Oil giants deny spreading disinformation on climate change
Top executives of ExxonMobil and other oil giants have denied spreading disinformation about climate change while sparring with congressional Democrats over allegations that the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming.
Democrats call oil giants to testify on climate campaign
Congressional Democrats are calling top executives at ExxonMobil and other oil giants to testify about what lawmakers say is a long-running, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the role of fossil fuels in causing global warming.
'A lot of anxiety' for Democrats as Biden agenda stalls
Hopes for a big infrastructure investment are teetering. After six months of Democratic control in Washington, the party's progressive wing is growing increasingly restless as campaign promises go undone — blocked not only by Republican obstruction, but also by Democrats' own inability to unite fully around priorities. The time ahead is pivotal for President Joe Biden and his allies in Congress to seize what some view as a transformative moment to rebuild the economy and reshape the country.
news.yahoo.comRepresentative Ro Khanna on his proposal to limit terms of Supreme Court justices
President Biden is creating a bipartisan commission to study any potential changes to the U.S. Supreme Court. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California joins CBSN's "Red and Blue" anchor Elaine Quijano to discuss some reforms on the table.
cbsnews.comA Texas-size failure, followed by a familiar Texas response: Blame California
It was tough enough for fossil fuel boosters in Texas to endure the spectacular failure of their state’s power grid, and with it all their claims of energy superiority over rival California. Now that the Texas grid failed in a much bigger and more dangerous way, fossil fuel allies are still talking about California, often leading with misleading claims. Advertisement“We will be looking at where these lies originated from to blame renewable energy,” Khanna said in an interview. Many were sparked by a photo of a helicopter deicing what was ostensibly a frozen Texas wind turbine. “The California grid sputtered for a couple of hours over the summer,” said Michael Wara, director of the climate and energy policy program at Stanford Law School.
latimes.comCongressman Ro Khanna on immigration reform, border crisis
Congressman Ro Khanna on immigration reform, border crisis President Biden is facing growing pressure as thousands of unaccompanied migrant children are held at the U.S.-Mexico border. Some progressives are criticizing his administration's handling of the crisis. Congressman Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, spoke with CBSN's Tanya Rivero about immigration reform, progressive priorities, and the situation in the Middle East.
cbsnews.comHouse panel seeks storm documents from Texas grid operator
As temperatures plunged and snow and ice whipped the state, much of Texas' power grid collapsed, followed by its water systems. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)WASHINGTON – The House Oversight Committee is investigating the agency that operates the Texas power grid, seeking information and documents about the lack of preparation for the recent winter storm that caused millions of power outages and dozens of deaths across the state. AdSevere winter storms in Texas “have occurred repeatedly over decades, and ERCOT has been unprepared for them,” Khanna wrote in a letter to ERCOT CEO Bill Magness. Last month's storm followed similar winter storms in 1989 and 2011 that also caused massive outages, Khanna said. “It appears that lessons learned (again) in 2011 were not implemented either, leaving Texas vulnerable to extreme winter weather again in 2021,'' he wrote.
Silicon Valley Democrat's bill would give the IRS more money to audit millionaires, corporations
The legislation, if passed, would infuse the IRS with $70 billion between fiscal 2022 and 2031 to help the agency hire additional staff to audit individuals making more than $1 million in total income. Corporations with more than $20 billion in assets would also be prioritized for audits under the plan. Unpaid taxes, they claim, total more than all the individual income taxes paid by the lowest 90% of earners. Notwithstanding Khanna's bill, Congress has for years neglected to step in to stem the inflation-adjusted decline in IRS funding. In total, IRS funding has declined by more than 20% since 2010, factoring for inflation.
cnbc.com'You've got to have a cop on the beat': Elizabeth Warren slams SEC over GameStop chaos
Sen. Elizabeth Warren lambasted the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday for the regulator's failure to take action after a dayslong blitz of market speculation. "We need an SEC that has clear rules about market manipulation and then has the backbone to get in and enforce those rules," Warren said. "To have a healthy stock market, you've got to have a cop on the beat." But Warren made clear that she isn't a big fan of Robinhood, either. Robinhood announced soon after Warren's interview that it will allow a limited amount of trading in those volatile stocks on Friday.
