Politico

The bipartisan package — which would boost the Pentagon’s security assistance to Ukraine to $350 million and wall off $125 million of that for lethal weapons — comes amid concerns on both sides of the Atlantic that Russia’s latest military buildup on Ukraine’s border could be different this time: a prelude to invasion. Calls are getting louder from Capitol Hill for the Biden administration to act quickly to deter Russia, including by supplying Ukraine with more weapons. In September, the Biden administration announced a new arms and military aid deal with Kyiv worth $60 million that included Javelin missiles and more […]

The committee cited a Washington Post story and a recent book by Robert Costa and Bob Woodward to corroborate its assertions concerning Kerik. But the article does not say Kerik attended the meeting, and the book doesn’t mention Kerik at all, according to his lawyer, Timothy C. Parlatore. Rather, Parlatore wrote to the committee, Kerik was in New York on Jan. 5 handling a family medical emergency. “If you were not personally responsible for this fabrication and false statements, then someone on your staff was and should be held accountable,” the letter continues. “Someone either intentionally fabricated this claim, or someone […]

The subpoenas demand documents by Dec. 7 and depositions the following week. Tarrio is currently incarcerated in a D.C. jail for burning a Black Lives Matter flag stolen from a nearby church during a pro-Trump rally in December 2020, a property-destruction crime that netted him a six month sentence. Rhodes, who was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 but did not appear to enter the building, has reportedly been questioned by the FBI. The Justice Department has already indicted dozens of members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for participating in the Capitol siege and charged leaders of those groups […]

Gasoline prices had climbed steadily for months as global demand for fuel revved up when the global economy began to emerge from the pandemic. That rising consumption outpaced production from oil companies that had been hard hit financially by the sharp downturn in demand in 2020 and were reluctant to resume drilling in the face of uncertain economic prospects. “As we come out of an unprecedented global economic shutdown, oil supply has not kept up with demand, forcing working families and businesses to pay the price,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a press release. “This action underscores the President’s commitment […]

One member of the Jan. 6 panel said he doesn’t anticipate top Trump allies cooperating anytime soon. “I think if it wasn’t the [Trump] lawsuit, they would invent something else or another piece of litigation to hang their hat on,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), one of the committee’s nine members. “So we don’t put a lot of stock behind it.” The panel has landed about 200 interviews so far, including some in response to subpoenas. Jan. 6 committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said the Bannon indictment has already shaken loose some cooperation from less-senior Trump allies. “I think it’s […]

A release of that magnitude would represent about three day’s worth of U.S. crude oil production. A White House spokesperson said no decision had yet been made on a release of oil from the SPR. “The conversations are ongoing and we are considering a range of tools for if and when action is needed,” the White House spokesperson said. Bloomberg News first reported the likelihood of an SPR release earlier on Monday. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has repeatedly raised the possibility in recent weeks that the administration could tap the SPR as higher fuel prices antagonized the general public and helped […]

The comments from Hawley and Cruz underscore the glacial speed of the Senate panel charged with policing its members. Even less public than its notoriously under-wraps House counterpart and no match at all for House Democrats’ quick censure of Gosar (R-Ariz.), the Senate ethics committee appears to have done little in the 10 months since the Democrats first launched their complaint into Hawley and Cruz’s objections to the election, which preceded the pro-Trump riot that led to multiple deaths and injured scores of police officers. The fact that Hawley and Cruz have not been contacted suggests the probe is in its […]

He also said he expected the bill would not shrink despite likely scrutiny from lawmakers like Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona because of the months of groundwork the White House has done to understand “where the consensus lies.” The Senate is evenly divided, so all 50 Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris must back the legislation for it to pass over the staunch opposition of all Republicans. Final passage of the Build Back Better legislation would likely help Biden’s low approval ratings in the polls, Deese said, which he acknowledged can only be remedied […]

“Don’t mess up the one thing that you can count on the Senate to do in a bipartisan way every year,” a frustrated Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told reporters here. “A Senate that cannot do this hardly deserves the title.” The delays have significantly reduced lawmakers’ margin for error as negotiators race to approve the legislation and iron out the differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill before the end of the year. Lawmakers’ foreign counterparts have been able to count on the U.S. to pass a defense policy bill each year for the past six decades. Failure […]

Hypersonic missiles fly at least five times the speed of sound, but their ability to glide on the atmosphere while changing direction at such a high speed makes them virtually impossible — with existing radars — to track and destroy. While the Pentagon has pushed the development of new hypersonic missiles, the Army isn’t slated to field its first missile until 2024. The Navy is aiming to put its own version of the missile on a destroyer in 2025 and on Virginia-class submarines in 2028. “It should be no surprise to anyone that China is developing capabilities that would be viewed […]

