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☆ U.S. House votes to end foreign air traveler COVID vaccine requirement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the few remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place. The White House plans to end the COVID public health emergency on May 11. "As we approach the end of the public health emergency, the administration will review all relevant policies, including this one," the White House said. The CDC says vaccines continue to be the most important public health tool for fighting COVID-19 and recommends all travelers be vaccinated. Currently, adult visitors to the United States who are not citizens or permanent residents must show proof of vaccination before boarding their flight, with some limited exceptions.

☆ Biden played the State of the Union perfectly, but the raucous GOP proved he's dealing with a whole new kind of opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tuesday's State of the Union address was an at times raucous affair. Tuesday night showed that this is no longer your father's State of the Union address. Parts of Biden's second State of the Union resembled the United Kingdom's raucous "Prime Minister's Questions" sessions that C-SPAN nerds delight in. The State of the Union is not supposed to resemble the real-time grilling of a world leader though. To be clear, opposition party members have long trolled the president during the State of the Union.

☆ Rep. Lauren Boebert suggested God used her to stand up to to 'demons' including 'a speaker of the House'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Lauren Boebert told a crowd God may use them to stand in front of "demons," or a "speaker of the House." Boebert, though she was coy about what House speaker she referred to, tried to block McCarthy's bid. Boebert has previously invoked religion and politics, saying "the church is supposed to control the government." After negotiations within the party and 15 rounds of voting, McCarthy was finally elected speaker last month, kicking off the new Congress. Andrew Whitehead, a sociologist at IUPUI and co-author of "Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States," told Insider at the time her comments touched on Christian nationalist imagery that's linked to violence.

☆ C-SPAN captured a tense back-and-forth between George Santos and Mitt Romney at the State of the Union
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

George Santos and Mitt Romney had what appeared to be a tense exchange at the State of the Union. Following the speech, Santos tweeted that Romney "will NEVER be PRESIDENT!" C-SPAN cameras captured the tense interaction between Santos — the scandal-plagued Long Island congressman — and Romney, the party's 2012 presidential nominee. And according to CNN, Romney simply told Santos: "You don't belong here." Following the speech, Santos tweeted that Romney "will NEVER be PRESIDENT!"

☆ White House opposes bill to lift foreign air visitor vaccination rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The White House said Tuesday it opposes legislation before Congress that would end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19. Currently, adult visitors to the United States who are not citizens or permanent residents must show proof of vaccination before boarding their flight, with some limited exceptions. The White House plans to end the COVID public health emergency on May 11. "As we approach the end of the public health emergency, the administration will review all relevant policies, including this one," the White House said. In December, the United States imposed mandatory negative COVID test requirements on most travelers from China as COVID infections rocketed there.

[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Sunday it is searching for remnants of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down the previous day, in a dramatic spy saga that has further strained American-Chinese relations. A successful recovery could potentially give the United States insight into China's spying capabilities, though U.S. officials have downplayed the balloon's impact on national security. Democrats said Biden's decision to wait to shoot down the balloon until it had passed over the United States protected civilians from debris crashing to Earth. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said.

☆ George Santos denies sexual harassment accusation from ex-prospective staffer
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Republican Rep. George Santos on Monday denied groping a former prospective staffer in his congressional office, calling the sexual harassment allegation "comical." A spokeswoman for Santos' office referred CNBC to his lawyer, who declined to comment. Santos had asked Myers earlier in the day if he had a profile on the LGBTQ dating app Grindr, sharing that "he, himself had a profile," Myers' letter said. Five days later, Myers wrote, he was beckoned to Santos' office and "asked about my background as a journalist" and matters that "had already been disclosed" in prior discussions with hiring managers. The office of the House Committee on Ethics' Republican majority did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Myers' letter.

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. general responsible for bringing down a Chinese spy balloon said on Monday the military had not detected previous spy balloons before the one that appeared on Jan. 28 over the United States and called it an "awareness gap." The Pentagon said over the weekend that Chinese spy balloons had briefly flown over the United States at least three times during President Donald Trump's administration and one previously under President Joe Biden. He did not provide details on previous balloons, including where over the United States they flew. Senior U.S. officials have offered to brief individuals from the previous administration on the details of previous balloons overflights when Trump was president. A U.S. Air Force fighter jet shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday, a week after it first entered U.S. airspace and triggered a dramatic -- and public -- spying saga that worsened Sino-U.S. relations.

