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  • Here’s who McCarthy needs to convince for his debt bill

    Here’s who McCarthy needs to convince for his debt bill

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    Locked in a months-long stalemate with the president, McCarthy has said this week’s House GOP plan is intended to bring Biden to the negotiating table. But first, Republicans need to pass their measure — with just four votes to spare on the floor.

    “If there are any last-minute concerns, the speaker and his team know who those are and he’s addressing those,” Republican Study Committee Chair Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) said, predicting the conference would come together in time to vote Wednesday.

    Here are the main blocs of objectors that Republican leaders have grappled with over the last 24 hours.

    Conservatives

    McCarthy received a surprising show of support from a corner of the conference that is known to upend him at every turn: The House Freedom Caucus.

    On Wednesday morning, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) stood before the conference and tried to sell the bill to his colleagues, explaining why he was supporting it and encouraging them to unanimously support it. In response, the opinionated Roy received a large round of applause — which one Republican member, speaking on condition of anonymity, cheekily noted is not the reaction that the gadfly Texan usually gets.

    But Roy wasn’t alone. Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) spoke of the bill positively, as did Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), and Bob Good (R-Va.). All five of these members who stood up and spoke Wednesday morning were among the 20 who initially opposed McCarthy as speaker at the start of this Congress.

    Yet the Freedom Caucus is hardly mollified for good. Its members are warning the speaker that they don’t want to see him bend when the Democratic-controlled Senate overhauls what the House GOP plans to send across the Capitol.

    “I told [McCarthy] at the mic: ‘Don’t come back when they call 911 at the last hour, which any negotiator will do — run it out and say the sky is falling. No changes to the bill,” said Norman, before adding that Democrats should “be responsible” for any resulting economic disaster.

    Midwesterners

    In a major win, GOP leaders have successfully locked down the votes of nearly a dozen Midwestern holdouts who had objected to parts of the bill affecting ethanol producers in their home states.

    Roughly eight Midwestern Republicans — hailing primarily from Iowa, as well as Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri — had privately threatened to oppose the bill if leadership didn’t roll back their plans to cut benefits for certain biofuels. The latest plan does still repeal tax credits for biodiesel and some other clean fuels, but GOP leaders revised the measure so that companies already locked into contracts can still use the perk.

    All of those initially skeptical Republicans now appeared to be on board.

    “In the spirit of Caitlin Clark, we’re going to fight, fight, fight for Iowa. And I think we came out ahead on this,” Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) said, name-checking this year’s March Madness basketball superstar from his home state.

    Wild cards

    Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) is still in the “no” column, for now, arguing the bill doesn’t do enough to pay down the debt and kvetching that McCarthy’s allies missed a meeting with him that was scheduled for Tuesday.

    “It doesn’t have anything to do with them not showing up. I just don’t like being taken for granted,” Burchett said. “I waited 33 minutes, and that is enough.”

    But the Tennessee Republican is heaping praise on McCarthy, whom he said has the unenviable job of trying to piece together 218 votes from a razor-thin conference. And a person familiar with internal conversations said Burchett’s colleagues were still trying to work on him during the conference meeting — though he left the room reiterating that he was a no.

    Burchett isn’t alone in his concerns about the debt. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that she is “leaning no” but that she is in talks with leadership and “the ball is in their court.”

    Meanwhile, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is playing coy about how he will vote but said he was frustrated by the middle-of-the-night deal-cutting, and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) remains a “lean no.” Leadership did change the bill to incorporate Gaetz’s demand for a speedier implementation of beefed-up work requirements for certain federal assistance, but Biggs is pushing to return spending levels to fiscal year 2019 levels.

    Meredith Lee Hill contributed.

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    #Heres #McCarthy #convince #debt #bill
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • McCarthy renegotiates GOP debt bill in dead of night

    McCarthy renegotiates GOP debt bill in dead of night

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    Several of the GOP holdouts with ethanol concerns signaled overnight they would flip their votes to yes given the changes, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

    “Midwestern members made some good progress tonight,” one of the members involved in the talks said, speaking on condition of anonymity. This Republican cited the securing of “five critical wins for biofuels.”

    “People were very pleased with this amendment,” echoed another Republican familiar with the conversations.

    While it remains unclear if the wee-hour changes are enough to secure final passage on the floor, which Republicans are aiming for later Wednesday, McCarthy has regained momentum heading into a morning House GOP conference meeting that could help seal the fate of the bill.

    Since McCarthy can only stand to lose four Republican votes assuming full attendance, wrangling all his members has been no easy task. In the end, GOP leaders agreed to changes that are designed to appease nearly all of their holdouts.

    The amended proposal accelerates changes to work requirements for those receiving federal benefits, including food stamps, to 2024, a change intended to satisfy a small group of conservatives that includes Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Starting in September, states would be barred from saving up unused exemptions under the SNAP food assistance program and in October additional constraints on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program would kick in.

    Major portions of the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law last summer would be eliminated as well, including $1 billion to boost the adoption of building codes for energy-efficient construction, $5 billion for loans to back energy infrastructure projects, $1.9 billion in grants to improve transportation access to neighborhoods, $200 million for National Park System maintenance projects and $5 billion in grants for reducing climate pollution.

    And the revised bill would still repeal the tax credits on clean fuels, but would now include an exception to allow the tax perk to continue for those in binding contracts or locked into investments for sustainable aviation fuel or for producing other “clean” fuel before April 19. The amendment would also kill changes in the incentive structure for renewable diesel, second generation biofuel, carbon dioxide sequestration and biodiesel.

    Still, McCarthy still may have some work left to do.

    As of Tuesday evening, at least two GOP lawmakers were declared no’s for different reasons: Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). In addition, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) has signaled he may oppose the bill. Gaetz, a perennial leadership gadfly, predicted before the late-hour deal that leaders was facing “at least” eight GOP no votes on the debt measure.

    Mace argued to reporters that McCarthy’s debt ceiling proposal didn’t address balancing the federal budget and that it “doesn’t really tackle spending.” Burchett, meanwhile, told POLITICO that he is a decided “no” vote after he was stood up by someone in leadership during a planned meeting on Wednesday.

    “The reality is: I’m a no vote and just don’t take me for granted,” he said.

    Biggs, meanwhile, described himself as a “lean no” and warned that discussions “might have gone beyond the place” to get him to a yes — arguing that Republicans should return to fiscal year 2019 spending. The Arizona Republican is part of a conservative block, which also includes Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), who have been pushing McCarthy to go further in his opening bid, according to people familiar with their thinking.

    In a sign of the bigger potential headache awaiting McCarthy if he didn’t make changes: House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) and other members of his group were publicly warning that they were undecided on the bill as they pushed to tighten work requirements for government programs. In addition to wanting to speed up their implementation, some conservatives were also looking to beef up the number of hours recipients had to work per week from 20 to 30.

    “I’d love to see some changes on the work requirements. I want to see people going to work for, like, more than just a hobby,” Perry said.

    Perry, though, declined to say if he had enough votes to sink the legislation if it wasn’t changed, quipping: “That’s for me to know and for you to see on the board.”

    Meredith Lee Hill and Katherine Tully-McManus contributed to this report.

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    #McCarthy #renegotiates #GOP #debt #bill #dead #night
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • UK introduces new bill to crack down on Big Tech abusing market power

    UK introduces new bill to crack down on Big Tech abusing market power

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    London: The UK government on Tuesday introduced a new legislation to tame Big Tech from abusing market power and ensure businesses and consumers are protected from rip-offs and can reap the full benefits of the digital economy with confidence.

    Fake reviews that cheat customers, subscription traps that cost more than a billion pounds a year, and new powers for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to tackle businesses that breach consumer rights law are all elements of the far-reaching bill.

    The new powers are aimed at boosting competition in digital markets currently dominated by a small number of firms and tackling fake reviews so customers aren’t cheated by bogus ratings.

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    “From abuse of power by tech giants, to fake reviews, scams and rip-offs like being caught in a subscription trap – consumers deserve better. The new laws we’re delivering will empower the CMA to directly enforce consumer law, strengthen competition in digital markets and ensure that people across the country keep hold of their hard-earned cash,” Business and Trade Minister Kevin Hollinrake said.

