Archive by Author

CBS nixes 'FBI' season finale over school shooting plot line

CBS won’t air the season finale of “FBI” in the wake of Tuesday’s deadly shooting at a Texas elementary school.

The episode of the drama series about federal agents involved a school shooting and a “deadly robbery” plotline, according to Deadline. 

The attack by a gunman in Uvalde, Texas, left at least 18 students and three adults dead, making it the worst elementary school shooting since the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.

CBS will instead air a “FBI” rerun on Tuesday, a source confirmed to ITK.

It’s not the first time a fictional show has been pulled amid real-world violence. In 2018, the Paramount Network repeatedly delayed the premiere of its satire about teenage killers, “Heathers,” after shootings at a school in Parkland, Fla., and at a Pittsburgh synagogue. The series was ultimately canceled.

Source: TEST FEED1

Greene easily wins Georgia GOP primary

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) was projected to win the Republican primary in Georgia’s 14th congressional district on Tuesday, fending off five GOP challengers.

ABC News, CNN and NBC News both called the race before 9 p.m. ET.

The victory, which was largely expected, is seen as a win for the most Trump-aligned faction of the GOP. Former President Trump endorsed Greene last month.

Last week, one of Greene’s allies in congress, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), was ousted from his district in his own GOP primary after Republicans rallied to support one of his primary challengers state Sen. Chuck Edwards (R).

Greene is seen as one of the most controversial figures in the GOP, most recently making headlines for her defense of Jan. 6 rioters who have been jailed. Last month, Greene’s critics launched an effort to remove Greene from the ballot in Georgia, accusing her of helping to facilitate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which they say violates a provision of the 14th Amendment and makes her ineligible to run for reelection.

However, earlier this month, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ruled that Greene would remain on the GOP primary ballot.

Source: TEST FEED1

Kemp defeats Perdue in Georgia, a major blow to Trump

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) was projected to win his renomination for a second term on Tuesday, overcoming a primary challenge from former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and, by extension, former President Trump. 

ABC and NBC News both called the race for Kemp around 8:30 p.m. ET.

Kemp, a onetime ally of the former president, stirred Trump’s ire following the 2020 presidential election after he rebuffed his pleas to overturn President Biden’s electoral victory in Georgia. Trump vowed to campaign against Kemp, eventually persuading Perdue to enter the race for governor in hopes of ousting him.

But despite carrying Trump’s endorsement, Perdue struggled to gain traction among Georgia Republican voters. Polling in the run-up to the primary showed Kemp leading Perdue by double-digit margins. 
Kemp’s victory on Tuesday dealt only the latest blow to Trump’s endorsing power, undermining the former president’s argument that he has the ability to pick winners and losers in GOP primaries, even in his post-presidency.

To be sure, there were other factors at play that benefited Kemp. Despite Trump’s opposition to him, he won the support of a broad coalition of Republicans, who largely see his first term in the governor’s mansion as a success for conservative policy priorities.

Throughout his four years as governor, Kemp has aggressively pursued a deeply conservative agenda, signing into law a six-week abortion ban, imposing new limits on early voting and approving a “constitutional carry” law that allows Georgians to carry firearms without a permit.

Perdue, meanwhile, centered his campaign on his alliance with Trump and the former president’s baseless claim that widespread voter fraud robbed him of a second term in the White House in 2020.

Also working against Perdue was his loss to Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in a hotly contested runoff election in early 2021 that helped hand Democrats their current majority in the Senate.

“He’s not a good candidate,” Jay Williams, a Georgia-based Republican strategist, said. “He wasn’t a good candidate in 2020, and he didn’t have a lot going for him outside of Trump’s endorsement.”

With his renomination secured, Kemp will go on to face Democrat Stacey Abrams in November in a rematch from 2018, when he narrowly defeated her to win his first term in the governor’s mansion.

While early polling shows Kemp going into the general election with a lead over his Democratic rival, Abrams remains a political force to be reckoned with. She is beloved among Democrats, not only in Georgia but nationally, and she has proved to be an adept fundraiser.

