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COVINGTON, Ky. — A key part of the White House plan to combat the new House GOP majority was on vivid display Wednesday: President Joe Biden talked about bridges and bipartisanship, while Republicans bickered among themselves. They plan to show him addressing real-world problems that are Americans' top concern while painting congressional Republicans as being focused on raw politics. They are refining plans to pressure House Republicans in swing districts to stop any impeachment votes in committee — before the issue reaches the House floor. The general view inside the White House is that there is little of substance to worry about. There, Barack Obama challenged McConnell and congressional Republicans to “help us rebuild this bridge!” and put unemployed construction workers to work.

☆ Biden, McConnell Kentucky event is a roadmap for White House under new Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during an event to tout the new Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, near the bridge in Covington, Kentucky, U.S., January 4, 2023. That's the opposite of what the White House thinks voters want. In a stark sign of the Republican divisions that the White House hopes will work to their advantage, Trump endorsed McCarthy on Wednesday morning, while lobbing a racial slur at McConnell's wife. Biden and McConnell were joined by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, former Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. McConnell was among a handful of Republicans who voted for the infrastructure law while many House Republicans including McCarthy opposed it.

☆ Biden, McConnell Set to Tout Bridge Funding in Show of Bipartisanship
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Catherine Lucey | Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—President Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will tout a bridge project made possible under the 2021 infrastructure bill during a trip to Kentucky on Wednesday, offering a show of bipartisanship as Washington lurches into a contentious era of divided government. The former colleagues were set to visit Covington, Ky., where the White House planned to announce funding to upgrade the Brent Spence Bridge between Ohio and Kentucky, as well as investments in other bridges around the country. Also scheduled to attend were Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine , a Republican, former Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) and Kentucky Gov.

McConnell wants to get credit from voters in his home state of Kentucky for the spending project, while Biden wants to highlight the on-the-ground impacts of lawmakers working together. That's the opposite of what the White House thinks voters want. Democrats' unexpected success in the last midterms shows "the American people said very loudly and clearly they wanted us to come together and work for a common ground,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday. The two will be joined by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, former Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. McConnell, of Kentucky, was among a handful of Republicans who voted for the infrastructure law while many House Republicans including McCarthy opposed it.

☆ Biden highlights bipartisanship during House GOP chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"To have a Congress that can't function is just embarrassing," Biden said before he left Kentucky to return to Washington. The GOP senator called the bridge an example of bipartisanship that the "country needs to see." "The Brent Spence bridge is one of them. The Brent Spence, which carries Interstates 71 and 75 between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky, was declared functionally obsolete by the Federal Highway Administration in the 1990s. "We're going to get it fixed," Trump said about the Brent Spence, which he called "dangerous."

☆ Biden uses bridge to showcase bipartisan push
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsBiden uses bridge to showcase bipartisan pushPostedU.S. President Joe Biden and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell made a rare joint appearance on Wednesday at a bridge in Kentucky in a display of bipartisanship that offers a guide to how the White House hopes to govern in months to come. This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.

The appearance with McConnell, R-Ky., and other regional leaders from both parties Wednesday signals a dual focus for a White House aiming to stay above the political fray in 2023. But the bipartisan infrastructure law will be front and center as the White House says 20,000 new projects funded by the law will be underway in the year ahead. On Thursday, White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu will visit San Francisco, one week after outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the city’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge will undergo a $400 million retrofit funded by the law. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America in my whole career,” Biden said during an appearance on ABC’s New Year’s Eve special. When asked Friday about whether the 2024 election has come up in discussions this week, Biden quipped: “There’s an election coming up?"

☆ Outgoing New York Rep. Kathleen Rice says she warned Democratic leaders that the party would 'lose' Long Island in the midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Kathleen Rice said she warned Democratic leaders of electoral losses on Long Island before the midterms. While former President Donald Trump lost New York State resoundingly in both 2016 and 2020, he won Suffolk each time. I said [to party leaders], 'You guys, don't understand, we're gonna lose Long Island. "When we had elections in November of 2021, every single Democrat on Long Island lost. However, the midterms proved that while the Republican brand on Long Island may have faltered in the 1990s and 2000s, that is certainly not the case today.

☆ Privacy and crypto will likely lead tech policy under split Congress as hope for passing ambitious antitrust reforms dwindles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

After what started as a hopeful year for tech policy, the 117th Congress is about to close out its term with many key efforts tabled. That's the case with privacy legislation, where a bill proposed this year gained bipartisan support, passing out of a House committee with a near-unanimous vote. The pair blamed the bills' failure to advance on intense lobbying efforts by the tech industry against them. One prominent bipartisan bill in the Senate would put the CFTC in charge. "But the importance of tech policy issues will still be strong."

☆ Here are the 5 senators who voted against giving workers break time to pump breast milk
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Five senators voted against expanding protections for breastfeeding workers. The PUMP Act will now be included in the federal Omnibus bill, which the president is expected to sign. In online statements on Thursday, Merkley and Murkowski celebrated the passage of the PUMP Act. "I am encouraged to see the PUMP Act pass the Senate—good progress toward ensuring no mother ever has to choose between a job and nursing her child," Murkowski said. Merkley and Murkowski initially tried to get the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act voted on as a standalone bill on Tuesday, but the attempt was blocked by Paul.

☆ As climate change makes wildfires worse, FEMA faced with calls to change
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Building at the bottom of a hill would keep the station from experiencing the worst fires, which tend to run uphill. But Mayor Chris Rogers says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied funding in part due to rules designed to protect infrastructure harmed in storms from flood damage, saying the proposed new location was in a flood zone. Devastating fires in Santa Rosa and communities elsewhere in California led survivors to press for changes in the way the agency handles wildfires. In Santa Rosa, a midsized city about 55 miles north of San Francisco, the Tubbs Fire in 2017 raced through established suburban areas, jumping six lanes of highway, destroying homes. But without help from FEMA, it has taken a while to put together rebuilding resources, Rogers said.

☆ Florida Sen. Rick Scott says defeated Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker will 'continue to be a leader' in the GOP 'for years to come'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Rick Scott said Herschel Walker would "continue to be a leader" in the GOP "for years to come." Scott made the comments following Walker's runoff defeat to Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia. The Florida lawmaker was a visible presence at many Walker rallies throughout the campaign. But throughout the course of the campaign, Walker's campaign suffered from a series of scandals. After the runoff loss, Republicans are continuing to do a lot of soul-searching, as every statewide GOP candidate besides Walker was victorious at the ballot box in Georgia this year.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema's Democratic defection without a difference
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Specter’s switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party briefly gave Democrats a filibuster-proof majority and allowed them to pass the Affordable Care Act. Joe Lieberman, the moderate Democrat and former longtime senator, lost a Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006, largely over his support for the Iraq war. A defection without a differenceArizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appears to be different as she becomes the 22nd senator to change party affiliation while in office. A Senate independence trioSinema will be the first independent senator who isn’t from New England in more than a generation. The most complete political evolution may be that of Lincoln Chafee, the Rhode Island politician who was a Republican senator, independent governor and failed Democratic and Libertarian presidential candidate.

The win ends a nearly two-year power sharing agreement, giving Democrats true majority rule. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona's viselike grip on their party's priorities has loosened a bit, thanks to Georgia. Republicans will no longer be able to bottle up Biden administration nominees in committee, and select Democratic committee chairs will again be able to issue subpoenas. "Joe Manchin is a good person; he really is," Biden said Friday at a reception for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York speaks at a press conference at the Capitol on August 5, 2022.

☆ Georgia voters cast over 350,000 ballots for the Senate runoff on the last day of early voting, setting a single-day record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Georgia voters on Friday cast over 350,000 ballots, setting a one-day statewide early voting record. The previous one-day early voting record was on Tuesday when nearly 310,000 voters cast ballots. On Friday night, Sterling praised the efforts of election officials and precinct workers who had prepared for early voting, which began in some localities last week. Before Friday, the one-day record for early voting in Georgia was set during the 2018 midterm cycle, when 233,000 people voted on the last day of early voting that year. Headed into Election Day on Tuesday, turnout among Georgia voters sat at 26.4% as of December 3, per the secretary of state's office.

The House agriculture committee will likely be led starting in January by Glenn "GT" Thompson of Pennsylvania. The farm bill has a historical reputation of bipartisanship, so some advocates told Reuters they are warily optimistic. Passage of the 2014 farm bill was held up more than a year as conservative House Republicans tried unsuccessfully to strip the bill of nutrition programs. Every Republican member of the House agriculture committee signed a letter calling the funding “abusive and troublesome." At an August farm conference in Iowa, Thompson said if he led the agriculture committee, he would "ensure that the farm bill doesn't become a climate bill."

☆ Vegan canapes and fat donations: How Sam Bankman-Fried won Washington before he lost everything
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

Everybody was trying to get in,” said one source close to the Bankman-Frieds’ political operation who requested anonymity to speak candidly. Attempts to contact Sam Bankman-Fried for this article were unsuccessful. Sam Bankman-Fried’s mentor and the spiritual leader of Effective Altruism has disowned him. Sam Bankman-Fried is a Democrat, and he spent at least $40 million supporting the party. Some of the biggest recipients of Bankman-Fried’s money did not respond to NBC News when asked about donations they received.

