George W. Bush Voted for Condoleezza Rice Over Trump in 2020
By Veronica Stracqualursi Former President George W. Bush wrote in the name of his former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on his 2020 presidential ballot rather than voting for his own party’s nominee Donald Trump for reelection, he told People magazine. “She knows it,” Bush told the magazine, referring to Rice, one of his closest advisers during his presidency. “But she told me she would refuse to accept the office.” It’s the latest example of how the 43rd president and patriarch of one of the Republican Party’s most prominent dynasties has become estranged from the modern GOP, though in the
Biden’s First Congress Address Highlights Infrastructure, Reform
By Paul LeBlanc Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will juggle a slate of competing priorities this week as both parties wrestle with tense negotiations over infrastructure and police reform. Deliberations will play out during a week set to be defined by President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, which will serve as a kind of call to action for lawmakers to meet the moment with bipartisan solutions for the country’s most pressing issues. “It’s a basic question,” the President said last month in rolling out the first part of the package outlining his infrastructure goals.
Qualified Immunity Debate: States Push Police Reform
By Emma Tucker The fight in Congress to reform how the nation’s police officers go about their jobs has reinvigorated a discussion over so-called “qualified immunity,” a controversial federal doctrine that protects officers accused of violating the Constitution while on duty. While abolishing the more than 50-year-old doctrine remains one of the main sticking points between Republicans and Democrats over any deal on passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a look at reform efforts around the country shows that several states have forged ahead with eliminating the protection. Since Floyd was killed last May by then-Minnesota police officer
VP Harris Casts First Tie-Breaking Vote on Pentagon Nominee
By Jeremy Herb and Ted Barrett Vice President Kamala Harris cast her first tie-breaking vote related to a Biden administration nominee on the Senate floor Wednesday evening, voting to advance the nomination of Colin Kahl to be the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy. The Senate deadlocked 50-50 on a straight party-line procedural vote to discharge Kahl’s nomination from the Armed Services Committee, requiring Harris to break the tie. She’ll likely have to cast two more tie-breaking votes on Kahl’s nomination before he is confirmed to the No. 3 civilian position at the Pentagon. Wednesday was the first time Harris had to
Biden Highlights Economic Opportunities of Climate Action
By Maegan Vazquez President Joe Biden on Friday aims to highlight the economic opportunities of climate action a day after announcing an ambitious new goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at his Leaders Summit on Climate from the White House. On Thursday, the President committed the US to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 52% below its 2005 emissions levels by 2030. While the goals are a part of the Paris climate agreement that Biden rejoined upon taking office, they are non-binding and the administration has not rolled out a plan on how the US will meet them.
Sen. Tim Scott to Deliver GOP Response to Biden Address
By Clare Foran Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina will deliver the GOP response following President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress next Wednesday. The decision will give Scott, the lone Black Republican senator and the lead Republican negotiator on Congress’ policing reform efforts, a prominent national platform from which to speak to the country and counter Biden’s message. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy announced on Thursday that Scott had been chosen to give the speech. “Senator Tim Scott is not just one of the strongest leaders in our Senate
Senate Talks on Police Reform Face Political and Partisan Hurdles
Analysis by Maeve Reston and Stephen Collinson Real hope for police reform — even in the rancorously divided US Senate — shows the seismic impact of the guilty verdict in the trial for George Floyd’s murder. A day after former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all counts, both sides in Washington sought common ground. The Senate’s lead Republican negotiator, South Carolina’s Tim Scott, put forward a potential deal on a sticking point that has stalled talks for the much of the past year. But hope goes only so far, and the feverish desire among Democratic activists to
House Passes Bill to Make Washington, DC the 51st State
By Clare Foran The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to pass a bill that would grant statehood to Washington, DC, a Democratic priority that faces obstacles to final passage even with the party now in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. The party line vote was 216-208. The legislation now faces an uphill fight in the Senate, where it is unlikely to get enough Republican support to clear a 60-vote threshold for passage. It’s unclear whether even every Senate Democrat would support the measure. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia indicated on Thursday that
US Police Reform Talks Stall Over Criminal Prosecution
By Manu Raju A sweeping bill to overhaul policing practices in the United States still faces an uncertain future — in large part because the two sides remain at sharp odds over whether to make it easier to criminally prosecute officers. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the lead GOP negotiator, opposes Democratic efforts to lower the legal standard to prosecute individual officers. “(Section 242) is off the table for me,” Scott said, referring to the part of the law that Democrats are trying to amend. But California Rep. Karen Bass, the lead House Democratic negotiator, said Thursday the issue is
Democrats Face Challenges in Finalizing $4T Infrastructure Plan
By Lauren Fox The real work of finalizing an infrastructure package that can have widespread Democratic support on Capitol Hill is just beginning as the party must reckon with key differences between progressives and moderates on the scope and cost of the package — as well as GOP lawmakers offering their own alternative. While progressives are losing patience quickly with any discussion on bipartisanship, Democrats in the middle are still clinging to hopes that they can find consensus. The White House has invited key Republicans for discussions, but still GOP senators introduced an infrastructure proposal Thursday that is just a
