US Congress

Subterms

    More stories

    • 125 Shares189 Views

      in US Politics

      New add to George Santos’s résumé: producer on Spider-Man musical

      by

      New add to George Santos’s résumé: producer on Spider-Man musicalReports emerge that the embattled New York congressman told donors of his role, which the lead producer denies Just as it seemed the well of bizarre stories about George Santos might have begun to run dry, it was reported on Friday that the New York Republican congressman told potential donors he was a producer on the notoriously ill-fated Spider-Man musical.George Santos’s lies are so big you almost have to admire them | Emma BrockesRead moreBloomberg News said: “The lead producer, Michael Cohl, denied Santos’s involvement, saying through an assistant that [Santos] wasn’t a producer on the musical. Santos’s name also never appeared in the playbills for the show.”Santos and his lawyers did not immediately comment.Santos, 34, won election to Congress in New York’s third district in November. Since then, he has been consumed by revelations about his largely made-up educational and professional résumé; disproven claims about his family history including supposed links to the Holocaust and 9/11; allegations of criminal behaviour; and even reports that he once appeared as a drag queen in Brazil.He has admitted embellishing his résumé but denied wrongdoing and said he will not resign from Congress, which Republicans in his district and state and many leading Democrats have repeatedly demanded.Amid investigations at the local, state, federal and international levels – including of his campaign finance filings, personal wealth and business activities under a different name, Anthony Devolder – Santos this week stepped down from two committees to which he was named by Republican leaders.He said he wanted to “focus on serving the constituents of New York’s third congressional district and providing federal level representation without distraction”.That seems unlikely.Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark featured ambitious stagecraft and songs by U2’s Bono and the Edge but was badly reviewed and never trouble-free, including a number of performers suffering injuries. Its Broadway run lasted from 2011 to 2014, when it closed with losses of millions of dollars.Bloomberg noted that during the time the musical was on Broadway, Santos went from living in Brazil to working at a call centre in Queens and founding a charity to raise money for sick animals that is now being investigated after a military veteran accused Santos of absconding with money raised for his dog.The dog died. Santos denies the claim.Santos remains in the House as a valuable vote for Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker who must work with a narrow majority. Santos doggedly supported McCarthy through 15 votes for the position of speaker early last month.On Thursday night, meanwhile, a recording emerged of Santos firing an aide who had been on staff a little more than a week.The aide, Dan Myers, was previously a reporter in Ohio who faced criminal charges for publishing recorded legal testimony.Experience: I fell 30ft dressed as Spider-ManRead moreIn Myers’s recorded exchange with Santos, the congressman boasted about messaging with a CNN host.“Don Lemon just texted me – I’m sorry, I’m listening to you – Don Lemon just texted me!” Santos said.He also discussed the merits and costs of Botox treatments before saying Myers’s past problems in Ohio were “not concerning to us, it’s concerning to this institution”.Myers gave the recording to Talking Points Memo. He told the website that as Santos spoke, he was “thinking to myself, ‘I’m a threat and concern to this institution –George Santos, you’re George Santos!’”TopicsGeorge SantosUS CongressUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

    • 163 Shares199 Views

      in US Politics

      Heated debate in US Congress as Ilhan Omar ousted from committee – video

      by

      The House Republican majority voted to remove the Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee on Thursday, after a heated debate. The resolution to oust Omar condemned comments she had made about Israel that had drawn accusations by Republicans and some Democrats of antisemitism. She had apologised and acknowledged that her remarks played on antisemitic tropes

      Ilhan Omar’s removal from panel was ‘stupidest vote’, says Republican – report More

    • 188 Shares199 Views

      in Elections

      'Is anyone surprised I'm being targeted?' Ilhan Omar ousted from key House committee – video

      by

      The US congresswoman Ilhan Omar has said her ‘voice will get louder and stronger’ after Republicans voted to expel the Minnesota Democrat from the House foreign affairs committee on Thursday as punishment for her past remarks on Israel. Omar struck a defiant note in a speech shortly before the votes were counted, accusing Republicans of trying to silence her because she is a Muslim immigrant, and promising to continue speaking out. ‘Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy? Or that they see me as a powerful voice that needs to be silenced? Frankly, it is expected because when you push power, power pushes back,’ Omar said

      Ilhan Omar defiant as Republicans oust her from key House committee More

    • 113 Shares99 Views

      in US Politics

      Congress struggles with police reform: Politics Weekly America podcast

      by

      More ways to listen

      Apple Podcasts

      Google Podcasts

      Spotify

      RSS Feed

      Download

      Share on Facebook

      Share on Twitter

      Share via Email

      While attending the funeral of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old man beaten to death by police in Memphis, Tennessee, this week, Kamala Harris called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed in the House in 2021 but failed in the Senate.
      Jonathan Freedland speaks to Dr David Thomas, of Florida Gulf Coast University, about why lawmakers find police reform a difficult issue to legislate on

      How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know

      Archive: MSNBC, CBS, NBC, PBS Listen to our episode on the special counsel investigation into Joe Biden’s keeping of classified documents. Buy tickets for the Bernie Sanders live event here. Send your questions and feedback to [email protected]. Help support the Guardian by going to theguardian.com/supportpodcasts. More

    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in US Politics

      Republicans remove Ilhan Omar from House foreign affairs committee – as it happened

