Senate to vote on landmark bill to protect same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, putting Congress one step closer to passing the landmark bill and ensuring that such unions are enshrined in federal law. The bill has gained steady momentum since the Supreme Court's June decision that overturned the federal right to an abortion, and comments from Justice Clarence Thomas at the time that suggested same-sex marriage could also come under threat. Bipartisan Senate negotiations kick-started this summer after 47 Republicans unexpectedly voted for a House bill and gave supporters new optimism. But it would require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed, and protect current same-sex unions. Yet it 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.
wftv.comDemocrats punt same-sex marriage vote until after election
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.”.
Justice Department details threats against election workers
Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite)The U.S. Justice Department has charged five people for making threats of violence against election workers amid a rising wave of harassment and intimidation tied to the 2020 presidential election, a top official told U.S. senators Wednesday. Overall, the department has investigated more than 1,000 harassing and threatening messages directed at election workers. “We have thousands and thousands of election workers all throughout our country, and yes there has been a rise in all kinds of threats,” Hirono said. The intimidation efforts have especially targeted election officials in the battleground states where Donald Trump contested his loss to President Joe Biden. A bipartisan bill in the Senate would double the federal penalties to up to two years in prison for those who threaten election workers, poll watchers, voters or candidates.
wftv.comGOP’s midterm bet: Voters will care more about inflation than abortion
Republican candidates and strategists are increasingly confident that such a decision would not seriously harm the GOP’s chances of regaining House and Senate majorities come November, as Democrats have suggested it might.
washingtonpost.comNC Sen. Tillis joins Republicans supporting Cawthorn rival
(Saul Loeb, Pool via AP) (Saul Loeb)RALEIGH, N.C. — (AP) — North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis endorsed a state legislator Thursday over U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn in their upcoming Republican primary, saying the first-term congressman has “fallen well short” of expectations. “The 11th Congressional District deserves a congressman who is fully dedicated to serving their constituents,” Tillis said in a news release. Cawthorn spoke at a rally in Washington on Jan 6, 2021, that questioned the outcome of the White House election won by Democrat Joe Biden. "I'm just kind of without the words to describe what Congressman Cawthorn is doing and saying. That district ultimately was thrown out by judges, and Cawthorn returned to a run in the reconfigured 11th District, which leans Republican.
wftv.comNC Sen. Tillis adds to Republicans supporting Cawthorn rival
(Saul Loeb, Pool via AP) (Saul Loeb)RALEIGH, N.C. — (AP) — North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis endorsed a state legislator Thursday over U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn in their upcoming Republican primary, saying the first-term congressman has “fallen well short” of expectations. “The 11th Congressional District deserves a congressman who is fully dedicated to serving their constituents,” Tillis said in a news release. Cawthorn spoke at a rally in Washington on Jan 6, 2021, that questioned the outcome of the White House election won by Democrat Joe Biden. "I'm just kind of without the words to describe what Congressman Cawthorn is doing and saying. That district ultimately was thrown out, and Cawthorn returned to a run in the reconfigured 11th District, which leans Republican.
wftv.comIs there a gas stimulus check coming? State gas tax holidays are more likely
What about a federal gas tax holiday? As of Thursday, there are no Republican co-sponsors of the federal gas tax holiday bill currently before Congress. Today, governors @GovMLG, @GovEvers, @GovofCO, @GovernorTomWolf, @GovTimWalz and I are announcing our support for a federal gas tax holiday. In Georgia, the state gas tax has been waived through May 31. Maryland acted first, pausing its gas tax for 30 days through April 16, Gov.
wftv.comGOP shoots down Supreme Court boycott
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are shooting down the idea of boycotting the panel's vote on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. "There's not going to be any boycott. There's zero, not one iota chance that we would boycott," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the committee.The idea of a committee boycott, which has floated around Capitol Hill for weeks, was spun up after 10 Republicans sent Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill...
