A federal judge has blocked the use of Louisiana congressional maps that have only one majority-Black district. Gov. John Bel Edwards said there should have been a second majority-Black district approved since the state’s population is almost one-third Black.
news.yahoo.comAttorneys representing two Republican congressmen and a GOP state House member running to be Arizona’s top election official urged a judge in Phoenix Wednesday to dismiss lawsuits that allege they are ineligible for the November ballot because they participated in or helped organize the Jan. 6, 2021, rally in Washington that ended with an unprecedented attack on Congress. Lawsuits seeking to disqualify Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs and state Rep. Mark Finchem filed on behalf of a handful of Arizona voters allege that they are ineligible to hold office because they participated in an insurrection.
news.yahoo.comA Russian airstrike has ripped apart a theater where hundreds of people had been living in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials say, as Russian President Vladimir Putin calls for a “self-purification” to rid his country of anyone who questions the invasion
washingtonpost.comThe Federal Reserve Board announced plans to raise interest rates a quarter-point in the first hike since 2018. New York Times Dealbook editor Stephen Gandel and Kroll Institute global chief economist Megan Greene join CBS News' Lana Zak and Enrique Acevedo with their insights on the breaking news.
news.yahoo.comRep. Victoria Spartz, 43, has joined her Republican colleagues in harshly criticizing Biden for his handling of the Ukrainian crisis, including for not imposing sanctions on Russia before the invasion.
washingtonpost.comTear gas is released into a crowd of protesters, with one wielding a Confederate battle flag that reads "Come and Take It," during clashes with Capitol police at a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday canceled an event billed as a press conference that was set to be held on the first anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump had reportedly planned to defend the rioters during that event, which was going to be held at his golf club Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
cnbc.comPresident Donald Trump waited hours to call for supporters to end the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. Texts reveal how desperate Fox News hosts and Donald Trump Jr. were to get him to act that day.
cnbc.comA federal grand jury in Nashville, Tennessee, returned an indictment Friday charging Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey and a Nashville social club owner with violating campaign finance laws as part of an alleged scheme to benefit Kelsey’s 2016 campaign for U.S. Congress. Kelsey is also charged with making excessive contributions to a federal campaign and accepting excessive contributions. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Attorneys Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee and Joseph C. Murphy Jr. for the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement. Attorneys Amanda Klopf of the Middle District of Tennessee and David Pritchard of Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
justice.govPro-Trump protesters storm the U.S. Capitol to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 6, 2021. Former President Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit seeking to block White House records from his tenure there being obtained by the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by Trump supporters. The suit accuses the select committee and its chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, of harassing Trump and senior members of his administration with "an illegal, unfounded, and overbroad records request to the Archivist of the United States." The suit also accuses President Joe Biden of "a political ploy" by refusing to assert executive privilege over the records to keep them from going to the committee. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
cnbc.comThe U.S. Senate passed a short-term extension of the debt ceiling on Thursday night. The bill allows the nation's borrowing limit to be increased by $480 billion, which the Treasury Department says will be enough to cover the country's debt obligations until December 3. CBS News political contributor and Washington Post White House reporter Sean Sullivan joins CBSN anchor Lana Zak to discuss what's next for this bill and what hurdles Congress needs to overcome to reach a long-term agreement.
news.yahoo.comRussian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting via video conference with officials and government cabinet members in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 11, 2021. “Some of the people who took a stroll to the U.S. Congress — 150 people were arrested, they face imprisonment from 15 to 25 years. We do not know, but we want it to end, because we are interested in stable relations with all our main partners,” Putin said. More than 300 Trump supporters have been charged with a range of crimes stemming from the siege, which resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer. AdThe rioters, who contended that Trump was the true winner of the 2020 election, were trying to prevent the U.S. Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s win.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by three Democratic state attorneys general that had sought to force the federal government to recognize Virginia's vote last year to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and add it to the Constitution. Constitutional amendments must be ratified by three-quarters of the states, or 38, but Congress enacted a ratification deadline for the ERA that passed decades ago. An emailed message seeking comment from the press office of the National Archives and Records Administration was not immediately returned. Ford in Nevada said in a statement Friday that women have always been endowed with equal rights but it's past time for the country to recognize that. Opponents of the measure warn it could be used to erase protections such as workplace accommodations during pregnancy.
