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House Democrats have unified as they fight to retain their fragile majority in next month’s midterms. But given Biden’s unpopularity and the GOP lead on the generic congressional ballot (which asks only which party people would support), the more likely scenario is a bad election night for House Democrats. If Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn head for the exits, the leadership matchups become pretty clear. Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on Sept. 20. The Massachusetts Democrat has significant support from fellow female members and has stayed close to the Black, Hispanic and Asian caucuses — big voting blocs in the diverse 220-member Democratic Caucus.

☆ Young Black activists are done waiting their turn for political office. They're taking on the 'John Lewis generation' of elder lawmakers who they say are out of touch.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Elvina Nawaguna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Most members of the Congressional Black Caucus are twice as old as the median Black person living in the US. The Congressional Black Caucus, a powerful voice for Black Americans, is significantly older than those it speaks for. Clay had replaced his father, William Lacy Clay Sr., a civil-rights icon and founding Congressional Black Caucus member who had represented the area since 1969. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesThe Congressional Black Caucus is reckoning with a leftward shift it's struggled to embrace. A spokesperson for the Congressional Black Caucus did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ There's overwhelming support for an age limit on the president and Congress. Here's why that won't happen anytime soon.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

Some have proposed age limits for elected officials amid concerns about America's gerontocracy. The history of the contemporary movement for term limits largely dates back to the early 1990s, when dozens of states enacted term limits not just for their own legislatures but for their federal representatives in Washington. "Put it this way: I'm a little more interested in term limits than age limits," Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland told Insider. "There's a logic to term limits, because the principle of democracy is taking turns," Raskin, 59, said. "If there were to be term limits, the legislature certainly should have more terms than the executive," he offered.

☆ Republican Toomey blasts Biden's 'irresponsible' use of Cold War-era defense law
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Pat Toomey speaks in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.,U.S., May 10, 2022. Tom Williams/Pool via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Republican Senator Pat Toomey on Monday blasted President Joe Biden for what he called the increasing and "irresponsible" use of a Cold War-era defense law to boost production of baby food, solar panel components and other non-defense items. Toomey, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, told Biden that using the Defense Production Act in this way disrupted supply chains and violated the intent of the law to make goods available in actual national security emergencies. The 1950 law gives the Pentagon wide powers to procure equipment necessary for national defense. Toomey asked Biden to answer a series of detailed questions about the administration's reasons for invoking the law by Oct. 11.

State law was later changed to require unanimous Board of Pardons approval to recommend commutations for those serving life sentences. In his second term, Wolf has already commuted 47 life sentences, at the urging of the pardons board. “In making clemency decisions, John scrupulously reviewed clemency applications and consulted with corrections officials, prison wardens, judges and DAs. Fetterman has not, as one Oz ad implies, called for eliminating all life sentences for murderers. All but one of the men featured had been serving life sentences on second-degree murder convictions, with a variety of mitigating circumstances in their favor.

☆ Senior Republican chastises banks for social agenda that 'harms America'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Pete Schroeder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Pat Toomey speaks in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.,U.S., May 10, 2022. Tom Williams/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The heads of the nation's largest banks faced pointed criticism from a top Republican Thursday, as he chastised firms for "embracing a liberal ESG agenda that harms America." Senator Pat Toomey, the senior Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, urged banks to "cease and desist" from weighing in on social and cultural issues as chief executives appeared before Congress for an oversight hearing. They were joined by the CEOs of the country's largest regional lenders, US Bancorp (USB.N), PNC Financial (PNC.N) and Truist (TFC.N). read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Pete Schroeder Editing by Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tech leaders dish on how asinine it is to try to describe their companies, products, and worth to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Hanna Kang | Kayla Gallagher | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Tech companies are worried an aging Congress can't meet or even understand their demands. Younger members of Congress are beginning to take the lead in conversations on tech issues. Hawley said younger members are generally more critical of big tech. However, he added, new technologies are more widely used by younger people, and users tend to understand technology better. Meanwhile, major tech companies continue to ramp up their federal lobbying spending, together spending more in 2021 than in any other year in history.

