Democrats

Biden “Expects” To Run Again In 2024 With Harris

CNBC reports: President Joe Biden expects to run for reelection in 2024, signaling for the first time that he will seek a second term in the White House. “My plan is to run for reelection. That’s my expectation,” Biden told reporters on Thursday during his first news conference as president. He later reaffirmed that it’s his “expectation” he will try …

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LIVE VIDEO: Biden Holds First Formal Press Conference

CBS News reports: President Biden will be giving his first press conference as president on Thursday, March 25, at 1:15 p.m. ET. While Mr. Biden has periodically taken questions from reporters, he has not yet had a full press conference since taking office. Mr. Biden has been criticized by conservatives and even some political allies for his delay in holding …

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NY Lawmakers Reach Deal With Cuomo On Legal Weed

Bloomberg News reports: New York is ready to legalize recreational marijuana. The state would impose special pot taxes and prepare to license dispensaries under an agreement reached by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders. The deal that legislative leaders brokered with Cuomo (D) calls for a 13% sales tax, 9% of which would go to the state and 4% to …

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Virginia Is First Southern State To Abolish Death Penalty

The Associated Press reports: The governor signed legislation Wednesday making Virginia the 23rd state to abolish the death penalty, a dramatic shift for the commonwealth, which had the second-highest number of executions in the U.S. The bills were the culmination of a yearslong battle by Democrats who argued the death penalty has been applied disproportionately to people of color, the …

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Sanders “Uncomfortable” With Trump’s Twitter Ban

Axios reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told New York Times podcast “The Ezra Klein Show” Tuesday he doesn’t feel “particularly comfortable” with Twitter permanently banning former President Trump from the platform. In the interview, Sanders was asked about criticisms from some conservatives that liberals had become “too censorious.” Sanders responded by saying Trump “is a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, …

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Manchin Opposes Background Checks On Gun Buys

Fox News reports: President Biden’s calls for the Senate to pass aggressive background check bills and a ban on assault weapons face an uphill battle with a key Democrat already voicing disapproval. Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia, said Tuesday he can’t support the pair of Biden-backed background check bills that the House already passed. “No, not …

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POLL: Newsom Would Likely Survive Recall Attempt

The Hill reports: More Californians would vote to keep Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in office than oust him if a recall election likely later this year were held right away, a new poll shows. The survey, conducted by the independent California-based firm Probolsky Research, found 46 percent of all voters and 53 percent of those who say they are likely …

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WH: Biden May Take Executive Actions On Gun Control

The Washington Post reports: White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that Biden is considering taking executive action on gun control in the wake of the Colorado shootings as well as seeking to work with Congress to strengthen background checks and reenact an assault weapons ban. Speaking to reporter on Air Force One as Biden traveled to Ohio, Psaki …

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Obama Blasts “Cowardly Politicians And Gun Lobby”

From a statement issued by Barack Obama: It is long past time for those with the power to fight this epidemic of gun violence to do so. It will take time to root out the disaffection, racism and misogyny that fuels so many of these senseless acts of violence. But we can make it harder for those with hate in …

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NJ To Pause Further Reopenings As New Cases Surge

Bloomberg News reports: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the state will pause further rollbacks of pandemic restrictions as its case count surges to the highest in the nation. Capacity at New Jersey’s restaurants, gyms, salons, and other recreational facilities increased to 50% on Friday as Murphy eased rules aimed at stemming the coronavirus outbreak. The number of people allowed …

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Doug Emhoff To Speak At LGBTQ Passover Seder

The Times of Israel reports: Doug Emhoff, husband to US Vice President Kamala Harris, will serve as guest speaker at this year’s National Rainbow Seder. The event, a virtual one, strives to celebrate Passover through an LGBTQ lens. The Seder’s theme is “Renewal and Resistance: a Journey Towards Liberation.” It will include a specially commissioned Haggadah coupling the story of …

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Action On Statehood For DC Begins Again On Monday

The Washington Post reports: The fight is arriving on Capitol Hill: The House Oversight and Reform Committee on Monday will convene a hearing on a statehood bill, and Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said in an interview he expects that the bill will pass the House before summer. Statehood advocates still face major obstacles: They do not yet have …

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Feinstein Reverses, Backs Review Of Filibuster Rules

Politico reports: After President Joe Biden recently suggested he’d favor a return to a “talking filibuster,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Friday the Senate should weigh changing filibuster rules. “I’m open to changing the way the Senate filibuster rules are used,” Feinstein said in a statement Friday, saying a talking filibuster should be considered, pointing to Biden’s support for it. “I …

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Special Election To Replace Fudge Set For November

Roll Call reports: Ohio’s Secretary of State announced Thursday that the special election to replace former Rep. Marcia L. Fudge will take place on Nov. 2, leaving Speaker Nancy Pelosi with an empty seat for most of the year. Fudge won the district with 80 percent of the vote in 2020 and 82 percent in 2018. It’s too early for …

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Florida Mayor Bucks DeSantis On Vaccine Eligibility

The Orlando Sentinel reports: People 40 years and older can be vaccinated at the Orange County Convention Center starting Monday, Mayor Jerry Demings said, his latest move in extending the shot to people ahead of state regulations. Demings said the decision was made with confidence the county has ample supply to handle the potential of people from outside of the …

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Biden To Tap Former Sen. Bill Nelson To Head NASA

Politico reports: President Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida to lead NASA, settling on a longtime booster of the space program to lead the agency’s return to the moon, according to three people familiar with the decision. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that she had seen the reports, but did not …

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Signature Collection Period Ends In Newsom Recall

CBS News reports: A plodding, months-long review kicks off Wednesday to confirm what appears inevitable: California Gov. Gavin Newsom will face a recall election that could oust the Democrat before his first term ends. The announcement Monday that Newsom was beginning to raise money to defend his seat seemed to confirm that he believes organizers behind the recall have collected …

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Biden Backs Changes To Senate Filibuster [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: The fight over the Senate filibuster escalated sharply on Tuesday, as President Biden for the first time threw his weight behind changing the rules even as Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, threatened harsh reprisals if Democrats moved to weaken the procedural tactic. In an interview with ABC News, Mr. Biden gave his most direct …

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Feinstein Shrugs Off Newsom: I’ll Serve My Full Term

CNN reports: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the 87-year-old veteran Democrat, insisted on Tuesday that she is committed to serving out her full term in office even after California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he had a list of “multiple” potential replacements and would appoint a Black woman to replace her should she retire. “There’s nothing to it,” Feinstein told CNN on Tuesday …

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Dem Virginia Gov Restores Voting Rights For Felons

Just in via press release: Governor Ralph Northam today restored the civil rights of more than 69,000 Virginians using new eligibility criteria that mirror a proposed change to the Constitution of Virginia that would automatically restore voting rights to individuals upon completion of their sentence of incarceration. Governor Northam announced that going forward, any Virginian released from incarceration will qualify …

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