# data[].attributes.body
1. Include the link or upload
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of this principle?
4. What is your opinion of this?

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2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of this principle?
4. What is your opinion of this?

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1. Include the link or upload
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of this principle?
4. What is your opinion of this?

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1. Include the link or upload
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3. Why is this an example of this principle?
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1. Include the link in the LINK SPOT!!
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of the Executive branch using its powers?
4. What is your opinion of this?

# data[].attributes.body
1. Include the link in the LINK SPOT!!
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of the Legislative branch using its powers?
4. What is your opinion of this?

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1. Include the link or upload
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of this principle?
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1. Include the link or upload
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of this principle?
4. What is your opinion of this?

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1. Include the link or upload
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of this principle?
4. What is your opinion of this?

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Government Shutdown Deadline Looms as Senators Make Last-Minute Demands

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Government Shutdown Deadline Looms as Senators Make Last-Minute Demands

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Dec 11, 2020
-They were trying to force votes to keep the Government funded.
-I think that this is a bad idea because it isn't good to force something on anyone for something you want.

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WASHINGTON-The Senate passed a stopgap measure to fund the government for one week, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate a long-sought coronavirus-relief agreement and wrap up a broader spending package.

President Trump signed the measure into law Friday night.

Approval of the short-term spending bill sets up a sprint to resolve a set of difficult issues before Congress in a matter of days. In the coronavirus talks, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has struggled to close out a proposal because of disagreements on how to craft liability protections for businesses, schools, and health-care providers who face coronavirus-related lawsuits.

The negotiations on the liability issue among the rank-and-file members has prompted Senate Republicans to push for excluding the issue from the current bill entirely, dropping a demand that any relief bill must include it. In return, Republicans are insisting that the bill also exclude aid for state and local governments, a measure championed by Democrats.

Democrats have so far rejected the trade. They maintain the bill must include aid for state and local governments whose finances have suffered during the pandemic.

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Senate Averts Shutdown as Covid-Aid Talks Continue

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WASHINGTON-The Senate passed a stopgap measure to fund the government for one week, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate a long-sought coronavirus-relief agreement and wrap up a broader spending package. President Trump signed the measure into law Friday night.

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Congressional Leaders Remain At An Impasse On COVID-19 Relief

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Congressional Leaders Remain At An Impasse On COVID-19 Relief

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-KERA NPR, Dec. 8, 2020
It shows the Congress arguing over the stimulus checks and funding state/local governments.
I just think that this funding needs to get passed, because lots of people have been without money for months, and they need the stimulus now.

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Congressional leaders remain at odds over the details of a coronavirus relief bill despite efforts to speed to a resolution before several existing programs expire at the end of the month.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., traded public barbs Tuesday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., over how to overcome a months-long standoff over the two most significant partisan demands, funding for state and local governments and a liability shield to protect against coronavirus-related lawsuits.

Republicans have repeatedly rejected Democrats' demands for $150 billion in funding for state and local governments, and Democrats have been equally opposed to a GOP request for a sweeping liability ban.

McConnell suggested the parties each abandon their demands and put the issues to the side until next year.

"What I recommend is we set aside liability and set aside state and local and pass those things that we can agree on, knowing full well we'll be back at this after the first of the year," McConnell said at a press conference in the Capitol. "We can't leave without doing a COVID bill - the country needs it."

The comments are a significant departure for McConnell, who has insisted on liability limits for months. Schumer rejected the idea almost immediately, accusing McConnell of attempting to sabotage bipartisan negotiations.

"The state and local funding provisions have broad bipartisan support from the National Governors Association and within the Senate - many Republicans support state and local funding," Schumer said. "Unlike the extreme corporate liability proposal leader McConnell made, which has no Democratic support."

Congressional leaders are working to finalize the details of a narrow, short-term coronavirus aid package, but some lawmakers are making a last-minute push to add a fresh round of stimulus checks to the deal.

McConnell and Pelosi have said they hope to include coronavirus relief in a year-end spending bill. The deadline for that legislation is Friday, but lawmakers released short-term legislation Tuesday that would give them until Dec. 18 to reach a deal.

Separately, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin released a statement Tuesday evening saying that he presented a proposal for a $916 billion package to Pelosi, which included both money for state and local governments and liability protections. Mnuchin said he reviewed that proposal with McConnell, the president and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

"I look forward to achieving bipartisan agreement so we can provide this critical economic relief to American workers, families and businesses," Mnuchin said.

The current negotiations have been focused on a $908 billion bipartisan plan that includes more money for small businesses, additional federal unemployment benefits and money for testing, vaccine distribution and schools. Republican leaders have insisted that any coronavirus bill be limited in scope, but Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters this week he is urging President Trump to veto any bill that doesn't include checks for individual Americans.

"I continue to be flummoxed as to why there aren't any direct payments on it. Everybody supported this in March," Hawley said. "It's the most useful, helpful and, frankly, popular aspect."

The legislation under consideration would extend widely used safety net programs such as $300 per week in federal unemployment benefits, a ban on evictions from properties with federally backed mortgages and a pause on student loan payments. All of those programs are set to expire at the end of December.

But leaders had avoided discussions of more stimulus checks to help ease passage in the Senate, where GOP leaders have insisted on keeping funding under $1 trillion. The last round of $1,200 checks that were approved in the CARES Act in March cost the government about $293 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, one of the negotiators working on a bipartisan COVID-19 bill, told reporters that direct checks are not part of the current discussion.

"I know there's considerable public support for it, but right now we're targeting struggling families, failing businesses, health care workers," Collins said. "We don't have a stimulus check to every single person, regardless of need."

Trump has supported the idea of new checks in the past, including an October tweet demanding a new round of checks as a standalone bill.

But Trump isn't directly involved in the current talks and has tasked Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows with overseeing the negotiations.

Hawley isn't alone in arguing for fresh payments. Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have been calling for more payments, arguing that people who are at risk of eviction need more than a halt to the proceedings that could leave them homeless.

"What I have real concerns about is the American people thinking Congress struck a deal, we're getting COVID relief, and then their lives changing very little, if nothing on a material basis," Ocasio-Cortez told a reporter pool last week on Capitol Hill, acknowledging that something is better than nothing. But she added, "If they don't get a stimulus check, then relief isn't going to be felt in their lives. Not in a substantive way."

Ocasio-Cortez said she will support the legislation, which includes money for hospitals and hard-hit state and local governments, but she thinks Congress needs to do more.

Adding another round of similar checks would increase the total cost of the package currently being negotiated by nearly one-third. The push from Hawley comes as leaders are narrowing in on a deal but remain in conflict over GOP demands to ban liability lawsuits related to COVID-19.

Democrats included a new round of direct payments in the two larger coronavirus aid packages that passed the House in May and October. Democrats generally support adding checks to the talks if Senate Republicans will agree, according to several aides.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont told reporters he's talked to Hawley and is working "24/7 right now with anybody and everybody" to get stimulus checks added to any deal.

"I think Trump supporters out there like everybody else are hurting right now. Many have lost their jobs, many are struggling with issues of eviction," Sanders said. "They want that $1,200, and I hope that the Republican leadership and members of the Republican Caucus understand that."

Democrats are hoping to pass a new round of aid quickly after President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.

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Congressional Leaders Remain At An Impasse On COVID-19 Relief

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Congressional leaders remain at odds over the details of a coronavirus relief bill despite efforts to speed to a resolution before several existing programs expire at the end of the month.

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Congress Must Act Now to Provide an Economic Bridge to the Coronavirus Vaccine

-The New Yorker 12/05/20
3. This is an example of the legislative because congress has passed four emergency bills
4. my opinion is that they really must act fast because people are dying fast, and the virus is spreading rapidly.

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In a year when much of the U.S. government's response to the coronavirus pandemic has proved tragically inept, economic policy initially appeared to be a relatively bright spot. In March and April, Congress passed four emergency-spending bills, most notably the CARES Act, which together authorized close to three trillion dollars in financial support for the unemployed, stricken businesses, and state and local governments that faced massive additional demands at the same time that their tax revenues were falling. Although these spending bills were widely described as an economic stimulus, that term was a bit misleading. Enacted at a time when the first wave of coronavirus infections was raging, with no cure or vaccine in sight, the bills were really a form of disaster aid, intended to get the country through an unprecedented public-health crisis.

In some areas, such as providing protective equipment and bonus payments to the essential workers who were putting their lives at risk, more could have been done. But at greater than ten per cent of G.D.P., the over-all fiscal response was unrivalled in American peacetime. Importantly, the spending bills were accompanied by other supportive measures, such as moratoriums on eviction for renters and mandatory forbearance for people struggling to make mortgage or student-loan payments.

As stay-at-home orders spread across the country, this policy response didn't prevent an alarming increase in joblessness and income losses, particularly among minority and low-income groups. It did help avert a downward spiral into a Great Depression-type scenario. In terms of over-all declines in G.D.P., the coronavirus recession in the U.S. has been less steep than the downturns have been in many European countries. According to new estimates from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a Paris-based international research group, U.S. G.D.P. will shrink by about 3.7 per cent in 2020, compared to estimated declines of 5.5 per cent in Germany, 9.1 per cent in France, and 11.2 per cent in the United Kingdom.

That's the good news. Unfortunately, Congress and the Trump Administration failed to follow up on the initial spending measures, many of which were time-limited. Over the summer, as the number of virus cases picked up again, many economists warned that a failure to act could lead to a second economic downturn-a double dip. The weaker-than-expected employment report for November, which the Labor Department released on Friday, indicated that such an outcome is now looming, despite all the encouraging news on the vaccine front. To provide the economy with a bridge to the point at which a vaccine will be widely available, Congress needs to act immediately. If it doesn't, there could be much more needless damage and suffering during the next few months.

The headline figure from the jobs report was that payrolls rose by two hundred and forty-five thousand-a decent outcome in normal times, but these times are anything but normal. Despite a steady bounce back in hiring since April, when the official unemployment rate reached 14.7 per cent, the non-farm economy as a whole still had 9.8 million fewer jobs than it did in February, when the pandemic hit. And now, the pace of job creation has slowed a lot. According to revised figures contained in the employment report, the economy created seven hundred and eleven thousand jobs in September and six hundred and ten thousand in October. The payrolls figure for November, which is based on a survey of businesses and government agencies, suggests that hiring fell by nearly sixty per cent last month.

Even that estimate probably understates the economic toll that the relentless spread of the virus is taking. In calculating the jobs figures, the government carries out two surveys, and the second one-of households rather than businesses-indicated that total employment actually fell by seventy-four thousand in November. Even though the payrolls figure was positive, it is already out of date. The government did the household survey work on which the number is based during the period from November 8th to 14th. With the number of new coronavirus cases continuing to rise, economists expect a further slowdown in hiring and spending. If current trends continue, the jobs report for December, which will come out in early January, could be very ugly.

The onus is now on Congress. "This morning's jobs report indicates a clear slowdown in labor market momentum," the economics research team at Goldman Sachs said in a circular sent to the firm's clients on Friday. "And the near-term outlook continues to depend on the evolution of the virus and the outcome of fiscal negotiations." After the jobs report was released, investors bid up stock prices again in anticipation of a legislative deal, likely based on a spending package that a bipartisan group of senators put forward earlier this week.

The proposal would be worth about nine hundred billion dollars, or about four per cent of G.D.P.-a big chunk of change. Close to three hundred billion dollars would go to small businesses, including by extending the Paycheck Protection Program, which is designed to help companies retain their workers; about a hundred and eighty billion would go to extending unemployment benefits; a hundred and sixty billion dollars would be spent in additional aid to state, local, and tribal governments, which have seen their tax revenues fall sharply; and eighty-two billion would go toward helping schools. Democratic leaders in Congress have welcomed this proposal as the basis of a deal, and so has the President-elect, Joe Biden. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary, haven't gone that far, but McConnell did suggest on Thursday that a compromise was "within reach." The two sides are hoping to reach a consensus on a package that could be attached to an omnibus spending bill, which must be passed before the end of next week to keep the government funded and open.

On Friday, the Republican-leaning U.S. Chamber of Commerce added its voice to calls for immediate action. "Today's job report shows a slumping economic recovery," Neil Bradley, the organization's executive vice-president, said in a statement. "The fire alarm is sounding on our economy, and the only question is whether Congress will respond." To fail to do so would be inexcusable.

Read More About the Presidential Transition

Donald Trump has survived impeachment, twenty-six sexual-misconduct accusations, and thousands of lawsuits. His luck may well end now that Joe Biden is the next President.

With litigation unlikely to change the outcome of the election, Republicans are looking to strategies that might remain even after rebuffs both at the polls and in court.

With the Trump Presidency ending, we need to talk about how to prevent the moral injuries of the past four years from happening again.

If 2020 has demonstrated anything, it is the need to rebalance the economy to benefit the working class. There are many ways a Biden Administration can start.

Trump is being forced to give up his attempt to overturn the election. But his efforts to build an alternative reality around himself will continue.

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Congress Must Act Now to Provide an Economic Bridge to the Coronavirus Vaccine

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In a year when much of the U.S. government's response to the coronavirus pandemic has proved tragically inept, economic policy initially appeared to be a relatively bright spot.

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Trump on course to complete UAE arms deal after Senate fails to block him

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Trump on course to complete UAE arms deal after Senate fails to block him

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- Washington Post, Dec. 9, 2020

This shows the president passing on an arms deal, which shows how the president works by passing laws.
I do not like this idea at all, because the arms deal can get dangerous at times, and it could also fuel an enemy as well.

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A F-35 Lightning II flown by Air Force Capt. Kristin "BEO" Wolfe performs during this year's Fort Lauderdale Air Show in Florida. (Capt. Kip Sumner/U.S. Air Force/Reuters)

The Trump administration remains on course to complete a controversial $23 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates after bipartisan Senate efforts to block the deal failed to gain enough support to clear a critical procedural hurdle Wednesday.

A majority of senators voted against two motions to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets, Reaper drones and other military equipment, stymying the effort to stop - or at least slow - the sale of cutting-edge weaponry to a country with which the United States has an exceptionally tense alliance.

Senators backing the legislation have raised alarms about the speed with which the Trump administration has tried to complete the sale, which was announced in the wake of the Emiratis signing a peace deal with Israel. They have also warned that the administration's end-run around Congress sets a dangerous precedent of cutting lawmakers out of national security deliberations.

"Why the rush?" said Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking Democrat Robert Menendez (N.J.), who sponsored the resolutions along with panel senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). "Are they trying to lock in the sale before President-elect Biden is inaugurated, regardless of the possible cost to U.S. and Israeli national security?"

Peace deal or arms race? Proposed sale of F-35 to UAE raises fears in Israel.

Advocates of the arms deal have argued that selling the attack aircraft and munitions to the Emirates will improve Israel's regional security and is a necessary reward to Abu Dhabi for signing the peace deal.

"The UAE is worthy of this sale because it is strongly aligned with the United States in the Middle East," Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) said Tuesday. "Voting down this sale would signal to our partners that even when they do everything we ask . . . the U.S. won't have their backs."

But the senators who tried to block the deal aren't convinced that the UAE is yet a reliable enough ally to handle the United States' most sensitive military equipment. They pointed out that the UAE has a troubling record when it comes to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, fomented for years by the Saudi-led bombing campaign there.

Citing evidence that the weapons sold to the UAE previously ended up in the hands of al-Qaeda-linked militias inside Yemen, they also questioned whether the UAE had proved itself capable of protecting some of the most sensitive American military technology. And they noted that the UAE's defense relationships with Russia and China make the stakes of the UAE's trustworthiness particularly steep.

"They are still a barrier to peace," Murphy said of the UAE on Wednesday, questioning whether the United States "can be absolutely certain that the technology on board those fighter jets, those drones, are going to stay in the right hands."

When the sale is completed, the UAE will become the first Arab country to acquire F-35s, setting a standard that other deep-pocketed buyers will probably seek to follow.

Emirati purchases of U.S. materiel have more than tripled annually under the Trump administration, to $3.5 billion authorized in fiscal year 2020, a number that will be dwarfed if the $23 billion F-35 sale goes through. But Saudi Arabia has for years been the most lucrative American market worldwide, purchasing a whopping $173 billion worth of weapons since 1950 - quadruple the total purchased by Israel, its closest competitor.

The Saudis have previously expressed interest in buying F-35s. But weapons sales to Riyadh have recently taken a nosedive, falling from $15 billion in fiscal 2019 to just $1.2 billion in fiscal 2020, in the face of revelations about Saudi culpability in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and increased scrutiny of the devastation in Yemen.

Last year, the Senate and House voted to block several arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but Trump vetoed the measures and lawmakers could not muster enough support for an override. During those votes, a handful of Republicans joined all Democrats in voting to block the arms deals; during Wednesday's votes, two Democrats - Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly - joined all Republicans but Paul in voting to sustain them.

The latest attempt to protest Trump's arms sales comes as Democrats begin to examine how a Biden administration will approach arms sales to the Middle East. Such concerns were punctuated by the president-elect's decision this week to nominate Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III as his defense secretary. Austin sits on the board of Raytheon, a defense contracting giant that stands to profit from the latest UAE arms deals and produced the precision-guided munitions that were used to target civilians in Yemen.

Austin is expected to face questioning about his Raytheon ties when he testifies before the Senate and House, both of which must approve a waiver to clear the way for his confirmation. Last month, Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Biden, asking him not to appoint a defense secretary with ties to defense contractors.

But at least one of Congress's key voices advocating against arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE has dismissed the notion that Austin's Raytheon affiliation will be cause for concern.

"There have been past cases of high-profile people who have served in positions where they have extensive financial holdings, or extensive ties in industry," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said in an interview. "The key to that is to have clear recusal and conflicts of interest disclosure standards, and to have the high ethical standards."

Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.

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Trump on course to complete UAE arms deal after Senate fails to block him

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The Trump administration remains on course to complete a controversial $23 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates after bipartisan Senate efforts to block the deal failed to gain enough support to clear a critical procedural hurdle Wednesday.

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GOP Sen. Mike Lee blocks bipartisan effort to establish Latino, women's museums

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GOP Sen. Mike Lee blocks bipartisan effort to establish Latino, women's museums

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-ABC News 12/10/2020
-This is a example of the legislative branch using its powers because the senator blocks the bill that makes efforts in the bipartisan trying to establish museums for only Latino women.
-I agree with the senator because making a museum just for the Latino women is separating America because, they are only including one culture but, the USA has multiple different cultures.

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Lee, a Republican from Utah, said they will "further divide" America.

Bipartisan efforts that would have established a National Museum of the American Latino and an American Women's History Museum on the National Mall failed Thursday evening at the hands of Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who argued that such museums would only "further divide" an already fractured America.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., asked the Senate to unanimously pass a bill, already approved by the House, which would have established the National Museum of the American Latino.

"I am not white or Black or Native American, I am Latino," Menendez said. "I am 1 in 5 Americans today. My grandchildren are 1 in 4 school children today. When we walk to the National Mall or when ... anyone walks to the National Mall, no one is inspired by the story of Latinos and Latinas in this country because that story is not being told."

But Lee rose to oppose the bill, calling museums dedicated to Latinos or women "separate but equal museums for hyphenated identity groups."

"At the end of such a fraying and fracturing year, Congress should not splinter one of the national institutional cornerstones of our distinct national identity," Lee said. "[Latino] stories are our stories and they are stories that emphatically should be told by the Smithsonian Institution at the Museum of American History. Period. No hyphen."

Menendez was supported in his effort by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

"Generations of Latino Americans have shaped our country as it is today, but as I suggested a moment ago, many Americans simply aren't aware of the vast contributions made by these men and women who have come before us, and one critical way we can right this wrong is by providing a home for their stories in the nation's capital," Cornyn said.

Cornyn's Texas colleague, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father was born and raised in Cuba, has also been on the record supporting the establishment of a Latino museum.

Menendez responded to Lee by pointing to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, established in 2003, and the National Museum of the American Indian, established in 1989.

"I don't know if these arguments were made against the Native Americans; I don't know if these arguments were made against African Americans; I don't see them as being separate and apart," Menendez said. "I see them as being a part of the collective mosaic that is coming together under the Smithsonian."

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, tried to get her bill establishing a Smithsonian American Women's History Museum passed right after Lee voted down the National Latino History Museum. Lee also opposed her bill, though he didn't give a speech explaining his objection like he did with the Latino museum.

"I can think of no better way to tell the story of American women, to inspire those young girls and young boys who come to Washington to tour all the wonderful museums that are part of the Smithsonian, than to create a museum of American women's history so that they can better understand the contributions of American women to the development of our nation and its proud history," Collins said.

Lee, 49, has served in the Senate since 2011 and was reelected with 68% of the vote in 2016.

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GOP Sen. Mike Lee blocks bipartisan effort to establish Latino, women's museums

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Lee, a Republican from Utah, said they will "further divide" America. Bipartisan efforts that would have established a National Museum of the American Latino and an American Women's History Museum on the National Mall failed Thursday evening at the hands of Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who argued that such museums would only "further divide" an already fractured America.

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Woman faces prison because of law meant to suppress black voters 

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Woman faces prison because of law meant to suppress black voters 

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-Newsela January 1,2020-
3. The legislative branch passed an old law in North Carolina that prohibited people who are on probation to vote, which meant you could not vote until you served your time
4. I think this situation is bad because it was passed to keep Black people from voting.

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Newsela | Woman faces prison because of law meant to suppress black voters

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Lanisha Bratcher voted in the 2016 presidential election. Three years later she was arrested because she had broken a law she didn't know about.

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Record number of Native American women elected to Congress

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Record number of Native American women elected to Congress

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2. Newsela , 11/12/2020

3. The legislative branch deals with things like the senate. So with this new diversity in congress shows the legislative branch is functioning equally.

4. I think it's great for congress to be more diverse. The more diverse means the more ideas. For example, what you are taught growing up affects how you react to certain things. So people from different places give more chances for new ideas.

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Newsela | Record number of Native American women elected to Congress

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Democrats Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids retain their House seats and are joined by Republican Yvette Herrell

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal

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Source: Apnews
Date: 12/11/20

This is an example of the legislative branch using its powers because it shows that if the congress doesn't pass a must-pass gov. funding bill, it will trigger a federal gov. shutdown on Saturday.

I agree with Pelosi when she says “Now if we need more time then we take more time, but we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it,” because what she says is true and it is helpful information for this situation. If we don't pass the bill, there will be a federal gov. shutdown.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump signed a temporary government-wide funding bill into law on Friday, averting a federal shutdown at midnight and buying Congress time for on-again, off-again talks on COVID-19 aid.

The short-term measure passed the Senate just hours earlier by a unanimous voice vote without much drama and sent senators home for the weekend without a clear picture of what awaits next week. The bill sets a new deadline of midnight next Friday. The House passed the bill Wednesday.

The talks are stalled but there is universal agreement that Congress won't adjourn for the year without passing a long-delayed round of pandemic relief. An emerging $900 billion aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers hit a rough patch after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., swung against the effort. Still, negotiations are ongoing and pressure remains intense.

The House has recessed for a few days, with leaders warning members to be prepared to return to Washington to vote on the year-end deals.

Negotiators on a separate $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill appeared to be moving in a positive direction, said the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. This bill would serve as a vehicle to carry any year-end virus assistance.

"I'm hopeful we're going to get there on both the omni and the COVID package," McConnell said.

Fixing the impasse over the COVID-19 aid package is a Capitol Hill head-scratcher and hard feelings are plentiful. But discussions over issues such as aid to schools are trending well, leadership aides in both parties say.

Trump has renewed a push for a fresh round of stimulus checks for Americans, proposing $600 per individual rather than the $1,200 that was sent out this spring. Cost concerns are responsible for the smaller amount.

Sending direct cash payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal or a lower cost plan from Senate Republicans that has failed twice. The idea of another round of cash but has been embraced by some of the president's fiercest critics - including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N,Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

"We're not going to go home for the Christmas holidays unless we make sure that we provide for the millions of families in this country who are suffering," Sanders said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress would keep working up to or even after Christmas to get an agreement. The new Congress is being sworn in on Jan. 3.

The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.

A key hold up has been the standoff over more money for the states, that Democrats - and some Republicans - want and the liability shield for businesses and universities that is McConnell's top GOP priority but that most Democrats oppose.

The bipartisan group tried to marry those two provisions as a compromise.

McConnell had initially proposed a five-year liability shield from virus lawsuits, retroactive to December 2019, but the bipartisan group was eyeing a scaled-back shield of six months to a year. Labor and civil rights groups oppose any shield, which they say strips essential workers of potential legal recourse as they take risks during the pandemic.

Democratic leaders had wanted far more in state and local aid, but were accepting of the lower $160 billion.

But many Republicans have long viewed the state and local aid as a bailout they would have trouble supporting, despite the pleas for funds coming from governors and mayors nationwide.

Late Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats pitched another liability proposal to the bipartisan group, but it was rejected by Republicans, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private session.

The Trump administration is back in the middle of the negotiations with a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.

The White House offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell. Democrats oppose the plan in part because of the administration's refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.

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Trump, Congress avert shutdown, buy time for COVID-19 talks

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump signed a temporary government-wide funding bill into law on Friday, averting a federal shutdown at midnight and buying Congress time for on-again, off-again talks on COVID-19 aid. The short-term measure passed the Senate just hours earlier by a unanimous voice vote without much drama and sent senators home for the weekend without a clear picture of what awaits next week.

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2. Senate faces government funding deadline as relief talks stall
- cbs news
- december 11
3. Why is this an example of the Legislative branch using its powers?
It is an example because it shows that they  need  to pass the bill in order to prevent a shutdown.
4. What is your opinion of this?
I think they should pass the bill to prevent that shutdown because shutting down the government could lead to a lot of problems such as confusion or worry.

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Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and Republican Senator Josh Hawley temporarily blocked a voice vote to approve a stopgap government funding measure on Friday afternoon, arguing that Congress needs to provide another round of direct checks to Americans.

"This Congress must address the economic emergency facing the American people," Sanders said in a speech on the Senate floor, arguing that senators should not return home for the holidays until they help American families. "I am prepared to withdraw my objection at this moment, but I will not be prepared to withdraw an objection next week. We will deal with the financial crisis facing tens of millions of Americans."

Sanders and Hawley, unlikely partners typically on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, proposed adding an amendment to the must-pass legislation in an attempt to force a vote on providing Americans with a second round of $1,200 direct checks. Sanders withdrew his objection, and Hawley said in a speech that he was reserving his right to object until next week.

"If the Senate of the united states can find hundreds of billions of dollars to give to big government and big business, surely it can find some relief for working families and working individuals," Hawley said. "And I would just submit to you that it is working families and working people who should be first in line for COVID relief, not last, and that is why the amendment that Senator Sanders and I have proposed is so common sense."

After Sanders and Hawley spoke, the Senate then passed the continuing resolution by a voice vote, hours ahead of the midnight deadline to avoid a government shutdown. The resolution, which was approved in the House this week, then must be signed by President Trump to prevent a shutdown. The short-term measure extends the government funding deadline to December 18, giving lawmakers only one week to negotiate a larger spending bill and resolve their differences over a relief proposal, as talks appear to be crumbling.

Senator Rand Paul objected to swift passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday, preventing the Senate from passing the bill with unanimous consent. Senators had hoped to pass the NDAA on Thursday, so holding up the vote on the NDAA also meant delaying the vote to avert a shutdown. Paul told reporters on Friday that he would not try to stall a vote on the continuing resolution.

"Our main point in filibustering the defense authorization bill was to point out that the president should have the prerogative to end a war, not just to start wars," Paul said. "I think it's a pretty important principle to discuss, so we did hold things up for a day on that, but we're not going to on the CR." He added that he therefore did not "have a choice" to continue to stall the vote on the NDAA.

The Senate passed the NDAA with a veto-proof majority on Friday afternoon, after the House did earlier this week. But Mr. Trump has still threatened to veto the bill, meaning that Congress may have to stay in Washington to override the bill later in December.

Paul told reporters on Friday that he would not block the continuing resolution, but he isn't the only senator whose actions could hold up passage of the stopgap funding bill.

Meanwhile, promising negotiations between a bicameral, bipartisan group of lawmakers appear to lack support from Senate leadership. The group introduced a $908 billion framework which includes $160 billion for state and local aid and a temporary liability shield for companies and institutions. The state and local funding is critical to Democratic support, while the liability protections are a priority of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

But McConnell's staff communicated to other congressional leadership staff on Wednesday that the majority leader does not believe that any deal reached by the group on state and local aid and liability protections would be acceptable to Republicans, a senior Democrat familiar with the conversations told CBS News.

Lawmakers have left the door open to continuing talks through late December, even as several relief programs and policies are expected to expire after Christmas. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she would want any relief bill to be attached to an omnibus funding bill, but that requires that omnibus to be ready by the December 18 deadline.

"In order to have the COVID added to omnibus, you have to have an omnibus, and so we're working dual tracks on that," Pelosi told reporters on Thursday. "I would hope that it would honor the December 18 deadline, but we can't go before the package is ready and the votes are there, as well as the fact that people do want to get home for the holidays, such as that is. But what's more important is that we get the job done for the American people before the holidays."

More than 290,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and over 15.5 million have contracted the virus.

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Senate passes stopgap government funding bill ahead of deadline

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Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and Republican Senator Josh Hawley temporarily blocked a voice vote to approve a stopgap government funding measure on Friday afternoon, arguing that Congress needs to provide another round of direct checks to Americans.

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Senate falls short of halting Trump’s $23B arms sales to UAE

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Senate falls short of halting Trump’s $23B arms sales to UAE

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12/10/2020
3. Tells about Senate and Congress trying to stop Trump's administration proposing 23 billion fire arms
4. Trump just needs to stop and rest, take a break. He does the most and solving violence with more violence isn't helping

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate fell short Wednesday in trying to halt the Trump administration's proposed $23 billion arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, despite bipartisan objections to the package of F-35 fighter jets and drones stemming from a broader Middle East peace agreement.

Senators argued the sale of the defense equipment, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally authorized last month after the Abraham Accords normalizing relations with Israel, was unfolding too quickly and with too many questions. The administration has billed it as a way to deter Iran, but UAE would become the first Arab nation - and only the second country in the Middle East, after Israel - to possess the stealth warplanes.

"Can a lasting peace be purchased with more weapons?" said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in a speech ahead of the vote.

Congress has shown a willingness to confront Trump in one main area - on defense policy. But on Wednesday the effort to turn back the arms sales failed to reach the 51-vote majority needed for passage. Trump was expected to veto the two resolutions anyway.

The showdown over the sale, alongside sweeping bipartisan support for the annual defense bill despite Trump's threats to veto it, is potentially a final power play between the executive and legislative branch in the final weeks of Trump's presidency. The Senate will take up the broader defense bill soon.

Action is halted for now, though the House, where Democrats have control, would likely be able to pass them easily.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a statement after the vote he was eager to work with President-elect Joe Biden's administration "to take a closer look at each of these sales before any transfers are completed."

Murphy said the UAE's track record in war-torn Yemen and Libya and its "complicated" relationships with China and Russia raise more questions than answers.

"I'm not here to say that we shouldn't be in the security business with UAE," Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during the debate.

But, he said, "without resolving those issues, is this the moment to be selling for the first time ever F-35s, armed drones into the heart of the Middle East?"

The arms sale emerged after the U.S. brokered the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel.

In notifying Congress last month, Pompeo said the authorization of the sale was in recognition of the "deepening relationship" with the UAE and its need to deter threats from Iran.

Pompeo said the "historic agreement" reached with the Abraham Accords offered a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to transform the region's "strategic landscape."

The sale, worth up to $23.37 billion, includes dozens of F-35s, advanced armed drone systems and a package of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. It may not become final until next year.

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said a list of questions senators sent to Pompeo and then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper about the arrangement remains unanswered.

A classified briefing for senators did not appear to adequately answer their questions.

"We must assert our congressional prerogative," Menendez said. Voting "sends a message to the executive branch."

Israeli officials have previously expressed some concern about an F-35 sale. But in October, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm Israel's consent.

On Wednesday, senators narrowly rejected one resolution to disapprove of the F-35 sales, 47-49, and the other over the sale of armed drones, 46-50, in procedural votes largely along party lines. That's far short of the two-thirds majority that would have been needed to overcome a potential presidential veto.

Even after Wednesday's setback, Congress is poised to approve the sweeping annual defense bill despite Trump's objections.

Trump has warned he would veto the bill over a provision to study stripping the names of Confederate leaders from U.S. military bases. He also wants lawmakers to include an unrelated provision to clamp down on the big technology companies over what Republicans, and some Democrats, say is unfair treatment on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. But lawmakers say the tech provision doesn't belong in the defense policy bill.

___

Associated Press Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

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Senate falls short of halting Trump's $23B arms sales to UAE

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate fell short Wednesday in trying to halt the Trump administration's proposed $23 billion arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, despite bipartisan objections to the package of F-35 fighter jets and drones stemming from a broader Middle East peace agreement.

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal - AP News

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal - AP News

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December 11 2020

He is blocking a Covid-19 relief bill.
It says he is blocking the bill because he wants a more targeted bill towards those who need the money I think it is good because it helps those more in need ,but he is also slowing down the relief process.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won't support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.

McConnell's staff conveyed to top negotiators that the GOP leader sees no path to an agreement on a key aspect of the lawmakers' existing proposal - a slimmed-down version of the liability shield he is seeking for companies and organizations facing potential COVID-19 lawsuits - in exchange for the state and local funds that Democrats want.

The GOP leader criticized "controversial state bailouts" during a speech in the Senate, as he insists on a more targeted aid package.

The hardened stance from McConnell, who does not appear to have enough votes from his Republican majority for a far-reaching compromise, creates a new stalemate over the $900-billion-plus package, despite days of toiling by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to strike compromise.

Other legislative pile-ups now threaten Friday's related business - a must-pass government funding bill. If it doesn't clear Congress, that would trigger a federal government shutdown on Saturday.

McConnell's staff conveyed to other negotiators it's "unlikely" the trade-off proposed by the bipartisan group would be acceptable, as COVID aid talks continue, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the talks. A senior Democrat first shared the Republican leader's views after being granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations, which were first reported by Politico.

Deadlines, real and perceived, haven't been sufficient to drive Washington's factions to an agreement, despite the U.S. breaking a record-high 3,000 daily COVID fatalities, and hospitals straining at capacity from soaring caseloads nationwide.

The House recessed for a few days, with leaders warning members to be prepared to return to Washington to vote on the year-end deals, while the Senate was planning a rare Friday session.

The breakdown over the COVID aid package, after days of behind-the-scenes talks by a group of lawmakers fed up with inaction, comes as President Donald Trump has taken the talks in another direction - insisting on a fresh round of $600 stimulus checks for Americans.

Sending direct cash payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal, but has been embraced by some of the president's fiercest critics - including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N,Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who introduced an amendment to include the checks with Trump ally Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

Sanders said the unprecedented moment facing the nation with the pandemic and its economic fallout requires Congress to "take unprecedented action."

Trump's top negotiator on COVID-19 financial aid, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reported headway Thursday, before the package from the bipartisan senators' group fell apart.

"I think we're making a lot of progress," Mnuchin said.

A one-week stop-gap measure to prevent a federal shutdown appears to have sapped some urgency from the talks. The short-term government-wide funding bill, approved by the House on Wednesday, needs to clear the Senate before Friday at midnight to avert a partial closure.

The next deadline would be Dec. 18, but both House and Senate leaders say they won't adjourn without passing an aid measure.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress would keep working up to or even after Christmas to get an agreement. The new Congress is being sworn in on Jan. 3.

"Now if we need more time then we take more time, but we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it," Pelosi said. She also gave an upbeat assessment on the talks.

The bipartisan lawmakers held another virtual "dinner group" meeting late Thursday to try to prop up the deal. They have been working furiously to try to bridge the stalemate over COVID aid.

The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.

A key hold up has been the standoff over more money for the states, that Democrats - and some Republicans - want and the liability shield that is McConnell's top GOP priority but that most Democrats oppose.

The partisan group tried to marry those two provisions as a compromise.

McConnell had initially proposed a five-year liability shield from virus lawsuits, retroactive to December 2019, but the bipartisan group was eyeing a scaled-back shield of six months to a year. Labor and civil rights groups oppose any shield, which they say strips essential workers of potential legal recourse as they take risks during the pandemic.

Democratic leaders had wanted far more in state and local aid, but were accepting of the lower $160 billion.

But many Republicans have long viewed the state and local aid as a bailout they would have trouble supporting, despite the pleas for funds coming from governors and mayors nationwide.

Late Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats pitched another liability proposal to the bipartisan group, but it was rejected by Republicans, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private session.

The Trump administration is back in the middle of the negotiations with a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.

The White House offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell, who had previously favored a $519 billion GOP plan that has already failed twice. But Democrats immediately blasted the plan over the administration's refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.

President-elect Joe Biden is pressing for as much pandemic relief as possible, though he's not directly involved in the talks. McConnell, like Pelosi, says Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief.

Republicans say the right people to handle final negotiations are the four leaders of Congress and the Trump administration, with the focus on the streamlined proposal from McConnell, R-Ky.

The bipartisan negotiating group - led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others - was seeking to rally lawmakers behind the $908 billion framework that includes the $300-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and $160 billion for states and local governments.

It also includes a four-month extension of jobless benefits set to expire at the end of the month, $300 billion for "paycheck protection" subsidies for struggling businesses, funding for vaccines and testing, and a host of smaller items such as aid to transit systems, the U.S. Postal Service and health care providers.

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal

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WASHINGTON (AP) - An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won't support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.

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For Air Force Leader, Making Video On Racism He's Faced Was 'The Right Thing To Do'

Date: December10, 2020

3.This an example of the legislative branch because we are barely hearing about this now when we should have heard about this earlier but the branch didn't want this news to get out.

4. In my opinion this is wrong and this type of news shouldn't be kept inside it should be outside and on the media.

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Just before Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. was confirmed as Air Force chief of staff in June, he issued an emotional and personal video message about racism in the military. At the time, the country was roiling in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, and Brown, who is Black, felt compelled to speak out.

On NPR's Morning Edition, he explains why. "It was my own personal experiences but thinking about our two sons and their experiences, [is] actually what got me to do it," Brown says. He was the commander of Pacific Air Forces at the time and was awaiting confirmation as the Air Force's chief of staff.

"I thought it was more important than in some cases confirmation," he says. "If confirmation had been withheld for some reason, I knew in my heart of hearts I did what I thought was the right thing to do. And that's the way I approach life."

Brown made history as the first African American to lead one of the services of the U.S. military. Ret. Gen. Lloyd Austin - President-elect Joe Biden's pick for Secretary of Defense - would also make history if confirmed as the first African American to lead the Pentagon.

Interview Highlights
Why did you decide to release the video message?
At the time I did that video I was awaiting confirmation. Because of that I was kind of on the fence about what to do, what to say and when to say. I had gotten told that confirmation was going to happen on a particular day, it didn't happen.

I talked to one of our sons. He went to Washington University in St. Louis. His freshman year was Ferguson, and so he experienced that. He lives here in Washington, D.C., and he called us and he was kind of struggling with the things that were going on. And so he asked me in the conversation, 'Hey, Dad, what is Pacific Air Forces going to say?' And as the commander of Pacific Air Forces, that was kind of code to me of: Dad, what are you going to say?
You are now the highest ranking African American in the U.S. military. There are more than 12,000 active duty pilots in the Air Force, according to McClatchy News Service If confirmed, Gen. Austin will join you in making history this year. What will it mean to you and your servicemen to see him sworn into that job? . Only about a dozen are Black women. Do you see that as a problem? What do you believe to be the greatest threat against the United States right now?
I do. You only aspire to what you've been exposed to. Sometimes we might self-eliminate just because we don't think we're qualified. One of the areas that we as the Air Force are looking at is how do we provide more exposure to young African Americans, women really across the board, that yes, you can do this.
Emma Talkoff and Catherine Whelan produced and edited the audio story. Heidi Glenn produced it for the Web.
I think for anyone of a diverse background, when you see someone who rises to a key position you take a bit of pride in it, you appreciate it and it also opens an opportunity where you can now think about your own career path. There's opportunities ahead. I think many of those from diverse backgrounds will be very proud to see that someone from a diverse background is in a key position in our government.

I would say in the near term, when you look at national defense strategy, Russia. Longer term, China. That's why I am focused on not only the near term but I also look at the longer term. The one thing I am concerned about as the chief of staff is our ability to get capabilities in the hands of the airmen and our joint teammates faster. What I see the People's Republic of China doing is they're increasingly their military capability at a pace that is probably a little faster than ours.

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For Air Force Leader, Making Video On Racism He's Faced Was 'The Right Thing To Do'

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Just before Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. was confirmed as Air Force chief of staff in June, he issued an emotional and personal video message about racism in the military. At the time, the country was roiling in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, and Brown, who is Black, felt compelled to speak out.

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Coronavirus debate: Should lawmakers get vaccines early.

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Coronavirus debate: Should lawmakers get vaccines early.

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Source: The wall street Journal
Date: December 11,2020

This is an example of the Legislative branch because it is talking about if lawmakers should get early vaccines or should they get the vaccine with the rest of the U.S. I think the people who should get early vaccines are the people with enough money to get the early vaccine. Not the legislative employees just because congress wants them to make the public feel confident in the new vaccine.

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WASHINGTON-Congress is grappling with whether lawmakers should be among the first to receive the coronavirus vaccine, which the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve on an emergency basis in coming days.

The authorization is expected to lead to distribution by year's end to limited groups such as health-care workers and the elderly, with several months until the general public is able to get vaccinated. Now policy makers face the question of whether lawmakers should receive priority as important elected officials and to give the public confidence in the vaccine-or whether they should wait in line with their constituents.

"There are ongoing discussions," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) said on Wednesday. "Of course, many qualify in terms of the high-risk groups, in terms of age. But in addition to that, clearly, it is critical that we have the Congress in a condition where it can operate on a continuing basis, given the challenges that confront us of great immediacy."

The Senate's health-panel chairman, Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.), said he had early Wednesday told Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield and other public officials they needed to decide when lawmakers should be vaccinated.

"If they want public figures to take the vaccine early in order to reassure Americans that it's safe, I'm sure many of us will do that," Mr. Alexander said he told Mr. Redfield. "They need to say it's more important for public figures to take it in order to encourage people to do it. If they do that, I'll be glad to take it, but I'm not going to do that on my own. I'm going to do it when the public-health officials tell me it's my turn."

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Covid-19 Vaccine: Should Lawmakers Get Priority?

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WASHINGTON-Congress is grappling with whether lawmakers should be among the first to receive the coronavirus vaccine, which the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve on an emergency basis in coming days. The authorization is expected to lead to distribution by year's end to limited groups such as health-care workers and the elderly, with several months until the general public is able to get vaccinated.

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House Panel Accuses Trump Administration of Concealing Evidence in CDC Coronavirus Probe

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House Panel Accuses Trump Administration of Concealing Evidence in CDC Coronavirus Probe

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Dec 10,2020
-Trump tries to use information to get a better chance at running again
-I think that he is trying to make Biden look bad or actually have good evidence for him not to take the seat next year.

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Senate Advances Defense-Policy Bill Despite Trump Veto Threat

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Senate Advances Defense-Policy Bill Despite Trump Veto Threat

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-WSJ, Dec. 11, 2020
3.This shows an example of the legislative branch because it shows how it says that the Congress needs two thirds to override any eventual veto.
4. What is your opinion of this? My opinion is that the Congress has a lot of power over the president.

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The U.S. Senate voted 84-13 on Friday to approve a bipartisan defense-policy bill over President Trump's objections, with support for the legislation exceeding the two-thirds majority needed to override any eventual veto.

The National Defense Authorization Act is an annual bill that sets pay rates for troops and authorizes funds for military construction projects, aircraft, ships, nuclear weapons and other national-security programs. Congress has passed it on a bipartisan basis for 59 years in a row. Earlier this week, the House approved final passage by a veto-proof 335-78 majority. The bill will now go to the president's desk

The lopsided votes in both chambers came in the face of Mr. Trump's strong opposition, as most GOP lawmakers-including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and other Republican leaders-rejected his demands to alter the bill's text in the waning weeks of his presidency. Among the exceptions were a few Republican senators whose names have been floated as possible future presidential contenders: Sens. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) and Josh Hawley (R., Mo.). A total of 7 Republicans and 6 Democrats voted no.

Mr. Trump has said he would veto the NDAA unless Congress eliminates language that creates a commission to rename military installations, monuments and paraphernalia honoring Confederate commanders. He also has insisted on including language in the bill to terminate Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which grants social-media companies broad immunity for the content they publish from users on their sites.

In a statement of opposition issued Tuesday, the Trump administration said it strongly opposes the NDAA because it "fails to include critical national-security measures, includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military's history, and contradicts efforts by this Administration to put America first in our national-security and foreign-policy actions."

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Senate Approves Defense-Policy Bill Despite Trump Veto Threat

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The U.S. Senate voted 84-13 on Friday to approve a bipartisan defense-policy bill over President Trump's objections, with support for the legislation exceeding the two-thirds majority needed to override any eventual veto.

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New York Times Dec.10,2020
3. this is an example of executive branch because Biden is in the executive branch  because he is soon to be president
3. Why is this an example of the Legislative branch using its powers?
4. What is your opinion of this?

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(NPR)Biden Selects Denis McDonough As VA Secretary

December 10, 2020
10:42 AM ET (Updated at 2:25 PM ET)
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This is an example of The executive Branch using it's powers because Biden (president-elect)elected Denis as VA. Showing the president(elect)can choose who can become VA Secretary.
I don't have much of an opinion on this yet, considering I don't know much about  Denis McDonough, but I'm hoping it was a good choice.

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President-elect Joe Biden intends to nominate Denis McDonough to run Veterans Affairs, a position that requires Senate confirmation.

McDonough is a longtime aide of former President Barack Obama and served as his chief of staff from 2013 to 2017.

McDonough, who did not serve in the military, was chosen because of his ability to navigate crises and sort through the complex morass of government programs that can support veterans, a source familiar with the president-elect's thinking told NPR. The source spoke about private conversations on the condition of anonymity.

Joe Chenelly, executive director of AMVETS, said the veterans group thought Biden would go in a different direction.

"We were expecting a veteran, maybe a post-9/11 veteran. Maybe a woman veteran. Or maybe a veteran who knows the VA exceptionally well," Chenelly said in a statement. "We are looking forward to hearing from President-Elect Biden on his thinking behind this nomination."

Former VA Secretary David Shulkin, the only previous VA secretary who was not a veteran, stressed that the job was just as much about managing a huge organization - with over 300,000 staff - and the nearly constant crises that require congressional and executive branch coordination.

"Being able to manage a complex environment with many issues coming at you is what this job takes. It's not an easy job, but somebody with Denis' experience of being in the white house and managing so many issues I think is going to be a real asset," Shulkin told NPR.

Shulkin, who worked at VA under presidents Trump and Obama, said McDonough had been closely involved in responding to the 2014 VA wait-times scandal.

The VA is second only to the Pentagon in size and budget. It provides benefits and runs the largest health care network in the country, with about 9 million veterans enrolled.

News of McDonough's selection was first reported by Politico and later confirmed by NPR.

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Biden Selects Denis McDonough As VA Secretary

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President-elect Joe Biden intends to nominate Denis McDonough to run Veterans Affairs, a position that requires Senate confirmation. McDonough is a longtime aide of former President Barack Obama and served as his chief of staff from 2013 to 2017.

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US carries out rare execution during presidential transition- ABC News

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US carries out rare execution during presidential transition- ABC News

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December 10, 2020,
The article shows the executive branch enforcing the laws.
I think that the death penalty should only be used for the most extreme crimes with no chance of rehabilitation ,but these people did some abhorrent things so i feel it is logical.

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Trump administration on Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year and the first during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member for his role in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa more than two decades ago.

Four more federal executions, including one Friday, are planned in the weeks before President-elect Joe Biden 's inauguration.

The case of Brandon Bernard, who received a lethal injection of phenobarbital inside a death chamber at a U.S. prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, was a rare execution of a person who was in his teens when his crime was committed.

Several high-profile figures, including reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, had appealed to President Donald Trump to commute Bernard's sentence to life in prison.

With witnesses looking on from behind a glass barrier, the 40-year-old Bernard was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m. Eastern time.

Bernard directed his last words to the family of the couple he killed, speaking with striking calm for someone who knew he was about to die. "I'm sorry," he said, lifting his head and looking at the witness-room windows. "That's the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day."

As he spoke before he died, Bernard showed no outward signs of fear, distress or apprehension, speaking lucidly and naturally as witnesses looked on behind a glass barrier. Speaking for more than three minutes, Bernard said he had been waiting for this chance to say he was sorry - not only to the victims' family, but also for the pain he caused his own family. Earlier, he said about his role in the killing, "I wish I could take it all back, but I can't."

Bernard was 18 when he and four other teenagers abducted and robbed Todd and Stacie Bagley on their way from a Sunday service in Killeen, Texas. Federal executions were resumed by Trump in July after a 17-year hiatus despite coronavirus outbreak in U.S. prisons.

Todd Bagley's mother, Georgia, spoke to reporters within 30 minutes of the execution, saying she wanted to thank Trump, Attorney General William Barr and others at the Justice Department for bringing the family some closure. She became emotional when she spoke about the apologies from Bernard before he died and from an accomplice, Christopher Vialva, who was executed in September. "The apology and remorse ... helped very much heal my heart," she said, beginning to cry and then recomposing herself. "I can very much say: I forgive them."

Alfred Bourgeois, a 56-year-old Louisiana truck driver, is set to die Friday for killing his 2-year-old daughter by repeatedly slamming her head into a truck's windows and dashboard. Bourgeois' lawyers alleged he was intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for the death penalty, but several courts said evidence didn't support that claim.

Before Bernard's execution, Kardashian West tweeted that she'd spoken to him earlier: "Hardest call I've ever had. Brandon, selfless as always, was focused on his family and making sure they are ok. He told me not to cry because our fight isn't over."

Just before the execution was scheduled, Bernard's lawyers filed papers with the Supreme Court seeking to halt the execution, but the high court denied the request, clearing the way for the execution to proceed.

Bernard had been crocheting in prison and even launched a death-row crocheting group in which inmates have shared patterns for making sweaters, blankets and hats, said Ashley Kincaid Eve, an anti-death penalty activist.

Federal executions during a presidential transfer of power also are rare, especially during a transition from a death-penalty proponent to a president-elect like Biden opposed to capital punishment. The last time executions occurred in a lame-duck period was during the presidency of Grover Cleveland in the 1890s.

Defense attorneys have argued in court and in a petition for clemency from Trump that Bernard was a low-ranking, subservient member of the group. They say both Bagleys were likely dead before Bernard doused their car with lighter fluid and set it on fire, a claim that conflicts with government testimony at trial. Bernard, they say, had repeatedly expressed remorse.

The case prompted calls for Trump to intervene, including from one prosecutor at his 2000 trial who now says racial bias may have influenced the nearly all-white jury's imposition of a death sentence against Bernard, who is Black. Several jurors have also since said publicly that they regret not opting for life in prison instead.

The Justice Department refused to delay Thursday's execution of Bernard, another inmate Friday and three more in January, even after eight officials who participated in an execution last month tested positive for the coronavirus. The eight federal executions in 2020 already is more than in the previous 56 years combined.

One of Bernard's co-defendants, Vialva, was executed in September. Prosecutors said Vialva, the oldest of the teens at 19, was the ringleader who shot the Bagleys, as they lay in the trunk before Bernard set the car on fire.

The teenagers approached the Bagleys in the afternoon on June 21, 1999, and asked them for a lift after they stopped at a convenience store - planning all along to rob the couple. After the Bagleys agreed, Vialva pulled a gun and forced them into the trunk.

The Bagleys, both of whom were in their 20s, spoke through an opening in the back seat and urged their kidnappers to accept Jesus as they drove around for hours trying to use the Bagleys' ATM cards. After the teens pulled to the side of the road, Vialva walked to the back and shot the Bagleys in the head.

The central question in the decision to sentence Bernard to death was whether Vialva's gunshots or the fire set by Bernard killed the Bagleys.

Trial evidence showed Todd Bagley likely died instantly. But a government expert said Stacie Bagley had soot in her airway, indicating smoke inhalation and not the gunshot killed her. Defense attorneys have said that assertion wasn't proven. They've also said Bernard believed both Bagleys were dead and that he feared the consequences of refusing the order of the higher ranking Vialva to burn the car to destroy evidence.

The first series of federal executions over the summer were of white men, which critics said seemed calculated to make them less controversial amid summer protests over racial discrimination. Four of the five inmates set to die before Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration are Black men. The fifth is a white woman who would be the first female inmate executed by the federal government in nearly six decades.

----

Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mtarm

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US carries out rare execution during presidential transition

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Trump administration on Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year and the first during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member for his role in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa more than two decades ago.

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Worst place, worst time: Trump faces virus spike in Midwest

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Worst place, worst time: Trump faces virus spike in Midwest

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Apnews
12/11/20

This is an example of what powers trump has, but is not using to help others in need. Trump has sent out stimulus checks, yet he has not been too heavy on enforcing social distancing laws.

My opinion stands with
Gabe Loiacono, when he says, “President Trump still does not seem to be taking the pandemic seriously enough. I wish he would,”
I think Trump should be more strict on enforcing the laws because it is a vital part of society, especially during a pandemic.

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OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) - Gabe Loiacono is the kind of voter President Donald Trump needs. He lives in a pivotal county of a swing state that is among a handful that will decide the presidency.

A college history professor who last cast a ballot for a Democratic candidate for president more than 20 years ago, Loiacono, who voted for American Solidarity Party presidential candidate Michael Maturen in 2016 is voting for Democrat Joe Biden because he thinks Trump has utterly failed in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

"President Trump still does not seem to be taking the pandemic seriously enough. I wish he would," said Loiacono. He said he never thought of Trump as "all bad" but added, "There is still too much wishful thinking and not enough clear guidance."

And now the virus is getting worse in states that the Republican president needs the most, at the least opportune time. New infections are raging in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the upper Midwest. In Iowa, polls suggest Trump is in a toss-up race with Biden after carrying the state by 9.4 percentage points four years ago.

Trump's pandemic response threatens his hold on Wisconsin, where he won by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016, said Marquette University Law School poll director Charles Franklin.

"Approval of his handling of COVID is the next-strongest predictor of vote choice," behind voters' party affiliation and their overall approval of Trump's performance as president, Franklin said. "And it's not just a fluke of a single survey."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday that among U.S. states, Wisconsin had the third highest rate of new cases for the previous seven days. Iowa was 10th.

Trump won Wisconsin's heavily blue-collar Winnebago County, which includes Oshkosh, in 2016, after Democratic nominee Barack Obama had carried it in 2012. Today, Winnebago is among the top 10 counties where new Wisconsin COVID cases are being reported, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and compiled by The Associated Press.

The trend is similar in Iowa. Blue-collar Dubuque County was among the state's 10 counties with the fastest-growing number of cases per capita over the past two weeks. Trump won the county narrowly after Democrats had carried it since the 1950s.

In Wisconsin, where polling has shown Biden with a slight but consistent advantage, approval of Trump's handling the pandemic dropped from 51% in March to 41% in October, according to a Marquette University Law School poll. That's a noteworthy decline considering Trump's overall approval has fluctuated little and remained in the mid-40s.

Iowans' view of Trump's handling of the pandemic is also more negative than positive, according to The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll and Monmouth University polls.

The race in Iowa remains very close, though Monmouth poll director Patrick Murray said Trump's poor rating in Iowa on handling the pandemic "suggests in the decision-making process, the coronavirus is top of mind and decisive."

As Trump enters a frenzied final week of campaigning, he continues to hold mass rallies that often defy local public health rules. The campaign says supporters are merely exercising their First Amendment rights.

The president also continues to insist the country is "rounding the turn" on the virus, an assertion that has drawn rebukes from public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease specialist. He also blames news media coverage of the outbreak.

"ALL THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IS COVID, COVID, COVID," Trump tweeted Tuesday. "ON NOVEMBER 4th, YOU WON'T BE HEARING SO MUCH ABOUT IT ANYMORE. WE ARE ROUNDING THE TURN!!!"

During his debate with Biden last week, Trump insisted of the virus, despite the spike in cases: "It will go away. It's going away." The comments betrayed the seriousness Trump conveyed during recorded conversations with journalist Bob Woodward in February, when Trump said he "wanted to always play it down" to avoid creating a panic.

On Sunday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said on CNN: " We're not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations."

On Saturday night, the White House confirmed that Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, had tested positive for COVID-19, after the news of Short's diagnosis dribbled out. The vice president has showed no signs of curbing his torrid campaign schedule.

Republican pollster Ed Goeas likened Meadows' comments to "waving the white flag."

"That's how I read it," Goeas said. "The only hope it seems is therapeutics will make it less of a killer and eventually the vaccine will be available to everyone. It looked to me like they were just trying to make their position sound like that was always their intent."

COVID-19 cases also have risen over the past two weeks in Midwestern battlegrounds Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio, though not as sharply as in Wisconsin and Iowa, according to the Johns Hopkins data.

The pandemic is resonating because it touches all Americans personally and most of them economically, said Terry Madonna, director the Franklin and Marshall College Poll and veteran scholar of Pennsylvania politics.

"It's ubiquitous," Madonna said. "Maybe it's not in your own family. But you know someone who had it. You can't get away from it in the news and in your own life."

And voters like Loiacono say they are holding the president to account.

"The job of government is to lead in times of crises," said Loiacono, 44, masked and standing on his front porch in Oshkosh a few blocks from Lake Winnebago. "The president has admitted he talked much more positively about it because he saw his role as being a cheerleader. And I sort of understand that, but I think it was the wrong move."

___

AP's Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/.

___

This story was originally published on Oct. 27 and is being republished to correct that Loiacono has voted for Democrats for lower-ticket offices over the past two decades, rather than voting for no Democrats. It removes the incorrect implication that he voted for Trump in 2016 and adds that he voted for Michael Maturen that year.

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Worst place, worst time: Trump faces virus spike in Midwest

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OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) - Gabe Loiacono is the kind of voter President Donald Trump needs. He lives in a pivotal county of a swing state that is among a handful that will decide the presidency.

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(NPR)Senate Refuses To Advance Trump's Controversial Nominee To The Federal Reserve Board

November 19, 2020
---

This is an example of the Legislative branch using it's power by refusing to advance Trump's

controversial nominee. They can refuse or accept any nominee's for important systems.

I don't know much about this, but since Trump's nominee is controversial, for now I'm going to agree with the senate. As someone of high power, you need to put your best foot forward. Not be problematic, in this case nominating someone problematic.

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President Trump's latest nomination to the Federal Reserve Board is in limbo after the Senate refused to approve Judy Shelton this week.

Shelton has faced opposition on both sides of the aisle for her controversial views, including her skepticism of the Fed's political independence and her support for tying the value of the dollar to gold.

Here & Now's Tonya Mosley speaks with , senior editor for Bloomberg News.

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Senate Refuses To Advance Trump's Controversial Nominee To The Federal Reserve Board

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President Trump's latest nomination to the Federal Reserve Board is in limbo after the Senate refused to approve Judy Shelton this week. Shelton has faced opposition on both sides of the aisle for her controversial views, including her skepticism of the Fed's political independence and her support for tying the value of the dollar to gold.

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Trump’s Labor Secretary Is a Wrecking Ball Aimed at Workers

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Trump’s Labor Secretary Is a Wrecking Ball Aimed at Workers

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-The New Yorker Oct.19,2020
3.The Labor Secretary that is suppose to represent the president was saying that we don't need social distancing guidelines in place that are essential.
4. I disagree and thing that we should implement social distancing guidelines to help us remain safe.

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Trump’s Labor Secretary Is a Wrecking Ball Aimed at Workers

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As Election Day looms, Eugene Scalia, a cunning lawyer committed to dismantling regulation, is weakening one employee protection after another.

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Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear Trump lawsuit appeal

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Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear Trump lawsuit appeal

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Source: Apnews
Date: Dec. 11, 2020

This is an example of the judicial branch using it's powers because it has to do with the court system and how they are using it here with Donald Trump. I disagree with this, and I would discourage this hearing. Donald Trump was upset that he lost, and wanted to do anything he could to win.

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear arguments over the weekend on President Donald Trump's state lawsuit seeking to disqualify more than 221,000 ballots and overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the battleground state.

The court's decision to take the case, and to hear arguments on Saturday, came hours after a lower court judge ruled against Trump and said there was nothing illegal about the election or subsequent recount in the state's two largest counties. The highly unusual Saturday arguments will come exactly 48 hours before Monday's scheduled Electoral College vote.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court court previously refused to hear Trump's state case before it went through the lower courts. A majority of justices have also openly questioned whether disqualifying the ballots, as Trump wants, would be appropriate.

But Trump is now getting a chance to argue the merits of the case before the court controlled 4-3 by conservatives.

He suffered a total defeat in a lower court on Friday, with Reserve Judge Stephen Simanek ruling against every argument Trump made challenging ballots in the state's two largest counties, saying the election was properly administered and that there was no wrongdoing as the president alleged.

"The bottom line here is that the court should do everything to ensure that the will of the voters prevail," the judge said.

Trump quickly appealed the ruling. Trump's attorneys asked for a ruling no later than Jan. 6 when Congress meets to approve the Electoral College votes. Trump contends that is the "real deadline" for judicial action to overturn Wisconsin's electoral votes.

Trump's attorney said in the request that the campaign is asking his electors to cast their ballots for Trump on Monday and send them to Congress so, if a court intervenes in the meantime, the Trump votes would be counted instead of Biden.

A Biden campaign spokesman in Wisconsin had no immediate comment.

Trump also has a federal lawsuit in Wisconsin where the judge could rule as soon as Friday.

Biden won Wisconsin by nearly 21,000 votes, a margin of 0.6% that withstood a Trump-requested recount in the state's two largest counties, Milwaukee and Dane. Trump did not challenge any ballots cast in the counties he won.

Trump wanted to disqualify absentee ballots cast early and in-person, saying there wasn't a proper written request made for the ballots; absentee ballots cast by people who claimed "indefinitely confined" status; absentee ballots collected by poll workers at Madison parks; and absentee ballots where clerks filled in missing information on ballot envelopes.

Trump's attorney Jim Troupis argued that clerks in Milwaukee and Dane counties were wrong to rely on guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission on absentee ballots. He argued that guidance, some of which had been in place for years or was modified in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic to make it easier for indefinitely confined people to cast ballots, contradicted state law.

Biden attorney John Devaney argued that everyone who voted in the presidential election did so "in full compliance of the laws that were in effect at the time of the election." There is no evidence of fraud or illegal activity, he said. Devaney also said Trump "cynically" targeted ballots cast in Wisconsin's two most urban, non-white counties for disqualification.

Devaney noted that no one challenged the laws that had been in place prior to this election, including Trump when he won the state in 2016.

Trump and his allies have suffered a series of defeats in Wisconsin and across the country in lawsuits that rely on unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud and election abuse. On Friday evening, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Texas lawsuit that sought to invalidate Biden's win by throwing out millions of votes in four battleground states, including Wisconsin.

A Trump-appointed federal judge in Wisconsin said Thursday that the president's lawsuit in that state was "incredible," "bizarre" and "very odd," and that overturning the results would be "the most remarkable ruling in the history of this court or the federal judiciary."

U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig promised to issue his ruling as soon as Friday.

Also Friday, Republican-controlled committees in the state Legislature held an invite-only public hearing to accept testimony about the election. Republicans asked mainly conservative partisans to speak, including a Milwaukee talk radio host, but not the state's top elections official or the head of elections in the city or county of Milwaukee. Democrats decried the hearing as a farce and stopped participating after about three hours of testimony.

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Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear Trump lawsuit appeal

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear arguments over the weekend on President Donald Trump's state lawsuit seeking to disqualify more than 221,000 ballots and overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the battleground state.

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Unveiling economic team, Biden pledges, ‘Help is on the way’

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Unveiling economic team, Biden pledges, ‘Help is on the way’

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-ap news
- december 1
3. Why is this an example of the Executive  branch using its powers?
It talks about Biden and his plan to restore this country's economy. He makes promises to us, the people that he will use his power to restore this economy.
4. What is your opinion of this?
I just hope he sticks to his promises and claims. For the sake of this country . :)

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his administration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, declaring, "I know times are tough, but I want you to know that help is on the way."

Biden said he'd chosen a "first-rate team" that is "tested and experienced" to tackle the country's economic crisis. He picked liberal advisers who have long prioritized the nation's workers and government efforts to address economic inequality.

Unemployment remains high as the COVID-19 outbreak widens the gulf between average people and the wealthiest Americans. The virus, which has claimed more than 269,000 lives nationwide, is resurgent across the country amid holiday travel and colder weather sending people indoors.

As he did frequently while campaigning, Biden promised that the U.S. would eventually emerge with an economy that is dramatically reshaped to better stamp out economic inequality.

"From the most unequal economic and job crisis in modern history, we can build a new American economy that works for all Americans, not just some," Biden said as he introduced his choices for some of the government's top economic posts during a speech at a theater in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has led his transition to the presidency.

Tuesday also marked the president-elect's first appearance since breaking two small bones in his right foot while playing with one of his dogs over the weekend. He wore a black walking boot and moved gingerly but tried to keep things light. As he emerged from his motorcade, Biden pointed to his boot and lifted his leg briefly to show it off.

Asked about his foot by reporters, Biden responded only, "Good, thanks for asking."

The injury, while not serious, again intensifies scrutiny on Biden's age, given that he just turned 78 and is the oldest president ever to be in his first term. Still, his team has tried to keep the focus on building out its government and upcoming policy challenges, chief among them the pandemic and the economy.

Biden repeatedly evoked his work as vice president when the Obama administration oversaw the economic recovery following the 2008 financial crisis, noting that many of those on his newly formed economic team worked closely with him then.

Most of his choices will require confirmation from the deeply divided Senate, where some top Republicans have already begun voicing opposition. Biden said he hopes "that we will be able to work across the aisle in good faith, move forward as one country."

Janet Yellen, Biden's nominee for treasury secretary, served as chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, when she placed a greater emphasis than previous Fed chairs on maximizing employment and less focus on price inflation. Biden also named Cecilia Rouse as chair of his Council of Economic Advisers, and Heather Boushey and Jared Bernstein as members of the council.

Yellen called the economic havoc the pandemic has wrought "an American tragedy."

"To the American people: We will be an institution that wakes up every morning thinking about you," Yellen said of the Treasury Department, "Your jobs, your paychecks, your struggles, your hopes, your dignity and your limitless potential."

If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would be the first woman to serve as treasury secretary, after breaking ground as the first woman to chair the Fed.

"We might have to ask Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote a musical about the first secretary of the treasury, Hamilton, to write another musical about the female secretary of the treasury," Biden joked.

Rouse would be the first Black woman to lead the CEA in its 74 years of existence. The president-elect also selected Wally Adeyemo to be Yellen's deputy, which would make him the first Black deputy treasury secretary. Neera Tanden, Biden's pick for director of the Office of Management and Budget, would be the first South Asian American in that job.

Rouse, Tanden and Adeyemo will all require Senate confirmation, and Tanden, in particular, is already drawing heavy Republican criticism.

"Budgets are not abstractions. They are a reflection of our values," Tanden said during Tuesday's event.

All of Biden's picks are outspoken supporters of more government stimulus spending to boost growth - which Biden embraced on the campaign trail - though their proposals could face a difficult reception in Congress, which has stalemated on a new round of economic relief for months.

The prospects for a large-scale deal could hang on the outcome of runoff elections for both Georgia Senate seats. Victories in both would give Democrats control of the chamber - and its agenda -- by the slimmest of margins, but Republican victories will quickly test Biden and his team's ability to negotiate across the aisle to deliver on their promised relief for Americans.

As he has in recent weeks, Biden repeated calls for Congress to pass immediate pandemic relief funding even before he takes office.

"Right now, the full Congress should come together and pass a robust package for relief," he said. But Biden added that any package passed during the lame-duck session before the end of the year is "likely to be at best just a start" and said his transition team is "already working on what I'll put forward in the next Congress to address the multiple crises we're facing."

In the meantime, grim economic news is piling up. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that the pace of improvement in the economy has moderated in recent months with future prospects remaining "extraordinarily uncertain."

And Steven Mnuchin, President Donald Trump's treasury secretary, announced last month that, over the objections of the Fed, he would not grant extensions for five lending programs being operated jointly by the Fed and the Treasury Department that are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31 - including backstops for corporate and municipal debt and the purchase of loans for small businesses and nonprofits.

___

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Christopher Rugaber, Aamer Madhani and Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.

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Unveiling economic team, Biden pledges, 'Help is on the way'

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his administration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, declaring, "I know times are tough, but I want you to know that help is on the way."

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President Trump trying to halt defamation lawsuit, E. Jean Carroll's attorney says

-abcnews 12/11/2020

The president's legal team asked to stay the case while the Justice Department appeals an October decision denying its attempt to substitute as the defendant in place of President Trump.
I think is good that the legislative is taking force because trumps is taking action instead focus on what's important and its risking too much.

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President Donald Trump is trying to halt the defamation lawsuit brought by former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, whose attorney on Friday accused the president of "desperation" during a court hearing.

The president's legal team asked to stay the case while the Justice Department appeals an October decision denying its attempt to substitute as the defendant in place of President Trump.

"Mr. Trump sure seems desperate," Carroll's attorney, Joshua Matz said. "That desperation is a sign of weakness."

E. Jean Carroll poses for a portrait in New York, June 23, 2019.

Carroll sued the president for defamation after he accused her of playing politics and lying about an alleged 1990s rape in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the Justice Department's bid to replace Trump as the defendant, ruling that his statements about Carroll were not made as part of his official duties.

Matz said there should be no stay of the proceedings because the president has already "used every stall tactic in the books."

The president's attorney, Paul Burgo, said he is entitled to a stay of proceedings pending appeal but the judge appeared skeptical.

"Immunity from liability and immunity from discovery are two different things, aren't they," Kaplan asked.

"With each step forward in my lawsuit against Donald Trump, Trump's lawyers try to drag the case three steps back. More than a month ago, a federal judge told the DOJ that they couldn't take over Trump's defense, and Trump was soon going to have to turn over documents and give his DNA. Late yesterday, Trump tried to put this case on hold once again. I won't be silenced, and I look forward to having my lawyers respond to Trump's latest attempt to deny me my day in court," Carroll said in a statement.

He gave Carroll's lawyers until Dec. 17 to respond to Trump's motion.

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President Trump trying to halt defamation lawsuit, E. Jean Carroll's attorney says

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President Donald Trump is trying to halt the defamation lawsuit brought by former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, according to Carroll's attorney.

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The wall street
12/11/2020
WASHINGTON—Last-minute efforts by senators to force votes on favored topics threatened to derail legislation needed to keep the government funded after Friday, as Congress worked through a thicket of year-end priorities.
I think that this is good because it saves money when they really need it for us.

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WASHINGTON-The Senate passed a stopgap measure to fund the government for one week, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate a long-sought coronavirus-relief agreement and wrap up a broader spending package.

President Trump signed the measure into law Friday night.

Approval of the short-term spending bill sets up a sprint to resolve a set of difficult issues before Congress in a matter of days. In the coronavirus talks, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has struggled to close out a proposal because of disagreements on how to craft liability protections for businesses, schools, and health-care providers who face coronavirus-related lawsuits.

The negotiations on the liability issue among the rank-and-file members has prompted Senate Republicans to push for excluding the issue from the current bill entirely, dropping a demand that any relief bill must include it. In return, Republicans are insisting that the bill also exclude aid for state and local governments, a measure championed by Democrats.

Democrats have so far rejected the trade. They maintain the bill must include aid for state and local governments whose finances have suffered during the pandemic.

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Senate Averts Shutdown as Covid-Aid Talks Continue

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WASHINGTON-The Senate passed a stopgap measure to fund the government for one week, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate a long-sought coronavirus-relief agreement and wrap up a broader spending package. President Trump signed the measure into law Friday night.

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Biden Picks Susan Rice For Top Domestic Policy Position

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Biden Picks Susan Rice For Top Domestic Policy Position

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-Npr.org    12/10/2020
-This is an example of the executive branch using its powers because Biden is using his powers as the coming president to hire people.
- My opinion is that Biden made a good decision by picking Susan Rice because she knows the government inside and out.

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President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday he has chosen Susan Rice to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council, a position that does not require confirmation by the Senate.

Rice, 56, is a veteran of the past two Democratic administrations, serving on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration and as ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser under former President Barack Obama.

Rice had previously been on Biden's shortlist for vice president.

Her selection to serve in a domestic role is somewhat unexpected given her extensive credentials in foreign policy.

In a statement announcing her selection, the Biden campaign said Rice "knows government inside and out."

"Rice is among our nation's most senior and experienced government leaders with the skills to harness the power of the federal government to serve the American people," the statement reads.

"As a former member of the Cabinet, she also understands the challenges and opportunities of running an agency and has extensive experience working with other key members of the Biden-Harris White House team, including the heads of NSC and NEC."

Rice is one of many former Obama White House aides who are returning to work in the Biden administration.

Biden also confirmed his intention to nominate Denis McDonough, Obama's former chief of staff and deputy national security adviser, to lead Veterans Affairs; and Tom Vilsack, Obama's former secretary of agriculture, to return to that department.

Biden has selected Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, as his nominee for Housing and Urban Development and Katherine Tai as U.S. trade representative.

Biden called the new additions to his administration the "right team for this moment in history."

"The roles they will take on are where the rubber meets the road - where competent and crisis-tested governance can make a meaningful difference in people's lives, enhancing the dignity, equity, security, and prosperity of the day-to-day lives of Americans," he said in a statement.

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Biden Picks Susan Rice For Top Domestic Policy Position

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President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday he has chosen Susan Rice to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council, a position that does not require confirmation by the Senate. Rice, 56, is a veteran of the past two Democratic administrations, serving on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration and as ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser under former President Barack Obama.

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal

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December 10, 2020
AP News
This is an example of the Legislative Branch using it's powers because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does not support the Covid-19 relief bill. He insists on a more targeted aid package that would better. He is instead looking for companies and organizations facing potential COVID-19 lawsuits.
I agree that helping companies and organization with potential lawsuits is a good idea, but because the money would be put towards this instead of the Covid-19 relief bill it is slowing down the process of Covid-19 relief.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won't support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.

McConnell's staff conveyed to top negotiators that the GOP leader sees no path to an agreement on a key aspect of the lawmakers' existing proposal - a slimmed-down version of the liability shield he is seeking for companies and organizations facing potential COVID-19 lawsuits - in exchange for the state and local funds that Democrats want.

The GOP leader criticized "controversial state bailouts" during a speech in the Senate, as he insists on a more targeted aid package.

The hardened stance from McConnell, who does not appear to have enough votes from his Republican majority for a far-reaching compromise, creates a new stalemate over the $900-billion-plus package, despite days of toiling by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to strike compromise.

Other legislative pile-ups now threaten Friday's related business - a must-pass government funding bill. If it doesn't clear Congress, that would trigger a federal government shutdown on Saturday.

McConnell's staff conveyed to other negotiators it's "unlikely" the trade-off proposed by the bipartisan group would be acceptable, as COVID aid talks continue, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the talks. A senior Democrat first shared the Republican leader's views after being granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations, which were first reported by Politico.

Deadlines, real and perceived, haven't been sufficient to drive Washington's factions to an agreement, despite the U.S. breaking a record-high 3,000 daily COVID fatalities, and hospitals straining at capacity from soaring caseloads nationwide.

The House recessed for a few days, with leaders warning members to be prepared to return to Washington to vote on the year-end deals, while the Senate was planning a rare Friday session.

The breakdown over the COVID aid package, after days of behind-the-scenes talks by a group of lawmakers fed up with inaction, comes as President Donald Trump has taken the talks in another direction - insisting on a fresh round of $600 stimulus checks for Americans.

Sending direct cash payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal, but has been embraced by some of the president's fiercest critics - including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N,Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who introduced an amendment to include the checks with Trump ally Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

Sanders said the unprecedented moment facing the nation with the pandemic and its economic fallout requires Congress to "take unprecedented action."

Trump's top negotiator on COVID-19 financial aid, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reported headway Thursday, before the package from the bipartisan senators' group fell apart.

"I think we're making a lot of progress," Mnuchin said.

A one-week stop-gap measure to prevent a federal shutdown appears to have sapped some urgency from the talks. The short-term government-wide funding bill, approved by the House on Wednesday, needs to clear the Senate before Friday at midnight to avert a partial closure.

The next deadline would be Dec. 18, but both House and Senate leaders say they won't adjourn without passing an aid measure.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress would keep working up to or even after Christmas to get an agreement. The new Congress is being sworn in on Jan. 3.

"Now if we need more time then we take more time, but we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it," Pelosi said. She also gave an upbeat assessment on the talks.

The bipartisan lawmakers held another virtual "dinner group" meeting late Thursday to try to prop up the deal. They have been working furiously to try to bridge the stalemate over COVID aid.

The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.

A key hold up has been the standoff over more money for the states, that Democrats - and some Republicans - want and the liability shield that is McConnell's top GOP priority but that most Democrats oppose.

The partisan group tried to marry those two provisions as a compromise.

McConnell had initially proposed a five-year liability shield from virus lawsuits, retroactive to December 2019, but the bipartisan group was eyeing a scaled-back shield of six months to a year. Labor and civil rights groups oppose any shield, which they say strips essential workers of potential legal recourse as they take risks during the pandemic.

Democratic leaders had wanted far more in state and local aid, but were accepting of the lower $160 billion.

But many Republicans have long viewed the state and local aid as a bailout they would have trouble supporting, despite the pleas for funds coming from governors and mayors nationwide.

Late Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats pitched another liability proposal to the bipartisan group, but it was rejected by Republicans, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private session.

The Trump administration is back in the middle of the negotiations with a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.

The White House offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell, who had previously favored a $519 billion GOP plan that has already failed twice. But Democrats immediately blasted the plan over the administration's refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.

President-elect Joe Biden is pressing for as much pandemic relief as possible, though he's not directly involved in the talks. McConnell, like Pelosi, says Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief.

Republicans say the right people to handle final negotiations are the four leaders of Congress and the Trump administration, with the focus on the streamlined proposal from McConnell, R-Ky.

The bipartisan negotiating group - led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others - was seeking to rally lawmakers behind the $908 billion framework that includes the $300-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and $160 billion for states and local governments.

It also includes a four-month extension of jobless benefits set to expire at the end of the month, $300 billion for "paycheck protection" subsidies for struggling businesses, funding for vaccines and testing, and a host of smaller items such as aid to transit systems, the U.S. Postal Service and health care providers.

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal

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WASHINGTON (AP) - An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won't support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.

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House Panel Accuses Trump Administration of Concealing Evidence in CDC Coronavirus Probe

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House Panel Accuses Trump Administration of Concealing Evidence in CDC Coronavirus Probe

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Dec. 10, 2020
The Trump administration was accused of concealing evidence based off what an employee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The employee also said political appointees interfered in the agency’s work to fight the corona-virus pandemic. Dr. Charlotte Kent oversees the CDC’s weekly report. She says she was instructed to delete an email that showed a political appointee tried to meddle in the report.
This is an example of the executive branch because it involves the presidents administrative.
I think they are abusing their power in this case. What if that email had important information that they needed and she just had to delete it because of the political appointee meddling.

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Russian Hackers Broke Into Federal Agencies, U.S. Officials Suspect

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Russian Hackers Broke Into Federal Agencies, U.S. Officials Suspect

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TRUNG NGUYEN

The New York Times
David E. Sanger
Dec. 13, 2020

It is an example of the Executive Branch using its power because the Trump Administration (which works for the president who is under the Executive  Branch)are trying to find out why Russian Hackers are breaking into the Federal Agencies.

I think what they're doing is good because they need to find out why and who the Russian Hackers are because they did a lot of damage to the systems and some of the systems might've had high classified material.

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Trump, Congress avert shutdown, buy time for COVID-19 talks

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Trump, Congress avert shutdown, buy time for COVID-19 talks

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TRUNG NGUYEN
ap news
LISA MASCARO and ANDREW TAYLOR
December 11, 2020

This is an example of the Legislative Branch using its power because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, wants to not have a federal shutdown because he believes that they shall not return home for the holidays until the citizens are safe against Covid-19.

I agree because working on getting a vaccine faster will be more beneficial to everyone.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump signed a temporary government-wide funding bill into law on Friday, averting a federal shutdown at midnight and buying Congress time for on-again, off-again talks on COVID-19 aid.

The short-term measure passed the Senate just hours earlier by a unanimous voice vote without much drama and sent senators home for the weekend without a clear picture of what awaits next week. The bill sets a new deadline of midnight next Friday. The House passed the bill Wednesday.

The talks are stalled but there is universal agreement that Congress won't adjourn for the year without passing a long-delayed round of pandemic relief. An emerging $900 billion aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers hit a rough patch after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., swung against the effort. Still, negotiations are ongoing and pressure remains intense.

The House has recessed for a few days, with leaders warning members to be prepared to return to Washington to vote on the year-end deals.

Negotiators on a separate $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill appeared to be moving in a positive direction, said the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. This bill would serve as a vehicle to carry any year-end virus assistance.

"I'm hopeful we're going to get there on both the omni and the COVID package," McConnell said.

Fixing the impasse over the COVID-19 aid package is a Capitol Hill head-scratcher and hard feelings are plentiful. But discussions over issues such as aid to schools are trending well, leadership aides in both parties say.

Trump has renewed a push for a fresh round of stimulus checks for Americans, proposing $600 per individual rather than the $1,200 that was sent out this spring. Cost concerns are responsible for the smaller amount.

Sending direct cash payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal or a lower cost plan from Senate Republicans that has failed twice. The idea of another round of cash but has been embraced by some of the president's fiercest critics - including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N,Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

"We're not going to go home for the Christmas holidays unless we make sure that we provide for the millions of families in this country who are suffering," Sanders said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress would keep working up to or even after Christmas to get an agreement. The new Congress is being sworn in on Jan. 3.

The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.

A key hold up has been the standoff over more money for the states, that Democrats - and some Republicans - want and the liability shield for businesses and universities that is McConnell's top GOP priority but that most Democrats oppose.

The bipartisan group tried to marry those two provisions as a compromise.

McConnell had initially proposed a five-year liability shield from virus lawsuits, retroactive to December 2019, but the bipartisan group was eyeing a scaled-back shield of six months to a year. Labor and civil rights groups oppose any shield, which they say strips essential workers of potential legal recourse as they take risks during the pandemic.

Democratic leaders had wanted far more in state and local aid, but were accepting of the lower $160 billion.

But many Republicans have long viewed the state and local aid as a bailout they would have trouble supporting, despite the pleas for funds coming from governors and mayors nationwide.

Late Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats pitched another liability proposal to the bipartisan group, but it was rejected by Republicans, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private session.

The Trump administration is back in the middle of the negotiations with a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.

The White House offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell. Democrats oppose the plan in part because of the administration's refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.

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Trump, Congress avert shutdown, buy time for COVID-19 talks

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump signed a temporary government-wide funding bill into law on Friday, averting a federal shutdown at midnight and buying Congress time for on-again, off-again talks on COVID-19 aid. The short-term measure passed the Senate just hours earlier by a unanimous voice vote without much drama and sent senators home for the weekend without a clear picture of what awaits next week.

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Biden Selects Denis McDonough As VA Secretary

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Biden Selects Denis McDonough As VA Secretary

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-npr, December 10, 2020

3.This is an example of the executive branch using its power because the president-elect can nominate someone for VA Secretary.
4. What is your opinion of this? My opinion is that the president elect can do many things such as nominating people for special jobs.

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President-elect Joe Biden intends to nominate Denis McDonough to run Veterans Affairs, a position that requires Senate confirmation.

McDonough is a longtime aide of former President Barack Obama and served as his chief of staff from 2013 to 2017.

McDonough, who did not serve in the military, was chosen because of his ability to navigate crises and sort through the complex morass of government programs that can support veterans, a source familiar with the president-elect's thinking told NPR. The source spoke about private conversations on the condition of anonymity.

Joe Chenelly, executive director of AMVETS, said the veterans group thought Biden would go in a different direction.

"We were expecting a veteran, maybe a post-9/11 veteran. Maybe a woman veteran. Or maybe a veteran who knows the VA exceptionally well," Chenelly said in a statement. "We are looking forward to hearing from President-Elect Biden on his thinking behind this nomination."

Former VA Secretary David Shulkin, the only previous VA secretary who was not a veteran, stressed that the job was just as much about managing a huge organization - with over 300,000 staff - and the nearly constant crises that require congressional and executive branch coordination.

"Being able to manage a complex environment with many issues coming at you is what this job takes. It's not an easy job, but somebody with Denis' experience of being in the white house and managing so many issues I think is going to be a real asset," Shulkin told NPR.

Shulkin, who worked at VA under presidents Trump and Obama, said McDonough had been closely involved in responding to the 2014 VA wait-times scandal.

The VA is second only to the Pentagon in size and budget. It provides benefits and runs the largest health care network in the country, with about 9 million veterans enrolled.

News of McDonough's selection was first reported by Politico and later confirmed by NPR.

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Biden Selects Denis McDonough As VA Secretary

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President-elect Joe Biden intends to nominate Denis McDonough to run Veterans Affairs, a position that requires Senate confirmation. McDonough is a longtime aide of former President Barack Obama and served as his chief of staff from 2013 to 2017.

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A Trump Immigration Policy Is Leaving Families Hungry

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A Trump Immigration Policy Is Leaving Families Hungry

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The New York Times, Dec.14 2020
3.Trump is using his power as part of the executive branch to complicate the citizenship process for immigrants.
4. I believe his actions were wrong because the citizenship process in America was already very difficult, and this just makes it worse.

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Who formally declares the winner of the U.S. presidential election?

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Who formally declares the winner of the U.S. presidential election?

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2. Newsela , 10/27/2020

3. The executive branch works with presidential stuff like elections. This whole article explains what’s going on with the presidential elections and how it works.

4. What is your opinion of this? - I think the way we do things like voting is good. I don't see really any flaw with the system for voting in elections.

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Congress passes military authorization, one-week funding bill to avert government shutdown

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Congress passes military authorization, one-week funding bill to avert government shutdown

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NBC News, Dec. 11 2020
3. Congress is using their power as the legislative branch to buy more time to discuss a funding bill
4. I believe this is good because I would rather have time to discuss the new bill than create the bill with little time to consider the possible outcomes.

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WASHINGTON - The Senate passed a one-week stopgap bill to keep the government running through next Friday, buying time to hammer out deals on full-year funding and coronavirus aid.

Also Friday, the Senate passed a major defense authorization bill by a vote of 84-13 - giving final approval to the measure with a veto-proof majority after President Donald Trump threatened to spike it unless it included his demands to change internet liability laws.

The National Defense Authorization Act passed the House earlier by a vote of 335-78. It is unclear if Congress would override Trump's veto if he makes good on his vow to reject the measure.

Trump demanded that it include a repeal of an internet liability law commonly known as Section 230. He also opposed provisions in the bill to strip military bases of the names of Confederate leaders from the Civil War.

The government funding bill averts a government shutdown but sets up a new deadline next week.

The chamber passed the measure by a voice vote Friday, meaning no senator objected to its passage. The bill had a slight delay after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., objected to the defense authorization measure and delayed all the Senate work.

The House already passed the one-week bill Wednesday. It now goes to Trump's desk for his signature.

Coronavirus aid negotiations continue, although they've faltered in recent days over disagreements between involving liability protections for employers, a Republican priority, and aid to state and local governments, a Democratic demand.

It is unclear whether a deal can be struck in time, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have said they want to attach one to the government funding bill that they hope to complete next week.

Both have said it's not an option to leave for Christmas without a Covid-19 relief deal. Cases have skyrocketed in recent weeks and the United States on Thursday saw a record 3,110 confirmed Covid-19 deaths.

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Congress passes one-week funding bill to avert government shutdown

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WASHINGTON - The Senate passed a one-week stopgap bill to keep the government running through next Friday, buying time to hammer out deals on full-year funding and coronavirus aid.

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Biden Expected To Tap Katherine Tai As U.S. Trade Representative
December 9, 2020

3. This is an example of the executive branch because it shows you the president can choose who he wants to be the  U.S. Trade Representative.

4. My opinion is that maybe bidden will choose a someone good to be our U.S. Trade Representative

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President Trump Signs Bill To Avoid Government Shutdown Ahead Of Deadline

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President Trump Signs Bill To Avoid Government Shutdown Ahead Of Deadline

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2. Kera NPR, Dec. 11, 2020
3. Trump is using his presidency to sign a bill to avoid govt. shutdown.
4. I think this is okay of him, since they could be running out of money for 10 million people

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After facing a series of delays, the Senate approved by voice vote a one-week temporary funding measure Friday afternoon to avert a government shutdown hours before a critical deadline.

The president signed the bill Friday evening. Without it, federal agencies would have run out of money at midnight Friday.

The Senate's move came as Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, relented on his demands to vote first on a measure to allow direct payments to Americans.

"I am not one of the members of the Senate who shuts down, does this or does that and keeps people for weekends, I don't do that," Sanders said on the Senate floor ahead of the voice vote.

The effort de-escalates a highly dramatic scene raised in the Senate overnight, creating worries that a sequence of fights among various members could trigger a shutdown.

However, Sanders said he'll raise his demands again when the stopgap measure, also known as a continuing resolution, is set to expire in one week. And he said Congress should not go home for the holidays without addressing coronavirus relief aid.

"I am prepared to withdraw my objection at this moment, but I will not be prepared to withdraw an objection next week," Sanders said. "We will deal with the financial crisis facing tens of millions of Americans."

It was one of a series of efforts that delayed the Senate passing the legislation before Friday afternoon.

A group of Republican members were pushing for a provision to stop members of Congress from receiving pay during government shutdowns in the future.

Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana said he was among the GOP members seeking a vote on his " no budget, no pay" bill ahead of the vote on the stopgap measure. However, the measure was not addressed on the Senate floor before approval was given to the temporary funding measure.

"We're going to try to vote something out," Braun told a Capitol Hill pool reporter ahead of the voice vote.

The stopgap measure also met delays as the result of a traffic jam in the Senate.

The legislation was passed by a large majority in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. When it arrived in the Senate, it was stuck behind the National Defense Authorization Act.

That remained the case Friday.

"The Senate needs to pass a stopgap funding measure today to prevent a lapse while the bipartisan, bicameral efforts close in ona full-year funding bill," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in opening remarks Friday on the chamber floor.

Another key holdout, GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, withdrew his demands Friday for the defense bill, saying he only wanted it held up for a day. That allowed an afternoon vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, clearing the way for the temporary funding measure.

The defense bill passed by a 84-13 vote.

"Our main point in filibustering the defense authorization bill was to point out that the president should have the prerogative to end a war, not just to start wars," Paul told a Capitol Hill reporter.

Soon after, lawmakers approved a procedural motion to allow a final vote on the defense bill. President Trump has threatened to veto the measure, but overwhelmingly majorities in both chambers have signaled support for the plan.

With now the House and Senate approving the defense bill with a veto-proof majority, it appears Congress may have the votes to override a potential Trump veto.

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President Trump Signs Bill To Avoid Government Shutdown Ahead Of Deadline

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After facing a series of delays, the Senate approved by voice vote a one-week temporary funding measure Friday afternoon to avert a government shutdown hours before a critical deadline. The president signed the bill Friday evening. Without it, federal agencies would have run out of money at midnight Friday.

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Supreme Court Rejects Texas Challenge to Biden’s Victory in Presidential Election

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Supreme Court Rejects Texas Challenge to Biden’s Victory in Presidential Election

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December 12-2020
This is an example of the Judicial Branch using its powers because it rejected the challenge from Texas.
I think that this is a good example of the Judicial Branch because the court rejected something.

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WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court rejected on Friday Texas's long-shot bid to void 20 million votes in four other states, clearing the path for Joe Biden's victory when presidential electors meet Monday in state capitals across the nation.

The suit was President Trump's last chance to overturn election results before the Electoral College convenes to formally cast ballots: 306 for Mr. Biden, 232 for the incumbent.

Texas, exercising the privilege states hold to file claims directly before the Supreme Court, accused Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin of violating their own state laws, and thereby the U.S. Constitution, by adjusting absentee voting procedures to accommodate the surge in mail-in ballots from voters following public-health guidance during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a brief order, the court said Texas lacked legal standing to bring the case. "Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections," the unsigned order said.

Two justices, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, reiterated their previously stated view that the court is required to allow states to file cases before it, but noted that they took no position on Texas's argument and wouldn't have blocked the Electoral College from meeting on Monday.

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Supreme Court Rejects Texas Challenge to Biden's Victory in Presidential Election

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WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court rejected on Friday Texas's long-shot bid to void 20 million votes in four other states, clearing the path for Joe Biden's victory when presidential electors meet Monday in state capitals across the nation. The suit was President Trump's last chance to overturn election results before the Electoral College convenes to formally cast ballots: 306 for Mr. Biden, 232 for the incumbent.

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Lisa Montgomery's attorneys head to Supreme Court, pleading with Trump to read clemency petition

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Lisa Montgomery's attorneys head to Supreme Court, pleading with Trump to read clemency petition

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- CNN, January 6, 2021
This shows someone's trial getting moved to the Supreme Court to challenge the appeals.
I think this is good, Lisa Montgomery killed a pregnant woman, but her case should not really go to the Supreme Court to change her execution date.

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High court denies Kentucky religious school’s plea to reopen

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High court denies Kentucky religious school’s plea to reopen

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- APNews.com 12/17/2020
-This is an example of the Judicial Branch because the supreme court uses its powers and refuses to block an order. They rejected a plea from a private religious school.
-My opinion is that the high court made a good decision because covid is spreading quickly and not allowing them to reopen will help stop the spread.

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Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to block an order by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear that bars in-person K-12 education until early January in areas hard hit by COVID-19, rejecting a plea from a private religious school.

The court said in an unsigned opinion that Beshear's order will effectively expire at the end of the week anyway because schools are about to begin their Christmas vacation and can open again in early January. A ruling against the state "would have little practical effect," the court said.

Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented. Gorsuch noted that the governor issued a separate order allowing "virtually all other in-person activities to continue with only capacity restrictions. Movie theaters, indoor wedding venues, bowling alleys, and gaming halls remained open for business."

The Danville Christian Academy had sued Beshear after he announced the closures in November in response to increased cases of COVID-19 around the state. His order applied to both public and private schools. The county that Danville Christian Academy is located in has one of the highest coronavirus incidence rates in the state, at 113.6 cases per 100,000 residents.

The school said it was being treated unfairly under Kentucky law and the U.S. Constitution. A district court agreed, blocking the order, but the federal appeals court in Cincinnati, Ohio, allowed Beshear's order to remain in effect.

Beshear said all schools were treated alike. Speaking at a news conference in Kentucky around the time the court ruled, he said: "In no way were religious schools treated any differently, we asked everybody to make the same sacrifice."

Kentucky continues to reel from the pandemic. The governor on Thursday announced a record 54 new confirmed COVID-19-related deaths and 3,349 new confirmed coronavirus cases. Hospital capacity for ICU beds is at or above 80% in four parts of the state.

Kelly Shackelford, president and chief counsel of First Liberty Institute, the law firm that represented Danville Christian Academy, vowed to take the governor to court again if the order was reinstated.

"Rest assured, if the Governor does so on Jan 4th, we will file against him immediately," Shackelford said in a statement.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron echoed Shackleford's warning in a statement Thursday evening, urging the governor to "carefully consider future executive action related to religious schools."

On Monday, Beshear had announced new public health guidance for in-person learning in counties with high COVID-19 rates. Schools that comply may resume in-person learning on Jan. 11.

___

Hudspeth Blackburn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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High court denies Kentucky religious school's plea to reopen

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The Supreme Court has refused to block an order by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear that bars in-person K-12 education until early January in areas hard hit by COVID-19, rejecting a plea from a private religious school.

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Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to end young immigrants' protections

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Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to end young immigrants' protections

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- Newsela, June 21, 2020

This shows the Supreme Court and the President arguing for or against the protections for young immigrants, a case of federalism or anti-federalism.
I would have to agree with the Supreme Court, as we need to give young immigrants protections.

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Newsela | Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to end young immigrants' protections

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On June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the rights of "Dreamers" to avoid deportation for at least two more years.

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Covid-19, Protests Prompt New Laws in 2021 Across U.S.

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Covid-19, Protests Prompt New Laws in 2021 Across U.S.

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Jan 1-2021
This is an example of Federalism because it is a law across the entire U.S from the Supreme Court and President.
I believe that this is a great idea because it gives new rules to the new year and a fresh start.

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The start of the new year brings more than just hope for the end of the pandemic. In states across the country, new laws and regulations will be going into effect, including some aimed at addressing worker safety, affordable health care and other issues that emerged this year from the coronavirus. Others target matters like racial inequality and policing that were thrust into the national spotlight in 2020.

In many statehouses, lawmakers worked remotely for much of the year because of the pandemic. That also led to some truncated legislative sessions-and to far fewer laws being passed than in a typical year in states like California and Illinois.

Here is a look at some of the new laws for 2021:

Employment

In California, employers must notify workers of a possible workplace exposure to Covid-19 within one business day and report an outbreak within 48 hours to local public-health officials. In a major expansion of the state's family leave program, employers with at least five employees must now offer at least 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to take care of new children or sick family members.

Connecticut also is expanding its family leave program, which will be funded by a 0.5% tax on worker wages that begins in January. Starting in 2022, workers will get paid time off for up to 12 weeks to care for a new child or seriously ill family member, with weekly benefits topping out at $780.

New York requires all employers to offer sick leave. Companies with five or more employees or net income of more than $1 million must give paid time off, and smaller companies can offer unpaid leave.

The minimum wage increases in about half the states, including Maryland, Arkansas and Vermont. Florida joined a few other states and cities in aiming to get baseline pay to $15 an hour; the rate will rise to $10 an hour in September, with annual increases until 2026.

In California, app-based and delivery drivers won't be classified as employees and will be exempted from state laws governing minimum wage, paid sick leave and other labor protections after voters approved a ballot measure sponsored by Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and other companies. Under the new law, the companies will offer some benefits to employees including mileage reimbursement and contributions toward health care.

Health and Medical Costs

Virginia and Georgia have new laws aimed at curbing surprise medical bills. Virginia's law protects insured patients from being billed by out-of-network providers for emergency care, or for surgeries and some other scheduled procedures performed at in-network hospitals.

Diabetics will have greater drug-pricing protections in seven more states. New Mexico created the lowest 30-day cap for insulin payments at $25. Virginia's new cap is $50, and others including Illinois and Washington are limiting monthly insulin costs to $100.

Oklahoma will expand its Medicaid coverage starting in July, the result of a voter-approved constitutional amendment that came after years of resistance from Republican legislators and the governor's office. The expansion is expected to help an additional estimated 215,000 low-income residents.

Policing, Crime and Drugs

The killing of George Floyd in May after a Minnesota police officer pressed his knee to Mr. Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes prompted several statehouses to put a ban on the chokehold maneuver used in his killing. California, Delaware, Iowa, New York, Oregon and Utah all passed some form of chokehold ban. Connecticut banned chokeholds as part of a broader law reforming policing in the state, which has some elements taking effect in January, including requiring officers to wear a badge in a prominent place. Some antichokehold measures failed in other states.

Georgia makes it a hate crime to target someone because they are a police officer. The law, opposed by civil-rights groups, followed the passage of a broader hate-crimes law that increased the prison sentences in crimes motivated by a victim's race, religion, sexual orientation or other bias. Legislators passed that law after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was fatally shot after being pursued by three white men while he was on a run. The passage left three states with no law punishing crimes based on bias.

Beginning in March, officers in Virginia won't be able to stop or search someone solely based on smelling marijuana.

More states continue to legalize recreational marijuana use through ballot measures or legislative changes, including Arizona, South Dakota, Montana and New Jersey. Oregon in February will become the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of all illegal drugs after voters approved of the change. The northwest state's voters also legalized the use of psilocybin-the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms-for mental-health treatment.

In California, some inmates who worked in prison fire camps fighting deadly wildfires will have their criminal records expunged when they are released. Separately, people who were arrested but never convicted and low-level offenders will have their criminal records automatically expunged after completing their jail sentences, a move aimed at making it easier for those people to find housing and employment.

New Hampshire expands its definition of sexual assault to include sexual contact between school employees and students between ages 13 and 18. The law previously said teenagers 16 and older could consent to such contact. The state also implements a comprehensive bill aimed at addressing sexual violence on college campuses.

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Covid-19, Protests Prompt New Laws in 2021 Across U.S.

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The start of the new year brings more than just hope for the end of the pandemic. In states across the country, new laws and regulations will be going into effect, including some aimed at addressing worker safety, affordable health care and other issues that emerged this year from the coronavirus.

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Ossoff projected to win in Georgia, delivering Senate control to Democrats

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Ossoff projected to win in Georgia, delivering Senate control to Democrats

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- CBS, January 7, 2020

This shows the people voted on someone, and he had gained enough votes to become a Senator and flip Senate control for the Democrats.
I agree with this because this would finally stop McConnell from doing bad things to us and stopping any laws the Democrats try to pass.

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1. Include the link or upload
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of this principle?
4. What is your opinion of this?

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Georgia highlights:Democrats Win the Senate as Ossoff defeats perdue

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Georgia highlights:Democrats Win the Senate as Ossoff defeats perdue

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-Washington post,January 6,2021
It is an example of this principle because they have voted for the democrats for senate.
i like that Georgia is going blue because i think its time for a change.

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Democrats took control of the Senate on Wednesday with a pair of historic victories in Georgia's runoff elections, assuring slim majorities in both chambers of Congress for President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and delivering an emphatic, final rebuke to President Trump in his last days in office.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock defeated Senator Kelly Loeffler, becoming the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from the South. And Jon Ossoff, the 33-year-old head of a video production company who has never held public office, defeated David Perdue, who recently completed his first full term as senator.

Both Democrats now lead their defeated Republican opponents by margins that are larger than the threshold required to trigger a recount under Georgia law.

The Democrats' twin victories will reshape the balance of power in Washington. Though they will have the thinnest of advantages in the House and Senate, where Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will break 50-50 ties, Democrats will control the committees and the legislation and nominations brought to the floor. That advantage will pave the way for at least some elements of Mr. Biden's agenda.

Mr. Ossoff's victory comes at a moment when the nation's political leadership has been paralyzed by a pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol and halted the formal accepting of the Electoral College results by Congress. The day's extraordinary proceedings - rioting interrupting the peaceful transition of political power - crystallized the campaign the Georgia Democrats ran against their Republican opponents, both of whom pledged to seek to overturn the results of the presidential election to keep Mr. Trump in office.

The Republicans' losses in a state that Mr. Biden narrowly carried in November, but that still leans right politically, also amounted to a vivid illustration of the perils of embracing Mr. Trump. He put his diminished political capital on the line with an election eve appearance in Northwest Georgia. And Mr. Perdue and Ms. Loeffler unwaveringly embraced the president throughout the runoff races even as he refused to acknowledge Mr. Biden's victory and brazenly demanded that Georgia state officials overturn his loss in the state.

The political fallout of Mr. Trump's tenure is now clear: His single term in the White House will conclude with Republicans having lost the presidency, the House and the Senate on his watch.

Mr. Ossoff and Mr. Warnock won thanks to a frenetic get-out-the-vote push that began immediately after the November election, when no candidate in either race claimed the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Driving turnout among liberals and Black voters in the early-voting period, Democrats built an insurmountable advantage going into election day.

They won thanks to overwhelming margins in Georgia's cities, decisive victories in Georgia's once-Republican suburbs and because of lackluster turnout on Tuesday in the rural counties that now make up the G.O.P. base.

As Democrats took control of the Senate on Wednesday, winning the two Georgia seats up for grabs, chaos erupted on Capitol Hill as supporters of President Trump clashed with the police and stormed the Capitol building, interrupting proceedings as Congress prepared to certify the results of the 2020 election.

The Capitol was put on lockdown and Vice President Mike Pence was rushed from the Senate chamber as the pro-Trump mob - some waving Confederate flags - overwhelmed the building's security. The mayor of Washington, D.C., ordered a 6 p.m. curfew.

Hours after the chaos began, Mr. Trump issued a statement telling the mob to leave. "You have to go home now," he said in a video recorded at the White House and posted to Twitter. "We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We don't want anyone hurt."

Still, the president ultimately offered encouragement to the mob, noting: "We love you. You're very special," and "I know how you feel." Before his statement, he had only sent two tweets that asked protesters to remain "peaceful."

Shortly before Mr. Trump's statement, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. made brief remarks calling on Mr. Trump to demand an end to the incident, which Mr. Biden called an "unprecedented assault" on democracy.