“I have been a critic of this since I started on the Foreign Relations Committee,” Risch said during a discussion at the Halifax International Security Forum. “I was a governor. I understand you have to have a team in place in order to govern.” Without naming Cruz or Hawley, Risch quipped: “They’re not here to defend themselves, so I’m not going to defend them either.” He added that he has been “as energetic as I can about getting these [nominees] through.” Risch’s remarks underscored the deep frustrations that Biden administration officials as well as close U.S. allies have expressed about the […]

Grant Town has long had financial trouble. The power plant has lost $117 million over the last five years, according to documents filed with the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Herb Thompson, the plant’s manager of support services, acknowledged in a PSC filing in 2017 that the company had just enough money to pay its staff and cover the costs of fuel and operations. Its reserves were dry, and it couldn’t afford to shut down for maintenance or upgrades. If Grant Town were forced to cut its greenhouse gas emissions because of new regulations, it would need $6 million to $10 […]

NASA maintains the likelihood of a large asteroid striking Earth is a “once a millennium type of event.” But the space agency is also using new telescopes and other star-gazing techniques to locate thousands of previously undiscovered “near-Earth objects” each year with orbits that will eventually take them into our galactic neighborhood. More than 27,000 have been located so far and more than 2,700 this year alone, including one the size of the Pyramid of Giza that was discovered in September and whizzed by just 2 million miles from Earth. (That’s considered a near miss; for reference, the moon is about […]

“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” Austin told an event put on by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure.” Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful, though U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had an organized weapons program until 2003. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to […]

“With the passage of the Build Back Better Act, we, this Democratic Congress, are taking our place in the long and honorable heritage of our democracy with legislation that will be the pillar of health and financial security in America,” Pelosi said in a floor speech before the vote. “It will be historic in forging landmark progress for our nation.” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Pelosi’s longtime deputy, called it “one of the most consequential bills that any member will ever vote on.” All but one Democrat — Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) — voted in favor of the package, with […]

After Tennessee lost two influential GOP powerhouses in Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker — whose back-to-back retirements robbed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of a consigliere and the Foreign Relations Committee of its top Republican — Hagerty is zeroing in on foreign affairs to make his mark. He’s mixing it up by backing some of Biden’s more polarizing nominees while consistently voting alongside other conservatives on most Senate business. “A United States senator has a term that’s longer than the president of the United States — is not term-limited. A United States senator has the ability to think on a long-term […]

When asked Friday about timing for final passage of the defense policy bill, Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.) laughed and replied: “We got to wait until we get to the vote.” The defense policy bill, first on the to-do list, could take up much of the first week of December. The chamber also needs to fund the government past Dec. 3. Under that timeline, Democrats aren’t expecting the Senate to take up the social spending bill until the second week of December, at the earliest. And that’s assuming Manchin (D-W.Va.) agrees to move forward by then. Earlier this week, […]

“The people are going to love it when they learn about it. And the politics will follow,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), who leads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a brief interview. “A decade from now, the Biden administration will be viewed as truly an FDR-type presidency,” added Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), whose swing district narrowly backed Biden in 2020. “It’s going to take a while for all that to shake out, for people to recognize it. History, unfortunately, gets developed over the long term.” Unlike in 2010, when former President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats fumbled the messaging […]

“Democrats have been working in good faith for several days, actually for several months really, to pass this defense legislation,” Schumer lamented on the floor late Thursday. “Members on both sides want to get this done, so these delays are unfortunate. There is no good reason to keep delaying. We should move the process forward.” After days of wrangling over what amendments would receive votes or be included in a bipartisan manager’s package, Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.) sought to secure votes Thursday evening on 19 amendments from Democrats and Republicans. But seven Republicans took turns blocking votes because […]

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pressing for the Senate to quickly vote on an array of proposals and finalize the bill in the coming days, a move that will require GOP senators to consent to speed the process. “We should work together and complete this important bill before the Thanksgiving holiday,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pressing for the Senate to quickly vote on an array of proposals and finalize the bill in the coming days. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images Schumer is pushing for a vote to repeal the 2002 Iraq War authorization as part […]

In a statement to POLITICO, Navarro called the congressional investigation and the subpoena a “witch hunt.” “I will be delivering a case of my new book ‘In Trump Time’ to members of the committee which explains why this is indeed a witch hunt,” he said. Navarro joined the administration at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s term as director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. When the pandemic hit, Navarro became an increasingly influential member of the White House team responding to the virus, advising the president on supply shortages and methods to keep the American economy running during […]

