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 afterĀ she slept on the steps of the US CapitolĀ 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 administrationĀ announced a 60-day eviction banĀ 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 inĀ 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 offĀ securing a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal,Ā plans to move in the coming days to highlightĀ 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 ofĀ President Joe Biden’s cornerstone bipartisan agreementĀ — pieces White House officials see in polling as largelyĀ 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 inĀ Ohio’s 11th Congressional DistrictĀ 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, stateĀ DemocratsĀ are bringing in reinforcements from around the country to Washington, DC, in a final pushĀ to pressure federal lawmakersĀ 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 billĀ shot downĀ 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.Ā Cori BushĀ 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’sĀ 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’sĀ posthumous graphic novelĀ to change lawmakers’ minds on the issue. Lewis’ novel,Ā “Run: Book One,”Ā comes amid efforts in state legislatures toĀ 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,”Ā Andrew Aydin,
Here’s what’s in the bipartisan infrastructure bill
By Katie Lobosco and Tami Luhby A bipartisan group of senators unveiled theĀ legislative textĀ of the infrastructure bill on Sunday night after months of negotiations. In total, the deal includes $550 billion in new federal investments in America’s infrastructure over five years. However, it is far short of theĀ $2.25 trillion proposalĀ thatĀ President Joe BidenĀ unveiled in March. That measure, known as the American Jobs Plan, included money for roads, bridges and public transportation, but it drew criticism from many Republicans for also making investments in areas not traditionally considered infrastructure, such as caregiving for aging Americans and workforce training. Still, Senate Majority Leader
Schumer and Pelosi plan to meet with Biden on Friday to discuss voting rights legislation
By Ali Zaslav and Manu Raju Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are planning to meet withĀ President Joe BidenĀ on Friday to discuss a path forward onĀ voting rights legislation,Ā a person familiar with the plans told CNN. As lawmakers have been focused on infrastructure legislation, Schumer, a New York Democrat, and Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, have been working to craft a revised voting rights bill compromise aimed at continuing their work on the issue after Senate Republicans blocked an earlier bill from advancing. But while Democrats
Third Black lawmaker arrested this month during voting rights protests in DC
By Devan Cole Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said she was arrested on Thursday by Capitol Police during a protest on voting rights, becomingĀ the third lawmaker to be arrestedĀ in recent weeks while participating in a pro-voting rights demonstration in Washington. “Yes, I engaged in civil disobedience in front of the Hart (Senate Office) Building in Washington, DC, and I was arrested,” Jackson Lee said in a recorded statement provided to CNN. “Any action that is a peaceful action of civil disobedience is worthy and more to push all of us to do better and to do more and to pass