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Tag: mike johnson

  • Johnson faces escalating pressure as House GOP prepares for Epstein vote

    On his first full day back in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson sat for hours in a closed-door interview with six women who say they were abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein.Johnson’s presence in the room on the first day of a frenetically busy September on Capitol Hill underscores how significant the issue of Epstein’s past crimes has become within the GOP.Within days, House Republicans are expected to take their first major floor votes on forcing President Donald Trump’s administration to release more records related to the case. And Johnson — like his members — is under intense pressure to meet the base’s demands for transparency without going against the wishes of the president, whose inner circle has attempted to quiet this summer’s political firestorm over Epstein.“The fact that Mike Johnson sat there for two and a half hours — we’re serious about this,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer told reporters after leaving the meeting Tuesday. “We’re going to do everything we can to make this right.”Johnson himself told reporters the testimonials he heard were “heartbreaking and infuriating” and said “there were tears in the room. There was outrage.”Five weeks ago, Johnson and his leadership team had hoped that sending lawmakers home early to their districts for their August recess would defuse tension around the issue. But the return of Congress to Washington showed that the pressure on GOP leaders has only continued to build.That pressure on Republicans will dramatically increase on Wednesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie and his Democratic counterpart in the effort, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, will hold a press conference in which some of Epstein’s survivors are expected to speak publicly for the first time.Massie and Khanna are leading a push to force the full House to vote on a resolution that would require Trump’s Justice Department to turn over all documents related to Epstein or his crimes. Under their maneuver, known as a discharge petition, Massie would need just five more Republicans to force the bill to the floor since every Democrat is expected to sign on.So far, two other Republicans have signaled they’ll support it: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado. Other Republicans who have supported the bill itself — including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Eli Crane of Arizona and Tim Burchett of Tennessee — were either noncommittal or suggested they would not support the discharge petition when asked by CNN on Tuesday.The House Oversight Committee has been leading an investigation into Epstein after some Republicans joined with Democrats to compel a subpoena to the Justice Department for records. The panel on Tuesday night released more than 33,000 pages related to the case – all of the subpoenaed documents the panel had obtained earlier this summer.But the public release of information has not stopped the push for more transparency that has ratcheted up the pressure on Johnson. Massie and Democrats said nearly all of those documents had already been made public as part of various court cases and that it did not alter their push for their own Epstein measure.As part of its investigation, the Oversight Committee hosted a meeting on Tuesday with several survivors who are planning to speak at Wednesday’s press conference. In that closed-door meeting, several of them shared chilling stories of abuse. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the lawmakers in the room who has spoken out about being raped at age 16, left the meeting in tears.Inside the room, one survivor said the women had been told by Epstein that they were disposable and threatened against coming forward, according to a person in the room who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The women were told if they went to police that Epstein had powerful friends, that person said.If the bipartisan Epstein resolution does pass the House, its fate is unclear in the Senate. But it would be an extraordinary move by a GOP-controlled Congress to take against a president of its own party.To prevent such an escalation, Johnson and the White House are attempting to sell their GOP members on an alternative path. They have backed a non-binding resolution that encourages the Oversight Committee’s investigation. And Johnson stressed the importance of the work of that panel, in part by sitting in on one of the sessions himself.“I sat by him in our meeting and listened to his compassion for these survivors. I listened to his questions,” Greene said of Johnson as she left the meeting. “I’ve listened to some of his plans that he has going forward. I do think he’s doing a great job there.”Even so, Greene is one of the three Republicans so far willing to buck her leadership on the discharge petition. She said it was nothing against Johnson personally, but that she decided: “I just think we need to do everything we can to bring it out.”Inside the House GOP conference, some Republicans are privately dreading weeks of questions about the Epstein matter and would rather move onto issues like appropriations, tariffs or Russian sanctions, according to multiple lawmakers and senior aides. But many of those GOP lawmakers also realize that there is a small but vocal faction of their party that is deeply invested in getting more answers on Epstein and that they can’t be seen as dropping the issue.Democrats, meanwhile, are accusing Johnson of attempting to stonewall further investigations in Congress.Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico told reporters after the meeting that Johnson was advocating that the investigation should remain within the Oversight panel — rather than expanding the probe to include more committees.“In the room with six victims of sexual violence by Jeffrey Epstein, it was suggested by Democrats that this be investigated using the full force of every committee here in Congress. And the speaker ended by saying he didn’t think that was necessary. He’d like to just keep it in the Oversight Committee,” Stansbury said. “That is where the speaker actually chose to end this conversation.”Johnson, speaking after the Tuesday meeting, vowed “transparency” in releasing information to the public, and said that Trump shares the same perspective.“That’s his mindset. And he wants the American people to have information so they can draw their own conclusions. I’ve talked with him about this very subject myself.. He also, just as we do, is insistent that we protect the innocent victims, and that’s what this has been about,” he said.

    WASHINGTON —

    On his first full day back in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson sat for hours in a closed-door interview with six women who say they were abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein.

    Johnson’s presence in the room on the first day of a frenetically busy September on Capitol Hill underscores how significant the issue of Epstein’s past crimes has become within the GOP.

    Within days, House Republicans are expected to take their first major floor votes on forcing President Donald Trump’s administration to release more records related to the case. And Johnson — like his members — is under intense pressure to meet the base’s demands for transparency without going against the wishes of the president, whose inner circle has attempted to quiet this summer’s political firestorm over Epstein.

    “The fact that Mike Johnson sat there for two and a half hours — we’re serious about this,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer told reporters after leaving the meeting Tuesday. “We’re going to do everything we can to make this right.”

    Johnson himself told reporters the testimonials he heard were “heartbreaking and infuriating” and said “there were tears in the room. There was outrage.”

    Five weeks ago, Johnson and his leadership team had hoped that sending lawmakers home early to their districts for their August recess would defuse tension around the issue. But the return of Congress to Washington showed that the pressure on GOP leaders has only continued to build.

    That pressure on Republicans will dramatically increase on Wednesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie and his Democratic counterpart in the effort, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, will hold a press conference in which some of Epstein’s survivors are expected to speak publicly for the first time.

    Massie and Khanna are leading a push to force the full House to vote on a resolution that would require Trump’s Justice Department to turn over all documents related to Epstein or his crimes. Under their maneuver, known as a discharge petition, Massie would need just five more Republicans to force the bill to the floor since every Democrat is expected to sign on.

    So far, two other Republicans have signaled they’ll support it: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado. Other Republicans who have supported the bill itself — including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Eli Crane of Arizona and Tim Burchett of Tennessee — were either noncommittal or suggested they would not support the discharge petition when asked by CNN on Tuesday.

    The House Oversight Committee has been leading an investigation into Epstein after some Republicans joined with Democrats to compel a subpoena to the Justice Department for records. The panel on Tuesday night released more than 33,000 pages related to the case – all of the subpoenaed documents the panel had obtained earlier this summer.

    But the public release of information has not stopped the push for more transparency that has ratcheted up the pressure on Johnson. Massie and Democrats said nearly all of those documents had already been made public as part of various court cases and that it did not alter their push for their own Epstein measure.

    As part of its investigation, the Oversight Committee hosted a meeting on Tuesday with several survivors who are planning to speak at Wednesday’s press conference. In that closed-door meeting, several of them shared chilling stories of abuse. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the lawmakers in the room who has spoken out about being raped at age 16, left the meeting in tears.

    Inside the room, one survivor said the women had been told by Epstein that they were disposable and threatened against coming forward, according to a person in the room who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The women were told if they went to police that Epstein had powerful friends, that person said.

    If the bipartisan Epstein resolution does pass the House, its fate is unclear in the Senate. But it would be an extraordinary move by a GOP-controlled Congress to take against a president of its own party.