It’s also a stark contrast to the standoff earlier this fall, when Schumer and McConnell did not meet. Instead, McConnell initially spoke to moderate Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) to discuss his proposal for a two-month extension. While McConnell in October provided the needed 11 GOP votes to allow Democrats to suspend the debt limit for two months, the Kentucky Republican has insisted that raising the debt limit in the long-term needs to be done unilaterally by the majority party, using the so-called reconciliation process. “I think efforts are being made to try to make it possible for […]

The CBO said midday Thursday it would finish its cost estimates for the bill later in the afternoon, clearing one significant hurdle as Democratic leaders push toward the vote. Pelosi was optimistic Thursday, telling reporters she hoped everything still outstanding would be finished in the coming hours. That would allow the House to move quickly to vote on the rules governing debate for the roughly $1.75 trillion package, then on final passage, she said. “Those votes, hopefully, will take place later this afternoon,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference. But other Democrats were privately much more pessimistic on the […]

“We should work together and complete this important bill before the Thanksgiving holiday,” he added. Quickly starting debate and voting on amendments requires both parties to sign off. It’s not immediately clear how soon a bipartisan agreement on amendments may be struck. GOP sounds off: Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, meanwhile, laid out his party’s own designs — including votes on amendments that would impose sanctions related to the Russian-built Nord Stream 2 pipeline, supply Ukraine with more money for weapons and clarify that Afghanistan aid cannot flow to the Taliban. On the floor, McConnell delivered a partisan broadside against […]

“You can’t be a political party that talks about demanding the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes and then end up with a bill that gives large tax breaks to many millionaires,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). “You can’t do that. The hypocrisy is too strong. It’s bad policy, it’s bad politics.” Democrats careened into this mess because of promises to their constituents four years ago, when Republicans restricted the use of state and local tax deductions that are particularly valuable in high-cost blue states to help finance their broader tax cuts bill. Backers of the effort include Senate Majority […]

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says in an exclusive interview she is concerned about the impact of encounters on military personnel. Source link

Rep. G.K. Butterfield saw his district undergo significant changes in redistricting. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), a longtime leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, won’t seek reelection next year — another blow to Democrats’ efforts to keep control of the House after the midterm elections. Butterfield, first elected to an Eastern North Carolina congressional seat in 2004, saw his district undergo significant changes in redistricting. Under its current configuration, now-President Joe Biden won by about 9 points there last year, as Butterfield won reelection by a similar margin — the closest of his electoral career. Republicans in the […]

“We have to keep the pressure,” said the North Carolina Democrat, who chairs the Transportation-HUD spending panel. “And we don’t want to go over into the new calendar year.” Even if Congress enacts another stopgap that provides a couple of additional weeks to negotiate, prospects are bleak for a bipartisan government funding deal before the end of December, likely necessitating another stopgap into early next year. “It would take a miracle to work out a deal between now and then,” Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the top Republican appropriator in the upper chamber, said about striking a deal before Dec. 17. “My […]

Specifically, the Pentagon will temporarily raise the basic allowance for housing in areas that have had a 10 percent increase in rental costs this year, and extend temporary lodging expense reimbursements so military families have more time to find a home. Austin said he has also ordered the department to create what he called a “new toolkit” to help commanders “identify service members who are struggling” to connect with services designed to assist with housing concerns or food security. The moves come in the wake of dire news about inflation, as consumer prices are up about 6.2 percent from a year […]

Although an independent Defense Department review released this month concluded the Afghanistan bombing was a mistake, it assessed that the drone strike was not caused by misconduct or negligence, and it declined to recommend any disciplinary action. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that Austin had requested a briefing from Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, on the Syria airstrike. Austin on Wednesday said he was “committed to adjusting our policies and our procedures to make sure that we improve,” and that he would be “holding all our senior leaders responsible for putting those policies and procedures into effect […]

“We’re not ready for a motion to proceed until we know what we’re proceeding to,” Inhofe told reporters. “It’s just an unnecessary obstacle. … That’s what’s holding it up now. It’s Schumer doing something unprecedented in as long as I can remember.” Sixty votes are needed to advance the bill, so Republicans could stall floor debate if they oppose the procedural motion. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act passed in the Senate in June with bipartisan majorities, but has stalled in the House, where committee chairs are seeking to change the legislation but have made little progress in recent months. It […]

