After backlash, Rep. Porter regrets calling California primary ‘rigged’
Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., expressed regret for calling the recent California Senate primary “rigged” after losing to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Republican Steve Garvey, a former professional baseball player, according to The Hill. Porter’s initial comments after her primary loss reportedly sparked backlash and criticism within her own party.
In early March, Porter wrote on X that she faced an “onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election.” Her remarks drew comparisons to former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about election integrity.
Trump has repeatedly called the 2020 presidential election “rigged” and alleged fraud. The GOP front-runner has also positioned himself as an “anti-establishment” candidate.
Porter said in a post on X that her supporters had the “establishment running scared.”
Thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and voted to shake up the status quo in Washington. Because of you, we had the establishment running scared — withstanding 3 to 1 in TV spending and an onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election. (1/)
In an interview on the “Pod Save America” podcast, Porter clarified that she did not intend to impugn state election officials but rather highlight the influence of big money in politics. She admitted that using the term “rigged” was a mistake and emphasized the role of money in influencing elections.
While some experts acknowledge the impact of big money in politics, they caution against equating it with election rigging.
The California Senate primary employs a top-two system. Schiff’s campaign utilized TV ads to contrast him with Garvey, aiming to secure an easier path to the general election by matching him up with a Republican.
Congress consistently works 3 to 4 days a week in Washington
Members of Congress consistently work three to four days a week in Washington, D.C., and fly back and forth to their home states on taxpayer dime. On Thursday mornings, there is usually a line of over 100 cars in front of the Capitol, a telltale sign that the exodus from Washington is about to begin.
As an example, here’s the House schedule for the week of Dec. 11:
Monday, Dec. 11 – The House met at 2 p.m. for legislative business and votes were postponed until 6:30 p.m. That gives everyone a chance to use their Monday to fly into Washington and not arrive until the real business starts at 6:30.
Once they take that vote, representatives usually leave for their Washington residence.
Thursday, Dec. 14 – The House convened at 9 a.m. and had its first and last votes at 10:05 a.m. That was the end of Congress members’ week.
The Senate wasn’t around much longer. Its final vote of the week began at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14. Members didn’t reconvene until Monday, Dec. 18, with their first vote at 5:30 p.m.
The #Senate will convene at 3pm on Monday, December 18th. At 5:30pm, the Senate will vote on confirmation of Martin O'Malley to be Commissioner of Social Security for the remainder of the term expiring January 19, 2025.
This is how Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., outlined the schedule for Straight Arrow News.
“So fly in, fly out days, you know because we’re only here, call it maybe 10 days, 10 nights a month, 11 nights a month,” Moskowitz said. “You know, we’re running around, we don’t all serve on the same committees. Some people are giving speeches on the floor, the floor’s empty, no one’s here when they’re doing that.”
Straight Arrow News asked lawmakers if they think they should stay in Washington longer.
“I do,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said. “America does, we should. I say we got a project, let’s stay until we get it finished.”
“I think we should stay until the job’s done,” Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said. “But you can’t stay here indefinitely and you can see that tempers flare and then you get less done. So there’s a balance out there.”
Tempers can certainly flare. One example was when Republicans left for the weekend after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted as speaker and they still had not chosen a nominee to replace him.
Some lawmakers contend that consistently leaving has a negative effect on bipartisanship.
It inhibits our ability to make relationships across the aisle because we don’t get to spend enough time up here getting to know people
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.
“It inhibits our ability to make relationships across the aisle because we don’t get to spend enough time up here getting to know people,” Moskowitz explained.
There are approximately 37 working moms in Congress, including Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who flies back and forth from California to take care of her kids.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., can often be seen walking the halls with her baby.
“So I actually bring my son back and forth with me,” Luna told Straight Arrow News. “But I think that it’s really important that members do spend more time back home actually working for their constituents. [Because] you can get caught up here, but guess what, we don’t represent Washington, we represent our district. So more time back home.”
Members often still work on the road. They read bills and meet directly with constituents to learn about their need from the government.
Most members say they should stay in Washington longer. So why don’t they?
“I don’t know the exact fix, but what I do know is that we are not spending enough time as a body together to figure out who we all are and figure out how we can work together,” Moskowitz said.
“Getting everybody to agree on that is the key because as you can see, this is like herding cats,” McCormick said.
The money to pay for all these trips comes out of the member’s representational allowance, which is used to pay for travel, staff, equipment and other official expenses. The allowance ranges from over $1.84 million to nearly $2.09 million, with an average of about $1,928,100, depending on how far away the member lives from Washington.
Here’s what it would take to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D, is struggling to recover from shingles. She expected to be back at the end of March, but she has had continued complications.
Feinstein asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to appoint a replacement for her on the Judiciary Committee while she’s away, but there are calls for her to step down entirely.
