Heard on the Hill
What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill
BYE, FELICIA: Palestinian terrorist and Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces, per an announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. Sinwar was the brother of the October 7 Attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar, and took control of the Palestinian terrorist organization after Israeli forces eliminated his brother last year.
NO QUARTER FOR CENSORS: Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement that “foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans” will have their visas denied is a major win for lawmakers like Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), who have pushed for similar measures via the No Censors on our Shores Act.
COMPEL THIS: Pro-woman athletic clothing brand XX-XY and the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit challenging Colorado’s compelled speech law requiring advertisers to use preferred pronouns for those who believe themselves to be another gender than their own. Rep. Riley Moore (R., W.V.) praised the move in a tweet on Wednesday, noting the Centennial State’s “crusade against the First Amendment continues.”
BIG GET: CoreWeave, the cloud-based AI firm, made waves on the Hill by announcing Carl Holshouser will run the firm’s government affairs. Holshouser, formerly with TechNet and Visa, has deep relationships with both Dems and Republicans, and played an integral role in shaping tech legislation. CoreWeave’s stock rose 21 percent at the news of Holshouser’s hiring.
MAKING CRYPTO MAINSTREAM: Vice President Vance calls for a clean passage of the Genius Act, a major priority for the Crypto community. Clean passage would mean not including controversial amendments, like the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA). This is a major setback for groups pushing CCCA.
