15 U.S. House Members, 5 Senators Won’t Seek Reelection in 2024

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15 U.S. House Members, 5 Senators Won’t Seek Reelection in 2024

(Garcia de Paredes, Center Square) U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., is the 15th U.S. House member to announce he is not seeking reelection in 2024. Kim, in office since 2019, is retiring to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

Including Kim, 20 members of Congress – five senators and 15 representatives have announced they will not seek re-election in 2024 as of Oct. 16. This number doesn’t include Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who had announced her retirement but died on Sept. 29.

The 20 retiring members include 14 Democrats – three in the Senate and 11 in the House – as well as six Republicans – two in the Senate and four in the House.

The same number of U.S. Senators (5) had announced they were not running for re-election at this point in the 2022 election cycle. Four had announced at this point in the 2020 cycle, and one had announced at this point in the 2018 cycle.

The number of U.S. representatives who have announced they are not running for re-election in 2024 is currently below the average at this point for the three most recent cycles. Twenty-one House members had announced their retirements at this point in the 2022 cycle, 22 had announced their retirements at this point in the 2020 cycle, and 23 had announced at this point in the 2018 cycle.

According to the Brookings Institution, an average of 35 House members retired in every two-year cycle between 1946 and 2020. An average of six senators retired in that time period.

Of the senators not running for re-election, Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) are retiring from public office. U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) is running for governor of Indiana.

Eleven of the 15 U.S. House members not running for re-election – nine Democrats and two Republicans – are running for the U.S. Senate. These members include seven running for the open seats in California, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, and Indiana, specifically:

  • Reps. Barbara Lee (D), Katie Porter (D), and Adam Schiff (D) are running to replace Feinstein;
  • Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) is running to replace Carper;
  • Rep. David Trone (D) is running to replace Cardin;
  • Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) is running to replace Stabenow; and,
  • Rep. Jim Banks (R) is running to replace Braun.

And four other House members are challenging incumbent senators:

  • Kim is running against Menendez in New Jersey;
  • Rep. Alex Mooney (R) is running against Sen. Joe Manchin (D) in West Virginia;
  • Rep. Rubén Gallego (D) is running against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I) in Arizona; and,
  • Rep. Colin Allred (D) is running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in Texas.

Additionally, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) is running for state attorney general in North Carolina.

Reps. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), and Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) are the only House incumbents to have announced their retirement from public office.

Majority of Illegals Arrested in September from Socialist Venezuela

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Majority of Illegals Arrested in September from Socialist Venezuela

(Headline USA) Socialist Venezuela was home to the largest number of illegal immigrants arrested, replacing Mexicans for the first time on record, according to figures released Saturday that show September saw the second-highest number of arrests this year.

Venezuelans were arrested 54,833 times by the Border Patrol after entering from Mexico in September, more than double from 22,090 arrests in August and well above the previous monthly high of 33,749 arrests in September 2022.

Arrests of all illegals entering from Mexico totaled 218,763 in September, up 21% from 181,084 in August and approaching an all-time high of 222,018 in December 2022, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Arrests for the government’s budget year that ended Sept. 30 topped 2 million for the second year in a row.

Venezuela’s socialist economy produced a political, economic and humanitarian crisis over the last decade, pushing more than 7 million people to leave.

These illegal victims of socialism began coming to the United States in the last three years, settling in New York, Chicago and other major cities.

Troy Miller, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, explained his department’s response to the surge of illegal socialists.

“We are continually engaging with domestic and foreign partners to address historic hemispheric migration, including large migrant groups traveling on freight trains, and to enforce consequences including by preparing for direct repatriations to Venezuela,” Miller said.

Mexicans were arrested 39,733 times crossing the border in September, well behind Venezuelans. Guatemalans, Hondurans and Colombians rounded out the top five.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

China Creates Global AI ‘Initiative’ to Control World’s Tech

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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China Creates Global AI ‘Initiative’ to Control World’s Tech

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) On Wednesday, China launched its “Global Artificial Intelligence Governance Initiative” at the Belt and Road Initiative [BRI] forum in Beijing.

