The United Auto Workers strike against the ‘Big Three’ Detroit carmakers entered its second day on Saturday, and some union members are questioning whether President Joe Biden has done enough to back their cause.

The strike involves 13,000 workers so far, less than a tenth of the union’s total membership, but UAW’s strike fund has enough cash to support a full 150,000-member walkout for up to three months. 

The union representing workers at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis is seeking a 40 percent raise for its workers. The walkout is limited for now to three assembly plants: a GM factory in Wentzville, Missouri, a Ford plant near Detroit, and a Jeep plant run by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio. 

In Kokomo, Indiana, the hometown of UAW boss Shawn Fain, Local 685 President Garry Quirk told Politico that Biden, the self-described ‘most pro-union president in American history,’ had not done enough to prevent a strike.

‘I don’t know what he’s done,’ Quirk said. ‘Ask him. I don’t think he knows what he’s done. Seriously. I’m not trying to be mean.’

Quirk, 60, told the outlet he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and then Donald Trump in 2020.

Fellow local member Denny Butler, 52, also expressed frustration at the White House’s perceived lack of action.

‘We haven’t had a president in there for years, with the exception of Trump, that was really for the people, all the way back to the Reagan days,’ he told Politico.

He noted that unions were once tightly aligned with the Democratic Party, but said that was no longer the case.

‘Democrats were for the working people. That s**t has changed. I’m telling you what, the Democratic Party was not what it was 20, 30 years ago.’ 

On Thursday, Biden spoke with Fain and the three auto company CEOs in a futile last-ditch bid to avoid a strike. 

The chair of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers cited Biden’s record of backing unions and collective bargaining, saying the president had been ‘very much engaged’ in the negotiations. 

The union appeared to be digging in for a potential protracted strike, even as Ford quickly announced that ripple effects from the walkouts meant temporary layoffs of 600 jobs.

UAW President Fain said late Friday that it wasn’t true ‘negotiations have broken down.’

However, he added that ‘our members and allies are standing strong at the picket lines. Anyone who wants to stand with us can grab a sign and hold the line.’

‘Tomorrow, we expect to be at the bargaining table,’ he said. ‘All three companies have received a comprehensive counteroffer from our union, and we await their response.’

For Biden, the strike represents a collision of two of the president’s top goals – fighting climate change and expanding the middle class by supporting unions. 

Biden is trying to turbocharge the market for electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent China from solidifying its grip on the growing industry. 

His signature legislation, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes billions of dollars in incentives to get more clean cars on the roads.

However, many autoworkers fear the transition away from gas-powered cars will cost jobs, because electric vehicles require fewer people to assemble. 

Although there will be new jobs in the production of high-capacity batteries, there’s no guarantee that those factories will be unionized, and they’re often being planned in states more hostile to organized labor.

‘The president is in a really tough position,’ said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. ‘What he needs to be the most pro-labor president ever and the greenest president ever is a magic wand.’

The union is demanding steep raises and better benefits, and it’s escalating the pressure with its targeted strike. 

Brittany Eason, who has worked for 11 years at the Ford Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, said workers are worried that they’ll ‘be pushed out by computers and electric vehicles.’

‘How do you expect people to work with ease if they’re in fear of losing their jobs?’ said Eason, who planned to walk the picket line this weekend. 

Electric vehicles may be inevitable, she said, but changes need to be made ‘so everybody can feel secure about their jobs, their homes and everything else.’

Biden on Friday acknowledged the tension in remarks from the White House , saying the transition to clean energy ‘should be fair and a win-win for auto workers and auto companies.’

He dispatched top aides to Detroit to help push negotiations along, and he prodded management to make more generous offers to the union, saying ‘they should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts.’

As part of its demands, the UAW wants to represent employees at battery plants, which would send ripple effects through an industry that has seen supply chains upended by technological changes.

‘Batteries are the power trains of the future,’ said Dave Green, a regional director for the union in Ohio and Indiana. ‘Our workers in engine and transmission areas need to be able to move into the new generation.’

Executives, however, are keen to keep a lid on labor costs as their companies prepare to compete in a global market. China is the dominant manufacturer of electric vehicles and batteries.

‘The UAW strike and indeed the `summer of strikes´ is the natural result of the Biden administration´s `whole of government´ approach to promoting unionization at all costs,’ said Suzanne Clark, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Some environmental groups, conscious of how labor remains crucial to securing support for climate programs, have expressed support for the strike.

‘We’re at a really pivotal moment in the history of the auto industry,’ said Sam Gilchrist, deputy national outreach director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Presidential politics have increased the stakes for the strike, which could damage the economy going into an election year, depending on how long it lasts and whether it spreads. It’s also centered in Michigan, a key part of Biden’s 2020 victory and critical to his chances at a second term.

Former President Donald Trump , the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, sees an opportunity to drive a wedge between Biden and workers. 

He issued a statement saying Biden ‘will murder the US auto industry and kill countless union autoworker jobs forever, especially in Michigan and the Midwest. There is no such thing as a ‘fair transition’ to the destruction of these workers’ livelihoods and the obliteration of this cherished American industry.’

In an interview with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Trump said that ‘electric cars are going to be made in China,’ not the United States, and he said ‘the auto workers are being sold down the river by their leadership.’

