U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert asked Trump for a pardon after insurrection, Jan. 6 committee reveals
Gohmert was mentioned several times during Thursday’s hearing, which focused on the coordinated effort by Trump and his allies to convince the Justice Department to investigate voter fraud and help overturn election results.
Hundreds of high-powered CEOs—from Lyft to Bain Capital—want the Senate to 'take bold, urgent action' on gun violence
High-powered CEOs from a wide range of U.S. companies signed a letter urging Senators to take 'immediate' action on gun violence in America, following multiple mass shootings.
cnbc.comTexas Republicans Chip Roy and Louie Gohmert among few to vote against U.S. House bill to help poor mothers access formula
The bill, which passed in the House, would expand the formula brand choices available to mothers on a federal assistance program in an attempt to mitigate a disruptive baby formula shortage around the country.
Democrats are in danger of losing three congressional strongholds in South Texas
The seats in question are held by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen. A third vacant seat recently belonged to Filemon Vela of Brownsville, who stepped down to take a private sector lobbying job.
Op-Ed: Biden needs to rapidly increase U.S. energy production to cut Russia dependence
The United States produces more oil and natural gas than any other country in the world. As a global energy power, we can provide low energy prices, the creation of steady jobs, dependability, and security for America and our allies. For example, Germany – Europe's largest economy – depends on Russia for about 55% of its natural gas supply. The world would be safer and cleaner if Germany used more American gas, given Russia's is 41% dirtier than America's. Together, these projects would increase natural gas capacity by about 25%, or four billion cubic feet per day.
cnbc.comRetiring U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson looms large in crowded race to replace her
Johnson did not make her retirement official until November, setting off an abridged scramble to set up campaigns ahead of the December filing deadline but attracting a packed lineup of experienced candidates who are either well connected, well known or well funded.
Defense attorney in trial for Arbery's killing motions for mistrial, because of ‘Black Panther group,’ other protesters in ‘mob’
Kevin Gough, a defense attorney for one of the three men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery, motioned for a mistrial on Monday because of protesters, whom he described as a “mob,” displaying coffins with the defendants’ names on them. Judge Timothy Walmsley denied the motion.
news.yahoo.comMichael Cohen ends prison term after Trump-related crimes; vows to continue to cooperate in Trump probe
Michael Cohen, who was former President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer until his 2018 arrest, said Monday that his three-year prison sentence — mostly spent in home confinement — was over as he took another swipe at his former boss and vowed to continue cooperating with law enforcement probes.
news.yahoo.comVermont Democratic US Rep. Peter Welch to seek Senate seat
Vermont's sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic Rep. Peter Welch, announced Monday that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy. Welch's decision comes a week after the 81-year-old Leahy's announcement that he will not seek reelection to the seat he first won in 1974. The 74-year-old Welch said the 2022 election will determine control of the Senate and, with it, what he can accomplish for Vermont families.
news.yahoo.comGov. Greg Abbott signs off on Texas’ new political maps, which protect GOP majorities while diluting voices of voters of color
Texas lawmakers drew new maps for the state House and Senate, congressional delegation and State Board of Education. Here’s what Texans should know about the 2021 redistricting outcomes.
Texas lawmakers pass controversial new map for the U.S. House of Representatives – Houston Public Media
While Democrats hold firm in their accusations of racial gerrymandering, Republicans passed a map reallocating Texas’ seats in the U.S. House. A court challenge is likely ahead.
houstonpublicmedia.orgDemocrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher is about to find out how badly Texas Republicans want her out of Congress
The two-term Houston representative holds a congressional seat with a storied Republican lineage. With the GOP-controlled Legislature about to release new district maps, some expect they will try to wrest the seat back into their column.
National Republicans zero in on South Texas congressional race to oust Vicente Gonzalez
The Democratic incumbent, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen, had a surprisingly close race last year as President Joe Biden underperformed across the region, and his 2020 challenger, Monica De La Cruz-Hernandez, is running again.
