Manchin’s permitting reform deal on life support in face of GOP opposition
The controversial permitting reform bill unveiled by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) late Wednesday has only a slim chance of passing the Senate next week as Republicans don’t want to give the West Virginia senator a victory after he resurrected President Biden’s tax and climate agenda in late July. Republican senators, who had been shut out of negotiations over the permitting bill’s language, said Wednesday they don’t expect it to pass if attached to a short-term government funding bill that Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to bring to the floor next week.
Read MoreWhite House sees opportunity in GOP ‘fumble’ on abortion
The tension among Republicans about how to message on abortion is handing over an opportunity for the White House and Democrats to pounce on the GOP over an issue they see as an advantage in the November midterms. President Biden has sought to seize on the opportunity, showing that Democrats are the party of common sense when it comes to reproductive health care policy. Since Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) proposed legislation that would impose a nationwide ban on abortions performed after 15 weeks, the GOP’s disputes over whether that power lies with the states or th
Read MoreWhat you need to know about the complex legal challenges to Ron DeSantis’s migrant flights
The incendiary issue of the transportation of migrants has flared once again — and it’s not going anywhere. The latest spark came when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) organized two flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts on Sep. 14. Beyond the fact that around 50 people, many of them originally from Venezuela, were transported to the island, little else is agreed upon. DeSantis has stood over the move and is getting significant support from Republicans and conservatives. But the flights have elicited uproar on t
Read MoreLawyer says Ginni Thomas agrees to interview with Jan. 6 committee
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has agreed to interview with the Jan. 6 Committee, her lawyer told The Hill on Wednesday night. “As she has said from the outset, Mrs. Thomas is eager to answer the Committee’s questions to clear up any misconceptions about her work relating to the 2020 election,” Thomas’ lawyer Mark Paoletta said in a statement, reported first by CNN. “She looks forward to that opportunity.” The committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol
Read MoreAppeals court allows DOJ to resume review of classified records in Trump case
A three-judge appeals court on Wednesday granted the Department of Justice’s request to continue its review of classified documents seized in an FBI search as part of an investigation of former President Trump’s potential mishandling of the information. The judges also allowed a review by a special master appointed by a Florida judge to continue simultaneously. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had temporarily barred Justice Department investigators from using the documents in an investigation that is weighing whether to bring criminal charges against the former pr
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