“Indiana lawmakers are reconvening on Monday to consider more restrictions on abortion, the first state to hold a special session with the goal of potentially curtailing abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month,” CNN reports.
Georgia Judge Blocks Questioning of GOP Lawmaker
“A Fulton County judge is disqualifying District Attorney Fani Willis and her office from questioning state Sen. Burt Jones (R) as part of their investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and his allies broke the law as they sought to overturn Georgia’s 2020 elections,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“Jones was one of 16 Republicans who served as ‘alternate’ electors for Trump in December 2020. All 16 were recently sent letters alerting them that they could be indicted, the DA’s office confirmed in a filing last week.”
Uvalde Sees Surge of New Voters Since Shooting
“In a sign of growing political activism, more than 300 people have registered to vote in Uvalde since the shooting—more than double the number in the same period during the last midterm election season,” the AP reports.
Biden’s Covid Symptoms Nearly Gone
President Biden’s symptoms from Covid-19 “have now almost completely resolved” as he nears the end of his Paxlovid treatment, the New York Times reports.
Trump Crossed Out Call to Prosecute Capitol Rioters
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), a member of the January 6 Committee, released video of depositions and exhibits showing that Donald Trump crossed out lines in his prepared remarks on January 7 that he would call on the Department of Justice to prosecute the Capitol rioters.
Conservative Conferences Are Beyond Parody
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) walking on stage at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit over the weekend is truly something.
The audience erupted after he proclaimed: “I’m Ted Cruz and my pronoun is kiss my ass.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Contrary to popular belief, I have never been an escort for Senator Ted Cruz.”
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), at a conservative conference over the weekend, raising more questions than she answered.
Russia to Slash Europe’s Flow of Natural Gas
“Russian state-owned energy producer Gazprom said natural-gas exports through the vital Nord Stream pipeline to Germany would drop to about a fifth of the pipe’s capacity, blaming problems with a turbine and raising new questions about Europe’s ability to sock away enough gas for the winter,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Washington Post: “German officials are especially worried about gas supplies for winter and have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using gas as leverage against Western countries backing Ukraine.”
Ex-GOP Lawmaker Charged with Insider Trading
Former Rep. Stephen Buyer (R-IN) has been charged with insider trading, CNBC reports.
Trump Says Fox & Friends Has Gone to the ‘Dark Side’
Former President Trump tore into Fox & Friends, lashing out at the show’s hosts for their coverage of his polling as he eyes another run for president in 2024, The Hill reports.
Saud Trump: “Fox & Friends just really botched my poll numbers, no doubt on purpose. That show has been terrible — gone to the ‘dark side.’ They quickly quote the big Turning Point Poll victory of almost 60 points over the number two Republican, and then hammer me with outliers.”
Joe Manchin Tests Positive for Covid-19
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has tested positive for Covid-19, CNN reports.
“It’s unclear what effect, if any, Manchin’s isolation will have on Democrats’ efforts to make progress on their legislative agenda. The Senate has a little under two weeks before it’s scheduled to start its August recess, and Democrats have indicated hopes in passing bills — from protecting same-sex marriage to increasing funding for semiconductor production in the US and changing laws surrounding prescription drug prices among other issues — before leaving town for about a month.”
J.D. Vance Says People Should Stay In ‘Violent’ Marriages
Ohio U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance (R) “said people need to be more willing to stay in unhappy marriages for the sake of their kids—and seemed to suggest that in some cases, ‘even violent’ marriages should continue,” Vice News reports.
Said Vance: “This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that like, ‘well, OK, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy. And so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that’s going to make people happier in the long term.'”
He added: “And maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I’m skeptical. But it really didn’t work out for the kids of those marriages.”
Russia Says Goal Is to Oust Zelensky from Power
“Russia’s top diplomat said Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to topple President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, expressing the Kremlin’s war aims in some of the bluntest terms yet as its forces pummel the country with artillery barrages and airstrikes,” the AP reports.
Election Deniers Recruit County Sheriffs to the Cause
“An influential network of conservative activists fixated on the idea that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election is working to recruit county sheriffs to investigate elections based on the false notion that voter fraud is widespread,” the New York Times reports.
“The push, which two right-wing sheriffs’ groups have already endorsed, seeks to lend law enforcement credibility to the false claims and has alarmed voting rights advocates. They warn that it could cause chaos in future elections and further weaken trust in an American voting system already battered by attacks from Mr. Trump and his allies.”
Democrats Should Take Bipartisan Election Bill Deal
Rick Hasen: “Last week’s announcement by a bipartisan group of senators proposing reforms to the poorly written 1887 law that governs Congress’ counting of the Electoral College votes is a good half-loaf measure against election subversion. This is an opportunity that Democrats should jump at, despite their nervousness, if they have the chance to pass the bill with some Republican support this summer or fall.”
“Any meaningful step that lessens the chances of a stolen presidential election in 2024 or beyond is worth pursuing, and the bill would be a significant step forward. But more will still need to be done.”
Quote of the Day
“Speaker Pelosi should go to Taiwan and President Biden should make it abundantly clear to Chairman Xi that there’s not a damn thing the Chinese Communist Party can do about it.”
— Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), quoted by Politico.
Viktor Orbán Attacks ‘Race Mixing’ in Europe
“Hungary’s far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has lashed out against the ‘mixing’ of European and non-European races, in a speech that immediately drew outrage from opposition parties and European politicians,” The Guardian reports.
Said Orbán: “We are not a mixed race… and we do not want to become a mixed race.”
He added that countries where European and non-Europeans mingle were “no longer nations.”
Congo to Auction Land to Oil Companies
“The Democratic Republic of Congo, home to one of the largest old-growth rainforests on earth, is auctioning off vast amounts of land in a push to become ‘the new destination for oil investments,’ part of a global shift as the world retreats on fighting climate change in a scramble for fossil fuels,” the New York Times reports.
“Congo’s sole goal for the auction, he said, is to earn enough revenue to help the struggling nation finance programs to reduce poverty and generate badly needed economic growth.”
Said government adviser Tosi Mpanu Mpanu: “That’s our priority. Our priority is not to save the planet.”
