Among those receiving commutations was Philip Esformes, a Miami nursing home executive who was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year for paying bribes and receiving kickbacks in a $1 billion Medicare fraud scheme. The White House announcement notedthat “Esformes, who is 52, has been devoted to prayer and repentance and is in declining health.”
Trumprailed against the new COVID relief bill last night in a video from the White House, specifically slamming foreign aid inclusions, which are actually part of the separate omnibus spending bill. “$85.5 million for assistance to Cambodia, $134 million to Burma, $1.3 billion for Egypt and the Egyptian military, which will go out and buy almost exclusively Russian military equipment,” the president charged.
San Francisco Mayor Calls Kamala Harris Senate Replacement Unfortunate in Light of BLM
On 12/24/20 at 1:58 PM EST
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla s appointment to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Senate seat has been both praised and criticized for its broader implications about racial representation in politics.
While Padilla will be the state s first Latino senator a milestone for California, where nearly 40 percent of the state s residents are Latino his appointment also means there will no longer be any Black women in the Senate.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed called the replacement a real blow to the African American community and an especially unfortunate situation in light of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that swept the nation this summer.
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UPDATED Dec. 22, 1:30 p.m. Governor Gavin Newsom selected California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat on December 22, 2020, after the following story aired. It’s a historic choice as Padilla will be the first Latino senator to represent California.
Now that Senator Kamala Harris is about to become vice president, California has an open Senate seat. Guessing who Governor Gavin Newsom will pick as her replacement has become a popular game for political watchers throughout the state.
Senate seats don’t come up often in the state. Vice President-elect Harris was voted into the Senate when Barbara Boxer chose not to run in 2016. Boxer held the seat for 24 years. California’s other senator, Dianne Feinstein, has held her seat for 28 years.
Dec. 22, 2020Politics MORE Secretary of State Alex Padilla speaking with attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Gov. Gavin Newsom has named Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat. He’ll be California’s first Latino U.S. Senator. He began his political career as the youngest member ever elected to the LA City Council. Padilla will give Los Angeles a voice in the Senate chamber. For decades, California’s Senate seats have been held by leaders with roots in Bay Area politics.