Italian President Refuses to Accept Draghi’s Resignation
“Italy’s golden period of stability suddenly seemed on the familiar precipice of chaos on Thursday after Prime Minister Mario Draghi tendered his resignation in response to a revolt by anti-establishment populists within his broad national unity government,” the New York Times reports.
“But in a sign of how traumatic Mr. Draghi’s departure would be for Italy, the country’s president refused to accept his resignation, essentially freezing the political situation in place until next week, when Mr. Draghi will address parliament.”
Judge Orders Arrest of Colorado County Clerk
“A judge in Colorado issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for Tina Peters, the Mesa County clerk who is under indictment in relation to a breach of election equipment after the 2020 presidential contest, for violating conditions of her bond that prevented her from traveling without court approval,” the New York Times reports.
Judge Again Declines to Delay Bannon’s Trial
A federal judge once again refused to delay Steve Bannon’s trial for contempt of Congress, which is set to get underway on Monday, NBC News reports.
Donald Trump, Then and Now
“And I will tell you, I’ve already in my own mind very much made my decision.”
— Donald Trump, in May 2015 on whether he would run for president in 2016.
“Well, in my own mind, I’ve already made that decision, so nothing factors in anymore. In my own mind, I’ve already made that decision.”
— Trump, in July 2022 on whether he will run for president in 2024.
Italian Premier to Resign
“Italian Premier Mario Draghi has told his Cabinet he will offer his resignation on Thursday evening to the nation’s president, following the refusal of a populist coalition ally to support a key government bill,” the AP reports.
Senators Agree to Clarify Veep’s Role In Electoral Vote
“Senators from both parties have reached an agreement to clarify that the vice president only has a ceremonial role in overseeing the certification of the electoral results, the first legislative response to former President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election results,” CNN reports.
“The agreement will be part of a larger deal to overhaul the Electoral Count Act, which a bipartisan group of senators plans to unveil as soon as next week.”
Idaho GOP Poised to Reject 2020 Election Results
“The Idaho Republican Party will consider 31 resolutions at its three-day convention starting Thursday, including one already adopted by Texas Republicans that President Joe Biden isn’t the legitimate leader of the country.” the AP reports.
“Both the Idaho and Texas resolutions contend that secretaries of state circumvented their state legislatures, even though both states have Republican secretaries of state.”
Conservatives Rebut Trump’s Election Claims
“A group of conservatives, including prominent lawyers and retired federal judges, issued a 72-page report on Thursday categorically rebutting each of the claims made in court by former President Donald Trump and his supporters over the 2020 election results,” CNN reports.
Model Law Would Force 10-Year Old to Have Baby
Indiana lawyer Jim Bopp, who has authored model legislation for anti-abortion state lawmakers to adopt, said “the 10-year-old Ohio girl who crossed state lines to receive an abortion in his state should have carried her pregnancy to term and would have been required to do so under his law,” Politico reports.
Said Bopp: “She would have had the baby, and as many women who have had babies as a result of rape, we would hope that she would understand the reason and ultimately the benefit of having the child.”
Carl Paladino Taps Convicted Pedophile for Campaign
“Congressional candidate Carl Paladino (R) has a convicted sex offender on his company payroll who also now works as ‘assistant treasurer’ of his campaign,” the New York Post reports.
“Joel Sartori was controller of Ellicott Development when he was busted in 2013 for accessing child porn on a company computer. Sartori was convicted of two felonies — possessing and promoting kiddie porn — and sentenced to 10 years’ probation in 2017.”
Boebert’s Gun-Themed Restaurant Shuts Down
Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) gun-themed restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, has officially closed its doors, the Glenwood Springs Post Independent reports.
GOP Insists Contraceptives, Gay Marriage Not Threatened
“Following the Supreme Court’s ruling last month to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democrats are pushing to codify other rights that have been left vulnerable by the decision into federal law — including access to contraception, same-sex marriage, and potentially interracial marriage,” Vanity Fair reports.
“But they may have an uphill battle: Such measures seem to have little appeal to the GOP, whose members insist that those protections are unnecessary because those rights are not under threat.”
Said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to Axios: “I have no reason to believe these precedents are going to fall.”
Added Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA): “Nothing like that should even be thought about by anybody because it’s not endangered in any way. I don’t know why people would come to that conclusion.”
Lankford Blocks Bill Protecting Travel For Abortion
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) blocked legislation that would protect the right to travel freely from state to state to seek abortion care, the HuffPost reports.
Lankford, who supports instituting a national ban on abortion, dismissed it as unnecessary.
This is the same senator who once argued that a 13-year old girl could consent to sex.
Crazy Can Break a Red Wave
Democratic strategist Joe Trippi sounded pretty upbeat in a conversation with Bill Kristol on his party’s chances in the midterm elections.
His observations at this point:
- Democrats stand to increase their margin in the Senate because Republicans have nominated such bad candidates.
- The election is moving away from being a pure referendum on Biden.
- The repeal of Roe v. Wade has energized Democratic voters.
- The House has become less swingy because of prior redistricting, so Republican gains there may be muted.
Jonathan Last: “My initial reaction to all of this is that it sounds too good to be true. We can’t have nice things. This is the darkest timeline. Etc. But on the other hand, there is no one I respect more than Trippi when it comes to nuts-and-bolts political analysis.”
Fed Mulls Historic 100 Basis-Point Hike
“Federal Reserve officials may debate a historic one percentage-point rate hike later this month after another searing inflation report piled pressure on the central bank to act,” Bloomberg reports.
Trump Says He’s Already Made His Decision on 2024
When asked by Olivia Nuzzi if he’ll run for president in 2024, Donald Trump “wouldn’t disclose what he’d decided. Not at first. But then he couldn’t help himself.”
Said Trump: “I’ve already made that decision… I would say my big decision will be whether I go before or after. You understand what that means? Midterms. Do I go before or after? That will be my big decision.”
He was thinking aloud now: “I just think that there are certain assets to before. Let people know. I think a lot of people would not even run if I did that because, if you look at the polls, they don’t even register. Most of these people. And I think that you would actually have a backlash against them if they ran. People want me to run.”
He also swore that shielding himself from prosecution is not among his reasons for running for president: “Well, I did nothing wrong, so I don’t see that. I did absolutely nothing wrong. I had a perfect phone call in Georgia, so I’m not concerned with it.”
GOP Lawmaker Sued Over ‘Homophobic’ Campaign Ads
Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) is being sued over a “homophobic” ad campaign against his primary opponent, Elijah Norton (R), KPNX reports.
The ad falsely implies Norton is gay by showing him in a photo posing outside a club with a male friend and the caption: “Elijah Norton isn’t being straight with you.”
Daily Kos notes Schweikert used a similar ploy in his 2012 primary against fellow Rep. Ben Quayle (R) with a mailer saying Quayle “goes both ways.”