The remarkable scene at the Capitol - only hours after Mr. Trump addressed a rally of his supporters and declared that "we will never concede" - came less than 24 hours after polls had closed in Georgia in two Senate runoffs that gave the Democrats the seats necessary to take control of the House, Senate and White House.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat and the pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, defeated Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican, to become the first Black senator in Georgia history and the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate in the South.

In the other contest, Jon Ossoff, the Democratic challenger, defeated David Perdue, the Republican whose Senate term ended on Sunday.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, before major networks called the race, Mr. Ossoff declared victory and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, proclaimed that his party would win the majority.

"It feels like a brand new day," Mr. Schumer said in a statement. "For the first time in six years, Democrats will operate a majority in the United States Senate - and that will be very good for the American people."

Mr. Perdue has not yet conceded the race but Gabriel Sterling, a top Georgia elections official, said late Wednesday morning that Mr. Ossoff would most likely win by a margin large enough to avoid a recount, which is 0.5 percent in Georgia.

With Democrats winning both races, Mr. Biden now has a stronger ability to enact his agenda. Democrats will hold 50 seats in the Senate and de facto control of the chamber, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris serving as the tiebreaking vote and Senator Mitch McConnell relegated to minority leader.

Mr. McConnell, the Republican leader who had indulged Mr. Trump's baseless accusations of election fraud for the last two months, publicly broke with him after losing one race in Georgia and falling behind in the other. In a floor speech before pro-Trump protesters breached the building, he called rejecting efforts to overturn the election the most important vote of his decades-long career and warned of sending democracy into a "death spiral."

"We simply cannot declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids," Mr. McConnell said. "The voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken. They've all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our Republic forever."

Not long after, Trump supporters put the proceedings on hold by making their way inside the building by force - including the Senate chamber itself. Inside the House chamber, photos showed law enforcement officers with guns drawn.

Even before the Georgia results were official, the Republican recrimination began about how the party not only lost the White House but was also at risk of ceding control of the Senate.

"It turns out telling voters the election is rigged is not a good way to turn out your voters," said Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah and an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump.

Later, Mr. Romney, from a secure location after the breach, declared of the chaos at the Capitol, "This is what the president has caused today, this insurrection."

The twin Georgia races drew record levels of campaign spending - roughly half a billion dollars in two months - and national attention, with Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden both campaigning in the state on Monday.

The results showed both Mr. Warnock and Mr. Ossoff carrying a larger share of the vote in county after county - particularly in majority-Black areas - than Mr. Biden did in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1992.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, said Wednesday that his Senate victory over the Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler was the result of a decade of work registering hundreds of thousands of Georgians to vote.

"Welcome to the new Georgia," he told NPR on Wednesday morning. "It is more diverse, and it is more inclusive, and it readily embraces the future. And I am a product of that."

Mr. Warnock, 51, will become the first Black senator in Georgia history, and the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate in the South.

"Georgia certainly made me proud last night," he said. "They decided to send a kid who grew up in public housing to the United States Senate to represent the concerns of ordinary people."

Shortly before his victory was finalized early on Wednesday, Mr. Warnock, the pastor at the storied Ebenezer Baptist Church, had marveled at his experience compared to that of his mother, who worked in cotton fields as a teenager.

"The other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else's cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator," he said.

In the NPR interview, Mr. Warnock dismissed the attempt by President Trump and some Republicans to try to challenge the president's loss in Georgia in November when Congress certifies the Electoral College results on Wednesday. The effort is expected to fail.

"We counted those votes three times," Mr. Warnock said, referring to Georgia's recount in the fall. "It is clear, when you look at the swing states all across our country, Joe Biden is the president-elect. Unfortunately, there are enablers of this nonsense in the United States Senate. And that's why the people who I'm running into all across Georgia are frustrated with politics."

Mr. Warnock said that once in the Senate, he would support a $2,000 stimulus payment to help people who qualify endure the coronavirus pandemic. "Folks waited for months without getting any relief at all," he said.

And he said he would focus on shrinking "well-connected corporate interests in our politics."

"If the people can get their democracy back, we can get the reform that we need around issues of environmental justice, around health care - around a whole range of concerns," he said.

ATLANTA - Michael Simmons, 63, has not missed voting in a major election since 1976. The most important for him was 2008, when he cast a ballot for President Barack Obama. But his votes in November's general election and the Senate runoffs on Tuesday were ranked closely behind.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock's success in the Senate runoffs sent a jolt of jubilation through much of Georgia's African-American community, as they saw a Black man taking an office that had been held by segregationists when he was born. There was also a level of pride in having an emissary of the Black church serve in the highest levels of government.

"I never would have thunk - put that down, thunk! - I'd see this happen," said Mr. Simmons, a manager at a nonprofit organization in downtown Atlanta. "Personally, I don't expect the world to change because we have a Black man in the Senate, but we can see progress."

The office of the nonprofit where Mr. Simmons works is just a few blocks from Ebenezer Baptist Church, the renowned congregation that Mr. Warnock leads. Mr. Simmons often saw Mr. Warnock walking around the neighborhood.

The win carried enormous significance for him: "This was a place where for many years we got the short end of the stick," Mr. Simmons, who grew up in Alabama and moved to Atlanta after college, said.

He also thought the rest of the country now owed a debt to Georgia - for the work of the state's Black voters and particularly the efforts of Stacey Abrams. "I think there ought to be a lot of gratitude for what we've done."

Dorothy Boler, who moved to Atlanta from Chicago 25 years ago, said she had been proud to cast her ballot for Mr. Warnock during the early voting period. "I praised the Lord he got in there," she said. "We're going to make history."

African-American faith leaders said on Wednesday that they, too, were thrilled with Mr. Warnock's victory, which they also saw as a rebuke of his Republican opponent, Kelly Loeffler, who had portrayed him as a "radical" and "socialist" and had attacked him using excerpts from his sermons that he and his supporters said were taken out of context.

"I went all over this state," said Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, the presiding prelate in Georgia of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. "Blacks couldn't wait to get to the polls. She gave us more reasons to get out to vote - couldn't wait to vote - just to vote against her."

On Wednesday afternoon, he compared the celebration in Georgia with the turmoil in Washington, where a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, and said it underscored for him a transformation happening not just in his state but across the country, one that gives him optimism.

"I think it speaks volumes and I think that, despite what you see on television like this, there is still a part of this country that is coming together," Bishop Jackson said. "That's the group that Trump speaks for," he added, referring to the rioters, "but it's a dwindling portion of the country."

ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia strongly condemned on Wednesday the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, calling it a "disgrace" and arguing that if he had heeded President Trump's demands for a special session of the Georgia Legislature to contest his state's election results, a similarly dangerous situation might have ensued in Atlanta.

"It has been a disgrace, and, quite honestly, un-American," Mr. Kemp said at a late-afternoon news conference at the state capitol, where dozens of right-wing protesters, some heavily armed, had gathered outside.

"It is unimaginable that we have people in our state and in our country that have been threatening police officers, breaking into government buildings," he added. "This is not the Georgia way and it is not the way of our country."

Chester Doles, leader of American Patriots U.S.A., a far-right group, is surrounded by supporters as he heads to a rally outside the Georgia Capitol. Credit... Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated Press

Runoff elections on Tuesday for Georgia's two Senate seats resulted in victories by the Democratic candidates, Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, giving their party full control of Congress.

On Wednesday morning, hours before Congress was to certify President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory, President Trump held a rally in Washington in which he falsely claimed, as he has many times, that his loss in states like Georgia was the result of a rigged election. A large mob of his supporters then stormed the Capitol.

Mr. Kemp, a first-term governor, is a Republican who benefited from Mr. Trump's endorsement. But since the November election, Mr. Trump has repeatedly attacked him for declining to call a special session of the Legislature to investigate Mr. Trump's bogus claims of fraud and take steps to overturn his loss in Georgia.

A number of elected Republicans in Georgia had also called for a special session.

At the news conference, Mr. Kemp addressed anyone who has been pushing for the idea.

"You can now see what that would have looked like," he said. "Rudy Giuliani saying, quote, trial by combat, end quote, is simply outrageous, and there's no place for that in our nation," referring to a speech by Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, earlier on Wednesday.

Mr. Kemp called for national unity, and said he had extended a previous order that activated the National Guard. Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state who was also attacked by Mr. Trump, had to be taken out of the capitol building earlier Wednesday in order to assure his safety.

With one Democratic victory in Georgia already assured and the other Democratic candidate leading in his bid for the state's second Senate seat, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said on Wednesday that he believed Democrats would take control of the Senate, a result that he said signaled a demand for immediate action from the nation's leaders.

"Georgia's voters delivered a resounding message yesterday: they want action on the crises we face and they want it right now," Mr. Biden said in a statement.

Mr. Biden congratulated the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who beat the Republican incumbent, Kelly Loeffler, and said that he believed Jon Ossoff would also be victorious in his race against David Perdue, his Republican challenger. The race was called for Mr. Ossoff on Wednesday afternoon.

Winning both seats would give Democrats and Republicans each 50 seats in the Senate, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris having the power to cast tiebreaking votes. In the House, Democrats hold a slim majority.

"I'm pleased that we will be able to work with Speaker Pelosi and a Majority Leader Schumer," Mr. Biden said, while also pledging again to try and reach a bipartisan consensus on major issues.

In his statement, the president-elect also thanked Stacey Abrams, who has spent the last decade building a Democratic political infrastructure in Georgia and increasing turnout there among people of color.

The president-elect said that both Ms. Abrams and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta, had "laid the difficult groundwork necessary to encourage turnout and protect the vote over these last years."

On Tuesday morning, the Rev. Raphael Warnock made a final pitch to voters in Georgia with a video released on social media that prominently featured W.N.B.A. players campaigning on his behalf against the Republican incumbent, Senator Kelly Loeffler, who also happens to be a co-owner of a franchise, the Atlanta Dream.

The players got what they wanted. Mr. Warnock, a Democrat, defeated Loeffler in an outcome that six months ago would have been considered an upset. The attention W.N.B.A. players brought to Mr. Warnock's campaign is widely considered to have played a role in his victory, renewing questions about how the league can move forward with an owner who is opposed by most of its players.

Over the summer, Ms. Loeffler openly criticized the league for dedicating its 2020 season to social justice, after the W.N.B.A., taking a cue from players like Angel McCoughtry of the Las Vegas Aces, said its games would honor the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ms. Loeffler spent much of the rest of her Senate campaign blasting Black Lives Matter, accusing the movement of holding "anti-Semitic views" and promoting "violence and destruction across the country." That prompted the W.N.B.A. players' union to tweet: " E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T!" The W.N.B.A. commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, told ABC in July that "Kelly's views are not consistent with those of the W.N.B.A. and its players."

Ms. Loeffler dug in and escalated her language. In August, led by players like the Dream's Elizabeth Williams and the Seattle Storm's Sue Bird, teams across the league took the dramatic step of wearing shirts before a game that read "Vote Warnock." The demonstration elevated Warnock's profile among people who had not been following the race, and prompted a flood of donations to his campaign.

Ms. Loeffler said during the campaign that the players' speaking out against her was an example of "cancel culture."

It is not clear whether the end of the campaign and Ms. Loeffler's loss in the election will prompt changes in the dynamic between her, the Dream players and the W.N.B.A. The team's majority owner, Mary Brock, has expressed an interest in selling her stake, but Ms. Loeffler, who owns 49 percent of the team, has said she plans to keep her piece of the franchise. Some athletes have called for Ms. Loeffler to sell, but Ms. Engelbert told CNN in July that Ms. Loeffler would not be forced to do so.

In August, ESPN reported that Baron Davis, the former N.B.A. player, was part of an investment group interested in buying the Dream. The N.B.A. star LeBron James added intrigue of his own to the discussion, posting on Twitter early Wednesday: "Think I'm gone put together an ownership group for the The Dream. Whose in? #BlackVotesMatter." Renee Montgomery, a Dream player who sat out last season to focus on social justice reforms, joined in: " I'm ready when you are."

As Democrats flipped both of Georgia's Senate seats from the incumbent Republicans, credit flowed to one person broadly acknowledged as being most responsible for Georgia's new status as a Democratic state: Stacey Abrams.

Ms. Abrams, the former minority leader of the Georgia state House, has spent a decade building a Democratic political infrastructure in the state, first with her New Georgia Project and now with Fair Fight, the voting rights organization she founded in the wake of her losing campaign for governor in 2018.

Late Tuesday night, Ms. Abrams praised the thousands of "organizers, volunteers, canvassers & tireless groups" who helped rebuild the state's Democratic Party from the rump it was when she became the state House minority leader in 2011.

With new votes joining the tally, we are on a strong path. But even while we wait for more, let's celebrate the extraordinary organizers, volunteers, canvassers & tireless groups that haven't stopped going since Nov. Across our state, we roared. A few miles to go...but well done!
- Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 6, 2021

While Ms. Abrams is widely expected to run for governor again in 2022, she is at the moment one of the most influential American politicians not in elected office. It was her political infrastructure and strategy of increasing turnout among the state's Black, Latino and Asian voters that laid the groundwork for both President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory in November and the Democrats' performance in the Senate races.Ms. Abrams was not alone in Georgia, of course: Numerous other Black women have led a decades-long organizing effort to transform the state's electorate.

"We weren't surprised that Georgia turned blue, because we've been working on it for over 15 years," Deborah Scott, the founder of Georgia Stand Up, said after Mr. Biden's victory in the general election.

"It's been an uphill battle," said Felicia Davis, a longtime organizer in Clayton County. "Because here, we're not just women, we're Southern women. And we're not just Southern women, we're Southern Black women."

Still, Ms. Abrams was the most visible face at the forefront of the turnout push. And when it came time to cut a TV ad urging Georgians to confirm the status of their absentee ballots - voters have until Friday to cure absentee ballots that contain minor errors - she appeared in the ad reminding them how to do so.

"Don't wait," she said. "Your vote has the power to determine the future of Georgia and our country. It's time to make certain your voice is heard."

Former President Barack Obama commended the Rev. Raphael Warnock on Wednesday for winning election as the first Black senator from Georgia, casting Mr. Warnock's historic victory as an example of why civic engagement - an issue Mr. Obama has long championed - matters.

"My friend John Lewis is surely smiling down on his beloved Georgia this morning, as people across the state carried forward the baton that he and so many others passed down to them," Mr. Obama wrote in a statement, referring to the Democratic congressman and civil rights activist who died in August.

That President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. won Georgia in November and that Democrats are poised to take both of the state's Senate seats "is a testament to the power of the tireless and often unheralded work of grassroots organizing," Obama wrote, "and the resilient, visionary leadership of Stacey Abrams." Ms. Abrams, the former minority leader of the Georgia state House, spent 10 years working to expand the Democratic electorate.

"Democrats in Georgia and across the country should feel good today," Mr. Obama wrote. "But the past four years show us that even outside of election season - and outside of races that garner national attention - we've got to remain engaged in civic life."

And Mr. Obama seemed to indirectly refer to Wednesday's events in Congress, where some Republicans, under the encouragement of President Trump, have objected to certifying Mr. Biden's Electoral College victory.

"In recent years, our institutions, our democracy, and truth itself have been greatly tested by those who've chosen to prioritize personal gain or political ambition over our democratic principles," Mr. Obama wrote. "And even a good election will not eliminate those threats."

The victory on Wednesday morning by the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who becomes the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from the South, confirmed that Georgia's metamorphosis from conservative bastion to battleground state was complete. The changing demographics are likely to reshape the political dynamics of this Deep South state for a generation.

Until this week, Republicans held every statewide elective office and majorities in both statehouses. But the upset victories by Mr. Warnock and Jon Ossoff in two runoff races, coming on the heels of a narrow win by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., showed that Democrats could forge a coalition to win Georgia even when the focus shifted away from removing Donald Trump from office.

Perhaps even more significant, the runoff results showed that Democrats could mobilize their diverse and largely metropolitan voting base to try and boost two overtly liberal candidates - a Jewish man and Black man - to the Senate from Georgia for the first time in history.

"There's no going back," said Jacquelyn Bettadapur, chairwoman of the Democratic Party in Cobb County, a once conservative suburban county where Mr. Biden won in November by a double-digit margin. "A Democrat would be a fool not to play in Georgia going forward."

From the earliest moments of the Trump era, Georgia emerged as a hotbed of Democratic opposition, attracting national attention and a flood of political spending after Mr. Ossoff announced his run for a House seat two weeks before Mr. Trump's inauguration. Since then, the state has been caught up in the political upheaval brought by a polarizing president.

In 2018, Gov. Brian Kemp, with the backing of Mr. Trump, won a narrow victory against Stacey Abrams. This week, Mr. Kemp's name prompted jeers from a Republican audience at a Trump rally after he refused the president's efforts to overturn millions of votes in the state. Democrats, meanwhile, are celebrating Ms. Abrams as a liberal hero for turning out voters and swinging the state.

Representative Nikema Williams, the state Democratic Party chairwoman who was sworn into Congress this week, said Mr. Biden's victory gave Democrats, particularly Black voters, confidence that they could win competitive races. And early voting in this week's runoffs showed that turnout among Black voters increased from November, a notable shift from the drop-off that is typical in runoff races.

"This election was not about Donald Trump," Ms. Williams said. "This was about people on the ground realizing that if they show up en masse they can overcome the voter suppression and we can win Georgia."

Hours before Jon Ossoff was declared the winner in his Senate race, Democrats exulted on Wednesday morning as they appeared poised to take control of the Senate, a feat that would hand them unified control of Congress - albeit by razor-thin margins - as well as the White House.

With the Rev. Raphael Warnock victorious and Mr. Ossoff leading in a pair of runoff elections in Georgia, the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York, proclaimed on Twitter: "Buckle up!"

"We sure did not take the most direct path to get here, but here we are," Mr. Schumer said at acelebratory news conference in the Capitol. "For the first time in six years, Democrats will operate a majority in the United States Senate - and that will be very good for the American people."

The twin victories in Georgia gave Democrats 50 seats in the Senate and left Republicans with the same number, handing Democrats a working majority because Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be empowered to break ties.

Mr. Schumer told reporters that he had already spoken to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Congress's first order of business would be to approve $2,000 direct payments to be sent to Americans struggling in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. But he declined to clarify whether Democrats would approve just the checks or seek a large package including other priorities like state and local aid or increased unemployment insurance.

On a conference call with Democrats, Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader, played the Ray Charles hit "Georgia on My Mind" for ebullient colleagues as they contemplated what their newfound power on the other side of the Capitol would mean as Mr. Biden assumes the presidency.

"We will pursue a science and values-based plan to crush the virus and deliver relief to struggling families, safeguard the right to quality affordable health care and launch a plan to build back better powered by fair economic growth," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

The Georgia victories were a strong rebuke of President Trump, under whose leadership Republicans lost control of the House, the White House andthe Senate.

Some of Democrats' most ambitious priorities could be blocked, however, by the legislative filibuster, which sets a 60-vote threshold for any major initiative. Mr. Schumer batted away questions about a push from the party's left flank to change the rules to essentially kill the filibuster by lowering the threshold to a simple majority.

"We are united in wanting big, bold change, and we are going to sit down as a caucus and discuss the best ways to get that done," he said.

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Georgia Highlights: Democrats Win the Senate as Ossoff Defeats Perdue

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Democrats took control of the Senate on Wednesday with a pair of historic victories in Georgia's runoff elections, assuring slim majorities in both chambers of Congress for President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and delivering an emphatic, final rebuke to President Trump in his last days in office. The Rev.

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1. Include the link or upload
2. Put title of the article, Source of the article and date of the article.
3. Why is this an example of this principle?
4. What is your opi

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Here are the Republicans who objected to certifying the election results.

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Here are the Republicans who objected to certifying the election results.

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Jan 7-2021

This is an example of Republicanism because they are trying to help the person they voted for and will not give up.
In my opinion, i disagree because if someone wins, then they should be able to take office without a fight.

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Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, acknowledged supporters of President Trump outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Mr. Hawley was one of several senators who challenged the election results. Credit... Francis Chung/E&E News and Politico, via Associated Press Images

Even after a mob of Trump supporters swarmed and entered the Capitol on Wednesday, a handful of Republican senators and more than 100 Republican representatives stood by their decisions to vote against certifying the results of the presidential election.

Congress certified the election of Joseph R. Biden Jr. early Thursday, ending attempts to overturn the results in two states. Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Roger Marshall of Kansas and John Kennedy of Louisiana voted to overturn the results in Arizona, while 93 senators voted against. Mr. Hawley, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Tuberville, Ms. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Marshall and Senators Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rick Scott of Florida voted to overturn the results in Pennsylvania, while 92 voted against it.

The House rejected the Arizona challenge by a vote of 303 to 121 and rejected the Pennsylvania challenge by a vote of 282 to 138.

At least four Republican senators who had pledged to back the effort to throw out the election results reversed course after Wednesday's siege at the Capitol, saying the lawlessness and chaos had caused them to changed their minds.

Those included Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, who, after losing a special election on Tuesday, announced her reversal on the Senate floor late Wednesday. "The events that have transpired today have forced me to reconsider, and I cannot now, in good conscience, object," she said.

Senator James Lankford, Republican of Oklahoma, changed his position late Wednesday, releasing a joint statement with Senator Steve Daines of Montana that called on "the entire Congress to come together and vote to certify the election results."

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington also condemned the actions of the mob of Trump loyalists and said she would no longer vote against the vote certifications.

"Thugs assaulted Capitol Police officers, breached and defaced our Capitol building, put people's lives in danger and disregarded the values we hold dear as Americans," Ms. McMorris Rodgers said in a statement, which she released a day after declaring she would object to the vote counts. "To anyone involved, shame on you."

Congressmen including Representative Lance Gooden, Republican of Texas, said the violence did not change his mind.

"While I'm disgusted with what I saw today, mob riots don't suddenly make this election secure. YES, of course, I'm still objecting," he said in a tweet.

Ms. Hyde-Smith of Mississippi said that she voted against the certification of the election because the people she represents do not believe the presidential election was constitutional. "I cannot in good conscience support certification," she said in a statement on Wednesday.

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Here are the Republicans who objected to certifying the election results.

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Even after a mob of Trump supporters swarmed and entered the Capitol on Wednesday, a handful of Republican senators and more than 100 Republican representatives stood by their decisions to vote against certifying the results of the presidential election. Congress certified the election of Joseph R. Biden Jr.

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Supreme Court Rejects Religious School's Challenge to Kentucky Virus Order 

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Supreme Court Rejects Religious School's Challenge to Kentucky Virus Order 

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- ny times
- december 17, 2020
3. This is an example of this principle because the supreme court is using its power to block this order.
4. What is your opinion of this?
I agree with them not allowing the school to reopen because of the virus going around. It's safer that they keep the schools close to prevent it from spreading.

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The governor had ordered all of the state's K-12 schools, whether public or private, to close temporarily to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision in the Kentucky case followed a series of rulings from the Supreme Court on state restrictions on religious services at churches and synagogues. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to exempt religious schools in Kentucky from an order from Gov. Andy Beshear that temporarily shut down all elementary, middle and high schools, whether public or private, in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The court's brief, unsigned ruling stressed that the order from Mr. Beshear, a Democrat, would not be in place much longer. "The governor's school-closing order effectively expires this week or shortly thereafter, and there is no indication that it will be renewed," the court's opinion said.

It added that the challengers had not squarely confronted an important distinction. "The order applies equally to secular schools and religious schools, but the applicants argue that the order treats schools (including religious schools) worse than restaurants, bars and gyms, for example, which remain open," the opinion said.

"Under all of the circumstances, especially the timing and the impending expiration of the order," the opinion said, "we deny the application without prejudice to the applicants or other parties seeking a new preliminary injunction if the governor issues a school-closing order that applies in the new year."

Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch each filed a dissent that was joined by the other. Justice Alito said the Supreme Court should have acted sooner to address the challengers' application and said the courts could still address it.

"As things now stand," Justice Alito wrote, "this action remains on the docket of the district court. If the governor does not allow classes to begin after the turn of the year, the applicants can file a new request for a preliminary injunction, and if the lower courts do not provide relief, the applicants may of course return to this court."

Justice Gorsuch said the majority had invited political gamesmanship. The governor, he wrote, should not "be able to evade judicial review by issuing short-term edicts and then urging us to overlook their problems only because one edict is about to expire while the next has yet to arrive."

The preferable approach, he said, would have been to require the appeals court to resolve the case now under the correct legal standards. That, he wrote, would "be better for everyone - from the parents who might have to miss work and stay home should decrees like these be upheld, to the state public health officials who might have to plan for school if they are not."

The decision in the Kentucky case followed a series of rulings from the Supreme Court on state restrictions on religious services at churches and synagogues. The court had sustained such limits while Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was alive but changed course after she was succeeded by Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

The Kentucky case presented a related but distinct issue. In ordering the temporary closure of all K-12 schools, Mr. Beshear did not single out religious ones.

In a lawsuit challenging the order, Danville Christian Academy and Daniel Cameron, the state's attorney general, a Republican, said that it did not matter that all schools were treated the same, as religious education was still subject to stricter restrictions than comparable secular activities. That violated constitutional protections for the free exercise of religion, they said.

Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove of the Federal District Court in Frankfort, Ky., agreed. "In an effort to do the right thing to fight the virus," Judge Van Tatenhove wrote, "the governor cannot do the wrong thing by infringing protected values."

"This court wonders why, under this executive order, one would be free to attend a lecture, go to work or attend a concert, but not attend socially distanced chapel in school or pray together in a classroom that is following strict safety procedures and social distancing," the judge wrote. He issued an injunction overriding Mr. Beshear's order and opening religious schools.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, stayed Judge Van Tatenhove's ruling, lifting his injunction while an appeal moved forward. In an unsigned opinion, the panel said that a recent Supreme Court ruling striking down limits on attendance at religious services in New York "does not compel a contrary result."

"The contours of the order at issue here," the panel wrote, "in no way correlate to religion, and cannot be plausibly read to contain even a hint of hostility toward religion."

In asking the Supreme Court to intervene, the challengers urged the justices to take account of how secular activities in the state have been treated.

"In Kentucky," the brief said, "one can catch a matinee at the movie theater, tour a distillery, work out at the gym, bet at a gambling parlor, shop, go to work, cheer on the Wildcats or the Cardinals and attend a wedding. A parent can send his or her child to day care or preschool. And college students can attend classes. But all of Kentucky's religious schools are shuttered."

Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, and 37 other senators filed a brief supporting the challengers. "Covid-19 is undoubtedly a serious health threat, but the Constitution applies even in difficult times," the brief said. "This court should again remind governors across the country that shutdown orders cannot trample constitutional rights."

Lawyers for Mr. Beshear responded that in-person K-12 education "presents a perfect storm of factors that combine to generate a singular public health risk."

Students spend long days indoors, the brief said; school-age children struggle to keep their masks on and must remove them to eat; and teachers, administrators, janitorial workers, cafeteria staff and parents are often present.

Kentucky has an unusually high percentage of children cared for by their grandparents and other older people, the brief said, and the Thanksgiving and year-end holidays are an especially dangerous time, particularly as a significant percentage of pediatric Covid-19 infections are asymptomatic.

Day care and preschool do not give rise to "anything approaching the high-volume mixing that unavoidably results from in-person K-12 schooling," the brief said. And colleges and universities in the state, the brief said, will overwhelmingly be closed in the coming weeks and had mostly moved to remote learning in any event.

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Supreme Court Rejects Religious School's Challenge to Kentucky Virus Order

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The governor had ordered all of the state's K-12 schools, whether public or private, to close temporarily to combat the coronavirus pandemic. WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to exempt religious schools in Kentucky from an order from Gov.

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Trump Agrees to Orderly Transfer of Power After Capital Riots.

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Trump Agrees to Orderly Transfer of Power After Capital Riots.

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Wall Street Journal
1/7/2021
This is an example of the Executive Branch because Trump has agreed to transfer his power to Joe Biden, putting him in the Executive Branch.
I think that it doesn't really matter who's the president as long as they keep America safe, regulate trade, and keep the economy going so people can earn enough money.

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WASHINGTON-Democratic congressional leaders called for President Trump to be removed from office while two cabinet officials resigned, a day after the Capitol was stormed by rioters encouraged by the president to try to block Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden 's election win.

"What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president," said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the chamber's Democratic leader. He and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) led calls in the party for Mr. Trump's immediate removal, even with less than two weeks left in his term, with Mr. Schumer calling for use of the 25th amendment, and failing that, impeachment.

Mr. Trump acknowledged his loss in a video Thursday night while saying he was outraged by the "lawlessness and mayhem" at the Capitol. "Tempers must be cooled," Mr. Trump said, a day after he had encouraged his supporters to march on Congress because of his false allegations that fraud had denied him re-election.

On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said they were resigning their posts with just under two weeks left in the administration, with Ms. DeVos saying in a letter, "There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation." Mick Mulvaney, a former White House chief of staff who is now U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland, quit as well.

The developments highlighted the alarm Wednesday's riot set off and the belief among many lawmakers from both parties that Mr. Trump, a Republican, provoked it and didn't condemn the actions strongly enough once the protests turned violent. On Wednesday night, with Congress reconvened after the riot, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) called the attack a "failed insurrection."

Vice President Mike Pence ultimately confirmed Mr. Biden, a Democrat, as the election winner early Thursday morning.

The head of the Capitol Police and the sergeants at arms for the House and Senate resigned after lawmakers demanded accountability from officials responsible for the security of the complex. Congressional leaders from both parties and both chambers said they had started an investigation into why police were quickly overwhelmed, letting rioters roam through the building and forcing Congress to delay its count of states' results.

The Capitol Police said some officers were hospitalized as a result of the melee, and one officer, Brian D. Sicknick, died Thursday night from injuries suffered "while physically engaging with protesters." Four Trump supporters also died during the riots, including a woman who was shot in the Capitol building.

Hundreds of rioters, pushing past security barriers and Capitol Police officers, breached the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon as both the House and Senate were meeting inside, forcing the evacuation of some lawmakers, while others barricaded themselves against the crowds.

The Justice Department said 15 criminal complaints would be filed Thursday in connection with the riot, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was seeking the public's help in identifying more suspects.

Former Attorney General William Barr, who resigned just before Christmas, said that Mr. Trump's conduct on Wednesday was a "betrayal of his office and supporters."

A number of White House officials had resigned Wednesday. Among them were Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser, and Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff and press secretary to first lady Melania Trump.

After Mr. Pence, presiding over a joint session of Congress that was interrupted for hours due to the rioters, confirmed Mr. Biden as the winner early Thursday morning, Mr. Trump released a statement at 3:49 a.m. saying he "totally" disagreed with the outcome but "nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th."

"While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!" he said in the statement, which was released through an aide as the president's Twitter account was locked at the time due to postings Wednesday the social media network said could spread violence.

Twitter said the president would be allowed to resume tweeting on Thursday, but Facebook and Instagram said Mr. Trump would be blocked indefinitely, saying the risks are "simply too great."

Mr. Biden characterized the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as domestic terrorists. "Don't dare call them protesters," Mr. Biden said in remarks from Wilmington, Del. "They were a riotous mob. Insurrectionists. Domestic terrorists. It's that basic. It's that simple."

Mr. Schumer, poised to become the Senate majority leader when Democrats take control of the chamber from Republicans later this month, said that Mr. Pence and the cabinet should work to remove Mr. Trump by invoking the 25th amendment.

Some administration officials have had preliminary discussions about the 25th amendment, according to a senior administration official and others familiar with the matter. However, any move to remove Mr. Trump is unlikely to happen so close to the inauguration, and neither Mr. Pence nor any cabinet members have expressed support for such a move. Impeachment of Mr. Trump, for what would be the second time, is also unlikely as Congress is out of session.

"I think we have to hold our breath," until Mr. Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, said Sen. Mitt Romney (R., Utah), saying it was too late to begin proceedings to remove the president.

A number of other Democrats also called for the move, and one Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, joined them on Thursday.

"Here's the truth: the president caused this. The president is unfit and the president is unwell. And the president must relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily."

The 25th amendment says that if the vice president and a majority of the officers of the sitting cabinet secretaries decide that the president is unable to do the duties of his office, the vice president can immediately take on the duties of the acting president. To officially remove the president, Congress would then vote, and two-thirds of each chamber would be required to officially remove the president. If that threshold isn't reached, the president resumes office.

Congressional leaders expressed alarm at how quickly the Capitol was infiltrated. By the end of Thursday, the three top security officials in the Capitol had resigned. Mr. McConnell called the breach a "massive failure" for the Capitol's security and accepted the resignation of Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger. Mrs. Pelosi said that House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving would also be resigning after Wednesday's events.

Mrs. Pelosi also called for the resignation of Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund. He submitted his resignation late Thursday.

The union representing Capitol Police officers had also called for a leadership change, criticizing the lack of preparation.

"Our officers are experienced and they are dedicated, but they lacked the immediate backup and equipment needed to control the surging crowd," said union leader Gus Papathanasiou.

A Capitol Police officer shot the woman who later died of her injuries.

Other cabinet officials expressed concerns about the violence. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf called the actions of the rioters "unacceptable" and urged Mr. Trump to condemn the violence. He said he would remain in his position until the end of the administration.

National-security adviser Robert O'Brien was considering resigning but hadn't made up his mind to do so, according to people familiar with the situation. Republican allies in Congress also criticized the president's actions and his rhetoric claiming a rigged election.

"Millions of Americans were misled on this vote," said South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, a freshman Republican who campaigned with the president. Mr. Trump, she said, "went too far" on his rhetoric and it led to violence.

"The president needs to understand that his actions were the problem not the solution, that the rally yesterday was unseemly, it got out of hand," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.).

-Kristina Peterson and Andrew Duehren contributed to this article.

Write to Natalie Andrews at Natalie.Andrews@wsj.com, Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com and Josh Mitchell at joshua.mitchell@wsj.com

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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After Capitol Riot, Resignations and Calls for Trump's Removal

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WASHINGTON-Democratic congressional leaders called for President Trump to be removed from office while two cabinet officials resigned, a day after the Capitol was stormed by rioters encouraged by the president to try to block Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden 's election win. "What happened at the U.S.

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Biden Tax-Increase Agenda Revived as Democrats Win Senate

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Biden Tax-Increase Agenda Revived as Democrats Win Senate

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Source: WSJ
Date: Jan. 7, 2021

This is an example of federalism because it applies to all of the U.S. to it is a federal issue. I think that this is a fine idea, as it will not force people of lower income to pay so much on their taxes,and instead takes from the richer like robinhood.

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WASHINGTON-Democratic control of the Senate gives President-elect Joe Biden a much stronger chance of raising taxes on corporations and high-income households.

Until this week's Georgia runoff elections, Mr. Biden's plans for tax increases were running into solid opposition from the Republican-controlled Senate. But now, Democrats will hold the White House, Senate and House simultaneously for the first time in more than a decade, and they are poised to use that power.

During his presidential campaign, Mr. Biden proposed raising taxes on corporations, estates and high-income households, reversing key parts of the 2017 tax cuts passed by Republicans and reprising policies that the Obama administration couldn't get through Congress. Democrats had spent the time between November's election and this week's runoffs looking at bipartisan compromises and examining what the administration could do unilaterally.

Now, some of Mr. Biden's ideas are much more likely to become law, said Steve Wamhoff of the progressive Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, who said that the president-elect's plans are less far-reaching than some Democratic alternatives and are broadly popular with the public.

"The issue was always, could Democrats get something on the floor? And the answer to that is now clearly 'yes,'" Mr. Wamhoff said. "Biden did win after campaigning on raising taxes on corporations and raising taxes on the rich."

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Biden Tax-Increase Agenda Revived as Democrats Win Senate

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WASHINGTON-Democratic control of the Senate gives President-elect Joe Biden a much stronger chance of raising taxes on corporations and high-income households. Until this week's Georgia runoff elections, Mr. Biden's plans for tax increases were running into solid opposition from the Republican-controlled Senate.

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Chief Justice Roberts' Annual Report Focuses On COVID, Skips Trump And Controversy

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Chief Justice Roberts' Annual Report Focuses On COVID, Skips Trump And Controversy

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2. NPR org 12/31/2020
3. It's an example because it involves the Chief Justice's report once year year about everything.
4. I think this is biased and a bad job no his part. Trump messed up a lot this year, and not mentioning that is just bad.

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Chief Justice Roberts’ Annual Report Focuses On COVID, Skips Trump And Controversy

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In his report on the federal judiciary, the chief justice looks at all the ways federal courts remained open this year, comparing it to how courts handled other pandemics.

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U.K. Judge Rejects Julian Assange's Bail Request, Citing Flight Risk

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U.K. Judge Rejects Julian Assange's Bail Request, Citing Flight Risk

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-January 6,2021
The judicial branch rejected the bail request from citing flight risk  after her request free on bail.
This can be bad for her or maybe it was for the greater good that her request got rejected.

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Julian Assange will remain in a British prison after a U.K. court denied his request to go free on bail Wednesday, citing the U.S. government's ongoing attempts to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to face espionage charges.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser - who gave Assange a court victory earlier this week by rejecting the U.S. extradition request - ruled that Assange must be held in custody while the U.S. government appeals, saying he poses a flight risk.

Assange will remain in Belmarsh prison in south-east London, where he has been held since the spring of 2019. He was arrested after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

"It is extremely disappointing that even though the request for Mr. Assange's extradition to the United States has been denied, he will continue to be held in a maximum security prison in London, under lockdown during a pandemic," Assange's attorney Barry Pollack said after the ruling. He added, "We look forward to the day that he can be reunited with his family."

Baraitser denied Assange's application for bail days after she ruled that because of Assange's mental health and the risk of suicide, "it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America."

In court Wednesday, Baraitser said that Assange's mental health condition is being sufficiently managed by prison officials and staff, contrary to the views of Assange's legal team and supporters.

Assange has now been fighting extradition for the better part of a decade, initially avoiding being sent to Sweden to face a criminal inquiry there, and then eluding U.S. attempts to haul him into federal court to face a raft of charges related to the publication of sensitive diplomatic cables and secret military records from the Iran and Afghanistan conflicts.

In court Wednesday, lawyers representing the U.S. said that if Assange goes free on bail, at least one other country has already offered him political asylum. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador made the offer earlier this week, saying, "Assange is a journalist and deserves a chance, I am in favor of pardoning him."

Assange's legal team insists he does not represent a flight risk, noting the protections of the British legal system as well as the looming change in U.S. leadership, as The Associated Press reports. It's not yet known, his attorneys said, whether a Biden administration would pursue Assange's extradition. His attorneys also say Assange has personal reasons to stay put, citing his relationship with his partner, Stella Morris, and their two children.

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U.K. Judge Rejects Julian Assange's Bail Request, Citing Flight Risk

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Julian Assange will remain in a British prison after a U.K. court denied his request to go free on bail Wednesday, citing the U.S. government's ongoing attempts to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to face espionage charges. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser - who gave Assange a court victory earlier this week by rejecting the U.S.

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Supreme Court eliminates census question, keeps gerrymandered districts

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Supreme Court eliminates census question, keeps gerrymandered districts

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-Newsela July 1 2019
This is an example is of the Judicial branch because the supreme court made a ruling that delayed trumps count on all American citizens.
I think this is not fair because millions of people are not going to get counted just because they're immigrants.

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Amy Coney Barrett sworn in as Supreme Court justice

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Amy Coney Barrett sworn in as Supreme Court justice

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October 26-2020
This is an example of checks and balances because the Executive branch voted in her so that she could be in the Judicial branch
In my opinion, i think this is cool to see that the branches can choose who gets to stay in the court.

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1 min ago
Justice Clarence Thomas will administer oath to Barrett tonight, senior official says

From CNN's Pamela Brown

Following her expected confirmation by the Senate, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will administer the official Constitutional Oath to Judge Amy Coney Barrett at the White House tonight, a senior White House official tells CNN.

8 min ago
Republican senators split on attending post-SCOTUS vote event

From CNN's Kristin Wilson, Ali Zaslav and Ted Barrett

Republican members of the Senate are split about whether they will be attending the post-SCOTUS-vote event at the White House tonight, celebrating Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination.

Some have said they plan to attend, citing that the event will be outside, and that protective measures will be in place.

"I would anticipate that everybody will practice good hygiene, social distancing whatever is appropriate," said Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, whose state has recently seen the highest transmission rate in the country.

"It sounds like it's an outdoor event I mean , that would certainly help that. Obviously, a lot more room, as well as the clean air, so I'm not, I'm not overly concerned. I'm certainly not concerned for myself. I'll do my part," he said.

Others, like Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, had planned to go, but are wavering.

"I RSVP'd yes, but I'm reconsidering that," he said. When asked if his hesitation had to do with COVID, he demurred, saying it "had to do with a lot of factors."

Several senators remain undecided.

"I haven't decided," said Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. When asked if he's concerned about the safety of the event, he replied: "I think it is important that people wear masks and they social distance."

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina also said he hasn't decided whether he will attend, because "if I can get on a plane going to South Carolina, I'm going to do that."

Other members also said they plan to go home following the vote, including Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to answer a question. McConnell recently revealed he has not been to the White House since early August and has been critical on their practices to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

CNN reported Sunday that President Trump is expected to swear in Barrett at the White House at 9 p.m. ET, and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Monday morning the White House would be "doing the best we can" to prevent an outbreak at the event, including "encouraging as much social distancing as possible" and testing "in and around those that are critical to the mission."

1 hr ago
Pence is not expected to preside over tonight's vote, aide says

From CNN's Sarah Westwood and Kaitlan Collins

Vice President Mike Pence is no longer expected to preside over the Senate's vote to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court following a coronavirus outbreak on his team.

"Vice President Pence is campaigning in Minnesota today. The VP is not planning to be at the Senate tonight unless his vote is needed," an aide to the vice president said.

Some background: At least five people in Pence's orbit have tested positive for coronavirus in recent days, including chief of staff Marc Short, close aide Zach Bauer and outside adviser Marty Obst, sources told CNN.

Pence and second lady Karen Pence were both tested for Covid-19 Monday morning, according to Pence's office. Both tested negative.

59 min ago
Only 1 Republican is expected to vote against Barrett's confirmation

From CNN's Sam Fossum, Ted Barrett, Manu Raju and Ali Zaslav

Only one Republican - Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is facing a competitive reelection fight - is expected to vote against Judge Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation due to concerns that it's too close to the election to consider a nominee.

All Democrats are expected to vote against the nomination, though Republicans still have enough votes to confirm Barrett.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination to the full chamber, over the boycott of Democratic committee members, who put in their seats pictures of individuals affected by the Affordable Care Act.

Unable to stop the confirmation, Democrats have resorted to theatrical tactics instead to spotlight their anger. Democratic senators on Friday forced a rare closed session so members could privately discuss their concerns about the process.

1 hr ago
What you need to know about Barrett's confirmation vote

From CNN's Clare Foran and Ted Barrett

Senate Republicans are poised to confirm President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett today, a major victory for the President and his party just days before Nov. 3, that promises to push the high court in a more conservative direction for generations to come.

Trump is expected to swear-in Barrett at the White House in an outdoor ceremony at 9 p.m. after her expected confirmation, a source familiar with the invitation tells CNN.
Here are some key things to know ahead of this evening's vote:

Why it matters: The stakes in the Supreme Court battle are immense and come at a pivotal time in American politics in the run up to an election where control of Congress and the White House are on the line. Trump's appointment of a new Supreme Court justice will mark the third of his tenure in office, giving Republicans a historic opportunity to deliver on the key conservative priority and campaign promise of transforming the federal courts through lifetime appointments.

What Barrett could mean for the court: Barrett, 48, is likely to serve on the court for decades and will give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court, a shift in its makeup that will have dramatic implications for a range of issues that could come before it, including the future of the Affordable Care Act and any potential disputes regarding the 2020 election.

Fast-tracked nomination: Senate Republicans, who hold a majority in the upper chamber, have pushed ahead with one of the quickest nomination proceedings in modern times following the death of the late Justice and liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg last month. They have the votes to confirm Barrett over the objections of Democrats who have argued that the process has been a rushed and cynical power grab that threatens to undermine Ginsburg's legacy. "The Senate is doing the right thing. We're moving this nomination forward and, colleagues, by tomorrow night we will have a new member of the United States Supreme Court," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Sunday after the Senate advanced the nomination in a key procedural vote to break a Democratic filibuster.

What you need to know

The Senate is expected to confirm President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett this evening.

Republicans, who hold a majority in the upper chamber, have pushed ahead with one of the quickest nomination proceedings in modern times following the death of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last month.

1 min ago
Justice Clarence Thomas will administer oath to Barrett tonight, senior official says

From CNN's Pamela Brown

8 min ago
Republican senators split on attending post-SCOTUS vote event

From CNN's Kristin Wilson, Ali Zaslav and Ted Barrett

"I would anticipate that everybody will practice good hygiene, social distancing whatever is appropriate," said Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, whose state has recently seen the highest transmission rate in the country.

Several senators remain undecided.

1 hr ago
Pence is not expected to preside over tonight's vote, aide says

From CNN's Sarah Westwood and Kaitlan Collins

59 min ago
Only 1 Republican is expected to vote against Barrett's confirmation

From CNN's Sam Fossum, Ted Barrett, Manu Raju and Ali Zaslav

1 hr ago
What you need to know about Barrett's confirmation vote

From CNN's Clare Foran and Ted Barrett

Why it matters: The stakes in the Supreme Court battle are immense and come at a pivotal time in American politics in the run up to an election where control of Congress and the White House are on the line. Trump's appointment of a new Supreme Court justice will mark the third of his tenure in office, giving Republicans a historic opportunity to deliver on the key conservative priority and campaign promise of transforming the federal courts through lifetime appointments.

What Barrett could mean for the court: Barrett, 48, is likely to serve on the court for decades and will give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court, a shift in its makeup that will have dramatic implications for a range of issues that could come before it, including the future of the Affordable Care Act and any potential disputes regarding the 2020 election.

Fast-tracked nomination: Senate Republicans, who hold a majority in the upper chamber, have pushed ahead with one of the quickest nomination proceedings in modern times following the death of the late Justice and liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg last month. They have the votes to confirm Barrett over the objections of Democrats who have argued that the process has been a rushed and cynical power grab that threatens to undermine Ginsburg's legacy. "The Senate is doing the right thing. We're moving this nomination forward and, colleagues, by tomorrow night we will have a new member of the United States Supreme Court," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Sunday after the Senate advanced the nomination in a key procedural vote to break a Democratic filibuster.

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live updates: amy coney barrett senate confirmation vote

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By Veronica Rocha, CNN

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Live updates: Amy Coney Barrett Senate confirmation vote

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11 min ago From CNN's Sarah Westwood and Kaitlan Collins Vice President Mike Pence is no longer expected to preside over the Senate's vote to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court following a coronavirus outbreak on his team. "Vice President Pence is campaigning in Minnesota today.

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1.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/biden-capitol-congress.html
2.

Biden Denounces Storming of Capitol as a ‘Dark Moment’ in Nation’s History

3.because it was at the dbate yesterday

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In a first, Congress overrides Trump veto of defense bill

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In a first, Congress overrides Trump veto of defense bill

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- ABC News, January 1, 2021

This shows the Congress overriding a presidential veto against a bill, a check against another branch of the government.
I agree with overriding the veto because the military still needs money, and Trump does not care about them.

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Congress has overridden President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago

WASHINGTON -- Congress on Friday overrode President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago, ensuring that the measure becomes law.

In an extraordinary New Year's Day session, the Republican-controlled Senate easily turned aside the veto, dismissing Trump's objections to the $740 billion bill and handing him a stinging rebuke just weeks before he leaves the White House.

Trump lashed out on Twitter, saying the Senate missed an opportunity to eliminate protections for social media platforms that he said give "unlimited power to Big Tech companies. Pathetic!!!''

Trump also slammed lawmakers for rejecting his call to increase COVID-19 relief payments to $2,000: "Not fair, or smart!''

The 81-13 vote in the Senate on the widely popular defense bill followed an earlier 322-87 override vote in the House. The bill affirms a 3% pay raise for U.S. troops and guides defense policy, cementing decisions about troop levels, new weapons systems and military readiness, personnel policy and other military goals.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the "sweeping and overwhelmingly bipartisan votes" in the House and Senate "delivered a resounding rebuke to President Trump's reckless assault on America's military and national security.''

Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, "would have hurt the health, financial security and safety of our servicemembers, their families, our veterans and our allies and partners worldwide,'' Pelosi said. "Instead of keeping Americans safe, the president continues to use his final moments in office to sow chaos and undermine our security.''

The defense bill, which now has the force of law, "looks after our brave men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform,'' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "But it's also a tremendous opportunity: to direct our national security priorities to reflect the resolve of the American people and the evolving threats to their safety, at home and abroad. It's our chance to ensure we keep pace with competitors like Russia and China.''

The Senate override was delayed after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., objected to moving ahead until McConnell allowed a vote on the Trump-backed plan to boost COVID relief payments to $2,000. McConnell did not allow that vote; instead he used his parliamentary power to set a vote limiting debate on the defense measure, overcoming a filibuster threat by Sanders and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Without a bipartisan agreement, a vote on the bill could have been delayed until Saturday night. Lawmakers, however, agreed to an immediate roll call Friday once the filibuster threat was stopped.

Trump vetoed the defense measure last week, saying it failed to limit Twitter and other social media companies he claimed were biased against him during his failed reelection campaign. Trump also opposed language that allows for the renaming of military bases that honor Confederate leaders.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a close Trump ally, hailed the override vote.

"Today, the Senate sent a strong message of support to our troops,'' Inhofe said. "Not only does this bill give our service members and their families the resources they need, but it also makes our nation more secure - pushing back against China and Russia (and) strengthening our cyber defenses.''

Trump has succeeded throughout his four-year term in enforcing party discipline in Congress, with few Republicans willing to publicly oppose him. The bipartisan overrides on the defense bill showed the limits of Trump's influence in the final weeks of his term.

Earlier this week, 130 House Republicans voted against the Trump-backed COVID relief checks, with many arguing they were unnecessary and would increase the federal budget deficit. The Democratic-controlled House approved the larger payments, but the plan fizzled in the Senate amid opposition from McConnell and other Republicans, another sign of Trump's fading hold over Congress.

Only seven GOP senators voted with Trump to oppose the defense bill override. Forty Republicans - including the entire GOP leadership - voted for the override, along with 41 Democrats. Sanders and five other liberals who opposed the defense bill also voted against the override.

Besides his concerns about social media and military base names, Trump also complained that the bill restricted his ability to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan and Germany. The measure requires the Pentagon to submit reports certifying that the proposed withdrawals would not jeopardize U.S. national security.

Trump has vetoed eight other bills, but those were all sustained because supporters did not gain the two-thirds vote needed in each chamber for the bills to become law without Trump's signature.

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Trump's Dec. 23 veto a "parting gift" to Russian President Vladimir Putin "and a lump of coal for our troops. Donald Trump is showing more devotion to Confederate base names than to the men and women who defend our nation."

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2020 united states presidential election

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In a first, Congress overrides Trump veto of defense bill

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Congress has overridden President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago WASHINGTON -- Congress on Friday overrode President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago, ensuring that the measure becomes law.

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Congress confirms Biden's election Hours after a pro-Trump mob stormed the capital 

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Congress confirms Biden's election Hours after a pro-Trump mob stormed the capital 

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-NY times, January 7 2021

The congress is using their power as the legislative branch to certify Biden's votes and declare him as president.
My opinion on this is that the congress should have confirmed the election faster then they did but non the less

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With less than two weeks before President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. takes the oath of office, it seemed on Thursday that the wheels might finally be coming off the Trump administration.

In 24 hours, Congress reconvened in a Capitol breached and battered by a pro-Trump mob, formalized Mr. Biden's victory over the objections of more than 100 Republican lawmakers and found itself on the brink of impeaching President Trump a second time.

A growing cohort of legislators, including at least one Republican, expressed support for stripping Mr. Trump of his powers under the 25th Amendment, even as Vice President Mike Pence - who would have to lead that process - was said to oppose the idea.

On Capitol Hill, the number of Republicans willing to publicly defend Mr. Trump dwindled. One, Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, said he supported the invocation of the 25th Amendment; another, Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio, said he "would not oppose" the move if cabinet members decided to proceed.

Several high-ranking administration officials announced that they would resign including two cabinet members, a late and purely symbolic gesture by people who had stood by Mr. Trump even as he promoted baseless claims of election fraud and repeatedly refused to accept his loss.

Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, claimed that "the entire White House" abhorred the violence that Mr. Trump himself had incited, then walked off without answering any questions. She spoke for two minutes in the White House press briefing room and did not mention the president by name, or his speech that set the violence at the Capitol in motion.

All of this unfolded amid the strange silence of a Trump-free Twitter, with the president's account temporarily locked after he tweeted praise for the mob that had ransacked the Capitol, leading to at least four deaths.

Mr. Trump returned to Twitter late on Thursday after his suspension lifted and he posted a two-minute video that addressed the violence and acknowledged that "a new administration" would be sworn in on Jan. 20.

Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.

A United States Capitol Police officer died Thursday night from injuries sustained when he engaged with a pro-Trump mob that descended on the U.S. Capitol the day before.

Officer Brian D. Sicknick died at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Capitol Police said in a statement. He had been with the agency since 2008.

Mr. Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday and "was injured while physically engaging with protesters," the agency's statement said, although officials didn't immediately elaborate on the nature of his injuries or how he interacted with the crowd. After sustaining the injuries, Mr. Sicknick returned to his division office, collapsed, and was taken to the hospital.

"The entire U.S.C.P. department expresses its deepest sympathies to Officer Sicknick's family and friends on their loss, and mourns the loss of a friend and colleague," the statement said. News outlets had prematurely reported on his death earlier in the day while he was apparently still on life support.

Homicide investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department are involved in the case.

Early Friday morning, Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, a Democrat who runs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the budget for the Capitol Police, said in a Twitter post that his heart was breaking over Mr. Sicknick's death.

"This tragic loss is a reminder of the bravery of the law enforcement who protect us every day," Mr. Ryan wrote.

Mr. Sicknick's death brings the death toll from Wednesday's mayhem to five. One of the people participating in the pro-Trump rampage, Ashli Babbitt, was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer inside the building as she climbed through a broken window leading to the Speaker's Lobby. Three other people died after experiencing apparent medical emergencies in the area around the Capitol, the police said.

Officials have said that some 50 police officers were injured as the mob swarmed barricades, threw objects, battered doors, smashed windows and overwhelmed some of the officers who tried to resist the advancing crowd.

Capitol Police reported 14 arrests during the incursion, including two people who were detained for assaulting a police officer. Local police arrested dozens of others, mostly for unlawful entry and violations of the city's Wednesday night curfew.

Steven Sund, the Capitol Police chief, handed in his resignation on Thursday after facing pressure from congressional leaders. The sergeants-at-arms of the House and Senate also resigned.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos submitted her resignation in a letter to President Trump on Thursday, saying she would step down the next day over the rampage at the Capitol by his supporters.

Ms. DeVos joins a growing exodus of administration officials in the final days of the Trump administration. She is the second cabinet-level official to step down; Elaine Chao, the transportation secretary, also resigned on Thursday.

"We should be highlighting and celebrating your administration's many accomplishments on behalf of the American people," Ms. DeVos wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times. "Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protesters overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people's business."

"That behavior was unconscionable for our country," she added. "There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me."

Ms. DeVos was one of the first cabinet secretaries to condemn the violent mob on Capitol Hill.

"The peaceful transfer of power is what separates American representative democracy from banana republics," Ms. DeVos said in a statement posted to Twitter on Wednesday evening, hours after the storming of the Capitol. "The work of the people must go on."

Ms. DeVos was one of the most effective, polarizing and longest-serving Cabinet members in the Trump administration. She was seen as fiercely loyal to the president, at least publicly.

In her resignation letter, Ms. DeVos praised President Trump for championing her school choice agenda, in which she sought to bolster voucher programs that allow students to seek alternatives to public schools. She also saluted one aspect of his coronavirus response, saying that she believed "history will show we were correct in our repeated urging of and support for schools reopening this year."

But it was loyalty to her constitutional oath, Ms. DeVos said, that had prompted her to resign.

"Impressionable children are watching all of this, and they are learning from us," she said. "They must know from us that America is greater than what transpired yesterday."

Ms. DeVos's resignation drew cheers from her opponents, particularly teacher's unions and groups that had forcefully opposed her rollbacks of civil rights protections for children of color and transgender students.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, issued a two-word statement: "Good Riddance."

But other critics praised her for protesting the president's actions.

"This doesn't make up for all of her bad decisions, and the harm she has done to education reform, but still, she deserves kudos for this one," tweeted MichaelJ. Petrilli, the president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative research organization.

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Trump Pledges Orderly Transfer of Power

President Trump said a day after a mob stormed the Capitol that a "new administration" would be sworn in after a "smooth, orderly, seamless transition of power."

Now Congress has certified the results. A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation. 2020 has been a challenging time for our people.

President Trump came the closest he has so far to a concession statement on Thursday in a videotaped address from the White House, a day after he had helped steer his supporters toward the Capitol, where they rioted and took over the building.

After his Twitter account was locked on Wednesday and he was unable to post for nearly 24 hours, the president said that a "new administration" would be sworn in on Jan. 20 and that "serving as your president has been the honor of my lifetime."

He also condemned the violence that came shortly after he told his supporters to fight against the election results, falsely claimed that the vote had been stolen from him and said that Vice President Mike Pence could overturn the outcome.

"This moment calls for healing and reconciliation," Mr. Trump said, reading from a teleprompter.

In his opening, Mr. Trump claimed that he "immediately deployed the National Guard" to "expel the intruders," despite accounts from people familiar with the events saying he had resisted those calls and that it was, in fact, Mr. Pence who had ordered the National Guard to deploy.

"The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy," Mr. Trump said, a day after he had ended a video telling the rioters to "go home" but ended with, "I love you."

"You do not represent our country, and to those who broke the law, you will pay," he said in the latest video.

The video was vital in the sense that Mr. Trump's ardent supporters will only accept his words, not anyone else's, and officials throughout government are concerned about unrest for the next 13 days around the country. But the president has a long history of recording such videos only to undermine his own remarks a short time later.

"Now tempers must be cooled, and calm restored," he said. "We must get on with the business of America."

Three top security officials on Capitol Hill are stepping down a day after a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, congressional leaders said on Thursday.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California announced during her weekly news conference that Paul D. Irving, the House sergeant-at arms, intended to resign from his position, and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, said Thursday evening he had accepted the resignation of Michael C. Stenger, the Senate sergeant-at-arms.

News of Mr. Stenger's resignation came after Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said he would fire Mr. Stenger as soon as Democrats took the majority.

Steven Sund, the Capitol Police chief, will also leave his position on Jan. 16 after Ms. Pelosi called for his resignation, saying "Mr. Sund, he hasn't even called us since this happened." Mr. Sund, in his letter of resignation, said he would use his remaining paid sick leave - 440 hours, about 55 days - after departing.

The swift departure of the top three security officials just two weeks before a presidential inauguration reflected bipartisan outrage over the law enforcement failure to prevent a mob of violent protesters from storming the Capitol as lawmakers debated the formal certification of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory. The sergeants-at-arms are responsible for security in their respective chambers and related office buildings, while Mr. Sund oversaw more than 1,800 Capitol Police personnel.

It was unclear immediately who would replace Mr. Stenger and Mr. Sund. In his statement, Mr. McConnell said Jennifer Hemingway, the deputy sergeant-at-arms, would serve as acting sergeant-at-arms.

Lawmakers in both chambers and from both parties vowed on Thursday to find out how those responsible for Capitol security had allowed a violent mob to infiltrate the Capitol. House Democrats announced a "robust" investigation into the law enforcement breakdown.

Mr. McConnell said in a separate statement that "a painstaking investigation and thorough review" were needed after the events of Wednesday, which he described as "a massive failure of institutions, protocols, and planning that are supposed to protect the first branch of our federal government."

Mr. McConnell added that "the ultimate blame for yesterday lies with the unhinged criminals who broke down doors, trampled our nation's flag, fought with law enforcement, and tried to disrupt our democracy, and with those who incited them.

"But this fact does not and will not preclude our addressing the shocking failures in the Capitol's security posture and protocols."

The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, the American flagship of Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire, denounced President Trump on Thursday for inciting a mob of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol, declaring his behavior "impeachable" and encouraging Mr. Trump to resign his office to prevent a second impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House.

In an unsigned article titled " Donald Trump's Final Days, " the Journal's editorial page - a bellwether for the conservative establishment - excoriated the president for "an assault on the constitutional process of transferring power after an election" and said "this week has probably finished him as a serious political figure."

"If Mr. Trump wants to avoid a second impeachment, his best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign," the Journal wrote, concluding, "It is best for everyone, himself included, if he goes away quietly."

The Journal's editorial page, led by the editor Paul Gigot, has criticized Mr. Trump in the past, sometimes harshly. But its latest salvo was a striking repudiation of the president by a news outlet controlled by Mr. Murdoch, whose Fox News cable network is home to several of Mr. Trump's most loyal and longstanding media defenders.

Mr. Murdoch's publicists had previously indicated that he did not expect Mr. Trump to recapture the presidency, and another Murdoch publication, The New York Post, trumpeted President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory even as Mr. Trump refused to accept the results.

The Post, in its own unsigned editorial on Thursday, stopped short of arguing that Mr. Trump should prematurely exit the White House, instead urging his aides "to stay and stop the crazy." But given Mr. Murdoch's influence on his publications' political views, the Journal's blunt words for Mr. Trump - who once craved Mr. Murdoch's approval - signal that the mogul is now looking ahead to the start of the Biden presidency.

A day after members of Congress were relocated to secure locations as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, raising fears about widespread transmission of the coronavirus, a House member revealed on Thursday that he had tested positive for the virus.

Representative Jake LaTurner, Republican of Kansas, announced on Twitter - hours after sharing space with colleagues on the House floor throughout a late-night session to confirm President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s Electoral College victory - that he had received a positive test, prompting further concern that the virus might have spread more widely.

While in lockdown on Wednesday, Representative Susan Wild, Democrat of Pennsylvania, told CBS News by phone that "about half" of the people sheltering in the secure location in the Capitol complex had refused to wear masks, even though masks were made available. When asked which lawmakers had declined to cover their faces, Ms. Wild said they had been "people from the Republican delegation."

"It's what I would call a Covid superspreader event," she said. "It's exactly the kind of situation that we've been told by the medical doctors not to be in, you know - close proximity - especially with people who aren't wearing masks."

It was not immediately clear whether Mr. LaTurner had been in the same location as Ms. Wild, though Ms. Wild said roughly 300 to 400 people were being held in the room with her.

As the violent mob stormed the Capitol, groups of lawmakers were kept together at secure locations, while others reported being stranded for a time in offices and hideaways throughout the building. Videos of the siege showed hundreds of members of the mob, most of them unmasked, clashing with Capitol Police officers and journalists inside the Capitol and on the surrounding grounds.

Mr. LaTurner's announcement came after two other Republicans, Representatives Kevin Brady and Kay Granger, both from Texas, had tested positive for the virus earlier in the week. Both Mr. Brady and Ms. Granger were not in the Capitol on Wednesday because they were in quarantine.

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The top Democrats in Congress called on Thursday for President Trump's immediate removal from office for his role in urging on the violent mob that overtook the Capitol a day before, disrupting the ratification of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s electoral victory.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows him and the cabinet to wrest the power of the presidency from Mr. Trump.

If Mr. Pence declines to act, they said, Democrats were prepared to impeach Mr. Trump for a second time.

"While it's only 13 days left, any day can be a horror show for America," Ms. Pelosi said, calling Mr. Trump's actions on Wednesday a "seditious act."

The speaker's plan was announced during an extraordinary news conference in the reclaimed Capitol, hours after the building was overrun by a mob of Trump supporters who temporarily halted Congress's confirmation of Mr. Biden's victory in the presidential election. Speaking to reporters, Ms. Pelosi singled out members of the cabinet by name, asking why they would not intervene.

"Are they ready to say for the next 13 days this dangerous man can assault our democracy?" Ms. Pelosi said of the cabinet.

She said she hoped to have an answer from Mr. Pence by the end of the day on whether he would attempt to use the 25th Amendment. The two leaders tried to call the vice president directly on Thursday but were left on a holding line for 20 minutes without him picking up.

It was unclear how quickly Democrats could move to impeach Mr. Trump. There is no clear precedent for putting a former official on trial in the Senate, and with only 13 days left in his term, it was not certain Democrats could actually accomplish such a complicated and politically fraught process on a compressed timetable.

Mr. Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, said: "What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president. This president should not hold office one day longer."

Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the Biden transition, did not take a stand on the 25th Amendment or impeachment.

"President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are focused on their duty - preparing to take office on Jan. 20 - and will leave it to Vice President Pence, the cabinet and the Congress to act as they see fit," Mr. Bates said. "In the meantime, Donald Trump must stop blocking cooperation with the transition that could harm the readiness of the United States government to overcome the pandemic and the other crises he has worsened."

Vice President Mike Pence is opposed to a call by Democrats in Congress and some Republicans to invoke the 25th Amendment to strip President Trump of his powers before his term ends, a person close to the vice president said.

It is unclear when Mr. Pence will alert Congress of his position. But the decision by Mr. Pence is said to be supported by several Trump cabinet officials. Those officials, a senior Republican said, viewed the effort as likely to add to the current chaos in Washington rather than deter it.

All but one of President Trump's cabinet secretaries condemned the violent mob that stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday. Some pointed to the president for inciting the violence, and two cabinet members resigned. Here's what they said:

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement released hours after the melee, said,"The storming of the U.S. Capitol today is unacceptable. Lawlessness and rioting - here or around the world - is always unacceptable."

"The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack on our government and the rule of law face the full consequences of their actions.

"We will continue to methodically assess evidence, charge crimes and make arrests in the coming days and weeks to ensure that those responsible are held accountable under the law."

"Yesterday's violence at the Capitol was reprehensible and contrary to the tenets of the United States Constitution."

"The peaceful transfer of power is what separates American representative democracy from banana republics.

"The work of the people must go on."

"Our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the president stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed," Ms. Chao wrote in a letter posted on Twitter. "It has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside."

"What transpired yesterday was tragic and sickening," Mr. Wolf wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. "We now see some supporters of the president using violence as a means to achieve political ends."

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will remain in his post and carry out his responsibilities until the inauguration, according to a person familiar with his thinking. Mr. Mnuchin, who was traveling in Israel on Thursday, condemned the violence but made no mention of the president. "These actions are unacceptable and must stop," he said.

Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette condemned what he called a "tragic event in our Nation's Capitol."

"Politically-motivated violence, regardless of ideology or cause, must always be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he wrote on Twitter. "No American should excuse wanton disregard for one of our Nation's most sacred institutions."

"I am disgusted by the attack on the Capitol we witnessed today. Physical violence and the desecration of this hallowed symbol of our democracy must end."

"Violence is never an appropriate response regardless of legitimate concerns. Please remember: if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."

"Today's violence and lawlessness at the U.S. Capitol cannot and will not be tolerated."

"Thank you U.S. Park Police for always fulfilling your selfless duties to safeguard lives and protect our symbols of democracy."

"I'm very discouraged by the people who were there that felt compelled to breach the Capitol and do the things they did."

"We're going to go forward as America. We have a new president."

Some Republican lawmakers on Thursday joined a chorus of Democrats calling for the removal of President Trump from office for his role in inciting a riotous mob to storm the U.S. Capitol.

They did not, however, say if they would support impeaching the president, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi had threatened if Vice President Mike Pence and Mr. Trump's cabinet failed to strip the president of his powers by invoking the 25th Amendment.

Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois and the first Republican lawmaker to call for invoking the 25th Amendment after the riot, said that Mr. Trump had "abdicated his duty to protect the American people" by inciting an "insurrection."

"The president has become unmoored, not just from his duty, or even his oath, but from reality itself," Mr. Kinzinger, an early opponent of efforts to subvert the results of the election, said in a video posted on Twitter. "It is time to invoke the 25th Amendment and end this nightmare."

Gov. Larry Hogan, Republican of Maryland and a frequent critic of President Trump within his party, echoed those calls.

"I think there's no question that America would be better off if the president would resign or be removed from office," Mr. Hogan said in a news conference addressing the violence. "Enough of the lies. Enough of the hate. Enough of the total dysfunction. Just, enough."

Representative Steve Stivers, Republican of Ohio, said that he also supported stripping Mr. Trump of his powers through the 25th Amendment. He did not rule out supporting impeachment but argued that Congress could not remove the president through the impeachment process in the time remaining in Mr. Trump's term.

"The cabinet decides on the 25th Amendment, and if the cabinet decided to do that, I would not oppose it," Mr. Stivers, a former chairman of the House Republican campaign arm, said in a television appearance. "I do not believe that an impeachment can happen in 13 days."

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McEnany Calls for Full Prosecution for Rioters

Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, said on Thursday the Trump administration condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters on Wednesday and called for their prosecution.

Let me be clear: The violence we saw yesterday in our nation's capital was appalling, reprehensible and antithetical to the American way. We condemn it, the president and this administration, in the strongest possible terms. It is unacceptable. And those that broke the law should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. What we saw yesterday was a group of violent rioters undermining the legitimate First Amendment rights of the many thousands who came to peacefully have their voices heard in our nation's capital. Those who violently besieged our Capitol are the opposite of everything this administration stands for. The core value of our administration is the idea that all citizens have the right to live in safety, peace and freedom. Those who are working in this building are working to ensure an orderly transition of power. Now it is time for America to unite, to come together, to reject the violence that we have seen. We are one American people under God.

Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, read a statement to reporters on Thursday "on behalf of the entire White House" condemning the violence by Trump supporters at the Capitol complex a day earlier in "the strongest possible terms."

"Those who violently besieged our Capitol are the opposite of everything this administration stands for," she said, though she made no mention of President Trump or his speech that set the violence in motion.

The president's silence on the violent mob stretched to nearly 24 hours as Ms. McEnany spoke for two minutes, then immediately left the White House's press briefing room without questions from reporters.

She called for full prosecution of those who breached the Capitol. "What we saw yesterday was a group of violent rioters undermining the legitimate First Amendment rights" of Trump supporters who had gathered by the National Mall to protest the results of the election, which Mr. Trump has repeatedly declared was stolen from him.

The Justice Department said on Thursday that it would not rule out pursuing charges against President Trump for his possible role a day earlier in encouraging a mob of his supporters to march on the Capitol just before thousands stormed the building.

"We are looking at all actors, not only the people who went into the building," Michael R. Sherwin, the U.S. attorney in Washington, told reporters.

Mr. Sherwin was asked whether such targets would include Mr. Trump, who exhorted supporters during a rally near the White House, telling them that they could never "take back our country with weakness." Propelled by Mr. Trump's baseless claims of election irregularities, the protesters had gathered to demonstrate against Congress' certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s Electoral College victory and moved on to the Capitol after the president's rally.

Mr. Sherwin said that he stood by his statement. "We're looking at all actors," he said. "If the evidence fits the elements of a crime, they're going to be charged."

His comments were an extraordinary invocation of the rule of law against a president who has repeatedly pressured law enforcement officials to advance his personal and political agendas. The Justice Department generally views that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime.

Mr. Trump is also said to have discussed in recent weeks the possibility of pardoning himself, an unprecedented and untested use of presidential power, but it is uncertain whether that would ultimately protect him.

Mr. Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also told the crowd on Wednesday that Republicans in Congress should back Mr. Trump's efforts to undo the election result: "We're coming for you," he said of lawmakers who refused. And Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, said that to win the election, his supporters would need to engage in "trial by combat" against Democrats.

Federal prosecutors on Thursday filed their first charges stemming from the riot, charging one man with assaulting a police officer and another with illegally possessing a loaded handgun.

Both criminal complaints were filed in Federal District Court in Washington. The city's Metropolitan Police Department had announced earlier that its officers had arrested nearly 70 people at the riot on charges that included unlawful entry, gun possession and assault.

In a separate statement, the Capitol Police announced the arrests of 14 other people on Thursday.

The first federal complaint accused Mark J. Leffingwell of assaulting a Capitol Police officer around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday in a hallway in the Senate wing of the Capitol building. The officer, Daniel Amendola, said in the complaint that Mr. Leffingwell was part of a crowd that had "breached a window." When Officer Amendola sought to stop him and others from entering the building any further, Mr. Leffingwell punched him repeatedly in the head and chest, according to the complaint. Mr. Leffingwell then "spontaneously apologized."

Prosecutors also unsealed charges against a Maryland resident, Christopher Alberts, accusing him of illegally carrying a black Taurus 9-millimeter pistol at the riot. Officers first saw Mr. Alberts leaving the Capitol complex around 7:30 p.m. and noticed "a bulge" on his right hip. When they stopped Mr. Alberts, the officers found the pistol, which had one round in the chamber and a magazine filled with 12 rounds, according to the complaint. They also discovered that he was wearing a bulletproof vest and had a gas mask in his backpack.

After he was taken into custody, the complaint said, Mr. Alberts told the police that he had the weapon for "personal protection" and did not intend to harm anyone.

Early Friday, a North Carolina pastor who is a descendant of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee condemned the rioters who carried the Confederate flag with them on Wednesday when they stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The Rev. Robert W. Lee IV, a great-great-great-great-nephew of the general, said that images of the flag, including one of rioters who scaled a memorial to Ulysses S. Grant, the commander of the Union army who later became president, saddened him.

"The pinnacle of the Confederacy was January 6, 2021, and not during the 1860s," Rev. Lee said in an interview. "This is truly nothing short of an attack on our democracy. It is not better than what my ancestor committed all those years ago."

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John F. Kelly, a former chief of staff to President Trump who has criticized him on several occasions since leaving his post two years ago, said on Thursday that if he were still in the cabinet, he would vote to invoke the 25th Amendment and declare Mr. Trump "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."

"I don't think it'll happen, but I think the cabinet should meet and discuss this, because the behavior yesterday and the weeks and months before that has just been outrageous from the president," Mr. Kelly said on CNN. "And what happened on Capitol Hill yesterday is a direct result of his poisoning the minds of people with the lies and the frauds."

When the CNN host Jake Tapper asked whether he would support invoking the 25th Amendment if he were in the cabinet, Mr. Kelly paused for a moment before saying, "Yes, I would."

Mr. Trump's incitement of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday led multiple administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, to resign and has drawn criticism even from Republicans who previously stood by the president.

But given that members of the Trump administration will be out of a job in 13 days and that Democrats will control the White House and both chambers of Congress, the resignations and rebukes have little, if any, practical significance.

In his interview on CNN, Mr. Kelly said that Mr. Trump simply did not listen to dissent within his administration.

"You don't survive on telling this president the truth," he said. "Not for very long, anyway."

Michelle Obama, the former first lady, called on social media companies to permanently ban President Trump on Thursday in the aftermath of a violent mob he incited at the Capitol.

"Now is the time for Silicon Valley to stop enabling this monstrous behavior - and go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms," Mrs. Obama wrote in a lengthy statement posted on Twitter. "If we have any hope of improving this nation, now is the time for swift and serious consequences."

Earlier on Thursday, Facebook said it would block Mr. Trump on its platforms at least until the end of his term on Jan. 20, as the mainstream online world moved forcefully to limit the president after years of inaction.

Mrs. Obama also highlighted the contrast in police response to the mob at the Capitol, when compared with the Black Lives Matter protests that were met with brutal force last year.

"In city after city, day after day, we saw peaceful protesters met with brute force. We saw cracked skulls and mass arrests, law enforcement pepper spraying its way through a peaceful demonstration for a presidential photo op," she wrote, adding that seeing the inequality of force used was "so painful. It hurts."

"Yesterday made it painfully clear that certain Americans are, in fact, allowed to denigrate the flag and symbols of our nation," Mrs. Obama wrote. "They've just got to look the right way."

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. picked Gina M. Raimondo, the governor of Rhode Island, as his commerce secretary and Mayor Martin J. Walsh of Boston as his labor secretary, as he moves to fill key economic positions that are expected to play a significant role in his administration.

Mr. Biden also named Isabel Guzman, a small business advocate and former Obama administration official, to run the Small Business Administration.

Mr. Walsh, 53, led Boston's powerful Building and Construction Trades Council for two years before winning his race for mayor in 2013 with strong backing from organized labor. He is expected to work on fulfilling Mr. Biden's promise to implement stronger worker protections amid the pandemic and to boost worker pay.

It will fall to the next labor secretary to revisit a number of key regulations issued by the department under President Trump, including a rule that makes it harder for employees of contractors and franchises to recover stolen wages from parent companies when their direct employers lack the resources to do so.

Ms. Raimondo, a moderate Democrat with a background in the financial industry, has served as governor since 2015. She is seen as a relatively traditional choice for commerce secretary, a sprawling post that oversees relations with the business community but also technology regulation, weather monitoring and the gathering of economic data, among other duties.

As governor of Rhode Island, Ms. Raimondo introduced training programs, cut taxes and eliminated regulations to support businesses. She clashed with unions but ultimately found compromise as she overhauled the state pension plan.

Before running for office, she was a founding employee at the investment firm Village Ventures, which was backed by Bain Capital, and co-founded her own venture capital firm, Point Judith Capital. Ms. Raimondo has a law degree from Yale University and earned a doctorate from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes scholar.

As commerce secretary, Ms. Raimondo will control an agency that was at the forefront of an economic fight with China during the Trump administration.

A sprawling agency with nearly 50,000 employees, the Commerce Department has used its vast power to curtail the access of Chinese companies to the American market and technology. The department also played a role in levying significant tariffs on trading partners on the basis of national security, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

It carried out investigations into the effect of imported steel and aluminum on the domestic industry, which led to President Trump imposing global metal tariffs. It also investigated whether imports of cars and car parts, uranium and titanium sponges posed a threat to national security. While those investigations determined that imports harmed American interests, the Trump administration did not impose tariffs.

Mr. Biden has criticized Mr. Trump for imposing national-security-related tariffs on America's closest allies, suggesting he may ultimately choose to roll back such an authority.

Former Attorney General William P. Barr said Thursday that President Trump betrayed his office by encouraging a mob of supporters to intimidate Congress into overturning the election results by storming the Capitol, joining former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in blaming Mr. Trump for the violence.

Mr. Barr, who stepped down from office last month under pressure from Mr. Trump, said in a statement to The Associated Press that the president's conduct betrayed "his office and supporters" and that "orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable."

Mr. Barr was widely seen as the cabinet member who did the most to advance the president's political agenda, and the statement was unusually strong given Mr. Barr's praise for the president in his departure letter even as Mr. Trump pressured the Justice Department to help his effort to overturn the election results.

Immediately after a violent mob of Mr. Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, Mr. Mattis was among the first former cabinet officials to directly blame Mr. Trump, calling the attack "an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule" that was "fomented by Mr. Trump."

Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and retired Gen. Joseph Dunford, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Mr. Trump, also criticized the politicians who had supported Mr. Trump's claims and spread false information about the election.

Current law enforcement officials have not gone so far as to acknowledge Mr. Trump's role in encouraging the attack.

The acting attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, called the violence at the Capitol "an intolerable attack on a fundamental institution of our democracy," and said that law enforcement officials were working to find, arrest and charge rioters. And the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, said that the bureau would "pursue those involved in criminal activity" during the mayhem.

Also on Thursday, the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, Eric S. Dreiband, told his staff that he was leaving the Trump administration effective the following day. While many department leaders left after the election, his abrupt announcement took some people who worked for him by surprise.

He did not cite a reason or say whether his departure was tied to Mr. Trump's conduct and the riots, but he quoted Martin Luther King Jr. at length, saying: "Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be."

The Pentagon is deploying more than 5,000 additional National Guard troops from six states to Washington, and the troops will stay through the inauguration later this month, a senior Pentagon official said Thursday.

After pleas from Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, the Pentagon mobilized all 1,100 available District of Columbia National Guard troops on Wednesday afternoon to confront the violent mob that had stormed the Capitol. About 340 D.C. National Guard had been called up earlier in the week to help with crowd and traffic control.

An additional 5,100 Guard troops from Virginia, Maryland, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are expected to arrive in Washington over the next several days and remain through Jan. 20 for President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s inauguration, the senior official said.

That will bring the total number of Guard troops in the capital to 6,200.

Pentagon officials said that the additional Guard personnel would support local police and federal law enforcement officers.

In June, some 5,000 Guard troops - from the District of Columbia and a dozen states - were rushed to the streets of the capital to help in the crackdown on mostly peaceful protesters and occasional looters after the killing of George Floyd in police custody.

Elaine Chao, the secretary of transportation, is resigning after President Trump's incitement of a mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, she announced in a letter posted on Twitter.

Ms. Chao, who is married to Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, is the first cabinet official to join a growing exodus of administration officials in the final days of the Trump administration - largely symbolic resignations given that most would have been out of jobs with the change of administration anyway.

In the letter, she said that she would leave her post on Jan. 11 and that her office would cooperate with President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s nominee for transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg.

"Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the president stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed," Ms. Chao wrote. "As I'm sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside."

Ms. Chao decided to quit on Wednesday as she watched the events at the Capitol unfold on television, but held off until speaking with her department staff, according to a person with direct knowledge of her actions.

She briefly discussed the matter with Mr. McConnell when he returned, exhausted, from the Capitol at about 5 a.m. Thursday, then consulted with him again after he had rested. Both agreed it was the right thing to do, the person said, adding that one of her primary concerns was staying on long enough to ensure a smooth transition to Mr. Buttigieg, whom she plans to speak with on Friday.

Nicole Perlroth and Alan Rappeport contributed reporting.

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Biden Introduces Attorney General Nominee in Wake of Capitol Riot

While introducing his nominee for attorney general, Merrick Garland, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said the nation needed to restore the independence and integrity of the Justice Department.

"What we witnessed yesterday was not dissent, it was not disorder, it was not protest - it was chaos. They weren't protesters - don't dare call them protesters - they were a riotous mob, insurrectionists, domestic terrorists. It's that basic, it's that simple. I wish we could say we couldn't see it coming. But that isn't true. We could see it coming. The past four years, we've had a president who has made his contempt for our democracy, our Constitution, the rule of law clear in everything he has done. We need to restore the honor, the integrity, the independence of the Department of Justice in this nation that's been so badly damaged. And so many former leaders of that department in both parties have so testified and stated that. I want to be clear to those who lead this department, who you will serve. You won't work for me. You are not the president or the vice president's lawyer. Your loyalty is not to me. It is to the law, the Constitution, the people of this nation, to guarantee justice." "As everyone who watched yesterday's events in Washington now understands, if they did not understand before, the rule of law is not just some lawyer's turn of phrase. It is the very foundation of our democracy."

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday introduced his pick for attorney general, Judge Merrick B. Garland, declaring that the longtime federal jurist would serve as an impartial arbiter of justice and not as the president's "personal attorney" - a pointed rebuke of President Trump's approach.

Judge Garland will be "the people's lawyer," Mr. Biden declared at an event in Wilmington, Del.

"You won't work for me," Mr. Biden said of the leaders of his Justice Department. "You are not the president or the vice president's lawyer. Your loyalty is not to me. It's to the law, the Constitution, the people of this nation, to guarantee justice."

Mr. Biden also introduced three other nominees for top positions at the Justice Department, which experienced a period of increased politicization under Mr. Trump. And he began by angrily denouncing the riot at the Capitol on Wednesday incited by the outgoing president.

Calling it "one of the darkest days in the history of our nation," Mr. Biden forcefully laid blame at the feet of Mr. Trump, pointing to his conduct not just in the aftermath of the November election, but over the past four years.

"What we witnessed yesterday was not dissent," Mr. Biden said. "It was not disorder. It was not protest. It was chaos. They weren't protesters. Don't dare call them protesters. They were a riotous mob, insurrectionists, domestic terrorists. It's that basic. It's that simple."

"And I wish we could say we couldn't see it coming," he continued. "But that isn't true. We could see it coming."

Mr. Biden also spoke of how the rioters were treated by law enforcement. "No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday, they wouldn't have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol," he said. "We all know that's true, and it is unacceptable. Totally unacceptable."

The position of attorney general had been the most prominent role in Mr. Biden's cabinet that was still unfilled with Inauguration Day approaching.

Judge Garland currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. President Barack Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court in 2016 after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, but Senate Republicans blocked his nomination.

"As everyone who watched yesterday's events in Washington now understands, if they did not understand before, the rule of law is not just some lawyer's turn of phrase," Judge Garland said at the event with Mr. Biden. "It is the very foundation of our democracy."

The events of the last 48 hours - Tuesday's Democratic takeover of the Senate and Wednesday's mob violence at the Capitol by President Trump supporters - fundamentally altered the trajectory of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s presidency two weeks before his hand touches the bible.

Once chatty, malaprop-prone and accessible, Mr. Biden has transformed himself into a figure of distance and dignity, taking advantage of the spotlight-hogging futility of Mr. Trump's attempts to overturn the election. He has been able to quietly assemble a team and plan for the battles ahead.

The violence, in the view of several people in Mr. Biden's immediate orbit, has mellowed the intensity of Republican opposition to him, especially among the members of the chamber most eager to distance themselves from Mr. Trump's antics.

Most notable among them: the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, who had defined unseating President Obama as his primary goal at this point in 2009; and Lindsey Graham, the Republican from South Carolina who has buddied up to both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump over the years.

There is nothing quite like huddling behind barricaded doors with an armed mob roaming the hallways to rekindle the dying embers of bipartisanship. But nobody expects it to last.

Mr. Trump incited the riot and Mr. Biden, a senator for nearly four decades, is universally regarded as a guardian of the institution - which matters a great deal to people like Mr. McConnell.

What does this mean in the short term? For starters, it is likely to diminish (but not eliminate) opposition to Mr. Biden's cabinet picks, although big fights loom.

Mr. Graham on Wednesday, for instance, praised Merrick Garland, the president-elect's choice for attorney general, and other senators have signaled a less combative approach that has not been seen since the days before social media provocation dominated the discourse.

The landscape was dramatically altered even before the riot, with the double triumph of the two Democrats, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, in the Georgia Senate runoff elections on Tuesday.

The Biden team had quietly downplayed the idea that they would actually win - in part out of superstition, several jittery Democratic aides suggested in the days leading up to the election.

In the most basic sense, the addition of two Democrats means Mr. Biden needs fewer Republican votes and, just as important, has control over which bills are sent to the floor, a major lever of power unappreciated outside of Washington.

But the pressure from Mr. Biden's left flank to use these powers will be great. Democrats fear a Republican takeover of the House in 2022, and a similar possibility looms in the deadlocked upper chamber.

Many in Mr. Biden's circle believe he has two years to jam through Democratic priorities, starting with his pledge to pass a $2,000 payment to Americans to ease the economic hardship of the pandemic. That tension - whether to go it alone or wait for compromise - is likely to define his presidency.

"Biden will say all the public things about how he needs to get Republican support, but the truth is that this fundamentally changes the dynamic," said David Krone, former chief of staff to former Senator Harry Reid, the last Democratic majority leader. "Democrats now control the floor. So he can bring up all kinds of bills that would have been blocked by the Republicans, and force votes on big bills - like a major infrastructure package."

Then there's Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who will have more power as the tiebreaking presiding officer in a 50-50 deadlocked Senate.

It will also ensure her visibility as Mr. Biden's partner and natural successor.

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Pressure on Trump Intensifies as Resignations Roil End of His Term

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened to pursue impeachment if the Trump cabinet did not invoke the 25th Amendment to strip the president of his powers. Vice President Mike Pence is said to oppose the measure. Two cabinet members, Elaine Chao and Betsy DeVos, resigned on Thursday.

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(NPR)Supreme Court's New Supermajority: What It Means For Roe v. Wade

December 31, 2020
10:42 AM ET
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This is an example of the Judicial Branch using it's powers because the Supreme Court are voting and deciding on the rights of abortion and to weather allow it or prevent it.
I believe abortion is a woman's right and women should have that choice. There are multiple mixed feelings about abortion in the Supreme Court, but I agree with allowing it.

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For the first time in nearly a half century, there is a six-justice conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court - six justices with clearly expressed views against abortion rights. So, will a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy soon be a thing of the past?

In 1973, when the court issued its landmark Roe v. Wade opinion, the vote was 7-to-2, with five Republican-appointed justices in the majority. But since then, the court's composition has moved inexorably to the ideological right, with the court's three newest justices appointed by President Trump.

At the same time, however, public opinion polls have showed large majorities supporting abortion rights in most cases. Those approval ratings have remained remarkably stable over the years.

On the Supreme Court, however, the centrist conservatives are gone, replaced by justices more passionately opposed to the notion of a constitutional right to abortion. So the question now is: How fast and how far does the court want to move.

Among constitutional scholars, there are basically two schools of thought. Many expect the court to systematically hollow out Roe v. Wade, not explicitly overturning it but leaving it a right on paper only.

It will be "like this sarcophagus of Roe that you have outside the tomb, but there's nothing inside, just an empty shell," predicts professor Josh Blackman, of South Texas College of Law Houston.

But NYU law professor Melissa Murray says the time is ripe for anti-abortion rights forces to strike more definitively.

"I think the galvanizing view within the pro-life movement is that the time has come to call the question," she says. "Why wouldn't you do it now when you have a 6-to-3 supermajority?"

"It is a new moment for the court," adds Mallory Quigley, a vice president of the anti-abortion rights Susan B. Anthony List. "What the pro-life movement is doing is throwing every type of spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks."

Anti-abortion rights forces are in fact prevailing in many state legislatures, enacting lots of different laws that restrict abortion rights. As of now, there are four cases challenging those laws pending before the Supreme Court and more than a dozen cases pending in the federal appeals courts.

Some of those appeals in the lower courts have remained undecided for as many as 2 1/2 years, suggesting that some conservative-dominated lower courts are slow-walking cases in hopes of a dramatic change in abortion rulings from the Supreme Court.

Among the restrictions involved in these cases are bans on abortions at early stages of pregnancy, with six states banning abortions after six weeks. That's before many women even realize they are pregnant. Then, too, are bans on the most common method of surgical abortions. There are laws making it more difficult to obtain medical abortions using pills. There are laws making it illegal to terminate a pregnancy because of fetal abnormalities, including Down syndrome. And there are laws aimed at making it difficult to impossible for clinics that perform abortions to remain open.

"What we're ultimately hoping for is that the Supreme Court will take the handcuffs off state legislatures and allow them to enact laws that are truly reflective of the values of the people in those states," says Quigley of the SBA List.

Abortion-rights lawyers like Stephanie Toti know they are facing an uphill battle.

" Roe v. Wade has been settled precedent for nearly 50 years and yet everybody thinks that we might be on the cusp of that precedent being overturned," she says, adding it's "really important to keep up the fight," especially because the "perspective that often gets lost" is of people like the woman who suddenly finds herself pregnant and needing an abortion, only to discover that clinics are now closed.

If the direction the conservative court is embarking on abortion is clear, it is less clear how the conservative justices will get there. NYU professor Murray points to an idea promoted in one opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas that sought to link Planned Parenthood, contraception and abortion to the racist views of the eugenics movement in the early 20th century.

Though Thomas wrote only for himself in that case, Murray points out that other conservative justices last year relied on the racist roots of laws permitting non-unanimous jury verdicts to strike them down. And she sees those opinions as "opportunistically" laying the groundwork for a different approach to reversing Roe.

"What could be better than to take down Roe on the ground that it is not just wrong in terms of your moral view of where life begins, but it's wrong because it's about racial injustice?" Murray says.

Even a year ago, the justice who would have pushed back most forcefully against that theory would have been the modern era's foremost advocate for women's legal rights and personal autonomy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her death just three months ago, and Trump's appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to replace her, however, have solidified the conservative supermajority on the court.

And if you look carefully, as professor Murray observes, anti-abortion groups now routinely refer to laws banning abortion because of fetal abnormality as "anti-discrimination laws."

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Supreme Court's New Supermajority: What It Means For Roe v. Wade

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For the first time in nearly a half century, there is a six-justice conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court - six justices with clearly expressed views against abortion rights. So, will a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy soon be a thing of the past?

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Senate votes down objections to certify Arizona electors. 

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Senate votes down objections to certify Arizona electors. 

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Souce: abcnews
Date: Jan. 7, 2021

This is an example of republicanism because it shows how we can vote. This is applied by Seanators. I think they did the right thing, as the objection was unnecessary.

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WHAT WAR POWERS DOES PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE?- The New Yorker 1/7/20
3. This is a example of the Executive branch because congress is the only one who can declare war not the president or Vice President.
4.I think it is a good idea because if the president to Vice President could declare war I think they would be starting wars left and right.

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What War Powers Does President Trump Have?

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A legal expert on the killing of Qassem Suleimani, President Trump’s Iran policy, and the executive power of the Presidency.

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Pence defies Trump, affirms Biden’s win - AP news Jan 7,2021 

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Pence defies Trump, affirms Biden’s win - AP news Jan 7,2021 

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He is following the principle of popular sovereignty and acknowledging the popular vote.
He is doing the right thing and helping democracy.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Mike Pence defied President Donald Trump early Thursday morning as he affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's November victory, putting an end to Trump's futile efforts to subvert American democracy and overturn the results of the election.

In a move that infuriated Trump and left his own political future far less certain, Pence on Wednesday acknowledged that he did not have the power to unilaterally throw out electoral college votes as Trump and some of his attorneys had wrongly insisted.

Pence, as the session came to an end, said the count "shall be deemed a sufficient declaration" of Biden's victory, but offered no words of congratulations to the incoming administration. It capped an extraordinary day of chaos, violence and division after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, sending lawmakers into hiding and delaying the proceeding.

Under normal circumstances, the vote-tallying procedure would be a mere formality - the final step in the complicated technical process of electing a new administration. But after losing court case after court case and with no further options at hand, Trump and his allies had zeroed in on January 6 as their last ditch chance to try to influence the outcome.

They spent days in a futile bid trying to convince Pence that the vice president had the power to reject electors from battleground states that voted for Biden, even though the Constitution makes clear the vice president's role in the joint session is largely ceremonial, much like a master of ceremonies.

Pence acknowledged that reality in a lengthy statement Wednesday laying out his conclusion that a vice president cannot claim "unilateral authority" to reject states' electoral votes.

"It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not," Pence wrote in a letter to members of Congress that was released shortly before he gaveled in the joint session of Congress. Not long after, the angry mob swarmed the Capitol, overwhelmed police and halted the proceeding that had been underway.

Pence's move was an expected outcome, but one that carved a dramatic fissure between Trump and Pence, his once most loyal lieutenant. In a dramatic split screen, Pence released the statement just after he arrived at the Capitol to tally the votes and as the president was telling thousands of supporters gathered near the White House that Pence could overturn them if he wanted.

"If Mike Pence does the right thing we win the election," Trump wrongly told supporters, who later marched through Washington and stormed the Capitol. He repeatedly returned to Pence throughout his speech, voicing frustration as he tried to pressure the vice president to fall in line.

"Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us. And if he doesn't, its a sad day for our country," he said.

Trump, who has spent the last two months refusing to acknowledge his defeat, later tweeted his disapproval.

"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify," he wrote. "USA demands the truth!"

Pence, too, was fuming.

"I've known Mike Pence forever," Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma told Tulsa World. "I've never seen Pence as angry as he was today."

"He said, 'After all the things I've done for (Trump),'" Inhofe added.

Despite claims by Trump and his allies, there was not widespread fraud in the election. This has been confirmed by a range of election officials and by William Barr, who stepped down as Trump's attorney general last month. Neither Trump nor any of the lawmakers who objected to the count have presented credible evidence that would change the outcome.

While Pence's allies had made clear that he intended to defy Trump and hew to the Constitution, the vice president's move was nonetheless a significant departure for a man who has spent the last four years defending the president at every turn and carefully avoiding his ire.

Pence is eying his own run for president is 2024, and the episode could damage his prospects, especially if Trump - or supporters who were wrongly convinced Pence had the power to change the outcome - maintain a grudge. Even out of office, Trump is expected to remain the de facto leader of the Republican Party and a political kingmaker for years to come.

Trump spent much of Wednesday consumed with anger over Pence's action, even as violent protesters swarmed the U.S. Capitol, forcing lawmakers into hiding and grinding the proceedings to a halt, according to a White House official who spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Pence was ushered out of the Senate chamber to a secure location as protesters breached the building. Pence never left the Capitol, according to his chief spokesman, and was in "regular contact" with House and Senate leadership, Capitol Police, and the departments of defense and justice throughout the ordeal.

"The violence and destruction taking place at the US Capitol Must Stop and it Must Stop Now," Pence later tweeted. "Anyone involved must respect Law Enforcement officers and immediately leave the building."

After the House and Senate reconvened hours later, Pence re-opened the proceedings and returned to the task of opening the certificates of electoral votes from each state and presenting them to the appointed "tellers" from the House and Senate in alphabetical order.

After hours of roll calls and debate, he announced the contests' winners - Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris - formalizing his and Trump's defeat.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Mike Pence defied President Donald Trump early Thursday morning as he affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's November victory, putting an end to Trump's futile efforts to subvert American democracy and overturn the results of the election.

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Election Fraud Claims: State by State Guide

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Election Fraud Claims: State by State Guide

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Wall Street Journal
1/6/2021
This is an example of Popular Sovereignty because there could've have been voter fraud, but there wasn't any evidence.
I think the government should watch out for voter fraud if there is any so that any future elections are fair.

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President Trump's Republican allies in Congress are objecting to several states' electoral votes, saying fraud and irregularities marred the November election. But there is no evidence of such problems on a scale large enough to reverse Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's win.

Here are some of the claims about alleged irregularities in five key states and election officials' responses. Mr. Trump's campaign and its allies have lost dozens of lawsuits seeking to challenge the results.

Arizona

Mr. Trump and his supporters have alleged widespread irregularities in Arizona's election. Mr. Biden won the battleground state by 10,457 votes, according to the certified result. Audits in Arizona's four most populous counties found no evidence of widespread discrepancies, according to reports released by the Arizona secretary of state's office.

In November, Arizona's election was the target of claims questioning whether votes made with Sharpie pens would be counted. Government officials debunked the theory. "If you voted a regular ballot in-person, your ballot will be counted, no matter what kind of pen you used (even a Sharpie)," Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said in a Facebook post.

Georgia

Georgia uses voting machines provided by Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems Corp. Mr. Trump said on Twitter after the Nov. 3 vote that Dominion's equipment is "not good or secure," and he and his allies have repeatedly questioned the accuracy of those machines.

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Election Fraud Claims: a State-by-State Guide

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President Trump's Republican allies in Congress are objecting to several states' electoral votes, saying fraud and irregularities marred the November election. But there is no evidence of such problems on a scale large enough to reverse Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's win. Here are some of the claims about alleged irregularities in five key states and election officials' responses.

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whitehouse.gov,October 26, 2020
this is an example of checks and balances because they are handing the power to her as the supreme court.
i do not agree with them putting her in that place because she doesn't even know the ammendments and her views on certain things don't make sense to me.

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House overwhelmingly approves defense policy bill, defying veto threat from President Trump - AP news December 8 2020

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House overwhelmingly approves defense policy bill, defying veto threat from President Trump - AP news December 8 2020

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It shows Trump exercising is ability to veto to keep the house in check.
I think he shouldn't veto it because it goes toward preserving our way of life in defending our country.

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senate votes to override trump's veto on defense bill - cnnpolitics

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Senate votes to override Trump's veto on defense bill

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The Senate voted on Friday to override President Donald Trump's veto of the sweeping defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, delivering a bipartisan rebuke to the President in his final days in office.

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Judge bans Proud Boys leader from Washington, D.C., after arrest

NBCnews, Jan. 5 2021
3. One of a judges jobs as part of the executive branch is to judge people in court, and in some cases determine a criminals punishment. In this case, the judge uses their power by banning a criminal from the place which the crime was committed.
4. I think the judge did the right thing, I agree with the judges actions.

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Unveiling economic team, Biden pledges, ‘Help is on the way’

-Dec 1,2020
Biden is saying that he will help people for now on and people are happy for this.
I think this is good because everyone would be happy and more safer on the long run.

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his administration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, declaring, "I know times are tough, but I want you to know that help is on the way."

Biden said he'd chosen a "first-rate team" that is "tested and experienced" to tackle the country's economic crisis. He picked liberal advisers who have long prioritized the nation's workers and government efforts to address economic inequality.

Unemployment remains high as the COVID-19 outbreak widens the gulf between average people and the wealthiest Americans. The virus, which has claimed more than 269,000 lives nationwide, is resurgent across the country amid holiday travel and colder weather sending people indoors.

As he did frequently while campaigning, Biden promised that the U.S. would eventually emerge with an economy that is dramatically reshaped to better stamp out economic inequality.

"From the most unequal economic and job crisis in modern history, we can build a new American economy that works for all Americans, not just some," Biden said as he introduced his choices for some of the government's top economic posts during a speech at a theater in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has led his transition to the presidency.

Tuesday also marked the president-elect's first appearance since breaking two small bones in his right foot while playing with one of his dogs over the weekend. He wore a black walking boot and moved gingerly but tried to keep things light. As he emerged from his motorcade, Biden pointed to his boot and lifted his leg briefly to show it off.

Asked about his foot by reporters, Biden responded only, "Good, thanks for asking."

The injury, while not serious, again intensifies scrutiny on Biden's age, given that he just turned 78 and is the oldest president ever to be in his first term. Still, his team has tried to keep the focus on building out its government and upcoming policy challenges, chief among them the pandemic and the economy.

Biden repeatedly evoked his work as vice president when the Obama administration oversaw the economic recovery following the 2008 financial crisis, noting that many of those on his newly formed economic team worked closely with him then.

Most of his choices will require confirmation from the deeply divided Senate, where some top Republicans have already begun voicing opposition. Biden said he hopes "that we will be able to work across the aisle in good faith, move forward as one country."

Janet Yellen, Biden's nominee for treasury secretary, served as chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, when she placed a greater emphasis than previous Fed chairs on maximizing employment and less focus on price inflation. Biden also named Cecilia Rouse as chair of his Council of Economic Advisers, and Heather Boushey and Jared Bernstein as members of the council.

Yellen called the economic havoc the pandemic has wrought "an American tragedy."

"To the American people: We will be an institution that wakes up every morning thinking about you," Yellen said of the Treasury Department, "Your jobs, your paychecks, your struggles, your hopes, your dignity and your limitless potential."

If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would be the first woman to serve as treasury secretary, after breaking ground as the first woman to chair the Fed.

"We might have to ask Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote a musical about the first secretary of the treasury, Hamilton, to write another musical about the female secretary of the treasury," Biden joked.

Rouse would be the first Black woman to lead the CEA in its 74 years of existence. The president-elect also selected Wally Adeyemo to be Yellen's deputy, which would make him the first Black deputy treasury secretary. Neera Tanden, Biden's pick for director of the Office of Management and Budget, would be the first South Asian American in that job.

Rouse, Tanden and Adeyemo will all require Senate confirmation, and Tanden, in particular, is already drawing heavy Republican criticism.

"Budgets are not abstractions. They are a reflection of our values," Tanden said during Tuesday's event.

All of Biden's picks are outspoken supporters of more government stimulus spending to boost growth - which Biden embraced on the campaign trail - though their proposals could face a difficult reception in Congress, which has stalemated on a new round of economic relief for months.

The prospects for a large-scale deal could hang on the outcome of runoff elections for both Georgia Senate seats. Victories in both would give Democrats control of the chamber - and its agenda -- by the slimmest of margins, but Republican victories will quickly test Biden and his team's ability to negotiate across the aisle to deliver on their promised relief for Americans.

As he has in recent weeks, Biden repeated calls for Congress to pass immediate pandemic relief funding even before he takes office.

"Right now, the full Congress should come together and pass a robust package for relief," he said. But Biden added that any package passed during the lame-duck session before the end of the year is "likely to be at best just a start" and said his transition team is "already working on what I'll put forward in the next Congress to address the multiple crises we're facing."

In the meantime, grim economic news is piling up. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that the pace of improvement in the economy has moderated in recent months with future prospects remaining "extraordinarily uncertain."

And Steven Mnuchin, President Donald Trump's treasury secretary, announced last month that, over the objections of the Fed, he would not grant extensions for five lending programs being operated jointly by the Fed and the Treasury Department that are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31 - including backstops for corporate and municipal debt and the purchase of loans for small businesses and nonprofits.

___

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Christopher Rugaber, Aamer Madhani and Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.

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Unveiling economic team, Biden pledges, 'Help is on the way'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his administration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, declaring, "I know times are tough, but I want you to know that help is on the way."

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Five states approve measures removing racist language, symbols

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Five states approve measures removing racist language, symbols

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-Newsela
11/17/2020

This is an example of this principle because it specifically is targeted to help black people.
My opinion on this matter is I think this is great because were starting to pave a new future and are getting rid of past mistakes

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Five states approve measures removing racist language, symbols

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HOW FAR CAN REPUBLICANS TAKE TRUMPS CLAIMS OF ELECTION FRAUD?
3.
4. What is your opinion of this

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Biden committed to limiting deportations and overturning Trump border policies, advisers say

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Biden committed to limiting deportations and overturning Trump border policies, advisers say

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- cbs news
- december 22, 2020
3. This is an example of this principle what he is stating will effect families and immigrants.
4. What is your opinion of this?
I like that he is stating that he is committed to limiting deportation but I just hope he sticks to that and doesn't "forget."

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Biden committed to limiting deportations and overturning Trump border policies, advisers say

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Transition officials said the changes in immigration policy changes — especially along the U.S.-Mexico border — will take time, given the ongoing pandemic.

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Trump’s Veto Threat Did Little to Alter Stimulus Package

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Trump’s Veto Threat Did Little to Alter Stimulus Package

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-NY Times, Dec 28 2020

This is an example of the executive power being used because president Trump used his power to "virtually hold the nation hostage" by delaying the unemployment benefit checks.
In my opinion I think he over used his power as an executive branch for his own selfish reasons.

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US Election 2020: Congress confirms Joe Biden's victory

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US Election 2020: Congress confirms Joe Biden's victory

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2. BBC news, 1/7/2020
3. It affects all of us since he will be the next president.
4. I think it's time for  new change, and that'll he'll be a lot more better than Trump with his political views.

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Joe Biden's victory is formally confirmed, hours after violent protesters stormed the Capitol building. Vice President Mike Pence makes the announcement.

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(NPR)Joe Biden Elected President: NPR Political Reporters Discuss Latest On Race

November 7, 2020
5:15 PM ET
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This is an example of Federalism because this affects all of the U.S.
I'm glad Joe Biden won, which means thankfully we don't need Trump as the president anymore, and have someone lead the U.S. how it should be.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States, and Kamala Harris has been elected the nation's 49th vice president. The Associated Press called the presidential race just before noon today.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Biden is expected to address the nation in primetime tonight, but he's already issued a short statement saying that he was honored and humbled and that it is time for America to unite. Needless to say, we will be hearing that statement live at about 8 o'clock Eastern time, I believe, here on NPR News. We should mention, though, we have not yet heard, except in a short statement from President Trump, who has not conceded this race, issuing a statement of his own that said the election is far from over.

Now let's talk this through with NPR political correspondent Asma Khalid, who's been covering the Biden campaign since the beginning of the year. We'll bring in a couple of other voices as we go.

Hey there, Asma.

ASMA KHALID, BYLINE: Hi there.

INSKEEP: So what is the position that Biden's campaign is in? He is the president-elect. There is no doubt about that. The outgoing president doesn't get to decide that. It belongs to the people. And yet, there are these legal challenges looming. And set aside the legal challenges, which haven't gotten very far, there are political challenges looming. How does the situation look to the vice president - the former vice president and the president-elect now?

KHALID: Yeah, well, we haven't heard from Joe Biden, the president-elect himself, directly about some of these concerns you mentioned - you know, notably the fact that President Trump has not yet officially conceded. I did check in with the campaign just to get a sense of whether or not they've actually even had any communication with the Trump campaign. I have not yet heard back. But I will say Biden's campaign manager was asked that very question even earlier in the week, and we were told that at that point they had not.

You know, earlier in the afternoon, one of Biden's campaign advisers, Symone Sanders, did talk to reporters, and she was asked this question about, you know, how do you respond to what President Trump has been saying and the fact that he has not yet conceded? And she said that, you know, in her view, Donald Trump doesn't get to decide the winner of elections. People decide. The voters in the country decide. And they feel like voters have made their choice very clear.

INSKEEP: And I guess we should be - we should note that the rhetoric on the Trump campaign has changed somewhat. And they've said that every legal vote should be counted. That is their way of appearing to stand for every vote being counted. But what they are seeking to do is disqualify votes in certain states - enough votes, if possible, to change the outcome of the election, which has now been called.

Now, we're going to hear from the Trump side in a moment. But first, I want to dwell on the vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, who is, it is safe to say now, a historic figure.

KHALID: That's right. You know, Kamala Harris is the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants. She is the first in many ways, right? I mean, she identifies as being a Black woman. She is the first Black woman - she's, frankly, just the first woman that we've ever seen as a vice-presidential candidate.

And I will say, you know, these are things that a lot of people from different groups, whether they're Asian American, South Asian, you know, Black - we've been hearing a lot from different communities. You know, actually earlier, even, I heard from some folks outside of Howard University who were celebrating that because she is an alum of that HBCU. You know, she does represent many, many things.

I think what'll be interesting for me, though, Steve, is that in the past, when Kamala Harris has sometimes been asked about some of these questions of identity, she hasn't really delved extensively into that topic herself. You know, she was asked about this fact of how she identifies months and months ago, when she announced her own bid for the presidential election.

And she said, you know, I identify as an American. So it'll be interesting the degree to which some of the questions about how she identifies do come up now that she is officially the vice president-elect.

INSKEEP: I'm going to save you some grumpy tweets. You said that she was the first woman we've seen as a vice-presidential candidate. Of course, you meant the first woman...

KHALID: Yes.

INSKEEP: ...Who wins. And...

KHALID: (Laughter) Yes, correct. Correct. Thank you for clarifying that.

INSKEEP: And it's true that - in the United States, anyway - it's happened in other countries - in the United States, we've never seen a woman at this level of power. The vice presidency constitutionally doesn't have to have very much power at all, but some vice presidents have been extremely powerful.

And what we've been told about her intended relationship with Joe Biden is that she will have a lot of power and that she will exercise it very publicly because it's such a very public position. Do you have any sense of the way she intends to approach that job?

KHALID: You know, in terms of the portfolio of what she actually intends to handle or talk about, I don't have a clear sense of that. What I know is what, you know, both she and Joe Biden have spoken about, which is that they have this relationship that she wants to have the same dynamic that Joe Biden had with Barack Obama, being that she will be the last person in the room when Biden is making big decisions.

You know, I do think what's worth paying attention to, though, in the months to come is that Joe Biden - he is currently 77. He will be 78 on Inauguration Day. And so, you know, there have long been questions, frankly, even among some Democrats, frankly, even among some enthusiastic Democratic voters that I met this campaign cycle about whether or not Biden really can handle the idea of being a second-term president.

And so that inevitably raises questions about Kamala Harris and the role that she would potentially play as a stronger-than-usual VP in the next couple of years.

INSKEEP: Well, let's bring another voice into the conversation now and talk about the country that has just voted for a new leader, a new pair of leaders, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. NPR political editor Domenico Montanaro is with us once again.

Hey there, Domenico.

DOMENICO MONTANARO, BYLINE: Hey there, Steve.

INSKEEP: Let's talk through this electoral map, which looks a lot different than it did when the first returns came in Tuesday night. It's looking pretty blue. And there are blue states now, at least for this election, in every part of the country, including the South, which has been so conservative and so red in recent generations. But let's go a little bit beyond the state maps. What do you learn about the country when you look at different counties, the way that they went, and the different parts of the electorate?

MONTANARO: Well, you know, one of the things that, you know, we've been talking about before the election had been the suburbs - the fact that Democrats seemed to be winning in the suburbs, the fact that Joe Biden in particular was doing well in the suburbs. We're seeing an interesting thing that's happened here because we're seeing in a lot of places in Pennsylvania and in Georgia, outside Philadelphia and outside Atlanta in particular, where Joe Biden did better than Hillary Clinton did in 2016.

And they're also places where Republicans tend to get a lot of votes. So in those collar counties around Philadelphia, yeah, they're usually places that Democrats win, but they're - but the margins really matter there because it shrinks how many votes Republicans can have if you start cutting into those margins.

And that's exactly what Joe Biden did. I mean, if you look at Chester County, for example, Biden did eight points better than Hillary Clinton - Montgomery County, six points better, Monroe, five points better. And, of course, where Scranton is, Lackawanna, he did six points better. So that makes a big difference.

And when you look in Georgia, where the Atlanta suburbs have been growing just exponentially, Cobb County and Gwinnett, Biden did double digits better than Hillary Clinton did. He went up by 12 more points than Hillary Clinton in Cobb, 10 more points in Gwinnett. And these are all places, remember, that just because they usually go democratic where there's huge populations, Republican votes also really, you know, go toward that statewide total. So Biden did do better in the suburbs than Hillary Clinton did overall.

INSKEEP: And I'm glad you bring up the suburbs because it was such an explicit part of the campaign. President Trump appealed specifically, explicitly, again and again to suburban women. He warned women that low-income housing was going to come to your suburb and destroy your suburb. And we can be frank about this. We can be explicit about this. This is old-time racist language. This is a racist phrase that's been used for many, many years. And so we can say that without any doubt that was the appeal the president was making.

Former vice president, now President-elect Biden in at least one of the presidential debates explicitly pushed back on that and said, you don't understand what the suburbs are anymore. The suburbs are already quite diverse. And it's not just a bunch of fearful white women there. There's all kinds of people in suburbs. Do we see in the results you described the way that America is changing?

MONTANARO: Well, you know, I think that that does reflect the fact that the suburbs have been diversifying. I mean, we - you don't need these results to know what the census data is. And they don't look like they did in the 1960s or 1950s, where they were overwhelmingly white, and you saw white flight after the unrest in the late 1960s and after Martin Luther King's death. That's just not the suburbs that exist today. And, you know, Joe Biden is right about that. And that was the bet that both made.

And the number that really was standing out in attitudinal polling - not the horse race polling, which we'll get into another day - but when you ask people what they think and how they feel about both candidates, it was interesting to note that more people were saying that they trusted Joe Biden to handle crime than President Trump when that seemed to be the thing that Trump was latching onto to kind of scare people into voting for him in the suburbs.

INSKEEP: I want to get a perspective from the White House in here before we have to go away. But in about 20 or 30 seconds, talk to me about the other side of the equation. Seventy million or so people voted for President Trump, a number that would have overwhelmingly won almost any other election in American history except this one.

MONTANARO: Yeah, these two candidates have won the two most votes of all time. A lot of that's probably attributable to mail-in voting, because when you have mail-in votes, the participation rates go pretty high. Biden's 74.9 million votes right now, overall, 148 million. We still have millions of votes to count. California, for example, only 66% has been counted. We could see Joe Biden get to 81 million overall...

INSKEEP: OK.

MONTANARO: ...And win by a margin of 6 million or more.

INSKEEP: And we've just got a few seconds, but let's go to NPR White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, who's been listening to all of this. And, Ayesha, how does this result look from the White House at this moment?

AYESHA RASCOE, BYLINE: The White House is not conceding, and President Trump right now - he just sent out a tweet in all caps saying that bad things happened, saying that he won the election. So right now, they're not conceding, and they're saying that they're going to move forward with court challenges to try to - and that they're going to let that play out before there's any concession on their part.

INSKEEP: Have they said if they will go along with the Biden transition? We can expect people showing up at government agencies within days, I would think.

RASCOE: It's not clear at this point. There have been people working within the Trump administration, within the executive branch, on transition issues. So that work has been going on. It's unclear whether the White House - how the White House would have will play in that or have...

INSKEEP: OK.

RASCOE: ...A say in that.

INSKEEP: Ayesha, thanks for your insights throughout the afternoon. We'll be coming back to you. And again, just to remind people of the big news here, Joe Biden is the president-elect with at least 290 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press and according to NPR. We will continue to bring you voices on this historic day as we continue Special Coverage.

Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.

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Joe Biden Elected President: NPR Political Reporters Discuss Latest On Race

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States, and Kamala Harris has been elected the nation's 49th vice president. The Associated Press called the presidential race just before noon today.

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Supreme Court allows Trump restrictions on transgender troops in military to go into effect as legal battle continues

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Supreme Court allows Trump restrictions on transgender troops in military to go into effect as legal battle continues

# data[].attributes.body
The supreme court deemed this action unconstitutional.
If they can fight let them.

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California First: A Latino to replace senator Kamala Harris.

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California First: A Latino to replace senator Kamala Harris.

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Newsela 1/03/2021
This is an example of Federalism because the states have the power to elect new representatives . I don't really have an opinion on this, as long as the states are unified, I'm fine.

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Newsela | California first: A Latino to replace Senator Kamala Harris

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Alex Padilla appointed to fill senate seat of vice president-elect

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In a first, Congress overrides trump veto of Defense Bill.

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In a first, Congress overrides trump veto of Defense Bill.

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Source: Apnews
Date: Jan. 1, 2020

This is an example of checks and balances because it shows one branch keeping the other branch in line. I agree with the congress because even big companies need protection, and you can't just take away a bill for everyone just to target one specific group.

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In a first, Congress overrides Trump veto of defense bill

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress on Friday overrode President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago, ensuring that the measure becomes law...

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(NPR)How The U.S. Capitol Mob Was Treated Differently Than Earlier Black Protesters

January 7, 2021
11:30 AM ET
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This is an example of federalism because this applies to all the U.S. (it's literally the U.S. Capitol) and shows how (police and leaders) have the power to treat certain issues differently, in the way they want..
It angers and upsets me the fact that peaceful BLM protests have people being teargassed, arrested, etc., but when there's Trump supporters literally mobbing the Capitol, barely anything is done about it and the police who were there just let it slide by and did nothing. The people even took pictures with them like it was a meet & greet.

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When a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, surprisingly few police stood in the way. Protests had been expected for days, but police appeared unprepared for an actual insurrection and not even prepared to keep all the doors locked. Video showed police calmly talking with attackers after they moved into the building.

This came after a year of protests and confrontations with police after police shootings and other kinds of killings across the country. Many of those protests were put down more harshly, including those in Washington, D.C. Officials often responded with tear gas, Tasers or stun grenades.

"What we see here is that certain bodies are accorded a certain kind of treatment and other bodies are not," said Eddie Glaude, the chair of Princeton University's Department of African American studies, in an interview with NPR's Morning Edition.

Glaude, who has written several books about race in the U.S., said that Wednesday's violence at the Capitol demonstrated how "America is more comfortable with protest from the right than it is from the left." Demonstrations from the left are often considered to represent "an existential threat to the country," he said, whereas right-wing protests are taken "as a kind of patriotic gesture."

Following are excerpts from the interview, edited for length and clarity.

Interview Highlights
What did you think about as you watched the video of the attack on the Capitol yesterday?
Well, you know, I thought that the nation stands on a knife's edge in general. But more particularly, I ask myself the question: Who has the right to protest in this country? And what was very clear to me is that there is a sense in which some people who happen to be white are accorded the rights of citizenship and the right to dissent and others are expected to be grateful. And that was in clear view yesterday in terms of how the police responded to a mob insurrection, in effect.
What do you mean that it was in clear view yesterday?
You saw peaceful protest in Lafayette Square. You saw peaceful protests across the country over the summer after George Floyd's murder. And what do we see in response? We saw tear gas. We saw rubber bullets. We saw the vitriol. We saw the aggression of police in responding to that peaceful protest.

... And here you have literally thousands of people rushing the people's house, walking through the Capitol. In some instances, pacing, placing pipe bombs and other things around the Capitol. A woman was shot and then they just walked out, some of them. Right? And I could hear all across the country, at least on my Twitter feed, people just in amazement. Not that they wanted the police to be violent in their response, but it gave evidence to the fact that some people are accorded the benefit of the doubt, are given certain kinds of leeway or space, and other people are not.
And there is a case to be made for the policing that was done yesterday. Not that they allowed people into the building. But once it happened, to have a nonviolent response to it, to respond slowly, to respond carefully. But I think you're telling me that in many other instances across the country, that is not how police responded at all.
We've said this before, in other instances. Dylann Roof can commit mass murder and he's arrested and he's alive. White men could wield knives and they're arrested. We see training. We see patience and they are alive.

Black men and women end up dead. If they're even in their homes, if they're in their garages, if they're playing with a pellet gun. A Black child is dead. And so what we see here is that certain bodies are accorded a certain kind of treatment and other bodies are not. ... It seems to me that America is more comfortable with protest from the right than it is from the left.
What do you mean by that?
Ever since 1960s and the protests of the '60s, the marches, the Black Power movement, there's this sense that protests from the left represent an existential threat to the country. Protests from the right often is viewed as a kind of patriotic gesture, whether it's [Ammon] Bundy and those folks defending their land or "against federal intrusion." We can hear it over and over again. It's almost as if we're more comfortable with the right and that right that tends toward the fascism, tends toward a kind of white nationalism than we are with those that we often want to associate with socialism.
Did you find this assault on the Capitol yesterday actually to be an existential threat to the country?
Absolutely. I've been arguing over and over again for the last four years that Donald Trump represented an existential threat to the republic. And what he's done, he's weaponized an insidious feature of American life, and that is that you have greed and grievance, racism and resentment, hubris and hatred animating a large portion of this country. And you had a politician who weaponized it, who leveraged it for his own ends. ... We saw Americans taking down the American flag, attempting to take down the American flag to replace it with a Trump flag. If that isn't an existential threat, I'm not sure what is.
What would you have the incoming president, Joe Biden, do about this? Suppose we get through the next 13 days, we get to another administration with a badly divided country. How would you approach this problem?
Well, the first thing I think the Biden-Harris administration must do is to execute the law. They need to prosecute these people to the fullest extent of the law. ... If no one is held accountable after this insurrectionary act, we will doom ourselves to having to deal with this again. We've been coddling this element since our birth as a nation. And it has threatened to overwhelm our democracy ever since. We finally need to uproot this if we're going to get beyond it.
Kelley Dickens and Catherine Mailhouse edited the audio version of this story. Avie Schneider produced for the Web.

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How Police Handled Pro-Trump Mob Compared With Protesters For Black Racial Justice

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When a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, surprisingly few police stood in the way. Protests had been expected for days, but police appeared unprepared for an actual insurrection and not even prepared to keep all the doors locked. Video showed police calmly talking with attackers after they moved into the building.

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Georgia’s Senate Results Mark a Sea Change in American Politics

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Georgia’s Senate Results Mark a Sea Change in American Politics

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-Jan 6,2021
It proves that men can be political towards any side and help otheers.
God bc they help and are in equal to any side.

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The pandemic makes all celebrations hushed and a little strange, including political-victory speeches. A little after 12:30 A.M. on Wednesday, the Reverend Raphael Warnock, the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and presumptive senator from Georgia, flickered onto a live stream, sitting alone in a small office. Over his left shoulder was a cross; over his right shoulder was a copy of Barack Obama's " The Audacity of Hope." Jon Ossoff, the other Democrat in Georgia's twin runoffs for the Senate, appeared likely to unseat Senator David Perdue, but on Wednesday morning the race remained too close to call. If both Democrats win, they will give the Party, improbably, control of the U.S. Senate in January and President-elect Joe Biden a much better shot at passing meaningful legislation.

Warnock was reading from a prepared speech, at times a little jerkily, but he had a conversational tone and an easy grin. He barely mentioned the stakes of this election for Democratic policy goals, focussing instead on his own biography. Warnock is the eleventh of twelve children, was raised in a Savannah housing project, and now is the pastor of the church in Atlanta where Martin Luther King, Jr., served as pastor and John Lewis prayed. Warnock spoke of his mother. "The other day, because this is America, the eighty-two-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else's cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator."

All kinds of historical loops were closing in Georgia on Tuesday night. There were long ones, like those that Warnock mentioned. He will be only the eleventh Black senator in American history, and the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from the South. His victory, and Ossoff's apparent one, was powered by very high turnout among African-American voters and comparatively low turnout among the rural white voters on whom the Republicans have increasingly come to rely. But there were shorter loops, too. Almost exactly six years ago, Mitch McConnell became the Majority Leader of the Senate, and, ever since, politics in Washington have been in what was starting to seem like a permanent state of stagnation. McConnell operated as a hand brake on Washington, and Washington as a hand brake on the country, until it was hard to separate the political condition from the national one. Problems festered. Scant legislation passed. Nothing ever seemed to change. Republicans fought eternally to manage their own extremists, never successfully, while deepening their institutional control, of the judiciary most of all. The progressive certainty that the arc of history was bending only strengthened, but Democrats continued narrowly losing all of the most important votes. Everything kept coming down to a coin flip, but the coin always flipped the same way.

The story has been similar in Georgia. Before this week, there had been eight statewide runoffs since 1992, and Republicans had won all eight. The Atlanta region kept growing, and becoming more progressive, but the state never quite turned. Even as Biden beat Donald Trump by eleven thousand seven hundred and seventy-nine votes in the state on November 3rd, there were heartening signs for McConnell: in both Senate races, the Republicans got more votes than the Democrats (though neither Perdue nor Loeffler reached the majority that would have averted Tuesday's runoff). What happened between November 3rd and January 5th?

Just about everything. President Trump relentlessly, but ineffectively, tried to bully Republican state officials into finding some grounds to overturn Georgia's results in the Presidential election, and some of his supporters issued death threats against those state Republican officials. Both Perdue and Loeffler were investigated for insider trading: they had sold off millions of dollars in stock after having received early briefings about the likely extent of the coronavirus pandemic. Loeffler's campaign was accused of artificially darkening Warnock's skin in some of the ads it ran. The very same tactics and compromises that have defined McConnell's Republican Party-the cynical relationship with Trump, the comfort with defending the prerogatives of the rich, the weaponization of race-all backfired in Georgia. The margins were narrow again, but the conditions were different. This time, the coin flipped the other way.

If the Senate elections in Georgia constituted the first political event after Biden's election, then they still seemed to belong very much to the Trump era: the lame-duck President's efforts to overturn his own loss dominated the news throughout the runoff campaigns. Despite having so much at stake in the runoffs, Biden himself was a curiously intermittent presence in Georgia. He did arrive in Atlanta on Monday to hold an outdoor rally, where he sounded upbeat, promised healing, and seemed to belong to an entirely different time in American life than the one playing on the cable networks, in which Republican senators were promising to contest the certification of the election on Wednesday, despite having no evidence of fraud, and extremists were gathering in Washington for a pro-Trump rally. As votes were being counted in Georgia, some of those protesters were filmed fighting in D.C. with a line of riot police. Biden's light presence was just as well; it let the focus drift elsewhere, to the long effort of activists to organize the progressive vote in Georgia. "The 10-year Stacey Abrams project to flip Georgia has nearly come to fruition," ran a headline in the Times, just after midnight. At about 1:30 A.M. (with both races still uncalled, and Atlanta's vote belatedly coming in) Ossoff took a very narrow lead over Perdue. Warnock's race was called around 2 A.M. The hand brakes were off. The McConnell era seemed to be ending. Twice in Georgia-first in the Presidential race, and now in the Senate runoffs-the country's politics had changed.

Just two weeks from Biden's Inauguration, with his party likely to hold the slimmest of majorities in both houses of Congress, it's hard to say what comes next. The wins by Democrats in 2020 were too narrow to banish Trumpism, as many in the Party had hoped they would. The challenges to election certification coming on Wednesday, led by the ambitious conservative Senators Josh Hawley, of Missouri, and Ted Cruz, of Texas, suggest that Trumpism may flourish; the QAnon-influenced paranoia among conservative media and the street demonstrations today to "Stop the Steal" suggest it may further darken. The Democratic Party's path, too, is defined by tensions that are at least as generational as they are ideological, and which were present in Georgia. If Warnock represents the Party as it sees itself, then Ossoff-thirty-three years old, hyperactive on social media, with more family money than professional achievement behind him-embodies the Democratic Party as the Republicans see it. Neither Ossoff nor Warnock has ever held elected office; politically each remains, like Biden's party, a little undefined. Ossoff didn't speak in the early hours of Wednesday-his margins were smaller, so his campaign manager issued a press release expressing confidence that the vote would go the candidate's way-leaving the stage to Warnock. Even the rough edges of Warnock's speech, as he looked down to remember his text and then grinned up to recite it, contained some glimmer of hope. Politics has been stuck in the same place for so long. Here, at last, were two new faces.

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Georgia's Senate Results Mark a Sea Change in American Politics

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The pandemic makes all celebrations hushed and a little strange, including political-victory speeches. A little after 12:30 A.M. on Wednesday, the Reverend Raphael Warnock, the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and presumptive senator from Georgia, flickered onto a live stream, sitting alone in a small office.

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(NPR)Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing
October 15, 2020
8:15 AM ET
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This is an example of Checks and Balances because  it shows the power of having the Executive branch voting for something important, like the Supreme Court (Judicial Branch).
I don't think having Amy in the Judicial Branch is a good idea. She doesn't support things like LGBTQ+, abortion, etc.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee held its fourth and final day of hearings on Thursday on President Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If confirmed, Barrett, 48, would replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the high court.

Barrett herself did not attend Thursday's hearing; the day was set aside for outside witnesses. The nominee faced hours of questioning over two days by the committee earlier this week. Read through the hearing highlights here.

Barrett's nomination has become a political lightning rod as Democrats charge that Republicans are rushing it to get Barrett confirmed before the Nov. 3 election. Democrats say the seat should be filled by the next president.

The coronavirus pandemic also played a part in the division over the hearings. Two GOP members of the panel, Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, tested positive for the virus but were later cleared by their doctors to participate in person.

Democrats, led by Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, had demanded that the hearing be postponed "to ensure that we don't risk the health and safety of fellow senators, Senate staff, other Senate employees, as well as Judge Barrett and her family."

But committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., vowed to press forward and tweeted, "Any Senator who wants to participate virtually will be allowed to do so."

All members who wish to vote on Barrett's nomination will have to be present, however, when it comes time. The committee is set to vote on Oct. 22, followed by a full Senate vote.
This post was originally published on Monday at 8 a.m. ET.

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Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing

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The Senate Judiciary Committee held its fourth and final day of hearings on Thursday on President Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, Barrett, 48, would replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the high court. Barrett herself did not attend Thursday's hearing; the day was set aside for outside witnesses.

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Trumps Reckoning and america's
-jan 5,2021
Ever single law that donald trump wanted to make got cancel most of them.And that he wanted violence this whole time.
That im glad he left and the laws he wanted for not in because it would be chaos.

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Skip to main content

Star Crossed
The idea of the celebrity couple was born in 1963, with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, whose excessive fervency paved the way for Posh Spice and David Beckham, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Andrew O'Hagan considers our extra-human obsession with famous romantic pairings, which parry the joys of domestic life with the task of world domination.

The night before everything came to an end, Ms. Prosper finally agreed to sing for us.

She was a serious woman, a small woman with a heavy manner, though some later recalled a twinkle in her eye, and others a dry sense of humor.

I remember only that her presence was full of undescribed life and uncheapened by conclusions. Continue reading "

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Reporting, Profiles, breaking news, cultural coverage, podcasts, videos, and cartoons from The New Yorker.

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Jon Ossoff Wins Georgia Runoff, Handing Democrats Senate Control

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Jon Ossoff Wins Georgia Runoff, Handing Democrats Senate Control

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2. NPR org, 1-6-2020
3. Shows people voting in order for him to win as senator
4. I'm really happy because his beliefs are so on point, and he appeals to the younger side

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Democrat Jon Ossoff has defeated Republican David Perdue in the Georgia runoff, The Associated Press said Wednesday, giving Democrats control of the U.S. Senate.

"It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate," Ossoff said earlier Wednesday.

Perdue, whose Senate term expired earlier this week, has not conceded the race.

"Everybody who cast your ballot, everybody who put your faith and confidence in our democracy's capacity to deliver the representation that we deserve - whether you were for me, or against me - I'll be for you in the U.S. Senate," Ossoff said. "I will serve all the people of the state."

Ossoff is the first Jewish senator from Georgia and will be the youngest sitting U.S. senator at age 33. His victory comes along with the historic win of Raphael Warnock, who will take office as the state's first Black senator. They are the first Democrats to win Senate seats in Georgia since 2000.

It will take several days for the Georgia runoffs to be officially certified, so they will not take office immediately. Warnock's term lasts only two years, but Ossoff has won a full six year term in the Senate.

The Senate would be evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, but once sworn in as vice president, Kamala Harris would have the power to break ties for Democrats.

The race was hard-fought and came after Democrats successfully flipped the state blue in the presidential race. Both major parties invested significant time and resources in seeking control of the Senate.

On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden campaigned in the state in support of Warnock and Ossoff, and Harris campaigned there Sunday.

Between Nov. 4, 2020, and Tuesday, almost $500 million was spent on advertising for the two races, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

This is Ossoff's second high-profile runoff in Georgia. In 2017, he sought a seat in the state's 6th Congressional District. He lost by a slim margin in the historically Republican district that year but remained visible in Georgia politics.

Like many Democrats this cycle, much of Ossoff's campaign centered on the coronavirus pandemic and providing relief to Americans hit hardest by the virus.

In the runoff, Perdue stressed his vocal support of President Trump, who lost Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes.

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Jon Ossoff Wins Georgia Runoff, Handing Democrats Senate Control

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Democrat Jon Ossoff has defeated Republican David Perdue in the Georgia runoff, The Associated Press said Wednesday, giving Democrats control of the U.S. Senate. "It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate," Ossoff said earlier Wednesday.

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Joe Biden releases two immigration-focused plans

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Joe Biden releases two immigration-focused plans

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NBCnews, Jan. 7 2021

3.This is an example of federalism because his plan effects immigrants and their families across the United States.
4. President elect Biden plans on undoing several Trump policies, such as the separation of parents and children at the border. I agree with this because no child deserves to be separated from their parents.

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AARP launches ads in W.Va. urging Manchin to support reconciliation bill

WASHINGTON - AARP, the advocacy group for Americans over fifty, is launching new cable and broadcast TV ads in West Virginia urging centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to support a budget reconciliation bill that includes a major prescription drug savings policy.

The new TV ad, first reported by NBC News, is slated to run in West Virginia starting this Wednesday through at least July 5. An AARP spokesperson said it is part of a multi-million-dollar ad campaign that will include radio and print ads.

"Everybody knows Joe Manchin cares about West Virginians. And he knows too many of us are struggling to pay for our medicine. That's why he supports letting Medicare negotiate lower drug prices," says a narrator in the ad, which ends with: "Joe Manchin, keep fighting to lower drug prices."

It focuses on a priority of AARP's: allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which Manchin has publicly endorsed. And it comes at a crucial stretch: In recent weeks, the senator has held private negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., about a bill that can bypass Republicans, who oppose the idea of allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

"We know we have the votes to pass Medicare negotiation through reconciliation, and we are committed to pushing back whenever PhRMA and their allies try to mislead the public and block Congress from lowering prescription drug prices," said Nancy LeaMond, the chief advocacy officer for AARP.

Manchin has said he would be open to a package that includes drug savings, energy investments and tax hikes on high earners and corporations.

The recent Manchin-Schumer negotiations have been tight-lipped and the West Virginia Democrat, who scuttled the House-passed Build Back Better Act, is facing conflicting pressures on striking a narrower reconciliation deal over tax and spending policy that can bypass the filibuster. The new AARP ad campaign is designed to push back on drug industry opposition to the savings policy and aims to give Manchin political cover to support the bill.

David Perdue lags far behind Gov. Kemp in ad spending Georgia's GOP primary

Ahead of Georgia's May 24 primary, former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., is falling behind in the race for the state's GOP gubernatorial nomination.

He's spent no money on ads since April 29, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm. In total, he's spent $1.2 million on ads, a relatively low amount for that race.

Perdue is backed by former President Donald Trump and is challenging Gov. Brain Kemp, who drew ire from Trump in 2020 when he refused to overturn the results of the presidential election in the state, which was carried by President Joe Biden.

So far this cycle, Kemp has spent over $5 million on ads. He's recently pivoted his focus to the general election this fall, where Democrats are leading in ad spending by the millions, rather than spending money against Perdue.

Recent polls show that Kemp not only leads Perdue, but he also could clear 50 percent of the primary vote, meaning he would avoid a runoff election. A runoff would take place on June 21 if neither candidate clears that 50 percent threshold.

If he wins outright, Kemp will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in a rematch of their 2018 election, where Abrams lost by less than two percentage points. Abrams is already the de facto Democratic nominee, facing no challengers in the primary contest.

On top of Kemp's ad spending, the Republican Governors Association has spent on his behalf, pouring over $4.6 million on the airwaves to back Kemp.

But Abrams and her allies are far and away the leaders in ad spending in the race so far. Abrams' campaign has spent $7.8 million on the airwaves and Fair Fight Action has spent an additional $6.6 million on ads supporting Abrams.

Midterm Roundup: A busy primary night

Tuesday's primaries across the country featured some key races in places like Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Oregon, Idaho and North Carolina. In Oregon, President Joe Biden's endorsement doesn't seem to have helped Rep. Kurt Schrader. Though the race hasn't been called yet, he's trailing his challenger, Jamie McLeod-Skinner by over 20 percentage points.

And in Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump's endorsed candidate for Senate, Mehmet Oz, hasn't run away with it. The race is still too close to call, and former hedge fund manager David McCormick is trailing Oz by only 0.20 percentage points.

Here are some other key results from Tuesday's wild primaries, with NBC News' projection in parentheses, as they stand now:

Here are some other key results from Tuesday's wild primaries, with NBC News' projection in parentheses, as they stand now:

Kentucky-03 (Democratic): Morgan McGarvey 63.3 percent (winner), Attica Scott 36.7 percent.

Idaho-02 (GOP): Mike Simpson 54.6 percent (winner), Bryan Smith 32.7.

North Carolina-01 (GOP): Sandy Smith 30.7 percent, Sandy Roberson 26.1 percent (race has not been called).

North Carolina-13 (GOP): Bo Hines 32.1 percent (winner), DeVan Barbour 22.7 percent.

North Carolina-13 (Democratic): Wiley Nickel 51.7 percent (winner), Sam Searcy 23 percent.

North Carolina-14 (Democratic): Jeff Jackson 86.4 percent (winner), Ram Mammadov 13.8 percent.

Oregon governor (Democratic): Tina Kotek 57.4 percent (winner), Tobias Read 33 percent.

Oregon governor (GOP): Christine Drazan 23.5 percent, Bob Tiernan 20 percent.

Oregon-04 (Democratic): Val Hoyle 65.3 percent (winner), Doyle Canning 15.5 percent.

Oregon-04 (GOP): Alek Skarlatos ran unopposed.

Oregon-05 (GOP): Lori Chavez-DeRemer 42.2 percent, Jimmy Crumpacker 30.5 percent (race has not been called).

Oregon-06 (Democratic): Andrea Salinas 37.8 percent (winner), Carrick Flynn 19 percent.

Pennsylvania-01 (GOP): Brian Fitzpatrick 65.5 percent (winner), Alex Entin 34.5 percent.

Pennsylvania-08 (GOP): Jim Bognet 68.8 percent (winner), Mike Marsicano 31.2 percent.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail:

Oklahoma Senate: The Daily Beast is reporting that Rep. Markwayne Mullin, who is running in the crowded GOP Senate primary, plans to introduce a bill to expunge Trump's impeachment

Pennsylvania Senate: NBC's Mike Memoli reports that Rep. Conor Lamb faced long odds with President Biden, a key supporter of his marquee 2018 House race, sitting on the sidelines.

New York governor: Gov. Kathy Hochul is up with a new spot centered on protecting abortion access.

Los Angeles Mayor: There were a few big developments in the race for mayor - actor Danny Trejo cut an ad for Councilman Kevin de León, rapper Snoop Dog endorsed businessman Rick Caruso, and City Attorney Mike Feur dropped his bid to endorse Rep. Karen Bass.

Two neighboring Pa. districts tell the tale of changing terrain for Democrats

MONACA, Pa. - If you want a sense of the challenges Democrats face in 2022's House races, look no further than two districts that share a common border in western Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's 12th District, which includes Pittsburgh as well as suburbs to the east and south looks to be solidly Democratic. A deep blue stronghold, the district is home to Democratic candidate Summer Lee, who has built her campaign around environmental justice and income inequality.

The state's 17th District, which holds some of Pittsburgh's suburbs and all of rural/exurban Beaver County, looks much more like a toss-up. The district is home to Democratic candidate Chris Deluzio, who focuses on his veteran status and his work to help unionize the University of Pittsburgh's faculty.

Both districts include parts of Allegheny County, the home of Pittsburgh, but the two offer very different terrains for Democrats.

Not long ago, this entire area was Democratic. In the 2000 presidential race, Democrat Al Gore carried Allegheny County by 16 points, while carrying Beaver by 9 points. But 2020 showed how the map had changed. Joe Biden carried Allegheny by 20 points, but Donald Trump carried Beaver by 18 points.

What happened? Pittsburgh, still considered the "steel city" by many Americans, has morphed into a medical and tech center. About 43 percent of the 25-and-over population has a bachelor's degree. But many of the suburbs around the city, like those in Beaver, are still rooted in the area's industrial past; about 26 percent of adults in Beaver have a bachelor's degree.

The emerging differences are clear to see on the ground.

Last week in Pittsburgh, we met with Jasiri X, the co-founder and CEO of 1Hood, a community organizing group in the city. His concern is whether Democrats are doing enough on the issues that Black voters face on a day-to-day basis.

"2018 was this very pivotal year for Pittsburgh," he said. "We had a very high profile police killing of a young man named Antwon Rose. ... We also had the Tree of Life massacre later on that year."

"It began to be like, 'OK, well, protesting by itself isn't enough," he continued. "Can we move to come together to actually create and change laws?'" He says that these voters haven't seen the return on their investment and want Democrats to push harder on progressive policies instead of being "passive."

An hour drive away from the city, in the far northern reaches of the northwestern Pittsburgh suburbs - the United Steelworkers Local 1016 held a meeting in Wheatland, Pennsylvania. There, we heard a very different message of what the country needs: Trump's new brand of union workers were more worried about issues like the emerging Supreme Court decision on abortion.

United Steelworkers District 10 Director Bernie Hall studied his crowd of union leaders closely, taking stock of what political questions arose. A Biden voter himself, he was worried about candidates increasingly going to "extremes." If the Supreme Court can overturn a law like Roe v. Wade from 1973, what about the 1935 Wagner Act that said employees have a right to establish a union?

"We'll have dozens of these [meetings] across the state," he said. "I'm concerned that people aren't getting facts in general, not only about President Biden but just about the political process and issues that face our country."

In Aliquippa, after the local steel mill shut down, nature is slowly reclaiming empty homes and many of residents of this hard-hit African-American community are well beneath the poverty line.

Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker (D) urged Democrats to unite the rural voters and urban progressives. The way forward in Western Pennsylvania, he says, is to remind people the area is the birthplace of the unions.

"There's 72,000 Democrats [here that are] 'light blue' [Reagan Democrat]" he said. "But they'll vote Republican just based off the message. The message just has to be claimed."

Oz and McCormick backers have dominated ad spending but pro-Barnette group made late push

Groups backing businessman David McCormick and television doctor Mehmet Oz alone make up 88 percent of all ad spending in Pennsylvania's GOP Senate primary, data from the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics shows.

But a late push by a powerful ally of Republican activist Kathy Barnette meant that she and her allies actually outspent the pro-Oz effort in the race's final week.

Overall, the pro-McCormick effort has spent $32.8 million on ads through Tuesday, with $16.9 million coming from the Honor Pennsylvania super PAC and $12 million from McCormick's campaign alone (two other super PACs added another $3.9 million).

While Oz's campaign spent $13.2 million, more than McCormick's campaign, he had a far smaller, $4.3 million push from super PACs, bringing the pro-Oz ad spending total to $17.5 million.

And Barnette's campaign, which has spent just $210,00 on ads, was boosted by a $2.1 million, last-minute ad buy from Club for Growth Action.

While Pennsylvanians have been inundated with ads for McCormick and Oz for months, that late push by the Club, coming amid Barnette's late surge, made her competitive with her rivals on the airwaves for the final week. The pro-McCormick effort still led the pack with $4 million spent over the last seven days, but the Club's spending pushed the pro-Barnette effort into second place for the final week with $2.2 million in ad spending, followed by the pro-Oz $1.4 million.

Where is Trump's endorsement power on the line in Tuesday's primaries?

Trump has endorsed 25 candidates in Tuesday's primaries in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Idaho, with a handful of races testing the former president's power over the GOP.

All but six of those endorsements are incumbent lawmakers who are typically favored to win their primaries. Trump has backed eight candidates in North Carolina, eight in Pennsylvania, six in Kentucky and three in Idaho.

The most closely-watched tests of Trump's endorsements will come in statewide contests, particularly in Pennsylvania. There Trump has backed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in the open Senate race, but conservative commentator Kathy Barnette has surged late in the race as she tries to capture grassroots enthusiasm. Trump made a last-minute endorsement in the governor's race, backing controversial state Sen. Doug Mastriano over the weekend after Mastriano emerged as a frontrunner.

Trump has also weighed in on North Carolina's open Senate race, backing GOP Rep. Ted Budd over former Gov. Pat McCrory and former Rep. Mark Walker. Budd has also benefited from $11.8 million in outside spending from Club for Growth Action, which has launched ads attacking Budd's opponents, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

In Idaho, Trump has backed Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin in a primary against GOP Gov. Brad Little. Trump didn't mention LIttle in his statement backing McGeachin in November, when he described the lieutenant governor as someone who has been "a true supporter of MAGA since the very beginning." Little has outspent McGeachin on the airwaves, spending $945,000 to McGeachin's $215,000, per AdImpact.

Trump has also weighed in on a handful of notable House races. He backed controversial GOP Rep Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina's 11th District. Cawthorn's opponents, including state Sen. Chuck Edwards, have painted Cawthorn as an attention-seeker who hasn't prioritized his district.

The GOP primary in North Carolina's 13th District will also test Trump's endorsement after he decided to back law student Bo Hines in the competitive, open seat race. Club for Growth has spent nearly $1.3 million boosting Hines, who faces self-funding attorney Kelly Daughtry, veteran Kent Keirsey, and former Rep. Renee Ellmers in the primary.

In Pennsylvania's 8th District, Trump has backed political consultant Jim Bognet to take on Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright. Bognet lost to Cartwright by nearly 4 points in a district Trump would have won by 3 points had the new congressional map been in place in 2020. Bognet faces former Hazleton Mayor Mike Marsicano, who is also a former Democrat, in the GOP primary.

Outside group launches $6 million ad campaign supporting Ron Johnson

One Nation, a super PAC with ties to the conservative Senate Leadership Fund, is launching a $6 million ad campaign to back Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., today.

The group's first ad will run for eight weeks in Wisconsin and highlights Johnson's efforts to curb inflation.

"Gas, groceries, rent. Everything costs more. Senator Ron Johnson is fighting back," a narrator in the ad says.

The narrator adds, "The D.C. liberals' spending spree is out of control. Jacking up inflation on Wisconsin families. Wiping out wage gains and making it harder for families to make ends meet."

Johnson is running for a third term this year and while he faces no significant primary challenge, Democrats are eyeing his seat as one they can flip in November. So far, there are three main candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for Senate - state treasurer Sarah Godlewski, businessman Alex Lasry and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

Wisconsin's primary election is August 9.

So far, Lasry has spent the most on ads of any candidate, spending $5.6 million on the airwaves, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm. Johnson himself has spent over $5.1 million on ads.

Godlewski and Barnes trail, with Godlewski having spent $1.9 million on ads so far and Barnes having spent under $100,000 on ads.

Barnes, however, has racked up significant progressive endorsements, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., planning to campaign for him soon, according to NBC News' Shaq Brewster.

One Nation, however, will be competing against an anti-Johnson outside group, Opportunity Wisconsin. The group hasn't explicitly backed any of the Democratic candidates, but they have been running ads against Johnson since early this year.

The commercials allege Johnson used loopholes in legislation he supported to make money for himself. So far, the group has spent the most of any candidate or group on the airwaves, spending $6.4 million.

Like One Nation, Opportunity Wisconsin is an advocacy organization that does not have to disclose its donors, though the group's website claims they're, "made up of a diverse group of leaders who span the urban/rural divide and live and work in communities and industries through Wisconsin."

Barnette says she won't support "globalist" candidates if she loses Pa. GOP primary

Republican Kathy Barnette, who has been surging in the final days before the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary race, threw cold water on the idea of her backing rivals Mehmet Oz or David McCormick if she loses the primary election.

"I am not a globalist, both of them are. They have very strong ties to the World Economic Forum. I've heard McCormick several times espouse the glowing benefits of ESG scores --environmental social governance scores. If you just look at who they are, Mehmet Oz is not only an American but also Turkish as well. That's a very important distinction," Barnette said during an interview with SiriusXM's Breitbart News Daily.

When asked subsequently if she'd back the eventual GOP nominee if she loses Tuesday, Barnette replied: "I have no intention of supporting globalists."

"I don't think we have room to just vote for any old warm body with an 'R' next to their name. I think we can do better than that."

During the interview, Barnette went onto criticize Oz and McCormick as not authentic conservatives, as well as criticizing the idea that they're electable because they have deep pockets to loan to their campaigns.

"I have been an America First individual long before I decided to run for this race. And now, these two particular men, because it's convenient, because we have this seat open, they are now presenting themselves as Trump, card-carrying members of the Patriot Party," Barnette said.

"That's not how they've lived their life prior to stepping into this role."

In recent interviews with NBC News, both Oz and McCormick raised questions about Barnette's candidacy.

"He's not been transparent. And every time she answers a question, she raises a lot more," Oz told NBC's Dasha Burns last weekend before saying he would support her if she wins.

And Monday, McCormick criticized Barnette for losing her 2020 congressional bid.

"I've gotten to know Kathy on the campaign trail, I respect her personal story. She's been tested, she was tested 18 months ago when she ran for Congress and lost by 20 percentage points," McCormick said.

- Dasha Burns contributed

Poll: Democrats are becoming more progressive, while most Republicans want Trump to lead GOP

Ahead of a slew of notable primary races taking place over the next two weeks, the latest NBC News poll finds that the Democratic primary electorate has become more progressive since 2020.

It also shows a majority of Republican primary voters wanting Trump to continue leading their party.

Now neither development should be that surprising to anyone who follows politics. But it's instructive to see them backed up by numbers.

Per the poll, 63 percent of Democratic primary voters say they prefer a candidate who proposes larger-scale policies even if they cost more and might he harder to pass, versus 33 percent who prefer a candidate who proposes smaller-scale policies that cost less and might be easier to pass.

That's a jump from Feb. 2020 - during the height of the Democratic presidential primary season - when 53 percent wanted candidates proposing larger-scale policies, versus 41 percent who wanted candidate with smaller-scale policies.

As for Republican primary voters, 55 percent believe the party should continue to be led by former President Donald Trump; 33 percent say he was a good president but it's time for new leaders; and 10 percent say he was a bad president, and it's time to move on.

On a separate question, however, 34 percent of Republicans in the poll identify themselves as more supporters of Trump, while 58 percent consider themselves more supporters of the party.
The NBC News poll was conducted May 5-7, 9-10 of 1,000 adults - including 750 on their cell phone - and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points. The margin of error for the poll's 259 Democratic primary voters is plus-minus 6.09 percentage points, and the margin of error for the poll's 247 Republican primary voters is plus-minus 6.24 percentage points.
Fetterman won't appear at campaign's primary night event after last week's stroke

Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman won't attend his Senate campaign's primary-election night event on Tuesday after suffering a stroke late last week.

In a press release Monday, the campaign said Fetterman's wife and "other special guests" will deliver remarks, while Fetterman himself "will not be in attendance on Tuesday as he will remain in the hospital resting and recovering."

Fetterman Sunday that he had suffered a stroke Friday, but he said that he didn't suffer "cognitive damage" and insisted he is "well on my way to full recovery." The Democrat is considered the frontrunner in the Democratic primary bid, where he's running against Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

In Pennsylvania, Mastriano rises to top of GOP field despite little ad spending

State Sen. Doug Mastriano has established himself as a frontrunner in the GOP primary for Pennsylvania governor despite being vastly outspent on the airwaves.

Mastriano's campaign has spent just $332,000 on ads ahead of Tuesday's primary, accounting for just over 1 percent of the $22.7 million spent on the governor's race by the total GOP primary field, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Mastriano, who has championed former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, has been the target of a $1.1 million ad campaign from Pennsylvania Patriots for Election Integrity. The group has knocked Mastriano for supporting a 2019 law expanding mail voting in the state (which Mastriano has said he would reverse if elected).

Despite minimal spending on campaign ads, Mastriano has established himself as a frontrunner in the crowded race and he picked up Trump's endorsement over the weekend.

Trump's endorsement in the final days of the primary race came after he encouraged his supporters last month to reject former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain, calling McSwain a "coward" for not investigating election fraud.

Half of all ad spending in the GOP race - $11.1 million - has bolstered McSwain. But Commonwealth Leaders Fund, which has spent millions supporting McSwain, announced over the weekend that it is instead backing former Rep. Lou Barletta in an attempt to consolidate behind one Mastriano opponent.

The group's decision comes after two other candidates, state Sen. Jake Corman and former Rep. Melissa Hart, dropped out of the race last week and endorsed Barletta, whose campaign has spent $967,000 on ads.

Aside from McSwain, the top spender in the race has been former Delaware County Councilman David White's campaign, which has dropped nearly $5.7 million on ads so far. The conservative Club for Growth Action has spent $801,000 on an ad campaign opposing White.

Rep. Mike Simpson is seeking to fend off primary challenger in Idaho

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, will be defending his seat Tuesday when he faces a challenge from personal injury attorney Bryan Smith in Idaho's 2nd district GOP primary.

The two have been engaged in an intense ad war, running over a dozen unique ads combined this cycle. Most of those ads have been on the offensive, with Smith attacking Simpson over his decision to vote in favor of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Simpson has attacked Smith for his debt collection practices, featuring families in his ads who were sought after by Smith's business to pay back small amounts.

Smith has spent over $450,000 on his ads, while Simpson has spent just over $368,000 on the airwaves, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.

However, Simpson has been defended by outside groups, including the Defending main street Super PAC, which has run ads supporting him. That group has spent over $460,000 on ads in Simpson's favor.

Defending Main Street is the political arm of the Republican Main Street Partnership and is spending in House GOP primaries across the country, including in Ohio and Minnesota.

Smith has had the backing of an outside group, too. America Proud PAC has poured $405,000 into ads supporting him in the district, accusing Simpson of being a "career politician" and a RINO (Republican In Name Only). The group is largely funded by Boise real estate developer Joe C. Russell, according to FEC filings.

Simpson has been serving in this seat since 1999, and it's the second time he's faced a primary challenge from Smith. In 2014, Smith ran against Simpson, but Simpson earned 61.6 percent of the vote on election night, compared to Smith's 38.4 percent.

Though former President Donald Trump has endorsed against some members of Congress who voted in favor of the January 6 commission, he has not publicly supported either candidate in this race.

Data Download: The number of the day is... -19 percentage points.

That's the net-negative rating for the Democratic Party in the latest national NBC News poll, with 50 percent of adults saying they had negative feelings about the Democratic Party and 31 percent saying they had positive feelings about the party. That's also the highest net-negative rating the Democratic Party has seen in 30 years of the survey.

Adults surveyed in the poll gave the Republican Party a net negative rating of minus 11 percent, with 46 percent viewing the party positively and 46 percent viewing the party negatively.

The results are yet another warning sign for Democrats heading into a difficult midterm election, with the Democratic Party's image struggling across the country. Among registered voters in the suburbs, the Democratic Party had a net negative rating of minus 24 percent, which is nearly three times their negative rating among suburban voters in 2018.

The party also had a 2 percent net-positive rating among urban voters, a sizable drop from a plus 15 percent rating in 2021. Rural voters have increasingly reported negative feelings about the Democratic Party, giving the party a rating of minus 32 percent.

Here's the positive/negative ratings - from most popular, to least popular - for all the politicians or institutions the NBC News poll measured:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: 62 percent positive, 9 percent negative (+53)

Disney: 33 percent positive, 30 percent negative (+3)

Ron DeSantis: 28 percent positive, 26 percent negative (+2)

The US Supreme Court: 36 percent positive, 35 percent negative (+1)

The Republican Party: 35 percent positive, 46 percent negative (-11)

Joe Biden: 37 percent positive, 51 percent negative (-14)

Donald Trump: 36 percent positive, 51 percent negative (-16)

Kamala Harris: 31 percent positive, 48 percent negative (-17)

The Democratic Party: 31 percent positive, 50 percent negative (-19)

PACs funded by crypto executives face first tests in Tuesday's primaries

The crypto executives behind multiple super PACs this cycle will get their first chances at victory next week in a handful of House primaries as they flood Democratic races with cash.

The super PACs Protect Our Future and Web3Forward have spent a combined $8 million on ads in next week's primaries so far, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

The bulk of that spending has been focused on Oregon's 6th District, Protect Our Future has spent over $6.5 million on ads supporting former government contractor Carrick Flynn's election. The 6th District is brand new, created due to population gain during redistricting in the state.

Protect Our Future is a new group funded by crypto executives including Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the crypto currency exchange FTX. The PAC has endorsed nearly a dozen candidates and lawmakers and claims to be focused on candidates who take long--term stances on certain legislation, particularly related to pandemic preparedness.

The amount of money spent on Flynn significantly outweighs the money spent on any other candidate in the race, which include veteran and businessman Cody Reynolds, internal medicine Dr. Kathleen Harder, and former state Rep. Andrea Salinas, who has the support of BOLD PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. House Majority PAC, a group tied to top congressional Democrats, has also spent in Flynn's favor.

Protect Our Future has also spent significantly in two other open Democratic primaries in deep blue districts - Kentucky's 3rd District and North Carolina's 4th district.

In North Carolina, the group has spent $625,000 on ads supporting state Sen. Valerie Foushee, who's running to replace retiring Democratic Rep. David Price. She's been endorsed by EMILY's List, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC and other members of Congress.

Her most notable opponent is Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who's been endorsed by progressive lawmakers like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken is also running.

In Kentucky, Protect Our Future has poured $591,000 into ads supporting state Sen. Morgan McGarvey. McGarvey faces one opponent, state Rep. Attica Scott, in his bid for an open seat to replace retiring Rep. John Yarmuth.

Another crypto-backed super PAC has spent heavily on the open seat race in Oregon's 4th District.

Rep. Peter DeFazio is retiring, leaving a reliably Democratic seat open. He and Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., have endorsed Val Hoyle, Oregon's Labor Commissioner.

Web3 Forward, which is tied to another PAC funded by crypto executives from companies like Coinbase and FTX, has spent $286,000 on ads supporting Hoyle. The PAC "supports Democratic candidates committed to making the next generation internet more secure, open and owned by the users," according to the group's website.

Web3Forward so far endorsed three Democratic candidates in primaries - Hoyle, Sydney Kamlager in California and Jasmine Crockett in Texas, who's facing a primary runoff later this month.

Super PACs target Kathy Barnette in Pennsylvania Senate race

A pair of super PACs launched two new TV ads Friday morning attacking conservative commentator Kathy Barnette as she surges in Pennsylvania's GOP Senate primary.

The ads come as former President Donald Trump, who has backed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in the race, and Barnette's opponents target her as she has turned the race between Oz and former hedge fund manager David McCormick into a three-way contest.

Honor Pennsylvania, a pro-McCormick super PAC that's spent $16.1 million largely attacking Oz, launched an ad where a narrator asks, "What do we really know about Kathy Barnette?"

The spot goes on to accuse Barnette of supporting the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd and of saying, "I was not a Trumper," citing her Twitter feed and her book.

Another super PAC, USA Freedom Fund, launched a new ad blasting Barnette for supporting the building of a statue of former President Barack Obama.

The ad starts by mentioning comments Obama made about conservatives in 2008, saying some conservative voters are bitter and "cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them."
"Remember how that made you feel?" the ad's narrator asks. He adds, "One candidate for Senate doesn't care. In fact, Kathy Barnette wants to build a statue of Barack Obama right next to the one of Abraham Lincoln on Capitol Hill."
The ad references a Change.org petition that appears to be written by Barnette, advocating for erecting statues of Obama, his family and abolitionist Frederick Douglas in Washington, D.C. The petition was written two years ago. NBC News hasn't independently verified whether Barnette was indeed the person who wrote the petition.

USA Freedom Fund previously supported former Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel's unsuccessful run for Senate.

New ads target GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn in primary race

A super PAC supporting one of GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn's primary challengers launched two new ads targeting the controversial congressman ahead of next week's primary in North Carolina.

Cawthorn, who has former President Donald Trump's endorsement, has been at the center of numerous scandals.

The first-term congressman, who faced sexual harassment allegations in his first bid, drew criticism for his repeated lies and aggressive rhetoric about the 2020 election; he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "thug" and he said that he had been invited to drug-fueled sex parties by other lawmakers. And he's also been the subject of leaked photos and videos of a sexual nature that attempt to paint Cawthorn in a negative light.

The new spots from the outside group Results for NC slam Cawthorn for falsely claiming an accident prevented him from attending the Naval Academy, even though he had already been rejected prior to the accident.

One of the new ads labels Cawthorn an untrustworthy "playboy politician," and flashes one of those leaked images. The other spot features a woman veteran who is backing state Sep. Chuck Edwards in the May 17 primary.

Results for NC has spent the most on the airwaves of any campaign or outside group in the 11th District so far, dropping $739,000 on ads, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Edwards has picked up endorsements as Cawthorn has racked up headlines. North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is supporting the state senator.

If no candidate wins more than 30 percent of the primary vote on Tuesday, the top two contenders head to a primary runoff in July.

Beasley internal poll shows dead heat in North Carolina Senate general election

North Carolina Democrat Cheri Beasley's internal campaign polling shows her in a statistical tie with the two Republican frontrunners squaring off in next week's Senate primary.

In a new polling memo shared with NBC News, Beasley, a former state Supreme Court chief justice, is tied with Republican Rep. Ted Budd at 45 percent in a general election matchup with 10 percent undecided. Beasley trails former Gov. Pat McCrory in a separate matchup with McCrory at 45, Beasley at 44 and 11 percent undecided.

The live-caller poll of 800 likely general election voters taken from April 28 through May 4 has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent, meaning that the polling shows Beasley in a statistical dead heat with either of the two Republicans. The poll tested head-to-head matchups, which don't capture third-party candidates that may be on the ballot (last cycle, conservative third-party candidates pulled about 4 percent of the vote in the Senate race).

The memo includes favorability ratings for all three candidates, suggesting that the raucous GOP primary may have affected how voters view McCrory and Budd, even while Beasley remains known to a smaller portion of the general electorate.

McCrory, who served four years as the state's governor, has a favorable rating in the poll from 33 percent of the likely general electorate, compared to a 45 percent unfavorable rating. Budd has a 28 percent favorable rating and a 30 percent unfavorable rating.

By comparison, Beasley has a 30 percent favorable rating and a 15 percent unfavorable rating in the poll.

The memo also suggests Beasley leads Budd with suburban voters and white college-educated voters, but the full crosstabs of the poll were not included.

Most public polls show a tight contest in a state that hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 2008 but did elect a Democratic governor in 2016, when Roy Cooper defeated McCrory. Former President Donald Trump won the state in the 2020 presidential election, defeating President Biden by a margin of 50 percent to 49 percent.

The race is expected to draw tens of millions in ad spending - the GOP backed Senate Leadership Fund has $22 million of ad time booked in the race already after primary day, per the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. And Politico reported Thursday that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is buying $6.5 million in advertising time in the state with ads starting Friday.

Biden's influence to be tested in Oregon on Tuesday

Most high profile primary elections this cycle have been viewed at least partially as a test of former President Trump's power of the Republican Party through the success of candidates he's endorsed. But on Tuesday, we'll have the first chance to see how far President Joe Biden's power extends as his first endorsed candidate faces a challenge in Oregon's Democratic primary for the 5th congressional district.

Biden is backing Rep. Kurt Schrader as he faces a challenge from public official Jamie McLeod-Skinner who has attacked Schrader for taking "millions in corporate PAC money" as he "sold out to big pharma."

Schrader has defended himself on the airwaves, citing his record fighting for lower prescription drug prices and affordable healthcare.

He's spent over $1.8 million on ads already, with five days to go until the primary. Two groups - Center Forward and Mainstream Democrats - have also spent money on the airwaves to support Schrader and attack McLeod-Skinner. They've spent a combined $1.3 million, according to AdImpact.

Center Forward in particular has run ads highlighting the fact that McLeod-Skinner was fired from a position as city manager in Phoenix, Oregon, in 2018 for being too antagonistic.

McLeod-Skinner has spent just over $250,000 on ads. She also trails Schrader in fundraising, raising almost $700,000 so far this cycle compared to the over $2 million Schrader has raised, according to the FEC.

She's also run for Congress before. In 2018, she ran for and won the Democratic nomination for Oregon's 2nd district, but was defeated in the general election by then-Rep. Greg Walden.

The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates this district as Lean Democratic, but there's a chance Republicans could flip the seat in November. On that side of the aisle, Jimmy Crumpacker and Lori Chavez-DeRemer are engaged in a tight primary.

Crumpacker ran for the state's 2nd district in 2020, but came fourth in the GOP primary. Chavez-DeRemer served as mayor of Happy Valley from 2010 to 2018.

Chavez-DeRemer has raised $669,000 so far this cycle, while Crumpacker trails slightly, having raised $541,000, according to the FEC. He also slightly trails her in ad spending. According to AdImpact, Chavez-DeRemer has spent $286,000 on ads so far, while Crumpacker has spent $254,000.

Club for Growth goes in for Barnette in late Pennsylvania Senate primary push

The Club for Growth is coming to the aid of conservative commentator Kathy Barnette, whose Pennsylvania GOP primary candidacy has gained steam in recent days, with a new $2 million ad buy hoping to magnify her surge.

It's the Club's first expenditure of the primary, a biographical spot that features Barnette talking about her roots growing up on a rural pig farm and serving in the military before pivoting to her attacking Democrats.

"Kathy Barnette is a principled conservative and a fighter who will take on the socialists in Washington to preserve the American Dream for generations to come," David McIntosh, the president of Club for Growth Action, said in a statement. "We look forward to supporting Barnette in her race to become the next Senator from Pennsylvania."

The spending push is good enough to make the Club the top spender in the race's final week, a shake-up on airwaves that have long been dominated by the efforts supporting celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and businessman David McCormick.

Up until this point, the pro-Barnette effort has been virtually non-existent on the airwaves. The pro-McCormick and Oz outfits alone have outspent Barnette's campaign (she's had no outside help until this week) by a margin of more than 328-to-1.

It's also another marquee race where the Club is breaking from former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Oz. The Club's preferred candidate in Ohio's recent Senate race, former Treasurer Josh Mandel, lost to author J.D. Vance, Trump's pick. But the two were aligned in Tuesday's West Virginia primary, backing Rep. Alex Mooney over Rep. David McKinley.

McCormick dodges Trump question ahead of Pennsylvania primary

Former hedge fund manager David McCormick would rather not get into how he plans to win Pennsylvania's GOP Senate primary next week without former President Donald Trump's support.

McCormick is trying to win over Republican voters ahead of the May 17 contest, while Trump has endorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in the race.

Asked after a campaign event in Tunkhannoc, Pa., how he plans to win without Trump, McCormick responded, "Listen, I'm not doing any more interviews."

The dodge underscores the challenge McCormick faces in trying to win over the Trump faithful without the former president's backing. On Monday McCormick launched a new TV ad featuring footage of Trump praising McCormick and images of Trump and McCormick together.

On Tuesday Ozreleased his own ad rebutting McCormick's spot, featuring footage of Trump calling McCormick "a liberal Wall Street Republican."
For more coverage of Pennsylvania's Senate race, tune into Meet the Press Daily's special report from the Keystone State at 1 pm E.T on MSNBC.
Infrastructure vote threatens one House Republican. What about the others?

Former President Donald Trump has promised to exact revenge on Republicans who supported the bipartisan infrastructure package. And one of his best chances to do so comes Tuesday in West Virginia's 2nd District.

"If this deal happens, lots of primaries will be coming your way," Trump warned in a July statement as senators were negotiating the package.

On the same day President Joe Biden signed the infrastructure package into law in November, Trump announced he was backing West Virginia GOP Rep. Alex Mooney in his primary against GOP Rep. David McKinley, who voted for the package. Mooney and McKinley were forced to run for the same seat due to redistricting, since the Mountain State lost a House seat.

The two congressmen are in a hotly contested race that's attracted a few million dollars in ad spending from their campaigns and outside groups. But the other six House Republicans who bucked their party to vote for the infrastructure package, and are still running for re-election, aren't facing similar contests.

Trump has not yet endorsed primary challengers against those House members, even as he's made his displeasure known.

At a rally in Nebraska earlier this month, Trump called GOP Rep. Don Bacon a "bad guy," and wished his primary challenger "good luck." But Trump stopped short of endorsing the challenger, roofer Steve Keuhl. Bacon's primary is also set for Tuesday, but Keuhl has only raised $5,000 and didn't have any money left in his campaign account as of March 31.

Trump has said he still supports New York GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis despite her vote for the package. But her race is still uncertain with New York's congressional lines in flux. Fellow New York GOP Rep. Andrew Gabarino also voted for the infrastructure package.

Two New Jersey Republicans - Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew - also voted for the bill. So did Pennsylvania Rep. Brain Fitzpatrick, whose primary is set for May 17, but he does not face any well-funded challengers from the right.

Of course Trump could still try to elevate a primary challenger against one of these Republicans, but so far the West Virginia race is his best opportunity to take down a GOP lawmaker who crossed the aisle.

Five of the House Republicans who voted for the package - New York Reps. John Katko and Tom Reed, Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, and Michigan Rep. Fred Upton - are not running for re-election. Another Republican who voted for the package, Alaska Rep. Don Young, died in March.

Data Download: Big money flooded into Tuesday's West Virginia Republican primary clash

The GOP primary in West Virginia's 2nd District is the crown jewel of the state's primary on Tuesday - the member-on-member clash has drawn $4.1 million in ad spending, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

Voters head to the polls there today to choose between two GOP congressmen, David McKinley and Alex Mooney, in the first incumbent vs. incumbent primary of the year.

Mooney's campaign has spent nearly $1.5 million on the airwaves, while McKinley's campaign has spent $1.2 million. Outside groups have also jumped into the race, with Club for Growth Action and School Freedom Fund dropping a combined $931,000 to bolster Mooney. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Defending Main Street super PAC have spent a combined $423,000 supporting McKinley.

Both candidates reference former President Donald Trump in their closing ads, although Mooney has Trump's endorsement. In Mooney's closing spot, a narrator says, "President Trump warned us about RINOs, sellouts and known losers. David McKinley proved him right," knocking McKinley for supporting the bipartisan infrastructure package and a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

McKinley's latest ad on the airwaves goes after the Club for Growth's spending, with a narrator saying, "Mooney and his Washington special interest group are spending millions lying about David McKinley. Just like they did about President Trump."

Club for Growth faces tests of its sway in May primaries

The conservative Club for Growth's sway in GOP primaries will face key tests in May, with half of the candidates being backed by its PAC so far in 2022 facing primaries this month. The contests also come as the group's past opposition to former President Donald Trump has faced new scrutiny.

So far the Club for Growth's independent expenditure arm, known as Club for Growth Action, has spent $25.9 million on ads to support its candidates in May primaries, with the most of that spending centered on three Senate races, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

The group did not succeed in helping one of its preferred Senate candidates, former Ohio state Treasurer Josh Mandel, win the GOP nod. Author J.D. Vance, who had Trump's endorsement, won the primary last week instead.

That race sparked a clash between Trump world and the Club, which has been a staunch Trump ally after initially opposing Trump's candidacy in 2016.

That past has even popped up in races where both the Club and Trump are backing the same candidate. In West Virginia, GOP Rep. David McKinley highlighted the group's past opposition to Trump to push back on the Club's involvement in the 2nd District race in which he is facing fellow GOP Rep. Alex Mooney. Trump and the Club are both backing Mooney in the contest.

McKinley launched a new ad this week saying the Club, which has spent $571,000 on ads boosting Mooney, was "lying about David McKinley, just like they did about Trump."

Club for Growth spokesman Joe Kildea wrote in an email to NBC News that the group has "no concerns" that its past opposition to Trump will become a more prominent issue in GOP primaries.

"We are confident that we will win most of our races this month," Kildea wrote.

Ohio isn't the only place where the Club is at odds with the former president.

In Alabama's Senate race, the Club has stuck by GOP Rep. Mo Brooks even after Trump withdrew his support. So far Club for Growth Action, has spent $4.3 million on ads to bolster Brooks.

And in Georgia's 6th District, the Club is backing Rick McCormick, the 2020 nominee, in the May 24 primary, although the group has not yet spent on the airwaves. Trump endorsed another candidate in that race, attorney Jake Evans, on Thursday.

But the Club is largely aligned with Trump in other key primaries. So far the group has spent $11 million on ads backing GOP Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina's Senate primary, set for May 17. The Club has also spent nearly $1.1 million ads to support Trump-backed law student Bo Hines in the open seat race in North Carolina's 13th District.

Wisconsin Senate politics to make appearance in Game 4 of Bucks-Celtics

When the Milwaukee Bucks face off against the Boston Celtics on Monday night in Game 4 of an intense playoff series, some viewers will be reminded of another contest - Wisconsin's competitive Democratic Senate primary.

A new ad from Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, first obtained by NBC News, takes aim at Alex Lasry, the wealthy former Bucks executive who's rising in the polls and easily outspending his opponents in TV and digital ads.

In it, Nelson, competing against Lasry, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski for the chance to take on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in the fall, criticizes the $250 million of public money that went into building Fiserv Forum, the home of the Bucks.

Wearing a sweatband and a green jersey with the number 34 on it, the number worn by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nelson says he's rooting for his home team.

"What I'm not rooting for is using your tax dollars to make billionaires richer," Nelson says in the ad. "We paid a quarter of a billion dollars for the Fiserv Forum, even more than Foxconn, every dollar spent was taken from schools, roads, tax relief, things that benefit all of us."

Lasry, thanks in part to his deep pockets, is quickly becoming a threat in a race in which Barnes had long been considered the favorite and Nelson has been trying to gain steam when he's been vastly outspent. In recent days he has been ramping up his attacks on Lasry, calling on the Lasry family to refund taxpayers.

Lasry has defended the investment, pointing to evidence that the arena has quickly become an economic driver for Milwaukee.

A Marquette Law School poll in late April had Barnes leading Lasry by just 3 points, with Treasurer Sarah Godlewski following with 7 percent support and Nelson with 5 percent.

In 2015, the state approved a $250 million investment in a funding deal to help build Fiserv Forum. At the time of the deal, then-Bucks head coach Jason Kidd made a prediction.

"Will the new arena be hosting NBA Finals games within a few years? I`m not one to predict, but I think we look forward to our future," Kidd said, according to a report by Fox News Milwaukee in 2015. "We have a chance to grow, get better each day, and our goal is to hold that gold trophy in that new arena."

When the prediction came true last year, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's editorial page applauded the state's investment, noting the arena now draws tens of thousands of fans to Milwaukee's downtown, who then pour into nearby restaurants and bars.

"All of Wisconsin has a share in the Bucks' remarkable rise from small-market doormat to NBA champions," read an editorial in the Journal-Sentinel just after the Bucks claimed the NBA championship last year. "None of it would have happened without a new arena, built with $250 million of public money."

Pompeo joins McCormick campaign to criticize Oz on Turkish vote

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined Pennsylvania Republican David McCormick's Senate campaign Friday to criticize McCormick's top rival, Mehmet Oz, over new reporting that he voted in the 2018 Turkish elections and claiming it raises questions about his priorities should he be elected.

"He engaged in the Turkish political process - and that raises, in my mind, lots of judgments about his priorities. And we need to get him and his team to explain why he had time and energy and focus to vote in a Turkish election, but not in an American election," Pompeo said.

"And you stack that up with some of the work that he has done. Some of the political involvement he's had with Turkey. And I think that the campaign owes the people of Pennsylvania, the Mehmet Oz campaign, owes the people of Pennsylvania an explanation for this."

ABC News reported this week on Oz's 2018 vote, and his dual citizenship (which he has said he would relinquish if he wins) has been a target of criticism from political opponents like McCormick. But Pompeo stressed repeatedly on Friday's call that his comments are "separate and apart from politics."

Brittany Yanick, an Oz spokesman, defended the decision by Oz to keep his dual citizenship as made to help him take care of his mother and criticized the attacks as baseless.

"These are pathetic and xenophobic attacks on Dr. Oz by David McCormick, who should be ashamed of himself. Now that he lost President Trump's endorsement, he's resorted to sad and desperate attacks that are no different than the tropes used against Catholics and Jews," she told NBC in a statement.

"Dr. Oz has already said when elected to the Senate he would renounce his citizenship. There is no security issue whatsoever, and David McCormick knows that Dr. Oz has maintained his dual citizenship to make it easier to help care for his mother who has Alzheimer's and lives there."
-Dasha Burns contributed
More than a dozen states appeal to DNC for early primary position

The Democratic National Committee wanted to shake up its presidential primary system and so far, there are plenty of states signaling that they are willing to join the effort.

As of Friday afternoon, nearly 20 states and territories have notified the DNC they're interested in holding a first-in-the-nation primary or be considered somewhere among the early window of primary contests in 2024. Those requests are required to be sent by the end of the day Friday.

Sources tell NBC News that once the next phase begins - which entails submitting an application and making a pitch before the Rules and Bylaws Committee - those numbers are expected to drop off. There are also some states that have significant hurdles, including Republican legislatures that dictate their primary dates or costly media markets that price out candidates who aren't independently wealthy.

The panel has said it intends to make a decision by the beginning of August.

The DNC recently scrapped its early state system that long allowed Iowa and New Hampshire to kick off the presidential primary contests followed by Nevada, then South Carolina. They are asking those states to reapply and make their case to be considered in the early window, while allowing other states to try to move up the primary calendar as well.

The dynamic has already set off some backroom brawling. Much of the push for change was prompted by a caucus debacle in Iowa in 2020, where a technological failure delayed revealing results.

Charges have also mounted that the electorates in Iowa and New Hampshire are too white and should not have such an outsized role in dictating the Party's nominees. Nevada is making an aggressive push to supplant New Hampshire, while New Hampshire is making its case to remain the first-in-the-nation primary.

Here are the states that have so far sent letters of interest to the DNC: Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Nebraska, New Jersey, Texas, Washington, New York, Oklahoma, Colorado, Puerto Rico, Maryland, Delaware. (This list will be updated).

Democratic group aims to flip key state legislatures

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is targeting Republican majorities in three state legislatures this year.

Minnesota's Senate, Michigan's House and Senate, and New Hampshire's House and Senate are where the DLCC sees vulnerable Republican majorities that could be nabbed by Democrats this fall.

Additionally, the group plans to invest to defend Democratic majorities in five state legislatures - ​​Colorado's House and Senate, Maine's House and Senate, Minnesota's House, Nevada's Assembly and Senate and New Mexico's House.

DLCC finalized their list of state targets before a Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to Politico earlier this week, the group's president Jessica Post said in a virtual press briefing on Friday.

However, Post said she was "absolutely horrified about the future of Roe," and they are motivated to gain Democratic majorities in Minnesota and Michigan to help protect reproductive rights in those states.

In Michigan, a law restricting abortion from the 1930s is still on the books and could go into effect once a Supreme Court Decision overturning Roe is handed down.

And in Minnesota, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has so far vowed to protect abortion access in the state. But, he faces a tough reelection fight to keep the governor's mansion blue this fall.

"Roe has the ability to change the landscape dramatically," Post said. She added later, "Michigan is at the top of our target list."

Specifically, the group plans to use their resources in their target states this year to support local candidates, provide polling data and candidate-specific research and potentially finance early campaign investments.

"It takes a lot to support state legislative candidates," especially if they're still working full-time, Post said.

Pa. Senate's GOP frontrunners have relied mostly on self-funding, new reports show

A little more than a week before the pivotal Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary, new fundraising reports show how Mehmet Oz and David McCormick have heavily relied on their own personal wealth to boost their bids.

Oz loaned his campaign more than $12 million through April 27, the latest campaign finance reports show, the vast majority of the $15 million he's raised so far. McCormick loaned his campaign $11 million of the $16 million he's raised.

Not only are the candidates giving to their campaigns at relative parity, but they've spent almost exactly the same - about $14.1 million - so far (this includes all campaign spending reported to the Federal Election Commission, not just ad spending).

But just looking at ad spending, the pro-McCormick team is outspending the pro-Oz team largely thanks to big super PAC spending.

McCormick's campaign has spent $10.4 million on advertising, per AdImpact, with his allied super PACS Honor Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Conservative Fund spending $14.2 million and $2.6 million respectively.

Oz has spent $12.1 million, with the anti-McCormick American Leadership Action spending another $3.2 million.

Jessica Cisneros warns Henry Cuellar could be the "Joe Manchin of the House"

Progressive attorney Jessica Cisneros is warning Democratic primary voters that her primary opponent, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, could block the party's priorities if he's re-elected, likening Cuellar to a certain influential Democratic senator from West Virginia.

"There's so many key issues where he's always standing with Republicans, and he could become the Joe Manchin of the House," Cisneros said Thursday on MTP Daily. "We don't want Henry Cuellar to be the deciding vote on the future of our fundamental freedoms and rights in this country. We just can't risk that."

Cisneros faces Cuellar in a primary runoff on May 24 after neither candidate won a majority of the primary vote on March 1. Cisneros has made abortion a central issue in the race following a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision signaling the court was preparing to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

Cuellar is the lone Democrat in the House who opposes abortion rights, and he has said his stance reflects his heavily Latino, more socially conservative, district in South Texas. But Cisneros pushed back on that characterization, telling MTP Daily that her close primary race in March and her close primary challenge to Cuellar in 2020 show the district is not as conservative as Cuellar claims.

"People have just taken Henry Cuellar's word that this district is conservative as it is when it comes to this issue," Cisneros said.

"I know that it's important to voters because I've been out there talking to them myself," Cuellar added on the abortion issue. She recalled holding a phone bank shortly after Cuellar was the only Democrat who voted against a measure to codify abortion rights into federal law.

"The first few voters that I got on the line were talking about - they were telling me about how upset they were that Henry Cuellar had sided with Republicans on this issue," she said.

Cuellar has had support from House leadership in his primary race. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., traveled to the district this week to stump for the nine-term congressman. Clyburn said Wednesday that Cuellar "gives us a much better chance of winning their seat than anybody else."

Cisneros responded to Clyburn's statement, saying, "People in this district aren't voting for me because I am progressive. They're voting for me because I'm putting forth policies that are actually going to enact change in this district ... I really hope that the Democratic leadership doesn't stand in the way of the change that South Texans want to see."

Republicans are targeting the seat in November. President Joe Biden would have carried the 28th District by 7 percentage points had the new congressional map been in place in 2020. The Cook Politico Report rates the race a Toss Up.

Poll: Fetterman holds large lead in Pennsylvania, while GOP race is a dead heat

Less than two weeks until Pennsylvania's key Senate primaries, Lt. Gov John Fetterman has jumped out to a nearly 40-point lead in the Democratic contest, while the Republican race is neck-and-neck between celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund executive David McCormick.

That's according to a new Franklin and Marshall poll of the state that was conducted April 20 to May 1, and which has a margin of error of plus-minus 4.4 percentage points.

In the Democratic race, Fetterman leads U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., by 39 points among Democratic voters, 53 percent to 14 percent, with state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta at 4 percent.

Twenty-two percent say they're undecided or unsure.

Last month, the poll had Fetterman ahead of Lamb by 24 points, 41 percent to 17 percent.

In the Republican race, Oz - whom former President Donald Trump has endorsed - gets support from 18 percent of GOP voters, McCormick gets 16 percent and conservative political commentator Kathy Barnette gets 12 percent.

A whopping 39 percent are undecided or unsure.

Unlike Ohio's Senate contest, where Trump's endorsement of J.D. Vance changed the contours of that primary Vance won, this poll shows Trump's endorsement of Oz hasn't really shifted this GOP race.

Last month's Franklin and Marshall poll - which was conducted mostly before Trump's endorsement - had Oz at 16 percent and McCormick at 15 percent, with 43 percent undecided.

Ad watch: Abortion politics

Wisconsin state TreasurerSarah Godlewski, one of the Democrats running to take on GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, is going up with a new TV ad filmed in the aftermath of the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

"We're at the Supreme Court where it looks like Ron Johnson is going to get exactly what he wants: Overturning Roe v. Wade, reinstating Wisconsin's cruel abortion ban and putting doctors in jail," Godlewski says in the ad, shared first with NBC News, which was filmed in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

"But that's not what Wisconsinites want," Godlewski adds. "We don't want politicians making health care choices for women."

The 30-second spot is part of a six-figure statewide television ad buy, per Godlewski's campaign, and the portion in front of the Supreme Court was shot on an iPhone. Godlewski, the only high-profile woman in the Democratic primary, has been endorsed by EMILY's List, which backs women candidates who support abortion rights.

Abortion emerged among top themes in April's midterm election ads

Out of 462 political ads in House, Senate and gubernatorial races in April, inflation, immigration, election integrity and abortion topped the list of issues mentioned by candidates and outside groups.

Inflation was the top mentioned issue, with 46 unique ads - or 10 percent of all political ads tracked by NBC News in April - mentioning inflation or rising prices. Immigration and border security appeared as a theme in 35 ads. Election integrity or voting rights appeared as an issue in 31 commercials and abortion was mentioned in 30 spots.

Immigration and inflation topped the list in March, too, though the sheer number of ads in March (210) was smaller than April.

Abortion is an emerging issue in midterm ads, which are still largely focused on intra-party primary contests. The topic also fell strictly across party lines, with only Republican candidates highlighting anti-abortion rights stances and only Democrats vowing to protect abortion rights.

Most candidates just cited their stance on abortion among a list of other topics they are for or against. But some, like Nebraska state Sen. and gubernatorial candidate Brett Lindstrom, have run entire ads focusing on the issue.

"Like many Nebraskans, I've long prayed for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade," Lindstrom says in one ad. "Nothing in the Constitution establishes a right to an abortion, and we have a moral obligation to protect life at every stage."

On the Democratic side, Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Penn., ran ads highlighting his pro-choice stance, saying "If we don't win this Senate race, we're going to lose a lot more than just an election. Republicans are attacking the right to vote. They're attacking womens' right to choose. ... I've beaten Trump-backed candidates in Trump districts three elections in a row. I know how to win tough races."

As Democrats and Republicans face each other this fall, it's likely abortion will come into sharper focus as the midterm election cycle moves forward, particularly in light of a leaked draft Supreme Court decision obtained by Politico that would overturn Roe v. Wade this year.

The only primary where abortion has become a focal point this cycle is in Texas' 28th district, where progressive Jessica Cisneros has targeted Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who was the only Democrat in the House to vote against legislation that would enshrine the right to an abortion on the federal level.

Other issues mentioned where opinions and statements fell squarely among party lines was election integrity and voting rights. Six percent of ads mentioned the issue, with only Republicans vowing to strengthen election integrity and only Democrats promising to expand voting rights.

In Georgia's 7th district, where two incumbents are facing each other due to redistricting, Reps. Lucy McBath and Carolyn Bourdeaux each ran ads highlighting their stances on voting rights.

"My father pushed me in a stroller at the March on Washington. There's nothing more American than the right to vote," McBath says in one ad before adding, "I'm fighting for my good friend, John Lewis' Voting Rights Act on the front lines to protect our right to vote."

In her ad, Bordeaux says, "They say we can't pass a new Voting Rights Act, but if we stand together, it can be done."

In previous months, NBC News ad analyses have also tracked the presence of "boogeymen" in political ads. Just like previous months, in April, President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and China topped the list of GOP boogeymen, or entities candidates target outside of their direct opponents.

A new boogeyman emerged in April among Republicans, though - Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. He was mentioned in four unique ads by outside groups like Buckeyes for a Strong Ohio, who attacked former Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel for previously supporting Romney, a Republican senator known for bucking former President Donald Trump. Mandel ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

"While we struggle with high gas and grocery bills, Josh Mandel supported the politicians who got us here, endorsing Romney," the ad's narrator says.

While GOP groups and candidates have name checked Biden in ads all year, Democrats have just started to use Trump or "Trump Republicans" as boogeymen in their ads.

"Carrick will stand up to the Trump Republicans so we can tackle climate change head on and take on the drug companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs," an ad paid for by the House Majority PAC in favor of Carrick Flynn's campaign for Oregon's 6th district stated.

Democratic Governors Association booking $75 million for initial fall TV ad salvo

The Democratic Governors Association is reserving $75 million of television advertising time for the fall across eight states, NBC News has learned exclusively, as it looks to make early investments aimed at shoring up Democratic incumbents.

The group's top three states as far as initial spending are ones featuring incumbents who flipped their states' governor's mansions blue in 2018 - Michigan ($23 million), Wisconsin ($21 million) and Nevada ($10 million).

The DGA is also booking $5 million in both Colorado and Maine, $4.5 million in Minnesota and $2.5 million in New Mexico. The DGA and its allies in Kansas are booking another $4 million in fall TV spending there, and have already been spending in other races too.

"The DGA is all in to protect our incumbents. As the fight to defend our democracy and fundamental rights shifts to the states, ensuring Democratic governors are in office is more vital than ever," DGA Executive Director Noam Lee told NBC in a statement. "Our track record of smart, strategic investments has helped us elect Democratic governors across the country, and it is how we are going to win this fall."

The heavy emphasis on Michigan and Wisconsin is no surprise - Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Tony Evers, respectively, are the Democratic Party's only bulwark in those states against Republican-controlled legislatures. (That's the case in Kansas, with Gov. Laura Kelly, too.)

November's elections are expected to be tough for Democrats as President Joe Biden's approval rating languishes and Republicans have closed the gap on the generic ballot.

But Democrats are hopeful that their party can rebound as the pandemic wanes, particularly with a more empathetic message about the economy and by contrasting themselves with some high-profile Republican gubernatorial hopefuls who continue to spread echo lies about the 2020 election. Vulnerable Democratic governors have also responded to the recently leaked draft Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade by promising to protect abortion access from their seat in power.

Campaign organizations regularly make early, large advertising buys in order to lock in lower rates before advertising time gets more expensive. The DGA's Republican counterpart, the Republican Governors Association, released its list of first major television advertising buys in March - $31.4 million in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, states where Republicans largely hope to go on offense. Both groups, along with other outside groups, are expected to spend heavily in these races, and others, as Election Day draws closer.

White House looks for political boost from high court's draft leak

The White House has for months been crafting a political and policy strategy for the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, cemented in the belief that such a move could dramatically change Democrats' dim fortunes in November's midterm elections.

On Monday night some of those plans were set in motion.

President Biden received a phone call from White House chief of staff Ron Klain informing him that Politico had just published a draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade. White House aides then got to work on a presidential statement on the matter, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters..

By Tuesday morning, Biden had signed off on a statement that made one of the key political points - "it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November" - and signaled there would be future policy moves by his administration.

A couple of hours later, the president hit on another part of the White House's political strategy: Warning that abortion rights is just the beginning. "If the rationale of the decision as released were to be sustained, a whole range of rights are in question," Biden said, citing same-sex marriage and contraception.

Politically, the Biden aide said, the "strategy is to set up a clear choice" in the midterms between Democrats who support abortion rights and Republicans who don't.

A decision by the Supreme Court isn't expected until this summer and is unlikely to fundamentally change from the draft.

Even in draft form, however, the document is seen by the White House as potentially helping Democrats win back suburban women voters who were critical to Biden's election but may be swayed by Republican arguments about issues such as government influence on decisions about their children's education.

"It has the opportunity to galvanize the Biden coalition in ways that other issues don't," the Biden aide said of the abortion decision. "That is women, of course. It is communities of color. It is young people across genders. And it is also suburban women and independent women in particular."

Republicans are poised to pick up seats in the midterms, with voters unhappy about inflation and high gas prices. Democrats have also been on the defensive over Biden's handling of migrants at the southern border.

With a lack of votes for legislation in Congress to codify protections in Roe v. Wade, even among Democrats, the policy possibilities under discussion in the White House involve possible executive action or using the bully pulpit to influence states.

While the senior Biden advisor was mum on specifics in the White House's federally-focused strategy, the adviser also acknowledged that much of the work to shore up abortion rights and reproductive protections would fall to the states-and that that's where the midterm battles would be waged, too.

Still, one ally close to the White House described the Supreme Court decision, politically, as "a gift."

White House officials made clear the overturning of Roe v. Wade is not a fight they want to have. But the raw political calculation is that specific action by the Supreme Court is easier for Democrats to organize around than a theoretical threat, and that it gives voters something tangible besides economic issues to evaluate candidates on.

"They should feel empowered that they have an opportunity to do something about the Supreme Court's decision here, if it comes to pass, and that opportunity is to make their opinions and voice loud and clear and vote in November for pro-choice elected officials," the Biden aide said.

Ad spending breakdown: DeWine and Whaley win gubernatorial nominations

NBC News has projected the Ohio gubernatorial general election matchup - Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and Dayton Democratic Mayor Nan Whaley - two candidates who faced different ad spending environments on their way to the nomination.

DeWine outspent every candidate and outside group on ads in the race on both sides of the aisle, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, $4.9 million. That's significantly more than the next-highest-spending Republican, former Rep. Jim Renacci, who spent $1.7 million.

Whaley, on the other hand, was narrowly outspent by Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, spent on ads. Cranley spent $1.85 million, per AdImpact, while Whaley spent $1.54 million.

Now DeWine and Whaley will face off in what could become an expensive general election matchup.

Correction (May 4, 2022, 1:20 p.m): Due to a misreading of the ad-spending data, a previous version of this article incorrectly stated a lower figure for Whaley's ad spending. Her campaign spent $1.54 million on television ad spending, not $155,000.

Record numbers for early voting in Georgia

Early voting in Georgia's midterm primary election began Monday and voters turned out in record numbers.

The Georgia Secretary of State's office said that 27,298 voters cast their votes yesterday, NBC News' Blayne Alexander and Charlie Gile report (the Secretary's office originally said that the number of early votes was 27,366 but have corrected the total).

On the first day of early primary voting in 2018, only 9,226 voters cast early votes. That's an increase of over 18,000 first-day early votes in four years.

The party breakdown of Monday's vote was: 14,731 Republican, 12,308 Democratic and 259 who were non-partisan.

Early voting began about three weeks ahead of the state's primary election, where voters will pick nominees for the major parties for governor, secretary of state and Congress.

Among the most notable races, Gov. Brian Kemp faces a challenge from Trump-endorsed former Sen. David Perdue in the race for the Republican nomination. Kemp has been polling ahead of Perdue in the state, but he needs to earn over 50 percent of the vote to clear a runoff.

Sen. Raphael Warnock is also on the ballot, though he's expected to easily coast through the Democratic ticket to the general election ballot, where he'll likely face former football star Herschel Walker in November.

Kathy Hochul appoints Rep. Antonio Delgado member as new lieutenant governor

Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., has tapped Democratic Rep. Antonio Delgado to be her new lieutenant governor, replacing former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, who resigned after he was indicted on bribery charges.

"We share a belief in working together to get things done for New Yorkers, and Representative Delgado has an incredible record of doing just that in Congress," Hochul said in a Tuesday statement. "With Antonio Delgado by my side serving as Lieutenant Governor, we will both make history - and make a difference."

Delgado will serve as Hochul's running mate as she runs for a full term in November, according to The New York Times, leaving open his competitive Upstate New York House seat.

Delgado, who is Black and Latino, was first elected to represent the competitive 19th District, which is largely white, in 2018, defeating former GOP Rep. John Faso after winning a competitive Democratic primary. He has proven to be a strong fundraiser and was potentially facing a tough re-election fight this year. New York's congressional map is still in flux after the state Supreme Court tossed out the map as a partisan gerrymander late last month.

It's not immediately clear when Delgado will leave the House to take on his new role as lieutenant governor. But his impending exit would leave an even smaller majority for the Democratic Caucus. His exit would also make him the 31st House Democrat not running for re-election this year.

More than $73 million has been spent on Ohio Senate primary ads

Roughly $73.3 million has been spent on ads in the Ohio Senate primaries, surpassing all other Senate races so far, with $69.9 million spent on the GOP primary alone.

Wealthy candidates who funded their own campaigns led the pack of Republican candidates vying to replace retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman, while outside groups also poured in millions, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Investment banker Mike Gibbons' campaign spent the most of any candidate or outside group on ads, dropping $13.5 million on the race. Gibbons loaned and contributed a combined $16.8 million of his own money to his campaign.

The super PAC Protect Ohio Values spent $10.4 million on ads to bolster "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance. The group, which is funded by billionaire Peter Thiel, has launched ads touting former President Donald Trump's decision to endorse Vance. Vance's own campaign spent $1.7 million on the airwaves.

State Sen. Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, spent $9.3 million on ads. Dolan also largely self-funded his campaign with an $8 million contribution and a $2.6 million loan.

Club for Growth Action, a conservative outside group backing state Treasurer Josh Mandel, spent $8.9 million on ads while Mandel's campaign spent $6.2 million. USA Freedom Fund, which is also backing Mandel, has spent $4.8 million

Former Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken, who has Portman's endorsement, spent $4.1 million on ads. She also had help from a pair of outside groups, Ohio Leads and Winning for Women Action Fund, which have spent nearly $3.7 million combined.

Just $3.4 million has been spent in the Democratic primary, with $2.9 million coming from Rep. Tim Ryan's campaign. Ryan is facing attorney Morgan Harper in the race.

Dolan criticizes Vance for campaigning with and defending Gaetz

Ohio Republican state Sen. Matt Dolan criticized one of his fellow U.S. Senate hopefuls, author J.D. Vance, in an interview with NBC News over Vance's decision to campaign with, and defend, a congressman under federal investigation.

Dolan singled out Vance's decision to campaign with embattled Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, among other allies, over the past weekend. Sources familiar with the case tell NBC that Gaetz is being investigated for sex trafficking - the congressman has denied the allegations and has not been charged with a crime. The Columbus Dispatch reported that during a conversation with reporters on the trail, Vance commented on the allegations against Gaetz.

"Being accused of a crime, as we've learned in the past four years in this country, is very often more about corrupt law enforcement than it is about anything anybody's actually done," he said, per the Dispatch. "Do I think Matt Gaetz is a child sex predator? Of course I don't."

Dolan blasted those comments in an interview Monday.

"The weekend before the election, he's telling Ohio law enforcement officers: You are corrupt. Those are his words, not mine. And he's trying to demonstrate that a person from out of state who has come in to campaign for him, he has to prove that person's not a sexual predator?" Dolan told NBC News about Vance.

"This is about who can go to Washington and reflect Ohio and fight for Ohio's concerns. If he's demeaning law enforcement and having, let's just say, questionable people supporting him from out of Ohio, Ohioans need to know that."

Dolan's campaign also released comments from the state's former Attorney General, Betty Montgomery, and the National Sheriffs' Association President, Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, criticizing Vance over the comments. Both have endorsed Dolan.

The Vance campaign did not respond to a request for additional comments about the decision to campaign with Gaetz, or about Dolan's criticism.

While most of the candidates in the broad Ohio Republican Senate field have been moving toward the right of the party - Vance recently won former President Trump's endorsement - Dolan has struck out on a different path that's more reminiscent of the political career of the retiring Republican senator whose seat he hopes to replace, Sen. Rob Portman (Portman has endorsed former state GOP chair Jane Timken).

In his interview with NBC, Dolan added that a victory on Tuesday would show that "Ohioans want somebody to go into battle in November representing Republican ideas, Republican values, but keeping Ohio and what's important to Ohio first and foremost."

UPDATE: Gaetz, who has called the investigation against him a "witch hunt," responded to Dolan's comments shortly after publication.

Midterm roundup: A big night for 'J.D. Mandel'

Former President Donald Trump traveled to Nebraska Sunday to rally supporters around his pick for governor, businessman Charles Herbster, who is also facing multiple groping allegations (which Herbster has denied). But Trump didn't just focus on Herbster's race in his 104-minute speech, NBC News' Vaughn Hillyard reports.

Trump flubbed J.D. Vance's name, Trump's preferred candidate in Ohio's Senate race, instead calling him "J.D. Mandel," an apparent mix-up with another candidate, state Treasurer Josh Mandel. ("We've endorsed J.P., right-J.D. Mandel," Trump said.)

He also praised Missouri GOP Rep. Billy Long as Long continues to vie for Trump's endorsement in the Show Me State's Senate race.

And Trump criticized a series of other sitting Republicans, including Nebraska's own Sen. Ben Sasse and Rep. Don Bacon, saying he would not endorse Bacon or Bacon's primary challenger ahead of the May 10 primary. But he added that Bacon is a "bad guy" and wished his primary challenger "good luck."
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Arizona Senate: Politico reports that state Attorney General Mark Brnovich appears to have lost his lead in the GOP Senate primary as other candidates in the race hit the airwaves.

Colorado Governor: Danielle Neuschwanger, who fell just short of the votes needed at the state GOP convention to qualify for the Republican primary ballot, will run a third-party candidacy.

Georgia Governor: Early voting starts today in Georgia ahead of the May 24 primary. GOP Gov. Brian Kemp and former Sen. David Perdue met again on the debate stage Sunday. Trump is holding a tele-rally for Perdue tonight.

Wisconsin Governor: Republican businessman Tim Michels booked another $117,000 in ad spending for this week as he rolls out his new gubernatorial bid.

Florida-27: Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell is ending his Democratic Senate bid to run for Congress against GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar

Ad Watch: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin backs a Republican House candidate

Just over one week ahead from West Virginia's primary election, a familiar face is backing Rep. David McKinley, R-W. Va., on the airwaves. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., is featured in a new ad supporting McKinley in his primary election.

Due to population loss, West Virginia was forced to downsize from three congressional districts to just two, leading McKinley to face another incumbent congressman, Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W. Va., in a primary.

Mooney is endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Manchin opens the ad by highlighting the failure of Build Back Better, a tenet of President Joe Biden's agenda that failed in part due to Manchin's opposition of the plan.

"I've always said if I can't go home and explain it, I can't vote for it, and that's why I opposed Build Back Better," Manchin says at the beginning of the ad.

"For Alex Mooney and his out of state supporters to suggest David McKinley supported Build Back Better is an outright lie," he adds. "David McKinley has always opposed reckless spending because it doesn't make sense for West Virginia."

Manchin isn't the first high profile West Virginian to support McKinley on the airwaves. Republican Gov. Jim Justice has also been featured in ads promoting McKinley.

Mooney and McKinley have been locked in an intense, months-long ad war as the two head to a primary on May 10. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates this district as Solid Republican, meaning whoever wins the primary is likely to keep the seat in November's general election.

AIPAC super PAC spends over $1.6 million in four races

A new AIPAC-backed super PAC is spending big in Democratic congressional primaries. United Democracy Project is running a combined $1.6 million in four races - one in Pennsylvania, another in Texas and two in North Carolina.

In Pennsylvania, UDP has spent $472,000 so far in ads opposing state Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive candidate backed by Justice Democrats, the same group who backed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's, D-N.Y., first run for Congress. Lee is seeking the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 12th district. Rep. Fred Keller, R-Penn., decided not to run again after the district became more Democratic following redistricting.

The UDP ads against Summer Lee feature a narrator who attacks her for not supporting Biden.

"Summer Lee attacked Biden's character, said he'd take us backwards and Lee refused to support Biden's infrastructure plan that's now rebuilding bridges and roads in Western Pennsylvania," the ad's narrator says.

"Summer Lee, more interested in fighting Democrats than getting results," the ad intones.

In Texas' 28th district, where progressive Jessica Cisneros is facing Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, in a runoff primary at the end of May, UDP has spent $128,000 so far running ads against Cisneros.

The ad's narrator tells viewers, "Jessica Cisneros would cost us thousands of jobs in south Texas," pointing to her plan to cut the number of border patrol agents and reassign them to other functions.

"Jessica Cisneros is backed by groups who want to cut police funding, too, costing us even more jobs. Jessica Cisneros: a risk to our jobs, and our safety," the narrator adds.

In North Carolina, UDP is running positive ads, supporting state Sen. Don Davis in the state's first district and state Sen. Valerie Foushee in the state's 4th district. Foushee faces seven other candidates in the Democratic primary for retiring Rep. David Price's, D-N.C., seat.

The group has already spent over $577,000 on ads supporting Foushee.

The ads in her favor highlight her life story and her time in the state Senate, "where she stood with Roy Cooper to improve education, stop Republican attacks on voting rights and protect a woman's right to choose," the ad's narrator says.

Davis is running for retiring Rep. G.K. Butterfield's seat and the ads in his favor highlight his life story and his record in the state Senate.

"Davis voted to raise teacher pay, invest in maternal health, and when Republicans tried to gut Medicaid, Don Davis took them on," the ad's narrator says.

UDP has spent $444,000 on ads supporting Davis so far.

Nebraska governor's race heats up ahead of Trump rally

UPDATED 4:20 p.m. | Former President Donald Trump is heading to Nebraska on Sunday to boost his preferred candidate for governor, businessman Charles Herbster. And the rally comes as the race has heated up on the airwaves.

Herbster, who is expected to speak at the rally, faces a crowded field of candidates, including Jim Pillen, a businessman and livestock producer, and state Sen. Brian Lindstrom. Those three candidates have outspent the rest of the field on the airwaves, spending a combined $11.1 million on ads, per the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Trump's rally also comes as Herbster is facing sexual misconduct allegations, with eight women, including a state senator, accusing him of groping, according to a report in the Nebraska Examiner.

Herbster has denied the allegations and launched a TV ad accusing his Pillen and GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has backed Pillen in the race, of conspiring to lie about Herbster. The ad compares Herbster to Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, who respectively faced allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Herbster's campaign has outspent his opponents on the airwaves, spending $5.2 million as of Friday. Pillen has spent $4.3 million on ads, while Lindstrom has spent $1.5 million. One outside group known as Conservative Nebraska has spent $848,000 on anti-Herbster ads. Another outside group known as Restore the Good Life has spent $510,000 to boost Marine veteran Michael Connely.

Whoever wins the GOP primary on May 10 is expected to win the general election. Trump won the Cornhusker State by 19 percentage points in 2020 and the Cook Political Report rates the Nebraska governor's race Solid Republican.
This post has been updated to reflect that Trump postponed his rally from Friday to Sunday due to inclement weather.
Midterm roundup: Ohio Senate GOP primary is down to the wire

With the Ohio primary just four days away, outside groups are hitting the airwaves in the competitive GOP Senate contest. Protect Ohio Values, the Peter Thiel-backed super PAC supporting author J.D. Vance, is running a new spot attacking former Treasurer Josh Mandel as a "moderate," noting his endorsement of 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Meanwhile, Drain the DC Swamp PAC has a new ad supporting Mandel, spanning a range of issues including Mandel's support for the controversial Arizona audit of the 2020 election. Ohio Leads, a super PAC backing former state GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken, is up with a new spot highlighting Vance's anti-Trump comments.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., will hit the campaign trail for Vance on Sunday and Monday, along with Turning Point Action founder Charlie Kirk. And investment banker Mike Gibbons is hosting a tele-town hall on Monday with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla.

Elsewhere on the trail ...

GA-SEN: Republican Kelvin King is running his first television ad, a bio spot that criticizes incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock on inflation.

OK-SEN: GOP Sen. James Lankford is putting $312,000 behind a new ad buy that spans virtually all of June ahead of the state's June 28 primary, per AdImpact.

AZ-GOV: Democrat Aaron Lieberman's first TV ad takes aim not just at GOP gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake, but also Democratic frontrunner Katie Hobbs, criticizing her over an employment discrimination case.

HI-GOV: Punchbowl is reporting that Hawaii Democratic Rep. Kai Kahele is leaving Congress to run for governor.

GA-GOV: Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a handful of controversial education bills into law Thursday.

MD-GOV: Fox 45 in Baltimore has a new story noting other times when Democrat Wes Moore did not correct interviewers who misrepresented his biography. The good news for Moore: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is endorsing him.

IL-5: Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley says he won't run for mayor of Chicago.
Read more in today's First Read, the daily briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. Sign up for First Read here.
Data Download: Biden, Harris have only had two private lunches this year

The First Read number of the day is two, the number of times that President Biden and Vice President Harris have had private lunches this year.

That's a significant decrease from the 21 times the two lunched in 2021, after Biden said he wanted to forge a similar relationship with his second-in-command as then-President Obama forged with him over regular, private lunches.

At this point during Biden's second year as vice president, he had 13 private lunches with Obama.

When asked about the infrequency of their lunches, Deputy White House Press Secretary Chris Meagher said: "The president and vice president are in constant touch with each other, and he relies on her counsel, partnership, and friendship as they work together to continue to grow the economy, cut costs for working families, rally the world in the face of Russia's aggression, and make historic investments in our nation's infrastructure."

Both Biden and Harris have had separate overseas trips this year while also ramping up their domestic travel schedules. Harris also worked remotely for a period in mid-March after her husband, Douglas Emhoff, tested positive for COVID.

But Biden and Harris' schedules overlapped often this year, with joint public or private events on 39 days, making the absence of weekly lunches more conspicuous.

Biden has had other private lunches as well this year, including one for old time's sake with Obama. Harris later joined them for a public event about expanding the Affordable Care Act.
Read more in today's First Read, the daily briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. Sign up for First Read here.
Trump backs Clark County sheriff for Nevada governor

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo in the crowded GOP primary to take on Nevada's Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.

