© Illustration / Courtney Jones; and Adobe Stock |
|
|
GOP facing dwindling majority |
In the months leading up to the 2024 election, Republicans are seeking to keep a grasp on their razor-thin majority in the House and claim control of the Senate.
On the House side, Republicans have lost several veteran representatives, after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) resigned from Congress in December after being ousted from his leadership post in October. Rep. Ken Buck (Colo.) resigned March 22, and Rep. Mike Gallagher (Wis.) is planning to step down April 19. McCarthy’s tenuous term as Speaker lasted less than one year, and his ousting and subsequent resignation has sparked tension among the House GOP, with his allies pointing fingers at their Republican colleagues that voted to remove him. The tension has only grown with the departures of Buck and Gallagher, with the Republican majority dwindling to 217-213.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has introduced a resolution to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), a move that is even further dividing the party and igniting fears that another Speaker ouster would only contribute to the declining majority and essentially hand the position to Democrats.
Meanwhile, the
Senate battlefield is getting tight as Republicans seek to turn the chamber red and Democrats try to keep a grasp on their own razor-thin majority.
The Hill’s Al Weaver has detailed the five Senate seats most likely to flip in November’s election: Montana, Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Related coverage: |
|
|
Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Liz Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
|
|
-
A former Defense Department investigator says he believes Russia is behind the mysterious attacks on U.S. personnel across the world known as “Havana syndrome.”
-
More than a third of homes bought in February were purchased with cash as mortgage rates remain high, according to a new report.
|
|
|
RFK Jr. qualified for North Carolina ballot: Campaign
|
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has qualified for the presidential ballot in North Carolina, according to his campaign. After gathering 23,000 signatures pledging support, Kennedy will be on the ballot under the “We The People” party. “We have the field teams, volunteers, legal teams, paid circulators, supporters, and strategists ready to get the job done,” Kennedy’s campaign said in a Monday statement.
North Carolina, which votes purple, is a swing state across the political spectrum, including a potential third-party ticket for president. Former President Trump in 2020 won the state by just more than 1 percentage point, which gives Republicans a slight edge and will push Democrats to campaign harder in the state. In addition to North Carolina, Kennedy is ballot-qualified in five states so far: Utah, New Hampshire, Nevada and Hawaii. While Kennedy cleared Nevada’s signature threshold before meeting the state’s requirement to have a “declared vice president alongside his name,” there is uncertainty over whether he’ll need to recollect signatures. Related coverage: |
|
|
Trump Media shares plummet, reported $58 million in losses last year
|
Former President Trump’s social media company plunged on the stock market Monday after reporting a $58 million loss over the past year, per regulatory filings.
Trump Media & Technology Group shares were down roughly 24 percent Monday afternoon — plummeting to about $47, after debuting with shares as high as $79.38 on its first day of trading last week.
Trump Media merged with “blank check” company Digital World Acquisition Corp. in March, allowing Trump’s social media company to become publicly traded.
The company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday show Trump Media made $4.1 million in revenue in 2023 — roughly $750,000 in the fourth quarter — compared to $16 million spent on operating expenses and $39.4 million on interest expenses.
Trump Media “expects to continue to incur operating losses and negative cash flows from operating activities for the foreseeable future, as it works to expand its user base, attracting more platform partners and advertisers,” the company said in the Monday filing.
The company cited “uncertainties” in the industry as making it “premature for TMTG to predict when it will attain profitability and positive cash flows from its operations.”
Experts are now raising questions about Trump Media’s long-term viability, arguing it has shown characteristics of a “meme stock.” (The Hill) |
|
|
California fast-food workers now earn $20 minimum wage |
Most fast food workers in California are now earning at least $20 per hour — one of the highest minimum wages in the country — after a new law took effect Monday.
Employees at most restaurant chains with 100 or more locations qualify for the potential pay bump. California’s minimum wage had been $16 per hour. The national minimum wage is just $7.25 an hour, and it hasn’t been updated in 15 years.
California fast food workers and labor unions held several strikes calling for better working conditions and wages before the Legislature approved and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed into law the latest state limit.
The national average is about $13.50 an hour for fast food workers. (The Hill) |
|
|
Eggs will roll: Biden welcomes kids for White House Easter celebration
|
President Biden hosted the annual Easter Egg Roll on Monday, calling Easter a time for forgiveness as he welcomed thousands of people to the White House lawn. The start of the roll was briefly delayed because of thunder and lightning, but Biden, first lady Jill Biden, and the Easter Bunny came outside on the White House balcony to greet visitors. “Time for forgiveness and people getting together. And a little bit of love and no phoniness. Be straight with people,” Biden told reporters when asked what Easter meant to him.
The Easter Egg Roll has been a White House tradition since 1878. |
|
|
19 million taxpayers eligible for free IRS online tax filing program
|
Nineteen million Americans can file their taxes this year using the IRS’s new free online filing program, according to an estimate from the tax collection agency.
That’s nearly 12 percent of all individually filed tax returns, which totaled 160.6 million in 2022.
“For the first time ever, 19 million taxpayers across 12 states can file their taxes online for free direct with the IRS,” Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a video released this weekend.
Previously, the IRS had said it expected several hundred thousand people would be able to use the new online system.
In 2022, 93.5 percent of individual returns were filed online through third-party programs.
The tax prep industry has viewed free online filing option as a business threat and spent millions lobbying against one. (The Hill)
|
|
|
Few answers after car rams into FBI building’s gate in Atlanta |
An SUV plowed into an FBI building in Atlanta a little after noon Monday. A suspect, who tried to go into the FBI property after the crash, is in custody and has been taken for medical review, but it’s unclear what caused the crash.
A spokesman for the FBI declined to answer several questions when he held a news conference late in the afternoon. “I can’t say at this point,” was his common refrain.
The spokesman, a special agent in charge out of Atlanta, said that the facility had trained recently for a similar situation. (The Hill) |
|
|
“Remote work can reshape DC’s urban core for the better,” writes Gleb Tsipursky, CEO of the hybrid work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. “America must check its ageism at the ballot box,” writes Svante Myrick, president of People for the American Way. |
|
|
105 days until the Republican National Convention.
140 days until the Democratic National Convention.
217 days until the 2024 general election. |
|
|
Tuesday: Former President Trump is heading to Michigan and Wisconsin for campaign events. |
|
|
|
