TAMMY BALDWIN

The Department of Energy allowed a taxpayer-funded breakthrough in batteries to transfer overseas with little oversight

President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act at a White House ceremony Tuesday, establishing federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.

Rob Portman, who was also on the Senate floor and had been one of the first Republican senators to come out in favor of same-sex marriage. “Did you see this?” Baldwin asked, showing Portman a list of Republicans who had voted for the House bill — almost four dozen. Along with Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who eventually led the bipartisan effort with Baldwin, the senators teamed up with Sens. In the first weeks after the House vote, the five senators went to work to find those votes. By November, dozens of religious groups supported the bill, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Passing legislation to protect same-sex marriages in the Senate was a monthslong effort, building on a decadeslong push.

A law requiring all states to recognize same-sex marriages would come as a a relief for hundreds of thousands of couples who have married since the Supreme Court's 2015 decision that legalized those marriages nationwide. Just a decade ago, many Republicans openly campaigned on blocking same-sex marriages; today more than two-thirds of the public support them. The Mormon church said it would support rights for same-sex couples as long as they didn't infringe upon religious groups' right to believe as they choose. 3 House Republican. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy voted against the measure.

The House has given final approval to protections for same-sex marriages.

Legislation that ensures same-sex and interracial marriages are recognized as legal unions appears headed for final approval and President Joe Biden’s signature.

The bill, which would ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are enshrined in federal law, was approved 61-36 on Tuesday, including support from 12 Republicans. Bipartisan Senate negotiations got a kick-start this summer when 47 Republicans unexpectedly voted for a House bill and gave supporters new optimism. I know my family is safe.”Robinson was in the Senate chamber for the vote with her wife, Becky, and toddler son. But sentiment has shifted on same-sex marriage, with more than two-thirds of the public now in support. Passage came after the Senate rejected three Republican amendments to protect the rights of religious institutions and others to still oppose such marriages.

How five senators convinced a bitterly divided Senate to protect same-sex marriages.

A handful of amendments were voted on Tuesday before the Senate held its final vote, but none passed. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, said the bill was "deeply personal for many of us in this chamber," in remarks on the Senate floor before the vote. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who opposed same-sex marriage until 2013. In other words, if Obergefell was overturned, it would require states where gay marriage is not enshrined in state law to recognize those licenses. Conservatives, meanwhile, have worried since Obergefell that the legalization of same-sex marriage would be used to punish them for their long-held views.

The bipartisan measure would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.

The Senate has passed landmark bipartisan legislation to protect same-sex marriages.

Democrats celebrating a successful effort to keep control of the U.S. Senate this year will soon confront a 2024 campaign that could prove more challenging.

Democrats and Republicans advanced a bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, clearing a major hurdle towards final passage.

Speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who is the first openly gay politician elected to the Senate, said the Respect for Marriage Act “unites Americans” and removes the worry that same-sex and interracial couples could have their rights taken away. Baldwin delivered the remarks before the Senate held a procedural vote to advance the bill in the chamber.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday will vote on a motion to proceed with a bipartisan bill that would enshrine same-sex marriage protections into federal law. In July, the bill passed the House in a 267-157 vote, with 47 Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the measure. The procedural vote, which is expected Wednesday afternoon, would be followed by a final vote later this month. “I hope that at minimum 10 Republicans will throw their support behind this sound, common-sense bill,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday. “The Respect for Marriage Act will protect marriage equality and ensure individuals in same-sex and interracial marriages are guaranteed the same rights & freedoms as every other marriage,” Baldwin tweeted Monday.

Legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages has crossed a major Senate hurdle, putting Congress on track to take the historic step of ensuring that such unions are enshrined in federal law.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is leaning into controversy as he runs for his third term.

Democrats and the small group of Republicans have moved to safeguard same-sex marriage following the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to an abortion. Lawmakers fear the court's ruling, and a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas, indicate that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could come under threat. The bill protecting same-sex marriage cleared the House in a July vote with the support of 47 Republicans – a larger than expected number that gave the measure a boost in the Senate. The legislation would repeal the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act and require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed. In addition to Collins, Portman and Tillis, a fourth GOP senator, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, has supported same-sex marriage in the past.

Democrats are punting a vote to protect same-sex and interracial marriages until after the November midterm elections, a blow for the legislation that comes days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to put the Senate on the record on the issue “in the coming weeks.”.

Earlier this summer, the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act by a vote of 267 to 157.

Johnson told conservative voters last week that he only issued his July statement to get get the media "off my back."

