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Key races to watch in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Vermont primaries

Voters in Wisconsin are set to pick the candidates on Tuesday for their marquee statewide races of the 2022 midterm elections, while Minnesota voters are set to choose a replacement for the late Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.). 

Meanwhile, voters in Vermont appear likely to get a little bit closer to a history-making decision: sending the first woman to represent the state in Congress. 

Here are six races to watch in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Vermont on Tuesday.

Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial primary

The Republican primary to take on Gov. Tony Evers (D) this fall is the latest proxy war unfolding between former President Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. 

Trump is backing businessman Tim Michels in the race, while Pence came out in support of former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch late last month. 

Recent polling in the race has been relatively scarce, but what’s clear is that it’s expected to be a tight race. A Marquette Law School poll conducted shortly after Michels scored Trump’s endorsement in early June found him and Kleefisch in a dead heat, while an Emerson College poll released over the weekend showed Kleefisch with a 2-point lead – still within the survey’s margin of error. 

But there’s at least one complicating factor: both the Marquette poll and Emerson survey included Republican Kevin Nicholson among the list of candidates. Nicholson dropped out of the race in July, and it’s unclear whom his supporters will vote for on Tuesday.

Michels has also spent heavily in the race, dropping some $11 million of his own money into his campaign as of late July. 

Wisconsin Senate primaries

The Democratic Senate primary was once seen as among the most competitive of the 2022 election cycle. 

But that all changed in recent weeks as three of the top-tier candidates in the race suspended their campaigns and threw their support behind Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who’s now the clear favorite to clinch the nomination on Tuesday.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), meanwhile, is facing only one primary rival, David Schroeder, though the challenge isn’t seen as a serious threat to Johnson’s renomination. 

Still, the Senate primaries are still poised to be closely watched because they will set up one of the most high-stakes general election match-ups of the year. Johnson is deeply loathed by Democrats and they’re eager to oust him this year. What’s more, a win in Wisconsin could prove pivotal for Democrats as they look to hold onto their paper-thin Senate majority.

Wisconsin 3rd District Democratic primary

Rep. Ron Kind’s (D-Wis.) decision not to seek reelection this year in Wisconsin’s redrawn 3rd Congressional District set off a scramble among Democrats to succeed him. 

Among those running for the Democratic nomination are former Army Captain Deb McGrath, small business owner Rebecca Cooke and La Crosse City Councilor Mark Neumann. But the favorite to clinch the party’s nod on Tuesday is state Sen. Brad Pfaff, a former staffer for Kind and the top fundraiser in the primary.

The eventual winner will go on to face Republican Derrick Van Orden in the November general election. Van Orden, who unsuccessfully challenged Kind in 2020, is unopposed in the Tuesday primary and has already gotten outside support from groups like the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a super PAC aligned with House GOP leadership. 

While Democrats are eager to hold onto Kind’s seat, it won’t be an easy task. The 3rd District leans Republican and Democrats no longer have the advantage of a longtime incumbent running for the seat.

Vermont at-large district primary

After Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced his retirement last year, Vermont’s lone House member, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) launched a bid to replace him, leaving his seat open for the taking.

Ultimately, five Democrats announced campaigns to succeed Welch in the House, but the field has since winnowed down to three candidates: state Sen. Becca Balint, Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and physician Louis Meyers. 

Balint and Gray, however, are seen as the most likely picks on Tuesday. Both have raised around the same amount of money for their campaigns and have their own lists of high-profile supporters. Balint has the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), while Leahy has said that he cast his ballot for Gray.

If either woman wins on Tuesday, she will very likely go on to make history in November by becoming the first female to represent Vermont on Capitol Hill. While three Republicans are vying for the nomination to succeed Welch, Vermont’s at-large House seat leans heavily Democratic. 

Minnesota 5th District Democratic primary

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) will become the latest member of the “squad” – the group of progressive representatives – to face a primary challenge on Tuesday. 

All in all, she’s facing four rival Democrats as she looks to secure a third term in the House, but her main challenge comes from Former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who’s racked up a list of Minnesota-based endorsers. 

But ousting Omar won’t be easy. While Samuels has raised more than $1 million for his primary campaign, it’s still short of the roughly $2.4 million that Omar has pulled in. At the same time, the two-term congresswoman has the support of many of her fellow House members.

Still, Omar has proven a divisive figure since winning her seat in 2018; she’s a much-beloved figure among progressives, but has occasionally prompted frustration among her party’s moderate and establishment wings. 

Of course, other “squad” members who have faced primary challenges this year – most recently Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) – have won renomination.

Minnesota 1st District special election

Republican Brad Finstad and Democrat Jeffrey Ettinger are facing off on Tuesday in a contest that will determine who will serve out the remainder of the late Rep. Jim Hagedorn’s (R-Minn.) term. 

The district leans heavily Republican, making Finstad the heavy favorite heading into the Tuesday race.

