Maria Jimenez MoyaBoeing Agrees to Plead Guilty to Felony in Deal With Justice Department, by Eileen Sullivan and Danielle Kaye

Persons: Biden, Luke Broadwater, Robert Jimison, Annie Karni, Roger Cohen Beryl, Edgar Sandoval, Miranda Rodriguez, Maria Jimenez Moya Boeing, Eileen Sullivan, Danielle Kaye Organizations: Go, Deal, Justice Department Locations: Texas

☆ As Democrats Fret About Biden, Murphy Says He Must Address Voters’ Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, said Sunday that President Biden’s first television interview since his disastrous debate performance fell short of alleviating deep concerns about his age and mental acuity, and that the president has more work to do to convince voters he is fit to run for and win re-election. “Voters do have questions,” Mr. Murphy said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”He added: “Personally, I love Joe Biden, and I don’t know that the interview on Friday night did enough to answer those questions. This week is going to be absolutely critical. I think the president needs to do more.”Mr. Murphy said he would urge Mr. Biden to “do a town hall, do a press conference — show the country he is still the old Joe Biden.”He avoided directly answering whether Mr. Biden should step aside, saying, “I know there are a lot of voters out there that need to be convinced that Thursday’s night’s debate performance was a bad night.”

Persons: Christopher S, Murphy, Biden’s, ” Mr, Joe Biden, Mr, Biden, ”, “ Organizations: Democrat, “, Union Locations: Connecticut, “ State

☆ McCarthy’s Revenge Tour Rolls On, With Mixed Results
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

During the awkward interlude after he was ousted from the speakership but before he resigned from Congress, Kevin McCarthy found himself standing on the House floor one afternoon next to Representative Bob Good of Virginia, one of the eight Republicans who had voted to remove him from power. “I just traveled to your district,” Mr. McCarthy, still raw over his political downfall, said in what was interpreted as a vaguely threatening tone. “It’s a really nice district.”“Why don’t you come down and spend money there?” Mr. Good, the chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, taunted Mr. McCarthy in response. “Oh, I’m going to,” Mr. McCarthy shot back. “I might spend $5 million there, too.”In this instance, Mr. McCarthy was as good as his word.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Bob Good, “, Mr, McCarthy, ” Mr Organizations: Republicans, Caucus Locations: Virginia, ”

☆ Jeffries Plans to Meet Virtually With Top House Democrats on Biden’s Path Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Annie Karni | More About Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, has scheduled a virtual meeting on Sunday with senior House Democrats to discuss President Biden’s candidacy and the path forward, according to a senior official familiar with the plan. The session, which is to include the ranking members of congressional committees who make up the top echelons of the party in the House, comes at a time of profound worry among Democrats on Capitol Hill about Mr. Biden’s poor performance at last week’s presidential debate. House Democrats have not met as a group since, even as concerns have mounted about Mr. Biden’s viability as a candidate and the impact he could have on his party’s ability to win back control of the chamber and hold the Senate should he remain in the race. Mr. Jeffries has been in listening mode all week, refraining from pressuring Democrats to rally around the president but also encouraging them not to be rash in their public pronouncements as Mr. Biden and his team determine the best path forward. But Democrats have begun to splinter.

Persons: Hakeem Jeffries, Biden’s, Jeffries, Biden, Lloyd Doggett of, Raúl, Seth Moulton of, Mike Quigley Organizations: Democrats, Capitol, — Locations: New York, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Illinois

Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, is working to convene Democratic senators next week to discuss a path forward after President Biden’s disastrous debate performance, and to discuss their concerns about him remaining as the nominee, according to five people with direct knowledge about the effort. The push by Mr. Warner reflects a mounting sense of panic among some Democrats in the Senate about Mr. Biden’s viability to continue in the presidential race, and growing frustration among senators that the president and those around him have not communicated directly with them about how they plan to address such concerns. The people insisted on anonymity to discuss Mr. Warner’s efforts, and a spokeswoman for the senator did not respond to requests for comment. His outreach efforts were reported earlier by The Washington Post. While some House Democrats have been outspoken in their harsh assessments of Mr. Biden’s performance last week — and three have called on him to end his candidacy — most senators have so far been quieter about their concerns.