"As Governor, Joe will fiercely Protect our under-siege Second Amendment, Oppose Sanctuary Cities, Support our Law Enforcement, Veto any Liberal Tax Increase, Protect Life, and Secure our Elections," Trump said in a Thursday night statement.

The GOP primary, which is set for June 14, also features North Vegas Mayor John Lee, venture capitalist Guy Nohra, and former Sen. Dean Heller, who Trump supported in 2018 after pressuring Heller to vote to repeal the 2010 health care law. Heller lost re-election that year by 5 percentage points.

In statements to the Las Vegas Sun, Lee said Trump "made the wrong decision" while Nohra said he would "work hard to earn every vote as I have promised." Heller's campaign manager Jack Finn said Trump's endorsement is "not going to change our approach one bit."

Democrats used Trump's decision to weigh in on the race as an opportunity to blast Lombardo.

"After months of flailing on the campaign trail and getting pummeled on the airwaves by his opponents, Joe Lombardo's campaign is on life support and desperately called on the one person he claimed he wouldn't seek out," Nevada Democratic Victory spokesperson Mallory Payne said in a statement. Payne was referring to Lombardo's pushback on reporters' questioning whether he would seek Trump's endorsement.

Nevada is a top target for Republicans in November. President Joe Biden carried the state by just 2 points in 2020 after Hillary Clinton won the Silver State by the same margin in 2016.

Super PAC hits Vance on Ukraine war comments

A super PAC backing former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel is up with a new ad criticizing author J.D. Vance as "weak" on Ukraine because of past comments about his ambivalence to the war's outcome.

The ad quotes Vance saying "I gotta be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another." The spot goes on to call Vance's comments "music to Putin's ears," evoking the state's Ukrainian population.

"Wrote a book trashing Ohioans as hillbillies, then sold his story to Hollywood. J.D. Vance, liberal elite, not for Ohio," the ad ends.

The clip comes from an interview with Steve Bannon, who was previously a top aide to former President Donald Trump. In it, Vance added that "I do care about the fact that in my community right now the leading cause of death among 18-45 year olds is Mexican fentanyl that's coming across the southern border."

Vance subsequently put out a statement calling "Russia's assault on Ukraine is unquestionably a tragedy," and saying that America "must avoid blundering our way into the conflict there."

But the Republican's primary opponents have used Vance's comments against him - state Sen. Matt Dolan wrote in a subsequent op-ed that "The misguided and shameful notion that we, as Ohioans and Americans, shouldn't care about what happens in Ukraine is wrong."

Poll: Wisconsin Senate Democratic primary in dead heat

A new poll of Wisconsin's Senate Democratic primary shows two candidates at the top of the field - Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry - but almost a majority of likely Democratic primary voters unsure of who they support.

Marquette University's poll found Barnes with support from 19 percent, with Lasry close behind at 16. State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski is at 7 percent and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson with 5 percent. The margin of error for the poll, conducted between April 19-24 of 363 likely primary voters, is 6.6 percent.

The results represent a downtick in support for Barnes since Marquette's February poll - down from 23 percent. Lasry has seen a slight improvement from 13 percent in April, and Godlewski's support grew from 3 percent to 7 percent.

Lasry has spent markedly more than the the rest of the field on advertising: $5.6 million, per AdImpact. Godelwski has spent $1.6 million, while Barnes has spent just $94,000.

In the other big primary in the state, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch leads the GOP gubernatorial primary with 32 percent, with military veteran Kevin Nicholson at 10 percent and state Assemblyman Tim Ramthun at 5 percent.

As far as voter enthusiasm ahead of November, Republicans and Democrats had similar levels of enthusiasm. Eighty-one percent of Republicans and 84 percent of Democrats said they were either very or somewhat enthusiastic to vote in November.

Maryland Democratic candidates for governor face Baltimore voters in forum

BALTIMORE - Seven of the ten Maryland Democrats running for governor gathered for an economic empowerment forum here on Tuesday night where they discussed the city's issues and laid out their positions on proposed solutions.

For the candidates, it's a crucial city to court. In the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary, Baltimore City voters made up 14.3 percent of the primary electorate, the fourth largest county in the state by proportion of voters.

And it has plenty of issues for candidates to talk about - the city is last in the state in high school graduation rate, has the highest rate of homelessness in the state and the highest rate of crime per 100,000 people of any other county in the state. And in eight years under Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, Baltimore has seen a public transit plan for the city axed and funding withheld from some public schools.

It was with that backdrop that voters got a chance to scrutinize most of the candidates at Coppin State University in West Baltimore on Tuesday.

The candidates - former Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, nonprofit leader Jon Baron, state Comptroller Peter Franchot, former state Attorney General Doug Gansler, former nonprofit executive Wes Moore, former U.S. Secretary of Education Tom Perez and philosopher Jerome Segal - discussed their plans to tackle criminal justice reform, economic inequality and expanding public transit.

Three candidates were not in attendance - former U.S. Secretary of Education John King, teacher Ralph Jaffe and Ashwani Jain, a former staffer in the Obama administration.

The candidates weighed in on their stances on the transit system, and explained their plans to implement the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, an education bill passed by the state legislature in 2021.

On criminal justice reform, the candidates agreed there was more to be done to reform Baltimore's police department, which has been embroiled in multiple scandals in the last ten years, including the 2015 death of an unarmed Black man, Freddie Gray, in police custody.

Baker touted his record on police reform as a county executive, telling viewers, "by the time I left, we had not only reduced crime by 50 percent, we also had reduced arrests."

He added, "Here's the thing. In this city, we have had over 2,000 murders over the last eight years. That is unacceptable."

There's very little light between the candidates in this race - all tout relatively progressive stances on everything from funding for Maryland's four HBCUs, K-12 education, transit and criminal justice. But questions about electability in a general election are creeping in.

Maryland is a deeply Democratic state - President Joe Biden won the state by more than 30 points in 2020. But, Hogan, a Republican, won the governor's mansion for two terms in a row.

Gansler was the only one to bring up the subject on Tuesday, arguing that someone who has won a statewide election would be the best bet in a general election.

"We just need a governor who cares about Baltimore, which is why it's going to be so important to elect a Democrat that can actually win," he told voters.

All ten candidates have less than three months left until the July 19 primary that was was pushed back from June due to redistricting issues.

The Democratic nominee will face one of four Republican candidates for governor - state Rep. Dan Cox, former state Commerce Secretary Kelly Schultz, attorney Robin Ficker and Joe Werner, who previously ran for office as a Democrat.

New poll shows warning signs for Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania' Senate primary

A new Monmouth University poll of Pennsylvania's upcoming Senate primaries next month contains warning signs for Dr. Mehmet Oz in the GOP contest, despite the celebrity doctor recently receiving former President Donald Trump's endorsement.

Notably, the poll doesn't have horserace numbers (this comes after Monmouth's decision to stop election polling after erring in last year's gubernational race in New Jersey).

But the other numbers - favorable/unfavorable scores, more likely/less likely to vote) - show Oz faring worse than rival David McCormick.
Favorable/unfavorable scores

David McCormick 51 percent favorable, 15 percent unfavorable.

Mehmet Oz 48 percent favorable, 37 percent unfavorable.

Jeff Bartos 28 percent favorable, 6 percent unfavorable.

Kathy Barnette 37 percent favorable. 5 percent unfavorable.

More likely/less likely to support

McCormick 61 percent likely to support (including 19 percent very likely) vs. 29 percent not likely to support.

Oz 51 percent likely to support (including 22 percent very likely) vs. 42 percent not likely to support.

Barnette 51 percent likely to support (including 18 percent very likely) vs. 33 percent not likely to support.

Bartos 45 percent likely to support (including 7 percent very likely) vs. 39 percent not likely to support.

Asked specifically about Trump's endorsement of Oz, 22 percent of GOP voters say it gives them a more favorable view of Oz, 8 percent say a less favorable view, and 69 percent say it makes no difference.

For the Democratic Senate primary, frontrunners Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Congressman Conor Lamb both enjoy positive numbers, but Fetterman's are stronger.
Favorable/unfavorable scores

John Fetterman 68 percent favorable, 5 percent unfavorable.

Conor Lamb 51 percent favorable, 6 percent unfavorable.

Malcom Kenyatta 32 percent favorable, 4 percent unfavorable.

More likely/less likely to support

Fetterman 74 percent likely to support (including 44 percent very likely) vs. 13 percent not likely to support.

Lamb 59 percent likely to support (including 23 percent very likely) vs. 24 percent not likely to support.

Kenyatta 40 percent likely to support (including 14 percent very likely) vs. 45 percent not likely to support.

The Monmouth poll of Pennsylvania was conducted April 20-25, and it has a maximum margin of error of plus-minus 4.9 percentage points.

Midterm roundup: Ad-Vance-ing in the polls

WASHINGTON - Next week's Ohio primary will be the first big test of whether former President Donald Trump's endorsement can propel a candidate to victory, and a new poll shows that it might.

Fox News released a poll of the GOP Senate primary showing Trump's pick in the race, "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, at 23 percent among Republican primary voters - followed by former state Treasurer Josh Mandel at 18 percent, investment banker Mike Gibbons at 13 percent, state Sen. Matt Dolan at 11 percent and former state GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken at 6 percent.

Importantly, Vance's 5-point lead is within the poll's margin of error, and 25 percent of GOP primary voters say they're still undecided.

Meanwhile, the race has pitted Trump against Club for Growth Action, threatening their alliance, per The New York Times. The group, which is backing Mandel, launched a new ad with footage of Vance describing himself as a "Never Trumper."
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Georgia Senate: Former football player Herschel Walker reserved $1 million in airtime in his first major TV buy of the Georgia Senate race tracked by AdImpact. Walker is Trump's pick in the race, and he is favored to win the May 24 GOP primary. His first TV ad is a 30-second bio spot that also touts Trump's endorsement.

Utah Senate: Republican Sen. Mike Lee is out with a new spo t framing him as someone who hasn't been changed by Washington.

Florida Governor: The Dispatch reports that Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist has only voted in person four days of this House session, with his spokeswoman saying "the proxy offers a great way to ensure his constituents' voices continue to be heard" while he's running for governor.

Kansas Governor: Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is up with a new spot where she literally stands in the middle of the road to argue she's "not too far right, or too far left."

Maryland Governor: At an economic empowerment event in Baltimore last night, seven of 10 candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor discussed their plans for criminal justice reform, the implementation of new public transit and education.

North Carolina 11: Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn had a rough news day, first accused of bringing a gun to the airport before a new report from the Washington Examiner questioning whether he improperly touted a cryptocurrency based on the "Let's Go Brandon" meme.

Texas 28: South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn is heading to Texas to stump for Rep. Henry Cuellar before next month's Democratic primary runoff.

McCormick hits Oz over Trump endorsement in new ad

After Monday night's Republicans debate in Pennsylvania's Senate race, where Mehmet Oz touted his endorsement from former President Donald Trump, rival David McCormick has released a new TV ad directly addressing Trump's endorsement of Oz.

"I like Trump," says one voter in ad.

"I love Trump," says another.

"But not his Senate pick," says a third voter.

"Trump made a mistake on this," says a fourth.

McCormick struck the same themes in Monday night's debate, where he told voters, "the reason Mehmet keeps talking about President Trump's endorsement is because he can't run on his own positions and his own record."

Oz did tout his endorsement from Trump multiple times on the debate stage Monday night. At one point he said, "Mr. McCormick approached President Trump ... but was unable to pull the wool over his eyes. President Trump saw right through him. He therefore did not endorse Mr. McCormick, he did endorse me."

This commercial is the latest in an ad war between Oz and McCormick, who have spent over $20 million combined on the airwaves so far, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.

Oz and McCormick are neck-and-neck in the race and have been at a near tie in recent local polling. The state's primary is just three weeks away, on May 17.

Cisneros attacks Cuellar on abortion ahead of May runoff

Texas Democrat Jessica Cisneros has launched her first new ad ahead of her runoff election against Repp. Henry Cuellar, a spot that criticizes the incumbent for his 2021 vote against expanding abortion access.

The ad's narrator begins the spot by mentioning Texas' strict abortion law, which went into effect last year and is being challenged in court. It goes on to note that Cuellar, shortly after the state law passed, voted against a federal law that aimed to codify abortion rights protections.

Cuellar was "the lone Democrat against a woman's right to make her own decisions," the narrator says.

"On May 24, you can have the last word. Jessica Cisneros is the pro-choice candidate who will fight for our health care and always protect our right to make our own decisions."

Cuellar has long been to the right of his party's base on emotional issues like immigration and abortion, something that has fueled progressives like Cisneros to oppose him. But the longtime congressman has defended himself from those attacks for years, arguing he's representing the will of his constituents and that he delivers for the district.

The latter is the focus of a new Cuellar ad, where a woman says: "Henry helps us with prescriptions and Social Security benefits. If we lose him in Congress, we lose everything."

Pa. Democratic Senate primary to see increased ad spending as challengers try to catch Fetterman

With just a few weeks left before Pennsylvania's midterm primary election, candidates have started to target the frontrunner in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has led in the polls and was dominating the campaign ad airwaves up until a few weeks ago. One of the first outside groups to attack him, a pro-Rep. Conor Lamb group called Pennsylvania Progress, drew ire from establishment Democrats for calling Fetterman a "silver spoon socialist."

Since then, Fetterman has had to engage in two debates with his rival candidates - Lamb, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and Jenkintown Borough Council member Alexandria Khalil - where he's been questioned about a 2013 incident where he pointed a firearm at an unarmed Black jogger. The incident was briefly mentioned again at the most recent debate Monday night where Fetterman again denied the allegation that he pointed the gun at the man's chest, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

His candidacy has also been criticized as being too progressive to win a general election in Pennsylvania. and in Monday's debate, he flashed some progressivism by arguing that government spending packages passed under the Biden administration didn't contribute to rising inflation.

The contest is about to expand to the airwaves. Through Tuesday, Fetterman has spent the most on TV ads of all the Democratic candidates and groups - over $3.5 million according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm. Lamb has spent over $1.4 million and Kenyatta trails at less than $100,000.

Outside groups have spent less than Fetterman as well, with Pennsylvania Progress, the group that called him a socialist, having spent $1.2 million before today.

But looking ahead, Fetterman could be outspent in the remaining days leading up to the May 17 primary. For the period between Tuesday and May 17, Lamb has secured $1.3 million worth of ad space and Fetterman has only secured $714,000 worth, according to AdImpact.

Pennsylvania Progress has also already planned over $230,000 worth of ad time.

Oregon Democrat touts Biden endorsement in new TV ad

Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., has launched a new TV ad touting President Joe Biden's endorsement ahead of the May 17 primary.

The 30-second spot features footage of Biden praising Schrader earlier this month, saying the seven-term congressman has "played a key part in the progress we've made as a nation on jobs, economic growth and clean energy. And he's [a] strong and consistent voice to make sure we modernize infrastructure and help Oregon and everyone all across America."

Schrader is a member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, and he led the group's political arm. Schrader has broken with Biden on some high-profile votes, including as one of two Democrats who voted against Biden's so-called American Rescue Plan for pandemic relief. He also opposed a proposal that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs.

Schrader is now trying is trying to fend off a primary challenge from his left in the newly drawn 5th District. He faces former Talent City Manager Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who has been endorsed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Roughly $2.5 million has been spent on ads in the race, which has divided national and local Democrats. A trio of outside groups, including two with ties to the pharmaceutical industry, has spent a combined $1 million on ads supporting the congressman, according to the ad tracking firm, AdImpact. McLeod-Skinner has only spent $100,000 on the airwaves.

Midterm roundup: Peach State poll

A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll shows Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp with a significant lead over his GOP primary challenger, former Sen. David Perdue, despite Perdue running with former President Donald Trump's endorsement. A majority of likely GOP voters - 53 percent - back Kemp, while 27 percent support Perdue.

Kemp needs to win a majority of the May 24 primary vote to avoid a runoff.

Trump, for his part, is sticking by Perdue, saying in a statement last night, "it is not easy to beat an incumbent, however, if our voters turn out, David Perdue will win in a landslide."

The poll also finds 66 percent of likely primary voters supporting former football player Herschel Walker, who has Trump's backing in the Senate race, while the other candidates polled in the single digits. Roughly 23 percent said they were undecided.

The University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs conducted the poll, surveying 866 likely primary voters from April 10-22. The survey had margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Colorado Senate: Republican Joe O'Dea is up with a new ad touting his business career, highlighting his support for the military and police, as well as a promise to "stop inflation."

Ohio Senate: Former state Treasurer Josh Mandel has a new ad that features footage of Trump-backed candidate J.D. Vance saying he's a "never-Trumper."

Florida Governor: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a new bill that creates an election police unit for the state that will investigate voter fraud and other election-related crimes.

Pennsylvania Governor: Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the top Democrat in the gubernatorial race, is up with his first TV ads with a minute-long bio spot and an ad highlighting his work against predatory student loan companies.

Texas Governor: Democrat Beto O'Rourke tested positive for Covid, and says his symptoms are mild.

Wisconsin Governor: GOP businessman Tim Michels launched his gubernatorial bid Monday that he says he will fund primarily with his own personal wealth.

Ohio 11: The Democratic Majority for Israel PAC goes after former Bernie Sanders campaign co-chair Nina Turner in a new ad as Turner takes on Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown in a primary rematch.

Kansas redistricting: A district court judge rejected the GOP legislature's congressional map, ordering the legislature to draft another one that is less partisan and does not dilute the power of minority groups.

Climate agenda: NBC's Julie Tsirkin reports that West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski organized a bipartisan meeting to discuss the possibility of a bipartisan climate and energy security bill, including seven GOP senators, eight Democratic senators and three House members.

Young Americans sour on Biden, politics broadly

Young Americans could still turn out in droves in the midterms, but they're souring on President Joe Biden and politics writ large, according to a new online poll from the Harvard Institute of Politics. The new survey comes amid Democratic fears that a depressed youth turnout could hurt their chances in November.

A majority of 18 to 29 year-olds surveyed in the poll agreed that "politics today are no longer able to meet the challenges our country is facing." Just 41 percent of young Americans approved of Biden, which is down from a similar survey conducted in the late fall, which found 46 percent of young Americans approved of Biden.

The online poll, which had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points, did find that young voters expressed interest in the upcoming midterm elections, with 36 percent saying they will definitely vote. That figure was at 37 percent during the 2018 midterms, which saw record high youth turnout for a midterm.

Young Americans also still tend to favor Democrats, with 55 percent saying they preferred Democratic control of Congress, and 34 percent saying they preferred GOP control. B

But Young Republicans reported an increase in enthusiasm about the election, while Democratic enthusiasm dropped compared to 2018.

That year, 51 percent of Democrats said they were more likely to vote, while 46 percent now say the same. Meanwhile 43 percent of Republicans said they were more likely to vote, an increase from the 36 percent who said the same in 2018.

"While this is an off-year election; there's no evidence in this survey that young Americans are off the grid," IOP Polling Director John Della Volpe said in a statement. "Their contempt for a system that favors the elite and is overwhelmingly partisan is clear, but at the same time they see a role for government and are unlikely to abandon those most in need."

The poll surveyed 2,024 18 to 29 year-olds online from March 15 through March 30.

Ad Watch: Democratic senate candidate hits both parties in new spot

Republicans appear to have a midterm strategy to win over voters this year - attack President Joe Biden and Democrats over inflation and immigration. On top of those issues, Democrats are also facing a stalled agenda, and a war between Russia and Ukraine as they have struggled to settle on a unified message.

In North Carolina, Democrat Cheri Beasley, a former state Supreme Court chief justice, is trying out one message she hopes will resonate with voters: Blame both parties.

In a new ad out Monday, Beasley tells voters, "Looking at Washington, I think both parties are doing the job wrong. Instead of focusing on what people care about, they get caught up in political games."

Beasley is not the only candidate distancing herself from both parties to gain favor with voters. Earlier this month, Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, ran an ad in his campaign for U.S. Senate where he said, "We can't afford to be Democrats and Republicans. Right now, we have to be Americans first."

Both Beasley and Ryan are running in states with incumbent Republican senators. Ryan is running to fill Sen. Rob Portman's, R-Ohio, seat when he retires at the end of his term. Beasley is looking to flip Sen. Richard Burr's, R-N.C., seat when he retires at the end of his term.

In Georgia, too, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., has struggled to find a message to entice voters after just one year in office, where Democrats failed to pass any major piece of President Biden's agenda. In a recent ad, he highlighted just that - his newness to the Senate.

"In just a year in the Senate did I think I could fix Washington? Of course not," he says in the ad, trying to convince voters that he needs a full term to make a big difference.

NRSC targets Mark Kelly on immigration

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is targeting Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., in a new ad campaign in the senator's home state.

While Arizona Republicans won't have an official nominee to replace Kelly until after the August 3 primary, the NRSC - the campaign arm for Senate Republicans - is filling the void when it comes to attacking the Democrat.

The ad's narrator claims that "Kelly votes 97% with Biden. He voted for sanctuary cities, for benefits to illegals and against a border wall."

"Tell Senator Kelly stop voting with Biden and against Arizona," the ad continues.

Kelly has voted with Biden's agenda 97.7 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. But he's also opposing the president on at least one major immigration issue - the administration's plan to lift Title 42, a pandemic-era rule that prohibited migrants seeking asylum from crossing the border.

Kelly and a bipartisan group of senators even introduced a bill to delay the lifting of Title 42, which is currently set to end on May 23.

The NRSC is running ads targeting Kelly in English and Spanish, hoping to appeal to Arizona's large Spanish-speaking population.

"This will continue to be an important theme in both English and Spanish advertising," Chris Hartline, the NRSC's communications director told NBC News.

This particular commercial is part of a seven-figure ad buy, Hartline added.

He also said that the group will continue to attack Kelly on other themes, too, including inflation and his past in business.

David Perdue's 2022 gubernatorial bid has been mostly about 2020

In Georgia's upcoming Republican gubernatorial primary, former Sen. David Perdue has relied - almost entirely - on Donald Trump and relitigating the former president's discredited claims about fraud in the 2020 presidential election, according to an analysis of Perdue's ads, speeches and tweets in his contest against incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

All five of Perdue's television ads have mentioned the 2020 election or election security, and they all prominently feature Trump's endorsement.

"Kemp is just another establishment politician who fought Trump," Perdue says in his most recent ad. "I'll make sure our elections are never stolen again," he continues, arguing that Kemp shouldn't have certified the 2020 presidential election results after Joe Biden defeated Trump in the Peach State by more than 11,000 votes.

In Perdue's five-minute speech at Trump's rally in Commerce, Ga., in March, all five minutes were dedicated to Trump's presidential record, the 2020 election and Perdue's top campaign issue of establishing an election law enforcement agency and eradicating Dominion voting machines.

"In the state of Georgia, thanks to Brian Kemp, our elections in 2020 were absolutely stolen," Perdue said.

And of Perdue's nearly 70 tweets since March 1, 17 have mentioned Trump; four have mentioned Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr.; eight have mentioned 2020 election theories or allegations of fraud; and only four mention other issues - like eliminating the state income tax and education.

"President Trump endorsed me because he knows Kemp can't defeat Abrams in November. Kemp abandoned conservatives, divided our party, and can't pull us together," Perdue, the former senator who lost his seat in Jan. 2021, tweeted back in March.

"Georgia conservatives have been abandoned by Kemp, and he cannot pull the party together to win the general election," Perdue's campaign said in a statement to NBC News.

"While David Perdue continues to run a failing campaign based on lies about Brian Kemp's record, Gov. Kemp will continue to tell the truth, [and] share his record with Georgia voters," said Cody Hall, Kemp's communications director, responds.

Polls have consistently shown Kemp leading Perdue in the May 24 primary, with one Fox News poll from March putting the incumbent governor ahead by double digits.

Still, Charles Bullock, a political-science professor at the University Georgia, points to recent polling finding that nearly half of Republican voters believe Trump's endorsement is very or somewhat important, as well as three-quarters of them saying that widespread voter fraud took place in 2020.

In fact, Perdue allies point to how Trump's endorsement of Kemp in 2018 catapulted him to the governor's mansion four years ago.

If no candidate clears 50 percent of the vote next month, this GOP gubernatorial primary will head to a June 21 runoff, and the winner will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in November.

Rivals confront Fetterman at debate over 2013 gun incident

Pennsylvania Senate Democratic hopefuls Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta pushed Lt. Gov. John Fetterman onto the defensive during Thursday's primary debate over questions about a 2013 incident when Fetterman confronted an unarmed Black jogger with a shotgun after saying he heard gunshots.

Asked if he would do anything differently about the incident today, Fetterman recounted the situation and said that: "It's not it's certainly not a situation that anyone would want to be involved with with gun violence. But I'd like to point out that I'm the only Democrat on this stage that has successfully confronted crime and gun violence and has been in charge of a police department."

He quickly clashed with his rivals over the question of whether he pointed his gun at the jogger, Christopher Miyares. Miyares has said that Fetterman pointed the gun at his chest, but Fetterman has repeatedly denied that charge. When the lieutenant governor describes the incident, he has said he had his gun but never pointed it at Miyares.

"Not only will John not admit that to pointing, he won't admit that he was pointing the gun at this person," Lamb said during the debate.

"He also won't really answer your question as to whether he did anything wrong and should have done it differently. And I just think that's disqualifying for any of us who have to work hard to gain the trust of the black community."

Then state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who is Black, repeatedly asked Fetterman if he would apologize for the incident. After Fetterman denied pointing the gun at the man and repeated his comments that he "successfully confronted gun violence" in his town while mayor, Kenyatta replied: "You're the only Democrat who used a shotgun to chase down an unarmed black man."

While the conversation about the incident may have been the flashpoint of the debate, the three candidates mixed it up on a variety of other issues.

Lamb and Kenyatta came out against suspending the federal gas tax, something Fetterman said he'd support. Lamb and Fetterman supported extending the Title 42 pandemic border policy that has blocked asylum on the Southern border, and split on Philadelphia's recent, and brief, reimposition of its indoor mask mandate (Fetterman and Kenyatta against it, with Lamb supportive of it).

And the group tangled over Fetterman's support for a tax on the wealthiest individuals. Fetterman responded to a question from the moderator about what income levels he'd want a wealth tax to apply for by saying "you know it when you see it."

That prompted both Lamb and Kenyatta to attack, criticizing Fetterman for offering a lack of specifics.

The race for Indiana's ninth district heats up on the airwaves

Indiana's primary election is less than two weeks away, and the Republican fight for the state's ninth Congressional District is heating up on the airwaves.

The seat is up for grabs in the wake of Rep. Trey Hollingsworth's decision not to seek another term, setting up a battle featuring nine candidates, three of whom have been spending on TV ads.

Stu Barnes-Israel, a veteran who's running for the Republican nomination, has been up on the air for weeks. In an ad from March, he touts his "conservative plan" to "fight for freedom, lower gas prices and secure the southern border."

Barnes-Israel has also had an outside group, Hoosier Values, running ads in his favor.

In one such ad, the narrator says, "Hoosiers don't need another politician in Congress. We need a conservative outsider. Stu Barnes Israel."

"Stu supports a strong military and opposes Biden's disastrous foreign policy," the narrator adds later.

Barnes-Israel has also earned endorsements from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

His most prominent opponents are two candidates who have run for the seat before - businessman Mike Sodrel and former state Sen. Erin Houchin. Sodrel even served as the representative for this district for one term from 2005 to 2007.

Sodrel's ads have focused on inflation, with a narrator telling voters "Mike Sodrel will work to get American energy independent again, stop inflation and lower prices at the gas pump."

He's also got an outside group running ads to support him and attack Houchin.

"Career politician Erin Houchin has failed us. It's time to drain the swamp," a narrator says in an ad funded by the House Freedom Action. The group supports conservative candidates in congressional elections across the country. In Wyoming, they're backing an opponent to Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and in Colorado, they support right wing Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

Meanwhile, Houchin has been touting her record in state politics in an ad.

"To save America, we have to fight," she says. "I fought Biden's mandates, and won. After the 2020 election, I wrote the bill to require photo ID for everyone. I authored the ban on critical race theory and have been the state's number one defender of our law enforcement officers."

She adds, "I'm pro-life, pro-Trump, pro-Second Amendment."

Of the candidates, Sodrel has spent the most on ads so far, dropping $225,000, per AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm. Houchin is behind him, having spent $133,000 and Barnes-Israel trails, with only $111,000 spent on ads.

Sanders advisor: Democrats need to use power, authority

Faiz Shakir, a senior advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders and his former campaign manager called on Democrats to embrace a more progressive stance in the midterm elections in an interview with MTP Daily Thursday.

Shakir discussed a memo he recently wrote to Sanders supporters, in which he argued that a progressive agenda is popular and can work to win elections.

"The Democratic Party is certainly losing some support," Shakir said on Thursday. "Who are they losing support with? Young people, working class people, disaffected people who have become cynical about politics. Who speaks to them? How do you get people who aren't already with you? And I think Senator Sanders' vision does that."

Watch the full interview:

Outside group hits Alabama GOP's Mike Durant on gun comments

A new ad in Alabama's hotly contested GOP Senate primary uses old footage of Mike Durant talking about gun regulations to argue that he's a "RINO," or a Republican In Name Only.

The new spot from Alabama RINO PAC, which popped up earlier this year to attack Durant, relies on recently unearthed footage of Durant in 2011, when he said: "From a military perspective, the first thing that needs to be done is to disarm the population. Let's face it, if we could do that in some of our U.S. cities, that would be a pretty good step toward law and order. But, you ever ask yourself: Why don't we do it here? Because it's hard. It could result in rioting and widespread rebellion, making the situation worse."

While the comments are more than a decade old, they were recently unearthed by the conservative media website Breitbart. In response, Durant told the Rightside Radio show that the comments were "mischaracterized" and that he's "absolutely pro-2nd amendment" with his "own collection of weapons."

"I was an attack helicopter pilot in special aviation operations. I shoot more rounds every month than most people shoot in their lives. You know, this is just typical. If this is the best you can do ... my opponents can dig up something from 10 years ago that wasn't really what I was saying, then, you know, I guess it's part of the game. But to me, it's really meaningless."

Durant is running primarily against former GOP Senate aide Katie Britt and Rep. Mo Brooks, who had been endorsed by former President Trump before he rescinded his endorsement.

Alabama RINO PAC has spent about $630,000 on ads in the race so far, far less than other outside groups - the Club for Growth, which is backing Brooks, has spent $3.5 million and Alabama's Future, which has opposed Brooks, has spent $3.7 million, per ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

Durant has spent more on advertising than any other candidate with $2.4 million, ahead of Britt's $1.9 million.

UPDATE: Durant launched an ad on Friday responding to the super PAC spot, calling it a "false attack ad."

March NBC poll found country split over transportation mask mandate

In light of the recent federal court decision that halted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask mandate on public transportation, NBC's last poll in March found a slight majority supported keeping the mandate in effect.

FIfty-one percent said that the government should continue to require face masks on public transportation, with 46 percent saying that they wanted the government to end the requirement (within the poll's 3.1 percent margin of error).

Out of those who wanted the mandate to continue, 38 percent wanted it to last longer than 6 more months, 28 percent wanted it to last between 4-6 months, 16 percent wanted it to last 2-3 more months and 3 percent said they wanted it to last for the next month.

The main fault lines on the issue were by political leaning and race. Eighty-four percent of Democrats supported keeping the mandate in place, but just 22 percent of Republicans.

People of color (70 percent keep, 27 percent end mask mandate) were far more likely than whites (43 percent keep, 55 percent end) to support the mandate's extension.

NBC polled 1,000 adults from March 18-23, about a month before this week's decision U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle for the Middle District of Florida that the CDC lacked the authority to impose the mandate. The Justice Department is appealing the ruling, but right now, the mandate is not being enforced.

Rep. Joe Wilson endorses primary challenger against fellow SC Rep. Nancy Mace

GOP Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., has endorsed Republican Katie Arrington in her primary bid against one of his own colleagues, fellow GOP South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace.

"Katie is a proven fighter for our conservative principles of limited government with expanded freedom which provides for a strong national defense and the safeguarding of our border," Wilson said in a statement first reported by The State Newspaper. Wilson garnered national attention for shouting, "You lie!" during former President Barack Obama's 2009 State of the Union address.

Mace responded by saying that Wilson is not sufficiently conservative and that he "is the reason we need term limits in Congress."

It's unusual, but not unprecedented, for a House member to back a primary challenger taking on one of his or her colleagues. Four Democratic House members, for example, have endorsed attorney Jessica Cisneros over Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Arrington in February, setting up the primary as a test of Trump's influence in the party. Mace sharply criticized Trump after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, but she was not one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him for inciting an insurrection.

Mace has argued that she is best positioned to win the 1st District in November. Arrington lost the 1st District in 2018 after defeating another Trump critic, former GOP Rep. Mark Sanford, in a Republican primary. The 1st District did become more Republican after redistricting, per 538. The Cook Political Report rates the 1st District race Solid Republican.

Like other Republicans facing Trump-backed primary challengers, Mace outraised Arrington in the first fundraising quarter of the year. Mace raised $863,000, ending the quarter with $2 million in her campaign account, while Arrington raised $814,000 and had $754,000 on hand.

The South Carolina primary is set for June 14.

Bernie Sanders' campaign memo had advice for his candidates. So who has he endorsed?

Sen. Bernie Sanders' former campaign manager Faiz Shakir made headlines for a memo that pointedly reminded us all that the Vermont Independent hasn't ruled out another run for president in 2024.

The memo that caused all the stir, addressed to Sanders' "allies," was mainly directed at candidates on the ballot this year, detailing a list of suggestions for how Sanders' preferred candidates should respond to questions about his endorsement.

Yet Sanders has only endorsed eight candidates so far, and a majority are running in deeply Democratic areas.

He's only backed one candidate for Senate - Vermont Democratic Rep. Peter Welch, who is running for his home state's open Senate seat. Sanders has also backed two House candidates taking on Democratic incumbents in primaries: attorney Jessica Cisneros, who faces Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, in a May 24 primary runoff next month, and Nina Turner, his presidential campaign co-chair who is taking on Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown in a May 3 primary.

Three Democrats running in solidly Democratic open House seats have also earned Sanders' endorsement. Former Austin City Councilman Greg Casar won the Democratic primary in Texas' 35th District in March, while state Rep. Jasmine Crockett is competing in a primary runoff on Texas' 30th District. Sanders has also endorsed state Rep. Summer Lee, who is running in the open 12th District race in Pittsburgh. Lee's primary is set for May 17.

Democrat Lee Merritt of Texas had Sanders' backing in his failed bid for Texas attorney general. Sanders has also endorsed Los Angeles City Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo.

Of these candidates, Cisneros has taken the most heat for her progressive policies. Shakir did provide some advice for candidates like Cisneros, encouraging them to embrace Sanders' endorsement.

"Sen. Sanders is putting forward an extremely popular vision for the Democratic Party that will win back critical support that we have lost," he wrote.

Shakir also noted at the end of the memo that Sanders "is interested in endorsing more candidates."

Jonathan Allen contributed to this report.

Even small bipartisan efforts becomes baggage in GOP primary races

Even Republican incumbents who seemingly made all the right moves to avoid an intra-party challenge in the 2022 midterm elections are finding that any hint of working across the political aisle can be fodder for attacks on their party purity.

Take, for example, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., who recently became the subject of an attack ad from a super PAC called the Arkansas Patriot Fund - an ad which singled out Boozman's votes to confirm eight of President Joe Biden's cabinet nominees early in his presidential term.

Historically, bipartisan votes for presidential nominees have not been a flash point for primary contests unless a nominee is particularly controversial. And Boozman is one of the most conservative members of the Senate, only voting with Biden's agenda 34.1 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. Only 16 senators vote with Biden less often, according to the analysis.

President Donald Trump has even endorsed Boozman, a move that's usually considered a conservative seal of approval. But that hasn't stopped the Arkansas Patriots Fund from calling the senator "Biden's favorite Republican."

Arkansas Patriots Fund is a PAC that supports Boozman's primary challenger, veteran Jake Bequette. It's funded by Republican mega-donor Richard Uihlein, the founder of shipping and packing supply company Uline. He's a donor to other conservative groups, including Club for Growth Action.

The GOP infighting over working with the other party has also popped up in Nevada, where one Republican primary candidate for governor, John Lee, is attacking another, Joe Lombardo, in a TV ad for being Nevada Democratic Gov. "Steve Sisolak's favorite Republican."

The narrator in the ad accuses Lombardo for being too liberal because he served on Sisolak's transition team when he became governor.

Lombardo and Sisolak are distant now, but originally became friends in the aftermath of the 2017 mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas. At the time, Lombardo was the Clark County sheriff and Sisolak was head of the Clark County Commission.

The attacks reflect the more ideologically conservative primary electorate, said Dr. Lawrence Jacobs, the Director of the Center for the Study of Politics & Governance at the University of Minnesota and author of the book "Democracy under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History."

"It's a very small number of people who are involved in the primaries, and they are exercising enormous influence," Jacobs said.

Jacobs added that primary voters " tend to be much more ideologically extreme, whereas most Americans tend to be a bit more moderate and they're willing to look at compromise."

Nationally, a 2021 Morning Consult poll found that 71 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Republicans agreed with the statement, "the policies with bipartisan support are the best policies."

The same poll found that 78 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans agreed with the statement, "I respect politicians more when they make efforts to get bipartisan support."

Midterm roundup: Granite State Grind

President Joe Biden traveled to New Hampshire Tuesday, where he was joined by two Democrats facing tough re-election fights: Sen. Maggie Hassan and Rep. Chris Pappas. Both lawmakers also got shoutouts from the president for their work on the bipartisan infrastructure package, per NBC News' Mike Memoli.

Their appearances at Biden's event shows that some vulnerable Democrats may not be skittish about appearing with Biden, even as his approval ratings hit new lows - and especially when they can tout new infrastructure spending.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
California Senate: A tech executive is defending his quixotic Senate bid amid allegations it's a personal vendetta (Dan O'Dowd's first ad dropped this week, which attacks Tesla over its self-driving cars).

Georgia Senate: In Sen. Raphael Warnock's new ad, the Democrat tells viewers that he knew he couldn't "fix Washington" in just one year because he's not a magician, but touts the work he has done since taking office.

North Carolina Senate: The Club for Growth, which is backing Rep. Ted Budd, is running a new spot where Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson criticizes Budd's Senate GOP primary rival, former Gov. Pat McCrory, calling him " a nice guy, but he's no conservative."

Pennsylvania Senate: Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has a new TV ad up in the Democratic primary responding to attack ads from a super PAC backing Rep. Conor Lamb. In the GOP primary, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is headlining a campaign rally for former hedge fund manager David McCormick.

Vermont Senate: Democratic Rep. Peter Welch is up with his first TV spot of his Senate campaign, touting his work as the state's at-large congressman. Welch's campaign reserved $69,000 worth of airtime, per AdImpact.

Florida Governor: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked lawmakers to rescind a special carve-out for Disney that shields it from certain regulations and taxes amid conservatives' anger at the company. Meanwhile, Democratic Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial hopeful Nikki Freid is suing the federal government over a statute that bans marijuana users from owning firearms or getting concealed-carry permits.

Michigan 11: The Democratic primary between Reps. Haley Stevens and Andy Levin has become a proxy war for the party's ideological divides, particularly on Israel, NBC News' Jonathan Allen reports from the 11th District.

Maryland Governor: The family of the incarcerated man that Maryland Democrat Wes Moore partially based his best-selling book off is accusing the Democrat of exploiting their relative's life story.

Nebraska Governor: Republican Charles Herbster, who was accused of groping by eight women, will speak at Trump's April 29 rally in Nebraska.

Tennessee 05: The Tennessee GOP kicked former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus and two other candidates off the primary ballot for failing to vote in three recent GOP primaries and actively participating in the state or local parties. Ortagus, who has Trump's endorsement in the 5th District race, said her team "is evaluating the options before us," NBC News' Allan Smith reports.

Why is Bidenism failing? The NBC News poll offers an answer

Washington Post columnist Perry Bacon Jr. asked a provocative question: Why is Bidenism failing?

Noting President Biden's low poll numbers after more than a year into office - despite pursuing relatively popular policies and trying to be a more unifying president than Donald Trump was - Bacon pointed to centrist complaints that Biden has swung too far left, progressive criticism that he hasn't been progressive enough, and a structural explanation that growing polarization makes it nearly impossible for any president to be popular.

But our NBC News poll offers another answer: It's the leadership. Or at least the perceptions of Biden's leadership.

Biden's approval rating started off relatively strong despite the political polarization - 53 percent approve, 39 percent disapprove in April 2021 - and so did perceptions of his leadership

But by the end of the year - after the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, the Delta and Omicron surges, the end of "Build Back Better" negotiations, and growing signs of inflation - Biden's presidential qualities tumbled, even though the unemployment was falling below 4.0 percent and hundreds of thousands of jobs were being created each month.

Compared with past presidents on these qualities, Biden's numbers on "being easygoing and likeable" were worse than George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's, though far better than Donald Trump's.

But on a perceived Biden strength -- "uniting the country" -- Biden's net rating was lower than Trump's.

And Biden has tied Trump on "being a good commander-in-chief," while significantly trailing Obama, Bush 43 and Bill Clinton on the same question.

The thing about poll numbers is that they can change. Just ask Obama. Or even Trump (who did see his approval rating increase during the course of his presidency).

But to answer why Bidenism is failing - right now - those perceptions above help tell part of the story about Biden's presidency.

Latest fundraising wave shows handful of struggling incumbents in competitive districts

We've already told you about some of the biggest fundraisers of the quarter, but there's a flip-side of the latest round of Federal Election Commission reports - a handful of incumbents who got beat out by their challengers.

Two House members, one from each party, who are running Cook "toss up" races were outraised by challengers of the opposite party in the first fundraising quarter - Michigan Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee and Ohio Republican Rep. Steve Chabot.

Republican self-funder Paul Junge, who raised nearly $1.3 million (including a $1.1 million contribution from Junge himself), outraised Kildee and his $869,000. But Kildee did have more cash on hand, with $2.4 million in the bank to Junge's $1.2 million.

And while Chabot raised raised $197,000 and had $582,000 banked away at the end of the quarter, the top Democrat in his race, Greg Landsman, raised $533,000 and had $419,000 in the bank.

In other competitive, but not "toss up" races:

Iowa Republican Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks (who raised $440,000) was outraised by Democrat Christina Bohannan (who raised $514,000) in her "likely Republican" race.

Former Democratic Rep. Max Rose outraised New York GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis ($706,000) in the "lean Democratic" seat.

Indiana Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan ($178,000) was outraised by Republican Blair Milo ($208,000) in his "likely Democratic" seat.

California Republican Young Kim, who had a strong $1 million quarter, was outraised by Democrat Asif Mahmood, who raised $1.4 million.

And Arizona Democratic Rep. Tom O'Halleran ($579,000) was outraised by Republican Eli Crane ($650,000).

A handful of incumbents in competitive seats were also outraised by their primary challengers as well.

The most stark example was Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was massively outraised by his primary runoff opponent, Jessica Cisneros. Cisneros raised $1.7 million, spending $1.1 million and closing the quarter with more than $1 million. Cuellar raised $753,000, spent $586,000 and had $1.4 million on hand.

GOP Rep. Dave Schweikert, who has long been dogged by ethics issues, was also outraised by a primary challenger, Elijah Norton, because of his challenger's loans to his campaign. Norton loaned his campaign $900,000, totaling almost $1.1 million in receipts for the quarter, while Schweikert, who loaned his campaign $200,000, ended with $380,000 raised for the quarter.

Other incumbents in safe seats were outraised by their primary challengers too, including Illinois Democratic Rep. Danny Davis, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, and New York Democratic Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jamaal Bowman.

Pennsylvania, Ohio top Senate candidate spending

Almost half of Senate candidate spending in competitive races during the first three months of the year was concentrated in two states: Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Senate candidates in the nine races the Cook Political Report rates as competitive spent a combined $111 million, according to fundraising reports filed Friday. Pennsylvania saw the most spending, with $25.7 million, with Ohio a close second with $24.7 million in spending.

Both contests have competitive Republican primaries in May with wealthy candidates spending millions of their own money, while Pennsylvania is also hosting a contested Democratic primary.

Former hedge fund manager David McCormick spent nearly $9.6 million from January through March, surpassing the rest of the GOP field ahead of Pennsylvania's May 17 primary. McCormick was followed by celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who spent 6 million. Lt. Gov John Fetterman led the Democratic field, spending nearly $4.3 million.

Ahead of Ohio's May 3 GOP primary, investment banker Mike Gibbons has spent nearly $8.4 million, followed by state Sen. Matt Dolan, who has spent $6 million. Both have been self-funding their campaigns.

Although Pennsylvania and Ohio saw the most combined spending from candidates, the candidate in a competitive race who spent the most campaign cash in the first quarter was Sen. Raphael Warnock. The Georgia Democrat spent $10.8 million from January through March as he runs for a full term in November.

Warnock accounted for much of the $15.5 million that candidates spent in the Georgia race. In Arizona, candidates spent a combined $12.8 million, while contenders spent $12 million in Wisconsin. Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Rep. Val Demings spent $8.2 million in Florida, while Senate candidates in Nevada spent a combined $6.1 million.

Senate races in North Carolina and Nevada saw the lowest amounts of candidates spending, with $4 million and $2.3 million spent in those races respectively.

Pro-impeachment Republicans outraise Trump challengers

All six of the Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol outraised their Trump-backed primary challengers in the first there months of 2022, new fundraising reports show.

On average, a House incumbent facing a Trump-backed challenger raised nearly twice as much as the primary challenger and ended the quarter with more than three times as much cash on hand

One of the most high-profile Trump critics, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, outraised her primary opponent, Harriet Hageman, $2.9 million to $1.3 million. Cheney also ended the first fundraising quarter on March 31 with significantly more campaign cash. Cheney had $6.8 million in her campaign account, while Hageman's campaign had nearly $1.1 million.

Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski is the only Republican senator up for re-election this year who voted to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection. She maintained a financial advantage in her race, where she faces Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka. Murkowski raised nearly $1.6 million in the first quarter and hand $5.3 million on hand, while Tshibaka raised $673,000 and ended the quarter with $968,999 on hand.

Three other House Republicans who did not vote to impeach Trump, but who face Trump-endorsed challengers - Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, and West Virginia Rep. David McKinley - also raised more than their primary opponents during the first fundraising quarter, according to reports filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission.

McKinley's primary presents the first test of the power of Trump's endorsement against a sitting House member. He faces fellow GOP Rep. Alex Mooney on May 10, after the pair of lawmakers were drawn into the same district after redistricting.

McKinley narrowly outraised Mooney with a $482,000 haul to Mooney's $465,000. But Mooney had more cash on hand, with $1.4 million in his campaign account to McKinley's $1 million.

Former Obama campaign manager backs Arizona Democrat for governor

Former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina announced Monday that he is backing, and will informally advise, Marco Lopez, a Democratic candidate for governor of Arizona - a move which could give the underdog candidate some footing to gain ground on his primary opponent, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

"If we want Arizona to go blue in November, we need someone like Marco on the ticket who can excite Latinos and the diverse coalition that helped President Biden win Arizona in 2020," Messina said in a press release from Lopez's campaign.

Lopez, the former mayor of Nogales, Arizona, served as the chief of staff to the United States Customs and Border Protection under the Obama Administration. But with four months until the Democrats' August primary, Lopez must catch Hobbs.

"We know there's a large degree of undecided voters throughout the state of Arizona, and we encounter them," Lopez said, adding about Hobbs: "They're waiting for us to come in off the sidelines and make our case known."

The Hobbs campaign did not respond to a request to comment on the record about the endorsement.

There is scant public polling in the primary, but the last credible poll released in early January in Arizona showed Hobbs, who also has maintained a fundraising advantage, with a sizable lead over Lopez and state Rep. Aaron Lieberman . But Hobbs has faced scrutiny in recent months, including losing a lawsuit over the treatment of a Black legislative aide and the subsequent firing of that aide in 2015.

"Steady as you go, stay focused and stay on message," Lopez said, referring to Messina's advice to him as he harkened back to Obama's early rise as a largely-unknown candidate.

This fall, Democrats are facing an exceedingly-tough race to replace Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. Former local news anchor Kari Lake, who is backed by Trump, continues to sit atop the GOP polls, but she is facing a stiff challenge from another well-financed Republican, Karrin Taylor Robson.

Midterm roundup: Trump bets on JD Vance in Ohio Senate

A Good Friday announcement may not necessarily be the best way to maximize exposure, but former President Donald Trump's decision to endorse author J.D. Vance in Ohio's Senate race late Friday afternoon shook up another crowded GOP primary.

The news came one day after NBC reported Trump had decided to endorse but had been facing pressure from others to hold off.

Just weeks from the May 3 primary, Vance now has a major selling point for GOP voters who may be on the fence. But his opponents aren't backing down, and some are still emphasizing Vance's past critiques of Trump and Trump supporters.

The big picture: After a slew of safe endorsements, Trump is stepping out onto the ledge with endorsements in crowded primaries, with several coming up in May. Wins in races like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina would help Trump keep hold on the power he has among Republicans, but the former president is taking risks that could hurt how he's perceived if his candidates lose.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
North Carolina Senate: WRAL reports on how GOP Rep. Ted Budd, who's running with Trump's blessing, continues to avoid debating his top primary rival, former Gov. Pat McCrory.

Iowa Senate: Democratic Senate hopeful Abby Finkenauer will remain on the ballot, thanks to a state Supreme Court ruling regarding her nominating petition signatures.

Oklahoma Senate: Former EPA head Scott Pruitt, who resigned amid multiple ethics scandals, is running for Senate.

Florida Governor: Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist for governor in Florida, Politico reported. Crist faces Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Sen. Annette Taddeo in the Democratic primary to take on GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Georgia Governor: A federal judge ruled against Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams' challenge to the state's campaign finance laws.

Ohio 11: Democratic Majority for Israel PAC is up with a new spot touting Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown's first few months in Congress weeks ahead of her primary rematch against Democrat Nina Turner. DMFI was a big Brown ally during Brown's special election victory over Turner last year.

Midterm roundup: Campaign cash

The Federal Elections Commission fundraising reports for the first quarter of 2022 are due by midnight Friday and the political world will get a new look at which House and Senate contenders have financial advantages heading into another expensive midterm election cycle.

Some candidates have stepped up their fundraising, including Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc. He raised $7.1 million in the first quarter, according to Fox News, ten times the $711,000 he raised in the final quarter of 2021.

Senate Democrats have also announced eye-popping hauls ahead of the filing deadline. On Thursday Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., announced he raised a whopping $13.6 million in the first fundraising quarter, ending the quarter with $25.6 million on hand for his re-election. His chief GOP opponent, former football player Herschel Walker, announced Friday morning that he raised $5.5 million, but he did not release a cash on hand number.

Ohio Senate: Former President Donald Trump is expected to endorse author JD Vance in Ohio's Republican primary for Senate. The May 3 primary is just a few weeks away, but NBC News' Marc Caputo and Vaughn Hillyard report that other leading candidates in the race, including former GOP Chair Jane Timken and former state treasurer Josh Mandel, are less than thrilled about Trump's decision and are actively working to dissuade him from endorsing Vance.

Pennsylvania Senate: Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman slammed an ad from an outside group that called Fetterman a "democratic socialist" as "demonstrably a lie," in an interview with NBC10 in Philadelphia. Fetterman described himself as "a good, solid Democrat." Rep. Conor Lamb was also asked about the ad, which came from a group backing Lamb in the Senate primary, and said, "The Republicans will call any of us a socialist that gets the nomination. What we have to discuss as Democrats is who does that lael stick to and who it doesn't."

Nebraska Governor: Several women, including a state senator, have accused GOP gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster of groping them. Herbster, who has been endorsed by Trump, denied the allegations, calling them "a ridiculous, unfounded dirty political trick."

South Carolina 01: GOP Rep. Nancy Mace launched her first TV ad of her primary, where she faces a Trump-backed challenger, Katie Arrington. Her opening spot focuses on border security and immigration, featuring Mace at the southern border saying, "Finish the wall and secure the border, once and for all." Mace's campaign spent $78,000 on broadcast and radio, per AdImpact.

Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar launches first ad of primary runoff race

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is out with the first ad of his runoff election against progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros.

Cuellar's campaign is re-airing an ad that originally ran in mid February, a few weeks before Texas' March 1 primary. In it, he attacks Cisneros over her plans to become less dependent on law enforcement officials on the border, alleging, "she'd split Border Patrol in half, leaving us with open borders that would make us less safe and cost us thousands of jobs."

Cisneros is an attorney and is running as a progressive alternative to Cuellar, who is one of the more moderate Democrats in the House. The two faced off in 2020, where Cuellar narrowly beat Cisneros in a primary.

In the rematch this year, the presence of a third candidate prevented either Cuellar or Cisneros from getting over 50 percent of the primary vote, which was needed to avoid a runoff.

So far, both candidates have spent over one million dollars on ads, according to AdImpact, but that number is expected to rise as they get closer to the May 24 runoff.

A new issue that could impact voters in the runoff is the Biden administration's plan to lift Title 42, a pandemic-era immigration policy that prevents migrants from entering the U.S. when seeking asylum. Title 42 is supposed to be lifted on May 23, the day before the runoff.

It will once again allow for migrants to present at the U.S.-Mexico border, claim asylum and be allowed into the U.S. pending an asylum hearing in front of a judge. During the pandemic, migrants were forced to wait in Mexico while waiting for their asylum case to be adjudicated, rather than enter the U.S.

Cuellar is one of a handful of House Democrats to already come out against the White House's plan, telling Chuck Todd on MTP Daily yesterday, "why are we letting 100 people in - 100 percent of them, when we should only be saying 'Bienvenidos' to only 10 or 12 percent."

"The system has to be at the border, it has to be more efficient. The way the administration, with all due respect, and we've given them very constructive ideas - is not the right way of handling the border situation," Cuellar added.

Cisneros has previously advocated for the Biden administration to lift Title 42.

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Meet the Press Blog: Latest news, analysis and data driving the political discussion

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WASHINGTON - AARP, the advocacy group for Americans over fifty, is launching new cable and broadcast TV ads in West Virginia urging centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to support a budget reconciliation bill that includes a major prescription drug savings policy.

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U.S. Presidential Election Results 2020: Biden wins

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U.S. Presidential Election Results 2020: Biden wins

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NBCnews, Dec 18 2020
3. This is an example of popular sovereignty because it shows the people using their power to vote to elect our president.
4. I agree with this because everyone in the U.S should have the right to vote.

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U.S. Presidential Election Results 2020: Biden wins

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Results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, including electoral votes between Trump and Biden in each state, and who is winning the popular vote.

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How Congress will Count and Challenge Joe Biden's electoral votes

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How Congress will Count and Challenge Joe Biden's electoral votes

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- wsj
- january 6, 2021
3. This is an example of popular sovereignty because it shows that the people used their votes to elect their leader and they're counting the votes again.
4. This is a good thing? I think because they're trying to verify who won.

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House votes to override Trump's veto of $740 billion defense bill

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House votes to override Trump's veto of $740 billion defense bill

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NBCnews, Dec 28 2020
3. This is an example of checks and balances because this shows the legislative branch "checking"  the executive branch by vetoing the presidents bill.
4. I agree with The House vetoing the bill because I don't believe the country should spend that much money, and I think it could be put towards something more useful.

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WASHINGTON - The House voted Monday to override President Donald Trump's veto of the $740 billion defense authorization bill, the first vote to override one of Trump's vetoes by a chamber of Congress and a dramatic rebuke by Democrats and members of his own party.

The Senate will vote next on whether to override the veto. Trump rejected the defense bill last week after demanding language to strip liability protections for tech companies and the removal of provisions to rename military bases named after Confederate military leaders.

The National Defense Authorization Act passed both chambers of Congress this month by large enough margins to override the veto. Several members of Congress signaled in recent days that the override vote, which requires two-thirds majorities in the House and the Senate, could be close if some Republicans switch their votes to be in line with Trump.

The measure passed 322 to 87 with 109 Republicans breaking with Trump and voting in favor of the measure.

A growing number of Republicans have broken with Trump in recent weeks over his false claims of voter fraud, his refusal to concede the election and his threats to veto the Covid-19 relief and government spending bill, which would have caused a shutdown of federal agencies starting Tuesday had he not signed the measure Sunday. But Trump's strong support in the Republican Party has left many GOP lawmakers struggling over how to align themselves with him.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said Monday on MSNBC that he believes the House, which is controlled by Democrats, has the votes to override the veto, "although I never underestimate the subservience of my friends on the other side of the aisle when it comes to Donald Trump."

Trump, who spent the day golfing at his Florida resort, hasn't commented on the effort to override his veto -the ninth of his presidency.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
The Senate is expected to begin the override process Tuesday, although it could take several days for a final vote.

The annual defense bill has become law for 59 consecutive years.

The defeat came for Trump moments after the House voted to increase direct payments to Americans struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic, something the president had called for in a last-minute attempt to thwart the stimulus and government funding bill. The measure, which would raise the relief from $600 per person to $2,000, narrowly passed with a vote of 275 to 134.

After passing the House, the Senate is likely to take up that issue Tuesday along with the override of the defense spending bill.

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House votes to override Trump's veto of $740 billion defense bill

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The House voted Monday to override President Donald Trump's veto of the $740 billion defense authorization bill, the first vote to override one of Trump's vetoes by a chamber of Congress and a dramatic rebuke by Democrats and members of his own party.

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Utah governor issues statewide mask mandate to stem coronavirus: "We all need to do more"

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Utah governor issues statewide mask mandate to stem coronavirus: "We all need to do more"

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-cbsnews.com Nov. 9,2020
- This is an example of Federalism because the states pick whether their state picks to make masks mandatory. The governor of Utah chose to make masks mandatory.
-My opinion is that this governor made a great decision because it will help stop the spread of the virus.

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Utah Governor Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency Sunday night and ordered a statewide mask mandate in an attempt to stem a surge in coronavirus patient hospitalizations that is testing the state's hospital capacity. Herbert and the Utah Department of Health issued executive and public health orders requiring residents to wear face coverings in public, at work and when they are within 6 feet of people who don't live in their households.

Several of the state's largest counties already required masks, but Herbert, a Republican, had resisted extending the rule to the entire state despite a two-month surge of cases.

Herbert said in a televised address Sunday night that the time to debate masks had passed, while saying his orders won't shut down the economy.

His new set of rules also calls for a two-week pause on extracurricular activities including athletic events, with the exception of high school championship games and Intercollegiate athletic events as long as testing and social distancing guidelines are adhered to. Herbert also ordered a limit on "casual social gatherings" to household members only.

The orders go into effect at 1 p.m. local time (MST) on Monday and run until November 23.

By Jan. 1, all students at public and private universities who attend at least one class per week in person must be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis.

State officials sent out an emergency alert to state residents on their phones Sunday to alert them to Herbert's televised address outlining the orders.

Earlier Sunday, Utah health authorities announced a new high in the number of coronavirus hospitalizations as well as 2,386 more COVID-19 cases as the pandemic surges. Some 424 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Sunday, according to the Utah Department of Health. On Friday, hospitalizations stood at a then-record 395 COVID-19 patients.

Herbert's office said in a statement Sunday that the mask-wearing mandate will be extended beyond Nov. 23 "for the foreseeable future."

Utah's seven-day average of new daily cases has reached a record-breaking 2,290. In the past two weeks, Utah's positivity average - the percentage of coronavirus tests that are positive - has increased from 18.5% to 20.6%, according to state data. At least 659 residents have died of the coronavirus and more than 132,000 have been infected.

Utah also will ramp up its contact tracing efforts and its testing of younger individuals who usually show no symptoms of the coronavirus, including the college testing, testing for students engaged in extracurricular activities and, eventually, workplace testing for people 35 and younger, Herbert's office said. Utah National Guard personnel will help in contact tracing, it said.

"To make a real difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and turning around the dire situation in our hospitals, we all need to do more," the governor said in a statement. "This is a sacrifice for all of us. But as we slow the spread it will make all the difference for our overworked healthcare workers, who desperately need our help."

The announcement came after Utah's largest teachers union called on Friday for the governor to move all public secondary schools in high coronavirus transmission areas to remote learning.

The Utah Education Association also called for Herbert to suspend all extracurricular activities that can't comply with social distancing guidelines in high transmission areas from the Thanksgiving holiday throughout winter break.

Herbert has said he's concerned that people are feeling fatigued from the pandemic and urged Utah residents to follow masking and social distancing requirements.

The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

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Utah governor issues statewide mask mandate to stem coronavirus: "We all need to do more"

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Utah Governor Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency Sunday night and ordered a statewide mask mandate in an attempt to stem a surge in coronavirus patient hospitalizations that is testing the state's hospital capacity.

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In a first, Congress overrides Trump veto of defense bill

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In a first, Congress overrides Trump veto of defense bill

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-abcnews.com Jan.1, 2021
-This is an example of checks and balances because congress overrides a veto.
- My opinion is that overriding the veto was a good idea because the military needs money.

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Congress has overridden President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago

WASHINGTON -- Congress on Friday overrode President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago, ensuring that the measure becomes law.

In an extraordinary New Year's Day session, the Republican-controlled Senate easily turned aside the veto, dismissing Trump's objections to the $740 billion bill and handing him a stinging rebuke just weeks before he leaves the White House.

Trump lashed out on Twitter, saying the Senate missed an opportunity to eliminate protections for social media platforms that he said give "unlimited power to Big Tech companies. Pathetic!!!''

Trump also slammed lawmakers for rejecting his call to increase COVID-19 relief payments to $2,000: "Not fair, or smart!''

The 81-13 vote in the Senate on the widely popular defense bill followed an earlier 322-87 override vote in the House. The bill affirms a 3% pay raise for U.S. troops and guides defense policy, cementing decisions about troop levels, new weapons systems and military readiness, personnel policy and other military goals.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the "sweeping and overwhelmingly bipartisan votes" in the House and Senate "delivered a resounding rebuke to President Trump's reckless assault on America's military and national security.''

Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, "would have hurt the health, financial security and safety of our servicemembers, their families, our veterans and our allies and partners worldwide,'' Pelosi said. "Instead of keeping Americans safe, the president continues to use his final moments in office to sow chaos and undermine our security.''

The defense bill, which now has the force of law, "looks after our brave men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform,'' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "But it's also a tremendous opportunity: to direct our national security priorities to reflect the resolve of the American people and the evolving threats to their safety, at home and abroad. It's our chance to ensure we keep pace with competitors like Russia and China.''

The Senate override was delayed after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., objected to moving ahead until McConnell allowed a vote on the Trump-backed plan to boost COVID relief payments to $2,000. McConnell did not allow that vote; instead he used his parliamentary power to set a vote limiting debate on the defense measure, overcoming a filibuster threat by Sanders and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Without a bipartisan agreement, a vote on the bill could have been delayed until Saturday night. Lawmakers, however, agreed to an immediate roll call Friday once the filibuster threat was stopped.

Trump vetoed the defense measure last week, saying it failed to limit Twitter and other social media companies he claimed were biased against him during his failed reelection campaign. Trump also opposed language that allows for the renaming of military bases that honor Confederate leaders.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a close Trump ally, hailed the override vote.

"Today, the Senate sent a strong message of support to our troops,'' Inhofe said. "Not only does this bill give our service members and their families the resources they need, but it also makes our nation more secure - pushing back against China and Russia (and) strengthening our cyber defenses.''

Trump has succeeded throughout his four-year term in enforcing party discipline in Congress, with few Republicans willing to publicly oppose him. The bipartisan overrides on the defense bill showed the limits of Trump's influence in the final weeks of his term.

Earlier this week, 130 House Republicans voted against the Trump-backed COVID relief checks, with many arguing they were unnecessary and would increase the federal budget deficit. The Democratic-controlled House approved the larger payments, but the plan fizzled in the Senate amid opposition from McConnell and other Republicans, another sign of Trump's fading hold over Congress.

Only seven GOP senators voted with Trump to oppose the defense bill override. Forty Republicans - including the entire GOP leadership - voted for the override, along with 41 Democrats. Sanders and five other liberals who opposed the defense bill also voted against the override.

Besides his concerns about social media and military base names, Trump also complained that the bill restricted his ability to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan and Germany. The measure requires the Pentagon to submit reports certifying that the proposed withdrawals would not jeopardize U.S. national security.

Trump has vetoed eight other bills, but those were all sustained because supporters did not gain the two-thirds vote needed in each chamber for the bills to become law without Trump's signature.

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Trump's Dec. 23 veto a "parting gift" to Russian President Vladimir Putin "and a lump of coal for our troops. Donald Trump is showing more devotion to Confederate base names than to the men and women who defend our nation."

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2020 united states presidential election

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In a first, Congress overrides Trump veto of defense bill

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Congress has overridden President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago WASHINGTON -- Congress on Friday overrode President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago, ensuring that the measure becomes law.

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Senate Overrides Trumps Veto of Defense Bill, Dealing a Legislative Blow  

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Senate Overrides Trumps Veto of Defense Bill, Dealing a Legislative Blow  

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- ny times
- january 1, 2021
3. This is an example of this principle because the Senate is checking Trumps veto.
4. I don't think we should be spending a lot of money on the military, I feel like that money could go to something that is more important/useful.

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Republicans joined Democrats to deliver President Trump the first veto override of his presidency in the last days of his term in an overwhelming, bipartisan vote.

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Senate Votes to Override Trump's Veto of Defense Bill

Republicans joined Democrats on Friday to override President Trump's veto of the annual defense bill, delivering him the first such legislative rebuke of his presidency.

Is there any further debate? If not, the question is. Shall the bill pass the objections of the President of the United States to the contrary notwithstanding? Yeas and nays are required and the clerk will call the roll. Are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their votes? Seeing none on this vote? The yeas are 81, the nays are 13. 2/3 of the senators voting quorum being present. Having voted in the affirmative, the bill on reconsideration has passed the objections of the President of the United States to the contrary notwithstanding.

Republicans joined Democrats on Friday to override President Trump's veto of the annual defense bill, delivering him the first such legislative rebuke of his presidency. Credit Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Friday voted overwhelmingly to override President Trump's veto of the annual military policy bill as most Republicans joined Democrats to rebuke Mr. Trump in the final days of his presidency.

The 81-to-13 vote was the first time lawmakers have overridden one of Mr. Trump's vetoes. It reflected the sweeping popularity of a measure that authorized a pay raise for the nation's military.

The margin surpassed the two-thirds majority needed to force enactment of the bill over Mr. Trump's objections, and only seven Republicans voted to sustain the veto. The House passed the legislation on Monday in a similarly lopsided 322-to-87 vote that also mustered the two-thirds majority required.

The vote ended a devastating legislative week for Mr. Trump, effectively denying him two of the last demands of his presidency. Senate Republican leaders on Wednesday had declared that there was "no realistic path" for a vote on increasing stimulus checks to $2,000 from the current $600, a measure Mr. Trump had pressed lawmakers to take up.

Republicans have also divided over supporting the president's determination to make one last and futile attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in Congress next week.

Senator James M. Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, typically a strong ally of the president, took to the Senate floor on Friday to encourage his colleagues to override Mr. Trump's veto, calling the passage of the bill "the most significant vote lawmakers take."

"This year especially so, in light of all of the disruptions and problems that we've had," Mr. Inhofe said.

The main disruption Mr. Inhofe was referring to was the president. Making good on a monthslong series of threats, the president vetoed the bipartisan legislation last week, citing a shifting list of reasons, including his objection to a provision directing the military to strip the names of Confederate leaders from bases. He also demanded that the bill include the repeal of what is known as Section 230, a legal shield for social media companies that he has tangled with. Republicans and Democrats alike have said that the repeal, a significant legislative change, is irrelevant to a bill that dictates military policy.

Mr. Trump took to Twitter on Friday shortly after the vote to register his anger at Republican lawmakers' unwillingness to meet his demands.

"Our Republican Senate just missed the opportunity to get rid of Section 230, which gives unlimited power to Big Tech companies. Pathetic!!!" Mr. Trump wrote. "Now they want to give people ravaged by the China Virus $600, rather than the $2000 which they so desperately need. Not fair, or smart!"

Those objections, registered late in the legislative process, infuriated lawmakers, who had labored for months to put together a bipartisan bill. They had prided themselves on passing the military bill each year for 60 years, and lawmakers in Mr. Trump's own party ultimately moved to mow over his concerns and advance the legislation. It was a sharp departure from the deference Mr. Trump has normally been shown on Capitol Hill by members of his party.

The vote on Friday ensures that the legislation will be enacted into law over Mr. Trump's objections, including the provision requiring the Pentagon to strip the names of Confederates from military bases that so riled the president. The bill also takes steps to slow or block Mr. Trump's planned drawdown of American troops from Germany and Afghanistan, and would make it more difficult for the president to deploy military personnel to the southern border.

All of the Republican conference leaders voted to override the veto on Friday, including Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader. He called the legislation "a tremendous opportunity to direct our national security priorities to reflect the resolve of the American people."

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Senator Bernie Sanders called for votes on the House-passed bill authorizing larger stimulus payments and a separate measure that lumped together three of President Trump's demands. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times

Just seven Republicans voted to sustain the veto, including Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a longtime defense hawk who criticized the legislation as the product of a rushed and faulty process that failed to satisfy Mr. Trump's demand to repeal the legal protections for social media companies.

"Some seem to have forgotten to consult with the commander in chief or recall that he has a veto power," Mr. Cotton said last month in a speech on the Senate floor. "The bill stiff-arms the president: not a word in more than 4,500 pages about Section 230."

Lawmakers over the past four years tried but failed to override Mr. Trump's vetoes of legislation cutting off arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf nations, and to overturn his emergency declaration at the southwestern border.

But his attempt to derail the widely popular defense bill, seen by lawmakers in both parties as an opportunity to secure wins for their communities and support the military, proved to be a bridge too far. That was especially the case for those in his party who proudly championed their commitment to national security and have grown weary of the president's mercurial demands.

Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, tried on Friday to take up Mr. Trump's demand to increase the size of pandemic relief checks to $2,000. He called for votes on both a House-passed bill authorizing larger checks and a separate measure by Mr. McConnell that lumped together three of Mr. Trump's demands: the larger payments, a repeal of legal protections for social media platforms and the creation of a bipartisan panel to investigate the integrity of the 2020 election.

Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican, blocked the request, underscoring the scant appetite in the party for increasing the size of the checks. The chamber then moved on to override Mr. Trump's veto on the defense bill.

The bill contains a 3 percent increase in pay for service members and a boost in hazardous duty incentive pay, new benefits for tens of thousands of Vietnam-era veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and a landmark provision aimed at preventing the use of shell companies to evade anti-money-laundering rules.

The last time Congress overrode a presidential veto was in 2016, the final year of Barack Obama's presidency, after he vetoed legislation allowing families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to sue the government of Saudi Arabia.

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Senate Overrides Trump's Veto of Defense Bill, Dealing a Legislative Blow

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Republicans joined Democrats to deliver President Trump the first veto override of his presidency in the last days of his term in an overwhelming, bipartisan vote. WASHINGTON - The Senate on Friday voted overwhelmingly to override President Trump's veto of the annual military policy bill as most Republicans joined Democrats to rebuke Mr. Trump in the final days of his presidency.

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Georgia Highlights: Democrats Win the Senate as Ossoff Defeats Perdue

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Georgia Highlights: Democrats Win the Senate as Ossoff Defeats Perdue

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-nytimes.com  Jan.6,2021
-This is an example of this principle because they voted for the democrats of the senate.
- My opinion is that Georgia picked the best for their people.

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Democrats took control of the Senate on Wednesday with a pair of historic victories in Georgia's runoff elections, assuring slim majorities in both chambers of Congress for President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and delivering an emphatic, final rebuke to President Trump in his last days in office.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock defeated Senator Kelly Loeffler, becoming the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from the South. And Jon Ossoff, the 33-year-old head of a video production company who has never held public office, defeated David Perdue, who recently completed his first full term as senator.

Both Democrats now lead their defeated Republican opponents by margins that are larger than the threshold required to trigger a recount under Georgia law.

The Democrats' twin victories will reshape the balance of power in Washington. Though they will have the thinnest of advantages in the House and Senate, where Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will break 50-50 ties, Democrats will control the committees and the legislation and nominations brought to the floor. That advantage will pave the way for at least some elements of Mr. Biden's agenda.

Mr. Ossoff's victory comes at a moment when the nation's political leadership has been paralyzed by a pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol and halted the formal accepting of the Electoral College results by Congress. The day's extraordinary proceedings - rioting interrupting the peaceful transition of political power - crystallized the campaign the Georgia Democrats ran against their Republican opponents, both of whom pledged to seek to overturn the results of the presidential election to keep Mr. Trump in office.

The Republicans' losses in a state that Mr. Biden narrowly carried in November, but that still leans right politically, also amounted to a vivid illustration of the perils of embracing Mr. Trump. He put his diminished political capital on the line with an election eve appearance in Northwest Georgia. And Mr. Perdue and Ms. Loeffler unwaveringly embraced the president throughout the runoff races even as he refused to acknowledge Mr. Biden's victory and brazenly demanded that Georgia state officials overturn his loss in the state.

The political fallout of Mr. Trump's tenure is now clear: His single term in the White House will conclude with Republicans having lost the presidency, the House and the Senate on his watch.

Mr. Ossoff and Mr. Warnock won thanks to a frenetic get-out-the-vote push that began immediately after the November election, when no candidate in either race claimed the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Driving turnout among liberals and Black voters in the early-voting period, Democrats built an insurmountable advantage going into election day.

They won thanks to overwhelming margins in Georgia's cities, decisive victories in Georgia's once-Republican suburbs and because of lackluster turnout on Tuesday in the rural counties that now make up the G.O.P. base.

As Democrats took control of the Senate on Wednesday, winning the two Georgia seats up for grabs, chaos erupted on Capitol Hill as supporters of President Trump clashed with the police and stormed the Capitol building, interrupting proceedings as Congress prepared to certify the results of the 2020 election.

The Capitol was put on lockdown and Vice President Mike Pence was rushed from the Senate chamber as the pro-Trump mob - some waving Confederate flags - overwhelmed the building's security. The mayor of Washington, D.C., ordered a 6 p.m. curfew.

Hours after the chaos began, Mr. Trump issued a statement telling the mob to leave. "You have to go home now," he said in a video recorded at the White House and posted to Twitter. "We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We don't want anyone hurt."

Still, the president ultimately offered encouragement to the mob, noting: "We love you. You're very special," and "I know how you feel." Before his statement, he had only sent two tweets that asked protesters to remain "peaceful."

Shortly before Mr. Trump's statement, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. made brief remarks calling on Mr. Trump to demand an end to the incident, which Mr. Biden called an "unprecedented assault" on democracy.

The remarkable scene at the Capitol - only hours after Mr. Trump addressed a rally of his supporters and declared that "we will never concede" - came less than 24 hours after polls had closed in Georgia in two Senate runoffs that gave the Democrats the seats necessary to take control of the House, Senate and White House.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat and the pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, defeated Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican, to become the first Black senator in Georgia history and the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate in the South.

In the other contest, Jon Ossoff, the Democratic challenger, defeated David Perdue, the Republican whose Senate term ended on Sunday.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, before major networks called the race, Mr. Ossoff declared victory and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, proclaimed that his party would win the majority.

"It feels like a brand new day," Mr. Schumer said in a statement. "For the first time in six years, Democrats will operate a majority in the United States Senate - and that will be very good for the American people."

Mr. Perdue has not yet conceded the race but Gabriel Sterling, a top Georgia elections official, said late Wednesday morning that Mr. Ossoff would most likely win by a margin large enough to avoid a recount, which is 0.5 percent in Georgia.

With Democrats winning both races, Mr. Biden now has a stronger ability to enact his agenda. Democrats will hold 50 seats in the Senate and de facto control of the chamber, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris serving as the tiebreaking vote and Senator Mitch McConnell relegated to minority leader.

Mr. McConnell, the Republican leader who had indulged Mr. Trump's baseless accusations of election fraud for the last two months, publicly broke with him after losing one race in Georgia and falling behind in the other. In a floor speech before pro-Trump protesters breached the building, he called rejecting efforts to overturn the election the most important vote of his decades-long career and warned of sending democracy into a "death spiral."

"We simply cannot declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids," Mr. McConnell said. "The voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken. They've all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our Republic forever."

Not long after, Trump supporters put the proceedings on hold by making their way inside the building by force - including the Senate chamber itself. Inside the House chamber, photos showed law enforcement officers with guns drawn.

Even before the Georgia results were official, the Republican recrimination began about how the party not only lost the White House but was also at risk of ceding control of the Senate.

"It turns out telling voters the election is rigged is not a good way to turn out your voters," said Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah and an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump.

Later, Mr. Romney, from a secure location after the breach, declared of the chaos at the Capitol, "This is what the president has caused today, this insurrection."

The twin Georgia races drew record levels of campaign spending - roughly half a billion dollars in two months - and national attention, with Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden both campaigning in the state on Monday.

The results showed both Mr. Warnock and Mr. Ossoff carrying a larger share of the vote in county after county - particularly in majority-Black areas - than Mr. Biden did in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1992.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, said Wednesday that his Senate victory over the Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler was the result of a decade of work registering hundreds of thousands of Georgians to vote.

"Welcome to the new Georgia," he told NPR on Wednesday morning. "It is more diverse, and it is more inclusive, and it readily embraces the future. And I am a product of that."

Mr. Warnock, 51, will become the first Black senator in Georgia history, and the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate in the South.

"Georgia certainly made me proud last night," he said. "They decided to send a kid who grew up in public housing to the United States Senate to represent the concerns of ordinary people."

Shortly before his victory was finalized early on Wednesday, Mr. Warnock, the pastor at the storied Ebenezer Baptist Church, had marveled at his experience compared to that of his mother, who worked in cotton fields as a teenager.

"The other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else's cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator," he said.

In the NPR interview, Mr. Warnock dismissed the attempt by President Trump and some Republicans to try to challenge the president's loss in Georgia in November when Congress certifies the Electoral College results on Wednesday. The effort is expected to fail.

"We counted those votes three times," Mr. Warnock said, referring to Georgia's recount in the fall. "It is clear, when you look at the swing states all across our country, Joe Biden is the president-elect. Unfortunately, there are enablers of this nonsense in the United States Senate. And that's why the people who I'm running into all across Georgia are frustrated with politics."

Mr. Warnock said that once in the Senate, he would support a $2,000 stimulus payment to help people who qualify endure the coronavirus pandemic. "Folks waited for months without getting any relief at all," he said.

And he said he would focus on shrinking "well-connected corporate interests in our politics."

"If the people can get their democracy back, we can get the reform that we need around issues of environmental justice, around health care - around a whole range of concerns," he said.

ATLANTA - Michael Simmons, 63, has not missed voting in a major election since 1976. The most important for him was 2008, when he cast a ballot for President Barack Obama. But his votes in November's general election and the Senate runoffs on Tuesday were ranked closely behind.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock's success in the Senate runoffs sent a jolt of jubilation through much of Georgia's African-American community, as they saw a Black man taking an office that had been held by segregationists when he was born. There was also a level of pride in having an emissary of the Black church serve in the highest levels of government.

"I never would have thunk - put that down, thunk! - I'd see this happen," said Mr. Simmons, a manager at a nonprofit organization in downtown Atlanta. "Personally, I don't expect the world to change because we have a Black man in the Senate, but we can see progress."

The office of the nonprofit where Mr. Simmons works is just a few blocks from Ebenezer Baptist Church, the renowned congregation that Mr. Warnock leads. Mr. Simmons often saw Mr. Warnock walking around the neighborhood.

The win carried enormous significance for him: "This was a place where for many years we got the short end of the stick," Mr. Simmons, who grew up in Alabama and moved to Atlanta after college, said.

He also thought the rest of the country now owed a debt to Georgia - for the work of the state's Black voters and particularly the efforts of Stacey Abrams. "I think there ought to be a lot of gratitude for what we've done."

Dorothy Boler, who moved to Atlanta from Chicago 25 years ago, said she had been proud to cast her ballot for Mr. Warnock during the early voting period. "I praised the Lord he got in there," she said. "We're going to make history."

African-American faith leaders said on Wednesday that they, too, were thrilled with Mr. Warnock's victory, which they also saw as a rebuke of his Republican opponent, Kelly Loeffler, who had portrayed him as a "radical" and "socialist" and had attacked him using excerpts from his sermons that he and his supporters said were taken out of context.

"I went all over this state," said Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, the presiding prelate in Georgia of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. "Blacks couldn't wait to get to the polls. She gave us more reasons to get out to vote - couldn't wait to vote - just to vote against her."

On Wednesday afternoon, he compared the celebration in Georgia with the turmoil in Washington, where a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, and said it underscored for him a transformation happening not just in his state but across the country, one that gives him optimism.

"I think it speaks volumes and I think that, despite what you see on television like this, there is still a part of this country that is coming together," Bishop Jackson said. "That's the group that Trump speaks for," he added, referring to the rioters, "but it's a dwindling portion of the country."

ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia strongly condemned on Wednesday the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, calling it a "disgrace" and arguing that if he had heeded President Trump's demands for a special session of the Georgia Legislature to contest his state's election results, a similarly dangerous situation might have ensued in Atlanta.

"It has been a disgrace, and, quite honestly, un-American," Mr. Kemp said at a late-afternoon news conference at the state capitol, where dozens of right-wing protesters, some heavily armed, had gathered outside.

"It is unimaginable that we have people in our state and in our country that have been threatening police officers, breaking into government buildings," he added. "This is not the Georgia way and it is not the way of our country."

Chester Doles, leader of American Patriots U.S.A., a far-right group, is surrounded by supporters as he heads to a rally outside the Georgia Capitol. Credit... Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated Press

Runoff elections on Tuesday for Georgia's two Senate seats resulted in victories by the Democratic candidates, Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, giving their party full control of Congress.

On Wednesday morning, hours before Congress was to certify President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory, President Trump held a rally in Washington in which he falsely claimed, as he has many times, that his loss in states like Georgia was the result of a rigged election. A large mob of his supporters then stormed the Capitol.

Mr. Kemp, a first-term governor, is a Republican who benefited from Mr. Trump's endorsement. But since the November election, Mr. Trump has repeatedly attacked him for declining to call a special session of the Legislature to investigate Mr. Trump's bogus claims of fraud and take steps to overturn his loss in Georgia.

A number of elected Republicans in Georgia had also called for a special session.

At the news conference, Mr. Kemp addressed anyone who has been pushing for the idea.

"You can now see what that would have looked like," he said. "Rudy Giuliani saying, quote, trial by combat, end quote, is simply outrageous, and there's no place for that in our nation," referring to a speech by Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, earlier on Wednesday.

Mr. Kemp called for national unity, and said he had extended a previous order that activated the National Guard. Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state who was also attacked by Mr. Trump, had to be taken out of the capitol building earlier Wednesday in order to assure his safety.

With one Democratic victory in Georgia already assured and the other Democratic candidate leading in his bid for the state's second Senate seat, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said on Wednesday that he believed Democrats would take control of the Senate, a result that he said signaled a demand for immediate action from the nation's leaders.

"Georgia's voters delivered a resounding message yesterday: they want action on the crises we face and they want it right now," Mr. Biden said in a statement.

Mr. Biden congratulated the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who beat the Republican incumbent, Kelly Loeffler, and said that he believed Jon Ossoff would also be victorious in his race against David Perdue, his Republican challenger. The race was called for Mr. Ossoff on Wednesday afternoon.

Winning both seats would give Democrats and Republicans each 50 seats in the Senate, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris having the power to cast tiebreaking votes. In the House, Democrats hold a slim majority.

"I'm pleased that we will be able to work with Speaker Pelosi and a Majority Leader Schumer," Mr. Biden said, while also pledging again to try and reach a bipartisan consensus on major issues.

In his statement, the president-elect also thanked Stacey Abrams, who has spent the last decade building a Democratic political infrastructure in Georgia and increasing turnout there among people of color.

The president-elect said that both Ms. Abrams and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta, had "laid the difficult groundwork necessary to encourage turnout and protect the vote over these last years."

On Tuesday morning, the Rev. Raphael Warnock made a final pitch to voters in Georgia with a video released on social media that prominently featured W.N.B.A. players campaigning on his behalf against the Republican incumbent, Senator Kelly Loeffler, who also happens to be a co-owner of a franchise, the Atlanta Dream.

The players got what they wanted. Mr. Warnock, a Democrat, defeated Loeffler in an outcome that six months ago would have been considered an upset. The attention W.N.B.A. players brought to Mr. Warnock's campaign is widely considered to have played a role in his victory, renewing questions about how the league can move forward with an owner who is opposed by most of its players.

Over the summer, Ms. Loeffler openly criticized the league for dedicating its 2020 season to social justice, after the W.N.B.A., taking a cue from players like Angel McCoughtry of the Las Vegas Aces, said its games would honor the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ms. Loeffler spent much of the rest of her Senate campaign blasting Black Lives Matter, accusing the movement of holding "anti-Semitic views" and promoting "violence and destruction across the country." That prompted the W.N.B.A. players' union to tweet: " E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T!" The W.N.B.A. commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, told ABC in July that "Kelly's views are not consistent with those of the W.N.B.A. and its players."

Ms. Loeffler dug in and escalated her language. In August, led by players like the Dream's Elizabeth Williams and the Seattle Storm's Sue Bird, teams across the league took the dramatic step of wearing shirts before a game that read "Vote Warnock." The demonstration elevated Warnock's profile among people who had not been following the race, and prompted a flood of donations to his campaign.

Ms. Loeffler said during the campaign that the players' speaking out against her was an example of "cancel culture."

It is not clear whether the end of the campaign and Ms. Loeffler's loss in the election will prompt changes in the dynamic between her, the Dream players and the W.N.B.A. The team's majority owner, Mary Brock, has expressed an interest in selling her stake, but Ms. Loeffler, who owns 49 percent of the team, has said she plans to keep her piece of the franchise. Some athletes have called for Ms. Loeffler to sell, but Ms. Engelbert told CNN in July that Ms. Loeffler would not be forced to do so.

In August, ESPN reported that Baron Davis, the former N.B.A. player, was part of an investment group interested in buying the Dream. The N.B.A. star LeBron James added intrigue of his own to the discussion, posting on Twitter early Wednesday: "Think I'm gone put together an ownership group for the The Dream. Whose in? #BlackVotesMatter." Renee Montgomery, a Dream player who sat out last season to focus on social justice reforms, joined in: " I'm ready when you are."

As Democrats flipped both of Georgia's Senate seats from the incumbent Republicans, credit flowed to one person broadly acknowledged as being most responsible for Georgia's new status as a Democratic state: Stacey Abrams.

Ms. Abrams, the former minority leader of the Georgia state House, has spent a decade building a Democratic political infrastructure in the state, first with her New Georgia Project and now with Fair Fight, the voting rights organization she founded in the wake of her losing campaign for governor in 2018.

Late Tuesday night, Ms. Abrams praised the thousands of "organizers, volunteers, canvassers & tireless groups" who helped rebuild the state's Democratic Party from the rump it was when she became the state House minority leader in 2011.

With new votes joining the tally, we are on a strong path. But even while we wait for more, let's celebrate the extraordinary organizers, volunteers, canvassers & tireless groups that haven't stopped going since Nov. Across our state, we roared. A few miles to go...but well done!
- Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 6, 2021

While Ms. Abrams is widely expected to run for governor again in 2022, she is at the moment one of the most influential American politicians not in elected office. It was her political infrastructure and strategy of increasing turnout among the state's Black, Latino and Asian voters that laid the groundwork for both President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory in November and the Democrats' performance in the Senate races.Ms. Abrams was not alone in Georgia, of course: Numerous other Black women have led a decades-long organizing effort to transform the state's electorate.

"We weren't surprised that Georgia turned blue, because we've been working on it for over 15 years," Deborah Scott, the founder of Georgia Stand Up, said after Mr. Biden's victory in the general election.

"It's been an uphill battle," said Felicia Davis, a longtime organizer in Clayton County. "Because here, we're not just women, we're Southern women. And we're not just Southern women, we're Southern Black women."

Still, Ms. Abrams was the most visible face at the forefront of the turnout push. And when it came time to cut a TV ad urging Georgians to confirm the status of their absentee ballots - voters have until Friday to cure absentee ballots that contain minor errors - she appeared in the ad reminding them how to do so.

"Don't wait," she said. "Your vote has the power to determine the future of Georgia and our country. It's time to make certain your voice is heard."

Former President Barack Obama commended the Rev. Raphael Warnock on Wednesday for winning election as the first Black senator from Georgia, casting Mr. Warnock's historic victory as an example of why civic engagement - an issue Mr. Obama has long championed - matters.

"My friend John Lewis is surely smiling down on his beloved Georgia this morning, as people across the state carried forward the baton that he and so many others passed down to them," Mr. Obama wrote in a statement, referring to the Democratic congressman and civil rights activist who died in August.

That President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. won Georgia in November and that Democrats are poised to take both of the state's Senate seats "is a testament to the power of the tireless and often unheralded work of grassroots organizing," Obama wrote, "and the resilient, visionary leadership of Stacey Abrams." Ms. Abrams, the former minority leader of the Georgia state House, spent 10 years working to expand the Democratic electorate.

"Democrats in Georgia and across the country should feel good today," Mr. Obama wrote. "But the past four years show us that even outside of election season - and outside of races that garner national attention - we've got to remain engaged in civic life."

And Mr. Obama seemed to indirectly refer to Wednesday's events in Congress, where some Republicans, under the encouragement of President Trump, have objected to certifying Mr. Biden's Electoral College victory.

"In recent years, our institutions, our democracy, and truth itself have been greatly tested by those who've chosen to prioritize personal gain or political ambition over our democratic principles," Mr. Obama wrote. "And even a good election will not eliminate those threats."

The victory on Wednesday morning by the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who becomes the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from the South, confirmed that Georgia's metamorphosis from conservative bastion to battleground state was complete. The changing demographics are likely to reshape the political dynamics of this Deep South state for a generation.

Until this week, Republicans held every statewide elective office and majorities in both statehouses. But the upset victories by Mr. Warnock and Jon Ossoff in two runoff races, coming on the heels of a narrow win by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., showed that Democrats could forge a coalition to win Georgia even when the focus shifted away from removing Donald Trump from office.

Perhaps even more significant, the runoff results showed that Democrats could mobilize their diverse and largely metropolitan voting base to try and boost two overtly liberal candidates - a Jewish man and Black man - to the Senate from Georgia for the first time in history.

"There's no going back," said Jacquelyn Bettadapur, chairwoman of the Democratic Party in Cobb County, a once conservative suburban county where Mr. Biden won in November by a double-digit margin. "A Democrat would be a fool not to play in Georgia going forward."

From the earliest moments of the Trump era, Georgia emerged as a hotbed of Democratic opposition, attracting national attention and a flood of political spending after Mr. Ossoff announced his run for a House seat two weeks before Mr. Trump's inauguration. Since then, the state has been caught up in the political upheaval brought by a polarizing president.

In 2018, Gov. Brian Kemp, with the backing of Mr. Trump, won a narrow victory against Stacey Abrams. This week, Mr. Kemp's name prompted jeers from a Republican audience at a Trump rally after he refused the president's efforts to overturn millions of votes in the state. Democrats, meanwhile, are celebrating Ms. Abrams as a liberal hero for turning out voters and swinging the state.

Representative Nikema Williams, the state Democratic Party chairwoman who was sworn into Congress this week, said Mr. Biden's victory gave Democrats, particularly Black voters, confidence that they could win competitive races. And early voting in this week's runoffs showed that turnout among Black voters increased from November, a notable shift from the drop-off that is typical in runoff races.

"This election was not about Donald Trump," Ms. Williams said. "This was about people on the ground realizing that if they show up en masse they can overcome the voter suppression and we can win Georgia."

Hours before Jon Ossoff was declared the winner in his Senate race, Democrats exulted on Wednesday morning as they appeared poised to take control of the Senate, a feat that would hand them unified control of Congress - albeit by razor-thin margins - as well as the White House.

With the Rev. Raphael Warnock victorious and Mr. Ossoff leading in a pair of runoff elections in Georgia, the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York, proclaimed on Twitter: "Buckle up!"

"We sure did not take the most direct path to get here, but here we are," Mr. Schumer said at acelebratory news conference in the Capitol. "For the first time in six years, Democrats will operate a majority in the United States Senate - and that will be very good for the American people."

The twin victories in Georgia gave Democrats 50 seats in the Senate and left Republicans with the same number, handing Democrats a working majority because Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be empowered to break ties.

Mr. Schumer told reporters that he had already spoken to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Congress's first order of business would be to approve $2,000 direct payments to be sent to Americans struggling in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. But he declined to clarify whether Democrats would approve just the checks or seek a large package including other priorities like state and local aid or increased unemployment insurance.

On a conference call with Democrats, Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader, played the Ray Charles hit "Georgia on My Mind" for ebullient colleagues as they contemplated what their newfound power on the other side of the Capitol would mean as Mr. Biden assumes the presidency.

"We will pursue a science and values-based plan to crush the virus and deliver relief to struggling families, safeguard the right to quality affordable health care and launch a plan to build back better powered by fair economic growth," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

The Georgia victories were a strong rebuke of President Trump, under whose leadership Republicans lost control of the House, the White House andthe Senate.

Some of Democrats' most ambitious priorities could be blocked, however, by the legislative filibuster, which sets a 60-vote threshold for any major initiative. Mr. Schumer batted away questions about a push from the party's left flank to change the rules to essentially kill the filibuster by lowering the threshold to a simple majority.

"We are united in wanting big, bold change, and we are going to sit down as a caucus and discuss the best ways to get that done," he said.

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Georgia Highlights: Democrats Win the Senate as Ossoff Defeats Perdue

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Democrats took control of the Senate on Wednesday with a pair of historic victories in Georgia's runoff elections, assuring slim majorities in both chambers of Congress for President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and delivering an emphatic, final rebuke to President Trump in his last days in office. The Rev.

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-Newsela
- February 12 2020
The reason this is a principle of republicanism because it talks about Bernie Sanders becoming a representative in the senate and how he is fighting to make an equal and greater America.

I agree with him because his fight for equality is the thing that we need the most current year.
4. What is your opinion of this?

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Hannah Kauffman, Newsela staff, Newsela staff

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Bernie Sanders, a senator from Vermont, is running as a Democrat for president in the 2020 election. His focus is on social welfare, income inequality, health care, education and climate change.

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DC's mask mandate ignored by many at million MAGA march on Saturday

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DC's mask mandate ignored by many at million MAGA march on Saturday

# data[].attributes.body
wusa9.com, January 2,2021
This is an example of federalism because the mask mandate is stricter in some state more than other for example DC.
i disagree with these "potesters" they are killing thousands of people by doing this.

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A majority of protesters WUSA9 saw at Freedom Plaza were not wearing masks. Could it lead to high COVID-19 case numbers in the District?

WASHINGTON - Thousands of people came to the Million MAGA March on Saturday, but many of them didn't wear masks. That's despite DC's mask mandate.

Our WUSA9's Mike Valerio reported from Freedom Plaza that it seemed a majority of the protesters gathered were not wearing masks.

Many protesters were in DC to support unfounded election fraud claims and to support President Donald Trump's re-election campaign. There were a few counter-protesters also in the area, but not many.

Most people who wore masks included families and older people, according to what our WUSA9 reporters at Freedom Plaza saw.

For those wearing masks at Freedom Plaza, a lot of them had American flag or patriotic-themed masks. There were also masks that read "Trump 2024."

While there have been protests for a variety of reasons this summer and fall that have broken social distancing guidelines, this is one of the first times we've seen protests where the wearing of masks was almost completely ignored by those who were in attendance.

DC's mask mandate includes the following requirements:

1. Persons leaving their residences shall wear a mask when they are likely to come into contact with another person, such as being within six feet of another person for more than a fleeting time; and

2. Persons who are operating or a passenger in a taxi or a vehicle that is part of a Transportation Network Company, or who are a passenger on or operator of any form of public transit in the District, including a bus, subway, streetcar, shuttle bus or van, or school bus, must wear a mask at all such times.
(*There are stipulations for this mandate when exercising in Washington D.C.)
President Trump himself circled Freedom Plaza around 10 a.m. in his Secret Service-protected caravan, waving to the crowd from his car. He did not leave his protected vehicle or directly expose himself to his supporters that were or were not wearing masks.

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said during a news conference on Monday that in the next 3 to 5 days that he will give some consideration to getting the MPD officers in close contact with unmasked demonstrators tested.

DC, Maryland and Virginia have stressed the need for regional communities to wear masks in the midst of the second wave of rising COVID-19 cases across the United States.

Maryland's Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has been one of the most outspoken Republicans on using masks. Something that his party's politicians have been split on. With some more right-wing parts of the party not justifying the use of masks to stop the COVID-19 spread.

"It's not that hard, just wear a damn mask," Hogan said in a news conference of Maryland's COVID-19 cases. "The truth is that this virus will be with us well into next year, and our worst time may be over the next few months."

LATEST - MAGA March about to begin. Not a million. Here's what we see above Freedom Plaza just before noon. @WUSA9 @CBSNews #MillionMAGAMarch2020 pic.twitter.com/hg7t46g63e
- Mike Valerio (@MikevWUSA) November 14, 2020

Both Virginia's Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and DC's Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) have also pleaded with communities to wear masks.

Northam has also put more restrictions in Virginia due to combating the national rise in COVID-19 cases.

Virginia's newest restrictions include a limit on public gatherings, indoor and outdoor, which are now reduced to 25 people. Also, alcohol sales must stop at 10 p.m. and bars, restaurants must close at midnight.

"COVID-19 is surging across the country, and while cases are not rising in Virginia as rapidly as in some other states, I do not intend to wait until they are. We are acting now to prevent this health crisis from getting worse," Northam said in a news release to media last week about the updated COVID-19 restrictions.

Last Friday, the National Park Service issued an updated permit for one of the rallies, upping the participant size from 50 to 10,000.

The National Parks Service was not able to provide an estimate of the crowd size Saturday. Around 1 p.m., demonstrators began moving from Freedom Plaza to the Supreme Court.

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DC's mask mandate ignored by many at Million MAGA March on Saturday

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While not a million people were at the Million MAGA March on Saturday, many were not wearing masks. It's something that is mandated by DC's government.

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High court denies Kentucky religious school's plea to reopen.

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High court denies Kentucky religious school's plea to reopen.

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apnews.com, December 17,2020
it is an example of judicial branch because the higher court has refused to let them reopen.
i think this is good because we are in the middle of a ongoing pandamic.

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After Capitol Riot, Resignations and Calls for Trump’s Removal

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After Capitol Riot, Resignations and Calls for Trump’s Removal

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2. Wall Street Journal,
1-8-2020
3. They are trying to stop him from abusing his powers
4. He should just resign, he causes so much more trouble for everyone.

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WASHINGTON-Democratic congressional leaders called for President Trump to be removed from office while two cabinet officials resigned, a day after the Capitol was stormed by rioters encouraged by the president to try to block Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden 's election win.

"What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president," said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the chamber's Democratic leader. He and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) led calls in the party for Mr. Trump's immediate removal, even with less than two weeks left in his term, with Mr. Schumer calling for use of the 25th amendment, and failing that, impeachment.

Mr. Trump acknowledged his loss in a video Thursday night while saying he was outraged by the "lawlessness and mayhem" at the Capitol. "Tempers must be cooled," Mr. Trump said, a day after he had encouraged his supporters to march on Congress because of his false allegations that fraud had denied him re-election.

On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said they were resigning their posts with just under two weeks left in the administration, with Ms. DeVos saying in a letter, "There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation." Mick Mulvaney, a former White House chief of staff who is now U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland, quit as well.

The developments highlighted the alarm Wednesday's riot set off and the belief among many lawmakers from both parties that Mr. Trump, a Republican, provoked it and didn't condemn the actions strongly enough once the protests turned violent. On Wednesday night, with Congress reconvened after the riot, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) called the attack a "failed insurrection."

Vice President Mike Pence ultimately confirmed Mr. Biden, a Democrat, as the election winner early Thursday morning.

The head of the Capitol Police and the sergeants at arms for the House and Senate resigned after lawmakers demanded accountability from officials responsible for the security of the complex. Congressional leaders from both parties and both chambers said they had started an investigation into why police were quickly overwhelmed, letting rioters roam through the building and forcing Congress to delay its count of states' results.

The Capitol Police said some officers were hospitalized as a result of the melee, and one officer, Brian D. Sicknick, died Thursday night from injuries suffered "while physically engaging with protesters." Four Trump supporters also died during the riots, including a woman who was shot in the Capitol building.

Hundreds of rioters, pushing past security barriers and Capitol Police officers, breached the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon as both the House and Senate were meeting inside, forcing the evacuation of some lawmakers, while others barricaded themselves against the crowds.

The Justice Department said 15 criminal complaints would be filed Thursday in connection with the riot, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was seeking the public's help in identifying more suspects.

Former Attorney General William Barr, who resigned just before Christmas, said that Mr. Trump's conduct on Wednesday was a "betrayal of his office and supporters."

A number of White House officials had resigned Wednesday. Among them were Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser, and Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff and press secretary to first lady Melania Trump.

After Mr. Pence, presiding over a joint session of Congress that was interrupted for hours due to the rioters, confirmed Mr. Biden as the winner early Thursday morning, Mr. Trump released a statement at 3:49 a.m. saying he "totally" disagreed with the outcome but "nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th."

"While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!" he said in the statement, which was released through an aide as the president's Twitter account was locked at the time due to postings Wednesday the social media network said could spread violence.

Twitter said the president would be allowed to resume tweeting on Thursday, but Facebook and Instagram said Mr. Trump would be blocked indefinitely, saying the risks are "simply too great."

Mr. Biden characterized the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as domestic terrorists. "Don't dare call them protesters," Mr. Biden said in remarks from Wilmington, Del. "They were a riotous mob. Insurrectionists. Domestic terrorists. It's that basic. It's that simple."

Mr. Schumer, poised to become the Senate majority leader when Democrats take control of the chamber from Republicans later this month, said that Mr. Pence and the cabinet should work to remove Mr. Trump by invoking the 25th amendment.

Some administration officials have had preliminary discussions about the 25th amendment, according to a senior administration official and others familiar with the matter. However, any move to remove Mr. Trump is unlikely to happen so close to the inauguration, and neither Mr. Pence nor any cabinet members have expressed support for such a move. Impeachment of Mr. Trump, for what would be the second time, is also unlikely as Congress is out of session.

"I think we have to hold our breath," until Mr. Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, said Sen. Mitt Romney (R., Utah), saying it was too late to begin proceedings to remove the president.

A number of other Democrats also called for the move, and one Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, joined them on Thursday.

"Here's the truth: the president caused this. The president is unfit and the president is unwell. And the president must relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily."

The 25th amendment says that if the vice president and a majority of the officers of the sitting cabinet secretaries decide that the president is unable to do the duties of his office, the vice president can immediately take on the duties of the acting president. To officially remove the president, Congress would then vote, and two-thirds of each chamber would be required to officially remove the president. If that threshold isn't reached, the president resumes office.

Congressional leaders expressed alarm at how quickly the Capitol was infiltrated. By the end of Thursday, the three top security officials in the Capitol had resigned. Mr. McConnell called the breach a "massive failure" for the Capitol's security and accepted the resignation of Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger. Mrs. Pelosi said that House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving would also be resigning after Wednesday's events.

Mrs. Pelosi also called for the resignation of Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund. He submitted his resignation late Thursday.

The union representing Capitol Police officers had also called for a leadership change, criticizing the lack of preparation.

"Our officers are experienced and they are dedicated, but they lacked the immediate backup and equipment needed to control the surging crowd," said union leader Gus Papathanasiou.

A Capitol Police officer shot the woman who later died of her injuries.

Other cabinet officials expressed concerns about the violence. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf called the actions of the rioters "unacceptable" and urged Mr. Trump to condemn the violence. He said he would remain in his position until the end of the administration.

National-security adviser Robert O'Brien was considering resigning but hadn't made up his mind to do so, according to people familiar with the situation. Republican allies in Congress also criticized the president's actions and his rhetoric claiming a rigged election.

"Millions of Americans were misled on this vote," said South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, a freshman Republican who campaigned with the president. Mr. Trump, she said, "went too far" on his rhetoric and it led to violence.

"The president needs to understand that his actions were the problem not the solution, that the rally yesterday was unseemly, it got out of hand," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.).

-Kristina Peterson and Andrew Duehren contributed to this article.

Write to Natalie Andrews at Natalie.Andrews@wsj.com, Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com and Josh Mitchell at joshua.mitchell@wsj.com

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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After Capitol Riot, Resignations and Calls for Trump's Removal

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WASHINGTON-Democratic congressional leaders called for President Trump to be removed from office while two cabinet officials resigned, a day after the Capitol was stormed by rioters encouraged by the president to try to block Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden 's election win. "What happened at the U.S.