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US Senate Tag

Amazingly, we all didn't die when the FCC voted to rollback the net neutrality rules implemented during President Barack Obama's administration. Those who desperately want those regulations in place have not stopped fighting. Now they have chosen to place pressure on the states to save net neutrality.

President Donald Trump may receive some competition for most tweet-happy politician! Apparently emoji-filled tweets aren't enough for Chelsea Manning because she has filed papers to run for the Senate in Maryland. From The Washington Post:
Chelsea Manning, the transgender former Army private who was convicted of passing sensitive government documents to Wikileaks, has filed to run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland, according to federal election filings.

The Republican field for Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake's Senate continues to grow as Rep. Martha McSally has officially joined the race. She joins former controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Arizona State Senator Kelli Ward.

Ranking Judiciary Committee Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) released the closed testimony of Glenn Simpson, a founder of Fusion GPS, which produced the dossier in 2016 of then-candidate Donald Trump, along with his attorney Josh Levy. From The New York Times:
“The American people deserve the opportunity to see what he said and judge for themselves,” Ms. Feinstein said. “The innuendo and misinformation circulating about the transcript are part of a deeply troubling effort to undermine the investigation into potential collusion and obstruction of justice. The only way to set the record straight is to make the transcript public.”

Back in December, the media published texts between FBI Agent Peter Strzok, who was involved in the Russia investigation, and FBI attorney Lisa Page demeaning then-candidate Donald Trump and hoping that failed Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton would win. Special Counsel Robert Mueller quietly removed Strzok from the investigation after he discovered the texts. However, some of the texts also mentioned "specific reporters, news organizations and articles." These texts have spawned a congressional probe into whether those involved "had contacts with the news media that resulted in improper leaks."

While everyone is gushing over Oprah Winfrey, the Democrats in D.C. can hide the fact that they're holding the spending bill hostage over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. Before Christmas, Congress passed a short term spending bill to keep the government running until January 19. The Democrats have made it clear they want full legalization of DACA recipients while Republicans have mentioned a wall and actual reforms to our immigration system.

Democrat Minnesota Senator Al Franken submitted his resignation later at 12PM CT to Governor Mark Dayton. Franken resigned after numerous females accused him of sexual misconduct, including groping and attempts to plant wet kisses on their mouths.

The GOP now only holds a one seat majority in the Senate since Democrat Doug Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore, who faced numerous sexual misconduct allegations, in the Alabama Senate special election. That loss made the 2018 elections even more crucial for the GOP. Is it possible for the party to keep or even add to their majority? Or will Democrats pounce and take over? Politico listed these races as the ones to watch in the new year.

The Senate Banking Committee has rejected President Donald Trump's nominee Scott Garrett to run the US Export-Import (EX-IM) Bank after two Republicans defected. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sen. Mark Rounds (R-SD) sided with the Democrats, which has the bank that "boosts financing for U.S. exports by large and small companies" without a leader.

Anyone else saw this coming? Yeah, me too. After a seventh female accused Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) of sexual misconduct, Democrat senators finally called for him to resign. The number skyrocketed after word got out that he would resign. On December 7, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) announced he would resign from the Senate after numerous females accused him of sexual misconduct. He didn't give an exact date, just said in the coming weeks. Now four senators have urged Franken to reconsider, including some who called for him to step down.

Last week the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee concluded its hearings regarding the confirmation of Kenneth L. Marcus, President Trump’s pick for the position of Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights. We noted in a post back in October, when the White House first announced the nomination, that Marcus is extraordinarily qualified for the job and is an excellent pick for heading the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Trump appoints attorney who combats antisemitism to key civil rights post.