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☆ Republicans seek to sabotage year-end spending bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

An omnibus spending bill that would avert the closure of the federal government would be one of the last acts of unified Democratic political control of Washington. Democrats, meanwhile, understand that the government spending bill likely represents their last chance to enact Biden’s ambitious domestic plans until the next presidential election. If lawmakers cannot agree on a deal, they will face the possibility of either passing a short-term spending bill to carry the debate into the new Congress or a longer-term continuing resolution that would extend current spending levels. But in a sign of the consuming nature of the spending showdown, Republicans emerged from the meeting complaining that the two secretaries spent time lobbying for an omnibus spending bill over a continuing resolution. He said that Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had asked Blinken and Austin to explain why the new spending bill was so necessary.

There’s no doubt that our country is still incredibly divided after the deadly Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Recipients were the heroic law enforcement officers of the U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6. McConnell and McCarthy shouldn’t be allowed to just go on as if these moments are just business as usual. During the ceremony, McConnell touted the bravery of the officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6. He and many of his GOP colleagues have made it abundantly clear that they believe the investigation was purely a political vehicle to attack Trump.

☆ Trump-backed Walker loses: Three takeaways from Georgia U.S. Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker gives a concession speech during his election night party after losing the U.S. midterm runoff election to Democratic U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock beat Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a Georgia runoff election that fortified Democrats' Senate majority and handed the Republican Party another bitter loss to cap a disappointing midterm election season. Trump held two rallies for Walker in Georgia, but did not come to the state for the runoff, only phoning in to boost supporters on Monday night. That forced uncomfortable congressional Republicans to respond to Trump's statements in the days before the runoff election, pulling the focus from Walker's candidacy. At one rally prior to the runoff, Walker publicly mused about whether a werewolf could kill a vampire.

The family of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died hours after defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, refused to shake hands with the two top Republican members of Congress at a Tuesday ceremony. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell holds out his hand for a handshake with Charles Sicknick, the father of fallen U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, during a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on Dec. 6, 2022. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images“We got together and said we’re not going to shake their hands,” Gladys Sicknick, mother of the late officer, told NBC News. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Khater admitted that he sprayed two officers in the face with chemical irritant: Sicknick and Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards.

But first: The results from five counties will help tell us if Democrat Raphael Warnock is on track to win tonight’s Senate runoff in Georgia. Warnock got 56.9% of the vote in Cobb when he won the Jan. 2021 runoff, and he got just under that last November (56.8%). And in Gwinnett, Warnock got 60.6% of the vote in the 2021 runoff, compared with 58.9% last month against Walker. In rural Chattooga — one of NBC News’ “County to County” counties — Warnock got just 20.5% when he won the 2021 runoff, and he got less than that in the November general election (19.8%). Data Download: The number of the day is … $7.79 billionThat’s how much money was spent on political television, radio and digital ads this entire cycle (starting the day after the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff through today’s runoff), per AdImpact.

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally to support Republican candidates ahead of midterm elections, in Dayton, Ohio, U.S. November 7, 2022. "Every President and every member of Congress swears to 'defend' the Constitution of the United States," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said on Monday. "Asking Members of Congress to reaffirm their oath of office and uphold the Constitution should not be a heavy lift. Some Republicans condemned the remarks made by Trump on Saturday on his Truth Social online platform but many remained silent or did not condemn him by name. Both Cornyn and Thune, however, stopped short of saying Trump's remarks should disqualify him as a presidential candidate when they were asked that by reporters.

☆ Anthony Fauci says he will cooperate fully with possible House Republican investigation into Covid origins
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus during the White House press briefing on Tuesday, November 22, 2022. White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that he will fully cooperate with House Republicans if they launch an investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. GOP lawmakers vowed in August to open such a probe and call on Fauci to testify if they won a majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections. "If there are oversight hearings I absolutely will cooperate fully and testify before the Congress" Fauci told reporters Tuesday during a briefing at the White House. Fauci has maintained that it is much more likely that the virus spilled from animals into people.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene will be the real Speaker behind the scenes even if Kevin McCarthy gets the job: Former GOP congressman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former GOP congressman Joe Walsh said Rep. Kevin McCarthy will just be Speaker in name. He said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will be the one in control, even if McCarthy wins the post. "Look, McCarthy will probably be Speaker, but let's be real — Marjorie Taylor Greene these next two years will be Speaker of the House," Walsh told MSNBC's Katie Phang on Sunday. They know who Marjorie Taylor Greene is," he said. In response, Schiff blasted McCarthy as a "weak leader," saying McCarthy would "do whatever Marjorie Taylor Greene wants him to do," voicing a similar sentiment to Walsh.

☆ Democrat Frisch concedes to MAGA Republican Boebert in tight race for Colorado House seat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorados Third Congressional District makes a campaign stop at Wild Beaver Mountain Man Emporium on October 4, 2022 in Creede, Colorado. Democratic candidate Adam Frisch announced Friday that he conceded the race for one of Colorado's congressional seats to incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, giving the GOP another vote in the U.S. House. Boebert trailed Frisch, a former member of the Aspen City Council, in fundraising during the third quarter. Frisch raised more than $1 million and Boebert raised $936,000 over the three months ended Sept. 30, Federal Election Commission filings show. In October alone, Frisch raised more than $886,000 while Boebert brought in more than $373,000, federal campaign finance records show.