Trump’s comments have not earned him any support from UAW president Fain.

‘That’s not someone that represents working-class people,’ he told MSNBC earlier this month. ‘He’s part of the billionaire class. We need to not forget that. And that´s what our members need to think about when they go to vote.’

Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, said Trump ‘will say literally anything to distract from his long record of breaking promises and failing America’s workers.’ 

He noted that Trump would have let auto companies go bankrupt during the financial crisis rather than bail them out as President Barack Obama did at the time.

But there are also disagreements between Biden and workers.

When the Energy Department announced a $9.2 billion loan for battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky, part of a joint venture by Ford and a South Korean company, Fain said the federal government was ‘actively funding the race to the bottom with billions in public money.’

Madeline Janis, co-executive director of Jobs to Move America, which works on environmental and worker issues, said the White House needs to do more to alleviate labor challenges.

‘We don’t have enough career pathways for people to see themselves in this future and let go of the jobs in industries that are causing our world to be in crisis,’ she said.

Former Proud Boys boss Enrique Tarrio has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after begging a judge for mercy for commanding the Capitol siege – the longest sentence handed down over January 6.

Tarrio, 39, was the final leader of the neo-fascist group convicted of seditious conspiracy to be sentenced and faced 33 years in prison. Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that Tarrio was ‘the ultimate leader of that conspiracy,’ but still did not abide by the government’s sentence request.

During his hearing, Tarrio dropped a bombshell and admitted that Trump lost the 2020 election. ‘On November 3, 2020, something that I never expected happened – my candidate lost. I felt like something was personally stolen from me.’

The Florida-native turned to blame the right-wing media saying: ‘Every media channel that I turned to told me I was justified.’ He said that he was ‘not a political zealot’ and changing the outcome of the election was not his goal on January 6.  

The far-right propagandist wasn’t in Washington on January 6 – he was arrested two days earlier in a separate case – but he was convicted of helping put in motion and encourage the violence interrupted Congress‘ certification of Biden’s electoral victory after Donald Trump‘s electoral loss. 

Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and escorted by U.S. Marshals, the Cuban-American from Florida took the stand to ask judge Timothy Kelly for mercy, apologizing to the officers who responded during the riot and the citizens of D.C., saying he ‘blamed himself.’ 

‘Today I stand before you a different man… I wish to reorient my life’s purpose… I want to rejoin my local church and be an active part of helping others,’ Tarrio told the court. ‘I hope your honor can hear the sincerity… please show me mercy… ‘Do not take my 40s from me… God bless this entire court.’

He claimed that he had really believed the presidential election was stolen and let media coverage influence his desire to ‘protect’ right wingers from Antifa protesters.

‘I have failed as a son, as a fiancée, as a brother, as a nephew… I have been selfish,’ Tarrio said. 

Judge Kelly said of January 6: ‘That day broke our previously unbroken tradition of the peaceful transfer of power, which is truly among the most precious things that we had as Americans… that previously unbroken string is now broken. And it’s going to take time and effort to fix it.’

The judge seemed to be particularly disturbed by Tarrio’s infamously comparison of the January 6 rioters to the nation’s founding fathers.

He added: ‘[Tarrio’s] apologized here today, but I must say, comparing what Dominic Pezzola did to George Washington – the man who helped encourage the notion of a peaceful, orderly transfer of power – by relinquishing power to let someone else be chosen… it slanders the father of our country.’ 

Three fellow Proud Boys found guilty by a Washington D.C. jury of the rarely used sedition charge were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 18 years – less than prosecutors wanted.

Tarrio’s defense team argued during the sentencing hearing that the convicted sedition conspiracist is a ‘misguided patriot’ instead of a terrorist, and was just being a ‘Keyboard Ninja,’ saying things ‘he shouldn’t have,’ as reported by independent journalist Gonzo News.

Judge Kelly reminded Tarrio’s lawyers team that a jury did not buy that defense strategy when it decided to convict him, and ruled that Tarrio was at the top of the Proud Boy’s command structure during the riot.

Ultimately the judge ruled Tarrio’s crimes intended to coerce the conduct of government when his lieutenants brought down a barrier between police and rioters and thus qualified him for terrorism enhancement for his sentencing.

However, the judge again noted the Proud Boys’ crimes did not have the terror ‘intent’ of someone who blows up a building.

Tarrio’s aunt and godmother sent in letters pleading for leniency which were read by defense attorney Nayib Hassan.

‘Henry [Tarrio’s birth name] is not a monster like he’s made out to be,’ the letter read.

Tarrio’s mother, fiancée, and his younger sister also spoke of Tarrio’s character as they asked for leniency, saying his incarceration has greatly affected his family.

The younger sister teared up as she spoke, saying: ‘he is the glue that keeps us together… the idea of him not being around for all the milestones is hard to bear.’

The Justice Department has asked for Tarrio to spend more than three decades in prison, describing him as the ringleader of a plot to use violence to shatter the cornerstone of American democracy and overturn the election victory by Joe Biden, a Democrat, over Trump, the Republican incumbent.

Tarrio discussed ‘revolutions’ and ‘storming’ the Capitol complex prior to January 6, but was arrested upon entry into the capital on January 5, 2021 for a prior offense of burning the Black Lives Matter flag and on several weapons charges. 

The Miami native was supposed to be sentenced last week in Washington’s federal court, but his hearing was delayed because Judge Kelly got sick. 

Kelly, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, sentenced Tarrio’s co-defendants to lengthy prison terms – though far shorter than prosecutors were seeking.

Self-described Proud Boys organizer Joe Biggs sobbed as he was sentenced to 17 years on Thursday for his role in the riot after pleading for leniency to take care of his daughter and ailing mother.

Judge Kelly wasn’t having it, as he said Americans are the envy of the world and U.S. elections must be respected, telling Biggs: ‘You did play a role in riling up the crowd.

‘If you don’t like how an election is being conducted… you can speak out, call, write or meet with election officials. You can engage in peaceful protest. File a lawsuit.’

The judge ruled that Biggs qualified for a terrorism sentencing enhancement because he teared down a fence that stood between police and rioters.

Prosecutors on Tuesday asked Kelly to hand out a harsher punishment for Tarrio than his co-defendants, arguing he was the leader of the operation, and as a someone with a criminal record was a less sympathetic figure than Biggs, who’s a veteran.

‘We need to make sure the consequences are clear to anybody who might be unhappy with any future election as long as this case is remembered…this was a calculated act of terrorism,’ prosecutors said during the sentencing.

Ethan Nordean, who prosecutors said was the Proud Boys’ leader on the ground on January 6, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, tying the record for the longest sentence in the attack. 

Prosecutors had asked for 27 years for Nordean, who was a Seattle-area Proud Boys chapter president.

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was found guilty of seditious conspiracy in a separate case, was sentenced in May to 18 years in prison. Prosecutors, who had sought 25 years for Rhodes, are appealing his sentence and the punishments of other members of his antigovernment militia group.

‘Tarrio has repeatedly and publicly indicated that he has no regrets about what he helped make happen on January 6,’ prosecutors wrote in court documents. 

Lawyers for the Proud Boys deny that there was any plot to attack the Capitol or stop the transfer of presidential power.

‘There is zero evidence to suggest Tarrio directed any participants to storm the U.S. Capitol building prior to or during the event,’ his attorneys wrote in court papers.

‘Participating in a plan for the Proud Boys to protest on January 6 is not the same as directing others on the ground to storm the Capitol by any means necessary.’

Police arrested Tarrio in Washington on Jan. 4, 2021, on charges that he defaced a Black Lives Matter banner during an earlier rally in the nation´s capital, but law enforcement officials later said he was arrested in part over concerns about the potential for unrest during the certification. He complied with a judge´s order to leave the city after his arrest.

On Jan. 6, dozens of Proud Boys leaders, members and associates were among the first rioters to breach the Capitol. The mob´s assault overwhelmed police, forced lawmakers to flee the House and Senate floors and disrupted the joint session of Congress for certifying Biden´s victory.

The backbone of the government´s case was hundreds of messages exchanged by Proud Boys in the days leading up to Janury 6. 

As Proud Boys swarmed the Capitol, Tarrio cheered them on from afar, writing on social media: ‘Do what must be done.’ In a Proud Boys encrypted group chat later that day someone asked what they should do next. 

Tarrio responded: ‘Do it again.’

‘Make no mistake,’ Tarrio wrote in another message. ‘We did this.’

Tarrio led the neo-fascist group – known for street fights with left-wing activists – when Trump infamously told the Proud Boys to ‘stand back and stand by’ during his first debate with Joe Biden. 

During the month long trial, prosecutors argued that the Proud Boys viewed themselves as foot soldiers fighting for Trump as the Republican spread lies that Democrats stole the election from him.

Attorneys argued that members of the group were prepared to go to war to keep their preferred leader in power.

Defense lawyers denied there was any plot to attack the Capitol or stop Congress’ certification of Biden’s win.

The investigation has become the largest for the Justice Department in American history, and it hadn’t tried a seditious conspiracy case in over a decade.

The riots followed months of false claims by Trump and his allies that the election had been rigged against him.

A select House committee investigated the riots and in its final report accused Trump of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The committee estimated that from the election to Jan. 6, the president and aides made hundreds of efforts to pressure officials to overturn the results.

Targets included states he lost but that had GOP-led legislatures such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona.

Trump has since been indicted for this role in the riots, with a grand jury indictment accusing him of spreading ‘lies’ and ‘sham’ investigations while stoking an ‘angry’ mob on January 6.

Special Counsel Jack Smith said in a televised public statement following the release of the indictment that the attack on the Capitol was ‘fueled by lies’ made by Trump ‘targeted at obstructing the bedrock function of the U.S. government – the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.’ He pledged that his office will conduct a ‘speedy’ trial.

Trump is facing four counts including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and obstruct the electoral count for trying to overturn the 2020 election. The 45-page indictment says he was ‘determined to remain in power’ despite ‘having lost.’

He and his six co-conspirators ‘used knowingly false claims of election fraud’ to try to ‘subvert the legitimate election results and change electoral votes’ to take down Joe Biden, according to the indictment.

He has plead not guilty.

Some Republicans are saying Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell should not be holding his leadership position following rising ‘doubts’ about his health status after he experienced a second ‘freeze-up’ incident last week.

