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☆ Cassidy Hutchinson says Ted Cruz told her not to be a 'tattletale' after she complained to Mark Meadows that Cruz crashed a Trump tarmac arrival in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cassidy Hutchinson, in her new memoir, recounted her dismay with Ted Cruz over a 2020 incident. AdvertisementAdvertisementFormer White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, in her new memoir, said that Sen. Ted Cruz told her not to be a "tattletale" after she vented to Mark Meadows about him showing up to greet President Donald Trump at a tarmac arrival in Texas. In the memoir, Hutchinson described her plan to have Republican Gov. As a top aide to then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Hutchinson said she wasn't impressed by Cruz's actions. "That was the last time I spoke to Ted Cruz," she added.

Persons: Cassidy Hutchinson, Ted Cruz, Hutchinson, Greg Abbott, Cruz, —, Sen, Mark Meadows, Donald Trump, Texas . Hutchinson, Hurricane Laura, Steve Scalise, Cruz —, texted, POTUS, Governor Abbott, wasn't, Abbott, He'll, Meadows, Insider's Bryan Metzger, he'd Organizations: Texas Gov, Trump, Service, White House, Republican, OLA, Legislative Affairs, Capitol, Democrats Locations: Texas ., Hurricane, Gulf, Texas, Louisiana, —

☆ Cassidy Hutchinson: Trump is the 'most grave threat' to American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“I think that Donald Trump is the most grave threat we will face to our democracy in our lifetime, and potentially in American history,” Hutchinson told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview Tuesday. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson speaks to CNN's Jake Tapper in New York on Tuesday, September 26. Laura Oliverio/CNN“The counts that Donald Trump is currently facing – he is facing counts of obstructing the Constitution – to me that is disqualifying. Donald Trump should be disqualified from being the president of the United States – to me that’s not a question,” Hutchinson said. “But I’m not confident he’s a good leader for the Republican Party because he’s a talking head for Donald Trump.

Persons: CNN — Cassidy Hutchinson, Donald Trump, “, ” Hutchinson, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Hutchinson’s, Trump, Mark Meadows, . Hutchinson, Tapper, Cassidy Hutchinson, Jake Tapper, Laura Oliverio, that’s, Trump’s, Cassidy Hutchinson's, Simon, Schuster Hutchinson, Meadows, he’s, ’ Meadows, Hutchinson, ”, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin, I’m, Kevin hasn’t, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence –, Mike Pence, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Farah Griffin, I’ve, Liz Cheney, Cheney, ‘, ’ ” Farah Griffin, CNN’s, Adam Kinzinger, hadn’t, ’ Hutchinson Organizations: CNN, White House, ., United, Trump, Trump White House, Republican, White, Republican Party, Fox News, Capitol Locations: New York, United States, ” Meadows, Meadows, Fulton County, Georgia, “, New Jersey, Arkansas, Florida, Mar

Washington CNN —In her new book “Enough,” former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson paints the closing days of the Trump White House as even more chaotic and lawless than she previously disclosed in her shocking televised testimony last summer. “We killed Herman Cain,” Meadows told Hutchinson and asked for his wife’s phone number. Unlike White House communications director Alyssa Farah, who resigned on December 3, 2020, or deputy White House press secretary Sarah Matthews, who left on January 6, 2021, Hutchinson remained. In the summer of 2017, Trump’s first year in office, Hutchinson was an intern in Sen. Ted Cruz’s office. It turns out, Hutchinson writes, that she coordinated with Farah, who is now a CNN political commentator, telling her everything she knew.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Cassidy Hutchinson, Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, Trump, Rudy Giuliani gropes Hutchinson, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, “ Cass, ” Meadows, Hutchinson, Cassidy Hutchinson's, Simon, Schuster, Meadows, “, ” Hutchinson, Herman Cain, Covid, furtively, Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinski, Mark ’ Meadows, National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Tom Brenner, McCarthy, Ken Paxton, ” Trump, Trump . Hutchinson, Devin Nunes, “ Mark doesn’t, ”, Tony Ornato, Mike Flynn, Sidney Powell, Patrick Byrne, Derek Lyons, Brad Raffensperger, Pat Cipollone, Cipollone, Tony, –, ” Ornato, They’re, Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani, Brendan Smialowski, Alyssa Farah, Sarah Matthews, Donald Trump’s, Hey Cass, Kimberly Guilfoyle’s, ‘, ’, Kayleigh McEnany, Wisconsin Tom Brenner, Trump’s, Sen, Ted Cruz’s, didn’t, Stefan Passantino, Passantino, “ Stefan, Andrew Harnik, Farah, Liz Cheney, Jobs Organizations: Washington CNN, White, Trump White House, Trump, Capitol, White House, GOP, CNN, Secret Service, Republican National Committee, National Intelligence, Texas, Meadows, Georgia, State, Biden, Capitol Hill, Getty, Team Trump, Legislative Affairs, Press, Air Force, Texas Republican Locations: Tulsa , Oklahoma, North Carolina, Meadows, Fulton, Georgia, AFP, Russia, you’re, California, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida

Let’s go to work.”Tuberville’s blockade is unique because it affects hundreds of military nominations and promotions. But, while unusual, Tuberville's office notes that lawmakers from both parties have threatened holds on military promotions over the years. But if Republican leaders are pressuring Tuberville to end his holds, they are not doing so publicly. Some Republicans have suggested that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., could hold votes on some of the most critical nominations. “I'd like to vote to rescind the policy, but I'm not going to hold the military up in perpetuity,” Graham said.

Persons: Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, “ We're, ”, servicemembers, Navy Carlos Del Toro, Tuberville, ” “, “, ” Tuberville, Lloyd Austin, Let’s, It’s, What's, Austin, Court’s Dobbs, “ I'm, Sen, John Thune, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, ” Schumer, Lindsey Graham, it's, I'm, ” Graham, Roger Wicker, ” Wicker Organizations: WASHINGTON, Alabama, Pentagon, Navy, Air Force, Army, Washington Post, Marine Corps, CNN, ‘, Democratic, Senate, Defense Department, Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican, Marines, Space Force, Senate Armed Services Locations: Washington, Russia, Tuberville

☆ IRS delays change for 401(k) catch-up contributions. Here's what higher earners need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Terry Vine | Getty ImagesHigher earners who maximize retirement savings now have more time for pretax catch-up 401(k) contributions, thanks to new IRS guidance. Currently, "catch-up contributions" allow savers 50 and older to funnel an extra $7,500 into 401(k) plans and other retirement plans beyond the $22,500 employee deferral limit for 2023. But the IRS on Friday announced a two-year delay for the change, meaning savers can still make pretax catch-up contributions through 2025, regardless of income. "The administrative transition period will help taxpayers transition smoothly to the new Roth catch-up requirement," the IRS said in a statement. Some 16% of eligible employees took advantage of catch-up contributions in 2022, according to a recent Vanguard report based on roughly 1,700 retirement plans.

Persons: Terry Vine, Roth, Dan Galli, Daniel J, Galli, Diann Howland Organizations: IRS, Galli & Associates, Associates, American, Council Locations: , Massachusetts

Mr. Smith is not the first special counsel to investigate Mr. Trump. Mr. Smith, by contrast, faces no such limits given that Mr. Trump is no longer in office. Mr. Mueller said little when faced with a barrage of falsehoods pushed publicly by Mr. Trump and his allies about him and his investigative team. During Mr. Trump’s arraignment in Miami in June, Mr. Smith sat in the gallery, closely watching the proceedings. Some in the courtroom suggested he stared at Mr. Trump for much of the hearing, sizing him up.