☆ Nancy Pelosi says a congressional stock trading ban is coming this month, but skepticism abounds among key advocates: 'I can't say I'm confident'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Nancy Pelosi says that a bill to ban members of Congress from trading stocks is coming this month. "I'm concerned about the lack of detail as to what is being planned," said Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois is urging vigilance amid the potential rollout of legislation from Democratic leadership. "I think that coalescing is a very real internal dynamic," Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told Insider last week. "We have not heard exactly what's happening," said Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

☆ Satanic panic is making a comeback, fueled by QAnon believers and GOP influencers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +23 min

Utah County Attorney David O. Leavitt speaks on July 31, 2019, in Provo. The accusations were part of a new case from Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith. Discussion about satanism and satanic abuse has increased in recent years, according to data provided to NBC News by Zignal Labs, which analyzes social media conversations. Popular culture and social media have also ferried ideas about satanism and widespread child abuse from fringe to the mainstream. (Anti-LGBTQ politicians and activists have equated LGBTQ people with predators who abuse children as part of a “gay agenda,” the well-worn panic that the gay rights movement’s true motivation is recruitment.

☆ 6 things to know about the Fed and inflation: A crash course in monetary policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-17 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

How the Fed fights inflation Inflation is caused by too many dollars (demand) chasing too few goods (supply). Since the Federal Reserve has no control over the supply chain, the only tools they can use are those that can impact the money supply. The Federal Reserve sets what is known as the federal funds rate, also known as the overnight rate. By adjusting the overnight rate, the Federal Reserve can attempt to change the "short end" of the yield curve. Open market activity The other major tool the Federal Reserve has at its disposal is the ability to conduct open market activities.

☆ The dirty little secret on how congressional staff thrive in the always-on world of modern politics is doing moonlight work like 80-hour weeks, including unpaid Saturdays and Sundays
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-04 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Warren Rojas | Camila Dechalus | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

Some tasks included connecting with local reporters and coordinating messaging with partner political outfits such as EMILY's List and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. That helped her boss' official congressional office save money it could then spend elsewhere, but it did nothing to help her own financial situation. Congressional staffers have used social-media accounts such as Dear White Staffers to spotlight professional burnout, inadequate pay, long hours, diversity failings, and caustic bosses. For example, one of the rules says a congressional staffer working in a congressional office must step outside the office to do campaign work. Or, if there is compensation offered — which isn't guaranteed — they may desperately need the additional money to supplement the low pay for congressional staff."

☆ COVID allowed Raquel Esquivel and 4,500 others to be released from overcrowded federal prisons. So why is she back behind bars?
▼ + stars: | 2021-08-13 | by ( Jamie Roth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

As COVID-19 spread through federal prisons, the Justice Department began a novel experiment: 4,500 prisoners were approved for home confinement with GPS ankle monitors. A federal correctional institution in Englewood, CO. As of May 5, there were 2,066 inmates who’d tested positive for COVID-19 in the federal prison system. "I was just recently released from federal prison," Esquivel wrote him last year on July 3, in their very first text exchange, which the couple shared with Insider. Her defense was enough for Dismas, Esquivel said, and the manager told her they wouldn't recommend any punishment. The next morning at Dismas, Esquivel busied herself as she waited for the bureau's ruling.

☆ Nancy Pelosi's husband just invested millions in 2 tech companies with lots at stake on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-12 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The House speaker's husband, Paul Pelosi, made two million-dollar stock trades. Pelosi's husband buys up more stocksHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, bought stocks in Google's parent company, Alphabet, and in Nvidia Corporation, which designs graphics-processing units for the gaming market. Drew Hammill, the speaker's spokesman, said she did not own any stock and complied with all disclosures, which require members of Congress to post stock trades for spouses and dependent children. Rep. Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas, in a group photo with freshman members of the House Republican Conference on the House steps of the US Capitol on January 4. By federal law, members of Congress have 30 days from when they become aware of a stock trade to formally disclose it.

☆ Seth Moulton bankrolls ring maker, Mark Green goes crypto, Mark Warner sells a 7-figure window-and-door investment
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-19 | by ( Dave Levinthal | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton has made a major investment in a Finnish wearable tech firm. Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat, sold a major investment in a high-end window company. Elon Musk would be proudRep. Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee, purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of cryptocurrency Dogecoin — the same day virtual currency platform Coinbase went public. According to Barron's, he paid $1.95 million to acquire 15,000 shares for $130 each, and paid $1.4 million for 10,000 shares for $140 each. He also bought between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of stock in Amazon.

☆ Congressional stock report: Diet Coke-loving Debbie Dingell buys the competition, environmentalist Lois Frankel eyes oil, and Dan Crenshaw gets his move on
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-29 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Members of Congress regularly make stock trades and are required to disclose them. Here's Insider's compilation of the most recent stock trades lawmakers disclosed. Her stock sales include the American Express Company, Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation, consumer credit reporting agency Equifax Inc., and oil company Hess Corporation. Dingell this month also sold up to $50,000 worth of stock in the parent company of department store Macy's. These disclosures, which include a range of information about members' income, assets, debt, and financial trades, were originally due May 17.

☆ GOP Sen. Patrick Toomey's son poured money into GameStop during the stock's most volatile stretch — then sold out a day later as his father warned of a 'bubble' market
▼ + stars: | 2021-02-10 | by ( Jake Lahut | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Pat Toomey said Jan. 28 the GameStop stock surge "has all of the characteristics of a bubble." Toomey's son that same day sold GameStop stock for between $1,001 and $15,000, per financial disclosures. "I do think we should understand why the brokers made the decision they made, several of them, including Robinhood to limit the ability of people to buy stock," Toomey told Cavuto. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)'A classic bubble'In a statement to Insider, Toomey said that his son made the GameStop trades without his knowledge. In addition to GameStop stock, Toomey's son sold shares of Shopify and Tesla in late January, according to the senator's financial disclosure.

☆ How Trump's Senate trial could end with a vote to ban him from ever holding federal office again and kill any chances of a 2024 run
▼ + stars: | 2021-02-09 | by ( Kayla Epstein | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

It's unlikely Republicans would join Democrats to vote to convict Trump who's mulled a 2024 run. But the Constitution allows the Senate to bar an official that lawmakers have convicted in an impeachment trial from holding federal office again. It's also not certain if enough Republicans will vote to convict Trump and trigger the vote to ban him from holding public office again. It's not impossible, but the odds of 67 senators voting to convict Trump are long. Jolly at the time said the House need not worry about what the Senate would do with the impeachment vote.

☆ Maia Sandu, felicitată de un înalt oficial de la Washington
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-23 | by ( Borodin Victoria | ) www.zdg.md time to read: +1 min

de vizualizăriDirectorul principal pentru Europa și Rusia din cadrul Consiliului de Securitate Națională al SUA, Tom Williams, a discutat sâmbătă cu președinta aleasă Maia Sandu. Oficialul a felicitat-o pe Sandu cu prilejul victoriei și a reafirmat prietenia și parteneriatul strâns dintre Statele Unite și Republica Moldova. Potrivit unui comunicat de Ambasada SUA la Chișinău, oficialii au discutat despre impactul COVID-19, progresele înregistrate în ce privește vaccinurile, și recuperarea economică. În context, cei doi oficiali au convenit să continue cooperarea strânsă privind aceste și alte aspecte importante ale securității naționale. Instituțiile de presă care preiau articole sau imagini pentru emisiuni TV sau radio, vor cita sursa, iar edițiile tipărite vor indica sursa și autorul informației.

Persons: Tom Williams, Maia Sandu . Oficialul, Sandu Organizations: Securitate Locations: Europa, Rusia, SUA, Statele Unite, Republica Moldova, Chișinău

☆ Un oficial de la Consiliul de Securitate al SUA a felicitat-o pe Maia Sandu
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-23 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: 1 min

Un oficial de la Consiliul de Securitate al SUA a felicitat-o pe Maia SanduDirectorul principal pentru Europa și Rusia din cadrul Consiliului de Securitate Națională al SUA, Tom Williams, a felicitat-o pe președintele ales al Republicii Moldova, Maia Sandu, cu prilejul victoriei și și-a reafirmat „prietenia și parteneriatul strâns dintre Statele Unite și Republica Mo...

Persons: SUA, Maia Sandu, Tom Williams, Republica Mo . Organizations: Securitate, Republica Mo Locations: Europa, Rusia, SUA, Republicii Moldova, Statele Unite, Republica

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