    As part of the bill, a Digital Markets Unit (DMU) within the CMA will be given new powers to tackle the excessive dominance that a small number of tech companies have held over consumers and businesses in the UK.

    “This market dominance has stifled innovation and growth across the economy, holding back start-ups and smaller firms from accessing markets and consumers,” said the government.

    The new digital regime will give the DMU powers to ensure that businesses and consumers are not unfairly disadvantaged by the biggest players, allowing them access to dynamic and thriving digital markets that will ultimately support the economy to grow.

    For example, the biggest tech firms may be instructed by the DMU to provide more choice and transparency to their customers. If firms don’t abide by these rules, the DMU will have the power to fine them up to 10 per cent of their global turnover.

    Firms may be told to give customers greater flexibility when purchasing products online and to break down restrictive technical barriers that block users from using products on different devices and systems.

    “Today’s announcement shows we are proudly pro-growth and pro-innovation across the board in the tech sector, seeking to open up new opportunities for all firms, however small or large they are, while empowering consumers,” Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy Paul Scully said.

    The new powers in this bill help the CMA take swift, decisive action to tackle rip offs, protecting consumers whether they are shopping online or on the high street.

    “The new fining powers will provide an important deterrent to businesses seeking to take advantage of people while also ensuring fair dealing businesses can thrive,” Chief Executive of the CMA Sarah Cardell said.

    New measures will come into effect as soon as possible following parliamentary approval, subject to secondary legislation and the publication of guidance.

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    #introduces #bill #crack #Big #Tech #abusing #market #power

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Tucker Carlson to Bill O’Reilly: A roundup of Fox News’ fallen star anchors

    Tucker Carlson to Bill O’Reilly: A roundup of Fox News’ fallen star anchors

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    Glenn Beck

    Glenn Beck left his daily show on Fox News in 2011 after a little more than two years as a host. Beck’s show premiered the day after President Barack Obama’s inauguration, and — like Carlson’s — its run was marked by the host’s high ratings, controversial commentary and conspiracy theories. One of Beck’s more infamous moments was when he said that Obama had “a deep-seated hatred of white people.” Unlike Carlson, Beck’s departure was highly anticipated after the relationship between Beck’s company, Mercury Radio Arts, and Fox News grew increasingly tense leading up to the announcement.

    Bill O’Reilly

    Once the star of Fox News’ prime-time lineup, O’Reilly was forced out in 2017 after more than two decades with the network following allegations of sexual harassment that led advertisers to abandon his show. A New York Times report revealed that O’Reilly and Fox News had settled several sexual harassment claims, paying a combined $13 million to women who said O’Reilly had harassed them. Though O’Reilly denied the claims, Carlson took over his 8 p.m. slot after advertisers began boycotting the show.

    Roger Ailes

    Former Chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel Roger Ailes stepped aside in 2016 in the wake of a high-profile sexual harassment suit by a former Fox News anchor, Gretchen Carlson. Other female employees came forward following Carlson’s suit, leading Fox News to hire an outside law firm to investigate the claims. Ailes, who denied the allegations, stepped aside before that investigation was complete, leaving the network with a $40 million payout. Ailes founded the channel in 1996 with funding from Rupert Murdoch. He died in 2017 at the age of 77.

    Ed Henry

    Ed Henry, once Fox News’ chief White House correspondent and later a co-anchor of the weekday news program “America’s Newsroom, was fired in 2020 after allegations of “willful sexual misconduct” leveled by another Fox News employee.

    Eric Bolling

    In 2017, Fox News host and contributor Eric Bolling departed the network “amicably,” while he was under investigation for sexual harassment. Bolling, who hosted a short-lived afternoon talk show, “The Specialists,” was suspended from the network following a report by The Huffington Post that he had in previous years sent unsolicited lewd photos to two co-workers. Bolling denied the allegations, and sued the reporter who broke the story for defamation.

