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Bob Agnew
Reporting from Capitol Hill, Bob Agnew has updates on what’s going on in the Senate.
Virginia Governor Youngkin Praises High Court Ruling On Admissions
Thu, Jun 29, 2023 at 3:18 pm
Virginia’s conservative governor Glenn Youngkin is among those praising today’s (Thursday’s) Supreme Court decision upending affirmative action in college admissions. He says the High Court ruling provides an opportunity for students in his state and around the country
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Poll: Economy Top Concern Among Likely PA Voters In 2024
Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 4:55 pm
A majority of Pennsylvania voters say the economy is their main concern looking ahead to the 2024 election. A new Quinnipiac poll taken among likely Pennsylvania voters shows 30% rank the economy as their top concern. Preserving Democracy ranks second . 28% say that’s their top concern. Rounding out the three, four, and five spots were gun violence at 9%, abortion at 8%, and immigration at 7%. In a hypothetical rematch 47% said they would vote for Donald Trump over presidet Biden,46% said they prefer Biden over Trump.
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Shaheen, Tillis To Head Senate Delegation To NATO Summit
Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 2:26 pm
A bi-partisan group of senators will attend next week’s NATO summit in Lithuania in a show of support for Ukraine. Russia’ war in Ukraine is expected to be a major focus at the annual conference. The U.S. senate delegation will be headed by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen [D-NH] and Republican Thom Tillis [R-NC]. In a joint letter they write their trip is meant to send what they call a “resounding message” to the international community about U.S support for the alliance amid shared security challenges.
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Talk Of Alito, Thomas Retirements Raise Stakes In 2024 Election
Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 1:38 pm
Democrats and Republicans alike are pondering the possible outcomes if the two justices retire, a scenario that magnifies the importance of elections for president and to decide which party control the Senate. Retiring Democrat senator Debbie Stabenow [R-Mich] calls it “absolutely critical” that th Senate remain in Democrat hands because-quote-“president Biden needs to be able to put more judges on the bench, federal judges, including the Supreme Court. Republicans meantime are hopeful they can recapture the white house, and reclaim the Senate majority, and feel they have a good chance of flipping at least THREE Democrat held seats.
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Senate Concerns Delay Amazon Clinic Expansion To All 50 States
Tue, Jun 27, 2023 at 2:55 pm
Amazon Clinic —which already operates in 33 states—connects patients with healthcare providers who can diagnose conditions and write prescriptions. The Clinic does not accept health insurance or government entitlements, but charges a flat fee that can be as low as $30. The expansion was delayed after Democrats senators Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch raised concerns the service may put users personal information at risk.
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High Court Rules Against NC Republicans Election Map
Tue, Jun 27, 2023 at 2:25 pm
The Supreme Court has ruled against North Carolina Republicans in their bid to allow state lawmakers the right to draw up new voting maps. It’s the first time the High Court has been asked to rule on a case involving the so called “independent state legislature” theory.
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Senate Committee Faults FBI, DHS Information Fail Before Jan. 6th Riot
Tue, Jun 27, 2023 at 2:22 pm
A report from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security says both the FBI and DHS downplayed the threat of violence prior to the January 6th Capitol riot. The finding came in a report issued by the committee on Tuesday. It said although the agencies had prior knowledge of numerous threats made online that they -QUOTE-“failed to fully and accurately assess the severity of the threat identified by that intelligence.” Committee chairman Gary Peters [D-Mich] says despite a high volume on online tips the agencies “ failed to sound the alarm and share critical intelligence information that could have helped law enforcement better prepare.”
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Tuberville Stands Ground On Military Holds Over Abortion Policy
Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 4:02 pm
The Pentagon blasted Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville [R-AL] on Tuesday for putting holds on more than 200 nominations. Tubervlle began placing the holds in March to protest the Pentagon’s new policy of paid time off and travel reimbursements for service members who travel to get an abortion. He says he’ll only end the blockade if the Pentagon ends the policy of forcing taxeyers to pay for abortions, or if the policy is put to a vote before Cogress and codified into law.
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Senator Tommy Tuberville Defends Holds On Military Nominees
Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 3:39 pm
Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville [R-AL] has placed holds on some 200 general and flag officer nominations in a showdown with the Pentagon over it’s policy of paid time off and travel reimbursements for serve members who travel to obtain and abortion. He criticizes what he calls President Biden’s “obsession with making taxpayers pay for abortion without Congress ever taking a vote,”
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Sen. Sanders Launches Probe Into Amazon Warehouse Working Conditions
Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 3:18 pm
Senator Bernie Sanders [I-VT] says he’s launching an investigation into working conditions at Amazon warehouses. The chairman of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee complains what he calls the company’s “quest for profits at all costs” has lead to unsafe working conditions. Amazon says it’s reviewing Sander’s complaints but notes the company has invested a BILLION dollars in improved safety over the past FOUR years.
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Senator Tim Scott Criticizes DOJ Plea Deal For Hunter Biden
Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 2:34 pm
Republican senator Tim Scott [R-SC] is criticizing the plea deal the DOJ made with Hunter Biden on tax crimes. Senator Scott and other GOP critics see the plea deal as little more than a slap on the wrist for the younger Biden, in place of what may have been decades worth of criminal liability. Senator Scott calls the deal “another reason Americans have lost faith in Biden’s Justice Department”.
