'Willing to be complicit': Booker screams on Senate floor over police bills
The exchange occurred as Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, sought to swiftly move a package of bipartisan bills that would increase resources and funding to police departments and officers. Booker objected to the package and offered an amendment that would require the administration to allocate public safety grants without political bias.
That ignited Cortez Masto's ire, who complained that Booker hadn't raised his concerns when the bills passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he sits on, weeks ago. 'This is ridiculous. This is an attempt to kill all of these bills,' she said.
Booker responded, 'This, to me, is the problem with Democrats in America right now is we're willing to be complicit to Donald Trump to let this pass through when we have all the leverage right now.'
He also got into a heated back-and-forth with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, who told him that he couldn't just stop bills that come out of a committee and then "allow for other bills that fund other parts of your budget in your state." Booker said he it was wrong to imply that the police bills were not vital to his state.
'What I am tired of is when the president of the United States of America violates the Constitution, trashes our norms and traditions, and what does the Democratic party do?' he thundered on the Senate floor. 'Comply? Allow him? Beg for scraps?'
"The Democratic party needs a wake-up call," he said.
Democrats have been divided about how to organize an effective resistance against Trump and break through the cracks of MAGA populism as the party is still recovering after a bruising 2024 election loss. Booker and other progressive Democrats have been urging their colleagues to be more vocal against the administration.
'If we don't stand as Democrats, we deserve to lose. But if we stand united, if we stand strong, if we stand with other people, if we tell, with a chorus of conviction that, 'America, what this president is doing is wrong,' if we stand up and speak that way, dear God, we will win,' Booker said.
In April, Booker delivered a marathon 25-hour and five-minute speech on the Senate floor, railing against the Trump administration's policies and actions. 'These are not normal times in America, and they should not be treated as such,' Booker said at the time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘We are at war': Democrats reach breaking point over Republican threats in political map arms race
Democrats have spent years issuing warnings over Republican threats to redraw the political maps that could determine the balance of power for years to come. Now, they're prepared for 'war.' After protracted legal battles to unwind Donald Trump's executive actions and unsuccessful attempts to derail the president's agenda in Congress, Democrats appear to have reached a breaking point and are ready to do some map-making of their own, reluctantly preparing to fight fire with fire. They have repeatedly stressed that the GOP's gerrymandering imperils American democracy. But Democratic officials across the country are now embracing the idea, reasoning that years-long legal challenges and public pressure over illegal voter suppression are no longer enough to keep up with the GOP's power trip. 'All's fair in love and war,' New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Monday as she signaled efforts to draw up new maps in her state 'as soon as possible.' 'This is a war. We are at war,' she added. 'And that's why the gloves are off, and I say, 'Bring it on.'' Trump is looking to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats flipped the House at the midpoint and largely stalled his agenda from advancing through Congress. This time around he wants Republican-led states to redraw their congressional districts to ensure the GOP remains in power in 2026. Last month, the president commanded Texas Republicans to do a 'simple redrawing' of the state's congressional maps, the heavily-contested boundaries that establish districts for each member of the House of Representatives. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had summoned state lawmakers to the state capitol in Austin for an emergency session to do just that. Days after Trump's demands, Texas Republicans put together a map that gives them five more seats in the House. On August 1, the Texas House redistricting committee held the only public hearing on the proposal. Republicans voted it out of committee the next morning on a party-line vote, setting up a quick vote in the full state House of Representatives, which Republicans control. 'I'm not beating around the bush,' Texas state Rep. Todd Hunter told the committee. 'We have five new districts, and these five new districts are based on political performance.' Contra Abbott and the Justice Department, he admitted the map was being redrawn 'for partisan purposes.' Committee chair Cody Vasut also admitted the move was purely about 'improving political performance.' But by the time Texas Republicans were prepared to vote on the new maps on August 4, Texas Democrats had already left the state. Nearly 60 Democratic members of the state House have fled elsewhere, breaking quorum to derail a vote and promising to stay away from Texas for the duration of Abbott's 30-day session. Texas Republicans subsequently ordered arrest warrants and directed state marshals to haul Democrats back to the capitol — a largely symbolic maneuver confined by state lines. It's also expensive; missing members are racking up $500 in daily penalties for every day they miss work. But for Democrats, it's a high-profile act of obstruction that puts Republicans on notice. 'This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity,' Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu said from Illinois after leaving the state with several Texas Democrats. Wu, the state's Democratic caucus chair, said the GOP has put forward a 'racist, gerrymandered map' that 'seeks to use racial lines to divide hard-working communities that have spent decades building up their power and strengthening their voices.' Governor Abbott has done so 'in submission of Donald Trump, so Donald Trump can steal these communities' power and voice,' Wu continued. 'We will not be complicit in the destruction of our own communities.' The developing war over congressional maps follows a series of Supreme Court decisions that have gradually chipped away at the Voting Rights Act and constitutional guardrails to protect against racial gerrymandering, or carving up electoral maps to prevent racial minorities from electing their preferred candidates. Federal courts have generally blocked the creation of congressional districts that 'crack' or 'pack' communities of color to dilute their voting strength. After Texas redistricted in 2021, voting rights advocates challenged the new maps in court, arguing that state lawmakers drew up racially gerrymandered districts that discriminated against minority voters. Currently, Texas has nine districts where no one racial or ethnic group has a majority; in eight of them, Black, Hispanic and Asian voters combined create a so-called "coalition district' majority. Trump's Department of Justice claims that three of those districts are unconstitutional 'coalition districts' — which constitutional law scholars and voting rights advocates say is a deliberately bad-faith reading of the law. Trump's demands to redraw maps in the middle of the decade, largely to hold on to power to avoid any political blowback in 2026, could trigger what Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin has called 'a race to the bottom' nationwide. Former attorney general Eric Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has spent the last several years fighting off partisan gerrymanders, including Democratic-led maps. But in the wake of Trump's threats, Holder is now telling Democratic officials to embrace what leverage they have and be 'unabashed in our desire to acquire power.' 'This midcycle redistricting ploy in Texas, and potentially in other states, is something that has to be met in the moment,' Holder told The New York Times. 'Our commitment to fairness didn't blind us to this new reality, and I think that we've got to take these extraordinary steps, with the hope that we can then save democracy and ultimately heal it. If you give Donald Trump unchecked power for two years beyond 2026, given what they've done in six months, I just wonder what kind of shape will the nation be in come Jan. 20, 2029.' The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has also called on Democratic state legislatures to 'pursue redistricting mid-cycle,' but Democrats don't hold 'enough legislative majorities to win an all-out, state-by-state battle.' Republican state legislatures oversee 55 Democratic congressional seats. Democratic state legislative majorities, meanwhile, oversee only 35 GOP districts. 'All options must be on the table — including Democratic state legislatures using their power to fight back and pursue redistricting mid-cycle in order to protect our democracy,' committee president Heather Williams said in a statement. Republicans are preemptively trying to stop Democratic states from joining the fight. Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley of California wants to 'stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country,' brushing up against demands from his party leaders for the by-any-means-necessary battle to preserve, and expand, the House majority next year. California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose state holds a whopping 52 House seats, has also planned retaliatory map-making to target vulnerable Republican seats in the state. Other Democratic-led states are expected to follow, potentially blowing past the guidance from independent redistricting commissions that are designed to prevent lawmakers from crafting partisan, racist and otherwise discriminatory maps. Hochul has considered disbanding New York's commission altogether. 'I'm tired of fighting this fight with my hands tied behind my back,' she said this week. 'When we say we cannot use that power to the fullest, we're abdicating the responsibility we all have. Republicans take over the legislature? They can have it. Until then, we're in charge, and we're sick and tired of being pushed around.' Republicans only have Trump to blame, she said. 'The playing field has changed dramatically, and shame on us if we ignore that fact and cling tight to the vestiges of the past,' she said. 'That era is over. Donald Trump eliminated that forever.'
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Copper Tariffs Apply to $15 Billion of Products So Far
(Bloomberg) -- US President Donald Trump's first wave of copper tariffs will hit imports valued at more than $15 billion last year, highlighting the potential inflationary impact on American manufacturers. PATH Train Service Resumes After Fire at Jersey City Station Mayor Asked to Explain $1.4 Billion of Wasted Johannesburg Funds Chicago Curbs Hiring, Travel to Tackle $1 Billion Budget Hole All Hail the Humble Speed Hump The unveiling of 50% import duties sparked turmoil in the global copper market last week — including a record slump for US futures — because Trump handed a surprise exemption to key forms of the wiring metal. But that still leaves significant trade volumes subject to tariffs. On Monday, the US Federal Register published a list of exactly what will fall under the 50% levy. It includes semi-processed products — like wires, tubes and rods — worth $7.7 billion last year, plus cabling typically used for phone or internet connections with almost the same value, according to Bloomberg News calculations. And it doesn't stop there. The White House ordered officials to come up with a plan in 90 days to slap tariffs on an array of other copper-intensive manufactured goods. Trump dramatically expanded the scope of US aluminum and steel tariffs earlier this year by adding derivative products. The US copper market is scrambling to understand the implications of Trump's tariffs, which the president said will help boost domestic output of semi-processed and copper-containing products. He stopped short of tariffs on refined metal — an omission that shocked investors but reflects deep US reliance on imports and a pushback by key American buyers, who feared the duties would drive up costs significantly. Still, the US took in at least 600,000 tons of semi-finished copper last year, according to the US International Trade Commission, in addition to about 900,000 tons of refined copper that has been spared from the levies. The latter was worth about $8.4 billion. Tariffs will be levied according to the value of the copper content. That means the 'semis' that are almost pure copper will attract a much higher effective duty than, say, internet cables where the copper wiring is only a part of the product. AI Flight Pricing Can Push Travelers to the Limit of Their Ability to Pay Russia's Secret War and the Plot to Kill a German CEO Government Steps Up Campaign Against Business School Diversity What Happens to AI Startups When Their Founders Jump Ship for Big Tech How Podcast-Obsessed Tech Investors Made a New Media Industry ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
San Francisco Chronicle
5 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Latest: Texas Democrats prevent state redistricting by leaving the state
Texas Democrats on Monday prevented their state's House of Representatives from moving forward, at least for now, with a redrawn congressional map sought by President Donald Trump to shore up Republicans' 2026 midterm prospects as his political standing falters. After dozens of Democrats left the state, the Republican-dominated House was unable to establish the quorum of lawmakers required to do business. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made threats about removing members who are absent from their seats. Democrats counter that Abbott is using 'smoke and mirrors' to assert legal authority he doesn't have. In California, Democrats encouraged by Gov. Gavin Newsom are considering new political maps that could slash five Republican-held House seats in the liberal-leaning state while bolstering Democratic incumbents in other battleground districts. The move is intended to undercut any GOP gains in Texas, potentially swinging House control and giving Democrats a counterweight to Trump on Capitol Hill. In rejecting jobs report, Trump follows his own playbook of discrediting unfavorable data When the coronavirus surged during Trump's first term, he called for a simple fix: Limit the amount of testing so the deadly outbreak looked less severe. When he lost the 2020 election, he had a ready-made reason: The vote count was fraudulent. And on Friday, when the July jobs report revisions showed a distressed economy, Trump had an answer: He fired the official in charge of the data and called the report of a sharp slowdown in hiring 'phony.' Trump has a go-to playbook if the numbers reveal uncomfortable realities, and that's to discredit or conceal the figures and to attack the messenger — all of which can hurt the president's efforts to convince the world that America is getting stronger. 'Our democratic system and the strength of our private economy depend on the honest flow of information about our economy, our government and our society,' said Douglas Elmendorf, a Harvard University professor who was formerly director of the Congressional Budget Office. 'The Trump administration is trying to suppress honest analysis.' Defending Texas GOP's mid-decade redistricting, Trump says 'We are entitled to five more seats' President Trump defended Texas Republicans' decision to redraw the state's congressional map mid-decade, pointing to Democratic-led states where he says Republicans are underrepresented. 'They did it to us,' Trump said in a TV interview Tuesday. But in many of the states Trump referenced — including California — partisan lawmakers are not in charge of drawing district lines. During the same interview, Trump also lashed out at Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who welcomed Texas Democrats to his state after they left to block a vote on the new map. Trump called Pritzker 'probably the dumbest of all governors.' Trump says 'I'd like to run' for president again Touting his 2024 win and 'the best poll numbers,' Trump told CNBC that 'I'd like to run again.' But asked by the hosts if he will, Trump replied, 'Probably not.' The back-and-forth came as Trump heralded his 2024 win in Texas, a record he said 'they say won't be beaten unless I run again.' And Trump threatens to raise tariffs on India within 24 hours Trump said on CNBC that higher tariffs could be coming for India. Last week, Trump said the U.S. said it would impose a 25% tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of India's purchasing of Russian oil. 'I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours because they're buying Russian oil, they're fueling the war machine,' Trump said Tuesday. 'And if they're going to do that, then I'm not going to be happy.' The 25% tariffs were part of a flurry of trade activity that included a series of executive actions regarding Brazil, copper and shipments of goods worth less than $800, as well as a reduced 15% tax on imports from South Korea, including its autos. Trump threatens eventual 200% tariffs on pharma The U.S. president said imported pharmaceutical drugs could eventually face tariffs as high as 200%. 'We want pharmaceuticals made in our country,' Trump said in the CNBC interview. Trump said tariffs on pharmaceuticals will be 'initially small,' but that he would hike it to 150% or 200% over the subsequent year and a half. The president also said he would announce tariffs on semiconductors and computer chips. Trump says EU will pay 35% tariffs if $600B investments don't come through Trump told CNBC hosts that 35% tariffs will kick in with the European Union if they don't make good on promised investments in U.S. goods. The president was asked what 'teeth' were in deals to force European officials to make good on their pledges. Trump initially said the EU was paying $650 billion but then rounded the figure down to $600 billion. 'We're a rich country again,' Trump said, adding that the $600 billion investment can go in 'anything I want.' Trump floats 'Kevin and Kevin' for Fed chair The president said he was considering four people for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's replacement. Among the top on his list are his current economics director, Kevin Hassett, and former Fed governor Kevin Warsh. 'I think Kevin and Kevin, both Kevins are very good,' Trump said during an interview on CNBC Tuesday morning. He said two other people were in consideration. Not one of them: current Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has indicated to Trump that he wants to stay where he is. 'It'll be one of four people,' he said. 'We're going to make a decision soon.'
