Judge signs order temporarily blocking arrest of quorum-busting Texas Democrats
By Dianne Gallagher, Wesley Bruer and Jade Gordon Texas Democrats who left the state last month in an attempt to stop the passage of restrictive voting bills can now return home to continue their protest without fear of being arrested, after a judge on Monday issued a temporary restraining order. The order, signed by Travis County State District Judge Brad Urrutia, keeps Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan from “issuing any warrant or other instrument” and “detaining, confining, or otherwise restricting a Texas House Democrat’s movement without his or her consent.” It also prevents them from “commanding
Schumer sets up final vote on $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill for Tuesday
By Clare Foran, Ali Zaslav and Paul LeBlanc The massive $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package is poised for a final vote in the Senate on Tuesday morning after clearing the last procedural hurdle following months of furious negotiations. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Monday evening that Republicans and Democrats have reached an agreement for final passage of the bill on Tuesday at 11 a.m. ET. Once the bill passes the Senate, it will go to the House of Representatives. “This is a very good day,” Schumer said in floor remarks on Monday night. “We have come to an agreement after all
Senate heads toward final vote on bipartisan infrastructure package this week
By Paul LeBlanc The massive $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package is poised for a final vote in the Senate this week after clearing the last procedural hurdle following months of furious negotiations. The chamber on Sunday evening voted 68-29 to invoke cloture on the underlying legislation, setting up a final vote after the 30-hour post-cloture time expires early Tuesday morning, unless there’s an agreement to speed up the process. Following the vote on Tuesday, the Senate will quickly shift their attention to the budget resolution, which needs to pass both chambers of Congress first before Democrats can move on their separate $3.5
Freshman Rep. Cori Bush in national spotlight for her activism to fight eviction
By Sunlen Serfaty and Clare Foran Freshman Democratic Rep. Cori Bush has captured national attention for her high-profile activism after she slept on the steps of the US Capitol for several days to protest a lapse in the federal eviction moratorium amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Missouri lawmaker’s actions culminated in a major victory for progressives on Tuesday when the Biden administration announced a 60-day eviction ban in areas of the country with high or substantial transmission of Covid-19. “I’m elated and I’m overwhelmed because just the thought that so many people right now, millions of people, will not be forced out on the
Shontel Brown will win Ohio Democratic special primary.
By Eric Bradner, Ethan Cohen and Jennifer Agiesta Cuyahoga County Council member Shontel Brown will win the Democratic special primary in Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, CNN projects. Brown’s defeat of Nina Turner, the former state senator and close ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, is a flexing of the Democratic establishment’s muscle, after South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn and the Congressional Black Caucus stepped in to campaign for Brown. Turner conceded to Brown Tuesday night. “Tonight my friends, we have looked across the promised land, but for this campaign, on this night, we will not cross the river,” Turner said. It
White House moves to highlight key piece of bipartisan deal as some allies question whether it goes far enough
By Phil Mattingly The White House, fresh off securing a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal, plans to move in the coming days to highlight one of the thorniest pieces of that negotiation, according to a White House official: the $39 billion in new transit funding. It’s part of a push to break out and emphasize specific pieces of President Joe Biden’s cornerstone bipartisan agreement — pieces White House officials see in polling as largely popular across the country. But it also signals the most direct effort to counter questions and criticism from corners of their own party about an area of the agreement that is viewed
Democratic heavyweights converge on Cleveland as 11th District primary stokes intra-party heat
By Jeff Zeleny and Gregory Krieg The final weekend of campaigning for the primary in Ohio’s 11th Congressional District brought to life the divisions that still exist deep inside the Democratic Party, despite broader signs of unity during the first six months of the Biden administration. Sen. Bernie Sanders was back on the campaign trail here, trying to push back against a coordinated effort from Democratic establishment groups working to defeat Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator and progressive leader who was one of Sanders’ top allies during his two failed presidential races. “Why are they spending millions of dollars trying
More than 100 state legislators to join Texas Democrats in Washington for voting rights pressure campaign
By Dianne Gallagher As the Texas legislature enters the final week of its special session, state Democrats are bringing in reinforcements from around the country to Washington, DC, in a final push to pressure federal lawmakers to pass voting rights legislation. Beginning Monday, more than 100 Democratic state legislators will fly into the nation’s capital as part of a planned “week of action” centered on convincing US senators to forgo their August recess until the upper chamber passes the For the People Act, the sweeping Democratic voting and election bill shot down by Senate Republicans earlier this year. The lawmakers, who hail from at least 20
House Democrat sleeps on Capitol steps as she blasts lawmakers over expiring eviction moratorium
By Veronica Stracqualursi Rep. Cori Bush slept overnight on the steps of the US Capitol to protest her House colleagues for adjourning for August recess without passing an extension of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium for renters, which expired on Saturday night. “The House is at recess. People are on vacations. How are we on vacation when we have millions of people who could start to be evicted tonight?” Bush, a Missouri Democrat, told CNN’s Jessica Dean on “Newsroom” Saturday afternoon. “There are people already receiving and have received pay or vacate notices that will have them out
John Lewis aide hopes young Americans use lessons in posthumous graphic novel to change lawmakers’ minds on voting rights
By Chandelis Duster As the fight over voting rights intensifies, a longtime aide to late Congressman John Lewis hopes young Americans will use the lessons in the civil rights leader’s posthumous graphic novel to change lawmakers’ minds on the issue. Lewis’ novel, “Run: Book One,” comes amid efforts in state legislatures to enact restrictive voter laws, efforts that members of Congress are attempting to block through legislation. It is also being released August 3 — three days before the 56th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 becoming law. “I think the young people who read this graphic novel will change their minds,” Andrew Aydin,