Former President Donald Trump&#8217;s political world is making its presence felt in Ohio&#8217;s Senate race as the Republican primary heats up to decide on who will take on incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
Trump endorsed businessman Bernie Moreno late last year, saying that he was the &#8220;type of MAGA fighter that we need in the United States Senate.&#8221; Now his son Donald Trump Jr., a top campaign surrogate for his father, posted a video to X on Monday from a Super PAC supporting Moreno that takes aim at his main opponent: Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
&#8220;Can you trust Franklin LaRose? He&#8217;s called a champion for trans equality, supports taxpayer funding for abortion provider Planned Parenthood,&#8221; the ad says, going on to show him thank a leftist LGBT group.
&#8220;And here&#8217;s LaRose on a liberal group that wants minors to transition without notifying parents: &#8216;To my friends from Equality Ohio, congratulations on 15 years of fighting to make Ohio better and more equal,'&#8221; the video shows LaRose saying.
&#8220;Frank LaRose, &#8216;my friends from Equality Ohio&#8217;, no friend of ours,&#8221; the ad concludes. &#8220;You just can&#8217;t trust him. Buckeye values PAC is responsible for the content of this message.&#8221;
Trump Jr. posted the video along with a message in support of Moreno.
&#8220;The great state of Ohio helped put Trump in the White House and JD Vance in the senate, so I have no doubt they’ll elect the real conservative [Bernie Moreno] over leftwing, pro-trans Frank LaRose,&#8221; Trump Jr. said.
<h3>WATCH:</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The great state of Ohio helped put Trump in the White House and JD Vance in the senate, so I have no doubt they’ll elect the real conservative <a href="https://twitter.com/berniemoreno?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@berniemoreno</a> over leftwing, pro-trans Frank LaRose. <a href="https://t.co/wTJRYxEysL">pic.twitter.com/wTJRYxEysL</a>
&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1757072857740214420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump endorsed Moreno in December, calling him a &#8220;highly respected businessman from the GREAT State of Ohio.&#8221;
&#8220;Bernie will always stand up to the Fascist &#8216;nut jobs&#8217; and the spineless RINOS in order to fight the corrupt Deep State that is destroying our Country,&#8221; Trump said in a statement. &#8220;Remember, we need a successful political outsider like Bernie to defeat Liberal career politician, Sherrod Brown, who has so poorly represented Ohio, and pretends that he’s all for the Policies of your Favorite President, Donald J. Trump, but then gets to the Senate and votes 100% for the horrendous Policies of Crooked Joe Biden, the worst President in the History of our Country.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s time for the entire Republican Party to UNITE around Bernie’s campaign for Senate, so that we can have a BIG victory in what will be the most important Election in American History,&#8221; Trump later added. &#8220;Bernie is the Father of wonderful Emily, the wife of outstanding young Ohio Congressman, Max Miller. Bernie is Strong on the Border, Crime, Cutting Taxes, Election Integrity, the Military / Vets, and will always protect our under siege 2nd Amendment. Bernie Moreno will be an outstanding United States Senator, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement—He will never let you down!&#8221;
Trump last week also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-makes-major-endorsement-in-montana-senate-race">entered the fray</a> in the Montana Senate race, backing candidate Tim Sheehy over Republican congressman Matt Rosendale.

House Republicans Hold News Conference On The American Confidence In Elections Act

Trump World Leans Into U.S. Senate Race In Ohio, Promotes Attack On GOP’s Frank LaRose

Donald Trump

Elections

Ohio

Sherrod Brown

U.S. Senate

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign from the U.S. Senate on Monday after Menendez was charged with multiple federal felonies last week in connection with an alleged bribery scheme.
“Senator Menendez has broken the public trust and should resign from the U.S. Senate,” <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/09/us-sen-sherrod-brown-calls-on-indicted-sen-bob-menendez-to-resign.html">said</a> Brown, who chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Brown is only the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-fetterman-calls-on-bob-menendez-to-resign-from-u-s-senate">second</a> U.S. Senator to call on Menendez to resign after Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) did so on Saturday.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) said that the allegations in the indictment were “deeply disturbing” because they “implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system.”
“The alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-democrats-begin-pushing-menendez-to-resign-as-he-steps-down-from-chairmanship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation.”
The federal indictment against Menendez and his wife was unsealed on Friday and accused the senator and his wife of accepting bribes from three business people in exchange for actions that he took as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to the DOJ, the bribes were intended to protect the businessmen and to benefit Egypt.
Menendez faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted of the charges, which include conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
Menendez was forced to step down as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee because of Senate Democrat bylaws but he has insisted that he is innocent and suggested that the charges stem from a vast conspiracy of people who are trying to take him down.
Menendez <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bob-menendez-explains-why-he-had-480000-in-cash-at-his-home">offered</a> an explanation at a press conference on Monday for why he had $480,000 in cash at his home when investigators executed a search warrant.
“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies, and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba,” he said. “Now, this may seem old-fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years. I look forward to addressing other issues at trial.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-calls-on-sen-menendez-to-resign-bucks-his-defense-that-hes-being-racially-targeted">AOC Calls On Sen. Menendez To Resign, Bucks His Defense That He’s Being Racially Targeted</a>

