Winsome Sears Elected First Black Woman VA Lt. Governor
By Chandelis Duster, Winsome Sears, a conservative Republican, will be Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, breaking barriers as the first female and the first woman of color in the office in the commonwealth’s 400-year legislative history. CNN projected Sears’ win over Democrat Del. Hala Ayala, also a woman of color, on Wednesday. Sears will serve alongside Republican Glenn Youngkin, whom CNN projected would win the Virginia gubernatorial race. Sears, who was born in Jamaica, is the first Black Republican woman to be elected to the Virginia General Assembly, representing the 90th district from 2002 for one term. In 2004, she launched an unsuccessful bid
Biden Touts $555B Climate Plan at G20 Amid Domestic Hurdles
By Kevin Liptak, Meeting his foreign counterparts behind closed doors in Rome this weekend, President Joe Biden repeatedly recited for them a key figure: $555 billion. That is the massive sum of money set aside to combat climate change in the sweeping social spending plan he’s been trying to get through Congress. In conference rooms and in hallways, Biden wielded the number — by far the largest amount ever for climate — to prove to his fellow leaders that America is finally ready to tackle the world’s existential problem. He’d once hoped the money would be approved by the time he arrived in Europe last week for
Florida Special Election to Replace Hastings Draws 11 Dems
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’s G20 Summit Highlights: Climate, Supply Chains, Turkey
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
Biden Pushes Climate Action at COP26 Amid Global Skepticism
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
Key U.S. Mayoral Races Highlight Party, Police Reform Debates
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
Supreme Court to Hear Case That Could Expand Gun Rights
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
Biden Officials Defend Diversity Push in Intelligence Ranks
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
Medicaid Expansion Plan Shifts to ACA Subsidies for Gap
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 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