McConnell’s health has been under increasing scrutiny following his second public freeze-up in recent weeks during a press conference in Kentucky where he didn’t respond for 30 seconds after being asked if he would run for reelection in 2026. 

The episode mirrored the senator’s first freezing event that occurred at a July press conference in the Capitol. It also comes just months after McConnell suffered a concussion and broken rib when he tripped and hit his head at the D.C. Waldorf Astoria and was admitted to hospital for treatment. 

Now, some Republicans are publicly questioning McConnell’s health status and ability to lead as the Senate returns to the Capitol after a 40-day recess hiatus.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said Wednesday he ‘absolutely’ doesn’t believe McConnell is the right lawmaker to lead the Republican Party as they try to take back control of the Senate in 2024.

He told reporters: ‘Is he able to do the job? I mean, he’s going to have to answer that question. Do I think he should be a leader? No.’

Hawley was one of a handful of Republicans who did not vote for McConnell to become minority leader at the end of 2022. The other defectors included Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Mike Braun, Ron Johnson, Rand Paul and Rick Scott.

‘I don’t think you can have it both ways,’ he continued addressing his other GOP colleagues’ commitment to standing behind McConnell after his health scare, while questioning 80-year-old President Biden’s health and mental acuity. 

The GOP leadership has put the full weight of their support behind McConnell. 

Sen. John Thune, R-N.D., who is the No. 2 Senate Republican, said Tuesday that he fully backs McConnell continuing to serve as leader. 

On Tuesday, the Capitol physician shut down speculation that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, suffered a stroke or seizure. 

Capitol Physician Dr. Brian Monahan said there is ‘no evidence’ that McConnell suffered a stoke or seizure or has a ‘movement disorder’ such as Parkinson’s disease, according to a letter publicized by the minority leader’s office on Tuesday ahead of his return.

The physician said he consulted with neurologists and examined McConnell’s MRIs and an EEG study in making his determination. As a result, he writes that there are ‘no changes in recommended treatment protocols’ since the senator’s fall and concussion in March.

The minority leader’s office said last week that he was just feeling ‘lightheaded’ and assured he would consult a doctor as a precautionary measure.

Dr. Monahan cleared McConnell to continue working, saying the episode could be attributed to dehydration and that it’s normal to experience lightheadedness during concussion recovery. 

The other Kentucky senator, Rand Paul, pushed back on his assessment, saying dehydration is not a ‘valid’ diagnosis.

‘Everybody’s seen the clips, it’s not a valid medical diagnosis for people to say that’s dehydration,’ Paul, who worked in medicine for 25 years as an eye doctor, said Tuesday.

‘Somebody ought to wake up and say wow, this looks like seizure.’ 

However, not all are concerned. 

‘He’s a fine leader. If he has a hangnail, I don’t need to know about it,’ said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.

‘The reality is that we may expect that Mitch McConnell will check out for 20 seconds a day, but the other 86,380 seconds on the day he does a pretty darn good job.’ 

Senators will reconvened on Tuesday for the first time since the end of July. 

McConnell made remarks on the Senate floor, but did not directly address his health challenges, only making a passing reference. 

He will have to face tougher questioning by the Capitol Hill press corps later Wednesday at the weekly GOP press conference.

The Senate has a busy few weeks ahead as government funding is set to run out by Oct. 1. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has stated his plan to move forward a series of spending bills over the next several weeks.

But the House of Representatives is not set to return to D.C. until next Tuesday, not leaving much time to get a deal done and starve off a government shutdown.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy has floated the idea of a one-month short-term funding bill, but he is receiving push back from farther right members of his conference.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is also continuing his blockade on military appointments – which sparked a rare public rebuke from the secretaries of the Army, Air Force and Navy in an op-ed this week calling it a ‘dangerous hold.’ 

The House minority leader made a series of calls to his Senate allies following the latest troubling episode, DailyMail.com confirmed last week. 

It was an apparent effort to assure them of his stable health and drum up support as worries intensify. 

South Dakota Sen. John Thune’s spokesperson Ryan Wrasse confirmed to DailyMail.com that the Minority Whip spoke with McConnell and the leader ‘sounded like his usual self and was in good spirits.’

A spokesperson for Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., did not confirm that a call took place between the senators, but said they were aware of reports that the two spoke.

McConnell told Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, that he is doing well when the two spoke after the incident on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the senator confirmed to DailyMail.com.

The GOP senators, known as the ‘Three Johns,’ are also next in line to replace the minority leader in the event that he steps down or is unfit to serve.

The very swift all-clear comes as reports emerge that a handful of Republican senators are discussing holding a meeting amid McConnell’s declining health. 

It does not appear that party leadership is involved in these alleged talks.

At least a dozen GOP offices said when reached by DailyMail.com last week that they are not aware of any meetings on the topic.

The latest episode has led to renewed calls for term limits in the House and Senate – even from those within the walls of Congress.

GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley called the Senate the ‘most privileged nursing home in the country’ after McConnell’s recent episode.

‘What I will say is, right now, the Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country,’ she said last week. ‘I mean, Mitch McConnell has done some great things and he deserves credit. But you have to know when to leave.’ 

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., said the limits would help restore ‘human decency’ for elderly politicians like McConnell and Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, who is also suffering public health scares.

‘For goodness sake, the family, friends, and staff of Senators Feinstein and McConnell are doing them and our country a tremendous disservice,’ Phillips wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

‘It’s time for term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court, and some basic human decency.’

His criticism of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein comes after the 90-year-old was hospitalized earlier this month following a trip and fall at her home in San Francisco.

She was released after tests showed she was fine, but the latest health incident raised more questions about her ability to carry out her duties as a senator. 

Her many absences since the start of the year have hampered the majority Democrats’ ability to move nominations through the Judiciary Committee.

Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise diagnosed with blood cancer and is in treatment: ‘I intend to return to Washington’ after months-long battle, he says

• ‘I have now begun treatment, which will continue for the next several months. I expect to work through this period and intend to return to Washington,’ he said 
• The diagnosis comes after the congressman was shot by a crazed gunman while practicing for the congressional baseball game in 2017 

By Morgan Phillips, U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com

Updated: 14:04 EDT, 29 August 2023

The former chair of the Democratic National Committee said Sunday that Kevin McCarthy‘s response to reports he called for Donald Trump to resign following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot proves he is ‘afraid’ of the ex-president.

‘I think he’s terrified of Trump,’ Donna Brazile said on ABC’s This Week panel when speaking about the House Republican leader.

‘I think he’s terrified of telling the truth in terms of what he did in those five to seven days following the mob attack that everyone knows that former President Trump inspired when he assembled that group at the ellipse.’

‘Kevin McCarthy is afraid of Trump,’ she added.

‘He needs Trump in order to become Speaker of the House. And he’s afraid of turning off his base.’

Republicans are anticipating a take back of the majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, meaning McCarthy would be on a sure track for speaker as the current GOP leader.

Many candidates, however, are relying on riding Trump’s coattails to Washington, D.C.

Leaked audio revealed this week that McCarthy wanted Trump to resign after the Capitol attack last year.

The leader’s office did not reply to a DailyMail.com request for comment on the revelations in the tape. Prior to its release, however, his spokesperson said that McCarthy had never tried to push Trump out after the riot.

‘Let me be very clear to all of you, and I’ve been very clear to the president – he bears responsibility for his word and actions, no ifs, ands or buts,’ McCarthy said on the bombshell audio recording.

The audio from a private meeting with Republicans revealed that he also claimed that Trump admitted to him in a phone call following the January 6 attack that he did ‘have some responsibility for what happened.’

At the time, McCarthy said that they needed to acknowledge that fact.

Many Republicans are hesitant to speak on the leader’s comments, especially as reports claim the former president is not mad. Others have been more open about their distaste for his remarks.

But McCarthy has come under fire from both sides of the aisle since a recently-revealed private phone call showed the true depth of his fury at the ex-president – which was followed up by him flying to Florida for an audience with Trump in a show of support just days later.

Progressive Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren branded McCarthy a ‘traitor’.

‘Kevin McCarthy is a liar and a traitor. This is outrageous,’ Warren said during an interview with CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

‘And that is really the illness that pervades the Republican leadership right now. Because they say one thing to the American public, and they say something else in private.’

She accused McCarthy of focusing more on Trump’s baseless claims the 2020 election was rigged rather than moving the country ‘forward.’

‘They understand it is wrong what happened — an attempt to overthrow our government,’ Warren said.

‘And that the Republicans instead want to continue to figure out how to make 2020 election different instead of spending their energy on how it is we go forward…in order to make this country work better.’

She added, ‘Shame on Kevin McCarthy.’

It comes after the California Republican told other GOP leaders that he would ask Trump to resign and accused the ex-president of ‘inciting people’ to go to the Capitol that day.

Other Democrats were quick to pile on McCarthy as well, with Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell of California calling him a ‘liar’ on Twitter late last week.  

Schiff said on April 22, ‘Authoritarians don’t come to power alone. They come to power on the backs of men like Kevin McCarthy.’

GOP Senator Roy Blunt also weighed in on Sunday, telling NBC News he was ‘surprised’ McCarthy even mentioned resignation to Trump.

‘He’s been close to Trump. Frankly, when I first heard this, I thought, anybody who’d been as close to President Trump as Kevin McCarthy was would know that the last thing Donald Trump was gonna do is either resign or quit,’ Blunt said. 

‘There was no way that was gonna happen. I was frankly so surprised that Kevin would even suggest that it might be a realistic suggestion to make to President Trump.’

Most Republicans, meanwhile, have for held back their reactions until they hear from Trump — who reportedly is not mad at the GOP leader.  

McCarthy phoned the former president following the release of stunning tapes that captured internal GOP leadership discussions after the Capitol riot, according to the Washington Post. 

It might be expected that Trump would be fuming at the fellow Republican, whom he once called ‘My Kevin,’ after hearing McCarthy’s tough talk with fellow House members.  

That includes McCarthy telling fellow lawmakers ‘What he did is unacceptable. Nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it,’ in a January 10, 2021 call. 

But a source confirmed to DailyMail.com that Trump isn’t sore at McCarthy. 

In fact, Trump was ‘glad the Republican leader didn’t follow through, which Trump saw as a sign of his continued grip on the Republican Party,’ according to the Post, which cited three anonymous sources. 

McCarthy has longtime hopes of being elected speaker – a task that would become herculean with outright opposition from Trump, whose grip on the party is so strong that his own name has even been floated for the post (the speaker does not have to be a sitting House member under House rules). 

The two men spoke before CNN aired still more recorded audio of McCarthy, including the House leader saying Trump bore ‘some responsibility’ for Jan. 6. 

‘I know this is not fun. I know this is not great. I know this is very tough, but what I want to do, especially through here is, I don’t want to rush things. Want everybody to have all the information needed. I’ve had it with this guy. What he did is unacceptable. Nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it,’ McCarthy said on a phone call with a small group of House Republicans on January 10th, 2021. 

McCarthy was also recorded on a January 11, 2021 call with the larger GOP Conference, where he again gave Trump public blame. 

‘Let me be very clear to all of you, and I am very clear to the president. He bears responsibilities for his words and actions, no IFS, ands, or buts. I asked him personally today, does he hold responsibility for what happened? Does he feel bad about what happened? He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened. And he needed to acknowledge that,’ he said. 

The recordings were revealed by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, who are promoting their new book, This Will Not Pass.

Trump has not publicly responded to the leaks.

And in the many months after Jan. 6th, he has not made any kind of public statement of responsibility for what transpired.

Instead, Trump has railed against an election he calls ‘rigged,’ attacked the House select committee probing Jan. 6th as the ‘unselect’ panel, and sought to engineer primaries against the small group of Republicans who voted to impeach him. 

The McCarthy tapes have not gone over well with former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, who cast it as disloyal on his podcast.

‘Right there you’re hearing all the money, all the leadership in the Republican Party, how they plot, in probably Trump’s weakest moment, when the whole world turned against him,’ Bannon said. 

 

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy’s office rejects claim GOP asked Texas Democrat to SWITCH parties to help increase the House majority – with control still in the balance

• House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is currently trying to gin up support for his House Speakership bid if Republicans retake the chamber
• It comes amid a rebellion from some members in his caucus over the lack of a promised ‘red wave’ in the midterm elections last week 
• Control of the House is still up in the air as of Monday evening, with Republicans holding 212 seats in the new Congress and Democrats so far with 204
• The Wall Street Journal reported that McCarthy’s circle has been courting Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar with committee assignment promises
• Cuellar has reportedly rejected all offers he’s received
• The Texas legislator’s spokesman declined to go into his private conversations but specified that Cuellar is a ‘lifelong Democrat’ 
• McCarthy’s spokesman has dismissed the reports as ‘fan fiction’
• ‘This is McCarthy trying to flip a lifelong Democrat because of the Republicans’ poor midterm results,’ a person familiar told DailyMail.com

By Elizabeth Elkind, Politics Reporter For Dailymail.Com

Published: 17:58 EDT, 14 November 2022 | Updated: 19:45 EDT, 14 November 2022

Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday overcame a challenge from the conservative right to his leadership and secured the top spot among House Republicans.

He only needed a majority of votes to secure his victory. He won 188 to 31. 

The win was the first step on the road for him to become next speaker of the House should Republicans win a majority. He must still win a vote on the House floor when the new Congress reconvenes on January 3. 

And Tuesday’s vote left him 30 votes shy come that election, where he needs 218 votes to become speaker. 

Republicans were one seat away from winning the House on Tuesday afternoon with 12 races still tabulating ballots. The GOP is expected to prevail.

Outgoing Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who sat in the back of the room during the vote, described the atmosphere as ‘very unified,’ though 31 objections to McCarthy’s leadership was more than expected. 

Rep. Andy Biggs challenged McCarthy in a show of force from the conservative wing of the party, which wants a strong voice on committees and political decisions in the coming two years of GOP power.

He acknowledged ahead of the contest that will be tough to beat the California Republican. 

‘It’s going to be tough,’ Biggs, a Republican from Arizona, told Newsmax. ‘Kevin has raised a lot of money and done a lot of things, but this is not just about Kevin. I think it’s about institutional direction and trajectory, and that’s where we’re going to see if we have enough people who agree that we need to change the trajectory of this place and open it up.’

In other leadership races, Steve Scalise was elected to the GOP’s Number Two spot in leadership. In the race to replace Scalise, R-La., as whip, Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the current National Republican Congressional Campaign (NRCC) chair, beat out Republican Study Committee chair Rep. Jim Banks and Rep. Drew Ferguson.

Tasked with helping Republicans across the board win to get to a majority, Emmer was able to overcome his party’s lackluster showing in the midterm elections to cinch the role.  

McCarthy is now tasked with wrangling dozens of votes back in his favor before the speaker’s race at the start of the new Congress in January.  All Democrats are expected to vote against him for speaker, meaning he can only afford to lose one less than however many the Republicans end up holding the majority by. 

’31 votes against. Big opposition. Kevin McCarthy does not have the votes to be Speaker of the House,’ Rep. Matt Gaetz taunted on Twitter. 

Earlier he said there were at least five members of the GOP caucus who would ‘rather be waterboarded by Liz Cheney’ than vote Kevin McCarthy for speaker. 

In the race for House GOP Conference chair, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was able to fend off a challenge from Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., 144-74 and hold on to her seat. 

Republicans were shaken when a red wave failed to appear in last week’s election, a move that endangered the leadership of McCarthy and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.

Democrats retained their control of the Senate. Republicans, however, are one seat away from winning the 218 seats necessary for the majority in the House.

McCarthy worked to shore up his support among House Republicans ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s meeting, particularly among the right flank, which is where Biggs had his strength.

If he prevails as speaker, he will need conservatives in his pocket in order to move any legislation through the House. Republicans are expected to have a narrow majority when they are in power and McCarthy will need every GOP vote. 

Any faction of dissent would have substantial influence to block legislation or otherwise defy the Republican leadership. The right wing appears to be ready to exert their influence – much as liberals did to Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she had a narrow majority.

Conservative Freedom Caucus lawmakers are demanding concessions from McCarthy in return for their support. 

They have have a long list of asks – from prime positions on House committees to guarantees they can have a role in shaping legislation. 

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia threw her support behind McCarthy, who has promised her spots on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees – two powerful panels if Republicans carry through on their threat to investigate President Joe Biden and his administration. 

On Monday, McCarthy met with House GOP lawmakers for two hours in the Capitol to make his pitch. 

‘The one thing you got to think about is it´s going to be a tight majority so everyone is going to have to work together,’ he said afterward.  

‘We’ll be successful as a team and we´ll be defeated as an individual if we don’t all work together,’ he said. 

Some in the House GOP Conference have made it clear McCarthy does not have their support. 

‘There are definitely at least five people, actually a lot more than that, who would rather be waterboarded by Liz Cheney than vote for Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House. And I am one of them,’ Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said on Charlie Kirk show.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise says he’s ‘lucky to be alive’ after miraculously surviving a targeted shooting six years ago at the GOP‘s baseball practice and is grateful to the ‘heroes’ and ‘good fortune’ that saved his life.

‘God was on a ball field that day,’ Scalise told DailyMail.com during an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the GOP’s baseball practice Tuesday morning.

On June 14, 2017, James Hodgkinson started shooting at Republican lawmakers at an early morning practice in Alexandria, Virginia. They were holding their daily team training to take on the Democrats at the annual Congressional Baseball Game.

Scalise was critically shot in the hip by the attacker and entered into a coma. He had multiple surgeries and had to completely re-learn how to walk. 

‘There are a lot of miracles that happened,’ Scalise reflected, saying the shooter was trying to kill every Republican on the field and had the ‘element of surprise’ advantage.

Nobody expected that at the end of the day, all the lawmakers would be alive except the shooter who was killed by law enforcement, he continued.  

‘A lot of miracles happened that day, and a lot of heroes that were on the field,’ Scalise said including Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner and Rep. Brad Wenstrup.

He credited Wenstrup, R-Ohio, for using his skills as a combat surgeon to save his life. 

‘He kept me I kept me alive to make it to the hospital. So just a lot of a lot of good fortune that we have.’

Scalise said the Capitol Police officers who stepped in to save his life are still ‘on my team.’

‘They’re good as gold,’ he said, pointing out that Crystal still works for Capitol Police and they all stay in touch based on their very real and special bond.

He told DailyMail.com that he is still on the road to a full recovery six years later after having nine surgeries and learning how to walk again. 

‘I still do physical therapy once a week and you know, working on strength and balance.’

‘I have a couple procedures left to to keep getting better, but I’m lucky to be alive,’ the majority leader stated.

As for whether he uses skills he learned during his eight years serving as the GOP whip into his No. 2 Republican leadership position, Scalise said it has helped him keep a strong pulse on ‘where the membership is’ when he is scheduling floor votes. 

‘You want to bring bills to the floor that promote the conservative agenda that we believe in, but you also want to make sure the bills can pass so you want a good pulse for where the membership is,’ he told DailyMail.com.

He works closely with committee chairs and touted the recent passage of H.R. 2 – a comprehensive border security bill – as a major success to get the country ‘back on track.’ 

‘It’s a fun job to work on the policy, understanding where the membership is,’ continued Scalise – despite some recent internal GOP drama.

A group of 11 Republican rebels have held up the House leadership’s priorities hostage since last Wednesday as retribution for the debt ceiling deal.

Scalise said he’s ‘always having conversations’ with members, including the rebels, and talks continued over last weekend. 

He said some lawmakers are frustrated ‘in general’ about what’s going on, but he’s focused on getting the conference back on track so members can ‘move our agenda’ forward.

The annual Congressional Baseball Game will be held on Wednesday, June 14 at Nationals Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Lawmakers say it’s a fun display of some bipartisan fun, which is rare in Congress. 

Coach Roger Williams, R-Texas, told DailyMail.com that the team has picked up ‘some pretty good players’ and they are ready to play.

He said the game has raised nearly $2.5 million for charity which ‘shows the greatness of our country and the greatness of baseball’ moving forward from the tragic 2017 shooting, where he was injured during the attack.

The Republicans touted their 10-0 win over the Democrats last year, a big accomplishment for star pitcher Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla.

Steube told DailyMail.com that there is a ‘unity’ among the lawmakers as they reflect on the shooting six years later.

‘If it wasn’t for Scalise’s police escort, most of those guys probably would have died before law enforcement could have got there.’

‘Obviously it still physically affects the leader, but he’s out here and probably the first guy batting, and he’ll probably play the first inning at second base.’ 