Those calling for her to resign include Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna, Calif, and Dean Phillips, Minn.
“While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties,” Khanna tweeted.
“But I believe it’s now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet,” Phillips added.
Although calls for Feinstein’s resignation were criticized by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way,” Pelosi told reporters.
But if it came to it, how would Feinstein be replaced?
First, she would have to resign. But she said in a statement, “I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San Francisco.”
If she did leave office prematurely, Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif, would appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of her term. California voters would then choose a replacement during the November 2024 election.
Every vote counts in a closely divided Senate that has 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans. As Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin told reporters, Feinstein’s absence does impact their ability to confirm President Biden’s judicial nominees. The absence of Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., makes confirming federal judges even harder. Fetterman is recovering from clinical depression.
Senate Democratic leaders admit, when their colleagues are away because of an illness or any other reason, it’s more difficult to get work done.
Regardless of whether Feinstein resigns, California will choose her replacement in the 2024 election. She already announced she is retiring and candidates to replace her include Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.
Silicon Valley Bank collapse spurs calls for changes by Congress
In the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, members of Congress want to make changes to the U.S. banking system. The proposals include protecting consumers from added fees and clawing back executives’ bonuses.
The Secure Viable Banking Act
First, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., want to reinstate stricter oversight. In 2018, Congress passed a bipartisan bill which increased the threshold for certain protections like stress tests from banks with $50 billion in assets to $250 billion. The SVB Act would repeal those deregulations.
“On the eve of the Senate vote in 2018, I warned – from right here on the Senate floor – that ‘Washington is about to make it easier for the banks to run up risk, make it easier to put our constituents at risk, make it easier to put American families in danger, just so that the CEOs of these banks can get a new corporate jet and add another floor to their new corporate headquarters.’ I wish I had been wrong,” Sen. Warren said.
But Republicans and even moderate Democrats aren’t willing to support this proposal.
“I think that’s a bit of a knee jerk reaction. I don’t support it. Again, liquidity is the issue here and not, you know, whether it’s capital requirements, clearly that wasn’t the problem here,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said.
Passing fees to consumers
To make all Silicon Valley Bank depositors whole, the Biden Administration is imposing what’s called a special assessment on banks. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., contends that’s a fancy way of saying fees. So he’s bringing a bill forward to stop banks from passing government-imposed fees on to consumers.
“If a Missouri community bank failed, I promise you what the line would be from all the D.C. lobbyists is, ‘Oh, that’s just business. You know, that’s creative destruction. That’s the market.’ But when it is a Silicon Valley Bank full of tech billionaires who are uber politically connected, oh, no, then it’s systemic risk, then it’s a contagion,” Sen. Hawley, said.
Executive accountability
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is introducing legislation that would take back bonuses paid to executives just ahead of a collapse. SVB employees received pre-scheduled bonuses the day before the FDIC takeover. A couple weeks ago, the CEO and CFO collectively sold about $4 million in stock.
“They were self dealing, paying themselves bonuses. Those bonuses and all self dealing in stock transactions that benefit top management when banks are taken over ought to be clawed back,” Sen. Blumenthal said.
The Justice Department is beginning a new program to claw back bonuses and compensation of failed corporate leaders. While it officially begins today, it’s not clear if SVB executives will be impacted.
Morning rundown: New EV charging initiatives; MSU victims identified
The Biden administration is moving the needle forward in the push to go electric; Scotland’s first minister announces her surprise resignation; new details emerge about the shooting at Michigan State; and Americans are polled on how they feel about national news. These stories and more highlight the daily rundown for Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.
New EV charging station requirements
The Biden administration wants to see at least half a million electric vehicle chargers on U.S. roads by 2030. To make that happen, the White House is announcing a slate of initiatives that would reward charging networks with federal funding.
Tesla has already jumped on board, vowing to open up 7,500 Tesla charging stations to non-tesla EV’s by the end of 2024. Previously the company’s chargers were mostly only compatible with Tesla electric cars.
New Twitter CEO by end of 2023
In other Elon Musk news, according to the Twitter CEO, he believes a new CEO could be appointed to the position sometime by the end of this year. He said he is making sure the company is in a financially sound place before handing over the reigns.
Scotland’s first minister resigns
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation Wednesday morning after more than eight years in the country’s highest position. She is the longest serving First Minister in Scotland’s history. The Scottish government held a press conference this morning to deliver the news.
“Part of serving well would be to know almost instinctively, when the time is right to make way for someone else. And when that time came to have the courage to do so, even if there are too many across the country and in my party, it might feel too soon. In my head and in my heart, I know that time is now,” Sturgeon said.
