Senate

POLITICS 04/09/2018 04:54 pm ET The Iraq War veteran welcomed her second daughter, Maile Pearl, on Monday. By Nina Golgowski 1.5k Tammy Duckworth has become the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office. The Illinois Democrat gave birth to a girl on Monday. The proud mom and Iraq War veteran announced the historic and joyful news on Twitter, along with revealing her newborn’s name: Maile Pearl. Duckworth, who turned 50 last month, had her first daughter, Abigail, in 2014 while she was representing a Chicago-area House district. The Purple Heart recipient, who lost both her legs and partial use of her right arm while deployed as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot, is one of only 10 women to have given birth while in Congress. She’s also among the handful of Asian-American women in Congress. Duckworth’s husband, Bryan Bowlsby, is an Army cyber warrant officer. His great-aunt also served in the Army, and like her newborn was … [Read more...] about Tammy Duckworth Becomes First Senator To Give Birth In Office

POLITICS 04/10/2018 05:51 pm ET Democracy dies on vacation. By Igor Bobic WASHINGTON ― A bipartisan effort in the Senate to send a more unified message in support of special counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russia’s election meddling fell apart last month as lawmakers bolted for the recent two-week congressional recess. When Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued a statement seemingly out of nowhere in late March urging President Donald Trump to allow Mueller to “complete his work without impediment,” it took many by surprise. The timing of the statement ― during a sleepy recess week and in the wake of Trump’s pointed attacks against Mueller earlier in the month ― led some to speculate that the special counsel’s job could be in peril. “Something is going on...,” tweeted Zac Petkanas, a former staffer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, in … [Read more...] about Senators Fumbled At Sending Stronger Message In Support Of Robert Mueller

POLITICS 04/19/2018 04:43 pm ET The senator added another historic first to her already impressive record. By Rebecca Shapiro Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and her newborn daughter Maile Pearl Bowlsbey made history Thursday after the lawmaker voted on the Senate floor with her baby in tow.  The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to change its longstanding rules and allow senators to bring their children under 1 year old onto the chamber floor during votes. Duckworth introduced the resolution earlier in the week after becoming the first sitting senator to give birth while in office.  Video of the moment shows Duckworth arriving on the floor to applause from her colleagues. The senator ensured baby Maile adhered to Senate floor dress code policy, wearing a jacket since blazers are required. She also wore a duck-print onesie.  “I’m not sure what the policy is on duckling onesies, but I think we’re ready,” Duckworth tweeted … [Read more...] about Tammy Duckworth And Baby Make History, Becoming First On Senate Floor

POLITICS 04/19/2018 04:36 pm ET Lawmakers leaped into action to help Sen. Tammy Duckworth and her new baby. What about the millions of women still waiting for help? By Emily Peck After years of failing to do anything to help new mothers in this country, the U.S. Senate finally got it together to help one woman on Wednesday ― a fellow senator. Legislators voted unanimously to allow infants on the Senate floor during votes. The measure was crafted for Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who recently had a baby, becoming the first senator to give birth while in office. Duckworth isn’t officially taking a maternity leave, she said, because that would mean she’d be prohibited from voting during her time off. She wanted to figure out a way to be present for important work and still breastfeed. Her colleagues made it happen. There were some ridiculous grumblings, but many lawmakers appear quite proud of the new rule. “Being a parent is a difficult job, and … [Read more...] about The Senate Shows It Cares About New Mothers, Assuming They’re Senators

POLITICS 05/02/2018 08:22 am ET West Virginia's Don Blankenship sees nothing wrong with the ethnic slur because "I'm an American person." By Marina Fang West Virginia Republican Senate candidate Don Blankenship on Tuesday said he saw nothing wrong with his use of a racial slur to describe the father-in-law of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “This idea that calling somebody a ‘Chinaperson,’ I mean, I’m an American person. I don’t see this insinuation by the press that there’s something racist about saying a ‘Chinaperson,’” Blankenship said during a primary debate hosted by Fox News. “Some people are Korean persons, and some of them are African persons. That’s not any slander there.” Blankenship, a former coal CEO who served a year in prison for involvement in the deadly 2010 Upper Big Branch mine explosion, attacked McConnell’s ties to China last week by targeting the … [Read more...] about GOP Senate Candidate: ‘Chinaperson’ Isn’t Racist