Editors’ Blog

Over the last couple weeks I’d shared reports from TPM Readers struggling to get a response from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire on whether she supports making Roe law and changing the filibuster rules to allow that bill to get a straight up or down vote. This morning I chatted with Shaheen’s Communications Director Sarah Weinstein who confirmed to me that Shaheen not only supports making Roe federal law (which she and 48 other Democrats attempted to do a few weeks ago) but also “supports amending the filibuster rules so a bill to codify Roe could pass by simple majority.”

The term ends.

Stephen Breyer retires.

Ketanji Brown Jackson to be sworn in as his replacement.

But before all that, the last big case TPM cares about will be issued shortly after 10 a.m. ET.

Background on the EPA case here.

Kate’s story on the oral arguments in the EPA case here.

More a little later.

Planning ahead for the eventual demise of Roe, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) filed a lawsuit earlier this year against 13 county prosecutors in her state to preemptively challenge the 1930s-era abortion ban on the books in Michigan. Her logic was simple — once Roe was ultimately overturned the century-old law would immediately go into effect, giving those 13 county prosecutors — who oversee the 13 counties in the state that house abortion clinics — the authority to charge people who violate the old-school ban.

We talk a lot about potential Democratic Senate pick ups. But Democrats also need to hold on to endangered seats in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. I was frankly stunned to see this new Quinnipiac poll showing Warnock opening up a 10 point lead over Herschel Walker, 54%-44%. The results seem mostly driven by Georgians thinking Warnock is a good guy who cares about ordinary people and many fewer thinking the same about Walker.

Earlier this month, Ginni Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, made a big show of her willingness and desire to march right up to Capitol Hill and clear her good name before the Jan. 6th investigation committee. Yesterday, her lawyer said the committee just turns out to be too biased. So she won’t be testifying after all.

Two White House security officials who allegedly scuffled with the President in the presidential limousine are now denying through intermediaries what Cassidy Hutchinson said under oath in yesterday’s hearing. But Ginni Thomas’s switcheroo is a good reminder that talk — or rather claims through intermediaries — is cheap. People who claim they are just champing at the bit to testify usually end up refusing to testify.

Tina Peters goes down in flames in Colorado.

We’re about to get inundated with news. So before that, quickly: we’re 3/4 of the way toward our goal of raising $200,000 in our TPM Journalism Fund drive. That’s a great. But we really need your help finishing this off. It’s really critical this year.

If you haven’t already please consider making a contribution. We make it super easy. Just a single click if you’re a member. If you could make a quick moment for this today we would all appreciate it. Just click here.

If you followed any or all of today’s Jan. 6 Committee hearing, you’ll know it was stuffed with some damning revelations about how things went down behind the scenes at the White House and in Trump’s inner circle during the Jan. 6 insurrection and in the days leading up to it.

A number of you have written in to say about the hearings, “No, that wasn’t the big deal. This other thing was the big deal!” In almost every case I find myself agreeing with you. What it comes down to is there was just a huge amount of critical new detail in Hutchinson’s testimony. And it was a challenge to evaluate the significance of it all in real time or organize it on a rank of significance. So TPM Reader KB notes that all the stuff about a war room at the Willard with Rudy and the top crazies starts appearing in a very, very different light if the plan was that Trump was going to go to the Capitol to in some sense lead the confrontation. It definitely seems like that wasn’t just a possibility or something that was discussed but rather definitely Trump’s plan and, one would imagine, what Rudy and his crew thought was going to happen.

From TPM Reader KB …

For me, the really significant testimony from today was that Trump WANTED and EXPECTED to go to the Capitol with the mob. The part about the drama in the limo is wild and also Trumpian silly, but up until now, I always assumed that he was just lying to the crowd, like he often did, or speaking metaphorically when he said he’d be right there with them. Or, I assumed that he wimped out. But the fact that he knew the mob was armed and STILL planned to march with them  – and was royally pissed when he was prevented from doing so – shows his clear intent to lead the insurrection.