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    #Tucker #Carlson #Bill #OReilly #roundup #Fox #News #fallen #star #anchors
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • ‘We will pass it’: McCarthy whipping debt limit bill

    ‘We will pass it’: McCarthy whipping debt limit bill

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    Still, the speaker can only lose four Republicans and still pass his debt limit legislation. Most House Republicans are on board, but McCarthy’s leadership team remains short of the 218 votes it needs for passage. Conversations continued over the weekend to try and bring stragglers into the “yes” camp.

    Even if McCarthy is able to push his debt limit bill to House approval, the legislation is dead-on-arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Instead, the GOP debt bill is effectively a messaging tool for Republicans in their push for talks with President Joe Biden, who has thus far insisted on a no-strings-attached increase of the debt limit.

    The Treasury Department has already been using “extraordinary measures” for months to hold off a default while an unclear “X-date” looms. But there could be more clarity soon: The Congressional Budget office and the Bipartisan Policy Center are planning to release updated projections the second week of May.

    Agitation for changes to the legislation began almost as soon as the bill text was released last week, including a higher bar for work requirements for Medicaid and food assistance programs and a sooner start date. As written, the measure would require Medicaid recipients to work 80 hours per month, or 20 hours per week.

    “Work Requirements in the House debt limit bill must begin in 2024, not 2025 (as is currently drafted). The reason we demanded 72 hours to review legislation is so we could identify and fix issues with specifics precisely like this. Let’s Get to Work!” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wrote on Twitter over the weekend.

    Gaetz was in a meeting last Thursday with McCarthy’s leadership team, Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and leaders of different factions of the conference, discussing both work requirements and the general temperature across the conference.

    The elimination of certain tax credits, from ethanol to biofuels, is another source of stress for some members, but confidence that those wouldn’t survive any White House deal has dialed down the concerns.

    Other bill components include the claw-back of upsent pandemic funds and IRS funding for customer service and finding tax cheats, a cap on spending to levels from fiscal year 2022, a roll back energy tax credits from Inflation Reduction Act and tighter work requirements for recipients of food stamps and Medicaid benefits. As written, it would raise the debt limit through March of 2024 or until the debt grows to $32.9 trillion, whichever comes first.

    The House Rules Committee takes up the bill Tuesday afternoon, a precursor to a floor vote. Should McCarthy need more time to whip votes, the House, which does not return from its weekend recess until Tuesday, is scheduled to be in on Friday.

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    #pass #McCarthy #whipping #debt #limit #bill
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • FICCI Bill Delay Caused Vendor Payment Delay At Dubai Expo: Official

    FICCI Bill Delay Caused Vendor Payment Delay At Dubai Expo: Official

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    SRINAGAR: After artists cried foul over their payments, official sources said that the delay in making payments to the vendors was due to delay in the submission of bills by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), which managed the Dubai Expo 2020 event, officials said on Thursday.

    Dubai Expo 2020, which took place in January 2022, was managed by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), as per a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the Department of Commerce (DoC) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. FICCI was tasked with hiring suppliers, service providers, and keeping a tally of expenses for the event, which hosted numerous activities. However, there was a delay in bill submission by FICCI, and the changing of the guard at the Jammu & Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO) led to a further delay in payments to vendors, according to officials.

    Despite the delay in payments, officials stated that the agreed-upon performance fees were paid to the artists involved in the cultural troupe, in line with rates provided by the Cultural Academy, J&K. Approximately Rs. 17 Lacs were spent on the boarding and lodging of the 11 artists who participated, the officials added.

    The Dubai Expo 2020 event aimed to bring together a global community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and cultural enthusiasts to exchange insights and help inspire creative solutions to pressing challenges. Over the span of six months, the event featured numerous pavilions, exhibits, and program offerings. The expo was held under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. Despite the delay in payments to vendors, the event is considered a significant showcase for the UAE, a country that has positioned itself as a major hub for innovation and commerce in the region.

    Earlier, the artists association held a press conference in Srinagar in which they accused a top J&K administration official of “fraud” by withholding their payment for their performance in the event.

    Addressing a press conference, Kashmiri singer and JK Artists Association convenor Mehmeet Syed charged the current Handloom and Handicraft Department Director and former Department of Industries and Commerce director, Mehmood Shah of committing “fraud” and demanded an inquiry against him.