Chinese propaganda outlet Global Times tried to sell the narrative that the AI initiative had an “open, inclusive, and fair approach” to AI development, but Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Taliban — international criminals — being present at the BRI forum indicated the true intentions of the Chinese Communist Party, Breitbart reported.

On Wednesday, the state-run publication also promoted the Global AI Governance Initiative as a “stark contrast to the U.S.’s restrictions and blockade aimed at preserving its hegemony,” referring to the U.S. and allied countries locking down sales of advanced computer technology to China last year.

The absence of any kind of ethical standards in the communist dictatorship allowed AI-driven surveillance, including research into AI facial recognition systems that would allow Beijing tyrants to track and monitor “troublesome” minority populations such as Tibetans and Uyghur Muslims.

Both the CIA and FBI expressed their concerns about China’s influence on AI development and its abuse of the technology to drive massive espionage, surveillance and influence campaigns, according to Breitbart.

In January, FBI Director Christopher Wray said that he was “deeply concerned” that China’s A.I. development is “not constrained by the rule of law,” while Lakshmi Raman, the CIA’s director for artificial intelligence, warned only a few weeks ago that China’s AI programs are “growing every which way,” posing threats to both the security and stability of free nations, the news source added.

“[Adversaries like China are] seeking to undermine trust in our government institutions, social cohesion and democratic processes are using AI to create more believable mis-, dis-, and malinformation campaigns,” the Department of Homeland Security said in September.

Microsoft uncovered an example of that menace the same month, which was a Chinese-controlled network of social media accounts that used AI software to “mimic U.S. voters” and generate content that was “more eye-catching than the awkward visuals used in previous campaigns by Chinese nation-state actors,” Breitbart wrote.

Did Biden Use China Bribes to Buy Rehoboth Beach House?

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Did Biden Use China Bribes to Buy Rehoboth Beach House?

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) It was discovered that Joe Biden bought his Delaware home for slightly under $2.75 million in cash within weeks of his son, Hunter, threatening Runlong “Raymond” Zhao, an associate at Chinese oil giant CEFC, to seal a deal worth $10 million a year.

“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” Hunter wrote to Zhao on WhatsApp on July 30, 2017, according to the Daily Mail.

After that, he threatened Zhao, whom he called Z during the interaction.

“Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand. And now means tonight,” he wrote at 9.45 a.m., referring to time in Beijing, China, which is 12 hours ahead.

Hunter then continued his threat by reminding Zhao that he could not tell anyone about that.

“And Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. OK, my friend – I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father. I sure hope whatever it is you are doing is very, very, very important,” he wrote.

Even though there is no proof that Joe was sitting next to his son, metadata from Hunter’s infamous abandoned laptop’s photos that were obtained by the Mail showed Hunter was at his father’s main house, his mansion in Wilmington, Del., the day the text was sent.

Joe’s six-bedroom second property was purchased on June 8, 2017, for $2,744,001 – just seven weeks before his son sent these threatening messages, according to property records.

Considering that no mortgage was registered with the sale, it means that Joe paid all cash for his second home.

New Details Put Obama at Scene of Paddleboat Death

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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New Details Put Obama at Scene of Paddleboat Death

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) It was revealed that Barack Obama was physically present at the scene of the drowning death of his chef, Tafari Campbell.

“The Massachusetts State Police [MSP] responded to our [Freedom of Information Act] request and released their report, with some redactions. According to the report, Obama was on the scene shortly after Campbell went missing. The report also states an unmanned female staffer jumped into the water when Tafari fell off his board,” Jesse Watters of Fox News said.

Watters then added that her jumping into the water didn’t help because it was already too late since Campbell already drowned.

“We also now know that the Secret Service has surveillance footage of Campbell from Obama’s compound moments before he entered the water,” he said.