      by

      The House of Representatives has voted to oust Minnesota Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee on Thursday, the Washington Post reports.The vote comes after the House approved Democratic assignments for the powerful foreign affairs committee which included Omar.Once McCarthy learned of the assignments, he told reporters, “Oh, so now we can vote her off,” the Hill reports.Republicans claim to have removed Omar due to her previous criticisms of Israel.Republican representative Max Miller said in a statement that Omar “cannot be an objective decision-maker on the foreign affairs committee given her biases against Israel and against the Jewish people”.Omar, herself the target of anti-Muslim bigotry since taking office, said last week that the decision to oust her was “purely partisan”.She added that the move is “also a blow to the integrity of our democratic institutions and a threat to our national security”.It is now 4pm in DC. Here are the key events that happened across the country today:
      The House voted along party lines as it ousted Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee while Democrats defended her. The vote was divided 218 to 211, CBS reports. One GOP member voted “present.” Omar defended herself on the floor on Thursday, saying: “This debate today, it’s about who gets to be an American? What opinions do we get to have, do we have to have to be counted as American?… That is what this debate is about, Madam Speaker. There is this idea that you are suspect if you are an immigrant. Or if you are from a certain part of the world, of a certain skin tone or a Muslim.”
      A New Jersey councilwoman has been fatally shot on Wednesday night, according to New Jersey’s Sayreville police department. In a press statement released on Thursday, police said that they responded to shots fired on Wednesday evening in the Parlin section of Sayreville, New Jersey. Upon arrival, officers “located town councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, 30, of Sayreville, in her vehicle who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Dwumfour had succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced on scene.”
      Senators Joe Manchin and Ted Cruz have introduced a new bill that would protect gas stoves. On Thursday, the senators introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act which would prevent the Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves across the country.
      Senate majority leader Charles Schumer has said that president Joe Biden stands united alongside Democratic leaders against raising debt limits. In a statement to reporters on Thursday, Schumer said, “I’ve spoken to the president both before and his staff after the meeting. He had the same position — [House Democratic leader] Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, the House Democratic caucus, the Senate Democratic caucus and the president have the exact same position, we should pass the debt ceiling clean. That’s where we’re at,” the Hill reports.
      The White House has condemned the Republican-led House vote that ousted Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Omar is a “highly respected member of Congress” and called the move a “political stunt,” the Hill reports.
      The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, announced plans this week to block state college programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory in his latest attack on Black and LGBTQ+ people in the public education system. The second-term governor, widely expected to launch a 2024 White House bid, previously blocked an advanced placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools, saying it violated state law, and championed a “don’t say gay” law prohibiting lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in state primary schools.
      The former White House press secretary turned governor of Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders will give the Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Announcing the move on Thursday, the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, called Huckabee Sanders “a servant-leader of true determination and conviction”, adding: “I’m thrilled Sarah will share her extraordinary story and bold vision for a better America on Tuesday.”
      In the latest development in the saga over former presidents and vice-presidents and the improper retention of classified documents, the Wall Street Journal reports that FBI agents will soon search a property belonging to Mike Pence. Yesterday, FBI agents searched a home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, that belongs to President Joe Biden. No additional documents were found but Biden already faced the attentions of a special counsel, appointed to investigate his retention of documents from his time in the Senate and as vice-president to Barack Obama.
      Florida Republican senator Rick Scott said that he does not think that Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to remove him from the Senate Commerce Committee “made any sense.” “I’m going to keep doing my job… I put out a plan. He completely opposed me putting out a plan,” Scott told CNN, referring to a plan he announced last year that would have subjected all “government bureaucrats” to a 12-year term limit, shut down the Department of Education, and slashed the federal workforce by 25% within five years, among other proposals.
      President Joe Biden called for cooperation and respect at the National Prayer Breakfast where he said that he and House speaker Kevin McCarthy will “treat each other with respect.” “Let’s just sort of, kind of, join hands again a little bit. Let’s start treating each other with respect. That’s what Kevin and I are going to do,” said Biden, the Hill reports.
      President Joe Biden has confirmed the departure of his top economic adviser Brian Deese from the White House. In a statement on Thursday, Biden announced that Deese will be stepping down from his role as director of the National Economic Council in the coming days.
      Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she will endorse Democratic representative Adam Schiff for California senate if senator Diana Feinstein decides to not run again. In a statement released by Pelosi and reported by Politico, Pelosi wrote: “If Senator Feinstein decides to seek re-election, she has my whole-hearted support. If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy,” she said.
      That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we wrap up the blog for today. We’ll be back tomorrow with the latest updates on US politics. Thank you.A New Jersey councilwoman has been fatally shot on Wednesday night, according to New Jersey’s Sayreville police department.In a press statement released on Thursday, police said that they responded to shots fired on Wednesday evening in the Parlin section of Sayreville, New Jersey.Upon arrival, officers “located town councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, 30, of Sayreville, in her vehicle who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Dwumfour had succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced on scene.”Authorities say that the investigation is currently ongoing and is asking anyone with information or surveillance footage of the area to notify them.Governor Phil Murphy mourned the loss of the Republican councilwoman, saying that he was “stunned by the news of…[her] murder…in an act of gun violence.”He added:.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“Her career of public service was just beginning, and by all accounts she had already build a reputation as a committed member of the Borough Council who took her responsibility with the utmost diligence and seriousness…”Senators Joe Manchin and Ted Cruz have introduced a new bill that would protect gas stoves.On Thursday, the senators introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act which would prevent the Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves across the country.“I’ll tell you one thing, they’re not taking my gas stove out…My wife and I would both be upset,” Manchin said at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Hill reports. Cruz echoed Manchin’s sentiments, saying, “Make no mistake, radical environmentalists want to stop Americans from using natural gas… The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s proposed ban on gas stoves is the latest egregious scaremongering by the Far Left and their Biden administration allies.”Senate majority leader Charles Schumer has said that president Joe Biden stands united alongside Democratic leaders against raising debt limits.In a statement to reporters on Thursday, Schumer said, “I’ve spoken to the president both before and his staff after the meeting. He had the same position — [House Democratic leader] Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, the House Democratic caucus, the Senate Democratic caucus and the president have the exact same position, we should pass the debt ceiling clean. That’s where we’re at,” the Hill reports.“We believe the House cannot pass a debt ceiling bill the way they’re talking about. That if it is very minor cuts, the [Make America Great Again] MAGA Republicans will rebel. If it is major cuts, the more mainstream Republicans rebel. That’s why we’re saying, ‘Show us you plan.’ Because I don’t think they can get one together,” he added.Meanwhile, McCarthy said on Wednesday that he thinks that “there is an opportunity here to come to an agreement on both sides.”The White House has condemned the Republican-led House vote that ousted Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Omar is a “highly respected member of Congress” and called the move a “political stunt,” the Hill reports.“The way that we see this it’s a political stunt, much like House Republicans unjust removal of other leading Democrats from key committees in recent weeks, and it is a disservice to the American people,” she said, referring to the removal of California Democratic representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee.The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, announced plans this week to block state college programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory in his latest attack on Black and LGBTQ+ people in the public education system.The second-term governor, widely expected to launch a 2024 White House bid, previously blocked an advanced placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools, saying it violated state law, and championed a “don’t say gay” law prohibiting lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in state primary schools.DeSantis has pursued aggressive policies to block teaching or discussion about America’s racist past and present, making a name for himself in a national Republican party still defined by the legacy of Donald Trump, who famously mobilized white voters’ racism and resentment of attempts to change the nation’s racial hierarchy into a winning bid for the White House.Last year, DeSantis signed legislation, dubbed the “Stop Woke Act” that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses. The law bars instruction that says members of one race are inherently racist or should feel guilt for past actions committed by others of the same race, among other things.In his new effort to restrict diversity efforts at public colleges, DeSantis pledged at a news conference that critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI, would get “no funding, and that will wither on the vine”.Full story:Ron DeSantis announces plan to block DEI programs in state collegesRead moreSpeaking of efforts to ban government use of the word “Latinx”, as pursued by the Republican rising star and State of the Union rebutter Sarah Huckabee Sanders, here’s a fascinating report from the Associated Press, about an effort to pass such a ban in Connecticut, a deep blue Democratic state.The effort is being led by a group of Latino Democrats:Hispanic lawmakers in Connecticut seek official ban on term ‘Latinx’Read moreThe former White House press secretary turned governor of Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders will give the Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.Announcing the move on Thursday, the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, called Huckabee Sanders “a servant-leader of true determination and conviction”, adding: “I’m thrilled Sarah will share her extraordinary story and bold vision for a better America on Tuesday.”Huckabee Sanders, now 40, was the second of Donald Trump’s four press secretaries in an administration under which relations between the press and the White House dwindled to new lows.Sanders memorably admitted lying to reporters about internal opposition to FBI director James Comey during the investigation of Russian election interference and links between Trump and Moscow.She also told the New York Times it “bothers me” to be called a liar, “because one of the few things you have are your integrity and reputation.”Huckabee Sanders said: “There’s a difference between misspeaking or not knowing something than maliciously lying.”She was elected in Arkansas last November, following her father Mike Huckabee into the governor’s mansion. She began her time in power with a flurry of executive orders on culture war subjects.One banned use in state documents of the word “Latinx”, which one proponent has defined as “a gender-neutral term to describe US residents of Latin American descent”.Another order banned the teaching of critical race theory in public schools. Critical race theory is an academic discipline that examines the ways in which racism operates in US laws and society. It is rarely taught below college level but Republicans across the US have enthusiastically and successfully used it as a wedge electoral issue.In her own statement on Thursday, Huckabee Sanders said she was “grateful for this opportunity to address the nation and contrast the GOP’s optimistic vision for the future against the failures of President Biden and the Democrats.“We are ready to begin a new chapter in the story of America – to be written by a new generation of leaders ready to defend our freedom against the radical left and expand access to quality education, jobs, and opportunity for all.”Some observers think Huckabee Sanders may in future follow her father (and the Democratic former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton) and run for president.Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, bass guitarist and pitchman for questionable health products, did so in 2008 and 2016. In his first run he won the Iowa caucuses as part of an unexpectedly strong showing before losing to John McCain. In 2016 he was one of many candidates blown out of the water by Trump.Republicans also announced on Thursday that a second rebuttal to Biden’s speech will be given by Juan Ciscomani, an Arizona congressman who will speak in Spanish.In the latest development in the saga over former presidents and vice-presidents and the improper retention of classified documents, the Wall Street Journal reports that FBI agents will soon search a property belonging to Mike Pence.Yesterday, FBI agents searched a home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, that belongs to President Joe Biden. No additional documents were found but Biden already faced the attentions of a special counsel, appointed to investigate his retention of documents from his time in the Senate and as vice-president to Barack Obama.In a case of vastly differing scale and complexity – featuring determined attempts to obstruct authorities seeking the records’ return – Donald Trump also faces a special counsel. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida was searched by FBI agents last August, a search the former president and his supporters insist on calling a raid.Trump has seized on Biden’s difficulties to claim he did nothing wrong. Most analysts say otherwise.News that Pence also improperly kept classified material emerged last week. Like Biden, Trump’s former vice-president has played straight with authorities since.According to the WSJ, the DoJ (Department of Justice) is now in negotiations with Pence’s lawyers about scheduling the search of his property in Indiana. The paper did not name sources. The FBI and DoJ did not comment.As the Journal notes, this is all fiendishly complicated for Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, what with the 2024 presidential election looming on the horizon.“Mr Pence is also considering a White House bid, a prospect that could test the standard Garland laid out in appointing the two prior prosecutors” to investigate Biden and Trump, the paper says.Biden is set to run for re-election. Trump is still the only declared challenger for the Republican nomination. And so the classified documents saga goes on.Here’s our columnist Margaret Sullivan, with more:The media is blowing Biden’s documents ‘scandal’ out of proportion | Margaret SullivanRead moreThe House voted along party lines as it ousted Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee while Democrats defended her. The vote was divided 218 to 211, CBS reports. One GOP member voted “present.”Omar defended herself on the floor on Thursday, saying:.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“This debate today, it’s about who gets to be an American? What opinions do we get to have, do we have to have to be counted as American?… That is what this debate is about, Madam Speaker. There is this idea that you are suspect if you are an immigrant. Or if you are from a certain part of the world, of a certain skin tone or a Muslim.
