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☆ McCarthy meets with Taiwan leader as China threatens 'actions' in response
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (R) speaks with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen while arriving for a bipartisan meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on April 5, 2023. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a bipartisan congressional delegation are meeting Wednesday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Simi Valley, California, in a move that has increased simmering U.S. tensions with China. The Republican House speaker is the highest ranking U.S. official to meet with a leader of Taiwan on U.S. soil since 1979. Tsai's meeting with McCarthy follows private meetings she held last week with small groups of U.S. lawmakers. But in reality, Tsai's packed schedule of high-level meetings with U.S. lawmakers would rival that of any official visit by a world leader.

☆ Tim Cook and Bob Iger to meet with House China committee members
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

L to R: Microsoft President Brad Smith, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Disney CEO Bob Iger. Lawmakers will also dine with entertainment producers and screenwriters who have been critical of the industry’s approach to wooing Chinese viewers, the source said. On Friday, lawmakers will have conversations with former Defense Secretary James Mattis as well as Apple CEO Tim Cook. China is Apple’s third-largest geographic business segment after the Americas and Europe, accounting for more than $74 billion in company revenues last year. “This committee was set up to build out the bipartisan consensus on the CCP and the actions we need to take to defend ourselves,” the source said.

☆ Texas' GOP leaders are skipping Trump's Waco rally because of 'prior commitments' as possible indictments dog his 2024 campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Former President Donald Trump is holding a 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas on Saturday. None of the 30 Texas Republicans Insider contacted about the event said they were going. Cheung was also non-committal about whether former Trump rally companions like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia or failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake would pop up in Texas. Other Texas Republicans who said they'd be unable to huddle with Trump for unspecified reasons include Rep. Michael McCaul, and state GOP chairman Matt Rinaldi. The bigger concern, Meek told Insider, was that the high-profile visit might in any way backfire after the decades the community has spent building back from the Branch Davidian tragedy.

☆ Democratic lawmakers urge US to probe Goldman's role in SVB collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"(We) wish to raise our concerns over the role of Goldman Sachs Group in advising SVB and in the purchase of its bond portfolio," the letter said. Californian regulators shuttered Silicon Valley Bank last Friday and appointed FDIC as receiver. U.S. prosecutors are investigating the SVB collapse, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters this week. Goldman Sachs did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter by lawmakers. Financial stocks have lost over billions of dollars in value since Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank (SBNY.O) collapsed last week.

[1/2] Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti stands near a Los Angeles' flag during the opening ceremony of the “Wings of Los Angeles”, a bronze sculpture presented by Mexico's government at Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, U.S., June 6, 2022. REUTERS/Daniel BecerrilWASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden's nominee Eric Garcetti as ambassador to India on Wednesday, ending a nearly two-year nomination fight over allegations the former Los Angeles mayor mishandled workplace harassment complaints. Senators backed Garcetti by 52-42, as seven Republicans joined the majority of Democrats in supporting Garcetti and three Democrats joined most Republicans in voting no. "The United States-India relationship is extremely important and it's a very good thing we now have an ambassador," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who led a congressional delegation to India last month. Los Angeles mayor from 2013 until a term limit pushed him from office last year, Garcetti is close to Biden and co-chaired his 2020 presidential campaign.

Alaska's elected officials say the project will create hundreds of jobs and bring billions of dollars in revenue to state and federal coffers. The state relies heavily on revenue from oil production, but output there has declined dramatically from its peak in the 1980s. "I feel the people of Alaska have been heard," U.S. Representative Mary Peltola, a Democrat from Alaska, said on a call with reporters. The Interior Department approved the project with three drill pads after saying last month it was concerned about the greenhouse gas impacts of Willow. "This was the right decision for Alaska and our nation," ConocoPhillips Chief Executive Ryan Lance said in a statement.

☆ Biden Interior approves controversial Alaska oil drilling project
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Climate activists gather to protest with demanding President Biden stop the Willow Project by unfurling a banner on the Lafayette Square in front of the White House on January 10, 2023 in Washington D.C. The Biden administration approved a major and controversial oil drilling plan in Alaska, known as Willow, just one day after unveiling protections for more than 16 million acres of land and water in the region. Environmental groups have long condemned the plan, arguing it undermines the administration's pledge to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to the president's decision, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management released an environmental analysis last month that proposed lowering the number of drilling sites from five to three under the project. The Interior said it had "substantial concerns" about Willow, including its direct and indirect emissions and its impact on local wildlife.

☆ Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas talks President Biden, infrastructure funding, and governing without gridlock at the local level: 'We've got to get stuff done'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas strives for collaboration as he works on tough policy issues. And he looks at Kansas City — whose Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII earlier this month — as an example of resiliency. What have been some of the most tangible and immediate benefits of the law for Kansas City? Mayor Lucas speaks during the Kansas City Chiefs' victory celebration in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 15, 2023. In Kansas City, we've said: "How do we keep talking to people even if everybody's mad at each other in the room?"

While the Biden administration push, described by economists as an industrial policy, has opened opportunities for some companies, significant hurdles remain. The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act provides $52.7 billion in federal subsidies for semiconductor production and research. Industrial policy still has critics. Scott Lincicome, director of general economics at the libertarian Cato Institute, said industrial policy tends to crumble into failed projects and cost overruns. "There's all sorts of more market-oriented reforms that could achieve the type of objectives our political class wants, without the unintended consequences of industrial policy," he said.

☆ U.S. manufacturers see big boost from government subsidies and tax breaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Timothy Aeppel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

While the Biden administration push, described by economists as an industrial policy, has opened opportunities for some companies, significant hurdles remain. Eight out of 12 Republican representatives in Ohio’s congressional delegation voted in favor of federal subsidies for semiconductor production, including the funds that will go to Intel. The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act provides $52.7 billion in federal subsidies for semiconductor production and research. Scott Lincicome, director of general economics at the libertarian Cato Institute, said industrial policy tends to crumble into failed projects and cost overruns. "There's all sorts of more market-oriented reforms that could achieve the type of objectives our political class wants, without the unintended consequences of industrial policy," he said.

☆ US lawmaker in Kyiv: Momentum shifting toward ATACMS, F-16s for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. lawmaker said during a visit to the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday that momentum in Washington was shifting toward sending the long-range missiles and fighter jets coveted by Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Biden administration and National Security Council were still split over "how fast and what weapons" to send Ukraine, which wants ATACMS missiles and F-16s. "But I'm seeing increasing momentum towards getting the artillery and the planes in," he told reporters in central Kyiv. Washington has provided $24 billion in security assistance since Russia's Feb. 24 assault but has so far held back from sending planes and long-range missiles. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Long Island Republican warns of 'suburban uprising' over New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to rezone land to allow greater density for affordable housing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Long Island Republican warned of a "suburban uprising" over Gov. Bruce Blakeman said that Hochul's plan would trample over the autonomy of local communities. For generations, Long Island was a GOP bastion, filled with fiscally and socially conservative voters from across the political spectrum. Hochul's proposal would push for more multifamily housing developments near Long Island Rail Road stations. Still, her plan remains a tough sell for other Long Island politicians.

☆ 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.

☆ Donald Trump will stop in New Hampshire ahead of his South Carolina rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Trump has added a stop in New Hampshire on Saturday morning before his rally that evening in South Carolina. Trump will give the keynote address at the annual meeting of the New Hampshire GOP, whose chairman, Stephen Stepanek, praised Trump’s support for the state’s first-in-the-nation primary status. For months, New Hampshire Gov. “That’s usually the most successful approach is someone who can be on the ground, who can shake hands, be social, have real conversations, sometimes about politics and policy, sometimes about the Patriots and the Red Sox.”From New Hampshire, Trump heads to South Carolina, where Gov. “Our message to everyone is: ‘Run against Trump.

People communicate with each other at the Congress Center for the World Economic Forum WEF Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2023. DAVOS, Switzerland – U.S. lawmakers quietly took part in a private ritzy lunch atop the World Economic Forum on Monday featuring dozens of influential business leaders, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Chris Coons, D-Del., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. and a few members of the House of Representatives, these people explained. Coons, Manchin, Sinema and Kemp are among the U.S.-based officials scheduled to participate in panel sessions at this year's conference. These private events on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum often serve as meet-and-greets between CEOs, billionaires and government officials.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., announced Thursday that she won't seek re-election in 2024, setting the stage for a competitive Senate race in a key battleground state during a presidential election year. Garlin Gilchrist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Attorney General Dana Nessel and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who gained a national following last year after going viral with her pushback against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Stabenow has served in the Senate since 2001 and previously served in the House from 1997 until her career began in the upper chamber. She holds several Democratic leadership roles including Senate Democratic Policy Committee chair and chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. She has served alongside Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., since he came to Congress in 2015.

☆ Democratic Sen. Stabenow of Michigan won't run again in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a member of the Democratic leadership, announced Thursday that she will not run for a fifth term in 2024, opening up a seat in the key battleground state. The announcement is expected to make Michigan's 2024 Senate race one of the most competitive in the country. Only one Michigan Republican has held a seat in the Senate in the past 40 years. If the full DNC approves the plan, as expected, Michigan would be the fifth state to vote in the primary process on Feb. 27. The Republican National Committee has already set their primary schedule and Michigan is not in the first five states.

☆ What could GOP control of the House mean for U.S.-China tensions?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Megan Lebowitz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

McCarthy also says he plans to create a House select committee on China, the first since the late 1990s. House Republicans will also investigate the origins of the coronavirus and “the CCP’s role in the spread,” the blog post said, although it is unclear whether that investigation would be part of the select committee. Tensions were further inflamed in August by Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, the first by a sitting U.S. House speaker since 1997. The most volatile issue in U.S.-China relations is the status of Taiwan, which Beijing has not ruled out seizing by force. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Taiwan on Aug. 3, 2022.

The fate of the bill is also linked to an election overhaul measure to avoid another Jan. 6, which Senate leaders hope to attach to it. The two parties are about $26 billion apart on domestic spending, Shelby said, which isn’t much considering the omnibus package would likely be more than $1.5 trillion. Although they control both chambers, they still need at least 10 Senate GOP votes to defeat a filibuster on a funding bill. The government funding bill is likely the last train leaving the station in the current session of Congress, and a number of other provisions could ride along. Senators have struck a deal on a bill that cleared committee on a bipartisan vote of 14-1 in September.

☆ Trump isn’t the only thing that could rock American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In a rare bright spot for democracy in the wake of the US Capitol insurrection, Walker – unlike Trump after 2020 – conceded his loss. But looking to the next election, there’s a brewing fight over which states should have the first say in the presidential primary process. The most core question raised this week is being put to Supreme Court justices. Removing a check from the systemThe leap from Trump’s call to end the Constitution to the independent state legislature theory isn’t that far. Under the map approved by the state Supreme Court and after last month’s midterm elections, the delegation will be an even 7-7 when the new Congress is seated in January.

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet on Thursday for celebrities, lawmakers, and titans of industry at the White House's first state dinner in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron. The guest list included actress Jennifer Garner and her daughter with Ben Affleck, Violet; singer John Legend and model Chrissy Teigen; "Vogue" editor Anna Wintour; and director Baz Luhrmann. On Thursday night, Biden and his wife, Jill, welcomed the Macrons back to the White House for the dinner after diplomatic meetings earlier in the day. [1/7] Jennifer Garner and her daughter Violet Affleck arrive for a state dinner in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2022. The lavish Washington dinner is one of few events that bring together people including the president's son Hunter and Kevin McCarthy, who leads a Republican congressional delegation that has vowed to investigate his business dealings.

A decision by Whole Foods to pause purchases of Maine lobster has sparked outcry from the state's elected officials and the lobster industry. Whole Foods' decision, which was announced this month, was prompted by changes in sustainability ratings for Maine lobster fisheries by separate third-party seafood monitoring groups: the California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and the London-based Marine Stewardship Council. "There has never been a right whale death attributed to Maine lobster gear," they said. “Maine lobster has always been sustainable and that hasn’t changed with the recent announcement from MSC,” Steve Kingston, the owner of The Clam Shack in Kennebunk, Maine, said in a statement. The company said its stores would continue to sell Marine Stewardship Council-certified lobster caught elsewhere.

“Let’s say no to Norma Torres because she has caused so much harm to El Salvador,” one of the many tweets read. The State Department considers this an attempt to influence the elections. You can say someone is interfering with the election, you can call it election interference. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and his party Nuevas Ideas, or New Ideas, and its allies won the biggest congressional majority in the country’s history. Bukele and Torres met once in 2019 when she was with a congressional delegation visiting El Salvador.

☆ Democrats’ next big fight: Which state goes first in the 2024 presidential primary
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | 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: +7 min

With Iowa facing possible eviction from the early states, many expect Democrats to elevate a Midwest state. The DNC’s rules and bylaws committee is scheduled to meet in early December in Washington to discuss the presidential primary schedule. The old system began with caucuses in Iowa, went to the New Hampshire primary, then Nevada and finally South Carolina. This week, Nevada Democrats attempted to leverage their party’s midterm performance into an early state slot — including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory that decided the Senate majority. A Democrat working on Nevada’s push said the DNC has laid out criteria for early state consideration and voter access is a top concern.

Speaking to reporters this week, Brown reaffirmed that he intends to seek a fourth term. Jai Chabria, Vance’s chief campaign strategist, said he expects the “floodgates to open” with candidates eager to take on Brown. Dolan’s pitch to county chairs this week leaned into frustrations that Republicans have vented toward Trump after disappointing midterm results. For Brown, this year’s midterm elections in Ohio have yielded a more unpleasant set of questions than the last. “He is a different beast than Tim Ryan, because Tim Ryan was a Xerox of a Xerox of Sherrod Brown,” Chabria said.

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