Mitch mcconnell

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is drawing criticism for comments he made shortly before the GOP blocked a federal elections bill, when he said that “African American” voters cast ballots at similar rates to “Americans.” The minority leader made the remark at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, when he was asked about concerns that people of color have about voting rights. “The concern is misplaced because if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans,” McConnell said. The comment implied that Black voters are somehow not American and underscored the concerns of voting rights advocates that Republicans in state legislatures across the country are explicitly seeking to disenfranchise Black voters. The timing was also notable, coming the same day that McConnell engineered a filibuster to block voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights leaders say is vital to protecting … [Read more...] about McConnell: Black people vote at similar rates to ‘Americans’

Thursday, during an interview that aired on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was dismissive of congressional Democrat legislative efforts, particularly a so-called “voting rights” bill that failed to proceed a night earlier in the U.S. Senate. McConnell insisted Democrats were more interested in a federal takeover of elections. “Look, I don’t think the American people are clamoring for any pieces of Build Back Better,” he said. “They want us to tackle on the problems that they’re concerned about, inflation at the top of the list, a wide-open border. We have already discussed the threat against Ukraine. Those are the things the American people are thinking about. The president needs to sync up his plans with things that people are interested in. They have been off on this toot over voting rights, for example.” “Well, 94% of the American people think it’s easy to vote right now,” McConnell continued. “We had a record turnout last … [Read more...] about McConnell: ‘Nobody’s Being Discriminated Against in Voting — They’re Making This Up’

Presented by Facebook Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. It is Thursday! We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the co-creators. Readers can find us on Twitter @asimendinger and @alweaver22. Please recommend the Morning Report to friends and let us know what you think. CLICK HERE to subscribe! Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each day this week: Monday, 850,605; Tuesday, 851,730; Wednesday, 854,074; Thursday, 857,778. As Democrats steeled themselves for Wednesday’s defeat of the party’s voting rights plank in the Senate, President Biden Joe Biden Biden says he didn't 'overpromise' Finland PM pledges 'extremely tough' sanctions should Russia invade Ukraine Russia: Nothing less than NATO expansion ban is acceptable MORE told reporters he accomplished more than any other president in his first year and … [Read more...] about The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Biden talks, Senate balks

The fight over voting rights has gone from partisan to personal. President Biden Joe Biden Biden says he didn't 'overpromise' Finland PM pledges 'extremely tough' sanctions should Russia invade Ukraine Russia: Nothing less than NATO expansion ban is acceptable MORE and his Democratic allies, furious with Republicans for opposing voting rights protections they had embraced for decades, are lashing out across the aisle with racially charged assertions that the GOP would rather secure power than ensure civil rights. Republicans have fired back, accusing their Democratic critics of twisting the debate away from the underlying policy to launch unfounded — and highly disparaging — attacks on the fundamental integrity of their political adversaries. ADVERTISEMENT The discussion has become inflamed in ways remarkable even by the standards of the fierce hostility and heightened distrust that practically defines relations between the two parties on Capitol … [Read more...] about Fury over voting rights fight turns personal on Capitol Hill

Sen. Joe Manchin Joe Manchin Democrats make final plea for voting rights ahead of filibuster showdown The dangerous erosion of Democratic Party foundations Mark Kelly says he'll back changing filibuster rule for voting rights MORE (D-W.Va.) warned Democrats against trying to change the legislative filibuster and lamented the state of the Senate, hours before a months-long fight over Senate rules will come to a head. Manchin went through a laundry list of reasons explaining why he supports the 60-vote threshold for most major legislation and argued that the pitch from his Democratic colleagues about wanting to restore the Senate is “simply not true.” “For the last year, my Democratic colleagues have taken to the Senate floor, cable news airwaves, pages of newspapers across the country, and to argue that repealing the filibuster is restoring the vision the founding fathers intended for this deliberate body. My friends, that is simply not true. It’s not true,” … [Read more...] about Manchin chides Democrats over filibuster, saying he can’t support ‘such a perilous course’

President Biden Joe Biden Biden says he didn't 'overpromise' Finland PM pledges 'extremely tough' sanctions should Russia invade Ukraine Russia: Nothing less than NATO expansion ban is acceptable MORE got testy with a reporter on Wednesday in an exchange about his voting rights speech in Atlanta last week as he insisted that he did not liken senators who do not support election reform bills to Bull Connor and George Wallace. “Look what I said. Go back and read what I said and tell me if you think I called anyone who voted on the side of position taken by Bull Connor that they were Bull Connor,” Biden said in response to a questions by a Real Clear Politics reporter during a press conference at the White House, his voice rising. “That is an interesting reading of English. I assume you got into journalism because you like to write.” Several Republicans have taken issue with Biden’s rhetoric last week during which he sought to make a forceful push to change the … [Read more...] about Biden flashes anger at question over Bull Connor remark