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Three Republican senators voted with Democrats to get rid of a Trump-era rule that removed limits on methane emissions from the oil and gas sector and made such emissions harder to regulate.

Sens. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret CollinsHere are the three Republicans who voted to undo Trump's methane rule OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Senate nixes Trump rule limiting methane regulation | Senate confirms EPA chief: Biden's climate goals are 'an opportunity to lead' | Fine-particle pollution disproportionately hurts people of color: research Senate votes to nix Trump rule limiting methane regulation MORE (Maine), Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamHere are the three Republicans who voted to undo Trump's methane rule OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Senate nixes Trump rule limiting methane regulation | Senate confirms EPA chief: Biden's climate goals are 'an opportunity to lead' | Fine-particle pollution disproportionately hurts people of color: research Senate votes to nix Trump rule limiting methane regulation MORE (S.C.) and Rob PortmanRobert (Rob) Jones PortmanModerate Republicans leery of Biden's renewed call for unity Biden makes case for sweeping change Here are the three Republicans who voted to undo Trump's methane rule MORE (Ohio) joined the Democrats on whats considered a significant climate change vote.

The vote was this Congresss first use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows lawmakers to nix regulations put forward during the last 60 legislative days with a simple majority.

For Collins and Graham, supporting methane regulation is a familiar position, as they both voted against a 2017 Republican move that sought to undo a different Obama-era regulation of the greenhouse gas that was promulgated through the Bureau of Land Management.

Portman, however, supported the 2017 GOP effort, saying that the Obama administration methane rule would have hurt our economy and cost jobs in Ohio by forcing small independent operators to close existing wells and slowing responsible energy production on federal lands.

The rule on Wednesday is separate from the one that was voted on in 2017, dealing with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulations.

The EPA rule eliminated methane emission standards for the oil and gas sector altogether and also got rid of limits for substances known as volatile organic compounds from oil and gas transmission and storage.

If it had been allowed to stand, the EPA estimates that it would have added an extra 400,000 tons of methane, whichcontributes morethan carbon dioxide to climate change, to the atmosphere over the next decade.

It also made it harder for the agency to carry out future regulations of the greenhouse gas.

Collins, who was a cosponsor of Wednesday's effort, is one of the Senates most moderate members, and has sided with Democrats on notable swing votes in the past, including the one where Republicans failed to get enough votes to repeal ObamaCare.

More recently, all three senators were the only Republican votes for President BidenJoe BidenBiden prepping cybersecurity executive order in response to SolarWinds attack Photoshopped deer in Kevlar vests circulate after Biden gun control comment Majority of viewers approved of Biden address to Congress: poll MOREs nominee to lead a White House environment council, while Graham and Collins were among the handful of Republicans who voted to support the confirmation of former Rep. Deb HaalandDeb HaalandHere are the three Republicans who voted to undo Trump's methane rule OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Haaland reverses Trump effort on tribal land | Senate confirms Janet McCabe as deputy EPA chief | Study finds quick action on methane could significantly cut into global warming Interior, Haaland reverses Trump effort on tribal land MORE (D-N.M.) to lead the Interior Department.

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Here are the three Republicans who voted to undo Trump's methane rule | TheHill - The Hill

(CNN)

Former President Donald Trump has only one thing on his mind of late: The ongoing recount of 2020 presidential ballots in Arizonas Maricopa County.

Incredible organization and integrity taking place in Arizona with respect to the Fraudulent 2020 Presidential Election, said Trump in a statement Monday afternoon. These are Great American Patriots, but watch, the Radical Left Democrats demean and destroy campaign will start very soon.

He issued another statement in which he attacked Republican Gov. Doug Ducey as one of the worst Governors in America, and the second worst Republican Governor in America. (Presumably Trump believes Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who he has repeatedly savaged for not being willing to overturn the election results, is the worst governor in the country.)

So whats really going on here? And does the Arizona recount have a chance at, well, changing anything? I reached out to Jen Fifield, a reporter covering the recount at the Arizona Republic, for answers to those questions and more.

