FEED Validator

for Atom and RSS and KML

Congratulations!

This is a valid RSS feed.

Recommendations

This feed is valid, but interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.

line 165, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-type attribute [help]
line 165, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-id attribute [help]
line 708, column 0: content:encoded should not contain script tag (2 occurrences) [help]

line 712, column 0: content:encoded should not contain iframe tag [help]

 <script src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js"></script>

Source: https://thehill.com/rss/syndicator/19109

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss"
xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#"
xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"
>
<channel>
<title>Just In News | The Hill</title>
<atom:link href="https://thehill.com/news/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
<link>https://thehill.com</link>
<description>Unbiased Politics News</description>
<lastBuildDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 09:38:47 +0000</lastBuildDate>
<language>en-US</language>
<sy:updatePeriod>
hourly </sy:updatePeriod>
<sy:updateFrequency>
1 </sy:updateFrequency>
<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.5</generator>
<image>
<url>https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/cropped-favicon-512px-1.png?w=32</url>
<title>Just In News | The Hill</title>
<link>https://thehill.com</link>
<width>32</width>
<height>32</height>
</image>
<item>
<title>Demand for critical minerals drives massive changes in global economy</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/business/4619107-demand-for-critical-minerals-drives-massive-changes-in-global-economy/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tobias Burns]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Energy & Environment]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[critical minerals]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Global economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[rare earth elements]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4619107</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The race to beef up global supply chains for metals and minerals crucial to the ongoing energy transition is heating up. Companies are jockeying for position within shifting production networks and legislatures are advancing packages to pull mineral processing away from China, where the industry has been concentrated for decades. At stake in the quest...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
The race to beef up global supply chains for metals and minerals crucial to the ongoing energy transition is heating up.
Companies are jockeying for position within shifting production networks and legislatures are advancing packages to pull mineral processing away from China, where the industry has been concentrated for decades.
At stake in the quest for mineral resources is everything from an international environmental ban on scraping the ocean floor to barbaric labor norms in developing countries, where mining operations have long been criticized by human rights groups.
At the core of multiple controversies is surging demand for critical minerals — metals such as cobalt, lithium and copper that go into building batteries, magnets, electronics and component parts for energy technologies intended to replace the fossil fuels that have driven global warming and climate change.
Demand for lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper is on track to outpace production through 2050, according to a recent report from the <a href="https://unctad.org/news/critical-minerals-harnessing-data-key-unlocking-hidden-treasures" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations Conference on Trade and Development</a>. 
Lithium tops the list, with expected demand in 2045 more than tripling the likely supply in that year of nearly 1,400 metric tons. Demand for copper in new energy systems is expected to jump from 23 percent of total demand for all uses of the metal to more than 42 percent by 2050.
“To meet the increasing demand, countries need to explore new resources abundant in high-grade mineral ores and attract investments into the sector, among other essential measures,” U.N. economists wrote in a March brief.
While reserves of the raw materials that go into fossil fuel production, such as natural gas and crude oil, are distributed more or less globally, critical minerals tend to be concentrated in different countries and regions, putting pressure on specific supply chains and trade relationships.
More than half of the world’s lithium, an important component in batteries, is located in just three South American countries — Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Indonesia and Australia have 42 percent of the world’s nickel, and the Congo has about half of the world’s cobalt.
Even more concentrated than the raw materials themselves is the purification and mineral refining capacity, which is almost exclusively carried out in China.
“That is the part of the supply chain that China absolutely dominates. They dominate it for cobalt, they dominate it for graphite, they dominate it for aluminum, copper, lithium,” Tom Moerenhout, a research scholar in energy policy at Columbia University, told The Hill. 
“You have the concentration risk at the extraction stage but even more so in the processing stage, because it’s one single country that has so much of the processing capacity,” he said.
Lawmakers are unhappy with the state of global mineral production and want the U.S. to have a firmer grasp on the composition of its supply chains.
One <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3631/text" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bipartisan proposal introduced</a> earlier this year would require regular reports to Congress from the Department of the Interior on where critical minerals and rare earth elements are coming from and what sorts of political and market forces and coming to bear on producers.
“The United States urgently needs to diversify our supply chain and strengthen ties with allies,” Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), a sponsor of the measure, said in a statement.
“Our legislation would respond to China’s actions by better tracking global mineral reserves and devising a national strategy for advancing mining technologies and international cooperation.”
Deep-sea mining is another area where political pressures are coalescing around the demand for minerals.
Commercial seabed mining does not currently take place at industrial scale and is still only a hypothetical enterprise, one entangled in a web of questions about its environmental consequences and economic viability.
But metallic nodules on remote regions of the seafloor such as the Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean have governments and international bodies debating the topic hotly and looking at questions of feasibility as they pursue policies related to the energy transition.
“There’s huge political pressure to change this,” Moerenhout said.
The U.S. is not currently a part of these negotiations since it hasn’t signed the 1982 Law of the Sea treaty, the convention that establishes the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority (ISA) as the governing body for ocean mineral rights.
But efforts are underway to get the U.S. to join, including a <a href="https://www.hirono.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/unclos_resolution_text_20231.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bipartisan resolution to</a> ratify the treaty as well as a letter sent in March to the heads of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by former intelligence chiefs and secretaries of defense encouraging ratification.
“We have already lost two of our four ‘USA’ designated deep seabed mine sites, each containing a trillion dollars in value of the the strategic minerals of copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese and rare earths, minerals critical both for United States security dominance as well as the transition to a greener twenty-first Century,” former Directors of National Intelligence James Clapper and John Negroponte wrote, along with dozens of other former officials.
Environmental groups are dead set against seabed mining and are raising alarms over the unknown damage it could cause to the ocean.
“Deep sea mining is a new, highly-destructive extractive industry that is eager to start in our global oceans,” environmental advocacy group Greenpeace said in a position paper, arguing that the practice “risks inevitable, severe, and irreversible environmental damage to our oceans and marine life. 
As the U.S. redesigns its mineral supply chains and “friend-shores” some of its production pipelines in militarily sensitive industries such as semiconductors, some companies are trying to stay above the fray of relying on critical and rare earth minerals altogether.
Technology from Niron Magnetics, a permanent magnet producer born out of Department of Energy-funded research at the University of Minnesota, started figuring out how to build magnets from widely available iron and nitrogen materials in 2013.
“We spent the next eight years or so perfecting the science, and we spent the last couple of years really engineering and scaling and commercializing the technology,” Niron CEO Jonathan Rowntree told The Hill. “We’ll have first commercial sales later on this year, and we have huge interest from our customer base.”
The labor and humanitarian implications of the scramble for critical minerals in developing countries are growing increasingly urgent as economic demand ratchets upwards.
One harrowing 2023 exposé by University of Nottingham associate professor Siddharth Kara that centers on cobalt mining in the Congo draws parallels to the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/03/13/human-cost-cobalt-modern-slavery-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/03/13/human-cost-cobalt-modern-slavery-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo" target="_blank">colonial barbarisms carried out</a> in the region during the reign of King Leopold II of Belgium beginning in the late-19th century.
“The harsh realities of cobalt mining in the Congo are an inconvenience to every stakeholder in the chain. No company wants to concede that the rechargeable batteries used to power smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles contain cobalt mined by peasants and children in hazardous conditions," Kara wrote.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/DRC_colbalt_child_getty.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="893708" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T09:38:43+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Pentagon's top watchdog has quiet but vital role in Ukraine</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4629190-pentagon-inspector-general-ukraine-aid/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brad Dress]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Defense]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4629190</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Robert Storch, the Defense Department’s inspector general (IG), has a little discussed but monumental job, overseeing one of the largest organizations in the world. Storch’s duties at the Pentagon have only grown amid the U.S. support for Ukraine — and after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s secret hospitalization scandal. The Pentagon, he says, “is so big...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Robert Storch, the Defense Department’s inspector general (IG), has a little discussed but monumental job, overseeing one of the largest organizations in the world.  
Storch’s duties at the Pentagon have only grown amid the U.S. support for Ukraine — and after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s secret hospitalization scandal. 
The Pentagon, he says, “is so big that it does everything government does.”
“As an oversight entity, we have to have all the tools in our tool belt, we have to be able to do oversight over all of that."
“We have great people here, many of them with vast experience,” Storch adds, mentioning staffers from both the military and civilian service. “There's a good energy, it's a high-performing organization.” 
Overseeing Ukraine is one of the biggest ongoing projects at the inspector general's office. It’s been a particularly thorny topic on Capitol Hill, where far-right lawmakers have expressed growing opposition to U.S. aid, in part over concerns about the diversion of weapons headed to the embattled nation. 
The U.S. has sent more than $113 billion in aid to Kyiv since Russia invaded, and President Biden just signed into law another $61 billion.  
In January, Storch’s office released a report that showed the Pentagon has not properly tracked around $1 billion of weapons sent to Ukraine, but he says both Washington and Kyiv are generally handling the process responsibly.
“They all get the importance of accountability and transparency regarding U.S. assistance,” he says. “It's just common sense that [Ukraine] would understand the importance of accountability and transparency to ensure that donor countries are willing to keep giving them stuff.” 
Still, Storch says he is in the “trust but verify” business and his team is hands-on in Ukraine, with staff on the ground coordinating with the military, the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development as they work to ensure assistance heads to the right place. 
