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☆ Some critics of Biden's student-loan forgiveness say the relief will help rich people the most. New data suggests the exact opposite.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New Education Department data suggested Biden's student-debt relief would benefit the lowest earners the most. It said that 81% of all applications received came from the bottom 80% of Congressional districts by average income. It used data from the department, along with the US Census Bureau, to make those estimates. But it's reasonable to say that Biden's relief would work as intended, targeting it to the lowest earners. Now, all eyes are on the Supreme Court to see if those borrowers will end up actually getting relief.

☆ U.S. senators question rail oversight after toxic Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Two Republican senators sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday questioning U.S. freight rail system oversight in the aftermath of a toxic train derailment in Ohio on Feb. 3. Vance questioned Buttigieg about railroad safety, saying "it is not unreasonable to ask whether a crew of two rail workers, plus one trainee, is able to effectively monitor 150 cars." The Department of Transportation (USDOT) did not immediately comment but Buttigieg addressed the criticism in a series of tweets. Buttigieg responded to Cruz on Twitter that "we could start by discussing immediate steps Congress could take to address rail safety & reduce constraints on USDOT in this area. After railroad crews drained and burned off a toxic chemical from five tanker cars, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Feb. 8 said that residents could return to their homes.

☆ 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.

☆ Ex-Twitter employee tells AOC the platform changed its content moderation policy to accommodate Trump's racist 'go back' tweets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A former top Twitter official said the social network bent its rules for Trump's 2019 racist tweet. "So much for bias against right-wing on Twitter," Ocasio-Cortez said, concluding the line of questioning. The recommendation had been for Trump's tweets to be labeled but allowed to remain on the platform since he was a public figure. Twitter was repeatedly criticized for allowing Trump's tweets to stand. Following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, the social network banned the president "due to the risk of further incitement of violence."

☆ Joe Rogan facing allegations of antisemitism after saying it's 'stupid' to say 'Jews aren't into money'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Joe Rogan faced accusations of antisemitism after his latest podcast episode. The CEO of the American Jewish Committee said that Rogan's comments invoked age-old antisemitic tropes. In the latest Spotify show, The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan defended Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar. He said in a tweet, "the notion that interest in money is uniquely Jewish is antisemitic garbage." The Joe Rogan Experience podcast was the most listened to on Spotify in 2022, with an average audience of approximately 11 million.

☆ 1870 pin meaning: What the buttons and crayon lapel pins Congress wore to the State of the Union stand for
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden gave his second State of the Union address on Tuesday. Two pins — one that reads '1870' in white text atop a round black pin and various colored crayon-shaped pins with the Crayola logo — have garnered attention. 1870 PinRep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., conducts a television interview before President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. "153 years after the murder of Henry Truman, the Black community is still waiting for justice," Rep. Watson Coleman said. Crayola Crayon PinA lawmaker wears a pin of a white Crayola crayon during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2023.

1:08‘Look at That Thing’: Footage Shows Pilots Spotting Unknown Object10:45Why U.S. Weapons Sold to the Saudis Are Hitting Hospitals in Yemen0:59Biden Says U.S. Economy is ‘Strong’ After Jobs Report1:19Blinken Says Chinese Spy Balloon Is a ‘Violation of U.S. Sovereignty’1:02High-Altitude Balloon Spotted Flying Over Montana1:56House Republicans Oust Ilhan Omar From Foreign Affairs Committee0:49Federal Reserve Announces Quarter-Point Interest Rate Increase0:51Tyre Nichols Was a ‘Beautiful Soul,’ Memphis Pastor Says0:47Winter Storm Brings Icy Conditions to Texas1:10Biden Commits Over $4 Billion to Fixing Baltimore Rail Tunnel1:18

☆ Biden Says U.S. Economy is ‘Strong’ After Jobs Report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Rep. Ilhan Omar Faces Vote to Oust Her From Foreign-Affairs Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has been on the foreign-affairs panel since arriving to Congress in 2019. WASHINGTON—House Republicans plan to hold a vote Thursday to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from her position on the Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her criticisms of Israel’s government and past statements that were criticized as antisemitic. Republicans have a 222-212 majority in the House, with one vacancy, giving them little room to maneuver. All Democrats are expected to oppose removing Ms. Omar, but almost all Republicans are expected to back her ouster. Party leaders won over some GOP lawmakers including Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who had expressed concerns about free speech and heavily criticized the plan, by floating the idea of a new appeal process for barred members.

