Washington Post: “Surging home prices and rents are cascading down to the country’s mobile home parks, where heightened demand, low supply and an increase in corporate owners is driving up monthly costs for low-income residents with few alternatives. At the same time, private-equity firms and developers are often circling nearby, looking to buy up such properties and turn them into more lucrative ventures, including timeshare resorts, wedding venues and condominiums.”
Kemp Slams Abrams for ‘Worst State’ Remark
“Almost as soon as Stacey Abrams called Georgia the ‘worst state in the country to live,’ the Democrat’s campaign expected the remark to be the center of new GOP attacks. Gov. Brian Kemp’s first TV ad of the general election cycle does exactly that,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
CNN Evaluating Its Partisan Talent
“CNN’s new boss, Chris Licht, is evaluating whether personalities and programming that grew polarizing during the Trump era can adapt to the network’s new priority to be less partisan,” Axios reports.
“If talent cannot adjust to a less partisan tone and strategy, they could be ousted.”
Panel to Hear Testimony from Witnesses with Proud Boys
“The House select committee is planning to present live testimony during its first public hearing Thursday night from two people who interacted directly with the Proud Boys on and around the events of January 6, 2021,” CNN reports.
“The panel is expected to call documentarian Nick Quested to testify about his experience filming members of the Proud Boys in the week leading up to and on January 6, and Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, who was injured after she was part of an altercation involving members of the Proud Boys while defending the US Capitol during the riot.”
Migrant Caravan Heads for U.S. Border
As many as 6,000 migrants, many from Venezuela, set off from southern Mexico early Monday aiming to reach the United States, timing their journey to coincide with the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this week, Reuters reports.
Migration activists said the group could be one of the region’s largest migrant caravans in recent years.
New Yorkers Sour on Eric Adams
A new Siena poll finds just 29% of New York City adults think Mayor Eric Adams (D) is doing an excellent or good job as mayor, while 64% say he’s doing only a fair or poor job.
Key finding: “Seventy percent of New Yorkers say they feel less safe in the City today than before the pandemic, compared to 25% who feel about as safe as before the pandemic and only 3% who feel safer, and 76% said they are very (38%) or somewhat (38%) concerned that they will be a victim of violent crime.”
CNN’s Midterm Election Forecast Is a Blowout
Harry Enten’s forecast for the 2023 House makeup, if the election were held today, would have Republicans winning between 236 seats to 241 seats, while Democrats are on target for 194 to 199 seats.
Enten said Republicans are in their best position in more than 80 years.
Hearings Give Democrats Chance to Recast Midterms
“Seventeen months after a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol with false claims of a stolen election, House Democrats plan to use a landmark set of investigative hearings beginning this week to try to refocus voters’ attention on Jan. 6, aiming to tie Republicans directly to an unprecedented plot to undermine democracy itself,” the New York Times reports.
“With their control of Congress hanging in the balance, Democrats plan to use made-for-television moments and a carefully choreographed rollout of revelations over the course of six hearings to remind the public of the magnitude of Mr. Trump’s effort to overturn the election, and to persuade voters that the coming midterm elections are a chance to hold Republicans accountable for it.”
“It is an uphill battle at a time when polls show that voters’ attention is focused elsewhere, including on inflation, rising coronavirus cases and record-high gas prices. But Democrats argue the hearings will give them a platform for making a broader case about why they deserve to stay in power.”
For members: Holding Trump Accountable Proves Elusive
Fetterman May Not Campaign Until July
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman (D) may be away from the campaign trail until July, his wife told CNN.
Judge Orders Louisiana to Redraw Maps
“A federal judge has ordered Louisiana’s Republican-dominated Legislature, which overpowered the state’s Democratic governor to enact a congressional map favorable to the GOP, to redraw the map to add a second majority-Black district,” the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
Cornyn Rejects End-of-Week Deadline for Gun Bill
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said Republicans would only agree to narrowly targeted measures to address gun violence and rejected an end-of-the-week deadline for a deal set by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Bloomberg reports.
A Political Earthquake in California
Ron Brownstein: “An earthquake is building in Tuesday’s California elections that could rattle the political landscape from coast to coast.”
“In Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the nation’s most liberal large cities, voters are poised to send stinging messages of discontent over mounting public disorder, as measured in both upticks in certain kinds of crime and pervasive homelessness.”
“That dissatisfaction could translate into the recall of San Francisco’s left-leaning district attorney, Chesa Boudin, likely by a resounding margin, and a strong showing in the Los Angeles mayoral primary by Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer and former Republican who has emerged as the leading alternative in the race to Democratic US Rep. Karen Bass, once considered the front-runner.”
U.S. and South Korea Fly 20 Fighter Jets
“The South Korean and U.S. militaries flew 20 fighter jets over waters off South Korea’s western coast Tuesday in a continued show of force as a senior U.S. official warned of a forceful response if North Korea goes ahead with its first nuclear test explosion in nearly five years,” the AP reports.
Summit of the Americas Loses Key Country
“President Joe Biden’s high-stakes Summit of the Americas was meant to reaffirm U.S. ties to its own neighborhood while tackling thorny issues of economic growth and migration. But one of the most important neighbors won’t be attending, raising substantial questions about the relevance of the gathering,” Politico reports.
“Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a key player in Biden’s plan, announced Monday that he will skip the summit, a boycott that could prompt other nations to follow suit. The move left White House officials scrambling to set the agenda, not to mention the guest list. And it cast doubt on the chances of success at a moment when a rise in migrants at the U.S. border has become a searing political flashpoint.”
Fox News Won’t Air January 6 Hearing
“Fox News will be the only major news network not to air the entire Jan. 6 Committee hearings live, and instead will provide its own coverage “as warranted” through the filter of its regular prime-time programs and hosts,” The Wrap reports.
The hearings “will be carried live in full by ABC, NBC, and CBS. Cable networks CNN and MSNBC were also planning to air the hearings in their entirety.”
Fake Electors Told to Use ‘Complete’ Secrecy
“The Trump campaign directed a group of Georgia Republicans to meet in secret and obscure their objectives in an email obtained by federal prosecutors as part of their recent investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election in several swing states,” CNN reports.
“The email is part of the intensifying Justice Department investigation focused on the Trump campaign’s interactions with so-called alternate Republican electors in states Trump lost and whether a scheme to organize them could be charged as a crime.”
Video Shows Naked Hunter Biden Waving Handgun
A video reportedly shows a naked Hunter Biden waving around a handgun while cavorting with a nude prostitute in a hotel room, the New York Post reports.
Senators Won’t Raise Age to Buy Assault Weapons
“The two leading GOP senators involved in gun talks on Capitol Hill signaled Monday evening that it’s unlikely Congress will raise the age requirement for purchasing semiautomatic firearms to 21, instead saying they are looking at changing the criminal background check system to access juvenile records before a sale is complete,” CNN reports.
