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April 22, 2024
Biden Got Everything He Wanted from Congress
(Political Wire) Punchbowl News: “House Republicans came into the 118th Congress with big plans. They were going to cut taxes and spending, impeach President Joe Biden and members of his Cabinet and use their leverage to force Democrats to accept stringent new border security and immigration policies. In short, they were going to shake up Washington, with Biden as their main focus. That didn’t happen. Instead, Biden has gotten pretty much everything he’s asked for from this Congress without having to concede much in return. True, it’s taken a while as the dysfunctional House slowly churned its way through the past 15-plus months. Yet in the end, Biden has emerged as the big winner.”
Go to discussionHouse Republicans Blame Right Wing for Lack of Border Wins
(Political Wire) “A growing number of House Republicans are accusing their conservative colleagues of enabling Democratic wins, especially after this weekend’s foreign aid votes,” Axios reports. “Multiple members believe they could have gotten concessions from Democrats on border policy in exchange for Ukraine funding, only to be blown up by backlash from conservatives.”
Go to discussionHakeem Jeffries emerges as Congress' shadow speaker
(Axios) Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) found himself in an unusual position for a minority leader last week: It was he, not the House speaker, who had the ultimate power to decide whether legislation came to the floor. Democrats got everything they wanted – a $95 billion foreign aid bill, the credit for passing it, and adversaries more divided than ever. In their telling, that total victory wasn't a sure thing. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a master legislative tactician, heaped praise on her successor: "He is fabulous. We're so proud of him."
Go to discussionPeckerpalooza: Former Enquirer publisher is crucial to Trump's hush money trial -- here's why
(Alternet) With 12 jurors and six alternative jurors having been sworn in, opening statements in former President Donald Trump's hush money/falsifying business records trial are expected to begin on Monday, April 22. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. alleges that Trump falsified business records when hush money payments were made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. The first witness in the case, according to NBC News, is likely to be former National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker.
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"The alternate reality Trump lives in is crumbling" with first criminal trial: ex-federal prosecutor
(Salon) Trump is in a setting that he cannot control. The judge and the legal process now have control over him. That is extremely frustrating for Trump. He's been stripped of his power. His diehard MAGA followers are still with him. But the optics of Trump in court are not playing well outside that die-hard group. To those people who are not in the MAGA movement, Trump looks like a mighty man who has fallen hard and will continue in a downward spiral.
Go to discussionTrump, RNC promise 'aggressive' election interference in battleground states
(News From The States) Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee on Friday announced a “100,000 person strong” program designed to harass election officials and their employees and discredit democracy in Nevada and a dozen other states. In a statement announcing its Orwellian named “election integrity program,” the RNC said it is “establishing a robust network of monitoring, and protection against any violation or fraud.” Neither the RNC, Trump, nor anyone else has ever provided any evidence of fraud that would have altered results of the 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Go to discussionIt's a 'tragedy' NOT to force rape victims to give birth: Kristi Noem
(Alternet) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), a possible vice presidential candidate, called rape and incest exceptions for abortion a "tragedy." While speaking to Dana Bash on CNN Sunday, Noem was asked if she supported her state's law, which does not provide exceptions for rape, much like Arizona's Civil War-era anti-abortion law. "Do you think there should be exceptions for rape and incest, for example?" Bash asked. "That's what's different, Dana, is that I've constantly looked, and we rely in South Dakota on the fact that I'm pro-life and we have a law that says that there is an exception for the life of the mother," Noem opined. "And I just don't believe a tragedy should perpetuate another tragedy."
Go to discussionGOP Lawmakers Take Stand Against Polio Vaccine
(Political Wire) Mother Jones: “New Hampshire could soon beat Florida—known for its anti-vaccine Surgeon General—when it comes to loosening vaccine requirements. A first-in-the-nation bill that’s already passed New Hampshire’s state House, sponsored only by Republican legislators, would end the requirement for parents enrolling kids in childcare to provide documentation of polio and measles vaccination. New Hampshire would be the only state in the U.S. to have such a law, although many states allow religious exemptions to vaccine requirements.”
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