Former broadcast journalist announces congressional run
WESLACO — Former broadcast journalist Frank McCaffrey announced his intention to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, a seat currently held by Vicente Gonzalez, at the San Martin de Porres Food Distribution Center in Weslaco on Monday. McCaffrey believes he has an understanding of government that would help with his run for his congressional run. His interest in local business and job creation comes from his concern of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it’s changed the economic landscape. “These things are a lot of challenges that you just have to have someone who’s willing to go up to Washington and fight for and not ignore the people of the Valley,” McCaffrey said. I said, well I guess I got to run, I guess this is my calling.”
myrgv.comU.S. Sens. John Cornyn, Ted Cruz vote against infrastructure bill that could give Texas more than $30 billion
The Senate approved a $1 trillion, bipartisan bill that also earmarks money for broadband internet access. It’s not yet known how much money set aside for the country’s aging electricity infrastructure could go to Texas’ main power grid.
Texas lawmakers to testify as U.S. House oversight committee plans hearing on Texas voting bill
Three of the Democratic legislators who went to Washington, D.C., to deny the Texas House a quorum have been invited to detail their concerns at a specially called hearing on the contentious legislation that includes new restrictions on voting.
Texas House Democrat Michelle Beckley announces run against Republican U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne
Beckley unveiled her plans in a video filmed inside a hotel room in the nation’s capital, where state House Democrats fled earlier this month to break quorum in protest of Republicans’ priority elections bill.
U.S. House calls for Russia to free Texan who’s been imprisoned since 2019
Trevor Reed, a 29-year-old resident of Granbury, was arrested in August 2019 on specious grounds, according to news reports and American diplomats, and his supporters say he’s being held on trumped-up charges because he’s a retired Marine.
Chicago's Memorial Day forecast: Looking like a cool down (Here are the coldest, warmest and wettest holiday weekends on record)
Temperatures will fall just in time for the holiday weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Here's a look back at how the forecast compares with the warmest, coldest and wettest Memorial Day weather on record in Chicago history.
chicagotribune.comUser’s guide to the 2020 census: What’s done, what’s next and what it means to you
A new phase of census data releases started last month as the U.S. Census Bureau completed its process of counting the population of the country. The bureau released state-by-state population data in April, after more than a year of some unique data collection challenges, and more will be released this summer.
chicagotribune.comPelosi taps D.C. National Guard commander to be next House sergeant-at-arms
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped Major General William J. Walker to be the next House sergeant-at-arms, the chief law enforcement and protocol officer for the U.S. House of Representatives. Walker is currently the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard. If confirmed by a majority of the House, he'll be the first Black sergeant-at-arms. The House sergeant-at-arms is responsible for keeping order on the House side of the Capitol. He has 39 years of military experience and attended the University of Illinois for his undergratuat degree, and Chicago State University, the National Intelligence University and American University for his master's work.
cbsnews.com"I still like Dr. Seuss": Kevin McCarthy releases video of himself reading "Green Eggs and Ham"
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has seemingly weighed in on Dr. Seuss Enterprises' decision to stop publishing six Dr. Seuss books because they contain racist and insensitive imagery. On Friday night, the Republican from California tweeted a five-minute video of himself reading "Green Eggs and Ham." "I still like Dr. Seuss," McCarthy tweeted. I still like Dr. Seuss, so I decided to read Green Eggs and Ham. "Dr. Seuss Enterprises celebrates reading and also our mission of supporting all children and families with messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion, and friendship," the company said.
cbsnews.comHouston NAACP honors TSU students from 1960 sit-in protest against segregation
HOUSTON – On this day, more than 60 years ago a group of Texas Southern University sparked a movement that would lead to desegregation in our city within a year. On Thursday, members of the community honored this moment in history with a march and a new call for justice. On March 4, 1960, the brave students from Texas Southern University marched to the Weingarten’s grocery store, sat down at the counter and asked to be served. Many students took part in Thursday’s march. Earlier this week, the House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would ban chokeholds and “no-knock” warrants in drug cases at the federal level.
U.S. House Oversight Committee Investigating Operator Of Texas’ Power Grid – Houston Public Media
A U.S. House subcommittee is investigating the operator of Texas' power grid for its role in leaving millions without electricity during the destructive winter storm that hammered the state two weeks ago. In the letter, Khanna also highlighted the known risk that climate change poses to the United States based on scientific evidence. ERCOT and the State of Texas are well-aware of the weather predictions, yet you failed to prepare adequately for them," Khanna said. The following Texans sit on the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform: U.S. Reps. Michael Cloud, R-Victoria; Pete Sessions, R-Waco; and Pat Fallon, R-Sherman. The oversight committee is "the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives" and can investigate within its legislative jurisdiction as well as "any matter" within the jurisdiction of other standing committees, according to the committee's website.
