PushBack Politics - Live Political Blog
Sister of Comedian Stephen Colbert, Elizabeth Colbert Busch Wins South Carolina Democratic primary
Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, has won the Democratic nomination for a South Carolina House seat by a landslide, while the former state governor Mark Sanford will progress to a Republican run-off.
Steven Colbert has said he will help his sister in anyway he can to win, when he is not in character.
The election for the House seat is in May.
Assault Weapons Ban Dropped From Senate Bill
Assault Weapons Ban Dropped From Senate Bill
A ban on assault weapons won’t be included in major gun legislation set to take shape this week — all but guaranteeing it won’t pass Congress.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a onetime ally of the National Rifle Association, informed California Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Monday that the proposal to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines won’t be included in a broad package of new gun laws that’s taking shape this week and will be considered on the Senate floor in April.
“People say well, are you disappointed? Obviously I’m disappointed,” Feinstein told reporters Tuesday. Feinstein has worked on gun violence issues for decades.
“The enemies on this are very powerful. I’ve known that all my life,” she said.
Source: NBC News
Casey, Rubio Offer Bill To Aid Syrian Opposition
A Senate Democrat and Republican are pressing for non-lethal aid to vetted Syrian opposition groups battling the regime of President Bashar Assad.
Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Marco Rubio of Florida unveiled their legislation on Tuesday. The measure would authorize additional humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people and provide equipment such as body armor and communications to opposition groups.
Casey and Rubio told reporters that the horrors of the two-year civil war have gone on too long. The lawmakers left open the possibility of arming the rebels at a later date. New York Rep. Eliot Engel introduced legislation on Monday that would arm and train vetted opposition groups.
The bipartisan Senate measure also would expand sanctions against the Central Bank of Syria.
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Source: AP
U.S. Senate Banking Panel Backs Cordray on Party-Line Vote
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee approved the nomination of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a party-line vote that reflected the remaining obstacle to his confirmation effort.
Today’s 12-10 vote saw all of the panel’s Democrats back Cordray 53, while Republicans unanimously opposed him.
Despite the committee approval, President Barack Obama’s second nomination of Cordray, the former Ohio attorney general can’t be confirmed unless Senate Republicans and Democrats can overcome a deadlock that has prevented a full-Senate vote.
Cordray’s nomination has been mired since 2011 in a dispute over Republican demands that the agency be restructured with a commission to run it instead of a director and a budget subjected to congressional appropriations. Its budget is currently drawn directly from the Federal Reserve.
Source: Bloomberg
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