DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio's lawyer blames Trump for January 6, says the ex-president 'unleashed this mob on the Capitol'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An attorney for Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio blamed Trump for the January 6 riot. "You will never see a message from Enrique Tarrio advocating to storm the Capitol," Jauregui said. In his opening statements, Jauregui also defended the Proud Boys, an organization founded in 2016 that calls itself "Western-chauvinist." Watchdog groups have labeled the Proud Boys as extremist and a hate group. "The Proud Boys think that America is the best."

☆ Proud Boys 'did not stand back' as Trump once said but 'mobilized' on January 6, prosecutor argues in trial opening
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The trial of Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four other members opened Thursday. "Make no mistake…," read one text from Tarrio sent at 2:40 p.m. after rioters broke into the Capitol, according to prosecutors. "I'm proud as fuck at what we accomplished yesterday," read one message from Biggs, according to prosecutors. The DOJ also invoked comments made by Trump during a September 29, 2020, presidential debate, telling the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" when he was pushed to condemn white supremacists and militia groups. "When it became clear that Donald Trump would be voted out of office," McCullough said Thursday, "these men did not stand back, they did not stand by, instead, they mobilized."

☆ Matt Gaetz says he wants C-SPAN cameras back on the House floor days after they showed GOP chaos during speaker vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Matt Gaetz said he wants to bring C-SPAN cameras back to the House floor. C-SPAN cameras were able to freely capture the House speaker votes last week. The current pool view of Congress, mainly restricted to recording whichever lawmaker is speaking at the dais, is "antiquated and a little boomer-fied," Gaetz told Fox News. The four-day-long battle to elect a House speaker ended early Saturday morning with Rep. Kevin McCarthy securing the gavel. And the country doesn't get to see those," Gaetz told Fox News.

☆ Matt Gaetz votes for Trump to become House speaker as Kevin McCarthy loses for the 7th time
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Matt Gaetz voted for former President Donald Trump for House speaker on Thursday. Rep. Kevin McCarthy lost his bid for House speaker for the seventh time. Gaetz is among 20 House Republicans who have repeatedly voted against McCarthy. Yet there appears to have been limited, if any, progress in negotiations as the anti-McCarthy group remained opposed to him in the seventh vote on Thursday. Gaetz's vote for Trump also comes as the former president on Wednesday morning urged the holdouts to support McCarthy.

☆ Lauren Boebert says Trump should tell Kevin McCarthy to withdraw his bid as House speaker after he lost multiple ballots: 'Sir, you do not have the votes'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Lauren Boebert dismissed Trump's plea to back Kevin McCarthy for House speaker. Boebert said Trump should tell McCarthy to withdraw his bid. McCarthy has lost five consecutive ballots for House speaker as of Wednesday afternoon. "The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, 'Sir, you do not have the votes, and it's time to withdraw.'" Hours before, Trump had urged Republican members to unite behind McCarthy after he failed to secure a majority of 218 votes to become House speaker, losing three consecutive ballots on Tuesday.

☆ Kevin McCarthy loses first ballot for House speaker, with 19 hardline Republicans voting against him to show the would-be leader who's boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Warren Rojas | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is fighting an uphill battle to become House speaker. Nineteen Republicans voted against McCarthy's bid for speaker. The vote also marks the first time in 100 years that the House failed to elect a speaker on an initial ballot. Lawmakers, however, cannot take their oaths of office until a House speaker is elected. Here are the 19 Republicans who voted against McCarthy:

☆ Matt Gaetz says 'you cannot put the biggest alligator in charge' to 'drain the swamp' in opposing Kevin McCarthy's bid for speaker: 'I'm a Florida man and I know of what I speak'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matt Gaetz criticized Kevin McCarthy who is seeking to become House speaker. The vote to elect a House speaker takes place on Tuesday. "If you want to drain the swamp, you cannot put the biggest alligator in charge of the exercise," Gaetz said. "We offered Kevin McCarthy terms last evening that he rejected," Gaetz said, adding that those opposed to McCarthy's bid also "struggle" with trusting him. If Republicans continue their protest against McCarthy, it could take hours, days, or even weeks until a speaker is chosen.

☆ Meet the freshman class: Congress' new members include 13 women of color, the 1st Gen Z lawmaker, and some familiar faces
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

A record number of womenSenator-elect Katie Britt in the Capitol on November 15, 2022. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesThe 118th Congress is shaping up to be the most diverse ever. A record 149 women will serve, making up almost 28% of the legislative body and expanding the current count by two, according to data compiled by Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics. Among them are 22 new House members and one new senator, Republican Katie Britt of Alabama. The other 15 women are Democrats.

☆ Pete Buttigieg says 'we will mount an extraordinary effort' to ensure Southwest Airlines meets its obligations to customers after thousands of flight cancellations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pete Buttigieg increased pressure on Southwest Airlines to take care of its passengers. "We will mount an extraordinary effort to make sure that they're meeting their obligations," Buttigieg said. "And we will mount an extraordinary effort to make sure that they're meeting their obligations." But while many carriers have gone back to business as usual, Southwest Airlines is still experiencing significant disruptions. More than 2,500 Southwest Airlines flights within, into, or out of the US were cancelled on Wednesday, according to FlightAware, a real-time aviation tracker.

☆ Supreme Court keeps Trump-era immigration policy in place, with Trump-appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch dissenting: 'We are a court of law, not policymakers of last resort'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

SCOTUS on Tuesday kept a controversial immigration policy implemented under former President Donald Trump in place. The policy enables the United States to quickly expel asylum seekers at the border on the basis of public health concerns. "We are a court of law, not policymakers of last resort," conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote. The justices voted 5-4 to grant the Republican-led states' request, with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch joining the three liberal members in voting against the plea. The policy enables the United States to quickly expel asylum seekers at the border on the basis of public health concerns.

☆ Trump blasts Mitch McConnell over passage of government funding bill, claiming 'Democrats must have something really big' on him
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump blasted McConnell over Congress' recent passage of a government funding bill. The House and Senate last week approved the nearly $1.7 trillion bill to avert a government shutdown before the holiday recess. "If Senate Republicans controlled this chamber, we would have handled the appropriations process differently from top to bottom," McConnell said last week. Only nine House Republicans voted for it. "Just another win for the Democrats, Mitch, that wouldn't have happened if 'Trump' were President!"

☆ White House condemns Texas governor after migrants were dropped off outside Kamala Harris' house: 'Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Greg Abbott after busloads of migrants arrived in Washington, DC. Busloads of migrants arrived on Christmas Eve outside of Vice President Kamala Harris' home. The move comes as the future of an immigration policy known as Title 42 remains uncertain. "Governor Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any Federal or local authorities," White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said in a statement. Abbott previously sent migrants to Harris' home in September to pressure the administration to take further action.

☆ Top talkers: These 20 lawmakers spoke the most on the House and Senate floors during the 117th Congress, including Rep. Buddy Carter and Sen. Marsha Blackburn
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some lawmakers delivered dozens of floor speeches during the 117th Congress, C-SPAN's tracking showed. Most members don't usually hang out on the House or Senate floor to hear their colleagues' speeches. These House members spoke the most on the House floor during the 117th Congress. "It is my duty to use the House Floor as a vehicle to share their views, needs, and successes. That's because the Senate floor is typically where leaders make announcements to their members on legislation and nominations, among other topics.

☆ Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dominated oral arguments and challenged conservative thinking in her first months on the Supreme Court, observers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has sat on the Supreme Court for a little more than two months. The Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022 in Washington, DC. Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court during a formal group photograph at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Some court observers say oral arguments can potentially be an opportunity for justices to sway their colleagues' thinking – though that doesn't happen often. During the three hours of oral arguments, Jackson frequently threw cold water on the idea.

☆ Advocates Urge Congress to Pass Permanent Residency Status for Afghans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesConvincing Republican senatorsThe House version of the Afghan Adjustment Act has 143 co-sponsors, including 10 Republicans. Demonstrators gather to support Afghan evacuees outside the Capitol on Nov. 16, 2022. At the moment, one prospect to advance the Afghan Adjustment Act is by attaching it to that larger spending bill, advocates say. But negotiations on the omnibus are ongoing, and whether the Afghan Adjustment Act will be included is up in the air. Yet without a deal by then, passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act appears doomed, advocates say, keeping Afghan evacuees in perpetual legal limbo.

☆ Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh went to CPAC boss Matt Schlapp's holiday party, which Trump ally Stephen Miller and Rep. Matt Gaetz also attended: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh went to a holiday party at the home of Matt Schlapp Friday night. Schlapp is the chairman of the influential right-wing group Conservative Political Action Coalition. The appearance has sparked questions about possible conflicts of interest with a sitting Supreme Court justice attending a private party of right-wing leaders. Miller's conservative group, America First Legal, has filed briefs on cases that are pending before the Supreme Court, according to Bloomberg. Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to establish an enforceable code of conduct for the Supreme Court justices.

☆ The Supreme Court agrees to hear a 2nd student-loan forgiveness case next year to decide millions of borrowers' fates
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a second challenge to President Joe Biden's student-debt relief. The challenge was brought by two student-loan borrowers who didn't qualify for the full amount of relief. The department took matters to the Supreme Court, asking it to make the final ruling on the legality of the debt relief. The Supreme Court earlier this month already agreed to take up a separate challenge brought by six Republican-led states that argued the loan forgiveness would hurt their states' tax revenues. The Supreme Court is expected hand down decisions in both cases by next June.