Judicial Watch also asked the MSP for information regarding the tragic death of Obama’s cook and, eventually, received 40 pages of records.

“[The records] indicate the presence of Barack Obama for a witness interview in the death investigation of the Obama’s chef Tafari Campbell. The records, which are heavily redacted, indicate Barack Obama and a direct witness to Campbell’s drowning arrived at the emergency response scene via motorcade,” Judicial Watch wrote on Friday.

The news source also added that Obama was present during the interviews of eyewitnesses.

“The next morning, the eyewitness was interviewed in the Obama residence, again with Barack Obama present,” Judicial Watch wrote.

It was also indicated in the records obtained by the news source that there is a video of Campbell and his paddleboarding companion entering the water.

“The records also detail the existence of a Secret Service video of Campbell and his paddleboarding companion entering the water, and the Secret Service emergency response in the immediate aftermath of the drowning. The State Police records show they concluded ‘no foul play’ in Campbell’s ‘accidental’ death,” Judicial Watch wrote.

In its report, Judicial Watch also added that Campbell has been taking swimming lessons in 2019 but described his ability as “not a great swimmer,” according to his family.

McClintock Mocks ‘Gaetz Eight’ in Snarky, Unhinged Letter: ‘We Don’t Deserve You’

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McClintock Mocks ‘Gaetz Eight’ in Snarky, Unhinged Letter: ‘We Don’t Deserve You’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., took a sharp jab at the “Gaetz Eight,” the group that voted to oust McCarthy as House speaker and attempted to sway votes for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in exchange for their own expulsion. 

In what was described as a mocking letter, McClintock openly derided the actions of the group, expressing a sarcastic appreciation for their bargaining, calling the offer “perhaps the most selfless act in American history.”

McClintock did not mince his words in the two-page letter. “Your letter of October 20, in which you graciously offer to martyr yourselves as long as you can get way, is perhaps the most selfless act in American history,” he said.

“I was certain our Republican colleagues ‘who refuse to vote’ within the Republican majority would have been inspired by your stirring example of party discipline and loyalty to ‘vote with the team,’ as you so eloquently phrased it,” McClintock declared.

The “Gaetz Eight” had proposed a bargain, stating they would face any form of censure or removal from the Conference if the House conference supported Jordan’s bid. 

“If the holdouts who refuse to vote for Speaker-Designate Jordan would be willing to ‘vote with the team’ and elect him the 56th House Speaker, we are prepared to accept censure, suspension, or removal from the Conference to accomplish this objective,” the seven lawmakers claimed in a letter.

However, McClintock’s retort did not hold back. “We should have appreciated how you (and 206 House Democrats) saved us from a Republican Speaker. We truly don’t deserve you,” he added in a mocking tone. 

“But your sacrifice is not in vain. You have succeeded in replacing the outdated concept of majority rule with an exciting new standard that a Speaker must be elected by 98.2 percent of the Republican conference,” McClintock stated, adding, “Someday, a messiah will be born unto us who can achieve this miraculous threshold, and on that day your judgement will be vindicated and you will be hailed as the geniuses that you are.”

The bargain letter was initially signed by Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Bob Good, R-Va., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.

Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., voted to oust McCarthy but refused to sign the letter as he opposed Jordan’s speaker’s bid.

‘Nancy Pelosi in a Suit’: Tom Emmer Faces Scathing Criticism Amid Speakership Bid

Luis Cornelio
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‘Nancy Pelosi in a Suit’: Tom Emmer Faces Scathing Criticism Amid Speakership Bid

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A senior Republican strategist launched a scathing critique on potential House GOP speaker nominee Tom Emmer for his contentious record against the America First movement. 

During a segment of Steve Bannon’s WarRoom podcast on Friday, Caroline Wren, a senior adviser to conservative firebrand Kari Lake, did not mince her words in her criticism of Emmer.  

“Tom Emmer is Nancy Pelosi in a Suit,” a caption of the show read. Echoing the caption, Wren emphatically stated her opposition to Emmer’s anticipated bid for the speakership.

