‘Hatred in the eyes’: How racist rage animated Jan. 6 riots
The Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection by pro-Trump supporters and right-wing group members shattered the sense of security that many had long felt at the Capitol as rioters forcefully delayed the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.
First steps made in Congress to honor pop superstar Prince
Minnesota’s Congressional delegation on Monday is introducing a resolution to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to pop superstar Prince, citing his “indelible mark on Minnesota and American culture,” The Associated Press has learned.
Congressional leaders urge FCC to perform equity audit
Congressional leaders and a media advocacy organization are urging the Federal Communications Commission to investigate how policy decisions have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the acting FCC chair.
As migrant apprehensions soar, Texas politicians jockey for air time to criticize — or defend — President Joe Biden
A group of asylum-seeking migrants' walked towards the border wall after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States from Mexico, in Penitas, Texas, on Friday. Credit: REUTERS/Go NakamuraSign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Texas’ Republican and Democratic elected officials on Friday battled for camera time on the state’s southern border as the Biden administration continues to come under fire as an ever-increasing number of undocumented immigrants are being apprehended. AdU.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who was among the Democrats in Carrizo Springs, said she was a child refugee who fled danger in Somalia to come to the United States. She said the migrant children in the Carrizo Springs facility told the members of Congress that they want to be treated with dignity and that they don't know who the current U.S. president is.
Fallout from riot, virus leaves toxic mood on Capitol Hill
FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2021, file photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. One problem in resuming fully in-person operations at the Capitol is the lack of vaccinations for thousands of staff to the 435 House members. Give me a break.”It’s clear that Democrats are more emotionally spent than House Republicans, who bolstered their ranks in the last election despite Trump's loss. In February, the House voted to remove Greene from her committee assignments because of her lengthy history of outrageous social media posts and other actions. AdWhile security fencing is set to be removed from the Capitol, metal detectors remain stationed outside the House chamber after some Republican lawmakers pledged to bring their firearms onto the House floor.
With Biden’s backing, Dems revive bill to overhaul policing
Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – House Democrats passed the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing nationwide, avoiding a potential clash with moderates in their own party who were wary of reigniting the “defund the police” debate they say hurt them during last fall's election. “We want to feel safe when we encounter law enforcement. “Our law enforcement officers need more funding not less,” Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis. Another possible point of contention is provisions easing standards for prosecution of law enforcement officers accused of wrongdoing. California Rep. Karen Bass, who authored the bill, understands the challenge some House members face in supporting it.
House passes bill named for George Floyd aimed at overhaul of policing
House Democrats are hustling to pass the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing. The bill would ban chokeholds and “qualified immunity” for law enforcement and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability. “Our law enforcement officers need more funding not less,” Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., said during Wednesday's debate. AdPolice unions and other law enforcement groups have argued that, without such legal protections, fear of lawsuits will stop people from becoming police officers — even though the measure permits such suits only against law enforcement agencies, rather than all public employees. California Rep. Karen Bass, who authored the bill, understands the challenge some House members face in supporting it.
Rep. Greene says 'morons' voted to boot her from committees
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., goes back to her office after speaking on the floor of the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out Friday at “morons” in both parties who voted to kick her off her committees, a day after the House meted out the unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she’d earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories. Underscoring the political vise her inflammatory commentary has clamped her party into, all but 11 Republicans voted against the Democratic move on Thursday but none rose to defend her lengthy history of outrageous social media posts. Even social media stars like Greene could find it harder to define themselves without the spotlights that committees provide. That chamber’s minority leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., this week called Greene’s words a “cancer” on the GOP and country.
A glance at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's incendiary words
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., goes back to her office after speaking on the floor of the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. Afterward, Greene suggested that the shooting might have been staged. Connecting a series of scattershot points, Greene suggested a bank controlled by the Rothschild family, who are Jewish, a utility company responsible for the fire and then-Gov. Greene “liked” the comment and replied, “Most people honestly don’t know so much. 9/11 ATTACKSIn November 2018, Greene shot a video in which she talked about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, referring to a “so-called” plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
Biden officials considering action on student debt relief
“The President continues to support the cancelling of student debt to bring relief to students and families,” Psaki tweeted. AdBiden previously had said he supports erasing up to $10,000 in student debt through legislation, but he had not shown interest in pursuing executive action. “The last thing people should be worried about is their student debt,” she said. Calls for debt forgiveness have been mounting following years of college tuition increases that have contributed to ballooning national student debt. Forgiving $50,000 in student debt would cost an estimated $650 billion, Warren said.
