Portman among 47 GOP senators to sign letter to Iran WASHINGTON — In a move Democrats denounced as trying to sabotage the Obama administration’s foreign policy, Sen. Rob Portman and 46 other Senate Republicans yesterday warned Iran’s leadership that any agreement to limit Tehran’s apparent efforts to build a nuclear bomb would need Senate approval to stay in effect beyond 2016. More
Ore. smokejumpers skydive into illegal pot garden A team of smokejumpers parachuting into a fire in the mountains of Southern Oregon landed in an illegal marijuana garden being prepared for growing season. The six smokejumpers from a base in Redmond found the site Monday evening, when there was a rash of lightning strikes. More
Coalition on immigration bill clears first tests The bipartisan coalition behind a contentious overhaul of immigration laws stuck together on a critical early series of test votes Thursday, turning back challenges from conservative critics as the Senate Judiciary Committee refined legislation to secure the nation's borders and offer eventual citizenship to millions living illegally in the United States. More
Republicans to back Obama's student loan plan House Republicans are willing to give President Barack Obama a rare win, the chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee said Thursday in outlining a deal that would let college students avoid a costly hike on their student loans. More
Top Editors Abruptly Leave Village Voice Will Bourne, who became editor in chief of The Village Voice in November, and Jessica Lustig, the deputy editor since January, are leaving the weekly publication. They met with the staff at 11 a.m. on Thursday and said that Christine Brennan, executive editor of Voice Media Group, had instructed them to lay off or drastically reduce the roles of five employees on the 20-person staff. More
Texas House Democrats pick Rep. Gene Wu as caucus chair. What does this mean for the speaker's race? Texas Democrats have chosen Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, to chair the House Democratic Caucus for the 2025 legislative session. Wu, who will begin his seventh term in the House next year, defeated ... 12/6/2024 - 3:31 am | View Link
Houston Rep. Gene Wu to lead Texas House Democrats through GOP-dominated legislative session Wu defeated incumbent Trey Martinez Fischer on Thursday to become the next chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. 12/5/2024 - 3:44 am | View Link
Houston Rep. Gene Wu chosen as next Democratic leader in Texas House AUSTIN — Democrats in the Texas House selected Houston Rep. Gene Wu as their new leader for the upcoming legislative session, ousting San Antonio Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer from the job after the ... 12/4/2024 - 12:42 pm | View Link
With so much new music being put out and new stars created each year, it's ironic that one of the most played songs on Spotify in 2024 was Journey' "Don't Stop Believing"
Billboard:
More than a billion Spotify streams, a Library of Congress National Recording Registry placement and plays at virtually every sporting event around the world don’t lie — this one is Journey’s pinnacle of success.
Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) has been missing votes in Washington because she’s been living in a nursing home for dementia patients for the past six months, the Daily Mail reports.
The current longest-serving GOP representative had not been on record voting for or against anything since July.
Dallas Express: Where is Kay Granger?
“Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U. S. Senate,” Fox News reports.
Said Trump: “After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate.”
After six years at the helm of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, dedicated to "building the infrastructure" necessary to effectively fight for key policies on Capitol Hill, term-limited Rep. Pramila Jayapal is determined to ensure that the CPC's incoming leaders "are as successful as possible."
Jayapal (D-Wash.) spoke with Common Dreams on Wednesday about her time leading the caucus of nearly 100 lawmakers whose legislative priorities include "comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal healthcare, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy."
She was elected first vice chair of the CPC in June 2017, just months into her freshman term in Congress.
Last month, Missourians voted to add the right to abortion until viability into their state constitution—making their state one of ten to enshrine abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
But simply having the constitutional right to abortion does not alone change anything on the ground: The courts must enforce this right by affirming that anti-abortion laws violate states’ newly amended constitutions.