Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman to temporarily hold presidential powers on Nov. 19. This move came about after President Joe Biden transferred his powers while he was under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy. Biden had a colonoscopy as part of his routine yearly physical.
Biden sent a letter to both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy, notifying them of his intention to transfer powers to the vice president. This notification is required under Section 3 of the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The letter read: “Today I will undergo a routine medical procedure requiring sedation. In view of present circumstances, I have determined to transfer temporarily the powers and duties of the office of President of the United States to the Vice President during the brief period of the procedure and recovery.”
Biden also sent a letter to Pelosi and Leahy when he resumed his powers.
It is customary for presidents to transfer power to their vice presidents while under anesthesia. Former President George W. Bush transferred power several times to then–Vice President Dick Cheney while undergoing his routine colonoscopies.
On Nov. 19 also, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the $2.2 trillion Build Back Better bill. The bill includes most of Biden’s social agenda and includes things such as universal pre-K for three– and four–year–olds, four weeks of paid parental leave, larger measures to combat climate change, expanded health care measures and lower prices for medicines such as insulin.
The bill was passed on party lines with 220 Democrats voting for it and all Republicans plus one Democrat, Jared Golden, voting against it. The bill has faced heavy Republican opposition over inflation and deficit concerns. The Congressional Budget Office released its assessment of the bill, projecting it to add $260 billion to the deficit over 10 years.
The bill’s passage was also delayed by a marathon floor speech from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy spoke for eight hours and 32 minutes to attempt to delay the bill’s passage. He broke the previous record held by Pelosi by a time of 32 minutes. McCarthy spoke on a variety of topics, including Ronald Reagan’s missile defense initiative, Elon Musk and a painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River.
A verdict was reached in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial on Nov. 19. Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all counts. He was being tried for the killing of two people last summer at a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Rittenhouse has attracted praise from many Republican congressional representatives. Representatives such as Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert and Madison Cawthorn have all offered Rittenhouse an internship in their congressional office. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has also introduced a bill in the House to award Rittenhouse a Congressional Gold Medal.
Rittenhouse also met with former-President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida this past week. The case attracted much attention from the public due to the fact that it was publicly broadcast and the judge presiding over the case exhibited what many are calling questionable court behaviors.
A verdict was also reached in the past week in the trial of three men for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. In February 2020, Arbery was shot and killed by three men: Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Bryan. All three men were convicted on the charge of felony murder. These men could face life in prison.
“Today, the jury rendered its verdicts and the three defendants were found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery,” Vice President Harris said in a statement on Nov. 24. “Still, we feel the weight of grief. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive, and nothing can take away the pain that his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones, his father Marcus Arbery, and the entire Arbery family and community feel today. I share in that pain.”
The defense team says it plans to appeal the guilty verdict that was handed down by the jury.