Persons: Mark Warner, Biden’s, Warner Organizations: Democrat, Democratic, Senate, The Washington Post, Democrats Locations: Virginia

☆ Bob Good Trails in Battle for His Virginia Seat, but Primary Remains Too Close to Call
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Bob Good, Republican of Virginia and the chairman of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, was fighting on Thursday to hang onto his seat, as his primary race against a challenger backed by former President Donald J. Trump remained too close to call. The contest between two election deniers, which has turned ugly and personal, was potentially headed for a recount that could drag on for weeks. Mail-in votes were still being counted, and Mr. Good said he could still prevail. Virginia does not have a requirement for an automatic recount, but if the winner is ahead by less than 1 percent, either candidate can request one. It was a rare instance in which both candidates in a photo-finish race had promoted the lie that Mr. Trump won the 2020 presidential election, raising questions about whether either would accept an adverse outcome in his own contest.

Persons: Bob Good, Donald J, Trump, John J, McGuire, Good, Mr, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Republican, Caucus, Navy, Mr, Associated Press . Mail, Trump Locations: Virginia

☆ Fetterman Has History of Driving Infractions, Records and Former Aides Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, was at fault in a car accident in Maryland on Sunday and has a record of distracted driving and infractions, according to police records and former aides. A witness to the crash said Mr. Fetterman passed her on Eisenhower Memorial Highway in western Maryland, driving well over the posted speed limit of 70 miles per hour, according to the police report. Mr. Fetterman’s vehicle then rear-ended another, the report said. The senator and his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, as well as the other driver, a 62-year-old woman driving a Chevrolet Impala, were taken to the hospital. Images of what appeared to be Mr. Fetterman’s totaled SUV were obtained by WPXI.

Persons: John Fetterman, Fetterman, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, WPXI Organizations: Chevrolet Impala, Maryland police, USA Locations: Pennsylvania, Maryland

☆ The Wall Street Journal’s story about Biden’s mental acuity suffers from glaring problems
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —The Wall Street Journal owes its readers — and the public — better. But an examination of the report reveals a glaring problem: Most of the sources reporters Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes relied on were Republicans. Republicans accusing their political foe of lacking the mental fitness to hold office is nothing surprising. Where are the stories about Trump’s former inner circle raising questions about his mental fitness? Happy to discuss Trump’s mental acuity & fitness for office,” Olivia Troye, a former Trump administration official, sarcastically wrote on X.

Persons: Joe Biden, Annie Linskey, Siobhan Hughes, “, Biden, ” Linskey, Hughes, Donald Trump, they’ve spouted, ”, Andrew Bates, it’s, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, MAGA, Katie Rogers, Annie Karni, confidantes, Privately, ” Rogers, Karni, Rogers, Nancy Pelosi, Trump, ” Pelosi, Rupert Murdoch, Emma Tucker, Tucker, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Nikki Haley, ” Olivia Troye Organizations: New York CNN, Street, GOP, Fox News, Republicans, MAGA Republican, Trump, New York, Former, Republican, CNN, Central, The Journal, Democratic, South, United Nations, Wall Street, intel Locations: New York, South Carolina

☆ G.O.P. Blocks Contraception Bill in Senate as Democrats Seek Political Edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked action on legislation to codify the right to contraception access nationwide, a bill Democrats brought to the floor to spotlight an issue on which the G.O.P. is at odds with a vast majority of voters. All but two Republicans present — Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — voted against advancing the legislation. “This should be an easy vote,” Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. “It almost shouldn’t be necessary.”But Ms. Murray said that Republican lawmakers have made it so by seeking to advance anti-abortion legislation that could limit access to contraceptives like Plan B and IUDs.

Persons: Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Maine —, Patty Murray, Murray Organizations: Democrat, Republican Locations: Alaska, Washington

☆ Congressional Leaders, Divided Over War, Invite Netanyahu to Deliver Joint Address
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The top four congressional leaders formally invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Friday to address a joint meeting of Congress, in a show of bipartisan unity that masked a fraught behind-the-scenes debate over receiving him. The invitation, which set no date, came amid deep political divides in the United States over the war between Israel and Hamas, which has intensified after Israel’s recent attacks in Rafah. Speaker Mike Johnson had been pressing to issue the invitation for weeks, seeking to hug Mr. Netanyahu closer as some Democrats, particularly progressives, repudiate him and condemn his tactics in the war, which have caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties in Gaza and a humanitarian disaster for Palestinians. Republicans have unequivocally backed Mr. Netanyahu’s policies, while Democrats, many of whom view his far-right government as an impediment to peace, have been deeply split over them. On Friday, Mr. Biden called for a permanent cease-fire and said, “It’s time for this war to end.”

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Mike Johnson, Mr, Netanyahu, Biden, “, ” Organizations: Israel, Republicans Locations: United States, Israel, Rafah, Gaza

☆ Schumer Plans Vote on Contraception Access, Teeing Up a Campaign Issue
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, plans next month to fast-track a Senate vote on a bill to protect access to contraception nationwide, the start of an election-year push to highlight Republicans’ record of opposing reproductive rights that voters view as at risk of being stripped away. The Right to Contraception Act is expected to be blocked in the closely divided Senate, where most Republicans are against it. But a vote on the bill is a crucial plank of Democrats’ strategy as they seek to protect their majority in the Senate, in part by forcing G.O.P. Access to contraception is a constitutional right regarded by many voters as possibly the next to go after the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, vetoed legislation to protect access to contraception.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Roe, Wade, Glenn Youngkin Organizations: Gov, Republican Locations: New York, Virginia

“I have been clear at home, and I will be clear here,” Ms. Stefanik is expected to say in her speech, according to a prepared version of her remarks reviewed by The New York Times. “There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel.”Her remarks also appear designed to curry favor with former President Donald J. Trump, who has mentioned Ms. Stefanik, a former George W. Bush White House aide and staunch defender of Mr. Trump, as a potential vice-presidential candidate. Ms. Stefanik has positioned herself as one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal defenders in Congress, a role she first staked out during his first impeachment in 2019. Her prepared remarks for Sunday mention Mr. Trump by name three times while highlighting several of his administration’s accomplishments, including a package of Middle East deals known as the Abraham Accords and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. “We must not let the extremism in elite corners conceal the deep, abiding love for Israel among the American people,” Ms. Stefanik plans to say.

Persons: Ms, Stefanik, ”, Donald J, Trump, George W, Bush, Stefanik’s, Trump’s, Abraham, “ Organizations: The New York Times, House, Abraham Accords Locations: Israel, U.S, Jerusalem

☆ Republicans Flock to Trump’s Trial, Risking Control of the House Floor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Almost a dozen House Republicans showed up at the courthouse on Thursday, including hard-right rabble rousers like Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida; Anna Paulina Luna of Florida; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; and Bob Good of Virginia. They said they were there to speak on behalf of Mr. Trump because a gag order had barred him from speaking for himself. “We are here of our own volition, because there are things we can say that President Trump is unjustly not allowed to say,” Mr. Gaetz said at a news conference outside the courthouse. He said the former president was on trial for a “made-up crime” that he called “the Mr. Mr. Good said the trial was an example of Democrats trying to “rig” the presidential election against Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, rousers, Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Lauren Boebert, Bob Good, “, Mr, Gaetz, —, Good, Luna, ” Organizations: Mr Locations: Manhattan, Florida, Anna Paulina Luna of, Colorado, Virginia

☆ In Symbolic Vote, House Passes Bill to Force Biden to Reverse Israel Arms Pause
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House on Thursday passed a bill that would rebuke President Biden for pausing an arms shipment to Israel and compel his administration to quickly deliver those weapons, in a largely symbolic vote engineered by the G.O.P. to spotlight the left’s divisions over Israel’s conduct of its offensive against Hamas. White House officials said the president would veto it, and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said it was “not going anywhere” in the Senate. But it had its intended effect of splintering Democrats: 16 of them joined Republicans in favor of legislation that condemned their own president’s administration. The bill effectively forced Democrats to choose between a vote that would show unequivocal backing for Israel but embarrass Mr. Biden, and one that Republicans portrayed as anti-Israel.

Persons: Biden, Chuck Schumer, “, Mr Organizations: Hamas, White Locations: Israel, New York

The House of Representatives is one of Washington’s most raucous forums, a free-for-all of personalities with profiles to raise and points to score. But it turns out that the rough-and-tumble of steering a public school district — board sessions, P.T.A. meetings, battles over textbooks and discipline — may be sound preparation for the rough-and-tumble of testifying before the House. As public school leaders showed on Wednesday, mixing it up a bit can go far toward neutralizing a Congress with a craving for the spotlight. At earlier hearings, university presidents opted for strategies of conciliatory genuflection or drab, lawyerly answers.

Persons: ” David C, Banks, ” Organizations: Education, New Locations: America, New York City

☆ Fresh Off Defeat in Speaker Fight, Greene Is ‘Thrilled’ With the Chaos She Wrought
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Republicans and Democrats booed her loudly Wednesday when she called a snap vote on the House floor to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, paused briefly to narrate the drama to viewers back home. “This is the uniparty, for the American people watching,” Ms. Greene sneered, peering over her glasses at her colleagues like a disappointed schoolteacher. Ms. Greene went on to take her shot at Mr. Johnson and miss, an outcome that she knew was a certainty. The move buoyed Mr. Johnson, confirming his status as the leader of an unlikely bipartisan governing coalition in the House that Ms. Greene considers the ultimate enemy. And it isolated Ms. Greene on Capitol Hill, putting her back where she was when she arrived in Washington three years ago: a provocateur and subject of derision who appears to revel in causing huge headaches for her colleagues.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ms, Greene sneered, Greene, Johnson, revel Organizations: Democrats, Republican, Republicans, Capitol Locations: Georgia, Washington

☆ Bill to Combat Antisemitism on Campuses Prompts Backlash From the Right
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Annie Karni | More About Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A bipartisan push in Congress to enact a law cracking down on antisemitic speech on college campuses has prompted a backlash from far-right lawmakers and activists, who argue it could outlaw Christian biblical teachings. The House passed the legislation, called the Antisemitism Awareness Act, overwhelmingly on Wednesday, and Senate leaders in both parties were working behind the scenes on Thursday to determine whether it would have enough backing to come to a vote in that chamber. House Republicans rolled the bill out this week as part of their efforts to condemn the pro-Palestinian protests that have surged at university campuses across the country, and to put a political squeeze on Democrats, who they have accused of tolerating antisemitism to please their liberal base. But in trying to use the issue as a political cudgel against the left, Republicans also called attention to a rift on the right. members said they firmly believe that Jews killed Jesus Christ, and argued that the bill — which includes such claims in its definition of antisemitism — would outlaw parts of the Bible.

Persons: Jesus Christ Organizations: Republicans

☆ In Bid to Oust Johnson, Greene Tries to Reclaim a Powerful Perch on the Fringe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Annie Karni | More About Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who elevated Ms. Greene and turned her into one of his top allies during his abbreviated time in the top post, never criticized her publicly. But privately, he called Mr. Johnson and offered to intervene with her on his behalf, according to people knowledgeable about the exchange. Ms. Greene could not be controlled — even if her campaign against the speaker has left her isolated within her party. Mr. Jeffries, she said, had embraced Mr. Johnson with “a warm hug and a big, wet, sloppy kiss,” making them the joint leaders of what she refers to disdainfully as the “uniparty.”She did so knowing that her effort to depose Mr. Johnson was all but certain to fail. But Ms. Greene has never abided by the conventional rules of politics, where a loss on the House floor is considered a major defeat.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Greene, Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, “, ”, Mr Locations: New York

☆ House Republican Drafts Censure of Omar for ‘Pro-Genocide’ Remark
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Annie Karni | More About Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A House Republican said on Tuesday that he was drafting a resolution to formally rebuke Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, for recent comments in which she suggested that some Jewish students at Columbia University were “pro-genocide.”Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska, does not yet have a timeline for releasing his censure resolution against Ms. Omar, a spokeswoman said. But Mr. Bacon said the remark amounted to antisemitism from the congresswoman, a progressive firebrand and one of two Muslim women in the House, who has drawn criticism in the past for incendiary comments. “Folks can protest Israel, but don’t blame Jewish American students for Israel,” Mr. Bacon told Axios, which earlier reported his censure plans. “That is by definition antisemitism.”

