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Juan Williams: GOP will stop at nothing if it wins midterms

What will the White House do if House Republicans subpoena President Biden to testify at hearings on his son Hunter Biden? 

Get ready. 

If Republicans win a House majority in the midterms, the current Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), is openly making two promises. 

First, the GOP majority will investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings. 

Next, there will be hearings on Big Tech’s alleged censorship of conservatives.  

And get ready for House Republicans to investigate the Jan. 6 committee. 

With no proposals to ease inflation, stop gun violence or reform immigration, the House Republicans are set to govern as sensation-seeking, right-wing talk radio hosts. 

At the top of their agenda is revenge for House Democrats’ investigation into Trump-inspired mob violence against Congress. 

A CNN poll released last week indicated that 79 percent of Americans believe Trump acted either “unethically” or “illegally” in trying to hold onto power after his defeat in the 2020 election. Also, 61 percent now agree he “encouraged political violence in his public statements” during this period. 

Republicans want hearings to whip up a frenzy in the Trump media echo chamber by provoking the president and Democrats. 

And the gold ring in the Hunter Biden hearing will be to accuse Democrats of hypocrisy if his father, the president, won’t comply with a subpoena. 

They will threaten to jail the president and everyone else in the Biden family if they resist testifying. 

They will charge any news outlet that is not conservative with hiding information and silencing conservative voices. 

McCarthy and two other House Republican leaders recently made these plans in public:  

“A Republican [House] majority will be committed to uncovering the facts the Democrats, Big Tech and the legacy media have suppressed,” McCarthy wrote in a New York Post column. He shared the byline with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), ranking member on the House Oversight Committee. 

Let historians note that Republicans undermined hopes of an independent investigation into the January 6 riot by Trump supporters. 

Then McCarthy tried to blow up the House hearings by appointing polarizing political members, including Jordan, intent on derailing the investigation. 

Having failed to stop the Jan. 6 hearings, McCarthy now wants to counter with hearings into the president’s son, an admitted drug user with emotional problems. 

Somehow, he failed to suggest hearings into Trump’s son-in-law. Jared Kushner recently won a $2 billion investment deal with the Saudis despite lacking major experience in non-real estate investment. 

But McCarthy and his two Republican colleagues claimed in their New York Post op-ed that investigators have “found Biden family members used their connections with [President Biden] to enrich themselves through expectations of access and promises about what a Biden administration might do.” 

If McCarthy had any convincing evidence of actual crimes, he would have made it public. 

McCarthy’s plan for revenge fits with former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s sinister warning against the members of the Jan. 6 committee. 

The evening of his criminal conviction for defying the committee’s subpoena, Bannon appeared on Fox News to announce plans for future GOP House majority hearings. 

“I will tell the Jan. 6 staff right now, preserve your documents, because there’s going to be a real committee and this has to be backed by Republican grassroots voters,” Bannon said.  

With such a sad prospect looming, it is useful to remember the reason why McCarthy was forced to drop his bid for Speaker back in 2015. 

He slipped up and said the quiet part out loud by admitting that the Benghazi hearings had nothing to do with concern over a U.S. military operation in Libya. 

The hearings, he explained, were about bloodying up Hillary Clinton politically so she would be easier to beat in 2016.  

“Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee,” McCarthy told Sean Hannity. “What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened had we not fought and made that happen.” 

Then as now, these hearings have nothing to do with truth. They are empty political theater. 

This is the reason Americans tell pollsters government is broken. 

Expect the same shenanigans if the GOP gains majority control of the Senate. 

It is plain for all to see that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wants to skewer Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser.  

All signs point to Paul using his subpoena power on Fauci as he seeks to counter memories of Trump’s failure to keep Americans safe from COVID-19. 

“When we take over in November, I will be chairman of a committee and I will have subpoena power,” Paul said in April. “And we will get to the bottom of where this virus came from.” 

So, there you have it. 

The GOP may win the midterms because voters, upset about inflation and gun violence, register anger at the party in power. 

But once the GOP wins, its focus will be revenge. 

Let’s get back to Hillary’s emails and Benghazi. 

Has anyone seen Obama’s birth certificate? 

How low will a GOP House majority go in pursuit of payback and Twitter likes? 

Juan Williams is an author, and a political analyst for Fox News Channel. 

Source: TEST FEED1

This week: Senate Democrats race to finish tax and climate package — if Sinema signs on

Senate Democrats this week are looking to press ahead with the multi-trillion dollar climate, taxes and health care package announced last week — and crossing their fingers that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) signs on.

The Senate is set to break for recess on Friday, giving lawmakers little time to get Sinema on board and bring the multi-trillion dollar spending bill over the finish line. The Arizona Democrat — whose support is needed to clear the package through budget reconciliation — has not yet said if she supports the deal.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said he will bring the legislation to the floor this week.

But before then, the Senate is poised to vote — again — on a bill to expand health care eligibility for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. A coalition of Senate Republicans blocked the measure last week, ostensibly over budgetary concerns, despite the legislation previously passing with bipartisan support. A vote is scheduled for Monday.

If time permits, the Senate may also take up a resolution expressing support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO, which the House passed last month.

The House is out of session this week after breaking for August recess on Friday.

Senate Democrats push ahead with reconciliation

Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) shocked those inside and outside the Capitol last week when they announced a multi-billion dollar climate, taxes and health care package, resurrecting the spending talks that faltered earlier this year.

