Jan. 6 Panel to Sum Up Its Case Against Trump: Dereliction of Duty – The New York Times
Jan. 6 Panel to Sum Up Its Case Against Trump: Dereliction of Duty – The New York Times

Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the committee, plans to preside over the hearing remotely, after having tested positive for Covid-19 this week.

The panel has already started detailing some of its evidence of Mr. Trump’s inaction. Ms. Matthews has told the committee that a tweet Mr. Trump sent attacking Vice President Mike Pence while the riot was underway was like “pouring gasoline on the fire.”

Mr. Trump had tried unsuccessfully to pressure Mr. Pence, who was inside the Capitol as rioters breached the building chanting “Hang Mike Pence,” to reject Congress’s official count of electoral votes to confirm Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the president-elect.

Both Mr. Pottinger and Ms. Matthews have cited that tweet as contributing to their desire to leave the White House.

“These were people who believed in the work of administration, yet, on this day, when faced with the circumstances, the president’s inaction, and some of the statements he made, they decided they were done, they were going to resign,” Mrs. Luria said. “That is very powerful when you heard from them directly.”

The committee has also said it received testimony from Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who was Mr. Pence’s national security adviser. He told the panel that Ivanka Trump, Mr. Trump’s eldest daughter, urged her father at least twice to call off the violence, as did Mark Meadows, the chief of staff, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/us/politics/jan-6-hearing-today-trump-dereliction-of-duty.html

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Italy’s Draghi resigns, spelling trouble for nation, Europe – The Associated Press
Italy’s Draghi resigns, spelling trouble for nation, Europe – The Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi resigned Thursday after his ruling coalition fell apart, dealing a destabilizing blow to the country and Europe at a time of severe economic uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Draghi tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella during a morning meeting at the Quirinale Palace. Mattarella, who rejected a similar resignation offer from the premier last week, “took note” of the new one and asked Draghi’s government to remain on in a caretaker capacity, the president’s office said. While the president could see if a new parliamentary majority was possible, his office indicated that he would dissolve the legislature and call early elections.

The turmoil couldn’t have come at a worse time for the eurozone’s third-largest economy. Like many countries, Italy is facing soaring prices for everything from food to household utilities as a result of Moscow’s invasion. On top of that, it is also suffering through a prolonged drought that is threatening crops and struggling to implement its EU-financed pandemic recovery program.

Any instability in Italy could ripple out to the rest of Europe, also facing economic trouble, and deprive the EU of a respected statesman as it seeks to keep up a united front against Russia.

Draghi, who is not a politician but a former central banker, was brought in 17 months ago to navigate the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. But his government of national unity imploded Wednesday after members of his uneasy coalition of right, left and populists rebuffed his appeal to band back together to finish the Italian Parliament’s natural term.

Instead, the center-right Forza Italia and League parties and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a confidence vote in the Senate, a clear sign they were done with Draghi.

“Thank you for all the work done together in this period,” Draghi told the lower Chamber of Deputies on Thursday morning before going to see Mattarella. Clearly moved by the applause he received there, he repeated a quip that even central bank chiefs have hearts.

Dubbed “Super Mario” for helping to lead the eurozone out of its debt crisis when he was head of the European Central Bank, Draghi played a similar calming role in Italy in recent months. His very presence helped reassure financial markets about the debt-laden nation’s public finances, and he managed to keep the country on track with economic reforms that the EU made a condition of its 200 billion-euro (-dollar) pandemic recovery package.

He was a staunch supporter of Ukraine and became a leading voice in Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion — one of the issues that contributed to his downfall since the 5-Stars rankled at Italian military help for Ukraine.

Domestic concerns also played a role. The 5-Stars, the biggest vote-getter in the 2018 national election, chafed for months that their priorities of a basic income and minimum salary, among others, were ignored. The final straw? A decision to give Rome’s mayor extraordinary powers to manage the capital’s garbage crisis — powers that had been denied the party’s Virginia Raggi when she was mayor.

While he could not keep his fractious coalition together, Draghi appeared to still have broad support among the Italian public, many of whom have taken to the streets or signed open letters in recent weeks to plead with him to stay on.

Italian newspapers on Thursday were united in their outrage at the surreal outcome, given the difficult moment that Italy and Europe are navigating.

“Shame,” headlined La Stampa on the front page. “Italy Betrayed,” said La Repubblica.

Nicola Nobile, associate director at Oxford Economics, warned Draghi’s departure and the prospect that the country would not have a fully functioning government for months could exacerbate economic turbulence in Italy, which investors worry is carrying too much debt and which was already looking at a marked slowdown for the second half of the year.

Mattarella had tapped Draghi to pull Italy out of the pandemic last year. But last week, the 5-Stars boycotted a confidence vote tied to a bill aimed at helping Italians endure the cost-of-living crisis, prompting Draghi to offer to resign a first time.

Mattarella rejected that offer and asked Draghi to return to Parliament to brief lawmakers on the situation. The premier did so on Wednesday, appealing to party leaders to listen to the calls for unity from ordinary Italians.

“You don’t have to give the answer to me. You have to give it to all Italians,” he told lawmakers.

While the next steps were unclear, Mattarella seemed likely to dissolve Parliament after a period of consultations, paving the way for an election as soon as late September or early October. The legislature’s current five-year term is due to expire in 2023.

Mattarella planned to meet with the presidents of the upper and lower chambers of Parliament later Thursday, his office said. The announcement cited the article in the Italian Constitution that says the president can dissolve Parliament.

Opinion polls have indicated the center-left Democratic Party and the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, which had remained in the opposition, are neck-and-neck.

Democrat leader Enrico Letta said Parliament had betrayed Italy.

“Let Italians show at the ballot that they are smarter than their representatives,” he tweeted.

The Brothers of Italy has long been allied with the center-right Forza Italia of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi and the League of Matteo Salvini, suggesting that a center-right alliance would likely prevail in any election and could propel Brothers’ leader Giorgia Meloni to become Italy’s first female premier.

Meloni, who has been gunning for an early election since before the crisis erupted, was triumphant.

“The will of the people is expressed in one way: by voting. Let’s give hope and strength back to Italy,” she said.

Some commentators noted that Draghi’s government, which has been among Europe’s strongest supporters of Ukraine, collapsed in large part thanks to political leaders who previously had ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Berlusconi has vacationed with Putin and considered him a friend; Salvini opposed EU sanctions against Russia after its 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula; and then there’s 5-Star leader Giuseppe Conte’s opposition to Italian military aid to Ukraine.

After 5-Star senators boycotted last week’s vote, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio accused Conte of giving Putin a gift.

Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/elections-legislature-italy-802d6ab0965feebf4e3f7bda1659df42

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CNN asked all 50 GOP senators if they will support the same-sex marriage bill. Here’s where they stand. – CNN
CNN asked all 50 GOP senators if they will support the same-sex marriage bill. Here’s where they stand. – CNN

By Ali Zaslav, Manu Raju, Ted Barrett, Morgan Rimmer, Jessica Dean and Kristin Wilson, CNN

Updated 7:43 AM ET, Thu July 21, 2022

  1. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana suggested he’s a no on the bill. He argued it is a “silly messaging bill.” “It’s a pure messaging bill. I mean, it’s obviously settled law right now,” Cassidy said. “This is a pure messaging bill by a party which has failed on substantive issues, be it inflation, crime or the border, and now are looking for cultural issues in order to somehow do better in November.” Asked if he would vote for it, Cassidy wouldn’t answer. “It’s such a silly messaging bill, I’m just not going to address that.”
  2. John Cornyn of Texas told CNN he is a no on the legislation.
  3. Ted Cruz of Texas suggested he’s a no on the bill. Cruz, who has publicly disagreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling to legalize same-sex marriage, said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe there is enough Republican support to pass legislation codifying it. “I doubt it,” he said. “If there’s a vote, we’ll see where the votes are.” Asked how he would vote, Cruz dodged, saying: “I support the Constitution and letting the democratic process operate.”
  4. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told CNN he is a no on this bill. He said, “I’ll support the Defense of Marriage Act” — which is what the House-passed bill would repeal.
  5. Josh Hawley of Missouri is a no on the legislation, according to his office.
  6. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma said he’s a no on the bill. “Any attempt by Sen. Schumer to bring up legislation codifying same-sex marriage in the Senate would clearly be an attempt to distract from the Democrats’ failed agenda. That said, my views on marriage have not changed and I would not support codifying same-sex marriage into law,” Inhofe said in a statement to CNN.
  7. Marco Rubio of Florida told CNN he is a no on the legislation, saying it’s a “stupid waste of time.”
  8. Roger Wicker of Mississippi told CNN he’s likely a no on the bill. “I’d probably be a no,” he said, adding: “I do not believe the Supreme Court is going to touch this issue.”
  1. Richard Burr of North Carolina is undecided. He told CNN on Wednesday that he has not seen the bill yet, when asked whether he’d vote for it.
  2. Roy Blunt of Missouri told CNN he isn’t sure and wants “look at it and see.” He also raised the question, “What do we feel obligated to do next?” if the Senate does codify same-sex marriage into federal law. He added: “I don’t have any problem with same-sex marriage, but I’m not sure — I want to look at the legislation.”
  3. Mike Braun of Indiana told CNN on Wednesday he’s going to wait until the bill is brought to the Senate floor, then he’ll look at it.
  4. Joni Ernst of Iowa is keeping an open mind about the same-sex marriage legislation, and she’ll review the bill should it come before the Senate, according to a spokesperson from her office.
  5. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told CNN: “I have not fully reviewed it.”
  6. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming said she’s waiting to read the legislation.
  7. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he hasn’t had a chance to look at it yet.
  8. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was noncommittal on Tuesday when asked whether he’d vote to in support of the House bill that would enshrine protections for same-sex marriage into federal law, saying, “I’m gonna delay announcing anything on that issue until we see what the majority leader wants to put on the floor.”
  9. Mitt Romney of Utah was noncommittal on the bill, telling CNN that the same-sex marriage bill “is not something I’ve given consideration to at this stage” since “I don’t see the law changing.”
  10. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said he hasn’t looked at the bill. “I already think that the fact that we’ve got eight to one on the Supreme Court that indicated that it’s not coming up, probably makes it a moot question to begin with,” he said. Asked how he feels about same-sex marriage in general, he responded: “I think there’s a difference between matrimony as a sacrament and a legal marriage and so if someone wants to do that type of partnership, I’m not opposed to it.”
  11. Rick Scott of Florida told CNN he wants to wait and see, but believes the Supreme Court has already decided this, when asked if he’d support the bill.
  12. Dan Sullivan of Alaska told CNN he “has to review” it. He noted that he accepts the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
  13. John Thune of South Dakota, the GOP whip, told CNN he will take a “hard look” at the bill, even though he has previously opposed same-sex marriage. Thune said he expects the legislation will have similarly strong GOP support in the Senate as it received in the House. “As you saw there was pretty good bipartisan support in the House yesterday and I expect there’d probably be the same thing you’d see in the Senate,” he said. Thune also contended the bill is an effort to distract from economic issues and high inflation ahead of the midterms. Asked if his own views have changed, Thune wouldn’t say explicitly. “I got a view on that, that goes back a long ways. But I also respect the decision that was made by the Court in 2015,” Thune said.
  14. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he hasn’t looked at the bill yet, when asked whether by CNN whether he’d vote for it.
  15. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama told CNN on Wednesday he’d like to wait and look at the entire bill. “But I think people ought to have freedom to do what they want. It’s free country,” he said.
  16. Todd Young of Indiana said he hasn’t read it. “The details are really important. Yeah, so feel more comfortable answering that after I’ve read the legislation,” he said, when asked how he’d vote on the measure.

    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/20/politics/gop-senators-same-sex-marriage/index.html

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    Funeral held for Ivana Trump; former president pays tribute – POLITICO
    Funeral held for Ivana Trump; former president pays tribute – POLITICO

    Ivana and Donald Trump’s three children — Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric — stood with their father and their families as the gold-toned casket was carried from the church. Eric Trump briefly put an arm around his sister’s shoulders as she held the hand of one of her small children, who clutched a red flower.

    Tiffany Trump, the daughter of the former president and his second wife, Marla Maples, also attended the service, as did family friends including Jeanine Pirro, co-host of Fox News’ “The Five,” and Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and the father of Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner. Fashion designer Dennis Basso, a longtime friend of Ivana Trump’s, was also among the mourners.

    The Mass was “an elegant, wonderful send-off for Ivana Trump,” another longtime friend, R. Couri Hay, said as he emerged.

    Trump’s family announced Thursday that the 73-year-old had died at her home. Authorities said the death was an accident, with blunt impact injuries to her torso as the cause.

    Ivana and Donald Trump met in the 1970s and were married from 1977 to 1992. In the 1980s, they were a power couple, and she became well known in her own right, instantly recognizable with her blond hair in an updo and her glamorous look.

    Ivana Trump also took part in her husband’s businesses, managing one of his Atlantic City casinos and picking out some of the design elements in New York City’s Trump Tower.

    Their very public divorce was ugly, but in recent years, they were friendly. Ivana Trump was an enthusiastic supporter of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and said they spoke on a regular basis.

    Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/20/funeral-held-for-ivana-trump-ex-president-pays-tribute-00047073

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    Russia restarts major gas pipeline, expands Ukraine war goals – Reuters.com
    Russia restarts major gas pipeline, expands Ukraine war goals – Reuters.com

    July 21 (Reuters) – Russia is resuming supplies of gas via a major pipeline to Europe on Thursday, the pipeline operator said, amid concerns Moscow would use its vast energy exports to push back against Western pressure over its invasion of Ukraine.

    The resumption of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at reduced capacity following a 10-day maintenance break comes after comments from Russia’s foreign minister showed the Kremlin’s goals had expanded during the five-month war.

    Sergei Lavrov told state news agency RIA Novosti on Wednesday that Russia’s military “tasks” in Ukraine now go beyond the eastern Donbas region.

    Lavrov also said Moscow’s objectives will expand further if the West keeps supplying Kyiv with long-range weapons such as the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

    “That means the geographical tasks will extend still further from the current line,” he said, adding peace talks made no sense at the moment. read more

    Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later told RIA Moscow is not closing the door on talks with Kyiv despite Lavrov’s comments.

