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The Hill
6 days ago
- Climate
- The Hill
Team Congress gets rain-shortened win in Congressional Women's Softball Game
Team Congress didn't let a 4th-inning rain cancellation dampen their excitement about a 5-3 lead over the Bad News Babes in Wednesday night's Congressional Women's Softball Game. 'We are so excited and, you know, we obviously would have loved to continue playing and beat the press by even more,' Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.). 'I think it's pretty clear we would have continued the pounding this year.' Mica Soellner, congressional reporter for Punchbowl News, lamented a missed opportunity for the media team. 'You know it's disappointing with the weather, but overall, it was a pretty good game,' she said. 'We definitely could have made a comeback.' The 17th annual Congressional Women's Softball Game pits members of Congress against D.C. journalists to raise funds for the Young Survival Coalition (YSC). The YSC is dedicated to helping young women affected by breast cancer by providing resources and support. Diedra Burns, a breast cancer survivor who is now in remission, was represented on the field by Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Texas). 'Wow, it means a lot because I went through my journey last year, diagnosis, chemo, radiation,' she said. 'This has been a great week.' The game raised over $650,000 for the coalition. Since 2009, the event has raised over $4.3 million for the YSC. 'It really is an opportunity for us to highlight the Young Survival Coalition,' said Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), 'I have a friend who experienced the very thing, and so, for me, it's a bit personal. It's a fun night.' At the beginning of the game, the organizers paid tribute to late Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah), the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, who passed away from brain cancer in March. Her son and daughter received the Hall of Fame award on her behalf as a former member of Team Congress. The lawmakers faced off against their media foes for the first time at Audi Field, a significant upgrade from elementary schools where it was hosted years prior. 'It's so exciting that we're at Audi Field this year,' said Bridget Bowman, political reporter at NBC. 'I've seen the game grow a lot since I first started playing almost ten years ago.' The enthusiastic crowd was clearly skewed towards Congress, who had not claimed victory since 2022. At first, it was a tight game. In the second inning, the score was 2-1 for Team Congress. Then, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) drove in two runs to bring the score 4-1. By the end of the third inning, Team Congress had widened their lead to 5-1. The Bad News Babes struck back with two runs in the fourth inning. But Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) put a stop to their surge with spectacular defense and the game was cancelled before the media members could do any more damage. This year, the game featured 24 congresswomen from both sides of the aisle and 14 different media outlets represented on the field. 'Playing against the members is a great experience because we're often talking to them about serious, heavy, complicated things,' said Jen Bendery, senior politics reporter for HuffPost. 'This is a nice way to hit pause for a moment and come out here and actually talk to each other like normal people.' 'This is the best day of the year for Capitol Hill,' said the Bad News Babes coach, Abby Livingston, reporter for Puck News. 'I always bet on the Bad News Babes.' Speaking before the game, Rep. Maxime Dexter (D-Ore.) correctly predicted the outcome. 'I think we're going to win and we're going to win with style,' she said. Team Congress had seven rookies this year and a new pitcher, Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who won the team's MVP award for its 2025 outing. The media babes gave its award to Katie Lobosco, reporter for Tax Notes. The Rookie of the Year award was presented to Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.), while the most improved player went to Cicely Wedgeworth, editor at the New York Times. Finally, the most spirit award was given to CNN's Briana Keilar, pitcher for the Bad News Babes and Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.). Other members of Congress were there to support their colleagues, including Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). The Congressional Women's Softball Game began in 2009, when Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) announced her fight against breast cancer. Starting the second year, the lawmakers asked members of the D.C. press corps to take them on, starting a tradition 17 years and counting. 'I feel like we all had really good energy out there. This is a time in history where I'll take all the good vibes I can get and getting good vibes while we're raising money for a good cause and winning, can't beat it!' said Davis, the Kansas Democrat.
Express Tribune
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Bill Maher slams Whoopi Goldberg over Iran comments on The View
Bill Maher criticized The View and its co-host Whoopi Goldberg on his show Real Time Friday night, calling on Democrats to 'do something' after Goldberg compared the Black American experience to life under Iran's theocratic regime. Maher began by praising The New York Times for taking what he called a 'sensible liberal' stance on transgender issues, suggesting it marked a return to sanity for Democrats. But he followed up with a jab at The View, saying the next step for the party should be addressing the controversial remarks coming from its popular daytime show. The controversy stems from a heated exchange between Goldberg and co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who highlighted Iran's documented human rights violations—such as the execution of LGBTQ individuals and arrests of women for not covering their hair. Goldberg responded by pointing to America's history of lynching and violence against Black and gay citizens, saying, 'Let's not do that… we used to just keep hanging Black people.' Texas Representative Wesley Hunt, a guest on Maher's show, rejected Goldberg's comparison. 'I don't ever want to hear Whoopi Goldberg's conversation about how it's worse to be Black in America right now,' said Hunt, noting his success as a Black Republican elected in a white-majority district. Hunt also emphasized generational progress in his family, stating his father grew up under Jim Crow and is now the father of a U.S. Congressman. The episode reignited debates around race, free speech, and media responsibility, with Maher's comments adding to growing scrutiny of The View's political influence.
Gulf Today
16-06-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
Virginia's governor election is a test of Trump and his policies
Virginia's governor election this year is a popularity test for Republican President Donald Trump and his policies, presenting an opportunity for Democrats to claw back some power after the party's recent election rout. The southern state holds a primary on Tuesday that will determine who faces off in the November 4 general election. The process is largely a formality as Democrats and Republicans each have only one candidate, likely meaning either Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the first Black Republican elected statewide, or Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former three-term US Representative, will become the state's first woman governor. The state's off-year election is often seen as a referendum on the presidency. Only once since 1977 has Virginia picked a governor from the same party as the sitting president, reported Reuters. Four years ago, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin ran against former President Joe Biden's pandemic-era policies and won. Virginia law does not allow governors to serve consecutive terms. The three major non-partisan US election ratings groups and recent public opinion polls give Spanberger a slight edge in the general election, noted Reuters. "The race is likely to be competitive. It's not going to be a blowout one way or another," said Jennifer Victor, a political science professor at George Mason University. Trump's government overhaul, previously led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, hit parts of Virginia's more than 144,000 federal civilian workforce, from the northern suburbs outside Washington, D.C., to the southern part of the state that is home to a large military presence. "There is going to be this question of federal workers just because of how much it was taken as a direct assault on Virginia and what Virginia contributes to the nation," said Claire McKinney, a government professor at the College of William & Mary. Norfolk's Port of Virginia, the nation's ninth-largest water port based on tonnage, is also bracing for the potential full implementation of Trump's sweeping tariff threats. "If people start feeling their prices go up, and start feeling businesses start laying people off, which I think is likely if these tariffs have the impact that I expect, that would be terrible for Sears," said Derrick Max, a Republican who leads the free-market Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy in Virginia. "But if Trump is using this as a bargaining chip and the tariffs never really go into effect and we end up getting some trade deals out of it, it's a bonus for Sears." Spanberger was first elected to the US House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections during Trump's first term. One of five women with national security backgrounds who helped Democrats capture a House majority, the former CIA officer is using similar tactics to rail against the administration's latest policies and congressional Republicans' proposed tax and budget legislation. Virginia's politically diverse electorate requires Spanberger to break into more rural areas that have been a challenge for the national Democratic Party, according to Brandy Faulkner, a politics professor at Virginia Tech. "She's going to have to get out of that little bubble and really see what ordinary people in the non-metro areas are concerned about and why they've been voting as they have been," Faulkner said. Spanberger said in a statement that if elected she would focus on lowering costs, strengthening the state economy and schools, and protecting freedoms.
Axios
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
PSC elections will guide electricity rates and clean energy future
Early voting has begun to pick who should serve on the Georgia Public Service Commission, the state regulator that decides how much you pay to turn on your lights. Why it matters: In addition to electricity and natural gas rates, the five-member commission regulates telecom companies and has major say over the future of clean energy in Georgia. Catch up quick: PSC elections have been delayed since 2022 after a federal judge ruled the commission's at-large elections violated the Voting Rights Act, kickstarting a legal dispute that remains under appeal. The winners of the June primary will face off in the Nov. 4 general election. Zoom in: Commissioners are elected statewide but must live in a specific district. They serve staggered six-year terms. Here's who's on the ballot. District 2 (east): Alicia Johnson, a health care consultant from Savannah, is the lone candidate in the Democratic primary. She will face the winner of the Republican contest between incumbent Commissioner Tim Echols, who was first elected in 2010, and business owner Lee Muns, District 3 (metro Atlanta): Clean energy nonprofit professional Peter Hubbard, former utility executive Robert Jones and former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites compete for the Democratic nomination. On Tuesday, an administrative law judge said another Democratic candidate, former EPA regional administrator Daniel Blackman, did not provide enough evidence to prove he lived in the district long enough to qualify for the ballot, the AJC reports. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger makes the final decision as to whether Blackman can remain on the ballot. Incumbent Commissioner Fitz Johnson, the PSC's first Black Republican commissioner, is facing voters for the first time since he was appointed to the post by Kemp in 2021. By the numbers: Georgia Power customers' bills have jumped an average of $43 since 2023 thanks to rate hikes approved by the all-Republican panel, Georgia Recorder reports. Caveat: A yet-to-be-approved deal between the PSC and Georgia Power that's been blessed by Gov. Brian Kemp — and called out by watchdogs as an election-year ploy — would freeze rates through 2028. Yes, but: Whoever wins in November will decide whether Georgia Power and other utilities can pass on the costs of hurricane cleanup, fuel and transmission lines to ratepayers, Jennette Gayer of Environment Georgia told Axios. In addition, they will join ongoing discussions about Georgia's data center boom and the strain the billion-dollar projects have had on the state's power grid. What's next: Early voting runs until June 13. Election Day is June 17, followed by runoffs on July 15 if needed. Log in to My Voter Page to check your polling place and view a sample ballot.
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Ivey appoints first Black Republican on Alabama Supreme Court
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday appointed state appellate Judge Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court. He will be the first Black Republican to serve on the court. Lewis replaces Justice Jay Mitchell, who resigned Monday. Lewis most recently served on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. Ivey appointed him to the position last year. He was previously the presiding circuit judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit in Elmore County. 'Judge Bill Lewis continues demonstrating justice and fairness under the law, as well as a willingness to serve the people of Alabama,' Ivey said in a statement. 'His decades of experience will serve the Supreme Court of Alabama well, and I am confident he is the best choice.' Lewis is the fourth Black justice to serve on the state's highest court and the first Black Republican. The three previous Black justices — Oscar Adams, Ralph Cook and John England — were all Democrats. Alabama's appellate judges run in statewide partisan elections, just like the governor, attorney general and other top officials. The court, like other statewide offices, has become dominated by Republicans. The state Supreme Court has been all-Republican for over a decade and has been comprised entirely of white justices since 2001. A group of Black voters in 2016 filed a federal lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the state's method of selecting judges, saying the statewide elections have resulted in all-white courts in a state where one in four residents is Black. Ivey will appoint Lewis' replacement to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. In his resignation letter to Ivey, Mitchell, also a Republican, said he wants to play a more active role in politics and will make an announcement about his future in the coming days. 'President Trump is moving boldly to restore the United States Constitution — and we must ensure that his agenda takes root not only in Washington, but also in the states,' Mitchell wrote. Mitchell is best known for writing an opinion regarding frozen embryos that said couples could sue for wrongful death of a minor child after their frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed. The ruling temporarily upended IVF services in the state as clinics became concerned about civil liability.
