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      US could face default as soon as June if debt ceiling isn’t lifted, says thinktank

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      US could face default as soon as June if debt ceiling isn’t lifted, says thinktankExpectations are low for quick progress as Republican lawmakers push for steep spending cuts in exchange for a dealThe US could face an unprecedented default on its obligations as soon as early June if Congress does not act to lift the debt limit, a Washington thinktank said on Wednesday.The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), which forecasts the approximate “X-date” when the government will no longer be able to meet its financial obligations on time, said the US will reach its statutory debt limit as soon as the summer or early fall of 2023.Can a trillion-dollar coin end the US debt-ceiling standoff?Read moreThat inches up from the center’s previous prediction, in June 2022, that the “extraordinary measures” the US Treasury uses to pay the government’s bills would not be exhausted before the third quarter of 2023.Previewing the data for reporters, Shai Akabas, BPC director of economic policy, said the new projections reflect “considerable uncertainty in our nation’s current economic outlook”.“Policymakers have an opportunity now to inject certainty into the US and global economy by beginning, in earnest, bipartisan negotiations around our nation’s fiscal health and taking action to uphold the full faith and credit of the United States well before the X-date,” he said.Akabas said the December 2022 big spending bill, an extended pause on student loan repayments and high interest rates resulting in higher costs to service US debt have contributed to moving up the X-date.The treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, notified Congress in January that her agency was resorting to “extraordinary measures” to avoid default, and that “it is unlikely that cash and extraordinary measures will be exhausted before early June”.Yellen said her actions would buy time until Congress can pass legislation that will either raise the $31.4tn borrowing authority or suspend the limit for a period of time. But she said it’s “critical that Congress act in a timely manner”.Joe Biden and the new Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, met earlier this month to talk about the debt limit. But expectations are low for quick progress as GOP lawmakers push for steep spending cuts in exchange for a deal.Biden has accused Republicans of plans to cut Medicare and social security. McCarthy has said those cuts are not in the picture, as has the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell.The US treasury first used extraordinary measures in 1985 and has used them at least 16 times since, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a fiscal watchdog.Some economists have said the treasury could prioritize certain payments to bondholders in order to buy time for policymakers to resolve the issue.White House officials have said they will not prioritize payments to bondholders if the country passes the “X-date” without an agreement. Yellen has said debt payment prioritization is default by another name.“Failure on the part of the United States to meet any obligation, whether its debt holders, to members of our military or to social security recipients, is effectively a default,” she told reporters in January.TopicsUS economyUS politicsUS CongressRepublicansDemocratsnewsReuse this content More

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      Democrat Barbara Lee announces bid to replace Dianne Feinstein in US Senate

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      Democrat Barbara Lee announces bid to replace Dianne Feinstein in US SenateLee is the highest-ranking Black woman in House Democratic leadership and seeks to take seat in hotly-contested raceUnited States congresswoman Barbara Lee on Tuesday formally launched her campaign for the Senate seat held by the retiring Dianne Feinstein, joining two fellow House Democrats in the race in the nation’s most populous state.California senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, announces she will not seek re-electionRead moreIn a video posted on Twitter, Lee ran through a list of the personal and professional battles she has taken on in her life, including fighting to be her school’s first Black cheerleader, championing protections for survivors of domestic violence and being the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization for the use of military force after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.“Today I am proud to announce my candidacy for US Senate. I’ve never backed down from doing what’s right. And I never will,” Lee said in the video. “Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who has delivered real change.”Today I am proud to announce my candidacy for U.S. Senate. I’ve never backed down from doing what’s right. And I never will. Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who has delivered real change.#BarbaraLeeSpeaksForMe pic.twitter.com/sEjmABg2BS— Barbara Lee (@BarbaraLeeForCA) February 21, 2023
      Lee, a former chair of the congressional Black caucus, filed federal paperwork last week to enter the campaign shortly after the 89-year-old Feinstein announced she would step down after her term ends next year. Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, has held the seat since 1992.Democratic US congresswoman Katie Porter, who is known for her use of a whiteboard during congressional hearings, and Adam Schiff, the lead prosecutor in then President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, announced their Senate campaigns last month.The three Democratic candidates occupy much of the same political terrain, so the race could be shaped by other factors that distinguish them.Lee’s district in the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most liberal in the country and includes Berkeley and Oakland. Porter represents a politically divided district in Orange county, south-east of Los Angeles, that was once a conservative stronghold. Schiff’s district runs north from Los Angeles and includes Hollywood and Burbank, where he lives.Lee is the highest-ranking Black woman appointed to House Democratic leadership, serving as co-chair of the Policy and Steering Committee. Schiff and Porter are white. Lee, at 76, is the oldest of the group. Porter is 49, and Schiff is 62.In a nod to her age, Lee said she was the same fighter she has always been.“For those who say my time has passed, well, when does making change go out of style?” she said in the video. “I don’t quit. I don’t give up.”There are no Black women in the Senate, and there have been only two in the chamber’s history: Vice-President Kamala Harris, who was California’s first Black senator, and Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois, who served one term.None of the candidates has run statewide before. They face the challenge of becoming more widely known, though they each have established political reputations.Lee and Porter have been leaders in the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Schiff describes himself as a progressive champion but was once a member of the House’s centrist Blue Dog Coalition.Why are Americans paying $32m every hour for wars since 9/11? | Barbara LeeRead moreLee has long been on outspoken defender of abortion rights. In 2021, she was one of several members of Congress who shared personal testimony about their own abortions during a congressional hearing.She became pregnant at age 16 in the mid-1960s. Abortion in California was illegal at the time, so a family friend helped send her to a back-alley clinic in Mexico, she said at the time.She had no ill effects from the procedure, but she said many other women weren’t so lucky in that era.Democrats are expected to dominate the contest in the liberal state. A Republican hasn’t won a statewide race in California since 2006, and the past two US Senate elections had only Democrats on the November ballot.TopicsCaliforniaUS CongressUS politicsDemocratsDianne FeinsteinSan FrancisconewsReuse this content More