☆ George Santos' first House race took days to call in 2020. So he came to DC for new member orientation and had a blast before finding out he lost.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In 2020, Santos ran his first campaign and lost — but still went to DC for new member orientation. 'He seemed nice'In cases where a congressional election takes more than a few days to fully determine, both candidates are sometimes invited to take part in new member orientation. Adam Frisch, a Democrat who almost unseated Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert this past year, attended the orientation sessions in November as the vote-counting in Colorado dragged on. In 2018, current Republican Rep. Young Kim of California attended as well, despite ultimately losing her race that year. Santos at 2020 new member orientation, seated near Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas and Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs of California.

A far-right faction of House Republicans is pushing against continued US aid to Ukraine. Those concerns ratcheted up amid House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's tumultuous journey to secure the gavel last month. Kyiv, for its part, has kept a close eye on Congress' dynamics since the GOP won a narrow House majority in the November midterms. "This GOP House majority will demand more oversight, transparency, and accountability to ensure assistance to Ukraine is used as intended," McCaul said in a statement. "Most Europeans don't think that suddenly the US is going to cut support to Ukraine," Araud said, adding that nobody anticipates Washington will "dump Ukraine."

☆ Rep. George Santos accused of sexual harassment by prospective staffer who alleges he touched his groin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A prospective staffer has alleged that Rep. George Santos sexually harassed him and touched his groin. Myers also claims that he was made to work as an unpaid volunteer despite being promised employment. Santos said on Thursday that Myers was let go because he is facing wiretapping charges in Ohio. "The Congressman proceeded to take his hand and move it down my leg into my inner thigh and proceeded to touch my groin," Myers said. Insider reached out to Santos' office for comment.

☆ This is why some members of Congress have been seen wearing lapel pins resembling miniature AR-15 rifles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some GOP lawmakers have been seen wearing lapel pins in the shape of miniature AR-15 rifles. One Democratic congressman said that wearing the pins "isn't the flex you think it is." download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyRecently, Republican members of Congress, Rep. George Santos and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna have been spotted wearing lapel pins resembling miniature AR-15 rifles. The mystery of the lapel pins has now been solved. Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde from Georgia owns a gun store and has now taken responsibility for handing them out.

☆ South Dakota lawmaker quotes MLK Jr. out of context during her vote to restrict health care for trans youth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

South Dakota is seeking to restrict gender-affirming care for trans youth. The portion Schaefbauer quoted is as follows: "It may be true that you can't legislate integration, but you can legislate desegregation. The bill, House Bill 1080, would prevent transgender youth from access to gender-affirming care. South Dakota is a notably conservative state. Last year, South Dakota limited the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools by restricting "inherently divisive concepts" such as discussing how a person can be "racist, sexist or oppressive," CNN reported.

☆ U.S. House plans vote to end foreign air traveler COVID vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote next week on a bill that would end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on Friday. Currently, adult visitors to the United States who are not citizens or permanent residents must show proof of vaccination before boarding their flight, with some limited exceptions. The CDC says vaccines continue to be the most important public health tool for fighting COVID-19 and recommends all travelers be vaccinated. The group says the United States "is the only country that still has this requirement for international visitors when there is no longer any public health justification." But in December, the United States imposed mandatory negative COVID-19 test requirements on most travelers from China as COVID infections rocketed there.

☆ 2 House Republicans caught saying Ilhan Omar removal was the 'stupidest vote in world' before begging reporters to not tell GOP leadership what they said
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Warren Rojas | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

House Republicans removed Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from one of her committees on Thursday. The party-line vote struck at least a pair of GOP members as a dumb move. The dejected duo called it the "stupidest vote" and panned leadership for making Omar a "martyr." The not-so-private condemnation of Speaker Kevin McCarthy's campaign to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs panel happened after Republicans clinched the retaliatory strike on a party-line vote of 218-211. After Buck decreed it the "stupidest" political move, Simpson said the expulsion would probably make the Minnesota Democrat into a "martyr."

☆ Republican U.S. lawmaker meets with TikTok, but unpersuaded
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Representative Mike Gallagher met with TikTok on Wednesday about the Chinese-owned short video app's U.S. data security plans but still plans to seek to ban TikTok in the United States, a spokesperson for the lawmaker said. Gallagher, the Republican chair of a U.S. House of Representatives select committee on China, met with Will Farrell, interim security officer at TikTok U.S Data Security. The lawmaker "appreciated their time but found their argument unpersuasive," Gallagher spokesperson Jordan Dunn said. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The FBI is investigating if George Santos scammed a military veteran by taking funds that were raised for his dying dog: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Military veteran Rich Osthoff told Politico he was contacted by two FBI agents on Wednesday. Osthoff in January accused Santos of taking over $3,000 from a fundraiser meant for a dying dog. "I'm glad to get the ball rolling with the big-wigs," Osthoff told Politico. Osthoff told Patch Sapphire died in January 2017 after he could not afford to pay for her surgery. Santos told Steakin he has "no clue" about the DBI investigation, and has "never met" Osthoff.

