Summary
- The situation in Ukraine continues to unfold: please continue to follow our live blog for updates.
- Senate Republicans refused to attend a banking committee meeting to advance Federal Reserve nominees because they object to one nominee, Sarah Bloom Raskin.
- Sarah Palin lost her libel lawsuit against the New York Times after a jury rejected her claim that the newspaper maliciously damaged her reputation by erroneously linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting.
- The US Senate narrowly confirmed Robert Califf as the new head of the Food and Drug Administration.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki had strong words for the Senate Republicans who refused to attend a banking committee meeting regarding Federal Reserve nominations because they had issue with one nominee in particular, Sarah Bloom Raskin, the wife of a Democratic congressman.
“This is a very extreme step that is totally irresponsible in our view,” Psaki said. “It’s never been more important to have confirmed leadership at the Fed, to help continue our recovery and fight inflation and obviously they have a unique role, a vital role to play as it relates to inflation. Democrats and Republicans have agreed on that for decades.
Psaki continued: “Republicans are out there saying inflation’s a problem, it’s a huge issue. We agree. But then they’re not even showing up to vote against these nominees for the Federal Reserve. What kind of message is that sending to the American public?”
Psaki stood by the administration’s nomination of Raskin, calling her “one of the most qualified individuals to ever be nominated to the Federal Reserve”. Psaki said Raskin not only has been continuously making disclosures to the banking committee as part of the vetting process, but every allegation against her that has been raised in particular by Pat Toomey, the ranking Republican on the committee, has been shot down and discredited.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was hopeful that Congress will be able to pass a stopgap funding bill by Friday’s deadline, despite objections from lawmakers such as Marsha Blackburn, the Republican senator from Tennessee who is holding out on the bill because she wrongly believes that the administration is trying to set aside money to hand out crack pipes.
“We are engaged with a range of Democrats and Republicans and we are hopeful that we will be able to sign this,” Psaki said.
Psaki continued: “I would note that one of senator Blackburn’s primary concerns is in relation to the funding of crack pipes, which is not an issue. So what is happening here is the potential to hold up the funding of the government and important programs around an issue that is not an issue. We have been clear that we are not funding crack pipes.”
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki commented on Congress and lawmakers’ failed efforts to come to an agreement on an economics sanctions bill for Russia.
“Our view remains that a bipartisan effort would be the best effort moving forward,” Psaki said. “Our view continues to be that the crippling sanctions package that we designed is meant to be the deterrent.”
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki has taken to the podium for the press briefing to field questions on Ukraine. Follow along on our live blog here for more updates.
Psaki began the briefing by announcing that the FCC has voted to crackdown on exclusivity agreements between landlords and internet providers known as sweetheart deals that locks tenants and office buildings into just one internet option, which possibly traps tenants into paying more for lower quality service.
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In the middle of Joe Biden and his remarks on Ukraine, media tents outside the White House experienced a massive power outage:
In the middle of @POTUS remarks on Ukraine, all of Pebble Beach - the row of tents in the White House driveway from which news organizations go live - suffered a massive power outage.
— Kayla Tausche (@kaylatausche) February 15, 2022
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Meanwhile, over at Capitol Hill, lawmakers have failed to reach consensus on a bill on economic sanctions against Russia.
Schumer announces that as soon as today he, McConnell & top senators will issue a bipartisan statement on Russia, after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a sanctions package or a resolution that Congress would vote on to condemn Russia’s threatening posture to Ukraine
— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) February 15, 2022
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Joe Biden is addressing the nation now about Ukraine and the threat of a Russian invasion.
President Biden: "To the citizens of Russia, you are not our enemy and i do not believe you want a bloody, destructive war" with Ukraine, with which Russia shares so much history.
— Vivian Salama (@vmsalama) February 15, 2022
Follow our live blog for more updates:
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Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has sounded off on the impending government funding deadline:
McConnell on Feb. 18 deadline to avoid government shutdown. “As is often the case, we’ll process a few amendments before doing the short term CR. I think it’ll all be worked out. There’s no danger of a government shutdown.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 15, 2022
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Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have come through on their threat to not show up to the banking committee meeting on the Federal Reserve confirmations:
No GOPers showed up for Banking committee mtg on Biden’s five Federal Reserve picks today to protest unanswered questions on Sarah Bloom Raskin.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 15, 2022
“She answered every single question,” chair @SenSherrodBrown says, per @StevenTDennis. “All five Fed nominees have run the gauntlet.”
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Jury rejects Palin's libel lawsuit against New York Times
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has lost her libel lawsuit against the New York Times when a jury rejected today her claim that the newspaper maliciously damaged her reputation by erroneously linking her campaign rhetoric to a 2011 mass shooting in Arizona that left six dead and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords severely wounded, the Associated Press is reporting.
A judge had ruled yesterday that if the jury sided with Palin, he would set aside its verdict.
In an editorial about gun control, the Times blamed overheated political rhetoric after a man opened fire on a Congressional baseball team practice in Washington, wounding congressman Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana. The shooter had a history of anti-GOP activity.
The editorial likened the shooting to the 2011 shooting in Arizona that left six dead and Giffords severely wounded, and said Palin’s political action committee had contributed to an atmosphere of violence at the time by circulating a map of electoral districts that put Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized crosshairs.
In a correction, the Times said it had “incorrectly stated that a link existed between political rhetoric and the 2011 shooting” and that it had “incorrectly described” the map; a tweet read, “We got an important fact wrong.”
Joe Biden is expected to make some comments in about an hour on the situation in Ukraine, and the threat of a Russian invasion. Make sure to follow along on our live blog dedicated to the unfolding situation for live updates:
In his address to the National Association of Counties, Joe Biden talked about Build Back Better, the rising costs of healthcare and prescription drugs, as well as his Moonshot Initiative to reduce the death rate by cancer by 50 percent in the next 25 years.
“We’re on the verge of some significant breakthroughs in healthcare,” he said. “But should it be based upon what you can afford to pay? If Congress acts we can take care of things with the stroke of a pen tomorrow.”
Elizabeth Warren, the progressive Democratic senator from Massachusetts, has issued a statement about her vote to confirm Robert Califf as the new head of the Food and Drug Administration:
Dr. Califf made historic ethics commitments when he was nominated as FDA commissioner, helping to close the revolving door between government & the industries it regulates. We need strong @US_FDA leadership to help end the pandemic, strengthen public health & lower drug prices.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 15, 2022
Her counterpart Ed Markey, the other Democratic senator from Massachusetts, voted against the confirmation.
I'm speaking in opposition to the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to lead the FDA. When we met last year, I asked him to commit to ensure the FDA does not make the opioid overdose epidemic worse than it already has. He did not commit to the action we need. https://t.co/4ZV57NteYr
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) February 15, 2022
Joe Biden delivered some remarks to the National Association of Counties just now, touting the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan infrastructure law to local officials from across the country - the National Association of Counties represents county governments in the US.
“Not only has infrastructure week finally arrived, you can look forward to infrastructure decade,” he said. “Just 92 days after I signed the law, it’s already making a tangible difference. We announced billions in funding allocations to put people to work in good-paying jobs, cleaning up rivers in Ohio, chemical plants in Florida and dozens of other sites, bolstering the energy grid with stronger transmission lines and towers and modernizing bridges.”
Biden continued: “This is only the beginning: hundreds of billions in new investments are on their way. Now it’s time for the counties to get ready.”
Robert Califf’s appointment as the new head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was confirmed today, but the process was not as straightforward as the Biden administration first thought.
Senator Joe Manchin, a Virginia Democrat, urged senators to oppose Califf’s appointment earlier this week, saying he bears “a great deal of responsibility” for many of the US opioid overdose deaths in the years since Califf’s first stint as FDA commissioner under the Obama administration.
The Associated Press reports that at that time, Califf “added new warning labels to opioids and commissioned outside recommendations on how to tighten regulation of the drugs. But he was replaced by President Donald Trump before implementing any major changes.”
Califf has promised to launch a review of opioids as one of his first actions in his new role.
The US senate has narrowly confirmed Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the powerful regulator that hasn’t had a permanent leader in more than a year.
The 50-46 vote means Dr Robert Califf, a cardiologist, will helm the agency, which regulates billion-dollar industries including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, as well as most foods on sale in the US.
Califf previously held the job for 11 months in the final years of Obama administration after securing overwhelming support in the senate - a contrast to Tuesday’s tight result.
The FDA has played a key role in the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including reviewing and approving vaccines against a backdrop of deep political polarization over public health measures.
Senate Republicans are so strongly opposed to the nominees for the Federal Reserve that some are threatening to boycott the afternoon committee vote.
Republicans are threatening to boycott an afternoon committee vote to advance a slate of nominees to the Federal Reserve, a move that would deny the committee a quorum and effectively blocks the nominations from advancing to the Senate floor.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 15, 2022
While Republicans support the renomination of Jay Powell to serve as Fed chairman, they are opposed to one nominee in particular -- Sarah Raskin -- and are demanding she answer more of their questions.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 15, 2022
Sarah Raskin is the wife of Jamie Raskin, a Democratic congressman from Maryland.
Sen. Pat Toomey, ranking Republican on Senate Banking, told reporters that he wants Chairman Sherrod Brown to move forward with the other five nominees on the schedule today -- but not Raskin. If Brown moves ahead with Raskin's nomination, Toomey warned the GOP would boycott
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 15, 2022
Toomey: "I told Senator Brown that if he wishes he can proceed with five of the six nominees that he had intended to have a vote on. Republicans will attend, we will vote actually, a significant majority of them will pass with Republican support...or he can choose to have none."
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 15, 2022
Sherrod Brown says Dems still moving ahead with markup. “Senator Toomey needs to do his job and show up. He can vote no, that's fine, on some of these nominees or all of them if he wants, but we've got — they need to do their job and we need to move forward,” per @morgan_rimmer
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 15, 2022
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The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, is trying to bring the postal service reform bill to the Senate floor this week following a technical error blocking its way: House clerks mistakenly enrolled the wrong version of the bill, meaning that Schumer filed cloture on the wrong version.
Schumer has issued a unanimous consent request to file cloture on the correct bill, but as the name implies, it requires unanimous consent – and Rick Scott, the Republican senator from Florida, is standing in the way because he doesn’t like the legislation.
Schumer began the process of fast-tracking the postal reform bill after the House fixed a technical error this morning back to Senate calendar for future debate.Bill was "sadly" blocked by Scott (R-FL) Monday. "I'm hopeful we'll move it through this chamber as quickly as we can."
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) February 15, 2022
Schumer on Senator Peters's floor speech Monday after House-passed postal reform bill was blocked: "My friend chairman Gary Peters, who spoke passionately last night in defense of the bill and rebutted all of the Senator from Florida's arguments handily."https://t.co/C7HYgcWVn8 pic.twitter.com/6ltVCrfBC8
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) February 15, 2022
It’s not the end of the world – this just means that the bill will be delayed a few weeks – but it’s frustrating development for postal reform advocates, nonetheless.
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Kathleen Rice, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, has announced that she is not running for re-election. She becomes the 30th Democrat in the House who is not running for reelection, putting their 222 to 212 majority at risk.
As I turn to the next chapter of my own personal and professional story, I do so with profound thanks to the community leaders, colleagues and staff who have lived our shared commitment to service with courage and humility. pic.twitter.com/GBVvtrWpia
— Kathleen Rice (@RepKathleenRice) February 15, 2022
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The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, had sounded off on the funding issue:
Schumer from Senate floor on 3-wk CR ahead of Fri's gov't shutdown deadline: "No one & certainly not my Republican colleagues want a Republican gov't shutdown. So I'm hopeful they will cooperate will cooperate with us to pass this necessary CR which every single Democrats wants." https://t.co/XnW3AQKPji pic.twitter.com/eLJBXbPWPZ
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) February 15, 2022
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Remington to settle some liability claims in 2012 Sandy Hook shooting
Remington, the manufacturer of an assault rifle used to kill 20 schoolchildren and six adults in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut, has agreed to settle liability claims for the families of nine of the victims.
This will be the first time a gunmaker is held responsible for a mass shooting in the US, and comes one day after the four-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, when Joe Biden called for such accountability to take place.
“Congress must do much more – beginning with requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers,” Biden said.
Remington has agreed to settle liability claims from the families of 9 people killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, according to a new court filing, marking the first time a gun maker is held to account for a mass shooting in the United States.
— Aaron Katersky (@AaronKatersky) February 15, 2022
Details of the settlement are still unclear, but in July, Remington offered $33m, which was substantially less than what the victims’ families were seeking. In a February court filing, their attorneys estimated the wrongful death claims likely totalled in excess of $225m, rising above $1bn with punitive damages.
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The federal government runs out of money at the end of the week, but the usual tense will-they, won’t-they drama of a government shutdown has been muted with by the situation in Ukraine.
Punchbowl News is reporting that the senate is currently stuck on two unrelated government funding snafus.
One of the two snafus stems from Marsha Blackburn, the Republican senator from Tennessee, who is holding out on a three-week stopgap funding bill because she believes that the Biden administration is trying to set aside money to hand out crack pipes. Though the White House has denied this, Blackburn is allegedly waiting on the Biden administration to formally respond to her concerns before she allows the bill to go through.
The last tussle comes from several Republican senators, led by Mike Lee of Utah, who are demanding a vote on the amendment to ban the federal government from funding a vaccine mandate for federal workers, contractors and the military.
However, Punchbowl News noted that these last-minute disputes have become standard for the senate ahead of funding talks, and will likely be resolved - there likely won’t be a shutdown.
Yesterday we reported on how Mazars, the longtime accountancy firm for the Trump Organization, had cut ties with Donald Trump after admitting in a court filing that nearly a decade’s worth of Trump’s filings should “no longer be relied upon”.
The Guardian’s Dominic Rushe has more details here:
AOC: 'very real risk' US democracy will not exist in 10 years
Ahoy there, live blog readers. Happy the Valentine Candy is on Sale Day.
As it has been in recent weeks, much of the focus in Washington has been on Ukraine, and the imminent threat of a Russian invasion. Make sure to check out our live blog here for live updates as the situation unfolds.
Meanwhile, in the US, progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been making waves as she campaigns for progressive candidates in Texas and talks about turning the once staunchly red state blue.
Ted Cruz could never pic.twitter.com/lGAO45uuy2
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 13, 2022
Today, her New Yorker interview raised more eyebrows when she said there was a “very real risk” that democracy would not exist in the US 10 years from now.
"What we risk is having a government that perhaps postures as a democracy, and may try to pretend that it is, but isn’t."--@AOC in a must-read interview with David Remnick @NewYorker. She is what a Member of Congress & a leader should be.https://t.co/BxH04JZwIl via @NewYorker
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) February 14, 2022
Read more about her comments here:
