Members phkrause Posted June 15 Author Members Share Posted June 15 ⚡️ Schumer does it again Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a bill aimed at ensuring federal protections for in vitro fertilization (IVF), as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) forced them to take another difficult vote on a hot-button election issue. Democrats are trying to hold Republicans' feet to the fire on reproductive rights two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — and ahead of the 2024 elections. The GOP is trying to dodge those bullets. Every Senate Republican this week signed a letter voicing their support for IVF, arguing that Democrats are lying about the GOP's position on the procedure. 🛡️ Republicans have rallied around protecting IVF after the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling in February that resulted in clinics pausing the treatment in the state. Two Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), voted to advance the bill. Thursday's vote was the latest episode in which Schumer has called votes that drew attention to GOP divisions on issues that Democrats are highlighting in their campaigns. Last week he brought forward a bill to protect access to contraception at the federal level, and Republicans blocked it. GOP lawmakers also voted against a bipartisan immigration bill last month, the result of a move by Schumer to clear a path for President Biden's executive order to reduce crossings at the Southwest border. Read more. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 16 Author Members Share Posted June 16 Sen. John Fetterman was at fault in car accident and seen going ‘high rate of speed,’ police say HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was seen driving at a “high rate of speed” on Sunday morning just before he rear-ended another car on Interstate 70 in Maryland, according to a state police report. https://apnews.com/article/fetterman-car-accident-police-report-d714084a1b17a23f233f2733c5694b5a? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 16 Author Members Share Posted June 16 🏛️ Scoop: McConnell eyes next move Photo illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios. Photos: Brendan Hoffman, Samuel Corum/Getty Images In January, Mitch McConnell will go from the longest-serving Senate party leader to a regular senator from Kentucky — and some of his Republican colleagues already are speculating about how he might continue to wield his long-held power, Axios' Stef W. Kight writes. Why it matters: Several sources close to GOP leadership tell Axios that assuming Republicans win the Senate majority in November, McConnell is eyeing chair of the Appropriations Committee. McConnell, 82, is both a student and a practitioner of power. While no final decision has been made, such a post would let him remain a force with real juice, wielding enviable say over funding for everything from the Pentagon to pet projects until he finishes his term in 2027. Between the lines: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a longtime, close ally of McConnell, is now Appropriations vice chair — the committee's top Republican on the panel, one slot ahead of McConnell on the panel. That could kill the idea, unless another plum slot could be found for her. 🔭 Zoom out: During his waning days in leadership, McConnell has focused on fighting isolationists in his conference — an effort he plans to continue while he remains in the Senate. Chairing Appropriations would give McConnell even more say in boosting U.S. spending on defense and military aid. Scoop: McConnell-aligned PAC spending big on border ads ... Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 16 Author Members Share Posted June 16 Republican IVF bill fails in U.S. Senate WASHINGTON — Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt’s efforts to pass legislation that would block Medicaid funding from going to states that ban in vitro fertilization were unsuccessful Wednesday when Democrats blocked the bill from advancing. https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/06/13/republican-ivf-bill-fails-in-u-s-senate/? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 16 Author Members Share Posted June 16 Speaker Johnson says House will go to court for Biden audio after Justice Dept. refused to prosecute WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday that the House will go to court to enforce the subpoena against Attorney General Merrick Garland for access to President Joe Biden’s special counsel audio interview, hours after the Justice Department refused to prosecute Republicans’ contempt of Congress charge. https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-contempt-biden-classified-documents-8f38c7178fb0c996442781243f65ab97? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 17 Author Members Share Posted June 17 🔥 The GOP's cigar crisis Photo: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images 🏛️ The House Republican leadership has a quintessentially Capitol Hill problem: A shift in committee chairs has left lawmakers without a place to light up cigars — and they're getting a little tense about it. Rep. Tom Cole's (R-Okla.) move to chair of the Appropriations panel created a domino effect in office changes that took away members' private spot to enjoy stogies close to the House floor. Now GOP members are urging Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to find a solution. 👀 GOP lawmakers stressed to Axios the importance of having quiet places to gather off the House floor to bond, saying the loss of Cole's "hideaway" — as such areas are known — has created a void Johnson should address. Given stark divisions and constant infighting among this crop of House Republicans, there's a good argument for anything that could ease tensions in the House GOP conference. 