☆ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocks Kyrsten Sinema's announcement to leave the Democratic Party and register as an independent: 'She lays out no goals for Arizonans'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ocasio-Cortez joins a number of Democrats who criticized Sinema on Friday over her bombshell decision to leave the party and register as an independent. The Arizona Democratic Party blasted the first-term senator, saying in a statement that her "party registration means nothing if she continues not to listen to her constituents." Sinema's announcement comes after Democrats expanded their Senate majority in the midterm elections, allowing the party to move more quickly on legislation and nominations. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House responded to Sinema's decision on Friday by declaring the Senate's new 51-49 power balance remains unchanged. "I believe she's a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate," Schumer said in a statement.

☆ A Christian minister testified that he was involved in decades-long efforts to influence the Supreme Court: 'We pushed the boundaries of Christian ethics'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An evangelical Christian minister testified he was involved in an effort to influence Supreme Court justices' thinking. Robert Schenck told a congressional panel that he gained advance knowledge of a 2014 Supreme Court ruling. "I believe we pushed the boundaries of Christian ethics and comprised the high court's promise to administer equal justice," Schenck said. The allegations have prompted renewed calls from Democratic lawmakers for the Supreme Court justices to abide by an ethics code. "I don't believe a thing Mr. Schneck says," Paoletta, a former clerk for Justice Thomas, told the committee.

☆ Supreme Court justices grapple with a Republican challenge that could upend how elections are run: 'This is a theory with big consequences'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Supreme Court heard three hours of oral arguments on a GOP-led challenge from North Carolina. Barrett said adopting the North Carolina Republicans' approach would mean judges would have "notoriously difficult lines to draw." The state supreme court ruled that the map was a partisan gerrymander that favored Republicans, deeming it a violation of the state constitution. Alito noted that in some places, like North Carolina, state supreme court judges are elected by voters. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in the case by June.

☆ January 6 committee will make criminal referrals to the DOJ, chair Bennie Thompson says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The January 6 committee has decided on criminal referrals, chairman Bennie Thompson said. Thompson did not provide further details on who or how many referrals the panel plans to issue. "We have made decisions on criminal referrals," the Mississippi Democrat said. Thompson declined to provide details on who may be referred or how many referrals the committee may issue, adding that the panel still has to discuss the matter further. Four lawmakers on the nine-member committee — Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff and Zoe Lofgren — have been focused on whether to issue potential criminal referrals to the DOJ, CNN reported.

☆ Supreme Court's conservative majority appears sympathetic to Christian graphic designer who refuses to create websites for same-sex weddings
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Supreme Court heard a free-speech challenge from a Christian graphic designer based in Colorado. Lorie Smith, the owner of 303 Creative, refuses to create websites for same-sex weddings. At the heart of the case is a Colorado law that forbids businesses from discriminating based on sexual orientation. "As a Christian, I can't separate my faith from who I am," Smith told Insider in a recent interview. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in the case, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, by June.

☆ Trump claims Kanye West tricked him by bringing white supremacist Nick Fuentes to Mar-a-Lago dinner: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump's team has claimed that the rapper Ye tricked him by bringing a well-known white supremacist to Mar-a-Lago. "Kanye punked Trump," one Trump adviser told NBC News of the dinner with Nick Fuentes. The Trump campaign is now reviewing their processes to prevent someone like Fuentes from getting near Trump again, sources with knowledge of the discussions told NBC News. "The master troll got trolled," one Trump adviser, who spoke anonymously, told NBC News. One Trump adviser told NBC News that the former president said Ye's attendance at Mar-a-Lago "would be fun for the members."

☆ Supreme Court dismisses Trump's request, clearing the way for House Democrats to obtain his tax returns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed former President Donald Trump's bid to block the release of his personal tax returns to Congress, clearing the way for Democrats to review his records in their final weeks in the majority. The move allows the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee to obtain several years of Trump's tax records as part of its investigation to determine whether the former president and his companies have followed the law. This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

☆ Biden's administration just asked the Supreme Court to reinstate its student-loan forgiveness plan to 'avoid prolonging this uncertainty for the millions of affected borrowers'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to revive its student-debt relief plan. It comes after a lower federal court ruled on Monday to keep the relief paused. The Biden administration also told the Supreme Court that the appeal can be considered a formal petition for a full briefing on the dispute "to avoid prolonging this uncertainty for the millions of affected borrowers," Prelogar wrote. Since Biden announced the one-time debt cancellation in August, a number of conservative lawsuits have attempted to block the debt relief. Given the lower courts' rulings blocking the relief, it's unclear how the Supreme Court will intervene.

Search resuls for: "oma"

25 mentions found