GEORGE BUSH IS BACK - WHAT HE JUST SAID ABOUT TRUMP WILL STUN YOU
Former President George W. Bush is stepping back into Republican politics to help raise money for a group of GOP Senate candidates fighting to preserve the party’s majority in November, marking a relatively rare campaign appearance for the former president.
Bush appeared as a special guest Monday evening at a Dallas fundraiser hosted by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, benefiting six Republican Senate candidates running in some of the country’s most closely watched races.
The fundraiser benefits Maintain the Majority, a new joint fundraising committee established to support Republican Senate candidates as the party battles to retain control of the chamber.
The committee is supporting Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, all of whom are seeking reelection.
It is also raising money for three Republicans seeking open or Democratic-held seats: Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa, former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan and former Sen. John E. Sununu in New Hampshire.
The event highlights the increasing focus on Senate fundraising with Election Day approaching and both parties directing money toward a relatively small number of competitive races.
Republicans currently hold the Senate majority, but contests across the country have created an expensive fight over control of the chamber.
Among the races drawing significant attention are Maine, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa, Alaska, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia.
CBS News recently identified a dozen races as potentially significant in determining control of the Senate.
Cornyn has been particularly vocal about directing Republican resources toward races where he believes the money could have the greatest impact.
The Texas senator, a former chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, recently warned that Republicans face difficult decisions about how to distribute their resources during the final weeks of the campaign.
“Pouring another $100 million in Texas jeopardizes other races, and I think the most important thing in the end is that Republicans maintain the majority in the Senate,” Cornyn told Semafor.
One notable Republican was absent from Monday’s fundraising effort: Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton.
Paxton, who was endorsed by President Trump, defeated Cornyn earlier this year following an expensive and contentious Republican primary. Although Cornyn subsequently said he would support the Republican ticket in November, Paxton was not included among the candidates benefiting from the Maintain the Majority fundraiser.
The omission is particularly notable because the Texas Senate contest has emerged as a major destination for Republican spending.
Paxton is running against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. Trump-affiliated organizations and Republican Senate groups have committed tens of millions of dollars to advertising in the state, while Cornyn has publicly questioned whether that money might be more effective elsewhere.
Cornyn and Paxton fought one of the most expensive Republican Senate primaries in the country before Paxton secured the nomination.
Bush also had financial ties to Cornyn during the primary.
Federal campaign records previously showed the former president contributed $5,000 to Cornyn’s campaign.
The Texas Tribune reported that it was Bush’s first contribution to a federal candidate in Texas since the 2022 election cycle.
Bush has largely avoided day-to-day partisan politics since leaving the White House in January 2009, making his involvement in Monday’s event particularly noteworthy.
His appearance also underscored his longstanding relationship with Cornyn. Both men rose through Texas politics during the same period. Bush served as governor from 1995 until becoming president in 2001, while Cornyn served as Texas attorney general before winning election to the U.S. Senate in 2002.
The Dallas fundraiser also drew prominent figures from the Republican establishment. According to reporting on the event, participants and invitees included former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican donor Harlan Crow and Harriet Miers, who served as White House counsel under Bush and was briefly nominated by him to the Supreme Court.
Two other Republican Senate candidates facing significant contests — Michael Whatley in North Carolina and Rep. Mike Collins in Georgia — were also not included in the fundraising committee.
Republican leaders have acknowledged difficult strategic decisions are approaching as they determine where to concentrate resources.
"🔥 POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE! — THE 218-213 VOTE FORCES AOC INTO AN UNTHINKABLE POSITION!"
The Load Forecasting Enhancement Act cleared the House this week as lawmakers approved a broader package of 14 bills dealing with energy reliability, public health, drug enforcement, critical minerals, tourism, and AM radio.
H.R. 9332, sponsored by Republican Rep. Troy Balderson of Ohio and Democratic Rep. Rob Menendez of New Jersey, passed under suspension of the rules by voice vote.
The legislation would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to create regional joint boards with state public utility commissions to study electric load forecasting and identify practices intended to improve reliability and affordability.
Those boards would examine how utilities predict future electricity demand and develop recommendations aimed at improving the accuracy, oversight, and transparency of those forecasts.
The bill also requires FERC to report the boards’ recommendations to Congress and directs state regulatory authorities to consider incorporating those recommendations into their own forecasting practices.
Supporters argue that more accurate projections could help utilities avoid unnecessary infrastructure spending while preparing the electric grid for growing demand from data centers, manufacturing and other large electricity users.
House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders have increasingly focused on load growth as artificial intelligence infrastructure and other power-intensive industries place new demands on the nation’s electric system.
Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta said during earlier consideration of the bill that more accurate demand projections could lead to more cost-effective infrastructure development.
The Load Forecasting Enhancement Act was only one component of a much broader legislative push by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie said the collection of bills was intended to address illicit drugs, grid reliability, domestic supply chains, tourism and access to AM radio.
Among the other measures approved was the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which would direct the Department of Transportation to require automakers to include easily accessible AM radio in new vehicles without charging drivers an additional fee.
The House also approved the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, which would place xylazine into Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act while preserving legitimate veterinary uses.
Another measure, Tyler’s Law, would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to examine whether hospital emergency departments should routinely test overdose patients for fentanyl.
Lawmakers also passed the Stop Pills That Kill Act, aimed at strengthening Drug Enforcement Administration oversight of pill presses and components that can be used to manufacture counterfeit controlled substances.