    To prevent such an escalation, Johnson and the White House are attempting to sell their GOP members on an alternative path. They have backed a non-binding resolution that encourages the Oversight Committee’s investigation. And Johnson stressed the importance of the work of that panel, in part by sitting in on one of the sessions himself.

    “I sat by him in our meeting and listened to his compassion for these survivors. I listened to his questions,” Greene said of Johnson as she left the meeting. “I’ve listened to some of his plans that he has going forward. I do think he’s doing a great job there.”

    Even so, Greene is one of the three Republicans so far willing to buck her leadership on the discharge petition. She said it was nothing against Johnson personally, but that she decided: “I just think we need to do everything we can to bring it out.”

    Inside the House GOP conference, some Republicans are privately dreading weeks of questions about the Epstein matter and would rather move onto issues like appropriations, tariffs or Russian sanctions, according to multiple lawmakers and senior aides. But many of those GOP lawmakers also realize that there is a small but vocal faction of their party that is deeply invested in getting more answers on Epstein and that they can’t be seen as dropping the issue.

    Democrats, meanwhile, are accusing Johnson of attempting to stonewall further investigations in Congress.

    Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico told reporters after the meeting that Johnson was advocating that the investigation should remain within the Oversight panel — rather than expanding the probe to include more committees.

    “In the room with six victims of sexual violence by Jeffrey Epstein, it was suggested by Democrats that this be investigated using the full force of every committee here in Congress. And the speaker ended by saying he didn’t think that was necessary. He’d like to just keep it in the Oversight Committee,” Stansbury said. “That is where the speaker actually chose to end this conversation.”

    Johnson, speaking after the Tuesday meeting, vowed “transparency” in releasing information to the public, and said that Trump shares the same perspective.

    “That’s his mindset. And he wants the American people to have information so they can draw their own conclusions. I’ve talked with him about this very subject myself.. He also, just as we do, is insistent that we protect the innocent victims, and that’s what this has been about,” he said.

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  • New GOP anti-crime bills in Congress will focus on DC – WTOP News

    President Donald Trump wants Republican congressional leaders to develop a comprehensive crime bill to tackle public safety issues in D.C. and other cities.

    For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.

    President Donald Trump wants Republican congressional leaders to develop a comprehensive crime bill to tackle public safety issues in D.C. and other cities, once they return next week from their summer break.

    The president said this week that he had discussed anti-crime measures with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

    Johnson said Friday that crime legislation taking shape will focus on D.C., where close to 2,000 National Guard troops remain posted throughout the city, as part of the federal law enforcement surge.

    “We’ve got to end the crime wave, we’ve got to clean up the city and we’ve got to make sure that it shines as it should,” Johnson said in an interview on CNN.

    While the president has suggested a major crime bill, it appears GOP lawmakers will begin by taking up various bills covering issues in D.C.

    Johnson and Republicans have indicated they will take up reforms to address juvenile crime in the District, as well as getting rid of cashless bail.

    Cashless bail allows those accused of crimes to remain free pending their trial, without posting bond.

    Bowser to testify before House panel

    The House Oversight Committee has set a Sept. 18 hearing during which D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb are scheduled to testify.

    They are expected to be grilled about the District’s efforts to bring down crime and how they have worked with federal law enforcement.

    The hearing will take place after a 30-day deadline expires for extending the federal surge. Congress needs to vote on approving extension of the deadline by Sept. 10.

    The president has indicated he wants his declared crime emergency to continue. The White House has pointed to a major drop in crime since the surge began, including a 30% drop in violent crime.

    Bowser has said she appreciates the federal support and credits it for helping to continue falling crime rates. But she has questioned the need for the National Guard presence and masked agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement making arrests.

    Speaker Johnson questioned about crime in his state

    During his appearance on CNN, Johnson was asked about crime in his Louisiana congressional district. Figures indicated that violent crime per capita in Shreveport was higher last year than in D.C.

    Part of Shreveport is in Johnson’s 4th District and he was asked whether the president should send the National Guard there.

    Johnson acknowledged crime has been a problem in the city but declined to say whether he thought the president should send federal troops there.

    “That’s not my call,” he said.

    Pressed further, he added, “I don’t know, let’s take one city at a time and see.”

    The administration has indicated that if federal troops are activated and sent to another city, it would likely be Chicago. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has said there is no need to send in the National Guard, which he could activate himself.

    In D.C., the president has the power to activate the National Guard. The mayor does not have that power.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Mitchell Miller

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  • Trump tries to cancel nearly $5 billion in previously approved foreign aid funding



    Trump tries to cancel nearly $5 billion in previously approved foreign aid funding – CBS News










































    Watch CBS News



    The Trump administration has told Congress that it plans to cancel previously approved funding for foreign aid. CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion has more details.

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  • Trump says he is working with Republicans on ‘comprehensive crime bill’

    (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he is working with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, both Republicans, on a “comprehensive crime bill.”

    “Speaker Mike Johnson, and Leader John Thune, are working with me, and other Republicans, on a Comprehensive Crime Bill. It’s what our Country needs,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

    Citing a purported wave of lawlessness, Trump seized control this month of the police force in Washington, D.C., and is allowing National Guard troops to carry weapons while on patrol in the city. He has threatened to expand the U.S. military presence to Democrat-controlled cities like Baltimore and Chicago.

    Trump said earlier this week that the U.S. military might deploy to Chicago and is ready to go anywhere on short notice to crack down on crime.

    Trump also ordered the Department of Defense to ensure that every state has some National Guard troops who are ready to rapidly mobilize to help quell civil disturbances and assist in public safety.

    (Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Stephen Coates)

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  • Trump’s Big New York Rally Has Been A Racist, Sexist, Freak Show

    Trump’s Big New York Rally Has Been A Racist, Sexist, Freak Show

    Trump’s vanity Madison Square Garden rally has been a collection of the sort of racist and sexist freak show that is orbiting his presidential campaign.

    First, there was a racist comedian who made racist comments about Puerto Ricans, black people, and Latinos.

    Later came a parade of New York House Republicans all there to proclaim that New York, where Trump got 37% of the vote in 2020 is Trump country.

    Speaker Mike Johnson showed to unconvincingly promise victory:

    Vivek Ramaswamy claimed that woke and believing in climate change makes millennials depressed and suicidal:

    We’ve also had appearances from Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr.

    Tucker Carlson showed up to continue his obsession with young girls:

    JD Vance, the other half of the weirdest ticket in presidential election history, spoke.

    Trump was originally thought to have been speaking about 90 minutes ago, as this event is well into its third hour.

    This was supposed to be Trump’s big event to show how much much New York loves him. Instead it has been an oddball circus that Democrats how extreme and out of step MAGA is the the American mainstream.

    Instead of holding a full day of multiple events as Kamala Harris has done in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump is throwing a party for himself in a state that he has no chance of winning as he doubles down on extremism.

    To comment on this story, join us on Reddit.

    Jason Easley

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  • A Scary Postelection Trump Coup Scenario

    A Scary Postelection Trump Coup Scenario

    Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    One frightening pre-Halloween occupation for political junkies is speculating about Donald Trump’s exact plans for challenging another election defeat. There is zero doubt he will challenge a loss but much less clarity on how he will go about it thanks to several important changes since 2020: Trump is not in control of the federal government; Trump’s party is decidedly not in control of the vice-presidency, the office that supervises the January 6 joint session of Congress to confirm the winner; and the Electoral Count Act of 2022 pretty much closed off Trump’s favorite election-reversal strategies in 2020, notably the fake-elector and vice-presidential coup gambits.

    Politico has a new report out offering the latest and by far the most detailed Trump Electoral Coup scenario, raising some possibilities I hadn’t thought about. You should read the whole thing because it nicely illustrates the many inflection points our system creates between Election Night and Inauguration Day on January 20, 2025 (the two dates about which there is complete certainty). The report also emphasizes two points that have probably been underdiscussed and are worth considering.

    First, there’s the fringe constitutional-law argument (advanced as a secondary line of attack by Trump lawyer John Eastman) that the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (which the 2022 legislation amended) is an unconstitutional abridgment of the explicit constitutional powers of state legislators to name presidential electors as they wish. This hasn’t been tested by the U.S. Supreme Court, but if it is and is upheld, the Electoral Count Reform Act scheme of ruling out any electoral vote award not made by the state-designated chief executive officer (usually either the governor or secretary of state) would fall and Republican legislators (where they are in power after the 2024 election) would be newly invited to wreak havoc.

    Second, Politico explores in some detail the potentially disruptive role of House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump vassal of the highest order and a congressional field commander of the 2020 bid to overturn the results:

    If Johnson believes, like Eastman, that the laws governing the joint session are unconstitutional, he could assert unprecedented authority to affect the process — all under the guise of following the Constitution. That could include taking steps to ensure that pro-Trump electors embraced by state legislatures get an up-or-down vote, even if they conflict with slates endorsed by governors. It could include permitting hours of floor time to air theories of voter fraud, while holding the presidency in limbo. It could also include lobbying allies to reject pro-Harris electors in order to prevent either candidate from receiving 270 Electoral College votes. And it could also include simply gaveling the House out of session to prevent the joint session from continuing. Each move would likely trigger intense legal battles, putting the courts — and most likely the Supreme Court — in the position of deciding how to resolve unprecedented power plays by the most prominent actors in government.

    The Supreme Court, of course, is dominated by a bloc of hardcore conservatives aligned with and partially appointed by Donald Trump and is likely more inherently partisan than the Court that awarded George W. Bush the presidency in 2001. And if Johnson in any manner manages to blow up an electoral-vote majority for Kamala Harris, the presidency would be determined by Johnson’s very own House, where it’s near-certain that Republicans will control a majority of state delegations and would return power to Trump via the peculiar rules of a “contingent” election (not used in a presidential contest since 1825, when a multicandidate field meant no one had an Electoral College majority).

    Scary, eh? So too is this detail from the Politico article:

    [T]o a person, election observers, elected leaders, and some of Trump’s own allies agree on one operating premise: On Election Night, no matter what the results show, how many votes remain uncounted, and how many advisers tell him otherwise, Donald Trump will declare himself the winner.

    Halloween definitely won’t be the only ghoulish day left on this year’s calendar.

    Ed Kilgore

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  • Jake Tapper Destroys Mike Johnson After He Lies For Trump

    Jake Tapper Destroys Mike Johnson After He Lies For Trump

  • Project 2025’s Take On Marijuana

    Project 2025’s Take On Marijuana

    Should the GOP Presidential candidate win the election, the Heritage Foundation will have influence on policy….what’s their stance on cannabis.

    The marijuana industry potential survival hinges on the next election. Federal restrictions have hammed mom and pop business and the lack of tax benefits, which benefit other small business, has been brutal. Biden’s slow actions toward is promises have allowed the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to delay their ruling on rescheduling until December, after the election. This gives the DEA some wiggle room on their decision. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is taking Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) role in trying to stop the cannabis industry. He has made it clear to the DEA they should reject any help to cannabis.  So, if the GOP candidate wins, what does it mean for cannabis?  The Heritage Foundation has produced a plan for the future administration embraced by senior leaders, including VP candidate J.D. Vance who wrote an opening statement. So what their Project 2025’s take on marijuana?

    RELATED: Vaping Could Have This Effect On Men

    The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank founded in 1973, has consistently taken a strong stance against the legalization of marijuana. Their position is rooted in concerns about public health, safety, and social consequences. The Heritage Foundation has not stayed current in cannabis research or public opinion, but the plan lays out a clear roadmap of a complete change of government.

    The American Medical Association, AARP, and the American College of Physicians are some of the organizations who believe marijuana has a legal role at the table since it provides medical benefits.  Roughly 90% of the general public believes it should be legal in some form. The Veteran’s Administration has altered policy to support veterans with PTSD. The Heritage Foundation argues marijuana is an addictive substance with significant negative impacts on physical and mental health

    While science and data among legal states have disproved the myths including about it being a gateway drug for the young, the Heritage Foundation clings to old tropes. They stand by the argument consumes leads to the consumption of harder, more dangerous substances. This perspective forms a crucial part of their opposition to legalization efforts.

    They argue that legalization could lead to increased crime rates. Legal states have disproven this based on data and crime rates. An additional benefit has been the decrease in alcohol as people are relaxing with gummies.

    RELATED: DeSantis Uses Hurricane To Damage Marijuana Initiative

    The Heritage Foundation advocates for a comprehensive drug policy with strengthened law enforcement, treatment, and prevention and education.  This align’s with House Speaker Mike Johnson’s stance.

    The Heritage Foundation’s stance on marijuana legalization falls in with their broader conservative principles, emphasizing personal responsibility with a dash of government oversight. Their arguments continue to influence the ongoing debate surrounding marijuana policy in the United States.

    Terry Hacienda

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  • Mike Johnson Baselessly Claims Trump’s Medical Records Are “Irrelevant” and Denies National Abortion Ban

    Mike Johnson Baselessly Claims Trump’s Medical Records Are “Irrelevant” and Denies National Abortion Ban

    Welker asked again, would Johnson hold a vote on a national abortion ban?

    “We’re nowhere in a universe where that would be possible right now,” Johnson said. “I have to build a cultural consensus,” he continued, “there’s a lot of work to do.”

    Johnson has, infamously, been doing this work for years.

    As Vanity Fair’s Bess Levin has chronicled, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, Johnson called it “a great, joyous occasion.” His goal for his home state of Louisiana, as he’s explained, is to “get the number of abortions to ZERO!!” As a lawyer, he worked to shut down abortion clinics, as a legislator, he cosponsored the “Life at Conception” bill, which would force pregnancy from the point of fertilization and included no exceptions for IVF, and, as a religious leader, he blamed school shootings, in part, on pregnant people having access to abortion care.

    On Sunday, Johnson encouraged anti-abortion organizations to keep working toward a cultural consensus on the issue before adding, “We need to take care of these ladies that are in difficult situations with their pregnancies. That’s what the states are doing, very effectively. Crisis pregnancy centers and others around the country, care pregnancy centers—there’s a lot of great work being done.”

    Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities that act as legitimate reproductive health care clinics for pregnant people but, in practice, aim to dissuade people from accessing certain types of care, like abortion and contraceptive options. After Dobbs, “Tennessee boosted state support for crisis pregnancy centers from $3 million to $20 million; Florida raised it from $4.5 million to $25 million, and Texas went from giving the groups $5 million every two years to giving a whopping $100 million for 2022 and 2023,” according to Jessica Valenti’s new book Abortion.

    Watkins concluded the interview by asking if Johnson, who is the second in line for the presidency, would accept and certify the results of the 2024 election—a task that Trump’s own running mate, JD Vance, has continuously refused to commit to.

    “Of course, I’m going to follow the Constitution, I’m going to follow the law, that’s my job, my duty. I took an oath to do that, and I will fulfill my oath,” Johnson said.

    “Regardless of who wins?” Welker clarified.

    “Of course, yes,” Johnson replied. “If,” he continued, “it’s free and fair.”

    Katie Herchenroeder

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  • House Republicans move to avoid government shutdown amid intraparty opposition

    House Republicans move to avoid government shutdown amid intraparty opposition

    Washington — House Republicans will fast-track a short-term spending bill after sidestepping the lower chamber’s Rules Committee as the bipartisan measure to keep the government open faced opposition from the panel’s conservative members. 

    House Republicans are expected to bring up the three-month funding bill for a floor vote under a procedure known as suspension of the rules, meaning it will need a two-thirds majority for passage. It puts House Speaker Mike Johnson in a position of, once again, needing to rely on Democrats to pass legislation. 

