Congress

Meet the new members: Capitol Hill’s new progressive OB-GYN

Published

2 years ago

November 22, 2024

The new member: Rep.-elect Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.)

How they got here: Morrison defeated her Republican opponent, Tad Jude, by 17 points in a suburban district that used to be solidly GOP but has favored Democrats in recent years. She’ll be replacing Rep. Dean Phillips, who is retiring after serving two terms in the House and mounting a primary challenge to Joe Biden last year.

Key issues: In the statehouse, under Gov. Tim Walz, Morrison helped write and pass bills shoring up the state’s protections for abortion patients and providers, laws that have made the state a destination for people from across the South and Midwest seeking to terminate a pregnancy.

She had hoped to do the same at the federal level. But now that Republicans have won a trifecta, she hopes to instead find common ground on policies like support for new parents and veterans, and plans to join fellow moderates in the New Democratic Coalition.

“My husband is a former Army Ranger and a combat veteran, and comes from a long tradition of military service, so veterans’ issues are near and dear to my heart and I’d be very interested in working to make sure that the people who have served us are getting the benefits that they need and deserve,” she said.

Background: Morrison, a sixth-generation Minnesotan raised by Republican parents, ran for the state Legislature in 2018 after practicing as an OB-GYN for about 20 years — motivated by Donald Trump’s win and his appointment of Supreme Court justices who later overturned Roe v. Wade.

“Those of us in the OB-GYN community knew what his presidency could mean,” she said. “We knew that was coming even before the leaked opinion.”

Campaign ads that caught our eye: Morrison put her medical credentials and pro-abortion-rights stance front and center, saying over footage of Republican male lawmakers that Congress “could really use an OB-GYN who will protect reproductive rights.” But she also stressed her moderate views and interest in compromise, pledging to “work with both parties” on issues from drug costs to public safety.

Fun fact: Until now, the ranks of OB-GYNs in Congress have been solely populated by conservative Republican men, including Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and retiring Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas). Morrison argues the field has undergone a sea change in recent decades, becoming more progressive and diverse, and she hopes that is reflected on Blue Light News.

“Particularly at this moment in history, when we’re facing a Supreme Court hostile to women’s health, we need to have voices in Congress who have actually taken care of patients,” she said. “I think that we can provide important voices in helping to educate our colleagues and the American public.”

We’re spotlighting new members during the transition. Want more? Meet Reps.-elect Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and George Latimer (D-N.Y.).

Congress

Nvidia’s Huang heads to Capitol Hill for AI talks

Published

1 minute ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will meet with lawmakers in Washington to discuss American leadership on artificial intelligence, the company said Monday.

A spokesperson for the chipmaker said Huang would hold talks with both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to talk about latest developments with the technology.

“Jensen is in DC to meet with leaders on both sides of the aisle to discuss American leadership in AI, including leading in open source,” the spokesperson said.

Huang is scheduled to sit down Tuesday with Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who has expressed serious concern about security threats following last week’s OpenAI autonomous cyberattack.

The senator’s office confirmed the meeting. Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It comes as Huang defended open-source AI on X, writing that such models “strengthen safety and cybersecurity, accelerate innovation and diffusion, and enable sovereignty.”

Huang’s visit comes as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also expected to meet with Warner, although a spokesperson for the senator said the talks were separate. Earlier Monday, Open AI announced it was in talks with Nvidia, a technology company that makes chips to use artificial intelligence, for a data center project.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Congress

Texas Republican is under House Ethics investigation

Published

1 hour ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The House Ethics Committee said in a statement Monday it is investigating Rep. Lance Gooden, a four-term Texas Republican.

It’s unclear what the committee is probing, but the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent investigative branch of the House, sent over findings regarding Gooden to the committee June 10.

The Ethics panel plans to release an update on its investigation by Nov. 9. Committee representatives declined to comment beyond the statement.

In 2021, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint asking for an investigation into Gooden’s apparent failure to report his stock trades in a timely manner, which is a requirement under a federal law known as the STOCK Act. The complaint was sent to the OCC.

Congress

Congressional Black Caucus members break with Jeffries, endorse against Thanedar in Michigan House race

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

A handful of members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday broke with Democratic Party leadership to endorse Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney in his bid to primary Rep. Shri Thanedar, an unusual move given that sitting members of the same party rarely endorse against each other.

Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford (Nev.), the former chair of the CBC, and Lateefah Simon (Calif.) called McKinney a “fighter.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (Mich.) praised McKinney as “the only trusted candidate” in the race. And Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) touted McKinney for “never [losing] sight of the people.”

“We need Donavan in Congress,” said Pressley.

The race between McKinney and Thanedar, who was elected in 2022, is the latest battleground in the ongoing ideological clash between the Democratic establishment and its progressive flank.

McKinney is hoping to capitalize on the latest wave of progressive successes in primaries, but Thanedar retains the power of the incumbency — and the backing of House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar.

Thanedar’s 2022 election marked the first time since 1955 that the majority-Black city of Detroit didn’t have a Black lawmaker representing it in Congress. And he won two years ago only after Adam Hollier, who was viewed as his most credible primary challenger, was disqualified from the ballot.

“It’s not just about having Black representation, but that is a part of what appropriate representation looks for,” Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), who had previously backed McKinney, told Blue Light News. “You have a majority-Black district, and I think that there is certainly an appetite to see that again, or to at least make sure that a Black candidate has the opportunity to present themselves.”

In a phone call, Thanedar emphasized that he has worked closely with members of the CBC during his time in office, noting that the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) was a mentor of his and, in addition to Jeffries, he has the endorsement CBC members like Rep. Bennie Thomspon (D-Miss.).

“I am fully aware that I am representing the Blackest city in America and I’m proud of it,” Thanedar, who is Indian-American, said. “My story is like Detroit’s story — I struggled through poverty, never say die, never gave up and I have that resilience that Detroit has. The resilience of Detroit is what my life is about.”

McKinney on Monday said he was “honored” by the endorsements.

“Millions of lives across the country have been made immeasurably better because of the hard work these members have done in Congress, and I look forward to working alongside these incredible leaders to pass critical legislation to protect voting rights, get big money out of our politics, and ensure all families have access to the resources they need to not just survive, but to truly thrive,” he said in a statement.