      Well, I am Muslim. I am an immigrant, and interestingly, from Africa. Is anyone surprised that I’m being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy?” she said.Numerous Democrats came to Omar’s defense. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Thursday that the move was “political revenge.” New York representative Gregory Meeks who serves as a committee ranking member criticized the Republican-led vote, saying that it is a “double standard.”.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“A blatant double standard is being applied here. Something just doesn’t add up. And what is the difference between Rep. Omar and these members? Could it be the way that she looks? Could it be her religious practices?” he said.Similarly, New York representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez said, “This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,” according to the NYT.Meanwhile, Democratic representative Jamaal Bowman criticized Republicans, saying that they are “full of shit” and that Omar is an “incredible legislator,” Politico reports.The House of Representatives has voted to oust Minnesota Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee on Thursday, the Washington Post reports.The vote comes after the House approved Democratic assignments for the powerful foreign affairs committee which included Omar.Once McCarthy learned of the assignments, he told reporters, “Oh, so now we can vote her off,” the Hill reports.Republicans claim to have removed Omar due to her previous criticisms of Israel.Republican representative Max Miller said in a statement that Omar “cannot be an objective decision-maker on the foreign affairs committee given her biases against Israel and against the Jewish people”.Omar, herself the target of anti-Muslim bigotry since taking office, said last week that the decision to oust her was “purely partisan”.She added that the move is “also a blow to the integrity of our democratic institutions and a threat to our national security”.As transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg said on Thursday that he is “not planning on going anywhere.”In an interview with Punchbowl News two years after his cabinet confirmation, Buttigieg said, “I don’t have any plans to do any job besides the one I’ve got” and that he has “the best job in the federal government.”He told the outlet that his tenure with the the transportation department is “above his pay grade” and that he works at the “pleasure of the president for the time being.”.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“I love this job and I feel like we’re right in the middle of the action,” he said. “I’m not planning on going anywhere because we’re smack in the middle of historic work,” he added.Buttigieg heads a department that has distributed $159.70 billion across its 11 sub-components in fiscal year 2023.Florida Republican senator Rick Scott said that he does not think that Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to remove him from the Senate Commerce Committee “made any sense.”“I’m going to keep doing my job… I put out a plan. He completely opposed me putting out a plan,” Scott told CNN, referring to a plan he announced last year that would have subjected all “government bureaucrats” to a 12-year term limit, shut down the Department of Education, and slashed the federal workforce by 25% within five years, among other proposals.Last year, Scott also unsuccessfully challenged McConnell for his Senate leadership position after he felt that McConnell did not do enough to lay out the GOP Senate governing agenda prior to Election Day, the Hill reports..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“He didn’t like that I opposed him because I believe we have to have ideas – fight over ideas. And so, he took [Utah Republican senator] Mike Lee and I off the committee,” Scott told CNN.President Joe Biden called for cooperation and respect at the National Prayer Breakfast where he said that he and House speaker Kevin McCarthy will “treat each other with respect.”.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“Let’s just sort of, kind of, join hands again a little bit. Let’s start treating each other with respect. That’s what Kevin and I are going to do,” said Biden, the Hill reports.
      “Not a joke, we had a good meeting yesterday. I think we got to do it across the board. It doesn’t mean we’re going to agree and fight like hell. But let’s treat each other with respect,” he added.Biden went on urge Americans to “look out for one another” amidst a slew of mass shootings, extreme weather conditions and frequent incidents of police brutality..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“In our politics and our lives, we too often see each other as opponents and not competitors. We see each other as enemies, not neighbors. And as tough as these times have been, if we look closer, we see the strength, the determination that has long defined America,” he said.President Joe Biden has confirmed the departure of his top economic adviser Brian Deese from the White House.In a statement on Thursday, Biden announced that Deese will be stepping down from his role as director of the National Economic Council in the coming days..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“For the past two years, I have relied on Brian Deese to help me do just that. Brian has a unique ability to translate complex policy challenges into concrete actions that improve the lives of American people. He has helped steer my economic vision into reality, and managed the transition of our historic economic recovery to steady and stable growth,” Biden said.He went on to cite Deese’s critical role in the passage of various agendas including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as well as the CHIPS and Science Act..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“I am grateful to his wife Kara and his children Adeline and Clark for letting us borrow Brian. I know well what it must have been like to say goodbye to him for the regular long commute to Washington, and I know they’re excited to welcome him home,” he added.Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she will endorse Democratic representative Adam Schiff for California senate if senator Diana Feinstein decides to not run again.In a statement released by Pelosi and reported by Politico, Pelosi wrote:.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“If Senator Feinstein decides to seek re-election, she has my whole-hearted support. If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy,” she said.
      “In his service in the House, he has focused on strengthening our Democracy with justice and on building an economy that works for all,” she added.Pelosi’s announcement comes a week after Adam Schiff announced the launch of his campaign for California senate.Ahead of the meeting with president Joe Biden later today, the Congressional Black Caucus released a statement regarding its request to meet Biden following the death of Tyre Nichols who died after being brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers last month.On behalf of CBC members, CBC chairman and Democratic Nevada representative Steven Horsford wrote:“The Congressional Black Caucus takes its role to advocate for the safety and protection of the people in our communities very seriously. To that end, CBC is requesting a meeting with the President this week to push for negotiations on much needed national reforms to our justice system – specifically, the actions and conduct of our law enforcement…We are calling on our colleagues in the House and Senate to jumpstart negotiations now and work with us to address the public health epidemic of police violence that disproportionately affects many of our communities,” it added.Democratic representative Ilhan Omar tweeted a expletive-filled threat that her office received last week, writing, “These threats increase whenever Republicans put a target on my back.”She added that there is a “very real human cost” to Republican attacks against women of color like herself.Btw as horrific as this is to listen to, I share it because the Republican Party (and the public) need to know that there is a very real human cost to their continued targeting of women of color, not just to me but to those who share my identities.— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 2, 2023
      The tweet comes amid attempts by new House Republicans seeking to oust Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Last Tuesday, House speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked California Democratic representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from rejoining the House Intelligence Committee.Last Congress, Democrats removed Georgia’s Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Arizona’s Paul Gosar from their committee assignments following incendiary remarks they made about their colleagues.Good morning, US politics blog readers. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris are scheduled to meet members of the Congressional Black Caucus this afternoon to discuss police reform.The meeting comes a day after Tyre Nichols’ funeral where Harris urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that would address police brutality and racial profiling. Politico reports that CBC members are preparing a list of executive actions that they want to see the Biden administration take.Among the attendees will be California Democratic representative Maxine Waters. In a statement reported by Politico, Waters said”: “I’m not optimistic. I’m not confident that we are going to be able to get real police reform … I approach working on this issue as a responsibility that I have to do – that we must try.”Here’s what else we can expect today:
      The House of Representatives is expected to vote on whether to remove Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar from the House foreign affairs committee, an apparent move about her former criticisms towards Israel but according to Democrats, about “spite” for removal of far-right extremists in the former Congress.
      Biden and former president Bill Clinton will convene at the White House to mark the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act – the 1993 legislation that guaranteed US workers up to 12 unpaid weeks off to recover from illnesses or childbirth.
      White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will deliver a press briefing at 12.45pm EST. More

