Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) on Wednesday admitted that he had an “inappropriate relationship” with a 44-year-old woman hours after he initially denied the extramarital affair, according to AL.com. Merrill also indicated that he will not run for the U.S. Senate after he had been rumored to run for the seat next year. Continue reading “AL Sec Of State Shuts Down Senate Run Rumors After Fessing Up To Extramarital Affair”
Europe’s Vaccine Misfortune
Europe is again grappling with a problem we in the US are really lucky to have avoided. European and British regulators now seem to be increasingly confident the AstraZeneca vaccine is associated with a serious but extremely rare blood-clotting side effect. Until now the UK – which has one of the world’s leading vaccination campaigns – has rejected reports of adverse side effects. But now they’re seeing them too and are recommending those under 30 get other vaccines. (There’s some indication younger people may be more susceptible to the side effect; and of course they face less threat from COVID.)
This isn’t just a major setback for Europe. It’s a major setback for the whole world. The global effort to vaccinate the populations of poorer nations (COVAX) relies heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine because it requires less complex refrigeration and transport technology.
Continue reading “Europe’s Vaccine Misfortune”
Get Ready For A Fight As States, Facing Census Delays, Eye Other Data For Redistricting
The delays that the pandemic caused to the 2020 census will take the state redistricting process into uncharted territory.
Into The Factory: Liberals Should Revisit Lessons Learned From Workers’ Aspirations In The 1960s
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
Most historians would say 1968 was one of the most tumultuous in post-WWII American history. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April. America was torn by riots, the apex of which was the anti-Vietnam protest at the Democratic National Convention, which led to the arrest and trial of a group who became known as the Chicago Seven.
How Voting Rights Activists And Georgia’s New Restrictions Forced Big Business’ Hand
As I was writing this piece, about Arizona Republicans angry over some corporate pushback against proposed voting restrictions, a familiar theme began to repeat itself: How dare they!
Here’s What We Know About Biden’s Planned Executive Actions On Gun Violence
President Biden is expected to announce a package of executive actions aimed at reducing gun violence on Thursday, according to Politico. Continue reading “Here’s What We Know About Biden’s Planned Executive Actions On Gun Violence”
GA Rep. Who Was Arrested For Knocking On Kemp’s Door Will Not Be Prosecuted
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said on Wednesday that Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon (D) will not be prosecuted after she was arrested for knocking on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) door as he was signing the Republicans’ voter suppression bill almost two weeks ago.
Continue reading “GA Rep. Who Was Arrested For Knocking On Kemp’s Door Will Not Be Prosecuted”
Where Things Stand: Traditional Conservative Values Butt Heads With The New Culture Wars
Asa Hutchinson’s veto of an anti-trans bill in his state, which we covered yesterday, proved to be for naught — it was promptly overridden by his GOP colleagues in the state legislature.
But his defense of his veto saw him position himself at a crossroads for conservatism, between libertarian values and the increasing desire on the right to punish one’s perceived enemies.
Feinstein Indicates Support For Nixing The Filibuster On The Voting Rights Package
In an extremely significant shift, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), long one of the more traditional members of the caucus in her support of keeping the filibuster, signaled Tuesday that she would be open to a “carveout” to pass HR1 with a simple majority.
AZ Republicans Rage At Corporate Pushback Against Proposed Voting Restrictions
J.D. Mesnard, a Republican state senator in Arizona, couldn’t hide his disappointment that a high-powered group of Phoenix business leaders had signed onto a letter calling a bill of his — one that significantly beefs up identification requirements for voting by mail — an attempt at “voter suppression cloaked as reform.”
Continue reading “AZ Republicans Rage At Corporate Pushback Against Proposed Voting Restrictions”