While censure itself is rare, this is just the latest episode in the clash between House Democrats and Republican leaders on how best to respond to the more extreme members of the GOP — a problem that continues to resurface, particularly since the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6. The resolution will censure Gosar and remove him from both the House Oversight and Natural Resources committees. Ocasio-Cortez is also a member of the Oversight Committee. House Republican leadership has not taken action against Gosar. The Arizona Republican deleted the video and issued a statement explaining his rationale, but not apologizing, […]

“I do not accept hard-working Americans paying more for gas because of anti-competitive or otherwise potentially illegal conduct,” the president wrote. He asked Khan to “bring all of the commission‘s tools to bear if you uncover any wrongdoing.” He cited the “two largest oil and gas companies“ in the U.S. without naming them — Exxon Mobil and Chevron. Context: Gasoline prices have hit Americans hard, with regular unleaded jumping more than 60 percent from a year ago to an average $3.41 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. The president has little control over pump prices, but Biden is caught […]

Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) spoke with POLITICO’s Ryan Heath fresh off his trip to Glasgow, Scotland. | Crystal Thomas/POLITICO The Republican delegation went to COP26 with a clear message: both parties recognize the need to fight climate change. But did world leaders take them seriously? And how will Republican leaders sell that pivot to Republican voters? Fresh off his trip to Glasgow, Scotland, Rep. Garret Graves, a Louisiana Republican, spoke with POLITICO’s Ryan Heath. He shares — if not a commitment to the Build Back Better plan — his ideas on turning climate pledges into climate action. About how Republicans and […]

As Sinema defies labels and routinely frustrates Democrats with a brand of moderation that breaks from her activist roots in Arizona, something of a Sinema doctrine is emerging in her third year in the Senate, contrasting with Manchin’s constant commentary on Democrats’ agenda. She prefers to keep her thoughts completely under wraps, confounding people in her party who want public statements detailing her views. She thinks it’s a style that works for her, her state and even her party. Sinema’s colleagues are warming to it too, particularly after she negotiated a prescription drug reform deal that’s being added to the roughly […]

A committee staffer asked the whistleblower if a lawyer from the police department could be present for his interview, according to emails reviewed by POLITICO. The whistleblower said he found the suggestion troubling, as he did not know how the department learned he was slated to be interviewed. He said he told the staffer he would not participate in any meeting where department lawyers were present. No one from the department ultimately attended his interview, he said. “They’re not going to do a real review of the Capitol Police,” the whistleblower said in an interview. “I think it’s a chilling effect […]

“Threatening the life of a colleague is grounds for expulsion,” the New York Democrat said. “But given the Republican Party — especially the leader — is too cowardly to really enforce any standard of conduct … censure and committee removal is the next most appropriate step.” The swift action from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team comes after Gosar was criticized by both Democrats and some Republicans for his violent anime-style video. Gosar later deleted the tweet containing the video and issued a tepid statement that explained his rationale but did not apologize. That explanation followed a call from House […]

“We’re not spending any more money, unless it’s absolutely paid for. So it doesn’t add to the inflationary index,” said Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), one of the caucus’s most vocal critics of government spending, who is likely to back the bill provided that there’s no bad news from Congress’ scorekeeper in the coming days. “Taxpayers don’t want us adding to the deficit. We already spent $5 trillion, for God’s sakes. Time to rein in that rampant spending, while making sure it doesn’t add to the inflationary index,” Schrader said. Democrats are powering ahead with a vote on their sprawling bill, largely […]

A gush of corporate tax payments come the middle of next month could make the accounting trick work, filling federal coffers enough to keep Treasury from reaching the absolute breaking point now that the nation has again exhausted its roughly $28 trillion debt limit. While the delay is unlikely to hold up any transportation projects, the bookkeeping maneuver shows how Republican intransigence continues to pinch Democrats unable to suspend the debt ceiling on their own. Yellen concluded her letter Tuesday with a plea to leaders on Capitol Hill: “To ensure the full faith and credit of the United States, it is […]

But the devastation wrought by prolonged bouts of extreme weather in recent years has elevated conservatives’ attention to the issue and fostered a receptiveness that was harder to come by previously, Curtis said. “This year has been a little bit of a tipping point” the lawmaker said in an interview at POLITICO’s Sustainability Summit. “I do find more constituents willing to talk about it in a different way.” He said that Republicans can be a constructive counterweight to Democrats in climate discussions, such as by pushing back against prescriptive policies that could stifle the innovation necessary to meet ambitious emission-reduction goals. […]

