Andrew Desiderio
@AndrewDesiderio
Senior congressional reporter @PunchbowlNews, covering the Senate. Proud Italian-American 🇮🇹 & Philly native. andrew@punchbowl.news
1.1K Following 110K Followers
Zack Wheeler becomes the 10th active pitcher to collect 2,000 career strikeouts! 👏
New: Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins vehemently denies any knowledge of or involvement in allegations that a Republican consultant asked a defense contractor for big donation in return for defense contracts
Collins sees the story as a plant by Democrats in the midst of tight campaign
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It’s Fake Phone Call Day in the Senate
Sen. CORNYN joins call for an investigation & issuing subpoena to Donald Trump Jr.:
“I would support Senator Curtis’ request”
Cornyn sits on Judiciary & President Trump helped oust him in his primary
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Ouch, Grassley goes after Curtis …
Judiciary Chair GRASSLEY says he can’t yet say if he’d call Donald Trump Jr. in for a hearing — as Sen. Curtis requested in a letter
“I think the fact is that it takes time, and if you were going to ask me when you're going to have a hearing, there's no way I could answer that today.”
Adds: “I’m going to take his request seriously and sit down with staff and see what we can do.”
Also knocks Curtis, saying he probably realizes he should’ve given Judiciary R’s a heads up ahead of sending letter & notes that Curtis has his own oversight powers
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Sen. Tillis says banning media outlets “didn’t work for Viktor Orban” and “hasn’t worked for Pete Hegseth, I mean my goodness.”
🚨BREAKING NEWS:
TEXAS PAC, the super PAC run by leadership-backed SLF, will have $100M in TV reservations by tomorrow in the LONE STAR STATE.
they are currently at $65M.
That means they are adding another $35M plus.
@punchbowlnews text subscribers had it first.
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CAPITO says no permitting agreement yet to announce but added:
“I think the moment can be met this week.”
Wow. Wicker says Trump shouldn’t have invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House for “such a lavish” state visit this week.
In pointed floor speech, Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker says that as Xi visits that Trump "should keep in mind that his guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator who seeks to dominate his neighbors and whose massive military arsenal is aimed directly" at the USA
Wicker says had Trump asked him he "would have suggested the president not invite [Xi] to Washington for such a lavish welcome here in the United States of America"
Says Trump should ask Xi about China military build-up, the thousands of Uighur people who "have been sent to concentration camps," political prisoners and China's "interference in the internal affairs of nations around the world"
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Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), locked in a close reelection fight, backs a diesel export ban. He says it should last until the Iran war is over & oil is “flowing unimpeded” through the Strait of Hormuz.
Sullivan will also be one to watch on this week’s Iran war powers vote
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Thune says he’s “hopeful” but “also realistic” about Republicans’ chances of retaining control of the Senate
“It’s a very competitive environment out there. A lot of tight races, many of them in the margin of error.”
But said R’s have set themselves up for success with candidate quality, a “compelling message,” fundraising & “a good ground game”
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After Hinson/Rogers say they want the Iran war to immediately end, Thune tells me they’re “constantly checking” on whether more R’s will defect on war powers vote this week.
“I would hope that the team would hang together on this,” Thune adds
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Thune wouldn’t comment on Sen. Curtis’ demand for an investigation/subpoena of Don Jr. He deferred to Grassley & said he doesn’t know enough about it
Thune says “that’s not my policy” when asked about Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Says it’ll ultimately be decided by the courts.
From our @wef panel discussion at UNGA yesterday —
🎙️ @SenatorShaheen is pushing President Trump to use the sanctions bill against Russian oil and gas — after India signaled it would stop buying if it passed.
"We gave you these authorities, now you need to use them," she said.
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Top Judiciary Dem DURBIN responds and says he supports Sen. Curtis' request to subpoena Donald Trump Jr.
We talked to Schumer & Daines ahead of the Trump-Xi state visit —
TOP in @PunchbowlNews AM: @SenSchumer is warning President Donald Trump against loosening controls on sales of advanced AI chips to China.
News: @SenJohnCurtis is demanding that the Senate Judiciary Committee investigate and subpoena Donald Trump Jr. over a ProPublica report that his wedding after-party was paid for by a Russian oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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First Hinson, now Rogers calling for immediate end to Iran war.
Will be fascinating to see which way vulnerable R incumbents like Husted & Sullivan vote on the Iran war powers resolution expected to come up this week
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The war in Iran needs to end to bring costs down — but Michigan families can’t afford to wait.
Here’s what we can do now: place a temporary embargo on Diesel exports. American energy should provide relief to American families first.
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🚨News: Collins says any attempt by the administration to politicize grant making at the NIH is “contrary to congressional intent.”
Statement comes after reports in WaPo & Politico that Trump admin is looking to use an EO to overhaul NIH grants
PBN text subs had it first.
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