“Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are laying the groundwork for a probe into Hunter Biden’s finances, part of efforts to keep the president’s son in the spotlight ahead of midterm elections,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Herschel Walker ‘Never Heard’ Trump Say Election Stolen
Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker (R) claimed that he’s “never heard” Donald Trump say that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
Danger Sign for Democrats Running on Abortion Rights
In Texas’ 28th District, conservative Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) is running neck-and-neck with progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros (D) in one of the most scrutinized Democratic primaries of the night. As of shortly after midnight, Cuellar — one of the only Democrats in Congress who opposes abortion rights — led by fewer than 200 votes, Politico reports.
“The fact that the left couldn’t easily dislodge Cuellar following news about the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade in a state filled with Republicans eager to end abortion access could signal a problem for Democrats: Many are eager to run on abortion rights and fears about overturning Roe, but it’s unclear whether their own base is sufficiently motivated by this issue.”
Flashback Quote of the Day
“We may not win Tuesday, but I can damn guarantee you that we are not down 30 points.”
— Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue (R), to a reporter last week.
Well, he was right. Brian Kemp leads Perdue by 52 percentage points as of the latest tally.
Ted Cruz Says Gun Control Won’t Work
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) immediately opposed any efforts on passing new gun restrictions even after a gunman killed 21 in a Texas school, CNN reports.
Said Cruz: “Inevitably, when there’s a murderer of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it, you see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.”
He added: “That doesn’t work… It doesn’t prevent crime.”
Majority of Voters Want More Gun Control
A new Morning Consult poll finds 41% of voters believe it’s “very important” to pass new gun control measures, while 18% said it was “somewhat important.”
Just 13% said it was “not too important” and 19% said it was “not important at all,” while 9% had no opinion.
Ken Paxton Suggests Arming Teachers
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) suggested to Newsmax that we arm teachers after a gunman killed 21 in a school shooting in his state.
Report Delivers Damning Verdict on Boris Johnson
“Prime Minister Boris Johnson presided over an office in which there were widespread violations of coronavirus restrictions, according to a long-awaited government investigation released on Wednesday,” the New York Times reports.
“The report, by a senior civil servant, Sue Gray, included multiple photographs of Mr. Johnson raising a glass at a birthday party held in his honor, which breached the rules and for which he paid a police fine. It noted that 83 people violated the rules at parties, at which some drank heavily and damaged property.”
The Guardian: Vomiting and partying until 4 a.m.
Texas Republicans Made it Easier to Buy and Carry Guns
Insider: “Texas has made it easier to purchase guns in recent months — despite the state’s playing host to a series of mass shootings in recent memory, including the killing of a combined 30 people in El Paso and Odessa in 2019.”
“A new state law that came into force on September 1 allowed anyone aged over 21 to carry a handgun in most places without a permit or training. The bill was put forward by Texas Republicans.”
“Before the change, Texans had to pass a background check, take a safety course, and take a competency test to get a license.”
American Madness
Bari Weiss: “There is a deep sickness in this country. It goes beyond our addiction to guns. It’s an anti-social, anti-human disease that has gripped our society and our politics.”
“A big part of that disease is how numb we have become to violence. The country has been experiencing the largest crime surge in decades. Armed robberies are up. Shoplifting is up. Road deaths are up. Car break-ins are so common in some cities that people leave notes on their windows to the thieves that nothing is inside.”
“But the most devastating rise has been in murders. Since the FBI started tracking the data, 2020 marked the highest single-year increase in homicides. In 2021, it went up again.”
“As of 2020, the leading cause of death among children in America is guns. Not cars. Not drugs. Guns. It was also the year that we had the highest rate of gun sales in American history.”
Iran Used Secret U.N. Records to Evade Nuclear Probes
“Iran secured access to secret U.N. atomic agency reports almost two decades ago and circulated the documents among top officials who prepared cover stories and falsified a record to conceal suspected past work on nuclear weapons,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Majority of Americans Disapprove of Supreme Court
A new Marquette Law School poll finds a majority of Americans — 54% — now say they disapprove of the job the Supreme Court is doing following the leak of the draft opinion showing the justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
FiveThirtyEight: For the first time in years, Democrats are more concerned about abortion than Republicans are.
Thousands of Migrants Waiting at Border
“As many as 50,000 migrants are waiting in Mexican shelters for a chance to cross the border, hoping to run out the clock on Title 42, the Covid-era rule limiting entry to the U.S.,” Axios reports.
Alabama GOP Senate Primary Heads to Runoff
Katie Britt (R) and Rep. Mo Brooks (R) are headed to a runoff in Alabama’s GOP Senate primary, the Washington Post reports.
“Britt is a former aide to Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), who is retiring and helped boost her candidacy by donating millions of his campaign funds to a super PAC supporting her. She will face Brooks (R), support for whom Trump withdrew when his campaign appeared to be floundering.”
“The runoff is June 21 and is occurring because neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote.”
Georgia Republicans Soundly Reject Trump’s Meddling
“Georgia Republican primary voters on Tuesday rejected former president Donald Trump’s attempt to unseat GOP officeholders who refused to join his fight to overturn the 2020 election, as Gov. Brian Kemp defeated challenger David Perdue in a landslide and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won re-nomination,” the Washington Post reports.
Trump Recalibrates His Standing in GOP
“Donald Trump has long been the dominant force in Republican politics, but as he has faced a spate of setbacks in recent weeks — punctuated Tuesday night by the defeat of his favored gubernatorial candidate here in Georgia — the former president has been privately fretting about who might challenge him,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump has been quizzing advisers and visitors at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida about his budding rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, including his former vice president, Mike Pence, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).”
“He also had revived conversations about announcing a presidential exploratory committee to try to dissuade challengers, they say, even as some party officials and advisers continue to urge him to wait until after the midterm elections to announce that he’s running.”
Senate Heads for Gun Control Reckoning
“Senate Democrats say a major floor debate on gun control is inevitable after a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, left at least 19 children and two adults dead, only 10 days after another massacre killed 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo,” The Hill reports.
“The second high-profile killing spree in the span of just more than a week means that Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) will be under heavy pressure to bring a gun-control measure to the floor before the July 4 recess, risking a partisan brawl that could be tough on vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in swing states this fall.”
Tweet of the Day
“Just to be clear, fuck you Ted Cruz. You fucking baby killer.”
— Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), on Twitter, after Cruz offered prayers for the families of the children killed at a Texas school.
