Closing summary
Polling released over the weekend confirms that Democrats will have to fight hard to keep their hold on Congress in the midterms, including with Hispanic voters, an important party bulwark. Meanwhile, Joe Biden has arrived back in Washington DC after paying his respects at the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II in London.
Here’s what else happened today:
Biden committed to providing Puerto Rico with federal support after Hurricane Fiona knocked out water and power across the island.
The White House cheered the release of an America held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying it underscores its commitment to freeing jailed citizens worldwide.
Congress may soon vote on a bill to stop the sorts of legal schemes that could have overturned the 2020 election results on January 6.
As always, the legal wrangling in the Mar-a-Lago case continued.
“Fighting zombies”. That’s how comedian Jon Stewart described the process of getting a bill through Congress in an interview.
Updated
Senators will later this week vote on a measure that would require more disclosures from super PACS, but which could stumble in the face of Republican opposition.
According to Politico, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer announced the renewed effort to pass the DISCLOSE Act:
Schumer says the Senate will vote later this week on the DISCLOSE Act, requiring more donor transparency in politics. Unlikely to get much if any GOP support
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) September 19, 2022
Democrats have been wanting to pass such legislation for a while, but have been unable to overcome GOP opposition, HuffPosts reports:
Schumer announces Senate vote this week on the DISCLOSE Act
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) September 19, 2022
DISCLOSE Act would require super PACs to disclose donors who have given $10k or more.
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) September 19, 2022
“Republicans will have to choose whether they want to fight the power of dark money or allow this cancer to get worse,” Schumer says
Last straight up or down vote on DISCLOSE Act was in 2012. GOP filibustered https://t.co/4oMriRFJLP
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) September 19, 2022
Biden says government will 'remains on the job to get it done' in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico
President Joe Biden spoke with Puerto Rico’s governor Pedro Pierluisi and promised federal support to help the recovery from Hurricane Fiona, which knocked out power and water to the island.
Here’s what the White House had to say about the call, which took place as Biden returned from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London:
President Biden described the surge of Federal support to the island, where more than 300 Federal personnel are already working to assist with response and recovery. In the coming days, as damage assessments are conducted, the President said that number of support personnel will increase substantially.
The President said that he will ensure that the Federal team remains on the job to get it done, especially given that Puerto Rico is still recovering from the damage of Hurricane Maria five years ago this week. Governor Pierluisi expressed his appreciation for the partnership and support that he is receiving already from the Biden Administration.
Case in point of the perilous moment America is in: Donald Trump continued his embrace of the extremist QAnon conspiracy theory at a weekend rally, The Guardian’s Richard Luscombe writes:
Donald Trump made one of his highest-profile embraces to date of the extremist conspiracy group QAnon at a political rally in Ohio on Saturday, making the apparently deliberate choice to play music that is virtually indistinguishable from the cult organization’s adopted anthem.
Dozens of the former president’s supporters in Youngstown engaged in raised-arm salutes as Trump delivered a fiery address to the background of a song his team insisted was a royalty-free tune from the internet, but to many ears it was nearly identical to the 2020 instrumental track Wwg1wga.
“I think we’re in the fourth and perhaps the most difficult crisis in the history of America.” That’s how acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns described where the United States is today in an interview with The Guardian’s David Smith. Read the interview here:
Ken Burns is driving in heavy traffic, trying to get from New York, where he was born, to New Hampshire, where he lives and works in bucolic splendour. He made the move in 1979, not to service a grand masterplan but out of financial desperation.
“I was making my first film and starving and rent was going up in New York City and I couldn’t afford it,” the documentarian recalls by phone. “I found the connection to nature incredibly important for this labour-intensive work that we do.”
But when Burns’s debut film, Brooklyn Bridge, was nominated for an Oscar, friends and colleagues assumed that he would move back to New York or try Los Angeles. He surprised them. “I made the biggest, the most important professional decision, which was to stay.
Negotiations over government spending bills in Congress are somewhat high risk, because if no agreement is reached, the government could be forced to shut down, as has happened repeatedly in recent years.