news.yahoo.comJackson defends record anew on confirmation third day
He also acknowledged that Jackson probably would be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Several GOP senators grilled Jackson on her child pornography sentences, arguing they were lighter than federal guidelines recommend. President Joe Biden chose Jackson in February, fulfilling a campaign pledge to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court for the first time in American history. “Roe and Casey are the settled law of the Supreme Court concerning the right to terminate a woman’s pregnancy. Near the end of the day, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., asked Jackson when life begins.
wftv.comQuestioning to resume in confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
Senators will resume questioning Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in the third day of her confirmation hearing. Jackson defended her judicial philosophy and record on crime in yesterday’s proceedings. CBS News legal contributor Rebecca Roiphe joins “CBS News Mornings” with analysis.
news.yahoo.comNew step to curb tech giants' power advanced by Senate panel
Congress has taken a new step toward reining in the market dominance of Big Tech. Bipartisan legislation advanced by a Senate panel would bar the dominant online platforms from favoring their own goods and services over those of rivals on the platforms.
Lawsuit: NRA illegally funded Trump, other GOP candidates
A federal lawsuit accuses the National Rifle Association of violating campaign finance laws by using shell companies to illegally funnel up to $35 million to Republican candidates, including former President Donald Trump, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and others.
NRA ran shell companies to illegally fund Trump and other Republicans, Giffords group alleges in suit
The federal lawsuit accuses the NRA of using a network of shell companies to skirt campaign finance laws and give as much as $35 million to President Donald Trump and GOP candidates.
washingtonpost.com'We can't do enough': Lawmakers flooded by evacuation pleas
The stories have poured in by the thousands with heartbreaking pleas not to be left behind. In the race against time, the lawmakers are stepping up where the other branches of the U.S. government have maxed out. But from coast to coast, and across the heartland, lawmakers around the country are also seeing huge spikes in requests for help. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said many lawmakers are forwarding cases his way. He said his office has received more than 6,000 evacuation cases in just more than a week.
wftv.com'We can't do enough': Lawmakers flooded by evacuation pleas
The stories have poured in by the thousands with heartbreaking pleas not to be left behind. In the race against time, the lawmakers are stepping up where the other branches of the U.S. government have maxed out. But from coast to coast, and across the heartland, lawmakers around the country are also seeing huge spikes in requests for help. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas and the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that many lawmakers are forwarding cases his way. He said his office has received more than 6,000 evacuation cases in just more than a week.
wftv.com2 dead, 20 missing in North Carolina county flooded by Fred
Tropical Weather Atlantic NCDOT workers assess damage to a bridge spanning the Pigeon River, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Bethel, N.C., after remnants from Tropical Storm Fred caused flooding in parts of Western North Carolina Tuesday. Search and rescue teams continue to search the area as 20 people are missing and 2 people were found dead. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP) (Travis Long)RALEIGH, N.C. — (AP) — Authorities combing areas of North Carolina flooded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred said Thursday that two people have been found dead and about 20 were unaccounted for. In western North Carolina, Haywood County Emergency Services announced Thursday that two people were confirmed dead after the flooding that prompted dozens of water rescues. Officials from the Cayuga County sheriff’s office in the Finger Lakes tourist region said they were barricading roads as they warned on social media that flooded roads may be washed out or have heavy currents.
wftv.comMcConnell urges public support for Sinema in private conversations
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is urging his fellow Republicans to buck up Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — a Democrat, sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios.Why it matters: Republicans view Sinema and her moderate Democratic colleague Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia as their last line of defense against sweeping progressive laws — ranging from a $3.5 trillion social welfare bill to potentially irreversible structural changes like eliminating the filibuster and add
news.yahoo.comAnother Trump on the ballot? Lara Trump eyes Senate seat
The former president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is eyeing the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by Republican Richard Burr. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)RALEIGH, N.C. – A Trump may be on the ballot next year — but not Donald Trump. The former president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is eyeing the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by Republican Richard Burr. The answer to that question has implications that extend far beyond Lara Trump's political future. The 38-year-old Lara Trump is married to the former president's son, Eric.