Persons: General Merrick B, Garland, Jack Smith’s, Donald J, Trump, Smith, Maddie McGarvey, The New York Times “, ”, Ryan Goodman, Trump’s, Robert S, Mueller, Smith —, —, Goodman, Smith “, Edgar Hoover, Mueller III, Anna Moneymaker, Ted Stevens, “, Robert McDonnell, Rick Renzi, James, Smith’s, Jay I, Bratt, Cooney, Robert Menendez, Greg Craig, Obama, Andrew G, McCabe, Roger J, Stone Jr, William P, Barr, Aaron Zelinsky, Thomas P, Windom, Peter Dejong Mr, John H ., Carlos F, legwork, sotto, intently, Alan Feuer Organizations: White, The New York Times, New York University School of Law, Capitol, Washington, Department, Just Security, Trump, U.S, New York Times, Justice Department, Justice, Republican, Supreme, Mr, Department of Justice, Democrats, Robert Menendez of New, Hague, Credit, House Republicans, U.S . Postal Inspection Service Locations: Washington, The Hague, Russia, Alaska, Virginia, Arizona, Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, U.S, Netherlands, John H . Durham, ’, Miami

☆ 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

It was one the president deployed once again behind closed doors at the White House. With Memorial Day on the horizon, senior White House officials said protecting veterans’ benefits was a top priority. They also knew it was a sensitive issue for Republicans’ politically, especially as House Republicans parried White House allegations about cuts to veterans’ services. White House officials would engage in conversations where their Republican counterparts would outline a potential resolution on issues. For months, White House officials hoped – and to some degree based on past battles, expected – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell would engage in finding a resolution.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, “, ” Biden, Kevin McCarthy, simmered, Steve Ricchetti, Louisa Terrell, Shalanda Young, reticence, Biden didn’t, McCarthy, ’ carveouts, Republicans ’, Republicans parried, ” Terrell, ”, ” Young, Jeff Zients, –, would’ve, that’s, ” Zients, ” Ricchetti, Patrick McHenry, Young, Michael Linden, Ricchetti, McCarthy’s, Mitch McConnell, Terrell, McHenry, Garret Graves, Graves, Dan Meyer, they’ve, “ There’s, you’re, cleaver Organizations: CNN, Resolute, Legislative, White, Republican, FBI, Republicans, Internal Revenue Service, SNAP, Congressional, Office, Progressive, Young, White House, GOP, Biden, Republican Rep, Congress, dropoff, Air Force Academy Locations: Washington, Garret Graves of Louisiana, McHenry, Louisiana, Ukraine, Colorado

☆ Inside a debt ceiling standoff ‘far more dangerous than people will recognize’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jeremy Diamond Lauren Fox Melanie Zanona Phil Mattingly Arlette Saenz Kevin Liptak | Jeremy Diamond | Lauren Fox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

“She’s well respected by both sides,” McCarthy said of the former longtime House Appropriations Committee staffer, according to White House officials. “Asking me about the communication (with the White House) implies there was communication,” one House Democrat said. For the White House negotiators, that meant late nights and early mornings. The White House negotiators left Capitol Hill abruptly and for hours, it was unclear when the conversations would resume. Quietly, White House negotiators had never actually stopped talking to their Republican counterparts.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, “, “ You’ve, ” Rep, Patrick McHenry, Biden, Steve Ricchetti, Shalanda Young, Louisa Terrell, ” McCarthy, James S, Alex Wong, Young, Garret Graves, ” Graves, Graves, Tom Cole of, ” Cole, White, Jeff Zients, McHenry, ‘, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Ricchetti, ”, ” Terrell, Dan Meyer, –, apprised, decamping, ’, Anna Moneymaker, nonstarters, ” McHenry, McHenry –, —, Susan Walsh, businesslike, Biden’s, Eisenhower, Zients, Jose Luis Magana, Young –, Louisianans –, Jim Clyburn, Clyburn, Annie Kuster, ” Kuster, wasn’t, ” Young Organizations: CNN, White, ”, Republican, Legislative, Young, Management, Brady, Capitol, White House, GOP, McCarthy’s, Pennsylvania, Capitol Hill, U.S, Biden, Democrat, Democratic, Republicans, Building, Air Force, West Executive, LSU Tigers, South Carolina Democrat, New Democrat Coalition, Democrats Locations: Irish, Washington , DC, Louisiana, Tom Cole of Oklahoma, McHenry, Hiroshima, Japan, Washington

☆ Biden and McCarthy to meet on the debt ceiling with only 10 days until U.S. risks default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Biden joined Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other members of Congress for the traditional St. Patrick's Day Friends of Ireland Luncheon. Biden and McCarthy are set to meet at 5:30 p.m. WASHINGTON — White House negotiators and representatives of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy resumed debt ceiling talks Monday morning, as President Joe Biden prepared to meet with McCarthy face to face with only 10 days to go until the U.S. risks default. Biden is hoping to reach a debt limit deal that would push the next deadline out past the 2024 presidential election. But House Republicans, who so far have endorsed only a one-year hike, say that if Biden wants more time, then he will need to agree to even more cuts.

