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WASHINGTON — Officials in Washington are preparing for a possible visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, according to five sources familiar with the planning. Zelenskyy could address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening, three sources said. A European official also familiar with the planning confirmed that preparations are underway for a potential visit Wednesday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested members attend Wednesday's session in person in a letter to colleagues Tuesday. Weeks after the war got underway in March, Zelenskyy made an emotional virtual address to Congress asking for support with more aggressive measures to curb the conflict.

☆ Zelenskiy may visit Washington to meet Biden, congressional leaders- sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Punchbowl News first reported the possible trip, which would be Zelenskiy's first known visit outside Ukraine since Russia launched its assault on the country on Feb. 24. Zelenskiy is expected to meet congressional leadership and national-security committee chiefs from the Republican and Democratic parties and could address a joint session of Congress, Punchbowl reported earlier. Zelenskiy made a surprise trip to troops in the battered eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, underlining Russia's stuttering but persistent attempts to capture it. Zelenskiy last left Ukraine for the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 19, according to his official schedule. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported visit by Zelenskiy.

☆ House probe of Jan. 6 pro-Trump riot is cooperating with DOJ special counsel, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The member of the U.S. House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol hold their final public meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 19, 2022. The committee started sending special counsel Jack Smith documents and transcripts last week, Punchbowl News reported earlier. The DOJ has also received Meadows' text messages, along with witness transcripts related to an Eastman-backed scheme to try to appoint pro-Trump electors in key states in the 2020 election, Punchbowl reported. Spokesmen for the select committee and the DOJ did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment. Smith is also tasked with investigating potential violations related to Trump's removal of hundreds of documents from the White House, including some bearing classified markings.

☆ Zelenskyy is set to visit the US Capitol, which would mark his first time leaving Ukraine since Russia invaded
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Zelenskyy is expected to visit the US Capitol on Wednesday. House Republicans have increasingly expressed opposition to continued aid to Ukraine. The trip could potentially be cancelled for security reasons, per Punchbowl, which cited multiple sources familiar with the visit. Zelenskyy was widely praised for refusing to flee Ukraine in the early days of the war, when Kyiv was expected to quickly fall. The US has provided billions in crucial security aid to Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing aggression, but House Republicans have increasingly expressed opposition to continued US assistance to Ukraine — citing economic concerns.

☆ White House and Congress prepare for possible visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with U.S. President Joe Biden via phone, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 11, 2022. White House and congressional security officials were laying the groundwork for a possible visit Wednesday from Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, five other sources familiar with the planning told NBC News. The Ukrainian president, who is currently the target of Russian forces amid its brutal assault on his country, could address lawmakers during a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, they said. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., confirmed to NBC News that she invited Zelenskyy to D.C., but she wouldn't say whether he was coming. An official representing the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C. told CNBC they are aware of reports but cannot confirm Zelenskyy's visit.

☆ The effort to ban members of Congress from trading stocks is mostly dead — at least for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Time has largely run out in this Congress to ban lawmakers from trading stocks. On Monday, he told Insider in a statement that he would "keep pushing to get this debated on the floor and get it passed." Democratic senators formed a working group, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's blessing, to draft legislation to ban stock trading among lawmakers. In the Senate, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told Insider that it was "not yet" time to declare the effort dead, pointing to ongoing discussions. "I support a stock ban for members of Congress," he told reporters in September.

☆ House Democrats reviewing Trump's tax returns split into publish-everything and there-are-rules camps with GOP takeover looming
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After finally scoring Trump's tax records, House Democrats have to figure out what to do with them. "I want them all released," Ways and Means Committee member Bill Pascrell told MSNBC ahead of Neal's group-wide meeting. José Luis Villegas/AP"Democrats' relentless pursuit of President Trump's tax returns is nothing more than a partisan attack against a political opponent that serves no legitimate or legislative purpose," Buchanan wrote in an email to Insider. Ways and Means Committee member Dan Kildee said he was backing Neal's call in this case. And while he acknowledged they were racing against the clock, Kildee said Ways and Means Democrats would rise to the challenge.

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said herself, quoting scripture on the House floor Thursday: “For everything there is a season — a time for every purpose under heaven.”For Pelosi, the season to be leader of House Democrats has passed. She’ll continue to represent San Francisco while serving as an invaluable source of guidance and resolve for the next generation of House Democratic leaders. At 82, Pelosi is a historic figure, of course: the first female House speaker and one of the strongest speakers, if not the strongest, that America has ever seen. Yet as a minority in a GOP-run House, Democrats won’t be able to rack up accomplishments like they did in the last two years. There were calls for Pelosi to step aside in 2010 when Democrats lost 60 House seats — a true wipeout.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is likely to make her future plans clear as soon this week, possibly even Thursday, multiple sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. Pelosi said Sunday she wouldn’t engage with questions about her future until all races were called. Meanwhile, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, is being urged to pursue the leadership role and has met with rank-and-file members. In the office of New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer on Tuesday, he was urged not to miss his moment. Punchbowl News was first to report the Pelosi call with the CA delegation.

