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☆ Elizabeth Warren and Katie Porter are taking the first step in repealing the Trump-era banking law they blamed for Silicon Valley Bank's collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NBC first reported on Tuesday that Sen. Warren and Rep. Porter are introducing a bill to repeal a 2018 banking law. Warren and other Democrats blamed the rollback for Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. Warren and Porter blamed the Trump-era rollbacks for SVB's abrupt shutdown on Friday, saying that if stricter regulations had been in place, the bank's collapse could have been prevented. Sen. Bernie Sanders also said on Monday that SVB's failure was a "direct result" of the 2018 legislation. "Americans deserve to know their money is safe when they deposit it in the bank," Porter said in a statement.

☆ Joe Manchin says he looks at his 2018 vote on easing bank regulations 'differently now' after Silicon Valley Bank's collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 2018, Sen. Joe Manchin was one of 13 Democrats to vote for easing some banking regulations. The rollback of those regulations meant that Silicon Valley Bank was subject to less scrutiny. That vote has come under renewed scrutiny after the abrupt shuttering of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and subsequent bailout of its depositors. Manchin did tell Raju that it was not a mistake to vote through that 2018 legislation, or at least it wasn't at the time. Other Democratic lawmakers who also voted for the 2018 legislation are similarly standing by their decisions.

Principal Deputy IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel testifies before the House Small Business Committee at a hearing on "The Internal Revenue Service And Small Businesses: Ensuring Fair Treatment" in Washington, July 17, 2013. One of Werfel's priorities at the IRS will be ensuring that the wealthiest Americans pay their full tax bills. President Joe Biden's pick to lead the IRS won the support of nearly every Senate Democrat, plus a handful of Republicans. "Confirming someone as qualified as Mr. Werfel as IRS Commissioner is crucial to making sure Americans take full advantage of all the tax credits we approved last year," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday on the Senate floor. He later served as acting IRS commissioner in 2013.

☆ Joe Manchin for President? The West Virginia Senator Won’t Rule It Out
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Eliza Collins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is up for re-election next year. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a centrist Democrat, on Sunday wouldn’t rule out running for the 2024 presidential nomination, potentially pitting him against President Biden. And I’m not putting anything on the table,” Mr. Manchin said on CBS News when asked about a run for president. Earlier in the show, he declined to say if he would endorse President Biden if he runs for re-election. Mr. Biden is preparing for a re-election bid and no other prominent Democrats have indicated they would challenge him.

☆ Fair and Balanced? Murdoch’s private messages show Fox News was instructed to help Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But a deposition and private messages made public in recent weeks has exposed that even Rupert Murdoch doesn’t treat Fox News like an actual news organization. But at Fox News, that’s not the case. It’s just striking to hear Fox leadership like Ryan talk openly behind the scenes about what the company is at its core. Fox News has accused Dominion of having “cherry picked” statements to unfairly malign the network. But it’s hard to see how, under any circumstances, these instructions to a supposed network news chief would be appropriate.

☆ Senate overturns federal rule on ESG investments, Biden vows to veto
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) talks to reporters during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on February 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday voted to overturn a Labor Department rule that permits fiduciary retirement fund managers to consider climate change and other factors when making investments on behalf of pension plan participants. The final vote in the Senate was 50-46, with two Democratic senators crossing party lines to support the repeal bill: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Montana Sen. Jon Tester. President Joe Biden said Monday that he will veto the Senate bill if it comes to his desk — the first veto of his presidency. ESG funds are designed to attract socially conscious investors with stock picks that promote renewable energy, inclusive policies, or good corporate governance.

☆ The Chips Act Becomes Industrial Social Policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Government subsidies are never free, and now we are learning the price U.S. semiconductor firms and others will pay for signing on to President Biden’s industrial policy. They will become the indentured servants of progressive social policy. Democrats last year snookered Republicans into passing their $280 billion Chips Act, which includes $39 billion in direct financial aid for chip makers and a 25% investment tax credit. Republicans hoped this would satisfy West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin , but after Chips passed he quickly flipped and endorsed the Inflation Reduction Act.

☆ Joe Manchin Declines to Describe Himself as a Democrat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Dustin Volz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Joe Manchin was often the decisive vote for or against Democratic legislation over the past two years. WASHINGTON—West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin declined to describe himself as a Democrat during a television interview on Sunday and didn’t say if he is running for re-election, highlighting the challenges facing the party’s thin majority in the Senate ahead of what is widely expected to be a tough mission to retain the chamber in 2024. “I identify as an American,” said Mr. Manchin when asked repeatedly during a Fox News appearance if he still considered himself a Democrat. “I’m an American through and through.”

