“South Carolina legislators plan to return to Columbia this summer for a special session to debate further restrictions to abortion access as the U.S. Supreme Court readies to issue an opinion that could wipe out its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling,” the Columbia State reports.
El Salvador Expected to Default as Bitcoin Plummets
“The Salvadoran experiment to make bitcoin legal currency has hit a wall,” El Pais reports.
“As a result of the fall in global markets caused by the uncertainty of the war in Ukraine, rising inflation and the US Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates, the price of the most popular cryptocurrency in the world has plummeted more than 50% from its all-time highs. And with it, so too have the bonds of the government of El Salvador, which are trading at 40% of their original value, as investors start to doubt whether the country can meet its next debt payment.”
Democrats Roll Out New Attack on ‘MAGA Republicans’
“Democrats are using a new attack against Republican policies, on everything from the economy to abortions rights, deeming the agenda ‘ultra MAGA’ and extreme. But the GOP is leaning into the label,” Politico reports.
Said Rep. Barry Moore (R-LA) on Twitter: “How can our own president think returning this country to greatness is ‘extreme?!’ Being ‘ultra-MAGA’ should be a requirement for every elected official.”
Cardinal Arrested by Hong Kong National Security Police
“Hong Kong’s national security police arrested Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee and singer Denise Ho Wan-sze on Wednesday, accusing the three opposition activists of colluding with foreign forces,” the South China Morning Post reports.
Judge Lifts Contempt Order Against Trump
“Donald Trump was released from a judicial order holding him in contempt of court on Wednesday, ending an embarrassing two-week period for the former president, whose business practices are under civil investigation by the New York state attorney general,” the New York Times reports.
Will Social Conservatives Finally Kill the Filibuster?
Jonathan Chait: “When Republicans gain control of government, they use their power to deliver victories for their economic constituents. This has held true for decades and has not changed. Even after Donald Trump’s supposedly populist takeover, the party’s priorities in 2017 and 2018 revolved around a tax cut for business owners and heirs to large estates, and an attempt to scale back health-care coverage for people with low incomes or preexisting conditions. The agenda was hardly any different than it would have been if Paul Ryan were president.”
“Social conservatives don’t generally get legislation. They get judges. One reason for this is that Senate rules force social legislation to get 60 votes to pass but allows fiscal legislation to pass with a majority. These rules mean that, unless they can win a supermajority, the Republican social agenda is automatically dead on arrival, and the party’s money wing has priority by default…”
“Now the judges the social conservatives got for their patience are finally about to deliver the big prize. The Court is prepared to strike down the right to abortion, and the next Republican-controlled government will have the constitutional ability to ban a procedure they deem to be murder and that will otherwise remain legal in vast swaths of the country.
“The one thing that might stand in their way, presuming they don’t control 60 votes, will be the filibuster. McConnell is going to want to preserve it. The question is whether they will go along.”
Democrats Are Dense About Climate Change
Robinson Meyer: “The party doesn’t even seem to realize that it’s blowing a once-in-a-decade chance to pass meaningful climate legislation.”
New Florida Maps Thrown Out
A Florida district court has ruled that Florida’s newly-drawn congressional districts drawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) violate the state constitution, the AP reports.
CNN: “Judge J. Layne Smith, a DeSantis appointee to the 2nd Circuit Court of Florida, said during a hearing that he intended to issue an order granting an injunction that would prevent the map from going into effect. Smith said the map violates the state constitution ‘because it diminishes African Americans’ ability to elect the representative of their choice.'”
January 6 Committee Finalizing Witness List
“A month before it kicks off a series of high-profile public hearings, the House select committee investigating January 6 is still finalizing its witness list and preparing to reach out to people it wants to testify publicly,” CNN reports.
“The first hearing, set for June 9, will be a broad overview of the panel’s 10-month investigation and set the stage for subsequent hearings, which are expected to cover certain topics or themes including what President Donald Trump was doing as the riot unfolded, the pushing of baseless election fraud claims that motivated rioters, how law enforcement responded to the attack, and the organizing and financing behind the January 6 rallies.”
Manchin to Vote Against Bill Guaranteeing Abortion Access
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he would oppose a Democratic bill to guarantee abortion access nationwide, indicating that it was too broad to get his vote, The Hill reports.
Said Manchin: “But I would vote for a Roe v. Wade codification if it was today. I was hopeful for that but I found out yesterday in caucus that that wasn’t going to be.”
Politico: “With Manchin’s opposition, Senate Democrats will demonstrate there’s a bipartisan majority that opposes their proposal, though they seem unworried by that result.”
Why Will So Few Republicans Stand Up to Trump?
David Leonhardt: “Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, was so appalled by Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack that he signaled to colleagues shortly afterward that he was open to convicting Trump in an impeachment trial — and barring him from holding office again. A month later, however, McConnell voted to acquit him.”
“Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House, told colleagues in the days after Jan. 6 that he was going to call Trump and urge him to resign. But McCarthy soon changed his mind and instead told House members to stop criticizing Trump in public.”
“By now, this pattern is familiar. (It’s a central theme of This Will Not Pass, a new book about the end of Trump’s presidency, by my colleagues Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin, which broke the news of McCarthy’s comments.)”
Clarence Thomas Has Waited 30 Years for This Moment
Jeffrey Toobin: “As Thomas settles into his fourth decade on the Supreme Court, his influence, even his control, is ascendant. Thomas began his career as a justice as a near outcast – an ideological fringe figure and a scarred veteran of a brutal confirmation fight. Today, he is a revered figure in the conservative movement, and he is watching ideas he championed from the margins turn into the law of the land.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I am ultra MAGA, and I’m proud of it.”
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), via C-SPAN.
Majority of Americans Want Abortion to Be Legal
A new Monmouth poll finds Americans’ views of abortion access have remained stable: 64% support keeping the procedure legal – either always legal (33%) or with some limitations (31%).
Another 26% say it should be illegal except for rape, incest or to save the mother’s life and 8% say it should always be illegal.
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Josh Hawley Moves to Strip Disney Copyrights
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) “introduced a bill on Tuesday that aims to revoke Disney’s copyrights, as Republicans are seeking to outdo each other in attacking the ‘woke’ corporation,” Variety reports.
“Hawley’s bill would dramatically rewrite U.S. copyright law, shortening the total term available to all copyright holders going forward by several decades. It would also seek to retroactively limit Disney’s copyrights, effectively stripping the company of much of its intellectual property, in a move that would face several legal obstacles.”
Three Way Race for GOP Senate Nod In Pennsylvania
A new Fox News poll in Pennsylvania finds Mehmet Oz (R) leading the GOP Senate race with 22%, followed by David McCormick (R) at 20% and Kathy Barnette (R) at 19%.
The race remains wide open as the top three candidates are within the survey’s margin of sampling error, and 18% are undecided on who they will back in the May 17 primary.
Overdose Deaths Continue Rising
“Deaths from drug overdoses continued rising to record-breaking levels in 2021, nearing 108,000,” the New York Times reports.
“The increase of nearly 15 percent followed a much steeper rise of almost 30 percent in 2020, an unrelenting crisis that has consumed federal and state drug policy officials. The number of drug overdose deaths has increased every year but 2018 since the 1970s.”
