Politics

Reuters reports: Israeli air and ground forces are stepping up operations in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s chief military spokesperson said on Friday, amid reports of heavy bombing of the besieged enclave. Internet and mobile phone services were cut off in the Palestinian territory, a local telecoms firm and the Red Crescent said. “In the last hours, we intensified the attacks …

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, …

The New York Post reports: Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. submitted a third request for Secret Service protection from the Biden administration on Wednesday after an intruder was arrested twice in one day trespassing on his Los Angeles property. The Los Angeles Police Department identified the alleged trespasser as 28-year-old Jonathan Macht of Pacific Palisades, Calif. Wednesday’s incident follows …

The Hill reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) office says it is sending drones, weapons and ammunition to Israel to support its war against Hamas, a move that would bolster the governor’s pro-Israel stance in the battle for the GOP presidential nomination. Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for DeSantis’s office, said that the Israeli Consul General in Miami requested Florida send …

The Washington Post reports: A federal judge has struck down Georgia’s political district maps as unconstitutional, and ordered state lawmakers to redraw them by Dec. 8, in a win for voting rights activists who argued the state’s maps dilute the power of Black voters. In a ruling issued Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones wrote that Georgia’s congressional and …

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 …

ABC News reports: The U.S. economy grew at a blistering pace over three months ending in September, more than doubling growth in the previous quarter and rebuking worries about a possible recession. The robust performance, however, complicates the fight to dial back inflation. Fresh GDP data released on Thursday, which exceeded economist expectations, reinforces other recent indicators of a strong …

Democracy Docket reports: On Wednesday, Oct. 25, North Carolina Republicans passed new, highly gerrymandered congressional and legislative maps as well as a county board of commissioners map. The drafts were unveiled just last week. The new congressional map has 10 Republican districts, three Democratic districts and only one competitive district. Democratic Reps. Kathy Manning, Jeff Jackson and Wiley Nickel are …

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 New York Times reports: The terms of the private loan were as generous as they were clear: With no money down, Justice Clarence Thomas could borrow more than a quarter of a million dollars from a wealthy friend to buy a 40-foot luxury motor coach, making annual interest-only payments for five years. Only then would the principal come due. …

CNN reports: In his first address to the House after winning the speaker’s gavel, newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson thanked Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and former speaker Kevin McCarthy. Johnson told Jeffries that he looks forward to working with him. “I know we see things from different points of view, but I know in your heart you want to …

The Washington Post reports: The House is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to install Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as its speaker. Late Tuesday, Johnson became the fourth Republican pick for the post since the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) three weeks ago. It remains unclear whether Johnson can accomplish what the other three could not: achieve a majority …

Florida Politics reports: Ron DeSantis’ Year of the Teacher is but a sepia-tinged memory now, with 2023 being the Year of the Terrorist. That’s one interpretation to be drawn from the Governor’s latest text message to supporters of his presidential campaign, at least. In a missive to his list Wednesday, the Republican candidate bashed those supporting Hamas terrorists as well …

“I wonder if Barack Obama really in his heart believes that Israel has a right to exist. I wonder, in his heart, right? For real. If he’s gonna go here at this time, you have to wonder. He is, after all, Barack Obama. Make that Barack Hussein Obama. Uh, under ordinary circumstances, his middle name has nothing to do with …

Reuters reports: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, in his strongest comments yet on the Gaza conflict, said on Wednesday the Palestinian militant group Hamas was not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group fighting to protect Palestinian lands and people. Speaking to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party, Erdogan also called for an immediate ceasefire between Israeli and Palestinian forces and …

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 …

NBC News reports: House Republicans nominated Tom Emmer of Minnesota to be their candidate for speaker. The GOP gathered behind closed doors this morning to vote by secret ballot and choose among seven contenders. GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., tweeted out official updates as each new round of voting began and the last-place finisher was removed from the ballot. …