    The plan is to bring up the bill for a vote on Wednesday, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican. 

    The House Rules Committee was set to vote on approving the measure for a floor vote on Monday night, but nixed the rule vote after Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said they would not support it. Had the measure come up for a floor vote under a rule, it would have needed a simple majority to pass. 

    “Republicans need Democrats in order to keep the government open,” said Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the committee’s top Democrat. 

    House conservatives have for months pushed the lower chamber to pass the dozen individual appropriations bills that fund the government. The short-term bill, they argue, sets up Congress to pass a massive spending bill, called an “omnibus,” at the end of the year as lawmakers are eager to ditch Washington for the holidays. 

    “I would encourage people not to vote for this,” Massie said. “Why do we want to set up a shutdown crisis the week before Christmas? Why would we even want to set up a shutdown crisis next spring? We shouldn’t. We should fund the whole thing for a year.” 

    Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, unveiled the latest plan Sunday after the House last week rejected his initial plan that paired a six-month funding bill with a measure requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. 

    The new plan would fund the government at current levels through Dec. 20, punting the fight over spending to after the November election. But it also risks spoiling lawmakers’ December holidays if they can’t reach another agreement to extend funding into next year. 

    In a letter to his colleagues, Johnson said Sunday the three-month measure is “the only option that remains.” 

    “Our legislation will be a very narrow, bare-bones [continuing resolution] including only the extensions that are absolutely necessary,” he wrote, adding that it prevents “the Senate from jamming us with a bill loaded with billions in new spending and unrelated provisions.” 

    While continuing resolutions usually don’t alter funding levels, the three-month bill includes about $230 million in additional funding for the Secret Service, which comes after a second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. The voting measure that was part of the six-month funding legislation, which Democrats opposed, is no longer attached. 

    “While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances,” Johnson wrote. “As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.” 

    Trump had called for a government shutdown if lawmakers could not get the voting measure, known as the SAVE Act, passed, despite it already being illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Johnson signaled Friday that Trump could soften his calls for a shutdown, saying the former president “understands the situation that we’re in.”

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, both from New York, praised the bipartisan negotiations that resulted in the funding agreement. Schumer said in a statement Sunday that he was hopeful that Congress could pass the legislation this week. 

    “This agreement could have very easily been reached weeks ago, but speaker Johnson and House Republicans chose to listen to Donald Trump’s partisan demands, instead of working with us from the start,” Schumer said Monday on the Senate floor. 

    Nikole Killion and

    Ellis Kim

    contributed to this report.

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  • Spending deal averts a possible federal shutdown

    Spending deal averts a possible federal shutdown

    Congressional leaders announced an agreement Sunday on a short-term spending bill that will fund federal agencies for about three months, averting a possible partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins Oct. 1 and pushing final decisions until after the November election.Lawmakers have struggled to get to this point as the current budget year winds to a close at month’s end. At the urging of the most conservative members of his conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had linked temporary funding with a mandate that would have compelled states to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.Video above: House Speaker Mike Johnson vows new planBut Johnson could not get all Republicans on board even as the party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, insisted on that package. Trump said Republican lawmakers should not support a stop-gap measure without the voting requirement, but the bill went down to defeat anyway, with 14 Republicans opposing it.Bipartisan negotiations began in earnest shortly after that, with leadership agreeing to extend funding into mid-December. That gives the current Congress the ability to fashion a full-year spending bill after the Nov. 5 election, rather than push that responsibility to the next Congress and president.In a letter to Republican colleagues, Johnson said the budget measure would be “very narrow, bare-bones” and include “only the extensions that are absolutely necessary.”“While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances,” Johnson wrote. “As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.”Rep. Tom Cole, the House Appropriations Committee chairman, had said on Friday that talks were going well.“So far, nothing has come up that we can’t deal with,” said Cole, R-Okla. “Most people don’t want a government shutdown, and they don’t want that to interfere with the election. So nobody is like, ‘I’ve got to have this, or we’re walking.’ It’s just not that way.”Johnson’s earlier effort had no chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate and was opposed by the White House, but it did give the speaker a chance to show Trump and conservatives within his conference that he fought for their request.The final result — government funding effectively on autopilot — was what many had predicted. With the election just weeks away, few lawmakers in either party had any appetite for the brinksmanship that often leads to a shutdown.Now, a bipartisan majority is expected to push the short-term measure over the finish line.The agreement on the short-term measure does not mean getting to a final spending bill will be easy in December. The election results could also influence the political calculations if one party fares much better than the other, potentially pushing the fight into early next year.Temporary spending bills generally fund agencies at current levels, but some additional money was included to bolster the Secret Service, replenish a disaster relief fund and aid with the presidential transition, among other things.The Secret Service funding also comes with a string attached, with lawmakers making it contingent on the Department of Homeland Security providing certain information to a House task force and Senate committee investigating the assassination attempts made against Trump.In a recent letter, the Secret Service told lawmakers that a funding shortfall was not the reason for lapses in Trump’s security when a gunman climbed onto an unsecured roof on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and opened fire. But acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said this week that the agency had “immediate needs” and that he’s talking to Congress.

    WASHINGTON —

    Congressional leaders announced an agreement Sunday on a short-term spending bill that will fund federal agencies for about three months, averting a possible partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins Oct. 1 and pushing final decisions until after the November election.

    Lawmakers have struggled to get to this point as the current budget year winds to a close at month’s end. At the urging of the most conservative members of his conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had linked temporary funding with a mandate that would have compelled states to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.

    Video above: House Speaker Mike Johnson vows new plan

    But Johnson could not get all Republicans on board even as the party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, insisted on that package. Trump said Republican lawmakers should not support a stop-gap measure without the voting requirement, but the bill went down to defeat anyway, with 14 Republicans opposing it.

    Bipartisan negotiations began in earnest shortly after that, with leadership agreeing to extend funding into mid-December. That gives the current Congress the ability to fashion a full-year spending bill after the Nov. 5 election, rather than push that responsibility to the next Congress and president.

    In a letter to Republican colleagues, Johnson said the budget measure would be “very narrow, bare-bones” and include “only the extensions that are absolutely necessary.”

    “While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances,” Johnson wrote. “As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.”

    Rep. Tom Cole, the House Appropriations Committee chairman, had said on Friday that talks were going well.

    “So far, nothing has come up that we can’t deal with,” said Cole, R-Okla. “Most people don’t want a government shutdown, and they don’t want that to interfere with the election. So nobody is like, ‘I’ve got to have this, or we’re walking.’ It’s just not that way.”

    Johnson’s earlier effort had no chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate and was opposed by the White House, but it did give the speaker a chance to show Trump and conservatives within his conference that he fought for their request.

    The final result — government funding effectively on autopilot — was what many had predicted. With the election just weeks away, few lawmakers in either party had any appetite for the brinksmanship that often leads to a shutdown.

    Now, a bipartisan majority is expected to push the short-term measure over the finish line.

    The agreement on the short-term measure does not mean getting to a final spending bill will be easy in December. The election results could also influence the political calculations if one party fares much better than the other, potentially pushing the fight into early next year.

    Temporary spending bills generally fund agencies at current levels, but some additional money was included to bolster the Secret Service, replenish a disaster relief fund and aid with the presidential transition, among other things.

    The Secret Service funding also comes with a string attached, with lawmakers making it contingent on the Department of Homeland Security providing certain information to a House task force and Senate committee investigating the assassination attempts made against Trump.

    In a recent letter, the Secret Service told lawmakers that a funding shortfall was not the reason for lapses in Trump’s security when a gunman climbed onto an unsecured roof on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and opened fire. But acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said this week that the agency had “immediate needs” and that he’s talking to Congress.