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      Joe Biden declared healthy and ‘fit for duty’ after exam at Walter Reed hospital

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      Joe Biden declared healthy and ‘fit for duty’ after exam at Walter Reed hospitalPresident lost weight since last year, but still suffers from arthritis and had small lesion removed from chest during annual check-up Doctors declared Joe Biden, 80, healthy and “fit for duty” on Thursday after a physical examination that included removing a lesion from his chest and declaring him free of symptoms of long Covid after his bout last year with the virus.FBI searched University of Delaware in Biden documents investigationRead more“The president remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations,” White House physician Kevin O’Connor said in a summary of the health exam.The exam was closely watched as Biden prepares for his expected run for a second term in 2024. The summary said Biden did not have any “long Covid” symptoms and that his stiff gait has not worsened since his last exam in November 2021.Biden said his physical went well. “Everything really went well … Thank God for small favors,” he told NBC News.Biden’s three-hour session with doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, was his second extensive exam since taking office in January 2021.Biden takes the statin drug Crestor to keep his cholesterol levels low, an anticoagulant in response to atrial fibrillation that remains asymptomatic and medication to treaty seasonal allergies and acid reflux, the summary said.Several small skin growths were moved from his face and head using liquid nitrogen and “one small lesion on the president’s chest was excised today and sent for traditional biopsy”, O’Connor said. The results are pending.The summary found that Biden’s weight had dropped six pounds, from 184 pounds in 2021 to 178. His body mass index was at 24.1, compared with 25.0 in 2021, and his blood pressure was at 126/78, compared with 120/70 in 2021.The summary made no mention of whether Biden underwent any cognitive tests sometimes given to people his age.O’Connor said Biden’s back stiffness is a result of significant spinal arthritis.“The president’s gait remains stiff, but has not worsened since last year,” he said.Biden, the oldest person ever to serve as US president, has waved off questions about his age, but polls indicate voters have concerns about his ability to serve four more years if he wins in 2024.Asked about the concerns over Biden’s age, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: “This is a president that works day in and day out, you know, in a grueling fashion with a grueling schedule, and delivers.”About three-quarters of Americans – including more than half of Democrats and the vast majority of Republicans – say Biden is too old to work in government, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on 6-13 February. Most Democratic respondents said the president remains mentally sharp but about half of them said he cannot handle the physical toll of the presidency.Biden said during a PBS interview last week that any Americans concerned about his age should “watch me” perform the duties of the presidency.TopicsJoe BidenDemocratsUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

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      John Fetterman hospitalised to treat clinical depression, chief of staff says

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      John Fetterman hospitalised to treat clinical depression, chief of staff saysPennsylvania senator suffered a stroke while campaigning last year and has experienced depression ‘off and on’ throughout life The Pennsylvania US senator John Fetterman checked into hospital on Wednesday to receive treatment for clinical depression, his chief of staff said.The news came a week after the Democrat, who suffered a stroke while campaigning last year, was hospitalised after feeling light-headed. Fetterman is a rising star among Democrats.In a statement on Thursday, Fetterman’s chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said: “While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks.”Last November, the 53-year-old former mayor of Braddock and state lieutenant governor flipped a Republican-held Senate seat, defeating the Trump-endorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz to give his party control of the chamber by 51 seats to 49.Fetterman suffered a serious stroke during the campaign, prompting Republicans to claim he was not fit to take office.In his victory speech, Fetterman referred to the stroke when he said he campaigned for “anyone that ever got knocked down that got back up”.Last Wednesday, Fetterman was taken to hospital in Washington DC after feeling light-headed at a Democratic event.He was released last Friday. A spokesperson said then: “In addition to the CT, CTA, and MRI tests ruling out a stroke, his EEG test results came back normal, with no evidence of seizures. John is looking forward to spending some time with his family and returning to the Senate on Monday.”In his statement on Thursday, Jentleson said: “On Monday, John was evaluated by Dr Brian P Monahan, the attending physician of the United States Congress. Yesterday, Dr Monahan recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed” in Bethesda, Maryland.“John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis. After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself.”Among well-wishers, the former Obama adviser Tommy Vietor said Fetterman was “incredibly brave … to talk about his mental health challenges publicly, especially knowing that people will try to exploit it for political purposes.“But his decision to come forward will undoubtedly help encourage others to seek help.”TopicsUS SenateDemocratsPennsylvaniaUS politicsMental healthnewsReuse this content More

