Following the Republican National Committee’s decision to bow out of the current process, a new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds that 83% of Americans say it’s “important” for candidates to participate in presidential debates — including 80% of Republicans.
New Florida Map Likely Gives GOP Four New Seats
“Florida Republicans are poised to adopt one of the nation’s most aggressive congressional maps, pressing forward with a proposal from Gov. Ron DeSantis that would most likely add four congressional districts for the party while eliminating three held by Democrats,” the New York Times reports.
Anti-Woke Candidate Once Backed Transgender Rights
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick (R) claims he’s running to challenge “the weakness and wokeness that you see across the country,” but the Daily Beast finds he championed inclusive policies while leading an investment firm.
“As the former CEO of the largest hedge fund in the world, Bridgewater Associates, McCormick boasted about his company’s inclusiveness, which extended to full paid coverage for gender transition surgery and earned a perfect score as an LGBTQ-friendly workplace. McCormick also wrote at length about Bridgewater’s diversity and inclusion programs more broadly, which he took credit for spearheading and nurturing.”
The Russian Oligarch With the Most to Lose
Wall Street Journal: “Western governments have levied a barrage of sanctions targeting Russian tycoons with penalties meant to strip away their wealth and financially isolate them. Governments hope they might pressure Russian leader Vladimir Putin into ending the war.”
“Alexey Mordashov, 56, has more at stake than most of his peers. One of Russia’s richest men, his net worth is higher than that of any individual on the EU’s sanctions list.”
House GOP Voting Remotely More Often
“More than 50 Republicans who once joined a lawsuit claiming the House’s pandemic-era proxy voting was unconstitutional have themselves voted by proxy this year, remotely without showing up,” the AP reports.
11 House Races Move Towards the Republicans
Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “The bulk of these changes either move marginally competitive Republican-held seats to the Safe Republican category or move Democratic districts from Likely Democratic to the more competitive Leans Democratic column.”
“Republicans remain strong favorites to win the House majority, and with redistricting nearly complete, we can now offer a more complete assessment of what our ratings suggest for the fall.”
Russia’s Chernobyl Seizure Was Nuclear Risk ‘Nightmare’
Associated Press: “Thousands of tanks and troops rumbled into the forested Chernobyl exclusion zone in the earliest hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, churning up highly contaminated soil from the site of the 1986 accident that was the world’s worst nuclear disaster.”
“For more than a month, some Russian soldiers bunked in the earth within sight of the massive structure built to contain radiation from the damaged Chernobyl nuclear reactor. A close inspection of their trenches was impossible because even walking on the dirt is discouraged.”
“As the 36th anniversary of the April 26, 1986, disaster approaches and Russia’s invasion continues, it’s clear that Chernobyl — a relic of the Cold War — was never prepared for this.”
DeSantis Limits Tenure at Florida Universities
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “signed a bill that makes it harder for faculty at state universities to retain tenure, framing the legislation as another way that he and the Legislature are working to prevent educators from bringing their political views into the classroom,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Said DeSantis: “I think what tenure does, if anything, it’s created more of an intellectual orthodoxy. For people that have dissenting views, it becomes harder for them to be tenured in the first place and then, once you’re tenured, your productivity really declines, particularly in certain disciplines.”
Bidens to Attend White House Correspondents’ Dinner
“President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 30, the White House Correspondents’ Association announced Wednesday, continuing a tradition eschewed during the Trump administration,” CNN reports.
“It will be the first time that the sitting President has attended the black-tie dinner, which usually draws a crowd of reporters, media executives, administration officials, lawmakers, and sometimes, celebrities, since 2016.”
GOP Lawmaker Claimed a Billion Migrants Apprehended
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) falsely claimed one billion migrants have been apprehended at the U.S. border in the last six months, Mediaite reports.
GOP Candidate Denies Groping Eight Women
Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster (R) “is digging into denial of any misconduct as his campaign readies a lawsuit to counter sexual assault allegations from multiple women,” the Omaha World-Herald reports.
Bill O’Reilly Threatens Airline Employee
A video shows disgraced former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly threatening a JetBlue airline employee and calling him a “fucking scumbag” before a trip to Turks and Caicos, the Daily Mail reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Florida’s authoritarian socialist attacks on the private sector are driving businesses away. In Colorado, we don’t meddle in affairs of companies like Disney or Twitter.”
— