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☆ Fact Check-Photo does not show laptops stolen during Capitol siege
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A photo showing multiple laptops dates to at least 2019 and is unrelated to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Examples of the photo, which shows dozens of laptops on top of office desks, can also be seen on Facebook (here) and (here). It says the photo shows stolen laptops recovered by DCI. U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi and Senator Jeff Merkley said that laptops had been stolen from their offices during the storming of the U.S. Capitol (here). Photo shows stolen laptops in Kenya, not computers taken during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, Jeff Merkley, Read Organizations: Capitol, Twitter, Facebook, Criminal Investigations, DCI, U.S, U.S . Capitol, Reuters Locations: U.S, Kenya

☆ Democratic US lawmakers propose banning legacy admissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Julia Harte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Legacy admissions at schools such as Harvard University have been shown to overwhelmingly favor white, wealthy students over students of color from disadvantaged backgrounds. The bill announced on Wednesday, the Fair College Admissions for Students Act, was introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley in 2022, but did not make it beyond a Senate committee. Viet Nguyen, executive director of EdMobilizer, a non-profit that has been campaigning against legacy admissions since 2018, joined the lawmakers at Wednesday's press conference. EdMobilizer is pushing alumni of 30 top colleges and universities to withhold donations from their schools until they end legacy admissions. Wesleyan University and the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus announced they would stop using legacy admissions in July, following a handful of other U.S. higher education institutions that have ended them in recent years.

Persons: Jeff Merkley, Merkley, Jamaal Bowman, Chris Van Hollen, Nguyen, Brown, Julia Harte, Donna Bryson, Alistair Bell Organizations: Democratic U.S, U.S . Education Department, Harvard, Harvard University, University of North, Fair College, Stanford, Wesleyan University, University of Minnesota's, University of Minnesota's Twin Cities, Thomson Locations: U.S, University of North Carolina, University of Minnesota's Twin

☆ A group of Democrats just relaunched an effort to ban legacy admissions and strip financial aid from schools that keep the practice in place
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A group of Democrats revived a bill to ban legacy admissions across colleges. It comes after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. And it's not a form of affirmative action that serves our country well." Following the decision, legacy admissions practices entered a harsh spotlight. Some prestigious schools have already ended their legacy admissions practices.

Persons: Democratic Sens, Jeff Merkley, Chris Van Hollen, Jamaal Bowman, —, Merkley, Michael Roth, Van Hollen Organizations: Democrats, Service, Democratic, Democratic Rep, Fair College, Supreme, Black College and Universities, Education Department, Community Economic, Greater Boston, Network, Ivy League, Harvard, Johns Hopkins University, Amherst College, Wesleyan Locations: Wall, Silicon, New England

☆ US lawmakers warn North Korean refugees face forcible repatriation from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers warned on Tuesday that China could be preparing to forcibly repatriate refugees who fled North Korea and urged the United Nations to use its influence with Beijing to prevent this. He referred to reports that approximately 2,000 and "perhaps many more" North Korean refugees faced repatriation "which would subject them to severe human rights violations upon their return." The CECC co-chair, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, said a 2014 report by the U.N. commission on inquiry on human rights in North Korea had stated clearly that forcible repatriation of North Koreans "subjects them to crimes against humanity." "Just being a North Korean in China means an individual would be in grave peril if sent back to North Korea," he said. China's Washington embassy, UNHCR, and North Korea's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Chris Smith, Smith, Antonio Guterres, General Guterres, Filippo Grandi, Elizabeth Salmon, Jeff Merkley, Merkley, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Guterres, David Brunnstrom, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: United, Congressional, Commission, U.N, United Nations, South Korea's Korea Times, Washington Post, Democratic, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: China, North Korea, United Nations, Beijing, Korean, South, North Koreans, Washington

☆ State Department amends comment on APEC invitation for Hong Kong's leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department amended part of a statement to Congress in which it said Washington would invite Hong Kong's chief executive, who faces U.S. sanctions, to a November summit, after lawmakers urged he be barred from entering the country. The Unites States is set to host this year's gathering in San Francisco of leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group, of which Hong Kong is a member economy. But Hong Kong's top official John Lee was placed under U.S. sanctions in 2020 over his role in implementing what Washington deems a "draconian" Hong Kong national security law. The Department regrets the error," a State Department spokesperson said. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday confirmed it had received the corrected response, which said the U.S. "has not made any commitments regarding invitations."

