Congress
Rand Paul gets behind a judicial nominee he previously blocked
GOP Sen. Rand Paul is throwing his support behind a home-state judicial pick that he stalled three years ago as part of a feud with his fellow Kentuckian Mitch McConnell.
Trump said this week he will nominate Chad Meredith to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Paul’s office said the libertarian-leaning GOP senator is giving his blessing this time around.
“Dr. Paul gladly recommended Chad Meredith to the White House alongside Sen. McConnell. He appreciates President Trump nominating Chad and looks forward to voting for him in the Senate,” his office said in response to a question about whether he would return his “blue slip” — that is, give the assent that has traditionally been required from home-state senators for trial-judge nominees.
It’s a U-turn from 2022 when then-President Joe Biden intended to nominate Meredith for a federal judgeship but pulled the plan after Paul indicated that he wouldn’t give his support.
Had Paul had continued to oppose Meredith’s nomination, it would have been the latest breach with his party and the White House — he’s currently deeply at odds over the GOP megabill. But Paul’s position in 2022 wasn’t, he emphasized at the time, based on opposition to Meredith but on his belief that McConnell, who was then the minority leader, had effectively cut him out of the nominating process.
Paul said at the time he learned of Meredith’s nomination through an FBI background check and that “McConnell’s to blame for tanking this because he tried to do it secretly.” McConnell told The New York Times that Paul’s position was “utterly pointless.”
Congress
Muslim Democrats ask leaders to denounce Islamophobic attacks on Zohran Mamdani
All four Muslim Democratic House members are denouncing “racist smears” against Zohran Mamdani from lawmakers in both parties since his New York City mayoral primary win, according to a statement provided first to Blue Light News.
“The vile, anti-Muslim and racist smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence. These hateful, Islamophobic, and racist tropes have become so entrenched and normalized in our politics,” said Reps. Andre Carson of Indiana, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Lateefah Simon of California in a statement.
The lawmakers said that “at a time when we are facing increased violence against elected officials, we cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue” and asked for elected leaders to speak out on them.
Mamdani, who would become New York’s first Muslim mayor, has faced attacks from GOP lawmakers after his primary win this week. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) tied him to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) called for him to be deported, among others. The left was also concerned about since-clarified comments from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) about Mamdani’s rhetoric about Israel.
Critics of the democratic socialist have called some of his comments about Israel, including his defense of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” antisemitic, which he’s denied.
The Muslim lawmakers have sought a more forceful pushback from their leaders to the GOP attacks and have privately approached Democratic leadership about doing so. Speaker Mike Johnson didn’t answer a question from a reporter Friday asking him to respond to the remarks from Mace, Ogles and others.
Congress
Megabill delay ‘possible,’ Johnson says
Speaker Mike Johnson opened the door Friday to a possible megabill delay past the GOP’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.
“It’s possible … but I don’t want to even accept that as an option right now,” he told reporters as Republicans scramble to cut a series of deals with holdout members. Johnson said he had spoken with his Senate counterpart, Majority Leader John Thune, in the “last 20 minutes.”
Already time is running tight for Republicans. With the Senate not expected to start debating the bill until Saturday at the earliest, the House might not get the bill until Sunday. Johnson confirmed he plans to observe a House rule giving members at least 72 hours to review the bill before floor consideration begins.
“The House will not be jammed by anything,” he added.
Congress
Mike Johnson hails ‘progress’ toward SALT deal
The White House is close to clinching an agreement on the state and local tax deduction after a last-ditch flurry of negotiations with blue-state House GOP holdouts and Senate Republicans, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the talks.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is brokering the politically complex deal that is key to unlocking the GOP megabill, will attend Senate Republicans lunch later today, according to a another person with direct knowledge of the matter.
Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Friday morning that there was “a lot of progress yesterday” at an evening meeting of SALT Republicans and Treasury officials and that he expected the issue to get “resolved in a manner that everybody can live with.”
“No one will be delighted about it, but that’s kind of the way this works around here,” he said. “But the other issues [with the megabill], I think, will be resolved, hopefully today, and we can move forward.”
However, one hard-line SALT holdout, New York Rep. Nick LaLota, said: “If there was a deal, I’m not a part of it.”
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
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