Senate

Michigan Senate Republicans determined that the 2020 presidential election outcome marks the "true results" and there was no widespread voting fraud in the state following a multiple-month investigation. The GOP senators also recommended the state attorney look into those who made claims of systemic voter fraud in Antrim County in order to generate profits and public attention "for their own ends." The Michigan Senate Committee, which is led by Republicans, released a 55-page report Wednesday certifying that President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump by 155,000 votes. The findings further debunk unproven accusations by Trump and his supporters of a stolen election, the Associated Press reported. "The committee strongly recommends citizens use a critical eye and ear toward those who have pushed demonstrably false theories for their own personal gain," the committee wrote following requests from Republican activists to conduct a "forensic" audit of Michigan's … [Read more...] about Michigan Senate GOP Says 2020 Election Outcome Shows ‘True Results’

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Representative Adam Schiff of California announced his candidacy for California’s Senate seat on Thursday, making him the second candidate to announce their run. Schiff joins Representative Katie Porter , who represents Orange County, who announced earlier this month. This came despite the fact that Senator Dianne Feinstein , currently the eldest Senator at 89, has not announced whether she will seek another term in Congress. During votes on Thursday, I asked Mr Schiff about why he announced despite Ms Feinstein not making a decision. He told me that he had spoken to Ms Feinstein before his announcement. “She was very gracious and more than understood, my desire to get out and start talking to people up and down the state,” he said. But the respect and admiration doesn’t mean he isn’t waiting around for her. … [Read more...] about Why Adam Schiff and Katie Porter won’t wait for Feinstein as they jump into California’s Senate race

Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has hit out at the sweeping election bill and the "commies" who supported it after it was blocked by a GOP filibuster. The future of the For the People Act, which would have seen a major overhaul of the current electoral system and voting laws, is in doubt after it failed to pass a Senate vote on Tuesday. The Democrats ' bill was blocked following a 50-50 split vote, meaning it failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. The bill was supported by all 50 Democrats and opposed by all 50 Republicans . In a post on social media site Gab, the Georgia representative wrote: "This bill is horrible ... never give an inch to these commies!" She shared an article about the GOP filibuster blocking the Democrats' attempt to change almost every aspect of how elections are run. The GOP were not only opposed the original 800-page bill, but also a slimmed down and moderated version proposed by … [Read more...] about Marjorie Taylor Greene Attacks ‘Commies’ Who Supported Voting Rights Bill

Some states could soon be seeing funding meant to clean up water sources that have been contaminated by runoff from thousands of abandoned coal mines, the Associated Press reported. Part of the Senate-passed infrastructure bill is $11.3 billion meant to boost cleanup efforts of defunct coal mines that have polluted rivers and streams for decades, sometimes harming fish and contaminating drinking water. According to the Interior Department, among states needing the funding are Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The money in the bill is meant to be distributed over 15 years, and experts said it would go a long way toward cleaning up mines that date to before 1977. "The next 15 years—if this passes—is literally a historic advancement in mine reclamation," said Eric Dixon, a research fellow at the Ohio River Valley Institute. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. Cleanup efforts are currently funded by fees from coal mining companies, but that money has fallen … [Read more...] about Some States Could See Funding to Clean Up Water Contaminated from Runoff

A top Senate Democrat has said he will be "demanding answers" from President Joe Biden 's administration after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon flew over his home state of Montana. Senator Jon Tester, who is chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, announced on Friday that the committee will hold a hearing about the balloon. The subcommittee that Tester chairs plays a key role in funding for the Pentagon , which has been monitoring the Chinese balloon as it has crossed the U.S., while the Department of Defense (DOD) has said their officials believe the balloon to have "surveillance capabilities." The Chinese Foreign Ministry has described the balloon as a "civilian airship" mostly used to monitor the weather. Tester noted in a press release that the balloon had been seen above the town of Billings, Montana on Friday. "Montanans value their freedom and privacy and I'll always fight to defend both," Tester said. "China's actions are a … [Read more...] about Top Democrat demands answers from Biden over Chinese balloon

