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REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - Incumbent President Joe Biden entered the 2024 election race on Tuesday with something he didn't have two-and-a-half years ago: a record in the White House. Critics also say that increased federal spending under Biden, including $750 million on climate change and tax breaks, also drove inflation higher. Biden may have worse cards in 2024, with unemployment likely to rise as growth slows, interest rates remaining high and inflation holding above pre-pandemic levels. Biden also dismissed the sentences of thousands of people with federal offenses for simple marijuana possession, a disproportionately non-white group. The Biden administration also has faced scrutiny over its handling of record numbers of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

☆ Biden plans to focus heavily on the economy in Belfast speech marking Good Friday Agreement anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Biden’s optimistic speech did not paper over tensions that persist 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement was signed. “It doesn’t change the political dynamic in Northern Ireland,” said Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, which withdrew from the government in dispute of Brexit trade rules. Ahead of the speech, Biden sat for brief talks over coffee with Sunak, though won’t participate in any major public events with him while he’s here. That includes the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party Arlene Foster, who previously served as the first minister of Northern Ireland. The region along the border with Northern Ireland was where Biden’s great-great-great-grandfather, Owen Finnegan, was born in 1818.

☆ Lawmakers meet with Apple, Disney CEOs as part of talks on competition with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

High-profile tech and media executives shared their experiences of working in and competing with China with lawmakers who visited California this week. Over the three-day trip that kicked off on Wednesday, lawmakers were scheduled to meet with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Apple CEO Tim Cook, as well as high-level executives from Google , Microsoft , Palantir and Scale AI. The trip highlights the key role tech and media industries play in America's increasingly complex relationship with China. In Hollywood, the group of lawmakers from the select committee learned about a range of topics related to competition with China. The group was also slated to meet with venture capitalists on Thursday, including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures and SV Angel.

☆ Exclusive: Republican U.S. Senator Rick Scott, Democrat Warren unveil Fed oversight bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Elizabeth Warren blamed the collapse of the two banks on regulatory failures at the U.S. central bank, which has operated up to now with an internal inspector general who reports to the Fed board. "Our legislation fixes that by establishing a presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed inspector general at the Fed, like every other major government agency," Scott said in a joint release with Warren. Warren said this month's banking upheavals "have underscored the urgent need for a truly independent inspector general to hold Fed officials accountable for any lapses or wrongdoing." She sits on both the Senate Banking Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, and chairs subcommittees of both panels. Reporting by David Morgan and Heather Timmons; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kevin McCarthy Boasts of GOP Unity, but Tests Loom on Spending Cuts, Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other top Republicans speaking to reporters in Orlando, Fla.ORLANDO, Fla.—For House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, it could be the calm before another political storm. At House Republicans’ retreat, Mr. McCarthy projected a unified picture of a party seeking conservative wins as well as bipartisanship, pointing to votes on issues related to crime and the Covid-19 pandemic. But he now heads into tough challenges that will test his leadership, including how deeply to try to cut government spending as a condition for raising the debt ceiling, as well as how to handle the re-emergence of former President Donald Trump as a center of attention in the party.

☆ House Speaker Kevin McCarthy: America's greatest threats are debt, education system and China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy: America's greatest threats are debt, education system and ChinaHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the Speaker's focus on bipartisanship, the legislative work the House has done, and more.

☆ House Democrats are skeptical about Biden's call for working with GOP: 'Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be the lead spokesperson these days'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Biden says Republicans can help build a "significant majority" for Dem priorities in a GOP House. "It looks like it's Marjorie Taylor Greene and extreme MAGA Republicans," Rep. Pramila Jayapal said. They question whether they can work with House Republicans on anything beyond "must-pass" legislation when they say "extreme" GOP members seem to be leading the caucus. And you know, Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be the lead spokesperson these days." "You're gonna have a lot of Republicans running our way," he told House Democrats on Wednesday night.

Instead the opposite happened," said Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the select committee, in his opening remarks. McMaster said the United States must put a priority on expediting delivery of billions of dollars of weapons and munitions that Taiwan has already purchased. Although the committee is bipartisan, some Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that it could fuel anti-Asian sentiment within the United States. The select committee has 13 Republican and 11 Democratic members. It will not write legislation, but will draw attention to competition between the United States and China on a range of fronts and make policy recommendations.