Prior to joining the House, Speier was a longtime member of California’s state legislature and a congressional aide. In 1978, when working as a staff assistant for then-Rep. Leo Ryan (D-Calif.), Speier was part of the U.S. investigative delegation that visited the Jonestown cult community in Guyana. The delegation was ambushed on an airstrip as its members were attempting to leave the former British colony in South America. Ryan was shot and killed. Speier suffered five gunshot wounds but survived. “Forty-three years ago this week, I was lying on an airstrip in the jungles of Guyana with five bullet holes in […]

“I think people want to get it done before the week’s over,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), a moderate who has grumbled about certain policies but is expected to back the bill on the floor. “There’s still some things I don’t like, but we’re going to look at it and then take it from there.” Pelosi told members in a private meeting Monday night that the House wouldn’t leave for next week’s Thanksgiving recess without passing Biden’s bill and sending it to the Senate, according to people familiar with her remarks. Just one thing now stands in the way of that […]

It’s the latest chapter in congressional leaders’ bipartisan struggle to lobby well-vetted, popular candidates to give it all up and come to Washington. But Sununu, by far the most surprising snub, said the more he heard from senators the less he wanted to run. That’s no shock to those who have made the leap from executive to legislator. Coming to Washington these days just doesn’t hold much appeal. “As somebody that convinced Joe Manchin to come, as somebody who was a chief executive in business, was governor, it is sometimes hard to make the case,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), a […]

Kirby also argued that Guard members would not be shielded from the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate under Title 32 of the U.S Code, which provides for governors to mobilize the Guard within their state. Under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, by contrast, Guard members are mobilized for federal active-duty military service. “The secretary of Defense has the authority to require these vaccines for all members of the force, including the National Guard … even in a Title 32 status,” Kirby said. “Because when they’re called up for their monthly training, they’re still federally funded.” Kirby’s defense of the Pentagon’s forcewide vaccine […]

In a file photo, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station for docking. Astronauts aboard the station were forced to temporarily shelter when the spacecraft passed close to a debris field, according to reports. | NASA via AP The U.S. on Monday warned of a “debris-generating event” in space amid reports that Russia blew up one of its satellites over the weekend, and said it was coordinating with other countries to help ensure the safety of their equipment in orbit. “We are actively working to characterize the debris field and will continue to ensure all space-faring nations have […]

“When people see the roads and bridges in their communities, when they see water systems being created … and they see the $65 billion in broadband expenditures, that is a big, big deal,” he said. “But if you do that and do that only, what would you have done for prescription drugs? Nothing, that’s in the other bill. “So Build Back Better has got to get done because the highest polling thing yet is the prescription drugs,” Clyburn added, referring to the name of the social spending bill coined by the White House. But most of those measures aren’t slated to […]

The DOJ charged Bannon, a former top adviser to former President Donald Trump, with two counts of contempt of Congress on Friday. The House referred Bannon to the department for prosecution last month after he refused to provide documents and testimony to investigators looking into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Schiff is one of nine members of the House’s Jan. 6 committee, which is chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). The indictment was a major victory for the committee after Bannon’s refusal to comply with the subpoena — a stumbling block in their probe. Bannon’s indictment was quick work […]

Trump made his remarks about “common sense” to ABC’s Jonathan Karl, defending those who charged into the Capitol on Jan. 6 as working to prevent what he once again described as a grave injustice, the confirmation of Joe Biden‘s election as president. Trump remained focused on baseless assertions that the election was stolen from him, and that it was partially the fault of Pence, his own vice president. Trump said of the “hang Mike Pence“ chant to Karl: “It’s common sense, Jon. It’s common sense that you’re supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, […]

“Due to the House pushing back consideration of the [Build Back Better Act ] to the week of November 15th, it is likely that the Senate considers the NDAA this upcoming week as we await House passage of the BBBA,” Schumer told Democrats in a Dear Colleague letter on Sunday morning. After one week in session, Congress is scheduled for a Thanksgiving break next weekend. The move toward NDAA on the Senate floor in the coming days makes it all the more likely Congress will be working well into December to finish out Biden’s domestic agenda. The Senate parliamentarian needs to […]

While the world’s No. 2 greenhouse gas polluter wielded its diplomatic leverage and frequently overshadowed its U.K. government hosts, the U.S. failed to persuade China into making a firm vow to increase its climate change ambition. And the U.S., like other major economies, acquiesced to demands to soften a call to “phase down” use of coal, rather than eliminate use of the fuel most responsible for climate change. Still, the presence of the U.S. helped drive the urgency at the talks, delegates said, particularly after the four years of the Trump administration when the U.S. largely ignored the issue. “There’s a […]