Persons: Hong, John Lee, Lee, Wendy Sherman, Marco Rubio, Jeff Merkley, Jim McGovern, Chris Smith, Mr, Michael Martina, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: U.S . State Department, Economic Cooperation, Washington, Hong, Senate Foreign Relations, APEC, State Department, Foreign, Democratic, Republican, People's, China's, Thomson Locations: Washington, San Francisco, Asia, Hong Kong, U.S, People's Republic of China

CNN —Senators are racing the clock to pass a bill to suspend the nation’s debt limit through January 1, 2025 – but it’s not yet clear when a final vote will take place as the threat of default looms. Once the Senate passes the measure, it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Suspending the debt limit through 2025 would take the threat of default off table until after the presidential election. In addition to addressing the debt limit, the bill caps non-defense spending, expands work requirements for some food stamp recipients and claws back some Covid-19 relief funds, among other policy provisions. There were 149 Republicans and 165 Democrats who voted for the bill and 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats who voted against it.

Persons: Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Schumer, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Sen, Jeff Merkley Organizations: CNN, Senators, Senate, Republican, Treasury Department, Republicans, Democratic Locations: Vermont, Oregon

☆ Senate Democrats are asking Biden to stop negotiating with Republicans on a debt ceiling solution and take a route that would get rid of the problem forever
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Senate Democrats are asking Biden to prepare to use the 14th amendment to solve the debt ceiling crisis. The 14th amendment would allow Biden to bypass Congress and declare the debt ceiling unconstitutional. On Wednesday, The Washington Post first reported that five Democratic senators have spearheaded an effort to urge Biden to invoke a clause in the 14th amendment to address the debt ceiling. Rep. Jamie Raskin, for example, told Insider in a Wednesday interview that the 14th amendment "provides the whole structure for resolving the conflict." He said that he doesn't think the 14th amendment "solves our problem now.

Aaron Smith, CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association, speaks during a news conference on the Safe Banking Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Sept. 14, 2022. The Senate banking committee is holding its first-ever hearing Thursday on a bipartisan bill that would allow the cannabis industry to access traditional banking services, which marijuana businesses see as critical to their survival. The meeting, titled Examining Cannabis Banking Challenges of Small Businesses and Workers, will hear testimony from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Sens. Thursday's hearing will determine next steps in getting the bill to the Senate floor for a vote, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other key lawmakers express support for it. "Without full access to the banking and payments system, legal cannabis businesses are forced to operate in the shadows," said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who is also chair of the committee.

☆ Seven US senators raise concerns about Tesla use of forced arbitration clauses
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Tesla Inc FollowWASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - A group of seven U.S. senators on Monday questioned Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) use of forced arbitration clauses in employee and consumer contracts, arguing that they prevent bringing discrimination claims and consumer safety complaints to court. Tesla has said it does not tolerate workplace discrimination and takes worker complaints seriously. The senators cited an ongoing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into reports of “phantom braking" in Tesla vehicles. The senators sought answers to detailed questions by June 8 about Tesla's use of forced arbitration. The senators said arbitration clauses may keep"potential safety flaws from the public eye and limited regulatory authorities’ ability to protect Tesla customers and employees and hold Tesla publicly accountable."

A group of mostly Democratic senators pressured Tesla CEO Elon Musk to end the company's use of forced arbitration clauses in employee and customer contracts, in a letter on Monday. Forced arbitration clauses in consumer contracts have similarly obscured important details about Tesla's vehicle safety and business practices from the public, the lawmakers wrote. They asked for the same details about sexual harassment complaints from Tesla workers. However, Tesla makes and sells its cars direct to consumers so its forced arbitration clauses cover more than the norm where auto sales are concerned. Tesla uses arbitration clauses as a tactic to shunt people into a forum that's pretty rigged for the corporation."

☆ Cannabis stocks light up after a group of lawmakers again seeks to protect banks that work with legal marijuana businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cannabis stocks jumped Thursday as lawmakers sought again to pass a bill to protect banks that work with legal pot firms. The SAFE Banking Act of 2023 was refiled by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. The Secure and Fair Enforcement, or SAFE, Banking Act was refiled late Wednesday by House and Senate lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties. They say the proposal is aimed at dealing with safety concerns stemming from legal cannabis businesses being locked out of banking services. Merkley said there's now a path for the first time for the SAFE Banking Act to move through the Senate Banking Committee and to a Senate floor vote.

☆ Lawmakers reintroduce SAFE Banking Act, a bill the cannabis industry hails as a lifeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Aaron Smith, chief executive officer of the National Cannabis Industry Association, speaks during a news conference on the Safe Banking Act outside the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., US, on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. A group of bipartisan lawmakers reintroduced the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act in the House and Senate on Wednesday, after the legislation designed to free up banking services for the cannabis industry stalled in last year's Congress. "For the first time, we have a path for SAFE Banking to move through the Senate Banking Committee and get a vote on the floor of the Senate," Merkley said in a statement. The bipartisan nature of the SAFE Banking Act's reintroduction appeared to boost hopes of more relief to come in the industry. It is past time that Congress addresses the irrational, unfair, and unsafe prohibition of basic banking services to state-legal cannabis businesses," said Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.

☆ Paris Hilton joins lawmakers introducing a bill to end abuse in the 'troubled teen' industry: 'What I went through will haunt me for the rest of my life'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Paris Hilton joined lawmakers Thursday to announce a bill aimed at the troubled teen industry. Hilton spoked about her personal experiences of abuse at residential treatment centers in her teens. "From the ages of 16 to 18, I was sent to four troubled teen industry facilities, each one more horrific than the last. The "troubled teen" industry refers to a range of residential treatment centers nationwide that are aimed at kids struggling with emotional or behavioral issues. Have a news tip or a story to share about residential treatment centers?

☆ Premarket stocks: Democratic senators want to ban trading in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Before the Bell spoke with Sen. Jeff Merkley, the lead sponsor of the Senate bill. For both reasons that stock trading needs to end. But even if Bed Bath and Beyond does emerge from bankruptcy, its future is not guaranteed. If it’s able to find a buyer, Bed Bath & Beyond will halt store closings. But if a buyer doesn’t come forward, Bed Bath & Beyond will likely be liquidated entirely and go out of business.

☆ Blinken to visit Vietnam next week, US senator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Vietnam next week, Senator Jeff Merkley told a news conference in Hanoi on Saturday, as part of Washington's efforts to move diplomatic relations with Hanoi on to a higher level this year. The United States is hoping to upgrade relations with Hanoi this year, ideally to coincide with the 10th anniversary in July of its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam. "Next week the Secretary of State will be here," Senator Merkley told reporters during a visit to Vietnam by a delegation of U.S. lawmakers aimed at boosting relations with Hanoi. Blinken is expected to visit Vietnam, likely on Saturday, before he heads to a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries in Japan on April 16-18. Before the call, multiple analysts had said Vietnam was cautious about an upgrade this year fearing that could cause tensions with China.

Then came the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train on February 3, releasing toxic chemicals into the air and nearby water, and he fears crashing the value of his home. There are too many unknowns.”Stewart, 65, recently voiced his fury and sadness about what he lost to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on a February 22 Town Hall about the derailment on CNN. Homeowners are worried that in addition to any health risks from the chemical release, the derailment has greatly diminished the value of their homes. I think they’re going to be in the crosshairs of the accountants of Norfolk Southern saying ‘We’re not going to pay full compensation.’”Norfolk can afford to compensate homeownersPaying the homeowners and businesses wouldn’t necessarily be difficult for Norfolk Southern. Those values are only a fraction of the money that Norfolk Southern earns.

☆ 2 Senate Democrats join GOP in rejecting socially conscious investing rule, rushing it back to Biden for a promised veto
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US Senate voted down a Biden-backed socially conscious investing rule 50-46. Two Democratic senators up for reelection in 2024 joined Republicans in opposing ESG. Wednesday's defectors, both of whom are facing tough reelection bids this cycle in states Donald Trump won by double digits in 2020, include Democratic Sens. The absence of Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania left Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer three votes down before deliberations even started.

☆ Here are the 5 senators who voted against giving workers break time to pump breast milk
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Five senators voted against expanding protections for breastfeeding workers. The PUMP Act will now be included in the federal Omnibus bill, which the president is expected to sign. In online statements on Thursday, Merkley and Murkowski celebrated the passage of the PUMP Act. "I am encouraged to see the PUMP Act pass the Senate—good progress toward ensuring no mother ever has to choose between a job and nursing her child," Murkowski said. Merkley and Murkowski initially tried to get the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act voted on as a standalone bill on Tuesday, but the attempt was blocked by Paul.

