Marc Rod
@marcrod97
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Senior Congressional Correspondent @J_Insider • Prev.: @CNBC, @CNNpolitics, @courier91711, @WestmoreNews, @TSLnews • RT/like ≠ endorsement; all views my own
Washington, DC
Joined April 2016
Lauren Boebert is refusing to comply with the metal detector or allow a bag search. Now standing in the House doorway. Security is refusing to allow her to enter. Appears to be a standstill.
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“I wake up in the middle of the night and I say ‘Jeffries,’” Rep.-elect Maxwell Frost quips to reporters.
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Ocasio-Cortez, who changed her vote from no to present on Iron Dome at the last minute appears visibly upset. Appears to be crying on the House floor, in a hug with Rep. Jayapal.
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Dozens of House members are currently watching footage from the Hamas attack on Israel. One member just came out in tears less than 5 minutes after going into the room.
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Update:.
/5 Told by other reporters that @laurenboebert apparently was allowed on floor despite refusing her bag to be searched.
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In front of a crowd of children chanting "we love Ritchie," Rep. Ritchie Torres received an honorary report card at a Jewish day school (SAR Academy) in Riverdale during a visit on the last day of school:
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Scoop: Shortly after voting in favor of keeping Rep. Ilhan Omar on Foreign Affairs, Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Josh Gottheimer wrote to Speaker McCarthy requesting he establish a House Select Committee on Combating Antisemitism
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In my reporting on the #MO01 race, a key complaint I heard from constituents — even folks who are Jewish and strongly pro-Israel — was a key starting point for their distaste for Bush was that she was unresponsive: didn't answer calls or emails, didn't show up in the district.
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All Jewish Democrats in the House issue a rare joint statement condemning Tucker Carlson's interview with a Holocaust revisionist. Very few instances where they can get everyone on the same page:
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Crazy story here: Jewish & Muslim campus leaders came together to draft statements condemning antisemitism, twice. The College Dems leadership rejected those statements and instead put one out accusing Israel of genocide and backing encampments (1/2).
💥Israel politics have upended progressive orgs since 10/7. The College Dems this week pledged support for encampments & called Israel "genocidal," all while ignoring its top Jewish activist. "Protect Jewish students, do better"—College Dems Jewish caucus.
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18 senators vote in support of blocking tank rounds to Israel, with 1 present. Y: Heinrich, Hirono, Kaine, King, Markey, Merkley, Ossoff, Sanders, Schatz, Smith, Warren, Welch, Durbin, Van Hollen, Shaheen, Lujan, Warnock, Murphy. P: Baldwin.Carper was a Y, then flipped to N.
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Mike Lawler: “How anyone could call for a ceasefire after watching that — they’re not understanding what is actually happening.”.
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The screening just wrapped up and the overall reaction from members is stunned silence. Many seem at a loss for words. Numerous members crying. Have been told by multiple people that it’s hard to believe things like this are happening in 2023.
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“I’m feeling like I felt when I went to Birkenau,” Rep. Darrell Issa told me, shaking his head in disbelief. “It’s just war crimes. Unbelievable.”.
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Senators are currently emerging from a screening of footage from the Hamas attack, like the one held on the House side a few weeks ago. A lot of them are telling reporters they don’t want to talk about what they’ve seen, seeming shaken.
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Capitol Police have now added a table blocking members from going around the metal detector at a door where it happened repeatedly earlier. But others have gone through the detector without stopping, so unclear how much of an impact it will have.
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Haley Stevens: “I’m absolutely gutted. And I think seeing the video footage of people celebrating the killing of Jews shows what we’re up against. And the fact that anybody would encourage or condone what Hamas did that day. It’s outrageous. ".
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NEWS: Tlaib’s “Nakba Day” event is back on in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Hearing Room in a Senate office building. McCarthy does not have jurisdiction on the Senate side. Committee is chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders.
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Reps. Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib voted a few minutes ago against a bill to bar Hamas members and other participants in the Oct. 7 attack from the U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez voted present. Vote was 422-2-1.
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Byron Donalds: “I feel the same way I felt watching what occurred on social media. Israel must do everything it needs do to obliterate Hamas. Period.”.
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I didn't get a count but it looked from what I could see through the door like the caucus room was mostly full. So at least 100+. Speaker Johnson was there for a few minutes. Some of the folks who are supporting a ceasefire, like Reps. AOC and Casar, also attended.
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.@marcorubio calls Kanye “disturbed” and Fuentes an “evil” “assclown… Trump shouldn’t have met with him” and said the meeting “legitimized” Fuentes. Asked what it says about Trump that he invited Kanye, Rubio responded, “I have no idea how those people got into that building.”.
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And that's for both Jewish and non-Jewish events and groups. Similar constituent services complaints also plagued Rep. Jamaal Bowman before his loss. Both faced accusations that they were more focused on national profiles/movements than on their actual constituents.
