The biggest story in Kentucky politics this week is an unconfirmed “deal” between President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over a soon-to-be vacant seat on the federal bench.
Continue reading “Why On Earth Would Biden Do A ‘Deal’ With McConnell For An Anti-Abortion Judge?”Reports: Hutchinson Received Warning Calls Trying To Pressure Her Before Testimony
Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide to ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows who’s provided explosive testimony to the House Jan. 6 Committee, privately testified that she received several menacing calls ahead of her interview with the committee, according to multiple outlets.
Continue reading “Reports: Hutchinson Received Warning Calls Trying To Pressure Her Before Testimony”Texas Educators Propose Calling Slavery ‘Involuntary Relocation’
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
You Know, So The Kids Don’t Get Indoctrinated
An advisory group of nine educators in Texas has submitted a proposal to the Texas State Board of Education for the state’s second grade curriculum that would teach kids that slavery was actually just “involuntary relocation.”
- The group’s jaw-dropping suggestion is a direct result of Texas Republicans’ efforts to whitewash the country’s history of racism in their war on so-called “critical race theory”: The state board is looking at updates to the state’s social studies curriculum after Texas passed a ban on teaching things that make students “feel discomfort,” and the group of educators had been given a copy of the law before it submitted the proposal, a board member told the Texas Tribune.
- At least the state board isn’t having it. The chair of the board said on Thursday that the proposal was rejected and that educators were told to “revisit that specific language.”
Feds Subpoena Arizona GOP Leader Who Led Fake Election Audit
More federal subpoenas are popping up in Arizona that appear to be part of the investigation into the Trump effort to subvert the 2020 election.
- Arizona state Senate President Karen Fann (R), who spearheaded her state’s bogus 2020 election audit that went absolutely nowhere, was served a subpoena by the FBI requesting certain records in the federal investigation. Fann said she’ll comply with the subpoena.
- State Sen. Kelly Townsend (R) was also subpoenaed and says she’ll comply.
- Here’s a list of the Trump lackeys who were contacted by the feds in the investigation last Wednesday alone.
Biden Plans To Give Speech After Jan. 6 Panel Wraps Up Probe
The President is planning to deliver official remarks on the House Jan. 6 Committee’s findings once the panel finishes its work, according to NBC News. Biden would reportedly point to the committee’s damning revelations as a warning against voting for Trump and his cronies.
Sinemanchin Dumps Ice Cold Water On Biden’s Filibuster Carveout Push
Awww, did Biden really think calling for a filibuster carveout to protect abortion rights yesterday would in any way convince Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) to loosen their grip on the filibuster? That’s adorable.
- Sinema’s office on Thursday pointed the Washington Post to the Arizona senator’s response to the Roe opinion leak in May in which she insisted that the filibuster was, in fact, “more important now than ever.”
- Manchin’s spokesperson just said in plain words that the West Virginia Democrat’s position “hasn’t changed” (and he doesn’t support the Women’s Health Protection Act anyway).
Ketanji Brown Jackson Makes SCOTUS History
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the high court’s first Black woman justice yesterday afternoon, shortly after her predecessor, Stephen Breyer, officially retired from the bench.
- Jackson’s already got at least one major case on the docket for the next term: Moore v. Harper, a case that’ll determine how much power state courts have over election law– and will have major consequences for the courts’ ability to rein in state lawmakers’ attacks on voting rights.
SCOTUS Strikes A Blow To EPA Power
By a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority slashed the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate power plants’ greenhouse emissions on Thursday.
- It was a good day for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who surely did his EPA-gutting momma (who served as Ronald Reagan’s EPA administrator) proud with his vote.
- Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, one of the three dissenting liberal justices, called out her conservative colleagues for using their power on the high court to “prevent agencies from doing important work, even though that is what Congress directed.”
Sen. Leahy Undergoes Surgery
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is “comfortably recovering” from his surgery to treat a broken hip on Thursday after suffering a fall the day before, according to the Vermont Democrat’s spokesperson. A previous statement from Leahy’s office said the 82-year-old senator is expected to make a full recovery from the procedure.
Garland To Undergo Surgery
The Justice Department announced yesterday that Attorney General Merrick Garland has been diagnosed with benign enlargement of the prostate and will undergo a “routine surgical procedure” to treat it on July 7. He’s expected to be back at the office the week of July 11, according to the DOJ.
Trump No Longer Held Under Civil Contempt
After a long, long court battle, a New York judge has lifted his civil contempt order against Trump in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) investigation into the Trump Organization.
- James agreed that the ex-president, who was found in contempt more than two months ago, had met the conditions to be released from the order, the judge said on Wednesday.
- Trump ended up paying a $110,000 fine as part of the contempt order, but per the judge’s new order, that money will be held in an escrow account pending the ex-president’s appeal.
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Have A Good 4th Of July Holiday, Y’all!
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Ex-Bush AG: There May Be A ‘Case For Seditious Conspiracy’ After Hutchinson Testimony
Former Bush administration Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez on Thursday argued that former President Trump and those in his inner circle should be “very concerned,” following revelations that came to light during damning testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson during the Jan. 6 Select Committee’s public hearing earlier this week.
Hutchinson is a former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Continue reading “Ex-Bush AG: There May Be A ‘Case For Seditious Conspiracy’ After Hutchinson Testimony”Where Things Stand: SCOTUS Could Be Poised To Make Future Coup Attempts Easier
The Supreme Court’s decision today to take up Moore v. Harper set off alarms across the election law world. The case offers a dramatic reimagining of the balance of powers at the state and federal level. And, importantly, the legal theory at the heart of the case shares considerable DNA with the animating theory that Trump and his cronies drew on as they sought to get the courts to overturn the 2020 election.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: SCOTUS Could Be Poised To Make Future Coup Attempts Easier”Durbin Says He’ll Release Hearings Kraken on Dobbs
Earlier today we heard from TPM Reader JR in Illinois who was sad and dejected after hearing mealymouthed answers from the offices of Senators Durbin and Duckworth about whether they were prepared both to pass a Roe bill and change the filibuster rules to give it an up or down vote. Now we just heard from TPM Reader FH who got a fundraising email from “Dick Durbin” (I use the scare quotes whenever referring to a pol’s online fundraising alter ego) in which he asks FH if he can “count on your support before our midnight deadline” for his fight for reproductive rights.
Then he announces the hearing (emphasis added): “Simply put, I’m doing everything I can to fight back. I’m leading the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing about this SCOTUS decision next month and I’m still fighting tooth and nail to protect reproductive rights at the federal level.”
Continue reading “Durbin Says He’ll Release Hearings Kraken on Dobbs”Thanks
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Low Energy in Ole Virginny
TPM Reader NL chimes in from Virginia …
Continue reading “Low Energy in Ole Virginny”I just called the DC offices of my Senators — Warner and Kaine. I asked the staffers whether the Senators supported suspending the filibuster to codify abortion rights.
Warner’s office said that the Senator supports legislation to codify abortion rights but that he does not have a position on the suspending the filibuster for it. Kaine’s office was similar, except that Kaine’s position is that he supports a rule change to reinstate the talking filibuster.
Listen To This: The Committee And The Court
A new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast is live! This week, Josh and Kate discuss the latest Jan. 6 committee hearing and the Supreme Court’s decision ending the constitutional right to an abortion.
You can listen to the new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast here.
Gorsuch Takes Victory Lap In Continuing His Family Tradition Of Dismantling The EPA
Gutting the Environmental Protection Agency runs in the Gorsuch family.
Continue reading “Gorsuch Takes Victory Lap In Continuing His Family Tradition Of Dismantling The EPA”