    Concern that Russian supplies of gas sent through the biggest pipeline in Europe could be stopped by Moscow prompted the European Union to tell member states on Wednesday to cut gas usage by 15% until March as an emergency step. read more

    “Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, describing a full cut-off of Russian gas flows as “a likely scenario” for which “Europe needs to be ready”.

    Putin had earlier warned that gas supplies via Nord Stream were at risk of being reduced further.

    Russia, the world’s largest gas exporter, has denied Western accusations of using its energy supplies as a tool of coercion, saying it has been a reliable energy supplier.

    As for its oil, Russia will not send supplies to the world market if a price cap is imposed below the cost of production, Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying on Wednesday. read more

    FIGHTING TOLL MOUNTS

    On the battlefront, the Ukrainian military has reported heavy and sometimes fatal Russian shelling amid what they said were largely failed attempts by Russian ground forces to advance.

    In the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian forces said they had destroyed 17 vehicles, some of them armoured, as well as killing more than 100 Russian soldiers in the south and east.

    The Russian-installed administration in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia said Ukraine had conducted a drone strike on a nuclear power station there, but the reactor was not damaged. read more

    Multiple blasts were also heard in the Russian-controlled southern region of Kherson overnight and into Thursday, Russian news agency TASS reported.

    Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

    Russia’s invasion has killed thousands, displaced millions and flattened cities, particularly in Russian-speaking areas in the east and southeast of Ukraine. It has also raised global energy and food prices and increased fears of famine in poorer countries as Ukraine and Russia are both major grain producers.

    The United States estimates that Russian casualties in Ukraine so far have reached around 15,000 killed and perhaps 45,000 wounded, CIA Director William Burns said on Wednesday.

    Russia classifies military deaths as state secrets even in times of peace and has not updated its official casualty figures frequently during the war. read more

    US OPPOSES ANNEXATIONS

    The United States, which had said on Tuesday that it saw signs Russia was preparing to formally annex territory it has seized in Ukraine, promised that it would oppose annexation.

    “Again, we’ve been clear that annexation by force would be a gross violation of the UN Charter, and we would not allow it to go unchallenged. We would not allow it to go unpunished,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a regular daily briefing on Wednesday.

    Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and supports Russian-speaking breakaway entities – the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) – in those provinces, together known as the Donbas.

    Lavrov is the most senior figure to speak openly of Russia’s war goals in territorial terms, nearly five months after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Feb. 24 invasion while denying that Russia intended to occupy its neighbour.

    Then, Putin said his aim was to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine – a statement dismissed by Kyiv and the West as a pretext for an imperial-style war of expansion.

    Lavrov told RIA Novosti that geographical realities had changed since Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held peace talks in Turkey in late March that failed to produce any breakthrough.

    “Now the geography is different, it’s far from being just the DPR and LPR, it’s also Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and a number of other territories,” he said, referring to territories well beyond the Donbas that Russian forces have wholly or partly seized.

    (Corrects first paragraph to remove reference to Nord Stream running through Ukraine)

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-expands-ukraine-war-goals-fighting-toll-mounts-2022-07-21/

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    What we know about Trump’s inaction during the 187 minutes of January 6 – CNN
    What we know about Trump’s inaction during the 187 minutes of January 6 – CNN

    (CNN)The House January 6 committee’s final prime-time hearing Thursday is all about 187 minutes.

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      Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/20/politics/what-we-learned-trump-187-minutes/index.html

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      Biden Announces Plans to Deal With Climate ‘Emergency’ – The New York Times
      Biden Announces Plans to Deal With Climate ‘Emergency’ – The New York Times

      But Mr. Biden’s slow rollout of new climate regulations on power plants and automobiles has also fueled frustration among many in the Democratic base who say the tumultuous state of the nation requires urgency. But with the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, soaring inflation and now failed climate legislation, Mr. Biden has mostly urged Congress to act and Americans to vote while avoiding sweeping executive action that his administration fears could get tied up in the courts.

      The combination of inaction in Congress and increasing number of crises has put Mr. Biden in a political bind just months before the midterm elections. The possibility that Democrats could cede power to Republicans has added urgency to the need to pass legislation quickly.

      “There were very high expectations around a pretty high number of issues from climate to democracy and the hopes of having a F.D.R.-type climate legacy have been replaced with the reversing of 50-year-old rights in this country young women are supposed to have,” said Sean McElwee, the founding executive director of Data for Progress, a liberal policy and polling organization. “I do think that’s demoralizing and maybe expectations were too high.”

      Over the past year, Mr. Biden has directed the E.P.A. to create new regulations to cut emissions from the nation’s three largest sources of planet-warming pollution: cars, power plants and oil and gas wells. Combined, those rules could take a significant bite out of the nation’s carbon pollution, experts said, assuming they stand up to inevitable lawsuits from Republican states. But the rules are not expected to be completed until 2023 or 2024 — and their ambition could still be watered down in response to political objections from automakers, union workers and swing state voters.

      “The unsexy reality is that with these tools, we will make some progress, and it will not be as much as Biden hoped for,” said Jody Freeman, an environmental law professor at Harvard who advised the Obama White House on climate policy. “But making some progress is better than making no progress — and over time these rules could unlock new technologies and gains that we can’t anticipate down the road.”

      Some Democrats see the slow pace and low profile of the rule-making as somewhat of a concession to Mr. Manchin, a coal state senator who has opposed many E.P.A. rules. The White House is still holding out hope that Mr. Manchin will come back to the table in the fall to negotiate some portion of a climate change bill.

      Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/20/us/politics/biden-climate-emergency.html

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      Bipartisan Senate group reaches deal to reform Electoral Count Act – The Guardian US
      Bipartisan Senate group reaches deal to reform Electoral Count Act – The Guardian US

      A bipartisan group of senators reached a deal on Wednesday to reform a federal law and prevent a future presidential candidate from overturning the will of the people and the result of a valid presidential election.

      The lawmakers have agreed to two bills that would reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which governs how electoral votes are counted following a presidential election. Citing ambiguities in the law, Donald Trump and his attorneys pushed his vice-president, Mike Pence, to disrupt the counting of electoral votes that showed he lost the 2020 election, escalating calls for the 135-year-old law to be reformed. Even before the election, experts warned the law was ambiguous and could be exploited.

      “Through numerous meetings and debates among our colleagues as well as conversations with a wide variety of election experts and legal scholars, we have developed legislation that establishes clear guidelines for our system of certifying and counting electoral votes for president and vice-president. We urge our colleagues in both parties to support these simple, commonsense reforms,” the group of 16 senators said in a joint statement. Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, the two Democrats who stymied more sweeping voting rights reform earlier this year, are among the group that developed the proposal. Republicans in the group include Maine senator Susan Collins, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham and North Carolina senator Thom Tillis.

      The first bill is called the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, and would fix ambiguities in the existing law while clarifying when an incoming administration can access federal resources.