    • 138 Shares119 Views

      in US Politics

      Ilhan Omar defiant as Republicans oust her from key House committee

      by

      Ilhan Omar defiant as Republicans oust her from key House committeeMinnesota Democrat accuses Republicans of trying to silence her because she is Muslim and vows to ‘advocate for a better world’ Republicans voted to expel Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar from the House foreign affairs committee on Thursday as punishment for her past remarks on Israel. Democrats objected, saying the move was about revenge after Democrats removed far-right extremists in the last Congress.A majority of 218 GOP lawmakers supported Omar’s expulsion from the committee, which is tasked with handling legislation and holding hearings affecting America’s diplomatic relations. One Republican lawmaker voted “present”.George Santos withdraws from House committees amid spiraling scandalRead moreOmar struck a defiant note in a speech shortly before the votes were counted, accusing Republicans of trying to silence her because she is a Muslim immigrant, and promising to continue speaking out.“Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy? Or that they see me as a powerful voice that needs to be silenced? Frankly, it is expected because when you push power, power pushes back,” Omar said.“My leadership and voice will not be diminished. If I am not on this committee for one term, my voice will get louder and stronger and my leadership will be celebrated around the world as it has been. So take your votes or not. I am here to stay and I am here to be a voice against harms around the world and advocate for a better world.”The Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, had made removing Omar one of his first tasks after being elected the chamber’s leader last month following a lengthy battle with the party’s far right and 15 rounds of balloting. A small group of Republicans had initially objected to the effort, before changing their minds in recent days.On Wednesday, the chamber voted on party lines to move forward with the resolution, which explicitly condemns comments Omar made about Israel that drew accusations by Republicans and some Democrats of antisemitism.Omar has apologized and said she has come to understand her remarks played on antisemitic tropes.The lawmaker, who in 2018 became one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, routinely faces violent threats and bigotry, including from other lawmakers.She once called McCarthy a “liar and a coward” after he refused to condemn remarks by Lauren Boebert, a Colorado extremist Omar said was a “buffoon” and a “bigot”.“These threats increase whenever Republicans put a target on my back,” Omar said on Wednesday, sharing audio of a death threat her office received. “They can continue to target me, but they will never stop me from fighting for a more just world.”On Wednesday the Republican chair of the foreign affairs committee, Michael McCaul of Texas, told reporters: “It’s just that her worldview of Israel is so diametrically opposed to the committee’s. I don’t mind having differences of opinion, but this goes beyond that.”Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, countered: “You cannot remove a member of Congress from a committee simply because you do not agree with their views. This is both ludicrous and dangerous.”Omar has said her removal “is about revenge” and “appeasing the former president”, Donald Trump, who once said Omar and three other progressive congresswomen of color should “go back” to where they came from.In a statement on Thursday, Jasmine Hawamdeh, communications manager for the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, said: “Representative Omar is constantly breaking barriers, and is unfairly targeted as the first Somali American, African immigrant and woman of color to be elected to Congress from Minnesota.“She has earned an equal platform so that we can continue hearing her voice on matters of international importance, such as human rights protections around the globe.”Republican leaders have for weeks worked to assuage concerns among some party members that ousting Omar was no more than an act of retribution for Democrats removing Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from committees in the last Congress.The two rightwing extremists were expelled for aggressive and threatening behaviour including Gosar’s dissemination of a video which showed him attacking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York progressive, and menacing Joe Biden. Gosar was also censured.Party leaders had previously removed members of their own party from committees. McCarthy did so in 2019, when the then Iowa congressman Steve King questioned why white supremacy was considered offensive. But McCarthy refused to take action against Greene or Gosar, which Democrats say forced them to take the then-unprecedented action of using their majority to remove members of the opposite party from committees.Under McCarthy, both have returned to committees.After the vote, the Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, tweeted that Omar’s removal was “highly partisan” and “about political revenge”. He announced he would appoint Omar to the budget committee, “where she will defend Democratic values against right-wing extremism”.Associated Press contributed to reportingTopicsIlhan OmarHouse of RepresentativesDemocratsRepublicansUS politicsKevin McCarthyUS CongressnewsReuse this content More

    • 188 Shares109 Views

      in US Politics

      George Santos’s lies are so big you almost have to admire them | Emma Brockes

      by

      George Santos’s lies are so big you almost have to admire themEmma BrockesThe New York congressman’s increasingly wild claims have all the thrill-seeking of a man running across a football field naked In retrospect, as it often seems to go in these cases, the evidence appears to have been so glaringly obvious, it’s a wonder we were ever taken in. George Santos – like Anna Sorokin, the “fake heiress” – even had the Scooby-Doo, black-rimmed glasses that might have come from a joke shop selling disguises. When the representative for New York’s third congressional district entered the House last November, he was briefly notable as the Republican’s first openly gay non-incumbent to win a seat.Now, his fame resides elsewhere. So wild and untrustworthy have statements made by Santos proved to be – Did his granny really survive the Holocaust? Was his mother’s death really related to 9/11? Did he ever appear in a movie alongside Uma Thurman? – that it would come as no surprise, at this stage, to discover that rather than a 34-year-old man, Santos is actually four children piled on top of each other beneath a trenchcoat.The fascinating thing about Santos, and other practitioners of these kinds of fabrications, is how easily disprovable their falsehoods turn out to be. If compulsive lying has its roots in something deeper and more complicated than mere self-advancement, you assume the risk-taking is part of the appeal. Psychologically, Santos’s claims appear akin in scale, impulse and thrill-seeking to a man running across a football field naked, each more lurid and exposing than the last.Let’s start with the small stuff, like where he went to school and what year he graduated. Per Santos’s claims, he attended Horace Mann, a prestigious private school in the Bronx (a representative of the school told CNN it had no record of him ever attending).After school, Santos claims he studied at Baruch College in New York, graduating with a degree in economics and finance in 2010. (Baruch College has no record of him graduating that year.) He claims to have gone on to study for an MBA at New York University (no record), to have worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs (no record) and Citigroup (no record). All of these lies were itemised in a comprehensive list in New York magazine last week, with citations for where Santos made the claim and where it was later rebutted.The New York Times, meanwhile, has also handily uploaded a copy of Santos’s two-page CV, which even in the weeds between his biggest tent-pole lies, will make your own CV claim to be “fluent in French” look like a modest inflation.George Santos withdraws from House committees amid spiraling scandalRead moreAnd that’s just the professional stuff. The personal fabrications are, if possible, even weirder in their overreach. Santos appears to have the recognisable, attention-seeking syndrome of claiming association with historical events that on closer inspection he had nothing to do with. His claim to be of Jewish heritage and have grandparents who survived the Holocaust has been thoroughly debunked, as has the claim he made on Twitter in 2021 that his mother was in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. (Evidence suggests that, in fact, his mother, Fatima Devolder, was in Brazil in September 2001.)He has claimed, simultaneously, to own property in Brazil worth up to $1m, to own 13 rental properties – no record of these properties has so far been found – and to own no property at all and be living with his sister. The claims and reversals have reached a pitch so chaotic that it’s tempting to regard Santos as a conman approaching the level of satirist.And yet. Before we get carried away by the sheer entertainment value of all this, it’s worth reminding ourselves that beneath the improbably fanciful claims, there are suggestions of extremely banal, entirely predictable and straightforwardly self-interested financial impropriety on Santos’s part, all of which are now being investigated by federal prosecutors. A complaint has been filed with the Federal Election Commission about his alleged misuse of campaign funds, and the source of that funding, which is also under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice. And, less than a month after being sworn in, there are, of course, calls for the man to resign. Meanwhile, the most Santos has admitted to is “embellishing” his résumé.It’s a serious thing to mislead the electorate and lie to members of Congress, with a much more damaging fallout than the lies of a fake heiress trying to score a free holiday. Still, in both cases, the fascination with the workings of compulsive liars is the same. Scrutinising photos of Santos’s blank and babyish face triggers the vertiginous possibility inherent in all really big grifts – and one, possibly, deserving of sympathy, although who knows – that he has come to believe all this stuff himself.
      Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist based in New York

      Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
      TopicsGeorge SantosOpinionUS CongressRepublicansUS politicscommentReuse this content More

    • 200 Shares179 Views

      in US Politics

      Classified documents not found at Biden’s beach home after DoJ concludes search – as it happened