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    #FICCI #Bill #Delay #Caused #Vendor #Payment #Delay #Dubai #Expo #Official

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton, SRK, Virat Kohli lose Twitter Blue ticks

    Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton, SRK, Virat Kohli lose Twitter Blue ticks

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    New DelhI : Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton, Shah Rukh Khan, Virat Kohli, Priyana Chopra Jonas are some of the popular names among the more than 4 lakh users who on Friday lost their Twitter Blue ticks, even as CEO Elon Musk removed all legacy verified accounts.

    This comes months after Musk announced the date to press users to sign up for Twitter Blue, its paid subscription service.

    In India, one has to shell out Rs 900 a month (or Rs 9,400 a year) to get Blue Verified status.

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    Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, and billionaire George Soros are some popular names in the US who lost the legacy Blue ticks.

    Other big names included the Pope, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey.

    In India, several Bollywood celebrities like Alia Bhatt and Amitabh Bhachan; and cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma lost the blue ticks.

    The list also includes several politicians like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

    Musk has also offered complimentary Twitter Blue subscriptions to some celebrities to retain the blue ticks.

    “I am paying for a few personally,” said Musk. “Just William Shatner, LeBron James and Stephen King,” he added.

    The blue tick marks were introduced in 2009 to help users identify genuine accounts of celebrities, politicians, companies, news organisations. Twitter did not charge users for verification.

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    #Bill #Gates #Hillary #Clinton #SRK #Virat #Kohli #lose #Twitter #Blue #ticks

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • House Republicans pass bill restricting transgender athletes from women’s sports

    House Republicans pass bill restricting transgender athletes from women’s sports

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    image

    During debate over the bill on Wednesday, several GOP lawmakers argued the bill was necessary because of the Biden administration’s new Title IX rule on athletics eligibility that would allow transgender girls to play sports with some limitations. Democrats pushed back by invoking Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in their defense of transgender women and girls. Cox, a Republican, vetoed a similar sports ban in the state and acknowledged several challenges transgender students face.

    The bill has no chance of becoming law as it is likely to stall in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and President Joe Biden has already announced that he would veto the bill if it were to reach his desk.

    Several lawmakers did not vote on the bill, including 10 Democrats and 3 Republicans.

    Amendments: Lawmakers passed by voice vote an amendment from Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) that would clarify that the term “athletic programs and activities” in the bill includes any activities where you have to participate on a team.

    Additionally, Republicans shored up enough votes to add an amendment from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that would direct the Government Accountability Office to lead a study on “the adverse psychological, developmental, participatory and sociological results to girls” from allowing transgender girls to play sports. GAO would also investigate “hostile environment creation, sexual assault and sexual harassment” from a decision to allow transgender students to play on girls sports teams.

    “Republicans are following the science,” Mace said on the floor. “We are not confused about the differences between biological men and biological women. And as a woman who is pro LGBTQ, I don’t care how you dress, I don’t care what pronoun you take, I don’t care if you change your gender, but we ought to protect biological women and girls and their athletics and their achievements.”

    Reaction: Several Democratic and civil rights groups supporting transgender students slammed the bill’s passage as a political attack under the guise of protecting women’s sports.

    “We will not let anti-LGBTQI+ Republicans — who have refused to work with us on addressing real gender equity issues— use ‘protecting women’ as an excuse to attack trans youth,” said Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Lois Frankel in a statement. “When my Republican colleagues want to join with us to address the actual pressing issues impacting girls’ and women’s sports, I stand ready to work with them.”

    The Human Rights Campaign said 40 athletes, including Megan Rapinoe, CeCe Telfer and Chris Mosier, signed a letter this month that rebuked a federal anti-transgender sports ban. HRC President Kelley Robinson in a statement said because the bill has no chance of becoming law, “this is purely a waste of time at the expense of an already marginalized population.”

    “Rather than focus their energy on doing literally anything to improve the lives of children, House Republicans have prioritized attacking transgender youth purely as a political ploy,” Robinson said.

    Conservative groups and cisgender women athletes they represent lauded the bill’s passage saying it reaffirms the promise of equal opportunity for women in Title IX.