🔎 How we got here: When Cole chaired the powerful Rules Committee, his Capitol hideaway was a place for lawmakers to huddle and talk policy over cigars. But after Cole became Appropriations chair he let former chair Kay Granger (R-Texas) stay in her office, even as he surrendered the Rules committee spot to that panel's new chairman, Michael Burgess (R-Texas). That left Cole without a hideaway of his own, and cigar aficionados without a lair. Burgess, a physician, isn't into the cigar thing. "We desperately need a place to smoke cigars, and I do not have — and should not have — the chairman's office right now ... because Kay Granger needs that, and that's the appropriate thing to do," Cole said. He noted that members used to be able to smoke in the Speaker's Lobby, a tradition Nancy Pelosi did away with in 2007, when she replaced John Boehner — an avid smoker — as speaker. Go deeper. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 17 Author Members Share Posted June 17 📢 GOP calls on SCOTUS to save Trump 🛡️ Trump's GOP Protection Squad continues to push various political and legal maneuvers to try and reverse his felony conviction in New York. Sunday it was Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) — a loyalist and contender to be Trump's vice presidential nominee — suggesting that the conservative-led Supreme Court should "step into" the matter and overturn Trump's guilty verdict in the New York hush money case before the Nov. 5 election. There's no such legal case before the high court, and any unsolicited foray into such a politically hot issue would super-charge Democrats' allegations that the court has become guided by politics as much as the law. Trump would have to exhaust his legal appeals in a series of New York courts before his case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court. But Donalds told NBC's "Meet the Press" that House Speaker Johnson, "myself ... and many Americans believe the Supreme Court should step into this matter." ⚡️ Donalds' comments reflect a growing view among Republican lawmakers that all levers of powers should be exercised in attempting to overturn the former president's conviction, Axios' Andrew Solender reports. House Republicans are eyeing legislation that would allow Trump, if elected president, to move his case from state to federal court. 💰 Others have pushed to cut federal funding for state and federal prosecutors who have cases against Trump. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 18 Author Members Share Posted June 18 Tobacco-like warning label for social media sought by US surgeon general who asks Congress to act The U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/06/17/tobacco-like-warning-label-for-social-media-sought-by-us-surgeon-general-who-asks-congress-to-act/ Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 18 Author Members Share Posted June 18 Chairman McCaul Secures Date for Transcribed Interview of Jen Psaki for Afghanistan Withdrawal Investigation Washington, D.C. — Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul sent a letter to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirming her appearance for a transcribed interview before the committee on July 26, 2024, regarding her role in the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Psaki agreed to appear before the committee after nine months of exhaustive efforts, but conditioned her appearance on White House approval. In his letter to Psaki, Chairman McCaul restates his expectation for her unconditional appearance and her responsibility to resolve any third-party arrangements prior to her transcribed interview. Chairman McCaul underscores the importance of Psaki’s testimony given her role as an “authoritative source” on the administration’s deadly withdrawal, and that limitations on her appearance will be treated as refusal to testify. https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/chairman-mccaul-secures-date-for-transcribed-interview-of-jen-psaki-for-afghanistan-withdrawal-investigation/? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 18 Author Members Share Posted June 18 🔥 Dems pressure Schumer ⚡️ Some of the Senate's most vulnerable Democrats in the Nov. 5 election are pushing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to hold a vote soon on a tax bill that supporters say could lift half a million children out of poverty, Axios' Stephen Neukam reports. Schumer is deciding whether to bring the $78 billion tax package to the floor and risk its failure because of a lack of Republican support. Its passage could boost Senate Democrats in their campaigns — and if it were to fail, they'd have another issue to bash Republicans about. 👶 The bipartisan bill, which has passed the House, would extend an expanded version of the Child Tax Credit that expired last year, a priority for Democrats. It could give families a tax credit of up to $2,000 per child under age 17. Democratic senators such as Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Jon Tester (Mont.) — who are up for re-election in red states — are pushing Schumer to hold a vote before November. Also especially interested in the bill getting a pre-election vote: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who's facing a tough fight in a state that President Biden won in 2020 — but where polls now suggest he's trailing former President Trump. "I've asked Schumer to move on it," said Brown, who will face Republican Bernie Moreno in November. Rosen, who will face former Army Capt. Sam Brown in Nevada, cited the tax credit as the reason she's urged Schumer to schedule a vote. Ohio's and Nevada's child poverty rates are in the bottom half of U.S. states, according to federal data. "I hope we can get a vote on it, because that's what we're here to do," said Tester, who's facing perhaps the toughest re-election battle among Senate Democrats, against business executive Tim Sheehy. For now, Schumer isn't tipping his hand. Any move to have the chamber vote on the bill is likely to draw fire from Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. Crapo has raised concerns about several provisions in the bill. Read more Targeting bump stocks 👂 One bill we hear Schumer will put on the Senate floor: a bipartisan plan to ban bump stocks, the gun attachments that allow semiautomatic weapons to fire more rapidly. 🌊 A wave of Senate Democrats is planning to join Schumer to try to pass a bump stock ban when he brings it to the floor this week, Stephen scoops. Last week, the Supreme Court tossed out the Justice Department's ban on devices like that used in the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, in which a gunman opened fire on a music festival, killing 60 people and wounding 850 more. ⚖️ Justice Samuel Alito wrote in support of the 6-3 ruling that said bump stocks don't convert rifles into illegal machine guns — but said Congress could change the law to impose restrictions on bump stocks. And so here we are. Democrats know the majority leader's move is likely to draw an objection from at least one Republican, thwarting the effort — and making this the latest Schumer action to add to Democrats' pre-election messaging. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have picked up 20 cosponsors for their Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act, which would ban bump stocks. Two battleground Senate Democrats up for re-election this year co-sponsored the bill. Rosen and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who represent states President Biden won in 2020, attached their names to the bill. But Brown and Tester, Democrats up for re-election in red states, are not cosponsors. Read more Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 19 Author Members Share Posted June 19 ✈️ Pic du jour: Boeing chief grilled Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun walks into a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee hearing today, as relatives of those killed in the crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610 hold up photos of their loved ones. Calhoun apologized to the families for the crashes involving 737 Max jets — and acknowledged Boeing's safety problems in light of a January incident, in which a 737 Max 9's door panel blew out mid-flight. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 21 Author Members Share Posted June 21 Senate GOP splits on limiting leader By Stef W. Kight Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios 🐘 One of the few major splits among GOP Senate leadership contenders — how long Mitch McConnell's successor should be able to hold the job — resurfaced this week. There's growing interest within the GOP in preventing the kind of 18-year reign McConnell (R-Ky.) has enjoyed. 💥 Support for leader term limits has become an early flashpoint in the leadership race between Republican Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), John Thune (South Dakota) and Rick Scott (Florida). For the second time this year, the departing GOP leader is sharply warning his conference against embracing term limits for his successor. McConnell raised the issue during a Tuesday lunch, four sources familiar with the matter told Axios, a sign of how serious discussions about a term-limit proposal have become. Frequent McConnell critics — including Scott and Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Ron Johnson (Wis.) — have led the charge to impose a maximum number of years that a Republican can serve as leader. They're not alone. With Cornyn joining Scott in backing term limits — and other Republicans at least open to the idea — long-time backers are hopeful they can win the support of most of the conference. "There's a lot of interest in it," Scott, who launched his leadership campaign with a call for a six-year term limit on leadership, told Axios. 👀 What to watch: Thune, currently in the party's No. 2 job as whip, is the only one of the three candidates for GOP leader who hasn't backed the idea of term limits. But he hasn't ruled them out, saying he's open to discussions. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who's running for the No. 4 leadership slot, said the term limits conversation "is serious, and I think it's a conversation we should have. I just don't happen to agree with it." 🔎 Zoom in: McConnell believes imposing term limits on leaders would hurt their ability to build out hefty fundraising operations and hamper their power in a way that could devolve into House-like chaos. He laid out his position in detail during the GOP senators' lunch Tuesday — and touted how his fundraising prowess, demonstrated largely through the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC, helped senators win their seats in the room, according to two sources. 💪 Some sources said McConnell's flex could have amplified the arguments of those who want to see power more spread out. Read more Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 21 Author Members Share Posted June 21 🤺 Fight begins over Trump tax cuts, tariffs The battle has begun over what should become of Trump's signature tax law — many provisions of which are scheduled to expire next year — and his former vice president is leading a new offensive to extend those. 