by tyler | Oct 3, 2023 | CNN, politics
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said Tuesday that the Republican National Committee had blocked a planned joint appearance with rival Vivek Ramaswamy on Fox News.
“When the RNC stops conversations between candidates from happening that is real cause for concern,” the former New Jersey governor said in a statement, adding that the candidates were threatened with exclusion from the third GOP presidential debate in Miami as well as future debates.
Ramaswamy responded to the RNC blocking the appearance by criticizing last week’s second Republican debate in California as “a disgrace” and accusing the party of conducting ” a brokered & rigged nomination process.”
The California debate was beset by interruptions, crosstalk and protracted squabbles between the candidates and moderators over speaking time. The trajectory of the 2024 Republican nomination process appears unlikely to have been seriously altered by the two debates so far, with former President Donald Trump, who has skipped both showdowns, still seen as the front-runner for the GOP nomination.
CNN has reached out to the RNC for comment.
In order to participate in the RNC debates, candidates must agree to not participate in any non-RNC-sanctioned ones during the campaign.
The appearance between Christie and Ramaswamy had been scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday on Fox News with Bret Baier as host.
Christie campaign spokesperson Karl Rickett confirmed to CNN that Christie and Ramaswamy are now expected to sit for back-to-back interviews on Fox.
Politico was first to report on the new interview plan.
This story has been updated with additional information.
by tyler | Oct 3, 2023 | CNN, politics
The US House of Representatives is bracing for a key vote Tuesday over Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s political future as GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida pushes for his ouster – and Democrats are signaling they won’t bail McCarthy out.
The push to oust McCarthy represents the most serious threat to the California Republican’s speakership to date and marks a major escalation in tensions for a House GOP conference that has been mired in in-fighting and could be thrown into further chaos if McCarthy is pushed out – just days after McCarthy successfully engineered a last-minute bipartisan effort to avert a government shutdown.
McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday that he will bring up the motion to vacate in the first vote series of the day. The move comes after Gaetz offered what is known as a motion to vacate the chair – a rare procedural maneuver that can be used to force a vote to remove the speaker.
McCarthy can only afford to lose four GOP defections if all Democrats vote against him and all members are present and voting. But five Republicans have already said they will back the effort to boot McCarthy, meaning that he would need Democratic votes to survive and hold onto the speakership, assuming there aren’t extensive absences during the vote.
There is a significant amount of distrust and anger from House Democrats toward McCarthy, however, over his actions as speaker and the House GOP agenda.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a letter to his caucus that leadership plans to vote in support of removing McCarthy.
“It is now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War. Given their unwillingness to break from MAGA extremism in an authentic and comprehensive manner, House Democratic leadership will vote yes on the pending Republican Motion to Vacate the Chair,” he wrote.
McCarthy told reporters he is “confident I will hold on.” But he conceded ahead of the vote that he faces tough odds. “If five Republicans go with Democrats, then I’m out,” McCarthy said, adding “probably so,” when pressed on whether that is likely to happen. He said he is not expecting Democrats to back him up in the vote.
The effort to oust the speaker comes as a bloc of hardline conservatives have continued to thwart McCarthy, voting against key priorities of GOP leadership and repeatedly throwing up roadblocks to the speaker’s agenda. No House speaker has ever been ousted through the passage of a resolution to remove them.
Gaetz filed the motion to vacate after McCarthy put forward a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown that passed with support from Democrats.
The first vote on Tuesday related to the motion to vacate is expected to be a procedural move to try to kill the effort. If the procedural vote fails, then there would be a vote directly on whether to remove McCarthy as speaker, which would take only a majority to succeed.
McCarthy appeared to rule out any sort of power-sharing agreement with Democrats, telling CNN’s Manu Raju, “that doesn’t work.”
“I’m a Republican. I’m a conservative that wants to get things done. I know we live in – our government’s designed to have compromise, but look, we are in the majority. You don’t surrender,” he said.
