Less than a day after a gunman massacred 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas, a Wednesday Senate hearing for President Joe Biden’s pick to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reflected the deep political divisions over guns.
Democrats in Congress are sounding the alarm over what they claim is mounting evidence that Mexico’s chief prosecutor is assailing the nation’s independent judiciary and selectively targeting for prosecution opponents of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson forcefully defended her record as a federal judge Tuesday, pushing back on Republican assertions that she would be soft on crime and declaring she would rule as an “independent jurist” if confirmed as the first Black woman on the high court.
Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON — (AP) — Dozens of the nation's top law enforcement officials have signed a letter released Monday urging the U.S. Senate to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. “As members of the law enforcement community, we write in recognition of Judge Jackson’s strong, effective and long-standing role in criminal justice issues,” wrote 63 officials from around the country. The letter cites Jackson's history with law enforcement. “Such direct familiarity with the experiences and challenges of law enforcement enriches her understanding of criminal justice issues,” the letter states. Jackson has also won the support of the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States, with more than 356,000 members.
wftv.comTrump’s false claims of a stolen election not only incited the mob that stormed the Capitol, Democrats say. Many Democrats say the moment has come to act decisively in what they view as the civil rights fight of the era. But Democrats say they are focused on what's achievable now, amid escalating pressure from allies for action. Leaning into the fight, Biden is set to deliver a speech in Atlanta on Tuesday focused on voting rights. A compromise on that could be attractive to Manchin, who has said any election legislation ought to be enacted on a bipartisan basis.
wftv.comElection 2022 Vermont Senate FILE - Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., questions former U.S. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) (Susan Walsh)Vermont's sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Peter Welch, announced Monday that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy. It's unclear whom the state GOP will find to run for either the Senate seat or the House seat. As of this year, Welch served as a chief deputy whip of the House Democratic Caucus and a member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. He was elected to the Vermont Senate in 1980 and became the first Democrat elected as Senate president pro tempore in 1985.
wftv.comVermont's sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic Rep. Peter Welch, announced Monday that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy. Welch's decision comes a week after the 81-year-old Leahy's announcement that he will not seek reelection to the seat he first won in 1974. The 74-year-old Welch said the 2022 election will determine control of the Senate and, with it, what he can accomplish for Vermont families.
news.yahoo.comLeahy announced earlier in the day he will not seek reelection for his Senate seat. Among the possible candidates for Leahy's Senate seat is Democratic Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, said Garrison Nelson, a retired University of Vermont political science professor and a congressional scholar. Other names being floated include Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint and state Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, both Democrats. Republicans are likely to struggle fielding a competitive candidate in the liberal state, Nelson said, especially since GOP Gov.
wftv.comElection 2022 Vermont Senate Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., looks down as he speaks during a news conference at the Vermont State House to announce he will not seek re-election, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in Montpelier, V.T. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) (Mary Schwalm)WASHINGTON — (AP) — A day after announcing he will not seek reelection, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont told his colleagues in an emotional speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday that they have become like family to him over the last nearly 47 years. “Here’s the thing about the Senate. He thanked his staff and his family, particularly his wife, Marcelle. Noting the privilege he has felt in guiding the country toward the future, Leahy ended his speech with a catch in his voice.
wftv.comLeahy of Vermont is set to make an announcement about his political future on Monday, Nov. 15. The 81-year-old senator planned a news conference at the Vermont State House before returning to Washington on Monday. (Sarah Silbiger/Pool via AP, File) (Sarah Silbiger)MONTPELIER, Vt. — (AP) — Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the longest-serving member of the Senate, said Monday he will not seek reelection in 2022 to the seat he has held for eight terms. During his nearly half-century in the Senate, Vermont shifted from one of the most solidly Republican states in the country to one of its most progressive. I brought Vermont’s voice to the United States Senate and Vermont values across the world," he said.
wftv.comThe Senate voted against debating voting legislation Wednesday, with Republicans this time filibustering an update to the landmark Voting Rights Act, the pillar of civil rights legislation from the 1960s. “Senate Democrats should stay in town and focus on the last act in this battle,” said Fred Wertheimer, who leads the good government group Democracy 21. Though the GOP has shown no indication that its opposition will waver, there are signs that some of the voting changes Democrats seek aren't as electorally advantageous for the party as some hope. Democrats took control of all parts of Virginia’s government in 2019 and steadily started liberalizing the state’s voting laws. This year they passed a voting rights act that made it easier to sue for blocking ballot access.
wftv.comCapitol Breach Fence Workers remove the fence surrounding the U.S. Capitol building, after six months was erected, following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, on Saturday, July 10, 2021, in Washington. Not one Republican voted for a Capitol security bill passed by the House in May. Similar to the House legislation, the Senate bill would provide dollars to secure buildings and doors, boost personal protection for lawmakers, install new security cameras and create a new “U.S. “I think that’s where our conference is,” Shelby told reporters Monday, referring to the narrower GOP bill. “I appreciate them bringing something, but it is a pretty small something,” Leahy said of the GOP bill.
wftv.comTwo men who have been charged in the fatal shooting of a security guard during a June 11 bank robbery could face the death penalty, if federal prosecutors decide to seek it.
chicagotribune.comMore than a dozen Senate Democrats have sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden complaining of a woeful environmental track record by his Brazilian counterpart and urging him to condition any support for Amazon preservation on significant progress reducing deforestation.
Three of the picks are Black women whom Biden wants for the federal courts of appeals, often a stepping stone to the Supreme Court. Circuit, in particular, is a place where presidents have searched for Supreme Court justices. Some liberal Democrats have urged Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who is 82, to retire to allow Biden to choose a possible replacement. Other Black women who would be front-runners if a spot on the U.S. Supreme Court were to open are California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs. Ad“This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession," Biden, a former Senate Judiciary Committee chair, said in a statement.
Claver-Carone was elected as the new president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in the fall of 2020. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)MIAMI – The cyberattack crested just as finance officials from across Latin America were descending on Washington to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Inter-American Development Bank. On Sept. 24, 2019, requests from more than 15,000 internet addresses throughout China flooded the bank’s website, knocking part of it intermittently offline. Details of the attack, which has not been previously reported, are contained in an IDB internal document reviewed by The Associated Press. But membership has been a cheap way for China to expand its reach in Latin America.
A dirty word for many Republicans is making the rounds on Capitol Hill -- earmarks. It's a question that's vexing Republicans as they consider whether to join a Democratic push to revive earmarks, the much-maligned practice where lawmakers direct federal spending to a specific project or institution back home. Democratic appropriators in the House see a solution and are proposing a revamped process allowing lawmakers to submit public requests for “community project funding” in federal spending bills. The ranking Republican on the committee, Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri, said earmarks would not increase the amount of money spent in a bill. “That’s something I feel pretty strongly about.”Norman worries that earmarks would be used to entice Republicans to vote for bills with expensive price tags.
FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2020, file photo, Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez arrives for the swearing-in ceremony for Guatemala's new President Alejandro Giammattei at the National Theater in Guatemala City. AdThe accusation came in the third day of testimony in the trial of alleged drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes Ramírez. U.S. prosecutors have made it clear that allegations against President Hernández would arise during the trial, though he has not been charged. During that trial, the president was accused of accepting more than $1 million from Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Alvarez said that he had never taken money from Rivera Maradiaga, who called the politicians he allegedly bribed “narco-politicians.”Ad“I don’t have anything to hide,” Alvarez wrote.
AdBecause health insurance is so complicated, consumers are going to have to do their homework to figure out if there's something in the bill for them. And health care benefits are not like stimulus checks that can be blasted out. Her organization advocates on behalf of low-income people and was an early supporter of the health care law. AdThe bill would change the formulas for health insurance tax credits to make them more generous for most people, and also allow a wider number of individuals to qualify. Republicans cite the health insurance provisions as an example of coronavirus overreach by Democrats.
AdBecause health insurance is so complicated, consumers are going to have to do their homework to figure out if there's something in the bill for them. And health care benefits are not like stimulus checks that can be blasted out. Her organization advocates on behalf of low-income people and was an early supporter of the health care law. AdThe bill would change the formulas for health insurance tax credits to make them more generous for most people, and also allow a wider number of individuals to qualify. Republicans cite the health insurance provisions as an example of coronavirus overreach by Democrats.
MORE CHECKSThe legislation provides a direct payment of $1,400 for a single taxpayer, or $2,800 for a married couple that files jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent. The bill also provides $7.25 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, a tiny fraction of what was allocated in previous legislation. BIGGER TAX BREAKS FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH AND WITHOUT KIDSUnder current law, most taxpayers can reduce their federal income tax bill by up to $2,000 per child. The bill also significantly expands the Earned Income Tax Credit for 2021 by making it available to people without children. RENTAL AND HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCEThe bill provides about $30 billion to help low-income households and the unemployed afford rent and utilities, and to assist the homeless with vouchers and other support.
FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019 file photo, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks to the reporters as he leaves a meeting at the Organization of American States, in Washington. Newly proposed U.S. legislation introduced Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, targets Orlando Hernandez as allegations of ties to drug trafficking grow. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)TEGUCIGALPÁ – TEGUCIGALPÁHonduran President Juan Orlando Hernández says that antinarcotics cooperation with the United States could “collapse” if U.S. authorities believe “false testimony” accusing him of cooperating with traffickers. Earlier this month, U.S. prosecutors filed documents in an upcoming trial suggesting the president himself was under investigation. One of his numerous brothers, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, was convicted in New York of a drug conspiracy in 2019.
FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019 file photo, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks to the reporters as he leaves a meeting at the Organization of American States, in Washington. Newly proposed U.S. legislation introduced Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, targets Orlando Hernandez as allegations of ties to drug trafficking grow. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)TEGUCIGALPÁ – TEGUCIGALPÁHonduran President Juan Orlando Hernández warned Wednesday that antinarcotics cooperation with the United States could “collapse” if U.S. authorities believe “false testimony” in U.S. courts accusing him of cooperating with traffickers. He suggested that traffickers were trying to manipulate U.S. authorities into helping them take vengeance on the Honduran officials pursuing them. One of his numerous brothers, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, was convicted in New York of a drug conspiracy in 2019.
It may not be definitive — majority Democrats might try overriding an opinion they don't like. The House plans to vote Friday on its version of the relief bill, which includes the minimum wage increase. She listens to all the evidence,” Sanders, the independent Vermont senator and chief sponsor of the minimum wage proposal, said in a recent interview. AdIf MacDonough decides the minimum wage hike should remain in the bill, it would likely survive because GOP opponents would need an unachievable 60 votes to remove it. But they might choose the rarely utilized, hardball tactic of having the presiding officer, presumably Harris, ignore her and announce that the minimum wage language meets the test to stay in the overall legislation.
FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019 file photo, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks to the reporters as he leaves a meeting at the Organization of American States, in Washington. Newly proposed U.S. legislation introduced Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, targets Orlando Hernandez as allegations of ties to drug trafficking grow. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)MEXICO CITY – Newly proposed U.S. legislation targets Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández as allegations of ties to drug trafficking grow. As the administration of President Joe Biden seeks to return the issues of corruption and human rights to relations with Honduras and other Central American countries, a group of Democratic senators says the U.S. government’s relationship with Honduras must change. Under the administration of President Donald Trump, immigration overshadowed everything else in the relationship.
“The failure to convict Donald Trump will live as a vote of infamy," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. Months before the election, Trump repeated ad nauseam a false claim that he could only lose through widespread voter fraud. "Kevin, they’re not my people,” Trump told McCarthy, she said. ___IRATE ATTORNEYMichael van der Veen, Trump's primary defense attorney, was visibly agitated. “I don’t know why you are laughing,” van der Veer said with scorn.
The House appointed nine impeachment managers who will present the case against Trump on the Senate floor. Trump’s first impeachment trial, in which he was acquitted on charges that he abused power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate now-President Joe Biden, lasted almost three weeks. The fresh memories of Jan. 6 could make it easier for the House impeachment managers to make their case, but it doesn’t mean the outcome will be any different. While the House impeachment managers say Trump is “singularly” responsible for the attack on the Capitol, Trump’s lawyers say the rioters acted on their own accord. The brief goes after the impeachment managers personally, charging that the Democrats have “Trump derangement syndrome,” are “selfish” and are only trying to impeach Trump for political gain.
In this image from video, David Schoen, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, speaks during the second impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. Though the trial now proceeds, that’s a legal issue that could resonate with Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior. Trump attorney David Schoen turned the trial toward starkly partisan tones, saying the Democrats were fueled by a “base hatred” of the former president. On the vote, six Republicans joined with Democrats pursue the trial, just one more than on a similar vote last week. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.
AdThe House appointed nine impeachment managers who will present the case against Trump on the Senate floor. Trump’s first impeachment trial, in which he was acquitted on charges that he abused power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate now-President Joe Biden, lasted almost three weeks. The fresh memories of Jan. 6 could make it easier for the House impeachment managers to make their case, but it doesn’t mean the outcome will be any different. While the House impeachment managers say Trump is “singularly” responsible for the attack on the Capitol, Trump’s lawyers say the rioters acted on their own accord. The brief goes after the impeachment managers personally, charging that the Democrats have “Trump derangement syndrome,” are “selfish” and are only trying to impeach Trump for political gain.
AdMany senators including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell immediately denounced the violence and pointed a finger of blame at Trump. Those partisan divisions appear to be hardening ahead of Trump’s trial, a sign of his continuing grip on the GOP. On Sunday, Wicker described Trump's impeachment trial as a “meaningless messaging partisan exercise." Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont will preside over the trial as Senate president pro tempore. Forty-four Republican senators sided with Paul and voted to oppose holding an impeachment trial at all.
A look at the basics of the upcoming impeachment trial:HOW DOES THE TRIAL WORK? AdTrump's first impeachment trial, in which he was acquitted on charges that he abused power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate now-President Joe Biden, lasted almost three weeks. “If we were not to follow up with this, we might as well remove any penalty from the Constitution of impeachment.”AdHOW IS THIS TRIAL DIFFERENT FROM TRUMP’S FIRST TRIAL? Beyond the constitutionality of the trial, Trump’s lawyers say that he did not incite his supporters to violence and that he did nothing wrong. “It is denied that President Trump ever endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” they wrote in a brief for the trial.
Democrats passed it 51-50 in the evenly split Senate, as Vice President Kamala Harris had to cast her first tiebreaking vote. The Senate passed a budget resolution early Friday, moving toward passing a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill after a marathon of votes on dozens of amendments. The chamber will have to vote again because the Senate passed a separate version. The budget resolution directs committees to write legislation reflecting Biden's Covid relief package, while staying under the $1.9 trillion target. Democrats hope to pass a relief package before March 14, when a $300 per week unemployment supplement approved in December expires.
cnbc.comWe need to act fast.”On the direct payments, Biden said he doesn’t want to budge from the $1,400 promised to Americans. But he said he is willing to “target” the aid, which would mean lowering the income threshold to qualify. Biden spoke with House Democrats and followed with a meeting of top Senate Democrats at the White House, deepening his public engagement with lawmakers on his American Rescue Plan. “I think we’ll get some Republicans,” Biden said. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell criticized the Democrats for pressing ahead largely on their own as the GOP senators try to provide bipartisan alternatives.
(Senate Television via AP)WASHINGTON – The legal sparring around Donald Trump's impeachment trial is underway, with briefs filed this week laying out radically different positions ahead of next week's Senate trial. “Some Members called loved ones for fear that they would not survive the assault by President Trump’s insurrectionist mob,” the impeachment managers wrote. Trump’s team denies that the impeachment trial can be held because he is no longer in office. Ad“It is denied that President Trump ever endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” they wrote. AdIt is true that no president has faced impeachment proceedings after leaving office, but House managers say there's ample precedent.
(Senate Television via AP)WASHINGTON – The legal sparring around Donald Trump's impeachment trial is underway, with briefs filed this week laying out radically different positions ahead of next week's Senate trial. “Some Members called loved ones for fear that they would not survive the assault by President Trump’s insurrectionist mob,” the impeachment managers wrote. Trump’s team denies that the impeachment trial can be held because he is no longer in office. Ad“It is denied that President Trump ever endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” they wrote. AdIt is true that no president has faced impeachment proceedings after leaving office, but House managers say there's ample precedent.
We need to act fast.”On the direct payments, Biden said he doesn’t want to budge from the $1,400 promised to Americans. Biden spoke with House Democrats and followed with a meeting of top Senate Democrats at the White House, deepening his public engagement with lawmakers on his American Rescue Plan. Biden’s remarks to the Democratic House caucus were relayed by two people who requested anonymity to discuss the private conference call. “I think we’ll get some Republicans,” Biden said. As the White House reaches for a bipartisan bill, House and Senate Democrats have launched a lengthy budget process for approving Biden’s bill with or without Republican support.