The main inspector general effort is called programmatic oversight, in which a team does evaluations of how the Defense Department is tracking weapons. These usually end in reports and recommendations on how to improve. Storch says there is definitely “room for improvement" in Ukraine, even with officials avoiding any major scandals.
Another task is more investigative, with staff working to get information and review whether diversion of assistance has taken place or if there has been related criminal conduct. 
While his office is staunchly nonpartisan, Ukraine is a personal topic for Storch. When he was a federal prosecutor, he moved to Kyiv with his family and worked with the Ukrainian government to address corruption from December 2007 to December 2009.  
He has made multiple other trips to Ukraine since, and he sees real movement in the country on tackling corruption. 
“It's gratifying to see the progress that they've made,” he says. “In terms of perspective, first of all, it's difficult to see honestly, having lived out there [and to] see the country at war now.” 
Storch’s office <a href="https://www.ukraineoversight.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">released a website</a> in March that tracks the U.S. aid sent to Ukraine, an effort he describes as a “convenient one-stop shop for people to be able to see everything that's going on.” 
It came together after collaboration with a broader federal working group and, though it was unveiled amid the congressional debate over sending more aid to Ukraine, Storch says it had nothing to do with politics. 
“Nothing we do is timed with regard to anything that's going on politically,” he says. “The idea of bringing it all together in one place, making it convenient, is what motivated that. I'm thrilled by it. Our folks worked really hard with our partners to put it together. 
“Sometimes we're gonna find things that are bad, but people will know that someone's watching,” Storch adds. “And I think for the public, that's really important.” 
Born in Jacksonville, Fla., to a large family —he had six siblings growing up — Storch earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard and his law degree from Columbia. He worked in several areas related to law, including as a clerk, assistant attorney and at private firms, before he joined the U.S. attorney’s office in 1995. 
He spent more than two dozen years working as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice (DOJ), focusing on corruption and white-collar crime. 
Storch found inspector general work when he was asked to join the office overseeing the DOJ in 2012, where he eventually became the deputy inspector general. 
Although he joined the inspector general's office to “give back a little bit,” it wasn’t his first choice. 
“I hated it my first year,” he says. “I missed doing the mission of the Department of Justice out there, prosecuting and putting away the bad guys.” 
But the mission of the inspector general began to appeal to him, Storch says.
“I really came to appreciate the privilege we have in the IG community to get paid by the taxpayer to ensure the integrity and efficiency of government, which is a significant responsibility and privilege,” he says. 
“I really came to realize, not only are you privileged to do the work, but it really can have an impact on really important places,” he adds. 
Storch later joined the inspector general office for the National Security Agency (NSA) before he was confirmed to oversee the Defense Department in November 2022. 
One of the biggest tasks overseeing the Pentagon is conducting audits of a department with more than a million service members and around 750,000 civilian personnel.  
The Pentagon has failed six audits in a row and often can’t account for billions of dollars, a pressing issue as the department’s annual budget has swollen to around $900 billion.  
Storch says a "fundamental issue” is the Pentagon’s outdated financial management systems. 
“They're fighting the battle almost with one hand behind their back with the systems they're dealing with. Until they get a handle on that, it's hard to achieve. That's not to say it can't be done,” he says, pointing to the U.S. Marines <a href="https://www.marines.mil/News/Press-Releases/Press-Release-Display/Article/3686089/marine-corps-passes-fy23-audit/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">passing an audit this year</a>. 
“There's still a ton of work to do,” he adds. 
One high-profile problem for Storch emerged in January when Austin, the Defense secretary, failed to disclose his hospitalization for prostate cancer to the White House and top administration officials until three days after he was in the intensive care unit.  
Facing a backlash, the Pentagon conducted an internal review of the incident that largely cleared staff of wrongdoing, finding there was no ill-intent behind the failure to disclose and notify the White House. 
Storch, however, launched his own inquiry into the hospitalization.
“I determined that it was appropriate and would be important to take an independent look at that,” he says. “See what happened and see what the procedures are for the future.” 
It all amounts to a wide effort for the Pentagon inspector general's office. Storch says he oversees 1,800 staff and 150 offices spread out across the globe, considering staff generally set up wherever the military works.  
For Storch, inspector general work is about the mission of accountability.
“I think it is critically important for oversight entities to be transparent,” he says. “There's a phrase, ‘Sunlight is the best disinfectant’ — we want to do that in everything we do.” 
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/storchrobert_04192023ap.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="1115372" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T09:38:47+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>How to fix the country’s $34 trillion debt problem — and why it’s so hard</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/business/budget/4622254-how-to-fix-the-countrys-34-trillion-debt-problem-and-why-its-so-hard/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aris Folley]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Budget]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4622254</guid>
<description><![CDATA[As the national debt has risen to more than $34 trillion and counting, Washington remains deeply divided on what to do about it. Congress suspended the debt ceiling last year, which limits how much the Treasury can owe to cover the government’s bills, but not without months of nasty partisan fighting between both chambers over...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
As the national debt has risen to more than $34 trillion and counting, Washington remains deeply divided on what to do about it. 
Congress suspended the debt ceiling last year, which limits how much the Treasury can owe to cover the government’s bills, but not without months of nasty partisan fighting between both chambers over spending. 
To keep the government from defaulting on its debt, which then stood at roughly $31 trillion, Congress ultimately agreed on a plan to cap annual government spending as part of a larger bill that estimates say could shave more than $1 trillion from the deficits over the next decade. 
Despite that deal, the national debt is still on track to climb above $54 trillion in the next 10 years, according to projections.
Here are some ideas lawmakers have proposed to lower that number — and why it’s an issue. 
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cuts to annual funding</h2>
House conservatives have been pressing for cuts to the annual government funding bills that go beyond the budget caps agreed to as part of last year’s debt ceiling plan, drawing staunch opposition from Democrats. 
Despite the limits both sides negotiated under the deal for fiscal 2024, Republicans spent much of the year pressing for government funding at levels far below the agreed-to caps, with a sharp focus on nondefense funding critical to Democratic priorities.
After months of partisan bickering and an internal clash within the House GOP over spending, both sides ultimately agreed to a deal hashing out fiscal 2024 funding at levels more in line with the previous budget caps deal. 
But there are still questions about the funding levels Republicans will seek when the GOP-led House begins crafting its government funding bills for fiscal 2025.
Under the previous budget caps deal, Congress agreed to limit government funding to about $1.59 trillion for fiscal 2024, not accounting for handshake agreements not reflected in the text of the bill that allowed for additional funding for nondefense programs. That same budget deal also called for capping spending growth at one percent for fiscal 2025. 
In an interview with The Hill earlier this month, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the newly minted head of the House Appropriations Committee, said he doesn’t expect the party to “stray too far from” the top-line number negotiated as part of bipartisan spending limits deal last year. 
But he also suggested there could be some slack in future talks with Democrats.
“Speaker Johnson showed he’s able to get actually a few more concessions even than McCarthy got, so there may be some wiggle room,” Cole said.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Changes to entitlements </h2>
While many Republicans have focused their sights on cuts to the annual funding bills hashed out by Congress as part of the appropriations process, others have emphasized the need for reforms for programs with funding that is not subject to the yearly spending fight — particularly Social Security and Medicare.
The two entitlement programs are often regarded as a third rail in Washington, making changes to either a heavy lift in Congress. But members on both sides have expressed support for exploring bipartisan reforms to shore solvency for the programs as both face threats to funding in the coming years.
Some Republicans have been pressing for the formation of a bipartisan fiscal commission to tackle the issue because dollars for both programs constitute a chunk of the federal budget. That includes Cole, whose ascension to the top of the powerful Appropriations Committee has drawn excitement from other proponents of the push.
“I think that's gonna be helpful to the commission,” House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) told The Hill earlier this month when asked about Cole’s promotion, noting he’s “not only an advocate for it, but the author of a commission itself.”
Cole also said earlier this month he still thinks there’s an opportunity for a commission.
“So, if you're not willing to do that, then just please don't come talk to me about a balanced budget, because we can't get there that way,” he added.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Raising taxes</h2>
In his budget unveiled earlier this year, President Biden leaned into tax proposals targeting the wealthy to help reduce deficits and pay for investments for social programs.
The plan includes increasing the corporate tax rate, enacting a minimum tax on billionaires and quadrupling the stock buybacks tax.
Biden also proposed shoring up solvency for Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund by raising tax rates on Americans earning more than $400,000, raising the capital gains tax and eliminating tax subsidies for real estate and cryptocurrency transactions.
While the measures enjoy support from Democrats, much of the tax proposals are considered a non-starter with Republicans, who argue Congress should focus on cuts instead.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/Debt_042724_Photo_AdobeStock.png?w=900" type="image/png" length="1937468" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T09:37:49+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Gallego, Lake neck and neck in Arizona Senate race: Poll</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4630191-ruben-gallego-kari-lake-arizona-senate-race-poll/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jared Gans]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Campaign]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[2024 Arizona Senate race]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[abortion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Arizona poll]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Emerson College Polling]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Kari Lake]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4630191</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Republican Kari Lake are neck and neck in the race for Arizona’s Senate seat this year, according to a new poll. The poll from Emerson College Polling/The Hill found Gallego leading Lake by just over 2 points, 45.3 percent to 43.1 percent, within the poll’s margin of error, while 11.6...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Republican Kari Lake are neck and neck in the race for Arizona’s Senate seat this year, according to a new poll. 
The poll from Emerson College Polling/The Hill found Gallego leading Lake by just over 2 points, 45.3 percent to 43.1 percent, within the poll’s margin of error, while 11.6 percent said they were undecided. The race is to succeed retiring independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and will likely help decide which party controls the Senate in the next session of Congress. 