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  • Positive Signs For NY Legal Marijuana

    Positive Signs For NY Legal Marijuana

    The cannabis industry is on edge as it waits to see how the federal government acts.  On one side is the slow moving Biden/Harris administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) slow walking rescheduling. The DEA is having to wade through overwhelming positive support for fellow agencies and the general public. On the other side, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has allowed groups from his party to protest and try to stop the process and issuing statements on the dangers of marijuana. Coupled with a mess in California and a significant drop in investment in the industry as everyone waits the outcome, things are tough. But there are positive signs for NY legal marijuana.

    RELATED: The Most Popular Marijuana Flavors

    New York was one track to be the biggest single market perhaps in the word in the when they approved recreational marijuana. But a last minute major overhaul of the process a few weeks before it rolled out ended in a massive chaos. January 2023 launch the first legal store, but at year end there were roughly 25 legal dispensaries and ultimately 2,800 illicit ones in the Empire State. While consumers may or may not have known or cared about the legality of where they shopped, they should. The products in the stores are unregulated, which is a strong health issue as ingredients and dosage could vary significantly.

    Summer Lifestyle Photos 2023
    Wana Brands is the largest gummy company in the industry. They are in 20 states, Canada and Puerto Rico and are backed by Canopy and the alcohol giant Constellation Brands. Highly respected, they are the most mainstream major product company in the industry. Entering the New York Market, is a sign things are starting to normalize.  NY has closed over 800 illicit stores and is working toward 200 legal ones.

    Joe Hodas, President of Wana shared “Wana’s entry in the New York market has been a move that’s been in the works for quite some time. We’ve already established a strong presence in over 20 stores, including The Travel Agency and Housing Works. Orders are rolling in and more locations will be coming online soon. While our initial focus is on the New York City area, we’re working on expansion into upstate as well. We believe New York will be one of the most important states on the map for us and we are excited to get more products into the hands of New Yorkers and all those who visit from around the world.”

    When asked about why enter the NY market now, Hodas responded.

    “Entering the New York market for us was all about timing. In the past, the prevalence of illicit stores in the city made it a challenging environment for a brand like ours. But during my recent visits, I noticed a shift—there’s now a more robust network of regulated, legal stores. We felt it was finally the right moment for Wana Brands to bring our products to New Yorkers. We couldn’t have made this move without our partner, urbanXtracts. Their state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities and shared commitment to quality have made this launch possible and we’re excited to see what the future will bring.”

    RELATED: This Natural Cannabinoid Makes You Feel Happy

    “The Travel Agency is thrilled to partner with Wana in this vibrant New York cannabis market, that we’ve helped grow since its launch. Wana is also one of this industry’s pioneers, building their business through consistent products and the exploration of new formats and flavors. We look forward to collaborating with Wana in providing New Yorkers with safe, high-quality cannabis experience.” stated Paul Yau, The Travel Agency, Co-Founder and CEO. One of the larger, legal dispensary brand in NYC.

    Amy Hansen

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  • President Joe Biden proposes major reforms for Supreme Court

    President Joe Biden proposes major reforms for Supreme Court

    President Joe Biden is advocating for significant reforms to the United States Supreme Court, following a series of landmark decisions and controversies involving several justices and their spouses.In remarks from the LBJ Presidential Library on Monday, Biden said the court is being used to weaponize an extreme agenda, and, in recent years, extreme opinions have undermined long-established civil rights protections. “In 2022, the court overruled Roe v. Wade, and the right to choose that had been the law of the land for 50 years,” Biden said, “The following year the same court eviscerated affirmative action, which had been upheld and reaffirmed for nearly 50 years as well.”Under Biden’s proposal, each justice would be limited to one 18-year active term, with the current president appointing a new justice every two years. Biden is also asking for an enforceable code of ethics that would require justices to disclose gifts and to recuse themselves when they or their spouses have a conflict of interest. Finally, Biden is asking Congress to start work on a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity, stating that no former president is above the law. “We need these reforms to restore trust in the courts. To preserve the system of checks and balances that are vital to our democracy,” Biden said.Biden’s call comes as trust in the high court is dropping among Americans. A June poll from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that seven in 10 Americans think justices are influenced by ideology. Four in 10 say they have hardly any confidence in the people running the Supreme Court. “I think we’ll have a problem if we don’t do something about Supreme Court ethics,” said Alan Morrison, an Associate Dean at the George Washington University Law School.”It would be constitutional to do it by statute, but I do not think that’s a good idea,” Morrison went on to say. “If it’s done by statute, it can be undone by statute.” Accomplishing any reforms will prove challenging, with Republicans already pushing back on the plan. House Speaker Mike Johnson says the proposal would “tilt the balance of power,” and is “dead on arrival.””Democrats want to change the system that has guided our nation since its founding simply because they disagree with some of the court’s recent decisions,” Johnson said.The party split in Congress is not the only reason Morrison believes the plan is unlikely to move forward anytime soon. “That has to go through not only two-thirds of both Houses but also three-quarters of the states. It’ll be a long time coming,” Morrison said. Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito would be the first three justices who could potentially be affected by term limits.

    AUSTIN, Texas —

    President Joe Biden is advocating for significant reforms to the United States Supreme Court, following a series of landmark decisions and controversies involving several justices and their spouses.

    In remarks from the LBJ Presidential Library on Monday, Biden said the court is being used to weaponize an extreme agenda, and, in recent years, extreme opinions have undermined long-established civil rights protections.

    “In 2022, the court overruled Roe v. Wade, and the right to choose that had been the law of the land for 50 years,” Biden said, “The following year the same court eviscerated affirmative action, which had been upheld and reaffirmed for nearly 50 years as well.”

    Under Biden’s proposal, each justice would be limited to one 18-year active term, with the current president appointing a new justice every two years. Biden is also asking for an enforceable code of ethics that would require justices to disclose gifts and to recuse themselves when they or their spouses have a conflict of interest. Finally, Biden is asking Congress to start work on a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity, stating that no former president is above the law.

    “We need these reforms to restore trust in the courts. To preserve the system of checks and balances that are vital to our democracy,” Biden said.

    Biden’s call comes as trust in the high court is dropping among Americans. A June poll from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that seven in 10 Americans think justices are influenced by ideology. Four in 10 say they have hardly any confidence in the people running the Supreme Court.

    “I think we’ll have a problem if we don’t do something about Supreme Court ethics,” said Alan Morrison, an Associate Dean at the George Washington University Law School.

    “It would be constitutional to do it by statute, but I do not think that’s a good idea,” Morrison went on to say. “If it’s done by statute, it can be undone by statute.”

    Accomplishing any reforms will prove challenging, with Republicans already pushing back on the plan. House Speaker Mike Johnson says the proposal would “tilt the balance of power,” and is “dead on arrival.”

    “Democrats want to change the system that has guided our nation since its founding simply because they disagree with some of the court’s recent decisions,” Johnson said.

    The party split in Congress is not the only reason Morrison believes the plan is unlikely to move forward anytime soon.

    “That has to go through not only two-thirds of both Houses but also three-quarters of the states. It’ll be a long time coming,” Morrison said.

    Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito would be the first three justices who could potentially be affected by term limits.

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  • Has Marijuana Become A Political Football

    Has Marijuana Become A Political Football

    With almost 90% of the country believing it should be legal in some form, especially among younger voters – who is going to be the party make the goal?

    The presidential race is heating up and both parties are grappling with changing demographics and a tight race.  Also, there will be 41 million new Gen Z voters who will be able to participate in the election, and they see things different from boomers.  One big issues is causing heartburn on at least one side….has marijuana become a political football?

    RELATED: The Feds Have Until November To Help Veterans

    Data shows between 85-89% of the country believe cannabis should be legal in some form.  Florida went against their governor to force recreational marijuana to be on the ballot, and have raised $60 million to the Governor’s team which has raised less than $100,000.  But the biggest issues is Gen Z, the generation who is drifting away from alcohol and toward weed.  To them, it is like buying alcohol and they don’t understand why old politicians are so resistant to what has been proven to a medical aide.  While it is behind voter concerns of the economy, public safety and democracy, it is still will play a role in influencing millions of votes. And the party who gets it across the goal line will be a hero.