cnbc.comLawmakers from AOC to Ted Cruz are bashing Robinhood over its GameStop trading freeze
Robinhood announced earlier in the day that it had limited trade in GameStop and other stocks targeted by investors on the irreverent WallStreetBets Reddit forum, citing "recent volatility." "While retail trading in some cases, like on Robinhood, blocked the purchasing of GameStop, hedge funds were still allowed to trade the stock," Khanna said. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a member of the Financial Services Committee, went further, calling Robinhood's move "beyond absurd" and demanding a hearing on "Robinhood's market manipulation." Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the chair of the Financial Services Committee, didn't return a request for comment. Charles Schwab said Thursday that its customers could still trade GameStop but noted that it limited certain kinds of transactions involving more risk.
cnbc.comHouse Dems' campaign chief a moderate who wins in Trump land
The party's House majority will be as meager as 222-213 next year, the tightest partisan gap in two decades. Maloney worked on Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign and joined the White House after Clinton's 1996 reelection. “Those of us in the LGBT community have seen the system work, and it has worked because we worked,” Maloney said. In 2018 he sought the House campaign committee chairmanship but withdrew when he was hospitalized for an infection. Farrell runs a consulting firm that he says was blacklisted by the campaign committee under Bustos after it helped candidates challenging Democratic incumbents.
Biden has room on health care, though limited by Congress
And just like the Trump administration, Biden is expected to aggressively wield the rule-making powers of the executive branch to address health insurance coverage and prescription drug costs. With COVID-19 surging across the country, Biden's top health care priority is whipping the federal government’s response into shape. “We’re going to work quickly with the Congress to dramatically ramp up health care protections, get Americans universal coverage, lower health care costs, as soon as humanly possible,” the president-elect said earlier this week. A factor that may work in Biden's favor is that many Republicans want to change the subject on health care. Coronavirus relief legislation could provide an early vehicle for some broader health care changes.
Progressive lawmakers call on congressional leaders to prepare for next pandemic
More than 100 Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives, largely progressives, are calling on congressional leaders to take steps to prepare the United States for the next pandemic and mitigate racial disparities in U.S. health care. "In addition to passing a robust package to address the current crisis, we must take bold and comprehensive steps now to ensure the nation is better prepared for the next pandemic," the lawmakers wrote. The five-page letter was sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Ensure the White House collaborates with international health groups and boost the government's funding to international organizations such as the World Health Organization. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
cnbc.comMcConnell warns White House against COVID relief deal
Congress is past the point at which it can deliver more coronavirus aid soon, with differences between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump proving insurmountable. McConnell on Tuesday told fellow Republicans that he has warned the White House not to divide Republicans by sealing a lopsided $2 trillion relief deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the election — even as he publicly said he'd slate any such agreement for a vote. said Senate GOP Whip John Thune of South Dakota. Senate Republicans are recoiling at both the size of the measure and Pelosi's demands, even as Trump is beating the drums for an agreement. But the Senate GOP bill has failed once before, and Trump himself says it's too puny.
Progressives irked by spotlight on GOP at Dem convention
In this image from video, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., delivers a nominating speech during the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Democratic National Convention via AP)WASHINGTON For nearly three minutes at this week's Democratic National Convention, Cindy McCain recounted Joe Biden's friendship with her late husband, John McCain, the Arizona senator and former Republican presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most dynamic young stars of the Democratic Party, spoke for just 60 seconds. California Rep. Ro Khanna, head of the California delegation to the convention, said people need to be inspired to vote. Among those who have addressed the convention is Ady Barkin, a progressive activist who after being diagnosed with A.L.S.
Legislation proposes paying Americans $2,000 a month
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Even as millions of Americans wait for stimulus checks, a proposal is being floated to pay them even more. The $2 trillion measure passed last month contained billions in financial aid for people and businesses hurt by the outbreak. Unlike the CARES Act, for instance, the bill would issue payments to college students and people with disabilities even if they are claimed as dependents. The new legislation would also take into account the number of people without bank accounts or physical addresses and issue payments through a range of ways such as direct deposit, checks, pre-paid debit cards and mobile apps. “Many Ohioans are just receiving — or about to receive — the first cash payment we passed in the CARES Act,” Ryan said.