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Senate Dems, House GOP Braced For Budget Markup
Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 5:26 pm
Senate Democrats are on a collision course with House Republicans on spending levels for 2024. As the annual appropriations season begins to heat up, senate negotiators are expected to start marking up a number of spending bills. Democrats say they’ll be looking for levels consistent with spending caps already achieved during recent negotiations, but House Republicans plan to aim for lower spending. Republicans are defending the cuts as a means to curb spending and tackle the nation’s debt. House and Senate Democrats are accusing the GOP of reneging on earlier agreements.
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GOP Senator Says Trump Indictment Never Should Have Happened
Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Republican senator Ron Johnson is calling the indictment of former president Trump a “travesty”. Senator Johnson telling the Salem Radio Network the former president’s mishandled documents should have been dealt with as a civil matter under the Presidential Records Act.
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Rasmussen: Trump By Six Over Biden Despite Indictment
Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 5:13 pm
The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows former president Trump still leads president Biden by SIX points among likely voters even after the former president was indicted on federal charges. 45% of likely voters say they would vote for the former president in a 2024 rematch. Only 39% responding to the Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey say they would vote for President Biden.
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Democrats Press Amazon Clinic For Answers On Data Collection
Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 4:42 pm
Democrats Elizabeth Warren [D-Mass] and Peter Welsh [D-Vt.] have penned a letter to Amazon Clinic executives saying customers need more information about the handling of their private information. Amazon launched its Amazon Clinic last year providing a cheap, easy way for customers to get doctor’s prescriptions online, for as little as a $30 fee. Responding to a report in the Washington Post, the senators say customers may be paying a bigger price through the collection of their private data, and having it sod to third parties.
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Rasmussen Poll Says Trump Indictment Bad For U.S.
Thu, Jun 15, 2023 at 3:50 pm
54% of likely U.S. voters responding to a Rasmussen poll say the indictment of the former president on numerous felony counts is bad for the country. Only 35% says it’s good for the country. A majority of respondents say they agree that the federal indictment against Donald Trump makes America look like a “Banana Republic”.
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Blackburn, Fellow Republicans Demand Special Counsel For Biden
Thu, Jun 15, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Senator Marsha Blackburn [R-TN] and other Republicans are calling for a special counsel to investigate the Biden family. Blackburn and the other senators have fired off a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. They’re calling for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate what the letter calls “the outstanding allegations of potential corruption and wrongdoing on the part of multiple members of the Biden family.”
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Poll: Majority Of California Voters Say Feinstein Should Resign
Mon, Jun 12, 2023 at 12:47 pm
A new poll is putting more pressure on California Democrat Diane Feinstein [D-CA] to resign her seat in the Senate. 63% of California voters responding to the Inside California Politics/Emerson College survey say Feinstein should resign and allow California governor Gavin Newsom to appoint a replacement. 37% say the 89 year old Feinstein should stick to her plan to retire next year at the end of her current term.
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Gallup: More Americans Call Themselves “Very Conservative”.
Fri, Jun 9, 2023 at 4:19 pm
A new poll shows conservative sentiment is on the rise in America, especially when it comes to social issues. More Americans -38%- responding to a Gallup Poll-now describe themselves as either “very conservative” or “conservative” on social issues. It’s the highest number since 2012 and compares to just 30% who said the same thing last year.
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Poll: AARP Members Concerned By Group’s Political Activism
Fri, Jun 9, 2023 at 4:15 pm
A new poll shows a majority of seniors aged 55 and over have concerns about the political activities of AARP. The poll—conducted by American Commitment—was aimed at 1600 55-plus likely voter, including 700 AARP members. 85% of respondent voiced concern that the majority of AARP’s operating budget comes via royalties from the nation’s largest health insurer UnitedHealthCare. 80% say they’re concerned about the company’s designation as “non partisan” given AARP’s support for Democrat prescription drug policies and the president’s Inflation Reduction act.
Senate To Hold Three Briefings On Artificial Intelligence
Tue, Jun 6, 2023 at 1:02 pm
A bi-partisan group of senators say it’s vital they deepen their expertise on the potential, and risks posed by AI. Something they say is -quote-“already changing our world, and experts have repeatedly told us that it will have a profound impact on everything from our national security to our classrooms to our workforce.” One briefing will focus on the current status of AI, another on it’s trajectory moving forward, and a third on how U.S. intelligence, the Department Defense, and the nation’s adversaries are making use of AI technology.
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Senator Calls For Declassification Of Report On Killing Of Journalist
Tue, Jun 6, 2023 at 12:31 pm
Senator Van Hollen is demanding more information of the death of journalist Shireen Abu Akle, killed by Israeli forces while covering a security raid in the West Bank last year. More details are contained in a still classified report compiled by the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Van Hollen—a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—has for nearly a year been urging the State Department to make the report public. Something he says could help lessen the risks for journalist operating in combat zones.
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Don’t Rule Out Manchin For 2024 Senate Bid, Allies Say
Tue, Jun 6, 2023 at 11:36 am
Allies of Senator Joe Manchin [D-WV] say reports of his political death in West Virginia have been “greatly exaggerated”. Veteran Democrat strategist David Axelrod made headlines this week when he called Manchin a “dead man walking in west Virginia.” He and other analysts believe the centrist Democrat has little chance of winning a fourth term, especially if he’s challenged by te state’ popular Republican Jim Justice.
Listen DownloadNH Governor Sununu Says He Won’t Run For White House In 2024
Mon, Jun 5, 2023 at 5:32 pm
New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu [R-NH] has announced he won’t be running for president in 2024. Sununu told CNN he’s decided not to challenge former President Trump for the party’s top job, and he can help to improve the GOP in other ways. Sununu had been floated as a possible candidate for months but failed to gain traction in the polls.
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