☆ U.S.'s Hoyer to leave leadership, backs Jeffries as top House Democrat -Punchbowl News
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Column: Warnings of Medicare fraud mount; here is how to avoid it, article with imageUnited States category · November 17, 2022 · 4:28 PM UTCA new report from the U.S. Senate Finance Committee documents a range of fraudulent and misleading marketing practices used to sell Medicare Advantage plans - and some of them are real eye-openers.

Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday. Punchbowl Inc sued Punchbowl News' parent company, AJ Press LLC, for trademark infringement last year in Los Angeles federal court. The appeals court also agreed with the lower court that AJ Press' name was not misleading. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. For Punchbowl Inc: Peter Willsey of Brown RudnickFor Punchbowl News: Ian Ballon of Greenberg TraurigOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, leader of the House Democrats' campaign arm, conceded to a New York Republican in a shocking upset
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney conceded defeat early Wednesday morning. Maloney is the leader of House Democrats' campaign arm. "In New York, we defeated Sean Patrick Maloney," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy boasted early Wednesday morning long before Maloney conceded. "Last night, House Democrats stood our ground," he told reporters on Wednesday. Maloney's demise may be greeted with a degree of schadenfreude by House Democrats.

☆ Elon Musk tells his Twitter followers to vote for Republicans the day before the midterms, despite saying Twitter should be 'politically neutral'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk told his followers on Monday to elect a Republican Congress in the midterm elections. In August, Musk was reportedly a VIP guest of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy at his annual donor retreat. Musk announced in May that he would vote Republican in the upcoming election cycle after years of voting for Democrats. Responding to Musk's tweet, Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman tweeted that Musk has "long been friendly with Kevin McCarthy." Reuters journalist Kanishka Raj Singh dug up a tweet from Musk in April in which he said Twitter should be politically neutral.

☆ Democrats resigned to losing the House see a silver lining in 2024 if Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell clash and fail to rein in the Trump wing of the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Democrats expect chaos next Congress as they face losing control of the House and possibly the Senate. They say far-right House members will be running the show as Kevin McCarthy struggles to control them. Between McCarthy and McConnell, Democrats view McConnell as the leader with more control over his caucus and they foresee future splits on legislation and priorities. Former President Barack Obama called it a "shellacking" when Democrats lost 63 House seats and 6 Senate seats in 2010. He expects House Democrats to lose about 30 seats, dropping from 222 to 190 and Republicans increasing from 212 to about 240.

☆ Pennsylvania is home to one of the likely 'tipping-point' districts in the midterm elections. Voters and experts explain what's at stake for abortion, inflation, and control of Congress.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"I can go down the list and check things: incumbency, check Wild; inflation, check Scheller; district reconfiguration, check Scheller; abortion issue, check Wild." The Pennsylvania Senate race is also hotly contestedWith the Republican Toomey retiring, CNN projected Pennsylvania could flip; NPR agreed, saying it's the "most likely Senate seat to change hands." Chen said that Oz is "continuing to close on" Fetterman, though, because Pennsylvania voters, "especially in the Lehigh Valley, are willing to split their tickets." That poll showed 34% of surveyed voters listed inflation as their most important issue in the election, followed by 28% of surveyed voters who named abortion. "Those are all issues that if we don't maintain a United States Senate, control of the United States Senate, I think this country could be really in danger," Halma said.

☆ Liberal U.S. lawmakers withdraw Ukraine letter after blowback
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Clodagh KilcoyneWASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus withdrew a letter to the White House urging a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine, the group's chairperson, Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal, said on Tuesday. “The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine," Jayapal said in a statement. The letter drew immediate pushback, including from some members of the Progressive Caucus. In her statement withdrawing the letter, Jayapal said that, because of the timing, the letter was being conflated as being equivalent to McCarthy's remark. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter," Jayapal's statement said.

☆ Democrats struggle with message on inflation in final midterm push
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

“What is our message about why inflation is going to be worse if Republicans win?” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told NBC News in an interview. Even as President Joe Biden and some candidates sharpen their focus on inflation, many Democrats are worried it may be coming too late. “Ads for both parties discussed inflation during the early summer, but since then, pro-Democratic ads have avoided mentions of inflation while pro-Republican ads have increased their discussion of inflation,” the researchers wrote. Economic issues are hitting voters particularly hard in states where Democrats’ control of the Senate hangs in the balance, including Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. In campaign appearances and ads, she’s frequently attempted to explain to voters that the Inflation Reduction Act will lower costs for voters.

☆ Mitch McConnell breaks with Kevin McCarthy, pledges to send more aid to Ukraine if Republicans win the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

McConnell on Friday urged the Biden administration to deliver more military support to Ukraine. His comments come after McCarthy expressed skepticism about sending more aid to Ukraine. Support to Ukraine has been approved on an "overwhelming bipartisan basis" and must be "expedited," McConnell said. A GOP split over Ukraine could take center-stage if Republicans retake the House and Senate in the midterm elections. In the meantime, the Biden administration could also push through a new Ukraine deal in the lame duck period before the new Congress begins in January.

☆ Analysis: U.S. Republicans aim at Ukraine aid but unlikely to block it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

All 57 House votes against a bill providing more than $40 billion for Ukraine in May came from Republicans. Anderson said some Republicans have viewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's administration as corrupt since Trump's first impeachment trial. House Democrats voted to impeach Trump in 2019 on charges he held up military aid for Kyiv to put pressure on Zelenskiy to investigate one of Biden's sons. Several defense industry executives said they viewed the Republican comments on Ukraine aid as political rhetoric ahead of the midterms, not a threat. A Reuters/Ipsos opinion survey this month showed 73% of Americans felt the United States should continue to support Kyiv.

☆ Nancy Pelosi says Democrats need to get better at talking about inflation — but Republicans 'ain't got nothing'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nancy Pelosi said Democrats need to message better on inflation in an interview with Punchbowl News. Polling consistently shows that the economy and inflation are top of mind as Democrats and Republicans duke it out for the House and Senate. Right now, Democrats are barely clinging to razor-thin majorities in both chambers, and economic concerns could push voters to the right. In an interview with Punchbowl News, Pelosi — who's previously expressed confidence that Democrats will pick up seats in the House — said Democrats need to make their message on inflation better. We'll have to message it better in the next three weeks ahead," Pelosi told Punchbowl.

☆ Adam Kinzinger said Kevin McCarthy was giving 'aid and comfort to the enemy' and fodder to Russian media by suggesting GOP may not send more aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said if the GOP wins the House they may not be as forthcoming with Ukraine aid. His comments suggested bipartisan support for aiding Ukraine could be waning. "I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they're not going to write a blank check to Ukraine," McCarthy told Punchbowl News. Some saw the comments as a sign that the broad bipartisan support for aiding Ukraine could be waning. Kinzinger said he thought McCarthy's comments were intended to appeal to the extreme members of the Republican party.

☆ Trump's yearslong crusade against Ukraine has finally come home to roost as Republicans call for abandoning Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

US aid to Ukraine could be in jeopardy if Republicans win the House in the midterms. Several GOP lawmakers and candidates have signaled they would support reducing or cutting off Ukraine aid. In April, 10 House Republicans voted against a bill allowing the Biden administration to more easily lend military equipment to Ukraine. The following month, 57 House Republicans voted "no" on a nearly $40 billion aid package for Ukraine. Some GOP opposition to continuing aid to Ukraine is tied to Trump's "America First" policy vis-a-vis foreign affairs.

☆ Mike Pence said there's no room for Putin 'apologists' in the Republican Party as he criticized Russia's 'unconscionable war' in Ukraine: AP
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mike Pence spoke out against Putin "apologists" and the growing populism in the GOP on Wednesday. Several Republicans have either supported Putin or dismissed the war he's waged against Ukraine. Pence also criticized the group of Republicans who have defended Russia's war in Ukraine or dismissed it by arguing the US should stay out of foreign affairs. "As Russia continues its unconscionable war of aggression to Ukraine, I believe that conservatives must make it clear that Putin must stop and Putin will pay," he added. "There can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists to Putin.

☆ Pence calls for the US to continue to support Ukraine 'until peace is restored' after Kevin McCarthy suggests GOP will slow aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mike Pence declared that Republicans should not abandon Ukraine as it continues to fight Russia. Pence's said American support must remain "until Russia relents and until peace is restored." And we must continue to provide the generosity, compassion, and prayers of the American people until Russia relents and until peace is restored." Pence even echoed an FDR phrase that President Joe Biden has also used, calling the US an "arsenal of democracy" amid Russia's war. Depending on how key midterm races shake out, the GOP could add even more Ukraine-skeptic lawmakers to their ranks.

☆ Kevin McCarthy called his chance of becoming House Speaker a 'silver lining' of the GOP's election lies, book says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

McCarthy partly acknowledged the trouble with Trump's refusal to accept losing the 2020 election. He told a confidant that the "silver lining" is that he has "a pretty good chance of being Speaker in two years." "'The silver lining,' Kevin McCarthy said, 'is that I have a pretty good chance of being Speaker in two years,'" Draper wrote. Trump and his supporters do, in fact, continue to deny the 2020 election results and perpetuate the lie that it was stolen. McCarthy says he's confident Republicans will win control of the House in this fall's elections.

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