The atmosphere was tense. The Chinese were willing to put the whole conference was on the line. “We will break the whole thing down,” said one Chinese delegate, according to the EU official. Either way, the Glasgow deal would be historic in becoming the first ever U.N. climate agreement to even mention the fuel most responsible warming the planet. But the difference between the eradication of coal and its limitation was fateful for the vulnerable countries watching the great powers leaving and entering the room. Sharma was attempting to keep delegates from small island states and the least developed countries informed, […]

“Not everyone gets to make choices that actually affect an entire planet. We are privileged today to do exactly that,” said United States Special Climate Envoy John Kerry. “It will be too late for the Maldives,” Aminath Shauna, environment minister of the Maldives, said immediately after Kerry spoke, adding: “What is balanced and pragmatic to other parties will not help the Maldives adapt in time.” China’s chief negotiator Xie Zhenhua, left, talks with John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, center, as Frans Timmermans of the EU looks on at right during a stocktaking plenary session at the COP26 […]

An official argued that developing countries were “entitled to the responsible use of fossil fuels.” Source link

The citrus crop provides a haven from the heat and sand that surround it. Outside the low village walls, winds whip sand into the air, inviting desertification, a process that wrings the life out of fertile soil and changes it into desert, often because of drought or deforestation. Only 4% of the Great Green Wall’s original goal has been met, and an estimated $43 billion would be needed to achieve the rest. With prospects for completing the barrier on time dim, organizers have shifted their focus from planting a wall of trees to trying a mosaic of smaller, more durable projects […]

In April, for instance, Moscow surged thousands of troops close to its frontier with Ukraine, alarming Washington and its allies in NATO. Some of those troops would later return to their bases, but enough remained behind, along with hundreds of armored vehicles that Western officials took note. “This is very different than what we saw in April,” Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, said Thursday. What we’re seeing now “certainly leads to the conclusion that Russia has different intentions this time.” In particular, new deployments to Crimea and the arrival of the First […]

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, said the number of seats the GOP picks up next year will matter “big time” for McCarthy’s speakership dream: “Five or eight [pick-ups] is a whole different ball game than 20 to 30.” McCarthy has worked diligently to overcome the conservative opposition that stymied his 2015 bid for speaker. He’s kept former President Donald Trump close in a House GOP that’s swinging to the right while laboring to prevent a handful of firebrand freshmen from dominating the narrative of this Congress. The conference unanimously elected him minority leader a year […]

On ‘smoke filled rooms’: “I’m sure a lot of this happened during the recent negotiations on the infrastructure. It certainly happened during the time of the Gang of Eight … We were doing immigration reform, where you simply don’t want things [leaked] out … There is something to smoke-filled rooms that are useful. And it’s nice to keep some information closely held more so than the media would like. It’s their job to get it out. But I think in the end, politicians recognize that sometimes you have to hold back.” — Former Sen. Jeff Flake On Flake’s strategy to avoid […]

The issue has emerged as one of the most contentious in the talks among the nearly 200 governments that are aiming to finalize many of the rules laid out under the 2015 Paris agreement to keep average global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels. Critics say that the policies being implemented by the largest greenhouse gas polluters are falling short of that goal, and are well off the pace of what’s needed to meet the Paris agreement’s stretch target of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Kerry has pushed countries to revisit their plans and […]

It’s a hardening of the party that’s already shaping its approach to the midterms, ensuring not only that Republicans up and down the ballot will be running against the sitting president, but that they will not support anything that might help Biden improve his sunken public approval ratings in the interim. And they’ll punish any moderate Republicans who do. “That’s the way the place works now,” said former Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican who served as National Republican Congressional Committee chair. “That’s what we have devolved to.” In the days since the House vote, the 13 Republicans who voted with […]

The State Department and White House have been working for months on a new arms transfer policy that promises to place a renewed emphasis on human rights and protecting civilians, a review that could complicate some pending deals with countries that have a history of abuses. That review and the Qatar and Indonesia requests have contributed to a larger debate within the Biden administration over the export of armed drones, and which countries should be able to acquire that capability with U.S. help, said a defense industry official familiar with the discussions. Both Indonesia and Qatar have histories of human rights […]

“I was ready to go, and I had that dinner — a lot of you know this dinner — with the family, and the kids literally, they kind of had an intervention, they said they couldn’t believe I that was going to miss Halloween,” said Newsom, who has four children. “I woke up that next morning with something probably familiar to a lot of parents, that knot in your stomach, that I had no damn choice. I had to cancel that trip,” Newsom continued. Source link

“Cooperation is the only choice for both China and the United States,” said China’s climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua. “As two major powers in the world, China and the U.S. shoulder special international responsibilities and obligations. We need to think big and be responsible.” Kerry echoed that sentiment, even as he acknowledged the tensions between Washington and Beijing. “The United States and China have no shortage of differences. But on climate, cooperation is the only way to get this job done. This is not a discretionary thing, frankly. This is science,” Kerry told a press conference. The U.S.-China agreement called for the […]

“My concern with leaning into things like public housing as opposed to the supply shortage is it’s not the best use of the resources,” former Obama White House economic adviser Jim Parrott said. “If you don’t address that problem aggressively, all these other needs will linger, if not get worse.” The jockeying over the housing funds is one of many emerging sources of political tension surrounding Biden’s bill, after moderates including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) forced Democrats to slash what was originally a $3.5 trillion plan. The stakes are high for the 2 million people who reside in 1.2 million public […]

“The very people who voted for it initially because it looked like the Democrats were going to be given credit on something are being threatened with their chairmanships,“ he said. “It’s just not right. We’re going to change it, though.” Biden called the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which was drafted by both Republican and Democratic senators, “the one thing we generated consensus on.” The bill, which contains $550 billion in new spending, is a $1.2 trillion investment in programs such as broadband, roads, bridges and clean water. The Senate passed the bill in August with 19 Republican votes, including support from notable […]

A major factor, he said, is also the delay caused by the lawsuit over the agency’s April selection of SpaceX to build the Human landing System to take astronauts to the lunar surface, which was dismissed last week. “We’ve lost nearly seven months in litigation, and that likely has pushed the first human landing likely to no earlier than 2025,” Nelson said. The announcement marks the first acknowledgment that the aggressive timeline to land a crewed mission — which will include the first woman — on the moon by 2024 set by the Trump administration was overly optimistic, given all the […]

His entry into the race follows his searing recollections about responding to the Capitol attack, delivered to the Jan. 6 select committee at its first hearing in July, Dunn, who is Black, spoke about the racism and trauma he faced that day as racial slurs were hurled at him and he faced the onslaught of pro-Trump rioters at the Capitol. “No one had ever, ever called me a n—– while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer,” Dunn told lawmakers. Dunn is not currently a member of the Capitol Police’s union’s executive committee, but said in his candidate statement that […]

Each of those four bills could take several days of Senate floor time, not to mention the myriad negotiations still left to hash out Biden’s GOP-free domestic agenda with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who wants to slow things down. Already some senators are anticipating a short-term government funding patch for a few weeks, potentially right up until Christmas. And in a worst-case scenario, the debt limit would need to be raised right around that same time — something Republicans say they won’t help with. “It’s going to be a train wreck,” surmised Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the minority whip. Of course, […]

Maxar identified the location as Ruoqiang, a Taklamakan Desert county in the northwestern Xinjiang region. The independent U.S. Naval Institute said on its website that the mock-ups of U.S. ships were part of a new target range developed by the People’s Liberation Army. It wasn’t clear from the images how many details had been included in the apparent targets, although USNI said it had identified features on the destroyer including its funnels and weapons systems. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing Monday that he had no information about the images, saying, “I’m not aware of the […]

Retirements by Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) — and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s decision to run in a neighboring safe seat rather than a swing district that more closely resembles his current South Texas seat — have deprived Democrats of well-funded incumbents for tough races. Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden has banked $1.2 million, and Republican Esther Joy King in Illinois has over $655,000. Meanwhile, no Democratic candidates posted significant fundraising by the end of the third quarter. There are still a few seats likely to remain competitive after redistricting that are missing a top-tier candidate, but party […]

She also warned that home heating prices will be more expensive than the same period last year. “Yes, this is going to happen,” Granholm said. “It will be more expensive this year than last year.” Gas prices are the highest in years as the economy recovers from the lows of the pandemic faster than fuel-makers can ramp up their output. Though presidents have little to no control over gas prices, Republicans are increasingly hammering Biden for the rise at the pump, sensing that inflation is a political winner for them. Granholm has taken repeated questions over the past month on what […]

Word that the Biden administration was quietly studying the potential market impact of killing the Line 5 pipeline, first reported by POLITICO, set off a firestorm of criticism from Republicans saying the move would worsen the spike that has already driven propane prices up 50 percent from a year ago just as Michigan residents — the nation’s biggest consumers of the fuel — stock up for cold weather. Propane is stripped out of the line at the small port city of Escanaba to help feed supplies to communities in the state’s Upper Peninsula. “As we enter the winter months and temperatures […]