Persons: Ilhan Omar, Don Bacon, Omar, Bacon, ” Mr, Axios, ” Organizations: Republican, Columbia University, ”, Israel Locations: Minnesota, Nebraska, Israel

☆ After Ukraine Aid Vote, Republicans Braced for Backlash Find Little
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Annie Karni | Robert Jimison | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A week after he broke with the majority of House Republicans and voted to send $60.8 billion in aid to Ukraine, Representative Max Miller took the stage at a performing arts center in his Ohio district bracing for backlash. Instead, Mr. Miller, a first-term congressman who spent four years in the White House as a top aide to former President Donald J. Trump, was greeted at a town hall-style meeting on Saturday in the city of Solon with a sustained round of applause. Several attendees stood to publicly thank him for his vote, and a line of locals queued up afterward to shake his hand. “Anything we can do to support the Ukrainian victory over the Russian invasion would be a positive thing for the world,” said Randy Manley, a retiree from Strongsville, Ohio, who said he planned to vote for Mr. Trump in November. More than 500 miles west, in Iowa City, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a vulnerable Republican who won her district by six points in 2020, had a similar experience.

Persons: Max Miller, Mr, Miller, Donald J, Trump, ”, Randy Manley, Mariannette Miller, Meeks Organizations: House Republicans, Mr, Republican Locations: Ukraine, Ohio, Solon, Strongsville , Ohio, Iowa City

Dr. Shafik herself was preparing to confer with the university senate, which could censure her as soon as Friday. On Monday, police were called in to make dozens of arrests at Yale and New York University. Mr. Johnson’s visit to campus will not include a meeting with Dr. Shafik. The university senate could vote on a resolution to censure Dr. Shafik as soon as Friday — not long after the 48-hour negotiation period concludes. By calling in the police anyway, the resolution said, Dr. Shafik had endangered both the welfare and the futures of the arrested students.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Nemat Shafik, Shafik, Kathy Hochul, Emerson, Johnson’s, Columbia, —, “, ” Brendan O’Flaherty, Grayson, Kirk’s, Dr, O’Flaherty, Shafik’s, Liset Cruz, Eryn Davis, Annie Karni, Santul Nerkar, Katherine Rosman, Karla Marie Sanford, Ed Shanahan Organizations: Columbia University, New York Police Department, National Guard, Gov, Guard, Yale, New York University, Tufts, University of California, Hamas, New York City Police, Johnson’s, Republicans Locations: York, Gaza, Berkeley, Israel, ”, Washington, Columbia, New

☆ Johnson, Like Pence, Does What Passes for Brave in Today’s G.O.P.: His Job
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The accolades directed at Speaker Mike Johnson in recent days for finally defying the right wing of his party and allowing an aid bill for Ukraine to move through the House might have seemed a tad excessive. After all, a speaker’s entire job is to move legislation through the House, and as Saturday’s vote to pass the bill demonstrated, the Ukraine measure had overwhelming support. But Mr. Johnson’s feat was not so different from that of another embattled Republican who faced a difficult choice under immense pressure from hard-right Republicans and was saluted as a hero for simply doing his job: former Vice President Mike Pence. When Mr. Pence refused to accede to former President Donald J. Trump’s demands that he overturn the 2020 election results as he presided over the electoral vote count by Congress on Jan. 6, 2021 — even as an angry mob with baseball bats and pepper spray invaded the Capitol and chanted “hang Mike Pence” — the normally unremarkable act of performing the duties in a vice president’s job description was hailed as courageous. Mr. Pence and now Mr. Johnson represent the most high-profile examples of a stark political reality: In today’s Republican Party, subsumed by Mr. Trump, taking the norm-preserving, consensus-driven path can draw the ire of your constituents and spell the end of your political career.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson’s, Mike Pence, Pence, Donald J, Mike Pence ”, Johnson, Trump Organizations: Republican, Republicans, Capitol, Republican Party, Mr Locations: Ukraine

☆ Ukraine Aid Bill Clears Critical Hurdle in the House as Democrats Supply the Votes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House took a critical step on Friday toward approving a long-stalled package of aid to Ukraine, Israel and other American allies, as Democrats supplied the crucial votes to push the legislation past Republican opposition so that it could be considered on the floor. The 316-94 vote cleared the way for the House to bring up the aid package, teeing up separate votes on Saturday on each of its parts. But passage of those measures, each of which enjoys bipartisan support from different coalitions, was not in doubt, making Friday’s action the key indicator that the legislation will have the backing needed to prevail. The rule for considering the bill — historically a straight party-line vote — passed with more Democratic than Republican support, but it also won a majority of G.O.P. votes, making it clear that despite a pocket of deep resistance from the far right, there is broad bipartisan backing for the $95.3 billion package.

Persons: —, Biden Organizations: Democratic, Republican Locations: Ukraine, Israel

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