#Speaker Johnson faces balancing act to avoid shutdown

#Speaker Johnson faces balancing act to avoid shutdown

Disagreement among House Republicans over Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) two-step plan to extend government funding until next year is throwing Washington into uncertain territory ahead of a Friday shutdown deadline — a familiar pattern for the House GOP that is nonetheless creating the Speaker’s first major balancing act of his tenure. Chances of a shutdown…

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#Congress barrels toward shutdown with House GOP divided

#Congress barrels toward shutdown with House GOP divided

Congress is barreling towards a government shutdown this week as Friday’s funding deadline inches closer, with House Republicans at odds over Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) pitch to keep the lights on in Washington. Johnson unveiled an unconventional two-step stopgap bill over the weekend, which would extend funding at current levels for some agencies until mid-January…

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#House may consider Mayorkas impeachment this week

#House may consider Mayorkas impeachment this week

The House may consider a resolution this week that aims to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after a push by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to do so, according to the chamber’s schedule of measures it plans to consider. The Mayorkas impeachment resolution was listed under measures the chamber “may” consider. The House will…

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#Declining GOP debate ratings won’t help candidates catch Trump

#Declining GOP debate ratings won’t help candidates catch Trump

Fewer and fewer people are watching the GOP’s presidential debates, raising sharper questions about their relevance in a cycle where the party’s front-runner, former President Donald Trump, is skipping them. Fewer than 7 million people tuned in for this week’s debate, where Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis both got solid reviews for their performances. But with a dwindling audience…

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#Former prosecutor on Stefanik’s ethics complaint against NY fraud judge: ‘She knows better’

#Former prosecutor on Stefanik’s ethics complaint against NY fraud judge: ‘She knows better’

A former federal prosecutor went after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Friday, saying her ethics complaint against the judge presiding over former President Trump’s New York business fraud trail is “irresponsible.” “She knows better,” Andrew Weissmann told MSNBC on Friday. “And that is really — this idea that it’s constantly a step too far and…

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#FDA approves first vaccine for mosquito-born viral disease

#FDA approves first vaccine for mosquito-born viral disease

The Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) approved the first vaccine for the mosquito-born illness chikungunya on Thursday, a key step in fighting the dangerous virus. Chikungunya virus infects more than 300,000 people per year globally, the FDA said, mostly in the global south. The virus has recently become more prevalent in the north, however, leading…

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#What I know about Joe Manchin

#What I know about Joe Manchin

Several months ago, I hosted a fundraiser for Sen. Joe Manchin on Long Island. My progressive friends flooded my in-box almost instantly with incredulous, all caps, “HOW COULD YOU?????” protests. One would have thought I was supporting Vlad the Impaler instead of the Democratic senator from West Virginia. I should have expected it. It’s been…

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