      by

      The justice department has concluded its search of Joe Biden’s home on Delaware’s coast, and while it found no classified material, agents did take away some documents for further review, an attorney for the president said.“The DOJ’s planned search of the President’s Rehoboth residences, conducted in coordination and cooperation with the President’s attorneys, has concluded. The search was conducted from 8:30 AM to noon. No documents with classified markings were found,” Bob Bauer, who is acting as a personal lawyer for Biden, said in a statement.“Consistent with the process in Wilmington, the DOJ took for further review some materials and handwritten notes that appear to relate to his time as Vice President.”Federal agents have come and gone from Joe Biden’s Rehoboth Beach, Delaware home in their search for classified materials, after previously paying a visit to his residence in Wilmington and former office in Washington DC. There were no government secrets found at Biden’s beachfront property, but the search means the investigation will stay in the news for the time being. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmaker Jared Huffman is circulating a letter worrying over security in the House ahead of next week’s State of the Union address, which he says has grown worse since the GOP took control of the chamber at the start of the year.Here’s what else happened today:
      Nikki Haley and Tim Scott sure seem to be preparing to campaign for president, which would put them up against fellow Republican Donald Trump.
      Socialism is set to be formally denounced with a Republican-backed House resolution that has received surprising Democratic support.
      Biden is having his first meeting with Kevin McCarthy since the Republican was elected House speaker, but the press is not invited.
      It’s the usual partisan split when it comes to the public’s views of the unfolding classified document scandal, new polling has found.
      Just about anything can spark an argument in Congress these days, including the pledge of allegiance.
      Kevin McCarthy is heading to his first meeting with Joe Biden since becoming House speaker.Increasing the debt ceiling is the main item on their agenda, and as he left the Capitol, Fox News caught McCarthy again laying out his demands for spending cuts:McCarthy leaving to talk to Biden: I got a big plan. The first question is does the President want to continue reckless spending or find a way that we could be responsible. Sit down and find common ground where we put ourselves on a path to budget. Make a balanced budget.— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 1, 2023
      You might not hear much more than that about the meeting, at least not for a while. According to the White House, the encounter is “Closed Press”, meaning reporters are not invited to attend. That has sparked objections from Kelly O’Donnell, vice-president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, who said prior presidents have invited journalists to observe parts of such meetings:When presidents meet House speakers, there’s a long tradition of WH press pool covering a portion of meeting to document that for the day’s news and historical record. Today’s first meeting of Pres. Biden and Speaker McCarthy should be covered the same way. pic.twitter.com/fvMzhkLoNe— Kelly O’Donnell (@KellyO) February 1, 2023
      Republicans are moving forward with a plan to boot Democrat Ilhan Omar off the House foreign affairs committee, saying she used antisemitic rhetoric. But a Democratic colleague said the effort is about nothing more than revenge, the Associated Press reports. A vote on her ouster is expected Thursday:A House Republican attempt to remove Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee, expected as soon as Wednesday, is about “vengeance” and “spite”, one of the Minnesotan’s fellow Democrats said.“This is about vengeance. This is about spite. This is about politics,” said James McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the rules committee, as Republicans called a hurried meeting late on Tuesday to consider the matter.Republicans are targeting Omar, an African-born Black lawmaker, over comments she has made about Israel and as payback after Democrats kicked far-right Republicans off committees for incendiary and violent remarks. On Wednesday, the House voted 218-209 along party lines to move forward with a resolution to remove Omar from the committee. A final vote was expected later this week.The new House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has been eager to remove Omar after blocking two other Democrats, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, from the intelligence committee.Omar, a Somali immigrant and one of the first female Muslims in Congress, has apologized for comments she has said she has come to understand were viewed as antisemitic. Republican bid to kick Ilhan Omar off panel is ‘spite’, fellow Democrat saysRead moreNikki Haley, the Republican former governor of South Carolina who served as ambassador to the United Nations under Donald Trump, has a “big announcement” planned for later this month.What could it be?My family and I have a big announcement to share with you on February 15th! And yes, it’s definitely going to be a Great Day in South Carolina! 👊 🇺🇸Be sure to RSVP here: https://t.co/fxxxpBbW2b pic.twitter.com/2QJIo0H7Jo— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 1, 2023
      A run for president, is the most likely answer. Trump may already have announced a second campaign for the White House, but that isn’t scaring off other Republicans from throwing their hat in the ring.Case in point: Tim Scott, a GOP senator who is also from South Carolina, will launch “a listening tour focused on Faith in America” later this month, with stops in Iowa and South Carolina. Both states happen to be on the early primary calendar for Republicans, and often play a major role in winnowing the field of presidential nominees.The biggest name waiting in the wings is Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly come in second in polls of Republicans over their preferences for president.In Memphis, mourners are gathering for the funeral of Tyre Nichols, whose death at the hands of law enforcement sparked outrage and renewed calls for Congress to act on long-stalled police reform legislation.Vice-President Kamala Harris is among the attendees, and the Guardian has a blog dedicated to covering the event live:Tyre Nichols funeral begins as mourners gather at Memphis church – latestRead moreDonald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, told CNN earlier he has handed his cellphones to prosecutors in Manhattan as they look again at a 2016 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, the adult film star with whom Donald Trump denies having an affair.A grand jury has been convened in New York to hear evidence related to the payment, a potential campaign finance crime.Cohen said: “Most recently, they asked for my cellphones because they want to be able to extract from it the voice recordings that I had had with Keith Davidson, former attorney to Stormy Daniels before Michael Avenatti, as well as a bunch of emails, text messages and so on.”Cohen’s phones have been seized before, by federal investigators in 2018.Cohen has previously pleaded guilty to paying Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 to be quiet about her alleged affair with Trump, which she says happened in 2006. Cohen says Trump directed him to make the payment. Cohen’s recompense for doing so has been detailed by federal prosecutors.As CNN put it, “Manhattan prosecutors are [now] looking into whether Trump and his business falsified business records by improperly treating the reimbursement as a legal expense. That charge is a misdemeanor in New York unless it can be tied to another crime, such as campaign finance laws.”There follows more on what Stormy Daniels is up to now, containing a quote for the ages, about her experience as a stand-up comic, thus: “It was the most terrifying experience of my life, and that’s saying something because I’ve seen Trump naked.”‘It was my most terrifying experience – and I’ve seen Trump naked!’: Stormy Daniels on standup, tarot and reality TVRead moreSpeaking of the debt ceiling, the meeting at the White House later, Republican messaging as practised by Senate minority leader Addison Mitchell McConnell III – you know and love him as Mitch – and our columnist Robert Reich, here’s Robert with some pertinent preparatory reading…The dire warnings of fiscal hawks are once again darkening the skies of official Washington.They’re demanding that the $31.4tn federal debt be reduced and government spending curtailed – thereby giving cover to Republican efforts to hold America hostage by refusing to raise the debt ceiling.It’s always the same when Republicans take over a chamber of Congress or the presidency. Horrors! The debt is out of control! Federal spending must be cut!When they’re in power, they rack up giant deficits, mainly by cutting taxes on corporations and the wealthy (which amount to the same thing, since wealthy investors are the major beneficiaries of corporate tax cuts).Then when Democrats take the reins, Republicans blame them for being spendthrifts.Not only is the Republican story false, but it leaves out the bigger and more important story behind today’s federal debt: the switch by America’s wealthy over the last half century from paying taxes to the government to lending the government money.This backstory needs to be told if Americans are to understand what’s really happened and what needs to be done about it. Republicans won’t tell it, so Democrats (starting with Joe Biden) must.More:Republicans aren’t going to tell Americans the real cause of our $31tn debt | Robert ReichRead moreMitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, has issued a statement about the meeting scheduled for this afternoon between Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House speaker.True to Republican messaging about spending and debt – see Reich, Robert, former US labor secretary and Guardian US columnist, passim but also here, today – McConnell says “it is right, appropriate and entirely normal that our need to raise the debt limit would be paired with negotiations regarding Democrats’ runaway printing and spending”.McConnell cites previous remarks by his opposite number, Chuck Schumer, about the debt ceiling being something that should be negotiated over, and says: “The president of the United States does not get to walk away from the table.