But that doesn’t mean the results won’t carry any weight. Special elections are often seen as indicators of which party has momentum ahead of November. If Ettinger wins on Tuesday night – or even if he comes close – it will likely be seen as a sign that the political landscape may be improving for Democrats. 

At the same time, both Finstad and Ettinger will also appear on the primary ballot on Tuesday that will decide the two parties’ nominees in the November general election. Ettinger isn’t facing a serious challenge, though Finstad will see a rematch against state Rep. Jeremy Munson, who lost a May primary for the special election by only about 1 percentage point.

Source: TEST FEED1

Johnson steps on political land mine with Social Security, Medicare comments  

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a stalwart Senate ally of former President Trump, is facing fresh uncertainty in his race for reelection after telling a podcast last week that Social Security and Medicare should be classified as discretionary spending, with Congress authorized to set their budgets every year.   

Johnson had been cruising to reelection in a favorable political climate for Republicans, who expected to take control of the House and possibly the Senate as well.   

But now Johnson is on the defensive as Democrats have political ammo to claim that he wants to cut the two popular entitlement programs, a strategy they used effectively against Republicans in the past.   

Johnson has landed in hot water before for making provocative comments on conservative media, most notably when he said he didn’t feel threatened by protesters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, because he believed “those were people who love this country” while adding that he would have been “concerned” if they were Black Lives Matter protesters instead.    

Now Johnson is being asked to defend his comments to “The Regular Joe Show” podcast calling for Congress to review and approve the annual budgets of Medicare and Social Security, instead of letting them rise automatically, which they do as mandatory spending programs.   

Johnson is doubling down on his bold position, arguing that if Social Security and Medicare are left on autopilot, they will run out of money at some point.   

And he says he’s been calling for making Medicare and Social Security discretionary programs subject to an annual budget for years.   

“I’ve been saying for as long as I’ve been here that we should transfer everything, put everything on budget so we have to consider it if every year. I’ve said that consistently, it’s nothing new,” he said. “I want to save it, I want to fix it. Right now we’re whistling past the graveyard.”  

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, for example, is due to become insolvent by 2028.   

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) last month discussed increasing taxes on people who earn more than $400,000 annually in pass-through income to extend the solvency of the hospital fund until 2031, but the talks fell through.   

Johnson said it’s a “lie” and a “distortion” that he wants to put the programs on the “chopping block” as Democrats claim.   

“I never said that, I never inferred that in any way shape or form. What I’d like to do is save the programs and the only way to save the programs is if you take a look at them,” he said.   

He says Congress needs to look at the solvency of the programs over the next decade and longer instead of let them continue to mount up debt.  

Democrats say this is the political gift they needed to swing the momentum in a challenging Senate race that Johnson was favored to win.   

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) said Johnson has stepped on a political land mine.   

“These are the programs that have taken several generations of seniors out of poverty,” she said.   

Baldwin noted that Johnson told Breitbart News Daily in an interview earlier this year that he viewed a 12-point plan unveiled by fellow Republican Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.) calling for all federal legislation to sunset after five years as “a positive thing.”   

Johnson said he agreed with “most of it.”   

“Not only has he made those references,” Baldwin said, referring to “The Regular Joe Show” podcast. “But back when Rick Scott put out his Republican agenda, which sort of abolished both of them and start over, Sen. Johnson had voiced support for that.”  

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tried to tie Johnson’s comments to House Republican candidates.  

“Putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every year is no way to help working families — it is a way to devastate them. Unfortunately, most House Republicans agree with Sen. Johnson,” Pelosi’s office said on its blog.  

Former longtime Fox News anchor Chris Wallace called Johnson’s remarks “suicidal politics.”  

Ben Nuckels, a Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist, said Johnson had grabbed the “third rail” of American politics by calling for annual congressional review of Social Security and Medicare spending.

“Ron Johnson never misses an opportunity to stick his foot in his mouth. Johnson opened up this big new line of attack on his radical, extreme positions on Social Security that voters 55 and over are going to be acutely aware of,” he said.   

Nuckels projected that campaign attacks focused on Johnson’s comments about Social Security and Medicare are going to resonate with older voters, who tend to show up to the polls more reliably in midterm election years.   

“When you have 60 to 65 percent of the electorate above the age of 50, that’s going to be a big problem for him,” he said. “Johnson grabbed the third rail with both hands on that one.”  

A Senate Republican strategist said Johnson’s latest comments on Social Security and Medicare are “not good from a campaign perspective.”   

But the source pointed out that Johnson still has a good chance of winning reelection because President Biden’s approval rating has plummeted in Wisconsin and his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, is “a weak candidate.”   

“I’m not worried about Johnson,” the strategist said. “Democrats will have to spend in other races to protect incumbents so that could be enough to put Ron John over the top.”