(Senate Television via AP)COLUMBIA, S.C. – Donald Trump has added two more former federal prosecutors from South Carolina to his impeachment legal team, according to one of the lawyers. Harris and Gasser join a team that includes Butch Bowers, a noted South Carolina ethics and elections lawyer called an “anchor tenant” of the team by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. It's in part on the advice of Graham that Trump is turning to the South Carolina team after other legal allies passed on the case. It’s a notable departure from his 2020 impeachment trial, when Trump had a stable of nationally known attorneys, including Alan Dershowitz, Jay Sekulow and Kenneth Starr. Bowers has years of experience representing elected officials and political candidates, including former South Carolina Gov.
The Senate's longest-serving member, 80-year-old Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, was taken to a hospital Tuesday evening for observation after not feeling well, a spokesman said. Now, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont is stepping into one of his most visible and physically grueling roles: presiding over former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial. “I had some muscle spasms," Leahy, 80, told reporters the morning after feeling ill in his Capitol office. Carle, Leahy's spokesperson, said Senate leaders have been discussing the trial process, and it is “likely to be limited in duration.” Trump's first impeachment trial lasted almost three weeks. Leahy will preside as Senate president pro tempore, a largely ceremonial post that usually goes to the majority party's longest-serving member.
In this Jan. 27, 2021, photo, President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Democrats in the House and Senate are operating as though they know they are borrowed time. Schumer said he drew from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's advice to “act big” to weather the COVID-19 economic crisis. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a former White House budget director under George W. Bush, wants a deeper accounting of what funds remain from the $900 billion coronavirus aid package from December. “The risks of going too small dramatically outweigh the risks of going too big,” said Gene Sperling, a former director of the White House National Economic Council, who signed the letter.
The Senate's longest-serving member, 80-year-old Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, was taken to a hospital Tuesday evening for observation after not feeling well, a spokesman said. Now, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont is stepping into one of his most visible and physically grueling roles: presiding over former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial. “I had some muscle spasms," Leahy, 80, told reporters the morning after feeling ill in his Capitol office. Carle, Leahy's spokesperson, said Senate leaders have been discussing the trial process, and it is “likely to be limited in duration.” Trump's first impeachment trial lasted almost three weeks. Leahy will preside as Senate president pro tempore, a largely ceremonial post that usually goes to the majority party's longest-serving member.
Eye Opener: Biden vows to increase COVID-19 vaccine supply The Biden administration has promised to ramp up the U.S. supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses. Also, Senator Patrick Leahy was hospitalized just hours after presiding over the opening of former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. All that and all that matters in today's Eye Opener. Your world in 90 seconds.
cbsnews.comSenator presiding over impeachment trial hospitalized hours after colleagues sworn in as jury Just hours after being sworn in as the jury in former President Trump's upcoming impeachment trial, Senator Patrick Leahy was hospitalized after he feeling unwell. Leahy is presiding over the trial, in place of Chief Justice John Roberts. Siobhan Hughes, a congressional correspondent with the Wall Street Journal, joins CBSN's Elaine Quijano to discuss what would happen if Leahy is unable to preside over the trial and what will happen between now and when the trial starts in two weeks.
cbsnews.comSen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., walks with reporters, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, as he leaves the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON – Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy was taken to a hospital Tuesday evening after not feeling well and later sent home after tests, a spokesman said, hours after the 80-year-old Democrat began presiding over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. Leahy had commenced his role of overseeing Trump's latest impeachment trial by swearing in his fellow lawmakers. Chief Justice John Roberts presided over Trump's first impeachment trial a year ago when Trump was still president. The Senate president pro tempore job normally goes to the longest-serving member of the Senate's majority party.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat set to preside over the upcoming impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, has returned home after being taken to a Washington hospital for evaluation Tuesday out of an abundance of caution, his spokesman said. "The Capitol Physician suggested that Senator Leahy go to George Washington University Hospital this evening for observation, out of an abundance of caution," his spokesman David Carle said in a written statement. "After getting test results back, and after a thorough examination, Senator Leahy now is home. The House impeached Trump earlier this month for inciting the riot by his supporters at the Capitol complex on Jan. 6. The mob disrupted a joint session of Congress, which was confirming the election of Joe Biden as president.