Pollsters found Gallego’s slight edge over Lake comes in part from more unified support among members of his party. The poll showed 87.4 percent of Democrats support Gallego, while about 80 percent of Republicans support Lake. 
Gallego has support from 15 percent of Republicans, but Lake has support from only 6.5 percent of Democrats. The candidates are essentially tied among independent respondents. 
The race was <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4586732-arizona-abortion-ruling-senate-race/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rocked</a> earlier this month by the Arizona Supreme Court ruling that upheld a law from 1864 banning abortion in nearly all cases with an exception for protecting the life of the mother but not cases of rape or incest. The law is not yet in effect but is set to overtake the state’s current 15-week restriction. 
Both Gallego and Lake issued statements against the ruling after it was released, but Lake has since <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4615634-kari-lake-arizona-abortion-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flipped</a> her position, saying “unfortunately” state officials don’t plan to enforce the ban. The former Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee had previously voiced support for the law while running for governor in 2022 against now-Gov. Katie Hobbs (D).
The poll found abortion was only the third most stated most important issue facing Arizonans among respondents, with 12.4 percent saying so. Immigration was first with 27.9 percent, followed by the economy with 24.7 percent, both issues that have received widespread attention nationwide. 
Lake led overwhelmingly among respondents who listed immigration as the most important issue with 83 percent to Gallego’s 13 percent. She led somewhat more modestly among those who chose the economy with 50 percent to Gallego’s 32 percent. 
Gallego led overwhelmingly among those who chose abortion as their top issue with 89 percent to Lake’s 6 percent. 
The poll was conducted among 1,000 registered voters from April 25 to 29. The margin of error was 3 points.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/lake-gallego_100623ap.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="338323" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-29T21:05:25+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Bottom Line: Press freedom nonprofit signs former congresswoman to push PRESS Act</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/lobbying/4629212-bottom-line-press-freedom-nonprofit-signs-former-congresswoman-to-push-press-act/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Giorno]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Lobbying]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4629212</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Media The Freedom of the Press Foundation hired Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz to lobby for the passage of the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act. The PRESS Act, which has bipartisan, bicameral support, bars the federal government from compelling journalists and telecommunication providers to disclose sources or any records the journalist...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Media</h2>
The Freedom of the Press Foundation hired Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz to lobby for the passage of the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act. 
The PRESS Act, which has bipartisan, bicameral support, bars the federal government from compelling journalists and telecommunication providers to disclose sources or any records the journalist obtained or created as part of their work. The lobbyist on the account is former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.).
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Apparel</h2>
The fast fashion giant Shein hired Navigators Global to lobby on issues related to the apparel industry, online retail and competition, inventory and trade. The firm will also educate members on “SHEIN's presence, operating footprint, and economic impact in the United States,” according to the new registration, as some members of Congress call for a probe into allegations that the company uses forced Uyghur labor to make its popular clothes. 
Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) former chief of staff Cesar Conda is the lobbyist on the account. Rubio, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is one of the lawmakers scrutinizing Shein. Earlier this month, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-investigate-shein-and-temu-for-slave-labor/" target="_blank">Rubio asked</a> Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to investigate the alleged use of forced labor by Shein and Temu, another fast fashion brand.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Budget</h2>
The United Launch Alliance, Lockheed Martin and Boeing’s joint space venture, hired Red Maple Consulting to lobby on budget issues related to space launches, both for civilian and national security purposes. The lobbyist on the account is Pete Kirkham, former chief of staff to Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who was elected chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee earlier this month.
Big Brothers Big Sisters New York City hired Oscar Policy Group to monitor federal funding opportunities and FY25 Community Funded Projects. The lobbyist on the account is Michael Oscar, who worked as a staffer for former Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) from 2002 to 2010.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cryptocurrency</h2>
The digital asset company Ripple Labs hired the Conaway Graves Group to lobby on issues related to digital assets, cryptocurrencies, the blockchain and the Digital Commodity Exchange Act, a bill introduced during the last Congress that gives the Commodity Futures Trading Commission authority to oversee and regulate digital exchanges. Former Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) will work on the account.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/kstreet_013023gn3_w.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="618178" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-29T16:10:51+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Trump leads Biden in major battleground states: Polls</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4630438-trump-leads-biden-major-battleground-emerson-hill-polls/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Mueller]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Campaign]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[2024 presidential election]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[battleground]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Emerson College poll]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Polling]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[President Joe Biden]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4630438</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Former President Trump is leading President Biden in seven key battleground states, according to new surveys from Emerson College Polling/The Hill. Trump boasts slim, single-digit advantages in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — though the difference is within each survey’s margin of error. Snagging the edge in these key states is...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Former President Trump is leading President Biden in seven key battleground states, according to new surveys from Emerson College Polling/The Hill. 
Trump boasts slim, single-digit advantages in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — though the difference is within each survey’s margin of error. Snagging the edge in these key states is a good sign for Trump, though they echo forecasts of a razor-thin race that could come down to a handful of battlegrounds. 
Trump is up roughly 5 points in North Carolina, with around 47 percent to Biden’s 42 percent. In Arizona, the Republican is up 4 points, with 48 percent to Biden’s 44 percent. 
Trump is also ahead by 3 points in Georgia, with 47 percent to Biden's 44 percent, and by 2 points in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with 47 percent to Biden's 45 percent in each. 
The Republican is also leading by 1 point in Michigan, with 45 percent to Biden's 44 percent.
“The state of the presidential election in swing states has remained relatively consistent since Emerson and The Hill started tracking them last November,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. 
“The share of undecided voters has reduced and Biden gained ground in Georgia and Nevada, narrowing the gap, while Trump has maintained a slight edge on Biden in the swing states.” 
Trump gets a bit more of a boost in some states when undecided voters are asked to pick which candidate they’re leaning toward. With leaners included, Trump is up by around 4 points in Michigan, Arizona and North Carolina — and leading by 3 points in Wisconsin and Georgia.
Support is also pulled away from Biden more than from Trump in five states when third-party candidates are added to the ballot — Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Support is pulled evenly from both Biden and Trump when third-party contenders are considered in Arizona and Michigan.
Biden and Trump have each crossed the delegate threshold to become their respective party nominees, teeing up a rematch of their 2020 race this November. Both candidates have been crisscrossing the country to visit these key battlegrounds, as polling indicates just about a half-dozen states will determine who takes the Oval Office next year. 
Other recent polls have shown Trump and Biden <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/4627457-biden-trump-battleground-states-presidential-election/">neck-and-neck</a> in battleground states as the race ramps up, and <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/national/biden-trump-general/">polling averages</a> from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill show the pair separated by less than a single point, with Trump scoring the slight edge. 
Trump appears to fare slightly better when independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is added into the mix, according to those <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/national/biden-trump-rfk-general/">averages</a>, though new NBC News <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4610416-rfk-jr-hurts-trumps-election-chances-more-than-biden-poll/">polling</a> suggests third-party candidates could actually do more damage to Trump than to Biden. 
Roughly half a year out from Election Day, Trump is in on trial — the first criminal trial of a former president kicked off earlier this month in Manhattan as a jury weighs a case related to a hush money payment made by Trump's former fixer back in the 2016 cycle. Trump faces the <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4606107-donald-trump-hush-money-trial-stormy-daniels-conviction-election/">possibility of conviction</a> on felony charges of falsifying business documents. 
A plurality of voters in all seven swing states surveyed by Emerson College Polling/The Hill consider the trial appropriate to hold the former president accountable, though a majority of Republicans in the polls said a guilty verdict would make them more likely to support Trump in 2024. 
The Emerson College Polling/The Hill polls from each state include 1,000 registered voters and have a credibility interval, similar to the poll's margin of error, of plus or minus 3 percent. The polls were fielded April 25-29, 2024.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/Donald-Trump-Joe-Biden-03.12.png?w=900" type="image/png" length="1519944" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-29T21:48:40+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Casey leads GOP rival in Pennsylvania Senate race: Poll</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4630466-pennsylvania-senate-bob-casey-david-mccormick/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Manchester]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Campaign]]></category> <category><![CDATA[2024 Elections]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Senate]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4630466</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey (D) leads his Republican challenger David McCormick six months out from Election Day, according to a new Emerson College/The Hill swing state poll released Tuesday. The poll found 46 percent of Pennsylvania voters said they backed Casey in the race, while 42 percent said they supported McCormick. Another 12 percent said...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey (D) leads his Republican challenger David McCormick six months out from Election Day, according to a new Emerson College/The Hill swing state poll released Tuesday. 
The poll found 46 percent of Pennsylvania voters said they backed Casey in the race, while 42 percent said they supported McCormick. Another 12 percent said they were undecided. The gap between the two candidates remained unchanged from when the last Emerson College/The Hill poll was conducted last month. In March, Casey led McCormick 45 percent to 41 percent. However, the number of undecided voters was slightly higher at 14 percent. 
<div class="ns-block-custom-html">

