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☆ Virginia Rep. Jennifer Wexton reveals Parkinson's Disease diagnosis but says its not a 'death sentence' and vows to continue serving her district
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Jennifer Wexton said Tuesday that she's been diagnosed with Parkinson's. The three-term Virginia Democrat plans to keep serving in Congress "for many years to come." "You are welcome to empathize, but don't feel sorry for me," the 54-year-old Wexton told supporters. Jennifer Wexton (@RepWexton) April 11, 2023"Parkinson's is not an untreatable disease, a cognitive impairment, or a death sentence. You are welcome to empathize, but don't feel sorry for me," the three-term Virginia Democrat said in a video she posted online.

REUTERS/Karen Pulfer FochtApril 9 (Reuters) - Two Tennessee Democrats who were expelled from the Republican-dominated state House of Representatives last week over their participation in a gun control protest said on Sunday that they hoped to soon reclaim their seats. Metro Council Member Kevin Rhoten said on Twitter that he had been bombarded with emails since Thursday asking him to vote to appoint Justin Jones for the District 52 seat, and that he planned to do that. "I would be honored to accept the appointment of the Shelby County Commission and to run in a special election," Pearson told NBC on Sunday. Videos posted to Twitter showed the two Black lawmakers, Representatives Jones and Pearson, shouting through a bullhorn on the House floor, saying "No action, no peace!" Only two other Tennessee state representatives have been expelled by their colleagues since the Civil War era: one in 1980 for soliciting a bribe in exchange for blocking legislation and another in 2016 after being accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women.

☆ House GOP's attempt to shut down Alvin Bragg is unlikely to save Trump but could serve despots in training, say oversight experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Donald Trump's formal arraignment in Manhattan criminal court sent House Republicans into a tizzy. Stretton wondered about House Republicans' attempt to defang state prosecutors they consider to be political persecutors. "It's hard to say what overstepping bounds are any more," Davis told Insider. "When you defend somebody before you've even seen the indictment, you're kind of hitching your wagon to all the investigations," Goldberg told Insider. He also warned that spotlight-chasing House Republicans risk drowning in unfinished business at the end of the term by floating new Biden-focused inquiries "every couple of weeks."

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 6 (Reuters) - Republicans in control of the Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two Democratic representatives on Thursday for breaking decorum during a gun control demonstration at the statehouse last week in the wake of the latest school shooting. The resolution to oust a third Democratic member who stood with them during the protest on the House floor, Gloria Johnson, a white woman, came up one vote short. That protest came four days after a Nashville school shooting killed three 9-year-old children and three school staff members. [1/10] Protesters gather in the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., April 6, 2023. Johnson, Jones and Pearson have said that taking part in the protest was within their First Amendment rights - the constitutional right to freedom of speech.

☆ This former Trump White House official says Republicans are 'such nerds' for pushing a 'ridiculous' ban on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But John McEntee, a former Trump White House official, thinks that's "ridiculous." But John McEntee, who worked as a top White House staffer when former President Donald Trump attempted to ban the app via executive order, says he's unabashedly "pro-TikTok" and insists the push from the right to ban the Chinese-owned app is "ridiculous." "I think Republicans are such nerds for even doing this," McEntee, the one-time Director of the Official of Presidential Personnel, told Insider in an interview on Thursday. In that job, he reportedly scrutinized White House staffers for their perceived loyalty and played a significant role in the effort to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results on January 6, 2021. In one widely-viewed TikTok, McEntee dances to Demi Lovato's "La La Land" while riffing on liberals attending their first protest, making hand-horns as Lovato sings the phrase "converse with my dress."

☆ Stunning endorsement: DeSantis ally Rep. Byron Donalds backs Trump for president in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Byron Donalds, who has said he'd be interested in becoming governor of Florida, has endorsed Trump. Ron DeSantis, has endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2024. "President Trump is the leader in the clubhouse right now," he said. He added, however, that he thought DeSantis could beat Trump in a primary. "The current legal problems have rallied more Republican voters around Donald Trump," Donalds said.

☆ House Republicans in swing districts are so beholden to Trump they're not publicly opposing his pleas to defund law enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After his arraignment, Trump called on GOP members of Congress to defund law enforcement. Following this, Punchbowl News reached out to 18 vulnerable House Republicans in swing districts. One day after his arraignment, Trump took to Truth Social in an all-caps tirade to express his desire to defund law enforcement. "REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND THE FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump wrote. Following the former president's plea on social media, political outlet Punchbowl News asked the 18 Republican representatives in districts where President Joe Biden won in 2020 for comment.

☆ 'Trump enjoys being the victim.' Alvin Bragg's 34-count indictment could help him argue he's been unfairly targeted, ex-prosecutors say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Warren Rojas | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Former prosecutors told Insider the indictment against Donald Trump was underwhelming. They said the case could give Trump and his team fodder to argue it was politically motivated. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Trump critic, said DA Alvin Bragg's indictment made Trump a "martyr." They also said the 34 counts could be viewed as excessive — and even give Trump and his team fuel to argue he was being unfairly targeted. "Trump enjoys being the victim in all this, and that's what he's going to lean into," Joshua Ritter, a former Los Angeles County prosecutor and partner with El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers, told Insider.