On energy infrastructure, the High-Capacity Grid Act would require FERC to establish standards for advanced transmission conductors used on certain new or upgraded transmission lines.
The Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act would require the Department of Energy to study how artificial intelligence and high-performance computing could improve the capacity, reliability and efficiency of the bulk power system.
Other legislation focused on recovering critical minerals from contaminated sites and discarded materials as policymakers seek to strengthen domestic supply chains.
The House also approved legislation extending the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grant program through 2029, with that measure passing in a recorded 343-79 vote.
The American Music Tourism Act would direct federal tourism officials to promote travel to music venues, concerts, sporting attractions and other entertainment destinations across the country.
Another bill would reauthorize federal programs aimed at combating tick-borne and other vector-borne diseases through fiscal year 2030.
Several of the measures passed under the House’s suspension procedure, which is generally used for legislation expected to receive broad support and limits debate while requiring a two-thirds vote when a recorded vote is taken.
H.R. 9332 itself had already demonstrated bipartisan support during committee consideration, advancing from the Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this year without opposition in a 47-0 vote, The House Committee on Energy and Commerce said in a press release.
The House passage moves the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act another step forward as Congress considers how to prepare the electric grid for rapidly changing demand and new technology.
Ilhan Omar Ethics Case Dropped Despite $30M Filing Error
A congressional ethics watchdog recommended dismissing allegations against Rep. Ilhan Omar over financial disclosures that dramatically overstated her household wealth.
The Office of Congressional Conduct voted 5-1 to recommend ending the case, according to a confidential report reviewed Wednesday.
The Minnesota Democrat’s original 2024 disclosure listed household assets ranging between $6 million and $30 million.
That filing drew scrutiny because Omar’s previous disclosures showed dramatically smaller holdings connected mainly to her husband’s businesses.
Omar later amended the report, cutting the couple’s disclosed assets to between $18,004 and $95,000.
Despite that multimillion-dollar discrepancy, OCC investigators found insufficient evidence supporting allegations that Omar filed false or incomplete information.
The report said there was not “substantial reason to believe” Omar violated applicable financial-disclosure requirements.
Omar’s office immediately celebrated the watchdog recommendation as vindication after months of Republican criticism.
“From day one, we have been clear: the Congresswoman is not a millionaire,” her office said.
“This vote clearly underscores that the Congresswoman did nothing wrong,” the statement continued.
Her office also accused “the far right” of trying to “manufacture controversy” surrounding the disclosure mistake.
The disputed valuations centered largely on businesses controlled by Omar’s husband, former political consultant Tim Mynett.
Omar’s 2023 disclosure valued Mynett’s Rose Lake Capital stake between $1 and $1,000.
Her 2024 filing then placed that same Washington-based venture-capital management business between $5 million and $25 million.
The earlier disclosure valued Mynett’s California winery, eStCru LLC, between $15,001 and $50,000.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer demanded financial records from Mynett in February as Republicans intensified scrutiny.
Comer’s committee noted both businesses rose from at most $51,000 to potentially $30 million within one year.
The Kentucky Republican questioned whether undisclosed investors might use Mynett’s companies to seek influence involving a sitting congresswoman.
Comer demanded documents explaining the firms’ finances, investors, ownership interests and dramatic reported valuation increases.
“It’s not possible. It’s not. I’m a money guy. It’s not possible,” Comer said about the increase.
Omar’s office maintained the original valuations resulted from accounting mistakes rather than hidden wealth or misconduct.
Her representatives said the filing used incomplete information and listed business assets without properly accounting for liabilities.
After liabilities were considered, both Mynett companies were listed with no net value on Omar’s amended filing.
The amended disclosure nevertheless reported between $102,502 and $1,005,000 in income from those businesses during 2024.
The winery generated another $2,501 to $5,000, according to the corrected disclosure.
Omar’s lawyer told investigators lawmakers frequently rely on accountants and other professionals when preparing financial disclosures.
The attorney maintained “there is nothing untoward, and nothing illegal has occurred” regarding the mistake.
Omar previously rejected claims she was wealthy, saying she “barely have thousands let alone millions.”
Her newest 2025 disclosure again portrays a dramatically smaller financial picture than the original multimillion-dollar filing suggested.
That report lists household assets between roughly $20,000 and $125,000, alongside student-loan and credit-card debts.
Omar lists between $15,001 and $50,000 in student debt, while Mynett reports similarly ranged credit-card liabilities.
Republicans argue those swings justify continued scrutiny despite the congressional conduct office recommending dismissal of this specific allegation.
It does not erase the original filing, which Omar amended after acknowledging the reported valuations were incorrect.
Nor does the OCC decision resolve separate questions raised by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee.
The Office of Congressional Conduct independently reviews misconduct allegations before potentially referring matters to the House Ethics Committee.
Its board’s 5-1 recommendation asks the House Ethics Committee to dismiss this particular financial-disclosure allegation.
For Omar, the decision provides political ammunition to argue Republican accusations about her finances were exaggerated.
For conservatives, the enormous difference between $30 million and under $100,000 remains difficult to dismiss as insignificant.
Oversight’s inquiry arose amid broader Minnesota social-services fraud investigations, but its letter did not establish Omar’s involvement in fraud.
The watchdog decision represents an important victory for Omar, but it does not make the disclosure discrepancy disappear.
Republicans counter that lawmakers remain responsible for financial forms they certify and that enormous discrepancies deserve transparency.
For now, Omar can claim an ethics victory while Republicans continue demanding answers about the numbers that sparked scrutiny.
