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☆ Same-sex marriage protection bill clears initial hurdle in U.S. Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It would serve as a legal backstop against any future Supreme Court action by requiring the federal government to recognize any marriage that was legal in the state it was performed. It would not block states from banning same-sex or interracial marriages if the Supreme Court allows them to do so. All 50 Democrats and 12 Republican senators voted to advance the bill in the 100-member Senate. Speaking before Wednesday's vote, Republican Senator Thom Tillis, another key negotiator, called the bill "a good compromise... based on mutual respect for our fellow Americans." In a mark of how far the country has moved on the issue, the Mormon church - once a virulent opponent of legalizing same-sex marriage - came out in support of the bill.

They won a narrow House majority, having won the 218 seats needed, with eight still uncalled. McConnell and Scott both addressed the gathering, which included newly elected Trump-backed Senate Republicans, including J.D. [1/5] U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2022. In the House, conservative Republicans continued to bash party leader Kevin McCarthy, a day after he overcame a challenger for the chamber's top job of House speaker. While Senate Republicans met in the morning to vote for party leaders, House Republicans met later in the day to consider chamber rules for the next Congress.

☆ Pelosi ends historic run as top House Democrat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsPelosi ends historic run as top House DemocratPostedU.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to hold that powerful post, said on Thursday (Nov. 17) that she will step down as the chamber's Democratic leader, but will remain in Congress, representing San Francisco as she has done for 35 years. Lisa Bernhard produced this report.

Despite Republican hopes for a "red wave" of support in the Nov. 8 elections, they failed to reverse Democrats' razor-thin Senate majority. They appear to be on course to win a narrow House majority, having won 217 of the 218 seats they would need, with 10 still uncalled. McConnell and Scott both addressed the gathering, which included newly elected Trump-backed Senate Republicans, including J.D. [1/5] U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2022. While Senate Republicans met in the morning to vote for party leaders, House Republicans were due later in the day to consider chamber rules for the next Congress, assuming they succeed in capturing the House.

[1/5] U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2022. Trump, who launched his own 2024 White House candidacy on Tuesday, falsely claims he lost because of fraud. "The Democrats outmaneuver us in every election," Braun said as Republicans met to choose their leaders for the next two years. In the House, conservative Republicans continued to bash party leader Kevin McCarthy, a day after he overcame a challenger for the chamber's top job of House speaker. While Senate Republicans met in the morning to vote for party leaders, House Republicans were due later in the day to consider chamber rules for the next Congress, assuming they succeed in capturing the House.

☆ U.S. Senate to hold initial vote on bill protecting same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday will hold an initial vote on legislation to protect the right to same-sex marriage, spurred by concerns that a conservative Supreme Court could reverse its earlier decision that made it legal nationwide. The bill, which is expected to pass the Senate, would serve as a legal backstop against any future Supreme Court action by requiring the federal government recognize any marriage that was legal in the state it was performed. However, it would not block states from banning same-sex or interracial marriages if the Supreme Court allows them to do so. Supporters of same-sex marriage were spurred to act when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should also reconsider the legality of same-sex marriage, in a concurring opinion to the court's overturning of federal protections for abortion in June. The bill will have to jump through several more procedural hoops in the Senate before going back to the House for final approval.

☆ Republicans one seat away from winning House in U.S. midterm vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The final outcome in the House hangs on tight races in states including California, with thousands of votes still being counted. Republicans have won 217 seats compared with the Democrats' 209, Edison Research projected, with 218 needed for a majority. There were only nine uncalled House contests by early Wednesday, with Republicans ahead in four, according to a Reuters compilation of the leading nonpartisan forecasters. In retaliation for two impeachment efforts by Democrats against Trump, House Republicans have vowed to investigate Biden administration officials and past dealings by the president's son, Hunter Biden, with countries including China. As House speaker, McCarthy would be second in line of succession for the presidency after the vice president when Congress convenes in January.

☆ U.S. debt limit increase not needed this year -Sen. McConnell
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday downplayed the likelihood the chamber will vote by year's end to raise the federal government's statutory limit on borrowing, noting that such legislation is not needed until next year. "I don't think the debt limit issue is until sometime next year," McConnell told reporters when asked whether the Senate could vote on an increase during the chamber's post-election work session that began on Monday and could extend until late December. Treasury Department officials have voiced a desire for Congress to raise the debt limit during this Congress, fearing that it could become more difficult next year if Republicans, as expected, take majority control of the House of Representatives from Democrats. Many conservative Republicans have advocated holding back on a debt limit increase next year until significant domestic spending cuts are enacted by Congress, raising fears of a possible historic default on debt payments by the federal government. Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Mark Porter and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Senate Democrats’ main super PAC says it’s planning to spend more than $4 million in television ads to boost Warnock. But McConnell endorsed Walker in the primary, after which Democrats unloaded on the Republican nominee in a brutal ad campaign. The Dec. 6 Georgia runoff between Walker and Warnock won’t decide the balance of power in the Senate, now that Democrats are assured control. After Republicans failed to win control of the Senate this week, top McConnell and Scott allies pointed fingers. Roberts, who retired after the 2020 election, said McConnell and Scott must set aside their differences to win Georgia.

