News & analysis for government affairs & contracting professionals in Washington. ✉️ Washington Edition: aboutblaw.com/blDy
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Republican senators said they want to move quickly on legislation to support pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong despite a threat of retaliation from China. bgovgo.com/XcL6y1x
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Members of the Electoral College meet today to officially elect Joe Biden, a moment some GOP lawmakers have targeted as the end of President Trump’s attempts to overturn results as far as they’re concerned.
Here's what you need to know in Washington 👇
bgovgo.com/wpWDUQw
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BREAKING: The U.S. House votes to increase pandemic relief payments to $2,000 for individuals from $600 after President Trump demanded the change in a surprise turnabout last week.
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NEW: Alex Padilla, Jon Ossoff, and Raphael Warnock were sworn in as U.S. senators by VP Harris shortly after the Senate was called into session. bgovgo.com/auG7pjS
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The Duchess of Sussex has been an outspoken advocate for federal paid family leave laws in the U.S. bgovgo.com/ju5kRUV
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Is voting by mail safe?
There is little evidence to support claims by Trump and others that vote-by-mail is rife with fraud. For example, in Oregon, which has mailed more than 100 million ballots to voters since 2000, there have been only about a dozen documented cases of fraud.
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs flying helicopter combat missions in the Iraq war, is waging a new fight: pressing authorities to deliver on a three-decades-old promise to make transit stations accessible to all. bgovgo.com/tJfLK3d
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Montana defies voting trends and often splits tickets with its votes for the upper house.
Here's a look at the state's heated race between Senator Steve Daines and Governor Steve Bullock 👇 bgovgo.com/amHKFQm
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House Republicans are broadening their scrutiny of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement by demanding a sit-down with a senior official who oversees deportations.
bgovgo.com/YYrfohv
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JetBlue is the first company to end a pause in PAC contributions following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and disclose giving to one of the GOP lawmakers objecting to the Electoral College vote count. bgovgo.com/Q1ZKx4S
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Democrat Maxwell Alejandro Frost has defeated his challenger for a Florida US House seat, making him the first member of Generation Z to win a seat in Congress.
ALT Photographer: Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel
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BREAKING: Voters OK Florida amendment that restores voting rights to felons not convicted of murder or a sexual offense after completing their sentences.
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Heaps of sandstone and marble from the US Capitol East Front built in the early 19th century have sat in Washington D.C.’s Rock Creek Park for nearly 50 years.
Now, they're quietly going away.
about.bgov.com/news/old-capi…
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Out: The Mississippi flag bearing the Confederate battle emblem.
In: A new flag with a white magnolia blossom and the motto “In God We Trust.”
bgovgo.com/QpaxnnS
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JUST IN: The Air Force is reviewing whether to turn over any of its military installations to the new Space Force service, according to internal plans compiled by the Pentagon. bgovgo.com/fM6fQfE
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Katie Britt, 40, will be the youngest Republican woman ever to serve in the Senate.
ALT Photo of Katie Britt in front of a podium with lots of microphones.
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Separating school bathrooms based on biological sex is constitutional and doesn’t violate Title IX, a divided en banc Eleventh Circuit ruled.
bgovgo.com/TXBSVze
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Trump vetoed the U.S. defense policy bill after Congress refused to include language that would eliminate Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. bgovgo.com/9vMewPi
Here's what you need to know about Section 230 ⬇️
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Here is a list of Covid-19 test results for U.S. government officials and others within the political circle as the country counts down to the Nov. 3 presidential election:
✅ President Donald Trump
✅ First Lady Melania Trump
✅ Hope Hicks, senior adviser to the president
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The Pentagon made $35 trillion in accounting adjustments last year alone—a total that’s larger than the entire U.S. economy. bgovgo.com/O750nTp
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BREAKING: In a pickup for Democrats, Carolyn Bourdeaux wins election to U.S. House in Georgia's 7th Congressional District, AP calls. #Election2020 bgovgo.com/LltM2Gx
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NEW: House Democrats are considering the use of digital wallets to speed emergency funds to consumers as part of their sweeping COVID-19 economic stimulus. bgovgo.com/vP238IW
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Speaker candidate Jim Jordan told moderate New York holdouts he would support doubling the state-and-local tax deduction cap to $20,000, according to Rep. Mike Garcia. bgovgo.com/Qum0aLX
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Santa Claus may be coming to town if he advances from Saturday’s crowded special election primary for Alaska’s at-large congressional district. bgovgo.com/HbkGkm4
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Trump’s trial is almost certain to end in an acquittal, yet it will deliver a public reckoning for his presidency and influence whether his populist base continue to dominate the Republican Party. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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✅ Bill Stepien, Trump campaign manager
✅ Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor who helped Trump prepare for debate
✅ Kellyanne Conway, former White House senior adviser
✅ Ronna McDaniel, Republican National Committee Chairwoman
✅ Mike Lee, Utah’s Republican Senator
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Claus (I), who ran fourth in the Alaska Survey Research poll in May, says he’s broadly aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who overwhelmingly won the 2016 Alaska Democratic caucus over Hillary Clinton.
