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Post Politics Now: A first hurdle for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson en route to the Supreme Court – The Washington Post

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Welcome to Post Politics Now, a new live experience from The Washington Post that puts the day’s political headlines into context. Each weekday, we’ll guide you through the news from the White House, Capitol Hill and campaign trail with assists from some of the best political reporters in the business providing insights and analysis you won’t get elsewhere.

This afternoon, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said they’ll support the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, forging a clear path to Jackson’s confirmation and her ascent to history as the first Black woman to sit on the court. The two Republicans announced their decisions moments after the Judiciary Committee voted to advance Jackson’s nomination to the full Senate. Jackson now has the support of at least three Republicans in the full Senate vote — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said last week that she would vote to confirm her.

Your daily dashboard

  • 1:45 p.m.: Biden talked about jobs and infrastructure at a White House event focused on trucking. Watch video here.
  • 2:45 p.m.: White House press secretary Jen Psaki conducted a briefing. Watch video here.
  • 4:30 p.m.: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Jackson’s nomination. You can watch video of the meeting here.
  • 6 p.m.: House Republicans held a news conference following a briefing by the National Border Patrol Council. Watch video here.

Got a question about politics? Submit it here. At 1:30 p.m. weekdays, return to this space and we’ll address what’s on the mind of readers.

Lena H. Sun: A relative lull in covid brings agency action — Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky made clear she wanted to make changes when she began her tenure. She may be trying to take advantage of this moment in the pandemic — a relative lull — to get a review underway to address many of the criticisms. In the past, other directors, such as Tom Frieden, who helmed CDC from 2009 to 2017, have made structural changes as well. It remains to be seen how big or deep this revamp will be considering two of the three senior officials she is tasking to provide feedback are longtime veterans of the agency.

Lena H. Sun, National reporter focusing on health
Headshot of Matt Viser

Matt Viser: Sullivan says attacks in Ukraine aren’t yet ‘genocide’ — Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, has become a regular guest in the White House briefing room in recent weeks, offering the Biden administration’s latest thinking on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.On Monday, he came again, apologizing at the start, saying he had a lot to say: “My remarks are not going to be brief.” The latest attacks were “tragic,” he said, and “shocking.” But he said they were, unfortunately, not altogether surprising and, he added, didn’t yet reach the level of genocide.He said there would be additional sanctions announced this week. He reiterated unity among the West. And he said the latest intelligence shows that Russia is shifting its goals but not letting go of its aim to dominate Ukraine.“The next stage of this conflict may very well be protracted,” he said, a period that he estimated could be months or longer. “We should be under no illusions that Russia will adjust its tactics, which have included and will likely continue to include wanton and brazen attacks on civilian targets.”

Matt Viser, White House reporter
12:32 p.m.
Headshot of Seung Min Kim

Seung Min Kim: Graham goes where McConnell won’t — It’s a question I’ve wanted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to answer for some months: If Republicans take back the Senate majority and there is a hypothetical Supreme Court vacancy in 2023, would he give Biden’s nominee a hearing?In his typical fashion, McConnell has declined to answer. But Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C), who last chaired the Judiciary Committee when Republicans controlled the Senate, effectively said the quiet part out loud Monday morning during a committee meeting to consider Jackson’s nomination: “I’ll say this, if we get back the Senate and we are in charge of this body,” and there are “judicial openings, we will talk to our colleagues on the other side. But if we were in charge, she would not have met before this committee.”Graham, though, caveats it slightly by saying that it was Jackson specifically who would not have been taken up by a GOP-controlled Senate — especially since, as he said, there was another candidate perceived as more moderate whom Biden had considered. (Graham was clearly referring to South Carolina federal judge J. Michelle Childs, one of the finalists.) But Democrats have certainly assumed Biden won’t get a single judge confirmed if McConnell runs the Senate, and Graham’s comments Monday added a bit more evidence to that view.