☆ Republicans on verge of U.S. House majority in midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks during a news conference about the House Republicans "Commitment to America" outside the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Republicans on Tuesday were closing in on majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives, a midterm victory tempered by the unexpectedly narrow margin they will hold over Democrats as they usher in two years of divided government. Republicans so far have won 215 seats in the 435-member chamber, Edison Research projected, with 218 needed for a majority. The anticipated House victory for Republicans will be far short of the "red wave" they had predicted for the Nov. 8 midterm elections, and some in the party have blamed Trump for the disappointing showing. As House speaker, McCarthy would be second in line of succession for the presidency after the vice president when Congress convenes in January.

☆ Dianne Feinstein could be third in line to the presidency as Senate president pro tempore. She appears unaware that she's already declined the job.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dianne Feinstein's office has said the 89-year-old doesn't want to be president pro tempore of the Senate. That would put her third in line to the presidency, behind the vice president and House Speaker. Feinstein — who will also be the chamber's oldest currently-serving member come January — issued a statement to the Washington Post last month saying that she's not interested in running for and serving as president pro tempore of the Senate. "This is about the Senate pro tem position," he said. With Feinstein no longer in contention for the president pro tempore post, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington would be next in line in terms of seniority, having taken office just two months after Feinstein in January 1993.

Democrat Tina Kotek has won the race for governor in Oregon, NBC News projects, narrowly defeating Republican Christine Drazan. With her victory Kotek will be one of the first out lesbian governors in the United States. She joins another out lesbian governor-elect, Democrat Maura Healey of Massachusetts, in making history in the 2022 midterms. Drazan came close, bombarding Kotek with relentless attacks over record-breaking crime and homelessness and tying her to term-limited Democratic Gov. Her victory suggests those messages may have broken through to Oregon voters.

☆ Zinke, former Trump Interior secretary, wins U.S. House seat - Edison Research
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke testifies in front of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Eric ThayerWASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Ryan Zinke, a former secretary of the U.S. Interior Department under then-President Donald Trump, who stepped down in 2018 amid ethics probes, won a U.S. House of Representatives seat in Montana, Edison Research projected on Thursday. "Truth matters, and now it's time to fight for freedom and protect our way of life in Montana," Zinke said in a release about the election. After resigning from the Interior Department, Zinke joined the board of mining exploration company U.S. Gold Corp.During his first House term, Zinke served on the chamber's Natural Resources and Armed Service committees.

☆ Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa's longest-serving US senator in state history, faces off against Democrat Mike Franken
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Explore more race results below. Sen. Chuck Grassley is running against Democrat Mike Franken in Iowa's Senate race. Iowa Senate candidatesGrassley, who is seeking an 8th term that would keep him in office well into his 90s, is one of the chamber's feistiest octogenarians. The money raceAccording to OpenSecrets, Grassley has raised more than $9.8 million, spent more than $8.6 million, and has $2.16 million cash on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, Franken, has raised more than $9.2 million, spent $8.6 million, and has $608,000 million cash on hand, as of October 19.

☆ Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger says she sought out Liz Cheney's endorsement in her nail-biter race against Yesli Vega
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger told Insider she sought out GOP Rep. Liz Cheney's endorsement. Spanberger faces a tight race against Yesli Vega, who has sympathized with January 6 rioters. "People are enthusiastic about it," Spanberger said of the high-profile endorsement in a phone interview with Insider on Saturday. In her statement announcing the Spanberger endorsement, Cheney said Vega was "promoting conspiracy theories, denying election outcomes she disagrees with, and defending the indefensible." "I have spent almost my entire adult life in service to this nation," Spanberger told the crowd of volunteers.

☆ Republican takeover of U.S. Congress would mean tax fights are back
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( David Lawder | Gram Slattery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Congressional Republicans' tax strategies and a Democratic White House could ultimately mean a status quo on rates, deductions and credits for the next two years, tax professionals and analysts say. TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT"We want to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, which will strengthen the economy," a senior House Republican aide told Reuters. That 2017 Republican-passed tax law slashed top-line tax rates on corporations, a permanent feature that Democrats failed to reverse with control of Congress over the last two years. AIMING AT THE IRSOther targets for Republican tax legislation include rolling back a new 15% domestic corporate minimum tax for large companies and $80 billion in new funding for the Internal Revenue Service in Biden's climate and healthcare law. It will be used to fill thousands of IRS positions coming empty due to retirements and budget cuts; Republicans have described the hires as an 'army' aimed at harassing taxpayers.