💵 Mike Pence's group Advancing American Freedom plans to spend $10 million to try to influence the tax debate over the next 18 months, pushing a pro-business tilt that contrasts with both the Biden administration and some populist Republicans who have Trump's ear. ✂️ Much of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), enacted in 2017, expires at the end of 2025. That includes lower individual income tax rates, a larger standard deduction, a higher exemption for the estate tax and much more. 🥊 It sets up an intense legislative battle next year over what to extend, what to change and what to allow to expire. The outcome will depend on who wins the November elections. Mainstream Republicans believe the TCJA has had wide-ranging economic benefits, particularly by incentivizing business investment. But fissures within the GOP need to be resolved under any new tax plan — even if Republicans sweep the House, Senate and White House. ⚡️ An emerging populist wing of the party — the most visible members include Sens. J.D. Vance (Ohio) and Josh Hawley (Mo.) — is more hostile to large corporations and more open to the aggressive use of tariffs than traditional Republicans like Pence. Some Republicans are even in favor of raising the corporate income tax rate, House Ways and Means Committee chair Jason Smith (Mo.) said recently — a non-starter to supply-side conservatives. Meanwhile, Biden wants to undo many of the tax changes that benefit those earning more than $400,000, and raise the corporate income tax rate from the current 21% to 28%. Read more Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 24 Author Members Share Posted June 24 🎯 Scoop: House Dems target GOP on abortion Abortion-rights supporters protest after the Supreme Court overturned abortion rights under Roe v. Wade two years ago Monday. Photo: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images 🚀 House Democrats are launching their opening salvo in what will be a week filled with abortion-related messaging, with plans to whack five swing-district Republicans who praised the end of Roe v. Wade two years ago, Andrew Solender writes. Democrats want to focus this year's campaigns on GOP-led efforts to curtail reproductive rights, and they'll use the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision on Monday to underscore that message. The big picture: It's a repeat of Democrats' full-court press around last year's anniversary — with the upcoming Nov. 5 election adding urgency to the push. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) will send mobile billboards to five swing districts, quoting House Republicans who expressed agreement with the court's decision to overturn abortion rights. 🥊 The lawmakers targeted by the five-figure buy: Reps. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) and Scott Perry (R-Pa.). "Over the next five months, we will ensure the American public does not forget that it was House Republicans who praised Donald Trump's Supreme Court for ending reproductive freedom as we know it," DCCC spokesperson Justin Chermol said. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 28 Author Members Share Posted June 28 👀 After McCarthy, new opportunities in GOP ⚡️ GOP lawmakers who weren't part of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's inner circle see an increased opportunity to rise in the leadership ranks now that McCarthy has left the House. ⭕️ All but a few members of McCarthy's inner circle have retired or are planning to, creating openings for a different crop of lawmakers to secure committee gavels and other influential positions next year. 🖼️ The big picture: Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) and Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) are among the McCarthy confidants who plan to retire. Both have been largely left out of major policy talks since Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) took over for McCarthy eight months ago. Both were key players in debt ceiling negotiations last summer, and Graves chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee dealing with aviation. For the few McCarthy allies sticking around — most notably Ways and Means chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) —the task of keeping or acquiring a coveted committee gavel has become more difficult without their leader's help. 🔬 Zoom in: Two members told Axios that Hill likely would have been a shoo-in to replace McHenry as chair of the financial services panel if McCarthy were still around. As it stands, Hill is competing against fellow GOP committee members Frank Lucas (Okla.), Andy Barr (Ky.) and Bill Huizenga (Mich.) for the gavel. And sources familiar with the matter confirmed Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) is weighing whether to challenge Smith for the top spot on the tax-writing panel next Congress after narrowly losing the race last time. Read more Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 29 Author Members Share Posted June 29 Congressional battle over Union Station Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images Union Station is embarking on a long modernization project — but before all that, there's a saga over its immediate control, setting up a clash between a top House Republican and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Why it matters: House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) is trying to derail Amtrak's attempt to use eminent domain to take control of the station's retail space, which is currently leased to a third party. What they're saying: "The complete overhaul of Union Station planned by Amtrak appears to be in direct