US Senator Menendez defiantly rejects calls to step down

Top Democrat Senator Calls On Menendez To Resign Over Bribery Scandal

Bob Menendez

Bribery

Democrat

Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sherrod-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sherrod Brown</a> (D-OH) took hundreds of thousands of dollars from three drug companies at the center of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/opioid-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opioid epidemic</a> in the U.S.
According to FEC financial reports cited by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/05/ohio-democratic-senator-took-243k-from-opioid-giants-fec/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>, Brown raked in more than $200,000 from political action committees associated with Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen since 2003. The three pharmaceutical giants paid out a $26 billion settlement to settle thousands of individual lawsuits from states and local governments. Ohio is also one of the states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic.
According to <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00264697&amp;committee_id=C00331694&amp;committee_id=C00690073&amp;contributor_name=C00108035&amp;contributor_name=C00332833&amp;contributor_name=C00400929" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FEC filings</a>, Brown took in a total of $144,500 in contributions to his campaign and leadership PAC, America Works PAC. He raised $85,000 from Cardinal Health, $56,500 from AmerisourceBergen, and $1,500 from McKesson. The latest donation was a $2,500 donation from Cardinal Health on September 21. The New York Post further reported that he took in $54,100 from lobbyists who worked for the three pharmaceutical distributors, including $5,600, the legal maximum, from a McKesson lobbyist in 2020 and again in 2021.
Separately, individual employees <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00264697&amp;committee_id=C00331694&amp;committee_id=C00690073&amp;contributor_employer=cardinal+health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donated</a> another $40,025. Cardinal Health Chief Information Officer Mark MacNaughton was a frequent small-dollar donor. Former Cardinal Health CEO George S. Barrett donated a total of $15,400 between 2011 and 2019, all in large amounts. Theodore Frank of McKesson donated $1,000 to his 2018 campaign. Rita Ersfeld Norton of AmerisourceBergen gave him $1,000 in 2017.
Together, Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen account for 90% of the U.S. supply chains for drugs and medical supplies. But the companies have allegedly been complicit in the proliferation of opioids; the New York Post reported that for more than a decade, the three pharma giants failed to track suspicious orders or increases in opioid use among purchasers, in spite of doctors potentially criminally overprescribing the drugs.
The three companies, along with Johnson &amp; Johnson, settled a $26 billion lawsuit with 49 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and thousands of municipalities in February 2022. In a <a href="https://www.mckesson.com/About-McKesson/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2022/Distributors-Approve-Opioid-Settlement-Agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joint statement</a> in February, the three companies announced that, beginning on April 2, 2022, they would pay out more than $19.5 billion over the next 18 years: Amerisource is set to pay out $6.1 billion; Cardinal Health, $6 billion; and McKesson, $7.4 billion. The settlement dealt with 46 of the 49 states; Alabama, Oklahoma, and Washington State refused the settlement. West Virginia settled previously. The Cherokee Nation also settled separately, and the remaining Native Americans had reached an agreement in principle at the time.
The New York Post also reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration settled a $150 million payout for violating federal controlled substance laws in 2017, the largest penalty in the DEA&#8217;s history.
Ohio had an estimated 5,068 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, the fifth-highest in the nation, according to the CDC&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Vital Statistics System</a>. The CDC reported 107,622 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, the highest number on record, as The Daily Wire reported last year. The New York Times <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/record-number-of-americans-died-from-drug-overdoses-in-2021-cdc-data-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time that synthetic opioids accounted for 71,000 deaths.
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In 2017, Brown himself <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSherrodBrown/status/922482085272674304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the opioid crisis “one of biggest public health emergencies in my lifetime [and] all too often addiction starts in [the] medicine cabinet.”
Brown is running for a fourth term in the Senate in 2024. But he faces an uphill battle in a state that is rapidly turning red: former President Trump won the state by eight points in 2020; Republican Senator J.D. Vance won the state by six points in 2022. So far, State Senator Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno have entered the Republican primary.

Democratic Lawmakers Demand Senate Vote On House-Passed Bipartisan Background Checks Gun Control Act

Ohio Democrat Senator Took Thousands Of Dollars In Donations From Pharma Companies At Center Of Opioid Crisis

Ohio Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown Took Thousands Of Dollars In Donations From Pharma Companies At Center Of Opioid Crisis

Big Pharma

Health

Money In Politics

Opioid Crisis

Politics

Prescription Drugs

Republican and Democratic lawmakers unveiled a bill on Wednesday that would increase safety restrictions on <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/ohio-train-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trains</a> carrying hazardous materials.
The legislation comes weeks after a Norfolk Southern train derailed near East Palestine, Ohio. Authorities evacuated all residents within one mile of the February 3 incident and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/evacuation-ordered-ohio-governor-warns-major-explosion-could-send-shrapnel-a-mile-from-derailed-train" target="_blank" rel="noopener">started</a> a controlled burn of chemicals on the vehicle to lower the risk of an explosion, producing massive plumes of black smoke visible throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2023, which would require rail companies to report hazardous materials present trains to state authorities, raise inspection requirements, and increase the rigor of defect detection efforts. Other sponsors include Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).
“Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again. We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind,” Vance said in a <a href="https://www.vance.senate.gov/press-releases/senators-vance-brown-to-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-prevent-train-derailment-disasters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “Action to prevent future disasters is critical, but we must never lose sight of the needs of the Ohioans living in East Palestine and surrounding communities. One day, the TV cameras will leave, and the news cycle will move on, but the needs of those Ohioans will remain.”
The <a href="https://www.vance.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Railway-Safety-Act.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a> would also increase several civil penalties for violations of rail safety regulations tenfold and require that each train must operate with at least two-person crews. With respect to safety in transporting hazardous materials, each carrier must produce a gas discharge plan and submit to periodic inspections with minimum time requirements. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg would be directed by the legislation to enumerate more specific rules. The Biden administration has <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/01/politics/congress-response-railway-safety-norfolk-southern/index.html">called on</a> Congress to enact similar reforms.
“The Norfolk Southern train derailment left Pennsylvania and Ohio families, businesses, and first responders grappling with a disaster that spilled hazardous materials in their community. It shouldn’t have happened here and it shouldn’t happen anywhere else in America,” Casey added. “The Railway Safety Act will make freight rail safer, hold rail companies accountable for putting communities and workers in harm’s way, and protect people over profits.”
The train derailment launched debate in Washington over increased scrutiny for rail companies. Buttigieg <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-touts-funding-to-improve-rail-safety-in-wake-of-ohio-train-crash-doesnt-mention-what-hes-doing-right-now-to-help" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the White House has been “constrained” on rail safety due to a “braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015.” National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-blames-trump-for-ohio-train-derailment-even-the-ntsb-chair-calls-that-misinformation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clarified</a> that the rule would not have applied to the train which derailed in East Palestine because of its classification as a “mixed freight train” rather than a “high hazard flammable train.”
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Federal investigators have preliminarily <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-details-in-east-palestine-train-derailment-revealed-in-fresh-ntsb-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concluded</a> that the derailment was caused by a malfunctioning rail axle. “Surveillance video from a residence showed what appears to be a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment,” the NTSB said in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/investigators-provide-more-details-on-what-caused-ohio-train-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “The wheelset from the suspected railcar has been collected as evidence for metallurgical examination.”

Screen Shot 2023-02-17 at 11.58.47 AM

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Improve Rail Safety After Ohio Train Crash

Senators Introduce Bill To Improve Rail Safety After Ohio Train Derailment

Congress

JD Vance

John Fetterman

Josh Hawley

Marco Rubio

Ohio Train Disaster

Railroads

Train

Residents of <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/erin-brockovich-torches-biden-over-east-palestine-debacle-youre-not-gonna-gaslight-me/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Palestine</a>, Ohio, are still worried, despite EPA reassurances, that the air and water in their community are not safe to breathe and drink — and while they wait to find out, one of their senators is attending ritzy Hollywood fundraisers.
According to a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrat-ohio-senator-fundraises-hollywood-toxic-chemical-spill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published Tuesday by Fox News Digital, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was rubbing elbows with Tinseltown elites while his <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/joy-behar-blames-east-palestine-residents-for-train-disaster-because-they-voted-for-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">constituents</a> wondered about the water quality in their own homes.
Brown shared some photos of himself spending time in East Palestine, talking to both officials and residents about the clean-up process.
&#8220;I spent the afternoon with residents from East Palestine &amp; the surrounding area. I’m in constant contact with Ohioans and authorities to get this community the resources it needs, and to hold Norfolk Southern accountable to pay for it,&#8221; he tweeted on Monday afternoon.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I spent the afternoon with residents from East Palestine &amp; the surrounding area.
I’m in constant contact with Ohioans and authorities to get this community the resources it needs, and to hold Norfolk Southern accountable to pay for it. <a href="https://t.co/m3seIQDkhM">pic.twitter.com/m3seIQDkhM</a>
&mdash; Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSherrodBrown/status/1630342956405194755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But just a few days earlier, according to event organizer Jill Goldman — a member of former President Barack Obama&#8217;s National Finance Committee — Brown and his wife were present at a Hollywood Hills fundraiser alongside Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
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&#8220;Last night cohosting my absolutely favorite US SENATOR SHERROD BROWN, his beyond incredible brilliant wife novelist and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist @schultz_connie and amazing kick a** SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN the first LGBTQ person elected to the US Senate @tammybaldwinwi !!&#8221; Goldman captioned the photo.
&#8220;If you know me you know I have been a big fan of Sherrod’s for years !! Sherrod is a progressive champion who wins in a tough state like Ohio because Ohioans know he fights for them in the workplace. His Dignity of Work message enables him to reach those Trump voters even though he has been pro-choice his whole career, gets an F from the NRA and has been for marriage equality since he voted against DOMA in the 90’s!&#8221; she continued, adding, &#8220;SHERROD is up for a tight re/election campaign 2024 but he can do it in a red Ohio! I love Sherrod !! We need Ohio to keep the Senate Blue !!THE SENATE NEEDS SHERROD BROWN !! WE ALLL NEED SHERROD NOW MORE THAN BEFORE !!!&#8221;
A second photo in the same post showed Brown and Baldwin together at the event.

CFPB Director Rohit Chopra Testifies Before Senate Banking Committee

East Palestine Is Still Suffering — But Ohio’s Democrat Senator Took Time For A Hollywood Fundraiser

East Palestine Is Still Suffering — But Ohio's Democrat Senator Took Time For A Hollywood Fundraiser

Disasters

East Palestine

U.S.

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) gave an indirect answer when asked if he would drink the water in East Palestine, Ohio.
Appearing on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/02/19/sotu-brown-full.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State of the Union</a>&#8221; Sunday, Brown deferred to local officials when asked whether he would drink the water contaminated by chemicals from the Norfolk Southern train derailment on February 3. Brown went on to blame the derailment on the rail company, claiming it laid off key workers and conducted stock buybacks instead of investing in safety.
&#8220;[W]ould you drink the water in East Palestine?&#8221; guest host Pamela Brown asked. &#8220;And do you think the officials there who are saying it&#8217;s safe, they should drink the water too to show the residents that they would drink it?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, I think they are,&#8221; the Senator responded. &#8220;I mean, I talked to the mayor. The mayor said definitively, emphatically, that people can drink the water. I don&#8217;t know. I don&#8217;t think the mayor has small kids. He looks a little older to me. I didn&#8217;t ask him about bathing his kids. But he has said he would drink this water.&#8221;
Brown then claimed that the derailment was caused by corporate greed on the part of Norfolk Southern. &#8220;Pamela, this is really the same old story. Corporations do stock buybacks, they do big dividend checks, they lay off workers. Thousands of workers have been laid off from Norfolk Southern. Then they don&#8217;t invest in safety rules and safety regulations, and this kind of thing happens. That&#8217;s why people in East Palestine are so upset.&#8221;
&#8220;These things are happening because the railroads are simply not investing the way they showed in car safety and in the rail lines themselves,&#8221; he said.
J.D. Vance (R-OH), has not deferred to officials on the topic of water safety. After the EPA said Wednesday that the water in the municipal well showed no quality concerns, Vance called on them to put the water where their mouth is.
“I think that if the EPA administrator wants to stand here and tell people that the tap water is safe, by all means, they should be willing to drink it,&#8221; he said.
Vance also posted a video to his personal Twitter account, where he scraped a creek bed, showing an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-disgusting-j-d-vance-scrapes-creek-bed-with-stick-after-train-crash-oily-substance-emerges-in-viral-video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oily sheen</a> from chemicals in the water. “This is disgusting,” he said. “The fact that these chemicals are still seeping in the ground is an insult to the people who live in East Palestine. Do not forget these people.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Visited a local creek in East Palestine today. These waterways are still very polluted. It’s time for Norfolk Southern to finish the cleanup. Check this video out: <a href="https://t.co/4lsHBmrMJj">pic.twitter.com/4lsHBmrMJj</a>
&mdash; J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1626305927207854089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-plans-visit-to-east-palestine-says-locals-need-help" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> is scheduled to visit the village on Wednesday.

Senate Democrats Press Conference

Ohio Dem Gives Strange Answer When Asked If He Would Drink Water In East Palestine

Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown Gives Strange, Indirect Answer When Asked If He Would Drink Water In East Palestine

State of the Union

Democratic and Republican members of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate</a> Banking Committee drew attention on Thursday to the effect of low <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/housing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">housing</a> supply on <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prices</a>.
Labor shortages and <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/supply-chain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supply chain</a> bottlenecks induced by worldwide lockdown mandates raised input costs and thereby increased housing inventory shortfalls that have long plagued American would-be homeowners. Lawmakers on the Senate Banking Committee discussed the phenomenon during their first hearing of the new Congress.
“There just isn’t enough quality housing at prices that people can afford,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said in his <a href="https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/majority/brown-housing-expensive-families-seniors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening statement</a>. “And because there aren’t enough homes, renters, and homeowners are stuck paying more every month or living with peeling lead paint or leaks.”
The housing market had witnessed a shortage of 3.8 million houses as of 2019, according to <a href="https://www.fanniemae.com/research-and-insights/perspectives/us-housing-shortage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from government-backed mortgage company Fannie Mae. The National Association of Realtors <a href="https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/once-in-a-generation-response-needed-to-address-housing-supply-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimates</a> that homebuilders should have constructed between 5.5 million and 6.8 million more houses over the past two decades to match current demand.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) asserted that policies such as rent control and inaction on the supply chain crisis from the Biden administration have worsened the housing inventory problem.
“It’s past time to rethink the tax-and-spend strategies that keep families trapped in generational cycles of poverty and find real solutions to meaningfully impact all households,” he said in his <a href="https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/minority/scott-calls-for-less-failed-government-spending-more-solutions-in-response-to-housing-challenges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening statement</a>. “Government must begin responsibly helping families rather than doubling down on programs that fail to generate results. We need to leverage the successes of American capitalism by encouraging private investment in the housing sector and eliminating needless barriers that artificially restrict supply.”
Senior Biden administration officials have meanwhile <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/07/biden-harris-administration-announces-progress-in-implementing-its-housing-supply-action-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to provide affordable financing for multifamily housing construction, streamline regulations to make the construction of “mixed-income housing” and “housing that includes very low-income tenants” more simplified, and support housing projects near mass transit. Inflation rates for shelter costs increased 7.5% year-over-year as of December 2022, far exceeding the 1.8% year-over-year rate charted one month before President Joe Biden assumed office, according to <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUSR0000SAH1#0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Median home sale prices have likewise soared from $322,600 in the second quarter of 2020 to $467,700 in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Costs plateaued in the second half of last year amid soaring mortgage rates caused by the Federal Reserve’s actions to decrease inflation.
The cooling home prices occur alongside a slowdown in homebuying activity and do not reflect an increase in affordability for would-be buyers. Monthly mortgage payments for the typical home increased more than 45% between the end of 2021 and the end of 2022, indicating that the salary required to afford such a property has increased from nearly $74,000 to more than $107,000, according to an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americans-now-need-a-six-figure-salary-to-afford-a-median-priced-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from real estate brokerage Redfin.
The number of homes on the market has “stayed near historic lows” despite the market slowdown, according to Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies Christopher Herbert, who <a href="https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Herbert%20Testimony%202-9-23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> before the Senate Banking Committee. He observed that buyers who locked in favorable mortgage terms before the recent spike in borrowing costs are unlikely to sell.

