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☆ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said 'mental illness, drugs, and evil forces' are to blame for Texas mall shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed "mental illness, drugs, and evil forces" for the Texas mall shooting. The congresswoman repeated right-wing talking points that link antidepressants to mass shootings. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 7, 2023She doubled down on the claims that mental health and drug addiction were to blame for mass shootings. The Georgia Republican repeated the right-wing talking point that links antidepressants to mass shootings. The Texas mall shooting suspect, who also died, has not yet been named, and it is unclear whether he suffered from mental health issues or drug addiction.

Florida lawmakers sent DeSantis a bill that would let him stay governor while running for president. "I don't think we have seen a six-month stretch that has ever been this productive in the history of our state," DeSantis said at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Friday. Should DeSantis be successful in a presidential run, he would follow in the footsteps of Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush. Ron DeSantis speaks during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, on November 8, 2022. During a press conference in Panama City, Florida, on Thursday, DeSantis continued to play coy about his intentions.

☆ Ted Cruz defends three-times-a-week podcasting side-hustle, says it's a 'critical part of the job'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ted Cruz's highest-profile 2024 Democratic challenger says the Texas senator is podcasting too much. But Cruz argues that hosting a thrice-weekly podcast is "critical" to being effective as a senator. "That is not somehow peripheral to doing the job," said Cruz. The Texas senator began the project over three years ago, during former President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. Though some other lawmakers also host podcasts, Cruz is well ahead of the pack in terms of the sheer volume of podcasting he does.

☆ Fact Check-False claim U.S. military sentenced Liz Cheney stems from hoax website
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The claim is false and stems from Real Raw News (archive.is/b1wAS). The Poynter Institute for Media Studies characterized Real Raw News as a website that “regularly publishes fantastical, false stories with made-to-go-viral headlines" (here). A spokesperson for the Office of the Secretary of Defense also told Reuters via email that the claim is false. Reuters has previously addressed viral claims that stemmed from Real Raw News (here), (here). The claim stems from a hoax website.

[1/2] Solar panels are built at the QCells solar energy manufacturing factory in Dalton, Georgia, U.S., March 2, 2023. The Inflation Reduction Act, which passed last year without a single Republican vote, is a signature Biden accomplishment and offers $369 billion investment to address climate change. This includes $270 billion in tax incentives. Republicans have portrayed the tax credits as a distortion of the free market that gives unfair advantage to clean-energy producers over fossil fuels. Frisone, of CZAR-Power, said he plans to call Republican officeholders to make his case, adding, "This is a political stunt -- why are we doing it?"

☆ TikTok ban is the least palatable of options
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Montana is following a movement around the United States to try to keep Americans from using TikTok. That has consequences: The United States has never pulled a platform used by so many people to communicate. China, which before TikTok had never cracked the U.S. market with a successful social media network, is unlikely to let ByteDance part with TikTok. More recently the company had been working with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to ease concerns. TikTok users in the United States could still binge on short videos, but the company – and its rivals – would face tougher constraints.

CNN —The ISIS-K leader who planned the deadly 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul international airport’s Abbey Gate was killed by the Taliban, according to the National Security Council. Kirby did not specify when the Taliban killed the ISIS-K leader, but called it one in a “series of high-profile leadership losses” that ISIS-K has suffered this year. The terrorist who carried out the suicide bombing, Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri, had been released from prison only days earlier when the Taliban took control of the area. ISIS-K stands for ISIS-Khorasan, the terror organization’s affiliate that is active in Afghanistan and the surrounding region. Taylor Hoover, who was killed in the bombing, told CNN that he was notified by the military Tuesday morning.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill to authorize the U.S. Mint to alter the metal content of coins in order to save taxpayers money will be reintroduced on Thursday, the two senators sponsoring the bill told CNBC exclusively. Officially titled the Coin Metal Modification Authorization and Cost Savings Act, the legislation was originally introduced in both the House and Senate in 2020. The bill passed the House that year with overwhelming bipartisan support. "I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our bipartisan bill." "This commonsense, bipartisan effort will modify the composition of certain coins to reduce costs while allowing for a seamless transition into circulation," Ernst said.

☆ Republican-led US House to vote on ban on transgender student athletes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File PhotoWASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Thursday on a bill that would ban transgender women and girls from competing in women's and girls' school sports, weighing in on an issue that has riled social conservatives. The measure would change the civil rights law known as Title IX to require that a student's sex be "based on an individual's reproductive biology and genetics at birth." Enacted in 1972, Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities that receive federal funding. The White House on Monday said in a statement that the bill would effectively deny access to sports for transgender students, even at the elementary school level. On Wednesday, Florida education officials voted to ban classroom instruction on gender identity and social orientation in public schools through high school.