conflict with existing law," Comer told Buttigieg in a letter yesterday. He added using eminent domain "appears to be little more than another example of abusive government overreach at Americans' expense." Catch up fast: While Amtrak has long-term plans for a gleaming, expanded Union Station, the railway company also wants to renovate the main hall and other interiors in the near future. That includes building more customer and passenger areas and repurposing space that was previously a movie theater. To do so, Amtrak two years ago filed for eminent domain to consolidate its control over the entire station footprint, offering $250 million for the space currently managed by the private party Rexmark. Rexmark didn't want to give it up, but a judge ruled in favor of Amtrak in April. While Amtrak was supposed to take over the lease by June 1, Rexmark has said it needs more time. A new deadline of July 15 is looming. Which is where Comer enters. Comer fears that less focus on building retail space goes against the public-private partnership idea hatched in the 1980s to make the station financially self-sustaining. He wants Buttigieg to turn over a raft of documents, including correspondence involving Amtrak, the Department of Transportation, and the White House regarding Union Station's renovations. He wants them by July 10. Amtrak did not immediately comment. It has previously argued that immediate renovations are needed in part "to repair and reinforce the train tunnel that runs through the Station" and make other improvements. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 1 Author Members Share Posted July 1 62 Democrats Join 207 Republicans in Vote to Conceal Gaza Death Toll Democratic leaders did not tell members to vote against an amendment to block the State Department from citing the Gaza Health Ministry’s statistics. https://theintercept.com/2024/06/27/congress-gaza-death-toll-democrats/? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 1 Author Members Share Posted July 1 More Than 10 Years Later, the Senate Torture Report Is Still Secret I filed a lawsuit to obtain the 6,700-page report with “excruciating detail” about the CIA’s abuses. https://theintercept.com/2024/06/27/senate-torture-report-cia-lawsuit/? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 2 Author Members Share Posted July 2 Psaki pressed on Afghanistan 🎤 Biden's former press secretary Jen Psaki will sit for an interview this month in the House Foreign Affairs Committee's probe into the U.S. military's exit from Afghanistan, according to a letter from her lawyer to the panel obtained by Axios. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chair of the committee, is set to release a report on Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan before the Nov. 5 election. It could contain politically damaging information about the withdrawal, which included the deaths of 13 U.S. soldiers in a bombing at the Kabul airport. The panel's probe has unearthed inconsistencies between what Biden and the White House were saying publicly, and what was happening on the ground. 🚗 Driving the news: Psaki, now with MSNBC, agreed to an interview after a lengthy back-and-forth that started last fall — and once McCaul made clear he was willing to subpoena her to appear. McCaul contacted Psaki's team in September 2023, engaging with her team and the White House counsel's office. 📖 His team renewed his request several months later, after Axios reported Psaki had falsely recounted a key episode of the withdrawal in her recent memoir. Read more Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 3 Author Members Share Posted July 3 Wary donors turn to House, Senate 💰 Major Democratic donors are now planning to go bigger on contributions to House and Senate candidates in a bid to build a Capitol Hill firewall against a second Trump term they view as increasingly likely, Axios has learned. Many big donors are waiting for more polling to assess Biden's chances — and determine the extent to which they'll keep raising money for a campaign many fear is in trouble. But it appears to be the start of a political hedge, as skittish donors weigh where their dollars can have the most impact. 🗳️ It's also an acknowledgment that they view Biden's chances of besting Trump on Nov. 5 as diminishing. Their dollars might go further down-ballot. 💵 After the debate, multiple deep-pocketed Democratic donors indicated to party officials that they planned to boost their commitment to Senate candidates, a national Democrat with knowledge of Senate races told Axios. Several donors already have sent new six-figure contributions, they said. Both they and several lawmakers also spoke on condition of anonymity because of political sensitivities. The bump in fundraising has extended to House Democrats. One House Democrat told Axios they had the "easiest call time ever" after the debate —referring to designated periods in which House members dial up their top donors. Many of the party's top fundraisers are worried that after Biden's record $127 million haul in June, funding for the president's re-election bid could start drying up in July, donors told Axios. 