☆ The effort to ban members of Congress from trading stocks is mostly dead — at least for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Time has largely run out in this Congress to ban lawmakers from trading stocks. On Monday, he told Insider in a statement that he would "keep pushing to get this debated on the floor and get it passed." Democratic senators formed a working group, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's blessing, to draft legislation to ban stock trading among lawmakers. In the Senate, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told Insider that it was "not yet" time to declare the effort dead, pointing to ongoing discussions. "I support a stock ban for members of Congress," he told reporters in September.

☆ U.S. senators warn China against any violent crackdown on protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of more than 40 U.S. senators warned China on Thursday against any violent crackdown on protests there, saying it would do "extraordinary damage" to the U.S.-China relationship. The 42 senators, led by Democrats Dan Sullivan and Jeff Merkley and Republicans Mitch McConnell and Todd Young, said in a letter to China's Washington ambassador Qin Gang that they were following the protests in China very carefully. "We are also closely watching the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) reaction to them," the senators' letter said, noting Beijing's violent crackdown on student protesters in 1989 that they said killed hundreds, if not thousands of people. "We caution the CCP in the strongest possible terms not to once again undertake a violent crackdown on peaceful Chinese protesters who simply want more freedom. Three decades ago, in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, the United States and many Western governments imposed sanctions against China over the killings.

☆ How an arcane 96-year-old law stopped the rail strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The Railway Labor Act was passed in 1926 as one of the very first labor laws in the nation. Because of the law, the House was able to vote Wednesday to impose unpopular contracts on four rail unions whose members have already rejected the terms, followed by a vote by the Senate vote late Thursday that did the same. The Railway Labor Act, passed in 1926, is the reason Congress could intervene this week to block a strike by freight railroad unions. But under the Railway Labor Act, management can fall back on hopes that Congress will give them the deal it wants. When he served in the Senate, Biden voted against an earlier effort to impose a contract on the rail unions to keep them on the job.

☆ These 7 members of Congress who violated a federal conflict-of-interest law lost their elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Seven members of Congress who violated the STOCK Act lost their races in the 2022 midterm elections. Three of the members of Congress lost in their primary races. Since 2021, Insider and other outlets have identified 75 members who've violated provisions of the conflict-of-interest law. Since 2021, Insider's "Conflicted Congress" project — and other news organizations — have uncovered 75 members of Congress who've violated disclosure provisions of the STOCK Act. "I'm pleased to hear Trump supports a ban on congressional stock trading," Merkley said in an email.

☆ Senate Democrats laugh off Trump's endorsement of banning congressional stock trading. But there's still no consensus on passing their proposals in the lame duck session.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Senate Democrats have been wrestling with a proposed congressional stock trading ban. Donald Trump endorsed banning congressional stock trading in his 2024 campaign launch. He still felt qualified to weigh in on the unfinished legislative business Senate stock-ban point man Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon shelved until the lame duck in September. "I'm pleased to hear Trump supports a ban on congressional stock trading," Merkley wrote in an email. Stock trading ban advocate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts urged Democratic leaders to follow through on the most popular proposals before decamping for the holidays.

The first was Democrat Wes Moore, who beat Republican Dan Cox, becoming Maryland’s first Black governor, and only the third Black governor in the country. Black female candidates hoped to make history across gender and racial lines in several states, from Rep. Val Demings and Aramis Ayala in Florida to Chelsea Clark in Ohio and several women bidding to be the country’s first Black female governor. Although many of these key races ended in upsets for the Black female Democratic candidates, some states have ushered in new progressive representation. And in Massachusetts, Democrat Andrea Campbell beat out Republican Jay McMahon to become the state’s first Black female attorney general. “What we just saw in the midterms is that these Black women were able to inspire multiracial coalitions that enabled their wins.

☆ Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where on ballot
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Voters in three states approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, while those in a fourth state rejected the move. The measures approved Tuesday curtail the use of prison labor in Alabama, Tennessee and Vermont. In Louisiana, a former slave-holding state, voters rejected a ballot question known as Amendment 7 that asked whether they supported a constitutional amendment to prohibit the use of involuntary servitude in the criminal justice system. After Tuesday’s vote, more than a dozen states still have constitutions that include language permitting slavery and involuntary servitude for prisoners. Several other states have no constitutional language for or against the use of forced prison labor.

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