☆ Ex-prosecutor in New York Trump probe to testify in congressional deposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Mark Pomerantz, the former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney's criminal inquiry into the business practices of ex-president Donald Trump, is set to appear for a deposition before a Republican-led congressional committee on Thursday. The subpoena came from the House Judiciary Committee, and the closed-door deposition is scheduled for 10 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. But Jordan's lawyer countered that the committee needed Pomerantz's testimony to weigh legislation restricting what he called "politically motivated prosecutions" of presidents. But in her written ruling, she said he would be free to object and decline to answer questions if appropriate. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Diane Craft and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Judge allows congressional subpoena of ex-prosecutor in Trump probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Wednesday she would allow Congress to subpoena a former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney's criminal investigation into former U.S. President Donald Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, last week sued Republican Representative Jim Jordan to block a subpoena for testimony from Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor who once led the office's multiyear investigation of Trump. The subpoena came from the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which Jordan chairs. After hearing arguments in federal court in Manhattan on whether to block the subpoena, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil issued a written ruling approving the subpoena but encouraging the parties to reach a compromise as to how the subpoena of Pomerantz would proceed.

[1/2] New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday said she would rule "promptly" in a standoff between the Manhattan prosecutor who got Donald Trump indicted and one of the former president's staunchest Republican allies in Congress. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil heard arguments from both sides on Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan. Bragg has called the subpoena an unconstitutional "incursion" into a state criminal case, and payback for charging Trump in the first indictment of a former U.S. president. Pomerantz urged Vyskocil to block the subpoena and said he played no role in Bragg's decision to charge Trump.

New York CNN —A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office for a temporary restraining order to stop a House Judiciary Committee subpoena of former prosecutor Mark Pomerantz. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil said Pomerantz must appear for a deposition as the House panel investigates Bragg’s recent indictment of former President Donald Trump. Bragg’s office says it will appeal. During the hearing, an attorney for Bragg’s office argued – unsuccessfully – that Pomerantz ignored cautions from the DA before publishing the book, so the district attorney’s office should not be penalized. The clash between federal and state powers began in March when Jordan asked Bragg’s office for documents and communications after news organizations reported that Bragg’s office was moving closer to seeking to indict Trump.

☆ DeSantis keeps losing home-state endorsements to Trump, and the Florida governor's recent visit to DC didn't produce any converts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis bled support from the Florida congressional delegation this week. 3 more Florida GOP lawmakers are lining up behind Trump amid DeSantis' trip to DC. Ron DeSantis' personal appeal to congressional Republicans in DC on Tuesday night appears to have spectacularly backfired, as Florida lawmakers continue throwing their support behind Trump in the 2024 presidential race. And freshman Rep. Brian Mast told CNN that not only does he plan to endorse Trump, he'll also spearhead a "Veterans for Trump" group. Even if DeSantis had tried that, Crenshaw noted that he has no plans to endorse anyone in the GOP presidential primary, so that was off the table.

☆ House Republicans chart new strategy to pressure Biden, Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Any proposal Republicans introduce would need to be negotiated with Biden's Democrats, who control the Senate, before it could become law. The White House, which is leading the Democrats' approach to the debt ceiling, has dismissed the Republican proposals as unrealistic. That would set the stage for another debt ceiling debate in the closing months of the 2024 presidential campaign. Biden and McCarthy met at the White House in February to discuss the standoff, but they have not held further talks as the administration has called on House Republicans to release a budget proposal. Some Republicans also favor the clean debt ceiling increase that Biden has demanded.

☆ U.S. House Republicans chart new strategy to pressure Biden, Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego recently outraised Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in what could be the most unpredictable Senate race of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego outraised Independent Kyrsten Sinema in the first quarter of 2023. Gallego's campaign reported raising $3.74 million, while Sinema raised $2.1 million, per the FEC. The Grand Canyon State could potentially boast the most competitive Senate race in the US next year. The outcome of a competitive three-way Arizona race could very well determine control of the Senate. And the race would also be held with the concurrent presidential election, which could feature a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene says climate change is a 'scam' and that fossil fuels are 'amazing'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed that climate change is a "scam." The Georgia GOP lawmaker then championed fossil fuels, calling them "natural and amazing." Countless scientific studies say that burning fossil fuels has played a major role in the warming climate. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 15, 2023The Georgia lawmaker went on to celebrate fossil fuels. "Don't fall for the scam, fossil fuels are natural and amazing," she wrote.