☆ Republicans meet Biden's calls for unity with partisan broadside
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A day after Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called on Biden to work together toward compromise on the debt and spending, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered a partisan broadside during the party's official rebuttal to Biden's speech. Biden did pledge to work with Republicans, as during the last Congress when both chambers were controlled by Democrats. Republicans hope to exact spending cuts from Biden in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. He drew boos and shouts of "liar" by asserting that some Republicans would like to "sunset" Social Security and Medicare. The former president, facing several investigations from federal and state prosecutors, also described himself as "a victim" of Biden's Justice Department.

☆ Republicans ready partisan response to Biden's calls for unity
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A day after Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called on Biden to work together toward compromise on the debt and spending, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders stood ready to deliver a partisan broadside during the party's official rebuttal to Biden's speech. "The Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day," she said. Republicans hope to exact spending cuts from Biden in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Sunday found that just 43% of Republicans approve of McCarthy's job performance. The former president, facing several investigations from federal and state prosecutors, also described himself as "a victim" of Biden's Justice Department.

☆ State of the Union brings brief unanimity on Social Security, Medicare. Why experts say there's still reason to worry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That would include Social Security and Medicare. The Republican Study Budget Committee, which included a host of House GOP leaders, has also suggested other changes — raising the retirement ages for both Social Security and Medicare, as well as changing the measurement for annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustments. More recently, former Vice President Mike Pence called for reforming Social Security with the creation of private savings accounts. Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., has led a House bill that would apply reapply payroll taxes on $400,000 in earnings while also making benefits more generous. Biden similarly proposed expanding benefits and increasing payroll taxes on high earners during his presidential campaign.

☆ State of the Union takeaways: Biden comes out swinging in a raucous, combative speech despite pleas for bipartisanship
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The speech marks Biden's first address to the new Republican-controlled House. Before diving into the list of bipartisan accomplishments, though, Biden began by congratulating House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In a symbolic appeal to bipartisanship, First Lady Jill Biden wore purple — the color that results from combining blue and red. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump shared his thoughts about Biden's speech on his social media platform, Truth Social. In addition to attacking Republicans on Social Security and Medicare cuts, Biden opened up several other lines of attack.

☆ Biden plans to go after social media and kids’ mental health in SOTU speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he attends the DNC 2023 Winter Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., February 3, 2023. U.S. President Joe Biden will take aim at tech companies and discuss data privacy and online safety when he delivers the annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, the White House said. Biden will also argue it is the responsibility of companies, not consumers, to minimize the amount of information they collect. The White House said social media companies often do not enforce their terms of service with respect to minors. Biden will discuss how his administration plans to build on the surgeon general's youth mental health advisory, the Department of Health and Human Services' new Center of Excellence on Social Media and Mental Wellness, and the Children and Media Research Advancement Act.

☆ House Democrats just launched a 'Dads Caucus' to push for parental leave, the child tax credit, and universal childcare
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A group of House Democrats just established the "Dads Caucus" to push for reforms. They want to expand parental leave, the child tax credit, and childcare funding to help working families. Last Thursday, House Democrats launched the Congressional Dads Caucus, a group that says it will advocate for legislation that includes guaranteed paid parental leave, the expansion of the child tax credit, and universal childcare. The US is the only industrialized country that doesn't require employers to offer paid parental leave, and only 25% of workers have access to it, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The expanded child tax credit passed in the American Rescue Plan, which offered monthly payments to parents between March and December of 2021, helped reduce the child poverty rate to historic lows.

As in 2011, the GOP speaker runs a House majority full of ideologically-driven conservatives who want to use the debt limit as leverage to force budget changes on a Democratic-led Senate and White House. “It is possible we will eventually see House Republicans put forth a plan for dealing with both the debt limit and the spending problem. After 2011, the Obama White House drew a hard line when the debt limit deadline came up again in early 2013. Andrew Harnik / APAsked about Biden's position and the GOP criticisms, the White House said the president “takes a backseat to no one” on pursuing bipartisanship, but said that the no-negotiations stance from 2013 onward on the debt limit succeeded. “Everyone seems to have forgotten that there was a debt limit standoff in 2013 where Obama adopted the no-negotiation approach and prevailed with a clean debt limit,” he said.