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem authorized the Coast Guard to spend $200 million as soon as Friday on luxury jets as the government shutdown edges into its fourth week. news.bgov.com/bloomberg-gove…
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People who have tested negative for Covid-19, so far:
❌ Joe Biden, Democratic presidential nominee, and wife Jill Biden
❌ Kamala Harris, Democratic vice presidential candidate
❌ Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
❌ Mike Pence, Vice President and wife Karen
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Senator Joe Manchin, the architect of the Democrats’ new tax, climate and drugs bill, made a public pitch to his colleague Kyrsten Sinema to get on board with the legislation, arguing that it doesn’t raise taxes.
bgovgo.com/i69V1ao
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Murkowski said she was disturbed to hear McConnell say there would be "total coordination" between the White House and the Senate over the upcoming presidential impeachment trial. bgovgo.com/46Kx0qi
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President Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of going to the Supreme Court to settle the vote in his favor. But election law experts largely dismiss the idea he has a viable claim. bgovgo.com/RyT87fX
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✅ Ron Johnson, Wisconsin’s Republican Senator
✅ Nick Luna, Trump’s personal attendant
✅ Kayleigh McEnany, press secretary
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Republican Herschel Walker has moved into a tiny lead over Democrat Warnock, 49.6%-48.6%, with 64% of votes tallied. bgovgo.com/VxIPCcG
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Pete Buttigieg visited Union Station in D.C. today to discuss the mask requirements and the administration’s support for additional COVID-19 relief funding for public transportation.
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Sen. Marsha Blackburn said TikTok executives need to testify before lawmakers and explain its relationship to the ruling Chinese Communist Party, or CCP.
“Americans need to know if they are on TikTok, Communist China has their information." bgovgo.com/3UJ9ttG
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Democrats will try again with a roll call vote on a new bill Dec. 28, when the House also plans a vote to override Trump’s veto on the National Defense Authorization Act. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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Rep. Jim Jordan and two other House Judiciary Committee chairmen sent a letter to the Manhattan DA asking about the use of federal funds to build his case against Trump. bgovgo.com/xwXQOR4
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Attorney General Barr has presided over some of the most consequential decisions of the Trump administration without ever having to face House Democrats.
That all changes on Tuesday. bgovgo.com/4T1szjN
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Lobbyists and Capitol Hill insiders are signing on as volunteers in a budding effort to oust D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen over his handling of local criminal justice policy. bgovgo.com/64NEbFr
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Mounds of stone, kept behind a maintenance facility in the park likely since the 1970s, will be moved to a storage facility at Fort Meade in Maryland, where it will not be accessible to the public, a spokesperson said.
It will take several years to move them.
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It's Election Day. Here are some issues on the ballot today around the U.S. 👇
🗳️ Washington state: affirmative action
✈️ Tuscon: Sanctuary city status
🚘 San Francisco: traffic congestion taxes for Uber, Lyft riders
🏈 Colorado: legalizing and taxing sports betting
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BREAKING: Amtrak said it will cancel all long distance trains starting Sept. 15 as a national rail strike looms.
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U.S. lawmakers say they are moving forward with attempts to pressure Hong Kong over its treatment of protesters by threatening the territory’s special trading status. bgovgo.com/ioDCy9J
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Two of Washington’s most vocal partisan rivals found one thing they’re aligned on: anger at Facebook. bgovgo.com/DIY4MTA
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Adam Schiff said his committee will send a report on its impeachment investigation to the Judiciary Committee soon after this week’s Thanksgiving recess. bgovgo.com/CI2187q
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On his first full day as Defense Secretary, General Mattis is moving to establish a “battle rhythm” in the building bloom.bg/2kksAyR
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Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will become New York's first female governor in history following Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation.
