May 18, 2023

Thursday, May 18, 2023. Annette’s News Roundup.

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Joe is always busy.

Sholanda Young and Steve Ricchetti are the Negotiators for the President.

In canceling Pacific trip, Biden shows the U.S. has higher priorities.

SYDNEY — President Biden was set to make history next week: With his trip to Papua New Guinea, he would become the first sitting American president to visit a Pacific island nation. Even though he was scheduled to spend only three hours on the ground, he was due to attend a meeting of the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum, and sign security pacts with the host and with Micronesia.

The visit was to be a clear signal that after decades of neglect, the United States was focused once more on a region where China has spent a significant amount of time and money.

Indeed, Chinese leader Xi Jinping spent several days in Papua New Guinea in 2018 when he went on a state visit and attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit there.

Instead, Biden’s decision to return home after the Group of Seven meetings in Japan — canceling the Papua New Guinea and Australian legs of his trip — to deal with the U.S. debt crisis sent a starkly different signal: That American dysfunction at home continues to disrupt its agenda abroad.

Rather than make history, the trip reinforced it.

“This cancellation will be seen as the U.S. falling into familiar patterns, and not living up to the expectations it sets,” said Mihai Sora, a former Australian diplomat in the Pacific who is now a research fellow at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney think tank. “And it will make fruitful material for detractors seeking to undermine U.S. influence in the region.”

In brief remarks Wednesday before boarding Air Force One to Japan, Biden emphasized the “catastrophic” consequences if talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other congressional leaders fail to yield an agreement to raise the government’s debt limit. The United States could start running out of money to pay its bills if no deal is struck by June 1.

“I’ll be in constant contact with my team while I’m at the G-7 and be close touch with Speaker McCarthy and other leaders as well,” Biden said, adding, “I’ve cut my trip short in order to be here for the final negotiations and signed deal.”

(Washington Post).

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Kamala is always busy.

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What’s happening with George Santos?

BREAKING: Hakeem Jeffries just masterful played House Republicans by using George Santos to set them up.

In remarks on MSNBC, Jeffries shared his master plan:

“I commend Congressman Garcia for bringing (the resolution to expel George Santos forward), and the real question is, are House Republicans going to stand on the side of truth or stand on the side of George Santos?”

It is very simple. George Santos is under federal felony indictment. He didn’t just lie to get elected. The freshman New York Republican congressman is accused of committing crimes related to his election and position.

If Republicans, especially the New York Republican delegation are sincere in their desire to have Santos gone, they can do something about it today, but if they vote no on the resolution to expel Rep. Santos, they will be linking themselves to him, and setting Democrats up to retake the House next year.

The stakes of the vote are more far-reaching than George Santos. The vote could be a big step in Democrats taking back the majority in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Jeffries continued, “It’s important to mention, Santos was referred to the ethics committee month ago. So what are we doing? You’re either going to hold him accountable under the constitution or you’re not. It’s going to be interesting to see how these so-called moderates in terms of New York House Republicans vote. They have all said that they want him out. And he doesn’t belong in the House of Representatives. Today, they will have an opportunity to vote their word.”

Jeffries also didn’t hold any punches when describing George Santos:

“You know, George Santos is a serial fraudster. He does not belong anywhere near the House of Representatives. He defrauded the people of the third congressional district in New York. Lied about everything. Lied about his life, lied about his jobs, lied about his finances, lied about his professional experiences. Lied about being Jewish. He perpetrated a fraud on the people of New York. He was elected under false pretenses.”

Rep. Jeffries is playing 3D chess and we are HERE for it! 💙

Last night, all the Republicans had the chance to expel George Santos, but instead they again referred the Expulsion motion to the Ethics Committee. This happened before, on February 9th. The criminal case against Santos at the Department of Justice goes on. Remember this forever!

What else happened, Hakeem Jeffries?

House Democrats Move Forward With Petition to Force Debt Limit Vote.

House Democrats pushed forward on Wednesday with a procedural move that could force a vote to increase the debt limit should negotiations between President Biden and Republicans collapse, moving despite signs of progress in the bipartisan talks to advance a long-shot Plan B to avert a default.

Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, wrote to his colleagues urging them to quickly sign a discharge petition, which can automatically force a House vote on legislation if a majority of 218 members sign it.

Though Mr. Jeffries noted there were signs after Tuesday’s White House meeting hosted by Mr. Biden that a “real pathway exists to find an acceptable, bipartisan resolution that prevents a default,” he said Democrats must take all possible steps to avert a crisis.

At the same time, the president has indicated openness to considering adding new work requirements for recipients of food stamps and other federal aid, a Republican demand opposed by Democrats in the House and Senate. Mr. Biden, before he left for Japan on Wednesday for a meeting of the Group of 7 nations, sought to downplay whatever concessions he might give, characterizing the potential changes to benefit requirements as “not anything of any consequence.”

The Treasury Department has projected that it could exceed its legal authority to borrow to pay the government’s debt as early as June 1, leading to a disastrous default.

“Given the impending June 1 deadline and urgency of the moment, it is important that all legislative options be pursued in the event that no agreement is reached,” Mr. Jeffries wrote. He said that Representative Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the senior Democrat on the Budget Committee, would be filing a discharge petition “to provide a vehicle that may be necessary to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”

“It is imperative that members make every effort to sign the discharge petition today,” Mr. Jeffries wrote. If all 213 of their members signed on, Democrats would need at least five Republicans to join them, and it is unlikely they could win those converts unless the situation grew dire.

The strategy faces long odds given the complexity of the maneuver and the partisan divide in the debt talks. But even if it falls short, Democrats say the discharge petition keeps pressure on Republican leaders to strike a deal or face a potential revolt among their more politically vulnerable members who could pay a price with voters if they are seen as helping to push the country into default. Democrats also see the petition as a way to demonstrate that their party is doing all it can to prevent an economic debacle. (New York Times).

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Support Andy Breshear, Democratic Governor of Kentucky. This happened. 👇

Kentucky Republicans nominated a traditional conservative to try to unseat a Democratic governor
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Attorney General Daniel Cameron is the rare Republican these days who has support from sometimes warring factions in the Republican Party — he’s got close ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and former president Donald Trump endorsed him.



Cameron is a polished politician and the state’s first Black attorney general, and now he’s the first Black person to win a major-party nomination for governor in Kentucky. He gained national prominence after a well-received speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention, in which he made a pitch for unity.


On Tuesday, Cameron bested a field of a dozen candidates, including an ultrawealthy former U.N. ambassador under Trump, Kelly Craft. Craft trafficked mostly in right-wing culture wars, like attacking “woke” ideology in schools and assailing transgender students. At the last minute, she got an endorsement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). (It’s hard to say this was a proxy battle between Trump and DeSantis, though, given that DeSantis’s endorsement came the night before the primary.)


Kentucky Republicans stuck with a more traditional conservative over a DeSantis-esque culture warrior to try to take on one of the biggest names in Kentucky politics, Gov. Andy Beshear (D), who is up for reelection in November.


Trying to kick out a sitting governor — especially a popular one like Beshear — is one of the hardest things to do in politics. But Republicans have a real shot after capturing the state legislature in the Trump era. (Washington Post).

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Cherelle Parker won the Democratic nomination for mayor of Philadelphia.

Cherelle Parker — a West Oak Lane native who lost much of her family at a young age and went on to become a state lawmaker and City Council majority leader — won the Democratic nomination for Philadelphia mayor, making her the odds-on favorite to become the 100th mayor and the first woman to ever helm the city.

Parker’s history-making victory came in one of the most competitive mayoral elections in recent memory, with as many as five contenders still seen as viable when polls opened.

The joyous occasion was marked with some confusion when the celebrating crowd was told late Tuesday at a union hall in North Philadelphia that Parker wouldn’t be appearing at the party.

Parker was hospitalized Tuesday for a dental emergency. Campaign spokesperson Aren Platt said in an emailed statement after midnight that Parker “had a recent dental issue that required immediate medical attention this evening,” and was receiving care at the University of Pennsylvania.

Parker, 50, ran on a tough-on-crime platform, pledging to hire 300 new cops for her signature community policing plan and to restore the controversial law enforcement tactic known as stop-and-frisk. She pitched herself as a champion of Philadelphia’s “middle neighborhoods,” those that are neither wealthy nor mired in deep poverty, and vowed to provide stability for working families with good-paying jobs, quality housing, and improved educational opportunities.

A consummate political insider, Parker was the clear favorite of the city’s Democratic establishment, racking up endorsements from scores of local elected officials and ward leaders while getting support from deep-pocketed unions in the building trades and service industry. (Philadelphia Inquirer).

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You did it, Voters and Get Out the Voters.

Democrats keep Pennsylvania House majority, positioning party to prevent limits on abortion rights!

Pennsylvania will remain just one of two state legislatures in the nation with split control between chambers — Democrats in the House and Republicans in the Senate.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats maintained their narrow Pennsylvania House majority Tuesday by winning a special election and along with it continued control over how the chamber will handle abortion, gun rights and election law legislation.

Heather Boyd won a seat in the Philadelphia suburbs, beating Republican Katie Ford for a vacancy created by the resignation of Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel. Zabel quit the Legislature in March, shortly after a lobbyist accused him of sexually harassing her.

Boyd is a former congressional and state legislative aide. Her district was once Republican but has given solid margins to Democratic candidates in recent elections. Her win gives Democrats 102 seats, the minimum needed to control the agenda in the 203-member House. The state Senate has a Republican majority.

The Democrats’ victory in the Delaware County district means first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will have at least one chamber to aid his agenda going into the final month of budget negotiations. The result could also affect a proposed constitutional amendment limiting abortion rights that legislative Republicans are one House floor vote away from putting before voters as a referendum.

BREAKING: There were THREE really big Democratic / Independent wins in elections last night, which could indicate trouble for Republicans in 2024. Details: #1 In the Jacksonville, FL mayoral race Donna Deegan defeated DeSantis-endorced Republican Daniel David. #2 In the Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election. Yemi Mobolade, who describes himself as a Democratic-aligned independent, defeated Republican Wayne Williams. #3 Democrat Heather Boyd was won the special election for Pennsylvania’s 163rd state House district, allowing Democrats to maintain control of the legislative body. Is the widespread attacks on abortion rights driving more Democrats to the polls? What will the fallout be for Republicans come 2024?

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Keeping up with the stars of the MAGA GOP and MAGA Media.👇

🚨🚨🚨BREAKING: MORE details have emerged about Lauren Boebert’s divorce filing and they are something else.

Here are the details:

- First, her husband of two decades was absolutely furious.

It was previously reported that Boebert filed an appeal April 25 dissolution seeking to end her marriage to Jayson Boebert, with whom she shares four sons.

An affidavit of service, obtained by The Daily Beast, indicated that Jayson Boebert appeared to be caught off guard by the court proceedings.

He chased away a process server with an expletive-laden tirade and let his dogs loose when he was served with the divorce papers, the affidavit said.

“Once he learned that he was being served with Dissolution of Marriage papers he was extremely angry,” the process server wrote. “I tried to hand him the documents but did not take them. He started yelling and using profanities, and told me that I was trespassing, and that he was calling the Sheriff’s Office. I told him I was leaving the documents on the chair outside of the door, he closed the door then let the dogs out.”

The document noted that Jayson was cleaning a gun and drinking a “tall glass of beer” when he was served.

- Second, Lauren Boebert’s heartbroken husband says he still loves her despite the divorce.

Jayson and Boebert had their fair share of brushes with law enforcement during their time together. Jayson was arrested in 2004 for exposing his penis to two women at a bowling alley—a crime he pleaded guilty to.

Talk about family values?

https://twitter.com/politicsverse/status/1658893787110809610?s=61&t=I_Od53CbnPTsbLcD0baXPg

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We couldn’t be there on Tuesday but the Ms. Foundation Gala was the place to be.

We gave. What a job Teresa Younger’s Ms. does.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, receives Ms. Foundation's Woman of Vision Award.

Gloria Steinem, co-Founding Mother of the Ms. Foundation, presented Markle with the award, and described her to People as “different from the picture of her in the media. She's smart and funny and devoted to social issues.”

Left to right. Teresa Younger, CEO of the Ms. Foundation, Meghan Markle, who received the Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision Award, and Gloria Steinem, Founder of the Ms.Foundation at the Ms. Gala, on Tuesday.

Surprise Guests Prince Harry and Mom Doria with Meghan Markle at the Ms.Foundation Gala on Tuesday. (People mag).

NEW YORK (AP) — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, encouraged women to find inspiration to fight for equity as she accepted the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Award Tuesday night, with Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown.

“It’s never too late to start,” Meghan said at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. “You can be the visionary of your own life... There is still so much work to be done.”

Her acceptance speech closed out the Ms. Foundation for Women’s annual gala, part of the nation’s oldest women’s foundation celebration of its 50th anniversary. The gala also kicked off the foundation’s largest fundraising campaign ever — $100 million over the next 12 months — that will be used to further the organization’s equity-centered initiatives and its mission of advancing women’s collective power.

The foundation is already more than halfway to its goal. It announced that the late photographer and philanthropist Lucia Woods Lindley donated $50 million, the largest bequest in the foundation’s history. Proceeds from the gala itself raised another $1 million, and nearly $500,000 was donated by attendees during dinner.

You may have heard that Megan and Prince Harry faced paparazzi who chased them with almost dangerous results.

BREAKING: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in a ‘near catastrophic’ car chase overnight, after being pursued by paparazzi for over 2 hours. This took place in New York City.

The official statement from a spokesperson representing the couple said “Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi. This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers… While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety.”

There were several vehicles chasing them. These vehicles were running red lights, driving on sidewalks and more.

Why should this type of stalking and harassment be permitted in the United States, or anywhere? Why didn't anyone stop them?

Haven’t we learned anything from the Princess Diana crash? Why can’t people just allow others to live their lives no matter how famous they are?

We live in crazy times.

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See you tomorrow!

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