“We spoke with a clear voice in November,” Whitmer said in her annual State of the State speech, which she delivered in person for the first time since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Whitmer, who was on President Joe Biden’s shortlist for vice president, is seen as a rising national star. “I know we might have different perspectives here, but I sure hope we can all get around supporting 4-year-olds across Michigan,” she said. “But the truth is that she set a record during her first term for vetoing bills, many which Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass.”In several policy areas, Whitmer spoke more defiantly or struck more partisan tones. I’m looking at you, Ohio and Indiana.”Those remarks drew a rebuke on social media from the Michigan Republican Party, which during the speech tweeted: “No.

☆ Rep. French Hill: Creating a crypto regulation framework is an opportunity for bipartisanship
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailRep. French Hill: Creating a crypto regulation framework is an opportunity for bipartisanshipRep. French Hill (R-Ark.) joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the new subcommittee committed to regulating digital assets and more.

☆ House Speaker Kevin McCarthy finally won his battle against letting members vote remotely. It could cost him critical GOP votes when he needs it most.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Madison Hall | Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

As COVID-19 raged, the House of Representatives voted in 2020 to allow members to vote by proxy. New House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has now ended it. With newfound control of the House, one of McCarthy's first moves was to eliminate proxy voting when finalizing the House rules package. Joined by 20 other GOP representatives, the lawsuit claimed the US Constitution only allowed for in-person voting and that proxy voting was unconstitutional. These trips are generally funded by the federal government, and proxy voting allowed members to vote while abroad on important business.

☆ Sinema and Manchin high-five over supporting the filibuster at World Economic Forum in Davos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin high-fived over their support for the filibuster on Tuesday. The pair were speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Sinema said the 2022 election showed Democrats were wrong to oppose the Senate rule. "As we all know," Sinema, flanked by West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, said Tuesday, "the filibuster was not eliminated. At the end of her remarks, Manchin chimed in: "We still don't agree on getting rid of the filibuster."

☆ One more thing for Democrats to fix: the Republican Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Neal Urwitz | Neal Urwitz Is A Public Relations Executive In Washington | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

And that, ironically, means Democrats must focus on fixing the Republican Party. And the current iteration of the Republican Party would strip away American democracy. Is it someone who is likely to make the Republican Party more or less responsible? Will that Republican Party abide by American laws and American democracy? Democracy will only survive if Democrats have done our part to create a responsible Republican Party.

☆ Biden's plea to lawmakers in rare op-ed: Unite to hold tech accountable
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"We need bipartisan action from Congress to hold Big Tech accountable," Biden wrote. Biden's call for bipartisanship on tech issues is notable since the split Congress will complicate the landscape for passing legislation in any domain. The decision to focus the op-ed on tech suggests it may be a rare area of hope for progress while working across the aisle. Biden focused on three key areas of tech legislation he hopes to see this Congress. Finally, Biden called for "fairer rules of the road" when it comes to competition in the tech sector.

☆ 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.

☆ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will offer 'maturity over Mar-a-Lago' — a dig at Trump's influence over the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jeffries on Saturday gave an A-Z explainer on how he felt House Democrats would differ from the GOP. The new Democratic leader contrasted the two parties before handing the speaker's gavel to McCarthy. "House Democrats will always put American values over autocracy," Jeffries said in kicking off his speech. Not as Democrats, not as Republicans, not as Independents, but as Americans," he said. But McCarthy still elicits distrust from several conservative lawmakers within the party, making those members highly consequential in such a narrowly-controlled Congress.

☆ Biden to mark anniversary of Jan 6 riots with awards to the day's 'heroes'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"These 12 heroes demonstrated courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation," a White House official said. Rioters who supported Trump broke through barricades and invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, interrupting the certification of Biden's 2020 election victory. Biden has called it embarrassing that it was taking so long for the House leader to be elected. The White House ceremony will take place at 2:00 p.m. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the days following the attack on the Capitol, will receive a posthumous medal.

House Dem whip says caucus will keep voting in speaker race House Democratic whip Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass, said her caucus will stick around and continue voting in the speaker race. Davidson suggested there are "a couple procedural paths" where McCarthy could become speaker if Republicans changed the threshold needed to win the election. The polarization is too great.” Cole said that for all the House GOP divisions, “there’s no question” that most members in the caucus are closer in policy and vision to the anti-McCarthy rebels than they are to centrist Democrats. As Biden celebrated an upgrade to an aging bridge linking Kentucky and Ohio, House Republicans deadlocked on the basic task of electing a speaker, foreshadowing what is likely to be two years of infighting. The McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund and the conservative Club for Growth agreed to not pick sides in some competitive House GOP primary races in exchange for supporting McCarthy's bid for speaker.

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