The deal was the product of closed-door negotiations between Schumer and Manchin, which reconvened in private after the West Virginia Democrat said he could not support new climate spending and tax reform following a concerning inflation report.

The package, dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, includes $369 billion in energy security and climate investments and allocates $64 billion to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for two years, bringing total new spending to $433 billion. The tax reforms in the bill are forecast to raise $739 billion in revenue.

Republicans felt betrayed by the Wednesday afternoon announcement, while Democrats roundly embraced the deal. However, Sinema remains a wildcard, and has not yet commented on the package.

The freshman Democrat from Arizona, who was key to previous reconciliation and infrastructure talks, refused to answer a series of questions from reporters when leaving the Capitol last week. Her office has only said she is reviewing the proposal.

Without Sinema’s support, the Democrats’ chances of passing the package will sink to zero. The caucus is looking to pass the measure through budget reconciliation, which allows lawmakers to buck the 60-vote legislative filibuster and pass bills by majority vote.

The math in the Senate is simple: with the chamber split 50-50, Democrats need all members on board to trigger a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris.

The most likely sticking point for Sinema is the carried interest tax loophole, which the Schumer-Manchin deal would close. The tax preference allows asset managers to pay a 20 percent capital gains tax rate on income that is earned through managing profitable investments. Closing it would raise about $14 billion over the next decade.

Sinema has previously opposed closing the carried interest tax loophole. Manchin, however, says he is firm on keeping the carried interest provision in the package.

The West Virginia Democrat told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday he hoped Sinema would “be positive” about the package, but added “she will make her decision, and I respect that.”

Schumer last week said the Senate would vote on the bill this week, once the parliamentarian completes the process known as the “Byrd Bath,” in which she reviews the package to ensure that all provisions in the measure are related to the budget, per reconciliation rules.

Then the chamber will hold a “vote-a-rama,” a process that allows Republicans to offer amendments. After final passage in the Senate, House leaders have said they will reconvene the chamber to consider the measure.

But with the Senate set to break for recess on Friday, the clock is ticking for Democrats to pass the bill — the first step toward handing President Biden a significant legislative victory less than 100 days out from the midterm elections.

Senate to vote on toxic burn pits bill — again

The Senate on Monday is slated to hold another vote on the Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act, which would expand health care eligibility for the 3.5 million veterans who served following Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack and were exposed to toxic burn pits.

The legislation has ping-ponged between the House and Senate for several months, with lawmakers making small tweaks as it progressed. It calls for adding 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to the Department of Veterans Affair’s presumptive service connections.

The measure, however, hit an unexpected hurdle last week, after a group of Senate Republicans blocked the bill citing budgetary concerns. Twenty-five Republicans who previously voted in favor of the legislation changed their stance this time around, bringing the vote to 55-42 — five votes short of clearing a legislative filibuster.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who voted against the bill in June and last week, took to the floor to express his concern with a provision of the bill converting some $400 billion from discretionary spending to mandatory spending. Discretionary spending hinges on congressional appropriations, unlike mandatory spending.

Toomey pushed for an amendment to address his budgetary concern, which Democrats would not consent to, driving last week’s blockage.

Toomey appeared to suggest on Sunday that votes on GOP amendments would unlock support to pass the bill, telling CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday “I do think anybody who has an amendment ought to be able to get their amendment.”

“That probably means two or three amendment votes. We could bang that out tomorrow night, literally… and then pass the bill with probably 85 votes,” he added.

In June, the Senate passed the bill in an 84-14 vote. Schumer has set another vote for Monday night, and said he would stand by his previous offer of letting Toomey bring his amendment to the floor with a 60-vote threshold for passing.

Potential Senate vote on NATO resolution

If time permits, the Senate this week may vote on a resolution expressing support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

The House approved the resolution in a bipartisan 294-18 vote last month, backing the two Nordic countries’ entrance into the military alliance and opposing attempts by the Russian Federation to thwart or retaliate against their ascension into NATO.

Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO in May, and were invited to join the military alliance in June. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee in June approved a resolution by voice vote that appealed to NATO expedite the Nordic countries’ membership.

Source: TEST FEED1

Bipartisan bill on antibiotics faces crucial stretch

A health care bill is facing criticism from some experts who say it could lead to huge spending on new antibiotic drug development that may not improve patient outcomes in the long run.

The bipartisan legislation, with its $11 billion price tag, aims to establish a subscription model in which antibiotic developers are paid upfront for the use of their medicine, which could spur a flurry of new drugs to the market. To qualify, a new antibiotic must be checked against certain criteria in the bill — but physicians and experts worry how effective that could be in practice. 

Lawmakers who back the measure say such a model would encourage innovation in drug development to combat what they say is a looming health crisis caused by antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when infections can no longer be treated with the drugs currently in circulation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 35,000 people in the U.S. die from such infections annually. 

But some infectious disease experts said the bill does not explicitly outline certain conditions related to trials that improve patient outcomes. That includes running trials with patients who have resistance to the current generation of antibiotics. 

“It shouldn’t be so much about more drugs but better drugs. We want drugs to come out that dominate the current [antibiotics], and we are very concerned that we are not going to get that out of this,” said Mark E. Miller, the executive vice president for health care for the philanthropy-funded Arnold Ventures, which develops evidence-based policy solutions to improve health care.

One of the biggest obstacles to passing the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act is the price tag, according to an aide to Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), one of the legislation’s four sponsors, who said leadership isn’t yet convinced that much money needs to be allocated to address the issue at this time.

The House bill, which has 60 co-sponsors made up of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, also faces additional challenges due to its many committee jurisdictions, according to Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.). 

Despite the uncertainty, Doyle, who introduced the legislation, anticipates the bill will move later this year, most likely attached to a larger legislative vehicle.

“We’re confident that if we can pull all these pieces together that we can do it, but we still have some things that need to be addressed, some concerns that we have right in the Energy and Commerce Committee in dealing with the multiple jurisdictions,” Doyle told The Hill. 

Other committees that have jurisdiction over the bill in the House include Ways and Means, Veterans’ Affairs, Armed Services, Judiciary and Homeland Security. 

The bill was first introduced in September 2020, before being reintroduced by Bennet, Doyle, Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) in June 2021. 

Democratic members say the White House backs the PASTEUR Act, though an administration official did not return a request for comment for this article. 

One of the measure’s more vocal proponents is The Pew Charitable Trusts, which sees antimicrobial resistance and the over-prescription of antibiotics as an increasingly important issue in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pew Charitable Trusts found that 52 percent of people admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 were prescribed at least one antibiotic.  

“One of the main reasons that we are strong supporters of PASTEUR is not only does it address the economic incentive portion and the drug development side that is needed to develop new antibiotics, but it also addresses the need for an equal arm of antibiotic stewardship so that we can make sure that these new antibiotics, when they do become available on the market, are used appropriately,” said David Hyun, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Project at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is also lobbying for the PASTEUR Act. The bill would provide physicians the antibiotics that they need to care for their patients, according to Amanda Jezek, senior vice president of public policy and government relations at IDSA.   

However, research from the Mayo Clinic found that of 21 novel antibiotics examined, every Food and Drug Administration-approved label for such antibiotics contained at least one group of patients who were restricted from enrolling in the trials. This has raised concerns that antibiotics whose trials excluded certain groups — such as individuals who are resistant to current antibiotics — could be approved for the subscription contract under the bill. 

Miller said the bill won’t necessarily lead to better treatment by offering patients and physicians more drugs to choose from.

“We’re going to spend this money, we’re going to get inferior drugs, and the doctors aren’t going to prescribe them then. If you’re going to spend this money, get dominant drugs,” Miller added. 

Another issue is the notion of bringing more drugs into the market that are not vastly different from the current drugs, which poses a problem due to mutations of bacteria that could be resistant to new drugs, said Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, a health policy think tank.

“Prescribing the new drug will make it more likely that there will be resistant bacteria because the new drug is so similar to other drugs on the market.” Zuckerman said.  

The PASTEUR Act does not specify which or how many characteristics an antibiotic must meet, raising concerns from physicians and antibiotic experts about how effective the legislation would be if it became law.  

It also does not explicitly outline trials that infectious disease experts said should include patients who have resistance to the current generation of antibiotics that should be compared to current and new drugs.

The ultimate goal of the PASTEUR Act, according to lawmakers, is to prevent another global public health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The legislation would do this in part by awarding investment contracts for only those drugs that meet a high bar demonstrating a number of novel characteristics – such as unmet clinical need, targeting resistant-infections, and targeting organs where infections are usually hard to treat,” Ferguson said in a statement to The Hill. 

Doyle added that a team of representatives from all of the relevant federal agencies, doctors, patients and outside experts will be responsible for developing and implementing guidelines with regards to the type of characteristics that new drugs will be required to meet.

“Everyone, I think, understands that for all intents and purposes the clock is ticking and we don’t have that many legislative days left to get things done. We’re hoping to be able to move it,” Doyle said.

Source: TEST FEED1

11 races we’re watching in Tuesday’s primaries

Five states hold closely watched primaries on Tuesday, several of which are seen as the latest tests of former President Trump’s hold over the GOP.

Voters in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington will decide Senate, House and gubernatorial nominees, along with a key secretary of state’s race and a ballot measure on abortion.

The races feature everything from a proxy battle between Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence to an incumbent-on-incumbent primary to lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump fighting for their political lives.

Here are 11 races we’ll be watching:

Arizona gubernatorial GOP primary

One of the most high-profile contests Tuesday is the Republican primary in the Arizona governor race. 

Former local news anchor Kari Lake, who has pushed dubious claims about the 2020 election, and developer Karrin Taylor Robson, considered more of an establishment Republican, are considered the front-runners in the race.

The primary has turned into a proxy war between Trump and Pence — with Trump backing Lake while Pence has endorsed Robson — becoming the latest test of how powerful the former president’s endorsement is.

An OH Predictive Insights poll released in July found 40 percent of likely Republican primary voters backed Lake, while 35 percent supported Robson when former Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), who dropped his own gubernatorial bid to endorse Robson, was removed. 

Arizona Senate GOP primary

Another Arizona race putting Trump’s endorsement to the test is the Senate GOP primary to take on Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). 

The former astronaut won his seat in a 2020 special election against Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) by just over 2 percentage points, one of a handful of critical Senate races that helped flip the upper chamber blue that year. 

Trump has backed venture capitalist Blake Masters, who has ties to tech billionaire Peter Thiel. Masters has received the backing of other major Republicans and conservatives like Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and he previously served on Trump’s 2016 presidential transition team.

Others in the race include businessman Jim Lamon, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, former state Rep. Justin Olson and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mick McGuire.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Brnovich for not doing enough to investigate the former president’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election. The former president called him a “disappointment” when issuing his endorsement of Masters in June. 