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reportedly met a former Arkansas lawmaker who has been accused of being a Christian nationalist and was once sued for blocking atheist constituents on Twitter . Right Wing Watch, a project that "monitors and exposes the activities of Radical Right political organizations," tweeted on Friday highlighting a Facebook post from former state Senator Jason Rapert, who is now president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL). "Christian nationalist Jason Rapert is bragging about meeting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts last night," Right Wing Watch posted and also shared a video of Rapert saying that the problems facing the U.S. were because Christians had failed to take authority in the country. On Facebook on Thursday , Rapert shared a photo of Roberts in his judicial robes, which appeared to be from an official portrait, and wrote: "I just met Chief Justice John Roberts of the US Supreme Court after a … [Read more...] about Justice John Roberts’ meeting with “Christian nationalist” raises questions

Former President Donald Trump has warned that Republican leaders in Wisconsin's legislature will be "primaried" and "run out of office" if they do not give in to his demands for a new audit of his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden . Amid Trump's repeated false claims that widespread voter fraud was to blame for him losing the White House, loyalists of the former president have continued to promote efforts to initiate new state election audits more than six months after Biden took office. Trump lost to Biden by 74 votes in the Electoral College, including 10 electoral votes from Wisconsin—results that have been confirmed by multiple recounts and audits that found no credible evidence of massive fraud. While GOP Wisconsin House Speaker Robin Vos recently announced a new investigation into the election despite no evidence to support Trump's claims having been found previously, the former president threatened Vos and Republican leaders in the state Senate on Friday. Trump … [Read more...] about Trump Says Wisconsin GOP Leaders Will Be ‘Primaried’ For Not Backing Audit

Fox News host Laura Ingraham is supporting a move that some progressive Democrats have been requesting for years: defund certain agencies in the U.S. government, such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In early 2019, first-time House members Ayanna Pressley , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar wrote a letter urging their fellow lawmakers to cut funding to the DHS. The demand came amid President Donald Trump 's efforts to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the four Democrats were reacting to controversial DHS policies, such as detaining young border crossers. Ingraham proposed the same solution—cut funding to the agency—although her reasons differ from those of the congresswomen. On Thursday, Twitter user @Acyn shared a clip of an Ingraham show segment. The video had nearly 30,000 views as of Friday afternoon. Recently, the DHS has come under scrutiny from Republicans , who now control the House. They have … [Read more...] about Fox News host Laura Ingraham agrees with Ilhan Omar, AOC on defunding DHS

The head of a company hired to audit the results of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona's Maricopa County is a supporter of former President Donald Trump who reportedly promoted election fraud conspiracy theories on social media after Trump lost. Doug Logan, the founder of Florida-based firm Cyber Ninjas, repeatedly shared pro-Trump election fraud conspiracy theories on a now-deleted Twitter account, according to The Arizona Republic . Logan's firm has been hired by Arizona's GOP-controlled Senate to conduct a new post-election audit of results in the state's most populous county. Multiple recounts and audits have confirmed that Trump lost the county to President Joe Biden by roughly 45,000 votes. "I'm tired of hearing people say there was no fraud. It happened, it's real, and people better get wise fast," read a tweet by @Lord_Barrister that Logan retweeted in December. "With all due respect, if you can't see the blatant cheating, malfeasence and outright voter … [Read more...] about Head of Company Auditing AZ Votes Supports Election Fraud Conspiracy Theory

Georgia's Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, a Republican, criticized his own party's push for election reform in the wake of the 2020 election, saying GOP lawmakers should first admit that former President Donald Trump lost "fair and square." Republicans in the Georgia General Assembly pushed through an election reform package that has been condemned by Democrats as the "new Jim Crow," as they view the bill as working to make it more difficult for people of color to vote in the state. Although Duncan believes there are some good aspects to the package, he disagrees with other parts and said the timing of the bill was a bad move by Republicans . "I don't think it was the best move forward," Duncan said during a Monday morning interview with CNN . He pointed to a provision in the legislation that removed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, from managing Georgia's elections. Raffensperger drew Trump's wrath after he refused to cave to the then president's … [Read more...] about Georgia Lieut. Gov. Criticizes Own Party’s Election Reform Push