Donald Trump's calls for mass protests fell flat ahead of his NYC arraignment on Tuesday. By noon, more than 100 Trump backers had descended upon a park outside a Manhattan courthouse. By noon, more than 100 backers of the indicted ex-president had descended upon a park outside of the lower Manhattan courthouse where Trump will be arraigned. Overall, the pro-Trump crowd paled in comparison to the demonstrations and massive protests Trump called for before he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also delivered a roughly 10-minute-long speech to a swarm of press and Trump backers at a park rally.

☆ Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, George Santos flee protests outside of NYC courthouse where Trump will be arraigned
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos both fled the scene of growing protests outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. Greene and Santos joined pro-Trump protesters near the New York courthouse hours before the scheduled court appearance. Greene was listed as a headliner for a 10:30 a.m. rally organized by the New York Young Republican Club. Santos left before the protest's official start time. Unbelievably swarmed," Greene told Right Side Broadcasting in an interview after she left the protests.

☆ Republicans defend Trump by attacking criminal-justice system
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Critics warn that the present partisan rhetoric could shake public trust in courts by undermining the institutional legitimacy of the criminal justice system. "Undercutting the system of government is a serious matter and a threat to our future," she said in an interview. Bragg, a Democrat, on Friday warned Republican Representatives Jim Jordan, James Comer and Bryan Steil, who are leading the probe, against attacking the criminal justice system. Historians including Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer said Republican statements about Bragg and the criminal justice system follow a long-established partisan line. Nicole Hemmer, director of the Rogers Center for the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University, warned that Republican attacks on the U.S. criminal justice system could ultimately have dire consequences for courts and juries.

The lobbying comes amid a sustained effort by TikTok to play down fears raised by lawmakers who want to ban the app, which has 150 million monthly active users in the U.S. She defended the work of TikTok's team in Washington and said the company is trying to address lawmakers' privacy and safety concerns. At the furthest end of the extreme is the legislation from Hawley and Buck that simply seeks to ban TikTok outright by directing the president to block transactions with ByteDance. Hawley has not eased his campaign to ban TikTok. But after, "our phones were ringing off the hook," with the majority of callers voicing opposition to a TikTok ban.

☆ Matt Gaetz's legislative aide is a convicted war criminal who murdered an Afghan civilian and dumped his body in a latrine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Sonam Sheth | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A legislative aide who works for GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz is a convicted war criminal, The Intercept reported. The aide, Derrick Miller, spent eight years in prison after murdering an Afghan civilian, the report said. Gaetz's office defended its decision to hire Miller, saying he was "wrongfully convicted." According to The Intercept, Miller shot Mohammed in September 2010. The Florida congressman also repeatedly criticized the war in Afghanistan before President Joe Biden withdrew US troops in 2021.

☆ US House Republicans face unity test with major energy bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on its first major legislation of the year on Thursday, a partisan energy bill that poses an early test of unity for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's majority. The 175-page measure, dubbed the Lower Energy Costs Act, represents a top 2022 Republican campaign pledge to lower Americans' energy costs by scaling back Democratic President Joe Biden's climate policies and increasing oil and gas production through deregulation. 1 - House Resolution One, is the most important bill to this Congress," Republican Representative August Pfluger of Texas told reporters. Both Republicans and Democrats are keen to pass legislation that streamlines permitting for energy projects, but the disagreement over the House bill reflects gaping divisions over how to do that. "It does absolutely nothing to lower energy costs for American families.

The specific charges are not yet known and the indictment will likely be announced in the coming days, the New York Times reported. Below is reaction to news of the indictment:FORMER REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE ADAM KINZINGER: "Today is a somber day for our nation. Donald Trump committed many crimes, but this indictment should be a reminder that in America, NO ONE is above the law. DEMOCRATIC U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF ON TWITTER: "The indictment of a former president is unprecedented. SENATOR TED CRUZ ON TWITTER: "The Democrat Party’s hatred for Donald Trump knows no bounds.

☆ Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman and GOP Rep. Thomas Massie got in a heated exchange over gun violence in the halls of Congress: 'Calm down? Children are dying!'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman and GOP Rep. Thomas Massie got in a heated exchange over gun violence. Massie, who once shared a Christmas photo of his family toting guns, told Bowman to "calm down." The Covenant School shooting on Monday reignited debates over gun violence in the halls of Congress. At one point, Massie — who represents Kentucky's 4th district and once shared a Christmas photo of his family toting guns — told Bowman to "calm down." Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who represents the district where the Nashville mass school shooting happened, posted a similar gun-filled family photo for Christmas in 2021.

☆ Republican Senator Rand Paul blocks bid to ban Chinese-owned TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday blocked a bid to fast-track a ban of popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which more than 150 million Americans use, citing concerns about free speech and uneven treatment of social media companies. Republican Senator Josh Hawley had sought unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. We're going to be just like China and ban speech we're afraid of?" Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a TikTok video on Friday opposed a TikTok ban, calling it "unprecedented" and said Congress has not gotten classified TikTok briefings. Then President Donald Trump's attempts in 2020 to ban TikTok were blocked by U.S. courts.