Still, she faces tough historical and political headwinds. Biden’s approval rating remains well underwater, and Democrats are facing tough attacks from Republicans over rising inflation, gas prices, border security and crime. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Live results: Arkansas primary

The Associated Press is following the election in Arkansas.

Follow the live results below.

Source: TEST FEED1

Herschel Walker clinches GOP Senate nomination in Georgia

Former NFL star Herschel Walker is projected to easily clinch the Republican Senate nomination in Georgia, securing his spot on the ballot to face off against Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in November. 

NBC and ABC News both called the race before 8 pm. ET.

While half-a-dozen Republicans sought the party’s Senate nomination in Georgia, Walker has long been seen as far-and-away the favorite to win Tuesday’s primary. He jumped into the race last summer and quickly picked up the endorsement of former President Trump. 

Beyond Trump’s endorsement, Walker entered the Senate race as a star in his own right, having played football for the University of Georgia for two years before embarking on a lengthy career in the NFL. 

The general election matchup between Warnock and Walker is among the highest-stakes races in the country. 

Warnock, who’s running for his first full term in the Senate after winning a runoff election last year, is a top target for Republicans as they look to win back their Senate majority in a politically challenging year for Democrats.

The party is already defending the narrowest-possible Senate majority and, given President Biden’s sagging approval ratings and a bevy of domestic political challenges, Republicans appear well within reach of reclaiming control of the upper chamber.

Still, Warnock has proven to be a prolific fundraiser and adept orator, raising Democrats hopes that he’ll be able to overcome tough headwinds in November.

Walker, meanwhile, has his own liabilities. He has never run for public office before, has been accused of domestic abuse and has spoken openly about his mental health struggles. 

Nevertheless, he remains a beloved figure for many Georgians and has the political winds at his back this year. Recent polling shows a tight race, with one survey from The Hill and Emerson College released last month finding Walker with a 4-point lead in a head-to-head matchup against Warnock. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Social media lights up in anger over Texas school shooting

A school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left at least left 15 dead, including 14 kids, sent shock waves across social media on Tuesday.

Celebrities, lawmakers and politicians shared their anger and disbelief over the incident, the deadliest elementary school shooting since the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Conn., and the worst school shooting overall since that in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.

Lawmakers and politicians were unified in their expressions of grief but differed on their calls to action.

Hollywood stars also shared their horror over the incident, with many calling on lawmakers to enact stricter gun control laws.

Actress Maria Shriver called the shooting “a heartbreaking moment for every one of us who has to live in this country” and urged her followers to support lawmakers who support gun reform.

Actress Kerry Washington called the shooting “tragically unimaginable.” She added, “School should be a SAFE place.”

Actress Bette Midler criticized lawmakers for taking away abortion rights but not protecting children in schools.

“There simply needs to be change,” NBA legend LeBron James tweeted. NFL star Patrick Mahomes shared a similar sentiment.

Actress Marlee Matlin wrote, “Another unspeakable tragedy/senseless shooting. When will it end?”

The Houston Texans football team also released a statement of mourning, writing, “To the victims, their families and the entire Uvalde community, you are held close to our hearts today and in the weeks to come.”

The shooting in Uvalde comes about a week after 10 people were killed and three others were injured in a Buffalo, N.Y., grocery store shooting in a predominantly Black neighborhood.

Source: TEST FEED1

On The Money — Biden faces soft deadlines, hard choices with agenda

Senate Democrats missed a milestone to get President Biden’s economic agenda through the Senate. We’ll also look at a steep drop in home sales and how the Federal Trade Commission is trying to get to the bottom of the formula shortage.

But first, read up on the ISIS plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush.

Welcome to On The Money, your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line. For The Hill, we’re Sylvan Lane, Aris Folley and Karl Evers-Hillstrom. Subscribe here.

Dems set to pass key date for moving Biden agenda

Democrats are set to blow through the soft Memorial Day deadline for reaching a deal with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on a slimmed-down budget reconciliation bill to raise taxes, fight climate change and lower the cost of prescription drugs. 