    The current administration has been slow to make a movement and only in the election year has significant progress been made. Following the recommendations of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Physicians (ACP) have used science to encourage the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to follow the process and reschedule cannabis to a Schedule III showing it has medical benefits and is classified like Ibuprofen.  But the late start is hurting as the GOP is throwing up roadblocks as the public (by 90%) and the medical community has taken very public stances.  The Biden administration may have waited too long to secure it before ballots drop.  Vice President Harris, who was a vocal, strong adversary of legalization has revered course and embraced the rescheduling mantle and the potential benefits for patients, veterans and voters.

    RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

    The Republicans are pulling out all stops to keep it from passing at all. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-KY), long a critic, has allowed votes to stop the process and allowed members to demand the DEA stop, slow, or delay the process. In a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra GOP members of the House expressed something fishy is going on for the process to move at the usual pace. Part of the change in policy the overwhelming support of the the major medical associations. The Republicans are pushing a policy which is clearly against the public desire, which is somewhat confusing if you want to win.

    In addition, Florida Governor DeSantis, despite received donations from some in the industry, has taken a full frontal attack.  Despite dropping out of the race, DeSantis still likes the spotlight. At a Florida Sheriff’s convention, he spoke on the subject of legal weed and was a bit loose on the facts, especially when it comes to the success is in Colorado.  DeSantis has called voters confused and patiently explained his nanny state philosophy is best and has state the will of the voters should be set aside for his personal beliefs.

    The voting public has been showing its will with their purchase power. Already Illionis, a key state, has sold over $1 billion in weed this year. The next 100 days will be critical for the  cannabis industry and for rights of voters.

    Terry Hacienda

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  • Anger and anxiety loom over the Republican convention, but there is good news for Trump in court

    Anger and anxiety loom over the Republican convention, but there is good news for Trump in court

    MILWAUKEE – Donald Trump’s campaign chiefs designed the Republican convention opening this week to feature a softer and more optimistic message, focusing on themes that would help a divisive leader expand his appeal among moderate voters and people of color.

    Then came the shooting that rattled the foundation of American politics.

    Suddenly, the Democrats’ turmoil after the debate, the GOP’s potential governing agenda and even Trump’s criminal convictions became secondary to concerns about political violence and the country’s stability. The presumptive Republican nominee and his allies will face the nation during their four-day convention in Milwaukee unquestionably united and ready to “fight,” as the bloodied Trump cried out Saturday while Secret Service agents at his Pennsylvania rally rushed him to safety.

    Anger and anxiety are coursing through the party, even as many top Republicans call for calm and a lowering of tensions.

    Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran in the GOP presidential primary, has distinguished himself as one of the more aggressive voices on the right, saying often that the country is already at war with itself. So it was notable that in remarks at an event run by the conservative Heritage Institute at the RNC on Monday he was toning down his rhetoric and urging the country to come together.

    “The enemy is not the Democrats, it is an ideology,” Ramaswamy told the crowd at Heritage’s “Policy Fest” event.

    GOP Sen. Steve Daines, the chair of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, said at a Politico event at the RNC on Monday that the party needs to focus on policy and not divisive politics in the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting.

    “This is a moment, as we say, that the temperature needs to be brought down,” the Montana lawmaker said. “What needs to be litigated for the American people in the next three and a half months should be more policy and not personalities.”

    On Monday, hours before the first convention session, some well-timed good news for Trump got the day off to a positive start for him and his party. The federal judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case dismissed the prosecution because of concerns over the appointment of the prosecutor who brought the case, handing the former president a major court victory.

    Trump posted on his Truth Social platform to call for the dismissal of his other legal cases.

    “As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts,” he wrote, listing several cases.

    Meanwhile, Trump is expected to announce his vice presidential pick on the first day of the Republican National Convention, he said in an interview.

    It remains unclear whether the shooting Saturday at his Pennsylvania rally has changed the former president’s thinking about his potential second-in-command. But he told Fox News Channel host Bret Baier in a call that he planned to make his pick Monday.

    There are no changes yet to the convention program

    In an interview Sunday, Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley said the convention’s programming wouldn’t be changed after the shooting. The agenda, he said, will feature more than 100 speakers overwhelmingly focused on kitchen table issues and Trump’s plans to lift everyday working Americans.

    “We have to be able to lay out a vision for where we want to take this country,” he said.

    Whatley said the central message would have little to do with President Joe Biden’s political struggles, Trump’s grievances about the 2020 election or the ex-president’s promises to exact retribution against political enemies.

    “We are going to have the convention that we have been planning for the last 18 months,” he said. “We are a combination of relieved and grateful that the president is going to be here and is going to accept the nomination.”

    Beyond voting to formally give Trump the nomination, elected delegates from across the nation will update the GOP’s policy platform for the first time since 2016. The scaled-down platform proposal — just 16 pages with limited specifics on key issues, including abortion — reflects a desire by the Trump campaign to avoid giving Democrats more material on a key campaign issue.

    The platform approved by a committee last week doesn’t include an explicit call for a national abortion ban, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a federally guaranteed right to abortion.

    “More divisiveness would not be healthy,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

    As Trump prepares to announce his choice for vice president, his top three contenders are North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, all expected to speak this week.

    Despite a contentious primary season, any lingering tensions appear to have been set aside.

    Former rivals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador, are expected to speak at the convention on Trump’s behalf.

    People connected to Jan. 6 will be involved

    There will be reminders of Trump’s record in a speaking program that includes a handful of Republicans charged with crimes related to other political violence — the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

    Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who’s in jail on contempt of Congress charges, is expected to speak at the convention just hours after his release. He was found guilty in September after refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Capitol attack.

    Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald, who was indicted of criminal charges related to his involvement in a scheme to present fake electors who would overturn Biden’s victory over Trump, plans to present the former president with the party nomination at the convention. A judge dismissed the case against McDonald last month over a venue dispute.

    Trump has repeatedly cast the people involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including his many supporters who stormed the Capitol, as political prisoners.

    For now, Democrats have scaled back their plans to offer a competing message during the Republican convention.

    The Biden campaign over the weekend pulled down its campaign ads. Vice President Kamala Harris postponed a Tuesday appearance in Florida set to focus on Trump’s opposition to abortion rights. And the pro-Democratic group American Bridge is delaying the scheduled Monday release of faux trading cards designed to highlight controversial policy positions of Trump and other leading Republicans.

    There are expected to be protesters in Milwaukee

    The convention, coming less than four months before Election Day, is taking place in heavily Democratic Milwaukee, the largest city in a pivotal swing state Trump lost by less than 1 percentage point four years ago.

    Even before the assassination attempt, major protests were expected, although movement will be severely restricted as part of enhanced security precautions established by the Secret Service.

    Still, the risk of violent confrontation exists.

    Security officials previously announced that people just outside the Secret Service perimeter would be allowed to carry guns openly or concealed as permitted by state law. Wisconsin statutes outlaw only machine guns, short-barreled shotguns and silencers.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Christine Fernando reported from Chicago. AP writers Thomas Beaumont in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and Ali Swenson in Minneapolis contributed.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    Steve Peoples And Jill Colvin, Associated Press

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  • House Republicans ditch their day jobs to stand with Trump, while legislating languishes

    House Republicans ditch their day jobs to stand with Trump, while legislating languishes

    Leaving Washington behind, prominent far-right House Republicans who have repeatedly thrown this Congress into chaos showed up Thursday at Donald Trump’s hush money trial to do what they do best.

    They stood outside Trump Tower filming their support for the indicted former president. They filed into the Manhattan courthouse “standing back and standing by,” as Rep. Matt Gaetz put it — invoking Trump’s call to the extremist Proud Boys. They were admonished to put down their cell phones.

