The Daily Populous Wednesday April 2nd, 2025 evening edition
Authored by apnews.com and submitted by brackenish1

What is the purpose of representatives giving all night speeches (such as Cory Booker), and are other representatives required to attend? Rose

Hey, Rose. Thanks for your question. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has been holding the Senate floor since Monday night with a marathon speech that’s lasted into Tuesday afternoon. It was a remarkable show of stamina as Democrats try to show their frustrated supporters that they are doing everything possible to contest Trump’s agenda.

As Booker’s speech rolled past 18 hours, it became the sixth longest in Senate history.

AP’s Mike Catlini and Stephen Groves wrote about Booker’s speech and what it represents. Here’s some of what they said:

Booker’s speech was not a filibuster, which is a speech meant to halt the advance of a specific piece of legislation. Instead, Booker’s performance was a broader critique of Trump’s agenda, meant to hold up the Senate’s business and draw attention to what Democrats are doing to contest the president. Without a majority in either congressional chamber, Democrats have been almost completely locked out of legislative power but are turning to procedural maneuvers to try to thwart Republicans.

As Democrats search for a next generation of leadership, frustrated with the old-timers at the top, Booker’s speech could cement his status as a leading figure in the party’s opposition to Trump.

While it’s not required for members of Congress to attend, Booker got some help from his Democratic colleagues, who gave him a break from speaking to ask him a question and praised his performance. Booker yielded for questions but made sure to say he would not give up the floor. He stayed standing to comply with Senate rules.

Archmage_of_Detroit on April 2nd, 2025 at 00:10 UTC »

He beat Strom Thurmond. And unlike Ted Cruz, he didn't read from Dr. Seuss or the phonebook, but rather recited letters and personal accounts from Americans.

Well done.

brgr86 on April 2nd, 2025 at 00:06 UTC »

"Booker broke a record previously held by Strom Thurmond, a segregationist who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957, according to the Senate’s records."

Nice

effortfulcrumload on April 1st, 2025 at 23:57 UTC »

He's stopping at 25 hours. The strength of this man is admirable. He's had over 100k watching for the last hour.