An OH Predictive Insights poll released on Friday surveying Arizona residents qualified as likely GOP primary voters showed Masters in the lead with 25 percent, followed by Lamon at 18 percent and Brnovich at 14 percent. 

Missouri Senate GOP Primary

The Missouri Senate GOP primary has attracted a crowded field of candidates as Republicans vie for retiring Sen. Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) seat. 

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens initially held the lead, but he has been embroiled in scandal and fighting allegations by his ex-wife that he abused her and their child. He denies the allegations.

Adding to the controversy, Greitens released an ad in June in which he pressed viewers to go “RINO hunting,” in a nod to the acronym “Republicans in name only” and featured firearms. 

Republicans fear a Greitens victory could put an otherwise safe Republican seat in jeopardy and big names, including Blunt, have lined up against him.

A recent survey from Emerson College Polling and The Hill found the effort may be working. State Attorney General Eric Schmitt had pulled into the lead in the poll, with the support of 33 percent of very likely Republican primary voters, while Greitens had fallen to third at 16 percent.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), who earned the endorsement of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), had 21 percent support.

Other candidates include Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), attorney Mark McCloskey and state Sen. Dave Schatz. Trump has not issued an endorsement in the race.

Kansas’s ballot measure on abortion

Residents in the Sunflower State will be the first since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the opportunity to vote on an abortion-related ballot measure when they weigh in on a state constitutional amendment regarding abortion access.

The ballot measure seeks to overturn a 2019 state Supreme Court decision that said abortion rights were protected under the state constitution. It would give the state legislature greater control over access to the medical procedure.  

The Supreme Court’s Roe ruling kicked decisions on abortion access to the states and has created a patchwork of laws that ban or will soon ban access to the procedure.

Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial primary

The Republican primary in Michigan’s gubernatorial race initially attracted a crowded field of candidates, but it later narrowed down to five after several contenders were booted off the ballot for submitting fraudulent petition signatures.

One of the candidates remaining, conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, got a boost Friday when she was endorsed by Trump.

Other candidates in the race include real estate broker Ryan Kelley, who was charged in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot; retired Pastor Ralph Rebandt; businessman Kevin Rinke; and chiropractor Garrett Soldano. 

A Detroit News/WDIV (Channel 4) poll, which was conducted by Glengariff Group and released last  month, showed 19 percent of likely GOP primary voters polled supporting Dixon, followed next by Rinke at 15 percent, Kelley at 13 percent and Soldano at 12 percent. Rebandt received 2 percent. However, the polling falls within the margin of error of 4.4 percentage points, effectively tying Dixon and Rinke.

Michigan’s GOP primary in the 3rd Congressional District

Freshman Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) is fighting for his political life on Tuesday as he tries to ward off a challenge from former Housing and Urban Development official John Gibbs in the state’s Republican primary for the 3rd Congressional District. 

Gibbs received an endorsement from Trump as a part of the former president’s revenge tour against the Republicans who have criticized him or voted in favor of impeaching him following the Capitol riot. 

Meijer was one of 10 House Republicans to buck his party and vote in favor of impeaching Trump. 

Democrats have gotten involved in the primary in an effort to boost Gibbs, who has used part of his campaign platform to baselessly allege “widespread irregularities and statistical anomalies in the 2020 election,” in hopes of facing what they consider the weaker candidate in November. 

Cook Political Report rates Meijer’s seat as a “toss-up.” 

Michigan’s Democratic primary in the 11th Congressional District

Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) is facing off against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in one of this cycle’s incumbent-on-incumbent primaries. 

Levin opted to run in the redrawn 11th Congressional District after the decennial redistricting process changed the makeup of his current seat.

Levin, once a synagogue president and co-founder of the Detroit Jews for Justice, has gotten the backing of the pro-Israel group J Street Action Fund, which has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the race, while the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC is spending big money to boost Stevens.

Levin has touted his personal work on climate change, jobs and workers’ wages, and his family includes several recognizable political names, including his father, former Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), and uncle, the late Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).

Levin last year unveiled legislation along with his colleagues that would “accelerate progress towards a two-state solution and discourage steps that push one out of reach,” according to a press release from his office. 

Haley has touted her time as the former chief of staff for the U.S. Auto Rescue Task Force during the Obama administration and showcased her support on legislation related to paid family leave and raising the federal minimum wage. 

Washington’s secretary of state race

Washington’s secretary of state race has attracted a number of candidates as Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D), whose appointment by Gov. Jay Inslee (D) last year marked the first time in decades that a Democrat served in the role, fights to keep his seat.

Hobbs was tapped to fill former Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s (R) position after she left her spot to serve on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency under the Biden administration. 

Among those vying for the spot of state’s top elections official are Tamborine Borrelli, a former supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) turned Republican; state Sen. Keith Wagoner (R); former state Sen. Mark Miloscia (R), once a Democrat; and Pierce County auditor Julie Anderson, listed as nonpartisan, among others. 

Washington uses what’s known as a jungle primary, in which the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.

Washington’s 3rd Congressional District primary

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) is fighting to retain her seat after she drew Trump’s ire as one of 10 House Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching the former president.

Herrera Beutler made headlines following the Capitol riot when she described the contents of a conversation told to her by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that involved him and Trump. 

She said the president had told McCarthy, according to the House GOP leader, “I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are” on the day of the riot. 

Trump last year endorsed Army Special Forces veteran Joe Kent as a part of his revenge tour to take swipes at the Republicans who sought to impeach him or his critics. Other candidates seeking the seat include podcaster and author Heidi St. John (R), small business owner Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) and state Rep. Vicki Kraft (R).

Washington’s 4th Congressional District primary

The former president has also waded into Washington’s 4th Congressional District race, backing former police chief Loren Culp (R) to take on incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.).

Newhouse also voted in favor of impeaching the former president following the violent Capitol riot, saying in a statement days after the riot that it was a “vote to condone President Trump’s inaction” and added that “our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.”

The campaign platform for Culp, who was the 2020 Republican gubernatorial nominee, has included bread-and-butter Republican issues like his anti-abortion stance, limited government and border security. 

One Democrat and five other Republicans have also thrown their hats into the ring, including former NASCAR driver Jerrod Sessler (R), businessman Doug White (D), Army veteran Benancio Garcia III (R), Jacek Kobiesa (R) and businessman Corey Gibson (R).

Washington’s 8th Congressional District primary

Rep. Kim Schrier’s (D-Wash.) seat is considered one of the most vulnerable for House Democrats this November and she faces several others candidates eager to advance to the general election.

Army veteran Jesse Jensen (R) is trying to stage a comeback after losing a bid in 2020 for the seat against the Democratic incumbent in addition to several others such as attorney Matt Larkin (R) and King County Council Member Reagan Dunn (R).

Schrier, who flipped her district blue in 2018, has won her last two elections by close margins, including by less than 5 percentage points in 2018 and more than 3 percentage points in 2020. 

The National Republican Congressional Committee has used the issue of inflation to target Schrier and other vulnerable Democrats earlier this year, one of several headwinds for Democrats ahead of the November midterms. 

Cook Political Report rates the House seat as a “toss-up.”

Source: TEST FEED1

White House cyber hire highlights diversity challenges in tech workforce

The White House now has a point person to carry out its pledge to expand diversity in the cyber workforce. 

Camille Stewart Gloster, a Google executive, was hired to head up Biden administration efforts to develop the nation’s ecosystem for tech talent, including building a more diverse cyber workforce and strengthening cyber education.

It’s a tough task but a pressing one, with the cyber sector facing widespread workforce shortages.

Suzanne Spaulding, a senior adviser for homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Stewart Gloster’s hire was significant. 

“It’s not just the visibility of a woman of color taking a senior position on cyber in the government but one that has a high profile in the very communities we’re trying to reach,” she said. 

Stewart Gloster is also the co-founder of #ShareTheMicInCyber, an online movement aimed to address diversity issues in the cyber field.

Her hiring came days after the White House hosted a cyber workforce and education summit during which participants, including National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, pledged to improve diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the cyber field. 

According to a report published last year by the Aspen Tech Policy Hub, only 4 percent of cybersecurity workers self-identified as Hispanic, while 9 percent self-identified as Black.

Spaulding said the lack of diversity in cybersecurity has been a long-running issue, and also extended to gender. Women make up just 24 percent of the cybersecurity workforce.

“We’ve got so many vacancies and we cannot afford to leave half of the population behind when it comes to women,” Spaulding said. 

One of the main challenges stifling cyber diversity is the lack of women and minorities graduating with related degrees or certifications.

Spaulding said the industry has improved over the years thanks to nonprofit organizations like “Girl Security,” which encourages girls, women and minorities to take interest in security-related fields, and provides mentoring, workforce training and professional development.

Safa Shahwan Edwards, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, said the White House can play a key role in shaping initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in the cyber workforce and in academia. 

For starters, she said the administration should take an inventory of cyber workforce needs and figure out strategies to best meet those demands.

“These [initiatives] can be achieved by engaging both educators and employers as both government and industry reflect on how we’ve handled the development of the cyber workforce, but also how we may want to adjust and improve going forward,” she said. 

Shahwan Edwards said one way to increase the number of women and minorities graduating with cyber-related degrees is to push universities to better market those academic concentrations, and connect historically underrepresented students with professional opportunities. 

She added that it’s also crucial for minority-serving institutions, like historically black colleges and universities, to encourage their students to enroll in cyber-related programs, explore careers in cybersecurity and network with recruiters in the field. 

“I think organizations need to try to develop and deepen the relationships needed to try to get a stronger talent pipeline coming out of those academic institutions,” Shahwan Edwards said. 

Spaulding and Shahwan Edwards both agreed that recruiters also need to be more intentional in who they’re targeting and how they are reaching out to candidates, broadening their talent pool in general but especially with historically underrepresented communities.

The Aspen report also found that “cybersecurity organizations will continue to have difficulty attracting diverse talent if their hiring practices are biased toward candidates with elite educations and social capital.”

The report provided several steps organizations can take to hire a diverse pool of candidates. The recommendations include consulting with diversity, equity and inclusion training experts to review and support recruitment efforts, as well as encouraging conversations about race and diversity in the workplace.

Shahwan Edwards also raised the issue of over-emphasizing certain credentials and degrees in job postings over other skills that a candidate has. She added that sometimes recruiters, especially in the tech and cyber field, tend to use highly technical language in the job description.

“As a result, you get a lot of candidates self-selecting out of that process despite having a real interest in cybersecurity … which is obviously not good,” Shahwan Edwards said. 

She also took issue with requiring high-level certifications that may not be needed for entry level positions, noting a frequent disconnect within organizations between what their teams need and what human resources may think is required of a candidate. 

The Aspen report recommended that companies consider subsidizing certification costs for diverse candidates to level the playing field. 

“To get a job in the cybersecurity field, candidates are typically expected to have a roster of technical certifications,” the report said. “However, these credentials are expensive to attain and renew, which can present a barrier for diverse candidates.”