These shutdowns – and there’s been a bunch of them – often come when one faction in Congress or another refuses to budge on a contentious issue, resulting in everything from embassies abroad to government offices at home closing their doors until an agreement is reached.
Politico reports on an early sign of that spirit of intransigence remaining alive, at least in some corners of the House. Around 50 far-right Republican lawmakers say they will not vote for any funding measure approved in this Congress:
Texas Rep. Chip Roy is leading a group of nearly 50 other House Rs -- mostly House Freedom Caucus members or those who tend to vote w/the HFC -- in a dear colleague letter saying they will oppose a CR /any approps package put fwd this Congress while Dems in power. pic.twitter.com/P2DamVlgPN
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) September 19, 2022
Democrats want $12 bn in new Ukraine aid
Democratic leaders in Congress are pushing for another $12 billion in aid to be sent to Ukraine, and hope to get it into a bill to fund the government through mid-December, Punchbowl News reports.
Administration officials will brief lawmakers tomorrow about how the aid could be used, which comes as Kyiv presses its offensive in Ukraine’s east that has retaken substantial territory from Russia.
New: Bipartisan member briefing on Ukraine tomorrow at 8 AM pic.twitter.com/uxkJPTq5zP
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) September 19, 2022
The aid is among several provisions of the spending bill – known as a continuing resolution – that is under negotiation in the final months of year. Congress members are also considering how much new Covid-19 aid to include, as well as provisions to reform the process for permitting energy projects, including both fossil fuel and renewables.
Updated
The US territory of Puerto Rico appears to be in the midst of a major humanitarian crisis after a hurricane knocked out power to the island and cut off clean drinking water, with forecasts predicting more rain to come. Here’s the latest from Nina Lakhani:
Most of Puerto Rico was still without power or safe drinking water on Monday, with remnants of a category 1 hurricane that struck there a day earlier forecast to bring more heavy rain and life-threatening flooding.
Hundreds of people are trapped in emergency shelters across the Caribbean island, with major roads underwater and reports of numerous collapsed bridges. Crops have been washed away while flash floods, landslides and fallen trees have blocked roads, swept away vehicles and caused widespread damage to infrastructure.
Two-thirds of the island’s almost 800,000 homes and businesses have no water after Hurricane Fiona caused a total blackout on Sunday and swollen rivers contaminated the filtration system. The storm was causing havoc in the Dominican Republic by early Monday.
To its Democratic and Republican supporters, the Freedom to Marry Act does nothing more than ensure same-sex couples don’t have their rights rolled back by the conservative-dominated supreme court. But to rightwing GOP senator Ted Cruz, the yet-to-be passed bill is something else.
“This bill is about empowering the Biden IRS to target every church and school and university and charity in America that refuses to knuckle under to their view of gay marriage,” is how the Texas lawmakers described it in a recent interview.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) fear-mongers about bill codifying federal recognition of same-sex marriages:
— The Recount (@therecount) September 19, 2022
“This bill is about empowering the Biden IRS to target every church and school and university and charity in America that refuses to knuckle under to their view of gay marriage.” pic.twitter.com/EtgCVD3xV2
His comments weren’t much of surprise, since he has already declared he would not support the measure. But as for whether or not it would get the 60 votes it needs to pass the Senate, Cruz said he did not know – underscoring the mystery around the legislation, which will likely only be resolved when it comes up for a vote after the midterms.
“You have to seal up every window, and every vent, and every door… you’re fighting zombies, and if there’s any way that they get in the house, you lose.”
That’s how comedian and former host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, described his experience over the summer of pushing Congress to expand medical coverage for military veterans exposed to toxic substances.
"You don't come out of there feeling like this system has any connection to the needs of the people that it purports to serve. That's for sure."
— The Recount (@therecount) September 19, 2022
— Jon Stewart reflects on his political activism, saying it's like "fighting zombies." pic.twitter.com/cVOSsMrq7E
The Pact Act, as the legislation was called, passed in August.
Updated
The day so far
Polling released over the weekend confirms that Democrats will have to fight hard to keep their hold on Congress in the midterms, including with Hispanic voters, an important party bulwark. Meanwhile, Joe Biden is heading back from London after paying his respects at the further for Queen Elizabeth II.
