Offering asides, recommended links, blogworthy quotations, and more, In Brief is the Northwest Progressive Institute's microblog of world, national, and local politics.
“Power and responsibility didn’t remold the man, or summon deep reserves of character and wisdom,” The Los Angeles Times’ Mark Barabak writes. “There is a hollowness at McCarthy’s core, which has long been evident, and it left him empty and bereft as he fought to stay in power.”
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Via Oregon Public Broadcasting: “Attendees asked about her thoughts on issues ranging from homelessness to wind-powered energy to abortion. District residents submitted their questions in writing, which a moderator seated on a dais read aloud.”
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“Kevin McCarthy is kicking his bid for the speaker’s gavel into a historic third day after Republicans adjourned Wednesday without a single defector reversing course,” Politico reports.
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“Sanders, just weeks from his eightieth birthday, is on the cusp of leaving an indelible mark on the federal government, having shepherded a $3.5 trillion spending blueprint through the Senate this week,” The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis reports.
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Nancy Pelosi is once again the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
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Former British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, having been ousted as the leader of Canada’s third largest province, has decided not to stick around and try
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Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley: “I plan to keep speaking for quite a while longer, as long as I’m able.” Senator Merkley began speaking in opposition to the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court at 6:47pm ET.
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I never ever saw a time when a member of the Senate asked to put into the record a letter — especially by a civil
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“I will not be silent about a nominee for Attorney General who has made derogatory & racist comments that have no place in our justice system,” declared Elizabeth Warren, after Senate Republicans voted to have her speech against Sessions stricken from the record and prohibit her from speaking again during the debate over Sessions’ nomination. Warren’s offense? Reading a letter Coretta Scott King wrote in the 1980s opposing Sessions’ nomination for a judgeship.
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You may not like what Democrats stand for, but they aren’t engaging in widespread official vote suppression, chanting that should their candidate win her opponent
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This is a big win: The longtime leader of Baltimore’s public library system was confirmed by the [United States] Senate on Wednesday to head the
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He or she will have an independent mind, rigorous intellect, impeccable credentials, and a record of excellence and integrity. I’m looking for a mastery of
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If McConnell stonewalls, we will empty the arsenal… We will make sure this is seen as the radical, unprecedented act of obstruction that it is.
LaunchToday, the Obamas carried on two important White House Thanksgiving traditions: participating in the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation and taking time to serve the homeless
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We may need a bipartisan coalition to elect our next Speaker… That’s a very real possibility right now, and I think anybody who’s honest about
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WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JOSH EARNEST: Good afternoon, everybody. (Laughter.) Anybody have any news they’d like to discuss? (Laughter.) QUESTION: — haven’t seen the remarks
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This is brilliant. Democratic Congressman Mark Takano of California writes, “Republicans are struggling to select the next Speaker of the House. I thought I’d help
LaunchTo me, pragmatic idealism means that you want to change the world for the better, and you believe that the tools exist to figure out
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She was a conservative pundit. He was a liberal activist. At home, none of that mattered. The Washington Post‘s Jessica Contrera offers a well-written, touching
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This is a government where many of the senior members of that government can’t stand the person that has been elected to lead that political
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After Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress in Washington on Sept. 24, he will be driven directly to a lunch with homeless, mentally ill
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