☆ Florida Governor Desantis signs 6-week abortion ban law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida," DeSantis said in a statement. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Wednesday found that about 50% of Americans strongly or somewhat oppose a national six-week abortion ban, including 44% of Republicans. The fate of the ban will depend on the outcome of a court challenge to the state's 15-week abortion ban, which abortion providers have argued violates the state constitutional right to privacy. If the Florida Supreme Court rules that the 15-week ban is constitutional, the six-week ban would take effect 30 days later. Patients from across the U.S. Southeast have been traveling to Florida to end their pregnancies since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted federal abortion rights.

☆ Florida lawmakers approve 6-week abortion ban, sending bill to DeSantis for signature
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Gabriella Borter | Thomson Reuters | Gabriella Borter Is A Reporter On The U.S. National Affairs Team | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 13 (Reuters) - Florida's Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday gave final approval to a six-week abortion ban, setting the stage for abortion access to be drastically curtailed in the state and across the U.S. South. Lawmakers in the Florida House approved the ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in a 70-40 vote. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Wednesday found that about 50% of Americans strongly or somewhat oppose a national six-week abortion ban, including 44% of Republicans. The fate of the ban will depend on the outcome of a court challenge to the state's 15-week abortion ban, which abortion providers have argued violates the state constitutional right to privacy. If the Florida Supreme Court rules that the 15-week ban is constitutional, the six-week ban would take effect 30 days later.

☆ George Santos has a possible challenger, as ex-Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi considers a run for his old seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., left, and George Santos, (R-NY) conducts a news conference to advocate for inclusion of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction in the Build Back Better Act reconciliation bill, outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York is telling political leaders and wealthy donors that he is considering running for his old seat held by embattled Republican Rep. George Santos, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. Suozzi defeated Santos during his last run for Congress in 2020. He has name recognition and is a prolific fundraiser, which could make him a frontrunner in a Democratic primary for Santos' seat. Democratic businessman Robert Zimmerman, who lost to Santos in 2022, has not ruled out running again for the seat.

☆ Opinion: Gun control after Louisville shooting has a chance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Max Burns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Meanwhile, Democrats — once wary of mentioning gun control at all — have finally rediscovered their voice. See heated gun control discussion between lawmakers in the halls of Congress 01:19 - Source: CNNDemocrats’ rising confidence in fighting for gun reform comes against a backdrop of tireless coalition-building from gun safety activists and community organizers across the country. Everytown credits at least 51 pieces of state-level gun safety legislation passed in 2022 to their state-by-state strategy. Over the summer, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that 59% of American adults think it’s more important to control gun violence than to protect gun rights (35%) — “its highest point in nearly a decade.” These figures have surely factored into Democrats new assertiveness on gun control. “Republicans look completely unreasonable when they won’t even discuss background checks, gun safety measures like storage or red flag laws,” Del Percio warned.

☆ Tim Scott is the most intriguing GOP presidential hopeful most Republicans haven't heard of
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is far from well-known by Republican voters. But if he runs for president, Scott would be well positioned to break out if either Trump or DeSantis falter. "I hope he is considering jumping into the race," Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst recently told Insider while on her way back to her Senate office. But more than just his colleagues, Republican voters may also be just as effusive. It's difficult to find polling on Scott's national favorability, but a recent Monmouth University poll of self-identified Republican voters showed significant promise.

☆ Manhattan DA sues GOP Rep. Jim Jordan for launching an 'unprecedentedly brazen and unconstitutional' attack on Trump prosecution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee, and a prosecutor who previously worked for Bragg. In the 50-page lawsuit, Bragg accused Jordan of launching an "unprecedentedly brazen and unconstitutional attack" on the DA's office while it's in the middle of an ongoing investigation and criminal prosecution against former President Donald Trump. Bragg's lawsuit went on to say that Jordan started a "transparent campaign to intimidate and attack District Attorney Bragg, making demands for confidential documents and testimony from the District Attorney himself as well as his current and former employees and officials." The letter called Bragg's investigation "an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority." Insider reached out to spokespeople for Jordan, Bragg, and Pomerantz for comment.

☆ Florida's fight over Safe Haven 'baby boxes' are part of a larger culture war over abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Safe Haven Baby Boxes let distressed moms safely and anonymously surrender unwanted newborns instead of dumping them in trash cans or worse. About 145 Safe Haven baby boxes were installed throughout nine states since 2016, and similar bills were recently approved or signed in four other states. About 145 boxes have been installed since the first in 2016, with 25 newborns surrendered through one, Safe Haven Baby Boxes says. Safe Haven Baby Boxes says the average response time is two minutes. A Safe Haven trains fire departments and hospitals on how to implement the current law.

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