🔬 Zoom in: One major Democratic donor increased by 50% this week their support for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the campaign arm of Senate Democrats, the national Democrat said. Sources on Senate Democratic campaigns in critical swing states told Axios large donors and grassroots contributors have helped them achieve major fundraising hauls in the days since the debate. Senate Democrats are already out-polling Biden in almost every battleground state, and face an uphill battle in protecting their majority. They will need significant financial resources to pull it off. Read more Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 3 Author Members Share Posted July 3 🎯 GOP targets Biden defenders 🏈 Republicans are using Biden's debate fumble to argue that he's unfit to be in office now — much less into 2029. They're questioning Biden's ability to handle a world at war, hitting down-ballot Democrats who have defended his mental acuity and calling for his removal through the 25th Amendment. "My concern right now ... is not just all the Americans who watched this debate, it's what foreign leaders — our enemies — saw in that debate," Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate GOP conference chair, told "Fox News Sunday." 🐘 The National Republican Congressional Committee pledged in a memo yesterday "to pin Democrats to a conspiracy to protect a president Americans do not believe should be serving another term." The National Republican Senatorial Committee quickly pushed a clipped video of vulnerable Democratic senators defending Biden's fitness. Republican candidates Tim Sheehy in Montana and Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania already have ads slamming Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) over their defense of Biden's age and acuity. Read more Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 3 Author Members Share Posted July 3 Democratic rage at Biden rises Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios Top Democratic lawmakers tell us they're madder — and more deeply concerned — about President Biden's denial and deflection about his bad debate than about the halting performance itself, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a Behind the Curtain column. Why it matters: Some lawmakers want Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to privately push Biden to step aside. These lawmakers argue the president could bring down their chances of holding the Senate or flipping the House if he loses big in November. Multiple members told us they're furious the 81-year-old president has dragged his feet on reaching out to Democratic leaders, much less rank-and-file members in tough races. Some of these members believe the White House wants to shield Biden from people who'd try to argue why he should drop out. "I don't know who's making decisions," said one House Democrat exasperated with the West Wing. "Why the hell isn't Biden on the phone with congressional leadership? ... Everybody now thinks he could cost us the majority." Biden still hadn't called Jeffries as of last evening, a House Democratic leadership source told Axios. Lauren Hitt, a Biden campaign spokesperson, told us Biden "has spoken personally with multiple elected officials on the Hill and across the battlegrounds since the debate." In private, lawmakers are sharing stories of Biden's mental and physical decline. They're alarmed that it's mostly people related to Biden, or on his payroll, who're being consulted about his capacity — and his possible impact on the entire party and nation. They're certain the Biden family doesn't want him facing skeptics, even if they're friends. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84, told MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" that she thinks it's "a legitimate question to say: Is this an episode, or is this a condition?" 🖼️ The big picture: The stakes of keeping the Senate majority, and winning back the House, now feel existential to many Democrats after the debate debacle and the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. An increasing number of Biden's own aides are questioning his mental fitness, and are furious about what they see as a lack of candor from their bosses. "Everyone is freaking the f*** out," a White House official told Axios' Alex Thompson. ✈️ Biden himself offered a new excuse last evening, telling reporters at a campaign reception in McLean, Va., that he "wasn't very smart" for "traveling around the world a couple times" before the debate. "I didn't listen to my staff ... and then I almost fell asleep on stage," he told donors. "It's not an excuse but an explanation." Biden spent two days resting in Delaware and six preparing for the debate at Camp David after returning from back-to-back trips to Europe, the N.Y. Times reported. Biden's debate prep never started before 11 a.m. and he "was given time for an afternoon nap each day," the paper said. 🔎 Between the lines: Democrats who used to accuse Trumpers of "gaslighting" are now saying the same about their own White House — fed up with the anodyne defenses of the 81-year-old president. They're baffled by the downplay, the denial, the deflection. "Strangely, we are getting to the point where it may not have been the debate that did him in, but the aftermath of how they've handled it," a top Democratic operative told us. Axios Sneak Peek scooped that major Democratic donors are now planning to move big bucks to House and Senate candidates as a hedge against a second Trump term, which they view as increasingly likely. Column continues below. 🧐 Dem official: "What're we doing?" Top Democrats are watching to see if any blue-leaning states, including Minnesota, are suddenly in play. Anecdotally, Democrats say the answer is yes, Jim and Mike write. Puck reported that post-debate polling by OpenLabs, a progressive nonprofit, found former President Trump now has a chance in New Hampshire, Virginia and New Mexico — all of which had looked safe for Biden. The president was polling behind Vice President Harris and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in hypothetical matchups against Trump. As the revolt spread in Congress, several members strafed the Biden-Harris campaign for a memo dismissing Democratic critics as the "bedwetting brigade." A House Democrat told Axios indignantly: "Consider me a 'bedwetter.' This is not getting better." A Democratic lawmaker told Axios that even if Biden stays in, "at a minimum, he needs to show a decisive change in course by replacing his top campaign advisers." But that would satisfy few, and does nothing to change Biden's age and concern over it. 