The report also suggested that organizations assess whether certifications should be a prerequisite to certain cybersecurity jobs over alternatives like apprenticeship programs.

“All those little things can really help make it easier for folks to get the experience and skills they need to be successful in those roles without only [requiring] a post-secondary education,” Shahwan Edwards said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Democrats battle each other over help for pro-Trump GOP candidates

A Democratic strategy to boost conspiracy-minded conservatives in GOP primaries has sparked a storm of controversy within the party.

The simmering battle pits Democrats who argue winning races at all costs justifies the means against critics who warn the party risks losing the moral high-ground in the debate over election integrity.

The tensions are swirling around a decision by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in a Michigan GOP primary — money designed to bump off the moderate incumbent, Rep. Peter Meijer — who is one of just 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol l

Meijer is also considered to be the tougher opponent for the Democrats in November’s general election, where the party is in great danger of losing the House majority.

The ad buy has fueled howls of protest from a number of rank-and-file Democrats, who are bashing Maloney’s move as a race-to-the-bottom tactic that will erode the country’s already diminished faith in a cooperating and functional government.

“I’m so pissed I can’t see straight, because I think Peter Meijer did the right thing,” said one lawmaker, who spoke only anonymously to discuss a sensitive topic. “We’re sending a message to Republicans that if you do the right thing, or if you vote with us, now we’re going to go after you. 

“Is that really going to encourage people to work together? Try to find solutions?” the lawmaker continued. “Is that what our values are?”

The criticisms have prompted an equally spirited response from another set of Democrats who are rushing to Maloney’s defense. In a high-stakes election year, his supporters contend, the party is all but obligated to embrace a realpolitik approach that recognizes political campaigning to be a results-based — and sometimes brutal — contact sport.

“Politics ain’t beanbag. We’ve gotta use every strategy we possibly can to make sure that we’re as successful as we can be in November,” said Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), who headed the Democrats’ campaign arm in the 2020 cycle. 

“We’re grumbling about going after a sitting Republican where we have a shot of picking up that seat?” she added. “Look, I think Peter Meijer’s a decent guy, too. But this is about the numbers. We’ve got to do everything we can to keep the majority, or we’ve got Kevin McCarthy as the Speaker of the House.”

The DCCC ad causing controversy centers on Meijer’s primary challenger: John Gibbs, a high-level housing official under the Trump administration who has promoted a long list of conspiracy theories and false accusations against Democrats.

The DCCC’s $425,000 ad campaign appears to attack Gibbs, saying he’s “too conservative” — and too close to Trump — to represent the people of Michigan’s 3rd District. 

But in the context of the primary fight, that accusation might help Gibbs defeat Meijer.

The district lies in a conservative region where Trump remains popular among GOP primary voters, and Meijer’s vote to impeach Trump could hurt him with GOP voters.

The underlying motive of the DCCC’s gambit has not been lost on Meijer, who is accusing Democrats of hypocrisy.

“They’re talking out [of] both sides of their mouths,” Meijer said. 

The gambit also comes as the House panel investigating Jan. 6 has cast a friendly spotlight on Republicans — like Meijer — who stood up to Trump on Jan. 6 and in the weeks and months that followed. The panel separately has criticized those Republicans who echoed or ignored Trump’s lies about the election.

Gibbs has championed Trump’s false assertions of a “stolen” election  — and won a coveted endorsement from the former president in the process. He’s also made the sensational claim that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign chairman was a Satanist.

Yet it’s clear the DCCC would like Gibbs to defeat Meijer in the primary, in the hopes Gibbs would then be defeated in the general election.

“Under a different context it would be almost humorous,” Meijer added. “It just shows you that you can have all the high-minded rhetoric you want, the Democrats are always going to put party ahead of country.” 

This isn’t the only race where Democrats or Democratic groups have got involved in GOP primaries to boost election-denying candidates in the hopes of winning general elections. In Maryland, the Democratic Governors Association spent more than $1.16 million on ads highlighting Trump’s endorsement of Dan Cox, who defeated a more moderate candidate in the primary.

In Pennsylvania, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee for governor, spent nearly $1 million highlighting the views of Doug Mastriano, a Republican who argued the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. Matriano won the primary and will now face Shapiro in the general election.

Democratic critics of the DCCC’s ad campaign in Michigan have warn that the party’s efforts to boost election-denying Republicans not only carries the risk that those candidates could ultimately win, but also undermines the Democrats’ case that — in the wake of Trump’s “Big Lie” — they’re the party of election integrity. 

Democrats, said Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), have taken “the high ground on integrity and honor and faith in our electoral system.” 

“And I think this spends a lot of that hard-earned equity,” he added. 

“Our country is struggling with its faith in government, its trust in our electoral system,” he continued. “And I think when a major political party actually promotes the very people that we have articulated time and time again are a great risk to our country, … it is dishonorable.”

Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), who leads the DCCC’s efforts to protect vulnerable frontliners, noted another reason some Democrats have been left frustrated by the campaign against Meijer: It represents campaign cash that wasn’t spent protecting vulnerable incumbents. 

“Some members may say, ‘Well, if you don’t have money to help me get reelected because you spent $500,000 of our dollars on these other races’ — that’s a tough situation to be in,” he said. 

Still, Bera also emphasized that the DCCC exists for only one reason — “To win races,” he said — and there are powerful, like-minded Democrats also coming to Maloney’s defense this week. 

