White House hopes for quick election of new House speaker

The White House is hoping for a quick election of a new speaker of the House of Representatives.
Without addressing the messy, internal politics facing House Republicans, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden “hopes the House will quickly elect a Speaker.” Once that happens, she said, “he looks forward to working together with them.”

Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to 3 federal firearms charges

Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty in Delaware to three federal firearms charges. The president’s son appeared in a Wilmington courtroom where his attorney entered the not guilty plea. Hunter Biden has been charged with lying about his drug use when filling out a form to buy a gun. He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Over the summer, an earlier deal imploded, resulting in the appointment of a special counsel, and setting the case on a track toward a possible trial in 2024 while his father runs for reelection.

Biden confers with U.S. allies about continued Ukraine aid

President Biden has spoken with U-S allies about continued support for Ukraine. The White House says the president convened a call with 10 allies and partners to coordinate future support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The call came after Mr. Biden signed legislation over the weekend that kept the government funded, but dropped his request for billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine. He’s trying to reassure allies of continued U-S assistance, as he urges Congress to negotiate a new aid package.

Trump campaign wants RNC to cancel upcoming debates

The Trump campaign wants the third Republican presidential debate to be canceled. Trump campaign senior advisers are calling on Republican party officials to “immediately cancel the upcoming debate in Miami,” even though the former president is not planning to participate. The advisers said the GOP should “end all future debates” so the party can focus on and prevent “Democrats’ efforts to steal the 2024 election.” The statement came on the same day an angry Donald Trump showed up for the start of a New York City trial in a fraud lawsuit.

Trump seethes through start of fraud trial in NY lawsuit

Former President Trump was fuming mad at the start of a non-jury fraud trial in New York. Trump spent part of Monday in court, where he and his company are accused of deceiving banks and others by lying about his wealth in financial statements. Outside the courtroom, the ex-president called the New York attorney general a “racist,” said the judge was “rogue,” and blamed the Justice Department for orchestrating the legal action against him. The judge already has ruled that Trump committed fraud in his business dealings.

Democrats displeased with “Bidenomics” campaign branding

Democrats are increasingly unhappy with the Biden campaign’s focus on the economy. According to reports by Politico and Axios, some of President Biden’s Democratic allies are displeased with the campaign’s promotion of “Bidenomics.” They’re concerned because most Americans have a dim view of the economy and give the president low marks. One former Biden White House staffer told Axios he “never understood why you would brand an economy in your name when the economy hasn’t fully recovered yet.” GC, Wash.

Biden silent on expected move to oust Speaker McCarthy

President Biden is refusing to comment about an expected move this week to remove Republican Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Over the weekend, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz said he’ll try to oust McCarthy from his leadership position this week. At the White House, the president was asked if Democrats should vote to help McCarthy keep his job. He declined to say, pointing out he doesn’t have a vote in the matter. Gaetz and other hard-right conservatives are upset with McCarthy over the temporary spending bill that was passed on Saturday that averted a federal government shutdown.

Biden frustrated with “brinksmanship” in Congress

President Biden wants an end to the “brinksmanship” in Congress. Hours after signing a bill that averted a government shutdown, the president expressed frustration over the near miss. He called out Republicans for not honoring their word on a budget agreement, which he said led to a “manufactured crisis.” The short-term spending bill approved by Congress will fund the government until mid-November.

Biden urges Congress to pass new Ukraine assistance

With a government shutdown averted, President Biden is urging Congress to approve new assistance for Ukraine. The temporary funding bill that lawmakers passed on Saturday did not include money for Ukraine and the president said Congress must act as soon as possible. Speaking from the White House, Mr. Biden declared that America will not walk away from Ukraine in its fight against Russia. But as the war grinds on, Republican resistance to Ukraine aid has been gaining momentum.

Donald Trump has his eye on a big presidential primary prize in California

Donald Trump has his eye on a big presidential primary prize in California

VERBATIM:

The former president made a personal pitch to California Republicans on Friday at their state convention in Anaheim. He declared that “help is on the way” to his supporters in a state where Democrats are dominant. Trump is working to solidify his support in the Golden State. California’s 169 convention delegates are the biggest prize in the race for the GOP nomination, and Trump can win them all by getting at least 50% of the vote in the March 5th primary. GC, Wash.