Here’s what else has happened today:
The White House cheered the release of an America held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying it underscores its commitment to freeing jailed citizens worldwide.
Congress may soon vote on a bill to stop the type of legal schemes that could have overturned the 2020 election results on January 6.
As always, the legal wrangling in the Mar-a-Lago case continued.
No end to the legal wrangling in the Mar-a-Lago case. Politico reports that on Sunday, the judge overseeing the matter gave Donald Trump’s lawyers till Tuesday to respond to the government’s request to allow them continue reviewing documents taken from the ex-president’s Florida resort:
JUST IN: Appeals court sets a Tuesday deadline for Trump to respond to DOJ’s motion for partial stay of Judge Cannon’s order pic.twitter.com/iD7oUKh3VT
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 17, 2022
Earlier in September, a federal judge appointed by Trump during his presidency stopped the justice department from reviewing the Mar-a-Lago documents, while also ordering the appointment of a special master to weed out material covered by legal privilege.
Note: This post has been corrected to indicate the filing deadline is Tuesday, not Thursday.
Updated
The trial of a Donald Trump ally accused of failing to register as a foreign agent begins today, Reuters reports.
Tom Barrack chaired the former president’s inaugural committee and was once described as part of a “set of nightlife musketeers” along with Trump and deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Barrack faces charges related to his allegedly unregistered work of influencing the Trump administration on behalf of the United Arab Emirates from 2016 to 2018.
Jury selection is ongoing, and according to Reuters, Brian Cogan, the federal judge presiding over the case, told those called not to try to get out of serving. “You’re going to find this trial, if you’re chosen as a juror, to be particularly interesting,” he said.
While Biden went to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, all the living US presidents have been invited to attend a 21 September thanksgiving ceremony in her honor at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
Fox News reports that invitations to the event, put on in collaboration with the British embassy in the United States, have been sent to Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. It’s not yet clear who among them will attend, but funerals of heads of state, cabinet secretaries or supreme court justice do often bring together the former American leaders.
Joe Biden is on Air Force One right now over the Atlantic, returning from paying his respects at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II – the first time an American leader has done so, according to presidential historian Michael Beschloss.
He elaborated in a series of tweets this morning:
Amazingly enough, first incumbent American President to attend a British monarch's funeral is Joe Biden.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 19, 2022
Reasons why Harry Truman did not attend King George VI's funeral in 1952: no Presidential jet plane in 1952, any ship would have had to sail to UK on choppy winter seas and by 1952, Truman was privately in shakier health than the public knew.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 19, 2022
Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt's attendance at the 1910 funeral of King Edward VII in London appeared in silent newsreels: pic.twitter.com/FWxw2oxDel
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 19, 2022
Meanwhile, former president Barack Obama released his own tribute to Elizabeth II:
Michelle and I were lucky enough to know Her Majesty The Queen. Back when we were just beginning to navigate life as President and First Lady, she welcomed us to the world stage with extraordinary generosity. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family and those mourning her passing. pic.twitter.com/pHzpUJwgYb
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 19, 2022
Here’s the latest from The Guardian on the queen’s funeral, which will conclude later today:
Among the many things Congress has on its plate before the year is up is potentially passing legislation to amend the law so the legal maneuvers behind the January 6 insurrection could not be attempted again. Ramon Antonio Vargas has the latest on the effort:
Two members of the US congressional committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack have revealed details of a bill proposing to block any other attempt to coerce the House and the Senate “to steal a presidential election”.
On Sunday, House members Liz Cheney and Zoe Lofgren wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal outlining reforms to the Electoral Count Act that they said would ensure “Congress can’t overturn an election result,” which is what those who staged the Capitol attack in early 2021 wanted.
“It’s past time”, added Cheney – a Republican from Wyoming – and Lofgren, a California Democrat.
They cited how a number of people seeking political office in November’s midterm elections, including those who would oversee the electoral process, have embraced lies from former president Donald Trump that fraudsters stole the election from him against Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race. Those lies inspired Trump’s supporters to mount the Capitol attack in a desperate plot to prevent the House and Senate from certifying the former Republican president’s electoral college loss to his Democratic rival.
