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☆ GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger says House Republicans will have a 'totally nonfunctional majority' in 2023 and McCarthy as speaker will be 'the equivalent of the dog who caught the car'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said House Republicans will have a "totally nonfunctional majority" in 2023. But despite their newfound House majority, the GOP will have a razor-thin edge, with the party currently holding a 219-211 advantage with just a handful of races left to call. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., arrives to speak with journalists after winning the House Speaker nomination at a House GOP leadership meeting on Capitol Hill on November 15, 2022. Because probably Kevin McCarthy has yet to promise him anything, and secondarily, he wants to be more famous than Marjorie Taylor Greene," he added. "Kevin McCarthy is going to have trouble."

☆ US researchers jubilant after rediscovering a bird lost to science for 140 years in Papua New Guinea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Scientists from the American Bird Conservancy have rediscovered a rare bird not documented since 1882. The bird only lives on Ferguson Island, off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Researchers installed camera traps on Fergusson Island, Papua New Guinea, with the results showing the rare black-naped pheasant-pigeon strutting in the images. Seeing the images was like "finding a unicorn," said John C. Mittermeier, Director of the Lost Birds program at the American Bird Conservancy and co-leader of the expedition. Christina Biggs, Manager for the Search for Lost Species at Re:wild, said, "This rediscovery is an incredible beacon of hope for other birds that have been lost for a half-century or more."

☆ Trump encourages GOP to 'fight' special counsel decision as Republicans attack DOJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he has been "going through this for six years," referring to various investigations into his actions, including both impeachments and special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. A Trump campaign spokesman added that, "This is a totally expected political stunt by a feckless, politicized, weaponized Biden Department of Justice." Trump noted that the announcement of a special counsel comes just days after he announced a 2024 White House bid, which Garland said was a factor in his decision to seek an independent prosecutor. Asa Hutchinson, who has sometimes rebuked Trump, said in a statement that Garland's decision was "not good news for our country." Garland named John L. Smith, known as Jack Smith, a prosecutor at The Hague and a former federal prosecutor, to begin serving as special counsel “immediately."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., meets with reporters Wednesday after he fended off a challenge by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and was re-elected as Republican leader. And we turned off a lot of these centrist voters," McConnell said Wednesday. “Much criticism is being placed on the fact that the Republican Party should have done better. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks after he was nominated to be House speaker on Tuesday. “What I hope we learned from this is you can’t win the general election merely because of your base vote.

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.

☆ Factbox: How will the U.S. House of Representatives choose a new speaker?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The speaker of the House, second in the line of succession for the presidency after the vice president, leads the chamber and sets the legislative agenda and political tone. Pelosi will step down as speaker when the next Congress is sworn in, but the 82-year-old has not detailed her plans. He cleared the first hurdle on Tuesday in his bid to become the next House speaker, when most Republicans backed him in an internal party vote. The full House of Representatives will vote for the speaker after the next Congress is sworn into office. No Republican lawmaker has said they plan to challenge McCarthy for the speaker role in the January vote.

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.

☆ 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.

WASHINGTON — House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday easily defeated conservative Rep. Andy Biggs to win the GOP nomination for speaker of the House. The Arizona Republican and former leader of the far-right, Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus did not announce that he would challenge McCarthy until Monday night. "Minority Leader McCarthy does not have the votes needed to become the next Speaker of the House and his speakership should not be a foregone conclusion," Biggs said in a statement. Former President Donald Trump, who is expected to announce a 2024 presidential bid later Tuesday, has endorsed his longtime ally, McCarthy, for speaker. So has Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a Freedom Caucus member who is enormously popular among grassroots conservatives.

WASHINGTON — Conservative lawmakers sent a strong message to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday, telling him he doesn't have the votes to be the next speaker. Drew Angerer / Getty Images“We expect there will be a contest tomorrow, that there will be another candidate, and I don’t think anybody’s going to get 218 votes tomorrow,” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who is opposing McCarthy for speaker. Good has said that a number of Republicans will be interested in jumping into the race once they realize McCarthy can’t secure 218 votes on his own. Jordan, the founding chairman of the caucus who unsuccessfully challenged McCarthy for minority leader in 2018, also is backing McCarthy. Period.”Inside the candidates forum on Monday, McCarthy was pressed by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a frequent McCarthy critic, on whether he would work with Democrats to secure 218 votes for speaker.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene says she isn't afraid of a GOP civil war: 'We're going to fight it out'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene says she isn't afraid of a GOP civil war. Matt Gaetz, a close ally of Greene's, vowed to not support McCarthy for House GOP leader. I'm telling you — I've always said I'm not afraid of the civil war in the GOP. During her conversation with Bannon, Greene broke with her House Freedom Caucus allies and backed McCarthy's bid for House Speaker. I’m not afraid of the civil war in the GOP.

☆ 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.

☆ Kevin McCarthy faces high-wire act as Republicans close in on U.S. House majority
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

As speaker, McCarthy would be well placed to frustrate Democratic President Joe Biden's legislative ambitions. In Republican House leadership elections on Tuesday, McCarthy is expected to overcome a challenge from hard-line conservative Representative Andy Biggs. Republicans fell short of the "red wave" that some had predicted for a comfortable House majority and control of the Senate. The last two Republican House speakers, John Boehner and Paul Ryan, came under varying degrees of pressure from the right flank of the Republican caucus. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a group tied to him, contributed more than $160 million to help Republican House candidates.

☆ Republicans in disarray as McConnell faces a leadership challenge, McCarthy scrounges for votes to become speaker, and Trump seeks to stake his claim for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( John L. Dorman | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Republicans last week faltered in producing the red wave election they had sought for over a year. McConnell now faces a leadership challenge, while McCarthy is looking for votes to lead the House. And on Tuesday, Scott informed colleagues that he would challenge McConnell, who since leading the Senate GOP caucus in 2007 has retained strong support within the party. The House Republican Conference on Tuesday voted 188-31 in favor of McCarthy leading the caucus over conservative challenger Andy Biggs of Arizona, but the California lawmaker will need 218 votes to win the Speaker's gavel next year. Republicans, already trying to navigate the new landscape on Capitol Hill, will have a lot to figure out as the 2024 presidential election looms.

☆ Republicans endorse McCarthy for U.S. House speaker, a crucial test for the embattled GOP leader
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) talks briefly with reporters before heading into House Republican caucus leadership elections in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on November 15, 2022 in Washington, DC. WASHINGTON — Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy won the support of a majority of his own caucus Tuesday in an internal party election to choose its nominee for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. In order to formally become Speaker of the House in the new Congress that takes power in January, McCarthy will need to win at least 218 votes in the full House of Representatives. Typically, the chosen nominee of the party that holds the majority would win this full House vote for Speaker, but it's not guaranteed. McCarthy has been preparing to assume the Speaker's gavel since shortly after Election Day, when he announced "transition teams" made up of his allies to smooth the GOP takeover of the House majority.

☆ FBI may have had up to 8 informants in Proud Boys around the time of the January 6 riot, The New York Times reported
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Five Proud Boys members, including its leader, were charged with seditious conspiracy by the DOJ. NYT reports that some of the information had to do with FBI informants planted inside Proud Boys. The Justice Department indicted former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola. Their trial is set for December 12.Insider could not immediately verify the suggestions regarding FBI informants in court documents filed in the past few days by the defense lawyers. The Times previously reported that a member of the Proud Boys was working as an FBI informant and that the source was present at the Capitol during the riot.

More than 60 prominent conservatives, including former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and activist Ginni Thomas, are calling on House and Senate GOP leadership elections to be delayed until after the Dec. 6 Georgia Senate runoff. The open letter to GOP lawmakers released Monday comes just a day before House Republicans are set to hold their closed-door election to pick their leaders for the new Congress. Senate Republicans plan to hold their own internal elections on Wednesday. There should be no rushed leadership elections,” the conservative group wrote in their letter. “Conservative Members of the House and Senate have called for the leadership elections to be delayed.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene supports Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker, says it's a 'bad strategy' for fellow Republicans to challenge him
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed support for Rep. Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker. Greene criticized the possibility of fellow conservative Republicans challenging McCarthy. Cheney, a staunch critic of former President Donald Trump, lost her reelection, but could technically become House speaker if she receives enough votes, though such a move is uncommon. The current opposition to McCarthy could be a sign of more internal division to come under a House Republican majority. Greene, also a member of the House Freedom Caucus, had previously voiced concerns about McCarthy's leadership after House Democrats removed her from her committee assignments last year in light of her past inflammatory statements.

☆ Rep. Raskin said a GOP majority could install Trump as Speaker of the House. Matt Gaetz has floated the idea before.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jamie Raskin says GOP members of the House could try to make Trump the Speaker. Rep. Matt Gaetz previously told supporters he would nominate Trump if the GOP took the House. "And they might just vote for Trump, when they, you know, take the roll call for speaker," Raskin said. " The idea to bring Trump back to politics by voting him in as Speaker has been publicly floated by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz since last year. However, talk of Trump leading the House has become more popular over the years, and multiple Republicans, like his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former adviser Steve Bannon, have also supported the idea of House Speaker Trump.

The Musk video by reAlpha included “robust disclaimers” establishing it as satire, said Christie Currie, chief marketing officer. The first Musk video went live days after reAlpha launched a public offering under regulation A+ in 2021. But the ease of creating deepfakes means some celebrities could soon be deluged by ads featuring their unauthorized, but very convincing likenesses, Mr. Moss said. At the same time, the language in contracts written years before the technology existed may be vague enough to allow marketers to use existing footage to create new deepfake videos. Companies most often request celebrity deepfake videos to use internally for training, communications, parties or other purposes—but not for ads, said Daynen Biggs, owner of Slack Shack Films, which produced the Elon Musk videos.

☆ Social Security record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment for 2023 could pressure the program's funds, some experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Social Security's average retiree benefit will go up by $146 per month in 2023, thanks to a record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment prompted by high inflation. More than 70 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will benefit from those higher payments. The increased costs may prompt Social Security's funds to reach insolvency at least one calendar year earlier than the trustees have projected, according to estimates by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Other experts also have expressed concerns about how the increased benefit costs would affect the program. "There is certainly a good chance that this could accelerate the depletion of Social Security's primary trust fund," said Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Share this -Link copiedCommittee votes to subpoena Trump The committee voted on Thursday unanimously to subpoena Trump. Trump would not be the first president to be subpoenaed, nor would he be the first former president subpoenaed by Congress. "Even before the networks called the race for President Biden on Nov. 7th, his chances of pulling out a victory were virtually nonexistent, and President Trump knew it," Kinzinger said. “At times, President Trump acknowledged the reality of his loss. “What did President Trump know?

That's based on a Secret Service email from 9:09 a.m. "The head of the President’s Secret Service protective detail, Robert Engel, was specifically aware of the large crowds outside the magnetometers," Schiff said. A Secret Service report at 7:58 a.m. said, "Some members of the crowd are wearing ballistic helmets, body armor carrying radio equipment and military grade backpacks." On Dec. 26, a Secret Service field office relayed a tip that had been received by the FBI, Schiff said. Trump would not be the first president to be subpoenaed, nor would he be the first former president subpoenaed by Congress.

“I don’t f---ing care that they have weapons,” Trump railed, according to Hutchinson’s testimony. She said Ornato told her Trump reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel and then lunged toward Engel. Giuliani was “definitely intoxicated, but I did not know his level of intoxication when he talked” with Trump, Miller said. (Giuliani at the time denied that he was intoxicated through his attorney.) GOP lawmakers sought Trump pardons after Jan. 6The Jan. 6 committee revealed that multiple Republican lawmakers had asked Trump for pardons for their roles in the effort to overturn the 2020 election.

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