A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Sensitive Readers, You Are Warned
Someone left a message written in chalk on the sidewalk outside of Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-ME) home in Bangor, Maine on Saturday begging her to pass legislation to enshrine abortion rights into law, so naturally the GOP senator called the police to investigate the “defacement of public property” that can be washed away with a garden hose.
- The message read “Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA → vote yes, clean up your mess,” referring to the Women’s Health Protection Act, which will be up for a vote in the Senate on Wednesday as the Supreme Court looks prepared to strike down Roe v. Wade. Collins, one of the few pro-choice Republicans in the Senate, has said she doesn’t support the legislation.
- The officers found that the chalk message was “not overtly threatening,” a spokesperson for the police department told the Bangor Daily News on Monday.
Obv, 911 is your first call when confronted with such an aggressive water soluble writing pic.twitter.com/utaxtKZILa
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) May 10, 2022
Alleged Nebraska Groper On Ballot Today
Nebraska’s primaries are today, meaning we’ll see if Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster will prevail after eight women, including a state senator, accused him of groping them.
- Two of the women have stepped forward by name, and three people have spoken on the record to back up the allegations.
- Herbster has denied the accusations, insisting that “literally hundreds of females,” (plus “ladies” and “women”) can attest to how pro-female he is.
Rep. Cuellar Attempted Smear Campaign Against Pregnant Ex-Staffer He Fired
Jezebel’s report on a former aide’s sex and pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) reveals some ugly details of how the last anti-abortion Democrat in the House treated a staffer who sought maternity leave.
- Cuellar rejected his then-acting chief of staff Kristie Small’s request for parental leave in 2018 and fired her when she was in her third trimester of pregnancy.
- Cuellar tried to discredit Small by having his staffers write poor performance reviews about her after he fired her, at least five of which were written after she filed the suit.
- Small ultimately reached a settlement with Cuellar in 2021. The former staffer had sought $300,000 in damages when she first filed, but Jezebel reports that the terms of the settlement aren’t publicly available.
Must Reads
“How Private Equity Looted America” – Mother Jones
“How George Floyd Spent His Final Hours” – The Washington Post
Trump Claims A Dog Ate His Trump Org Phones
The ex-president is now insisting that he no longer has the cell phones given to him by the Trump Organization that the New York attorney general is seeking in her civil investigation into the company.
- Trump’s “new phone, who dis” claim is part of his effort to quash the fines he’s racked up, which reached $140,000 on Monday, as a result of a judge’s contempt order forcing him to pay $10,000 for each day that he refuses to comply with the attorney general’s subpoena.
Only Whites Need Apply
A white technical sergeant at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona allegedly told a Black senior airman via text last Wednesday that he wouldn’t be considered for a particular role because “the Air Force is looking for somebody of white complexion.”
- The Black airman alleged in his response to the white official that it was the third time he’d been passed over for a job “due to my looks.”
- The Air Force told Task and Purpose that the base has opened an investigation into the incident.
Russian Reporters Flood Pro-Kremlin Site With Anti-War Posts
Two reporters at Lenta.ru, a Russian state-owned media site, suddenly went rogue on Monday and published dozens of articles blasting Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his military assault on Ukraine.
- You can see the now-removed articles in an archived version of the page.
- Their protest echoed that of the Russian state TV editor who disrupted a live broadcast to protest the invasion on air in March:
Father Of Recently Freed Ex-Marine Roasts Cruz
The father of Trevor Reed, a Texas ex-Marine who was recently freed from a Russian prison, tore Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) a new one in a spicy Dallas Morning News interview for not doing anything to help Reed get released despite the family’s pleas.
- “He’s an embarrassment to the state of Texas, let me just say that,” the father said. “I don’t care what or who runs against him, I will work for their campaign to defeat that son of a bitch.”
House Lawmakers To Hold Public Hearing On UFOs
A House Intelligence subcommittee has scheduled for next Tuesday a public hearing on the “unidentified aerial phenomena” that’s been identified by the Pentagon recently.
Nesting Doll Of Stupid
Far-right commentator Dinesh D’Souza is throwing a fit over Newsmax apparently refusing to promote his ridiculous “documentary” on election fraud.
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“Senator” Collins: not merely dishonest, but stupid as well…
She just made that innocent chalk message into national news.
What an IDJIT!
[ED: make that INTERNATIONAL news)
Yup - and in the process, the national news will use this as an example of the radical Left threatening Senators in their homes. Much like the national news is making an example of the protesters outside Kav’s house.
No mention of course of the hundreds of threats made by the Rightwing Nut Jobs against local, State and Federal officials they don’t agree with.
I suspect Gabby Giffords might want to have a word with Susan about threats.
If drawing in chalk on a sidewalk is a crime, no more hopscotch.
Tempted to use the C word in reference to her.
Would that be chalk? haha