Politics
Business InsiderMitch McConnell's Senate GOP votes for the US to default on its debt and for the government to shut down
Republicans are stepping up efforts to derail Biden's domestic agenda, and ensuring political brinksmanship over the debt ceiling will heighten.
ReutersU.S. VP Harris hires two advisers as her portfolio grows
Vice President Kamala Harris has hired two new advisers at a time when she is leading the charge for the Biden administration on a number of issues including voting rights and immigration from Central America. Lorraine Voles and Adam Frankel who worked with Harris during the transition, have joined the team and will focus on strategic communications, long-term planning and organizational development, a White House official with knowledge of the matter said. The two advisers began their new roles in August and will serve only temporarily in the White House, the official said, without specifying how long they will stay.
USA TODAYCan Republicans reclaim suburban voters turned off by Donald Trump?
A Virginia governor's race is a model for Republicans looking to win back suburban voters who flocked to Democrats during the Donald Trump presidency.
USA TODAYArizona audit confirms Biden win, but Senate leaders call for further review of procedures
Instead of proof Trump won Maricopa County, the Cyber Ninjas report showed margin for Biden even larger than official county election results.
LA TimesPresident Biden gets booster shot amid push to increase COVID-19 vaccination rate
Biden's third inoculation comes less than a week after health officials approved the Pfizer-BioNTech booster for certain groups.
Yahoo NewsCongress is about to face 3 key tests of how functional it is in the Biden era
President Biden’s domestic agenda is facing a pivotal week of votes and negotiations amid internal strife between moderate and progressive Democrats and stiff opposition from Republicans.
The New York TimesAmerica's Top General Back in the Center of a Political Battle
WASHINGTON — Nearly 16 months after he walked across a Lafayette Square aggressively cleared of protesters with then President Donald Trump, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is still trying to make amends. He has apologized in a video that infuriated Trump. He has stood up against Republican lawmakers who accused the Pentagon of being too “woke,” issuing a historically expansive rebuke that referenced Mao and Lenin before a head-shaking Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Sign up for
Yahoo News'This is it': For Biden's domestic agenda, the moment of truth
For much of September, President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and $3.5 trillion social safety net and climate budget proposal have seemed more in peril than at any time since they were introduced as legislative twins in June.
NBC NewsBiden admin moving to protect Dreamers after Texas court ruling
The new rule will modify DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, in an effort to “preserve and fortify” it against future legal challenges.
The New York TimesFor Schumer and Pelosi, the Challenge of a Career With No Margin for Error
WASHINGTON — Last week, as all outward appearances suggested gridlock on Capitol Hill, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Senate majority leader, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were in perpetual motion, grasping to salvage their $3.5 trillion social policy and climate change bill. On Tuesday, Schumer convened breakfast for 20 Democratic senators, a sit-down at noon with key Democratic moderates — including the balking Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — then went on to
LA TimesRep. Karen Bass makes it official: 'I'm running for mayor'
Bass (D-Los Angeles) put out a statement saying she will run for L.A. mayor in 2022, joining a growing field of candidates hoping to succeed Eric Garcetti.
AxiosThis week is crunch time for Biden's climate agenda
This week is critical to determining the fate of President Biden's climate agenda.Driving the news: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last night pledged a vote on bipartisan infrastructure legislation Thursday, rather than today as initially hoped.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Democrats and the White House are struggling to corral votes for that bill while negotiating a far larger package of social and clean energy spending they hope to move on an uncertain
USA TODAYCongress enters 'eventful week': Infrastructure vote, government shutdown possible
Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline for approving legislation to avert a government shutdown, amid negotiations on Biden's signature agenda items.
The New York TimesAmerica's Need to Pay Its Bills Has Spawned a Political Game
WASHINGTON — For nearly two decades, lawmakers in Washington have waged an escalating display of brinkmanship over the federal government’s ability to borrow money to pay its bills. They have forced administrations of both parties to take evasive actions, pushing the nation dangerously close to economic calamity. But they have never actually tipped the United States into default. The dance is repeating this fall, but this time the dynamics are different — and the threat of default is greater tha
USA TODAYLive updates: Senate Republicans block funding bill as Congress scrambles to avoid government shutdown
Congress faces a series of high-stakes votes this week on government funding, the debt limit, infrastructure and President Joe Biden's priorities.
