Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, Virginia | September 30, 2021
Republican candidates tack toward right on abortion
Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, Virginia | September 30, 2021
Republicans across the country are working to appeal to the party’s anti-abortion voter base ahead of next year’s midterms elections by lurching further to the right on the deeply controversial issue than their primary competitors. In Nevada, former Sen. Dean Heller voiced his support for the near-total ban on abortion in Texas as he announced his campaign for governor. Meanwhile in Ohio, three Republican Senate candidates have very publicly thrown their support behind “fetal heartbeat” legislation. In New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu (R), a potential Senate candidate, is facing backlash from Democrats for signing a state budget that included a ban on the procedure after 24 weeks of pregnancy and mandatory ultrasounds before abortions take place. The issue has also come up in other closely watched races, including in Virginia and Arizona. Despite facing backlash from Democrats on the issue, conservatives say the move to the right is essential for winning a Republican primary…. (Excerpts from The Hill)
District of Columbia, Virginia | July 25, 2021
Warner regrets Harry Reid’s filibuster change: ‘I wish we wouldn’t even have started this’
District of Columbia, Virginia | July 25, 2021
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said Sunday he regrets that his party opened the door to changing the filibuster, even as he sounded open to changing it further to exempt voting rights legislation from the 60-vote legislative threshold.
When asked whether President Biden should support eliminating the filibuster, Warner pointed out that Democratic leadership in the Senate was the first in 2013 to enact what’s been dubbed the “nuclear option.”
“I would wish we wouldn’t even have started this a decade ago. When the Democratic leaders actually changed the rules, I don’t think we would have the Supreme Court we did if we still had a 60-vote margin on the filibuster, but we are where we are,” Warren told host Martha McCallum on “Fox News Sunday.” “And the idea that somehow to protect the rights of the minority in the Senate, we’re going to cut out rights of minorities and young people all across the country – that’s just not right to me.”…
(Excerpts from Fox News)
Virginia | June 14, 2021
In Wake of Beef Supplier Attack, Wittman Co-Signs Agriculture Intelligence Measures Act
Virginia | June 14, 2021
Congressman Rob Wittman (R-Virginia-01) was one of six Republicans last week who cosigned a bill that would create an Office of Intelligence in the Department of Agriculture. The bill was originally introduced by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Congressman Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas-02) last fall, but the current House version, HR 1625, has gradually gained Republican cosigners this spring.
“Two weeks ago, JBS, an international meat supplier, fell victim to a severe cyber attack,” Wittman explained in a Friday newsletter. “This marks the second attack targeting the production of American commodities, such as gasoline and food. This attack highlights the threat cyberattacks potentially pose to the American food supply chain.”
The bill text says the new Office of Intelligence will work with the intelligence community to keep the Secretary of Agriculture informed of foreign threats. Specifically, the office should focus on foreign efforts to steal agriculture technology, biological warfare attacks, cyber operations, and other sabotage or disruption of U.S. agriculture. The bill would transfer functions, assets, and personnel from an agriculture section of the Office of Homeland Security to the new office in the Department of Agriculture.
According to Bloomberg, JBS is based in Brazil, and in addition to closing facilities that provide almost a quarter of U.S.’ beef, the attack also forced shutdowns in Australia and Canada. The hackers targeted JBS computer networks in a ransomware attack. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the FBI was investigating the attack, which likely originated from a criminal group in Russia, according to CNBC.…
(Excerpts from the Virginia Star)
Virginia | May 24, 2021
27-Year Navy Vet Running For House
Virginia | May 24, 2021
“We are in trouble as a nation because we have these weak ass Republicans in this nation that are selling out to the radical left Democrats,” Bell began. “What happened in 2020 is a travesty in this country.” Bell added, “I spent 27 years [in the Navy], retired Chief Petty Officer, and I did not spend almost three decades of my life to turn this country over to the radical left and to these weak ass Republicans here in the United States of America. Our very way of life in this country is at stake.” Instead, said Bell, a “communist coup” occurred in November 2020, when many Americans believe the election was stolen from President Donald Trump, starting the series of events that led Congressional Republicans and former Vice President Mike Pence to surrender the White House to Joe Biden.
“What you’re seeing now, we’re in the midst of a communist coup in the United States of America and happened in November 2020,” said Bell. “Guess what, it happened, and you better believe it happened. We need to fight to get this country back because we are in the middle of a war here in the United States. We’re in the middle of a war, and that starts with election integrity.” Bell also demanded Republicans amplify calls for voter ID, and referenced Joe Biden’s infamous claim that black Americans who voted for President Trump “ain’t black.”…
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(Excerpts from National File)