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Sara Jacobs: “It’s obviously horrific and gruesome and it’s hard to believe that in the year 2023 things like this are still happening, but unfortunately they are.”.
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Final count on Iron Dome: 420 yes, 9 no, 2 present. No's: Tlaib, Carson, Omar, Massie, Newman, Pressley, Garcia, Grijalva, Bush.Present: Hank Johnson and Ocasio-Cortez.
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Sen. Jacky Rosen condemns the Tlaib event in a statement to me, the 1st Senate Dem to speak out. "Calling the establishment of the world’s only Jewish state a ‘catastrophe’ is deeply offensive, and I strongly disagree with allowing this event to be held on Capitol Hill."
NEWS: Tlaib’s “Nakba Day” event is back on in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Hearing Room in a Senate office building. McCarthy does not have jurisdiction on the Senate side. Committee is chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders.
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Biggest surprises are Ossoff, Warnock & Shaheen, the incoming Ranking Member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Durbin is No. 2 Senate Dem.
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Stevens cont'd: ". It’s unbelievable seeing footage like that in the year 2023, in places we’ve all been.”.
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Caught up with Sen. Bernie Sanders this morning re hosting the Tlaib Nakba event: "Members of the United States Congress in a democratic society have a right to hold a meeting, and I think it's outrageous that Speaker McCarthy threw them out of a room they had reserved," he said.
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My colleague has seen the same/similar video and wrote about what she saw. Senate lawmakers will have the opportunity to watch this footage on Thursday.
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Marjorie Greene just got stopped at the new metal detector outside the chamber. Had to take off her shoes to be checked, then ranted about “all the media and all the liars.”. Detectors seem pretty finely tuned — majority of people I’ve seen go through got buzzed.
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Like other AIPAC-targeted lawmakers and candidates, she also leaned into attacks on AIPAC as conservative malign influence in an attempt to turn the AIPAC $ into a negative for her opponent. That so far not been a winning strategy for candidates in that position.
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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemns the Nova exhibit demonstration as "unconscionable and un-American. The egregious behavior on display designed to justify the killing of Jews has no place in a civilized society. We will not tolerate it."
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Hello from undoubtedly the most important event I've covered on Capitol Hill, the first meeting of @danielsgoldman's House Bagel Caucus, where lines are stretching all the way down the hall and the bagels are going fast. Goldman's staff drove the bagels down from 6 NY shops.
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.@RepRitchie responds to comments from Reps. Bush and Tlaib on the situation in Israel. "Shame on anyone who glorifies as “resistance” the largest single-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. It is reprehensible and repulsive.".Full statement:
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The House voted 373-54 yesterday to ban taxpayer $ to colleges that authorize, facilitate, fund or support campus events promoting antisemitism. Lawmakers are also pushing for FBI/IRS to investigate Students for Justice in Palestine and American Muslims for Palestine.
Lawmakers move to cut federal funding to colleges over antisemitic activity, push for federal probes of SJP and AMP, @marcrod97 reports.
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NEW: 15 Democrats to hold a press conference tomorrow morning raising concerns about the Iran Deal. Several of the scheduled speakers have yet to express concerns publicly, growing the list of House Dems opposing the deal.
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Gohmert just went around the metal detector. Police made no effort to stop him.
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Inbox: Jeffries condemns the NYC DSA rally via spox "@repjeffries strongly and unequivocally condemns the hate-filled rally held by the DSA in [NYC] and any effort to support the barbaric, inhumane and despicable terrorist attack by Hamas on the State of Israel and its citizens."
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And then a spokesperson for the College Dems suggested that the College Dems' own Jewish Caucus doesn't actually represent the views of Jews because it "wasn’t willing to denounce genocide," and that the fringe JVP is more representative. (2/2).
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Full writeup of reactions from this morning’s screening of Hamas video for House lawmakers.
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Bush, Tlaib and Lee stayed seated for Biden's reference to a two-state solution. Bush & Tlaib stayed seated when he called to free the hostages too.
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Rep. Ritchie Torres responds to Rep. Tlaib's retweet of a falsified poll claiming Israelis support raping Palestinians: “a 21st century blood libel against the world’s only Jewish State. Spreading so blatant a lie is unbecoming of a Member of Congress.”
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Sen. Chris Murphy tells me he believes the assessments that Israel was not responsible for the hospital bombing and says it’s “pretty disturbing” that “mainstream actors” were willing yesterday to believe Hamas over Israel.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — responding to Biden's "red line" comments about an operation in Rafah — said Hamas must be "decisively defeated" in order for there to be a "possibility for a just and lasting peace."