    “I want to ensure no other girl experiences the emotional pain and lost opportunities I experienced in high school,” said Selina Soule, a former high school track and field athlete whose challenge against a Connecticut policy on transgender athletes will be heard by the full 2nd Circuit, in a statement. “There are clear biological differences between men and women and I experienced that firsthand, which is why I’m very grateful for the U.S. House passing this bill.”

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    #House #Republicans #pass #bill #restricting #transgender #athletes #womens #sports
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Pak Prez returns bill seeking to curb powers of CJ without assent for second time

    Pak Prez returns bill seeking to curb powers of CJ without assent for second time

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    Islamabad: Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Wednesday returned a bill seeking to curb the powers of the chief justice of the Supreme Court to parliament for a second time, saying that the matter was now subjudice.

    “The matter of competency of legislation and validity of the bill is subjudice now before the highest judicial forum of the country. In deference to the same, thereto no further action is desirable,” the President was quoted as saying in his reply by the Dawn newspaper.

    The bill, titled the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, is aimed at depriving the office of the CJP of powers to take suo motu notice in an individual capacity and form a panel of judges for hearing of cases.

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    It was initially passed by both houses of parliament and sent to the president for his assent. However, the president sent it back, saying that the proposed law travelled “beyond the competence of parliament”.

    The bill was, however, passed again by a joint sitting of parliament with certain amendments on April 10 and sent to the president.

    But three days after the passing of the bill by the joint parliament session, an eight-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), including CJP Umar Ata Bandial, issued an order that bars the government from implementing the bill after it becomes a law.

    The bench observed that prima facie the proposed law infringed the powers of the apex court to frame its own rules and it merits a hearing by the court.

    The court in its order after hearing stated that any intrusion in its practice and the procedure, even on the most tentative of assessments, would appear to be “inimical to the independence of the judiciary, no matter how innocuous, benign or even desirable the regulation may facially appear to be”.

    “It is therefore hereby directed and ordered as follows. The moment that the bill receives the assent of the president or (as the case may be) it is deemed that such assent has been given, then from that very moment onwards and till further orders, the act that comes into being shall not have, take or be given any effect nor be acted upon in any manner,” the court stated.

    The parliament passed a resolution calling for the dissolution of the eight-judge larger bench. The resolution tabled by the Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Agha Rafiullah was approved by a majority vote.

    Pakistan is witnessing a rift between the judiciary and the government after a three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Bandial fixed May 14 as the date for elections to the Punjab Assembly and quashed the Election Commission’s decision to extend the date of the poll from April 10 to October 8.

    The bill states that every cause, matter, or appeal before the apex court would be heard and disposed of by a bench constituted by a committee comprising the chief justice and the two senior-most judges. It added that the decisions of the committee would be taken by a majority.

    On exercising the apex court’s original jurisdiction, called suo motu powers, the bill said that any matter invoking the use of Article 184(3) would first be placed before the committee.

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    #Pak #Prez #returns #bill #seeking #curb #powers #assent #time

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • No ELEC reports, late rent and an unpaid steakhouse bill: Financial woes lead to Somerset GOP tumult

    No ELEC reports, late rent and an unpaid steakhouse bill: Financial woes lead to Somerset GOP tumult

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    The bill was eventually paid, according to Somerset GOP Chair Tim Howes and former Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman, who said he interceded to get it done. But the episode shows just how far the party has fallen.

    As recently as 2017, Republicans completely controlled the wealthy suburban county, where they had dominated for decades. The county produced Republican Gov. Christie Whitman and even the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2021, Jack Ciattarelli. They also had one of the strongest fundraising operations in the state.

    Now, Somerset County Republicans hold no county-wide offices and there isn’t a single Republican from Somerset County in the Legislature.

    The party’s financial woes didn’t end with the steakhouse bill. They were months late on rent for their Somerville headquarters and, most alarming to Howes’ critics, the party hasn’t filed a legally-required campaign finance disclosure with the Election Law Enforcement Commission since January 2021, when it reported just shy of $12,000 in the bank.