☆ Meet the GOP leaders in charge of critical House environmental committees
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Westerman, a representative for Arkansas's fourth congressional district, has a background in engineering and is a licensed forester. He's also introduced legislation to plant 1 trillion trees globally by 2050 in order to pull carbon out of the atmosphere. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of House Committee on Energy and CommerceRep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) during a House Energy and Commerce Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on April 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. "We'll be focusing on promoting innovative technologies to facilitate our clean energy transition," Lucas told CNBC. Lucas said the committee would also conduct "robust oversight" of the spending being distributed to advance the country's clean energy sector.

“We see those as really strong opportunities to flip from Democrat to Republican,” McIntosh said. In West Virginia, McIntosh name checked two Republicans, Attorney General Patrick Morrissey and Rep. Alex Mooney, as possible candidates. Mooney has already announced his bid and Morrissey could run again after he fell short against Manchin as the party's 2018 nominee. Of Rosendale, another unsuccessful 2018 nominee who could run again (against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester), McIntosh said, “we know his record. She’s not really, as far as I can tell, an economic conservative.”The conservative group has already announced its endorsement of Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.

☆ New politically-themed investment funds that mimic lawmakers' money moves aim to shame Congress into banning individual stock trades
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New exchange-traded funds based on congressional stock holdings are launching Tuesday. "90% of it is a product that performs well and 10% of it is shaming," the fund manager told Insider. A press release about the new funds says that in 2022, congressional holdings beat the SPY index fund by nearly 18%. Insider's "Conflicted Congress" project has identified dozens of members of Congress who have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act — whose enforcement is woefully lacking — by failing to disclose their stock trades on time. Last week, Democratic lawmakers including outspoken trading ban advocate Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia sent Speaker Kevin McCarthy a letter urging him to follow through on his plan to "change the current behavior."

☆ Banning Gas Stoves by Regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When progressives can’t pass their agenda through the front door in Congress, they sneak it through a regulatory back window. That’s what the Biden Administration is doing with gas stoves, as the Energy Department this week proposed new rules that amount to a gradual de facto ban. A Biden appointee on the Consumer Product Safety Commission ignited a firestorm last month by threatening to ban gas stoves. After criticism from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and others, the CPSC chairman rejected the idea, and White House officials said they didn’t support banning gas stoves.

☆ Electric car-makers have found a legal loophole to get their customers an extra $7,500 tax credit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The commercial EV credit comes with way fewer requirements that are far less difficult to achieve — and it could be a clever workaround for the passenger vehicle space. Finding a workaroundThe commercial credit was designed to incentivize commercial fleets to electrify. Lucid vehicles don't qualify for the new EV credit given they are priced at higher than the MSRP cap requirements. If an EV is eligible for the new tax credit through a vehicle purchase, it cannot take the credit if leased. If an EV is only eligible for the commercial tax credit through a lease, it cannot take a credit if purchased.

☆ Kevin McCarthy reportedly agrees to leave cuts to Social Security and Medicare off the table in debt ceiling negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kevin McCarthy agreed not to cut Social Security and Medicare in debt ceiling negotiations, Sen. Joe Manchin told reporters. "Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security," Trump said in the video. Save Social Security, don't destroy it." It's still unclear what other types of cuts Republicans are considering in these negotiations. … Does that mean cuts to Social Security or Medicare or child care or Pell Grants?"

☆ Washington Bets on Green Hydrogen and Companies Line Up to Cash In
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Amrith Ramkumar | Photographs Todd Anderson For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KINGSLAND, Georgia— Andy Marsh tried for 14 years to make a profit running Plug Power Inc. Last summer he went to Washington and came away with a potential windfall. While senators battled over the climate, tax and spending bill, there was surprising agreement that hydrogen, Plug Power’s business, needed a big dose of support. “My biggest concern that I have right now is that we have not invested the money that we needed to invest in hydrogen,” West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said at a hearing in July when he was blocking the overall package.

☆ Virginia school district where 6-year-old allegedly shot teacher has had three school-related shootings in 17 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Virginia school district where a 6-year-old allegedly intentionally shot a teacher on Friday has had three instances of gun violence on district property in the past 17 months. Newport News Public Schools consists of 26,500 students, and includes three early childhood centers, 24 elementary schools, seven middle schools and five high schools, according to the district's website. Newport News Public Schools Superintendent George Parker III did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hanan Daoud, who also has children within the school district, agrees. Daoud told NBC News she recalled feeling "paralyzed" after hearing that there had been a shooting in the school district on Friday.

☆ Biden Snookers Joe Manchin Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Did President Biden take Joe Manchin for another ride? The West Virginia Senator insisted on numerous conditions for the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Now the Treasury Department is doing an end-run to let more Americans and EVs qualify. Mr. Manchin last spring argued that the government shouldn’t subsidize Americans to buy EVs, especially since some models have waiting lists. But he later surrendered and cut a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to prevent the well-to-do from pocketing the tax credit and boost U.S. auto manufacturing.