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Happening now: a huge group of lawmakers including McCarthy and all of Dem leadership gathering on the House steps for a vigil honoring those killed in Israel and the hostages. A tearful Debbie Wasserman Schultz thanks so many colleagues for coming together on short notice.
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Bipartisan Jewish House members issue a statement condemning the "modern-day pogrom" in Amsterdam. "What we witnessed last night is. the culmination of the failure to name and confront antisemitism, especially when disguised as anti-Israel sentiment" across Europe, they said.
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Update: Israeli firefighters are arriving in LA today to assist with the wildfire response, I’m told.
Israel offers to aid California wildfire response, and foot the bill, @marcrod97 reports.
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EXCLUSIVE: Eight members of the House and Senate are launching a bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus, with the goal of supporting and promoting normalization between Israel and Arab states. More details from my interviews with the co-chairs:
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Tlaib speaking now: accuses Israeli police of a “sustained campaign of terror” at the Temple Mount and says Israel is an “apartheid state” and that U.S. aid supports “ethnic cleansing.”.
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NEW: Sen. Jacky Rosen rejects Biden’s threat to Israel: “We need to provide Israel with unconditional security assistance… The Administration should not do anything that undermines Israel’s ability to defeat Hamas and address mounting threats across the region.”
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Rep. David Cicilline tells me of Rep. Rashida Tlaib's comments on Israel and progressivism, "I am living proof that's not true. I'm a very strong progressive and a very strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship.".
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Gen. Milley tells SASC he believes the IRGC to be a terrorist organization and does not support de-listing.
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NEW: @SpeakerJohnson says in a statement responding to the ICJ ruling on Israel that "illegitimate international courts" efforts against Israel "appear coordinated and should not be tolerated. we should strongly oppose this dangerous gambit.".Full statement:
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the ICC arrest warrant request "shameful and unserious."
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BREAKING: @deborahlipstadt has been confirmed.
Confirmed by voice vote: Executive Calendar #845 Deborah E. Lipstadt to be Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat AntiSemitism, with the rank of Ambassador. (New Position).
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SCOOP: Jewish Insider has linked the much-followed Dear White Staffers account, which has become almost a single-issue Israel page since Oct. 7, to a staffer for Rep. Summer Lee. Jewish staffers say its posts have made them feel unsafe at the Capitol.
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“Tulsi is a few marbles short of a full set but we are hopeful the marbles she has are blue and white in support of Israel,” an official at a pro-Israel group told me of the selection.
NEW @J_Insider via @marcrod97: “Why conservatives concerned about Tulsi Gabbard as possible director of national intelligence”. “The former Hawaii Democratic congresswoman's record in the House is drawing scrutiny”
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Schneider tells me he’s going to vote for censure tomorrow. Explains that people who use the “river to the sea” slogan “know exactly what it means.” “Any effort to persuade or gaslight folks that it means something else needs to be called out.”.
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Boebert just set off the metal detector but picked up her belongings and hurried past the officer wanding people.
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House just voted on a bipartisan resolution praising the State Dept.'s global guidelines on combating antisemitism. Votes against came primarily from the hard right, along with 3 Squad members. Final vote 388-21. No votes below:.
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Michael Pack, the controversial head of the USAGM under Trump, has now resigned at the request of the Biden Administration.
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House Intel Chair Mike Turner says he's been briefed on the Iran/Israel leak and "the FBI’s investigation is imperative of what clearly would constitute a criminal act of espionage." Says the info is "highly classified and damaging," risking Israel and U.S. service members.
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Missing posters for Hamas hostages displayed in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building.
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib voted present on this resolution. Vote is still open.
House is voting now on a resolution condemning sexual violence by Hamas.
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Rep. Tlaib was the only member scheduled on the program to speak at this event but Rep. Cori Bush just showed up as well.
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New: Sen. Jacky Rosen in a statement to me pushes back on Sen. Bernie Sanders and others calling to condition aid to Israel. "Calls to condition life-saving aid to Israel are wrong and extremely dangerous," Rosen said. First senator I've seen respond this weekend.
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New: Sen. Jacky Rosen rejects Schumer’s call for new elections in Israel, joining a growing number of moderate pro-Israel Dems and groups.
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Jewish Federations of North America, the umbrella group for community Jewish orgs across the country, joins the other mainstream Jewish groups in condeming Biden on arms sales:
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Rodney Davis rants to officers that the metal detectors are “bullshit” and says they should he outside, not securing an interior room.
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AND Marco Rubio led the corresponding push in the Senate.
Last year, Waltz led a letter calling for the U.S. to redesignate the Houthis as a terrorist group, after the Biden administration pulled the designation in its first few weeks. I would put money on the Trump admin redesignating early next year.
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A spokesperson for Sen. Patty Murray, the president pro tempore of the Senate and chair of the Appropriations Committee, confirms that Murray will neither preside over nor attend the Netanyahu speech this week.