    The lack of disclosure risks major fines for the cash-strapped committee. And some party officials say there’s even less of an excuse for that under the leadership of Howes, an election attorney.

    A group of Somerset Republicans including Bateman is now attempting to get Howes to resign and, failing that, to get a detailed accounting of the party’s finances. But Howes, who was easily reelected chair in 2022, plans to stay in office until his term is up in 2024, leaving his critics to see if there’s a way to force him out.

    “My interest is just making the Republican Party relevant again in Somerset. It hasn’t been for a lot of reasons. You can’t blame the chairman for everything, but we haven’t won an election in years,” Bateman said in a phone interview with POLITICO.

    On April 4, almost two dozen current and former party officials, as well as several former elected officials from the county — including Bateman and former Gov. Donald DiFrancesco — outlined their complaints in a letter to Howes calling for his immediate resignation.

    “Your failure to comply with the mandatory legal requirements set forth by ELEC, as well as your utter lack of transparency and your denial surrounding this failure, are indisputable and indefensible,” reads the letter, which accuses Howes of “financial malfeasance and deception.”

    The letter claims that the party’s fundraising has dropped to “historic lows,” that it’s six months behind in rent payments for its Somerville headquarters, and notes that all eight countywide Republican candidates during his tenure have lost “by record margins.”

    “If you refuse [to resign], we will call a special meeting of the SCRO to remove you from office,” they wrote.

    Years of decline beginning with Trump election

    Howes, who took on the chairmanship in 2020, can’t be blamed for the drastic political shift in Somerset county. Republican losses there started before Howes took the reins, with the GOP going from holding every county-wide office in 2017 to none by 2021.

    “I came in the sixth inning. I was the middle relief pitcher,” Howes said in a phone interview.

    Howes said party officials had a “difference of opinion” with Char Steakhouse on how many people attended the holiday party and that “once we settled that, I dropped off the check.”

    Howes also said that the party’s rent has since been paid and that he’s “working on perfecting” the overdue ELEC reports now that he has a new treasurer in place, but declined to say why the party has gone two years without filing them.

    “As far as an explanation, I’m not there yet,” Howes said. “As far as what happened, we’ll get to that. At some point we’re going to hold a meeting so that everybody’s questions can be answered. I think the committee’s questions need to be answered before they read it on the internet.”

    The effort to oust Howes was first reported by New Jersey Globe.

    The Somerset County Republican Party’s downfall coincided with the presidency of Donald Trump, whose gains for Republicans in formerly competitive blue collar areas were offset by stunning losses in middle-class and wealthy suburban counties like Somerset, and whose continued presence on the political stage has allowed Democrats to cement their control.

    “Can he just go away?” Bateman said. “He’s the gift that keeps on giving for Democrats, unfortunately.”

    But Howes’ critics within the GOP don’t believe the party will be in position to stage a comeback under his leadership. The party’s former treasurer, Robert Damiano, resigned on March 30 over the filings with ELEC, according to a letter he sent to Howes.

    “You and I have had conversations regarding the accuracy of the records that I need to file correct ELEC reports. Each time, I was told that I would get all the information that we needed. However, that never happened,” Damiano wrote.

    Howes did not explicitly blame Damiano, but said “we got back control of our records from the former treasurer.”

    “At this point, I took the steps within 24 hours of accepting his resignation of getting a new treasurer with a good reputation, very ethical, hard working and we’ve begun the process of going back to making sure everything was filed.”

    Damiano declined to comment.

    Howes isn’t up for reelection as chair until 2024, and he says there’s no mechanism to remove him. His critics acknowledge it’s not in the party bylaws, but believe that state laws provide a way to remove him.

    Howes said that under his leadership Somerset County Republicans have gained 14 seats at the municipal level and noted that they have performed better in off-year elections, when federal candidates aren’t on the ballot.

    “It’s not your mother’s Somerset County. In a D+10 county we still outperformed both by way of margin and by percentage the deficit,” Howes said. “I’m here to win county races. I didn’t come here to be the nice guy that runs good campaigns but we still don’t win. We came very close in 2021 — very close. We intend to win this year and we’ve been moving forward despite this distraction.”

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )