Manchin sidesteps questions on leaving Democratic Party: ‘I’ll let you know later’

BY JULIA MUELLER

© Greg Nash

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Sunday sidestepped questions about whether he’d leave the Democratic Party after being asked about his comments regarding his serving in the Senate as an “independent voice.”

Manchin avoided saying outright if he’d join fellow centrist Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who shocked Washington earlier this month by announcing that she would become an Independent.

The West Virginia Democrat instead criticized hyper-partisanship in Congress and said he would wait and see how the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act “plays out” before making a decision about his affiliation. 

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Texas Gov. Abbott says there will be ‘total chaos’ if Title 42 is halted

BY BRAD DRESS

“If the courts do not intervene and put a halt to the removal of Title 42, it’s going to be total chaos,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) told ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

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Democratic senator: It is ‘past time’ for Title 42 to be lifted

BY BRAD DRESS

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Sunday said it is “past time” for the controversial border policy Title 42 to be lifted, saying the U.S. is in a “much different place” in the COVID-19 pandemic.

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GOP rep says ‘hurricane of migrants’ hitting El Paso

BY JULIA MUELLER 

"It is a dire situation in El Paso. As you know, the city declared a state of emergency. This is something you do when there’s a hurricane, a fire, an earthquake. What is happening is it’s a hurricane of migrants,” Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas)  said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” with host Margaret Brennan. 

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Texas Republican accuses Democrats of using migrants as ‘political pawns’

BY JULIA MUELLER 

“Democrats want to simply throw more money at the border and then process more human beings while they’re getting abused. They’re the ones using them as political pawns for their crass political purposes. They’re using the Hispanic community,” Republican Rep. Chip Roy (Texas) said on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream.  

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Schiff says Trump’s political relevance may have slowed DOJ probes

BY JULIA MUELLER

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday said former President Trump’s political relevance may have impacted the Justice Department’s probes involving Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, his potential mishandling of classified documents and his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol.

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Jan. 6 panel could make ethics referrals for lawmakers who ignored subpoenas, Schiff says  

BY JULIA MUELLER

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday said the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol could make ethics referrals for lawmakers who ignored congressional subpoenas.  

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Senate Republican says Trump’s 2024 campaign has had ‘terrible rollout’

BY JULIA MUELLER 

Retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) on Sunday said former President Trump’s 2024 campaign is having an “unbelievably terrible rollout” while assessing Trump’s influence on the GOP as “absolutely” waning in part due to the outcome of the midterm elections.

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COVID response coordinator: People ‘confused’ about whether they need updated booster

BY BRAD DRESS 

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Americans seem “confused” about whether they need an updated COVID-19 vaccine booster, urging people to get another shot if it’s been six months since their last one.

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GOP rep says US users should delete TikTok  

BY JULIA MUELLER 

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) on Sunday said U.S. users should delete the social media app TikTok, owned by the China-based parent company ByteDance, over concerns about its ties to the Chinese Communist Party.  

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Senate banking chairman says ‘maybe’ to cryptocurrency ban

BY BRAD DRESS 

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) on Sunday said federal agencies need to address the cryptocurrency market and “maybe” ban it after the high-profile collapse of cryptocurrency market FTX last month.

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