A person walks by newly-placed barricades around the Supreme Court Building, the day after violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Congress in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court says that when a person's car has been impounded and they file for bankruptcy, the car does not have to be immediately returned. The case involved several people whose cars were impounded by the city of Chicago who then filed for bankruptcy and hoped to get their vehicles back. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote separately and singled out the situation of George Peake, whose 2007 Lincoln MKZ was impounded in 2018 for unpaid parking and red-light tickets. The case is City of Chicago v. Fulton, 19-357.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Tuesday wrestled with whether to revive a lawsuit brought by a Georgia college student who sued school officials after being prevented from distributing Christian literature on campus. The school, Georgia Gwinnett College, has since changed its policies and the student has graduated. A lower court dismissed the case as moot and an appeals court agreed, but the student, Chike Uzuegbunam, is urging the justices to allow the case to move forward. He's seeking just $1 and says he wants the Lawrenceville, Georgia, school to be held accountable for its past policies. Uzuegbunam and another student, Joseph Bradford, sued, and the college changed its policy in 2017.
__10:40 p.m.Michigan Rep. Fred Upton has become the fourth Republican to back the impeachment of President Donald Trump. ___8 p.m.Vice President Mike Pence is ruling out invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from power, less than a week after the president fomented the violent insurrection at the Capitol. That word comes as GOP divisions emerge over Democrats’ plan for a House vote Wednesday. As rioters were still in the Capitol, Trump released a video seemingly excusing the events, saying of the rioters: “We love you. On impeachment, Trump said it’s “a really terrible thing that they’re doing.” But he said, “We want no violence.
A person walks by newly-placed barricades around the Supreme Court Building, the day after violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Congress in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday formally refused to put on a fast track election challenges filed by President Donald Trump and his allies. The court rejected pleas for quick consideration of cases involving the outcome in five states won by President-elect Joe Biden: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The court still could act on appeals related to the Nov. 3 election later this winter or in the spring. But even if the court were to take up an election-related case, it probably wouldn't hear arguments until the fall.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., holds a news conference on the day after violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. “It has been an epiphany for the world to see that there are people in our country led by this president, for the moment, who have chosen their whiteness over democracy,” Pelosi said. Pelosi says, “The complicity, not only the complicity, the instigation of the president of United States, must and will be addressed.”___1:25 p.m. Flight attendants have expressed concern that their flights could be carrying supporters of President Donald Trump who took part in Wednesday’s violent protest and siege of the U.S. Capitol. ___2:25 a.m.Democrats in Congress are laying the groundwork to impeach President Donald Trump.
Pelosi, addressing her hometown San Francisco constituents during an online video conference, shed no fresh light on Democrats' plans. Trump has not publicly made such threats, but officials warn of grave danger if the president is left unchecked. A person on the call said Pelosi also discussed other ways Trump might be forced to resign. ”Democratic leaders have called on Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to force Trump from office. The House impeached Trump in 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him in early 2020.
There's little chance that the Republican-led Senate would hold a trial and vote on convicting Trump in less than two weeks. Still, action by the House would still make Trump the first president in history to be impeached twice. That’s what happened in 2019, when the House impeached Trump over his dealings with the president of Ukraine. “In all of this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government,” the Democratic draft reads. WHAT IMPEACHMENT WOULD MEANRepublicans, even those who have criticized Trump, say impeachment would be unhelpful.
“We must take action,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared on a private conference call with Democrats. The mayhem that erupted Wednesday at the Capitol stunned the world and threatened the traditional peaceful transfer of power. Trump has not publicly made such threats, but officials warn of grave danger if the president is left unchecked. Conviction in the Republican Senate at this late date would seem unlikely, though in a sign of Trump's shattering of the party many Republicans were silent on the issue. The House impeached Trump in 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him in early 2020.
With the U.S. Capitol in the background, members of the National Guard stand behind newly placed fencing around the Capitol grounds the day after violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Congress in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – The head of the U.S. Capitol Police will resign effective Jan. 16 following the breach of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. Chief Steven Sund said Thursday that police had planned for a free speech demonstration and did not expect the violent attack. His resignation was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly. Protesters stormed the building and occupied for hours.
But given what we saw at the Capitol, people are very concerned that this could go in a much different direction. We’re at one of these moments where you’re going to see a transfer of power from not just one man to the next but one party to another. You’re going to see a significant shift in priorities from one administration to another. You’re going to see a changeover on Capitol Hill. But there are already some real concerns about what the Trump administration will leave the Biden administration, and whether that will hamper them at the start.
The U.S. Capitol Police says an officer who was injured after responding to riots at the Capitol has died. ___7:20 p.m.President Donald Trump is conceding to President-elect Joe Biden and condemning the violent supporters of his who stormed the nation’s Capitol. He was a web developer and founder of Trumparoo, a social media site for supporters of President Donald Trump. ___2:35 p.m.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she’s seeking the resignation of Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund a day after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. ___2:30 p.m.Canadian-based e-commerce company Shopify Inc. has removed online stores affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying his actions have violated the company’s policies.