“The political decisions that are made out there are made in furtherance of our winning the election,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday, “because we think the contrast between Democrats and Republicans — as they are now — is so drastic that we have to win.”

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, also defended the sharp-elbowed campaign tactics. The DCCC might be playing in Michigan’s GOP primary, he said, but a far different group will decide Meijer’s fate. 

“The threat to Peter Meijer,” he said, “is from Republican base voters.”

Source: TEST FEED1

More Democrats are using TikTok, despite the warnings from colleagues

Campaign season has more Democrats turning to TikTok as they seek to reach new demographics ahead of the crucial midterm elections – despite warnings from colleagues about security issues tied to the popular app. 

While primarily known for viral dance videos and dishing up a lighter side of the internet, lawmakers see an opportunity to reach new and different demographics, especially younger voters.

But that opportunity presents security risks. So much so that intelligence officials have cautioned some lawmakers against using the app due to concerns that the Chinese-based tech company could face pressure to share data stored by the platform with Beijing.  

“I would not use TikTok,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) told The Hill, given fears about it being a “backdoor” to the Chinese government.

“If you are a [People’s Republic of China] company, or a company that is based in PRC, there are certain rules and regulations you operate under that you don’t if you are an American company and one of those is when Uncle Chinese Communist Party, Uncle CCP calls upon you to gain access, you can’t give them the stiff arm.”

Lawmakers were concerned enough about the security risks of the app that nearly every Democratic lawmaker backed a provision in the 2021 defense policy bill that barred federal employees from accessing the app on any government-issued device. 

But an increasing number of Democrats have been dabbling with posting content there, largely brushing off such warnings, saying they need to use the popular app to reach out to constituents in different ways. 

“I use it because we try to communicate with constituents through every medium available. We do town halls, mailers, surveys, tele-town halls, Twitter spaces, Instagram, Facebook, door knocking, TikTok. If I thought people were going to look at smoke signals and decipher that we would have a smoke signal program,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) told The Hill. 

His videos primarily show him talking about legislation, though in one he’s seen writing a response to Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) office, complete with a timelapse video of him riding the Senate subway to hand deliver it.

“It’s a fractured media environment, and so we have to now talk across a bunch of different media to be able to reach folks and hear their concerns and then talk about what we’re doing.”

Others said they have only recently started using the app.

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), a former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor under the Obama administration who has been critical of the Chinese government, has just one video on the site.

“We only just put something up for the first time. So it’s not something I have used extensively. I do have concerns about the company. At the same time, tens of millions of Americans are on the site. So, you know, we’re on Facebook, even though I think Facebook has probably done more damage to American democracy than any company anywhere in the world. So this is always a dilemma,” he said.

“I have a lot of concerns about social media – including with regard to TikTok – but it’s very hard for a member of Congress to not be on a platform that my constituents are communicating on,” he said. “I’m not just going to send snail mail to my constituents. I’ve got to be on the platforms they’re on.”

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), a Twitter star in his own right, had been featured in TikTok videos from his daughter before recently making a campaign account.

“My daughter is sort of a monster on TikTok, she leverages me to be a total monster on TikTok so we finally did it on the campaign side because I didn’t want to do it on the official side. But you know, you look at the audiences right? And that demographic that’s hardest for us to reach lives there and on Instagram. So on the campaign side, we just opened up an account,” Himes said.

But Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said they have not put the app directly on his phone, something he said is designed to create an “air gap” to address any concerns about accessing data, adding that “whether TikTok exposes people to a counterintelligence threat, it’s possible, but not known.”

“TikTok is not on any of my equipment. And it’s not on any of my official staffs’ equipment, as far as I know. …But the TikTok account I have is on other people’s campaign equipment. So, that feels kind of air gapped to me,” he said.

“I was not going to put it on my phone,” he said.

While some aides have been encouraging their bosses to get on the app — even sending emails to other offices asking for a follow — others have warned against it. 

“Most of these members voted to ban this on government devices, so either they’re hypocrites, they’re ill informed, or they’re chasing clout at the expense of good policy and what’s in the best interest of the American government,” one Democratic aide told The Hill.

“We literally just ratified a bill that will put $280 billion to compete against the Chinese,” they said, referring to a recent bill boosting U.S. chip production and scientific research. 

“But for the interests of the likes and popularity we’re going to expose either their data or the data of their closest advisors to the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese intelligence community. That seems to me like poor judgment.”

But Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) said he’s no more worried about TikTok than any other platform. 

“The same thing can happen on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or via our emails. I have similar security concerns with everything we put into the Twitterverse and to the internet, so yeah, it’s not much different than my concerns with other stuff that we put out there,” he said.

“For me, it’s just another way to engage voters, another way to engage constituents, another way to engage with a certain demographic of constituents who use the platform who tend to be younger, more social media savvy. So that’s why I use it. It’s just another way to connect and communicate,” he said.

His videos on the site range from serious to silly, in some cases reacting to the Supreme Court’s reversal on abortion rights or speaking at various graduations, to the lighter side, showing the former educator participating in an egg drop competition with middle schoolers or petting goats.

Lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee have received briefings advising against using the app.

“Many of us have been given a warning that it could compromise security because of the potential backdoor to the Chinese government through the app. I understand that TikTok disagrees with that,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), one of the committee’s members said.

“There are a lot of people, particularly young people and young voters who are on the app. So there’s certainly a benefit to it. But there’s also potentially a big downside to it.”

TikTok has taken efforts to respond to concerns about its security.