Other Senate Republicans are distancing themselves from Johnson’s call for Congress to have more discretionary authority over Medicare and Social Security spending.   

Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) said he did not know of any other Republicans who want to convert Social Security and Medicare to discretionary spending.  

“I have not heard other members talk about that,” he said. “I think the assumption always has been that those are programs, when you look at the overall federal spending, that are part of mandatory [spending.] They’re considered entitlements. … If you’re eligible and you qualify, you get the benefits.”   

One notable exception is Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, who called for sunsetting all federal legislation in five years as part of his “Rescue America Plan.”  

“If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again,” Scott said.   

Democrats immediately attacked Scott and tried to tie his plan to Republicans running for the Senate and the House, a tactic made somewhat easier by Scott’s chairmanship of Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.   

The political risk Scott’s plan posed to Senate Republican candidates prompted Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) to rebuke Scott at a leadership meeting earlier this year.   

McConnell told reporters that he, not the Florida senator, would be setting the agenda if Republicans took over the majority.  

“We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years. That will not be part of the Republican Senate majority agenda,” McConnell said in March.   

Source: TEST FEED1

Sanctions squeeze has Russia stripping planes for spare parts: report

A group of Russian airlines is stripping planes of spare parts as sanctions implemented due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine impact the country. 

Sources told Reuters on Monday that major Russian airlines such as Aeroflot have grounded their planes so they can be disassembled for spare parts, adding that airlines are taking parts from their planes to keep them airworthy. 

Russian-made Sukhoi Superjets, which are dependent on assembled foreign parts, have already started the disassembly process, removing an engine from a grounded jet to allow another Superjet to continue flying.  

The disused airplanes from which parts are removed to keep others flying are often referred to as “Christmas trees.” The process is linked to financial difficulties due to widespread reshuffling from the sanctions imposed by Western powers, according to Reuters.

Sanctions on Moscow stem from its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which began in February, and have prevented Russia from obtaining spare engine parts or undergoing maintenance checks in Western countries. 

Oleg Panteleev, the head of the Aviaport aviation think tank, told Reuters that most Western-based manufacturers know that Sukhoi Superjets fully operate in Russia. 

“Western manufacturers understand that almost all Superjets are being operated in Russia,” Panteleev said. “You can simply stop producing and shipping spare parts – and it will hurt.”

Russian officials hope that some of the used aircraft parts will ensure that foreign-built aircrafts can continue to fly through 2025, Reuters reported. 

A source also said that due to the Western-imposed sanctions, unused jets are being stripped for spare parts, as Russian jets are currently flying fewer routes than normal. 

This comes as Aeroloft has experienced a 22 percent traffic fall due to the Western-imposed sanctions against Russia, according to data provided by the company. 

Sources also told the news wire that Middle East and Asian companies may be at risk of secondary sanctions from Western powers if they provide aircraft supplies to Russia.

Source: TEST FEED1

McCarthy threatens to probe Garland after Trump FBI raid

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) promised on Monday that if Republicans take back the chamber after November’s midterm elections, they will investigate the Department of Justice, telling Attorney General Merrick Garland to “clear your calendar.”

“I’ve seen enough. The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization,” McCarthy said. “When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned.”

“Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy’s comments came hours after former President Trump confirmed in a lengthy statement that the FBI had raided his Mar-a-Lago residence, where he said agents “broke” into a safe.

A host of Republicans erupted after news of the raid, accusing the FBI of unfairly targeting the former president for political purposes. Trump himself lashed out at law enforcement, calling the raid “political persecution.”

The execution of a search warrant on a former president’s home is unprecedented and comes as the Justice Department continues to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and actions Trump took to attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The National Archives also has reportedly asked the Justice Department to investigate after authorities recovered boxes of materials from Trump’s Florida home, which included materials he took from the White House that were considered classified. The New York Times reported that those materials appeared to be at the center of the FBI’s search.

The Department of Justice declined to comment.

Asked to respond to news of the raid, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” that he would not comment further.

“Well, I know nothing about it other than what I’ve read like everybody else, so I think it’s wise for me to withhold comments until we learn more,” Schumer said.  

When host Rachel Maddow asked Schumer to respond to what she said was McCarthy “effectively threatening” Garland, Schumer said, “None of us know the facts, and any comments are premature.”

Olafimihan Oshin contributed.

Source: TEST FEED1

Republicans erupt over FBI's Mar-a-Lago raid

A growing number of Republicans are erupting over news of an FBI raid of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, accusing federal agents of unfairly targeting the ex-president for political purposes, with some suggesting that the law enforcement agency be “defunded.”

Many Republicans also echoed sentiments from Trump’s Monday statement in which he said his home had been raided by the FBI and that agents had opened a safe belonging to him.

“In third world countries and banana republics they prosecute the former presidents/leaders and their staff,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) tweeted. “Right now, we look beneath them. We are in a race to the bottom.”