☆ Rep. Ilhan Omar Ousted From Foreign-Affairs Committee by GOP
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Ilhan Omar has been on the foreign-affairs panel since arriving to Congress. WASHINGTON—House Republicans ousted Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from her position on the Foreign Affairs Committee in a vote Thursday, citing her criticisms of Israel’s government and past statements that were criticized as antisemitic. The House voted 218 to 211 with one voting present on the resolution to remove her from the panel. Ahead of the vote, Republican leaders won over some GOP lawmakers including Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who had expressed concerns about free speech and heavily criticized the plan, by floating the idea of a new appeal process for barred members.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Thursday ousted Democrat Ilhan Omar from a high-profile committee over remarks widely condemned as antisemitic, two years after Democrats removed two Republicans from committee assignments. The deeply divided House voted 218-211 along party lines to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee with Republicans citing the 2019 remarks for which she later apologized. She was in line to be the top Democrat on the foreign affairs panel's Africa subcommittee. [1/6] U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) walks to her office after being ousted by the Republican-lead House of Representatives to serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 2, 2023. McCarthy previously rejected assignments of Democrats Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

☆ Debt ceiling deal no closer as McCarthy, Biden vow to continue talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

McCarthy said he and Biden did not discuss any details of their next meeting, such as whether White House aides or members of McCarthy's leadership team would participate. Both Biden and McCarthy say passing a debt limit bill is absolutely essential. "I believe you have to lift the debt ceiling, but you do not lift the debt ceiling without changing your behavior. Biden and the White House have so far refused to "negotiate" on a debt limit hike, however. "We will not pass a clean debt ceiling here without some form of spending reform.

☆ Eric Swalwell slams House GOP for moving against Ilhan Omar after supporting the openly anti-semitic Kanye West
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Eric Swalwell tore into the House GOP for removing Rep. Ilhan Omar from a powerful committee. Swalwell pointed out that an official GOP Twitter account praised Kanye West and took months to delete the message. House Republicans later voted to remove Omar from the panel. In October, the Twitter account for Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee expressed solidarity with Kanye West. House Republicans cited that report in a separate effort to remove Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee.

☆ 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.

☆ 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."

☆ Republicans vote to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Scott Wong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

House Republicans on Thursday voted to oust Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the Foreign Affairs Committee — the latest skirmish in a long-running partisan battle over committee assignments. One Republican, Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, a senior member of the Ethics Committee, voted present. All 211 Democrats unified behind Omar, who gave an emotional and defiant floor speech before the vote that left many of her colleagues in tears. Last week, several Republicans voiced opposition to the GOP taking action against Omar, threatening to derail the vote given their new, razor-thin majority. Moments before the vote, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, the lone GOP holdout, emerged from McCarthy's office and announced she would also vote yes.

☆ Republicans Move to Oust Rep. Ilhan Omar From Foreign-Affairs Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) is one of two Muslim women in Congress and has been on the foreign affairs panel since arriving to Congress in 2019. WASHINGTON—House Republicans were set to move forward with a vote to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from her position on the Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her criticism of Israel and past statements that were criticized as antisemitic. Blocking the Minnesota lawmaker from the committee requires a House vote, which could take place as soon as this week. All Democrats are expected to oppose removing Ms. Omar, and Republicans have been working to shore up support after several GOP lawmakers aired concerns over free speech. Republicans currently have a 222-212 majority in the House, giving them little room to maneuver.

