Democrats

The Washington Post reports: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who has spent nearly three decades in Congress, announced Monday night that he does not plan to seek reelection next year. He was first elected to Congress in a special election in 1996 to succeed then-Rep. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who had been elected to the Senate. Known for his signature bow ties …

NBC News reports: President Joe Biden signed a wide-ranging executive order on artificial intelligence Monday, setting the stage for some industry regulations and funding for the U.S. government to further invest in the technology. The order is broad, and its focuses range from civil rights and industry regulations to a government hiring spree. In a media call previewing the order …

Axios reports: President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should conduct its offensive against Hamas in Gaza “in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of civilians,” the White House said on Sunday. It was the first call between the two leaders since the Israeli military expanded its ground operations in Gaza late …

Via press release from Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan: As LGBTQI+ History Month comes to a close, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02), Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, introduced two bills to begin the process of creating a National Museum of American LGBTQI+ History and Culture. “As our community faces unprecedented attacks and attempts to erase our history, we must preserve …

Politico reports: The presidential campaign Dean Phillips launched on Friday is such a longshot that some of his colleagues call it a vanity project. Other top Democrats privately deem it a mid-life crisis. It may also be the clearest distillation to date of the undercurrent of discontent with Joe Biden among Democratic Party voters, even if it’s not likely to …

The Washington Post reports: Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) announced Thursday he will not seek a 10th term in 2024, creating an open congressional seat and ending a tenure that earned him praise as a champion of campaign finance reform. Sarbanes’s announcement, which surprised Maryland politics watchers, was posted in a statement on his House website that said he hoped to …

The Charlotte Observer reports: A second member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation is leaving Washington to run for state attorney general. Rep. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat from Charlotte, announced his candidacy for attorney general on Thursday, the day after the state’s legislators approved a new congressional map that favors Republicans in his district. Jackson’s fellow House member, Rep. Dan Bishop, …

ABC News reports: Rep. Jared Golden, a Marine Corps veteran who lives in Lewiston, Maine, said Thursday that in light of the recent mass shooting in his hometown he was changing his view on banning assault-style weapons. “Humility is called for as accountability is sought by victims of a tragedy such as this one,” Golden said at a news conference …

The Hill reports: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor for falsely pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building last month ahead of a key House vote. Bowman appeared in D.C. Superior Court Thursday morning for his arraignment, one day after he was charged. Under an agreement with prosecutors, he will to pay a $1,000 …

NBC News reports: Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., has been criminally charged with a misdemeanor in connection with pulling a fire alarm in a congressional building on Capitol Hill last month. The charge — one misdemeanor count of falsely pulling a fire alarm — carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. Bowman has been ordered to appear in D.C. …

The Hill reports: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) took issue with a new school lunch resolution offered by fellow Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) Tuesday. The resolution, initially introduced in July by a series of senators and placed on the calendar last week, disagrees with recent guidance by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in relation to sex discrimination. “I can’t even …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota is preparing to formally announce a long- shot Democratic primary challenge to President Biden, offering himself as a next-generation alternative to the 80-year-old president, according to people familiar with his plans. The 54-year-old Phillips, after months of encouraging fellow Democrats to challenge Biden, has told people in his home state …

CNN reports: Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty in federal court Monday to a charge alleging he conspired to act as a foreign agent of Egypt. The New Jersey Democrat personally entered his plea before district Judge Sidney H. Stein. Menendez, his wife Nadine Arslanian Menendez, and three other co-defendants were indicted last month on corruption-related offenses and are accused …

PBS NewsHour reports: President Joe Biden will deliver a rare Oval Office address Thursday night as he makes his case for providing billions of dollars in military assistance to Israel and Ukraine, deepening American involvement in two very different, unpredictable and bloody foreign conflicts. The speech will be an opportunity for Biden to argue that the United States has an …

The New York Times reports: Laphonza Butler, who was appointed 18 days ago to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Dianne Feinstein’s death, said on Thursday that she would not run for the office next year, clearing the way for a truly open race in California that features three Democratic congressional members and a former Major League Baseball star. …

The Messenger reports: Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips is trying to hire top Democratic operatives with presidential campaign experience for his longshot primary challenge against President Joe Biden, according to multiple sources familiar with conversations. The outreach is the latest sign that Phillips is not only serious about running for president but has begun to put the pieces together to mount …

NBC News reports: President Biden announced an agreement Wednesday to allow humanitarian aid to move from Egypt to Gaza and confirmed $100 million in U.S. funding for assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. Biden, speaking in Tel Aviv as part of a trip to Israel in the wake of terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas, said he …

The Associated Press reports: Four defendants in the criminal bribery case against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty Wednesday in New York City to a revised indictment alleging that the senator, his wife and a third defendant conspired to use him as an agent of the Egyptian government. The senator, who gave up his position as chair of the …

Politico reports: The idea of empowering acting Speaker Patrick McHenry to temporarily move legislation is gaining traction in the Democratic Caucus. Maine Rep. Jared Golden is now openly calling to increase McHenry’s powers, at least to avoid a government shutdown. In an interview with us, the centrist Democrat said he supports allowing McHenry to move bills on a temporary basis, …

Courthouse News reports: Governor Roy Cooper sued the State of North Carolina, the President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate and the Speaker of the North Carolina House, claiming that the North Carolina General Assembly limited his constitutional duties as governor and violated the constitutional separation of powers. Session Law 2023-139, previously Senate Bill 749, removed Cooper’s ability to …