Sen. Kyrsten Sinema says she's leaving the Democratic Party, won't caucus with Republicans
Peter Weber, Senior editor
Kyrsten Sinema Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Three days after the Democrats secured a 51-49 majority in the Senate, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) said Friday morning she's leaving the Democratic Party and has changed her party affiliation to independent. "Nothing will change about my values or my behavior," she told Politico. And Sinema said questions about how her decision will change control of the Senate "are not the questions that I'm interested in," adding, "Partisan control is a question for the partisans."
While Sinema may not profess to care, the rest of Washington will be eager to figure out what this means for control of Washington for the next two years. Sinema did tell Politico she will not caucus with the Republicans but did not disclose how closely she plans to work with the Democrats. "Unlike independent Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Angus King (Maine), Sinema won't attend weekly Democratic Caucus meetings, but she rarely does that now," Politico notes.
And Sinema also said she expects to keep her committee assignments, which include chairing two subcommittees, and continue voting to confirm President Biden's presidential appointees. "I don't anticipate that anything will change about the Senate structure," though that's really "a question for Chuck Schumer," she told Politico. "I intend to show up to work, do the same work that I always do. I just intend to show up to work as an independent."
Sinema already marched to the beat of her own bipartisan drum. While it isn't clear how much her party switch will upend the Senate, if at all, it will throw the 2024 Arizona Senate race into chaos if she seeks re-election. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) was preparing to challenge her in the Democratic primary, and the big question now is whether the general election will be a three-way race.
"I keep my eye focused on what I'm doing right now," Sinema told Politico. "And registering as an independent is what I believe is right for my state. It's right for me. I think it's right for the country," and "politics and elections will come later." That's true about the election, but the politics will happen immediately.
The rumored reason why AOC is facing a House ethics probe
Incoming Gen Z congressman can't rent an apartment in Washington, D.C.
5 cartoons about Brittney Griner's release
6 Best Contract Management Software of 2023
Do you know how long you might live? It's an important part of retirement planning.
Startup Business Lines of Credit: How it Works & Best Options
Best Junk Removal Companies
How to Cancel Car Insurance
Amid debt ceiling standoff, why Joe Biden is refusing to negotiate with Republicans
President Joe Biden is betting that spending cuts pushed by Republicans will prove so unpopular that some will scrap demands in debt limit talks.
Europe scrapes out economic growth by dodging gas disaster
Europe's economy scraped out meager gains at the end of last year as galloping inflation fed by high energy prices and Russia's invasion of Ukraine deterred people from spending in shops and restaurants. Economic output crept 0.1% higher in the last three months of 2022, European Union statistics agency Eurostat reported Tuesday, avoiding an outright downturn as warmer-than-usual winter weather shelved fears of energy rationing in Europe. The countries that share the euro currency — 19 in 2022, now 20 after Croatia joined the eurozone in the new year — appeared to have avoided the worst case scenario: forced industrial shutdowns from running out of natural gas after Russia halted most supplies.
From NATO's secretary general to the Ukrainian president, the war in Ukraine dominates the publicly known names submitted by Tuesday's deadline for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.Most of the names that have been publicly disclosed so far are involved in the nearly year-long conflict that has been raging in Ukraine, or opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Three EMTs who responded to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were fired Monday after an internal investigation, the Memphis Fire Department said Monday.
Auckland prepared for another round of flooding as rain battered northern New Zealand's Northland region, which declared an emergency Tuesday afternoon in anticipation of the deluge. A state of emergency was already in place for Auckland, which saw deadly record rainfall Friday. Emergency officials said some 200 homes and businesses around the city were assessed after the floods as too unsafe to enter.
EU lawmakers back lifting MEPs' immunity in graft probe
A key European Parliament committee on Tuesday unanimously backed lifting the immunity of two lawmakers implicated in a corruption scandal that has rocked the EU. Prosecutors in Belgium have urged legislators to strip Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella and Italian lawmaker Andrea Cozzoli of their immunity as part of a probe into alleged bribery by Qatar and Morocco. Belgian investigators demanded the parliament strip him and Cozzolino of immunity so they can further their probe.
President Joe Biden is ready to showcase a $292 million mega grant that will be used to help build a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, part of a broader effort to draw a contrast between his economic vision and that of Republicans. The Democratic president's trip to New York City comes on the heels of his stop Monday in Baltimore to highlight the replacement of an aging rail tunnel there, where he pledged that government spending on infrastructure will boost economic growth and create blue-collar jobs. "When America sees these projects popping up across the country, it sends a really important message: When we work together, there's not a damn thing we can't do," Biden said Monday.
Showtime viewers complain as multiple series culled from streaming service
'Kidding' and 'On Becoming a God in Central Florida' are also among the removals
96-year-old woman's body found in freezer in Chicago garage
It was not known late Monday what led up to the body being placed in the freezer in the garage, and who did it.
Why are Americans moving south?
One part cost of living, one part politics
Madison Brooks news – live: LSU student's family is 'blown away' by victim blaming as they say 'rape is rape'
2 Des Moines midwives say Iowa stymied their plan to open a birth center. Now they're suing
Des Moines Midwife Collective argues in lawsuit that law requiring regulators to grant permission for new health care facilities is unconstitutional.
The fallout from Tyre Nichols' fatal beating continued Monday when the Memphis Police Department said a seventh police officer who responded was relieved of duty.
US dairy policies drive small farms to 'get big or get out' as monopolies get rich
Exclusive: Misguided policies have hurt small-scale farms while enriching agribusinesses and corporate lobbyists, analysis shows
'We will figure out how to fire you': how corporate America is hitting back against unions
Employers are using heavy-handed tactics to prevent workers from organizing, and US labor union density is falling as a result