☆ Biden Taps Two Negotiators to Reach Debt Ceiling Deal With Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of the biggest developments out of Tuesday’s debt ceiling meeting was President Biden’s selection of two officials to negotiate directly with aides to Speaker Kevin McCarthy: Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Steve Ricchetti, a White House senior adviser. That decision appeared to mollify Mr. McCarthy, who noted after the meeting that “we finally have a formula that has proven to work in the past.”Ms. Young and Mr. Ricchetti bring years of experience working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to forge deals on critical pieces of legislation. But they will still face a difficult task in trying to reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling ahead of a potential default as soon as June 1. They are expected to work closely with Louisa Terrell, the director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. Here’s a look at the two key players who will represent Mr. Biden as policymakers work to avoid what many say would be an economically devastating default.

Stalemate in Washington over raising the U.S. debt limit raises the risk of fresh turmoil for markets. Past debt ceiling fights have typically ended with a hastily arranged agreement in the final hours of negotiations, thus avoiding a default. "No," McCarthy said when asked by reporters if he would agree to align the debt ceiling with the budget process should Biden propose such an idea. Biden would agree to a separate discussion on the budget but not tied to the debt ceiling, the White House said. White House staff and aides to the congressional leaders quietly met on Friday to begin talking about the debt limit.

Reuters spoke to political tacticians and advisers inside and outside the White House and Congress about tell-tale signals that could come from the meeting. The meeting is set to include Biden, McCarthy, Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. As invitees to the White House, they're not expected to bring any other lawmakers. MCCARTHY, BIDEN'S TONE BEFORE AND AFTERHeading into Tuesday's meeting, Biden and McCarthy have cast one another as stubborn, misguided and, at times, dangerous. White House officials say they want this to be a productive meeting, not just Washington theater.

☆ US regulators are working to bail out SVB customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —American regulators are working through the weekend on an extraordinary plan to make Silicon Valley Bank customers whole after the financial institutions’ stunning and rapid collapse late last week. Treasury, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. officials over the past two days have worked with the Biden administration to develop facilities that would guarantee all uninsured deposits held by SVB customers. If a sale fails, customers could collect some of their uninsured deposits as the government unwinds and liquidates the bank’s assets to repay them. As of the end of last year, Silicon Valley Bank said it had $151.5 billion in uninsured deposits, $137.6 billion of which was held by American customers. Customers yanked $42 billion from Silicon Valley Bank on Thursday, leaving the bank with $1 billion in negative cash balance, the company said in a regulatory filing.

☆ Kevin McCarthy is working tirelessly and spending a lot of his political capital to win fights that don't actually matter.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kevin McCarthy rallied GOP lawmakers to oust Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. But taking Omar off the Foreign Affairs panel took a good deal more effort on his part. The Omar vote was seen as a huge victory for the party, especially coming off McCarthy's protracted 15 rounds of balloting to secure the House speakership. Republicans led a successful effort to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. While Republican leaders were pleased with the outcome, the behind-the-scenes work to push through a successful vote against Omar took up a lot of political oxygen.

☆ How the market is rating the risk of debt ceiling default and a divided, dysfunctional Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

That would be the worst-case outcome, of course, but even the best case will probably see the sort of brinksmanship that occurred in the 2011 debt ceiling crisis." From the Senate, Mitch McConnell recently said it's an issue for Biden and the House GOP to work out. Kevin Brady , the former top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, dismissed talk of debt default as "fear mongering." Narrowness of GOP House majority does matterJPMorgan also referred to the path for a political agreement as being "narrow." In 2013, the Federal Reserve ran a simulation of a debt default by the U.S. government.

