Senate votes to confirm key Biden judicial nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson
By Clare Foran, Ariane de Vogue and Ted Barrett The Senate voted Monday evening to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s pick to fill a vacancy on a powerful DC-based appellate court and one of the President’s most closely watched judicial nominees. The vote was 53-44. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted with Democrats in favor of confirmation. The vote elevates Jackson from the US District Court for the District of Columbia to the influential US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, which is seen as a breeding ground
How Democrats are laying the groundwork now for a potential reconciliation bill
By Lauren Fox As the bipartisan group continues to educate their respective members on their $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal, Democratic leadership and key chairs will crank up the work on a potential Democratic-only infrastructure bill this week, paving the way for Democrats to go it alone if they choose to do so. This week, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will meet with key members of the Senate Budget Committee including Chairman Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent senator who caucuses with the Democrats, to begin discussions about how to effectively write and pass a budget that can pass a diverse swath of the
Democratic Senate committee to invest $10 million in voter protection ahead of midterms
By Dan Merica The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee plans to invest $10 million in voter protection efforts ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, committee operatives told CNN on Tuesday, highlighting the concern top Democrats have about how restrictive voting laws in Republican-controlled states could impact elections. The new program — named “Defend the Vote” — will be a three-pronged effort that will highlight Republican efforts to suppress the vote, support litigation in key states and fund voter protection organizers on the ground. The investment by the committee builds on earlier investments by other Democratic organizations. Priorities USA, a top Democratic super PAC, invested
School board members in New York wanted to embrace diversity, but hecklers had other plans
By Evan Simko-Bednarski Board members in a New York school district attempted to discuss a diverse curriculum and critical thinking — but it erupted into a debate about critical race theory. At a school board meeting in Commack, Long Island, this week, members of the public heckled board members and students alike in a contentious back and forth regarding school curriculum. After a presentation on the district’s curriculum, Board Trustee Susan Hermer tried to preempt disagreement before public comment on Tuesday night’s curriculum presentation. “I know there’s a lot of talk about critical thinking, and then we have people, once
‘Her instinct is to dig in’: Kamala Harris’ struggles to answer border question seen as part of a pattern
By Jeremy Diamond and Jasmine Wright Several allies and former aides to Vice President Kamala Harris had “flashbacks” last week as they watched her fumble a politically sensitive question during her first foreign trip, seeing the misstep as part of a broader pattern of messaging challenges that have dogged her since her presidential campaign. This time, though, the interview came after Harris participated in a wide-ranging media training session to improve her delivery and presentation in interviews and speeches, the latest of several sessions over the last year, according to multiple sources. A senior Harris aide declined to detail the
Virginia governor signs probation overhaul bill with support of rapper and activist Meek Mill
By Hannah Sarisohn and Devan Cole Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a probation overhaul bill into law on Thursday, approving the state’s latest progressive criminal justice proposal alongside rapper and activist Meek Mill, who backed the legislation. Northam, a Democrat, was joined by Mill in Richmond as he signed into law HB 2038, which limits the amount of active incarceration a court can impose as a result of a revocation hearing for a probation violation, according to the bill. Mill has been advocating criminal justice revisions since he was sentenced to prison for violating parole on a previous conviction. The
Here’s what we know about the bipartisan infrastructure deal
By Ryan Nobles A bipartisan group of 10 senators announced Thursday they have reached a deal on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, the most significant development yet in negotiations over a key priority of the Biden administration, but it still faces serious obstacles from skeptics in both parties. “Our group — comprised of 10 Senators, 5 from each party — has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and energy technologies. This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax increases,” the senators said in a
Omar seeks to clarify comments after Jewish House Democrats accuse her of comparing US and Israel with Hamas and Taliban
By Veronica Stracqualursi, Matthew Hoye and Kristin Wilson Rep. Ilhan Omar said Thursday that she was “in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries” after a group of Jewish House Democrats accused her of equating the US and Israel with the Taliban and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group designated as a terrorist organization by the US. “On Monday, I asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken about ongoing International Criminal Court investigations,” Omar said in a statement. “To be clear: the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those ICC cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the
Biden joins the world leaders club at G7 with call for wartime effort against Covid-19
By Kevin Liptak The leaders of the world’s advanced economies will gather Friday on the Cornish coast for the first time since the global coronavirus pandemic began, welcoming President Joe Biden as a new member who arrived here intent on restoring traditional American alliances. With a pandemic raging in much of the world, a global economy still in shock and threats rising from Russia and China, the Group of 7 summit that formally begins on Friday is shaping up to potentially be one of the most consequential in recent memory. Biden has ramped up those stakes, framing the moment as
House committee approves $547 billion surface transportation package
By Manu Raju and Veronica Stracqualursi The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a $547 billion surface transportation package aimed at pouring money into the country’s roads, bridges and transit systems over the next five years. The bill is one piece of President Joe Biden’s larger infrastructure package and marks the beginning of Democrats’ efforts to go it alone on infrastructure, while a bipartisan agreement tries to be reached in the Senate over the larger proposal. The House proposal includes many of the same provisions that Biden proposed in his own initial $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan, known as the American