• Senate Democratic sources say there’s no chance of getting a deal this week but they argue that doesn’t necessarily mean the negotiations over a long-awaited budget reconciliation package are doomed.
• Some optimistic Democratic aides note that neither Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) nor Manchin has identified the Memorial Day recess as a drop-dead deadline.

Instead, Democrats are once again pushing back the target date for getting a deal with Manchin. They now point to the start of the August recess as the new deadline, arguing that gives them most of August to draft legislation and the month of September to pass it on the floor. 

Such a timetable seems difficult, to say the least.

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton explains here.

VIRTUAL EVENT INVITE

Advancing America’s Economy — Wednesday, May 25 at 1 p.m. ET

The pandemic has challenged the economy with supply chain bottlenecks, labor shortages and inflation. As the Federal Reserve takes steps to slow inflation, what can manufacturers and consumers expect to see over the next year? Is the threat of recession real? The Hill’s Sylvan Lane talks with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), NEC deputy director David Kamin, Jason Furman and more. RSVP now.

HOUSING MARKET COOLS OFF

New home sales dropped 16 percent in April, hitting pre-pandemic pace

Sales of newly constructed homes plunged in April as rising interest rates and a historic surge in sale prices kept the housing market in a slowdown.

• Sales of new single-family houses fell 16 percent to a seasonally adjusted yearly pace of 591,000 homes sold in April, down sharply from a revised rate of 709,000 homes sold in March.
• New home sales have fallen in five consecutive months and by more than 10 percent in both March and April.
• The median sale price for a new home also rose to $450,600, up from $435,000 in March, and the April average sale price jumped to $570,300 from $522,500 in March.

The bigger picture: The rise of teleworking and remote learning pushed more Americans to buy or upsize homes as ultra-low interest rates and a flood of fiscal stimulus fueled higher demand. Longstanding shortfalls in home construction and a reluctance among some owners to sell their homes kept up pressure on prices, leading to increases of nearly 20 percent nationwide.

The hot housing market, however, has begun to cool off as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates and American families feel the strain of rising prices across the economy. The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is roughly 5.4 percent this week, according to Bankrate.com, after lingering near 2 percent in the beginning of the year.

Sylvan has more here.

NEW INVESTIGATION

FTC opens inquiry into baby formula shortage

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced an inquiry Tuesday into the infant formula shortage and said it will assess the impact of mergers and acquisitions in the market.

The agency said it will investigate bots reselling formula at “exorbitant prices” and seek public comment on the factors that “contributed to the shortage or hampered our ability to respond to it.”

• The shortage stems from the shutdown of an Abbott Nutrition factory in February due to safety concerns about certain formulas produced at the plant.
• The FTC said as part of the inquiry it will conduct an analysis of the shortage alongside the Department of Agriculture, which administers the government’s nutrition program for women, infants and children, and use the analysis to determine if policy changes are necessary to promote competition in the market.

The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld has more here.

Read more: Biden administration waiving limitations for truck drivers to speed baby formula production

LONG COVID

Employers are not accommodating people disabled by long COVID, activists tell House panel

Some people disabled by long COVID are struggling in the workplace, with employers refusing to make accommodations for the new condition, disability activists told a House committee on Tuesday.

During a hearing for the House Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, witnesses detailed the challenges that disabled people continue to face in accessing financial services, equitable housing and work opportunities.

• Some accommodations that would help long COVID sufferers would be allowing them to work from home, making schedules flexible, adjusting dress codes and allowing people the option to sit or stand during the workday for jobs such as cashiers.
• Symptoms of the condition are diverse and can range from mild to debilitating. Many people report breathing issues, persistent brain fog and fatigue.

The Hill’s Joseph Choi has more here.

Good to Know

The Hill released a new video detailing how inflation has impacted Americans over the course of five decades and eight different presidents.

Prices have been rising at the fastest rate in 40 years as consumer spending outpaces the supply of goods. Inflation has become a top issue for Republicans and Democrats alike heading into the 2022 midterms as high commodity prices place strain on working families.

Here’s what else we have our eye on:

• Gas prices in the U.S. have spiked once again, reaching a national average of $4.59 per gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA.
• A group of activists staged a protest at Amazon Web Services’s (AWS) summit Tuesday in an attempt to bring attention to the company’s work with immigration agencies and police departments.
• A new report from Senate Homeland Security Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) found that the federal government lacks sufficient data on the use of cryptocurrency in ransom payments.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading and check out The Hill’s Finance page for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow. 

VIEW THE FULL EDITION HERE

Source: TEST FEED1

Energy & Environment —Democrats set to bypass key date for climate agenda

Democrats are set to miss a key deadline for passing President Biden’s climate and social spending agenda, while politicians talk climate change and more at the World Economic Forum. 

This is Overnight Energy & Environment, your source for the latest news focused on energy, the environment and beyond. For The Hill, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. 

Memorial Day nears without deal  

Democrats are set to blow through the soft Memorial Day deadline for reaching a deal with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on a slimmed-down budget reconciliation bill to raise taxes, fight climate change and lower the cost of prescription drugs. 

Senate Democratic sources say there’s no chance of getting a deal this week but they argue that doesn’t necessarily mean the negotiations over a long-awaited budget reconciliation package are doomed.  

Some optimistic Democratic aides note that neither Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) nor Manchin has identified the Memorial Day recess as a drop-dead deadline.   

Setting a new date: Instead, Democrats are once again pushing back the target date for getting a deal with Manchin. They now point to the start of the August recess as the new deadline, arguing that gives them most of August to draft legislation and the month of September to pass it on the floor.   

Passing major legislation in September of an election year is extremely difficult, and high inflation has been the main reason for Manchin’s opposition to the package. The nation’s concerns about inflation have only grown in recent weeks. 

Pushing the deadline back, however, shows that some Democrats are refusing to publicly throw in the towel on the package. 

“We hear it’s really a Schumer conversation and there’s progress but until we actually see there’s been an agreement and an initial on the agreement and we’re going to put it on the floor, I’m going to be skeptical,” said a Democratic senator, characterizing conversations with fellow Senate Democrats on the state on the negotiations.  

The lawmaker said Schumer has taken the lead in the talks because senior White House officials damaged their relationships with Manchin when negotiations broke down in December. 

Meanwhile, Manchin, who is the Senate’s key swing vote, said he would like to see lawmakers tackle inflation, drug pricing and energy before the midterms.  

“I think there’s an opportunity that we can do something,” he said Monday at the World Economic Forum’s Annual meeting when asked if meaningful legislation would pass before the midterm elections.  

On energy specifically, he said: “The third thing is going to be energy and climate, and you can’t do one without the other. The United States of America has an abundant supply of natural gas and oil and we can use our fossil and the cleanest technology humanly possible.” 

He also talked about going down “two paths” including “investing in… technology that’s going to be needed for the transition that will happen.” 

But he warned against “eliminating one,” saying, “that’s the European model that Germany followed. It wasn’t successful.” 

Read more about the state of play on spending negotiations here, from The Hill’s Alexander Bolton. 

Another Davos dispatch

On Tuesday, Climate Envoy John Kerry warned against expanding new fossil fuel infrastructure amid the crisis in Ukraine.  

“No one should believe that the crisis of Ukraine is an excuse to suddenly build out the old kind of infrastructure that we had,” he said.  

“We can do what we need to do with respect to Ukraine. We can do what we need to do with respect to the climate crisis, but we cannot be seduced into believing that this suddenly is an open door to going back and doing what we were doing which created the crisis in the first place,” he added.  

But, Kerry did endorse production in the shorter term, specifically shale.  

“Yes there has to be a resupply to Europe of gas that has been lost in the cut off from Russia,” he said. “As… the International Energy Agency makes clear, there are way to provide that gas, ranging from using shale, which is quick to market…to channeling the venting and the flaring,” he said.  

NOT RULING OUT EXPORT RESTRICTIONS 

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday that the administration was not ruling out restrictions on fuel exports in response to high prices, when questioned about it.  

Granholm said  “I can confirm the president is not taking any tools off the table,” after she was asked if the U.S. would ​consider restricting petroleum exports, according to Reuters. 

However, a White House official noted that the administration has long said it was leaving all possible tools on the table. 

NOAA expects above-average hurricane season 

Hurricane activity in 2022 is projected to be above average for the seventh year in a row, according to a forecast released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  

Between June 1 and Nov. 30:

• 14 to 21 named storms are likely
• As many as 10 of those could become full hurricanes (storms with winds of at least 74 miles per hour) according to NOAA’s forecast
• Of these, three to six could qualify as “major” hurricanes, or those reaching category 3, 4 or 5, with winds of at least 111 mph
• Typical seasons have about 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and three major hurricanes

Overall, the NOAA estimated a 65 percent chance the season will be above-normal, versus a 25 percent chance of about normal conditions and a 10 percent chance of a below-normal season. 

NOAA attributed the increased likelihood to a number of weather patterns, particularly an ongoing Pacific La Nina, a phenomenon that lowers sea surface temperatures and is likely to last for the rest of the season. In addition, there are above-average temperatures in the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. 

Read more here.  

ON TAP TOMORROW

• The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will examine the nomination of Joe Goffman to lead the EPA’s air and radiation office  
• The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• The US has spent more than $2B on a plan to save salmon. The fish are vanishing anyway. (Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica) 
• The Lithium War Next Door (HuffPost) 
• USDA Whistleblower Reveals Fraudulent Wolf Kills (The Intercept) 
• Climate worries galvanize a new pro-nuclear movement in the U.S. (The Washington Post) 
• Aviation giant KLM to face legal action in first major challenge to airline industry ‘greenwashing’ (CNBC) 

And finally, something offbeat and off-beat: Use your noodle. 

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Energy & Environment page for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow.  

VIEW FULL VERSION HERE

Source: TEST FEED1

Manchin calls for 'common sense' gun limits, resists filibuster reform

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Tuesday lamented the lack of Senate support for tougher gun laws in the wake of a mass shooting in Texas hours earlier, but rejected the notion of eliminating the filibuster for the purpose of passing such a bill.

Manchin noted that he has three grandchildren of an age similar to the victims at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where at least 14 kids and one teacher were shot and killed.

“It’s just absolutely horrific,” Manchin said. “You all know where I stand; I’ll do anything I can.”

Pressed on whether he would consider scrapping the filibuster to tighten the nation’s gun laws, he warned that it would lead to chaos in the Senate.

“The filibuster is the only thing that prevents us from total insanity. Total insanity,” he said.

The response is consistent coming from the West Virginia centrist, who along with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) has resisted pressure from fellow Democrats to get rid of the filibuster in order to pass various pieces of President Biden’s legislative agenda.

Manchin, along with Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), had championed legislation in 2013 to expand background checks prior to gun sales, a proposal that came in direct response to the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., several months earlier. The bill failed to win the 60 votes needed to overcome the GOP filibuster. Following the mass shooting in Buffalo on May 14, Manchin said he still supports his proposal with Toomey, but without 60 votes in the Senate he questioned the practicality of bringing it to the floor for a vote. It would be better, he argued, to consider reform proposals that had the support to become law. He suggested a focus on mental health.

The push for mental health reforms as a strategy for combating gun violence has long been championed by Republicans, who are overwhelmingly opposed to virtually any new restrictions on firearm sales and ownership. And some liberals wasted no time Tuesday hammering the mental illness argument as a pale substitute for real remedies.

“Spare me the bullshit about mental illness. We don’t have any more mental illness than any other country in the world,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) reportedly said after delivering a speech on the Senate floor.

On Tuesday, after the Uvalde shooting, Manchin suggested that reporters focus their attention on the opponents of gun reform, wondering aloud how anyone could vote against tougher laws after another elementary school shooting.

“You guys ought to be pushing the people that just won’t even budge on anything. I don’t know what it takes to move,” he said. “It makes no sense at all why we can’t do common sense — common sense — things, and try to prevent some of this from happening. … [It’s] unbelievable how we’ve gotten to a society where someone could be this deranged and this sick.”

Source: TEST FEED1