Democrats shift strategies to keep majority
Senate Democrats are opting to play it safe in the final weeks before the midterm election by pledging not to allow a government shutdown over Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) controversial permitting reform bill or any other divisive issue that could give beleaguered Republican candidates a second wind. They are sidestepping partisan showdowns over a marriage equality bill, a measure to cap the price of insulin, legislation to crack down on powerful tech platforms such as Apple and Amazon and a proposal to ban members of Congress from owning and trading stocks. This pivot
Read MoreManchin, allies turn up the heat on permitting reform
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and supporters of his energy permitting reform effort are turning up the heat as the side deal he engineered for his vote on the Inflation Reduction Act struggles to become law. Manchin on Tuesday blasted what he described as “revenge politics” as Republicans and progressives alike say they want to stop his deal from getting past the finishing line. GOP senators are sore that they voted for a semiconductor manufacturing bill over the summer after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned they’d oppose that measure if
Read MoreDeSantis hits back at migrant lawsuit, calls it 'political theater'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) office is pushing back against a class-action lawsuit filed by a group of Venezuelan migrants the state flew to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., calling it an act of "political theater." “It is opportunistic that activists would use illegal immigrants for political theater,” DeSantis Communications Director Taryn Feske said in a statement Tuesday. “If these activists spent even a fraction of this time and effort at the border, perhaps some accountability would be brought to the Biden Administration’s reckless border policies that entice illegal
Read MoreBiden clarifies COVID comments: Pandemic 'basically is not where it was'
NEW YORK — President Biden on Tuesday sought to clarify his comments from days earlier that the coronavirus pandemic "is over," telling guests at a fundraiser that the COVID-19 situation is not as bad as it was. Biden attended a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York City ahead of his speech Wednesday to the United Nations General Assembly. At one point, speaking about efforts on the pandemic, Biden referenced his comments to Scott Pelley of CBS last week in which he said the pandemic was "over." Biden
Read MoreGraham throws another wrench into GOP’s abortion messaging
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) created new headaches for Republicans on Tuesday with his claim that abortion is “not a states’ rights issue,” keeping the debate in the headlines and undercutting the party’s messaging heading into November’s midterms. Graham, speaking to “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning, acknowledged his bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks goes against typical GOP thinking on the issue. “This is not a states’ rights issue. This is a human right issue,” Graham said. “So, no matter what California or Maryland will do … I
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