Pamela Stevenson launches campaign for Senate
Runaway fugitive found with 'trafficking-level' amounts of illegal narcotics
Stevenson is a Democrat from Louisville and is a retired Air Force Colonel, attorney, and minister who has served in the Kentucky House since 2021. She previously ran for Kentucky Attorney General in 2023, but lost to republican opponent, Russell Coleman.
Republican and former Attorney General, Daniel Cameron is also running for McConnell's seat, and several other in the GOP are considering to run for the position. The senate election will be held in 2026.
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The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
5 things to know about the Texas special session on redistricting
Texas Republicans are using this month's special session to attempt to lock in the party's majority in Congress by means of weakening or eliminating Democratic districts in the state. As President Trump's approval ratings slide and as Republicans brace for an unfavorable midterm environment, the president has called on the Texas GOP to give him five more seats in a nearly deadlocked House — forcing Democrats into a fight over redistricting they had hoped would happen in 2030, after they had several more years to make gains in the state. Now that struggle likely will take center stage in the special session — originally called by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to deal with issues like a THC ban and the need for flood warning systems after this month's catastrophic floods — and risks opening up a redistricting arms race around the country. Here are five things to know about the special session on redistricting: How does it work? In legislative terms, redistricting proceeds like any other piece of legislation: A bill introduced in the House's standing committee on redistricting then moves through other committees to a floor vote. If that bill becomes law, then a redistricting committee comprising state leaders — now all GOP — will get to redraw congressional maps. It's the circumstances around that potential bill that are unusual — and that, in Texas, carry deep historical overtones. While redistricting generally only happens every decade after the results of the decennial census, Texas Republicans have often used middecade restricting to cement their power. In 2003, Republican leaders took advantage of the Statehouse's first GOP majority in a century to pass new maps that broke apart the districts of Texas Democratic members. That broke a century-old Democratic majority in Texas's congressional delegation. Following redistricting after the 2000 Census, Democrats won 17 House seats during the 2002 election, while Republicans won 15. But in 2004, after the initial redistricting push, those numbers were more than reversed. In the new districts, after trusted incumbents lost their seats, Democrats took just 11 seats — and Republicans 21. How many more districts will be added? In short, it's up in the air. Trump has demanded the state party find him five more seats; lawmakers have not yet publicly released any proposals of a redrawn House map, which is expected to happen after the session begins Monday. Right now, the current partisan breakdown in Texas's delegation in the House is 25 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Significantly, Texas isn't the only GOP-led state planning to redraw its lines this year. Ohio was already planning to undergo the process because of House maps passed in 2022 that did not have bipartisan support. Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D) and Emilia Sykes (D) in Ohio's 9th and 13th Congressional Districts, respectively, are among the most vulnerable and likely to be targeted. Rep. Greg Landsman (D), who represents Ohio's 1st Congressional District in Cincinnati, could also be targeted. How will existing districts be affected? On July 7, Trump's Department of Justice sent a letter to Texas demanding redistricting on the grounds that four majority-minority 'Black-brown' districts were 'unconstitutional racial gerrymanders' under the Voting Rights Act — and urged the state to break them up. The legal analysis in that argument is 'superficial,' Harvard Law School professor Guy Charles wrote after the letter, arguing its purpose was primarily 'to provide a justification for Texas if it redraws those four districts.' The DOJ focus on Black-brown districts suggests redistricting will take a form similar to the hub-and-spoke maps adopted after 2003: Democratic coalition districts broken up into overwhelmingly minority districts in the urban core, surrounded by Republican-majority districts with fantails stretching out through the suburbs. The districts targeted in the DOJ letter are a Fort Worth-area district represented by Rep. Marc Veasey (D), and three Houston districts represented by Democratic Reps. Al Green, Sylvia Garcia and the late Sylvester Turner — the last of which is in the middle of a special election to fill the seat. But one state Democratic strategist compared the four districts listed in the Trump DOJ letter to a 'lockpick' that allowed state Republicans to begin redrawing maps at will, meaning that far more districts could be targeted — particularly white Democrats like Reps. Lizzie Fletcher or Lloyd Doggett. While the Justice Department in its letter argued 'several Texas Congressional Districts constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymanders,' The Texas Tribune noted that state lawmakers who drew the House maps after the 2020 Census argued they had drawn their lines with no regard for race. How will it impact the midterms? The midcycle redistricting could aid congressional Republicans who are bracing to lose some seats — and their razor-thin majority in the House. If the Texas plan succeeds, it offers a cushion to offset some of their losses — though if Republicans try to claim too many seats, they risk diluting their power and making formerly-safe Republican seats more competitive. There's another risk: Triggering a redistricting arms race around the country. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) followed the DOJ letter by announcing his own plans to pursue middecade redistricting, House Democrats in other blue states are hoping to see their maps revisited and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has hinted the party is looking at New Jersey and New York. Those states incorporate the use of a redistricting commission to create their maps, presenting hurdles for lawmakers. What are Texas Democrats doing to respond? Damage control. For Texas Democrats, the model for how to fight redistricting is what they did in 2003 and 2021: Flee the state to deny Republicans a quorum — the necessary minimum number of members present to do business. Neither is a particularly encouraging model, however. Both times, Republicans ultimately passed the legislation in question, and sustaining such a campaign now would be difficult: Legislative Democrats would have to remain in exile until next year's primaries, away from their families and facing $500 fines per person per day. But while the 2003 and 2021 walkouts failed at blocking Republican bills, they did draw national attention and ultimately help the party win a better deal than they otherwise might have. Some party strategists are arguing that a strategic retreat this time, coupled with an aggressive messaging campaign targeting President Trump's unpopular spending bill, could help Democrats turn a debacle into an opportunity, particularly if Republicans overreach.
The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
5 things to know as the GENIUS Act becomes law
President Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law on Friday, enacting the first major cryptocurrency legislation. The bill, which sets up a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, reached Trump's desk after a tumultuous week in the House, in which competing GOP factions revolted over a trio of crypto bills. The chaos brought the House floor to a standstill and resulted in the longest vote on record in the chamber. Republican leaders struck a deal late Wednesday night to move forward with consideration of the bills, unfreezing the floor and allowing votes to proceed on Thursday. The House ultimately voted 308-122 to pass the GENIUS Act, with 102 Democrats joining most Republicans to support the legislation. Here's are five things to know about the newly minted stablecoin law: 'Seal of approval' for crypto industry The signing of the GENIUS Act marks a key milestone for the industry, as the 'first step of the U.S. government really regulating cryptocurrency,' said Rob Nolan, a partner at Duane Morris and a member of the law firm's digital assets and blockchain group. As the first major digital assets bill to clear Congress and receive the president's signature, it imbues the industry with new legitimacy. 'It's a big deal because when you have a law … it essentially gives a Good Housekeeping seal of approval to the industry,' Ian Katz, managing partner at Capital Alpha, told The Hill. 'You now have Congress and the president of the United States signing off on the legitimacy of this industry. 'You can interpret the legislation as encouraging the activity,' Katz said. 'To a lot of people, this is the sort of thing you need to really get an industry to take off.' The passage of the bill marks a sharp reversal of the industry's fortunes in Washington, which just last year still looked somewhat bleak. The industry had struggled to regain its footing after the shocking collapse of crypto exchange FTX in 2022 and the subsequent fraud charges filed against its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. He was later found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Under the Biden administration, the industry also contended with former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler, who brought numerous enforcement actions against crypto firms. They accused Gensler of attempting to regulate via enforcement, rather than providing clear rules. By contrast, Trump has embraced the industry in his second term, naming David Sacks as artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto czar, inviting crypto leaders to the White House and signing an executive order to create a strategic bitcoin reserve and digital asset stockpile. Broader crypto framework still in the works While the industry secured a key victory with the GENIUS Act, it represents just one part of the regulatory puzzle for digital assets. 'This is just the first little bite at the apple because it really is a small portion of cryptocurrency assets,' Nolan added. Stablecoins are just one type of cryptocurrency. They are tied to another asset, like the U.S. dollar, to maintain a more stable price. Congress has yet to pass legislation creating a broader crypto framework. The key issue at hand is how to split up oversight between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The House last week passed its version of crypto market structure legislation, known as the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. The Senate, which has moved at a slower pace, is separately preparing to release its own discussion draft. Despite previously aiming to pass both stablecoin and market structure legislation before Congress leaves for its August recess, the White House and GOP leadership are now aiming to wrap up the second key crypto bill by the end of September. Financial regulators take on new responsibilities Under the GENIUS Act, several financial regulators are poised to take on new responsibilities regulating stablecoins. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is set to regulate stand-alone stablecoin issuers, while it and the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and National Credit Union Administration will regulate institutions they already oversee that issue stablecoins. Stablecoin issuers can seemingly expedite the approval process if they can become chartered banks with the OCC, which has already prompted several stablecoin issuers, including Circle and Ripple, to apply for bank licenses. Banking industry pushes back on crypto charters The banking industry isn't entirely content with the direction in which things are headed and is making its concerns known, particularly on the push by some stablecoin issuers to seek bank charters. In a letter to the OCC on Thursday, several major banking associations questioned whether the stablecoins issuers would be performing the activities of national trust banks and called for the agency to hold off on taking up their applications for now. 'Given these substantial concerns, and the policy, legal and commercial implications that chartering the applicants would have for the banking system, the associations urge the OCC to postpone consideration of the applications,' the banking groups wrote. Traditional players weigh stablecoin adoption Even as some voice concerns, many traditional players in the financial services space are considering or already moving into stablecoins. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said last week that his bank is working to launch a stablecoin, while Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser said her bank was considering such a move, Reuters reported. JPMorgan Chase announced last month it was launching a stablecoin-like deposit token called JPMD, and CEO Jamie Dimon said last week that his company would be involved in stablecoins as well, according to CNBC. Katz said he expects traditional players to 'not let stand-alone stablecoin issuers just grab that potential market.' 'Some of them are probably not even totally convinced that this market is going to be nearly as big as what is being projected, but they can't take any chances,' he said. 'They have to plan defensively and make sure they're not left out in the cold if stablecoins really take off in a big way in the coming years.'
The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
Virginia GOP lieutenant governor candidate launches a Substack
Republican Virginia lieutenant governor candidate John Reid launched a Substack on Tuesday in an effort to engage directly with supporters. The Hill was the first outlet to report on the Republican's Substack, which is called The Reid Revolution and will publish on a weekly basis. Reid is one of the first Republican candidates to launch a Substack. The launch comes as other politicians, including a number of potential presidential candidates, have explored new forms of media like podcasts to reach voters. In his first post on the platform, which went up early Tuesday morning, Reid noted that his Substack is not a campaign newsletter. 'It's a direct line from me to you that is unfiltered by media spin, untethered from political talking points, and free from the gatekeepers who've told candidates like me to stay in our lane, water it down, or wait our turn,' Reid wrote. 'I'm not interested in playing by their rules.' In a second post obtained by The Hill, which is slated to be published on Reid's Substack later on Tuesday, Reid compares his policies to his opponent state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger. 'Ghazala Hashmi and Abigail Spanberger support a vision where the government always knows best. I don't. I trust families,' Reid writes. 'This campaign isn't just about childcare or safety or schools. It's about freedom. It's about who makes the decisions: you, or them.' The Republican candidate previously hosted a talk show on WRVA for eight years. Reid found himself in the center of a political firestorm in April after Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R ) called for Reid, who is openly gay, to suspend his campaign after a report that Republican researchers came across sexually explicit photos on Tumblr posted by an account with the same username Reid uses on other sites. Reid has adamantly denied the allegations and went as far as to accuse Youngkin's team of extortion. Reid, who is openly gay, has also said the reason he is being targeted is because of his sexuality. A lawyer representing Reid sent a cease and desist letter to Matt Moran, then the executive director of Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia PAC, who later stepped down from his post. Virginia Republicans were quick to come to Reid's defense in the face of the controversy, calling Youngkin's move 'an unforced error' and laying blame on the Spirit of Virginia PAC. Last month, Youngkin acknowledged Reid as the party's lieutenant gubernatorial nominee, telling reporters, 'He has clearly made up his mind that he's going to stay in.'