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      US could default on debt in July unless Congress raises ceiling, CBO warns – as it happened

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      Congress’s budget analysts estimate the United States will exhaust its bank accounts and could default on its obligations for the first time in history sometime between July and September, unless lawmakers agree to increase the debt limit.In a just-released report, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) notes that “the projected exhaustion date is uncertain because the timing and amount of revenue collections and outlays over the intervening months could differ from CBO’s projection.” They point to the amount of tax revenue brought in by the April filing deadline as particularly important in determining when the US government will exhaust its cash on hand.The United States is one of the few countries with a legal limit on how much debt the government can accrue, and that ceiling was hit last month. The Treasury then began taking “extraordinary measures” to allow the government to pay its bills without issuing new debt. The CBO report warns that if tax revenue ends up being less than expected, “the extraordinary measures could be exhausted sooner, and the Treasury could run out of funds before July.”“If the debt limit is not raised or suspended before the extraordinary measures are exhausted, the government would be unable to pay its obligations fully. As a result, the government would have to delay making payments for some activities, default on its debt obligations, or both,” the CBO wrote.The estimate is further out than one given by the Treasury last month, when it announced the debt limit had been reached and the government’s cash could be exhausted in June.In separate forecasts released today, the CBO estimates that economic growth will weaken this year but rebound beginning in 2024, hitting a peak of 2.7% in 2025 before averaging 1.8% from 2028 to 2033. However it warns America is on a trajectory for the national debt to hit more than $46.4tn by 2033, equivalent to 118 percent of GDP and the highest level ever recorded.Nikki Haley officially kicked off her presidential campaign with a South Carolina speech in which she quipped about imposing “mental competency tests” for elderly politicians (think Donald Trump and Joe Biden) and won a few interesting endorsements. Kamala Harris was meanwhile heading to Germany for a meeting with some of Washington’s top allies, while downplaying the impact of the spy balloon saga on the relationship with China. In the afternoon, Congress’s budget analysts were out with sober new reports that estimated when the US government will run out of cash, and warning that the country is on track to hit a level of debt never seen before.Here’s what else happened today:
      The justice department will not charge rightwing congressman Matt Gaetz following his investigation over sex-trafficking allegations.
      Biden is considering a national address about the three still-mysterious UFOs shot down over North America in recent days, and the Chinese spy balloon.
      Democrats were doing all they can to make sure the public doesn’t forget Haley’s ties to Trump, whom she served as United Nations ambassador.
      Despite all the lies, George Santos may run for re-election in 2024.
      House Republicans have issued a new wave of subpoenas, this time targeting America’s biggest tech companies.
      California is hoping to enshrine the right to same-sex marriage in its constitution by repealing a proposition voters approved in 2008 that banned such unions, the Associated Press reports.If the legislature repeals Proposition 8 with the required two-thirds majority vote, the issue will then go to voters, according to the AP. The effort is a response by the state’s Democrats, who dominate control the legislature and governor’s mansion, to conservative US supreme court justice Clarence Thomas’s suggestion last year that its decision allowing same-sex marriage nationwide should be revisited.Thomas’s comment spurred Congress to in December approve the Respect for Marriage act, which protected same-sex and interracial marriage rights nationwide. The legislation doesn’t require states to allow same-sex unions, but instead prevents them from rejecting marriage licenses issued in other states. California’s lawmakers fear that if the supreme court decision is overturned while Proposition 8 remains part of its constitution, same-sex marriage could end up banned in the state.Governor Gavin Newsom supports the effort, as does at least one Republican lawmaker, the AP reports.In the latest move in its investigation campaign against the Biden administration, the House judiciary committee has subpoenaed the leaders of five of America’s biggest tech companies for “documents and communications relating to the federal government’s reported collusion with Big Tech to suppress free speech,” according to a statement.“Congress has an important role in protecting and advancing fundamental free speech principles, including by examining how private actors coordinate with the government to … suppress First Amendment-protected speech. These subpoenas are the first step in holding Big Tech accountable,” said the statement from the committee’s Republican chair Jim Jordan.Jordan noted that his office had attempted to get information from the tech firms last December, before he officially took over as the committee leader, but received no response. In his letters to the CEOs of Meta, Amazon, Google, Alphabet and Microsoft, Jordan wrote, “Big Tech is out to get conservatives, and is increasingly willing to undermine First Amendment values by complying with the Biden Administration’s directives that suppress freedom of speech online.”“This approach undermines fundamental American principles and allows powerful government actors to silence political opponents and stifle opposing viewpoints. Publicly available information suggests that your companies’ treatment of certain speakers and content may stem from government directives or guidance designed to suppress dissenting views.”Those who watched last week’s State of the Union address will remember an unusual moment when Joe Biden engaged with Republican hecklers, and came out with what looked like a promise not to cut Social Security or Medicare in exchange for their votes to raise the debt ceiling.He referred back to that interaction today in his speech before Maryland union members as he accused Republicans of pursuing policies that would drive the national debt higher.Republican say they want “to reduce the deficit, but their plans are going to increase the deficit by $3tn, based on what they introduced so far,” the president said. “So where are they going to cut? They’re gonna cut Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, they’re going to cut Social Security or Medicare, veterans benefits, aid to farmers. At the State of the Union they seemed to say they’re not going to cut Social Security and Medicare. OK, great. I hope that’s true. But how are they going to make these numbers add up?”Then came a pledge familiar to anyone who has heard Biden speak in the past: “If Republicans try to take away people’s healthcare, increase costs for middle class families or push Americans into poverty, I’m going to stop them.”Joe Biden hasn’t made any news yet in his speech before union members, but the Guardian’s Lauren Aratani reported earlier today that his administration is teaming up with Tesla on a step that could help more Americans drive electric cars:The White House is partnering with Tesla to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the