💻 Behind the scenes: Yesterday afternoon, a Zoom call by the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, billed as a listening session on legislative priorities, turned into a venting/therapy session about Biden and his handlers, with comments ranging from anguish to anger. Among the more than two dozen House Democrats on the call was 15-term Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, who yesterday became the first Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden to end his campaign. Doggett, 77, said in a statement that since Biden's "first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw." A source on the call tells us not a single member said Biden should still run. Some warned their colleagues to be careful what they wish for, since ditching a presumptive nominee so close to the August convention could have nightmare consequences for the party. After a member called Biden's peril "the elephant in the room," members referred derisively to POTUS as "the donkey in the room." Lead story of today's New York Times A top Democratic official told us the biggest mystery is why Biden was allowed to debate, given the obviously massive risk: "What're we doing?" In the past several months, diplomats and other officials who've dealt with Biden behind the scenes have "noticed that he increasingly appeared confused or listless, or would lose the thread of conversations," with the lapses seemingly "growing more frequent, more pronounced and more worrisome," the N.Y. Times reported. As part of the White House response to The Times, Liz Sherwood-Randall, the president's homeland security adviser, said how sharp he has been in her presence. ⚡ The latest: Top Democrats are increasingly vocal about their doubts about Biden's fitness. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) wrote in a Bangor Daily News op-ed that the election's outcome "has been clear to me for months: While I don't plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I'm OK with that." Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) told a local TV station: "Biden is going to lose to Trump. I know that's difficult, but I think the damage has been done by that debate." 🔮 What's next: We told you Monday that Biden was considering a big one-on-one interview as part of his damage control. Sure enough, ABC News announced yesterday that Biden's first post-debate interview will be Friday with George Stephanopoulos. George's first question is likely to be some spin on: "Is America truly supposed to believe that debate performance was an anomaly? Axios' Zachary Basu, Stef Kight and Andrew Solender contributed reporting. Go deeper: Biden's events blitz ... Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 9 Author Members Share Posted July 9 📆 Murphy and Schiff: This week critical for Biden Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says this week is "critical" for Biden to allay voters' concerns about whether he can beat Donald Trump, adding that the "clock is ticking" for Biden to decide whether to stay in the presidential race. Murphy's comments on CNN's "State of the Union," along with similar comments today from Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who's running for Senate, follow a week in which Senate Democrats have been noticeably silent about whether Biden should abandon his re-election bid. 🎤 Biden's interview with ABC on Friday didn't allay voters' concerns about the viability of Biden's candidacy, Murphy said. "This week is going to be absolutely critical," Murphy said, adding that Biden needed to "show the country that he is still the old Joe Biden, one of the best retail politicians that this country has ever seen." ⏰ "I believe that he can do it, but … I do think the clock is ticking." Schiff had a similar message for Biden. He urged the president to "seek out people with some distance and objectivity" as he assesses whether he can beat Trump. "Either he has to win overwhelmingly or he has to pass the torch to someone who can. It's as simple as that," Schiff said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 9 Author Members Share Posted July 9 More top-ranking Democratic lawmakers call on Biden to step aside Anxiety is running high as Democratic lawmakers are joining calls for Biden to step aside after his dismal public debate performance and defiant response to the uproar. At the same time, some of the president’s most staunch supporters are redoubling the fight for Biden’s presidency, insisting there is no one better to beat Republican Donald Trump. Read more. Why this matters: Democratic lawmakers return to Washington at a pivotal moment as they decide whether to work to revive his campaign or edge out the party leader, a make-or-break time for his reelection and their own political futures. There appears to be no easy answers in sight. It’s a tenuous and highly volatile juncture for the president’s party. Democrats who have worked alongside Biden for years — if not decades — are now entertaining uncomfortable questions about his political future. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ The Biden campaign approved questions for the president’s interviews on a pair of Black radio shows Here’s how Harris could take over Biden’s campaign cash if he drops out and she runs for president Americans are split over whether Trump should face prison in the hush money case, AP-NORC poll finds Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 10 Author Members Share Posted July 10 Dems who could decide Biden fate President Biden is spot on: You can ignore nervous Democrats, the media, pundits, rich donors and elites. They hold no sway over his future, Jim and Mike write in a Behind the Curtain column. But a handful of top Democrats, from former President Obama to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, most certainly do. Why it matters: They have the credibility and sway to nudge Biden out — or get nervous Democrats to put a sock in it. Most of these deciders are publicly silent or supportive. But all are fielding nonstop calls and texts asking them to take a very public stand, officials tell us. 🔎 The intrigue: Here's the dilemma bedeviling most House and Senate Democrats. If they publicly call for Biden to resign and he stays, they risk seeming disloyal and paying a price if he wins. But if they back him forcefully, and Biden has another debate-like moment and loses, they fear looking naive and complicit. Hence, the deafening silence of so many. That's why this small group of party leaders will need to decide soon to tell Biden to resign — or his critics to stand down. Truth is, both sides would need a nudge — or a shove. Column continues below. 👀 Part 2: Players to watch The players to watch, Jim and Mike write: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi: The former speaker has privately told people she's deeply uneasy with Biden staying in. She loves him. But she's also ruthlessly practical. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is one of the most cautious politicians in America, so it's hard to see him making a dramatic move. Pelosi, whose office says she has full confidence in Biden, could play the heavy. Biden respects her iconic stature, and knows she pulled miraculous moves to pass his legislative agenda. "He would listen reluctantly, but he'd listen to her," a person close to Biden tells us. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.): Publicly, he's 100% behind Biden. Until he's not. He literally saved Biden in 2020, when Clyburn delivered the then-struggling candidate a big primary win in South Carolina. A Pelosi-Clyburn duet with Biden would move the needle. Right now, Clyburn and the Congressional Black Caucus are Biden's vital firewall. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): The top-ranking Senate Democrat is taking the pulse of his swing-state members and staying behind Biden while he plots his next move. "As I've said before, I'm for Joe," he told reporters yesterday. He could quiet the uprising with an unequivocal public message: "Cut the crap." Or end Biden's survival strategy with a blunt, private chat: "It's over." Remember, Schumer's power is on the line, too: A Democratic wipeout lands him back in the minority. A Biden friend said: "He views Schumer as a guy who barters more than he makes decisions." Former President Obama: The two men have a complicated, at times rivalrous relationship. But Obama was quick to defend him post-debate, and Biden was grateful. Plus he knows he owes Obama a lot. Obama is under a lot of pressure from top Democrats across the country to shoot straight with Biden. He's the best-known and most popular Democrat in the land so any exit strategy would involve him. But longtime Biden allies say there'd be a risk of an Obama intervention backfiring and making Biden more likely to stay. Biden has long resented what he sees as Obama choosing Hillary Clinton over him in 2016. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.): He's cautious, with the speakership in sight. He's a power center in the Congressional Black Caucus, which embraced Biden when he joined a Zoom call for 20 minutes last evening. He knows the House map, thanks to redistricting, favors Democrats. Jeffries, 53, needs to flip just four seats to be the first Black Speaker of the House. He has stood by Biden, and said "same answer" yesterday. The inner circle: Biden's secret weapon has been a deeply loyal top staff that has stuck with him for decades. Think the Donilon brothers (Mike and Tom), Steve Ricchetti, Anita Dunn, Bruce Reed, Ron Klain. If they concluded it was over, it would be. Outside his family, they have as much collective juice as anyone. Non-family friends: Former Sens. Chris Dodd and Ted Kaufman are Biden's besties — close enough to have the difficult discussions others fear, or lack the standing to hold. Biden, who called into MSNBC's "Morning Joe" yesterday, respects Joe Scarborough as a former officeholder, and has spent unannounced time with him. Jon Meacham, the historian and muse who has consulted with Biden on big speeches, gained credibility by being willing to tell Biden the good and the bad. Share this column ... Last 10 columns. 🗞️ The lead headlines of today's New York Times and Washington Post show yesterday was a momentum day for Biden, at least in Washington. The Wall Street Journal's lead story: "President Digs In, Reiterates He Won't Quite Race." Go deeper: James Carville says in a N.Y. Times op-ed: "Mark my words: Joe Biden is going to be out of the 2024 presidential race." Carville calls for a "superdemocratic process" to choose the nominee, starting with four regional town halls, moderated by former Presidents Obama and Clinton. Biden's 2-page letter to congressional Dems ... 2-page letter from Biden's doctor. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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