Tag: Lisa Murkowski

The Story: In a U.S. Senate split 50-50 on partisan grounds, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, one of the two Democrats who seem most...

The beginning of a new year is a good time to reflect and appreciate positive changes we’ve seen over the preceding year. One change I’ve been grateful for is the increased work and successes of our Alaska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU has defended free speech, personal privacy, citizens’ rights to equal treatment under the law, and more for over 100 years. I am proud to say they can count me among their supporters. Fueled by their successful challenge to the Trump administration’s Muslim ban, the national ACLU has grown rapidly, from 400,000 members when President Donald Trump was elected to 2 million members today. The Alaska chapter has experienced similar growth, tripling its staff and becoming much more active and visible on Alaska issues during this time. I heard from many Alaska women concerned that no one in power seemed to be seriously considering the allegations against him. More unbelievably, those women found an open ear in Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who subsequently voted against Kavanaugh’s nomination. This time, the Council wanted to enact Proposition 1, a so-called “bathroom bill” to prohibit transgender people from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity. In addition to investing more than $100,000 in campaign cash, the ACLU hired and managed the campaign staff and offered up their own offices and staff as a resource.

(Oct. 10) AP Women are taking over politics. Four panelists delivered a message of empowerment to all women and encouraged them to get involved, especially at a time when Nevada could become the first state with a female majority in its legislature. “Women will come out to vote because it’s so close to the election. Watch the full panel discussion here: Struggle for power The perception of women has changed over the past several decades. She said many people previously questioned why some women became involved in politics. Benitez-Thompson said the culture at the Nevada Legislature has since changed. The first big hurdle is getting women to make up 50 percent of the Legislature, Benitez-Thompson said, adding she believes it’s something that needs to happen. It’s about changing the process," she said. The Kavanaugh hearings The recent Senate hearings on the sexual assault allegations raised against Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh took up a large chunk of the discussion on Wednesday. She questioned whether lawmakers, mostly men, are listening to the “America of today.” “Or are they listening to the America of when they first got elected 10 years ago or 20 years ago?” Berkbigler said.

The US Senate has voted to confirm judge Brett Kavanaugh to the supreme court, handing Donald Trump a major victory and America a bench expected to tilt to the right for the next generation. 'I feel outraged, exhausted and betrayed': Kavanaugh nomination – the feminist response Read more The vote was almost a foregone conclusion after the dominant Republican party secured majority support during a procedural vote on Friday amid crackling tension, furious protests and high drama on Capitol Hill. Kavanaugh has strongly denied all allegations of such misconduct. At the supreme court, where protesters continued to chant on the court steps, Kavanaugh was poised to be sworn in by chief justice John Roberts and the retired judge he is replacing, Anthony Kennedy, later Saturday night. The vice-president, Mike Pence, who was presiding over the Senate vote, repeatedly banged his gavel down and called out: “The sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery”. Moments before the vote, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said “Brett Kavanaugh does not deserve to be on the bench” and said he had “repeatedly misled the Senate”. Kavanaugh was nominated by Trump in July to replace the retiring and traditionally more liberal swing vote justice Anthony Kennedy. Women aren't a monolith – and the white women supporting Kavanaugh prove it Read more “I might have been too emotional at times. And the 53-year-old federal judge squeaked through, also surviving an FBI investigation into the allegations against him, which Republicans called “thorough” and Democrats called “incomplete” and a “cover up”. Trumphimself has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual harassment or assault.

Watch LIVE on October 6th at 12pm EST: Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the highest court in the land comes to a vote on the Senate floor after two historic hearings and weeks of controversy surrounding the Judge. FOX News Channel…

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin joins Sens. Jeff Flake and Susan Collins to advance Brett Kavanaugh's nomination; Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski voted no. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as…

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) supports Sen. Jeff Flake's (R-AZ) call for a delay in the U.S. Senate floor vote on the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to allow an FBI investigation into the allegations of Dr. Christine Blasey…

People from across the US have mailed about 3,000 coat hangers to the office of Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Republican whose vote could determine the fate of Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s second supreme court nominee. Pence acknowledges tie-breaker may be needed to confirm Kavanaugh Read more Activists fear Kavanaugh’s appointment will tip the court to the right and place in jeopardy Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that guarantees abortion rights. Both Collins and Murkowski will probably have to vote “no” for Kavanaugh to be blocked. A spokeswoman for Collins said, on Saturday, a recently released email from Kavanaugh, in which he disputed that all legal scholars see Roe as settled, did not contradict what he told the senator because he was not expressing his personal views. Many are unconvinced. Boyle added: “He has used the … dodge of saying it is settled law. Murkowski, who also supports abortion rights, will not announce her vote before Kavanaugh’s nomination goes to the Senate floor. The Guardian view on the US supreme court: the wrongs required to move right | Editorial Read more While she has never voted against a supreme court nominee, Collins has promised to reject a candidate who is hostile to Roe v Wade. “We need to make sure that we preserve that right in the future,” she said. That’s just extraordinary.” Last month, Collins voted to preserve funding for Planned Parenthood – a day after the organization rallied in Washington to encourage her to vote against Kavanaugh.

The Story: Senator McCain leaves a complicated, imperfect, but memorable legacy as a 'maverick' legislator on the Republican side. One of the subtexts of the...

Image WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would provide up to $12 billion in emergency relief for farmers hurt by the president’s trade war, moving to blunt the financial damage to American agriculture and the political fallout for Republicans as the consequences of President Trump’s protectionist policies roll through the economy. But the relief money, announced by the Department of Agriculture, was also an indication that Mr. Trump — ignoring the concerns of farmers, their representatives in Congress and even some of his own aides — plans to extend his tit-for-tat tariff wars. “It’s hard to believe there isn’t an outright revolt right now in Congress.” Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, asked how the president could single out farmers for help when the manufacturing and energy industries also stand to lose in the trade war. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to put a band-aid on a self-inflicted wound,” Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, wrote on Twitter. “This bailout compounds bad policy with more bad policy.” Farmers have borne the brunt of Mr. Trump’s decision to impose tariffs, which is already costing American producers billions of dollars and threatens to inflict political pain on Republicans in farm states in the midterm elections in November. July 11, 2018 But lawmakers in both parties and many agricultural trade groups criticized the assistance program as a taxpayer-funded bailout for farmers imperiled by the president’s own policies, and even Mr. Trump’s Republican allies made clear that they did not regard it as a genuine solution to the problems his tariffs had created. It will also include government purchases of surplus products — including fruit, nuts, rice, legumes, beef, pork and dairy — that would be sent to food banks or other nutrition programs. Some of the funding would go to a program in which the Agriculture Department works with private companies to develop new export markets for American farm products. “The best relief for the president’s trade war would be ending the trade war,” said Brian Kuehl, the executive director of the trade group Farmers for Free Trade, adding, “This proposed action would only be a short-term attempt at masking the long-term damage caused by tariffs.” Administration officials argued on Tuesday that the assistance for farmers would help them absorb the pain while persuading other countries that they must offer concessions to forge trade agreements with the United States. “Tariffs are taxes that punish American consumers and producers,” Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, said on Twitter.