Politics

The Wall Street Journal reports: Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) is poised to win her fourth term as House speaker on Sunday, but a narrower Democratic majority and uncertainties caused by the coronavirus pandemic will make for little wiggle room. Pelosi has spent time in recent weeks shoring up support among Democrats to be able to carry a majority of those …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: A record 3 million Georgia voters cast their ballots before early voting ended for the U.S. Senate runoffs, setting up a showdown that will be decided on election day Tuesday. The high turnout so far reflects the national importance of the dual runoffs, which will determine control of the Senate. Republican U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and …

The BBC reports: Argentina’s Congress has legalised abortions up to the 14th week of pregnancy, a ground-breaking move for a region that has some of the world’s most restrictive termination laws. Senators voted in favour of the bill after a marathon session with 38 in favour, 29 against and one abstention. Until now, abortions were only permitted in cases of …

The Hill reports: Former first lady Michelle Obama was named the most admired woman in the U.S. for the third consecutive year according to Gallup polling released Tuesday. Ten percent of Americans named Obama as their most-admired woman, followed by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first woman elected to the office, with 6 percent. First lady Melania Trump received 4 …

Reuters reports: Nearly 2.1 million people have cast ballots in a U.S. Senate runoff election in Georgia that will determine whether Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda, according to state data published Thursday. Turnout has been higher in some of the heavily populated areas around Atlanta that delivered Biden a narrow victory …

The Washington Post reports: Civil rights groups and the U.S. Postal Service struck a deal late Wednesday on speedier ballot-handling procedures, avoiding a court fight before the Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia that will decide control of the U.S. Senate. The Postal Service and its Justice Department lawyers agreed to treat ballots still in processing plants within three days …

The New York Daily News reports: He’s in. Andrew Yang, who rose to prominence during a longshot presidential run, is throwing his hat into next year’s mayoral race. The City Campaign Finance Board confirmed that Yang registered his campaign on Wednesday.  For months, city politicos have been speculating that Yang might jump into the race, which already boasts a crowded …

The Guardian reports: Vladimir Putin has signed legislation that will grant former presidents of Russia lifetime immunity once they leave office. The bill, which was published online on Tuesday, gives former presidents and their families immunity from prosecution for crimes committed during their lifetime. They will also be exempt from questioning by police or investigators, as well as searches or …

The Washington Post reports: Israel’s fractious coalition government collapsed Tuesday night, forcing the country into its fourth round of national elections in less than two years. The immediate cause was the failure of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to pass an annual budget by a midnight deadline, one of many basic acts of lawmaking that have gone undone since right-wing and …

Washington DC’s NBC News affiliate reports: A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed. The statue was removed from Statuary Hall overnight, the office of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced early Monday. A commission formed by the General Assembly decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol …

Politico reports: After a disastrous November election for the polling industry, when the polls again underestimated President Donald Trump (who lost regardless) as well as GOP candidates down the ballot, pollsters are mostly sidelined in the run-up to the Jan. 5 Georgia elections, which most observers regard as toss-ups. The public polls that drove so much of the news coverage …

The Hill reports: More people cast ballots on the first day of early voting in Georgia’s Senate runoffs this week than those that did so when early voting opened ahead of the 2020 general election. Roughly 168,000 Georgians went to the polls on Monday, the first day to vote early in-person in the state’s two critical Senate runoff elections. By …

The Washington Post reports: As District leaders prepare to shell out tens of millions of dollars on the presidential inauguration, they are sounding alarm bells over the federal government’s failure to repay them for the costs of Trump’s inauguration four years ago. The federal government is supposed to cover expenses related to federal activity in the District, but Congress has …

The Verge reports: Facebook on Tuesday said it would make an exception to its political ad ban to let campaigns and other political organizations run advertising for the upcoming Georgia runoff elections. The Senate races, which will determine which US political party controls that chamber of Congress, take place on January 5th. Facebook says advertisers authorized to run ads on …

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports: Former state Sen. Nina Turner made her bid official for Rep. Marcia Fudge’s congressional seat, becoming the third candidate to jump in to what will likely be a crowded primary. Turner, 53, of Cleveland, held multiple elected offices in both the city and state before becoming a national name through her work with Sen. Bernie …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Early in-person voting began Monday in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoffs, with both parties racing to turn out supporters for the Jan. 5 election that will determine control of the Senate. The opening of some polling locations for voters comes as roughly 1.2 million voters already have requested absentee ballots for the runoff election, and more …

The Washington Post reports: A few years ago, Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) established unusual benchmarks for deciding whether to run for reelection in 2022, potential six-year terms that would end with Grassley in his mid-90s and Leahy in his late 80s. Today, seven senators are at least 80 years old, the second-largest number of …

The New York Times reports: Andrew Yang, the former tech executive who gained a national following as a Democratic presidential candidate, has been privately telling New York City leaders that he intends to run for mayor next year. Mr. Yang is not expected to announce his bid until next month, but with the Democratic primary less than seven months away, …

NBC News reports: Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe will announce Wednesday morning that he will run again for his former seat, according to aides involved in his emerging campaign. McAuliffe, who entertained a run for president in 2020, is up against three other Democrats, all of whom are Black: current Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax, state senator Jennifer McClellan and former …

The New York Post reports: Tech entrepreneur and one-time Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang could shake up the crowded 2021 field to replace Mayor Bill de Blasio if he opts to jump in the race, according to a poll obtained by The Post. The survey also shows that Yang’s entry into the race would complicate city Comptroller Scott Stringer’s efforts …