☆ Senate Democrats laugh off Trump's endorsement of banning congressional stock trading. But there's still no consensus on passing their proposals in the lame duck session.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Senate Democrats have been wrestling with a proposed congressional stock trading ban. Donald Trump endorsed banning congressional stock trading in his 2024 campaign launch. He still felt qualified to weigh in on the unfinished legislative business Senate stock-ban point man Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon shelved until the lame duck in September. "I'm pleased to hear Trump supports a ban on congressional stock trading," Merkley wrote in an email. Stock trading ban advocate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts urged Democratic leaders to follow through on the most popular proposals before decamping for the holidays.

New York CNN Business —A third railroad union has rejected a tentative labor deal, a move that further raises the odds that America’s 110,000 freight railroad workers will go on strike early next month. It is the smallest of 13 unions that represent more than 100,000 union members at the nation’s major freight railroads. The union’s brief statement on the vote said it “fully expects to continue negotiating further toward a satisfactory contract” with railroad management. A freight railroad strike would create massive problems for the US economy, snarling still-struggling supply chains and triggering widespread bottlenecks and shortages. Congress can also prevent or end a strike by extending a cooling-off period during which the unions cannot strike, or by imposing a contract on union members.

WASHINGTON — Americans were still waiting Friday to learn which party will control the House and Senate next year. Three days after final ballots were cast in the 2022 midterm elections, more than two dozen House races have not yet been called, with a number of them in California and other areas in the western half of the country. Republicans have a better chance of winning a majority in the House, though the Democrats still have a chance to retain control. As of Friday morning, Republicans have won 211 seats, Democrats have won 197 and 27 races remain uncalled. The Senate also hangs in the balance, as results in key races in Arizona and Nevada have not been decided.

☆ Mark Kelly wins Arizona Senate race, bringing Democrats one seat away from majority, NBC News projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and his wife former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, daughters Charlotte, Samantha and son in law Mark Sudman wave during his election night rally at the Rialto Theatre on November 08, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly will hold on to his U.S. Senate seat in Arizona, pushing Democrats closer to retaining control of the Senate, NBC News projected. In Nevada, Republican candidate Adam Laxalt was ahead by 1 percentage point with 88% of the votes counted as of Friday morning. Kelly raised and spent vastly more than venture capitalist Masters, bringing in over $81.8 million and spending over $75.9 million through mid-October. He was elected to the Senate in 2020 to finish the term of Republican Sen. John McCain, who died of an aggressive form of brain cancer.

☆ Pro Take: Election Will Influence Tech Policy on the Margins
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Steven | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Nonetheless, when all results are in, election results may shape technology policy and regulation in some important respects. There are some matters of tech policy that won’t be addressed in any single election, because they are long-term issues, according to Michael Burns, partner with private-equity and venture-capital investor Murray Hill Group. The Biden administration is taking aggressive action that includes cutting off supplies of advanced semiconductors and machines used to make them, according to Mr. Burns. “The next challenge is aligning on industrial policy with outcomes measured in 5 to 10 or even 15-year horizons. This is hard in a system where the next election cycle is considered long term.”Write to Steven Rosenbush at steven.rosenbush@wsj.com

Share this -Link copiedWisconsin Senate race too close to call Wisconsin's Senate race between GOP Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes is too close to call, NBC News says. Vance wins Ohio Senate race, defeating Democrat Tim Ryan, NBC News projects COLUMBUS, Ohio — J.D. Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance is leading The Senate race in Ohio is too early to call, NBC News says, but Republican candidate J.D. Share this -Link copiedGeorgia Senate race too close to call Georgia's Senate race is too close to call about three hours after polls closed at 7 p.m.

The race is a must-win for Democrats to have any hope of retaining control of the House. It’s one where, on the whole, it might edge Democratic looking at the district but with no incumbent, a pretty well-funded Republican and a good cycle. It makes me mad.”In an interview ahead of the rally with Oz rally in suburban Pittsburgh, Shaffer said Deluzio was “desperate” because his campaign has gained some momentum in the final weeks. As for why the area has become such a significant swing district, Rothfus cited its economic and geographic importance. “It’s the crossroads of a huge section of the country, right between the Midwest and the Northeast,” he said.

“We’ve got to unite,” Oz said at a rally Friday in Wexford, a suburb north of Pittsburgh. Democrats see his message as blatant hypocrisy considering he is backed by former President Donald Trump and has campaigned with him. “Uhhhh will he refuse to campaign with Mastriano + Trump this weekend then?? He has mostly kept Mastriano at arm’s length while rarely mentioning Trump, instead focusing on crime, inflation and undocumented immigration. “As much as I loved Trump as president, he’s pushed the other party so far away.”

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