☆ Republican U.S. House will sharpen China focus, monitor Ukraine aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican in line to head the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said his top priority will be competing with a rising China, including monitoring high-tech exports. To become law, any bills must be passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden. McCaul said he expected the aid to keep flowing, noting bipartisan support for the Kyiv government. The House Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees also plan a joint investigation of business dealings that Hunter Biden had with a Chinese energy firm in 2017. The Democratic-led House impeached Trump in 2019 on charges that he withheld military aid to Ukraine to put pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to launch an investigation of Hunter Biden.

Despite Republican hopes for a "red wave" of support in the Nov. 8 elections, they failed to reverse Democrats' razor-thin Senate majority. They appear to be on course to win a narrow House majority, having won 217 of the 218 seats they would need, with 10 still uncalled. McConnell and Scott both addressed the gathering, which included newly elected Trump-backed Senate Republicans, including J.D. [1/5] U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2022. While Senate Republicans met in the morning to vote for party leaders, House Republicans were due later in the day to consider chamber rules for the next Congress, assuming they succeed in capturing the House.

☆ Many Republican Lawmakers Are Wary of New Trump Presidential Bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Siobhan Hughes | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Many congressional Republicans said they were wary of former President Donald Trump’s launch of another bid for the White House, expressing concern that his move could distract from the party’s effort to win a Dec. 6 Georgia Senate runoff in the short term and hurt the GOP’s appeal to a swath of voters in the long term. Mr. Trump announced his third consecutive presidential campaign Tuesday night at his Mar-a-Lago estate—a week after Republicans’ disappointing performance in the midterms, including losses in some key Senate races by Trump-backed candidates. The move came just as Capitol Hill Republicans were pondering their own leadership, with the House GOP picking Kevin McCarthy for their speaker candidate Tuesday and Senate Republicans held leadership elections Wednesday.

[1/5] U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2022. Trump, who launched his own 2024 White House candidacy on Tuesday, falsely claims he lost because of fraud. "The Democrats outmaneuver us in every election," Braun said as Republicans met to choose their leaders for the next two years. In the House, conservative Republicans continued to bash party leader Kevin McCarthy, a day after he overcame a challenger for the chamber's top job of House speaker. While Senate Republicans met in the morning to vote for party leaders, House Republicans were due later in the day to consider chamber rules for the next Congress, assuming they succeed in capturing the House.

Congressional Democrats are weighing a push for a fix to the decade-old program that protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants known as “Dreamers” in the lame-duck session. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., mentioned addressing DACA as a top priority in the lame-duck session during a Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday, a senior Democratic aide told NBC News. “We want to get DACA done,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. He expressed confidence that a group of Senate Democrats, including Durbin, are working to gain the Republican votes needed in the upper chamber. Democrats are projected to hold onto the majority in the Senate, but control of the House remains unknown.

☆ White House requests $37.7 billion in new Ukraine funding, $10 billion for Covid relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The White House is requesting nearly $40 billion in new funding from Congress to support Ukraine and an additional $10 billion for pandemic relief. Other House Republicans like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said at the beginning of the month "not another penny will go to Ukraine" under Republican leadership. The formal funding request also includes $9.25 billion for Covid-19 relief and $750 million to address other infectious diseases. The White House is requesting $2.5 billion for Covid-19 vaccine access and replenishing the Strategic National Stockpile, $5 billion for further vaccine development, $750 million for long Covid research and $1 billion to international aid combatting the virus. The White House also requested an unspecified amount for natural disaster relief to help Florida and Puerto Rico rebuild from Hurricanes Ian and Fiona.

☆ Climate advocates win key governors races as Democrats defy 'red wave' in midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

This year, state laws could have the greatest implications for climate action since state officials can accelerate their own climate agendas even in a divided Congress, advocates say. Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty ImagesClimate action could also move forward in Maryland and Minnesota after environmental victories in those two gubernatorial races. Ahmad Gharabli | AFP | Getty ImagesThe climate victories in gubernatorial races have notable implications for national and local climate policies, advocates say, especially with respect to deploying funding from Biden's climate legislation. Still, climate groups are concerned for provisions within the climate bill if Republicans do seize control of one or both chambers of Congress. Biden, who will attend the summit on Friday, said he is eager to work with congressional Republicans after the midterm elections but emphasized he would not compromise his climate agenda.

☆ Biden says he wants to work with Republicans, but won't compromise on abortion, Social Security and climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

As Biden spoke at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, it was not clear which party would ultimately hold a majority in either chamber of Congress. There's too much of that going on, and there's too much we have to do," Biden said at the White House. President Joe Biden said Wednesday he is eager to work with congressional Republicans after the midterm elections , but stressed he would not compromise on issues like abortion rights and Social Security. He said that after he returns from the G-20 summit in Indonesia, he will invite the leaders from both parties to the White House to outline economic and national security priorities for 2023. "And I'm not going to walk away from the historic commitments we just made to take on the climate crisis.