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After Tuesday's election, here's an updated map on where cannabis is legal in the U.S. 👇
More: aboutbgov.com/TZ1
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The U.S. military’s transgender service ban could come to an end soon after Democratic president-elect Joe Biden takes office.
bgovgo.com/4LDF3LQ
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Trump’s lawyers will mount a double-barreled defense of the former president in his impeachment trial this week, arguing that the process was rushed and partisan. bgovgo.com/PFrWPZt
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LOOK: Rep. Lauren Boebert wears a dress with "Drill Baby Drill" on it during tonight's #SOTU.
📷: Saul Loeb | Getty Images
Follow for live updates: bgovgo.com/3yBnhYe
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🗳️ #NY16
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, a House member since 1989, is at risk of losing his seat to Bowman, an educator whose backers include Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders, Warren, and the progressive activist group Justice Democrats. about.bgov.com/news/engels-p…
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Meet the nine Democrats prosecuting the House’s case against former President Trump today 👇
1️⃣ Jamie Raskin, Lead Manager
Raskin, 58, is a Harvard Law School graduate and emeritus professor of constitutional law at AU’s Washington College of Law.
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A landmark $437 billion tax, climate, and health care bill was just passed by the House — a hard-fought victory for Democrats.
Let’s take a look at what it will do.
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Biden devoted his first speech to a joint session of Congress to a “a once-in-a-generation investment in our families,” prescribing trillions of dollars for:
➡️ infrastructure
➡️ child care
➡️ paid leave
➡️ community college tuition
➡️ subsidies for working class families
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While locals might be disappointed, it could help preserve the artifacts, Bill Lebovich, an architectural historian and photographer, said.
The stones are important artifacts, but never served much of an educational purpose for casual visitors, he said.
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Ballots that aren't already in the mail should be dropped off in-person. bgovgo.com/Lmvb9PZ
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BREAKING: Senate Democrats have the votes to block a scaled-back Republican stimulus bill from advancing
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Elizabeth Warren wrote that Elon Musk’s actions as the new CEO of Twitter have “raised questions about possible violations of securities or other laws.”
bgovgo.com/1tkPSIN
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The House Intelligence Committee will hold its first open hearings next week in the impeachment inquiry, chairman Adam Schiff said. bgovgo.com/4rU6aGi
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The stones were removed from the East Front of the Capitol during renovations from 1958-1962, when that portion of the building was extended.
It's hard to know how old the stones are, experts say. They were dumped in Rock Creek Park by 1982.
about.bgov.com/news/old-capi…
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In the Arizona U.S. Senate race, Democratic challenger Mark Kelly leads Republican incumbent Sen. Martha McSally 55.3% to 44.7%. #Election2020
Follow more Senate races: bgovgo.com/lO4ksEn
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NEW: Representative Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, plans to force a floor vote to expel Rep. George Santos from Congress, according to a press release.
ALT Representative Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, poses for a portrait while touring the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023.
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House prosecutors used the second day of Trump’s impeachment trial to detail a months-long campaign by the former president to encourage violence they said culminated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Here's what you need to know in Washington 👇 bgovgo.com/eCXVJTs
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Congressional staff are increasingly challenging their own bosses in a bid to shift the balance of power on Capitol Hill, representing a sea change in the relationship between lawmakers and the legions of workers who ensure the House and Senate function. bgovgo.com/0WjuMnH
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More women will join the House Republican ranks in the next Congress for the first time than ever have before in a single election. bgovgo.com/0JkPUdo
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Rep. Steve King, a nine-term Iowa Republican who had been stripped of committee assignments over inflammatory statements about race, was defeated in a primary Tuesday. bgovgo.com/dmBjME0
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BREAKING: Lisa Cook will be the first Black woman on the Federal Reserve board of governors after winning Senate confirmation on Tuesday.
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More: New York would have kept all of its seats in the U.S. House if the Census Bureau had counted 89 more people in the state, all other things being equal.