☆ C-SPAN gave us ‘America’s Hottest TV Drama’ as McCarthy struggled to become House speaker. Lawmakers aren’t so sure that’s a good thing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But she's also wary of the cost that could come with giving C-SPAN cameras free reign to film lawmakers on the House floor, particularly given the lightning-rod role she's come to occupy within American politics. GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz talks to Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar in the House Chamber on January 5, 2023. Rep. Nancy Pelosi reading a New Yorker article about Kevin McCarthy on the House floor on January 4, 2023. "The original argument was, if you insert cameras, the behavior of the members changed," said Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California. But Lofgren said she was supportive of permanently allowing C-SPAN cameras into the chamber, arguing in essence that the cat's already out of the bag.

☆ Divided U.S. House members spar over national security committee seats
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reflecting the bitter divide in the newly seated House, where Republicans hold a slim majority, McCarthy on Tuesday formally rejected Representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell as members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. McCarthy, who as speaker can act unilaterally appoint the members of a select committee like the intelligence panel, insists he is acting in the best security interests of the country. McCarthy and other Republican leaders also said they do not want Representative Ilhan Omar to serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. At least two have said they opposed her removal; Republicans have only a five-seat majority in the House. Gosar also had posted a video on social media showing him appearing to kill another House member, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

McCarthy made good on his promise to block former House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell — both California Democrats — from serving on that panel. In addition to keeping Schiff and Swalwell off the Intelligence Committee, McCarthy previously said he intended to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who backed McCarthy but has caused headaches for GOP leadership in the past, also got a slot on the panel. The coronavirus committeeRep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, will chair the special committee investigating the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, McCarthy named GOP members to a third select committee, focused on competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party.

☆ George Santos says he's undecided on whether he'll vote to kick Ilhan Omar off of the Foreign Affairs Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The GOP wants to remove Ilhan Omar from a committee over years-old comments seen as anti-Semitic. George Santos, who has lied about being the Jewish descendant of Holocaust survivors, is undecided. As he boarded an elevator, Santos re-affirmed that he hadn't decided how he would vote on Omar. Omar apologized at the time, and on Wednesday, she called the effort to remove her from the committee was a "political stunt." Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) January 25, 2023

WASHINGTON — Rep. Victoria Spartz, an Indiana Republican, said Tuesday she'll oppose Speaker Kevin McCarthy's efforts to keep a handful of Democrats off key House committees. But he may need the support of a majority of the House to block Omar from Foreign Affairs. Given McCarthy's slim Republican majority, every vote is important. The speaker's plans are widely seen as retaliation against Democrats for kicking Republican Reps. Paul Gosar, of Arizona, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, off their committees in the last Congress over incendiary or violent rhetoric. “Speaker Pelosi took unprecedented actions last Congress to remove Reps. Greene and Gosar from their committees without proper due process.

☆ House Republican tells Kevin McCarthy to 'start governing for a change,' says she won't vote to boot Ilhan Omar off of the House Foreign Affairs committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

McCarthy is set to hold a vote on removing Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs committee. He cited Omar's previous comments on Israel as well as previous votes to do the same to Republicans. But at least one House Republican — Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana — has firmly declared that she will not vote for the resolution. Speaker McCarthy needs to stop 'bread and circuses' in Congress and start governing for a change." But as House Speaker, McCarthy has the unilateral ability to reject Jeffries's picks for any select committee.

As speaker, McCarthy has the authority to choose a chairman and Republican members of the panel. Jeffries, as minority leader, can nominate Democrats to serve on the panel, but McCarthy has the power to reject them. He has specifically targeted Schiff and Swalwell who played a major role in the impeachments of former President Donald Trump. Those actions angered McCarthy and for months he has vowed to block Schiff and Swalwell from the Intelligence panel. As recently as Jan. 12, McCarthy told reporters he would not seat Schiff and Swalwell who regularly antagonize McCarthy during cable news appearances.

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