“Colorado’s Jared Polis, the first openly gay man to be elected governor in the U.S., married his longtime partner Marlon Reis on Wednesday,” the Denver Post reports.
Biden to Host Boris Johnson at White House
President Biden plans to host British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the White House next week, Axios reports.
Durham Will Seek Indictment of Democratic Lawyer
“John Durham, the special counsel appointed by the Trump administration to scrutinize the Russia investigation, has told the Justice Department that he will ask a grand jury to indict a prominent cybersecurity lawyer on a charge of making a false statement to the FBI,” the New York Times reports.
“Any indictment of the lawyer — Michael Sussmann, a former federal prosecutor and now a partner at the Perkins Coie law firm, and who represented the Democratic National Committee on issues related to Russia’s 2016 hacking of its servers — is likely to attract significant political attention.”
The Trump Coup Is Still Raging
Kevin Williamson: “The Trump administration was grotesque in its cruelty and incompetence. But without the coup attempt, it might have been possible to work out a modus vivendi between anti-Trump conservatives and Mr. Trump’s right-wing nationalist-populists. Conservatives were not happy with Mr. Trump’s histrionics, but many were reasonably satisfied with all those Federalist Society judges and his signature on Paul Ryan’s tax bill…”
“In the normal course of democratic politics, people who disagree about one issue can work together when they agree about another. We can fight over taxes or trade policy.”
“But there isn’t really any middle ground on overthrowing the government. And that is what Mr. Trump and his allies were up to in 2020, through both violent and nonviolent means — and continue to be up to today.”
“When it comes to a coup, you’re either in or you’re out. The Republican Party is leaning pretty strongly toward in. That is going to leave at least some conservatives out — and, in all likelihood, permanently out.”
Democrats Try Shaming McConnell on Debt Ceiling
“With the government’s full faith and credit on the line, the Democratic leadership’s strategy for raising the federal borrowing limit seems to be this: Try to shame the impervious Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, into capitulating,” the New York Times reports.
“They unsuccessfully tried this strategy in 2016, when Mr. McConnell blockaded the nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland to the Supreme Court, maintaining that voters should decide who would name the next justice when they picked a president that November. They tried and failed again late last year, weeks before a presidential election, when the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg opened a Supreme Court seat for Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill, no matter what voters had to say a month and a half later.”
Ex-Trump Officials Build Opposition to Afghan Refugees
A handful of former Trump officials are making a concerted effort to amass opposition to Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban, the AP reports.
“The former officials are writing position papers, appearing on conservative television outlets and meeting privately with GOP lawmakers — all in an effort to turn the collapse of Afghanistan into another opportunity to push a hard-line immigration agenda.”
Quote of the Day
“Even in the College of Cardinals, there are some anti-vaxers and one of them, poor man, is in hospital with the virus. But life is ironic.”
— Pope Francis, quoted by the New York Times.
Michigan Lawmaker Snuck Handcuff Key Into Jail
Michigan state Rep. Jewell Jones (D) was charged with two felonies after prosecutors say he brought a handcuff key — taped to the bottom of his foot — into the Livingston County Jail following his court hearing Tuesday afternoon, the Livingston Daily reports.
Biden to Share Nuclear Sub Technology with Australia
“President Biden is set to announce Wednesday the United States will share highly sensitive nuclear submarine technology with Australia, a major departure from past policy and a direct challenge to China in its Pacific neighborhood,” the Washington Post reports.
New York Times: “If the plan, announced on Wednesday by President Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, comes to fruition, Australia may be conducting routine patrols that could sail through areas of the South China Sea that Beijing now claims as its own exclusive zone, and range as far north as Taiwan. The announcement is a major step for Australia, which until recent years has been hesitant to push back directly at core Chinese interests.”
Biden’s Problem Is Not The Squad
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What Would Happen If Putin Died?
Ben Parker: “In an important sense, Putin has and can have no successor. Like almost every Russian leader before him dating back to the Bolshevik Revolution, he has redefined the job of Russian leader according to his own personality, preferences, and situation.”
Democrats’ House Targets Vanish on New Maps
“House Democrats spent the past two elections crowing about ousting Republicans from longtime red districts that had suddenly grown competitive. Now, Republicans are about to make many of those targets disappear from the battlefield entirely,” Politico reports.
“GOP mapmakers are readying to shore up more than a dozen of the most hotly contested House battlegrounds from the past four years, narrowing Democrats’ path to maintain control of the House, as they prepare for midterm elections that are historically tough for the party in power.”
Democrats Suffer Blow on Drug Pricing
“Democrats’ signature legislation to lower drug prices was defeated in a House committee on Wednesday as three moderate Democrats voted against their party,” The Hill reports.
“The vote is a striking setback for Democrats’ $3.5 trillion package. Drug pricing is intended to be a key way to pay for the package. Leadership can still add a version of the provision back later in the process, but the move shows the depth of some moderate concerns.”
One of the Democrats voting against was Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), who beat out Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) for a seat on the committee and presumably would have supported the legislation.
Kucinich Fails to Make Runoff for Cleveland Mayor
Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich‘s (D-OH) latest campaign for Cleveland mayor came to an end Tuesday night, when he failed to earn one of the top two spots in the primary, WJW reports.
26 States Have Restricted Public Health Powers
“Republican legislators in more than half of U.S. states, spurred on by voters angry about lockdowns and mask mandates, are taking away the powers that state and local officials use to protect the public against infectious diseases,” the AP reports.
“While some governors vetoed bills that passed, at least 26 states pushed through laws that permanently weaken government authority to protect public health.”
Judge Refuses to Stop Defamation Suit Against Trump
“A federal judge overseeing columnist E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump has denied Trump’s request to stop the case from moving forward as they await an appeals court decision,” CNN reports.
How ‘Voter Fraud’ Misinformation Undermines the GOP
Jonathan Bernstein: “While the California recall tells us nothing helpful about voter mood, it does say something small and something large about the Republican Party that may affect upcoming elections.”
“The minor point is that Republicans are still following their 2020 strategy of giving their own voters a one-two demobilization punch. They’re still demonizing absentee and other mail-in or drop-box voting, thereby discouraging their own voters from using those methods and making it harder for their own supporters to vote. Some of the recent Republican state laws making voting harder are in part simply a convoluted way of making up for the campaign that’s pushed Republican voters away from voting methods they were in the habit of using.”
“The bigger idea is that Republican claims of election fraud are not only fictional and dangerous for democracy, but also may be sending a message to Republican voters that voting is futile.”
Boris Johnson Shakes Up His Cabinet
“British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demoted his top diplomat and fired his education minister in a major government shakeup Wednesday, as he tried to move on from a series of political missteps and revive his promise to ‘level up’ prosperity across the U.K.,” the AP reports.
“In the biggest move, Johnson demoted Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has faced criticism for delaying his return from a holiday in Greece as the Taliban took over Afghanistan last month.”
“Raab was appointed justice secretary with the added title of deputy prime minister. Despite the grand title, that is a demotion — the deputy has no formal constitutional role.”
The BBC has more on the changes.