US, with the company opening at least 7,500 of its chargers to all electric vehicles (EVs) by the end of 2024, the White House announced Wednesday.Tesla charging stations currently use a certain power connector that require non-Tesla EV to use an adapter. The White House said that Tesla will work to include at least 3,500 new and existing 250 kW superchargers along highways and level 2 destination chargers at locations like hotels and restaurants across the country. Tesla is also planning to double its network of Superchargers.The Biden administration in 2021 set goals of having 50% of new vehicle sales in the country to be EVs and 500,000 EV chargers along highways by 2030. The US currently has around 3m electric vehicles on the road and about 60,000 charging stations across the country.The administration’s goals “have spurred network operators to accelerate the buildout of coast-to-coast EV charging networks”, the White House said in a statement. “Public dollars will supplement private investment by filling gaps, serving rural and hard to reach locations and building capacity in communities.”Tesla to expand supercharger stations to all electric vehicles, White House saysRead moreJoe Biden has just kicked off his speech about the economy at a union hall in Maryland, where he could touch on the new debt limit and economic growth forecasts from the Congressional Budget Office.The White House has said Biden will use the speech to accuse Republicans of wanting to drive the US national debt higher. This blog will keep an eye on the address for any news the president might make.Congress’s budget analysts estimate the United States will exhaust its bank accounts and could default on its obligations for the first time in history sometime between July and September, unless lawmakers agree to increase the debt limit.In a just-released report, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) notes that “the projected exhaustion date is uncertain because the timing and amount of revenue collections and outlays over the intervening months could differ from CBO’s projection.” They point to the amount of tax revenue brought in by the April filing deadline as particularly important in determining when the US government will exhaust its cash on hand.The United States is one of the few countries with a legal limit on how much debt the government can accrue, and that ceiling was hit last month. The Treasury then began taking “extraordinary measures” to allow the government to pay its bills without issuing new debt. The CBO report warns that if tax revenue ends up being less than expected, “the extraordinary measures could be exhausted sooner, and the Treasury could run out of funds before July.”“If the debt limit is not raised or suspended before the extraordinary measures are exhausted, the government would be unable to pay its obligations fully. As a result, the government would have to delay making payments for some activities, default on its debt obligations, or both,” the CBO wrote.The estimate is further out than one given by the Treasury last month, when it announced the debt limit had been reached and the government’s cash could be exhausted in June.In separate forecasts released today, the CBO estimates that economic growth will weaken this year but rebound beginning in 2024, hitting a peak of 2.7% in 2025 before averaging 1.8% from 2028 to 2033. However it warns America is on a trajectory for the national debt to hit more than $46.4tn by 2033, equivalent to 118 percent of GDP and the highest level ever recorded.The Guardian’s Lauren Aratani reports on news out of the White House today that the Biden administration is partnering with Tesla to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure nationwide, Elon Musk’s company agreeing to open at least 7,500 of its chargers to all electric vehicles by the end of next year…Tesla charging stations currently use a certain power connector that require non-Tesla EV to use an adapter. The White House said that Tesla will work to include at least 3,500 new and existing 250 kW superchargers along highways and level 2 destination chargers at locations like hotels and restaurants across the country. Tesla is also planning to double its network of Superchargers.The Biden administration in 2021 set goals of having 50% of new vehicle sales in the country to be EVs and 500,000 EV chargers along highways by 2030. The US currently has around 3m electric vehicles on the road and about 60,000 charging stations across the country.The administration’s goals “have spurred network operators to accelerate the buildout of coast-to-coast EV charging networks”, the White House said in a statement. “Public dollars will supplement private investment by filling gaps, serving rural and hard to reach locations and building capacity in communities.”Along with its partnership with Tesla, the White House is working with other companies, including car manufacturers like General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, to build out more chargers. The rental car company Hertz is working with BP to bring chargers to locations in major cities. Hertz is planning to make a quarter of its fleet electric by 2024.Funding for the EV charging network expansion comes largely from the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in 2021.The bill allocates $7.5bn for charging infrastructure, including a $2.5bn community grant program. In September, the White House said all 50 states have plans to build chargers using funding from the bill.Full story:Tesla to expand supercharger stations to all electric vehicles, White House saysRead moreA setback for Donald Trump in New York, where a judge today rejected a gambit that might have delayed the looming trial over the writer E Jean Carroll’s claim the former president raped her in the city in the mid-1990s. The Associated Press has the following report:Donald Trump missed his chance to use his DNA to try to prove he did not rape the writer E Jean Carroll, a federal judge said on Wednesday, clearing a potential roadblock to an April trial.The judge, Lewis A Kaplan, rejected the 11th-hour offer by Trump’s legal team to provide a DNA sample to rebut claims Carroll first made publicly in a 2019 book.Kaplan said lawyers for Trump and Carroll had more than three years to make DNA an issue in the case and both chose not to do so.He said it would almost surely delay the trial scheduled to start on 25 April to reopen the DNA issue four months after the deadline passed to litigate concerns over trial evidence and weeks before trial.Trump’s lawyers did not immediately comment. Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, declined to comment.Carroll’s lawyers have sought Trump’s DNA for three years to compare it with stains found on the dress Carroll wore the day she says Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in late 1995 or early 1996. Analysis of DNA on the dress concluded it did contain traces of an unknown man’s DNA.Trump has denied knowing Carroll, saying repeatedly he never raped her and accusing her of making the claim to stoke sales of her book. She has sued him for defamation and under a New York law which allows alleged victims of sexual assault to sue over alleged crimes outside the usual statute of limitations.Full story:Judge rejects Trump DNA offer in E Jean Carroll rape defamation caseRead moreJamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House oversight committee, has sent a letter to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law who was Trump’s chief White House adviser, renewing a request for documents related to a $2bn deal with Saudi Arabia Kushner secured shortly after the end of the Trump administration.The benefits to Kushner and Trump of their closeness to Saudi Arabia while in power have been the subject of extensive reporting and speculation, not least given Kushner’s closeness to Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince who US intelligence said was behind the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident resident in the US who wrote for the Washington Post.Raskin writes: “Your efforts to protect the crown prince may have allowed him to maintain his position at the top of the Saudi government and, thus, his ability to deliver significant financial benefits to you and your father-in-law after the end of the Trump administration.