Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) accused a leading Muslim civil rights advocate of supporting extremism during a Senate hearing on hate incidents in the U.S., Reuters reports.

Asked Kennedy: “You support Hamas, do you not?”

Responded Maya Berry: “You asking the executive director of the Arab American Institute that question very much puts the focus on the issue of hate in our country.”

In a follow-up, Kennedy asked: “You support Hezbollah, too, don’t you?”

He later told her: “You should hide your head in a bag.”

“Senate Republicans have quietly reversed course on trying to rebuke or embarrass the Biden White House, concerned it could help Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stay in power,” Axios reports.

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) admitted they were “not actually getting anything done” with the votes, but it created a situation in which Democrats “can send a message that they’re pretending to back home.”

“Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) has given Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer a potentially easier path to helping President Biden beat former President Trump’s record on judicial nominees,” Axios reports.

“Manchin backtracked Thursday on a March promise to vote ‘no’ on any purely partisan nominees.”

“That’s a huge win for Schumer, who was previously looking to capitalize on GOP absences or rely on Vice President Kamala Harris to break ties.”

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) posts on X:

“In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants.”

However, he adds: “It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned that Democrats could add four new Democratic senators if the filibuster is removed and Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., achieve statehood, the Washington Examiner reports.

Said McConnell: “They’ll admit the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as two new states — that’s four Democratic senators in perpetuity.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) was asked by Bloomberg about his reported rivalry with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).

Said Shapiro: “You’ve got to ask Fetterman. Or I would say you should ask his spokesperson, but I think they’re not on the same page, either.”

Carrie Adams, who works as Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) communications director, told The Free Press that she doesn’t agree with her boss on Israel and the war in Gaza.

Said Adams: “I have a sense that his international views are a lot less nuanced than my generation, because when he was growing up, it was might makes right, and for my generation and younger who, of course, are the ones protesting this, they have a much more nuanced view of the region.”

That comment triggered an aside from the reporter: “I’ve been a reporter since the summer of 1998, when I covered Bill Clinton’s trip to Martha’s Vineyard for the Vineyard Gazette. This was the first time I’d ever encountered anyone—on Capitol Hill or anywhere else, on the record, off the record, on background, whatever—criticizing ‘the principal.'”

“Gov. Phil Murphy intends to appoint George S. Helmy, his former chief of staff, to the United States Senate to replace Bob Menendez,” the New Jersey Globe reports.

“Murphy is expected to formally offer Helmy the post on Thursday and announce his selection on Friday, but the decision is locked.”

Axios: “The group includes Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who’s atop the list of lawmakers who would be critical governing partners for a Harris administration.”

“Harris’s team also is relying on longtime ally Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), multiple Democratic sources told Axios. Their relationship dates back to when they served as attorneys general in neighboring states.”

“Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) are also part of Harris’ Senate brain trust.”

Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are increasingly frustrated by Republicans’ refusal to engage in committee business until the panel takes up a House-passed bill to sanction the International Criminal Court, Punchbowl News reports.

“Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, may not be fond of ‘childless cat ladies,’ but he’s almost certain to skip a vote this week on legislation to expand the child tax credit,” Roll Call reports.

“The Senate is scheduled to take a procedural vote Thursday on a House-passed bill that would expand the credit for low-income families and revive a trio of business tax breaks, including a full, upfront deduction for research and development costs.”

“Margaret Thatcher didn’t giggle… many Americans think the vice president is a little bit of a ding dong.”

— Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), talking about Kamala Harris on Fox News.

“New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy does not want her husband to appoint her to fill Bob Menendez’s soon-to-be vacant Senate seat,” Politico reports.

“Murphy, who ran in the Democratic primary for Menendez’s seat, said Tuesday she is not interested in serving in the Senate as her husband, Gov. Phil Murphy, decides who to appoint as a temporary replacement.”