    And the House Republicans commandeered the spotlight — much like House Speaker Mike Johnson did earlier in the week — to rant against what they called the “kangaroo court” and the “political persecution” of Trump, as their day jobs waited for their return.

    “President Trump is not going anywhere,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., as hecklers interrupted.

    “And we are not going anywhere either. We are here to stand with him.”

    The split-screen scene between New York and D.C. provided one of the more vivid examples yet of how Republicans have tossed aside the de rigueur tasks of governing in favor of the engineered spectacle of grievance, performance and outrage that powers Trump-era American politics.

    As much of Congress stalled out yet again, unable to legislate through the country’s challenges, the Republicans chose to spend the day going viral.

    The excursion was all the more remarkable because it comes as House Republicans were focused Thursday on moving to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress — part of a broader campaign attack on President Joe Biden.

    The House’s Oversight and Judiciary Committee Republicans are demanding the Justice Department turn over evidence in the classified documents case against Biden, including an audio interview that is potentially embarrassing to the president as he stumbles through some answers. The Judiciary panel soldiered on Thursday, while the Oversight committee punted its hearing to evening, once lawmakers return.

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, perhaps the most outspoken of Trump’s allies who joined him in New York when he was first charged in the case, lambasted her GOP colleagues for dashing to Manhattan when she said they should be back in Washington doing congressional business.

    “I’m here doing my job,” Greene said on the eve of the trip.

    Greene particularly criticized Johnson, the speaker she tried to oust, for “running up” to New York when she is pushing him toward her next big project, dismantling Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office and its federal indictments against Trump, including for trying to overturn the 2020 election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

    It all unfolds as Congress is on record as being among the most unproductive in recent times, with few legislative accomplishments or bills passed into law.

    Republicans swept to House majority control in 2023, but became quickly consumed by infighting as traditional conservatives were pushed aside by Trump’s national populist Make America Great Again movement. They ousted their own leader, then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, derailed priority bills and left Johnson forced to rely on help from Democrats to stay in power, an unheard of scenario.

    “The extreme MAGA Republicans have brought nothing but chaos, dysfunction and extremism to the Congress from the very beginning,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader. “And they cannot point to a single thing that they’ve been able to do on their own to deliver real results, to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers.”

    “Get a job,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted on social media.

    Outside the courthouse, the dozen or so Republican lawmakers didn’t dress the same, as others did with matching dark suits and Trump-styled red ties earlier in the week, but still formed a unified front for Trump.

    “We’re watching the persecution of a patriot,” said Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn. “What a price to be a patriot President Trump has paid.”

    Gaetz called it the “Mr. Potato Head doll of crimes” where the prosecutors had to “stick together a bunch of things” to make a case.

    While some like Gaetz are among Trump’s biggest backers in Congress, others are working quickly to burnish their credentials with the MAGA movement that now defines the Republican Party for their own political survival.

    The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., had been late to endorse Trump, and now faces a difficult primary next month. His Trump-aligned challenger, Republican John McGuire, had a potentially even better position — riding with Trump’s motorcade to the courthouse.

    “We’re here to have his back,” Good said of Trump. “We’re here to defend him and to tell the truth about this travesty of justice, this political persecution, this election interference, this rigging of elections.”

    Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who had been a supporter of his home state presidential contender Nikki Haley, derided the “kangaroo court” prosecuting Trump.

    Arizona Rep. Eli Crane said Democrats are prosecuting Trump because “they can’t beat him” at the ballot box in November.

    Crane said he and other Republicans are fighting to “Make America Great Again,” which after the afternoon of heckling, drew a round of cheers.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press

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  • The Motion to Vacate Mike Johnson Seems Pretty Darn Motionless

    The Motion to Vacate Mike Johnson Seems Pretty Darn Motionless

    It wasn’t looking good for Mike Johnson. Marjorie Taylor Greene, his chief antagonist, was threatening his job—and predicting others would join her cause. As he navigated the foreign aid package through his narrow House last week, with Democratic support and Joe Biden’s backing, the Georgia representative seemed to be right: Hardliners, including some who forced out Kevin McCarthy, were loudly registering their disapproval with Johnson. “It is surrender,” Matt Gaetz said of the speaker’s foreign aid plan. And Donald Trump, who had met with Johnson only days earlier in a show of support, seemed to waver last week as the potential groundswell grew: “We’ll see what happens with that,” the former president told reporters at the time.

    The threat to his gavel isn’t gone, but Johnson may be able to breathe a little easier: So far, only Thomas Massie and Paul Gosar have joined Greene’s motion to vacate—and even some who are frustrated with Johnson have indicated they aren’t mad enough to get into another brawl over the matter. “I think a motion to vacate right now would almost certainly turn the House over to Democrats, and that’s why I won’t support it,” said Gaetz, who led the McCarthy ouster. “I think we do the best we can with the speaker that we have…and have a contest to see who the conference can coalesce around as the best option in November,” added Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good.

    Making matters worse for Greene: Though Steve Bannon claimed that Trump was “furious” with Johnson for pushing through aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, the former president himself maintained Monday that he supports the speaker—a sign, it seems, that he also wants to avoid a messy battle for the gavel in the lead-up to the election. “I think he’s a very good person,” Trump told right-wing radio host John Fredericks Monday, after spending the day in a New York courtroom. “I think he’s trying very hard. And again, we’ve got to have a big election.”

    Johnson, the ex-president said, had “stood very strongly with me on NATO,” of which Trump is a critic, and had followed his advice to structure Ukraine aid partly as a loan. “We have a majority of one, OK?” Trump said. “It’s not like he can go and do whatever he wants to do.”

    Greene, a leading MAGA acolyte in the House, continues to show Johnson less understanding than her party leader: “Mike Johnson’s leadership is over,” she said Sunday on Fox News after the $95 billion aid package passed, including the Ukraine aid she said would cost him his job. “He needs to do the right thing and resign and allow us to move forward in a controlled process.”

    “If he doesn’t do so,” Greened added, “he will be vacated.”

    By whom, though? Trump doesn’t seem to want him gone, which indicates that most who take their marching orders from him won’t, either. And even if she does add to her numbers, many Democrats have already signaled they would throw Johnson the lifeline they wouldn’t for his predecessor: “He deserves to keep his job till the end of his term,” progressive Ro Khanna said. Again, that doesn’t mean Johnson is completely in the clear; he still leads a chaotic conference in which a single member could put his job on the line. But after all of this, it could be Greene who finds herself all alone in the MAGAverse—facing mockery even from conservative media that has long propped her up: “The score in Congress,” the New York Post jeered after the aid package passed, “is now ‘Jewish space lasers lady 0, common sense 1.’”

    Eric Lutz

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  • Senate passage of aid to Israel, Ukraine expected this week – WTOP News

    Senate passage of aid to Israel, Ukraine expected this week – WTOP News

    Congress is now poised to approve $95 billion in foreign aid, which has been the focus of fierce debate for months and could still potentially jeopardize the job of House Speaker Mike Johnson.

    Congress is now poised to approve $95 billion in foreign aid that has been the focus of fierce debate for months and which could still potentially jeopardize the job of House Speaker Mike Johnson.

    The U.S. Senate this week will take up legislation that was finally passed by the House over the weekend, after Johnson decided he could no longer continue trying to appease a few dozen GOP hard-liners.

    As expected, Johnson needed the help of Democrats to get bills passed to provide aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, as well as a bill that seeks to force TikTok to separate from its Chinese parent company.

    “I’ve done here what I believe to be the right thing and that is to let the House work its will,” Johnson said after the vote.

    The bills approved by the House will be combined into one piece of legislation, to make it less difficult for the Senate to approve.

    The Senate is expected to take up a procedural vote on Tuesday that will ultimately be passed and head to President Joe Biden’s desk, for his signature.