☆ Debt ceiling showdown could be first battle for new Congress and White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Congress last raised the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion December, 2021, providing enough borrowing capacity to get past the midterm elections. "Since 2011, the market really hasn't reacted too much to the debt ceiling fights. That would pit the White House against congressional Republicans, who see raising the debt ceiling as an opportunity to cut and redirect spending. President Joe Biden, in a tweet, last weekend talked about the pending debt ceiling battle. He said that even before the debt ceiling, Congress needs to pass a continuing resolution in December to temporarily fund the government.

☆ Republican takeover of U.S. Congress would mean tax fights are back
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( David Lawder | Gram Slattery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Congressional Republicans' tax strategies and a Democratic White House could ultimately mean a status quo on rates, deductions and credits for the next two years, tax professionals and analysts say. TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT"We want to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, which will strengthen the economy," a senior House Republican aide told Reuters. That 2017 Republican-passed tax law slashed top-line tax rates on corporations, a permanent feature that Democrats failed to reverse with control of Congress over the last two years. AIMING AT THE IRSOther targets for Republican tax legislation include rolling back a new 15% domestic corporate minimum tax for large companies and $80 billion in new funding for the Internal Revenue Service in Biden's climate and healthcare law. It will be used to fill thousands of IRS positions coming empty due to retirements and budget cuts; Republicans have described the hires as an 'army' aimed at harassing taxpayers.

☆ The White House is touting a huge boost to Social Security checks. It's happening because inflation is sky high.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

That's despite Social Security cost of living adjustments being directly tied to inflation since 1972. The boon to Social Security is accurate, but it's one that would happen regardless of Biden's stewardship. The direct relationship between inflation and Social Security has existed since 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed automatic benefit adjustments. It's the largest rise in Social Security payments in about that same amount of time, and will increase monthly Social Security checks by about $145 per month on average, according to the AARP. And protecting Medicare and Social Security are top issues for them, according to an AARP survey analysis.

☆ A timeline of threats against Nancy Pelosi — from the January 6 death threats to a claim about beheading her 'jihadist style' — that preceded the attack on her husband
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A man who violently attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, may have been looking for her. Nancy Pelosi has faced several threats, including some that resulted in charges or conviction. "Nancy Pelosi is apart [sic] of a satanic cult and so are the people who work closely with her. A relative had informed her of a text Meredith sent in which he threatened Pelosi, prosecutors said. "The attacker who injured Paul Pelosi was looking for Nancy Pelosi, likely wanting to finish the job."

☆ The GOP is hammering Democrats on the economy, but they're also not doing anything to help
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Republicans are polling ahead of Democrats as midterms near, especially on economic issues. Polling shows that it's very possible House Republicans win back the majority on November 8 with more than 20 House seats, once the upper range of most analysts' projections, Axios reported last week. In one NBC News poll from last month, voters favored Republicans by nearly 20% on the issue of the economy. "There's nothing — nothing — that would create more chaos, more inflation, and more damage to the American economy than this." "Congressional Republicans have laid out their mega MAGA trickle-down economic plan clearly," the White House said in a Thursday statement.

☆ Premarket stocks: The Fed is killing the housing market
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

This ultra-resilient economy stands in the face of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive attempts to quell inflation by slowing growth through aggressive interest rates. Those higher rates, fueled by the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented campaign of hiking interest rates to tame soaring inflation, are beginning to choke the housing market. “The surge in mortgage rates and extremely high housing prices has led to massive pullback in first time home purchasing and has pushed investors to the side. But housing is a bellwether for the rest of the economy, and these contractions will inevitably weigh on broader US growth. Alphabet (GOOG) and Facebook parent Meta Platforms (META) fell short of earnings expectations last quarter, citing a slowing digital ad market.

☆ Biden to warn Republicans will boost inflation in Syracuse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Biden will visit Syracuse, New York, where Micron Technology plans to invest up to $100 billion in computer chip manufacturing, part of tens of billions in new factory spending announced after Biden signed the CHIPS Act subsidizing the industry in August. In Syracuse, Biden will lay out his efforts to rebuild the American middle class and bring manufacturing jobs back to upstate New York, and contrast them with what he has called Republicans' "mega MAGA trickle down agenda." Senior administration officials said Wednesday he will say the Republican economic plans will benefit the super wealthy and increase inflation. Earlier this week, Biden warned Republicans would cause 'chaos' in the world's largest economy. Syracuse's surrounding Onondaga County voted nearly 60% for Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

☆ Biden's White House says the GOP's 'MAGA trickle-down economic plan' will increase student-loan payments and raise inflation for Americans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The White House said Republicans will raise inflation through their economic priorities. Biden's student-debt relief plan is currently paused as an appeals court makes a decision on its legality. "Republican officials are suing to block the Biden administration's student debt relief plan. If they succeed, that would mean higher debt payments for the over 40 million Americans who could benefit from up to $20,000 in student debt relief," the White House said. Even before Biden's August announcement of the debt relief, many Republican lawmakers were suspect of its legality.

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