Politics

India Suspends Visas For Canadians Over Killing Claim

Semafor reports: India said it would stop issuing new visas for Canadians, in the latest escalation of the diplomatic feud that began after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Narendra Modi’s government of being involved in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Indian journalist Rahul Kanwal described the move as a “diplomatic ballistic missile,” saying …

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Sen. Bob Menendez And Wife Charged With Bribery

CNN reports: New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged with corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years, prosecutors will announce Friday morning. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, were indicted on bribery offenses “in connection with their corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen,” the US attorney in New York tweeted. Prosecutors with the US attorney’s …

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Haley Blasts Trump As “Weak In The Knees” On Ukraine

The Hill reports: Presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized Trump’s foreign policy during a campaign stop in Portsmouth, N.H., on Thursday, saying he is “weak in the knees” on Ukraine policy. When asked how Trump will be remembered, she gave the former president several compliments, tip-toeing around being too overtly negative about the GOP primary’s frontrunner. But she also had her …

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McCormick Launches Second Bid For Senate In PA

NBC News reports: Businessman Dave McCormick launched his Senate campaign in Pittsburgh on Thursday, most likely setting up a pivotal battle with Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., that could determine partisan control of the chamber. McCormick, who lost his previous Senate bid to Republican Mehmet Oz by less than 1,000 votes last year, enters the contest with broad support across the …

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Thomas Secretly Attended Koch Bros Donor Summits

ProPublica reports: On Jan. 25, 2018, dozens of private jets descended on Palm Springs International Airport. Some of the richest people in the country were arriving for the annual winter donor summit of the Koch network, the political organization founded by libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch. A long weekend of strategizing, relaxation in the California sun and high-dollar fundraising …

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Manchin Petitions Schumer To Reverse On Dress Code

The Washington Examiner reports: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) circulated a proposal to reverse Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) relaxation of the Senate dress code. . Critics of the relaxation claim Schumer’s decision was to appease Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is known for wearing hoodies and basketball shorts while on Capitol Hill. “The senator in question from Pennsylvania is …

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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Expected To Endorse DeSantis

Bloomberg News reports: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is signaling she is likely to endorse Ron DeSantis for president, a move that would give him the support of a popular conservative leader as he looks to close the gap against frontrunner Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. Reynolds has so far remained neutral in the GOP primary but …

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Senate Confirms Joint Chiefs Chair Despite Tuberville

NBC News reports: The Senate on Wednesday voted to make Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. the nation’s top military officer, marking the first Pentagon confirmation since Sen. Tommy Tuberville put a hold on nominees to protest a Defense Department abortion policy. Brown was confirmed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in an 83-11 vote. He will …

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Officials: DeSantis Lied About Florida’s Crime Rate

NBC News reports: Florida’s top law enforcement officials were repeatedly warned by their own staff that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ claim that the state’s crime rate is at a 50-year low — a message he often uses as part of his presidential campaign — was based on incomplete data that makes the accuracy of the claim impossible to verify. Despite those …

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Taylor Swift Spurs Stampede To Voter Registration Site

The Independent reports: Taylor Swift managed to drive record-breaking numbers to voter registration website Vote.org after urging her 232 million followers on Instagram to take action. On Tuesday (19 September), hours after the pop star, 32, called on her US fanbase to register to vote in honour of National Voter Registration Day, Vote.org’s communication director, Nick Morrow, announced that “our …

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Fetterman: I’ll Wear A Suit If The GOP Stops Shutdown

Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate reports: Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman says if the United States House of Representatives can reach a deal to avoid a government shutdown, he’ll ditch his signature hoodie and shorts for a suit. Fetterman’s statement comes after the Senate adjusted its formal dress code, drawing ire from many Republicans, and as lawmakers debate how to avoid a …

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Politico: Dems Believe Govt Shutdown Is Inevitable

Politico reports: We spoke to multiple Democratic members and aides last night, and this much they know: There will be a shutdown. Yesterday’s floor meltdown confirmed to them that the only remaining question is how long it will be. The dynamics are simple, in their minds: Any solution will, by definition, involve Democrats, and McCarthy is in no position to …

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GOP Rep. Ken Buck Wants Commentator Gig At CNN

The New York Post reports: The White House’s go-to Republican critic of the impeachment inquiry into President Biden is considering leaving Congress for a new job — and expressed interest in being an on-air commentator for CNN, The Post has learned. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), a five-term fiscal hawk, has surprised fellow conservatives by repeatedly criticizing the probe launched last …

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46 Senate Republicans Demand Return To Dress Code

The Washington Post reports: All but three Republican senators published a letter to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday, blasting his decision to stop enforcing the requirement of business attire on the Senate floor as disrespectful. The 46 Republican senators who objected to stopping enforcement of that rule argued that a dress code upholds the sanctity of …

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Tuberville To Attempt Vote For USMC Commandant

The Hill reports: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told senators that he will attempt to force a one-off vote Wednesday to confirm Gen. Eric Smith to become the new commandant for the Marine Corps, while he maintains his blockade on more than 300 other military promotions. Tuberville told Senate Republicans on Tuesday during their weekly conference lunch that he will go …

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Motion To Oust McCarthy Found In House Restroom

The Daily Beast reports: Talk about a leak. Some House Republican is likely shuffling around the halls of the U.S. Capitol missing their draft resolution to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, because that’s exactly what was found on a baby-changing table in a bathroom under the House floor on Tuesday. The folded motion was discovered by Matt …

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Tim Scott: Union Workers Who Strike Should Be Fired

The New York Times reports: Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina took a harsher stance toward striking autoworkers on Monday than many of his fellow Republican presidential candidates, saying it did not make sense for workers to want higher pay for shorter workweeks and noting approvingly that President Ronald Reagan had fired federal employees for striking. “I think Ronald Reagan …

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Five Far-Right Reps Sink GOP’s Defense Funding Bill

The Messenger reports: Amid a chaotic scene and shouts of “regular order!” on the House floor Tuesday, a small faction of ultraconservatives blocked House consideration of a GOP defense spending bill as fractured Republicans brought the country closer to a government shutdown. The vote underscored how House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is losing control of his conference. The chaos in recent …

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Susan Collins On Dress Code Change: I’ll Wear A Bikini

The Messenger reports: “I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate, and to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution,” Sen. Susan Collins said, joking to reporters that she is going to “wear a bikini” on Tuesday. Meanwhile other members of the GOP seem to be embracing the change. …

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McCarthy Cancels Key Vote On Stopgap Funding Bill

ABC News reports: House GOP leadership pulled a procedural vote on a proposed short-term funding stopgap that has bitterly divided the Republican conference and elicited opposition from hardline conservatives. The House was scheduled to vote at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on the rule to allow the GOP continuing resolution (CR) proposal to move forward, but an update sent out shortly before …

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