☆ Republican Senator Rand Paul opposes TikTok ban push in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday opposed efforts in Congress to ban popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which is used by more than 150 million Americans. Republican Senator Josh Hawley said this week he hoped to get unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew appeared before Congress last week and faced tough questions about national security concerns over the ByteDance-owned app. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a TikTok video Friday opposed a TikTok ban, calling it "unprecedented" and said Congress has not gotten classified TikTok briefings. Last week, three Democrats in the House of Representatives opposed a TikTok ban, as do free speech groups like the American Civil Liberties Union.

☆ Rep. Andy Ogles defends his gun-filled family Christmas message after Nashville shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Andy Ogles defended his gun-filled Christmas message after Nashville's school shooting. A reporter for Sky News asked Ogles if he regretted "parading" his family "wielding weapons " on the Christmas message. "Why would I regret taking a family photo with my family and exercising my Constitutional rights?" After the shooting, Ogles posted a statement on Twitter, saying he and his family were "devastated by the tragedy." Asked about the message on NBC's Today show, Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the Ogles' Christmas message isn't "appropriate."

House lawmakers tore into top U.S. bank regulators Wednesday, questioning their competency and saying examiners were asleep at the wheel, at a second day of congressional hearings this week about how Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsed practically overnight on March 10 and March 12. "We need competent financial supervisors, but Congress can't legislate competence," House Financial Services chairman Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., told top officials at the Federal Reserve, Treasury and FDIC at the beginning the hearing. "The light touch cautions from the Fed to SVB management are clearly not what Congress intended for bank supervision," said Waters. Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga, Mich., demanded raw, confidential supervisory information about the banks, available to regulators ahead of the collapses. Members of the Republican majority House challenged many of the decisions made by regulators in the hours and days after SVB collapsed and Signature Bank followed 48 hours later.

☆ Exiled leader tells US Congress Tibet faces 'slow death' under China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - Tibet is dying a "slow death" under Chinese rule, the head of the India-based organization known as Tibet's government in-exile said on Tuesday in a first address to the U.S. Congress. The Sikyong role was created in 2012 after the Dalai Lama, Tibetans' 87-year-old spiritual leader, relinquished political authority in favor of an organization that could outlive him. China has ruled the remote western region of Tibet since 1951, after its military marched in and took control in what it calls a "peaceful liberation." Actor and long-time Tibet activist Richard Gere told the hearing that Chinese policies in Tibet increasingly "match the definition of crimes against humanity." Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump's Waco rally fans take his word as gospel and can't fathom voting for anyone else: 'Whatever he says is just golden for me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"All the solutions we need are strictly Donald J. Trump," one diehard fan told Insider. "I"m just waiting for Trump," the Waco resident, who declined to give his last name, told Insider. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida mingles with MAGA supporters during former US President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas. Nguyen Adams, who said she wouldn't call herself a full-fledged Trump supporter, told Insider she was there mainly out of curiosity. The world is not safe," Edy told Insider, adding that she's worried that America is being taken over by communists and freedom-hating domestic terrorists.

☆ U.S. lawmakers make new push to bar convicted violent passengers from flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - A group of lawmakers on Wednesday will make a new push for legislation to bar passengers fined or convicted of serious physical violence from commercial flights after a series of recent high-profile incidents. Senator Jack Reed and Representative Eric Swalwell, both Democrats, and Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick said Monday they plan to reintroduce the "Protection from Abusive Passengers Act." Despite the end of the airplane mask mandate in April 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigated 831 unruly passenger incidents in 2022, up from 146 in 2019, but down from 1,099 in 2021, the lawmakers noted. Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US lawmakers make new push to bar convicted violent passengers from flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday will make a new push for legislation to bar passengers fined or convicted of serious physical violence from commercial flights after a series of recent high-profile incidents. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union opposed creating a no-fly list for unruly passengers, saying the U.S. government "has a terrible record of treating people fairly with regard to the existing no-fly list and other watch lists that are aimed at alleged terrorists." Despite the end of the airplane mask mandate in April 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigated 831 unruly passenger incidents in 2022, up from 146 in 2019, but down from 1,099 in 2021, the lawmakers noted. The FAA received 2,456 unruly passenger reports in 2022 and proposed $8.4 million in fines, down from 5,981 reports in 2021, which included 4,290 mask-related incidents. In February 2022, Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) CEO Ed Bastian urged the U.S. government to place passengers convicted of on-board disruptions on a national no-fly list that would bar them from future travel on any commercial airline.

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Sunday lawmakers will move forward with legislation to address national security worries about TikTok, alleging China's government had access to the short video app's user data. "The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party," McCarthy said on Twitter. In Thursday's hearing, the TikTok CEO was asked if of the app, has spied on Americans at Beijing's request. Republican Representative Neal Dunn then referenced the company's disclosure in December that some China-based employees at ByteDance improperly accessed TikTok user data of two journalists and were no longer employed by the company. McCarthy, a Republican, said in a tweet on Sunday, "It's very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can't be honest and admit what we already know to be true — China has access to TikTok user data."

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