Chris Christie predicts ‘huge surprise’ in Colorado Senate race
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Sunday predicted Republican Joe O’Dea will pull off an upset victory on Tuesday and flip Colorado’s Senate seat, which is currently held by Sen. Michael Bennet (D). “The other upset and surprise you’re going to see I think on Tuesday night is Joe O’Dea, the Republican candidate…
news.yahoo.comTrump attack leaves GOP wondering if he cares about Senate majority
Former President Trump’s Monday assault against Joe O’Dea, the GOP’s Senate nominee in Colorado, is angering Republicans while leaving them wondering if he cares about the party winning back the majority in the upper chamber. O’Dea, a pro-abortion rights moderate whom Democrats spent $4 million against in the primary, was already in an uphill fight…
news.yahoo.comUtah senator blocks internment camp designation, draws ire
On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans at the onset of World War II, Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is getting backlash for holding up the creation of a national historic site at a former internment camp in rural Colorado. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, says he has the support of 99 of the chamber's 100 senators to pass the Amache National Historic Site Act, which would make the remote southeastern Colorado landmark a national historic site eligible for additional preservation assistance.
news.yahoo.comSen. Michael Bennet pushes back against Joe Manchin, saying the US shouldn't be 'punishing workers' by cutting off monthly checks to parents
Manchin wants families to prove they have taxable earnings with a W-2. Some experts say that could shut out independent contractors like Uber drivers.
news.yahoo.comJoe Manchin said no and sided with Republicans to tank Biden's $2 trillion bill. Democrats say they're 'over the initial shock' and overhauling it — with no guarantee of winning his vote.
A top Senate Democrat told Insider he would tweak the child tax credit to try to get Manchin's vote. Democrats are hoping he'll say yes at some point.
news.yahoo.comMitch McConnell says delaying Biden's agenda, including an expanded child tax credit, is 'the best Christmas gift Washington could give working families'
Senate Democrats may push passage of Build Back Better to 2022 to focus on voting rights legislation, angering progressives and cheering McConnell.
news.yahoo.comDemocrats raise alarm on the 'disaster' of child tax credit checks ending as Manchin signals he'll slam the brakes on passing Biden's big bill anytime soon
Joe Manchin is pouring cold water on a vote before Christmas. "It would be a tragedy if the child tax credit lapses," Michael Bennet told Insider.
news.yahoo.comChild tax credit tussle reflects debate over work incentives
President Joe Biden and leading Democratic lawmakers, including Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, have been fighting to make permanent a child tax credit that would give families at least $300 a month per child.
The government is sending up to $300 monthly checks to families with kids starting today. Democrats want to make it permanent as a new form of Social Security.
The Biden stimulus benefit is the US's inaugural version of guaranteed income geared to children. Millions could get direct payments every month.
news.yahoo.comBiden plan would spend $16B to clean up old mines, oil wells
Hundreds of thousands of “orphaned” oil and gas wells and abandoned coal and hardrock mines pose serious safety hazards, while causing ongoing environmental damage. Biden's plan would not only create jobs, but help reduce methane and brine leaks that pollute the air and groundwater. Biden's plan, which needs approval by Congress, would jump-start the well-capping effort and expand it dramatically. About $8 billion has been disbursed to states for mine-reclamation projects in the past four decades, but Biden's plan would ramp up spending sharply. AdEnvironmental groups hailed the announcement, saying unplugged wells and abandoned mines pose a significant environmental threat.
Inspector general reviews Trump relocation of Space Command
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)DENVER – The Department of Defense's inspector general announced Friday that it was reviewing the Trump administration's last-minute decision to relocate U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama. “Moving Space Command will disrupt the mission while risking our national security and economic vitality,” the senators said in a joint statement. We fully support the investigation.”Among other duties, the Space Command enables satellite-based navigation and troop communication and provides warning of missile launches. The Space Command differs from the U.S. Space Force, launched in December 2019 as the first new military service since the Air Force was created in 1947. The Space Command is not an individual military service but a central command for militarywide space operations.