McCarthy told his members he will not cut a deal with Democrats, sources said.
Gaetz was directly pressed by his colleagues during a Tuesday party meeting for his grand plan, and who would replace McCarthy if he was ousted, sources said. Gaetz stood up and responded that there would need to be a new speaker’s election that plays out but didn’t name anyone he had in mind for the job.
To force a vote, a member must go to the House floor and announce their intent to offer the resolution to remove the speaker – as Gaetz did. Doing so requires the speaker to put the resolution on the legislative schedule within two legislative days, setting up a showdown on the floor over the issue.
A vote on a resolution to remove the speaker could still be preempted, however, even once it is on track to come to the floor for consideration.
For example, when the resolution is called up on the floor, a motion to table – or kill – the resolution could be offered and would be voted on first. That vote would also only require a simple majority to succeed – and if it did succeed then there would not be a vote directly on the resolution to remove the speaker because the resolution would instead be tabled.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
by tyler | Oct 2, 2023 | CNN, politics
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY’s List, to fill the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, his office confirmed Sunday evening.
Butler will become the first out Black lesbian to join Congress, according to Newsom. She will also be the sole Black female senator serving in Congress and only the third in US history. Feinstein, the longest-serving female US senator in history, died last week at 90.
“I am honored to accept Gov. Newsom’s nomination to be a U.S. Senator for a state I have long called home,” Butler said in a statement Monday, adding that she is “humbled by the Governor’s trust.”
“For women and girls, for workers and unions, for struggling parents waiting for our leaders to bring opportunity back to their homes, for all of California, I’m ready to serve,” she said.
The selection of Butler, first reported by Politico, comes as Democrats hold a narrow Senate majority and uncertainty looms over New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s political future amid outcry from his Democratic colleagues over his federal indictment.
Butler has been the president of EMILY’s List, which works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, since the group’s board of directors appointed her in 2021, when she became the first woman of color to lead the organization. She previously worked at Airbnb as a director of public policy and campaigns and has a long history working in California politics, including as an adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign. But much of her background is in the labor movement, serving as a union president in California.
Several high-profile Democratic candidates launched campaigns earlier this year to succeed Feinstein, who announced in February that she would not run for reelection. They include a trio of House Democrats: Reps. Adam Schiff, a former House Intelligence chairman who is backed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Katie Porter, a former deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; and Barbara Lee, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and a member of House Democratic leadership. Also in the race are Democrat Lexi Reese, a tech executive, and Republican lawyer Eric Early, who ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general in 2022.
Newsom previously pledged to appoint a Black woman to Feinstein’s seat should the senator resign before her term’s end. Many had urged Newsom to appoint Lee, a longtime representative from Oakland and the only Black woman running for the seat, including the Congressional Black Caucus, which sent a letter to Newsom asking him to choose Lee just hours before his announcement.
But the governor said last month that he would not appoint any of the candidates currently seeking the office, though Newsom’s office said Monday that there were no conditions placed on Butler and that any decision to run for a full term would be her own.
Butler moved to Maryland in 2021 around the time she was chosen to lead EMILY’s List, public records show. She was registered to vote in Maryland in 2022, according to public records, but Newsom’s office said Monday, in response to questions about Butler’s residency, that she has re-registered to vote in California.
“As we mourn the enormous loss of Sen. Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for – reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence – have never been under greater assault. Laphonza has spent her entire career fighting for women and girls and has been a fierce advocate for working people,” Newsom said in a statement on X.
This is Newsom’s second Senate appointment. After the 2020 election, the governor appointed Alex Padilla, then California’s secretary of state, to succeed Kamala Harris following her election to the vice presidency. Padilla became the first Latino senator from California, but Newsom was criticized for not choosing a Black woman, leaving the chamber without a Black female senator. He later appointed Shirley Weber, a Black woman, to succeed Padilla as secretary of state.
Padilla said in a statement he was “honored to welcome” Butler to the Senate and said she “has been a strong voice for working families, LGBTQ rights, and a champion for increasing women’s representation in politics.”