Florida lawmakers also weighed in, mostly notably Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is increasingly seen as a potential GOP presidential candidate who could challenge Trump in 2024 should the former president opt for another run.

“The raid of MAL is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden get treated with kid gloves,” wrote DeSantis. “Now the Regime is getting another 87k IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic.”

In his statement, Trump said that “such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World countries,” which several Republicans echoed.

“Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships,” wrote Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). “But never before in America.”

Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who chaired the House Oversight and Reform Committee during the FBI’s investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server, noted that the bureau never raided Clinton’s home in that probe.

He also called for the firing of FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was nominated by Trump in 2017.

“They didn’t have a single thing on Donald Trump, and they tried every trick in the book,” Chaffetz said in an appearance on Fox News’s “Jesse Watters Primetime.” “But this is a new low, Jesse. This is absolutely unprecedented there. I do not know of any justification that they can possibly do this.”

Like DeSantis, some GOP lawmakers invoked President Biden’s son Hunter Biden, who is under federal investigation by the Justice Department into his worldwide business dealings.

“The FBI just raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago,” tweeted Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). “Is this equal application of the law? Or is this a political hit job? #HillaryClinton #WheresHunter”

Other Republicans tied the raid to President Biden himself. The White House said Monday it “did not have notice of the reported action.” 

Trump announced in a statement on Monday that a “large group” of FBI agents raided Mar-a-Lago, condemning the raid as “political persecution” and adding that agents “even broke into my safe.”

The New York Times reported that the search appeared to be focused on records that Trump brought with him to the Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving the White House, including ones that were classified. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is also investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and actions Trump took after the 2020 election.

The DOJ and the FBI declined to comment.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) issued a series of tweets condemning the raid, with one including an image of an upside-down American flag, otherwise known as a distress signal.

She and other Republicans such as Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), both staunch Trump allies, began advocating for defunding the FBI, echoing calls to “defund the police” from progressive Democrats in 2020 in response to several Black people being killed in police custody. At the time, it was a message that Republicans wholly rejected.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden on his own low approval ratings: ‘I think you’re going to see a lot change’

President Biden on Monday, when asked about his low approval ratings and for a response to the notion that his polls were “terrible,” said he foresees a change.

“It’s a long way home. The fact is that we’ve been divided for so long, and it’s only recently that we have any kind of movement, and I think you’re going to see a lot change,” Biden told reporters in Lexington after he toured damage from deadly floods in eastern Kentucky.

With the midterm elections exactly three months away, recent polling shows Biden’s approval rating just shy of 40 percent, where its stubbornly stayed for the last several months.

A Gallup poll released late last month reported a 38 percent approval rating, a new low for Biden. His approval rating began at 57 percent and was at 41 percent in June, according to the same survey.

Facing historical and political headwinds, Democrats are hoping a recent string of legislative victories can boost the party’s standing by the time voters head to the polls in November.

Senate Democrats on Sunday passed a sweeping package on taxes, climate change and health care, which included some longtime liberal priorities.

That party-line package now heads to the House, but Biden this week will sign two major bills into law that recently passed with bipartisan support.

Biden on Tuesday will sign into law a $280 billion bill to strengthen the domestic chip manufacturing industry and finance scientific research, and on Wednesday he will sign another bill to expand health care to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

Democrats also saw glimmers of hope in Kansans’ rejection of a ballot question that would have removed abortion rights from the state constitution, with the measure passing with nearly 60 percent support in the traditionally red state.

Prominent analysts indicate Republicans are still heavy favorites to take the House in November, but recent polling shows Democrats making gains on the generic ballot question.

Poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight as of Monday evening gave Republicans a 4 in 5 chance of winning the House while indicating Democrats had a 59 percent chance of maintaining Senate control, a significant shift since suggesting Republicans were the favorites as of just two weeks ago.

Source: TEST FEED1

Amidst inflation, President Biden should refocus his efforts on expanding flexible work careers for Americans

With skyrocketing inflation outpacing wages and tens of millions of jobs remaining unfilled, Americans are still adjusting to disruptions of the last two years while fearing what the future holds as well.  

Despite the public’s primary focus on finding solid economic footing in these turbulent times, the Biden administration has continued driving a broader agenda that runs counter to the needs of Americans, including threatening tens of millions of flexible self-employment careers that have helped many families navigate the challenges they face.   

The administration’s approach has been framed as a “tricky dichotomy” of trying to “maintain independent contractor relationships for workers who enjoy that freedom” but “ensuring workers aren’t being exploited under that model.” However, there is more to independent contracting for the White House to consider than just applying a new regulation on happy vs. purportedly exploited workers. 

But first, what is President Biden trying to do? In addition to continually promoting the PRO Act, a union priority bill that would institute a California-style ABC test under the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Biden administration plans to overturn a Trump era rule that added clarity to the “economic realities” test used by Department of Labor (DOL) to administer the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  

A federal court reinstated the Trump rule in March 2022 after it determined the Biden administration improperly rolled it back, but in June, DOL’s Wage and Hour Division announced plans to propose a new rule to tackle what Labor Secretary Marty Walsh has regularly described as widespread “misclassification.”  