☆ New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu doesn't think there's 'any need' for campaign attack ads against Nancy Pelosi before midterms after her husband's assault
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sununu doesn't believe there's "any need" for attack ads against Nancy Pelosi ahead of the midterms. On NBC's "Meet the Press," Sununu said the paramount goal at the moment is the speaker's safety. Chris Sununu on Sunday said he didn't believe there was "any need" for attack ads against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ahead of the midterms after her husband was violently attacked in California last week. "No, I don't think there's any need for the attack ads," the governor said. "All our thoughts and prayers and sympathy have to go out to Nancy Pelosi, her entire family, her husband, of course."

[1/5] An oil pump jack is seen in an oil field near Lake Maracaibo, in Cabimas, Venezuela October 14, 2022. "Among those remaining in the partnerships, few hope to ever recoup pending dividends or commercial debts from PDVSA." Since TotalEnergies and Equinor in 2021 exited one of Venezuela's flagship oil upgrading projects, Petrocedeno, smaller firms have followed. With companies and workers leaving almost en masse, the abandonment of oilfields is visible near Maracaibo Lake, among Venezuela's oldest producing region. Between 2019 and 2021, PDVSA delivered oil cargoes to partners to reduce outstanding debt.

☆ Suspicious packages, white powdery substances, and a 'swatting': Inside the threats federal judges are facing across the country
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The US Marshals Service has been responding to a remarkable rise in threats against federal judges. At least three times this year, the federal court in Washington, DC, received suspicious packages. Arriving just months apart, the packages sent to DC's federal courthouse served as reminders of threats judges are increasingly facing across the country. Lawmakers have blamed Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, for blocking legislation to help protect federal judges. Greg Nash/AP ImagesCongressional solutionsCongress has approved additional funding for bolstering the security of federal judges.

If Democrats elect more senators and keep control of the House, Biden said he would sign a law in January to ensure women's right to abortion across the country. Republicans largely oppose abortion rights, while Democrats largely support them. Some 20% of Democratic women cite the end of national abortion rights as their top issue for the midterms, compared with 22% who cite inflation. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that Biden would support a carveout of the filibuster reform in order to codify abortion rights. Biden and top White House officials this month announced new guidelines and grants to protect abortion and contraception rights.

If Democrats elect more senators and keep control of the House of Representatives, Biden said he will sign a law codifying Roe in January to protect abortion rights. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday Biden would support a carveout of the filibuster reform in order to codify abortion rights. Jean-Pierre did not say what happens to abortion rights if Democrats do not control the legislature. Some 20% of Democratic women cite the end of national abortion rights as their top issue for the midterms, compared with 22% who cite inflation. Biden and top White House officials this month announced new guidelines and grants to protect abortion and contraception rights.

WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden, under renewed pressure over high inflation with mid-term elections approaching, said on Tuesday he will sign a law to codify abortion rights in January if Democrats control the legislature next year. If Democrats elect more senators and keep control of the House of Representatives, Biden said he will sign a law codifying Roe in January to protect abortion rights. Some 20% of Democratic women cite the end of national abortion rights as their top issue for the midterms, compared with 22% who cite inflation. Some 9% of Democratic men cited abortion as their top issue, compared with 19% who cite inflation. Biden and top White House officials this month announced new guidelines and grants to protect abortion and contraception rights.

"If we prevail in this race, it will make Utah the most influential state in the union, because nothing will get through the Senate without Utah's support," said McMullin. A former CIA operations officer, McMullin was a Republican until 2016, when Donald Trump won the party's nomination to run for president. But this year, Utah Democrats opted not to nominate a challenger to Lee, a two-term hard-line conservative, ceding the field to McMullin's challenge. Lee dismissed his rival on Monday night as "an opportunistic gadfly supported by the Democratic Party." "You've refused to talk about which party you'd join," Lee told McMullin.

☆ Hu Chunhua: From rural roots to candidate for China premiership
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Dominique Patton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"For his policy record, I would pick Hu," said Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China at Chatham House. Hu is depicted in state media as a man of action, sometimes shown checking on planting progress in far-flung provinces. YOUTH LEAGUE ROOTS, POVERTY FIGHTERHu got his start in the party training ground of the Communist Youth League. Despite his Youth League roots - the faction was seen to be a rival to Xi's - Hu has proved his loyalty to Xi, promoting many of his initiatives in rural areas, including the campaign to eradicate poverty. Hu also wrote a paean to Xi's "historic achievements" on rural issues published in the party's official People's Daily in July.

☆ Congress is still considering changes to the retirement system, including catch-up contributions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Tom Brenner | ReutersThere's still a decent chance that changes to the U.S. retirement system will be enacted before the end of the year. "There's still tremendous bipartisan interest in doing another retirement security bill," said Paul Richman, chief government and political affairs officer for the Insured Retirement Institute. Upping the catch-up contribution anteNosystem Images | E+ | Getty ImagesCurrently, retirement savers age 50 or older can make so-called catch-up contributions to their retirement savings. The House bill would expand the 401(k) catch-up to $10,000 for individuals who are age 62, 63 or 64. The Senate proposal differs by allowing people from age 60 through age 63 make the extra $10,000 catch-up contribution.

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