'Shrink the room:' How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt-limit deal and staved off a catastrophe
Perhaps most critical to locking up the debt-limit deal were President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthyโs five handpicked negotiators, three men and two women unknown to most outside government.
Deal or default? Biden, GOP must decide what's on the table
Before President Joe Biden and congressional leaders can even try to avert an unprecedented U.S. government default, their initial challenge on Tuesday will be to agree on what exactly theyโre talking about as they hold their first substantive meeting in months.
Democrats ask Fox not to push 'propaganda' on 2020 election
The two top Democrats in Congress are asking Fox News executives not to spread false information about the 2020 election and are demanding that commentators who suggested that the election was stolen acknowledge on the air that they were wrong.
Jeffries makes historic bid to lead House Dems after Pelosi
A day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she would step aside, congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York has announced his history-making bid to become the first Black person to helm a major political party in Congress as leader of the House Democrats.
Trump's Ukraine impeachment shadows war, risks GOP response
Even the staunchest defense hawks in the Republican Party stood virtually united by Donald Trumpโs side when the then-president was impeached in late 2019 after pressuring Ukraineโs leader for โa favorโ and withholding $400 million in military aid.
High court's Alabama ruling sparks alarm over voting rights
The Supreme Courtโs decision to halt efforts to create a second mostly Black congressional district in Alabama for the 2022 election has sparked fresh warnings that the court is eroding the Voting Rights Act and reviving the need for Congress to intervene.
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House approves pro-union bill despite dim Senate odds
But it faces an all-but-certain Republican blockade in a narrowly divided Senate and is unlikely to become law. AdโIโve heard Democrats argue that itโs the unions that built the middle class,โ said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the senior Republican on the House labor panel. And what this bill does is take away their freedom.โLabor unions have long been a bedrock of Democratic support. โThis far-reaching legislation is nothing more than an union boss wish list,โ said Foxx, who led Republican debate on the bill. Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good excoriated the bill, saying it would effectively โfunnel money to Democratsโ by allowing unions to collect additional dues.
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House approves pro-union bill despite dim Senate odds
But it faces an all-but-certain Republican blockade in a narrowly divided Senate and is unlikely to become law. AdโIโve heard Democrats argue that itโs the unions that built the middle class,โ said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the senior Republican on the House labor panel. And what this bill does is take away their freedom.โLabor unions have long been a bedrock of Democratic support. โThis far-reaching legislation is nothing more than an union boss wish list,โ said Foxx, who led Republican debate on the bill. Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good excoriated the bill, saying it would effectively โfunnel money to Democratsโ by allowing unions to collect additional dues.
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The Latest: Board reportedly wants Capitol fencing removed
National Guard stand guard at a perimeter fence at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON โ The Latest on a possible threat against the Capitol (all times local):5:50 p.m. Pittman says the board suggested some temporary fencing would be removed starting Friday, and the fencing around the outer perimeter of the Capitol complex would be removed starting March 12. Some fencing is likely to remain as law enforcement officials continue to track an increased number of threats against lawmakers and the Capitol. This comes two months after Trump supporters smashed through windows and doors to try to stop Congress from certifying now-President Joe Bidenโs victory.
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Cuomo avoids public amid outcry over harassment allegations
Andrew Cuomo has avoided public appearances for days as some members of his own party call for him to resign over sexual harassment allegations. Under the bill, Cuomo would still have the power to keep alive his existing COVID-19 rules or tweak them. State Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs, a close Cuomo ally, said itโs โprematureโ to opine before the investigation concludes. Asa Hutchinson, the association's vice chair, called the allegations against Cuomo โvery seriousโ but said itโs up to Democratic governors to decide who will chair the NGA. The story was updated March 3 to report Cuomo did a phone briefing on Feb. 22 where he took questions.
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House votes to expand legal safeguards for LGBTQ people
The Equality Act amends existing civil rights law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identification as protected characteristics. The Supreme Court provided the LGBTQ community with a resounding victory last year in a 6-3 ruling that said the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applied to LGBTQ workers when it comes to barring discrimination on the basis of sex. Biden made clear his support for the Equality Act in the lead-up to last year's election, saying it would be one of his first priorities. AdโOur neighbor, @RepMarieNewman, wants to pass the so-called โEqualityโ Act to destroy womenโs rights and religious freedoms. Democrats likened the effort to past civil rights battles in the nation's history.
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Republicans push back on Pelosi proposal for riot commission
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that a legitimate commission would be comprised of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. Last week, she said the commission must be โstrongly bipartisanโ and have the power to subpoena witnesses. Republicans have suggested an evenly divided 10-member panel and have also objected to some of the rationale for forming the commission. But politics have changed in the intervening 17 years, and Democrats and Republicans rarely agree on anything โ including, in some cases, basic facts. AdDemocrats now control both chambers, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has said he also supports a commission.
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The Latest: Trump orders US flags lowered to honor officers
Trump cites Capitol Police Officers Brian D. Sicknick and Howard Liebengood. ___4 p.m.Citigroup is pausing all federal political donations for the first three months of the year in light of Wednesdayโs deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had already ordered flags at the Capitol lowered to half-staff in Sicknickโs honor and calls were growing for President Donald Trump to do the same at the White House. Trump supporters who were angry over his loss to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden stormed the Capitol on Wednesday. Toomey was interviewed Sunday on CNNโs โState of the Unionโ and NBCโs โMeet the Press.โ___12:15 a.m.President Donald Trump is facing growing Democratic momentum to impeach him a second time.
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Republicans block measure calling for quick removal of Trump
Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON โ UPDATE: A House resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke constitutional authority to remove President Donald Trump from office was blocked Monday by Republicans. With just days left in Trumpโs presidency, the House also is preparing to impeach Trump this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying first to put pressure on Republicans to tell Trump itโs time to go. The House action could start as soon as Monday as pressure increases on Trump to step aside. While many have criticized Trump, Republicans have said that impeachment would be divisive in a time of unity.
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Top Republican says Trump committed 'impeachable offenses'
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON โ Democrats' momentum for a fresh drive to quickly impeach outgoing President Donald Trump gained support Saturday, and a top Republican said the president's role in the deadly riot at the Capitol by a violent mob of Trump supporters was worthy of rebuke. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said he believed Trump had committed โimpeachable offenses.โ But he did not explicitly say whether he would vote to remove the president from office at the conclusion of a Senate trial if the House sent over articles of impeachment. โI do think the president committed impeachable offenses, but I donโt know what is going to land on the Senate floor, if anything," Toomey said. Late Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to her Democratic colleagues reiterating that Trump must be held accountable โ but stopped short of committing to an impeachment vote. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I, a leader of the House effort to draft impeachment articles โ or charges โ accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, said his group had grown to include 185 co-sponsors.
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Biden largely mum on Trump's effort to reverse election
While some Democrats say Trump's actions merit new impeachment proceedings, Biden has been more circumspect. Bidenโs aides believe Americans outside Washington want to hear more about how the Biden presidency will help them and less about the partisan squabbling that has characterized the past four years of Trumpโs presidency. There was no widespread fraud in the election, which a range of election officials across the country, as well as Trumpโs former attorney general, William Barr, has confirmed. Indeed, by avoiding engaging with Trump, Biden is also hoping to maintain the opportunity for bipartisanship in the new Congress, which he's repeatedly emphasized will be key to his hopes of getting anything done. Jim Manley, a former longtime Senate Democratic leadership aide, said the party's failure to take on Trump's recent moves could set the tone for Bidenโs presidency and beyond.
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Biden, Trump warn of high stakes of Georgia Senate runoffs
Itโs a new year, and tomorrow can be a new day for Atlanta, for Georgia and for America,โ Biden said at a drive-in rally. The call highlighted how Trump has used the Georgia campaign to make clear his continued hold on Republican politics. A top Georgia election official said hours before Trump's rally that he โwanted to screamโ after hearing audio of the president's call with Raffensperger. Biden said he needs a Senate majority to pass legislation to combat the coronavirus, and he blasted Perdue and Loeffler as obstructionist Trump loyalists. Ossoff and Warnock have countered with warnings that a Republican Senate will stymie Biden's administration, especially on pandemic relief.
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Pelosi narrowly reelected speaker, faces difficult two years
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif., waves the gavel on the opening day of the 117th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. โShe's had one finger in the dike and one finger in the eye of Donald Trump," said Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is seen as a strong contender to succeed Pelosi whenever she steps down. Democrats gave Pelosi a standing ovation as the final tally was announced, while the Republican side of the chamber was nearly empty. Ocasio-Cortez said she and other progressives โhave been in conversations and negotiationsโ with Pelosi, but did not describe what they accomplished.
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Congress opens new session as virus, Biden's win dominate
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi administers the oath to members of the 117th Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. The House and Senate were required to convene Sunday, by law, and imposed strict COVID-19 protocols. But by day's end, House lawmakers were hugging and congratulating one another after taking the oath of office in the crowded chamber, an alarming scene during the pandemic. โTo say the new Congress convenes at a challenging time would be an understatement,โ McConnell said as the chamber opened. House Republicans boosted their ranks in the November election, electing a handful of women and minorities, more than ever.
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GOP rebuffs Trump on $2K aid, defense as Congress wraps up
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks back to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. The New York senator said โthe only thing standing in the way" is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican senators. McConnell has shown little interest in Trump's push to bolster the $600 relief checks just approved in a sweeping year-end package, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid, for now. Nancy Pelosi regained the speaker's gavel after Democrats swept to the House majority in the midterm election. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in 2020 of the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
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House Dem campaign chair won't seek post anew after losses
WASHINGTON โ The chairwoman of House Democrats' campaign arm said Monday that she won't seek the post again for the next Congress, days after her party's unexpected loss of seats in last week's election triggered recriminations among Democrats. Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos' decision to not seek a new term atop the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee comes with party members upset and divided over why that happened. Her win came after an eleventh-hour $1 million expenditure for her by the House Majority PAC, which was resented by some Democrats. That committee is aligned with House Democratic leaders. House Democrats currently have a 232-197 advantage, plus one independent and five vacancies.
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Amid outcry, postmaster general to testify before House
FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2020, file photo Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, left, is escorted to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Postal Service said it has stopped removing mailboxes and mail-sorting machines amid an outcry from lawmakers. I have encouraged everybody: Speed up the mail, not slow the mail.Embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will testify next Monday before Congress, along with the chairman of the Postal Service board of governors. The package will also include $25 billion to shore up the Postal Service, which faces continued financial losses. "Dont tell me or others that youre just trying to make the post office make money.
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House passes sweeping police overhaul after Floyd's death
Exactly one month ago, George Floyd spoke his final words I can't breathe and changed the course of history, Pelosi said. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is perhaps the most ambitious set of proposed changes to police procedures and accountability in decades. After the GOP policing bill stalled this week, blocked by Democrats, Trump shrugged. The two parties are instead appealing to voters ahead of the fall election, which will determine control of the House, Senate and White House. Senate Democrats believe Senate Republicans will face mounting public pressure to open negotiations and act.
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Lawmakers question federal prisons' home confinement rules
WASHINGTON Democratic lawmakers are raising questions about the federal Bureau of Prisons release of high-profile inmates and are calling for widespread testing of federal inmates as the number of coronavirus cases has exploded in the federal prison system. Sen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter Monday to Attorney General William Barr and Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal over the home confinement policies. As President Trumps associates are cleared for transfer, tens of thousands of low-risk, vulnerable individuals are serving their time in highly infected prisons, the lawmakers wrote. As of Monday, 5,234 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 since late March; the Bureau of Prisons said 3,605 had recovered. The lawmakers said the Bureau of Prisons has not been forthcoming with specific testing protocols and is not providing specific information about the testing capacity at federal prisons across the U.S.