      Under current law, Congress has to consider an objection to the counting of electoral votes if just one member of each house objects. One of the proposed bills would raise that threshold, requiring the support least 20% of members in each house to consider an objection. The bill also creates a judicial process with expedited review, first by a three-judge panel then by the US supreme court, over certain matters related to disputed electors.

      In 2020, Trump and allies encouraged submitting alternative slates of electors in key swing states Trump lost. The new law clarifies that only the slate of electors officially approved by the state’s governor can be submitted to Congress. It also clarifies the term “failed election” used in another 19th century law, saying that a state can move its presidential election only if there were “extraordinary and catastrophic events”. There were concerns in 2020 that ambiguities in that language could be used by state legislatures to throw out the popular vote.

      After Trump insisted Pence had the authority to unilaterally throw out electoral votes, the bill makes certain that the vice-president has no such authority. It makes clear that the vice-president’s presence at the counting of electoral votes is solely in a ministerial role.

      The bill also clarifies that both presidential candidates should get access to presidential transition funds while an election result is disputed. Trump delayed giving Joe Biden access to resources to transition in the White House after the 2020 election.

      The Enhanced Election Security and Protection Act is the second proposal, and would up criminal penalties against people convicted of intimidating or threatening candidates, voters and poll workers, amid a significant uptick in threats after 2020. It increases the maximum penalty for those who make threats from one to two years in prison.

      The bill would require election records to be preserved, help the US Postal Service deal with mail-in ballots and reauthorize for five years a commission that works with states to improve their voting practices.

      Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/20/bipartisan-senate-group-electoral-count-act

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      Prosecution rests its case in Steve Bannon trial after calling 2 witnesses – NBC News
      Prosecution rests its case in Steve Bannon trial after calling 2 witnesses – NBC News

      WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday rested what they argue is a pretty straightforward contempt of Congress case against former Trump adviser Steve Bannon after calling just two witnesses.

      Justice Department prosecutors told jurors in their opening statement Tuesday that Bannon thought he was “above the law.” Wednesday’s testimony from a senior staffer on the House Jan. 6 committee and an FBI special agent, who testified — among other things — about Bannon’s posts on the right-leaning social media website GETTR.

      Kristin Amerling, deputy staff director and general counsel of the Jan. 6 committee, told jurors that the House panel understood “that Mr. Bannon had been in communication with the president in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 events and we wanted to understand what he could tell us about the connection between any of these events.”

      She testified that the committee determined that raising claims of executive privilege “was not a valid rationale for refusing to comply” with a congressional subpoena.

      Under questioning from Bannon lawyer Evan Corcoran, Amerling said she hadn’t testified in a contempt of Congress trial before, but noted that was only because it’s so rare for people to defy a congressional committee like Bannon did.

      “It’s very unusual for witnesses who receive a subpoena to say they will not comply, so there haven’t been occasions that I’ve been involved in to be a witness in a criminal contempt proceeding,” she said.

      When FBI Special Agent Stephen Hart took the stand, Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston asked him about posts on Bannon’s GETTR page from September and October of 2021. The September post was a link to a Rolling Stone article about Bannon’s subpoena and the October one was a link to a Daily Mail article about Bannon telling the Jan. 6 committee he wouldn’t comply with the subpoena.

      The implication from prosecutors was that Bannon was not engaged in a good faith debate over executive privilege but instead was just blowing off the committee.

      On cross examination, Hart was asked whether he was saying the posts were Bannon’s words. He said they were the words of either Bannon or someone with access to his account.

      Gaston also asked Hart about a virtual meeting with Bannon lawyer Robert Costello and federal prosecutors that the FBI agent attended. Gaston asked if Costello suggested during the meeting that the dates on the subpoena had moved.

      “No,” Hart replied.

      “Did he suggest that defendant was mistaken about the deadlines?” Gaston asked. “Did he suggest that he was negotiating for a different date?”

      Hart replied “no” to both questions.

      Corcoran suggested Tuesday that the dates of the two subpoenas — one for documents, the other for testimony — were subject to negotiation.

      The judge presiding over the trial, U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, has said the defense is largely limited to offering any evidence showing Bannon believed he was engaged in ongoing negotiations with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, and that the subpoena deadlines were “malleable.”

      The defense will present its case Thursday before both sides present closing arguments and the jury begins deliberations. The Jan. 6 committee, meanwhile, is set to hold a prime-time hearing on Thursday.

      Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/prosecution-rests-case-steve-bannon-trial-calling-2-witnesses-rcna39065

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      CNN asked all 50 GOP senators if they will support the same-sex marriage bill. Here’s where they stand. – CNN
      CNN asked all 50 GOP senators if they will support the same-sex marriage bill. Here’s where they stand. – CNN

      By Ali Zaslav, Manu Raju, Ted Barrett, Morgan Rimmer, Jessica Dean and Kristin Wilson, CNN

      Updated 10:25 PM ET, Wed July 20, 2022

      1. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana suggested he’s a no on the bill. He argued it is a “silly messaging bill.” “It’s a pure messaging bill. I mean, it’s obviously settled law right now,” Cassidy said. “This is a pure messaging bill by a party which has failed on substantive issues, be it inflation, crime or the border, and now are looking for cultural issues in order to somehow do better in November.” Asked if he would vote for it, Cassidy wouldn’t answer. “It’s such a silly messaging bill, I’m just not going to address that.”
      2. John Cornyn of Texas told CNN he is a no on the legislation.
      3. Ted Cruz of Texas suggested he’s a no on the bill. Cruz, who has publicly disagreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling to legalize same-sex marriage, said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe there is enough Republican support to pass legislation codifying it. “I doubt it,” he said. “If there’s a vote, we’ll see where the votes are.” Asked how he would vote, Cruz dodged, saying: “I support the Constitution and letting the democratic process operate.”
      4. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told CNN he is a no on this bill. He said, “I’ll support the Defense of Marriage Act” — which is what the House-passed bill would repeal.
      5. Josh Hawley of Missouri is a no on the legislation, according to his office.
      6. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma said he’s a no on the bill. “Any attempt by Sen. Schumer to bring up legislation codifying same-sex marriage in the Senate would clearly be an attempt to distract from the Democrats’ failed agenda. That said, my views on marriage have not changed and I would not support codifying same-sex marriage into law,” Inhofe said in a statement to CNN.
      7. Marco Rubio of Florida told CNN he is a no on the legislation, saying it’s a “stupid waste of time.”
      8. Roger Wicker of Mississippi told CNN he’s likely a no on the bill. “I’d probably be a no,” he said, adding: “I do not believe the Supreme Court is going to touch this issue.”
      1. Richard Burr of North Carolina is undecided. He told CNN on Wednesday that he has not seen the bill yet, when asked whether he’d vote for it.
      2. Roy Blunt of Missouri told CNN he isn’t sure and wants “look at it and see.” He also raised the question, “What do we feel obligated to do next?” if the Senate does codify same-sex marriage into federal law. He added: “I don’t have any problem with same-sex marriage, but I’m not sure — I want to look at the legislation.”
      3. Mike Braun of Indiana told CNN on Wednesday he’s going to wait until the bill is brought to the Senate floor, then he’ll look at it.
      4. Joni Ernst of Iowa is keeping an open mind about the same-sex marriage legislation, and she’ll review the bill should it come before the Senate, according to a spokesperson from her office.
      5. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told CNN: “I have not fully reviewed it.”
      6. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming said she’s waiting to read the legislation.
      7. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he hasn’t had a chance to look at it yet.
      8. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was noncommittal on Tuesday when asked whether he’d vote to in support of the House bill that would enshrine protections for same-sex marriage into federal law, saying, “I’m gonna delay announcing anything on that issue until we see what the majority leader wants to put on the floor.”
      9. Mitt Romney of Utah was noncommittal on the bill, telling CNN that the same-sex marriage bill “is not something I’ve given consideration to at this stage” since “I don’t see the law changing.”
      10. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said he hasn’t looked at the bill. “I already think that the fact that we’ve got eight to one on the Supreme Court that indicated that it’s not coming up, probably makes it a moot question to begin with,” he said. Asked how he feels about same-sex marriage in general, he responded: “I think there’s a difference between matrimony as a sacrament and a legal marriage and so if someone wants to do that type of partnership, I’m not opposed to it.”
      11. Rick Scott of Florida told CNN he wants to wait and see, but believes the Supreme Court has already decided this, when asked if he’d support the bill.
      12. Dan Sullivan of Alaska told CNN he “has to review” it. He noted that he accepts the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
      13. John Thune of South Dakota, the GOP whip, told CNN he will take a “hard look” at the bill, even though he has previously opposed same-sex marriage. Thune said he expects the legislation will have similarly strong GOP support in the Senate as it received in the House. “As you saw there was pretty good bipartisan support in the House yesterday and I expect there’d probably be the same thing you’d see in the Senate,” he said. Thune also contended the bill is an effort to distract from economic issues and high inflation ahead of the midterms. Asked if his own views have changed, Thune wouldn’t say explicitly. “I got a view on that, that goes back a long ways. But I also respect the decision that was made by the Court in 2015,” Thune said.
      14. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he hasn’t looked at the bill yet, when asked whether by CNN whether he’d vote for it.
      15. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama told CNN on Wednesday he’d like to wait and look at the entire bill. “But I think people ought to have freedom to do what they want. It’s free country,” he said.
      16. Todd Young of Indiana said he hasn’t read it. “The details are really important. Yeah, so feel more comfortable answering that after I’ve read the legislation,” he said, when asked how he’d vote on the measure.

        Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/20/politics/gop-senators-same-sex-marriage/index.html

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        Even a day after Jan. 6, Trump balked at condemning the violence – The Washington Post
        Even a day after Jan. 6, Trump balked at condemning the violence – The Washington Post

        The Jan. 6 insurrection

        The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection has held a series of high-profile hearings throughout the summer. Read the latest hearing recap.

        Congressional hearings: The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol has conducted a series of hearings to share its findings with the U.S. public. The sixth hearing featured explosive testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide.

        Will there be charges? The committee could make criminal referrals of former president Donald Trump over his role in the attack, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said in an interview.

        What we know about what Trump did on Jan. 6: New details emerged when Hutchinson testified before the committee and shared what she saw and heard on Jan. 6.

        The riot: On Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Five people died on that day or in the immediate aftermath, and 140 police officers were assaulted.

        Inside the siege: During the rampage, rioters came perilously close to penetrating the inner sanctums of the building while lawmakers were still there, including former vice president Mike Pence. The Washington Post examined text messages, photos and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6.

        Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/07/20/even-day-after-jan-6-trump-balked-condemning-violence/

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        Georgia’s 6-week abortion ban to go into effect immediately in ‘unorthodox’ ruling – ABC News
        Georgia’s 6-week abortion ban to go into effect immediately in ‘unorthodox’ ruling – ABC News

        Georgia’s so-called “heartbeat law” can go into effect, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday, making the state the latest to institute a six-week ban on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.

        The court additionally allowed the ban to take effect immediately — instead of later this summer, as was initially expected — in an unusual move abortion rights advocates criticized as “horrific.”

        The bill, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law in 2019, had been blocked from going into effect since a lower court ruled it unconstitutional.

        Under the legislation, abortions in the state are banned after about 6 weeks. There are exceptions for medical emergencies, “medically futile” pregnancies and rape and incest — if a police report has been filed. The law also redefines “natural person” under Georgia law to mean “any human being including an unborn child” — including an embryo or fetus at any stage of development.

        The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit lifted an injunction on the law on Wednesday, citing precedent from the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last month in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe.

        The appeals court also vacated an order blocking the expanded definition of natural person, ruling that the redefinition “is not vague on its face,” as abortion-rights advocacy groups had argued. The decision does allow for challenges to specific Georgia statutes amended by the redefinition, according to the plaintiffs in the case.

        The court’s ruling typically wouldn’t have taken effect until it issued an official mandate — usually 28 days after a decision. But the court additionally issued a stay on the lower court’s injunction on Wednesday, allowing the abortion ban to immediately go into effect.

        Previously, abortion up to 21 days and six days of pregnancy had been legal in Georgia.

        Gov. Kemp, one of the defendants in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.

        “We are overjoyed that the court has paved the way for the implementation of Georgia’s LIFE Act, and as mothers navigate pregnancy, birth, parenthood, or alternative options to parenthood — like adoption — Georgia’s public, private, and non-profit sectors stand ready to provide the resources they need to be safe, healthy, and informed,” he said in a statement.

        The organizations that filed the lawsuit called the move by the court to stay the injunction “highly unorthodox” and “outside of the normal court procedures.”

        “This is a highly unorthodox action that will immediately push essential abortion care out of reach for patients beyond the earliest stages of pregnancy,” the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Georgia, Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Southeast and Planned Parenthood Federation of America said in a joint statement. “Across the state, providers are now being forced to turn away patients who thought they would be able to access abortion, immediately changing the course of their lives and futures. This is horrific.”

        Abortion-rights advocates vowed to continue to preserve abortion access in Georgia following the decision.

        “Soon, Georgians past the earliest stages of pregnancy will face that same barrier, and it will be insurmountable for some. People who can’t afford to leave the state will be forced to seek abortion outside the health care system or remain pregnant against their will,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement.

        “This is a grave human rights violation, and Planned Parenthood, along with its partners, will do everything in our power to fight back and ensure all people can get the health care they need, regardless of where they live,” Johnson’s statement added.

        Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate facing off against Kemp in the race for governor, called the law “draconian.”

        “What has been done with this law is an assault on our liberties and we will fight back,” she said in a video message on Twitter.

        Since Roe fell, several other states, including Tennessee, Ohio and South Carolina, have instituted bans on abortion at around 6 weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant.

        Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/Health/georgias-week-abortion-ban-effect-immediately-unorthodox-ruling/story?id=87136941

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        Zelenska to Congress: ‘Russia is destroying our people’ – POLITICO
        Zelenska to Congress: ‘Russia is destroying our people’ – POLITICO

        After thanking Congress for the tens of billions of dollars in military and humanitarian assistance, Zelenska said more needs to be done. She specifically asked for air defense systems that can intercept Russian missiles that are killing Ukrainian civilians daily, and acknowledged the upcoming August recess that will send lawmakers back to their home states for a critical stretch of the war.

        “I am asking for weapons — weapons that would not be used to wage a war on somebody else’s land, but to protect someone’s home and the right to wake up in that home,” she said. “Russia is destroying our people.”

        Hours before Zelenska spoke, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the U.S. will provide four additional rocket launchers to Ukraine as part of a forthcoming package of military assistance.

        Austin, speaking at the fourth meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, said the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems “have made such a difference on the battlefield.” So far, the United States has spent roughly $6.1 billion on military aid to Ukraine.

        Around 100 lawmakers attended Zelenska’s speech, including top congressional leaders from both parties. She received multiple standing ovations. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), who was draped in a Ukrainian flag, flashed the peace sign at Zelenska as her speech was wrapping up.

        “America, unfortunately, knows from its own experience what terrorist attacks are and has always sought to defeat terrorism,” Zelenska said. “Help us to stop this terror against Ukrainains. And this will be our joint great victory in the name of life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.”

        During her introduction, Pelosi noted that Zelenska traveled to Washington “from the heart of the war zone.” Others saw her speech as a call to action.

        “She’s basically conveying to Congress what the human tragedy has been in Ukraine, and putting faces to it,” said Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

        Zelenska’s husband, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has remained in Kyiv since the war began but has traveled to areas surrounding the capital to meet with soldiers and survey the devastation that Russia’s shelling has caused.

        The address to lawmakers comes a day after Zelenska met with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the White House. Zelenska was speaking in the same Capitol room where her husband addressed lawmakers by video four months ago, shortly after Russia’s invasion began.

        Quint Forgey contributed to this report.

        Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/20/ukraine-zelenska-congress-russia-00046916

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        Bannon trial Wednesday: Prosecution calls FBI agent, Hill staffer – The Washington Post
        Bannon trial Wednesday: Prosecution calls FBI agent, Hill staffer – The Washington Post

        The Jan. 6 insurrection

        The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection has held a series of high-profile hearings throughout the summer. Read the latest hearing recap.

        Congressional hearings: The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol has conducted a series of hearings to share its findings with the U.S. public. The sixth hearing featured explosive testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide.

        Will there be charges? The committee could make criminal referrals of former president Donald Trump over his role in the attack, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said in an interview.

        What we know about what Trump did on Jan. 6: New details emerged when Hutchinson testified before the committee and shared what she saw and heard on Jan. 6.

        The riot: On Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Five people died on that day or in the immediate aftermath, and 140 police officers were assaulted.

        Inside the siege: During the rampage, rioters came perilously close to penetrating the inner sanctums of the building while lawmakers were still there, including former vice president Mike Pence. The Washington Post examined text messages, photos and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6.

        Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/20/bannon-witnesses-wednesday-trial/

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        Biden announces modest climate actions; pledges more to come – The Associated Press
        Biden announces modest climate actions; pledges more to come – The Associated Press

        SOMERSET, Mass. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced modest new steps to combat climate change and promised more robust action to come, saying, “This is an emergency and I will look at it that way.”

        The president stopped short, though, of declaring a formal climate emergency, which Democrats and environmental groups have been seeking after an influential Democratic senator quashed hopes for sweeping legislation to address global warming. Biden hinted such a step could be coming.

        “Let me be clear: Climate change is an emergency,″ Biden said. He pledged to use his power as president “to turn these words into formal, official government actions through the appropriate proclamations, executive orders and regulatory power that a president possesses.”

        When it comes to climate change, he added, “I will not take no for an answer.″

        Biden delivered his pledge at a former coal-fired power plant in Massachusetts. The former Brayton Point power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts, is shifting to offshore wind power manufacturing, and Biden chose it as the embodiment of the transition to clean energy that he is seeking but has struggled to realize in the first 18 months of his presidency.

        Executive actions announced Wednesday will bolster the domestic offshore wind industry in the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast, as well as spend $2.3 billion to help communities cope with soaring temperatures through programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies.

        The trip comes as historic temperatures bake Europe and the United States. Wildfires raged in Spain and France, and Britain on Tuesday shattered its record for highest temperature ever registered. At least 100 million Americans face heat advisories in the next few days as cities around the U.S. sweat through more intense and longer-lasting heat waves that scientists blame on global warming.

        Calls for a national emergency declaration to address the climate crisis have been rising among activists and Democratic lawmakers after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., last week scuttled talks on a long-delayed legislative package.

        Biden said Wednesday the option remains under consideration. “I’m running the traps on the totality of the authority I have,” he told reporters after returning to Washington. “Unless Congress acts in the meantime, I can do more″ on climate, he said. “Because not enough is being done now.″

        Biden said he’s been told that some of his legislative proposal on climate remains “in play,″ but he acknowledged he has not spoken to Manchin.

        Gina McCarthy, Biden’s climate adviser, said Biden is not “shying away” from treating climate as an emergency. “The president wants to make sure that we’re doing it right, that we’re laying it out, and that we have the time we need to get this worked out,″ she told reporters on Air Force One.

        Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who attended Wednesday’s event, said he was “confident that the president is ultimately ready to do whatever it takes in order to deal with this crisis.”

        Environmental groups were less hopeful. “The world’s burning up from California to Croatia, and right now Biden’s fighting fire with the trickle from a garden hose,” said Jean Su, energy justice program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

        An emergency declaration on climate would allow Biden to redirect federal resources to bolster renewable energy programs that would help accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels such as coal and oil. The declaration also could be used as a legal basis to block oil and gas drilling or other projects, although such actions would likely be challenged in court by energy companies or Republican-led states.

        Such a declaration would be similar to the one issued by Biden’s Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, who declared a national emergency to build a wall on the southern border when lawmakers refused to allocate money for that effort. A federal appeals court later ruled Trump’s action was illegal.

        Some legal scholars said an emergency order on climate could face a similar fate. The Supreme Court last month limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.

        Declaring a climate emergency “is a way to get around Congress and specifically Joe Manchin. That’s not what emergency powers are for,″ said Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the liberty and national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.

        Biden pledged last week to take significant executive actions on climate after months-long discussions between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., came to a standstill. The West Virginia senator cited stubbornly high inflation as the reason for his hesitation, although he has long protected energy interests in his coal- and gas-producing state.

        For now, Manchin has said he will only agree to a limited legislative deal on health care and prescription drugs. The White House has indicated it wants Congress to take that deal, and Biden will address the climate issue on his own.

        Biden visited the dusty grounds of the former Brayton Point power plant, which closed in 2017 after burning coal for more than five decades. The plant will now make subsea transmission cables to bring power generated by offshore wind to the electrical grid.

        A few dozen people listened in the blazing sun as Biden spoke, including McCarthy, members of Congress and Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, a former Massachusetts senator.

        A new report says the U.S. and other major carbon-polluting nations are falling short on pledges to fight climate change. Among the 10 biggest carbon emitters, only the European Union has enacted polices close to or consistent with international goals to limit warming to just a few more tenths of a degree Celsius, scientists and experts say.

        __

        Daly reported from Washington.

        Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/biden-middle-east-emergency-management-climate-and-environment-febdf09a5251f6b4fea9c4e7d9cdf006

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        Bipartisan Senate Group Strikes Deal to Rewrite Electoral Count Act – The New York Times
        Bipartisan Senate Group Strikes Deal to Rewrite Electoral Count Act – The New York Times

        There is widespread sentiment in Congress that some steps need to be taken to bolster the Electoral Count Act, though there may be disagreement on the specific provisions.

        “The Electoral Count Act does need to be fixed,” Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, told reporters on Tuesday, saying he was “sympathetic” to the aims of those working on the legislation.

        Under the proposal to overhaul the vote count, a state’s governor would be identified as the sole official responsible for submitting the state’s slate of electors following the presidential vote, barring other officials from doing so.

        In an effort to prevent frivolous efforts to object to a state’s electoral count, a minimum of one-fifth of the House and Senate would be needed to lodge an objection — a substantial increase from the current threshold of one House member and one senator. Objections would still have to be sustained by a majority of the House and Senate.

        Following a standoff over the presidential transition in 2020, when Trump administration officials initially refused to provide President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. the funding and office space to begin preparations for assuming power, the legislation would allow more than one candidate to receive transition resources if the outcome remained in dispute.

        After the push by Mr. Trump and his allies to get Mr. Pence to manipulate the electoral count in Mr. Trump’s favor, the legislation would stipulate that the vice president’s role is mainly ceremonial and that “he or she does not have any power to solely determine, accept, reject or otherwise adjudicate disputes over electors.”

        Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/20/us/politics/electoral-count-act-senate.html

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        As congressional path for climate change measures appears to close, Biden announces executive actions – USA TODAY
        As congressional path for climate change measures appears to close, Biden announces executive actions – USA TODAY

        WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced modest steps to address climate change after his legislative agenda to combat the crisis faced a setback in Congress.

        The actions, which Biden said will be followed by additional steps soon, come as lawmakers appear unlikely to move on climate change.

        Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., last week rejected Democrats’ plan to combat climate change and raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and corporations through a pending domestic policy package. Biden needs the backing of all 50 Democratic senators to use a legislative maneuver that prevents Republicans from blocking the package.

        “This is an emergency,” Biden said, hinting at a future national emergency declaration he may make to unlock new federal resources. “I will look at it that way.”

        Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/07/20/biden-climate-executive-actions/10103660002/

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        Senators expect GOP support to grow for same-sex marriage bill in bid to overcome filibuster – CNN
        Senators expect GOP support to grow for same-sex marriage bill in bid to overcome filibuster – CNN

        By Ted Barrett and Manu Raju, CNN

        Updated 2:42 PM ET, Wed July 20, 2022

        Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/20/politics/same-sex-marriage-republican-senators/index.html

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        These are the two final candidates in the race to become the U.K.’s prime minister – NPR
        These are the two final candidates in the race to become the U.K.’s prime minister – NPR

        This composite image shows the two remaining Conservative Leader candidates Liz Truss (left) and Rishi Sunak. Conservative MP’s will cast their votes in their party’s leadership contest with the eventual winner expected to be announced in September.

        Getty Images/Getty Images


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        This composite image shows the two remaining Conservative Leader candidates Liz Truss (left) and Rishi Sunak. Conservative MP’s will cast their votes in their party’s leadership contest with the eventual winner expected to be announced in September.

        Getty Images/Getty Images

        Lawmakers from Britain’s Conservative party have selected the final two candidates in the race to become the U.K.’s next prime minister, in a voting process that now pits former finance minister Rishi Sunak against current foreign minister Liz Truss to replace Boris Johnson.

        Former defense minister Penny Mordaunt was eliminated with just 105 votes, while Sunak received 137 votes from Conservative parliamentarians. Truss received 113 votes.

        In a tweet soon after the announcement on Wednesday afternoon, Truss thanked parliamentary supporters for putting their trust in her and promised to “hit the ground from day one,” while Mordaunt said the party would “go forward together.” Sunak tweeted that he was grateful to colleagues and would “work night and day to deliver our message around the country.”

        Legislators will start their summer recess tomorrow, and over the coming weeks, Sunak and Truss will travel the country putting their case for party leadership to grassroots Conservative members. They will make a series of stump speeches, followed by question and answer sessions, which are known as “hustings.”

        The process is expected to end in early September following a ballot of the party members, at which point Johnson would formally leave his post as caretaker prime minister and depart from Downing Street, and his selected successor would step into the role.

        There are estimated to be up to 200,000 members of the Conservative party in Britain, and because of the way the U.K. parliamentary system is set up, the resignation of Johnson did not automatically trigger fresh national elections.

        Sunak, the country’s former finance minister, resigned from that role earlier this month following Johnson’s shifting narrative about a colleague accused of sexual improprieties. His departure helped precipitate Johnson’s own downfall. A former investment banker, he was first elected as a lawmaker in 2015.

        His popularity with the British public as a top Cabinet member soared during the coronavirus pandemic, when his treasury department announced a series of policies that provided many citizens with financial support.

        Sunak soon became a favorite to replace Johnson, but a controversy over his wealthy wife’s tax affairs and a criminal fine for breaching lockdown rules dented his reputation as a competent operator. He has also said repeatedly that the country’s currently high taxes are necessary for Britain to balance its books without excessive borrowing.

        Truss, the U.K.’s current foreign minister, has remained far more loyal to Johnson, and has enjoyed support among legislators from the right wing of the party, with a series of recent informal polls among grassroots activists also indicating that she is their preferred candidate for the premiership.

        Prior to her career in Parliament, she worked as an accountant, and was elected to her constituency about 90 miles northeast of London back in 2010. She initially opposed Brexit, but has in recent years taken an increasingly hard-line approach to British relations with the European Union, and has regularly threatened to breach the current trade agreement between the U.K. and EU nations. She has promised to cut taxes if she is selected as the next prime minister.

        Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2022/07/20/1112484273/rishi-sunak-liz-truss-uk-prime-minister

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        L.A.’s Sixth Street bridge meets skaters, street racers – Los Angeles Times
        L.A.’s Sixth Street bridge meets skaters, street racers – Los Angeles Times

        The official opening party for the 6th Street Viaduct ended more than a week ago, but the bridge is now getting another inauguration, one from the citizens of Los Angeles.

        Skateboarders, cruisers, taggers, street racers, scooter ditchers, bicyclists, tourists and plain old commuters are taking it from here.

        The half-billion-dollar bridge is out of the lab and ready for the ecosystem to make its imprint — most visibly in the form of curlicue skid marks from drivers doing doughnuts and burnouts on its deck.

        Over the weekend, daredevil skaters hurtled down its tall arches, risking potentially lethal falls. Spectators climbed up the same heights to watch a street takeover billow tire and brake smoke into the air. On Sunday the Los Angeles Police Department shut down the bridge — “again” — as they noted in a tweet. But the rumpus continued, as Monday brought another takeover and brief shutdown.

        “This is the first bridge built in the Instagram era in L.A. — and as we’ve seen, people will do anything in the pursuit of virality,” said Eastside Councilman Kevin De Leon.

        He pointed out that the drag racing is only part of the bridge’s story. “It’s been great to see people enjoying their bridge over the last week, from cool TikToks to stunning photos, this bridge is a lifeline — connecting Angelenos to opportunity, family and the future.”

        On Tuesday his office said the city will add cameras on the bridge to deter and identify drag racers and other illegal activity. The LAPD has also added patrols, and transit officials are looking at putting in higher fencing and some kind of median that were not in the original plans.

        For the record:

        7:28 a.m. July 20, 2022An earlier version of this article misidentified a car in an Instagram video as a Hellcat Chevy. It was a Dodge Challenger.

        During the takeover on Monday night, video posted on Instagram showed a white Dodge Challenger spinning its back wheels as it reared for the race. The driver slammed the gas and in an instant veered into oncoming and parked cars, hit a wall meant to separate pedestrians from traffic, then left the car and fled.

        With its 10 pairs of tilted arches, it is the largest and most expensive bridge the city has ever erected.

        Jessica Pugach, 21, was driving home when her Nissan Sentra was totaled in an instant. The force of impact knocked her into the passenger’s seat.

        “If my car wasn’t stopped, I would’ve flown over the bridge,” she said. “I don’t even know how I’m alive right now.”

        Pugach has made a plea on Instagram for witnesses who saw the crash, as well as people familiar with the takeover community, for help in identifying the driver. No one has been able to confirm the identity of the driver, she said.

        Official hope the $588-million bridge will be more venerable icon than urban Thunderdome — akin to the Golden Gate or Brooklyn bridges. But Los Angeles — birthplace of skater and lowrider cultures, land of commuters, taggers and Insta influencers — has a way of spinning its own stories.

        “Cities have their goal, their intentions of what that bridge means to them,” said Denise Sandoval, a professor at Cal State Northridge and a veteran researcher and curator of lowrider culture. “But the people will make meaning out of public spaces … and maybe it doesn’t always align with the city.”

        In many ways, the drama playing out along the bridge and around it reflect the tensions in the city. Many of the lowriders are frustrated with drag racers who create a safety issue and call police attention to their gatherings, she said. Vocal cyclists are upset with the design of the unprotected biking path. And city crews have to paint over graffiti every day.

        “It’s like the people are starting to make meaning out of that bridge,” she said.

        Frank Gallegos, who lives a few blocks from the bridge, watched over the weekend as traffic from cruisers clogged up Whittier Boulevard.

        “It’s just all the hype, everyone is all mesmerized by it,” he said. The next morning, he like other day trippers came out to take in the sweeping view of the city and walk along the bridge. Boxes of burnt fireworks were scattered. Skid marks stained the fresh concrete. And a few abandoned rented scooters sat in the bike lane. Police were cracking down on drivers who pulled over to take pictures, as joggers, cyclists and cars streamed by.

        “I am loving the bridge even though it’s only been two weeks,” he said.

        Photos show the 6th Street Viaduct in downtown Los Angeles opening to pedestrians and then vehicle traffic.

        The Sixth Street Viaduct is the largest and most expensive bridge the city has ever erected, connecting downtown to Whittier Boulevard, the heart of the historic Eastside.

        “It kind of gives me Brooklyn bridge vibes,” said Michele Phu, 30, an Arts District bartender who stopped to sip water as she ran across the bridge. “I just love seeing everyone outside on their bikes and walking the bridge.”

        More than just a route into downtown, the bridge connects the Eastside community that for decades has been economically and racially segregated from other parts of Los Angeles.

        Eric Avila, an urban historian at UCLA, said watching the images on television of the burnouts bristled him, harking back to the lawless portrait of the Eastside often portrayed decades ago, when the Los Angeles County sheriff would shut down Whittier Boulevard for long stretches because of cruising.

        “Now, given the scope and the frequency of that activity, why should we be surprised that it’s now on this shiny new bridge?” he said. “The dynamic exists in most every modern city, around the world you know, people using these spaces in ways that were not intended by the designers or the sponsors of new spaces.”

        He sees the bridge as a hopeful sign. “It’s a fitting beginning or end to Whittier Boulevard, which historically is the heart of Mexican American Los Angeles. The bridge is symbolic of reconnecting or reintegrating that community into the larger civic fabric.”

        Not everyone sees the structure as kindly.

        “It’s like a really beautiful glorified freeway basically,” said James Rojas, an urban planner and artist who looks at Latino cultural influences on urban design. Burning hot during the summer, the concrete bridge has little shade and is largely made for cars.

        The bridge, he said, can make a beautiful picture from a loft in the Arts District, but it is the antithesis of the landscape around East Los Angeles, where immigrants and generations of families often find solace in small gardens and intimate spaces. Instead, he said the structure is harsh, “more about the spectacle than the practicality.”

        The viaduct replaced a Depression-era bridge demolished in 2016 because its concrete was crumbling. The location of the span has long offered a picturesque spot capturing both the concrete arches and the city backdrop: freeways, skyscrapers, palm trees, little homes hugging the hills.

        “Los Angeles is one of the most highly segregated cities in the country,” said Anne LaBorde, 70, a retired healthcare manager from West Hollywood who came to walk the bridge with her nephew and best friends. “So anything that L.A. does to bring its communities together, I am for. I happen to love graffiti.”

        She also knows it will get painted over.

        “But it’s Los Angeles. Nobody’s ever going to stop putting graffiti.”

        Source Article from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-20/the-sixth-street-viaducts-baptism-by-la

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        Judge orders Rudy Giuliani to testify before grand jury in Trump election probe – NBC News
        Judge orders Rudy Giuliani to testify before grand jury in Trump election probe – NBC News

        A New York judge has ordered Rudy Giuliani to testify before the Georgia special grand jury hearing evidence in an investigation into possible 2020 election interference by former President Donald Trump and others, court filings show.

        The order came after Giuliani, who was Trump’s personal attorney, failed to appear at a July 13 hearing before the judge to challenge a subpoena for his testimony in the investigation.

        Giuliani was subpoenaed earlier this month as a “material witness” by the grand jury called by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to investigate any “coordinated attempts to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 elections.” The subpoena said Giuliani made statements at legislative hearings in Georgia falsely claiming that there had been “widespread voter fraud” in the state.

        “There is evidence that [Giuliani’s] appearance and testimony at the hearing was part of a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere,” the subpoena said.

        In a filing in Fulton County Superior Court on Wednesday, Willis said Giuliani has been ordered to appear before the grand jury on August 9 “and on any such other dates as this court may order.”

        A lawyer for Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The special grand jury has also subpoenaed other members of Trump’s former legal team.

        Separately, a Fulton County judge has ordered Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify before the grand jury on Aug. 2 after the senator’s lawyers had indicated he wouldn’t comply with the grand jury’s subpoena for his testimony. The subpoena seeks about phone calls he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff about the 2020 election.

        Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., a Trump ally who voted to reject the state-certified election results, is also fighting a subpoena to testify before the grand jury.

        Meanwhile, nearly a dozen of Georgia’s false presidential electors revealed they’ve been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury as well, according to a court filing. An attorney for Willis said in a separate filing that all 16 of the false electors have been notified they are targets of her investigation.



        Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/judge-orders-rudy-giuliani-testify-grand-jury-trump-election-probe-rcna39119

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