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Calista241's JournalTulsi Gabbard survives Senate committee vote for intel chief nomination
Source: Axios
The Senate Intelligence Committee narrowly approved Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday to be President Trump's Director of National Intelligence, voting along party lines.
Why it matters: Gabbard has proved to be one of Trump's most controversial nominees. With both Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) sitting on the panel, her ability to get through the committee was at times in question.
The vote was 9-8, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Catch up quick: Young announced he would support Gabbard's confirmation in a statement ahead of the vote, all but ensuring she would get through committee.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/2025/02/04/tulsi-gabbard-wins-vote-intelligence-committee-senate-republican
Senate to vote on Trump's attorney general nominee Bondi on Tuesday
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate will vote later on Tuesday on the nomination of Pam Bondi to serve as Attorney General, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a floor speech on Tuesday.
Developing.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/senate-vote-trumps-attorney-general-nominee-bondi-tuesday-2025-02-04/
Senate Finance Committee advances RFK Jr.'s nomination for health secretary
Source: MSNBC
The Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination for health secretary to the full Senate, putting the longtime anti-vaccine activist a step closer to becoming the country's top public health official.
Kennedy’s nomination cleared the committee with a key “yes” vote from Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who had said publicly that he was “struggling” with Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance. All 14 GOP members of the committee voted in favor of Kennedy while all 13 Democratic members voted against him.
Although Kennedy denied and deflected when asked during his two hearings about his long record of anti-vaccine statements, he refused to say he believed in the established science that vaccines do not cause autism.
“Does a 70-year-old man, 71-year-old man who spent decades criticizing vaccines, and who’s financially invested in finding fault with vaccines — can he change his attitudes and approach now that he’ll have the most important position influencing vaccine policy in the United States?” Cassidy said on Wednesday. “I’ve got to figure that out for my vote.”
Read more: https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/rfk-jr-senate-finance-committee-vote-health-secretary-nomination-rcna190575
Trump signs executive order aimed at curtailing gender transitions for everyone under 19
Source: Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at curtailing gender transitions for people under age 19.
“It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” Trump said in a statement.
It’s the latest push by Trump to reverse policies set by the Biden administration to protect transgender people and their care. On Monday, Trump directed the Pentagon to conduct a review that is likely to lead to them being barred from military service.
The order directs that federally-run insurance programs, including TRICARE for military families and Medicaid, exclude coverage for such care, and calls on the Department of Justice to vigorously pursue litigation and legislation to oppose the practice.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-transgender-transition-executive-order-301e4130233b411311978f66f455f1c4
President Biden pardons brother James, other relatives for unspecified crimes before leaving office
Source: USA Today
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden pardoned his brother James Biden and other relatives Monday for unspecified crimes, a similar last-minute move to protect his family from potential investigation as when he pardoned his son Hunter Biden for gun and tax convictions.
The president said he pardoned his brother and other relatives − James's wife Sara Jones Biden, sister Valerie Biden Owens and her husband John Owens, and another brother, Francis Biden − because of concerns about "baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families," he said in a statement released minutes before the end of his term.
"Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances," Biden said.
House Republicans investigated James Biden as part of an impeachment inquiry against the president. House Republicans urged the Justice Department to charge James Biden criminally for making allegedly false statements to lawmakers.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2025/01/20/president-joe-biden-pardons-brother-james/76860098007/
Joni Ernst says she'll vote to confirm Pete Hegseth
Source: Politico
Pete Hegseth has won over Sen. Joni Ernst.
The Iowa senator said Tuesday she will be voting to confirm Hegseth to the next Defense secretary, a crucial endorsement for a nomination that seemed to be on shaky ground a few weeks ago.
Ernst told an Iowa radio show that said the former Fox News host was able to adequately answer all her questions during his confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee.
“He pointed out the woke issues at the Pentagon and I think we’re at a point where now we can start moving forward. People know where he stands on these issues,” Ernst said. “I will be supporting President Trump’s pick for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.”
Ernst — a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor — was considered a pivotal vote after she raised concerns over Hegseth’s past comments saying women should not be able to serve in combat, as well as several allegations of sexual misconduct.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/01/14/congress/ernst-says-shes-a-yes-on-hegseth-00198297
Elon Musk says he's not donating money to Trump or Biden campaigns
Source: Axios
Elon Musk announced Wednesday that he has no intention of donating money to either President Biden or former President Trump's presidential campaigns.
Why it matters: The statement is by no means definitive since, as tweeters immediately pointed out, he could still give to a super PAC or another fund that benefits a candidate.
Musk's statement came after he allegedly met with Trump in Florida over the weekend, as he reportedly seeks a cash infusion for his campaign, the New York Times reported.
What they're saying: "Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President," Musk wrote on X Wednesday.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/03/06/elon-musk-donating-trump-biden-campaign
China Evergrande ordered to liquidate, owing $300 bln
Source: Reuters
HONG KONG, Jan 29 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Monday ordered the liquidation of property giant China Evergrande Group (3333.HK), opens new tab, a move likely to send ripples through China's crumbling financial markets as policymakers scramble to contain a deepening crisis.
The decision to liquidate the world's most indebted developer with more than $300 billion of total liabilities was made by Hong Kong Justice Linda Chan, who noted Evergrande had been unable to offer a concrete restructuring plan despite months of delays.
"It is time for the court to say enough is enough," she said.
Chan will deliver her reasons for granting the liquidation at 2:30 pm (0630 GMT). It is expected a provisional liquidator will be appointed to oversee Evergrande ahead of a permanent appointment.
Evergrande, which has $240 billion of assets, sent a struggling property sector into a tailspin when it defaulted on its debt in 2021 and the liquidation ruling will likely further jolt already fragile Chinese capital and property markets.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/embattled-china-evergrande-back-court-liquidation-hearing-2024-01-28/
This is the first step in what could easily be a global economic catastrophe.
Unionization rate dropped to new low in 2023
Source: Axios
The share of American workers who are members of a union hit a new low in 2023 — it's now 1 in 10 — though the total number of unionized employees rose slightly.
Why it matters: Advocates say unions are a needed proponent of worker rights and compensation, while critics say unions throttle progress in the workplace.
Driving the news: 10% of the workforce was part of a union in 2023, down from 10.1% in 2022 and a high of 20.1% in 1983, the first year the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported comparable figures.
14.4 million workers were union members in 2023, up from 14.3 million in 2022 — but the percentage fell because the workforce grew at a faster rate than union membership.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/01/23/unions-big-labor-uaw-teamsters-strikes
'He has an obsession with violence': School shooter Ethan Crumbley sentenced to life behind bars, no chance of parole
Source: Law and Crime
Ethan Crumbley, the Michigan teenager who killed four of his classmates after drawing violent images in a class workbook, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Crumbley, now 17, was 15 years old when he shot and killed his fellow Oxford High School students — Tate Myre, 16 Hana St. Juliana, 14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17 — in November 2021 with a gun he had received as a gift from his parents. A subsequent investigation revealed that he had been caught drawing violent images while in class before the attack.
He pleaded guilty in October 2022 to all the charges against him, 24 in total — including murder and terrorism. In September, Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe ruled that Crumbley is eligible for the sentence of life without parole, which is what the prosecutors had requested. First-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence in Michigan, but Rowe could have potentially considered a shorter term because of the defendant’s age at the time.
His defense lawyers had requested a sentence of an undetermined “term of years.”
When Rowe issued his sentence, he was unequivocal: the defendant would never know life outside of prison.
Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/he-has-an-obsession-with-violence-school-shooter-ethan-crumbley-sentenced-to-life-behind-bars-no-chance-of-parole/
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