“The same president who happily signed off on [further messaging alert] trillions of dollars of reckless party-line spending needs to begin good-faith negotiations on spending reform with Speaker McCarthy today.”Schumer spoke on the Senate floor. He said Republicans had to show the American people their plan to avoid a catastrophic default..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Later this afternoon President Biden will meet with Speaker McCarthy for their first one-on-one meeting of the year, and everyone is asking the same question of Speaker McCarthy: show us your plan. Where is your plan, Republicans? Where is your plan, Speaker McCarthy?McCarthy “showing up at the White House without a plan is like sitting down at the table without cards in your hand”, Schumer said, adding: “We know why the speaker has struggled and is unable to produce a plan – delaying it or avoiding it – he doesn’t have the votes for one, in all likelihood.”He concluded: “We Democrats have a plan – raise the debt ceiling without brinksmanship or hostage-taking as it’s been done before. Speaker McCarthy doesn’t have a plan. So, he is not really negotiating. And the clock is ticking.”Whatever else one might say about Lauren Boebert, the extremist Republican from Colorado, she knows how to get herself in the news.We mentioned her just a few posts ago, regarding a contretemps earlier today about security matters at the Capitol.On the House floor yesterday, the eve of Black History Month, Boebert claimed to be afraid the History Channel and even the Weather Channel could be “canceled” by the forces of wokeness – and/or DirectTV.In her remarks, Boebert bemoaned the recent decision by the cable provider to drop Newsmax, a rightwing, pro-Trump channel.Boebert said: “Will the Weather Channel be canceled next if they refuse to bow to the left’s altar of climate change? What about the History Channel? We see on a regular basis the left wants to erase history and deny truth. How about [the rightwing Christian channel] TBN?”DirecTV says it dropped Newsmax for commercial reasons, because the channel’s “demands for rate increases would have led to significantly higher costs” for customers. It replaced Newsmax with The First, another rightwing operation.But the decision has stoked rightwing anger. In Florida on Tuesday the governor, Ron DeSantis, said DirecTV’s move “does warrant investigation”.Boebert insisted it was a political decision.“This is not the first time that we’ve seen this,” the Coloradan said, “and I’m afraid that it won’t be the last time that we are seeing this here in our great country.“OAN [One America News, also pro-Trump] was de-platformed by DirecTV in April of 2022. So what’s next? Fox News?”After DirecTV dropped OAN, Yosef Getachew, media and democracy program director at Common Cause, a government watchdog, told the Guardian: “No company should profit from spreading content that endangers our democracy.”But cancel culture is a profitable rightwing talking point, holding that people with views deemed unacceptable by the left are barred from public life.Insisting “conservatives are not being treated fairly”, Boebert said: “There has definitely been an increase in disdain and intolerance by many liberals for Christian beliefs simply by saying we love Jesus. So is TBN next? Americans are tired of cancel culture.”Federal agents have come and gone from Joe Biden’s Rehoboth Beach, Delaware home in their search for classified materials, after previously paying a visit to his former office in Washington DC and residence elsewhere in the state. There were no government secrets found at Biden’s beachfront property, but the search means the investigation will stay in the news for the time being. Meanwhile, in Congress, Democratic lawmaker Jared Huffman is circulating a letter worrying over security in the House ahead of next week’s State of the Union address, which he says has grown worse since the GOP took control of the chamber at the start of the year.Here’s what else has happened today:
      Socialism is set to be formally denounced with a Republican-backed House resolution that has received surprising Democratic support.
      It’s the usual partisan split when it comes to the public’s views of the unfolding classified document scandal, new polling has found.
      Just about anything can spark an argument in Congress these days, including the pledge of allegiance.
      The House will today begin considering a resolution proposed by Republicans to denounce “the horrors of socialism” – a non-binding statement that has received a surprising amount of support from Democrats.Florida Republican María Elvira Salazar first introduced the resolution in 2021 when Democrats controlled the chamber, and has proposed it again this year with the House under GOP control. “Through this resolution, the House of Representatives denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America,” Salazar’s office said in 2021, noting it specifically singles out left-wing one-party states such as Cuba, China and the USSR, which broke up more than three decades ago.Ahead of the vote today, the second-largest Democratic caucus in the House, the New Democrat Coalition, announced their 96 members would back the measure. “New Dems strongly reject socialism – period. House Republican Leaders should set aside political games and join us as we work to grow our economy for all Americans,” the center-left group said in a statement.With support like that, the resolution seems sure to pass. But why bother with a statement condemning a governing philosophy that has few open adherents in Washington and is practiced by several of America’s best-known foes? According to Fox News, it’s an attempt to put progressive lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib on the spot, both of whom are affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America. The justice department has concluded its search of Joe Biden’s home on Delaware’s coast, and while it found no classified material, agents did take away some documents for further review, an attorney for the president said.“The DOJ’s planned search of the President’s Rehoboth residences, conducted in coordination and cooperation with the President’s attorneys, has concluded. The search was conducted from 8:30 AM to noon. No documents with classified markings were found,” Bob Bauer, who is acting as a personal lawyer for Biden, said in a statement.“Consistent with the process in Wilmington, the DOJ took for further review some materials and handwritten notes that appear to relate to his time as Vice President.”Democrats are expressing safety concerns in the House natural resources committee after Republicans proposed rules that exclude a ban on firearms in hearing rooms, which existed in the previous Congress.Here’s how the debate started, according to NBC News:👀The Committee on Natural Resources is meeting NOW to organize and vote on their rules… Some fireworks expected: GOP side is pushing to ALLOW FIREARMS in hearing rooms and we are told DEMS will loudly object— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) February 1, 2023
      Jared Huffman, the Democratic lawmaker who is also circulating a letter questioning security in the House ahead of next week’s State of the Union speech, has proposed an amendment to reinstate the ban:Happening NOW @RepHuffman: “my amendment explicitly prohibits carrying or having readily available any firearm dangerous weapon explosive or incendiary device within the hearing rooms and conference rooms of this committee” https://t.co/9GO2PfubY3— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) February 1, 2023
      Several far-right lawmakers serve on the committee, including Lauren Boebert. In the hearing, she harkens back to a time when Huffman donned a tinfoil hat to mock her:Boebert pulls up this poster and says “looks my colleague forget his tin foil hat so I brought this to remind” pic.twitter.com/UPbdQCXFlb— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) February 1, 2023
      She then gets into her reasoning for wanting to carry a gun in the Capitol, a building where access is controlled at all hours by a large police force:BOEBERT: “With threats now at an all time high I would like to remind the gentleman that now’s not the time to be stripping members of our constitutional right to defend ourselves. DC has a violent crime problem and it’s often wondered 50% higher than the national average.”— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) February 1, 2023
      A Democratic representative is circulating a letter to congressional leadership warning that the security of the House is “precarious”, and asking what steps they will take to protect the chamber during the 7 February State of the Union address.California’s Jared Huffman blamed new rules passed under the House’s Republican leaders for worsening the security situation, and in his letter cited as evidence “the violent insurrection of January 6, an attempt by a Member of Congress to bring a concealed weapon on to the House Floor, other Members vowing to do so in contravention of House rules, and most recently a colleague distributing what appeared to be legitimate, and later revealed to be inert hand grenades on the House Floor.“We know from experience that the House is vulnerable to multiple fronts of attacks both from inside and outside Congress,” wrote Huffman. “Considering the ability of Members of Congress to carry firearms in the Capitol complex outside the House Floor, removal of magnetometers from the entrances to the House Floor, and with record threats against the lives of Members of Congress, the security of the House complex is today precarious.”Addressed to the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate, Huffman’s letter requests “information on what steps you are taking, in coordination with the House and Senate sergeant at arms, Secret Service, and other federal agencies to protect the president, vice-president, the diplomatic corps, cabinet secretaries, supreme court justices, senators, representatives, and their guests ahead of the State of the Union address on 7 February 2023. Any attack on this gathering would threaten our democracy and undermine the functionality of the entire federal government.”Huffman is circulating the letter to lawmakers interested in signing it, and plans to send it to leadership this evening, his office said. More