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NEW: SCHUMER: “Hamas is a terrorist organization. Exalting them and burning the American flag is disgraceful and wrong, and defacing public property is illegal. Hateful and antisemitic messages and threats against Jews have no place in America and must be universally condemned.”.
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Suozzi joins Gottheimer and Fetterman in criticizing the Biden administration for abstaining on the U.N. Security Council cease-fire vote.
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Inbox: here’s who signed the Democratic statement condemning the use of the “river to the sea” slogan. More than 70 members total.
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HELP hearing room is packed to the gills for the “Nakba Day” event.
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The fallout from Amnesty USA Dir. Paul O’Brien’s comments continues. A group of 11 Jewish House Dems followed up Monday’s condemnation with a letter yesterday saying that his full remarks were “even more troubling”than @GSDeutch’s original report.
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BREAKING: @Sen_JoeManchin tells me he's likely a no on an Iran deal. "I'm very leery of [the talks]. I wasn't for it before, and I can't see myself changing my position.".
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New: Rep. Ruben Gallego in a statement to me: “Rep. Tlaib’s comments are reprehensible. No amount of explaining detracts from the fact that the phrase means eradicating Israel."
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.@RepJoshG statement to me on Tlaib and Bush comments: “It sickens me that while Israelis clean the blood of their family members shot in their homes, they believe Congress should strip U.S. funding to our democratic ally and allow innocent civilians to suffer.”
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Final count for the Abraham Accords ambassador bill 413 to 13. No votes:.Rich McCormick.Thomas Massie.Jamaal Bowman.Betty McCollum.Rashida Tlaib.Cori Bush.Ilhan Omar.AOC.Barbara lee.Summer Lee.Delia Ramirez.Ayanna Pressley.Chuy Garcia.
The House will vote shortly on the Lawler/Torres resolution establishing an ambassador-rank special envoy for the Abraham Accords. I'll be in the chamber tracking votes. 🧵 Background:
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NEW: @MondaireJones told me in an intvw he wants to "be very clear" he's endorsing George @LatimerforNY to "[stand] up for the Jewish community." He said Jamaal Bowman's Israel rhetoric "has contributed to the fearfulness that American Jews are feeling."
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Georgia House member responds to Ossoff and Warnock's votes against Israel aid. Ossoff is up in '26 and Atlanta has a large Jewish community.
If Georgia’s U.S. Senators won’t stand with Israel, we should find new ones who will.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders calls to condition aid to Israel: the Vermont senator introduced an amendment to the NDAA yesterday that would condition U.S. military financing aid to Israel on Israel taking stopping settlement construction and expansion.
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.@SpeakerJohnson is inviting freed hostage Mia Schem to the SOTU. "I’m proud to stand with Mia and join her in demanding the release [of] all the hostages still held captive by Hamas. We must continue to fight to get them home," Johnson told @J_Insider.
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Sen. Jacky Rosen is joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a notable addition given that she's one of the Democrats' strongest pro-Israel voices.
Schumer's office announces Senate Dem committee assignments for the 119th Congress ⬇️
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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand joins a growing chorus of NY politicians condemning the demonstration at the Nova exhibit:
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Twelve right-wing Republican House members voted against reauthorizing Holocaust education programs under the Never Again Education Act: Arrington, Biggs, Boebert, Brecheen, Burchett, Crane, Good, Greene, Massie, Rosendale, Roy, Rutherford. Final 402-12
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While Hamas and PIJ members are already barred under existing law, the bill also expands a ban on PLO officers to bar all PLO members from the U.S. And it would apply to anyone involved in Oct. 7 who is not officially a member of a terror group.
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Blinken: Iran has a ONE TO TWO WEEK breakout period for nuclear weapons, but has not actually built a weapon.
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.@RepTedDeutch just opened his remarks at a GW Chabad event tonight by condemning this move.
Our statement on future coalition spaces with Zionist organizations:
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SCOOP: 46 bipartisan House members led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer urged the administration to take further action to crack down on Hezbollah's finances, including sanctions and criminal and diplomatic tools.
Lawmakers urge U.S. crackdown on Hezbollah financing networks, @marcrod97 reports.
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SCOOP: BIPARTISAN letter from @RepSchneider, @RepJoeWilson, @RepDWStweets and @RepMarcyKaptur urges @SpeakerJohnson to reverse course and put the full supplemental bill, with no offsets, to a vote on the floor.
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Rep. Ted Deutch said he had a speech planned in support of Iron Dome, but said he instead needs to condemn Tlaib for calling Israel an "apartheid state.".
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News: House lawmakers are taking steps toward formalizing a Jewish caucus:.The caucus "will allow us to approach issues and matters before Congress through a Jewish perspective and to help prioritize issues important to the American Jewish community," @RepDWStweets tells me.
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