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☆ Internal memo reveals how Kyrsten Sinema instructed staffers to handle grocery runs and make sure she gets her WiFi fixed: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Daily Beast obtained a 37-page staffers' guide for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Staffers were instructed to ensure Sinema had groceries every week, per The Daily Beast. The assistant would need to then contact Sinema's chief of staff to "make sure this is accomplished," The Daily Beast reported. The document obtained by The Daily Beast also includes tidbits about how the senator shouldn't be disturbed outside office hours if possible. The Daily Beast reported that it had seen the document in its entirety and caveated that it could be a few years old.

☆ Internal memo reveals how Kyrsten Sinema instructed staffers to handle grocery runs and make sure she gets her Wi-Fi fixed: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Daily Beast has obtained a 37-page staffers' guide for Kyrsten Sinema. Staffers were instructed to ensure Sinema has groceries every week, per the Daily Beast. They also need to make sure Sinema gets a weekly massage, and that she has a "room temperature" bottle of water available at all times. The assistant must then contact Sinema's chief of staff to "make sure this is accomplished," the Daily Beast reported. Other instructions include making sure Sinema gets a weekly, one-hour massage, and that she has a "room temperature" bottle of water available at all times.

☆ Elon Musk says the US has been 'harmed' by having Elizabeth Warren as a senator after she wrote a scathing letter to Tesla's board
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has lashed out at Sen. Elizabeth Warren after she wrote a letter to Tesla's board. Musk said on Twitter that the US had been "harmed" by having Warren as a senator. Responding to a Twitter user who posted about the senator's letter, Musk said: "The United States has definitely been harmed by having her as a senator lol." On Sunday, Warren wrote to Tesla's board saying Musk's Twitter takeover had "raised questions about possible violations of securities or other laws." Instead, he responded to a Twitter user who said only Blue subscribers should be able to vote in policy related polls.

☆ 'How dare he?' New Hampshire seethes at Biden's planned changes to the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

“How dare he?” Laurie Jasper, a member of the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women, said. Salting the wound was the revelation that South Carolina hadn’t even asked to be first, and officials there contend they were as surprised as anyone to be handed the spot. In South Carolina, the majority of Democratic primary voters are African American. “North Carolina is more diverse than South Carolina. Democrats say they aren’t about to retreat behind South Carolina and anyway, they can’t.

☆ Washington man charged with leaving more than 400 threatening voicemails for members of Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — A Washington state man has been charged with seven counts of making interstate threats after he allegedly left more than 400 voicemails over two years for members of Congress. In 2021, Leonetti left more than 400 voicemails at the office phone numbers for numerous senators and representatives of both political parties, according to the criminal complaint. The voicemails were "not always coherent," an FBI agent investigating the case said, but made references to murder or killing. We’re going to peel your ass inside out," Leonetti said in one of seven voicemails he left for one lawmaker in September, prosecutors said. In one of 32 voicemails Leonetti left for a senator over a three-day period in September, he allegedly said, "Well, so I’m gonna murder you.

☆ Herschel Walker's wife had an 'obsessive focus' on her husband winning over more Black voters and felt he should have been receiving up to 50% of the Black vote: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Herschel Walker and his wife wanted to court Black voters in the Georgia Senate race, per Politico. Julie Blanchard Walker said Walker should've been getting robust Black support, per the report. An individual close to the campaign told Politico that her idea morphed into an "obsessive focus." The biggest complication in the efforts by the Walkers to engage with Black voters? And he campaigned extensively in those areas throughout the entire campaign, while Walker's overall campaign strategy targeted conservatives and the state's rural evangelical community.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party reshapes the dynamics of the 2024 Senate race in Arizona, creating fresh obstacles for Democrats to hold the seat in two years. But I’m still shockingly disappointed at how awful she continues to be,” said Michael Slugocki, an outgoing vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. A bipartisan poll by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research in September found that Sinema's favorable rating among Arizona Democrats was 37%. The state party censured Sinema last year after she opposed a Senate rules change to pass a major voting-rights bill. “There is every intention that the Arizona Democratic Party will run a true Democrat in 2024,” he said, adding that he favors Gallego.

☆ Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock's runoff victory is a testament to how he connected with voters though faith
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

During the Georgia Senate race, Raphael Warnock didn't stray from his deep roots in the church. Warnock effectively engaged with a wide range of voters in a state that can be tough for Democrats. Warnock defeated former University of Georgia football legend Herschel Walker to secure a full six-year term in the Senate. Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, campaigns at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Eatonton, Ga., on August 18, 2022. And he acknowledged that while many Americans have faced challenges in recent years, retaining a sense of faith was important.