Tim Scott

Senators Call To Increase Housing Supply As Affordability Plummets

Lawmakers Draw Attention To Low Housing Supply

Housing

Inflation

Senate

Supply Chain

Progressive political groups are celebrating President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>’s nomination of a former Biden-Harris campaign state counsel to a conservative-leaning federal court.
Biden earned praise from pro-abortion and environmentalist groups for his release on Wednesday of his 18th slate of judicial nominees, which included a nomination for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
“These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds,” the White House said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/25/president-biden-names-eighteenth-round-of-judicial-nominees/">statement</a> on Wednesday. 
Biden&#8217;s choice for the Sixth Circuit was Rachel Bloomekatz, a state <a href="https://www.bloomekatzlaw.com/about">counsel</a> for the Biden-Harris campaign in Ohio in 2020. Her bio also says that she has “represented progressive candidates in Ohio, including serving as Senator Sherrod Brown’s legal director for his 2012 reelection campaign.”
Bloomekatz is a practitioner at Bloomekatz Law in Columbus, Ohio, and has clerked for outgoing Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, as well as being an assistant attorney general in Boston, Massachusetts.
In her own practice, Bloomekatz has <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6001928b1a7b04326b7e7812/t/61b810fb5dc25a103c2a6661/1639452924221/Bloomekatz+Resume+December+2021+%281%29.pdf">worked</a> with a group challenging the &#8220;stand your ground&#8221; law in Ohio, including the Ohio NAACP. She also received the Progressive Young Leadership Award from the Columbus chapter of the American Constitution Society.
After news of her nomination broke, progressive groups like Demand Justice, Earthjustice, and the Alliance for Justice all praised Biden for his judicial picks.
Earthjustice, an environmentalist <a href="https://earthjustice.org/about">organization</a>, celebrated Bloomekatz’s nomination, saying she would be “the first public interest environmental lawyer nominated to the federal bench.”
“At this critical moment where so many of our fundamental rights are at stake, we need judges in her mold who understand the difference between science and politics and will make decisions based on the law and settled precedent,” Earthjustice Legislative Director of the Access to Justice Program Coby Dolan <a href="https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2022/earthjustice-celebrates-nomination-of-rachel-bloomekatz-to-the-u-s-court-of-appeals-6th-circuit">said</a>.
Demand Justice, an organization that wants to expand the Supreme Court, <a href="https://twitter.com/WeDemandJustice/status/1529487646954774536">tweeted</a> that Bloomekatz “would bring much-needed experience representing consumers and workers to a judiciary dominated by corporate lawyers.”
The progressive group Alliance for Justice, which urges people to “act now to save abortion rights,” applauded Biden’s judicial nominations, including that of Bloomekatz.
“Once again, the White House has identified three highly-qualified women to serve on our courts of appeal,” AFJ President Rakim H.D. Brooks said in a <a href="https://www.afj.org/article/afj-applauds-eighteenth-slate-of-judicial-nominees/">statement</a>. “Ms. Bloomekatz’s experience fighting for economic justice, in particular, will be invaluable to the Sixth Circuit as it considers cases impacting consumers and workers.”
Bloomekatz appears to have made several political donations to Democratic candidates over the years. A Rachel Bloomekatz in Columbus, Ohio, working at Gupta Wessler (where Bloomekatz worked from 2016-2019) donated to Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in 2017 and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2020, according to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=Rachel+Bloomekatz">data</a> from Open Secrets. 
Furthermore, a lawyer named Rachel Bloomekatz with the same Columbus-area Ohio zip code (43201) as Bloomekatz Law gave $750 to then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 and a total of $1,750 to Joe Biden during the 2020 election.
The Daily Wire has reached out to Bloomekatz to confirm whether the donations were from her or not.
According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/11/16/1056121842/biden-lawsuit-osha-vaccine-mandate-court-lottery">NPR</a>, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals where Bloomekatz was nominated “is known to lean conservative.” Former President Donald Trump appointed six justices to the Cincinnati-based court while George W. Bush put on five.
Biden has now <a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/rachel-bloomekatz-nominated-to-sixth-circuit">nominated</a> three justices to the Sixth Circuit, with two pending nominations and one, Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis, being confirmed earlier this week.

Joe Biden and Running Mate Kamala Harris Deliver Remarks In Delaware

Progressive Groups Celebrate Nomination of Former Biden-Harris Campaign Counsel To Conservative Leaning Court

Biden Administration

Court

Joe Biden

Judiciary

President Joe Biden is catching heat for remarking on the old days of having lunch with &#8220;real segregationists&#8221; during an event in Ohio, but readers should keep in mind that this isn&#8217;t the first time Biden has made such comments. In fact, during the 2020 campaign, then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) rebuked similar statements made by Biden as being &#8220;misinformed and &#8230; wrong.&#8221;
While appearing on stage in Hamilton, Ohio, with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) on Friday, the president went off on a tangent regarding the apparent lack of civility in D.C. nowadays that America sees from the halls of Congress.
&#8220;You know, things have kinda changed since the days when I first got there &#8230;&#8221; Biden said, Townhall <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2022/05/06/joe-biden-longs-for-the-days-he-could-have-lunch-with-real-segregationists-n2606863">noted</a>. &#8220;We always used to fight like hell.”
&#8220;Even back in the old days when we had real segregationists like [James] Eastland and [Strom] Thurmond and all those guys, but [at least] we end up eating lunch together,&#8221; the president added. &#8220;Things have changed, we&#8217;ve gotta bring it back,&#8221; he added before complimenting Portman on his character.
His comments can be seen here:
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Joe Biden reminisces about &quot;the old days&quot; when he used to eat lunch with &quot;real segregationists.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/HxWuQlZJYq">pic.twitter.com/HxWuQlZJYq</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1522661436840939520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The press secretary for Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Abigail Marone, wondered why the president thought it was a good idea to make such comments in the first place.
&#8220;Why is Joe Biden bragging about having lunch with segregationists?&#8221; Marone <a href="https://twitter.com/abigailmarone/status/1522659155307376642?s=20&amp;t=8S4tORZfkXLjIxV_iz_CrQ">tweeted</a>.
Indeed, his vice president had similar thoughts back in 2019.
Prior to Biden securing the Democratic 2020 nomination, Comedy Central&#8217;s Trevor Noah ran a segment highlighting that the now-president’s aides had advised him on the campaign trail not to discuss segregationists and his cordial relationships with them.
&#8220;Joe Biden is under fire this evening on comments he made about working alongside segregationist senators in the past,&#8221; NBC&#8217;s Lester Holt said during the segment, before cutting to NBC reporter Peter Alexander who provided more detail.
&#8220;Biden recalling his early Senate career, bringing up two segregationist senators, Herman Talmadge and James Eastland, who called African-Americans an inferior race,&#8221; Alexander said before quoting Biden.
&#8220;I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland,&#8221; Biden said. &#8220;He never called me ‘boy,’ he always called me ‘son.’ At least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn’t agree on much of anything. We got things done.&#8221;
&#8220;Biden made the comments despite his aides having long urged him not to discuss his relationships with segregationist senators,&#8221; Alexander claimed.
Noah quipped at the time, &#8220;You can’t come out in 2019 and say that these two senators from back in the day were super racist, but at least they were civil.&#8221;
&#8220;Yeah, civil to you maybe. Of course they never called you &#8216;boy,’” the host pointed out. &#8220;You’re white.&#8221;
Noah also noted that Harris blasted Biden for his comments, saying, &#8220;To coddle the reputations of segregationists, of people who, if they had their way, I would literally not be standing here as a member of the United States Senate, is, I think, um … It’s just &#8230; It’s misinformed, and it’s wrong.&#8221;
The Noah bit can be seen here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Joe Biden’s Segregationist Gaffe | The Daily Show" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dGw43pJnXc4?start=49&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It would seem that Biden still hasn&#8217;t received the memo from his aides or his second in command that referencing segregationists in a positive light is not the best move politically.
Perhaps comments like that are why candidates like Ohio&#8217;s Democratic Senate nominee Tim Ryan have refused to commit to campaigning alongside the president. On Thursday, Ryan told Fox News that he didn&#8217;t &#8220;want any distractions&#8221; during the campaign while dodging a question about whether or not he would be making any appearances with Biden:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Tim Ryan won&#39;t commit to campaigning alongside Joe Biden this election season.
“I want to be the face of this campaign, and I don’t want any distractions.” <a href="https://t.co/GKjODSMTXm">pic.twitter.com/GKjODSMTXm</a>
&mdash; Ohio Rising Action (@OHrisingaction) <a href="https://twitter.com/OHrisingaction/status/1522260625287692290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Joe Biden Recalls The Old Days Of Having Lunch With ‘Real Segregationists’ – Again

Joe Biden Remarks On Eating Lunch With Segregationists In Ohio

Kamala Harris

Racism

Segregation

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) last week praised the Cleveland Indians&#8217; decision to change their name, which made the decision in response to claims the previous name was racist. Even though Brown praised the team’s move, he is holding a hearing this week regarding policies that would actually harm Native American tribes.
Last week, the Cleveland baseball team announced it was changing its name to the Guardians. On Friday, Brown released a statement supporting the decision.
“I welcome the name change and am excited to root for the Guardians. As a lifelong baseball fan, I know what the sport means to our state and how proud we are of our Ohio teams, especially here in Cleveland. This team has been a part of my life since my dad started taking my brothers and me to Municipal Stadium to see Rocky Colavito and Leon Wagner and Sam McDowell and Mudcat Grant and Tito Francona,” Brown said in a statement. “From the Spiders to the world champion Buckeyes, Cleveland has some of the richest baseball history in the country – including as a pioneer in racial integration of the major leagues with players like Hall of Fame legends Larry Doby and Satchel Paige and the slugger Luke Easter. Today is a proud day for Cleveland and now I want a World Series win.”
Brown had previously <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/07/sen-sherrod-brown-wants-clevelands-baseball-team-renamed-the-buckeyes.html">suggested</a> the team rename itself to the Cleveland Buckeyes in honor of a historic all-black team based in Cleveland decades ago.
But while Brown publicly supported the name change &#8212; meant to show inclusivity and sensitivity to Native Americans &#8212; his committee is holding a hearing on Thursday supporting policies that would hurt Native Americans and Native American-owned lenders. The hearing, held by the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee, which Brown chairs, is titled, “Protecting Americans from Debt Traps by Extending the Military&#8217;s 36% Interest Rate Cap to Everyone.” The policies being discussed are supposed to protect Americans from predatory lenders, but numerous tribal lenders say such a cap would hurt Native Americans and Native American-owned businesses.
The Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA), the largest trade association representing Native American-owned financial services businesses, sent a letter to Brown and ranking member Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-PA), suggesting an interest rate cap would hurt tribes. The letter, obtained by The Daily Wire, notes how Native American tribes were severely hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, which forced all 474 Tribal casinos in America to close.
“During this time, Tribal financial services revenue was the last remaining lifeline for dozens of geographically-isolated Tribes, providing tens of thousands of Tribal citizens with food, shelter, and health care. Indian Country is diligently working to find ways to build economic sovereignty, but limited taxation capacity and lack of land to mortgage and leverage makes it nearly impossible.  Financial services and FinTech are areas that Tribes are finding to be the great equalizer for Indian Country, finally generating meaningful revenue that can lift our communities out of poverty,” NAFSA wrote. “Enacting a 36% rate cap would effectively eliminate these Tribal businesses, erase the good they  do for Native American governments and their citizens, and leave Indian country with yet another insurmountable burden and greater economic inequity.”
Multiple Native American-owned lenders with high APRs would be affected by the interest rate cap. And while these lenders have APRs that range up to 700 or 800%, the right-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute previously <a href="https://cei.org/news_releases/report-apr-calculation-misleading-as-applied-to-short-term-loan-costs/">reported</a> that APR calculation for short-term loan costs can be misleading.
“Using an annual percentage rate to calculate fees for short-term loans is misleading, because the loans are typically paid off in a matter of weeks, incurring a much smaller fee than a year-long calculation would imply,” said John Berlau, who co-authored the CEI report. “Worse, government-imposed fee caps on small dollar loans will discourage lenders from offering diverse, innovative loans to low- and middle-income consumers, the very people who may not have savings accounts or credit cards available to cover urgent, short-term expenses like car repair or a large, overdue utility bill.”
Further, what seems like a high fee relative to the amount borrowed (such as 15% over a two-week period), these amounts are preferable to defaulting on a loan or having the power shut off at one’s home.
So while a tribal lender such as Blue Trust Loans may have an APR ranging from 471% to 841%, the loans are paid off over weeks, not years, so those taking out a loan won’t actually pay back the loan at that rate, making Brown’s cap not only unnecessary, but also harmful.
“This potential negative impact reaches far beyond Indian Country and its businesses. According to the Federal Reserve, only 64 percent of Americans would be able to cover a $400 emergency expense completely using cash or its equivalent in 2020, leaving 36% of the population reliant on credit access to cover unforeseen financial needs. A 36% rate cap would make depository institutions unable to profitably offer affordable small-dollar loans, thus severely and adversely impacting the nearly four-in-ten consumers who rely on credit to meet small-dollar emergency expenses,” NAFSA wrote.
Brown&#8217;s office did not respond to a press inquiry prior to publication.

Ohio Democrat Senator Praised Cleveland Indians’ Name Change While Working On Policy That Would Hurt Native Americans

Native Americans

Late Monday night, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), disgusted by the antics of Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who had criticized Alaska GOP Senator Dan Sullivan for not wearing a mask as he presided over a Senate meeting, called Brown a “complete a**” who was demonstrating “fake virtue.”
Cruz tweeted, “This is idiotic. @SherrodBrown is being a complete ass. He wears a mask to speak — when nobody is remotely near him— as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue. @DanSullivan was over 50 feet away, presiding. Last time I checked 50 feet is more than 6 feet.”
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This is idiotic. <a href="https://twitter.com/SherrodBrown?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SherrodBrown</a> is being a complete ass. He wears a mask to speak—when nobody is remotely near him—as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue.<a href="https://twitter.com/DanSullivan_AK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanSullivan_AK</a> was over 50 feet away, presiding. Last I checked 50 feet is more than 6 feet. <a href="https://t.co/BoIGrAV7T1">https://t.co/BoIGrAV7T1</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1328547744584183809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Brown said to Sullivan, “I’d start by asking the presiding officer to please wear a mask, as he speaks and people below him are — I can’t tell you what to do but I know that behavior—”
Sullivan interjected, “I don’t wear a mask when I’m speaking, like most senators. I don’t need your instruction.”
Brown then suddenly turned to attacking President Trump: “I know you don’t need my instruction, but there clearly isn’t much interest in this body in public health. We have a president who hasn’t shown up at the coronavirus task force meeting in months.”
“We have a majority leader that calls us back here to vote on an unqualified nominee and at the same time to vote for judge after judge after judge exposing all the people who can’t say anything,” Brown continued. “I understand. The people in front of you and the presiding officer and expose all the staff here and the majority leader just doesn’t seem to care.”
This isn&#8217;t the first time Brown has engaged in such displays on the Senate floor, nor the first time a GOP senator has rebuked him as a result.
When Brown accused the GOP of being the party of the rich in 2017, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) took him to task. The exchange went like this:
<blockquote>BROWN: You always learn something in this world, and what I learned from that meeting was, I saw the playbook on how President Trump and majority Republicans were going to sell this tax cut because they know, they fundamentally, intuitively know – all of you do – that the public always knows that when Republicans are in power, the first thing they want to do is give tax cuts to the rich, that&#8217;s just what&#8217;s – it&#8217;s in their DNA, it&#8217;s what they&#8217;re gonna do. We know that.
So, they fundamentally – the chairman laughs, but he knows over 40 years it&#8217;s always true – but the public fundamentally, just intuitively, almost viscerally understands that that&#8217;s what they&#8217;re gonna do. So, the tax cuts are not going to really be for the middle class no matter how many times they sing that song. &#8230;
I just think it would be nice just tonight before we go home to just acknowledge, well this tax cut really is not for the middle-class, it&#8217;s for the rich. And that whole thing about higher wages, well, it&#8217;s a good selling point, but we know companies don&#8217;t just give away higher wages. They don&#8217;t just give away higher wages just because they have more money. Corporations are sitting on a lot of money now; they’re sitting on a lot of profits now. I don&#8217;t see wages going up. So, just spare us the bank shots, spare us the sarcasm and the satire, and let&#8217;s [move forward].
HATCH: I&#8217;m gonna just say to you that I come from the poor people. And I&#8217;ve been here working my whole stinkin’ career for people who don&#8217;t have a chance, and I really resent anybody saying that I&#8217;m just doing this for the rich. Give me a break. I think you guys overplay that all the time, and it gets old. And frankly, you oughta quit it.
BROWN: Mr. Chairman, the public believes it —
HATCH: Wait a minute, I&#8217;m not through. I get kind of sick and tired of it. True, it&#8217;s a nice political play, but it&#8217;s not true.
BROWN: Well, Mr. Chairman, with all due respect, I get sick and tired of the richest people in this country [crosstalk] &#8230;
HATCH: Listen, I honored you by allowing you to spout off here. And what you said was not right, that&#8217;s all I&#8217;m saying. I come from the lower middle-class originally. We didn&#8217;t have anything. So don&#8217;t spew that stuff on me. I get a little tired of that crap. And let me just say something – if we work together, we could pull this country out of every mess it&#8217;s in, and we could do a lot of the things that you&#8217;re talking about, too. And I think I&#8217;ve got a reputation of having worked together with Democrats &#8230; I&#8217;ve got more bills passed than everybody on this committee put together. And they&#8217;ve been passed for the benefit of the people in this country. And all I can say is, I like you personally very much, but I&#8217;m tellin&#8217; ya this bull crap that you guys throw out here gets old after a while. To do it right at the end of this was just not right. It takes a lot to get me worked up like this.</blockquote>
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5d0--enO_rQ" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
After the tragic shooting in Dayton, Ohio, in August 2019, Brown blamed Trump and called him a racist, saying, &#8220;I don’t have any interest because of what he’s done on this, total unwillingness to address the issue of guns, his racist rhetoric.”
This article has been revised for clarity and tone.

sherrod cruz

Dem Senator Lectures GOP Senator About Wearing A Mask. Cruz: ‘He’s Being A Complete A**,’ Practicing ‘Fake Virtue’

Ted Cruz

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