ReutersNew York Fed's Williams cautions of debt-ceiling risk to markets
New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams on Monday warned of the potential negative market reaction if the United States failed to solve its debt-ceiling issue, but said market participants right now seemed to think the problem would be resolved. The U.S. Congress faces a pair of approaching deadlines to fund the government and address the nation's $28.4 trillion debt ceiling. Meanwhile, independent analysts warn that the U.S. Treasury Department is likely to exhaust its borrowing authority between Oct. 15 and Nov. 4, meaning the government faces the risk of a default if Congress does not act.
Associated PressFACT FOCUS: AZ election review spurs false claims online
Presenting its findings in a six-month-long review of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona’s largest county on Friday, a Republican-backed cybersecurity firm ended in much the same place where it began: without any evidence to contradict certified election results showing Joe Biden won. Over the weekend, bits of the firm’s findings — including from various drafts of its report — proliferated on social media, driving a surge in false posts suggesting the election results were flawed. Biden won Maricopa County by about 45,000 votes, key to his 10,500-vote win of Arizona.
ReutersWhite House backs workplace rights bill for nursing mothers
The Biden administration on Monday said it is backing a bill that could give millions of new mothers more workplace rights when they pump breast milk. A U.S. House of Representatives bill cosponsored by both Democrats and Republicans would, if passed and signed into law, require employers with 25 or more workers to provide time and private space for nursing mothers. The 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, extended those rights to only to smaller group of U.S. workers, leaving out some 9 million people including many teachers and farmworkers, according to lawmakers pushing for the bill.
AxiosSenate Republicans sink short-term government funding, debt limit bill
Senate Republicans on Monday voted down the House-passed bill to fund the government through Dec. 3 and raise the debt limit.Why it matters: Congress is just 72 hours away from a potential shutdown, so now comes Democrats' Plan B. Democratic leadership is expected strip the short-term funding bill of language about raising the debt limit — the part that Republicans' reject — in order to pass a bill before federal agencies close down on Friday. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Marke
CBS NewsSenate fails to advance bill to fund government and suspend debt ceiling
The vote comes the same week as Democrats are trying to pass President Biden's domestic agenda.
USA TODAYBiden gets vaccine booster shot; Arizona judge finds ban on school mask mandates unconstitutional: COVID-19 updates
President Joe Biden received his COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine booster shot Monday. New York health care workers could lose jobs. Latest COVID news.
Business InsiderBiden's national security advisor meets with Saudi leader MBS days before anniversary of Khashoggi's murder
The Biden administration is pushing for a ceasefire in the devastating Yemen conflict, which MBS is the architect of.
ReutersU.S. environment agency urged by 21 states to toughen vehicle emissions rewrite
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of 21 state attorneys general, the District of Columbia, and several major U.S. cities urged the Biden administration to finalize significantly stricter vehicle emissions rules than it has proposed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August called for reversing the Trump-era loosening of vehicle emissions rules with a new plan to boost efficiency 10% in the 2023 model year and aim for a fleet average of 52 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2026. But the states and cities want more stringent rules saying automakers have enough time to meet tougher rules.
AxiosYoungkin clarifies he would have certified 2020 election
Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin clarified Monday that he would have voted to certify the 2020 presidential election after Democrats pounced on his lack of a clear answer during an Axios interview.Why it matters: Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe has branded Youngkin a clone of former President Donald Trump, who has consistently challenged his election loss to Joe Biden. Youngkin told WTKR-TV on Monday, "Yeah, absolutely I would have" certified the results were he in Congress.S
“It wouldn’t take much of an annual wealth tax to rescue the retirement system.”
“Privatizing Social Security — or at least letting individuals opt-out so they can escape the sinking ship — would be a huge win.”
“Congress could save hundreds of billions of dollars by modestly paring back the benefit formula for future wealthy retirees.”
“Raising the retirement age reduces the number of beneficiaries, thereby reducing the costs of the program.”
“Social Security as we know it needs to be abolished and replaced with a better system.”