Our conversation conducted via email and lightly edited for flow is below.

Cillizza: Whats the genesis of this recount? Didnt Arizona already recount the entire state?

Fifield: When the general election results came in showing that Arizona elected Joe Biden as president, the results were immediately challenged by the Trump campaign, which claimed widespread fraud. The campaign and the Arizona Republican Party filed numerous lawsuits, but the courts dismissed them.

Maricopa County performed multiple audits of its election as required under state law, including a hand count of a statistically significant number of ballots and two logic and accuracy tests of voting machines. That wasnt enough for several Arizona Republican senators who had questions about the election results, including Senate President Karen Fann. So the county hired two independent auditors to thoroughly examine its voting machines, including to see whether they were hacked into or tampered with. All of the countys audits came back clean, showing that votes were counted accurately, but that still wasnt enough for many senators, including Fann.

Senate Republicans first filed subpoenas in December demanding all of the countys 2.1 million ballots, voting machines and voter information, in order to perform an audit of their own. After a lengthy court battle with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, a Republican-controlled board that was worried the integrity of the ballots and voter information would be compromised if it was handed over to the Senate, a judge ruled that the county had to provide the materials.

Cillizza: Why Maricopa County in particular? And why not the whole state?

Fifield: Maricopa County is the largest county in Arizona and has as very mixed electorate. It is one of the largest swing counties in the nation. That made it a target for the Trump campaign, which challenged election results in several swing states where [Joe] Biden won on narrow margins. That focus on the county from the start, in particular, led to this audit being considered only here and not across the state.

Cillizza: Who is overseeing this recount? Are state election officials involved?

Fifield: The county judge granted the Arizona Senate access to the ballots, voting machines and voter data, so this is technically the Senates audit. But the Senate has relinquished control of the audit to private contractors.

The Senate is paying Cyber Ninjas, a cybersecurity firm, $150,000 to conduct the audit and hire its own contractors. The Arizona Republic found that the CEO of the firm, Doug Logan, had touted conspiracy theories about the election on social media and had participated in a previous attempt to overturn Michigan election results. Logan told reporters at a news conference last week that the audit is costing more than $150,000, but he would not say how much or who is paying his company. He also will not give information about everyone involved. Nonpartisan election auditing experts have indicated this audit will cost millions.

By handing the operations over to Cyber Ninjas, the Senate has reduced the transparency of the audit. The contractors are unwilling to share all of the parties they have hired, how much in total it will cost and who is paying them, and public records requests have so far gone unanswered. One America News Network announced they were fundraising for the effort, along with Sidney Powell.

Cillizza: What is the goal here? What could a partial recount of the states ballots tell us?

Fifield: Senate President Karen Fann says the goal of the audit is to identify whether fraudulent votes were cast in the election and identify there are any problems with the countys voting process. Fann said any irregularities identified could be used as the Arizona Senate crafts new laws to change Arizonas voting process.

Critics say that the audit is a late attempt to overturn the states election results, nearly six months after the election.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Legislature is considering numerous bills that would change voting in Arizona, including those would limit or perhaps eliminate early voting, the process that most Arizonans use to cast ballots. Those bills may be on hold while the Republicans wait for the results of this audit.

Cillizza: Finish this sentence: The effect of this latest recount on Arizonas politics will be _________. Now, explain.

Fifield: The effect of this latest recount on Arizonas politics will be either huge or miniscule, depending on how it all plays out.

Several nonpartisan election experts across the country have called into question the legitimacy of the audit because of the lack of clear procedures, and the lack of proper funding and time to do it right. The concerns are growing as the transparency of the audit shrinks, and after I volunteered as an observer and saw that the auditors were not following some Arizona election procedures for audits. The auditors will not allow press into the building, other than if they serve as volunteer observers, and volunteer observers must follow certain rules, such as no note-taking and recording on the audit floor.

If the results are believed to be accurate and fair by Senate Republicans, and the results say that there was fraud or misconduct in the election, the legislature may attempt to dramatically change how voting happens in our state.