Asian shares mostly rose Friday on hopes for additional economic stimulus after U.S. Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)Asian shares were mostly higher Friday on hopes for additional economic stimulus after U.S. Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election. Japan's state of emergency to combat surging coronavirus cases, which kicked in Friday, did little to dampen market optimism. The rally was broad-based, though the S&P 500′s technology sector notched the biggest gain, recouping losses after a pullback a day earlier. Hopes are also growing about the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to help daily life around the world get closer to normal.
She stayed up all night, watching and worrying at her home in Delhi as the chaos unfolded many time zones away. Both have to play their role with decency and responsibility so that democracy itself remains the winner,” Merkel said. Iran, which faces routine U.S. criticism over violations of human rights and democratic values, jumped on the chaos as proof of American hypocrisy. Ally after ally expressed shock, followed by affirmations that U.S. democratic institutions would withstand the turmoil. “American democracy is obviously limping on both feet,” said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee in Russia’s upper house of parliament.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks to the media, Wednesday Dec. 30, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The group of House and Senate Republicans are echoing President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. Democrat Nancy Pelosi was set to be reelected as House speaker by her party, which retains the majority in the House but with the slimmest margin in 20 years. Hawley specifically defended himself against criticism from GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania as he challenges that state’s election results. Rep. Nancy Pelosi is set to be reelected as House speaker by fellow Democrats, who retain the House majority but with the slimmest margin in 20 years.
In this photo provided by the New York Stock Exchange, trader Edward Curran works on the floor, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. (Colin Ziemer/New York Stock Exchange via AP)Asian stock markets declined Friday after Wall Street hit a new high on optimism about economic stimulus and coronavirus vaccine development despite a spike in U.S. unemployment claims. Market action suggested investors see “bad data is good news” for progress toward a stimulus, said Mizuho Bank in a report. The Labor Department reported the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to 885,000 last week, the highest level since September. In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude lost 13 cents to $48.23 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Asian shares are higher Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 on hopes the U.S. Congress may finally deliver fresh aid to help businesses and families weather the pandemic. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Thursday, buoyed by hopes the U.S. Congress may finally deliver fresh aid to help American businesses and families weather the pandemic. Benchmarks rose in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai but fell in South Korea. Congressional leaders appeared late Wednesday to be on the brink of a COVID-19 economic aid package that would extend help to individuals and businesses and ship coronavirus vaccines to millions. Negotiators were working on a $900 billion package that would revive subsidies for businesses hit hard by the pandemic, help distribute new vaccines, fund schools and renew soon-to-expire jobless benefits.
FRANKFURT – Three of the globe's top central bankers said their economies continue to need help despite progress toward a COVID-19 vaccine, with U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell saying that the U.S. Congress “may need to do more” to cushion the blow from the pandemic. All three central banks have deployed large-scale stimulus such as interest rate cuts and bond purchases that aim to keep borrowing costs affordable for businesses. A multi-trillion-dollar stimulus, enacted in the spring, had helped sustain jobless Americans and ailing businesses but has since expired. “We’re recovering to a different economy,” he said, and there will be a substantial number of workers who will need support as the economy is changed by the pandemic. The Fed is buying $120 billion a month in bonds — $80 billion in Treasurys and $40 billion in mortgage bonds — to try to keep long-term borrowing costs low.
Fort Bend County – Firt Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls is now also Congressman-elect Troy Nehls after a solid win in the race for Congressional District-22. Headed to Washington next week for freshman orientation -- Nehls said in addition to veteran and citizen mental health he’ll be focused on flood mitigation and infrastructure funds for District-22. “I believe whatever side wins there’s probably gonna be a very large infrastructue bill,” Nehls said. “Believe it or not we shook each others hands and gave a hug,” said Nehls. We’re professionals.”Nehls plans to spend three-to-four days a week in Washington but as much of his time will be in District-22.
A Texas-led challenge to the Affordable Care Act will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in November. If Obamacare remains struck down on appeal Texas will be ready with replacement health care insurance that includes coverage for preexisting conditions. They say the individual mandate remains constitutional, but also that even if it were not, the rest of the Affordable Care Act would still stand. Most provisions of the Affordable Care Act have survived despite numerous legal challenges, but Ginsburg’s death means the loss of one of the law’s staunchest defenders on the high court. The least likely outcome, according to legal scholars of many political persuasions, is the court striking down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety.
On the GOP ballot are Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls and conservative activist Kathaleen Wall. District 22 covers the majority of Fort Bend County and parts of Brazoria and Harris counties. Map of TX-22 Congressional District (Wikipedia)Meet the candidatesTroy NehlsTroy Nehls is currently the Fort Bend County Sheriff, serving a total of eight years. He fought to “keep Fort Bend County armed,” according to his campaign website. Kathaleen WallKathaleen Wall (Courtesy of Kathaleen Wall for Congress)A conservative activist who planted her roots in Texas, Wall, a businesswoman working in the technological sector, has helped Republican candidates win races in previous elections.