“Abdullah Alaoudh, the director for the Gulf at Democracy for the Arab World Now, has stated that ‘[w]ithout the absolute protection of Trump and Kushner, MBS would definitely have fallen’.“President Trump expressed an explicit awareness of the crown prince’s debt: when Secretary [of state Mike] Pompeo embarked on a state visit to the Middle East to visit the crown prince, he wrote that President Trump told him, ‘My Mike, go and have a good time. Tell him he owes us.’”Here’s more about Pompeo’s view of the Khashoggi affair … and the Post’s condemnation of it.Raskin goes on to say Kushner and his investment firm, A Fin Management, LLC (Affinity), have “failed to cooperate with the Committee Democrats’ investigation”, which was launched last summer, when Democrats held the House.What’s Raskin after? “Documents, including communications between Mr Kushner and Saudi government officials, and documents sufficient to show the identity of all foreign investors in Affinity”.When does he want it? “By 1 March 2023.”Will he get it? Seems unlikely.Raskin also noted that though the new Republican oversight chairman, James Comer of Kentucky, had “acknowledg[ed] the unresolved conflicts-of-interests crisis left by the Trump administration”, he had declined to sign the letter to Kushner.The scandal-blasted New York Republican congressman George Santos is reportedly contemplating running for re-election in 2024, despite being at the centre of an extraordinary rolling political controversy since his election last November.CNN reported the change in Santos’s thinking today.Yesterday, Santos tweeted his defiance, writing: “Let me be very clear, I’m not leaving, I’m not hiding and I am NOT backing down. I will continue to work for New York’s third district and no amount of Twitter trolling will stop me. I’m looking forward to getting what needs to be done, DONE!”Santos’s résumé has been shown to be largely made up, his claims about family heritage debunked, his past scoured for alleged criminal behaviour and his campaign finances investigated amid questions over missing money and the source of his personal wealth.Santos’s very identity has been questioned, given past activities under a different name, Anthony Devolder.Republicans have joined Democrats in calling for Santos to resign but though he has admitted embellishing his résumé he denies wrongdoing.Republican leaders have stuck by him. Santos supported the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, through 15 rounds of voting for the position. McCarthy must now work with a very slim majority, making Santos’s seat all the more valuable.Santos has raised sufficient funds to have to announce whether he will run again by a deadline in mid-March. Two other New York Republican freshmen told CNN Santos would lose a primary if he chose to contest it.“George Santos will not be on any ticket in 2024,” said Marc Molinaro, adding that he would support a resolution to expel Santos from Congress if it made it to a vote.Democrats have introduced such a resolution but only five members of the House have ever been expelled – three for fighting for the Confederacy in the civil war.Anthony D’Esposito, who represents a neighbouring district, told CNN: “I am confident that George Santos will not be on any ticket come 2024. I am confident that we’ll do everything in our power to make sure we have the right candidate, the honest candidate, the truthful candidate, and the one who was honest about his entire being.”Two anonymous but senior Republicans, meanwhile, pointed to hard political realities.One, asked about House ethics investigations said: “I think he’ll be indicted before we get to him.”Another, described as a “senior GOP member”, pointed to the party’s need to avoid a new election in a district Joe Biden won with ease.“We don’t want a special,” he said.Nikki Haley officially kicked off her presidential campaign with a South Carolina speech in which she quipped about imposing “mental competency tests” for elderly politicians (think Donald Trump and Joe Biden) and won a few interesting endorsements. Kamala Harris was meanwhile heading to Germany for a meeting with some of Washington’s top allies, while downplaying the impact of the spy balloon saga on the relationship with China. Later this afternoon, Biden will launch a counterattack against the GOP and their demands for spending cuts with a speech intended to convince voters that Republicans are the real money wasters.Here’s what else has happened today so far:
      The justice department will not charge rightwing congressman Matt Gaetz following his investigation over sex-trafficking allegations.
      Biden is considering a national address about the three still-mysterious UFOs shot down over North America in recent days, and the Chinese spy balloon.
      Democrats were doing all they can to make sure the public doesn’t forget Haley’s ties to Trump, whom she served as United Nations ambassador.
      The justice department will not charge rightwing congressman Matt Gaetz after investigating him on sex trafficking allegations, CNN reports:BREAKING: DOJ formally decides not to charge Congressman Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe. Prosecutors have been informing witnesses today of final decision by DOJ leadership after investigators recommended not moving forward back in the fall. More to come on @CNN— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCNN) February 15, 2023
      Federal agents had been looking into whether the Republican representing part of northwestern Florida in the House of Representatives paid a 17-year-old girl for sex. In December, an ex-tax collector and friend of Gaetz whose arrest sparked the investigation of the congressman was sentenced to 11 years in jail for offenses including the sex trafficking of a minor.As the Guardian’s Lauren Gambino reports, Nikki Haley would like to see “mental competency tests” implemented for politicians of a certain age:Haley just vowed that in her America she would make voter ID the law of the land, institute term limits for Congress and implement “mental competency tests” for politicians over 75— Lauren Gambino (@laurenegambino) February 15, 2023
      Who could she be referring to? Likely Joe Biden, who is 80, but perhaps also Donald Trump, who is 76.At her presidential campaign launch event in South Carolina, Nikki Haley has received the endorsement of Cindy Warmbier, whose son Otto died after his release from a North Korean prison, the Washington Post reports:Cindy Warmbier, mother of Otto Warmbier (who died after being released from North Korean prison), is speaking now. She calls Haley “a glimmer of light” during the darkest period of her life.— Dylan Wells (@dylanewells) February 15, 2023
      Donald Trump succeeded in getting Otto Warmbier returned to the United States in 2017. The then president later implied that he didn’t think North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un knew about Warmbier’s torture while in custody – a comment that his family rebuked. More

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      California senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, announces she will not seek re-election

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      California senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, announces she will not seek re-electionFeinstein, who has sat in US Senate since 1992, sets off race among Democrats to succeed to vacant seat Dianne Feinstein , the 89-year-old senator from California who has served in the chamber for three decades, said she will not seek re-election in 2024.“I am announcing today I will not run for re-election in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends,” Feinstein said in a statement.Senate musical chairs: California prepares for political battle over Feinstein vacancyRead moreHer announcement has been long anticipated and comes after several fellow Democrats have already announced plans to run for her seat. The news also comes after years of speculation about the senator’s mental fitness and concerns that Feinstein, who would be 91 by election day, was experiencing memory problems.In a statement on Tuesday, Feinstein said she will spend the remainder of her term prioritizing legislation to mitigate the effects of severe wildfire and drought in the west, improve access to healthcare and combat gun violence.She will also focus on “promoting economic growth – especially to position California for what I believe will be the century of the Pacific”, she said. “And I will use my seniority on the appropriations committee to ensure California gets its fair share of funding.”Fellow California Democrats are already fighting over the rare Senate opening Feinstein’s retirement will create. Among the candidates are Katie Porter – the young, southern California representative known for wielding a whiteboard at House hearings – and Adam Schiff, a liberal darling who led the first impeachment of Donald Trump. Representative Barbara Lee has also reportedly told colleagues she is running.Still others are expected to launch their candidacy following Feinstein’s announcement. Schiff, who earned the endorsement of the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, made sure to note that he had first consulted with Feinstein. And Pelosi noted that Feinstein would have retained her support had she chosen to seek re-election.Feinstein has had a long career in politics, starting in 1960 as a member of the California women’s parole board. She was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1969 and became mayor in 1978 following the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk.She was the first woman in the city’s history to hold the position and faced sexism from colleagues and the media throughout her career. She became known for her moderate, centrist politics, winning her Senate seat in 1992.“Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems,” she said. “That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years.”TopicsDianne FeinsteinDemocratsUS politicsUS SenateCalifornianewsReuse this content More

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      Biden administration forming team to study unidentified aerial objects – live

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      The White House will have its experts sit down to try and understand the unknown objects discovered flying over North America, John Kirby announces.“The president, through his national security adviser, has today directed an interagency team to study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis, and disposition of unidentified aerial objects that pose either safety or security risks,” the national security council spokesman said.Justin Trudeau calls UFO ‘a very serious situation we are taking incredibly seriously’The Toronto Star has more details from Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s public comments on the mysterious UFO shot down over Canada this weekend.“This is a very serious situation that we are taking incredibly seriously,” Trudeau said, emphasizing “the importance of defending our territorial integrity, our sovereignty”.The UFO shot down over the Yukon territory this weekend “marked the first time the North American Aerospace Defence Command, Norad for short, fired at an object over the continent”, the Toronto Star reported.Sat down with Premier @RanjPillai1 in Whitehorse today. We spoke about the work we’re doing to improve health care, advance reconciliation, grow our critical minerals sector, and create good jobs. We also spoke about how we’ll continue to protect our airspace here in Yukon. pic.twitter.com/3mOxDLiLpn— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 13, 2023
      ‘So many briefings, so little time’: senators will get classified briefing on UFOsAre you curious about recent developments on UFOs and Chinese spy balloons? Do repeated statements from White House officials that there is “no indication of aliens” in these UFO encounters leave you with questions?You’re not the only one. But members of the US Senate may get a few additional answers on these airborne mystery objects, in a classified briefing about UFOs on Tuesday, and a broader briefing about China on Wednesday.New: There will be a 10am all-senators classified briefed on the unidentified objects, a Schumer spox says.— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 13, 2023
      So many briefings, so little time https://t.co/5XAWS2fsS9— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) February 13, 2023
      Trump team insults Biden in response to claim they missed Chinese spy balloons This is Lois Beckett, picking up today’s live politics and UFO coverage from Los Angeles, one of the US cities most vulnerable to alien attacks, at least according to our film industry.During a briefing this afternoon, John Kirby, a Biden administration national security council spokesperson, said that a Chinese spy balloon program was active during the Trump administration, “but they did not detect it.”Donald Trump and several of his national security officials, including John Bolton, have previously denied that assertion, with Bolton claiming that he never heard of any such incident and could “say with 100% certainty” they had not taken place, Axios reported. The former Trump national security advisor challenged the Biden administration to present any “specific examples” of Trump-era Chinese spy balloons to congress.A reporter from the Washington Examiner provided a new response to Kirby’s remarks from a Trump campaign spokesperson today:NEW: The Trump campaign took issue with John Kirby’s claims that the previous administration was unable to detect multiple Chinese spy objects between 2017-2020Spox Steven Cheung (@CaliforniaPanda): https://t.co/TJNjsiVs60 pic.twitter.com/Tz0H3WOLwa— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) February 13, 2023
      In the Senate, top Republican Mitch McConnell is criticizing the Biden administration for not being transparent about what American fighter jets encountered in the skies over the United States and Canada:McConnell from Senate floor on the U.S. shooting down of several unidentified flying objects this month: “President Biden owes the American people some answers. What are we shooting down? Where did they come from?” https://t.co/spP8kYjpar pic.twitter.com/Tkjy19mGer— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) February 13, 2023
      Keep in mind that Republicans also attacked Biden for waiting until the Chinese spy balloon discovered earlier in February was over the Atlantic before shooting it down. Then, the White House argued that if it was blown up over land, it could harm people or property below. It appears the UFOs were shot down as they were discovered.The Guardian’s Lois Beckett is taking over this blog from here on out, and will keep you updated on the latest UFO news for the remainder of the day.When it came time to fire architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton after several allegations of misconduct, Joe Biden’s White House didn’t beat around the bush.Here’s the letter sent to Blanton and obtained by Politico:New: Letter sent to Architect of the Capitol Blanton informing him of his termination, obtained by POLITICO. pic.twitter.com/iuI47Rnhv9— Jordain Carney (@jordainc) February 13, 2023
      No debris from the three UFOs shot down over the weekend has been recovered, defense secretary Lloyd Austin says, as reported by CNBC:Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the US has not yet recovered any debris from the three UFOs American fighters shot down over the weekend. He says the DoD is working with the FAA, the FBI, NASA, and others “to work through what we might be seeing.”— Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) February 13, 2023
      One was shot down over Lake Huron, which separates the United States and Canada, another over Canada’s Yukon territory and a third over the US state of Alaska.Joe Biden has now fired Brett Blanton, the architect of the Capitol, the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the US Capitol complex in Washington, DC..@POTUS has removed Mr. Brett Blanton from his position as Architect of the Capitol. Read Ranking Member @RepJoeMorelle ‘s statement here➡️https://t.co/tA2bsZemhq— Committee on House Admn. Democrats (@HouseAdm_Dems) February 13, 2023
      House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had earlier led Republican calls Blanton’s resignation as the head of the agency.New York congressman and Democrat Joe Morelle, ranking member on the Committee on House Administration, just tweeted out this statemement:“After being given the opportunity to respond to numerous allegations of legal, ethical, and administrative violations, and failing to directly respond, the president has removed Mr Brett Blanton from his position – a decision I firmly stand behind. President Biden did the right thing and heeded my call for action. I look forward to working with my colleagues to begin a search for a new Architect immediately.”Blanton has faced a number of allegations of wrongdoing, which grew worse last week when he admitted to lawmakers that he avoided going to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, during the insurrection by extremist supporters of Donald Trump, who wanted to try to overturn the-then president’s loss to Biden in the 2020 election.He’s departing seven years before his job term is up and Politico notes that: “He faced a crescendo of criticism following a heated oversight hearing last week that centered on an internal watchdog report that catalogued his broad misuse of department resources.”Kirby says the shot down objects had no propulsion or communicationsOne of the most interesting things that came out of the briefing was a few hints at what the most recently shot down objects were like. Or more accurately, what they were not doing – which was apparently communicating with anything or moving under their own power.“These objects were not being maneuvered. They did not appear to have any self propulsion. So the likely hypothesis is, they were being moved by the prevailing winds,” Kirby said.Its a start…The White House press briefing has finished, but here’s one moment with John Kirby that’s not to be missed, and which likely will be satirized for days to come:”I don’t think the American people need to worry about aliens” — John Kirby pic.twitter.com/7WqdxkBlz9— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 13, 2023
      China is a talking point as much as ever in Washington these days, but John Kirby said Joe Biden has no plans to talk to Xi Jinping.“I don’t have a call to talk about today,” the national security council spokesman said.However, he noted the two men met at the G20 summit in Indonesia in November, and downplayed the impact of the cancelation of secretary of state’s Antony Blinken’s planned trip to Beijing after the spy balloon was discovered over the United States.“People shouldn’t take away from this that all communication has been severed between the United States and China, that Beijing and Washington aren’t talking,” Kirby said. “We still have an embassy there. We still have an ability through secretary Blinken’s good offices to communicate with senior Chinese leaders. Unfortunately, the Chinese military is not interested in talking to secretary of defense (Lloyd) Austin, but there are still ways to communicate and the president would tell you that now’s exactly the time to at least preserve some of those lines of communication, so that we can avoid miscalculation or set back the relationship.”The navy is in the process of recovering the Chinese surveillance balloon downed off South Carolina’s coast, but finding its remains may take a while.“It could take a long time, given the sea state and weather conditions and the degree to which … we have to protect the safety of the divers,” national security council spokesman John Kirby said.Divers have already made some progress, he said. “They were able to take things off the surface, like, the next day, actually, that afternoon, some of the balloon fabric. And in the day since they have been able to recover some, not all, of the payload that sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. It’s in about 45 feet of water. Weather conditions are pretty tough off the coast right now. Today, for instance, they have not been able to get into the water and dive on it. But over the course of the weekend, they were able to raise some of the debris, including some of the electronics and some of the structure.”The White House will have its experts sit down to try and understand the unknown objects discovered flying over North America, John Kirby announces.“The president, through his national security adviser, has today directed an interagency team to study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis, and disposition of unidentified aerial objects that pose either safety or security risks,” the national security council spokesman said.Then he gets into the shootdowns this weekend, and why the public still doesn’t know what the fighter jets encountered.“We have no specific reason to suspect that they were conducting surveillance of any kind, (but) we couldn’t rule that out,” Kirby said. “Efforts are actively under way right now at all sites to find what is left of those objects so that we can better understand and communicate with the American people what they are. I think it’s important to remind you objects in Alaska and Canada are in pretty remote terrain, ice and wilderness, all of that making it difficult to find them in winter weather. The object over Lake Huron now lies in what is probably very deep water.”Kirby said, “There are no active tracks today, but the professionals at NORAD will continue to do their important work.” More

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      Biden appeals to governors for ‘less partisanship’ to help rebuild economy

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      Biden appeals to governors for ‘less partisanship’ to help rebuild economy President says at White House dinner that passage of infrastructure laws is evidence of ‘some bipartisan progress’ Joe Biden appealed to Republican and Democratic governors on Saturday to continue working across political divides to improve Americans’ lives and rebuild the economy after the hardships brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.Speaking at a black-tie dinner at the White House, the president told 31 governors that the passage of laws on investing in infrastructure and domestic manufacture of semiconductors was evidence of “some bipartisan progress” among Republicans and Democrats. Vice-President Kamala Harris was also in attendance.“I hope we’re going to get a little bit – I’m going to try – a little bit less partisan and work on things that we can really get done to change people’s lives,” Biden said after governor meetings in Washington this week.Biden said he was still “ready to fight, as you all are”, and though Republicans and Democrats would not always agree, it made a difference when they worked together.Republican governor Spencer Cox of Utah, vice-chairperson of the National Governors Association, said it was “very symbolic” to have Republicans and Democrats “breaking bread together” at the White House.Cox added that he believed the majority of Americans wanted to see more collaboration across the political aisle.“This is what is missing in our country,” he said, adding that “it’s hard to hate up close”.Notably absent from the dinner was Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has challenged Biden’s agenda on a wide range of fronts, from gun safety to LGBTQ+ rights.Country music singer Brad Paisley played guitar and performed his song “American Saturday Night” after the dinner, telling the crowd he had swapped out the second line of the song “because it mentioned Russia and I don’t do that any more”. Russia’s military invaded Ukraine last year, and Biden’s administration has provided more than $30bn in security aid to Ukraine’s defenders.Instead, Paisley sang: “She’s got Brazilian leather boots on the pedal of a German car. There’s a Ukrainian flag hanging up behind the bar.”Biden’s remarks echoed his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, when he challenged Republicans to help to unite the country.The bipartisan laws passed last year were game-changers for the US economy, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, told reporters on Friday after the series of governor meetings at the White House.Murphy, who is chairperson of the National Governors Association, said states’ ability to work together on other issues, such as mental health, disproved the “narrative that politics has gotten completely divisive” and called the group a “beacon of bipartisan reality”.He said the association had appealed to lawmakers and the White House to end a dispute over raising the $31.4tn statutory debt ceiling before the Treasury department runs out of funds to pay US debts.Republicans want spending concessions from Biden, who has said he will not negotiate over raising the limit.Murphy said he left the meetings “more optimistic” about both sides’ willingness to negotiate while preserving social security, medicare and defense spending.TopicsJoe BidenUS politicsBiden administrationDemocratsRepublicansnewsReuse this content More