houstonpublicmedia.orgU.S. House Oversight Committee investigating operator of Texas' power grid
The U.S. Capitol on Jan. 12, 2021. Credit: REUTERS/Joshua RobertsA U.S. House subcommittee is investigating the operator of Texas’ power grid for its role in leaving millions without electricity during the destructive winter storm that hammered the state two weeks ago. The subcommittee asked ERCOT to fork over documents by March 17. AdIn the letter, Khanna also highlighted the known risk that climate change poses to the United States based on scientific evidence. ERCOT and the State of Texas are well-aware of the weather predictions, yet you failed to prepare adequately for them,” Khanna said. The oversight committee is “the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives” and can investigate within its legislative jurisdiction as well as “any matter” within the jurisdiction of other standing committees, according to the committee’s website.
House passes Equality Act which would expand LGBTQ protections
The bill would ensure equal treatment for LGBTQ individuals in areas including employment, education, housing, credit, public accommodations and others. The Equality Act passed in the House in 2019, but stalled in the Republican-led Senate. LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD called the passage of the Equality Act in the House a "victory for all Americans who believe discrimination against LGBTQ people is wrong and the law should secure core values of equal treatment." Just six years ago, LGBTQ Americans like my daughter won the legal right to marry who they love," Schumer said. "The Equality Act would make sure she can continue living her life with her wife with the security and dignity of knowing she won't face basic discrimination because of who she is."
cnbc.comRush Limbaugh, highly influential conservative radio host, dies at 70
AdvertisementFormer President Trump spoke to Fox News about Limbaugh’s death, saying, “He was very brave. AdvertisementLimbaugh first broadcast the nationally syndicated “The Rush Limbaugh Show” in 1988 and quickly exploded onto radio stations. The radio host targeted her in a multiday tirade. Rush Limbaugh puffs on a cigar while waiting to tee off from the fifth tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links in February 2001. The radio host criticized the honor, suggesting the Democratic Party and “the worldwide left” were using Thunberg as a political pawn to advance climate change.
latimes.comColumn: Marjorie Taylor Greene tests GOP’s tolerance for the lunatic fringe it fostered. Now it’s Judgment Day.
On Thursday, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on whether to strip Greene of her committee assignments. Americans will see whether the GOP sides with sanity or with the QAnon-hugging, violence-fomenting conspiracy theorist who voters in a congressional district in Georgia deemed worthy of placing in Congress.
chicagotribune.com17 new House Republicans tell Biden they want to work together
A group of Republican freshmen in the U.S. House of Representatives — many of whom objected to Electoral College votes for the new president — congratulated President Joe Biden on his inauguration and told him they'd like to work together, despite their differences. The group wants to work with Mr. Biden on a "targeted, meaningful coronavirus relief for families and businesses," as well as several other items ranging from healthcare to the economy. The group of 17 House Republicans includes 11 who objected to the Electoral College results, CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe reports. During his inaugural address Wednesday, Mr. Biden urged the American people to cast aside the political divisions that have gripped the nation. "We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal," Mr. Biden said.
cbsnews.comWhile the U.S. may be closer than ever to a $15 federal minimum wage, the idea still faces stiff opposition
With Joe Biden's inauguration as president of the United States, the country is perhaps closer than ever to a $15 federal minimum wage. Under the plan, Biden will call on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour from the current $7.25. The federal minimum wage has not been increased since 2009. While boosting the federal minimum wage to $15 is popular among some lawmakers, activists and consumers, it still faces a lot of opposition to becoming law. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Friday seemed to reference using reconciliation to pass a $15 minimum wage.
cnbc.comMedia captures unprecedented storming of U.S. Capitol
People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. “Security here at the U.S. Capitol has failed.”Given Trump's speech and two months of baseless charges that the election was rigged, several journalists raised questions about why law enforcement seemed so unprepared. Even as the building was being stormed, Trump supporters in the media were calling into question who was responsible. Fox anchor Martha MacCallum, before the scope of the violence inside the Capitol was known, called the breach a “huge victory” for protestors. The nation's deep divisions played out in the media before and after protestors moved on the Capitol.