While the vast majority of independent contractors would disagree with the notion that they are being exploited — the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that nearly 80 percent prefer their work arrangements and that fewer than 1 in 10 want to switch to a traditional work arrangement — the Biden administration is still ignoring an important piece to the conversation.  

Government policies have imposed arbitrary barriers to self-employed workers having improved access to health and other benefits, which is one reason some call for converting IC workers to traditional employees in the first place.  

Americans for Prosperity and other organizations recently urged President Joe Biden and Secretary Walsh to do just this — focus on expanding flexible employment opportunities, and champion legislation to end the government-imposed barriers that prevent independent contractors from greater access to voluntary benefits. The president and Congress could stop blocking client businesses from voluntarily providing benefits to independent contractors while also allowing contractors to open voluntary portable benefits/health savings accounts that bring more parity between the self-employment and employer/employee models.    

Why is championing flexible work through reforms so important? Independent contractors make up a sizeable portion of the 59 million freelancers in the U.S. economy, employ tens of millions of additional workers under their contracts as small businesses, and are often the entrepreneurs that grow successful new businesses in communities.  

These jobs spread across many industries and represent diverse people including working parents, those caring for disabled family members, and many who are disabled themselves, unable to meet the more rigid schedules and requirements of traditional employment.  

Furthermore, the workforce continues to rapidly turn over as workers seek not only higher pay to battle inflation but increased flexibility. 20% of American workers changed careers between the start of the pandemic and last year, nearly half of workers are considering a career change, and over half of American workers that did change jobs in the past year entered entirely new occupations or fields.  

In other words, President Biden should be focused on the rising desire of workers for flexibility, including controlling their hours, working remotely, and pursuing self-employment. 

Some of this could be achieved by Congress passing the Employee Rights Act, which includes within it a pathway for businesses to provide independent contractors benefits and the Modern Worker Empowerment Act. This bill would create a uniform employment test between DOL and the IRS based on the IRS common law test.  

Interestingly, there may be some momentum in the form of bipartisan legislation and union worker support for independent contractors that give President Biden and Secretary Walsh an opportunity to reconsider advancing an anti-self-employment rule as well.  

On July 20, a bipartisan Worker Flexibility and Choice Act was introduced by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), and Michelle Steel (R-Calif.). This proposed legislation opens bipartisan conversation around the ability of independent contractors to retain independence while receiving health, retirement, and other benefits from businesses they provide services for and through.   

To top it off, despite union leaders strongly supporting the AB5 law in California that instituted the aggressive ABC test undermining independent contracting in the state, some union members recently shared support for independent truckers protesting California Supreme Court proceedings that have put their livelihoods in jeopardy.  

With some members of their own party and union workers willing to support self-employment on a wider scale, President Biden and Secretary Walsh have an opportunity to shift towards supporting flexible work policies to strengthen the U.S. workforce as well, putting aside misguided plans to jeopardize many careers at a particularly difficult time for families with a harmful new regulation.  

Austen Bannan is a senior analyst in employment policy at Americans for Prosperity.  

Source: TEST FEED1

FTC fines apparel company for replacing 'Made in China' labels with 'Made in USA' ones

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says it has fined Utah-based apparel company Lions Not Sheep for replacing “Made in China” labels with inaccurate “Made in USA” ones on its products. 

In a news release last month, the agency said that it has fined Lions Not Sheep and owner Sean Whalen $211,335 for the false labeling on its products.

The agency voted 5-0 to approve the final order, under which the company and Whalen were required to stop making bogus claims about their “Made in USA” products unless they can show proof that they were manufactured and produced in the U.S. 

“Also under the order, any qualified Made in USA claims must include a clear and conspicuous disclosure about the extent to which the product contains foreign parts, ingredients or components, or processing,” the FTC said in its statement. 

“Finally, to claim that a product is assembled in the United States, Whalen and Lions Not Sheep must ensure that it is last substantially transformed in the United States, its principal assembly takes place in the United States, and U.S. assembly operations are substantial.” 

The Hill has reached out to Lions Not Sheep Products for comment.

According to Deseret News, Lions Not Sheep had gained notoriety over the years for its use of pro-Second Amendment and pro-Trump messages on its products, also having a roster of celebrity sponsors such as motorcycle racer Davi Millsaps and mixed martial arts fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. 

The agency had filed a complaint against Lions Not Sheep Products, LLC in May, alleging that the firm used the phony “Made in USA” label on its products that were imported from China and other countries. 

