#JosephLieberman, the doggedly independent 4-term #US#senator from #Connecticut who was the Democratic nominee for VP in 2000, becoming the first Jewish candidate on the national ticket of a major party, died March 27 in NYC. He was 82.
The cause was complications from a fall, his family said in a statement.
His full-throated support of the 2003 invasion of #Iraq & the increasingly unpopular #war that followed doomed #JoeLieberman’s bid for the Democratic presidential nom in 2004 & led to his rejection by #Connecticut#Democrats when he sought his 4th #Senate term in 2006. He kept his seat by running that Nov as an #independent candidate & attracting substantial support from #Republican & unaffiliated voters.
“I have not always fit comfortably into conventional political boxes,” #JoeLieberman said near the end of his #Senate career, an understatement that tiptoed around the anger his maverick ways stoked among many liberals.
His transition from #AlGore’s running mate in 2000 on the Democratic ticket to high-profile cheerleader for #JohnMcCain 8 yrs later was a turnaround unmatched in recent American politics.
#JoeLieberman generally voted w/his party (#Democrats), but he sided w/ #Republicans on cutting the capital gains tax, vouchers for parents to send their children to private schools, & placing restrictions on consumer lawsuits against corps, the latter of special interest to #Connecticut’s large #insurance companies.
His willingness to buck his party put him at odds w/teachers, trial lawyers & other powerful Dem constituencies. But it gave him influence w/in the increasingly #polarized#Senate….
#Shutdown deadline passes as #Senate votes on spending bill
The #House already passed the $1.2T bill. Funding for parts of the #FederalGovernment expired at 12:01AM Sat — but the Senate was working its way through a series of amendments to fund agencies for the next 6 months, which means the lapse in funding could end before fed #workers come in Mon.
The #legislation’s passage in the #Senate is not in doubt — it has the support of President #Biden (cuz it’s better than nothing), Senate Majority Leader Chuck #Schumer & Minority Leader Mitch #McConnell. But a single senator can throw up procedural roadblocks & push the govt past the #shutdown deadline….
…>½ of #IRS employees would face furloughs at the height of #tax filing season. #Border Patrol officers & about 1.3M active-duty #military#service members would remain on the job #withoutPay.
"The Republican Party, eyeing control of the Senate next year, is trying to mimic [Trump's] success with a cohort of candidates who in the past might have been attacked as a bunch of rich men but this year will be sold as successful outsiders in the Trump mold."
"The decision by Ohio voters on Tuesday to nominate Bernie Moreno to take on Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, is the capstone of a year that has crowned nominees — or anointed clear front-runners — with remarkable wealth in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Montana and now Ohio."
Congressional Leaders Strike Deal on Final Spending Bill Ahead of #GovernmentShutdown
Lawmakers resolved disputes over #DHS funding, paving the way for an agreement. But they may still be unable to meet a Friday deadline to avert a brief partial #shutdown.
A breakthrough on Mon night, in which Democrats & #Republicans were able to agree to #HomelandSecurity funding levels for the rest of the fiscal year, allowed negotiators to finalize their deal.
“An agreement has been reached” that will enable #Congress to fund the #government through Sept 30, Speaker #MikeJohnson said in a stmnt. “#House & #Senate cmtes have begun drafting bill text to be prepared for release & consideration by the full House & Senate as soon as possible.”
The vote in favor was overwhelming, but doesn’t ensure the measure will become #law. It must still be considered by the #Senate, where Sen #RandPaul on Tues said he might block any swift consideration, something he did a year ago to a similar bill.
Wed’s vote marks the 1st time 1 of the houses of #Congress has approved #legislation that could effectively ban a major #socialmedia platform — one used by an estimated 170M people in the #UnitedStates monthly.
Menendez's #Senate seat will be contested in the Nov 5 election, & multiple NJ #Democrats are vying to replace him. The chamber is divided 50-50 between Dems & #Republicans, w/ VP #KamalaHarris able to cast tie-breaking votes for the Dems.
#McConnell endorses #Trump
🤬🤬🤬
The #Senate minority leader is the highest-ranking #Republican to back Trump, & the move could help the f⁕⚠︎er w/major #donors “It is abundantly clear that …Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” #MitchMcConnell said in a statement to The Washington Post.
BREAKING: Sen. Kyrsten #Sinema just announced that she's NOT running for re-election to the #Senate. #Arizona
ADDED: WaPo: Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) entered the race more than a year ago, while Kari Lake, a former gubernatorial candidate and TV news anchor, is widely expected to nab the Republican nomination.
"#Trump is encouraging Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to run for GOP leader — a move that would significantly shake up the race to succeed Mitch #McConnell later this year.
Daines currently helms #Senate Republicans' campaign arm. Daines indicated to Trump that he appreciates Trump's encouragement but is focused on winning back the Senate majority this fall..."
“Rep Andy Kim, Dem running for #Senate in #NewJersey against the state’s first lady, filed fed lawsuit that seeks to redesign the ballot before June’s contentious primary election, arguing the current layout unfairly benefits candidates supported by party leaders.
The complaint aims to topple NJ’s longstanding ballot-design process, which is unique to the state, by asserting it violates the constitution and permits voters to be “cynically manipulated.”
Do Nothing House speaker Mike #Johnson (R-LA) canceled tomorrow’s votes and sent the #House of Representatives into recess!
Before recessing, Johnson refused to take up the national security supplemental bill the #Senate passed early Tuesday morning, providing aid for #Ukraine, #Israel, and #Taiwan and humanitarian aid for #Gaza. Johnson said the House must “work its own will” rather than vote on the bill at hand because the measure did not include #border security measures (that they just snuffed🤬)
Jay Kuo says that as the Senate hammers out a bill for aid to Ukraine, senators "understand that Russia believes it can prevail with enough patience—and if it can successfully splinter Western support for Ukraine."
And:
"That splintering is evident now in the House GOP conference. Speaker Mike Johnson is doing Trump’s bidding, who in turn is doing Putin’s bidding."
"And it’s no accident that Trump recently signaled that if he were president again, he would tell Russia to do whatever the hell it wanted. As a result, Speaker Johnson has indicated that aid for Ukraine won’t even get a House vote."
Senate Democrats mocked the NRSC’s endorsement in a statement.
“#KariLake is the poster child for #Senate Republicans’ candidate quality problem and abysmal recruiting strategy,” said Tommy Garcia, spokesman for DSCC.
The #Senate has approved a $95 billion aid package for #Ukraine, #Israel and the Indo-Pacific. But new, steep opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson has thrown the bill’s prospects in the lower chamber into question -CBS
“#Trump spent the weekend telling senators they should not pass more unconditional U.S. foreign aid. More than a dozen Republicans ignored him Sunday, again advancing a bill to send $95 billion in aid to #Ukraine, #Israel and #Taiwan.
67-27 …still isn’t guaranteed, as leaders haven’t yet reached an agreement on GOP-demanded border amendments” #Senate
“Representative Andy Kim, a third-term Democratic congressman, won an early but significant victory on Saturday against #NewJersey’s first lady, Tammy Murphy, as they compete in one of the country’s most closely watched #Senate primaries.”