California will hold two Senate elections next November: a special election for the remaining months of Feinstein’s term until January 2025 and another for a full six-year term.
Lee, who is running for Feinstein’s seat in next year’s election, said she is “singularly focused on winning my campaign for Senate,” in a post on X.
Primaries for both races will be held in March, and, under the California system, all candidates will run on the same ballot, with the top two, regardless of party, advancing to the general election.
California also held two Senate elections for the same seat in 2022, following Padilla’s appointment. He won both races by similar margins.
This story has been updated with additional information.
by tyler | Oct 2, 2023 | CNN, politics
Laphonza Butler, the woman selected by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to succeed the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is a longtime union leader and abortion rights advocate, who also will be the first out Black lesbian to enter Congress.
The appointment fulfills Newsom’s pledge to appoint a Black woman who had not announced plans to run for the seat, and in Butler, he picked someone with deep ties to several critical Democratic constituencies in the Golden State.
Butler will also be the sole Black woman serving in the Senate and only the third in US history. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday the incoming senator would be sworn in this week.
“I am humbled by the Governor’s trust,” Butler said in a statement Monday. “Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s leadership and legacy are immeasurable. I will do my best to honor her by devoting my time and energy to serving the people of California and the people of this great nation.”
Butler previously made history in 2021 by becoming the first woman of color to lead EMILY’s List, an organization dedicated to electing Democratic women who support abortion rights.
In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, Butler worked at SCRB Strategies – a California-based political strategy firm now known as Bearstar Strategies – where she served as a senior adviser on then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, according to EMILY’s List. She also served as an adviser on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to Butler’s LinkedIn page.
Butler previously held multiple roles at the Service Employees International Union, most recently serving as president of SEIU Local 2015 for nearly a decade. SEIU Local 2015 represents California’s long-term care workers and is the largest labor union in the state, the governor’s office said. Prior to joining EMILY’s List, Butler was a director at Airbnb.
Butler, who has a long history working in California politics, moved to Maryland in 2021 around the time she was chosen to lead EMILY’s List, public records show. She was registered to vote in Maryland in 2022, according to public records.
Responding to questions about Butler’s residency, Newsom’s office said Monday she had re-registered to vote in California ahead of her Senate appointment.
EMILY’s List board chair Rebecca Haile called Butler “a groundbreaking leader who has done terrific work” over her two years leading the group.
“EMILYs List was created to get more Democratic pro-choice women in government and I am thrilled to see my friend put that into action by taking on this role,” Haile said in a statement.
Butler, a Mississippi native, attended Jackson State University, according to EMILY’s List. She has served as a member of the University of California Board of Regents and as a board member of the National Children’s Defense Fund. She and her wife, Neneki, have a daughter, Nylah, Newsom’s office said.
Newsom was under intense pressure within California to choose a Black woman to succeed Harris when she was elected to the vice presidency. He instead appointed Alex Padilla, then California’s secretary of state, who became the first Latino senator from the state.
This year, many – including members of the Congressional Black Caucus – had urged Newsom to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee in case Feinstein’s seat became vacant. Lee filed to run for the seat after Feinstein announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection in 2024, but Newsom said last month he would not appoint any of the candidates currently seeking the office. His office said Monday there were no conditions placed on Butler’s appointment and any decision to seek a full term next year would be her own.
Newsom has described Butler as “an advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris,” who will “carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein.”
“As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for – reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence – have never been under greater assault,” Newsom said in his announcement. “Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.”
by tyler | Oct 2, 2023 | CNN, politics
The United States Postal Service on Monday released its postage stamp honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a feminist icon who served for years as the senior-most member of the court’s liberal wing.
The USPS announced last year that it would feature an oil painting of the justice on a “Forever” stamp, which currently costs 66 cents. The painting shows the justice in a black judicial robe and a white collar, which became an iconic part of her wardrobe. Ginsburg died in 2020 at the age of 87.
