*By J.D. Durkin*
On the day of the overwhelming 402-11 House vote in favor of permanently extending the September 11th Victim's Compensation Fund, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Cheddar she feels good about the bill — H.R. 1327 — and its chances to pass the Senate.
More or less.
The House is one thing. But as John Feal, one of the 9/11 first responders synonymous with the reauthorization effort recently told Cheddar, "The Senate is where bills go to die." Working with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is still the last hurdle to make permanent protections a reality. But Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says there's reason to adopt a trust-but-verify approach.
"I'm actually cautiously optimistic," AOC told Cheddar. "I spoke with some of our survivors, our first responders. And they said they've been actively whipping \[McConnell\]'s support." Several first responders, including Feal, recently sat down with McConnell in his Capitol Hill office to present the Kentucky Republican with Detective Luis Alvarez's NYPD badge.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, who met with 9/11 responders and advocates following the House vote Friday, did note the hazards of the bill's next step. "I would hope that \[McConnell\] doesn't use it as a bargaining chip for anything else," she said.
Friday featured a press conference helmed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the main supporters of the bill: Rep.'s Jerry Nadler (D), Carolyn Maloney (D), and Peter King (R), all of New York.
Former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart set an ambitious goal at Friday's press conference: a desired signing ceremony for the bill's passage on Friday, August 2nd. "As far as I'm concerned, that's our deadline," he told Cheddar.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing, underscoring China's continued support of Moscow amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Justice Department is appealing the prison sentence of the lengths of four Proud Boys leaders who were convicted in the January 6th Capitol attack.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett endorsed the idea that the court adopt a formal code of conduct.
The Supreme Court ruled it would allow the Biden administration to regulate so-called ghost guns, or those untraceable homemade weapons, and also barred two Texas-based manufacturers from selling products that can be turned into ghost guns.
The Commerce Department on Tuesday updated and broadened its export controls to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and the equipment to manufacture them.
And in a surprise move, President Joe Biden has joined former President Trump's Truth social platform.
The Supreme Court ruled it would allow the Biden administration to regulate so-called ghost guns, or those untraceable homemade weapons, and also barred two Texas-based manufacturers from selling products that can be turned into ghost guns.
Former President Donald Trump returned to a New York City courtroom Tuesday to watch the civil fraud trial that threatens to disrupt his real estate empire, renewing his claims that the case is a baseless and politically targeted distraction from his 2024 campaign.
Over 30 people were arrested outside of the White House Monday during a protest against the Israel-Hamas war.
President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support and a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt.