Senate Democrats push for public option as Biden weighs health-care reform plans
Two Senate Democrats have put forward a bill they hope will kick-start the process of expanding health-care coverage while the party holds unified control of Congress and the White House. The plan would set up a Medicare public option for individuals and small businesses, first in areas with limited access to coverage and then nationwide by 2025. Among the top priorities for Democrats when they gained broad power last month, health-care reform nonetheless faces a murky path ahead. Biden and most Democrats called to expand public health-care choices even before the coronavirus caused millions to lose their jobs and employer-provided coverage in the last year. Where expanding health-care coverage fits into the agenda is unclear.
cnbc.comTrial highlights: Trump grievances, angry outbursts and more
"The Senate cannot ignore the First Amendment," said van der Veen. In a letter signed last week they wrote that “the First Amendment does not apply in impeachment proceedings, so it cannot provide a defense for President Trump." van der Veen bristled and inquired who had asked. Sanders responded, “I did.” van der Veen retorted: “irrelevant.”“No, it isnt!” Sanders angrily shot back from his desk, adding: “You represent the president of the United States!”He scoffed audibly when van der Veen avoided answering the question. “This is not whataboutism," said Michael van der Veen.
Biden hails transportation nominee Buttigieg as 'new voice'
Mayor Pete Buttigieg, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee to be transportation secretary reacts to his nomination as Biden looks on during a news conference at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. – President-elect Joe Biden has introduced his one-time Democratic primary rival Pete Buttigieg as his nominee for transportation secretary, saying the 38-year-old can be “a new voice" in the fight against economic inequality, institutional racism and climate change. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would be the first openly gay person confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet position. Emanuel was mentioned as a potential candidate for several Biden Cabinet posts but drew strong backlash from progressives. Biden’s selection of Buttigieg for transportation secretary drew praise from LGBTQ rights groups.
Biden calls transportation nominee Buttigieg 'a new voice'
Mayor Pete Buttigieg, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee to be transportation secretary, speaks after Biden announced his nomination during a news conference at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. – President-elect Joe Biden introduced onetime Democratic primary rival Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday as his nominee for transportation secretary, saying the 38-year-old can be “a new voice" in the fight against economic inequality, institutional racism and climate change. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would be the first openly gay person confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet position. Emanuel was mentioned as a potential candidate for several Biden Cabinet posts but drew strong backlash from progressives. Biden’s selection of Buttigieg for transportation secretary drew praise from LGBTQ rights groups.
Biden's child tax-credit plan is a big clue that his agenda could be more progressive than thought
Joe Biden's anti-poverty plan to expand the child tax credit suggests that his potential presidency would likely mean a White House more focused on progressive economic policies than those seen during the Obama and Clinton years. Aimed at reducing childhood poverty rates, Biden's proposed expansion would be dramatic and open the allowance to families who would otherwise fail to qualify. The prospective tax credit overhaul, included in a broader Biden campaign tax plan released on Sept. 17, comes as millions of Americans struggle to find employment or keep their small businesses afloat due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Progressive proponents of Biden's plan say its most exciting change is extension of the credit to families making less than $2,500 per year. Under current law, households must earn at least $2,500 per year to qualify for the credit since those making less don't have tax liability.
cnbc.comNew political group tries to rescue Hickenlooper in primary
Hickenlooper was supposed to be Democrats' worry-free solution to the Colorado Senate race, but he's stumbled badly in the weeks leading up to the party's June 30 primary. John Hickenlooper's standing in the Colorado Democratic Senate primary, a new political group is spending at least $1 million on a scathing attack ad against Hickenlooper's rival in the race. Romanoff is the underdog in the June 30 primary, running as a populist insurgent against the establishment's choice, Hickenlooper, who has raised significantly more money. Privately, Colorado Democrats have been concerned about how Hickenlooper will perform in the primary. Hours later, the attack ad against Romanoff, which Let's Turn Colorado Blue described as a seven-figure buy, began to circulate.
'A hot mess': Hickenlooper stumbles into Democratic primary
Hickenlooper defied a subpoena from the Colorado Ethics Commission, only testifying after the nonpartisan panel found him in contempt. Then the commission found he'd violated state ethics laws by accepting free travel while governor. This guy they put on a pedestal, he's a hot mess, said Democratic former state Rep. Joe Salazar, who often clashed with Hickenlooper in the statehouse. On Tuesday, both Gardner and the National Republican Senatorial Committee released ads bashing Hickenlooper, an unusual move during a Democratic primary. Then Senate Democrats, alarmed at an unwieldy primary for the party's nomination to challenge Gardner, recruited Hickenlooper to run for the Senate instead.
Trump admin opposes extending enhanced unemployment benefit
The payments are set to expire July 31, and Democrats have pushed a plan that would extend the enhanced benefit through January. Unemployment benefits will still be needed in August and beyond, but the circumstances that originally called for the $600 plus-up will have changed,'' Scalia said. Democrats challenged that view, saying the unemployment rate is likely to remain at historically high levels through the summer at least. Grassley said he hears from Iowans every day who wonder why they are earning less than others they know who are getting unemployment benefits. With the unemployment rate expected to remain in the mid-teens through July, lawmakers will face pressure to compromise on some form of renewed benefits for the jobless.
Out of pandemic crisis, what could a new New Deal look like?
The New Deal was a try-anything moment during the Great Depression that remade the role of the federal government in American life. And as the U.S. confronts its most profound financial crisis since the Depression, brought on by the most deadly pandemic in a century, there are early soundings of a larger question: What would a “new” New Deal look like? “Responding to the crisis without also making our economy more resilient against future shocks would be a mistake,” she said. Even New Deal programs that improved lives did not insulate the American people. And at the end of 2019, no major economist forecasting this year envisioned that a pandemic would throw the world into turmoil.
U.S. senators join calls for Americans to don masks to slow coronavirus spread
FILE PHOTO: A mannequin displays disposable face masks at a safety equipment store in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., March 26, 2020. We really want to get some traction behind this, Toomey told reporters on a conference call with Bennet. The idea of universal face mask use had been largely rejected earlier in the health crisis. Toomey said he discussed the issue of wider mask use with his fellow Republican Trump by telephone on Tuesday. Researcher Jeremy Howard of the University of San Francisco, has been calling on Americans to wear face masks when outside.
feeds.reuters.comU.S. election: Klobuchar up, three men out
(Reuters) -KLOBUCHARS DARK-HORSE CAMPAIGN GETS FUNDRAISING BOOSTDemocratic presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar raised $2.5 million in the hours after her third-place finish in the New Hampshire primary, her campaign said on Wednesday, a boost as she tries to beef up her operations for the upcoming contests in Nevada and South Carolina. EIGHT DEMOCRATS STILL IN THE FIGHTWhat was once a field of more than 20 Democratic candidates has been whittled down to eight, after businessman Andrew Yang, U.S. BLOOMBERG ENDORSED BY THREE BLACK LAWMAKERSU.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg won endorsements from three Congressional Black Caucus members, a positive sign for his campaign, which has drawn scrutiny lately over his past support for a controversial policing tactic. ANALYSIS-WHATS NEXT FOR DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATESIf theres one thing Tuesdays New Hampshire primary made clear, its that Democrats are no closer to agreeing on the right candidate to beat Republican President Donald Trump in November. MOST NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS WILL BACK PARTY NOMINEE REGARDLESS EDISON RESEARCHMost voters taking part in New Hampshires Democratic primary expressed deep dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and said they would vote for the partys nominee regardless of who it is, according to an Edison Research exit poll.
feeds.reuters.comThe U.S. election in a snapshot
(Reuters) - Democrats vying for the right to challenge U.S. President Donald Trump turned their focus to Nevada and South Carolina after Bernie Sanders solidified his front-runner status with a narrow victory in New Hampshire, with Pete Buttigieg close behind him. If theres one thing Tuesdays New Hampshire primary made clear, its that Democrats are no closer to agreeing on the right candidate to beat Republican President Donald Trump in November. Most voters taking part in New Hampshires Democratic primary expressed deep dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and said they would vote for the partys nominee regardless of who it is, according to an Edison Research exit poll. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, a moderate who has stressed improving education for Americans, abandoned his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg won endorsements from three Congressional Black Caucus members, a positive sign for his campaign, which has drawn scrutiny lately over his past support for a controversial policing tactic.
feeds.reuters.com5 things to know before the stock market opens Wednesday
Dow to open higher after failing to hold on to recordTrader Michael Urkonis works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, January 28, 2020. Biden donors are concerned after poor New HampshireDemocratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden addresses the crowd during a South Carolina campaign launch party on February 11, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. Sean Rayford | Getty ImagesBiden, anticipating a poor New Hampshire finish, left for South Carolina even before Tuesday's primary results were in. Two Democratic candidates, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Sen. Michael Bennet, already dropped out after poor New Hampshire showings. Getty ImagesThe new coronavirus that has sickened more than 44,500 people in over two dozen countries now has a name, COVID-19.
cnbc.comSanders takes lead in New Hampshire Democratic primary, Biden lags badly
Biden, the former vice president, was a distant fifth in the early results with 8.5%, behind Senator Elizabeth Warren with 9.4%. Biden, sensing the disappointing result, left New Hampshire for South Carolina before the results started rolling in. The moderate Biden was limping to his second consecutive disappointing finish after a fourth-place result in Iowa. Biden, 77, fared poorly in two previous runs for president before winning election in 2008 as President Barack Obamas No. Supporters of Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders cheer at his New Hampshire primary night rally in Manchester, N.H., U.S., February 11, 2020.