☆ Senate Banking Chairman Brown to introduce bill closing 'shadow' banking loophole after Elon Musk says Twitter will process payments
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown will introduce a bill Tuesday that aims to close the so-called shadow banking loophole that allows retail and tech companies to offer banking services without the same stringent oversight as other financial institutions. Twitter is one of several non-bank companies that sought to enable banking services for users through state-chartered ILCs. Jack Dorsey, Musk's predecessor at Twitter, also was involved in financial services through his separate payments company Square. Other companies that have applied for ILC charters include eCommerce marketplace Rakuten, Ford Motor Company and financial services firm Edward Jones . The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation approved ILC deposit insurance applications for Square and Nelnet, a student financial services company, in 2020.

☆ Tulsi Gabbard's one-time Democratic colleagues are both perplexed and unsurprised by her far-right pivot: 'An Elise Stefanik kind of turn'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic Party before campaign with far-right Republicans. "Nope," Sanders said when Insider asked if he'd like to talk about former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, an early supporter of his 2016 presidential campaign. "I'm not surprised," said Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia, another former Armed Services Committee colleague of Gabbard's. Hawaii's two Democratic senators — Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz — both declined to speculate about what may be driving Gabbard's political movement, despite serving with her in the Hawaii delegation. "I think she's home," Hirono said repeatedly when asked what she thought had happened, referring to Gabbard's political home.

☆ Sen. Murphy proposes not funding police departments that don't enforce gun safety laws, such as the red flag laws
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Chris Murphy proposed defunding law enforcement agencies that don't enforce gun laws. Many counties that have red flag gun laws have said they will refuse to enforce them, Murphy said. Colorado officials said the 22-year-old suspected gunman should have triggered the state's red flag law, but officers at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office refused to utilize the red flag law. "The majority of counties in this country have declared that they are not going to enforce state and federal gun laws. The laws that we're talking about passing, red flag laws, assault weapons bans, they're wildly popular.

☆ Sen. Tommy Tuberville says he's 'not apologizing' for controversial 'reparation' comments, says 'only racists talk about racism'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tommy Tuberville made remarks about "reparation" at a Trump rally that were widely condemned as racist. But he insists that he wasn't talking about reparations for slavery, and was instead talking about crime. "A lot of my best friends are, you know, black, red — it doesn't make a difference," he told Insider. You know, a lot of my best friends are, you know, black, red — it doesn't make a difference." "I'm not apologizing for something I didn't talk about, you know, they can think reparation means just something, but reparation to me is a payback for something they think their owed."

☆ Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff says the difference in competence between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker is the 'most dramatic that I have ever seen in electoral politics'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff said fellow Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock is "an asset to the nation." Ossoff told Insider that Warnock stood above his opponent in "qualifications, competence and quality." Warnock is locked in a competitive Dec. 6 Senate runoff election with Republican Herschel Walker. "The contrast between Senator Warnock and his opponent in terms of preparedness, in terms of qualifications, competence and quality, is the most dramatic that I have ever seen in electoral politics," Ossoff told Insider. In the November general election, Warnock led Walker 49.4%-48.5%, with the incumbent Democrat receiving 1,946,139 votes to 1,908,424 for Walker, per Insider and DDHQ.

☆ A man disparaging Jews and someone pretending to be H.R. McMaster just created federal campaign committees. It may be weeks before regulators do anything about it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Two recently established political committees appear to violate FEC regulations. McMaster at the Richmond Forum in Virginia, a man says he found himself so inspired that he formed a political committee to support McMaster for president in 2024. Federal regulations generally prohibit committees from using the name of a prospective candidate in their committee's name. Then, two days after the McMaster filing, another man filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to form a committee with completely different — and hostile — intentions. As for Liu's antisemitic committee name, the FEC has a process for dealing with that — but it's a protracted one.

☆ Josh Hawley proclaims the 'old' GOP is dead after a disappointing midterms for Republicans: 'Time to bury it'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Josh Hawley thinks the "old" GOP is dead. Build something new," Hawley tweeted on Saturday. "The old party is dead. The old party is dead. Hawley is, per Politico, in the process of forging his own path in the Senate with other Trump Republicans.

☆ Sen. Ed Markey wrote to Elon Musk saying someone impersonated his Twitter with a verified blue check. Musk responded, suggesting his 'real account sounds like a parody.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Ed Markey said his account was "easily" impersonated with a fake account with a blue verification check. Musk responded to the complaint, saying Markey's real account "sounds like a parody." Musk laid off about half of Twitter's staff, including public policy staff who verify politician accounts. Musk responded on Twitter by saying the senator's real account "sounds like a parody." And you're spending your time picking fights online," Markey tweeted.

☆ Cobb County, a longtime GOP stronghold, will be critical for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia's December runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cobb County, a one-time GOP stronghold, is now critical for Democrats running statewide in Georgia. Warnock's strong suburban support will be key as he again faces Walker in a Dec. 6 runoff election. With over 95% of county precincts reporting in the Senate race, Warnock was leading Walker by nearly 17 points (57%-40.5%) in Cobb County. The current raw vote total is 175,387 votes for Warnock to 125,324 votes for Walker, an advantage of over 50,000 votes in this jurisdiction for the incumbent. Which begs the question: why has Cobb County become such a bellwether for statewide Democrats?

☆ Pence says Trump chided him for being 'too honest' when he insisted he couldn't overturn the 2020 election results on January 6
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former VP Mike Pence detailed Trump's efforts to get him to overturn the 2020 election results on Jan 6. He says Trump chided him for being "too honest" in his assessment of the legality of rejecting the electoral votes. Pence is set to release his forthcoming memoir the same day that Trump may announce a 2024 bid. Pence wrote about several instances in which he differed with Trump in the period between the 2020 presidential election and into January 2021. "Without a senator's support, I would have been required to dismiss House objections without debate, something I didn't want to do," wrote Pence."

☆ Raphael Warnock vs. Herschel Walker: Georgia US Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Democrat Raphael Warnock is running against Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia's US Senate race. Warnock was first elected to the Senate in a 2021 runoff election alongside Democrat Jon Ossoff. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who was first elected in a January 2021 runoff, is running for a full six-year term and faces Republican Herschel Walker. In the initial November 2020 special US Senate election, Warnock came in first place with nearly 33% of the vote in a multicandidate field that included then-Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Walker has raised nearly $37.5 million, spent $32 million, and has $5.4 million left to spend, as of October 19.

☆ Republican Sen. Mike Lee faces off against independent Evan McMullin in the Utah Senate race
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee is running for a 3rd term against independent candidate Evan McMullin. In the Senate, Lee serves on the Judiciary Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the Joint Economic Committee, and the Special Committee on Aging. Utah independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin. Republicans have won every presidential race in the state since 1968, often with landslide margins, and the last Democrat to win a Senate race in the state was Frank Moss in 1970. In the 2020 presidential election, Trump defeated now-President Joe Biden in Utah by 20 points (58%-38%), a significant drop from Romney's sweeping victory (73%-25%) over Obama in 2012.

☆ Ted Cruz hit with beer during Astros World Series parade in Houston; man arrested
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was hit with a beer can during Monday's World Series victory parade for the Houston Astros and an arrest was made, police said. Cruz was on a float in Houston at the 2400 block of Smith Street when the can was thrown, the Houston Police Department tweeted. “The beer can struck the Senator in the chest/neck area,” police said, adding that he was not injured. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, center, attends the Houston Astros Championship Parade in Houston, on Nov 7, 2022. The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 Saturday in game six of the World Series to take the championship for the second time in team history.

☆ Raphael Warnock delivers a personal address at hometown rally in Savannah, while zinging Herschel Walker as tight race nears: 'We're on a different field today'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Raphael Warnock on Sunday energized an upbeat crowd at a rally in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. Days before the November general election, Warnock's return was met with pride from attendees. "He's doing a really great for us in the two years that he's had up there," Westbrook told Insider. When asked about Warnock's influence in Savannah, Westbrook said there's "a lot of pride" in the senator's trajectory. But he also pivoted to railing against Walker, praising his football career but saying that the election was being fought "on a different field today."

☆ Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is the latest member of Congress to violate a federal conflicts-of-interest law with improperly disclosed stock trades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, was weeks late disclosing two stock sales. Sullivan's office told Insider that an investment manager was tardy informing the senator that the stock had been sold. Since 2021, 75 members of Congress have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act's disclosure provisions. A personal financial disclosure filed on November 3, 2022, by Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican who represents Alaska. US SenateIn a statement to Insider, Sullivan spokesman Mike Reynard said that Sullivan wasn't aware of the sale of his stock until after a federal disclosure deadline had already passed.

Graham had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. 'UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE'Prosecutors sought Graham's testimony about phone calls he made to Georgia election officials in the weeks after Trump, a Republican, lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden. Graham has "unique knowledge" regarding communications "involved in the multi-state, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere," the prosecutors added. During the phone call, Trump urged Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss to Biden. Legal experts have said Trump's phone calls may have violated at least three Georgia election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties.

☆ Supreme Court rejects Sen. Lindsey Graham's request to block a grand jury subpoena in Georgia election probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court denied Lindsey Graham's request to block a grand jury subpoena. A Georgia grand jury is investigating alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In an unsigned order, the nation's highest court dismissed Graham's emergency request to block the subpoena, writing: "a stay or injunction is not necessary to safeguard the Senator's speech or debate clause immunity." Justice Clarence Thomas, who handles emergency matters arising from Georgia, referred the issue to the full Supreme Court after he temporarily halted a lower court ruling ordering Graham to abide by the subpoena. President Donald Trump also called Raffensperger and pressed him to "find" enough votes to swing the state to him.

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