Chicago nurse treating COVID-19 patients gets Thanksgiving phone call from Vice President-elect Kamala Harris: ‘I know that it’s personal for you’
In May, Hardin offered written testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis detailing her experience working in the ICU with COVID-19 patients. In her statement, Hardin wrote that “hospital management has consistently refused to give nurses in my unit the protections that we need to avoid exposure and infection.”
chicagotribune.comThe US is closer than ever to a $15 federal minimum wage after Biden win
Labor leaders, workers and activists attend a rally for a $15 minimum hourly wage on July 22, 2015 in New York. The federal minimum wage which is currently $7.25 per hour, has not been updated since 2009 and is an unlivable income in most of the U.S. In 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill called the Raise the Minimum Wage Act, which would lift federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to boost the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, eliminate the tipped minimum wage and index minimum wage to the median hourly wage, inline with the U.S. House act. The benefits and costs of $15 minimum wage
cnbc.comLive blog: 2020 election results for Harris County, Texas
Early voting totals show Democrats are ahead in some Harris County races, although Republicans show leads in others. PRESIDENTIAL RACE: Chron is following national resultsWhile early voting results were released at 7 p.m., results from votes cast today will take time to count. That's 57.9 percent of all registered voters in the county, according to the Texas Secretary of State. The Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center near Cypress counted the most ballots out of any location in the county with 29,810 votes, according to the Harris County Clerk. Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar and Travis took the next top spots, totaling nearly 4.2 million votes in the five most populous counties – about half of the 9.7 million early votes cast throughout the state.
chron.comMontana presses to finish census, eyeing 2nd House seat
But the 2020 census deadline remains in flux, making it uncertain if census takers will finish counting the vast, rural state. But the 2020 census deadline remains in flux, making it uncertain if census takers will finish counting the vast, rural state. Experts say a second House seat is a prize the state can scarcely afford to lose. In an August report, the bureau stated it needed 2,000 census takers, also called enumerators, to complete Montana's count. An extension would give Montana's enumerators a chance to overcome these challenges, getting closer to the coveted second House seat.
Democrats urge probe of allegations regarding TikTok and children's privacy
FILE PHOTO: Tik Tok logo is displayed on the smartphone while standing on the U.S. flag in this illustration picture taken, November 8, 2019. REUTERS/Dado RuvicWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fourteen Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday to urge it to consider probing the short video app TikTok for blatant disregard of a consent decree related to childrens privacy. The blatant disregard for the consent decree could encourage other websites to fail to adhere to settlements made with your agency, thereby weakening protections for all Americans, the letter said. Earlier this month, two Republicans on the same committee wrote to TikTok to press for information about its potentially illegal use of data about children and ties to the Chinese government. The letter was addressed to Zhang Yiming, founder and CEO of TikTok owner ByteDance.
feeds.reuters.comRepublicans cast doubt on future of House bills passed by proxy
REUTERS/Tom BrennerA day after filing a federal lawsuit to overturn rules allowing proxy voting, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said any bills approved under the new system may be unconstitutional and could be ignored by the Republican-led U.S. Senate. McCarthy spoke hours before the first-ever proxy vote, allowing some lawmakers to vote on behalf of colleagues who are absent. The Democratic majority, which approved proxy voting on May 15 in a party-line vote, says the change will allow the House to function while observing social distancing guidelines. House members began casting proxy votes late Wednesday afternoon on a measure seeking sanctions on Chinese officials over a crackdown on minority Muslim Uighurs. I inform the House that Ms. Tlaib will vote yes, said Representative Debbie Dingell, referring to fellow Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib.
feeds.reuters.comRepublicans cast doubt on future of U.S. House bills passed by proxy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans warned on Wednesday that legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives during the coronavirus pandemic may not become law if lawmakers are allowed to cast their votes remotely under a new voting system. REUTERS/Tom BrennerA day after filing a federal lawsuit to overturn rules allowing proxy voting, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said any bills approved under the new system may be unconstitutional and could be ignored by the Republican-led U.S. Senate. McCarthy spoke hours before the first-ever proxy vote, which allows some lawmakers to vote on behalf of colleagues who are absent. The Democratic majority, which approved proxy voting on May 15 in a party-line vote, say the change will allow the House to function while observing social distancing guidelines. McCarthy said that 71 House Democrats had asked for their votes to be cast by another lawmaker as of Wednesday morning.
feeds.reuters.comU.S. House Republicans to sue Pelosi over rule changes allowing remote proxy voting
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a press conference to mark the anniversary of the House passage of the 19th Amendment and women's right to vote, on Capitol Hill May 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. U.S. House of Representatives Republicans will sue Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi over rule changes that allow remote proxy voting, Republican aides said on Tuesday. The lawsuit, to be filed in federal court in Washington, will seek to block the new system set up by the Democratic-majority House to allow remote proxy voting during the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit will argue that the rule changes are unconstitutional, the Republican aides said.
cnbc.comHouse Democrats float $3 trillion coronavirus bill, Republicans reject it
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday unveiled a $3 trillion-plus coronavirus relief package with funding for states, businesses, food support and families, only to see the measure flatly rejected by Senate Republicans. Similar partisan posturing preceded the last two major coronavirus relief bills. McConnell said he and fellow Senate Republican John Cornyn were spearheading a broad legislative package of liability protections for businesses, schools and government agencies. McConnell has demanded that the legislation be included in any new coronavirus relief package. But Democrats in both the House and Senate have rejected the idea of liability protections and accused Republicans of trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to usher in long-sought tort reforms.
feeds.reuters.comU.S. House Democrats float $3 trillion coronavirus bill, Republicans reject it
Republicans say they want to hold off on new coronavirus relief legislation to assess the impact of nearly $3 trillion in response assistance that Congress has allocated since early March, as states move to reopen a shuttered U.S. economy. Similar partisan posturing proceeded the last two major coronavirus relief bills. McConnell said he and fellow Senate Republican John Cornyn are spearheading a broad legislative package of liability protections for businesses, schools and government agencies. Slideshow (19 Images)McConnell has demanded that the legislation be included in any new coronavirus relief package. But Democrats in both the House and Senate have rejected the idea of liability protections and accused Republicans of trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to usher in long-sought tort reforms.
feeds.reuters.comU.S. House Democrats unveil $3 trillion coronavirus bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday unveiled a $3 trillion-plus coronavirus relief package including funding for the post office and testing, though the top Senate Republican had already bashed the idea. FILE PHOTO: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) walks inside the U.S. Capitol prior to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, U.S., December 18, 2019. House leaders are expected to call lawmakers back to Washington on Friday for a possible vote on the bill. McConnell has demanded that the legislation be included in any new coronavirus relief package. But Democrats in both the House and Senate have rejected the idea of liability protections and accused Republicans of trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to usher in long-sought tort reforms.
feeds.reuters.comU.S. House Democrats push coronavirus funds for post office, testing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday unveiled another coronavirus relief package including funding for the post office and testing, though the top Senate Republican immediately bashed the idea. FILE PHOTO: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) walks inside the U.S. Capitol prior to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, U.S., December 18, 2019. House leaders are expected to call lawmakers back to Washington on Friday for a possible vote on the bill of more than $3 trillion. Republicans say they want to hold off on new coronavirus relief legislation to assess the impact of nearly $3 trillion in coronavirus response assistance that Congress has allocated since early March, as states move to reopen a shuttered U.S. economy. McConnell has demanded that the legislation be included in any new coronavirus relief package.
feeds.reuters.comU.S. House could vote on Thursday on coronavirus loan bill: Hoyer
FILE PHOTO: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) walks at the U.S. Capitol prior to the U.S. House of Representatives voting on two articles of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, U.S., December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Tom BrennerWASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than half the U.S. House of Representatives could return to the capitol on Thursday to pass a coronavirus relief bill that would fund small business loans and hospital aid, chambers second-most powerful Democrat said on Tuesday, adding he thinks both parties would approve the legislation. Representative Steny Hoyer, who is responsible for whipping votes for the Democrats, said he thinks Congress is close to a deal on the bill. The top Democrat in the Republican-led Senate, Chuck Schumer, said earlier on Tuesday his chamber could vote on it as soon as the afternoon.
feeds.reuters.comTop House Republican McCarthy confirms deal reached on small business loan bill
FILE PHOTO: U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to the media after a meeting in the office of House U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to wrap up work on coronavirus economic aid legislation, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2020. REUTERS/Mary F. CalvertWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Tuesday that a deal had been reached to replenish funding for an emergency program that extends loans to small businesses hit by a drop in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. There is a deal that is done, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News Channel.
feeds.reuters.comDonald Trump becomes third president to be impeached in US history
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday night, becoming only the third American chief executive to be formally charged under the Constitution’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors. Trump called the whole affair a “witch hunt,” a “hoax” and a “sham,” and sometimes all three. “President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,” it said. The investigation of Richard Nixon ended when he resigned rather than face the House vote over Watergate. The next day, Trump called Ukraine.