The FTC also said in its complaint that Whalen posted a video through multiple social media platforms, claiming that he could “conceal the fact that his shirts are made in China by ripping out the origin tags and replacing them with tags stating that the merchandise was made in the United States.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Energy & Environment — Senate passes biggest climate package in history 

After nearly two years of negotiations and stalemates, the Senate passed pivotal climate and energy legislation. 

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. 

Senate passes sweeping tax, climate package

Senate Democrats have passed their sweeping tax, health care and climate change legislation after a marathon night of voting, with Vice President Harris casting the decisive vote to break a 50-50 deadlock and send the package to the House.   

The long-awaited $740 billion bill would raise taxes on corporations, tackle climate change, lower prescription drug costs and reduce the deficit.  

The bill was approved on Sunday afternoon after a full night and morning in which senators worked nonstop on the consideration of amendments to the legislation. Democrats generally stuck together to defeat GOP amendments that might have scuttled the bill. 

Democratic senators also applauded their staff, who were seated at the back of the chamber. 

Once seen as all but dead, the bill came back to life last week after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) reached a deal that narrowed the more than $3 trillion legislation and renamed it the Inflation Reduction Act.   

So what’s in it?  

• Tax credits are extended for residential clean energy expenses including rooftop solar, heat pumps and small wind energy systems. Consumers can get credits for 30 percent of expenditures through 2032, and the credit phases down after that. 
• The future of solar and wind on public lands and wind in public waters would be tied to requirements to hold lease sales that open up new oil and gas production. 
• A new program aims to reduce emissions of the planet-warming gas methane from oil and gas by both providing grants and loans to help companies reign in their emissions and levying fees on producers with excess methane emissions. 
• Minimum royalties increase for companies to pay the government for oil and gas they extract on public lands and waters. A royalty is added to the extraction of gas that is later burned off or released as waste instead of sold as fuel. 
• $3 billion would go to environmental justice block grants — community-led programs addressing harms from climate change and pollutants, including
  $20 million for technical assistance at the community level, through fiscal
  year 2026.  
• Tax credits are extended for energy production and investment in technologies including wind, solar and geothermal energies. The investment tax credit also now applies to battery storage and biogas. 
   
• Tax credits would be created or extended for additional technologies and energy sources including nuclear energy, hydrogen energy coming from clean sources, biofuels and technology that captures carbon from fossil fuel power plants.

Read more about the package’s provisions here.

SENATORS REJECT SANDERS CLIMATE AMENDMENTS 

During the vote-a-rama leading up to the Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, senators rejected a push from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to strip out the bill’s pro-fossil provisions and add a Civilian Climate Corps.  

Sanders, during a floor speech, said he would be introducing amendments to strike all of the bill’s benefits for the fossil fuel industry and to devote $30 billion to the climate jobs program. 

But his efforts failed 99-1 and 98-1, with his colleagues seeking to keep their existing deal with conservative Democrats Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) intact.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“This victory is decades in the making, but it took the fierce and relentless work of countless young people across the country who refused to back down from the fight of their lives…Today is a day to celebrate, and to stand in solidarity as we look ahead to the fights to come.”  — Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), whose Waxman-Markey climate bill flopped more than a decade ago, reflected on that moment and celebrated the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in a statement on Sunday.

“Twelve years ago, I watched my landmark climate legislation pass in the House and die in the Senate. Today, powered by a movement that never once wavered in the struggle for a livable future, I joined my Democratic colleagues in passing a bill that makes historic investments in climate justice and delivers the resources we need to have a fighting chance at a livable planet.”

On Twitter, he particularly called for the passage of the Green New Deal and the Civilian Climate Corps jobs program moving forward. 

National average gas price expected to dip below $4

The national average price for a gallon of gas fell to $4.01 on Monday and is expected to imminently fall below $4, according to estimates by GasBuddy. 

Gas prices have fallen for eight consecutive weeks after briefly peaking at a record high of more than $5 per gallon in mid-June, according to the gas price tracker’s analysis. AAA reported a nationwide average of $4.059 per gallon on Monday. 

• “The national average is poised to fall back under $4 per gallon as early as today as we see the decline in gas prices enter its eighth straight week,” Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, said in a statement.  
• “By the end of the week, one hundred thousand stations will be at $3.99 or less,” he said. 

However: But average gas prices still vary widely by state. 

Texas on Monday reported the lowest average gas price at $3.51, closely followed by Oklahoma and South Carolina. 

Gas prices in two western states — California and Hawaii — still remain above $5.30, followed by Alaska at $4.97. 

De Haan suggested that prospects indicate gas prices will continue to fall, though he added that hurricane season could lead to disruptions. 

• “The groundwork is laid for a ninth week of decline, with areas of the West Coast soon ditching the $5 per gallon average,” said De Haan. “While I’m upbeat the drop can continue for another couple weeks, we’re starting to see some activity in the tropics, which may increase risk of potential disruption.” 

GasBuddy’s analysis indicates diesel prices are also dropping, falling 13.1 cents in the last week and now standing at an average of $5.14 per gallon. De Haan said that average will likely soon dip below $5. 