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Here's who will work on the House select committee that will scrutinize the security failures and root causes that contributed to the Capitol riot:
- @RepThompson
- @RepZoeLofgren
- @RepAdamSchiff
- @RepRaskin
- @RepPeteAguilar
- @RepElaineLuria
- @RepLizCheney
- @RepStephMurphy
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The Agriculture Department will start distributing $10 billion in economic loss recovery payments to farmers who spent more on producing a commodity than they expected to recoup during the 2024 crop year, officials announced Tuesday. news.bgov.com/bloomberg-gove…
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The partisan clash over the payments is entangling a vote to override Trump’s veto of a $740.5 billion defense bill.
Sen. Bernie Sanders is attempting to force a delay on the defense bill unless Senate Majority Leader McConnell allows a vote on a bill on $2,000 stimulus checks.
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Inmates and their families would pay less for calls from prison under legislation a Senate panel is debating.
“This is a huge deal,” @BiancaTylek, founder and executive director of advocacy organization @WorthRises, said of the bill. bgovgo.com/cZpxVDG
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The House will vote today on a bill to make Washington, D.C., the 51st U.S. state.
What would happen if D.C. became a state? 👇
bgovgo.com/dlVTlMS
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Two of Washington’s most vocal partisan rivals found one thing they’re aligned on: anger at Facebook. bgovgo.com/PwjMQRg
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❌ Mark Meadows, White House Chief of Staff
❌ Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary
❌ Larry Kudlow, White House Economic Adviser
❌ Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services
❌ Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court
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Representative Ilhan Omar has been re-elected to the House from Minnesota’s fifth congressional district, according to the AP. #Election2020 bgovgo.com/D14WIA3
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Wisconsin's governor asked state legislators to reconvene and pass legislation to allow every registered voter in the state to receive an absentee ballot for the April 7 presidential primary. bgovgo.com/z2VLYOT
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There will be a 15% minimum tax on corporations with over $1 billion in revenue, with exceptions made for accelerated depreciation and for subsidiaries of private equity staring in 2023.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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Tucson voters are considering whether to become Arizona’s first “sanctuary city,” restricting interactions between local police and federal immigration enforcement. about.bgov.com/news/sanctuar…
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House lawmakers are nearing a vote today to hold AG Barr and Commerce Secretary Ross in contempt of Congress for withholding documents on the 2020 census. bgovgo.com/EsE0FDi
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Republicans' plan to reel in raises across TSA would result in pay cuts for canine handlers, air marshals, administrative workers, and explosives specialists, among others.
bgovgo.com/x5IPkxy
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The constitutionally mandated procedure usually passes with little notice. But this year, it may help conclude a chaotic election season punctuated by Trump’s refusal to concede.
Many prominent Republicans joined Trump in declining to recognize Biden’s victory.
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McConnell is signaling to fellow Republicans that senators who disputed the constitutionality of the trial could still vote to convict former President Trump. bgovgo.com/sdm41TD
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Biden got a D- on a climate change report card ranking 2020 candidates
Jay Inslee: A-
Bernie Sanders: B+
Elizabeth Warren: B
Pete Buttigieg: C
Amy Klobuchar: C-
Donald Trump: F
bgovgo.com/mnsmbO7
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Of roughly 1,300 registered lobbying firms, only 22 made the cut. Access the rankings now: bloom.bg/21C4eh7
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LOOK: Law enforcement officers pointed their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. bgovgo.com/MsYlRBb
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Republicans seized on romantic extramarital text messages sent by North Carolina Senate candidate Cal Cunningham, quickly airing an ad highlighting the scandal. bgovgo.com/ZcTePsL
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The U.S. will impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin. bgovgo.com/PRHKAh6
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Download your guide to the last burst of Congressional action in 2015. bloom.bg/1TkIHU9 #CatchTheBus
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House Democrats are considering the use of digital wallets to speed emergency funds to consumers. bgovgo.com/RHQIyw1
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Meanwhile, President-elect Biden plans to visit Atlanta this week to campaign for the two Democratic Senate candidates in Jan. 5 runoffs that will determine control of the chamber.
Early voting begins for the Georgia Senate runoff elections today. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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Current hurdles include:
▶️ a Democratic request for federal funds to match 100% of FEMA payouts for pandemic-related disasters
▶️ a GOP demand to end the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending program by the end of the year
▶️ aid for entertainment venues
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BREAKING: Democrats will take control the U.S. Senate for the first time in six years after Jon Ossoff ousted Republican David Perdue in Georgia, NBC and CBS report. bgovgo.com/eIqjvy6
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