The Senate

Senate Braces For 'severe Blow' Over Supreme Court Nomination

... week — marking the conclusion of a nasty year-plus fight that could permanently damage the chamber. Democrats are guaranteeing a filibuster. Republicans are promising to retaliate by invoking the so-called nuclear option and change long-standing rules requiring a 60-vote threshold to end the filibuster. That would allow Gorsuch to be confirmed with 51 votes, a simple majority. Senators in both parties are sounding the alarm about the deep wounds that would cause, but neither side sees a way out. "It's a severe blow to the institution, the way we do business," Sen. John Mc Cain (R-Ariz.) told the Daily News. Neil Gorsuch’s originalism problem. Mc Cain is one of many senators who thinks there's little hope to avoid a meltdown over Gorsuch's nomination amidst toxic partisan finger-pointing that's only going to get worse. While he's in talks with Democrats to try to avoid catastrophe, he said there had been "little or no progress" in discussions. "It makes me very sad," Mc Cain said. "I've been involved in ...

Five Revelations From The Senate's First Russia Hearings

... yet to get an explanation for the raging cross-currents of Russian influence and Republican politics. Two days later, Nunes abruptly cancelled the testimonies of former director of national intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, all three of whom were scheduled to appear before the committee on Tuesday. Any appearance of Nunes' impartiality was thus hopelessly compromised, but he refuses to recuse himself, so the responsibility for conducting a credible investigation has fallen squarely in the laps of Senate intelligence committee co-chairs Mark Warner (D-VA) and Richard Burr (R-NC). "The vice chairman and I realize that if we politicize this process, our efforts will likely fail," Burr said at the start of Thursday's hearings. "The public deserves to ...

Senate Intelligence Committee Rejects Flynn's Request For Immunity

... questioned in "such a highly politicized, witch hunt environment without assurance against unfair prosecution.". Flynn stepped down in February when reports surfaced that he misled White House officials about whether he discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the United States. Flynn told Vice President Mike Pence he did not discuss sanctions against Russia with Russian officials in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 20 inauguration. Pence then defended him in TV interviews. Since leaving the Trump administration, Flynn registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for lobbying work that may have aided the Turkish government. It took place from August through November, when he was a Trump campaign advisor. Flynn is required to disclose that work. Reports also surfaced that Russian state-owned network RT paid more than $45,000 for Flynn to travel to Moscow and speak at its 10 th anniversary event. Trump echoed Flynn's lawyer in a Friday morning tweet, arguing that Flynn "should ask for immunity" ...

Epa Chief Scott Pruitt Is Under Ethics Investigation For Lying To Senate

... Scott Pruitt is under ethics investigation for lying to Senate. The Oklahoma Bar Association is investigating whether the ex-state attorney general lied during his confirmation. Topics: emails , EPA , Ethics Investigation , Lobbying , Oklahoma Bar Association , Scott Pruitt , Senate confirmation hearings , Politics News , News. (Credit: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki). Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, is under investigation for misleading the Senate during his confirmation hearing. The Oklahoma Bar Association is investigating a complaint that Pruitt lied when he swore under oath that he never used personal email to conduct official business while he served as Oklahoma’s attorney general. Pruitt may have violated the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct when he told a U. S. Senate Committee at his confirmation hearings that he only used his official attorney general’s email address to conduct official business. “I use only my official OAG [office of the attorney general] email address and government-issued phone to conduct ...

Why The Senate Voted To Block Funding For Planned Parenthood And Other Abortion Providers

... File Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters. The debate over abortion and women’s health entered a new phase Thursday as Congressional Republicans delivered what’s arguably their first real blow in years to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. In a dramatic vote in the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking 51 st vote on a bill that would let states block more than $200 million in Title X funding from going to Planned Parenthood or any organization that provides abortions. “Title X” refers to the federal family planning program, established in that section of the 1970 Public Health Service Act. The move reversed a rule protecting abortion provider, something President Barack Obama put in place on his second-to-last day in office. The bill has already passed the House and now moves to President Donald Trump’s desk. He is expected to sign it. So, what just happened. The bill and ...

