“A French journalist was arrested and her residence searched Tuesday by the country’s domestic intelligence agency,” the AP reports.
Archives for September 19, 2023 at 2:05 pm EDT
House Republicans Ignore Meeting With Key Biden Aide
Eric Schwerin, a former Hunter Biden business partner who also did bookkeeping work for Joe Biden, told House Oversight Committee staff in March that the president had no involvement in his son’s business deals, the HuffPost reports.
Impeachment Probe Helped McCarthy with the GOP Base
A new Morning Consult poll finds a plurality backing the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden, 48% to 42%
Notably, McCarthy seems to be benefiting with his base: His favorability rating among Republicans has jumped from 42% to 49% since he announced the probe.
Republicans Win Pause in New York Redistricting Fight
“Republicans won a preliminary round in latest legal fight over New York’s congressional districts: The state’s top court Tuesday declined to force a mapmaking commission to immediately start drafting new lines,” Politico reports.
“The maps drawn in 2022 were tossed when the courts concluded Democrats didn’t take the proper steps before enacting them, leading to court-drawn lines that helped Republicans flip three House seats that were critical to the GOP winning House control.”
“Democrats have since argued that they should now be allowed to redraft the maps for 2024 rather than rely on the existing ones for the remainder of the decade.”
Producer Felt Naked Breasts of Underage Trafficking Victim
“Paul Hutchinson—an executive producer of Sound of Freedom, the film focused on the heavily fictionalized exploits of anti-trafficking activist Tim Ballard—touched the naked breasts of an apparently underage trafficking victim during a 2016 undercover operation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico,” Vice News reports.
The Real Issue in the Autoworkers Strike
Ron Brownstein: “The United Automobile Workers’ strike against the Big Three manufacturers that began earlier today is exacerbating the most significant political vulnerability of President Joe Biden’s drive to build a clean-energy economy.”
“A trio of bills Biden passed through Congress during his first two years in the Oval Office has generated a torrent of private-sector investment into clean-energy projects. But so far most of that green investment and the jobs it will create are flowing into red-leaning communities that are generally hostile to both the Democratic Party and labor unions.”
Jonathan Last: “The actual threat to these union autoworkers isn’t China, but the Republican governments in sunbelt states, which have worked hard to weaken unions in order to make themselves attractive to big business.”
Most Are Exhausted by Politics
A new Pew Research poll finds 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics, while 55% feel angry.
By contrast, just 10% say they always or often feel hopeful about politics, and just 4% are excited.
House GOP Postpones Vote on Short-Term Funding
“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 hard-line conservatives,” The Hill reports.
“The House was scheduled to vote at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on the rule to allow the GOP continuing resolution proposal to move forward, but an update sent out shortly before noon did not list the procedural vote.”
These GOP skirmishes are all for a short-term spending plan that has no chance of becoming law.
Ray Epps Charged by Justice Department
“Ray Epps, a Jan. 6 participant whose removal from the FBI’s Capitol Violence webpage sparked conspiracy theories that he was a federal informant, was charged in connection with the Capitol attack on Tuesday,” NBC News reports.
House Committee to Hold First Impeachment Hearing
The House Oversight Committee will hold the first hearing on the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on Sept. 28, CNBC reports.
Susan Collins Jokes She’ll ‘Wear a Bikini’ on Senate Floor
“Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has joined in with other members of her party to mock Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) loosening of the chamber’s informal dress code policy that would allow lawmakers to wear whatever they please on the floor,” The Messenger reports.
Said Collins: “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.”
She then joked that she is going to “wear a bikini” on Tuesday.
Colorado Judge to Rule Whether Trump Is Disqualified
“A Colorado judge said Monday she hopes to decide by Thanksgiving whether the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding office means former President Donald Trump is disqualified from appearing on the state’s presidential ballot in 2024,” CNN reports.
“Judge Sarah Wallace made the comments at a hearing in which she set an expedited schedule for the case.”
China Suffers Worst Capital Outflow in Years
“China is witnessing the biggest flight of capital in years, creating concern for authorities as it worsens pressure on the beleaguered yuan,” Bloomberg reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“It’s a shit show in the House. It’s always a shit show in the House… Eventually what’s going to happen is a government shutdown will not go well for us.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by the HuffPost.
Indiana’s Attorney General Faces Disciplinary Charges
Indianapolis Star: “The Indiana Supreme Court’s disciplinary commission filed charges Monday alleging that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita violated professional conduct rules with his statements in 2022 about the case of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who sought an abortion in Indiana and the doctor who performed the procedure.”
Judge Upholds Convictions of Oath Keeper Associate
“A federal judge on Tuesday upheld two federal convictions against a Navy veteran and Oath Keeper associate accused of helping the far-right group stash weapons outside Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021,” CNN reports.
“In November, Thomas Caldwell – who was tried along with leaders of the Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs – was convicted of obstructing an official proceeding and tampering with documents. A jury, however, acquitted him of all the conspiracy charges he faced, including seditious conspiracy.”
Trump’s Planned Speech Blasted by UAW
“United Auto Workers Union President Shawn Fain released a statement Tuesday blasting former President Donald Trump’s reported plan to speak with auto workers and union members in Detroit amid thousands of workers striking,” The Messenger reports.
Said Fain: “Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers.”
North Carolina GOP Trades Expanded Medicaid for Casinos
“Democratic lawmakers vowed Monday not to support GOP-backed casino legalization, even if it were tied with one of Democrats’ long-held policy goals — Medicaid expansion — as Republicans seek to break an impasse over the state’s delayed budget,” WRAL reports.