<script async defer src="https://data.ddhq.io/embed.js"></script>
<script src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js"></script>
<div class="ddhq-results-embed-container">
<iframe frameborder=0 id="ddhq-widget-7bxScX-pa-senate" loading=lazy src="https://elections2024.thehill.com/embed-pennsylvania/pennsylvania-senate-mccormick-casey?id=ddhq-widget-7bxScX-pa-senate" width=100%></iframe>
<div class="ddhq-ad" id="div-gpt-ad-7432037-34"></div>
</div>
</div>
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as "lean Democratic." 
While the latest Emerson College/The Hill poll showed Casey with an edge in the Keystone State, the race is neck and neck at the presidential level. A presidential poll of the state conducted by Emerson College and The Hill showed former President Trump leading President Biden 47 to 45 percent, which is within the margin of error. Eight percent of voters said they were undecided. 
Pennsylvania is one of the swing states that Trump flipped in 2016, defeating then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by less than a point. However, Biden was able to win back in 2020, winning it by just over one point. 
The Emerson College/The Hill poll was conducted April 25-29 among 1,000 registered Pennsylvania voters and has a credibility interval, similar to a poll's margin of error, of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/caseybob_012424ar01_w.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="617500" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-29T21:19:42+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>‘She’s DOA’: Noem’s dog tale sinks chances of becoming Trump’s VP</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4630266-noems-dog-tale-sinks-chances-of-becoming-trumps-vp/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brett Samuels]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Campaign]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4630266</guid>
<description><![CDATA[South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has found herself in the doghouse after a shocking anecdote from her forthcoming book made the rounds in recent days. Noem attracted criticism and mockery in political circles after it was reported that her upcoming book detailed the story of how roughly 20 years ago, she shot and killed...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has found herself in the doghouse after a shocking anecdote from her forthcoming book made the rounds in recent days.
Noem attracted criticism and mockery in political circles after it was reported that <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4623848-kristi-noem-describes-killing-dog-after-bad-hunting-trip-in-new-book-report/" target="_blank">her upcoming book</a> detailed the story of how roughly 20 years ago, she shot and killed her 14-month-old German wirehaired pointer, Cricket, due to poor behavior. The governor elaborated on the story in a social media post Sunday, and she has tried to characterize the story and her willingness to share it as a sign of her authenticity and willingness to make difficult choices.
But the anecdote, paired with other recent controversies involving Noem, left many Republicans scratching their heads, with some suggesting she had tanked her prospects of serving as former President Trump’s 2024 running mate.
“She’s DOA,” one Trump ally said of Noem’s vice presidential prospects.
“Anytime you have to respond more than once to a story, it’s not good,” they added of the dog tale.
Noem, a former congresswoman who won a second term as governor in 2022, had for months been considered among the top contenders to serve as Trump’s potential VP.
She was an early endorser of Trump, tied with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for the top choice as Trump’s vice presidential pick in a straw poll conducted at February’s Conservative Political Action Conference and campaigned with Trump in Ohio in March.
She has been at the forefront of major conservative causes, sending National Guard forces to the southern border and signing legislation to restrict abortion and ban gender-affirming care, among other things.
But some of the buzz around her prospects has faded, largely because of what Republican strategists and Trump allies view as self-inflicted mistakes and controversies.
“She’s basically taken herself out of the running to be VP,” one Republican strategist told The Hill. 
“There’s so many things wrong with that story on so many levels,” the strategist added about the dog story in particular, adding they were confounded by the fact Noem had months to write, edit and publish the book and still left the story of shooting the dog in the final draft.  
Noem, in an excerpt from “No Going Back” that was first reported by The Guardian, described shooting and killing her 14-month-old dog after it had killed a local family’s chickens and had shown aggressive behavior.
In the book and in a subsequent social media post, Noem has portrayed the story as an illustration of her characteristics as a leader.
“I guess if I were a better politician I wouldn’t tell the story here,” Noem wrote, according to The Guardian. 
In the face of bipartisan backlash, Noem on Sunday took to social media to defend her actions and decision to publicize the story.
“The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned,” Noem posted on the social platform X.
“What I learned from my years of public service, especially leading South Dakota through COVID, is people are looking for leaders who are authentic, willing to learn from the past, and don’t shy away from tough challenges,” she added.
Democratic governors mocked Noem by <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/GovWhitmer/status/1784038681013035477" target="_blank">sharing photos</a> with their own pets with the caption, “Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump spokesperson, <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssafarah/status/1783916995513110780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wrote on X</a> that she was “horrified” by the anecdote.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday called the story “very sad,” but declined to weigh in further.
The latest controversy is not the first time this year Noem has found herself in the national spotlight.
Earlier this month, four Native American tribes in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/us/politics/kristi-noem-south-dakota-tribes.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">state <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/us/politics/kristi-noem-south-dakota-tribes.html"></a>barred Noem</a> from their reservations, citing her comments suggesting some tribal leaders were “personally benefiting” from the presence of Mexican drug cartels.
Noem also attracted scrutiny after she posted a <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4528584-kristi-noem-video-praising-texas-cosmetic-dentists/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">five-minute video</a> on social media in March that was essentially an infomercial for a Texas-based cosmetic dentist where she had work done. State law in South Dakota bans gifts of more than $100 from lobbyists to public officials.
The governor’s propensity for finding the spotlight could ultimately work against her with Trump. His allies maintain Trump does not want to be overshadowed by his eventual running mate.
“No drama is going to be important,” the Republican strategist who spoke to The Hill said. “The whole deal is you are looking for a stable number two who could conceivably go on to be the party standard bearer after four years.”
Michael Card, an associate professor of political science at the University of South Dakota, argued Noem’s latest controversy is different from her previous ones because the death of a pet resonates with so many Americans.
“It deals with something everybody understands. We either have had a pet die or know someone who had a pet die,” Card said.
Noem, who won reelection in 2022 with 62 percent of the vote, would likely fare just as well if she ran for statewide office again in the deep red state, Card said. But Noem is term limited, so she will not be able to run for reelection when her term ends in 2026.
Instead, she may be positioned for an ambassadorship or some other role in a potential second Trump administration or for another role in GOP politics. 
But Noem’s vice presidential chances, where she was seen as a potential running mate who could solidify Trump’s support with the evangelical base and assuage concerns about his age and treatment of women, have certainly taken a hit.
“Her ability to garner votes was somewhat limited to begin with, and I don’t think this will help much,” Card said.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/kristinoem_022324gn04_w.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="706016" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T09:37:26+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Nebraska district to play pivotal role in Biden-Trump rematch</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4629445-nebraska-2nd-congressional-district-joe-biden-donald-trump-2024/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jared Gans]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Campaign]]></category> <category><![CDATA[2024 Elections]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Administration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[State Watch]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4629445</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The results of a single congressional district in Nebraska could be critical to determining the outcome of this year's presidential election in what will likely be an extremely tight race. The Cornhusker State’s unique system awards an electoral vote in presidential elections to the winner of each of its three congressional districts, in addition to...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
The results of a single congressional district in Nebraska could be critical to determining the outcome of this year's presidential election in what will likely be an extremely tight race.
The Cornhusker State’s unique system awards an electoral vote in presidential elections to the winner of each of its three congressional districts, in addition to the winner of the statewide result. Unlike the rest of the ruby-red state, the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the Omaha area, has been a swing district in recent elections and could very well be the tipping point for whoever wins in November.