Joe Biden made news over the weekend when he declared the Covid-19 pandemic “over”, even as the United States’ daily death toll from the virus remains substantial. Here’s more from the interview broadcast on CBS’ 60 Minutes:
Joe Biden has said “the pandemic is over” in an interview broadcast on Sunday, though he admitted “we still have a problem with Covid”, as the US continues to grapple with coronavirus infections that kill hundreds of Americans a day.
The president told CBS’s 60 Minutes: “We still have a problem with Covid. We’re still doing a lotta work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it’s changing.”
Last week the World Health Organization declared the end of the pandemic was “in sight”, after revealing that weekly deaths were at the lowest level since March 2020.
Biden hails release of American hostage in Afghanistan
Joe Biden has cheered Mark Frerichs’ release from Taliban captivity in Afghanistan, saying it underscores his administration’s commitment to winning the freedom of Americans detained overseas.
Here’s the full statement from the White House:
Today, we have secured the release of Mark Frerichs, and he will soon be home. Mark was taken in Afghanistan in January, 2020 and held for 31 months. His release is the culmination of years of tireless work by dedicated public servants across our government and other partner governments, and I want to thank them for all that effort. I spoke with Mark’s sister today to share the good news and express how happy I am for Mark’s family. Bringing the negotiations that led to Mark’s freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly. Our priority now is to make sure Mark receives a healthy and safe return and is given the space and time he needs to transition back into society. My Administration continues to prioritize the safe return of all Americans who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, and we will not stop until they are reunited with their families. We have much more work to do in many other cases, but Mark’s release demonstrates our enduring commitment. Like our work to free Americans held in Burma, Haiti, Russia, Venezuela, and elsewhere, it is our duty to do all we can to bring our people home.
Biden has faced particular pressure to end the detentions of WNBA star Brittney Griner and business executive Paul Whelan, both of whom have been held by Russia as it pursues its war in Ukraine.
Updated
Let’s dig deeper into the two polls that came out over the weekend and amount to a mixed bag for the Democratic party as they face losing control of potentially both house of Congress in the upcoming midterm.
First, the headline: voters in the NBC News poll are split over which party they’d prefer to see in charge of Congress, with 46% each backing the GOP and Democrats. That, however, is an improvement from August, when Republicans had a slight edge. GOP voters do lead in terms of enthusiasm, but not by much, which is a reversal from the double-digit lead they had earlier this year.
Consider those the silver linings for the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, from a poll that otherwise confirms they will have to fight to keep their jobs. But there were also more disquieting signs from NBC’s data, such as the 47% of voters who say Biden’s policies have hurt the economy, versus the 23% who say they’ve helped and the 28% who say they’ve made no difference at all.
The New York Times/Siena College poll of Hispanic voters is important because the demographic is considered a bulwark of Democratic support, with some analysts predicting that increasing numbers of Hispanic voters pose a long-term threat to the GOP’s support base. The former remains true, at least for now, with 56% percent of respondents to the poll saying they plan to vote for Democrats. Dig a little deeper and the news isn’t quite so good for Joe Biden’s party. Economic issues are the biggest motivator for Hispanic voters, but the data showed they are almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans on which party they agree with most on the economy.
Updated
Polls show race to control Congress neck-in-neck, GOP gaining little ground among hispanics
Good morning, US politics readers. We’re 50 days away from the midterm elections that will decide control of Congress for the next two years, and a new poll released by NBC News over the weekend shows Democrats tied with Republicans on the question of which party voters prefer controlling the legislature. That’s cutting it pretty close for Democrats, but there was better news to be found for them in a New York Times poll that showed most Hispanic voters – a key bloc that the GOP has been courting – continuing to back Democrats.
That’s not all that’s happening today:
News just broke that the Biden administration won the release of the last American hostage in Afghanistan, swapping him for a jailed Taliban drug lord.
Biden is departing London after attending the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II and is heading back to Washington.
Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader who could soon be the chamber’s next speaker, is unveiling the GOP’s “commitment to America” at an event in Pittsburgh.