☆ Justice Department Says It Won’t Discuss Ongoing Probes With House
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Sadie Gurman | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department told lawmakers Friday it would cooperate with congressional inquiries but wouldn’t provide details about continuing probes and prosecutions, setting the stage for clashes with House Republicans as they launch a wide-ranging investigation of federal law enforcement. “We share your belief that congressional oversight is vital to our functioning democracy,” Carlos Uriarte, head of the department’s Office of Legislative Affairs, told the House Judiciary Committee in a letter. But, he said, the department’s mission to “uphold the rule of law requires us to maintain the integrity of our investigations, prosecutions, and civil actions, and to avoid even a perception that our efforts are influenced by anything but the law and the facts.”

Those confidentiality interests include not divulging information on ongoing investigations, Urierte said. Jordan sent Garland a letter demanding information on that investigation last week. Longstanding Department policy prevents us from confirming or denying the existence of pending investigations in response to congressional requests or providing non-public information about our investigations,” the letter said. Without prioritization, requests will take longer to resolve and will be more likely to yield irrelevant information," the letter said. The committee responded in a tweet later Friday, saying, "Why’s DOJ scared to cooperate with our investigations?"

☆ Top government ethics officer was late disclosing his personal finances on multiple occasions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The attorney, Office of Government Ethics General Counsel David Apol, missed deadlines to report at least 12 different bond transactions since 2015. Improperly reporting purchases and sales of bonds or stocks is a violation of the 2012 Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act. Officials are only required to report transactions in broad ranges. Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia has been one of the lead proponents in Congress of reforming the STOCK Act. Congress this year discussed changes to the STOCK Act and the US House even held a hearing following the publication of "Conflicted Congress."

As the director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, Terrell, 53, leads a team that is the president’s collective eyes and ears in Congress. In fact, when we sat down for our conversation in the White House Executive Office Building, she said it was her first television interview – ever. And I think that kind of credibility on the Hill has been very important to move things.”Deep relationships matter too, she said. Courtesy Louisa TerrellTerrell’s lifelong relationship with the Biden family means she brings a unique perspective to her work in the White House. “There are folks in our shop, and again, folks here in the White House, who have some of those relationships.

☆ Biden Interior rule would limit methane leaks, gas flaring from public lands drilling
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The primary component of natural gas is methane, which is odorless when it comes directly out of the gas well. In addition to methane, natural gas typically contains other hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes. The BLM's proposed rule comes after the Environmental Protection Agency said it would expand its 2021 methane rule to require drillers to identify and plug leaks at every well site across the country. Western and national conservation groups said the proposal marks a critical first step but should be strengthened to eliminate gas flaring. The BLM is accepting comments on the proposed rule for 60 days and a final rule is anticipated next year.

The Biden administration on Friday announced plans to significantly tighten regulations against methane emissions from domestic oil and gas drilling. The Environmental Protection Agency said the proposed standards would reduce methane from the oil and gas sector by 87% below 2005 levels. In the United States, oil and natural gas operations are the nation’s biggest industrial source of methane, according to the EPA. The Biden administration announced its plan to reduce methane emissions in November 2021 at the last U.N. Last year, the U.S. and the European Union launched the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce the world’s methane emissions by 30 percent by the end of the decade.

☆ Nancy Pelosi's congressional stock trading ban has a massive blind trust loophole and is too broad, ethics experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But ethics experts say the bill has a major loophole when it comes to blind trusts, and is too broad. Broadly speaking, a blind trust is a financial arrangement wherein people turn over their assets to be managed by an independent entity to prevent a conflict of interest. Several previously-introduced bills to ban stock trading allow for lawmakers to place their stocks into a blind trust, rather than fully selling off existing stock holdings. "You'd be able to create any kind of a trust you want to, put anything you want into it, and call it a blind trust, even though there wouldn't actually be any way to prove that it is, in fact, a blind trust." Payne also said the blind trust loophole was a "small risk," but that in an optimistic scenario, "that language allows this law to grow for future circumstances that you just can't be prepared for."

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