Strategists said both President Biden and former President Trump will likely keep an eye on the district and may invest time there as the election approaches in order to give themselves a seemingly small but crucial advantage in the race to 270.
“You get a lot of attention from the candidates who are running for top office in America because this one is up for grabs,” said Ryan Horn, an Omaha-based Republican media strategist.
Nebraska has distributed its electoral votes through this system since 1992, but it has only been electorally relevant in the past few presidential election years. The first time Nebraska’s electoral votes were split came in 2008, when then-candidate Barack Obama (D) narrowly defeated the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2nd District by little more than 1 point.
Before then, all of Nebraska’s electoral votes had gone to Republican candidates for decades. The district comfortably voted for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in 2012 and was in play in 2016, but Trump held on to narrowly win the district over Hillary Clinton.
It then flipped back to blue in 2020 to comfortably vote for Biden by more than 6 points.
Observers expect the 2024 race will likely come down to just about a half-dozen states that are the most closely divided. And a race as close as this one could end up hanging on the 2nd District.
Horn noted that both Trump and now-first lady Jill Biden visited the district late in the election season in 2020, underscoring the importance of a district with an estimated population of about 650,000.
Only one scenario in the Electoral College likely exists where the result of the district could directly decide the winner of the election. If Biden wins Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, while Trump wins Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, Biden would be just one vote short of victory at 269.
Maine is the only other state other than Nebraska that distributes electoral votes by congressional district. Maine is mostly a blue state, but its 2nd Congressional District voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.
If that district votes for Trump again, then Nebraska’s 2nd District would be key. If it votes for Biden, then he wins; but if it votes for Trump, the candidates would be tied at 269-269, and the House would decide the election.
Even though that situation is unlikely, experts said the vote is one both candidates want in their column.
“It’s not important enough to spend a whole bunch of time worrying about it and campaigning for it, but it is important enough that you can’t ignore it,” said Paul Landow, a former executive director of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
But the district could be skipped entirely in presidential politics if some Nebraska Republicans are successful in their effort to convert the state to a winner-take-all system, which most other states use. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4570808-nebraska-governor-calls-for-legislature-to-reinstate-winner-take-all-electoral-system/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">endorsed a bill</a> to change the system earlier this month, and Trump <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4571799-trump-nebraska-governor-winner-take-all-electoral-system/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quickly praised him</a> for backing the legislation.
Proponents of the bill initially expressed optimism at being able to change the system ahead of November, but the <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4574070-nebraska-lawmakers-overwhelmingly-reject-trump-backed-winner-take-all-electoral-system/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bill failed a key procedural vote</a> last month before the legislative session ended, and its prospects are uncertain.
Vince Powers, a former Democratic state party chair, said he expects the district to vote for Biden again this year. He pointed to a rift within the GOP in the district, with the Republican Party of Douglas County, where Omaha is located, endorsing <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/24/douglas-county-gop-central-committee-flips-endorsements-to-dan-frei-and-john-glen-weaver/" target="_blank">a right-wing primary opponent</a> to Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a more moderate Republican representing the district in the House, and censuring Bacon last week without approval from the party chair.
Powers said Biden will be the favorite to take it again and that Republican infighting will only hurt the GOP.
“I just can’t see that big of a lead suddenly changing when you have a divided Republican Party,” he said, referring to Biden’s win in the district in 2020.
He added that he expects a “concentrated” effort from the Biden campaign to win the district again.
Horn said he does not think the effort to change the voting system will be successful but called it “shortsighted” for what is best for Nebraska.
“It’s good that we have attention from both parties once every four years at the top race in the country,” Horn said.
Landow said he doesn’t expect Biden or Trump to spend much time in the district but expects both men to travel there at least once before Election Day. He said splitting off a congressional district from the rest of the state is relatively rare historically in presidential races, but taking the vote is still appealing.
He added that Republicans have tried to change the state’s voting system in the past and will likely continue trying until they are successful or run out of time.
“That’s just kind of a way of life around here,” Landow said. “There’s a fight over the blue dot every so often.”
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/Nebraska_2nddistrict_BidenTrump.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="544154" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T09:38:06+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Trump’s hush money trial mixes bawdy and boring</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4629682-trumps-hush-money-trial-mixes-bawdy-and-boring/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Zach Schonfeld]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Court Battles]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[New York hush money trial]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4629682</guid>
<description><![CDATA[NEW YORK – Former President Trump’s first criminal trial began with a whirlwind week of salacious testimony from media mogul-turned-state's witness David Pecker, the ex-National Enquirer publisher who allegedly worked as the “eyes and ears” for Trump’s successful 2016 campaign. But in its second week of testimony starting Tuesday, the hush money trial's storyline will...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
NEW YORK – Former President Trump’s first criminal trial began with a whirlwind week of salacious testimony from media mogul-turned-state's witness David Pecker, the ex-National Enquirer publisher who allegedly worked as the “eyes and ears” for Trump’s successful 2016 campaign. 
But in its second week of testimony starting Tuesday, the hush money trial's storyline will shift to a deep dive into the paperwork that underlies Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) prosecution of the former president on 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records. 
The stark contrast shows how prosecutors have mixed the bawdy and boring to present jurors the state’s theory of the case: that Trump corruptly influenced the 2016 presidential election by lying in New York business records to cover up alleged affairs. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied any infidelity. 
Across four days of testimony, Pecker put the former president’s alleged sex scandals front and center, describing in extensive detail the lewd allegations being made by three individuals – a porn star, former Trump Tower doorman and former Playboy model – who were ultimately paid hush money as part of a “catch and kill” agreement between Pecker’s tabloid and Trump’s 2016 campaign. 
Expectations ran high that prosecutors’ second witness – Trump’s longtime assistant, Rhona Graff – would spill out more headline-grabbing details, given how she spent decades in the former president’s orbit and worked for years just outside his Trump Tower office. 
But Graff’s testimony was diametric, lasting less than an hour and concerning only a few topics. 
Prosecutors asked her to verify Trump’s calendar for a handful days just before he took office and to detail email interactions with another Trump assistant who worked out of the White House, Madeleine Westerhout. One exchange between the two assistants concerned a short list of “people (Trump) frequently spoke to,” spanning high-profile news anchors, politicians and lawyers to sport stars and coaches. 
Graff also confirmed she saved contact information for Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, the two women paid hush money after alleging affairs with Trump, which he denies. In his contact list, Daniels was described only as “Stormy” while McDougal’s full name – and an old address – were saved, in addition to typical contact information. 
Risqué testimony will return when McDougal and Daniels potentially take the stand. But for the moment, Graff and the banker who testified after her have shifted the storyline to the plethora of documents and written records involved. 
On cross-examination, meanwhile, Trump’s lawyers used Graff’s appearance as an opportunity to cast Trump positively in front of jurors. Graff heaped praise on her former boss, calling Trump a fair and respectful boss and saying he respected her intelligence.  
“You don’t want to be here, do you?” Trump attorney Susan Necheles asked Graff. 
“Correct,” Graff said. 
The former president, sitting about 15 feet away, smiled toward Graff throughout and, at one point, appeared to chuckle. When her testimony concluded, Trump stood to greet her and appeared to attempt to shake her hand.  
The focus on records continued when prosecutors next called to testify Gary Farro, the banker of ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen, who paid off Daniels. 
Farro explained at length how wealthy individuals utilize the private banking system, diving into how Cohen set up various accounts with the bank for his shell companies created as part of the hush money arrangements. 
Altogether, prosecutors have shown jurors a few dozen exhibits in the first week to support the witnesses’ testimony. 
Jurors saw the certificate that formed one of Cohen’s companies in Delaware. They’ve seen contracts and invoices. Prosecutors have shown plenty of text messages and emails, too. 