Read more from The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld. 

‘Dry lightning’ causes destructive, expensive wildfires

Dry lightning bursts are the leading cause of some of the biggest wildfire flare-ups in California’s history, a new study has found. 

So-called dry lightning — or lightning that occurs with less than 2.5 millimeters of rain — outbreaks are relatively rare, according to the study, published on Monday in Environmental Research: Climate. 

But such sparks can cause destructive wildfires “due to the intersection of dense, dry vegetation and a large population living adjacent to fire-prone lands,” the authors found. 

These findings come just days after lightning triggered eight active wildfires in Northern California, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Six Rivers Lightning Complex, which began on Friday, is “burning in steep rugged terrain” and prompted evacuation orders this weekend throughout the surrounding Humboldt County. 

• “Wildfires are a growing threat in California as the climate continues to warm,” lead author Dmitri Kalashnikov, a doctoral student at Washington State University’s School of the Environment, said in a statement. 
• “Unlike human-caused fires that originate in a single location, lightning outbreaks can strike multiple locations and start numerous simultaneous wildfires, creating a substantial challenge for fire response,” he added. 

Moisture and instability high in the atmosphere — above a hot, dry lower atmosphere — are the key drivers of so-called dry lightning outbreaks across Central and Northern California, the researchers determined. 

Read more from The Hill’s Sharon Udasin.

ON TAP THIS WEEK

• The House is planning to reconvene this Friday and take up the Democrats’ sprawling climate, tax and health care bill following Senate passage Sunday. 
• House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-Md.) office sent out a floor update on Friday announcing that votes are expected on Friday, Aug. 12. The House is currently out of session for August recess. 
• “Members are advised that pending Senate action on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the House is expected to meet on Friday, August 12th, to consider the legislation,” the floor update reads. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Manchin’s Donors Include Pipeline Giants That Win in His Climate Deal (The New York Times) 
• A Uranium Ghost Town in the Making (Pro Publica & The Los Angeles Times) 
• Climate Change Is Supercharging Most Infectious Diseases, New Study Finds (HuffPost) 
• Due to climate change, Nevada says goodbye to grass (CBS News) 
• South Korea Accelerates LNG Purchases to Avoid Winter Shortage (Bloomberg) 

   😻 Lighter click: Happy International Cat Day! 

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.  

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Defense & National Security — Ukraine getting another $1 billion in weapons

The United States has greenlighted the largest military assistance package to Ukraine thus far, preparing to send $1 billion in ammunition for advanced rocket systems, vehicles and explosives to help the country beat back the Russian invasion.

We’ll detail what’s in the latest package and how it’s helping Kyiv, plus more on new Russian casualty estimates, extended Chinese wargames near Taiwan, a recovered fighter jet that blew off an aircraft carrier last month, and the next step for the soon-to-be-signed bill addressing toxic exposure for veterans.  

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Ellen Mitchell.

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Pentagon unveils more lethal aid for Ukraine 

The Pentagon on Monday announced a $1 billion military assistance package for Ukraine, aid in the form of ammunition for advanced rocket systems, vehicles and explosives to help in its fight against Russia.

The new assistance package will include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as 75,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition and 50 armored medical treatment vehicles, according to a Defense Department statement.

Biggest ever: “It is the largest single drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment utilizing this authority, and this package provides a significant amount of additional ammunition, weapons, and equipment — the types of which the Ukrainian people are using so effectively to defend their country,” according to the statement.

The U.S. government has now approved nearly $10 billion in security assistance for Ukraine over the course of 18 packages since August 2021.

Also coming soon: The latest weapons tranche coincides with a newly announced $4.5 billion in humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian government, the Treasury Department announced Monday. That funding will be given to Ukraine in batches, beginning with a $3 billion disbursement this month.

What else is in it: The latest lethal aid package will also include 20 120 mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of 120 mm mortar ammunition; munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems; 1,000 Javelin and hundreds of AT4 anti-armor systems; claymore anti-personnel munitions; C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment; and medical supplies, according to the Pentagon.

Read the full story here

RUSSIA HAS SEEN 70,000-80,000 CASUALTIES SINCE INVASION  

Russia’s military has suffered roughly 70,000 to 80,000 casualties since it first attacked Ukraine in late February, the Pentagon’s top policy official said Monday.  

“The Russians are taking a tremendous number of casualties,” Colin Kahl, Defense Department under secretary for policy, told reporters.   

“There’s a lot of fog in war but I think it’s safe to suggest that the Russians have probably taken 70 or 80,000 casualties in the less than six months. Now, that is a combination of killed in action and wounded in action and that number might be a little lower, a little higher, but I think that’s kind of in the ballpark,” Kahl said. 