☆ House votes to boot Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee after McCarthy wins over GOP holdouts with ethics promises
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The House voted on Thursday to remove Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The measure passed on party lines after McCarthy made promises to GOP holdouts. Republican Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio was the one lawmaker who voted present on what was otherwise a party-line vote. The resolution to remove Omar, sponsored by freshman Republican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, lists a variety of comments that have "disqualified" the third-term congresswoman from serving on the foreign affairs panel. Republicans also argued that Democrats set a precedent by initiating bipartisan votes during the previous Congress to remove Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from committees over their violent rhetoric.

☆ AOC to GOP: Don't tell me you're condemning anti-Semitism when a Republican 'who has talked about Jewish space lasers' gets a plum committee assignment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AOC unloaded on Republicans for hypocrisy with their vote to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from her committee. She said Republicans have been rewarded with plum committee assignments after doing worse. "This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America," she said. Republicans voted to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee because of her controversial comments in the past about Israel. After being stripped of committee assignments last Congress for her rhetoric, she now sits on prestigious committees on oversight and homeland security.

☆ 86 House Democrats voted against a GOP-proposed resolution 'denouncing the horrors of socialism'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The House passed a resolution on Thursday denouncing the "horrors of socialism." "The socialism resolution is useless. Most Democrats joined every House Republican in voting for it. But 86 Democrats voted against it, and another 14 voted "present." "The socialism resolution is useless.

[1/3] U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meet on Wednesday to discuss the $31.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling, a first test of how the two leaders will work together, or not, in a divided Washington. House Republicans want to use the debt ceiling as leverage to exact cuts in spending by the federal government, though they have yet to unite around any specific plan. The White House says it will discuss future federal spending cuts with Republicans, but only after the debt ceiling is lifted. The 2011 crisis was resolved with a bipartisan deal that cut spending and raised the debt limit but left Obama administration officials smarting.

☆ House GOP accidentally gives Democrats supermajority on new 'weaponization' subcommittee
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

House Republicans accidentally gave Democrats a supermajority on a new panel they created. Under the resolution passed by voice vote on Tuesday, Democrats would get 9 seats on a 12 member panel. But the plan is to actually have 21 seats on the committee, and the error will almost certainly get fixed. That would give Democrats a 9-3 supermajority. The committee emerged out of Kevin McCarthy's bid to become speaker, and was among the concessions he made to GOP hardliners.

☆ House Democrats have already found something to love about Kevin McCarthy's Republican-led House
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The House just used an open process for amending legislation for the first time in 7 years. But in interviews with Insider this week, Democrats also expressed skepticism that the use of open rules would be more than a one-time thing; the open rules that the chamber utilized last week were provided for as part of the House GOP's rules package. "We'll see how long this lasts," said Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, a long-time ally of Pelosi. Spanberger herself had fun with open amendments, submitting one that would exclude drilling from areas offshore because the GOP majority was "looking to destroy Virginia's beautiful coastline." said Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who said he generally favors an open process.

☆ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is cleaning up her image and cozying up with GOP leadership to gain power. It's working.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is cozying up with GOP leadership after two years of being an outsider. Two years later, under Republican leadership, she's angling herself into positions of power. It's clear she's learned valuable lessons from two of her GOP colleagues, Rep. Lauren Boebert and former Rep. Madison Cawthorn. In spite of this, Gingrich ultimately gained prominence among the GOP, becoming the Republican whip and later speaker of the House. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia takes a selfie with Kevin McCarthy after his election as speaker of the House.

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos of New York will not serve on the two House committees to which he was recently assigned until the investigations into his conduct have concluded, his office said Tuesday. Santos' decision to recuse himself from the two panels marks one of the first tangible repercussions he has faced since admitting he fabricated key details about his biography. And the voters in Santos' district aren't keen on keeping him around, either, according to a new poll released Tuesday morning. The pollster surveyed 653 voters from Santos' district between Jan. 23 and last Thursday.

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