But that’s no surprise to the 12 jurors and six alternates, who were pressed by prosecutors during jury selection as to whether they were comfortable sifting through many documents as they mulled whether to convict Trump. 
“There are going to be quite a few documents in this case,” prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said to one batch of prospective jurors. 
“The documents are important,” she continued. “There's an old saying: The documents don't lie. They tell it like it is. Anybody have an issue with the fact that we're going to ask you, if you're going to serve as a juror, to spend a lot of time on the documents — spreadsheets, emails, texts?” 
Jurors have yet to see the 11 invoices, 12 general ledger entries and 11 checks that make up Trump’s 34 charges of falsifying business records. 
The trial will resume Tuesday morning, when Farro, the banker, is expected to retake the stand. 
]]></content:encoded>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ella Lee]]></dc:creator>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/More-in-politics-Trump-Transition_042524_AP_Jeenah-Moon.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="689822" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T09:38:21+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>McConnell’s exit isn’t going to be a quiet one</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4630773-mcconnells-exit-isnt-going-to-be-a-quiet-one/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alexander Bolton]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Senate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Face the Nation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[John Cornyn]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[John Thune]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Mitch McConnell]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[russia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ukraine]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4630773</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is on the way out. But he’s not going quietly. A GOP free agent of sorts, McConnell helped convince Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to back aid to Ukraine despite opposition from House Republicans. The effort led to another win in a long list of big legislative victories for the...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is on the way out. But he’s not going quietly.
A GOP free agent of sorts, McConnell helped convince Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to back aid to Ukraine despite opposition from House Republicans. The effort led to another win in a long list of big legislative victories for the Kentuckian.
McConnell, who is nearing the end of his days as the Senate Republican leader, is speaking more freely, too.
He sharply criticized conservative pundit Tucker Carlson this month, saying he’d found a home in interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He’s also gone after Republicans opposed to aiding Ukraine, accusing them of being on the wrong side of history.
There’s no doubt that McConnell has lost a lot of influence in the GOP to former President Trump, who is poised for a return to the White House if he can defeat President Biden in November.
Even in McConnell’s own Senate GOP caucus, the Trump forces are growing. If Republicans win back the Senate in the fall, the number of Republicans aligned with Trump — and those who may oppose McConnell’s brand of foreign policy — seems likely to grow.
But that is tomorrow, not today.
For now, McConnell, whose favorite sayings include a version of “winners make policy, losers go home,” wants to preserve as much influence as he can.
Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist who has advised McConnell’s past campaigns, said his former boss realizes “you can’t die on every hill, because if you did, you’re dead.”
The GOP leader was notably quiet during the Republican presidential primary and avoided endorsing Trump until the nomination had all but completely been clinched.
“Is this the hill you’re going to die on when 60 percent, 70 percent, 80 percent of the Republicans in your state want Trump? Of course not. That would make you dumb,” Jennings said of that political tension.
In an interview Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” McConnell acknowledged his limited influence on his party’s rank-and-file voters.
“Even if I had chosen to get involved in the presidential election, what kind of influence would I have had?” McConnell told “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan.
McConnell’s views reflect those of other GOP senators who are skeptical of Trump but thought that there was little they could do to steer the nomination to someone else.
McConnell allies who were openly critical of Trump in the past, including Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.), who repeatedly raised concerns about Trump’s polarizing impact on swing voters, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who last year said Trump’s time had “passed him by,” finally endorsed his presidential bid earlier this year.
Those two Republicans are now fighting to be McConnell’s successor.
A number of prominent Republicans aligned with McConnell have ruled out voting for Trump, including Trump’s own former vice president, Mike Pence; former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney; and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the party’s 2012 nominee for president.
Pence and Cheney are out of office, and Romney will retire at the end of the year, while McConnell says he plans to stay in the Senate through the end of 2026 and plans to play an active role in pushing back against what he calls the “isolationists” in his party on major national security issues.
Jennings said such a decision makes sense politically for McConnell.
“Trump won his primary, and it wasn’t particularly close. No one really ever got that close to him or challenged him for the nomination, and it’s obvious what the Republican Party wants to do — yes, there are chunks [of the party] that don’t want to do that, but I think at some level all these guys are party leaders, and they have to be somewhat responsive to the base of the party when it comes to nominees and other issues,” he said.
GOP senators and strategists say McConnell’s best chance of ending Trump’s political career came after Jan. 6, when he was in a position to attempt to convince 17 Republican senators to convict Trump on the impeachment charge of inciting the attack on the Capitol.
If 67 senators had voted to convict Trump, he would have been barred from running again for office. A week after Jan. 6, McConnell indicated he was open to convicting Trump in an impeachment trial.
But a Republican senator close to McConnell said there was no guarantee at the time that the GOP leader could have convinced 16 other Senate Republicans to vote to convict Trump.
And the source said McConnell probably wouldn’t have been reelected GOP leader in November 2022 if he had joined the push to convict Trump and bar him from future office.
Yet, McConnell hasn’t apologized for his excoriating denunciation of Trump on the Senate floor at the end of his second impeachment trial on Feb. 13, 2021, when he accused Trump of a “disgraceful dereliction of duty.”
“I stand by everything I said on Jan. 6 and Feb. 13 of ’21,” he told CBS.
A second Republican senator close to McConnell said the GOP leader had told his Senate Republican allies following Jan. 6 that Trump’s career in politics was over after stoking up thousands of his supporters to march on the Capitol.
Yet Trump managed to stage an improbable comeback by convincing more than half of all Republican voters that Biden had stolen the election, even after court after court dismissed that claim and Trump’s own attorney general, Bill Barr, told him there was no evidence of election fraud.
McConnell finally endorsed Trump in March, even though Trump has several times publicly insulted him and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, drawing criticism from anti-Trump Republicans.
One group, Republican Voters Against Trump, released an ad Sunday that took shots at McConnell, Barr and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, accusing them of “partisan derangement syndrome” for backing Trump’s presidential bid despite blaming him for trying to subvert the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election.
McConnell bristled when Brennan confronted him about endorsing Trump despite denouncing him on the Senate floor a few years ago, as other reporters have also tried to do in recent weeks.
“You need to get better research. I was asked that question three years ago, if he were the nominee would I support him, and I said ‘yeah,’ because the voters of my party across the country have made a decision. As the Republican leader of the Senate, obviously I’m going to support the nominee of our party,” he explained.
Al Cross, director emeritus of the Institute of Rural Journalism at the University of Kentucky and a longtime McConnell observer, said the Senate Republican leader realized that actively opposing Trump might have even helped him in the primary, given McConnell’s affiliation with the GOP establishment.
“What he didn’t say [is] that it might actually play into Trump’s hand because McConnell has a very low approval rating among Republicans, and it would be further evidence of Trump being the anti-swamp candidate,” he said. “McConnell’s a realist."
“To achieve his goal of getting a Republican Senate majority, they need to be able to coordinate with Trump, and if he’s adverse to Trump, that makes it more difficult,” he added.
A third GOP senator who asked for anonymity to discuss McConnell’s difficult position in relation to Trump said while McConnell and other Republican senators may disapprove of Trump’s character and tactics and view him as a weak general election candidate, they recognize that he is usually more in tune with the party’s base than they are.
“There’s no doubt about that. Trump is more in tune with, in touch with the American people than House and Senate leadership are, especially Senate Republican leadership,” said the senator.