    The bills include:

    • $61 billion for Ukraine, including nearly $14 billion for the purchase of weapons
    • $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian relief in Gaza
    • $8 billion for Taiwan and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had implored the House to approve the security package that was passed by the upper chamber in February.

    Still, Johnson delayed taking up the legislation, knowing that introducing aid for Ukraine was like rolling a political grenade into a meeting of his GOP conference.

    ‘We’ll let the chips fall where they may’

    But something changed for Johnson over the past week — at least publicly.

    He decided it was time to take the reins of his leadership and address the issue of aid for Ukraine head on, with his own series of bills.

    “History judges us for what we do,” he said last week, while speaking in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. “This is a critical time right now.”

    He then went on to speak about the need to provide Ukraine with military assistance in its fight against Russia.

    “I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing,” Johnson said. “I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed.”

    That’s in direct contradiction to members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who have argued that sending billions of additional dollars to Ukraine would be a waste of money and better spent on matters in the U.S.

    But Johnson made his comments personal, noting he has a son who will soon be entering the U.S. Naval Academy.

    “To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine, then American boys,” he said.

    Johnson sounded much more like a throwback to another era of the Republican Party, even noting that he grew up admiring the policies of former President Ronald Reagan.

    Still, he is at odds with many members in his party on the issue of Ukraine. A total of 112 Republicans voted against the aid package for Ukraine on Saturday.

    What’s ahead for Speaker Johnson?

    Johnson’s critics charge he’s now more like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi than Ronald Reagan.

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has repeatedly criticized Johnson, arguing he’s “betrayed” the Republican conference on a wide range of issues, beyond Ukraine.

    She continues to hold out her threat of a motion to vacate, which could bring up a vote that could oust Johnson.

    Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Az., have signed on to co-sponsor her motion.

    A single lawmaker can bring up the motion, which is what happened when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted last year.

    While Greene has said more Republicans want to get rid of Johnson, many other GOP lawmakers have indicated they are tired of the chaos.

    With the departure of Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wi., over the weekend, Johnson only has a 217-213 majority.

    That means he can only afford to lose a single Republican vote on any issue he wants to pass on his own.

    Some Democrats have indicated they will vote to keep Johnson as speaker, if a motion to vacate is triggered.

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other top Democrats have kept their powder dry on the issue.

    But Jeffries on Friday did throw some shade at the GOP lawmakers who want to get rid of Johnson.

    “‘Moscow’ Marjorie Taylor Greene, Massie and Gosar are quite a group,” he said. “And I’m sure that will play some role in our conversations.”

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    Mitchell Miller

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  • House approves aid bills for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

    House approves aid bills for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

    Washington — The House approved a $95 billion foreign aid package Saturday, in a pivotal moment for House Speaker Mike Johnson as he tries to stave off a right-wing rebellion. 

    The package consists of four bills that were voted on separately and will be combined into one before being sent to the Senate. The first three bills include $60.8 billion to help Ukraine in its war with Russia; $26.4 billion to support Israel, which is fighting Hamas and Iran; and $8.1 billion to counter China in the Indo-Pacific. Humanitarian aid for Gaza, which Democrats said was necessary for their support, is also included. 

    The fourth bill would allow the sale of frozen assets of Russian oligarchs to help fund future aid to Ukraine, potentially force the sale of TikTok and authorize stricter sanctions on Russia, China and Iran. The House approved the fourth bill Saturday in a 360 to 58 vote. 

    The House voted overwhelmingly to approve the aid bill for allies in the Indo-Pacific in a 385 to 34 vote, with one member voting present, along with the aid for Israel, with a 366 to 58 vote. More contentious was the vote on Ukraine aid, which came after months of infighting among House Republicans. But lawmakers voted 311 to 112 with one member voting present to approve the aid, despite the steep pushback from some House conservatives. 

    The speaker said separating the bills would allow members to vote their “conscience” on each one. 

    In a statement late Saturday afternoon following the House passage, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, indicated that the Senate would take up the vote on the package Tuesday. 

    Schumer said Senate Republicans and Democrats had a “few moments ago…locked in an agreement enabling the Senate to finish work on the supplemental with the first vote on Tuesday afternoon.”

    Schumer thanked Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries “for working together to do the right thing for our country. I know it was a difficult road, but the House is on the right side of history for approving this bill.”

    Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, unveiled the package earlier this week amid increasing pressure from other congressional leaders and the White House to hold a vote on a similar $95 billion package that passed the Senate in February. The Senate package has sat idle in the House for months as the speaker debated a path forward, and as he has faced threats from a small number of Republicans, who oppose sending more aid to Ukraine and want border measures, to hold a vote on dethroning him. 

    “We gave our members a voice, we gave them a chance, we gave them a better process and ultimately a much better policy,” Johnson told reporters after the votes on Saturday, highlighting what he says are improvements from the Senate’s foreign aid package. 

    Johnson said earlier this week that if he hadn’t moved forward with his plan, an effort to bypass him and force a vote on the Senate bill would have gained more support. House Democrats tried to use a rarely successful legislative maneuver known as a discharge petition to do just that, but are short of the 218 signatures needed.

    “We would have had to eat the Senate supplemental bill,” Johnson said. 

    The effort to oust Johnson has three Republican backers so far: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona. Gosar announced his support after more Democrats than Republicans on Friday voted to advance the package, setting it up for final passage on Saturday. 

    The rebellion puts Johnson’s job at risk if Democrats don’t step in to save him if the group of hardliners forces a vote. But Greene hasn’t given a timeline for if and when she plans to force a vote. 

    Johnson has stood behind his decision to bring up Ukraine aid for a vote. Citing classified briefings he’s received, Johnson called the aid “critically important” in pushing back on Russian aggression. 

    “I don’t walk around this building being worried about a motion to vacate,” Johnson told reporters on Saturday. “I’ve done here what I believe to be the right thing and that is to allow the House to work its will. And as I’ve said, you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may.”

    CIA Director William Burns said this week that with the aid from Congress, he believes “Ukraine can hold its own on the battlefield through 2024 and continue to inflict damage on Russia, both with deeper strikes in Crimea and also against Russia’s Black Sea fleet, where the Ukrainians have sunk 16 ships just over the last six months,” after warning about the dire situation for Ukraine should they not get additional financial support from the U.S.

    — Jaala Brown, Ellis Kim and Norah O’Donnell contributed reporting. 

    Caitlin Yilek

    Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at cbsnews.com and is based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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  • House Passes Ukraine, Israel Aid: How It Happened

    House Passes Ukraine, Israel Aid: How It Happened

    He pushed through Ukraine aid despite losing the support of the majority of the House Republican Conference on Saturday afternoon, but the threat to his tenure in office still remains. The question now is what happens once everyone gets back to Capitol Hill in May.

    Marjorie Taylor Greene, who introduced a motion to vacate in March, still isn’t yet ready to trigger it. However, with two Republicans already signing on and plenty of other hard-right members flirting with the idea of ousting him, Johnson will likely face a vote for his job sooner rather than later.

    With members of Congress out on recess, the other question now is how much pressure they’ll face to can Johnson. Traditional right wing media is still backing him — MTG railed at a Fox News reporter over an op-ed the outlet ran calling her an idiot — but MAGA media feels differently. Steve Bannon has endorsed giving Johnson the axe, and Breitbart ran an op-ed on Saturday calling for the same. The pressure campaign against the speaker will be waged in Facebook comments and Twitter and Truth Social posts in the coming days as Republicans see just how angry the conservative grassroots is over Ukraine.

    Even with a massive rebellion, Johnson is still likely to keep his office. Many Democrats have made clear that they don’t want the GOP to oust him for his support for Ukraine aid. But the more conservatives revolt against Johnson, the more he will need those Democrats to save him.

    I wrote about how Johnson decided to go this route here.

    Intelligencer Staff

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