Sturgeon’s administration has faced recent criticism over its gender legislation reforms. But in her address this morning, Sturgeon says her resignation is not a reaction to short-term pressures.
Michigan State victims were students
New details in the Michigan State shooting from Monday night. The three victims were all students at the university. Five other students were critically wounded. The victims ranged from a fraternity leader, a student aspiring to be a doctor, and a high school star-athlete. Alexandria Verner, Brian Fraser, and Arielle Anderson died in the school shooting.
Police say they are still investigating for a motive in the case. But they say the shooter had a note in his pocket that indicated a threat to two New Jersey public schools.
A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday night at the Michigan State University’s campus in honor of the victims.
NMSU men’s basketball coach fired
New Mexico State University men’s basketball coach has been fired, just one day after the remainder of their season was abruptly canceled due to hazing allegations involving players on the team. The chancellor released a statement, saying the university is fully investigating the serious allegations and will hold people accountable.
According to a campus police report, three players are accused of harassment and criminal sexual contact. Including sexual touching teammates in the locker room and on road trips on multiple occasions.
Dianne Feinstein not seeking reelection
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announced she will retire at the end of her current term.
The 89-year-old Feinstein is the oldest sitting U.S. senator and the longest-serving senator from California. Her departure signals the start of a competitive race for Democrats wanting to fill the Senate seat. Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter had already launched campaigns ahead of Feinstein’s announcement.
Half of Americans distrust national news
A new Gallup poll, released this morning, details Americans’ distrust in national news organizations. According to the survey, half of Americans indicate they believe national news has the intention of misleading and misinforming the masses. All to persuade the public to adopt a particular point of view through their reporting.
Only a quarter of Americans believe journalists have good intentions and serve the public’s best interest.
It’s findings like these that solidify our mission here at Straight Arrow News. A news organization founded on the principles of delivering unbiased straight facts.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is retiring after 30 years in office
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is retiring after more than 30 years in office. The 89-year-old will finish out her term that expires in 2024 and not seek reelection.
In a statement, Feinstein said she still has more to accomplish in her final two years.
“I campaigned in 2018 on several priorities for California and the nation: preventing and combating wildfires, mitigating the effects of record-setting drought, responding to the homelessness crisis, and ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health care,” Feinstein said.
Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised Feinstein for her bipartisan work on many issues, including the 1994 assault weapons ban and women’s rights.
“She’s a legend. A legend in California as the first woman senator. A legend in the senate. She was the leader on so many different issues,” Schumer said.
“For the past 30 years, California and our country has been magnificently served by the leadership of Senator Feinstein: from our national security and personal safety, to the health of our people and our planet, to the strength of our democracy,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said of her California colleague.
It was widely anticipated that Sen. Feinstein would retire. There have been multiple reports questioning the state of her mental health. Before she announced her retirement, two Democratic members of the House of Representatives announced their candidacy for her seat: Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. Both of them represent districts in the Los Angeles area. Even more are expected to jump in the race now that Feinstein has officially announced her decision.
California Rep. Katie Porter announces run for Feinstein’s Senate seat
California Rep. Katie Porter, D, is running for Senate. Porter said she’s announcing her candidacy because California needs a warrior in Washington.
“The threat from so-called leaders like Mitch McConnell has too often made the United States Senate the place where rights get revoked, special interests get rewarded, and our democracy gets rigged,” Porter said in her announcement video.
There’s a catch. Porter is running for the seat currently held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who has yet to announce her plans for 2024. At 89, Feinstein is the oldest member of the chamber and she’s held her position for 30 years.
In December, Feinstein addressed speculation about her future by saying she plans to serve the remainder of her term that ends in 2024 and will make a decision about re-election by spring.
Regardless of whether Porter faces Feinstein or someone else in the primary, she’s got a big head start in fundraising. According to FEC filings, Porter had more than $7 million leftover after November’s midterms and is asking supporters for more money in her announcement. She raised a total of $25 million for her 2022 reelection campaign. She pledged to not take any money from PACs or special interest groups and promised to fund her campaign with grassroots support.
Regardless of whether Porter faces Feinstein or someone else in the primary, she’s got a big head start in fundraising. According to FEC filings, Porter had more than $7 million leftover after November’s midterms and is asking supporters for more money in her announcement. She raised a total of $25 million for her 2022 reelection campaign. She pledged to not take any money from PACs or special interest groups and promised to fund her ca
Porter has gained nationwide traction with viral committee hearing moments in which she asked direct questions to witnesses, including her questioning of big bank CEOs. She’s a member of the Oversight and Reform Committee and Natural Resources Committee.
Normally, it’s proper etiquette in Washington to allow a senior member like Feinstein to make an announcement before jumping into the race. But Katie Porter is known for doing things differently, and just read a book on the subtle art of not giving a care in the world.