The audit results could be used by state lawmakers not just here, but across the country, in attempts to push through numerous changes to how we vote.

Originally posted here:
Arizona Republicans are conducting a baffling and completely secretive recount of the 2020 election - CNN

A self-described libertarian-leaning Republican, Sen. Cynthia Lummis has been a Wyoming state representative, state senator, state treasurer and U.S. congresswoman. She retired back to her family ranch after her husband died in 2015 and came back to Congress because neither party cared enough about the deficit for her liking.

I'm really worried about it. I think we're devaluing the U.S. dollar, she told me sitting on the lip of the Capitol reflecting pool that was covered in bird poop, which after decades on a ranch didnt bother her. (It bothered me a bit, but fake it til you make it, right?)

With Lummis, I wanted to get a sense of what she thought the Republican Party stood for after four years of Donald Trump, whose ambivalence for the rising deficit, focus on cultural issues and harsh immigration policies and rhetoric were all a shift for the party. Her answer wasnt overly specific and had those tinges of Trumpism the party hasnt been able to shake: I'm hoping that our party is concerned about illegal immigration, which I think it is. That they're concerned about everyday working Americans, she said.

More:
Where the Republican Party stands after Trump, according to Wyomings junior senator - POLITICO

Two candidates are seeking the Republican nomination for one spot on the Bethel Township Board of Supervisors.

Incumbent and board Chairman Jacob C. Meyer will face Jay A. Bicksler for the lone seat.

Township commissioner is a six-year term.

We asked the candidates to respond to two questions:

Question 1: What issue is driving you to run for office?

Question 2: What are you learning when you talk to voters?

Background:I have been a lifelong resident of Bethel Township, moving here when a child. I am married with three daughters, two of which still live locally. I was a trucker for 30 years, and have been a pastor for the past 20 years, the last five being full time.

Response 1:Having been a supervisor for the past five years, I believe that we have navigated through a dramatic period of transition. With the warehouse development we have experienced the culture of the township has been changed. Insofar as I am concerned, we need to now ensure that the rights of all citizens be protected, and that the law be upheld so that our community can continue to smoothly run. With the experiences I have encountered while in office, and the involvement I have with officials in other layers of government, and my ongoing interaction with the supporting advisory township boards, I can be a benefit in helping the residents engage with our various government entities.

Response 2:The biggest lesson I have received in talking to the voters is that beyond knowing how to vote, many do not know how local government works and the extent to which it impacts their lives. Oftentimes it is requested of me that we tell someone else, frequently a neighbor, what to do. In America, we still have private property rights, and they must be upheld. It has been challenging at times to effectively communicate that principle. The most gratifying aspect to getting out and talking to the voters is their appreciation for my willingness to listen to their concerns. As I have always believed elected representatives must hear the voice of the people in order to represent them, this is a vital part of the reason I was elected. In an era when government has become increasingly tone deaf to the people, this aspect of representation is vital.

Jay A. Bicksler (did not respond)

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2 seek the Republican nomination for Bethel Township supervisor - Reading Eagle

Hes one of the most decent people you ever want to meet. He and Jill are very good people. And you disagree with people you like. So I dont see where it helps us trying to get into a food fight with him, said Graham, a top Trump ally.

The GOP is more likely to take back the House next fall than the Senate, given the latters staggered map, and Republicans are only starting to chip away at a president who governs in precisely the opposite manner to his incendiary predecessor, Donald Trump. In Orlando, where the House GOP held a three-day retreat to start plotting its path back to the majority, Republicans coalesced around a midterm message that hits Biden on immigration, policing, climate change and raising taxes.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) speaks during a House Select Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. | Stefani Reynolds/Pool via AP

That will have a negative impact on not just his popularity, but on the country's economy, at a time when we're just starting to come out of Covid, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters at the retreat, referring to policy items on Bidens wishlist. As people see what he's doing and it's Nancy Pelosi, it's AOC, it's that socialist wing of the party that's driving the agenda that's not what he ran on.

The GOPs reluctance to make Biden into a bogeyman stems from both a confidence that his policies are unpopular enough on their own and, for some Republicans, a personal relationship with the president. But not taking the opportunity to more concretely define Biden something Trump also struggled to do during the 2020 campaign could backfire for Republicans.

Its also a stark contrast from the GOPs approach toward Obama, who faced racist birtherism accusations and was already grappling with Tea Party demonstrations around the country within his first 100 days in office. And the fixation on Hunter Biden that energized anti-Biden conservatives during last years presidential campaign isn't part of GOP leaders current strategy.

They are having a hell of a time trying to put a negative label on him, said Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), of Biden. Its a real dilemma.

Biden is hovering above 50 percent approval, but even that might not be enough to save Pelosis control of the House. A president with an approval rating of more than 50 percent typically loses 14 seats in his partys first midterm, according to Gallup. The GOP only needs to flip five seats to seize back power in 2022, and theyll likely have forthcoming redistricting on their side. If Biden dips below 50 percent, things could get even worse.

So far, Bidens approval ratings are significantly higher than Trumps, but lower than Obamas, according to recent surveys from Pew, the Washington Post and Reuters. His $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill has proved popular, and there are early indications that more spending on infrastructure could also win public support. Biden is expected to tout both the Covid and infrastructure plans during his first joint address to Congress on Wednesday night.

Yet senior Republicans arent sweating Bidens job approval ratings. Scalise called them stagnant and argued theres a honeymoon period for any new president. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), head of the House GOPs campaign arm, expressed confidence that the president's numbers would start to deteriorate. And House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Bidens sub-50-percent approval on handling of the border, as well as his marks on the economy, could spell trouble for the president.

They really ought to be worried, McCarthy said of Democrats in an interview with POLITICO.

Republicans have settled on attacking Biden as a moderate candidate who's now governing as a liberal, led around by progressive senators like Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). But compared with their relatively nuanced criticisms of Biden, House Republicans are far more comfortable going after Pelosi. It's a return to one of the GOPs greatest hits, recalling their Fire Pelosi rallying cry following the 2010 passage of Obamacare a slogan that's getting a reprise.

During a private presentation to the House GOP in Orlando, Emmer revealed internal polling that showed Pelosi is one of the least popular politicians in the country, with her numbers dropping further in the last two months, according to a source in the room. The National Republican Congressional Committee chair noted that her numbers were particularly low in the Midwest, though YouGov data shows Pelosi still polls higher than Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer or Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Meanwhile, internal polling from the National Republican Senatorial Committee in February showed a narrow majority offering a favorable view of Biden but Schumer and Pelosi underwater. A plurality of respondents in that survey said theyd support a GOP candidate as a check on Bidens agenda over a Democrat who would help approve it. The rest of the polling focused on portraying Bidens policies as unpopular.

Florida politics are complicated. So is the future of the GOP. POLITICOs Sabrina Rodriguez talks with Miamis Republican Mayor Francis Suarez about where Florida fits into that future.

We can have disagreements, but we need to make sure that we're unified and in one place. We're seeing it at this conference, which is: firing Nancy Pelosi and stopping the socialist agenda, Emmer said in an interview. Everybody is unified on that.

The desire to make Hunter Biden a political liability for the president hasnt totally disappeared in the GOP, especially among the Trump wing of the party. On Monday, a group of Republicans called on Bidens ATF nominee to probe reports that the Secret Service intervened in an investigation involving Hunter Bidens gun. But aside from Hunter, Republicans cant seem to find a bad thing to say about the president.

Freshman Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) raved about an exchange he had with Biden over the Floridian's former career as a firefighter during a White House meeting on infrastructure, calling the moment heartfelt. Summarizing Republicans dilemma, another GOP lawmaker said that "its hard to hit someone who reminds you of your grandpa.

Hes likable, hes relatable theyre not having him omnipresent, said South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, of the White Houses strategy. Still, Thune added, Biden will be judged by his policies. And I think thats whats going to [happen] eventually, whether people like him personally or not.

Everett reported from Washington. Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.

Read more:
Republicans got personal with Obama. Why they won't do the same to Biden. - POLITICO