Politics
Vermont Democratic Sen. Leahy, 81, is retiring after 8 terms
Published
5 years agoon
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said Monday he won’t seek reelection next year to the seat he’s held since 1975, signaling an end to a career that’s included major roles on issues such as civil liberties and financing the government and that began before four of his current colleagues were born.
“It’s time to come home,” said Leahy, 81. He made the announcement in the Vermont State House, blocks from where he grew up.
The decision by Leahy, among the Senate’s more liberal members, marks the end of a political era. He’s the last of the so-called Watergate babies, the surge of congressional Democrats elected in 1974 after President Richard Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment.
He’s also among a dwindling group from a more collegial era when senators had more harmonious relationships despite ideological differences. Among those is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., now one of Congress’ sharpest partisans, who’s served alongside Leahy for over three decades and praised him warmly as “an all-time Senate institution.”
Leahy became the first Democrat facing reelection next year in the 50-50 Senate to say he’ll retire. His state has shifted from solidly Republican to deep blue while he’s been senator, and his seat seems securely in Democratic hands.
He chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, which injects him into this fall’s budget fight. He was chair or top Democrat on the Judiciary committee for two decades and was atop the Agriculture panel for 10 years. But inside the Capitol, he’s equally known as a photography buff who wanders the corridors with a camera slung around his neck and for shepherding around celebrities including members of his beloved Grateful Dead.
In keeping with his hobby, Leahy took pictures at the White House on Monday as President Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill. He told reporters that Biden, a Senate colleague for decades, “was kind enough to call me at home” over the weekend, but he declined to provide details.
Leahy is the longest-serving sitting senator, and by the time his term expires in January 2023, he’ll have served for 48 years, the third-longest tenure ever. He’s the fifth-oldest current senator, among six 80-somethings in the chamber who include his Vermont colleague Bernie Sanders, 80.
Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., were born after Leahy entered the Senate.
Atop the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy has followed that panel’s tradition and worked closely with senior Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama as it distributes hundreds of billions of dollars among federal agencies and to lawmakers’ states. But the process has devolved into an annual struggle to prevent federal shutdowns as the two parties fight over federal borrowing and other issues.
“We’re different. We’ve got different political philosophies,” Shelby, 87 and also retiring, said in an interview. Shelby said his and Leahy’s goal is to fund the government “and we have to do that working together.”
Leahy will leave the chamber after eight terms with a record of promoting human rights, working to ban land mines and championing the environment.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, he helped write the 2001 Patriot Act, which strengthened government surveillance capabilities and criminal penalties against convicted terrorists, even as he helped limit its intrusions into civil liberties. More recently, he worked on legislation aimed at curbing the government’s ability to get Americans’ private telephone data.
He’s one of the few senators who have voted on the nomination of every current Supreme Court justice, supporting all three Democratic nominees and opposing every GOP pick except for Chief Justice John Roberts. He’s helped write bills on gun control, patents and land mines, which led to his friendship with rock musician Bono, a fellow land mine opponent whom he’s shown around the Capitol.
An ardent Batman fan, Leahy has appeared briefly in five Batman movies, telling the Joker in “The Dark Knight” in 2008, “We’re not intimidated by thugs.”
And he’s given Capitol tours to members of the Grateful Dead, the classic rock group he followed for decades and whose concerts he sometimes attended on stage. He’s said that while onstage once, he took a call from an official who unwittingly asked him to lower his radio so he could talk to President Bill Clinton.
“Would I call myself a Deadhead? With pride,” Leahy once said.
As the longest-serving member of the Senate’s majority party, Leahy is that chamber’s president pro tempore. That largely ceremonial post makes him third in line to the presidency, after Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
It was in that role that Leahy presided last February over the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. Leahy was hospitalized briefly the evening before the trial after not feeling well, was sent home and gaveled the proceedings to order the next morning.
Leahy is the only Democrat to have ever served as a Vermont senator, though his colleague Sanders, an independent, caucuses with the Democrats. Yet Democrats’ hold on Leahy’s seat next year became even stronger Monday after GOP Gov. Phil Scott, viewed as his party’s strongest potential challenger, seemed to take himself out of the running.
“Governor Scott has been clear that he is not running for the U.S. Senate next year. That has not changed,” Scott’s press secretary Jason Maulucci said by email. Scott, who frequently clashed with Trump, in a statement called Leahy an “incredible champion for Vermonters.”
Many in Vermont think Democratic Rep. Peter Welch, the tiny state’s only House member, will want to replace Leahy. Welch issued a statement praising him but saying nothing about running.
Democrats control the 50-50 Senate because of Harris’ tiebreaking vote, making every seat crucial in next year’s election.
But the GOP is defending 20 seats to Democrats’ 14. Of the five announced GOP retirees, three are in states that seem competitive — North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. One Republican senator who’s not yet announced whether he’ll seek reelection is Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, a swing state.
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Politics
FORMER PRESIDENTS, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS GATHER FOR OPENING OF OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER
Published
3 days agoon
June 18, 2026
CHICAGO (FNN NEWS) — The long-awaited Barack Obama Presidential Center officially opened Thursday with a star-studded dedication ceremony on Chicago’s South Side, drawing former presidents, national leaders, celebrities, and thousands of invited guests.