Earlier estimates: The Russian casualty figure is higher than previous U.S. estimates. CIA Director William Burns late last month estimated that 15,000 Russians have died in Ukraine and some 45,000 have been wounded.  

Burns admitted, however, that intelligence estimates of battlefield casualties are “always a range,” and “there’s no perfect number.” 

‘Remarkable’: Kahl said that number of Russian casualties is “remarkable” given that Moscow has “achieved none of Vladimir Putin’s objectives” since invading Ukraine six months ago.  

He attributed the stark numbers to Ukrainian morale and will to fight, which he said is “unquestioned, and much higher, I think, than the average morale and will to fight on the Russian side.” 

Read that story here 

Biden ‘not worried’ as China extends wargames

President Biden on Monday said he’s “not worried” about China’s aggressive response to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) trip last week to Taiwan, adding that he doesn’t think things will escalate any further between the U.S. and Beijing. 

“I’m not worried, but I’m concerned that they’re moving as much as they are. But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more,” Biden told reporters. 

Ongoing military drills: The Biden administration has condemned Beijing’s live-fire drills in the waters surrounding Taiwan, which included multiple Chinese warships and aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, following Pelosi’s visit.  

“They are provocative, irresponsible, and raise the risk of miscalculation, that’s what the president was referring to,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday, referring to China’s response. 

“They are also at odd with our longstanding goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan strait, which is what the world expects,” she added. 

China announced new military drills around Taiwan on Monday. 

Earlier: Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week made her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years. The Chinese foreign ministry characterized her visit as having a “severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations.” 

Read more here 

Navy recovers F/A-18 that fell into Mediterranean

An F/A-18 fighter jet that was blown off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman into the Mediterranean Sea during bad weather last month has been recovered, the Navy announced Monday.  

The more than 32,000-pound F/A-18E Super Hornet, which costs roughly $50 million, was recovered from a depth of 9,500 feet, according to a Navy statement. 

How it was salvaged: A team of U.S. 6th Fleet, Task Force 68, Naval Strike Wing Atlantic and Naval Sea Systems Command retrieved the aircraft last Wednesday using a remote-operated vehicle that placed a special line on the jet.  

A crane-lifting hook attached to a ship was then lowered to the seafloor and connected to the rigging, allowing it to lift the aircraft to the surface and hoist it onboard. 

An unusual incident: The Navy recovered the F/A-18 27 days after it was swept off the deck of the Truman on July 8 as the ship was conducting a resupply mission in unexpected heavy weather.  

The incident is highly unusual as the Navy has methods in place to withstand heavy weather and prevent such mishaps, including chaining down aircraft. 

It was not clear if such methods were used at the time of the accident, and the service did not release the exact location where the jet was lost or recovered. 

What’s next?: The aircraft was delivered to an unnamed, nearby military installation to be prepared for transport to the United States, according to the Navy.     

An investigation into how the aircraft was first lost has been launched. 

Read the full story here 

THE NEXT BATTLE FOR VETERANS

Veterans clinched a victory after the Senate passed a bill that would expand medical coverage for former service members with toxic exposures. But after a long-fought battle with no shortage of last-minute drama, their work is far from over.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must now implement the legislation efficiently amid concerns of the department’s poor track record and existing backlogs. 

Coming soon: President Biden is expected to sign into law the Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act on Wednesday, which will expand access to VA health care and benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxins during war.  

The VA is already encouraging veterans to apply for benefits. But moving forward, veterans service organizations and other experts say the department will have to buckle down if it wants to implement the legislation as smoothly as possible.   

Read more here 

ON TAP TOMORROW

• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley will deliver remarks at the change-of-command ceremony for Marine Gen. Michael Langley who takes over as U.S. Africa commander from retiring Army Gen. Stephen Townsend at 4 a.m., to be replayed at 10 a.m. 
• Lt. Gen. Dan Karbler, head of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, and Gen. James Dickinson, commander of U.S. States Space Command, will speak on Day 1 of the Space and Missile Defense Symposium beginning at 9 a.m.
• The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will hold a discussion on “New Nuclear Troubles in Southern Asia?” at 10 a.m. 
• House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) will speak on his Asia trip with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at a Washington Post Live event at 5 p.m.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Milley vowed to fight Trump from the inside: book excerpt
• Hundreds of Western components found in Russian weapons in Ukraine: think tank 
• Blinken welcomes cease-fire between Israel, Gaza militants
• Russia likely trying to use ‘deeply controversial, indiscriminate’ mines in Ukraine: UK intelligence 
• McConnell gets win on Trump in NATO vote 
• Petraeus points to 20 years of ‘significant mistakes’ in Afghanistan as US withdrawal anniversary approaches 
• UN chief criticizes ‘suicidal’ attacks on Ukraine nuclear plant 
• Amnesty says it stands by report on Ukraine military that sparked ‘distress and anger’ 

That’s it for today! Check out The Hill’s Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow!

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