“It is outrageous that they’re putting Tom Emmer,” Wren told Bannon. “Tom Emmer is awful. He’s been the whip behind every single bad deal in Congress for the last two years that Kevin McCarthy negotiated, was Tom Emmer whipping for it.” 

Emmer, currently serving as House majority whip, is slated to declare his candidacy before the looming Monday evening deadline. However, his path to securing the speakership appears increasingly rocky, with detractors pointing to his alleged involvement in recent contentious congressional deals. 

“Whether it was raising the debt ceiling, funding Ukraine, not funding our border, working across with Democrats, Tom Emmer was behind it,” Wren added. “This should not be a shock to us, this is the same Tom Emmer who was the [National Republican Congressional Committee] chair in 2022, told us there was going to be this massive big red rave that turned into barely a red ripple.”

The growing resistance to Emmer’s potential candidacy follows the GOP’s struggle to rally behind a single candidate. The rejection of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and failed attempts by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., to secure enough votes have only deepened the division. 

Emmer’s emergence as a prospective candidate gained traction after the removal of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., through a contentious motion to vacate.  

Despite initial support from some quarters, Emmer has reportedly faced a setback, with former President Donald Trump allegedly expressing his lack of endorsement for Emmer in private discussions. 

“If somebody is so out of step with where the Republican electorate is, where the MAGA movement is, how can they even be in the conversation?” Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn told Bannon.

“We need a MAGA speaker. That’s what it comes down to. Because if you look at the numbers, if you look at the energy, if you look at the heat, this is the Trump party, this is the MAGA party. It is no longer the old-school khaki establishment Republican Party.”

‘Ignore This Crazy Lady’: Omar Lobs Insult at Fox News Reporter

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‘Ignore This Crazy Lady’: Omar Lobs Insult at Fox News Reporter

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., faced mounting controversy as she dismissed questions about her recent calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, following Hamas’ latest attack on Israel.  

The congresswoman’s avoidance of questions came during an encounter with Fox News correspondent Hillary Vaughn outside her office premises, where Omar called Vaugh a “crazy lady.”

“Are you okay with Hamas terrorists continuing to exist?” Vaughn pressed Omar. “Do you think Israel should just lay down their arms and not try to get their hostages out of Gaza? How can Israel have a ceasefire with terrorists whose entire mission is to wipe out their existence?”

Omar broke her silence to insult Vaughn. “Ignore this crazy lady,” she uttered before storming into a nearby elevator, evading further questions.

Omar’s reluctance to engage with the reporters comes amid intense scrutiny of her recent remarks in support of Palestinians and their conflict with Israel. Omar, alongside other members of the so-called “Squad,” has called for an apparent “ceasefire” as Israel defends itself from the Hamas terror group.

“Such senseless violence will only repeat the back and forth cycle we’ve seen, which we cannot allow to continue,” Omar claimed on Oct. 7. “We need to call for deescalation and ceasefire. I will keep advocating for peace and justice throughout the Middle East.” 

The congresswoman faced backlash after prematurely assigning blame to the Israeli Defense Forces for a bombing incident in a Palestinian hospital parking lot, an allegation the IDF swiftly denied.

Reports indicated the involvement of the Islamic Jihad, a militant group seeking the establishment of a caliphate in Israel.

Addressing the situation, President Joe Biden, speaking from the Ramstein Air Base during his return to Washington, D.C., commented, “It’s that old thing: Gotta learn how to shoot straight. It’s not the first time that Hamas has launched something that didn’t function very well.”

Despite mounting evidence contrary to her initial statement, Omar stood her ground, stating, “Our office cited an AP report yesterday that the IDF had hit a Baptist hospital in Gaza. Since then, the IDF denied responsibility and the US intelligence assessment is that this was not done by Israel.”

