Democrats succumb to political reality on same-sex marriage bill
The Senateโs Respect for Marriage Act has progressives arguing that efforts to safeguard same-sex unions remain unfinished after concessions were made to Republican demands for bolstered religious liberty protections. The bill as it currently stands would officially repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and require state recognition of legal same-sex and interracial marriages but wouldโฆ
news.yahoo.comโThe Three Climateersโ: Meet the new generation of Senate climate hawks
And they still work alongside other Democrats who have long prioritized climate, including Sen. Edward J. Markey (Mass. ), 75, who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, and played a role in crafting the Democratsโ $370 billion climate bill. Schatzโs arrival gave Whitehouse, elected to the Senate in 2006 and its most vocal climate activist, a more soft-spoken partner. They organized an overnight talk-a-thon on the Senate floor about climate in 2014 and introduced a bill to tax carbon emissions. Schatz, Whitehouse and Heinrich all say that the president signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law is just the beginning of their work.
washingtonpost.comDemocratic senators vow to vote โnoโ on all amendments to partyโs climate, tax, health bill
Several Democratic senators are saying they will vote โnoโ on any amendments introduced during a Senate vote-a-rama session in an effort to keep the partyโs major climate, tax and health bill on course to pass. โWe have a deal to take the biggest climate action in U.S. history. Every Senate Dem has agreed to it.โฆ
news.yahoo.comUnexpected deal would boost Biden pledge on climate change
An unexpected deal reached by Senate Democrats would be the most ambitious action ever taken by the United States to address global warming and could help President Joe Biden come close to meeting his pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.
Oklahoma-based tribes say followed rules on Freedmen rights
Leaders and representatives of five Oklahoma-based tribes have told a U.S. Senate committee they have followed treaties and court rulings regarding the citizenship of Freedmen and that the federal government should respect their sovereignty.
Raimondo: Inquiry on solar imports follows the law
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo pushed back forcefully Wednesday against critics โ including some within the Biden administration โ who say a government investigation of solar imports from Southeast Asia is hindering President Joe Bidenโs ambitious climate goals.
"60 Minutes" interviews Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from fortified war rooms
"60 Minutes" spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from his fortified war rooms for an hourlong interview. Topics included the West's response to the conflict and what victory would look like for Ukraine.
news.yahoo.comJan. 6 panel has enough evidence to refer Trump for criminal charges, Liz Cheney says
The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has enough evidence to refer former President Donald Trump for criminal charges, Rep. Liz Cheney says. She says the panel has not made a decision about moving forward with a referral.
news.yahoo.comAnti-telescope protesters oppose US attorney pick for Hawaii
Some Native Hawaiians are objecting to President Joe Bidenโs choice for U.S. attorney in the 50th state, saying Clare Connors treated dozens of elders like criminals when her office prosecuted them for blocking a road while protesting the construction of a telescope in Hawaii.
Climate activists hail Dem budget spending on clean energy
Environmental groups hailed a sweeping $3.5 trillion domestic spending plan announced by Democrats, saying it would make โtransformational investmentsโ in clean energy and put the nation on a path to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 50% by 2030.
Harrowing video shows the Gulf of Mexico on fire after an oil pipeline rupture. Democrats point to that video as evidence of a need to fund the Green New Deal.
"Shout out to all the legislators going out on dinner dates with Exxon lobbyists so they can say a Green New Deal is too expensive," AOC tweeted.
news.yahoo.comSenate Dems Donโt Know How to Salvage Their Voting Bill
Chip SomodevillaSenate Democrats acknowledge they have to rework their signature voting and elections bill if itโs going to become law. The problem is: they donโt know what changes are needed, and they may have stumbled into a catch-22 that would make changes futile anyway.The legislationโtitled the โFor The People Actโ but better known by its bill number, S.1โis finally getting a full vote in the Senate later this month. It almost certainly, however, wonโt earn any Republican support. But Senat
news.yahoo.comIllegal deforestation is ravaging the planet and driving emissions up. A new bill in Congress seeks to change that.
Nearly half of all the processed items Americans buy in grocery stores contain palm oil from around the world. "I don't think the average consumer knows that half the stuff they buy at the supermarket contains palm oil, and most of that palm oil is from illegally deforested land," Schatz told CBS News. Schatz's yet-to-be-named bill seeks to restrict market access for certain commodities that originate from illegally deforested land. The bill would also make it possible for U.S. courts to prosecute companies laundering illegally sourced products. Palm oil fruit bunches sit in a pile at the IOI Corp. Gomali palm oil estate in Gemas, Johor, Malaysia, on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.
cbsnews.comProposed Senate bill aims to fight illegal deforestation globally
Proposed Senate bill aims to fight illegal deforestation globally There's a push on Capitol Hill to hold nations accountable for illegal deforestation. Tanya Rivero spoke with CBS climate and energy reporter Cara Korte about a new bill proposed by Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii.
cbsnews.comCensus: No redistricting data until end of September
The U.S. Census Bureau said it wont be delivering data used for redrawing state and local legislative districts until the end of September 2021. Styles had previously said the redistricting data would be available no earlier than the end of July because of delays caused by the virus. Before the pandemic, the deadline for finishing the redistricting data had been March 31. Unlike in past decades when the data were released to states on a flow basis, the 2020 redistricting data will be made available to the states all at once, according to the Census Bureau. The state House and Senate will hold a joint committee hearing Wednesday on the impact of the delay in the Census Bureau data.
Robinhood lobbying targets legislation that could hurt its business model
Robinhood is preparing a lobbying effort on key pieces of legislation that if passed, could weigh on its business model. The stock trading start-up registered its in-house team to begin lobbying on Feb. 5, according to a new registration report reviewed by CNBC. The filing gives a first glimpse into what legislation the start-up plans to target in the wake of Joe Biden becoming president and Democrats taking control of Congress. Some bills on the registration report could negatively impact Robinhood's revenue model of profiting off of customer trades. A Robinhood spokeswoman declined to comment on the lobbying plans.
cnbc.comTime, transparency needed as Biden inherits frazzled census
โWe are optimistic that things at the Census Bureau will be better. The Biden administration also has pledged to give the Census Bureau the time it needs to process the data. He will report to Biden's new pick to head the Commerce Department โ which oversees the Census Bureau โ Rhode Island Gov. Former Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt said heโs optimistic the final product will be as accurate as past censuses, especially now that Jarmin is at the helm. โThe Census Bureau faced a number of challenges with the 2020 Census,โ Schatz said in a letter.
Ginsburg's death draws big surge of donations to Democrats
People gather at the Supreme Court on the morning after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 in Washington. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON โ Democrats raised more than $71 million in the hours after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, demonstrating how the liberal icon's passing and the contentious nomination fight that lies ahead have already galvanized the party's base. In Iowa, vulnerable Republican Sen. Joni Ernst sent out fundraising pleas shortly after Ginsburg's death was announced, drawing a swift online backlash. "BREAKING: The future of the Supreme Court is on the line,โ read the subject line of fundraising email from Ernst. โThe next Supreme Court nominee will shape major decisions for decades to come.โErnst later issued an apology.
Senators push for extra census time, as court prods deadline
If an extra month were added, it would reduce the amount of time for data processing before the end-of-the-year deadline, said Brad Rosenberg, a government attorney. โIt's not enough to say, โStatutory deadline,' and drop the mic and walk out." She also said she planned to extend by a week a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Census Bureau from winding down the 2020 census. The legislation also would extend the deadline for turning in the figures used for redrawing congressional districts from Dec. 31 to the end of next April. The inaction in the Senate coincided with a directive from President Donald Trump that tried to exclude people in the country illegally from the numbers used in redrawing congressional districts.
The Latest: India's cases rise to 4.75M with another spike
(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)NEW DELHI โ India has registered a single-day spike of 94,372 new confirmed coronavirus cases, driving the countryโs overall tally to 4.75 million. Johns Hopkins University data analyzed by The Associated Press showed drops in seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths over the past two weeks. The average of daily deaths went from 488 on Aug. 28 to 299 on Friday while the average of daily deaths dropped from 15 to 9. The health department says in the three weeks before the surge, only 23 people affiliated with the university had tested positive. ___ANCHORAGE, Alaska โ Anchorage will receive federal support to aid in lessening the coronavirus outbreak in its homeless population.
Democrats prepare police reform bills after Floyd's death
Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California, both former presidential candidates, are expected to announce a package in coming days, with a House bill coming soon. Both the Senate and House efforts are expected to include changes to police accountability laws, such as revising immunity provisions, and creating a database of police use-of-force incidents. We have a moral moment in our country, Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the CBC, said on a conference call Wednesday. With Democrats in the majority, the bills will almost certainly pass the House. She acknowledged the opposition the bills will likely face, but called on fellow lawmakers to consider the option of doing nothing.
Bill aims to prevent repeat of Hawaii false missile alert
A defense bill passed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday seeks to prevent local government agencies from mistakenly warning residents of a ballistic missile attack the way Hawaii did nearly two years ago. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz authored the measure after officials in his home state blasted cell phone and broadcast alerts warning a ballistic missile was heading toward the islands. The House last week passed the bill, the National Defense Authorization Act , which includes the missile alert measure. The false alerts from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency read "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. They triggered widespread panic as more than a million residents and visitors feared they were about to face a ballistic missile strike.
chicagotribune.comU.S. senators say social media letting algorithms 'run wild'
Senators said much of that content is conspiracy theories, partisan viewpoints and misleading information on Googles YouTube, Facebook and elsewhere. Congress has spent months debating new privacy protections for online users that could restrict the ability of social media companies to use personal data to make content recommendations and questioned if social media firms properly safeguard children. Senator Brian Schatz, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce subcommittee, said social media companies use algorithms that feed us a constant stream of increasingly more extreme and inflammatory content, and they must be more transparent and accountable for algorithms. Maggie Stanphill, director of user director of User Experience at Google, said the company has listened to concerns from senators about its YouTube recommendations system. Tristan Harris, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Humane Technology and a former Google design ethicist, said social media companies have too much power and use tools akin to slot machines to keep people engaged.
feeds.reuters.com