Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday in a trip that coincided with the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) release of its preliminary report on the derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals there. Echoing criticisms of lax regulations amid the disaster, Buttigieg called on former President Trump to voice support for efforts to increase regulations that had been loosened while he was in office.
"One thing he can do is express support for reversing the deregulation that happened on his watch," Buttigieg said.
Trump visited East Palestine a day earlier and suggested the Biden administration had abandoned the town in its time of crisis.
The NTSB report appears to corroborate earlier claims that a wheel bearing severely overheated before the accident. The report states that at the time of the accident the train had passed through several hot bearing detectors, including at least one that registered in the range that railway company Norfolk Southern considers "critical." The train was unable to stop at that point, according to the report. The Hill's Zack Budryk looks at five major questions about the derailment following the report's release. Meanwhile, Biden has no immediate plans to visit the derailment site, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters today. |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Elizabeth Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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- The Food and Drug Administration's draft federal rules that would let plant-based milk alternative products be labeled "milk" have gotten Congress' attention.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is launching a statewide task force to address rising incidences of "street takeovers" where people illegally block off roads and parking lots so vehicles can perform stunts.
Despite the country's dreary economy and political climate, most Americans say they're happy with how their personal lives are going, according to a new poll.
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🚫 Next US sanctions will target Chinese companies
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A new sanctions package will be unveiled Friday — lining up with the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine — that is expected to target Chinese companies that the Biden administration says are skirting export bans already put in place against Moscow. The administration has identified Chinese-based or Chinese entities in Europe that are bypassing existing sanctions put in place against Russia over its war against Ukraine, Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, revealed during a Washington Post Live event Thursday. "We've already made clear that we're prepared to sanction Chinese companies," she said. "We will also be putting other constraints on entities, Chinese-based or Chinese subs of entities in Europe, which we think are actively evading sanctions. "We are watching very, very carefully, and this is not something that can be done under the carpet while China professes to be neutral," she added. China has taken no official position in Russia's war against Ukraine, but Biden officials have recently signaled that China may be preparing to provide weapons to Russia.
"We know that the Russians have consistently been asking the Chinese for weapons. We also know that some Chinese companies, whether the government is witting or not, have been sneaking up to the edge and trying to provide some support," Nuland said.
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🐘 GOP's first presidential debate will be in Milwaukee
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The Republican National Committee's Standing Committee on Presidential Debates has decided to hold the first 2024 GOP presidential debate in August in Milwaukee, where the party also expects to host its 2024 nominating convention next year. In a letter to RNC committee members obtained by The Hill, Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel explained that specifics about the first debate haven't been finalized, and no other debates have been sanctioned. The Milwaukee debate is expected to take place around the same time as the group's summer meeting. McDaniel won a historic fourth-term reelection as RNC chair last month after fielding challenges from California attorney Harmeet Dhillon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. McDaniel's opponents were largely backed by members disappointed in the Republican Party's midterm outcomes, when instead of an anticipated "red wave" Democrats maintained hold of the Senate and the GOP won a just slim majority in the House. |
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🎫 Senators press DOJ to further investigate Ticketmaster
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A bipartisan duo of prominent senators is pressing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to continue investigating possible anticompetitive conduct by event ticketing companies Live Nation and Ticketmaster, a month after a congressional hearing on the ticketing industry. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a member of the Commerce Committee, and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah.) sent a joint letter this week to Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general of the DOJ's Antitrust Division, noting concern "about the state of competition in America's ticketing industry." Last month's hearing followed reports of significant Ticketmaster service issues when tickets for Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" went on sale in November. Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino testified at the hearing. "As an initial matter, other than Live Nation's executive, every witness at our hearing testified that Live Nation is harming America's music industry," the senators wrote in their latest letter. The Senate Judiciary Committee also has signaled its concern with the ticketing industry with a subtle warning directed at Ticketmaster this month after Beyoncé announced her "Renaissance World Tour." "We're watching, @Ticketmaster," the committee wrote in a tweet. |
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🏭 EPA outlines another $550M for environmental inequity issues
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Another $550 million in federal dollars will be put toward addressing environmental inequity issues, the Environmental Protection Agency announced this week. The effort to reduce pollution-related inequality, as well as a previously announced $100 million on the issue, is part of the sweeping $3 billion climate and healthcare package Democrats passed last year. The EPA plans to select up to 11 community-based nonprofits that will then dole out grants aimed at cutting pollution in the latest round. |
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📊 New poll shows partisan split over health concerns: opioids vs. guns
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Ask Republicans, and more than a third say fentanyl and other opioids are the biggest health threat the country faces. Ask Democrats and more than a third say guns are, a new Axios-Ipsos poll shows. |
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🏘️ Housing market lost $2.3T in value in second half of 2022: study
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The U.S. housing market has suffered the steepest six-month drop in home values since 2008, as increasing mortgage rates pumped the breaks on buying. A new report from the real estate brokerage Redfin shows the total value of U.S. homes fell from a record high of $47.7 trillion in June 2022 to $45.3 trillion at the end of the year — a 4.9 percent decrease in home values. Average home values are still up 6.5 percent from the previous year, though. |
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"These 6 states will determine the 2024 presidential election" — Myra Adams, politics and religion writer for numerous publications. (Read here) "Biden needs to answer these 3 questions about Ukraine" — Liz Peek, former partner of Wall Street firm Wertheim & Company. (Read here) |
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14 days until President Biden unveils his budget plan for the next fiscal year. 621 days until the 2024 presidential election. |
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It's the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration is expected to formally announce new sanctions during a virtual meeting with G7 leaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to take part. The House and Senate are out, but both are scheduled to return on Monday. |
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There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ecrisp@thehill.com |
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