The ceremony began at 11 a.m. CDT with Chicago native and Grammy Award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson performing the national anthem.
Obama Center Opens
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered remarks celebrating the opening of the center, which is designed to serve as a cultural, educational, and civic engagement hub.
The opening marks the formal debut of one of the most anticipated presidential centers in modern history. The campus opens to the public on Juneteenth and is expected to attract visitors from across the United States and around the world.
Former Presidents in Attendance
Among the dignitaries attending the ceremony were:
- Former President Joe Biden
- Former President George W. Bush
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Former First Lady Jill Biden
- Former First Lady Laura Bush
- Former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton
National Leaders and Celebrities Attend
The event also attracted prominent political leaders, civil rights advocates, entertainers, and business leaders, including:
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
- Civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Al Sharpton
- Media icon Oprah Winfrey
- Comedians David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Stephen Colbert
- Actor Tom Hanks
- Tennis legend Billie Jean King
- Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts
Several attendees, including Newsom and Shapiro, are widely viewed as potential contenders for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
A Landmark for Chicago’s South Side
The opening of the Obama Presidential Center represents a significant milestone for Chicago’s South Side, bringing national attention, tourism, and economic development opportunities to the community.
Thousands of invited guests attended the ceremony, while residents and supporters gathered at a free public watch party to celebrate the historic occasion.
The center is expected to serve as a lasting tribute to the legacy of the nation’s 44th president while inspiring future generations of leaders through civic engagement, education, and public service.
About the Obama Presidential Center
The Obama Presidential Center is a world-class campus dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The center includes museum exhibits, public gathering spaces, educational programming, and community resources aimed at fostering leadership and civic participation.
Politics
CARICOM Launches Online Platform for 51st Heads of Government Meeting Gros Islet, Saint Lucia conference set for July 5-8, 2026
Published
3 days agoon
June 18, 2026
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (FNN NEWS) — The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat has launched a dedicated online platform for the upcoming 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, scheduled to take place in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, from July 5-8, 2026.
Central Hub for Meeting Information
The online platform will serve as the primary source of information for media representatives, government officials, stakeholders, and the public leading up to and during the conference.
Available at CARICOM 51st Heads of Government Meeting Platform, the website features:
- Information on the Opening Ceremony speakers
- A detailed program of events
- A profile of the incoming CARICOM Chair
- Daily news updates
- Photo and video galleries
- Livestreams of the Opening Ceremony
- Livestreams of the Closing Media Conference
The official Meeting Communiqué, summarizing decisions and outcomes from the conference, will also be published on the platform following the conclusion of the meeting.
Media Encouraged to Bookmark Platform
CARICOM officials are encouraging members of the media and other stakeholders to bookmark the website and visit regularly for updates throughout the conference.
The Secretariat also invited users to follow and engage with CARICOM’s social media channels using the hashtag #51HGC for real-time updates and coverage.
About CARICOM
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was established on July 4, 1973, with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas. The treaty was revised in 2001 to facilitate the creation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
CARICOM comprises 15 Member States and six Associate Members, representing approximately 16 million citizens across the Caribbean region. Nearly 60 percent of the Community’s population is under the age of 30.
The organization’s work is centered on four primary pillars:
- Economic integration
- Foreign policy coordination
- Human and social development
- Security cooperation
CARICOM’s vision is to build an integrated, inclusive, and resilient Caribbean Community driven by knowledge, innovation, excellence, and productivity while promoting human rights, social justice, and sustainable economic prosperity.
Headquartered in Georgetown
The principal administrative organ of the Community, the CARICOM Secretariat, is headquartered in Georgetown and coordinates the implementation of regional policies and initiatives among Member States.
CARICOM remains one of the most successful examples of regional integration in the developing world.
Politics
State Department Offers Up to $15 Million in Rewards for MS-13 Leaders Wanted on Terrorism, Drug Trafficking Charges
Published
3 days agoon
June 18, 2026
WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — The U.S. Department of State announced Thursday that it is increasing reward offers totaling up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of two senior leaders of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a transnational criminal organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
Reward Offers Increased
The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías, also known as “Porky,” and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Víctor Eduardo Morales Zelaya, also known as “Cuervo.”
The reward offers were announced by Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State.
MS-13 Leadership in Honduras
According to federal court documents, Archaga Carías and Morales Zelaya are the highest-ranking members of MS-13 operating in Honduras. Authorities allege they direct the gang’s criminal operations, including:
- Drug trafficking
- Money laundering
- Murder
- Kidnappings
- Other violent criminal activities
Federal authorities also allege the two men are responsible for coordinating the importation of significant quantities of cocaine into the United States. Both remain fugitives.
Among America’s Most Wanted
Archaga Carías is listed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and is also among the most wanted fugitives sought by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) established under Executive Order 14159. The task force is a permanent, whole-of-government initiative focused on dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the United States and abroad.
How to Provide Information
The reward offers were authorized by the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), which supports global law enforcement efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI through WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram at +1-832-267-1688.
Individuals located outside the United States may also contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Those within the United States may contact their local FBI field office.
Confidentiality Guaranteed
U.S. officials emphasized that all identities of individuals providing information will be kept strictly confidential. Government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards based on information obtained through their official duties.
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