A group of five senators, led by Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), is scrambling to get 10 Republicans to support the measure.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Wednesday that the Senate will vote on legislation to protect same-sex marriage “in the coming weeks” as a bipartisan group backing the bill negotiates changes to gain more Republican support. Lawmakers fear the court's ruling, and a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas, indicate that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could come under threat. The bill protecting same-sex marriage cleared the House in a July vote with the support of 47 Republicans – a larger than expected number that gave the measure a boost in the Senate. A fourth GOP senator, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, has supported same-sex marriage in the past. “There’s no threat to same-sex marriage in America.”Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said the effort is a “show vote” and Democrats are playing politics.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the Senate will vote on legislation to protect same-sex marriage “in the coming weeks” as a bipartisan group backing the bill is tweaking it to gain Republican support.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans to invest $1 billion in climate projects for more than 343 cities across the United States.

The Respect for Marriage Act would ensure that same-sex marriages are recognized nationwide.

As the Senate contemplates legislation to protect same-sex marriages, there has been a sharp shift in Republican support for the issue.

Baldwin, the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, is leading the charge to secure the 10 Republican votes needed for a filibuster-proof majority to pass a bill codifying marriage equality.

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin about her attempt to convince 10 Republicans to support a bill that would protect same-sex marriage.

Sen. Marco Rubio made the comments to CNN as he was walking onto an elevator and Sen. Tammy Baldwin overheard him and confronted him.

Senate Democrats Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks with reporters following a closed-door caucus lunch, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Few Republicans spoke directly against gay marriage during Tuesday's floor debate in the House. And Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell was notably silent when asked about the bill, saying he would take a look if it comes to the Senate. So far, the legislation has just two Senate Republican co-sponsors, Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio. That 1996 law was largely overshadowed by subsequent court rulings, including Obergefell vs. Hodges in 2015, legalizing gay marriage nationwide.

Wisconsin Democrats gathering for their annual state convention this weekend are focused on reelecting Gov. Tony Evers and defeating Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin joined Newsy to talk about her experience as an LGBTQ politician in Congress.

Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin joined Newsy to talk about her experience as an LGBTQ politician in Congress.

Republican former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson announced Monday that he won't run again in a bid to take on the Democratic incumbent in the battleground state.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is President Joe Biden's first Supreme Court nominee. She will replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.

Supreme Court Nomination Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson smiles during a meeting with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, March 28, 2022. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Senate Judiciary Committee is pushing Ketanji Brown Jackson closer to confirmation, setting up a vote next week to recommend her nomination to the full Senate and seat her as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Jackson appears to be on a glidepath to confirmation by mid-April, even if she doesn’t receive the bipartisan votes that President Joe Biden has sought. Democrats can confirm her without one Republican vote in the 50-50 Senate, as long as every Democrat supports her. At a brief meeting on Monday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin set the committee vote for April 4 and praised Jackson’s answers during four days of hearings last week that often grew contentious.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is pushing Ketanji Brown Jackson closer to confirmation, setting up a vote next week to recommend her nomination to the full Senate and seat her as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

Jackson's nomination appears to be on track after four days of confirmation hearings concluded last week.

A Wisconsin senator is urging Kohl's to not accept any buyout offer that might prelude a bankruptcy filing or threaten workers' jobs in the state.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson's opposition to President Joe Biden's judicial nominee in Wisconsin has surprised Democrats and is providing the latest test to the Senate tradition of letting home state senators block district court judges from advancing.

The Democrats’ fragile hold on the Senate majority has become vividly apparent with the sudden illness of of New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján.

Political and labor leaders say that unless Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense’s production is done in state, Democrats will be hurt in November’s elections A USPS next-generation delivery vehicle on display in Las Vegas. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images Wisconsin residents cheered when Oshkosh Defense, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer, won a large contract to build a new generation of post office delivery vehicles - up to 165,000 – but now Wisconsinites are fuming about the company’s de

Democrats on Wednesday reintroduced private-equity legislation that represents one of the largest crackdowns on the industry in decades.

Democrats are fretting about how they’d divide a shrinking pie amid signs that negotiations over President Joe Biden’s massive domestic policy bill could yield a smaller serving of health care spending.

“The single most effective solution to closing our state’s coverage gap is to expand Medicaid,” Warnock said after a June 29 meeting with health care executives. People making more than 138% of the federal poverty level are eligible for federal health insurance subsidies through an online marketplace. President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act envisioned states would expand Medicaid programs to cover those people, but many conservative states balked. The bill would mandate a new health insurance plan that looks just like Medicaid offered to residents in holdout states. “The idea is for it to be as close to Medicaid coverage as possible,” Cross-Call said.

Three Democratic U.S. senators from states that have refused to expand Medicaid want the federal government to set up a mirror plan to provide health insurance coverage to people in those states.

Citigroup is the latest company to face a shareholder vote on whether it should consider a nonmanagement worker in its pool of board candidates.

Ten liberal senators are urging President Joe Biden to back India and South Africa’s appeal to the World Trade Organization to temporarily relax intellectual property rules so coronavirus vaccines can be manufactured by nations that are struggling to inoculate their populations.

“I had bolder plans for our state budge than what I am going to present to you today. It would be a lie to suggest otherwise,” Pritzker said. “But as all our families have had to make hard choices over the last year, so too does state government. And right now, we need to pass a balanced budget that finds the right equilibrium between tightening our belts and preventing more hardships for Illinoisans already carrying a heavy load.”

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)WASHINGTON – The U.S. is scrambling to expand DNA mapping of coronavirus samples taken from patients to identify potentially deadlier mutations that are starting to spread around the country. The U.S. now maps only the genetic makeup of a minuscule fraction of positive virus samples, a situation some experts liken to flying blind. Baldwin says the U.S. should be analyzing at least 15% of positive virus samples. “Genomic sequencing testing is how we will spot variants early before they spread,” said White House COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients. The CDC will have to set standards for state health officials and academic research institutions to fully share the information they glean from analyzing virus samples.

A group of Democratic senators led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., wrote to the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, Google and Google's subsidiary YouTube on Thursday asking the companies to crack down on vaccine misinformation and make their efforts more transparent. The senators added that platforms must enforce their policies to limit exposure to misinformation and should actively promote reliable information to users. The senators asked the companies to respond to a series of questions touching on both transparency and enforcement around misinformation on their platforms. A Google spokesperson pointed to a December blog post that detailed how it would surface accurate vaccine information for users. It's also invested several million dollars in fact-checking initiatives related to virus information, Google said.

“People are confused by this whole witness requirement,” said Barbara Beckert, an advocate for Disability Rights Wisconsin, which was part of a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the witness mandate. To get it right, you have to follow a lot of very specific rules.”There are early signs that voters are struggling to follow those rules. In North Carolina, over 200,000 ballots have been returned and processed since early voting began almost three weeks ago. “This agreement is a victory for all eligible older voters in North Carolina,” said Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, whose North Carolina affiliate sued over the rules. ___AP’s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)LAS VEGAS Democratic Party luminaries, rising stars, former presidents and presidential contenders have been making a pitch for Joe Biden over three days of an atypical convention. Biden will speak Thursday night from Wilmington, Delaware, as he closes out the fourth night of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention, starting at 9 p.m. The 78-year-old moderate and former Republican being given a spot to help to close out the Democratic convention is striking. The convention is also available to watch on Twitch, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. A celebrity-studded afterparty hosted by Andy Cohen is scheduled to be shown immediately after Bidens speech on the official livestream.

In a report issued Wednesday, the State Department called out Bosnia, Belarus, Ukraine and particularly Poland for not having acted on restitution claims. Croatia, Latvia and Russia were also taken to task in the report, which is likely to draw angry responses from the governments identified. The report noted that Poland, which had the largest Jewish community in Europe before the outbreak of World War II, has not yet enacted comprehensive legislation on national property restitution or compensation covering Holocaust confiscations. Only about half of 5,500 claims for Jewish communal property have been adjudicated and half of those were rejected, it said. As the JUST Act report makes clear, Holocaust survivors and Jewish communities continue to wait for justice for property that was wrongfully taken from them, said Gideon Taylor, operations chairman of the World Jewish Restitution Organization.

Wisconsin, where Trump won by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016, joins newly emerging battleground Arizona as the first two states where Biden has named his campaign team. Two veterans of Sen. Tammy Baldwins successful 2018 reelection campaign will run Bidens Wisconsin operation. Shirley Ellis, a longtime adviser to U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, will join Biden team as a strategic adviser focused on Milwaukee. She will join Bidens campaign formally after the August convention, according to the campaign. The Wisconsin team, especially, is intended to show that the Biden campaigns talk of a wide map isnt at the exclusion of traditional battlegrounds.

Instead of an emergency standard, the agency has relied on voluntary guidance that recommends companies erect physical barriers, enforce social distancing and install more hand-sanitizing stations, among other steps. More than 80,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among health care workers, meatpacking employees and prison staff, including at least 372 deaths, Adams said. OSHA quickly pivoted to focus intensely on giving employers and workers the guidance they need to work safely in this rapidly changing situation. A group of Senate Democrats asked the Labor Departments inspector general to investigate OSHAs inspections and citations related to COVID-19. The lawmakers, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also want the watchdog to investigate OSHAs decision not to put in place a temporary emergency standard to deal with the virus.

Federal investigators plan to brief the Wisconsin National Guard's top commander this weekend on findings from a seven-month review of the Guard's sexual assault reporting and investigation protocols, Gov. The governor said in his letter that officials from the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations briefed him on their findings on Nov. 25. Evers and Baldwin, both Democrats, stepped in and demanded that the National Guard Bureau conduct the review. Wisconsin National Guard spokesman Joe Trovato declined comment, saying only that no one in the Guard has seen the OCI report or been briefed on it. The Wisconsin National Guard reached an agreement with the state Justice Department under then-Attorney General Brad Schimel in 2018 that allows the Guard to ask the department to investigate sexual assault complaints.