Although the moderate Democrat bulwark of less than two dozen lawmakers seems to be an easy hurdle to clear for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has led the caucus for 16 years, the speaker-to-be needs 218 votes out of the the now 233-strong Democratic majority. Therefore, she can only afford to lose 15, placing the California Democrat’s bid to reclaim the congressional gavel in serious jeopardy.
During an interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday, when asked about his controversial pick of Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general and his previous commentary about the White House ending the Mueller probe, President Trump said that “It’s going to be up to him” and that “I really believe he’s going to do what’s right,” adding the “witch hunt” has gone on far too long. He also shut the door on any chance that he will sit down for an interview with the special counsel before the investigation into Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential race is wrapped up.
The First Step Act, the biggest criminal justice reform package in over 20 years, is set to peel away at President Bill Clinton’s 1994 “Crime Bill” and reduce harsh sentencing guidelines for non-violent drug offenders.
Initial reports after the October 2 assassination include claims that Khashoggi was allegedly “cut into pieces” then moved out of the consulate, with some saying it was recorded to prove the mission had been completed. CIA Director Gina Haspel reportedly listened to an audio recording from a “listening device” the Turkish government had inside the consulate, detailing that Khashoggi was killed within moments of entering.
After tempers were flaring between President Donald Trump and CNN reporter Jim Acosta at the White House during a post-midterm election press conference, a fracas between the reporter and a White House staffer ensued, with Trump reprimanding Acosta in the process and suspending his press pass hours later. Federal Judge Timothy Kelly has ruled that CNN’s Acosta will get his press pass back on Fifth Amendment grounds, with the Trump Administration working to establish a set of “rules” for reporting.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said American markets will have to come to terms with rates rising in 2019 as the U.S. central bank works to control inflation. The Fed is expected to raise rates an additional quarter-point before the end of the year, despite having three quarter-point raises earlier this year when forecasts showed gross domestic product (GDP) increases were far above four percent.
After being praised by the NYU School of Law’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center for his work including fighting the Trump’s Administration’s EPA for their proposal to roll back vehicle emissions standards from the Obama-era, fighting Virginia’s offshore drilling plans, promoting the Clean Power Plan, and pledging to remain committed to the Paris climate accords, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is hit with a lawsuit for his alleged efforts and the legality of bringing aboard climate litigators into the state government funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg to prosecute more Virginia environmental offenses.
“When I formed the Select Committee on School Safety I promised that our final product would be comprehensive and consensus-driven,” said head of the committee Speaker of the House of Delegates Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) following Wednesday’s authorization of a 24-point priority recommendation plan to increase security in schools, which includes realigning the role of school counselors, statewide mental health and suicide prevention efforts, increasing funding for school resource officers, and bolstering school security grants.
“This project will not only create thousands of new, high-paying jobs in Virginia, but it will also source a large portion of those new employees from our very own in-state talent.”
Following weeks of impasses, mysterious “map makers,” partisan power grabs, and motions to the Supreme Court, Virginia’s redistricting case will now heard by the newly-cemented conservative high court.