Most of those Republicans withheld their votes until Democrats could deliver the vast majority of votes on their own. The energy on the House floor was ecstatic as Democrats realized they would have enough votes to pass the bill. Even as the clock approached midnight, lawmakers gathered on the floor cheering, high-fiving and backslapping as they sent the bill to Biden’s desk. Pelosi initially brought up the infrastructure legislation Friday alongside a vote on the separate bill, seeking to make good on a promise to her caucus that the two would pass the chamber simultaneously. But Pelosi ultimately was forced to […]

“Today we have an opportunity to proceed down a path to advance a very historic and transformative agenda,” Pelosi told reporters late Friday afternoon. Democrats do still plan to advance their broader $1.75 trillion climate and social safety net bill, set for passage without GOP votes, but it would only be a procedural move — some momentum, but not enough for many progressives. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) issued a firm statement on Friday afternoon rejecting the move to vote on infrastructure without the broader spending plan. “If our six colleagues still want to wait” to vote on […]

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema speaks during a United States Senate Committee on Finance hearing on Oct. 19. | Rod Lamk/Getty Images When asked about the industry’s support nearly exclusively for Sinema, a spokesperson for the Direct Selling Association offered little explanation: “Contributions to candidates from DSA’s political action committee are based on a variety of factors.” Sinema does have a personal connection to the industry: Her own mother was a direct seller. But the bigger incentive for multi-level marketers to give to Sinema appears to be her position on labor organizing. The companies face an existential threat from the pro-union Protecting the […]

“We’re at that point where we wait another week, it gets worse, not better,” said Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). “It’s baked and it’s going to get overdone. There’s a point where you’ve got to stop talking and just come to terms with the shape it’s in.” Exasperated by a confluence of obstacles, from Senate centrists with shifting goalposts to a White House that hasn’t delivered as expected to this week’s election-night thrashing, Democratic leaders have decided to cut off talks that could easily persist into 2022. The move carries risk: A handful of House Democrats are still vowing to vote against […]

A senior Biden administration official told POLITICO the measure includes exemptions, and that the Biden administration had not settled on how it would instruct its finance aid organizations like the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the International Development Finance Corp. and Millennium Challenge Corp. to implement it. How tight any carve-outs are for oil and gas is potentially significant for Ex-Im, which approved $5 billion in fossil fuel finance the last two years, environmental group Friends of the Earth said in a statement. “While this is welcome progress, countries, especially the U.S., must hold firm to these commitments, shutting off the spigot to […]

But even as multiple policy disputes remain, House Democratic leaders and progressives now are ready to speed toward passage of a bill that doesn’t have Manchin’s blessing and thus faces an uncertain fate in the Senate. The fluid nature of the House bill comes as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer publicly presses for the Senate to take up the social spending bill as early as Nov. 15, provided the House can pass it in the next few days. That timeline could slip, however, given the Senate’s other priorities and Manchin’s persistent calls for a strategic pause. As he left the Capitol […]

According to the official, Said found that better communication between those making the strike decision and other support personnel might have raised more doubts about the bombing, but in the end may not have prevented it. Said was asked to investigate the Aug. 29 drone strike on a white Toyota Corolla sedan, which killed Zemerai Ahmadi and nine family members, including seven children. Ahmadi, 37, was a longtime employee of an American humanitarian organization. The intelligence about the car and its potential threat came just days after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. troops and 169 Afghans at a […]

“The message that was really sent, if we’re going to do something let’s do it right. Let’s make sure that people know what’s in it,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), dismissing most of his party’s new urgency. “We’re talking about revamping the whole entire tax code. That’s mammoth, totally. We’ve had no hearings, no open hearings. You haven’t been able to sit and listen to a hearing. None of us have.” Democrats’ Virginia drubbing has has added fresh resolve to the push by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team for quick passage of key Biden priorities. But she and other […]

“This is our fourth, and I think final, attempt to find partners across the aisle who will defend the right of every American to vote,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) “We’ve given it every possible effort over now five months, four different strategies. It’s not going to happen, so we’re going to have to do it with 50 members. And we’re going to have to sit down and decide how we’re going to do it.” That’s not necessarily the conclusion Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), is coming to, after extensive outreach to the other side of the aisle on voting. “We’ve got […]

That expansion is likely sustainable in the near-term, but keeping such a huge number of ships in good repair and fully crewed is a task still relatively new for the Chinese navy, especially for any missions beyond the first island chain. Still, Washington is watching the buildup with alarm. “We’re witnessing one of the largest shifts in global geostrategic power that the world has witnessed,” Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley said at the Aspen Security Forum just hours before the report’s release. The rise of Chinese military capabilities and aggressive diplomacy represents “a fundamental change” for global stability, he said. […]