“The House clearly because of their turmoil at least understands the frustration of the American people. I’m not sure the Senate leadership even understands the American people,” said the GOP senator.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/mcconnellmitch_040924gn03_w.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="811670" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-29T23:00:39+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Biden makes play for Florida — Trump’s new home state</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4630320-biden-makes-play-for-florida-trumps-new-home-state/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alex Gangitano]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Campaign]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[State Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Florida]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ron DeSantis]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4630320</guid>
<description><![CDATA[President Biden’s reelection campaign is making a play for Florida, hoping to steal a state that has been moving toward the GOP — and has become the new home state for former President Trump — away from Republicans in November. Winning back the Sunshine State will be an uphill battle, but Biden’s campaign thinks the...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
President Biden’s reelection campaign is making a play for Florida, hoping to steal a state that has been moving toward the GOP — and has become the new home state for former President Trump — away from Republicans in November.
Winning back the Sunshine State will be an uphill battle, but Biden’s campaign thinks the issue of abortion, which will be on the ballot thanks to a restrictive new state law, can give it and other Democrats a boost.
They also note that Democrats won Florida as recently as the 2012 presidential race, when President Obama defeated Republican Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) with Biden on his ticket.
Winning Florida will be an uphill battle, but the campaign isn’t taking any state for granted in an election that currently looks like a dead heat nationally.
“Writing Florida off as a long shot is a big mistake,” said Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins. “Those who underestimate the resilience and determination of Floridians do so at their own peril. Our campaign is deeply rooted in the communities across this state, and we are witnessing an unprecedented groundswell of support.”
Abortion has been an effective issue for Democrats ever since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling in 2022, and it will be a major issue in Florida.
When Florida’s state Supreme Court ruled a six-week abortion ban approved by the state Legislature could take effect this month, it also allowed for a ballot measure to go to voters in the fall. That measure will allow voters to weigh in on whether to protect access to abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
The Biden campaign and Democrats are hoping that measure will be a major force driving pro-Biden voters to the polls in the fall, and that it will put Florida’s 30 electoral votes in play.
Biden’s campaign <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/4568696-biden-campaign-announces-it-will-target-flipping-trumps-florida/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">released a memo</a> announcing it would invest more in Trump’s home state as a state to flip, and Vice President Harris will travel to Jacksonville to campaign on Wednesday, the same day the six-week abortion ban takes effect.
Her visit comes a week after Biden visited Tampa for <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4616021-biden-condemns-florida-six-week-abortion-ban-blames-trump/" target="_blank">a campaign event</a> that also focused on abortion rights. Florida’s new law will reduce the cutoff of legal access to abortion from 15 weeks to six.
Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg says there’s plenty of reason for Biden’s campaign to think the issue could make a huge difference in Florida.
“In Florida, the Republicans are going to be running on a six-week ban, and it polls in the low 20s,” he said. “Usually parties don’t support issues that poll so terribly.”
<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4588782-poll-floridians-six-week-abortion-ban/" target="_blank">A recent Emerson College poll</a> found that 57 percent of surveyed Floridians think the six-week abortion ban is “too strict,” and 42 percent said they will vote in favor of a ballot amendment to enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution.
Trump defeated Biden in Florida by more than 3 percentage points in the 2020 election.
But even before the new abortion law, Biden hadn’t given up on the state, where the campaign spent money in 2023 and this year.  
Trump easily won the GOP primary in Florida, and he’s been a power in the state. Ron DeSantis was elected Florida’s governor in 2018 while running as a strong Trump ally. DeSantis was strong enough to be seen as a potential Trump rival in the GOP primary after an easy 2022 reelection, though that challenge ruffled Trump’s feathers and ended after the Iowa caucuses.
Trump and DeSantis met over the weekend, reportedly to discuss <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-politics/ap-trump-and-desantis-meet-to-bury-the-hatchet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential joint fundraising efforts</a> and DeSantis’s commitment to helping Trump.
Biden is behind Trump in public opinion polls in Florida. Trump was ahead by 9 points in a recent <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.faupolling.com/new-fau-poll-of-fl-trump-holds-solid-lead-over-biden/" target="_blank">FAU/Mainstreet Research poll</a>, 13 points ahead in an <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/florida-2024-poll-plurality-plan-to-vote-yes-on-abortion-protection-ballot-measure/" target="_blank">Emerson College poll</a> and 6 points ahead in a survey from <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/03/15/trump-leads-biden-by-some-6-points-in-new-fl-survey-but-among-independents-the-race-is-a-tie/" target="_blank">St. Pete Polls for WMNF Radio</a>.
Ford O'Connell, a Florida GOP strategist, called Democrats’ strategy in the Sunshine State “basically throwing the kitchen sink at the wall to see what sticks.”
“I think that there’s a bad taste in a lot of Democrats’ mouths, national Democrats, in terms of how far Florida has slipped away from them,” he said.
Some Democrats are less optimistic about a return to glory in Florida.  
“Florida frequently feels like Charlie Brown and Lucy and the football for Democrats. It’s a place where we get our hopes up, but boy, it's hard to win in a state like that we haven’t won in a long time,” said David Thomas, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Vice President Al Gore.
John LaBombard, a former communications director for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), agreed that winning Florida will be a challenge.
“Even with the ballot initiatives at play in Florida, I would say that we as Democrats especially sometimes get a little too excited about this reverse coattail effect where we think that because of policy issues being put to voters where voters are very likely to agree with our preference on that policy, that does not always translate to increased support for the Democratic candidates elsewhere on that ballot,” he said. “We’ve seen that time and time again.”
Still, in a close election, Thomas argued it was important for Democrats to not rule out Florida.  
“I think it’s important for Democrats to be expanding the playing field as much as they can at this stage in the game because we know it’s going to be a close election,” he said. “You don't want to totally write off big important states with big, huge numbers of voters and electoral votes.”
Julia Manchester contributed to this report.
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/biden_joe_florida_042324-2149335750.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="75885" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T09:38:14+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>White House finalizes permitting reform rule included in debt ceiling deal</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4630280-white-house-finalizes-permitting-reform-rule/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Zack Budryk]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Energy & Environment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Administration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEPA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[permitting reform]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4630280</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized rules Tuesday aimed at streamlining the environmental review process under the National Environmental Protection Act. The final rule, which was part of an agreement in last summer’s deal to increase the federal debt ceiling, creates new methods for the federal government to establish a categorical exclusion....]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized rules Tuesday aimed at streamlining the environmental review process under the National Environmental Protection Act.
The final rule, which was part of an agreement in last summer’s deal to increase the federal debt ceiling, creates new methods for the federal government to establish a categorical exclusion. These are the speediest category of decisions in the permitting process because they refer to cases where the government has determined they do not affect the environment enough to require an environmental review. The additions in the final rule include allowing joint categorical exclusions between multiple agencies.
The final rule also includes provisions to improve community engagement in the environmental review process, undoing a 2020 Trump administration rule that critics have said imposed excessive hurdles for public comment during the process. It further eliminates provisions of the 2020 rule that the Biden administration CEQ said “attempted to curtail judicial review” of permitting decisions.
“President Biden has unleashed historic investments to build our clean energy future, make long-overdue infrastructure upgrades across the nation, and deliver benefits to communities that have been historically left behind,” CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory said in a statement. “These reforms will deliver smarter decisions, quicker permitting, and projects that are built better and faster. As we accelerate our clean energy future, we are also protecting communities from pollution and environmental harms that can result from poor planning and decision-making while making sure we build projects in the right places.”
Environmental groups praised the Biden administration for the final rule, saying it restored enforcement strength to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that had been previously rolled back.
