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This week: Jan. 6 hearings resume, House takes up abortion bills

House lawmakers are returning from a two-week recess to a jam-packed schedule this week, with Jan. 6 hearings resuming on Tuesday and a pair of abortion-related bills awaiting consideration.

On the Jan. 6 front, the House select committee investigating last year’s Capitol riot will hold two hearings, one reportedly in primetime, as the panel continues to make its case to the American public that former President Trump was at the center of a conspiracy to keep himself in power.

The chamber is also slated to take up two bills to protect access to abortion, more than two weeks after the Supreme Court released a ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Additionally, the House is set to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a bill to create a communications network that would notify individuals when an active shooter is in their community. The alert system legislation failed to pass the House last month.

On the Senate side, lawmakers are scheduled to vote on a number of nominations for various posts, including President Biden’s pick for director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Jan. 6 hearings

The Jan. 6 select committee is slated to hold two more public hearings this week, marking the first presentation since former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone testified behind closed doors on Friday.

Members of the panel have said that parts of Cipollone’s testimony will be shown during this week’s presentations.

Tuesday’s hearing, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., will focus on the role far-right extremist groups — including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers — played in carrying out the Capitol attack, and examine if the Trump officials or allies were coordinating with the organizations in the lead up to the riot.

The committee has not yet announced the live witness list, but NBC News reported Sunday night that a former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers, Jason Van Tatenhov, will offer testimony before the panel on Tuesday.

A source familiar with the plans told the network that while Tatenhov was not a member of the far-right group, he is likely to discuss how the group has become radicalized over the years. His testimony is also expected to detail how the organization’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, took advantage of conspiracy theories to bolster its membership and financing.

Rhodes and 10 other members of the Oath Keepers were charged with seditious conspiracy in January for the alleged role they played in the Capitol riot. In June, the Department of Justice charged Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and four other members with seditious conspiracy.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), a member of the Jan. 6 committee, told CNN on Sunday that the panel is “going to be connecting the dots during these hearings between these groups and those who are trying to — in government circles to overturn the election,” referring to the far-right militia groups.

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who is leading Tuesday’s proceedings with Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), told CBS News on Sunday that the hearing will also include information about the White House meeting that took place on Dec. 18, 2020 with lawyer Sidney Powell, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and others.

During that huddle, the group reportedly discussed seizing voting machines, and Powell previously told the committee that Trump asked her to serve as special counsel for election issues.

“One of the things that people are gonna learn is the fundamental importance of a meeting that took place in the White House on December the 18th,” Raskin said.

Thursday’s primetime hearing, which has not yet been formally announced but has been reported by multiple outlets, is expected to focus on what Trump was doing from the time the riot began up until he posted a video on Twitter urging the participants to go home.

What went on during that span of time — roughly 187 minutes — remains largely unknown.

“What we want to show the American people was what was the president doing during that time,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who is said to be leading Thursday’s hearing with Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), told ABC News on Sunday when asked about the proceedings.

“The rest of the country knew that there was an insurrection. The president obviously had to have known there was an insurrection. So where was he? What was he doing?”

Abortion bills

The House is set to consider two abortion bills this week after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made access to the medical procedure a constitutional right.

The bench released the decision on June 24, the same day that House lawmakers left Washington for a two-week recess. In a statement on Friday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that the chamber would vote on two pieces of legislation this week.

The first bill, dubbed the Women’s Health Protection Act, would codify abortion rights into federal law and bolster protections that were guaranteed by the Roe decision. The House previously passed the bill in September, with all Democrats except one voting in favor of the measure, but it later failed in the Senate twice because of GOP opposition.

Republicans in the upper chamber and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) blocked the bill in February and May.

The second piece of legislation would ensure that women are permitted to to receive an abortion if their state bans the medical procedure.

The House is likely to clear the bills, since Democrats hold the majority in the chamber, but both measures face headwinds in the Senate, where at least 60 Republicans are needed to overcome a filibuster.

Some Senate Democrats have called for nixing the filibuster for abortion bills, a move that is unlikely to happen since some in the party — namely Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) — are against changing the rules.

Despite the bleak outlook in the Senate, House Democrats are intent on clearing the legislation.

“We have a sacred, fundamental duty to expand freedom in America, not to roll back fundamental rights,” Pelosi said in a statement. “While Republicans seek to criminalize reproductive health care nationwide, House Democrats will never relent in our fight to defend freedom for women and for every American.”

House to vote on NDAA, active shooter alert system bill

The House is set to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this week, after the Armed Services Committee and Appropriations Committee approved their versions of the annual defense policy bill.

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved its version of the bill last month. Once the House clears the measure, lawmakers from both chambers will then negotiate to come up with a final, combined deal on the legislation.

The House is also slated to consider the Active Shooter Alert Act, which calls for creating a communications network that would alert individuals when an active shooter is in the area.

The chamber held a vote on the measure last month under suspension of the rules, a fast-track process that allows legislation to be passed if it has two-thirds support. The bill, however, failed to pass despite having bipartisan sponsorship.

This week, the House will consider the measure after it first goes through the Rules Committee, meaning a simple majority vote will be needed for passage.

After the bill failed to pass last month, Pelosi teased another vote.

“Our House Democratic Majority will take up this legislation again and pass it — making clear that Democrats are on the side of protecting our families and supporting our courageous first responders,” she wrote in a statement the night the measure failed.

Senate to vote on nominations

The Senate is scheduled to vote on a number of nominations this week, as it returns to Washington on Monday following a two-week holiday recess.

Among those up for consideration is Steve Dettelbach, who President Biden nominated to serve as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in April. The president tapped him for the job after pulling the nomination of David Chipman in September, since he could not garner enough support in the Senate.

The vote comes on the heels of a number of mass shootings that have drawn headlines in the U.S. Most recently, a gunman opened fire at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven people and injuring several others.

But not all senators will be in attendance when the chamber reconvenes from recess on Monday.

Late Sunday night, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) spokesperson announced that the New York Democrat had tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated, has been boosted twice and is experiencing mild symptoms.

The spokesperson said Schumer will “continue with his robust schedule and remain in near constant contact with his colleagues” on the phone and through virtual meetings.

Additionally, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is still recovering after breaking his hip in June. His office announced last week that the Vermont Democrat was released from the hospital following hip replacement surgery.

Source: TEST FEED1

This Florida House race is giving Democrats hope in a brutal year

A congressional race in a hotly contested House South Florida district is providing Democrats with a rare glimmer of hope in an otherwise brutal election year in the Sunshine State.

At a time in which Florida Democrats are already reeling from a tough redistricting outcome and a growing voter registration disadvantage, Florida’s 27th District offers the party its clearest opportunity to flip a GOP-held seat in the state. Not only is it perhaps the most closely divided district in Florida, but one of the most competitive in the country.

“If there’s any district in Florida that’s going to swing, it’s going to be this one,” said Thomas Kennedy, a Democratic National Committee member who lives in the 27th District. “This district, it’s one of the last true battlegrounds here.” 

The party got a major boost last month when state Sen. Annette Taddeo announced that she would drop her bid for Florida governor and would instead challenge Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) for her Miami-based House seat. 

The announcement, which came after months of quiet encouragement from party officials and operatives, set up a high-stakes battle with Salazar, a former television journalist who captured the seat nearly two years ago when she defeated former Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) in a painful upset for House Democrats.

But Democrats are also facing some daunting hurdles. The party’s voter registration advantage in Miami-Dade County has slipped somewhat since 2020. Democrats are also getting a much later start in the race after struggling for months to recruit a high-profile challenger.

Then there are the national headwinds. President Biden’s approval rating is deep underwater, economic concerns are pervasive among voters and Republicans have moved aggressively to solidify their recent gains among Latino voters, especially in South Florida.

And while Democrats insist that the Miami-based 27th district is still within their reach, they are also clear-eyed about their challenges there.

“It’s winnable, but that doesn’t mean it’s a slam dunk for Democrats,” said Fernand Amandi, a Miami-based Democratic pollster who served as a top consultant for former President Obama’s two presidential campaigns. Whether Democrats are able to capture Florida’s 27th District is contingent on the party’s willingness to put up “the resources and attention it takes to flip it.”

“Those things don’t happen by magic,” he said.

Of course, Taddeo is still facing a primary challenge from Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell and progressive candidate Angel Montalvo, though an internal poll released late last month by Taddeo’s campaign showed her with a 36-point edge over Russell. Montalvo, who’s running an entirely grassroots campaign, notched just 1 percent support in that poll.

Taddeo also has the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which added her to its “Red to Blue” program last month in a move that could help boost Taddeo’s organizational and fundraising operations. 

“We’re making sure voters see that while Salazar constantly stands in the way of their best interests, Senator Taddeo is a proven champion who will keep delivering for the community when she’s elected to Congress,” Nebeyatt Betre, a spokesperson for the DCCC, said in a statement. 

The DCCC has also vowed to boost its efforts in South Florida after Democrats suffered a series of disappointments there in 2020. 

Two Democratic House incumbents — Shalala and former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell — went down only two years after winning their seats, while former President Donald Trump made steep gains in Miami-Dade County, Florida’s most important Democratic stronghold.

In one of the most alarming signs for Democrats in Florida, President Biden carried the 27th District by only 3 percentage points. By comparison, Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, won the district by about 20 points just four years earlier.

The Republican gains in and around Miami in 2020 underscored an increasingly dire problem for Democrats: the steady erosion of support among Latino voters, a key constituency that, in Florida, includes a diverse mix of Cubans, Colombians, Puerto Ricans and Venezuelans, among others. 

Florida’s 27th District is also among the most heavily Latino in the state. More than 70 percent of its residents are Hispanic.

Taddeo, who was born in Colombia and fled to the U.S. when she was 17 after her father was captured by the FARC, has been particularly critical of Democrats’ lack of outreach and engagement with Latino voters, especially in South Florida. She has also urged her party to more forcefully push back against Republican efforts to cast Democrats as socialists and far-left extremists — a tactic that the GOP used aggressively in 2020 and is deploying once again this year.

“I have been very vocal about the lack of engagement, the lack of response,” Taddeo told The Hill in an interview. “I am a strong believer that all politics is local and you really need to pay attention to the ground and to the issues that people are facing.” 

“And frankly that is why I know we will be successful in this race against Maria Elvira, because you can’t just say one thing and vote against every one of those issues that would actually help your community.” 

Taddeo recalled how, after the 2020 election, Shalala asked her to consider a 2022 bid for the 27th District. 

“Literally the day after Donna Shalala lost this seat, she called me and asked me to run,” Taddeo told The Hill. “And what she said to me is: ‘Annette, you need to run for this seat, you can win this seat, we need a Latina, a strong Latina like you.’”

To be sure, Taddeo’s pulled off surprising wins before. In 2017, she became the first Democrat to flip a Florida state Senate seat in a special election in a district that Trump carried in 2020 by 6 percentage points. She won her first full term in 2018 by a 7-point margin. 

Of course, Taddeo is running in a very different political environment this year than she was during her last two state Senate campaigns, when Republicans held the reins of power in Washington and Democrats were expected to gain ground in Congress. 

Democrats now control the White House and both chambers of Congress, inflation is at its highest level in decades and the GOP is poised to make gains in the House from redistricting alone. Republicans need to net just five seats to recapture control of the House this year.

And while The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, shifted the race toward Democrats late last month after Taddeo’s entrance, it still sits in the “likely” Republican column, suggesting that the district hasn’t yet become competitive for Democrats.

Republicans also see Salazar as a particularly strong candidate for the district. She’s a well-known former news broadcaster and the daughter of Cuban exiles in a state where U.S. relations with Havana are a particularly animating issue. And unlike in 2020, she now has the advantage of incumbency and more than $1 million in her campaign coffers, according to her latest available federal filings. 

“As the daughter of Cuban exiles, Maria Elvira Salazar fits this district perfectly and has done an excellent job of representing FL-27,” said Camille Gallo, the deputy director of media affairs and strategic communications for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). “She will be reelected in the fall.”

Taddeo and her allies insist, however, that she’s within striking distance of Salazar. An internal poll conducted shortly before she launched her campaign for the 27th District shows Salazar leading Taddeo 47 percent to 45 percent – well within the survey’s +/-4.9 percentage point margin of error. 

Despite the makeup of the district, the emerging matchup between Taddeo and Salazar appears likely to pivot around many of the same themes that are playing out in races across the country – rising prices, fears of a looming economic recession and concerns about extremism within both major political parties.

After Taddeo announced her campaign, Salazar quickly sought to tie Taddeo to what she described as “the far-left policies that have penetrated her party,” according to CBS News Miami. 

“We’re talking about a disaster in the economy. You are talking about high gas prices. We’re talking about no baby formula. We’re talking about people not wanting to go to work because they have received free money. We’re talking about a situation where Americans are not happy,” Salazar said. “So welcome to run, but you have to run on your record.”

Taddeo, meanwhile, has sought to put Salazar on defense over the GOP’s ties to far-right figures and groups, like the Proud Boys. Asked whether she is concerned that the national headwinds facing Democrats this year could cost her in November, Taddeo said she is “cognizant” of the challenge, but pointed to her record of bucking her party in the past.

“I’ve been very much an independent thinker,” she told The Hill. “When my party or the president does something I disagree with, I have no hesitation saying it.”

Source: TEST FEED1

New faces begin to surface as possible Trump 2024 key players

Key players in former President Trump’s last campaign have quietly distanced themselves from the president, raising real questions about who would staff his campaign as he edges closer to a bid for reelection in 2024.

Some key players from the 2020 campaign have even taken part in the Jan. 6 panel’s investigation into last year’s attack on the Capitol, underscoring the turmoil in Trump world over the last year.

The hearings have raised fresh questions within Republican circles about whether Trump is the best candidate for Republicans in a 2024 race for the White House, while reportedly propelling the ex-president toward a new bid.

Questions about who would run a new Trump campaign may miss the obvious.

The reality, multiple sources with ties to Trump’s orbit told The Hill, is the former president ultimately calls the shots and runs his own campaign. But those sources say there will likely be a mix of old and new faces if Trump formally launches a third presidential campaign.

“It’s one of those things I suspect we won’t know for sure until we know,” said one GOP operative.

One consensus name that those close to Trump believe will play a major role in any 2024 campaign is Susie Wiles, the chair of Trump’s Save America PAC. 

Wiles managed Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.) first gubernatorial campaign and played a leading role in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) statewide campaign. She also served as a strategist based in Florida for Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.

“She is very confident, very professional and kind of knows how to work with [Trump,]” one source told The Hill, adding that she would be a likely pick to handle key day-to-day decisions.

Taylor Budowich and Liz Harrington have served as spokespeople for Trump and his leadership PAC and could both work in similar roles on any campaign, sources said.

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son and a frequent presence on the campaign trail for Republicans, would also likely play an advisory role, sources said, but would be unlikely to take on an operational role like Jared Kushner did in previous campaigns.

Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and former White House senior adviser, played a major role in shaping campaign strategy in 2020. But he has also kept some distance from Trump in the two years since leaving Washington, D.C.

Kushner is one of several former White House and campaign aides whose testimony has been featured in public hearings held by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

The president’s son-in-law and daughter, Ivanka Trump, were both featured talking about how they were focused on other matters in the weeks after the 2020 election, seemingly distancing themselves from the former president’s claims of widespread fraud.

Trump later posted on his social media network, Truth Social, that Ivanka had “checked out” and wasn’t interested in looking at the election results.

Jared and Ivanka have publicly tried to stay out of the spotlight and keep their distance from the former president in the past two years. One source said they would expect Jared Kushner not to take on as pivotal of a role as previous campaigns if Trump runs again, but noted that he’s family and would likely find a way to insert himself into the operation.

Multiple other prominent members of Trump’s 2020 team have been recurring players in the House Jan. 6 hearings. 

Jason Miller, Justin Clark and former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien have all had their closed-door deposition played during public hearings, where they have talked about their disagreements with Trump’s claims of fraud and their uneasiness with the legal strategy he ultimately pursued.

But sources in Trump’s orbit argued that their testimony would not preclude some of those individuals from having a role in a potential 2024 campaign, should they want one.

While Stepien testified that he quietly stepped away from his job in January 2021 as Trump and his allies pursued baseless claims of widespread fraud to try and overturn the election, his firm has since advised several pro-Trump candidates. 

Stepien is generally respected as a data-focused campaign adviser, while Clark worked with Trump and his team from the 2016 campaign, into the White House and on the 2020 trail.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they both end up involved,” one source said.

Announcing sooner than later could give Trump a head start on potential other 2024 candidates in recruiting staff and building a campaign team. But strategists and former Trump aides have cautioned there are downsides to jumping into the race too soon.

Declaring as early as this summer would cap how many times Trump could go back to smaller donors in the two years until the 2024 convention, and it would trigger financial disclosure requirements. One former adviser also argued that by declaring too soon, Trump risks seeing his stock fall under renewed scrutiny, paving the way for potential challengers.

“I don’t see how declaring now changes the calculus of Ron DeSantis or another candidate from getting in the race,” the former adviser said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Schumer making last-ditch bid to pass reconciliation bill this summer

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is making a last-ditch effort to pass a budget reconciliation bill during the July and early August work period.   

Schumer and centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have made progress on proposals to lower the cost of prescription drugs, extend Medicare’s solvency and raise taxes on some high-income earners.  

Manchin and Schumer have worked out a proposal to impose a 3.8 percent tax on individuals earning over $400,000 and couples earning over $500,000 from pass-through businesses and will give the legislative language to the Senate parliamentarian to review. 

The $203 billion raised would extend the solvency of Medicare’s hospital fund from 2028 to 2031.  

But several major issues remain unresolved.

Sam Runyon, a spokesperson for Manchin, said her boss is glad that Democrats have agreed on a prescription drug proposal that they could pass with a simple-majority vote under special budget rules.  

“Sen. Manchin has long advocated for proposals that would lower prescription drug costs for seniors and his support for this proposal has never been in question. He’s glad that all 50 Democrats agree,” she said.

But the Manchin aide waved off speculation that Schumer and Manchin are close to a deal on a broader reconciliation package that would include bold proposals to tackle global warming, a top priority of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and other Senate Democrats.   

“Suggestions that a reconciliation deal is close are false. Senator Manchin still has serious unresolved concerns and there is a lot of work to be done before it’s conceivable that a deal can be reached he can sign onto,” she said.  

That means a budget reconciliation package isn’t likely to reach the Senate floor before that fourth week of the upcoming month-long work period and Schumer may even keep his colleagues in town for the first week of the August recess, which is supposed to begin Aug. 6.  

Schumer wants to get an agreement as soon as possible but has been careful not to lay out a precise timeline for getting it passed.  

The budget reconciliation instructions will expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, which is the drop-dead deadline.  

“It looks like it’s a much more serious set of conversations than two weeks ago or two months ago. That’s really encouraging but until the bill is on the floor, it would be risky to put any odds on it,” said Josh Freed, senior vice president for the climate and energy program at Third Way, a centrist Democratic advocacy group.  

One big question is whether Schumer and Manchin can agree to a package of climate provisions to fight global warning, including clean energy manufacturing tax credits, a fee on methane emissions and a fee on carbon-intensive imports, such as steel.  

Manchin has a proposal with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) to incentivize the manufacturing of new energy technologies with investments in rural communities and some Democratic senators feel confident the West Virginia senator will agree to a package of clean energy tax breaks.  

Manchin and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) have worked on compromise legislation to impose a fee on methane emissions, and Carper has said he thinks Manchin will vote for it.  

The third climate proposal under consideration, a carbon border adjustment tax that would impose fees on carbon-intensive imports, is less likely. Whitehouse, the chief sponsor, is pushing hard for the proposal and noted that Manchin praised it as a way to even the playing field with China for U.S. manufacturers at a recent appropriations hearing.   

One person familiar with the negotiations said whether the climate piece gets done will depend a lot on how many concessions Manchin will insist on for the fossil fuel industry.  

“They’re starting sequentially,” the source said, noting that the release of the prescription drug cand Medicare solvency components of the package during the recess “allows them to start the scrubbing process with the Republicans,” referring to the review in the parliamentarian’s office.  

“The rest of the revenue and taxes are next up and then it’s the energy and climate portion,” the sourced added, cautioning “Manchin could walk away at any moment.”  

“They’re very committed to get something on the floor in the July work period,” the source said.  

Freed said Schumer and Manchin need to work out how much money to raise for climate programs and how long to set tax breaks for renewable energy technologies.  

“The question is what’s the overall dollar figure,” he said, adding: “Right now the question is as much about lengths of the [tax] creds as about which tax credits are [included].” 

Another obstacle is getting a deal on a broader tax reform proposal along the lines of what the White House negotiated with Manchin and fellow centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) last year.  

The White House framework released in October included a 15 percent corporate minimum tax on companies that earn more than $1 billion in profits, a new 5 percent surtax on income over $10 million and an additional 3 percent surtax on income over $25 million and closing the Medicare tax loophole on the wealthy.  

Schumer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced in September that the White House and Senate Democrats had agreed on a menu of options that could be used to pay for a reconciliation package.  

Manchin has said he wants roughly half of the revenue raised by the reconciliation package to go toward reducing the federal deficit.  

The gathering momentum of the budget reconciliation negotiations is good news for Democrats but it also complicates passage of another of their top legislative priorities, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which would provide as much as $52 billion to help domestic semiconductor manufacturers.  

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) threatened to hold up the bill if Democrats move ahead with plans to pass a budget reconciliation bill without any Republican support.  

“Let me be perfectly clear: there will be no bipartisan USICA as long as Democrats are pursuing a partisan reconciliation bill,” he tweeted over the July 4 recess.  

Schumer says he also hopes to schedule a vote on Steve Dettelbach, President Biden’s to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and a bipartisan bill to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 a month.  

The prescription drug reform proposal that Schumer has sent to the parliamentarian’s office does not language capping insulin prices.  

Source: TEST FEED1

Ukraine defense chief says US rocket systems have been 'game-changer'

Ukraine’s defense minister told the Wall Street Journal that the deployment of U.S. long-range rocket systems has been a “game-changer” in the war against Russia.

Oleksii Reznikov said the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, often referred to as HIMARS, has been effectively used by Ukrainian forces in the northeastern town of Izyum, but said more were needed to push back Russian forces.

“We needed to persuade them, to show them proof,” Reznikov told the newspaper of Ukraine’s ability to effectively use the weapons systems. “In the Izyum case, we were precise [in targeting] a Russian command center for aerial operations. It was really precise. Our partners saw it and said, ‘You passed the test.’”

Reznikov also said that the Ukrainian focus needs more supplies such as armed vehicles, tanks, drones, and unmanned aerial vehicles, noting that the drones in use were consistently being jammed by Russian forces. 

“We need to refresh our platoons and change them and make replacements also because we also have a lot of losses,” Reznikov said. “We are waiting for more armor, more weaponry from our partners. We need to rebuild some directions and to refresh our fortifications and plan a new operational strategy.”

Ukraine is ramping up its naval forces in the Black Sea as Russia continues to block the country’s grain supplies from reaching the global market, according to the Journal. 

In a statement on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodolymr Zelensky said that Russia conducted brutal airstrikes in residential areas as Moscow continues its push for control of the Donbas region. 

Russian forces have already captured the city of Lysychansk and are looking to regain full control of the Donetsk region, which is being heavily shelled.

Ukraine has repeatedly said that the most important thing the West can provide in its fight against Russia is weapons, as Russia maintains a significant advantage in long-range weaponry. It has promised not to use U.S. rocket systems to hit targets inside of Russia.

The Pentagon unveiled an $820 million weapons package earlier this month for the embattled country, which included advanced air defense systems. Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February, the U.S. has committed $6.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.

Source: TEST FEED1

Schumer tests positive for COVID as Senate set to reconvene

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has tested positive for COVID-19 as the Senate prepares to reconvene this week after a two-week recess. 

In a statement on Sunday, Schumer’s spokesperson Justin Goodman said the senator is experiencing mild symptoms and is fully vaccinated and boosted against the virus. 

“Consistent with the CDC guidance, Leader Schumer will quarantine this week and work remotely,” Goodman said in a statement. “Anyone who knows Leader Schumer knows that even if he’s not physically in the Capitol, through virtual meetings and his trademark flip phone he will continue with his robust schedule and remain in near constant contact with his colleagues.” 

“As we do every week, we will provide any updates to the Senate floor schedule as the week progresses,” Goodman added.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is still recovering from a broken hip and will also be absent from the Senate this week. His office announced the senator was discharged from the hospital last week after undergoing hip replacement surgery.

Schumer’s positive test comes as BA.5, a new omicron subvariant, is now the most dominant strain in the U.S.

According to the New York Times tracker, More than 37,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 with the daily average of new cases around 100,000.

Sixty-seven percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to CDC data.

Source: TEST FEED1

Meghan McCain: 'impregnate the planet' mentality of Musk, Cannon is 'creepy'

Meghan McCain criticized Tesla CEO Elon Musk and actor Nick Cannon over what she called a “weird” Twitter thread between the two in which they praised having large families.

“Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis,” Musk wrote on Twitter on Thursday after news broke that he had twins last year Shivon Zilis, an executive at one of his own companies. “A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.”

Cannon replied to him, writing, “Right there with you my Brother!”

“Congrats on your family!” Musk wrote in response to Cannon. “We must expand scope & scale of consciousness for civilization to flourish & understand nature of Universe. Consciousness resides most strongly in humans, therefore we need more people!”

Musk and Cannon both have children with multiple partners — Musk has nine children while Cannon has seven.

In a Saturday op-ed for the Daily Mail, McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), questioned their shared mentality.

“This ‘impregnate the planet’ mentality is creepy and comes off like the actions of a cult leader more than an altruistic person who wants to expand their family and save the plane,” she wrote, also calling the exchange “weird.”

McCain also noted the financial implications of having a large family, arguing that most cannot afford to do so.

“The very premise of his argument that we need to have as many children as possible is flawed and unrealistic,” she added.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden to unveil first photo from Webb telescope on Monday

President Biden is set to reveal the first full-color image from the James Webb Space Telescope — the deepest view ever captured of our universe — at a White House ceremony with NASA on Monday.

“The world is about to be new again,” said Eric Smith, Webb program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a statement on NASA’s blog.

Webb’s advanced technology has allowed it to discover new stars, to explore faraway planets and to see through time with infrared captures of exoplanet atmospheres and glows from galaxies that developed just after the Big Bang.  

Monday’s image, dubbed “Webb’s First Deep Field,” will be unveiled by the president at 5 p.m. EST, according to the NASA Live Schedule.  Per an NBC report, NASA will brief the president and Vice President Kamala Harris beforehand.

The rest of the images will be released at 10:30 a.m. EST on July 12. Viewing events are scheduled nationwide to mark the occasion, and the formal reveal will be broadcast live online. 

Launched in December 2021, the telescope is a collaboration with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

“A fantastic new era is upon us” as Webb joins the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Smith said. “The James Webb Space Telescope will give us a fresh and powerful set of eyes to examine our universe.   

But even as the nation celebrates Webb’s success, NASA scientists are working on the development of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, an observatory with tech to rival Webb that would expand on its discoveries.

“What questions might Webb observations raise now that will turn our curiosity to things unimagined?” Smith asked, adding that “Webb’s First Deep Field” and the subsequent images “will transform our understanding of the universe.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Paul Ryan 'found himself sobbing' during Jan. 6 attack: book

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said he was “sobbing” as he watched the Jan 6, 2021 attack at the Capitol happen, according to a new book. 

In Atlantic journalist’s Mark Leibovich’s new book, “Thank You For Your Servitude,” Ryan said he felt “disturbed” about what was taking place in a building in which he spend most of his political life, according to CNN.

Ryan, who was Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) running mate in the 2012 presidential election, retired from his position as House Speaker in January 2019. He stepped into the role following former House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) retirement four years prior. 

“I spent my whole adult life in that building,” Ryan told Leibovich in the book. “And I saw my friends, a lot of cops, some of my old security detail – I’m still friends with a bunch of those guys. It really disturbed me, foundationally.”

Ryan also told Leibovich that “something snapped in him” as he watched the insurrection.

“Ryan figured the president would bitch and moan and maybe make a big show of ‘fighting’ for his supporters for a while,” Leibovich wrote in his book. “Everyone could feel good and victimized. But eventually Trump would just leave; hopefully, he would know to do this on his own. And everyone could then just get on with their lives.” 

Leibovich’s book focuses largely on the GOP lawmakers and officials who enabled the former president, or as he writes, the “supplicant fanboys who permitted Donald Trump’s depravity to be inflicted on the rest of us,” per the Washington Post.

The House select committee investigating the Jan 6, 2021 attack at the Capitol is expected to hold two public hearings this week, after completing six televised public hearings last month.

This week’s hearings will focus on testimony from former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, plotting by far-right extremist groups and discussions about using the military to seize voting machines, committee members said on Sunday.

Source: TEST FEED1