Pelosi flexes power with world tour that could be swan song
Call it Nancy Pelosi’s legacy tour. The House Speaker has spent much of this year — which many expect to be her last atop the Democratic Party — traveling the globe, visiting war zones and other political hot spots on a circuit that’s brought new attention to old conflicts, simmering diplomatic disputes and human rights atrocities, past and present. In the process, Pelosi (D-Calif.) has made some history, invited some controversy and raised plenty of questions about whether her world tour is pure diplomacy, power politics or the swan song of a historic Speaker who may be
Read MoreHow US is using strategic ambiguity to counter Putin’s nuclear threats
Biden administration officials have tiptoed around offering specifics in response to the specter of Russia using nuclear weapons, deploying a form of strategic ambiguity in an attempt to avoid escalating the conflict.U.S. officials have in recent days repeatedly warned of severe consequences should Moscow deploy nuclear weapons in its war in Ukraine, though they have not outlined what those consequences would involve. And they have repeatedly said they are taking talk of nuclear weapons seriously, but have not publicly shifted the country’s nuclear posture in response. Experts sa
Read MoreThe Memo: DeSantis faces make-or-break moment as Hurricane Ian bears down on Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is facing a make-or-break test as Hurricane Ian bears down on his state. The immediate concern is for the Floridians in harm’s way from the mammoth storm, which is expected to make landfall late Wednesday. Hurricane Ian has already lashed western Cuba and is gaining strength in the Gulf. Storm surge warnings are in effect for large swathes of Florida’s western coast. More than 2 million people have been subject to evacuation orders. For DeSantis, the immediate concern is blunting the short-term impact of the storm. Shelters
Read MoreDemocrats introduce bill banning lawmakers, judges from trading stocks
House Democrats introduced a long-awaited bill on Tuesday that seeks to ban members of Congress, federal judges, Supreme Court justices, the president and others from trading stocks, in an attempt to crack down on conflicts of interest throughout the government. The 26-page bill, titled the Combatting Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act, would ban a slew of government officials from trading or owning investments in securities, commodities, fu
Read MoreSenate advances stopgap funding bill minus Manchin language
The Senate on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to start debate on a stopgap government funding bill without Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) permitting reform language. The stopgap bill, known as a continuing resolution, would keep the government's lights on through Dec. 16, and include $12.4 billion in aid for Ukraine against Russia, $4.5 billion for natural disaster assistance, $1 billion to help with heating homes this coming winter and $20 million to deal with the water crisis in Jackson, Miss., among other things. The deadline to pass the measure and avert a gove
Read More