“Meaningful community engagement is the key to unlocking our clean energy future. It leads to better projects that face less opposition on the back end,” Christy Goldfuss, executive director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement. “We do not have to sacrifice environmental justice, community safeguards, public health, or environmental protections to fight climate change and build the clean energy economy we need.”
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/AP21281659223738-e1714424015820.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="4432067" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-29T20:53:51+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Updated federal workplace guidelines protect pronouns, bathrooms and abortion </title>
<link>https://thehill.com/business/4631184-updated-federal-workplace-eeoc-guidelines-protect-pronouns-bathrooms-abortion/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Filip Timotija]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 03:20:34 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[eeoc]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4631184</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated the federal workplace guidelines after a quarter of a century to protect pronouns, bathrooms and abortion. The new guidance, released on Monday by the federal agency, fortified transgender employees’ rights such as being protected from misgendering and using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Employees not...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated the federal workplace guidelines after a quarter of a century to protect pronouns, bathrooms and abortion. 
The new guidance, <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/enforcement-guidance-harassment-workplace?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">released</a> on Monday by the federal agency, fortified transgender employees’ rights such as being protected from misgendering and using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Employees not complying with the guidelines are committing unlawful workplace harassment. 
The agency’s update to the guidelines — the first in 25 years — showcases how it would enforce the anti-bias laws, although it is not legally binding. They came according to the legal standards shielding workers from harassment in relation to the protected characteristics, ranging from color, race, religion to sex. 
Within the last category, gender identity and sexual orientation are included along with pregnancy. 
Abortion was also included, as the discrimination toward employees who decide to have one is considered sex discrimination. 
“Harassment, both in-person and online, remains a serious issue in America’s workplaces,” EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows said in a <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-releases-workplace-guidance-prevent-harassment">statement</a>. “The EEOC’s updated guidance on harassment is a comprehensive resource that brings together best practices for preventing and remedying harassment and clarifies recent developments in the law.” 
“The guidance incorporates public input from stakeholders across the country, is aligned with our Strategic Enforcement Plan, and will help ensure that individuals understand their workplace rights and responsibilities.”
The expanding guidance has been criticized by conservatives and religious groups. 
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman, criticized the updated guidelines and the EEOC, saying has “detached itself from reality.” 
“The EEOC has detached itself from reality— today’s final guidance is nothing more than a homage to leftist activists who want Americans to conform to their warped political ideology,” Foxx said in a Monday <a href="https://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=410497">statement</a>. “From the mandated use of pronouns to a denial of biological facts, the EEOC seems more interested in appeasing the mob than undertaking commonsense policymaking to protect workers. File this away as another item in the long list of failures spearheaded by this agency.”
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/AP23138569949770-e1713288744317.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="2023096" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T03:20:40+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
<item>
<title>Jewish student sues Columbia for failing to provide a safe environment amid campus protests</title>
<link>https://thehill.com/homenews/4631059-jewish-student-sues-columbia-for-failing-to-provide-a-safe-environment-amid-campus-protests/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tiah Shepherd]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 02:50:27 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Columbia University]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Columbia University protests]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gaza]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Israel-Hamas war]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thehill.com/?p=4631059</guid>
<description><![CDATA[An anonymous Jewish student filed a lawsuit Monday against Columbia University, alleging that the Ivy League school has failed to provide "a safe educational environment” for its students amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests. In the lawsuit, the second-year student claims that since demonstrators established a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” more than a week ago, she and other...]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
An anonymous Jewish student filed a <a href="https://files.edelson.com/CS_Columbia_Complaint.pdf">lawsuit</a> Monday against Columbia University, alleging that the Ivy League school has failed to provide "a safe educational environment” for its students amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests. 
In the lawsuit, the second-year student claims that since demonstrators established a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” more than a week ago, she and other openly Jewish students have felt increasingly at risk of harassment and even physical harm. 
“The encampment has been the center of round-the-clock harassment of Jewish students, who have been punched, shoved, spat upon, blocked from attending classes and moving freely about campus, and targeted by pro-terrorist hate speech–– both verbal and in written form on massive banners and signs––with statements such as: “Death to the Jews”; “Long live Hamas”; “Globalize the Intifada,” the lawsuit said.
In addition to safety concerns, the lawsuit also criticizes the administration's decision to shift to a “hybrid” model of education for the remainder of the academic year, arguing that this response not only disrupted thousands of students' educational experience but has also isolated Jewish students from their environment and peers. 
“By implementing a hybrid learning approach, the university fails to address the underlying safety concerns while creating a stark divide in the educational experiences of Jewish and non-Jewish students,” the lawsuit reads. 
While the plaintiff acknowledges students’ right to engage in peaceful protests, the lawsuit argues that a subset of demonstrators have “gone well beyond” exercising this right and have instead sought to advance “different and menacing goals.”
“These extreme demonstrators are not engaging in constitutionally protected free speech. Instead, they are openly inciting violence against Jewish students,” the lawsuit reads.
Columbia University declined to comment on pending litigation.
Jay Edelson, a student representative of the class and an attorney acting in the lawsuit, argues that Columbia has allowed its Jewish students to be "pushed off campus by open threats and harassment from extremists within the protest movement."
“Rather than protect its students, Columbia has been complicit, offering an “internet-optional” university that only the students it can’t protect have to use. We’re fighting for safe passage for all Columbia students on the campus that they all have a right to," Edelson said in a <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/education/lawsuit-columbia-failed-jewish-safe/">statement to </a><a href="xhttps://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/education/lawsuit-columbia-failed-jewish-safe/">NewsNation.</a>
The Hill has reached out to Edelson for comment. 
Meanwhile, the university’s president, Minouche Shafik, publicly recognized the effect that protests have had on the school’s Jewish population, pledging her commitment to “making Columbia safe for everyone" in a <a href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-29">statement</a> issued Monday. 
"I know that many of our Jewish students, and other students as well, have found the atmosphere intolerable in recent weeks. Many have left campus, and that is a tragedy. To those students and their families, I want to say to you clearly: You are a valued part of the Columbia community. This is your campus too," Shafik said in the statement. 
The class action complaint, filed against Columbia’s board of trustees in the Southern District of New York, also requests an emergency injunction requiring Columbia to enforce its Statement of Ethical Conduct and Administrative Code of Conduct to provide secure access to education so that students may safely complete the semester in-person.
News of the lawsuit comes as the university began to<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4630879-columbia-says-it-has-begun-suspending-students-who-refuse-to-leave-encampment/"> suspend students</a> refusing to leave the pro-Palestinian encampment hours after the 2 p.m. deadline to leave had passed.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill. 
]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure url="https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/GettyImages-2149632872.jpg?w=900" type="image/jpeg" length="224139" />
<dcterms:modified>2024-04-30T03:44:41+00:00</dcterms:modified>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>

If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:

Download the "valid RSS" banner.
Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)
Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):

<a href="http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=https%3A//thehill.com/rss/syndicator/19109"><img src="valid-rss-rogers.png" alt="[Valid RSS]" title="Validate my RSS feed" /></a>

If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:

http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=https%3A//thehill.com/rss/syndicator/19109

Home · About · News · Docs · Terms