Ginsburg’s granddaughter Clara Spera told CNN that the honor “would have been beyond her wildest dreams.”
“She worked as hard as she could for as long as she could, and did the very best that she could,” Spera told CNN’s Poppy Harlow in an interview that aired Monday on “This Morning.”
Spera said her grandmother “would be absolutely delighted” that a record four women are serving on the highest court’s bench.
“As she noted in her confirmation hearing, she was hoping that those women would not be cut from the same cloth, and that’s certainly the case,” Spera said. “We have women from different backgrounds, different legal viewpoints, and I think that’s something she would celebrate.”
Following Ginsburg’s death in 2020, the justice has been honored with several commemorations, including a bronze statue in her hometown of Brooklyn unveiled in 2021.
Ginsburg is not the first justice to be featured on a stamp. The late Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American member of the Supreme Court, is among those who have been honored by the USPS.
by tyler | Oct 2, 2023 | CNN, politics
President Joe Biden appeared to suggest over the weekend that Democrats had reached a new deal with embattled House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Ukraine aid – a major omission from a funding bill that managed to avert a government shutdown.
“We just made one about Ukraine. So, we’ll find out,” Biden said when a reporter asked whether he would trust McCarthy when the “next deal comes around.”
The remark left open the prospect Biden had secured some new agreement from McCarthy to take up new funding for Ukraine, despite opposition from some hardline Republicans.
The comments prompted Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz – a Florida Republican who is promising to take action this week to try to oust McCarthy from his speakership post – to call on McCarthy to share more about “his secret side deal with Joe Biden on Ukraine. I’ll be listening.”
Multiple Democratic lawmakers serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told CNN on Monday that they had no reason to believe that McCarthy had made a fresh commitment to the White House over the weekend on Ukraine funding.
“I haven’t seen or heard of specific assurances,” one member said.
Another said they assumed Biden had been referring to an earlier government funding agreement that was reached over the summer.
“I do not believe there was a new assurance issued,” the lawmaker said.
Pressed Monday on what specific assurances Biden had secured on Ukraine aid from McCarthy, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly demurred.
“There’s obviously bipartisan support to continue the funding to Ukraine,” she said when asked whether Biden was referring to any specific agreement from McCarthy to take up new Ukraine funding.
“What we’re seeing currently from Congress is there has been – there has been overwhelming support,” she added later, declining to say what exactly Biden was referring to when he told reporters he’d made a deal with McCarthy on Ukraine.
“I’m not going to go beyond what the president said,” she said.
Asked whether the White House had engaged in any backchannel negotiations with the speaker on Ukraine, she suggested it wasn’t necessary.
And she declined to detail any one-on-one conversations Biden has held on Ukraine.
“I just don’t have anything to confirm,” she said, without ruling it out.
Speaking on Capitol Hill earlier Monday, McCarthy told reporters he didn’t interpret the president’s remarks as implying there was a new deal.
“I don’t think the president implied that at all,” McCarthy said, adding: “I believe Ukraine is very important. I have always supported arming Ukraine – that’s not sending money to Ukraine, that’s arming Ukraine the weaponry to defend. But I think it’s very important with the number of Americans who are dying that we get the border done.”
The speaker later doubled down in remarks to reporters: “There is no side deal, so I don’t know who is bringing that up.”
The administration has worked since Saturday’s passage of the funding measure to shore up allies, reiterating the wide bipartisan support for Ukraine that still remains in Congress.
Biden was expected to speak with allies in the coming days to reiterate the point, according to people familiar with the matter. The White House said it did not have any calls to preview.
In the lead-up to Saturday, administration officials had lobbied intensely for new Ukraine funding to be included in a short-term spending bill. A top official from the Pentagon told lawmakers in a letter on Friday that the Department of Defense “has exhausted nearly all available security assistance funding for Ukraine,” offering stark warnings about the battlefield effects of failing to pass new assistance.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had also made appeals ahead of the spending deadline to include new Ukraine funding.
