Politics

Bloomberg News reports: A record 18 out of NATO’s 31 countries are expected to meet the alliance’s defense spending goal this year, a commitment Donald Trump has been pushing for in his White House reelection campaign. “European allies are spending more” toward the bloc’s target to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told …

NBC News reports: Democratic former Rep. Tom Suozzi is heading back to Congress after he won the special election in New York’s 3rd District to replace former GOP Rep. George Santos, NBC News projects. Suozzi’s victory Tuesday over Republican Mazi Pilip cuts Republicans’ already razor-thin House majority by one seat, making legislating even more difficult moving forward. The result is …

Newsweek reports: Senior Democrats are suggesting that a discharge petition could be introduced to bring a $95-billion overseas aid bill to a vote in the House of Representatives if Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to introduce it. On Tuesday the bill passed the Senate in a 70-29 vote, but it must also be approved by the House before President Joe Biden …

Politico reports: Mitch McConnell urged Speaker Mike Johnson to allow a vote on Ukraine aid in an interview on Tuesday afternoon, though the Senate minority leader said he would not be “so presumptuous as to tell him how to do it.” “We’ve heard all kinds of rumors about whether the House supports Ukraine or doesn’t. It seems to me that …

The New York Times reports: The race has been dominated by an international migrant crisis and attracted $15 million in outside spending. But the special House election to replace George Santos in New York on Tuesday may come down to the most local of problems: an ill-timed Election Day snowstorm. Forecasters were calling for a half foot or more of …

The New York Times reports: The Senate passed a long-awaited foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday morning, delivering a bipartisan endorsement of the legislation after months of negotiations, dire battlefield warnings and political mudslinging. But the measure faced a buzz saw of opposition in the House, where Republican resistance threatened to kill it. The 70-to-29 vote reflected …

The Hill reports: A summit aimed at rivaling the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and featuring prominent Republican critics of former President Trump will take place in Washington later this month. The group Principles First is set to host a summit Feb. 23-25 at the Conrad hotel “focused on advancing a more principled center-right politics in the United States” and …

Politico reports: The possibility of an Election Day snowstorm in next week’s tight race to replace expelled former Rep. George Santos in Congress is putting pressure on the candidates to turn out their supporters. Any disruption to voting Tuesday could benefit former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi over Republican nominee Mazi Melesa Pilip, thanks to Democrats’ advantage in early voting so …

Axios reports: The Texas GOP’s executive committee voted to censure House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) on Saturday for his part in the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton and appointing Democrats to chair House committees, among other issues. The censure measure is another instance of the deep infighting that has marked the Texas GOP in the past year, with an …

Axios reports: Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), the chair of the House Select Committee on China, said Saturday he will not seek reelection in November. Gallagher is the fourth Republican committee chair to announce their retirement in 2024 and the second just this week. Gallagher’s announcement comes just days after his controversial vote against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. His …

Politico reports: Nikki Haley is stepping up her attacks on Donald Trump’s age — this time at his own rally in South Carolina. The Haley campaign on Saturday will parade a mobile billboard around the Myrtle Beach area, including by Trump’s rally in Conway, where the former president will appear for the first time this year in the state ahead …

The Huffington Post reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) defended Joe Biden amid questions about the president’s mental acuity following the release of a special counsel’s report that cast the 81-year-old as an elderly man with “significant” memory problems. “I’ve worked with the president, and I haven’t seen anything that’s abnormal before. It was like President Trump saying Nikki Haley three …

NBC News reports: A Louisiana lawmaker is proposing a bill that would allow for nitrogen gas to be used in executions in the event lethal injection is unavailable, making it the latest state to consider adopting the practice after Alabama put a man to death last month through the first-of-its-kind method. Rep. Nicholas Muscarello, a Republican who chairs the House’s …

Variety reports: In a blog post Friday, Instagram, the popular photo and video app owned by Meta, said it will no longer “proactively recommend” political content from accounts that users do not already follow. The same policy applies to Threads, the Twitter-copycat app launched last summer under the Instagram brand. “We want Instagram and Threads to be a great experience …

Florida Politics reports: A measure purporting to stop human trafficking by banning people under the age of 21 from working in the adult entertainment sector is slated for another Senate committee stop. The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice will consider on Tuesday morning Sen. Clay Yarborough’s bill (SB 1690). If the measure advances, it has one stop ahead …

Politico reports: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is launching a Senate bid, according to a person familiar with the matter. The anti-Trump Republican is expected to file for the open Senate seat on Friday, the last day of the filing deadline. Hogan is popular in Maryland and his entrance in the race is a huge recruiting coup for Republicans, but …

Florida Politics reports: Language in legislation (SB 1084) advanced by the Senate would preempt local governments from requiring a higher number of parking lot spaces to be reserved for electric vehicles. Instead, state regulations would be the only threshold imposed. But during committee discussion, Sen. Jay Collins, a Tampa Republican carrying the bill, made clear the measure would outlaw extra …

NBC News reports: The Senate voted Thursday afternoon to proceed to a stripped-down bill that would provide aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, one day after Republicans in the chamber rejected a bipartisan border security and foreign aid bill. The vote of 67-32 means the Senate can begin consideration of the $95 billion package, although the next steps are uncertain …

The New York Times reports: Former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil oversaw a broad conspiracy to hold on to power regardless of the results of the 2022 election, including personally editing a proposed order to arrest a Supreme Court justice and call new elections after he lost, according to new accusations by Brazilian federal police unveiled on Thursday. Mr. Bolsonaro …

ABC News reports: Marianne Williamson suspended her campaign for president, she announced on Wednesday night. The author and speaker placed a distant third during Tuesday night’s Nevada primary, earning just 3% of the tallied vote. President Joe Biden received 89%, and the option “none of these candidates” took 6%. Williamson had continued her 2024 White House bid through the Nevada …