Impeachment vote becomes defining moment for GOP senator
But the North Carolina Republican’s vote to convict former President Donald Trump should not have come as a shock. AdWith Burr retiring at the end of his term in 2022, it’s a vote that could end up defining his career. Exactly a year later, as the Russia investigation was wrapping up, Burr’s time leading the committee came to an abrupt end. He sided with most Republicans in a vote to dismiss the trial, creating an expectation he’d also vote to acquit. AdSo when Burr stood up to vote for Trump's conviction, many in the chamber wondered if there would be other surprises.
Impeachment isn't the final word on Capitol riot for Trump
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)WASHINGTON – Donald Trump's acquittal at his second impeachment trial may not be the final word on whether he’s to blame for the deadly Capitol riot. “President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office, as an ordinary citizen, unless the statute of limitations has run,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said after that vote. Federal prosecutors have said they are looking at all angles of the assault on the Capitol and whether the violence had been incited. A phone call between Trump and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy emerged during the impeachment trial in which McCarthy, as rioters stormed the Capitol, begged Trump to call off the mob. AdIt's possible federal prosecutors will decide not to bring charges, and if Trump were indicted in one of the many other separate investigations, federal prosecutors could decide justice would be done elsewhere.
Impeachment isn't the final word on Capitol riot for Trump
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)WASHINGTON – Donald Trump's acquittal at his second impeachment trial may not be the final word on whether he’s to blame for the deadly Capitol riot. “President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office, as an ordinary citizen, unless the statute of limitations has run,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said after that vote. Federal prosecutors have said they are looking at all angles of the assault on the Capitol and whether the violence had been incited. A phone call between Trump and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy emerged during the impeachment trial in which McCarthy, as rioters stormed the Capitol, begged Trump to call off the mob. AdIt's possible federal prosecutors will decide not to bring charges, and if Trump were indicted in one of the many other separate investigations, federal prosecutors could decide justice would be done elsewhere.
Biden, Yellen say GOP virus aid too small, Democrats push on
From left, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined the Democratic senators for a private virtual meeting, both declaring the Republicans' $618 billion offer was too small. “President Biden spoke about the need for Congress to respond boldly and quickly,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the lunch meeting. The president made it clear that he won’t delay aid in hopes of winning GOP support. Biden proposes $170 billion for schools, compared to $20 billion in the Republican plan.
President Biden to meet Republicans proposing $618 billion virus aid
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden told Republican senators during a two-hour meeting Monday night he's unwilling to settle on an insufficient coronavirus aid package after they pitched their slimmed down $618 billion proposal that's a fraction of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking. AdRepublicans are tapping into bipartisan urgency to improve the nation's vaccine distribution and vastly expand virus testing with $160 billion in aid. Psaki said earlier Monday there is “obviously a big gap” between the $1.9 trillion package Biden has proposed and the $618 billion counteroffer. It also includes $20 billion to reopen schools compared to $170 billion in Biden's plan. The Republicans offer $40 billion for Paycheck Protection Program business aid.
9 important people who weren’t at President Joe Biden’s inauguration
President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. We saw many recognizable faces Wednesday at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, but there were many people -- some quite notable -- who were not in attendance. President Donald Trump: He announced on Twitter ahead of the inauguration that he would not be attending, and he stuck to his word. He’s the first outgoing president who chose not to attend the ceremony since President Andrew Johnson’s refusal in 1869. Sen. Marco Rubio: Rubio conveyed he would be hard at work instead.
With GOP win in Alaska, control of Senate pushes to January
WASHINGTON – Control of the Senate won’t be decided until the new year after Republicans won a seat in Alaska on Wednesday. Incumbent Alaska GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan defeated Al Gross, an independent running as a Democrat. They have a 49-48 hold on the Senate with the Alaska win, but two races in Georgia are heading to a Jan. 5 runoff. With Biden, the path to keeping Senate control is more difficult for Republicans. That means if Republicans only have 50 seats, Democrats control the Senate.