Politics

The New York Daily News reports: Mayor Adams revealed Thursday that he will convert his first City Hall paycheck into cryptocurrency, seeking to make good on a campaign promise to use and promote the virtual cash system while in office. The first paycheck, due to arrive Friday, will “automatically be converted” into Bitcoin and Ethereum, two popular cryptocurrencies, via Coinbase, …

The Associated Press reports: Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights leaders say is vital to protecting democracy collapsed late Wednesday when two senators refused to join their own party in changing Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster after a raw, emotional debate. The outcome was a stinging defeat for President Joe Biden and his party, coming at the …

NBC News reports: A Democratic House member said he will “fully cooperate in any investigation” amid reports that the FBI raided his Texas home Wednesday. Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose South Texas district includes San Antonio and Laredo, said in a statement that he is “committed to ensuring that justice and the law are upheld.” An FBI spokeswoman said agents were …

Gothamist reports: Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a $216 billion state budget Tuesday that would provide bonus payments to health care workers, bolster funding for schools and clear the way for casinos in New York City. Hochul’s spending plan comes as the state is in a relatively strong financial position, thanks to a large influx of federal aid and stronger-than-expected tax …

The Arizona Republic reports: Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., will support a change to the filibuster rule, The Arizona Republic has learned, showing for the first time a willingness to bend on an issue that has tied the Senate in knots for a year as the Democratic legislative agenda has stalled. Kelly, who is up for reelection this year, will back …

Reuters reports: Propelled into the top job to “get Brexit done”, Johnson in 2019 won his party’s biggest majority in more than 30 years but now faces calls to resign after a series of revelations about parties in Downing Street – the prime ministers’ home and office – during COVID lockdowns. To trigger a leadership challenge, 54 of the 360 …

The Huffington Post reports: Jim Obergefell, who was at the center of the 2015 Supreme Court case that legalized marriage equality in the United States, announced Tuesday that he is running for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. “We should all be able to participate fully in society and the economy, living in strong communities with great public …

The Hill reports: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Sunday would not say if he plans to file to run for U.S. Senate by next month’s deadline, days after reports surfaced that GOP heavyweights are urging him to mount a bid. Asked by moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation” if he is going to run for U.S. Senate, …

Haaretz reports: Hundreds of people protested on Saturday night in front of the home of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in Petah Tikva against the prospect of a plea deal for former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the three cases against him. The demonstration was organized by protest movements “Inquiry Now” and “Crime Minister.” The protesters called to “investigate the AG” …

Gothamist reports: When Mayor Eric Adams decided to appoint his brother, Bernard Adams, as head of his security detail, it attracted renewed attention to a small city agency charged with holding the conduct of city elected officials and employees to certain ethical standards: the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB). When asked about the appointment, which comes with …

The Times Of Israel reports: Prosecutors are reportedly fuming over reports that former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding secret talks with the attorney general over a plea deal in his corruption trial, which is now said to be just awaiting Netanyahu’s final approval. Meanwhile, political forces believe a plea deal that removes Netanyahu from the political sphere could …

NPR reports: Guns and other weapons would be banned from election-related locations and at school board meetings in Washington under a pair of proposals that received a public hearing in the Democratically-controlled state Legislature on Wednesday. In addition, people would be prohibited from openly carrying firearms at local government meetings — such as meetings of city councils. Violations would be …

The Columbus Dispatch reports: The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the state’s congressional district map Friday, saying Republicans violated the Ohio Constitution by drawing districts that favored GOP candidates. Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor was, once again, a key vote in the 4-3 decision to reject the map, which could have given Republicans as much as a 12-3 …

The Washington Post reports: Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) said Friday he will not seek another term in Congress, becoming the third of the 10 Republicans who voted last year to impeach former president Donald Trump to announce their retirement. In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Katko, 59, said that he made the decision “so that I can enjoy …

Reuters reports: Ukraine was hit by a massive cyberattack warning its citizens to “be afraid and expect the worst”, and Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops on its neighbour’s frontier, released TV pictures on Friday of more forces deploying in a drill. The developments unfolded hours after talks wrapped up with no breakthrough between Russia and Western states, …

CBS News reports: Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who became known for his representation of adult film actress Stormy Daniels and battle with former President Donald Trump, alleges in a new filing with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that he was mistreated while in federal custody in retaliation for his criticisms of Trump and former Attorney General William Barr. Avenatti …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday refused to parole the man convicted of gunning down Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles, a brazen assassination of a presidential candidate that scarred the nation and altered the course of American politics during the turbulent 1960s. A two-person state parole panel recommended in August that Sirhan Sirhan be paroled, …

CNBC reports: The House select committee investigating the deadly Capitol riot has subpoenaed social media giants Twitter, Reddit and the parent companies of Facebook and Google, the panel’s chairman said Thursday. The bipartisan committee had asked for a trove of records last summer from those and other social companies, but said it received “inadequate responses” from some of the largest …

The Hill reports: Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump last year, announced on Wednesday that he would be running in California’s newly drawn 22nd congressional district. “I’ll continue to be an independent member of Congress who will stand up to the divisive partisanship in Washington D.C., get things done …

The Independent reports: Sen Kyrsten Sinema ripped apart Democratic voters’ hopes of seeing changes to the filibuster that would allow voting rights legislation to pass in a speech on Thursday that reiterated her support for both the legislation itself and the 60-vote threshold that is keeping its passage an impossibility. In a floor speech, the Arizona Democrat portrayed the Senate’s …