In June, it began migrating U.S. data to Oracle cloud servers located in the U.S., one of  “several measures as part of our commercial relationship to better safeguard our app, systems, and the security of U.S. user data,” the company wrote in a blog post.

It is still in the process of deleting American users’ private data from its own data centers.

In a statement to The Hill, a TikTok spokesperson said, “while we’re an entertainment-first platform, we’re pleased to see people of all backgrounds using TikTok to express themselves,” and that they have “no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience that protects our users’ privacy and data.”

Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) said guidance to lawmakers on the app has been shifting. 

“Yes, there are some concerns about it being a Chinese company. But at the same time, you know, formally here in the House and in the Senate, we’re actually looking at what that means and what it doesn’t mean as far as national security and stuff. So right now, we’re trying it out,” he said.

Cárdenas’s videos, like others, show a side of lawmakers constituents might not usually get to see. In one video, audio from another popular video where a man says “another one, thank you” plays over Cárdenas, barely concealing a smile, as they hand over folders representing the money he’s secured for his district.

But Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said he wouldn’t advise it.

“I don’t use it. And wouldn’t until I had more confidence in the security issues involved,” he said.

Still Krishnamoorthi says he understands what lawmakers are struggling with. 

“We’re not going to buy Huawei equipment in our office. We’re not going to source stuff that was made in the PRC, because the CCP is so aggressive and its collection at this point,” he said.

“The challenge is this: Have we seen TikToks? Yeah. Do children in our families have TikTok? Probably. But when it comes to congressional business or anything that’s sensitive that we are communicating in Congress, I just would not do it on a phone with TikTok on it.” 

Source: TEST FEED1

New Zealand PM calls on China to help end Russia-Ukraine war

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday urged China to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and “use its access and influence to help bring an end to the conflict.”

Ardern, speaking at the China Business Summit in Auckland, said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression posed a threat to her small nation, a major trading partner of China.

“As history shows us repeatedly, when large countries disregard sovereignty and territorial integrity with a sense of impunity, it does not bode well particularly for small countries like New Zealand,” Ardern said.

She warned that the war in Ukraine may have effects that ripple across the globe.

“The implications of the war are global, and are felt far from Europe, including here in the Indo-Pacific,” Ardern said on Monday. “And as a nation of the region, we have a fundamental interest in its peace and stability.

“We continue to urge China to be clear that it does not support the Russian invasion, and have called on China to use its access and influence to help bring an end to the conflict,” the prime minister added.

Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in late February, with Russia’s military in recent months focusing its attacks on the country’s east. Thousands of civilians have been killed, millions have been forced to flee their homes, and dozens of soldiers are being killed on both sides every day.

China is one of the few major countries that has not condemned the war. In April, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng announced they were instead strengthening ties with Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin have met in early February, before the war began, expressing their shared desire to halt the expansion of the NATO security alliance.

Ardern, whose nation just celebrated fully re-opening its borders after the pandemic shut down much of the country, said trade between China and New Zealand goes back 50 years, having blossomed from $38 million annually to $38 billion today.

“China and New Zealand have both been major beneficiaries of relative peace,” she said, adding it was incumbent upon nations to maintain that.

“By facilitating global cooperation on issues that can only be solved collectively, international rules, norms and institutions are more important than ever,” she added. “Wherever they may fail, our first port of call must always be to find ways to make them stronger. Because we, both New Zealand and China, have benefited from them.”

Ardern also noted that New Zealand had concerns about potential human rights violations in China, including in the region of Xinjiang, where ethnic Muslims are being persecuted and imprisoned, as well as the autonomy of Hong Kong as China’s central government asserts increasing control.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden remembers Bill Russell as a 'great American' and 'all-time champion of champions'

President Biden remembered NBA legend Bill Russell, who passed away on Sunday at 88, as a “great American” and an “all-time champion of champions,” joining a chorus of U.S. leaders in commemorating the life of one of the greatest basketball players in history.

In a statement released Sunday, Biden noted Russell’s 11 NBA championships were the most of all time, and that he was an Olympic gold medalist and the first Black head coach of a North American professional sports team.

But the president also celebrated Russell’s leadership outside the arena, remembering the Boston Celtics star as a trailblazer for the political activism among athletes.

“From a childhood in segregated Louisiana to a career playing on the biggest stages in sports at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Bill faced the hostility and hate of racism embedded in every part of American life,” the president said in a statement. “Yet, he never gave up. Throughout his life, he forced us to confront hard truths.

“On this day, there are generations of Americans who are reflecting on what he meant to them as someone who played for the essential truth that every person is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect,” Biden added.

Former President Obama tweeted Sunday, “today we lost a giant.”

“As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher—both as a player and as a person,” wrote Obama, who awarded the presidential medal of freedom to Russell in 2011.

And former President Bill Clinton remembered Russell as a “legendary player and coach, and an even better person.”

Russell, a five-time MVP who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, fought for civil rights throughout his career, including boycotting games because of discrimination and leading integrated basketball camps.

His activism set the stage for many athletes today, from Colin Kaepernick kneeling on the sidelines of NFL games to Lebron James regularly speaking out on social justice.

Biden on Sunday also noted Russell attended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1963, where he was a “towering champion for freedom, equality, and justice as Dr. King delivered a dream for the Nation.”

“Bill Russell is one of the greatest athletes in our history – an all-time champion of champions, and a good man and great American who did everything he could to deliver the promise of America for all Americans,” the president said.

Source: TEST FEED1