☆ Supreme Court keeps in place Trump-era immigration policy allowing asylum-seekers to be quickly turned away
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Lawrencehurley_Pic.Jpg | Lawrence Hurley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The court voted 5-4 to grant an emergency request by 19 Republican state attorneys general who sought to intervene in defense of the policy. The brief court order said that while the administration cannot set aside the Title 42 policy, the decision "does not prevent the federal government from taking any action with respect to that policy." Gavin Newsom, has warned that the system for handling migrants seeking asylum would “break” if Title 42 is ended. Chief Justice John Roberts on Dec. 19 placed a temporary hold on Sullivan’s ruling while the Supreme Court weighed its next steps. Title 42, named after a section of U.S. law, gives the federal government power to take emergency action to keep diseases out of the country.

☆ The Subsidy Tango of Bill Gates and Joe Manchin
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bill Gates sold West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on this year’s Democratic climate spending blowout as a way to put unemployed coal workers to work building advanced nuclear reactors. Now we learn, belatedly, that these projects depend on Russia for fuel and will cost taxpayers more than advertised. The Energy Department last year awarded up to $2 billion for an advanced nuclear reactor “demonstration” project in Wyoming being developed by TerraPower, a company Mr. Gates founded. These advanced reactors have been promoted because they take up significantly less space than conventional reactors and could theoretically use reprocessed nuclear fuel.

☆ The 2024 Senate map just got even more difficult for Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sinema’s interests are no longer necessarily the Democrats’ best interests in the next Congress, and the 2024 Senate map became even more complicated for Democrats with Sinema’s decision. The Democrats who run against independent Sen. Angus King in Maine have not gained traction in recent elections. Having two people in the race who are going to caucus with the Democratic Party likely makes it more difficult for the Democrats to win. All that said, the Democrats already have a difficult map heading into 2024. With Sinema’s break from the Democratic party, the road is, if nothing else, curvier for Democrats.

☆ Virginia Congressman Donald McEachin dies at 61 after cancer battle
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Donald McEachin of Virginia died on Monday after battling colorectal cancer. "We are all devastated at the passing of our boss and friend, Congressman Donald McEachin," McEachin chief of staff Tara Rountree said in a statement on Monday evening. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, who served as the Commonwealth's governor from 2002 to 2006, remembered McEachin fondly on Monday night. "Tonight, I am mourning my friend, colleague, and mentor Congressman Donald McEachin. The congressman is survived by his wife, Colette McEachin, the Commonwealth's attorney for the City of Richmond, and their three adult children.

☆ How did Democrats make it so close in the House midterm elections?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +18 min

While the GOP did still take the House, the close margin of victory was a performance well below what was possible. Here are eight perspectives from across the ideological spectrum on why the Democrats were able to make it so close. And this reality was essential given the defection of Black and Latino voters to the Republican Party and its candidates. America can credit Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s obstruction of a democracy bill and an economic bill for the narrow Republican House majority. But now, America needs to deal with a Republican House, thanks in good part to Manchin’s obstruction.

☆ Live Election Results: West Virginia State Legislature
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Polls close in the state at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. It symobilizes the 2022 Election. Election 2022 West Virginia Results Explore more election results Alaska Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Texas Virginia Washington WisconsinThis cycle, all 100 of the seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates are up for election, and Republicans currently control the chamber by a margin of 56 seats. The West Virginia House and Senate are currently under Republican control and is not seen as particularly competitive. West Virginia House of Representatives election results:West Virginia Senate election results:

☆ Biden Embarrasses Joe Manchin
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Every so often President Biden blurts out what he really thinks, even if it’s politically or diplomatically embarrassing. He did it again Friday when he said his Administration will shut down coal plants across America. While true, his comment won’t help Democratic Senate candidates or West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin. Mr. Biden’s campaign remarks in Carlsbad, Calif., were supposed to be about the semiconductor bill and his “unity agenda.” But during a riff on Democrats’ tax and climate spending bill, he let slip that “we’re going to be shutting [coal] plants down all across America and having wind and solar.”

☆ Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger says she sought out Liz Cheney's endorsement in her nail-biter race against Yesli Vega
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger told Insider she sought out GOP Rep. Liz Cheney's endorsement. Spanberger faces a tight race against Yesli Vega, who has sympathized with January 6 rioters. "People are enthusiastic about it," Spanberger said of the high-profile endorsement in a phone interview with Insider on Saturday. In her statement announcing the Spanberger endorsement, Cheney said Vega was "promoting conspiracy theories, denying election outcomes she disagrees with, and defending the indefensible." "I have spent almost my entire adult life in service to this nation," Spanberger told the crowd of volunteers.

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