J.K. Rowling Ready to Go to Prison If ‘Misgendering’ Becomes Crime

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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J.K. Rowling Ready to Go to Prison If ‘Misgendering’ Becomes Crime

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A famous “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling mocked compelled pro-“transgender” speech, adding that she would be willing to go to prison instead of denying the biological reality.

Rowling has been frequently opposing compelled speech while defending women’s rights and the encroachment on women’s spaces by men who either genuinely believe or pretend to be women, Blaze reported.

One of Rowling’s recent remarks regarding the topic was her commenting on the news that the U.K.’s opposition party, the Labour Party, would force compelled speech — criminalizing the act of not referring to people by their preferred “gender identities” — if elected into power.

These kinds of laws would make “misgendering” a hate crime and upgrade charges to “aggravated offenses.” The party also added that it would strengthen the sentencing guidelines for what it describes as abuse and violence targeted toward “transgender” people.

Based on that information, it becomes clear that these “transphobic” actions would be equated with assault and harassment hate crimes, which carry a possible sentence of up to two years in prison.

In one of her Twitter posts, Rowling posted a photo from the U.K.’s Ministry of Justice that read “Repeat After Us: Trans Women Are Women.”

“No,” Rowling wrote in the same post.

One of the people on Twitter replied to the image by saying “Vote Labour, get a two year stretch!” Rowling responded by saying that she is willing to go to prison if the alternative is denying the basic biological reality.

“I’ll happily do two years if the alternative is compelled speech and forced denial of the reality and importance of sex. Bring on the court case, I say. It’ll be more fun than I’ve ever had on a red carpet,” she wrote.

Rowling also defended Elon Musk’s decision to classify “cisgender” as a slur on his platform in June 2023.

“‘Cis’ is ideological language, signifying belief in the unfalsifiable concept of gender identity. You have a perfect right to believe in unprovable essences that may or may not match the sexed body, but the rest of us have a right to disagree, and to refuse to adopt your jargon,” she wrote.

Tlaib’s Security Clearance Under Fire Amid Accusations of Pro-Hamas Stance

Luis Cornelio
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Tlaib’s Security Clearance Under Fire Amid Accusations of Pro-Hamas Stance

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., could be barred from receiving classified briefings on U.S. operations in Israel after being accused by Israel of spreading false claims regarding the recent hospital incident.

Rep. Jonny Jackson, R-Texas, in a letter to House Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., demanded that her security clearance be revoked, citing her alleged support for Hamas.

“I demand that Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib be prevented from participating in any classified briefing about Israel’s ongoing military operations, Israel’s self-defense efforts, or any American military movements in and around the region,” Jackson wrote.

“We must not allow Hamas sympathizers in this body to serve as the mouthpiece for Palestinian terrorists. Rather than condemn the attacks by Hamas, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has chosen to side with Hamas by spreading misinformation,” the Texas lawmaker added. 

“I demand that her security clearance be revoked immediately and that she be prevented from participating in any relevant briefings,” he continued. 

Tlaib, along with other members of the progressive “Squad,” has faced criticism for their stance on the recent Israel-Hamas war.  

Critics argue that Tlaib’s calls for a ceasefire dangerously ignore Hamas’ initiation of the war and their continued terrorist activities against Israeli civilians, with nearly 200 hostages still in the Gaza Strip. Hamas’ terror attack on Oct. 7 has claimed the lives of over 1,400 individuals, including American citizens.

The scrutiny intensified when Tlaib, against U.S. intelligence reports, accused Israel of targeting a Palestinian hospital with a rocket. “We continue to watch people say it’s OK to bomb a hospital,” Tlaib said on Oct. 18. “We are literally watching people commit genocide and killing a vast majority just like this.”

These statements have led to mounting criticism of Tlaib, with Jackson calling that she be blocked from future classified briefings.

“I don’t know what’s more concerning, that we have Members of Congress who are antisemites and support Hamas, or that we let those Members of Congress attend classified briefings on the war in Israel,” Jackson told Fox News on Thursday. 

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