cnbc.com"The president pro tempore has historically presided over Senate impeachment trials of non-presidents," Leahy confirmed in a statement on Monday. "When presiding over an impeachment trial, the president pro tempore takes an additional special oath to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws. Roberts presided over Mr. Trump's first impeachment trial, as designated by the Constitution. But the Constitution is silent on the question of who presides over the Senate trial of a former president, and a former president has never faced an impeachment trial. But the Vermont senator also said that he considers his role as president pro tempore as "one of the highest honors and most serious responsibilities of my career. "
cbsnews.comSenators to be sworn in for impeachment trial against former President Trump U.S. senators will be sworn in Tuesday for the second impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump, setting the stage for arguments to begin in February. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the longest-serving Democrat in the chamber, will preside over the trial. Nikole Killion reports.
cbsnews.comIn this image from video, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is presiding over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, swears in members of the Senate for the impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Late Tuesday, the presiding officer at the trial, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was taken to the hospital for observation after not feeling well at his office, spokesman David Carle said in a statement. The vote means the trial on Trump's impeachment will begin as scheduled the week of Feb. 8. “You’re asking me to vote in a trial that by itself on its own is not constitutionally allowed?” he asked. Instead, Leahy, who serves in the largely ceremonial role of Senate president pro tempore, was sworn in on Tuesday.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) exits the Senate chamber after the third day of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 23, 2020. Sen. Patrick Leahy, not Chief Justice John Roberts, will preside over the imminent impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. Leahy, of Vermont, is the president pro tempore of the Senate and is the longest-serving active Democrat in the chamber. The president pro tempore of the Senate historically presides over impeachment trials of non-presidents. Roberts presided over Trump's first impeachment trial, about a year ago.
cnbc.com"The president pro tempore has historically presided over Senate impeachment trials of non-presidents," Leahy confirmed in a statement on Monday. "When presiding over an impeachment trial, the president pro tempore takes an additional special oath to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws. Roberts presided over Mr. Trump's first impeachment trial, as designated by the Constitution. But the Constitution is silent on the question of who presides over the Senate trial of a former president, and a former president has never faced an impeachment trial. But the Vermont senator also said that he considers his role as president pro tempore as "one of the highest honors and most serious responsibilities of my career. "
cbsnews.comWASHINGTON The day he declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, President Donald Trump made a cryptic offhand remark. That prompted 10 senators to look into how sweeping Trump believes his emergency powers are. They have asked to see this administration's Presidential Emergency Action Documents, or PEADs. The senators think the documents would provide them a window into how this White House interprets presidential emergency powers. The most publicized example was Trumps decision last year to declare the security situation along the U.S.-Mexico border a national emergency.
From left, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., participate in the Senate Democrats news conference on coronavirus relief proposals on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)Senate Democrats on Wednesday unveiled more than a dozen "critical measures" intended to provide relief to local communities in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for a relief proposal that is "targeted to the people who need help," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told NBC News earlier Wednesday. Trump has also indicated that his administration would propose relief to the airline and cruise ship industries, which have been impacted by the outbreak. Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of deaths attributable to the coronavirus in the U.S.
cnbc.comPresident Donald Trump ordered the Department of Defense to roll back restrictions on the use of land mines, the White House announced on Friday. The new policy will enable the use of anti-personnel land mines elsewhere in the world in "exceptional circumstances." Anti-personnel land mines that do not self-destruct are banned by more than 150 countries because of their tendency to inflict civilian casualties, often years after they are used in conflict. Defense Secretary Mark Esper described land mines as an "important tool" during a press conference Friday at the Pentagon alongside his Italian counterpart. "The White House claims that the previous policy put our military at a 'severe disadvantage against our adversaries.'
cnbc.comThe actor, director and activist used his star power to press Congress for more foreign aid for the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also gave a Hollywood hat-tip at a Senate hearing Thursday, calling out Sen. Patrick Leahy for his cameo in Batman. The Vermont senator is known for being a Batman fanatic. Gayle King reports.
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