Trump eyes all of California’s primary delegates

Congress averts gov’t shutdown, Biden calls it “good news”

President Biden says Congress averting a government shutdown is “good news,” even though the temporary funding bill didn’t meet his full request. With just a few hours to spare, Congress approved a short-term bill to keep federal agencies open. The president welcomed the news, saying in a statement that House and Senate lawmakers prevented “an unnecessary crisis that would have inflicted needless pain” on millions of Americans. However, he’s upset that House Republicans tried to “walk away” from a budget agreement he made with Speaker McCarthy. And he’s calling on lawmakers to pass new aid for Ukraine, which the temporary measure does not include.

White House salutes Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday

Biden’s offshore drilling plan angers energy companies, environmental groups

Biden orders flags to half-staff in honor of Sen. Feinstein

Biden has no plans to meet with McCarthy over GOP budget impasse

President Biden has no plans to meet House Speaker McCarthy ahead of a possible government shutdown. McCarthy says he and the president should meet to discuss the impasse, but White House budget director Shalanda Young says there’s already a budget agreement in place. If a shutdown occurs, it would halt paychecks for many of the roughly 2 million federal employees, plus some 2 million active-duty military troops and reservists.

GOP’s 3rd debate will have stricter requirements

There could be fewer candidates at the next Republican presidential debate. The third GOP debate will be held in Miami six weeks from now, and candidates will be facing more challenging requirements to take part. White House hopefuls must secure 4 percent of the vote in multiple polls and 70-thousand unique donors to earn a spot on the stage. At this week’s debate here in California, seven candidates were at the debate. With more stringent requirements, it’s likely to be a smaller line-up of debate participants in South Florida.

Trump in California for GOP state convention

Former President Trump is in California to address the state’s GOP convention. He may have skipped out on the 2nd debate this week, but Trump is in Los Angeles to speak directly to Republican Party leaders and voters. He’s the keynote at the state’s GOP convention today. Interestingly, the state GOP has changed its rules and any candidate who pulls in more than 50 percent of the primary vote will be awarded all 169 delegates. This winner-takes-all rule makes it possible for Trump to sweep the delegates in March and move closer to clinching the Republican nomination.

Biden already focused on Trump in 2024 White House race

In the 2024 election campaign, President Biden is already focused on Donald Trump. The president was here in California for a meeting and fundraisers on the same day of the GOP debate, but he wasn’t paying much attention to the seven Republican contenders. On the debate stage, the White House hopefuls criticized the president’s economic and climate policies, but Mr. Biden is already zeroing in on Trump. He’s been increasingly calling out his predecessor by name and referring to him as his “likely opponent” for 2024.

Trump had GOP debate presence despite his absence

Republican candidates took aim at Donald Trump for skipping the debate at the Reagan presidential library. He may have been physically absent, but Trump was very much a part of the debate discussion. Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie were the most vocal in criticizing the former president. Trump, who also skipped the first debate, held a competing event in Michigan with autoworkers.

Serious issues were debated amid some GOP squabbling

At the Republican debate, candidates faced questions about issues including education, economic policy, and the southern border. Some of the candidates’ squabbling drew plenty of attention, but there also was substance on display. Republicans warned about the threat of a rising China, supported parents’ rights in public schools, and criticized President Biden’s economic and climate policies. With Donald Trump holding a commanding lead, the candidates here hope their debate performances will help them break from the pack and rise in the polls.

GOP candidates attack Biden, Trump, each other in 2nd debate

At the second GOP debate, candidates attacked President Biden and, occasionally, each other. Early in the two-hour debate on Fox Business, GOP hopefuls, including Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis, were united in their criticism of the president. Then there was bickering between Republicans, including Nikki Haley versus Vivek Ramaswamy. And Chris Christie was among some candidates who took a swing at Donald Trump.

Debate stage positions set for 7 GOP presidential candidates

Some of the GOP presidential candidates will be standing in different spots on tonight’s debate stage in California. The stage positions are based on polling numbers and Ron DeSantis will be center stage despite some recent struggles. He’ll be flanked by Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley in the number 2 and 3 positions. Farther out, it’ll be Tim Scott and Chris Christie, with Mike Pence and Doug Burgum on the wings. The venue for this second debate is the Air Force One pavilion here at the Reagan presidential library.

GOP candidates begin arriving at Reagan library debate venue

Republican candidates have begun arriving at the Reagan Presidential Library ahead of tonight’s primary debate. Former Governor Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are among the early-arriving candidates. They’re walking the grounds of the Reagan library and checking the venue ahead of tonight’s 9pm debate. Ramaswamy told reporters he doesn’t do “traditional debate prep” and that he’ll be focused on telling voters what he and his campaign are all about. He also said he’ll draw some inspiration from the 40th president after spending time here at the Reagan library and museum.