
House Republicans settle fight over remote votes for new parents after Johnson-Luna standoff
CBSN
Washington — The fight in the House over whether to allow new parents in Congress to vote remotely around the birth of their child appears to be settled for now.
The House voted Tuesday to effectively kill a discharge petition championed by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida that forced a vote on a measure that would have permitted remote voting for new parents. Instead, a separate resolution from Luna to allow "vote pairing" was adopted. Both actions were included in a rule governing debate for four unrelated bills. The House approved the rule mostly along party lines, with Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona being the sole Republican to vote with Democrats.
The move comes a week after nine Republicans joined all Democrats to sink a similar rule that would have defeated Luna's discharge petition. It was an embarrassing loss for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent lawmakers home for the remainder of the week. The Louisiana Republican has adamantly opposed proxy voting, believing it to be unconstitutional.

The leaders of a sex-focused women's wellness company that promoted "orgasmic meditation" were found guilty Monday in what has been described as an abusive scheme to coerce their employees into performing traumatic and demeaning tasks with little or no pay, authorities said. A Brooklyn jury deliberated for less than two days before convicting Nicole Daedone, 57, and Rachel Cherwitz, 44, on federal forced labor charges, following a five-week trial.

Smuggler traveling from Thailand stopped with tarantulas, possums, lizards, authorities in India say
Indian customs officers made the latest "significant" seizure of endangered wildlife from a passenger arriving from Thailand, a government statement said: nearly 100 creatures including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums.

Some of the victims of the U.S. Capitol siege are angry about the Trump administration's public statements and response to this weekend's unrest in Los Angeles, accusing top officials and the president of hypocrisy. They point to the stark difference between the aggressive response of the president and his top aides against those who allegedly assaulted police in Los Angeles, compared to their staunch defense of those who admitted beating and gassing police on Jan. 6. The disparity risks inflaming the already heated controversy in California.