BRIAN SCHATZ

With Warnock’s win, members of the Democratic caucus will hold 51 seats in the chamber, a pickup of one seat in midterm elections in which Republicans hoped to take control of the chamber.

The Senate’s 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 would…

Sen. Joe Manchin made a deal with Democratic leaders as part of his vote pushing the party's highest legislative priority across the finish line last month.

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 Democrats’ $370 billion climate bill. Schatz’s 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.

Election 2022 Hawaii Hawaii Lt. Gov. The candidates running in Hawaii's primary election to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) (Audrey McAvoy)HONOLULU — (AP) — The candidates running in Saturday's primary election to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. In the governor's race, the leading Democratic candidates are Kahele, former Hawaii first lady Vicki Cayetano and Lt. Gov. In the U.S. Senate race, Schatz is being challenged in the Democratic primary by Steve Tataii, a conflict resolution consultant.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green is the Democratic Party’s candidate to be Hawaii’s next governor.

Congress is poised to pass a transformative climate change fighting bill.

Several Democratic senators are saying they will vote “no” on any amendments introduced during a Senate vote-a-rama session in an effort to keep the party’s major climate, tax and health bill on course to pass. “We have a deal to take the biggest climate action in U.S. history. Every Senate Dem has agreed to it.…

One month into his presidency, Joe Biden made clear his distaste for even naming the man he'd ousted from the Oval Office.

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.

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.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and tribal leaders are advocating for a congressional commission to examine the impacts of the federal Native American forced-assimilation policy.

Testifying on her department’s budget, Raimondo told a Senate panel that the solar inquiry is following a process set by law that doesn’t allow consideration of climate change, supply chains or other factors. Schatz was one of several lawmakers who pressed Raimondo on the solar inquiry, which he said had "ground an entire industry to a halt.'' Hundreds of solar projects in the U.S. have been frozen or substantially delayed in recent weeks as investors seeks to protect against potentially steep penalties that could be imposed retroactively. “Without a reliable and cost-effective source of panels, existing and proposed solar projects could come to a halt.'' The solar industry employs over 230,000 American workers.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo pushed back forcefully Wednesday against critics — including some within the Biden administration — who say a government investigation of solar imports from Southeast Asia is hindering President Joe Biden’s ambitious climate goals.

Fighting for decades over abortion policy, Congress is about to run into the political limits of its ability to act in either direction on the issue.

The U.S. government is dropping its appeal of a Hawaii order requiring it to remove fuel from a massive military fuel storage facility that leaked petroleum into the Navy’s water system at Pearl Harbor last year.

"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.

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.

Sen. Dick Durbin announced a bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act alongside his Democratic and Republican colleagues who were also joined by domestic violence survivors and actor and advocate Angelina Jolie. A subsequent version was eventually included in a sweeping crime bill that then-President Bill Clinton signed into law four years later. Congress has reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act three times since. “I have full confidence that this is going to pass in the Senate,” Ernst, a survivor of domestic violence, told reporters. “Combatting domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking should not be a Democratic issue or Republican issue,” the president said in a statement Wednesday.

Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON — (AP) — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a proposal Wednesday to reauthorize the 1990s-era law that extends protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence after it lapsed in 2019 because of Republican opposition. Sen. Dick Durbin announced a bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act alongside his Democratic and Republican colleagues who were also joined by domestic violence survivors and actress and advocate Angelina Jolie. A subsequent version was eventually included in a sweeping crime bill that then-President Bill Clinton signed into law four years later. Congress has reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act three times since. “I have full confidence that this is going to pass in the Senate,” Ernst, a survivor of domestic violence, told reporters.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a proposal to reauthorize the 1990s-era law that extends protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence after it lapsed in 2019 because of Republican opposition.

Senate Republicans are set to block two voting rights bills, leading Democrats to consider filibuster changes to pass them.

Hawaii Contaminated Water FILE - A tunnel inside the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility is seen in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Jan. 26, 2018. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said the EPA should step in after the Navy disputed the Hawaii Department of Health's analysis of fuel contamination at a well that provides drinking water to the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam's water system. The overall water system and water systems in all homes and facilities that have been impacted will be flushed with clean water and Navy officials said they hope to complete that process by Christmas. The state health department said the Navy reported diesel fuel levels more than double Hawaii health limits for drinking water in samples collected at another one of the Navy's shafts that provide water to the drinking water system. But the Navy said the sample didn't come directly from the Navy's well and that Navy officials don't believe it indicated contamination.

Hawaii Contaminated Water FILE - A tunnel inside the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility is seen in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Jan. 26, 2018. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said the EPA should step in after the Navy disputed the Hawaii Department of Health's analysis of fuel contamination at a well that provides drinking water to the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam's water system. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said the EPA should step in after the Navy disputed the Hawaii Department of Health's analysis of fuel contamination at a well that provides drinking water to the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam's water system. Schatz wants the EPA to be the lead agency handling collection, testing, analysis and public communication of the water crisis. The EPA isn't independently testing the water, but reviewing Navy test results, Giarmoleo said.

Navy officials say they believe that contaminated tap water that went to Hawaii military households came from a one-time spill of jet fuel last month.

The U.S. Navy is suspending use of World War II-era fuel storage complex above a Hawaii aquifer that supplies nearly 20% of Honolulu’s drinking water.

Some Native Hawaiians are objecting to President Joe Biden’s 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.

From Facebook's digital wallet Novi using stablecoin Paxos to Worldcoin's iris scanning for free coins, here's 6 things that happened in crypto this past week.

The Los Angeles Industrial District BID is one of the few organizations working to maintain one of densest homeless districts in the country.

The first Olympic gold medalist for surfing, Carissa Moore, is the only Native Hawaiian surfer at the Games.

Senators negotiating two colossal bills that would deliver more than $4 trillion for infrastructure, health care, environment and other initiatives keep insisting both bills will be fully paid for.

Environmental groups hailed a sweeping $3.5 trillion domestic spending plan announced by Democrats, saying it would make “transformational investments” in clean energy and put the nation on a path to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 50% by 2030.

"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.

Chip SomodevillaSenate Democrats acknowledge they have to rework their signature voting and elections bill if it’s going to become law. The problem is: they don’t know what changes are needed, and they may have stumbled into a catch-22 that would make changes futile anyway.The legislation—titled the “For The People Act” but better known by its bill number, S.1—is finally getting a full vote in the Senate later this month. It almost certainly, however, won’t earn any Republican support. But Senat

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.

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.

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 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.

“We 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 — which oversees the Census Bureau — Rhode Island Gov. Former Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt said he’s optimistic the final product will be as accurate as past censuses, especially now that Jarmin is at the helm. “The Census Bureau faced a number of challenges with the 2020 Census,” Schatz said in a letter.

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. “It's not enough to say, ‘Statutory 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.

(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)NEW DELHI — India has registered a single-day spike of 94,372 new confirmed coronavirus cases, driving the country’s 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 — Anchorage will receive federal support to aid in lessening the coronavirus outbreak in its homeless population.

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.

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.

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.