11 Democrats vie to fill the late Alcee Hastings’ US House seat in Florida primary
By Alex Rogers, The primary election Tuesday to replace the late Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings has been marked by two things: the massive number of candidates and a lack of voter interest in them. “I think most people don’t even know there’s an election, unfortunately,” said Florida Rep. Lois Frankel. But the off-year special election featuring 11 Democrats presents a candidate with the opportunity to represent a safe seat for decades. Hastings represented the majority-Black area encompassing parts of Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Congress for 28 years, and became the dean of the Florida delegation. The candidates are: health care executive Sheila
Biden says international support for him is strong despite domestic struggles
By Maegan Vazquez, Kate Sullivan and Kevin Liptak, President Joe Biden told reporters during his first news conference in months that he was encouraged by how he was received at this weekend’s Group of 20 Leadership Summit in Rome, dismissing concerns that allies might not take solace in his pledge to turn the page from his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. “They listened. Everyone sought me out. They wanted to know what our views were, and we helped lead what happened here,” Biden said of other world leaders Sunday evening. “We got significant support here. … The United States of
Joe Biden wants America to lead the world against the climate crisis. That goal faces a big test this week.
By Kevin Liptak and Phil Mattingly, President Joe Biden’s ambitions to lead the world in slowing the planet’s warming will be tested on two continents this week as he travels to Scotland for the most important climate talks in years, while back home lawmakers come closer to making his visions a reality. It is a pivotal moment, not only for the President but for a world with little time to spare in resolving a climate crisis that is right now wreaking havoc. “To state the obvious, we meet with the eyes of history upon us and with profound questions before us,” Biden said
Five mayoral races to watch on Tuesday
By Maeve Reston, Voters head to the polls to cast ballots for mayor in key American cities on Tuesday. Divisions that have played out in Washington between moderate and progressive Democrats are also very much alive in these races in predominantly Democratic cities as the party tries to chart its future. Overhauling policing procedures has been top of mind for many voters and mayoral candidates after a year of intense advocacy for change following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The fate of a ballot measure in Minneapolis that would create a new department of public safety is likely
The two newest Supreme Court justices could redraw the road map for the Second Amendment in courts
By Ariane de Vogue, The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case that could broaden gun rights nationwide and transform how the Second Amendment is interpreted in the United States. On the surface, the dispute involves whether a New York law that restricts individuals from carrying concealed handguns outside the home for self-defense passes legal muster. The case is brought by two individuals and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, which is affiliated with the National Rifle Association. The court’s six conservative justices could look skeptically at the broad reach of the law and could ultimately make
Intelligence leaders defend efforts to promote diversity in face of Republican attacks
By Katie Bo Lillis, The Biden administration’s most senior intelligence officials defended their push to boost diversity in the ranks of the intelligence community in a congressional hearing on Wednesday, amid attacks from Republicans that such efforts are a distraction from core national security priorities. Diversity and inclusion “is not only the smart thing to do for an agency with a global mission, it’s the right thing to do for an agency that represents and defends our diverse society,” CIA director Bill Burns told the House Intelligence Committee. “Simply put, we can’t be effective and we’re not being true to our nation’s
Senate Democrats working on a Medicaid compromise to cover those in coverage gap through Obamacare plans
By Jessica Dean and Ali Zaslav, The creation of a federal Medicaid expansion program is likely not going to be in the Democrats’ sweeping social safety net package. Instead, lawmakers are discussing a plan to subsidize private insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges for those who are in the coverage gap, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin told CNN. “The best solution, since it’s already there, is to have people that are in the coverage gap be able to get marketplace insurance,” Baldwin said, noting that this is something that’s already done in other states. Lawmakers had initially wanted to create
House Democrats again delay infrastructure vote amid party divisions
By Clare Foran, Manu Raju, Daniella Diaz and Annie Grayer, House Democratic leaders on Thursday were once again forced to push back the timeline for a vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, a sign of ongoing divisions within the party and a major blow to President Joe Biden and party leaders eager to show they can deliver on their agenda. The decision to delay the vote came just hours after Biden appealed directly to House Democrats in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, pitching them on a framework for a separate, larger climate and economic package. The problem for party leaders
At a time of historic change, Virginia will elect a woman of color for the first time as lieutenant governor
By Chandelis Duster, Virginia is primed to elect a woman of color as its next lieutenant governor at a time when the commonwealth is facing a series of challenges that directly affect its Black and brown communities. Regardless of whether it will be Democrat Hala Ayala or Republican Winsome Sears, they’ll draw from their personal experiences as the next administration tackles challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, crime, education and racial justice, even if they don’t agree on the political remedies. She will also face the aftermath of a racial reckoning that has brought the commonwealth into a national spotlight. The
Biden to detail core elements of $1.75 trillion economic and climate package in effort to jumpstart action on the Hill
By Clare Foran, Daniella Diaz, Phil Mattingly, Kevin Liptak and Jeremy Diamond, President Joe Biden will lay out long-awaited details of his $1.75 trillion economic and climate package to House Democrats on Thursday when he attends a caucus meeting on Capitol Hill as leaders press progressives to vote for a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. While the proposal isn’t finalized in its entirety, days of negotiations have brought it to a place where the key elements are all locked in and Biden plans to impress upon Democrats the scope and scale of what those elements represent, even in the face of several