feeds.reuters.comSanders seizes lead in New Hampshire Democratic primary, Biden trails badly
Supporters of Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders cheer at his New Hampshire primary night rally in Manchester, N.H., U.S., February 11, 2020. Biden, the former vice president, was a distant fifth in the early results with 8.6%, behind Senator Elizabeth Warren with 9.5%. Biden, sensing the disappointing result, left New Hampshire for South Carolina before the results started rolling in. Buttigieg narrowly beat Sanders in Iowa, but both campaigns have asked for a partial recanvass of results. Democratic voters in New Hampshire chose a candidate from a ballot with 33 names, including candidates who dropped out weeks ago.
feeds.reuters.comDemocratic Sen. Michael Bennet drops out of 2020 presidential race
Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bennet starts off his day with a stop at a polling place at Webster School on February 11, 2020 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Sen. Michael Bennet dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race as results started rolling in from the New Hampshire primary Tuesday. Bennet, who has represented Colorado since 2009, failed to gain traction in the race, topping out at 1% support in most recent polls. In the Iowa caucuses, the first 2020 primary contest, Bennet failed to register, receiving 0% of votes and no state delegates, NBC News reported. When jumping into the primary, Bennet touted his victories in tough races in Colorado, considered a swing state.
cnbc.comSeven Democratic presidential candidates face off in New Hampshire debate before primary
MANCHESTER, N.H. Seven Democratic presidential candidates square off Friday in the final debate before the crucial New Hampshire primary, even as the outcome from Monday's disastrous Iowa caucus remains unclear. Friday night's debate, which is being held at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, started at 8 p.m. Entrepreneur Andrew YangThe four other Democratic candidates remaining in the race were not invited to appear in New Hampshire. Deval Patrick, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii did not meet the threshold for tonight's debate. And hours before the debate was set to kick off, the Labor Department released much-better-than-expected monthly payroll figures for January.
cnbc.comHow long can the U.S. Senate sit still? Twenty minutes
Lead manager House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during the third day of the U.S. Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump in this still image from video in the U.S. Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2020. A few minutes after that, Republican Senator Rob Portman headed into the Republican cloakroom on the other end of the back wall. Two other Democratic presidential candidates - Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar - also headed to the cloakroom, Sanders for eight minutes and Klobuchar for 16. At intervals, one Republican senator or another could be seen through cloakroom doors sitting in a cushioned wing-back chair and fingering a cellphone. The fourth Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth Warren, was not fully visible.
feeds.reuters.comDemocratic presidential candidate Michael Bennet pledges $6-trillion Real Deal
Presidential hopeful Michael Bennet is releasing a $6-trillion plan that he calls the Real Deal in an attempt to offer what he says is a more realistic contrast with more liberal contenders for the Democratic nomination who have outpolled him while running on more sweeping proposals. The U.S. senator from Colorado argues that his agenda is still plenty ambitious. AdvertisementBennet has consistently polled so low in the Democratic primary that he hasnt made the debate stage since July. His pragmatic approach has failed to gain the support enjoyed by candidates who have proposed sweeping programs like free college and single-payer healthcare. Theres nothing idealistic or progressive about a 10-year losing battle over deeply unpopular policies like Medicare for all, Bennet said.
latimes.comDem: Officials who ignore subpoenas do so 'at their peril'
So subpoenas will be received by all of the people that the Congress wants to talk to. They will ignore those subpoenas at their peril," Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day." On Tuesday, House Democrats issued a subpoena to US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland after the State Department directed him not to testify before Congress shortly before a scheduled hearing. The move scrambled Democrats' impeachment investigation, raising questions about whether they will be able to obtain testimony from other witnesses. "I mean Donald Trump has believed from the day he walked into the White House that he's above the law.
Ad spending surges as Dems race to make debate cut
In the last week, Steyer spent nearly $400,000 on Facebook ads to lead all candidates in advertising spending on the platform. A recent Facebook ad from Gillibrand deployed her young son Henry to ask for donations as small as $1. He's spent more than $571,000 on Facebook ads during the course of the campaign, the company's data shows. In one ad, Bullock's campaign writes: "First: The DNC BLOCKED Governor Steve Bullock from the first debate. In all, Democratic candidates have spent more than $38 million on Facebook and Google advertising so far during the 2020 campaign.