10 Things in Politics: Lawmakers are sick of Marjorie Taylor Greene

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Here’s what we’re talking about:

  • How Marjorie Taylor Greene became the Voldemort of Congress
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for a cease-fire
  • The demise of ‘thoughts and prayers’

One thing to look out for today: President Joe Biden is set to speak about the state of vaccinations at 1 p.m. ET.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.(Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

1. FED UP ON THE HILL: Democrats don’t want to say Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s name. Even some Republicans feel the same way. The latest incident came last week when Greene accosted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an incident that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called “abuse” and suggested the House Ethics Committee should review.

Insider spoke with Greene’s House colleagues, and a picture emerged of how the Georgia Republican had become something of a Voldemort on Capitol Hill.

Here’s a peek at what we found:

  • One top committee chairman was relieved that Greene would not serve on his panel: “As far as I can tell, she’s here for all the wrong reasons. She is here just to make a show of herself. She’s here for the theater,” said Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth, who chairs the Budget Committee.
  • Some lawmakers don’t even want their names linked to Greene: “I do not want my name and this woman’s name ever associated together, so I would rather not say anything,” said a progressive House member, who refused to talk to my colleagues.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois was one of 11 Republicans who voted to remove Greene’s committee assignments: He criticized Greene’s recent outburst.

Greene told Insider she didn’t think she lost anything since being kicked off of committees: She has introduced 11 bills so far, including legislation to slash the salary of Dr. Anthony Fauci.

  • “The Democrats have full control and don’t care about amendments Republicans are adding,” she said. “Most of my Republican colleagues have told me they’re jealous that they didn’t get kicked off committees because they’re wasting time sitting on Zoom meetings.”

Some Republicans were hesitant to discuss Greene’s latest incident, in which she was observed shouting at Ocasio-Cortez and falsely accusing her of supporting “terrorists.”

  • She does still have her defenders: “There has always been a lack of free spirits in Congress,” said Rep. Glenn Grothman, a Republican from Wisconsin. “And if a free spirit gets in here who is not afraid of leadership or the special interests — you might not agree with her on individual issues, but it’s always good for the institution.”

More on what Greene’s colleagues are saying about her.

2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects calls for a cease-fire: The most intense fighting yet unfolded Sunday, as at least 42 Palestinians were reported killed in early-morning airstrikes, while attacks continued Monday morning, according to The New York Times. Netanyahu told CBS that Israel would “do whatever it takes to restore order and quiet and the security of our people and deterrence.”

  • More Democrats are calling for a cease-fire: Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia led 27 of his colleagues in calling for “an immediate cease-fire.”

At least as early as 2015, the phrase “thoughts and prayers” became recognized as a cliché.Samantha Lee/Insider

3. The demise of “thoughts and prayers”: The people who must come up with words when there are no words following each mass shooting in America are increasingly at a loss for what to say. Their jobs have become tougher as political will in Congress for substantive action to reduce gun violence remains tenuous. “It does feel like we’re starting to run out of words,” one Democratic speechwriter told Insider.

  • Key quote: “Now, offering somebody who’s suffering your thoughts and prayers is all well and good, but not if that’s all you’re willing to do,” the former Obama speechwriter Cody Keenan said. “If that’s literally the best you can do and nothing more, that’s when it’s offensive.”

4. Bill Gates acknowledges affair that preceded his exit from Microsoft: Microsoft board members opened an investigation into Gates in late 2019 after an employee said she had a sexual relationship with him that spanned years, The Wall Street Journal reports. The board hired a law firm to investigate, and unnamed sources told The Journal at least some board members decided Gates should step down from the board. Gates did step down in 2020, but a representative denied it was because of the investigation, which The Journal said had not been finished. More on the latest to come out amid Gates’ divorce here.

  • This is the man who has managed Gates’ fortune and was reportedly accused of sexual harassment: Michael Larson has managed Bill Gates’ fortune, which is estimated at nearly $130 billion, for decades. The New York Times reported Sunday that Larson became a point of contention between Gates and his wife, Melinda French Gates, after Larson was accused of sexual harassment in 2017.

Bill Gates crafted a public image as a likable, nerdy do-gooder: Office affairs, “uncomfortable” workplace behavior, and ties to Jeffrey Epstein reveal cracks in his facade.

5. Rep. Liz Cheney says there’s “no question” another Capitol riot could occur: “We have to recognize what it means for the nation to have a former president who has not conceded and who continues to suggest that our electoral system cannot function, cannot do the will of the people,” Cheney said on “This Week,” just days after being removed from House Republican leadership for her criticism of former President Donald Trump over his refusal to stop lying about the election. Cheney said Trump’s denial of his 2020 election loss was similar to something out of China.

Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana.Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP

6. These are the stocks lawmakers are trading: Rep. Jim Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat, dumped up to $65,000 worth of Facebook stock in late April. While Greene invested up to $15,000 in Walmart. And Sen. John Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, bought a stake worth up to $250,000 in Rocky Branch Resort LLC, a motel in the state’s Ozark Mountains.

As for side hustles, Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, earned $554.10 for participating in a Pfizer vaccine trial. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren received a $250,000 advance on her recently published book, “Persist,” among a handful of senators cashing in on book deals.

See how Bernie Sanders is still making money off of a 1980s folk album.

7. CDC director rejects arguments that political considerations spurred new mask guidance: “I can tell you it certainly would have been easier if the science had evolved a week earlier and I didn’t have to go to Congress making those statements, but I’m delivering the science as the science is delivered to the medical journals,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said on “Fox News Sunday.” Walensky defended the CDC’s mask guidance to Congress days before it abruptly changed.

8. UN warns India’s pandemic struggles may just be beginning: Henrietta Fore, the executive director of UNICEF, said the COVAX initiative to distribute vaccines to poorer countries was “running way behind, which could allow the virus to rage unchecked,” The Washington Post reports. She called for more vaccine donations.

9. AT&T is in talks to create a new streaming giant with Discovery: Such a deal would create a new streaming giant better placed to compete with Netflix and Disney. It would also involve AT&T splitting off assets it acquired when it bought Time Warner for $85 billion in 2018. The deal would include several parts of WarnerMedia’s division, including CNN, TNT, and TBS, The Journal reports. An agreement could be announced as soon as today.

10. “SNL” spoofs CDC’s new mask guidelines: Kate McKinnon reprised her role as Fauci in this week’s cold open, pretending to be the infectious-disease expert while demonstrating scenarios of “correct mask behavior.” “A lot of people had questions, such as: What does that mean? What the hell are you talking about? Is this a trap?” McKinnon said as Fauci. Watch the rest of the sketch here.

Today’s trivia question: NASA may have laughed at him, but this member of a famous mission was serious when he asked mission control to make sure he received an extension of filing his taxes. Who was he? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at [email protected].

  • Friday’s answer: Long before Air Force One, the first plane to carry a president had the unofficial nickname of “sacred cow.” FDR used the plane to get to the famed Yalta Conference in 1945.

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