the next
Gov. Ron DeSantis has finally spoken out against Donald Trump's harassment after months of trying to suppress criticism of the former president.
It represents a more aggressive repositioning for the Florida governor, who skipped the 2024 contest but remains Trump's front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.
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Doubt spread on Capitol Hill as the Federal Reserve continued to raise interest rates to fight inflation amid the collapse of Silicon Valley banks.
The country continues to raise questions after the SVB suffered a $1.8 billion loss and a bipartisan campaign began against the Fed for not seeing the problem.
TikTok continues to be the subject of controversy as its CEO lashed out at lawmakers this week. But the foreign-owned app is frowned upon by supporters who see it as a free speech issue and oppose a potential ban.
President Joe Biden has faced Republicans in Congress with arguably his most powerful weapon: the veto pen.
The Supreme Court has captured national attention, but this time it untied a legal knot for Americans with disabilities with a unanimous decision.
What happened in politics this week?
- The Federal Reserve continued its relentless efforts to contain inflation, including the collapse of the Silicon Valley bank.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis is no longer ignoring former President Donald Trump's attacks
- A joint White House and congressional review of the Chinese app TikTok has drawn opposition from one of the country's most staunchly liberal legislatures.
- President Biden vetoed it the first time and plunged into one of the GOP's most massive culture wars.
- The Supreme Court has warned after the judges unanimously sided with the deaf students
Fed raises interest rates after SVB bankruptcy
Many wondered if the Fed would back down from the collapse of Silicon Valley banks by raising interest rates.
But the agency ended up raising it by a quarter of a percentage point, pushing the federal funds rate to a range of 4.75% to 5%.
© Jacqueline Martin, AP Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, DC.
The president of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, said in a press conference that they must show how serious they are about inflation, which last June reached a 40-year high of 9.1%.
Economy: Federal Reserve raises interest rates 0.25 basis points to curb inflation, despite bank jitters
"It's important to keep that confidence in our actions and our words," he said.
But Powell is not without favor with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, who, along with Sen. Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, introduced bipartisan legislation to create a new position to oversee the Federal Reserve.
"The Fed made a mistake by not stopping aggressive rate hikes under Chairman Powell," Warren said this week.
"I have been warning for months that the Fed's current policy threatens to put millions of Americans out of work," he added. "We have many tools to fight inflation without destroying the economy."
DeSantis finally responded to Trump
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has brushed off criticism of former President Donald Trump for months, but brightened it up with an interview with British media personality Piers Morgan.
Trump regularly uses his social media platform to bash the Florida governor, considered his biggest challenger in 2024, with names like "Ron de Sanctumonios" and "Ron with Meatballs."
© Phil Sears, AP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions from the media after addressing the State of Florida Cabinet during a session of the Senate and House of Representatives, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida.
But as long as people call DeSantis a "winner," it doesn't matter.
Politics: DeSanti's stance on Ukraine differs from that of the Republican presidential nominee
Read more: Despite calls for Trump to protest, little effort has been shown as supporters fear it's a 'trap'.
"I'm not interested in arguing with people on social media," he said. "It does nothing for the people I represent."
Bowman: Follow me on Tik Tok
TikTok CEO Show Zi Chook's speech to Congress was one of the highlights on Capitol Hill this week.
Both parties are trying to limit or block the popular social media app on national security grounds, but diametrically opposed lawmakers have opposed the plans.
Rep. Jamal Bowman, an avid TikTok user and outspoken congressional leader, introduced the ban on the grounds that it went against the country's values of free speech.
The New York Democrat told USA TODAY that the app is "a place where people can express themselves however they want."
Technology: Will TikTok be banned? The CEO faces an "uphill battle" to protect China's holdings on Capitol Hill.
Read more: TikTok CEO gets fired on Capitol Hill
"The ban is an attack on those who prefer freedom of expression on this platform," he said.
Similarly, Senator Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, opposes the ban on TikTok, saying it is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.
"TikTok is currently banned in China," said Libertarian Senator Paul. "We will act like the Chinese government if we ban TikTok here."
Biden's first veto was related to environmental, social and institutional governance.
President Joe Biden used his veto on the new pension plan rule for the first time this week.
Congress voted to block Labor Department policies that would allow these plans to balance environmental, social and governance structures, or ESG in short, when making investments.
© USA TODAY President Biden defies GOP with first veto of Climate Retirement Investment Act.
For months, Republicans have criticized the "wake-up" clause as caring more about an ideological program than retirees' pockets.
Money: Republican Party vs. ESG. Why Republicans Fight ESG Investments
The measure passed the Democratic-led Senate in 2024 thanks to Senators John Tester, Democrat Mont and Joe Manchin, Deutsche Welle.
By the way, Trump has vetoed 10 bills during his tenure, and former President Barack Obama vetoed 12 bills.
House Republicans tried to override Biden's veto in Thursday's vote, but fell short of the required two-thirds majority.
Supreme Court accepts deaf student
The Supreme Court makes headlines with its controversial cases, but the 9-0 decision captured America's attention this week.
Such is the case of Miguel Perez, who is deaf and is suing his school in Michigan for damages for the mistakes made in his upbringing. For example, he claimed that the teaching assistants assigned to him did not know sign language.
© by the Luna Perez family. Miguel Luna Perez, who is deaf and pictured here in 2016, filed a lawsuit in the US Supreme Court that would have allowed him to be suspended from school in Sturgis, Michigan to seek damages for failing to provide adequate guidance.
Others: Discussion of special education. Supreme Court unanimously elevates students with disabilities
The key question was whether a person could seek compensation under the Americans with Disabilities Act if they sought assistance under the IDEA.
All nine justices agreed that Perez was not required to exhaust the due process requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) before bringing damages under the ADA.
Legal experts tell USA TODAY that untangling this knotty federal law could give parents of children with disabilities more power to negotiate their education.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This Week in Politics: DeSantis Opposes Trump; Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates; TikTok stands out for its freedom of expression