Seung Min Kim, White House reporter
10:54 a.m.
Headshot of David Weigel

David Weigel: Some things have changed since Sarah Palin’s last run — The last time Palin appeared on Alaska’s ballot, George W. Bush was in the White House, Donald Trump was hosting “The Apprentice” — and she was urging voters to unseat Rep. Don Young (R).Palin’s last-minute entry into the race to replace Young, who died last month, shook up what had been a crowded but low-wattage race. So did Trump’s endorsement of her Sunday with a reminder that “she shocked many when she endorsed me very early in 2016.” As of Monday, 50 candidates had filed for Young’s open seat, and none had anything close to Palin’s name recognition, much less Trump’s.But Palin isn’t running in a Republican primary, the sort of contest where Trump’s endorsement has been most effective. One reason for the flood of candidates is that the June 11 election is the first to be held under a new “top four” system approved by voters in 2020.Every contender will appear on the same, long ballot, regardless of party, and the four who get the most votes will head to a second ballot Aug. 16. That will be the state’s first ranked-choice federal election, with voters rating their choices from 1 to 4, and votes being tallied up until one candidate cracks 50 percent support.

David Weigel, National reporter covering politics
10:00 a.m.
Headshot of Paul Kane

Paul Kane: The week ahead on the Hill — Both the House and Senate launch a busy legislative week Monday, with the hope of departing Thursday or Friday for a more than two-week spring break after lawmakers plan to dig deeper into the Jan. 6 investigation and make history with a Supreme Court confirmation.The nomination of Jackson to replace retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer will dominate action in the Senate, where the Judiciary Committee is expected to deadlock Monday afternoon. Late Monday, Senate Democrats will use a procedural vote to bring the first Black woman’s nomination to the Supreme Court to the full Senate, then hold several days of debate before casting a final confirmation vote Thursday or Friday.All 50 members of the Democratic caucus, plus Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), have indicated support for this history-making selection. All eyes will be on Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to see if they add more bipartisan support.In the House, Democrats plan to vote out contempt of Congress citations against a pair of former Trump White House officials, Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino Jr., for refusing to cooperate with the select committee investigating the January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.Meanwhile, bipartisan negotiations continue, with Romney leading the GOP side, on a roughly $10 billion package of pandemic relief funds to prepare the nation for the next likely surge in coronavirus cases, to purchase more vaccines, testing capacity and treatments for the disease.

Paul Kane, Senior congressional correspondent and columnist
Headshot of Annie Linskey

Annie Linskey: The week ahead at the White House (which includes a return by Obama) — President Biden kicks off this week with splashy events on inflation and health care, an attempt by the White House to refocus attention on a domestic agenda which has been eclipsed recently by war in Ukraine.On Monday, Biden will give remarks on his efforts to attract more workers to the understaffed trucking industry via an outdoor event that the White House promises will be replete with “some big trucks.” On Tuesday, former president Barack Obama returns to the White House to talk with Biden about health care.Both appearances are designed to highlight ways that Biden is working to bring down prices. Polls show that inflation is a top concern for Americans and that rising prices are expected to be a major theme of the upcoming midterms elections. In Michigan on Saturday night, former president Donald Trump previewed the argument in a lengthy speech laced with references to high costs.The same polls reveal a small silver lining for Biden on inflation: Most voters don’t blame president for the price increases, with many citing either the pandemic or profit-taking by large companies as the culprit. But voters do want to see that Biden is trying to do something about the problem.

Annie Linskey, National reporter covering the White House.
Headshot of Robert Barnes

Robert Barnes: Jackson could have to wait awhile before taking her seat — If Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed to the Supreme Court this week, she’ll be in the unusual position of being something like a “justice-in-waiting.”That’s because Justice Stephen G. Breyer, the man she once worked for as a clerk and whose seat she would take, said his retirement will take place at the end of the current term.That usually is at the end of June or early July; Breyer has one last set of oral arguments this month. Then the court will continue rendering decisions in all the cases it has heard since October, including a challenge to Roe v. Wade.

Robert Barnes, Reporter covering the U.S. Supreme Court

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Youri Chassin quits CAQ to sit as Independent, second member to leave this month

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Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.

He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.

In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.

Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.

He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.

Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.

He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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‘I’m not going to listen to you’: Singh responds to Poilievre’s vote challenge

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MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.

“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.

“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”

Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”

“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.

“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”

While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.

“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.

Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.

Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.

“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.

New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.

The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.

It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.

While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.

Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.

He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.

Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.

The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.

With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.

The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.

The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Social media comments blocked: Montreal mayor says she won’t accept vulgar slurs

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Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.

She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.

Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.

They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.

However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.

Her statement on X is closed to comments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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