Five months ago, the Florida congressman suffered serious injuries – including a punctured lung, broken pelvis and concussion – after falling off a 25-foot ladder. 

But he says he is fully healed and ready to take on the Democrats. 

‘I’m blessed to be healed and I’ll be ready to go tomorrow,’ he told DailyMail.com. 

Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said the GOP team has come out at about 5am ET every morning to practice for months. 

‘I’m a Republican and I hope we win by a very large margin. It’s the best I’ve played in years and I’m really looking forward to it,’ he added. 

‘Last year was a great game. This team is playing really well. I mean, maybe better than last year, but you got to do it on the field. We’re gonna be ready to play,’ said Scalise who will be playing second base.

House lawmakers are wearily making their way back to the US Capitol on Thursday morning as Republicans’ fight over who will lead their thin majority spills into a third day. 

GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy‘s bid for the House Speakership was derailed by conservative rebels, who an ally of his dubbed the ‘Taliban 20.’

Returning to the Capitol this morning, he told reporters that talks are ‘making progress.’ 

The historic gridlock has paralyzed Capitol Hill; with no Speaker, the 118th House of Representatives cannot be sworn in, and new legislation cannot move to the floor or through committees – which do not have formal chairs yet.

And on Wednesday, a group of Republican military veterans held a press conference warning that the disarray was leading to significant national security vulnerabilities. Florida Rep. Michael Waltz said from the podium, ‘Authoritarian regimes all over the world are pointing to what’s going on in the House of Representatives and saying, Look at the messiness of democracy, look at how it doesn’t work, can’t function.’

It’s been reported that McCarthy made some significant new concessions to his 20 detractors, including a measure that would allow one GOP lawmaker to trigger a vote for a new House Speaker, according to CNN – known as motion to vacate the chair.

Despite that, there appear to still be five lingering holdouts. As of now, McCarthy can only afford to lose four votes to still win.

Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Bob Good of Virginia, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Matt Rosendale of Montana likely won’t budge, Politico reported in its Thursday morning Playbook.

But McCarthy’s critics have once again gathered for an 8am meeting to discuss the overnight concessions he made, GOP Rep. Warren Davidson – not among the number – told CNN’s morning show.

In addition to the motion to vacate the chair being set at one vote, McCarthy has also reportedly promised conservatives votes on border security and term limits legislation.

He also reportedly agreed to giving more spots on the House Rules Committee to members of the hardline-right House Freedom Caucus. The powerful panel acts as a gatekeeper for any legislation that comes to the floor.

But his pathway to winning 218 votes still appears murky with the five likely holdouts, and no Democrat would vote for the conservative concessions McCarthy has given.

Even some moderates in his party appear wary of him giving away too much. 

GOP Rep. Carol Miller of West Virginia, who has voted for McCarthy in all six rounds, told CNN on Thursday morning that she did not like the threshold for the motion to vacate the chair being reduced from five to one.

Under the GOP’s previous conference rules, a new Speaker vote is triggered by no less than half of its members. 

The House gavels back into session at 12pm on Thursday, where lawmakers will have two options: a seventh round Speaker vote, or to adjourn. 

One potential pathway to victory for McCarthy is to convince enough critics to vote ‘present,’ which would lower the number of votes needed to reach a majority.

But after emerging from a meeting in incoming Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office on Wednesday evening, Gaetz made clear to reporters that he would keep voting against McCarthy for as long as it takes.

Gaetz called McCarthy ‘desperate’ and said he was ready to ‘vote all night, all week, all month’ against him.

Meanwhile Boebert, who has also made clear McCarthy would never get her support, was grilled about her resistance by conservative TV host Sean Hannity on Fox News Wednesday night.

Hannity launched blistering criticism at Boebert and McCarthy’s other detractors, asking her, ‘If I’m going to use your words, and your methodology, and your math…isn’t it time for your side to pack it in?’ 

Boebert kept insisting that McCarthy would not reach the majority threshold to win the gavel, as a frustrated Hannity pushed her to directly say why she would not give in.

‘I asked you a simple question. I feel like I’m getting an answer from a liberal,’ an exasperated Hannity said at one point.

Texas Rep. Chip Roy, however – a critic of McCarthy’s who has also been a leader in negotiations for the conservatives – reportedly told GOP Leaders that he could persuade 10 holdouts to cross the line amid the new concessions, according to CNN.

An original 19 ‘no’ votes on McCarthy in the first two rounds of voting on Tuesday turned into 20 on the third attempt, as Florida Rep. Byron Donalds joined them in voting for Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.

Jordan, however, has voted for McCarthy every time.

On Wednesday, the 20 rebels shifted their support to Donalds – making it, along with Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ nomination, the first time two black candidates were up for House Speaker.

It’s not immediately clear if they will stick behind Donalds or coalesce behind another candidate in an attempt to keep pushing McCarthy further from the gavel.

Bizarre moment senior politician walks into Parliament dressed like Tina Turner with an 80s-style wig

• Sussan Ley arrived in Parliament wearing an 80s style mullet wig
• She performed the ‘dare’ to raise money for cancer charity 

By Brittany Chain, Political Correspondent and Nic White In Canberra For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 22:14 EDT, 6 March 2023 | Updated: 01:29 EDT, 7 March 2023