Rep. Ilhan Omar calls for impeachment of President Donald Trump following chaotic protest at US Capitol
President Donald Trump in a social media video addressing violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. HOUSTON – Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, has called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump after Wednesday’s extraordinary protest at the U.S. Capitol. FULL COVERAGE OF PROTEST AT U.S. CAPITOLIn a tweet, she said she is drawing up Articles of Impeachment against the president. Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate. We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath.
THE LATEST: White House doctor says President Trump doing ‘very well’ at hospital; Senate cancels work as lawmakers contract virus
11:20 a.m. -- Trump’s doctor to give update on conditionThe White House says President Donald Trump’s doctor provided an update on his condition Saturday morning. President Donald Trump’s doctor says he is doing “very well” as he spends the weekend at a military hospital for treatment of COVID-19. 11:35 p.m. — The White House physician says his medical team has “elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy” for President Donald Trump. ___11:55 a.m.First lady Melania Trump says she is experiencing “mild symptoms” after she and President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said President Trump was also experiencing mild symptoms, but continues to work from the White House residence as he quarantines.
Trump, Biden absorb news of Ginsburg death on the fly
BEMIDJI, Minn. – Minutes into the latest Donald Trump campaign rally, the world got word that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. Over the next 90 minutes, Trump claimed that Minnesota would be flooded with refugees if Democrat Joe Biden won the White House. As Trump moved on to other topics, White House aides were reacting to Ginsberg’s death. White House adviser Ben Williamson took to Twitter to say the White House flag had been lowered to half-staff to honor Ginsburg. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows tweeted his condolences to the late justice’s family and loved ones.
State denies improper IG firing, defends Saudi arms sales
(Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – The State Department on Wednesday rejected Democrats' charges of improperly firing its independent inspector general and defended its weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. Linick’s firing was one of several dismissals by Trump of people charged with preventing fraud and abuse in the government. The State Department officials told the committee that Pompeo acted appropriately on all counts. The IG concluded that the arms sales did not violate the letter of the law but said the department did not take enough action to limit civilian casualties. Members of Congress had been blocking some of the sales because they might contribute to the human rights disaster in Yemen.
Georgia candidate's post removed for inciting violence
ATLANTA Facebook removed a photo illustration showing a Republican congressional candidate in Georgia posing with a rifle next to three Democratic House members, saying Friday that it violated the social media platform's policy against inciting violence. Greene's post featured four separate photos that had been combined to show her posing with a rifle next to Democratic U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. After her Aug. 11 runoff victory, she inveighed against spineless Republicans" and promised to kick Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of Congress. But she denied in a statement Friday that she was trying to incite violence. Those videos brought her criticism in the primary, with some Georgia Republicans pulling their support, but opposition eased after her runoff win over neurosurgeon John Cowan.
Omar, seeking 2nd term, is targeted for her celebrity
Fifth Congressional District candidate, Democrat Antone Melton-Meaux, answers questions during an interview in his Minneapolis office Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Melton-Meaux is giving Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar an unexpectedly strong, well-funded primary challenge in one of the country's most heavily Democratic congressional districts, which includes Minneapolis and some suburbs. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Proposed bill could cancel your rent, mortgage payments during coronavirus pandemic
A U.S. representative is proposing a bill that could cancel all rent and mortgage payments through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. The “Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act of 2020” is being proposed by Minnesota’s Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. During the COVID-19 suspension, tenants and residents will also not accumulate debt, face additional fees, penalties or interests, or have their credit scores or rental history negatively impacted due to nonpayment, the proposed bill states. The act also establishes a landlord relief fund that would reimburse losses from the canceled payments. Click here to read the full proposed bill.
Omar marries political consultant, months after affair claim
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has married a political consultant who worked for her, months after the two were accused of having an affair, which she denied. A marriage license filed in Washington, D.C., shows Omar married political consultant Tim Mynett on Wednesday. Filings with the Federal Election Commission show Omar's campaign paid Tim Mynett or his firm nearly $600,000 since July 2018. A relationship between Omar and Mynett was publicly alleged in August, when Mynett's then-wife, Beth Mynett, filed for divorce and accused her husband and Omar of having an affair. According to Beth Mynett's divorce filing, Tim Mynett is a founder of E Street Group and met Omar while working for her.