Are Republicans Prepared To Burn Down The Senate

... debt if we do so for the right reasons. Here, however, the Republicans are talking about permanently cutting rich people's taxes, which is the very definition of a bad reason to increase long-term government debt. Trickle-down economics still does not work. The bottom line is that Mc Connell and his right-wing colleagues (including those who masquerade as moderates ) will soon have to decide how much of the Senate they are willing to burn down. The two pending test cases, moreover, could not be more fundamental to the Republican base. After all, many evangelical voters were convinced to hold their noses and support Trump specifically to "save" the Supreme Court. At the same time, tax cuts for the rich are the sine qua non of being a conservative in American today. When faced with the question, "Do we stop ...

State House, Senate Miles

... appointees. "At the end of this day, the bill will have one major chilling effect: a less-independent judiciary beholden to the executive and legislative branches," said Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach. Right or not, the proposal faces long odds in the Senate, which traditionally has watered down or rejected House bills that take on the courts. ON THE TURN. The years-long quest to pass a new gambling package continued this week, as the House and Senate both moved forward gambling bills, setting the stage for the first serious negotiations in years between legislative leaders and the Seminole Tribe of Florida on the thorny issue. That's the optimistic version, because the proposals are essentially diametrically opposed to each other. The Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure (SB 8) that is friendly to the pari-mutuel industry. The bill would allow slot machines in eight counties where voters have approved ...

Two Years In, The Kennedy Institute For The Senate Is Drawing Fewer Visitors Than Projected

... interested in learning about Congress, which has a 24 percent approval rating after years of gridlock and bitter partisanship. The centerpiece of the institute is a scale replica of the Senate chamber, which allows visitors to play the role of a senator and debate issues like health care. John Tlumacki/Globe staff. A replica of Kennedy's senate office. “It’s just a challenge,” said Frank H. Mackaman, director of the Dirksen Congressional Center, a research institute in Pekin, Ill., that closed its museum dedicated to Senator Everett Dirksen more than a decade ago after it failed to draw crowds. “People don’t go to museums to learn about abstract ideas like lawmaking. They go to see tangible objects.”. Susie Wilkening, a consultant who helps museums broaden their audiences, said the Kennedy institute’s exhibits, which focus on the Senate’s traditions, personalities, and process, seem perfect for students learning ...

Trump’s Agenda Is Now Squarely In Mitch Mcconnell’s, And The Senate’s, Hands

... Left unsaid is the increasingly likely prospect that Mc Connell will have to go nuclear. Democrats have said they intend to use Senate rules to force Gorsuch to clear a 60-vote threshold. If Mc Connell can’t find at least eight crossover votes — and his list of targets is shrinking — his only remaining option will probably be a deeply divisive one: to persuade a majority of senators to back the rules change. The ripest targets are the handful of Democratic senators up for reelection next year in states won by Trump. But some say there has been little direct outreach. “I was invited to the White House right after Gorsuch was nominated with other red state Democrats,” Sen. Claire Mc Caskill (D-Mo.) said. “I had a conflict that night. But other than that, that’s the only reach-out I’ve had from the administration or from Republicans in Congress.”. Mc Caskill also attended a bipartisan reception at the White House for senators and their spouses on Tuesday night, but she characterized it as a mostly “social” gathering. Mc Connell and other veteran GOP senators ...

These Los Angeles Girls Went To Capitol Hill To Ask The Senate To Fight New Immigration Enforcement Efforts

... which they unveiled Wednesday at the state Capitol. Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León amended his "sanctuary state" bill Thursday morning to allow law enforcement to notify federal immigration officials about the release of violent felons. Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones hosted a community forum on immigration Tuesday, where the guest speaker was the acting director of U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. March 28, 2017, 11:17 a.m. Reporting from Washington. These Los Angeles girls went to Capitol Hill to ask the Senate to fight new immigration enforcement efforts. Sarah D. Wire. Fatima, left, and Yuleni Avelica, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N. Y) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) during a news conference on Capitol Hill. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images). Fatima Avelica, 13, was training for the Los Angeles Marathon with her father before he was arrested ...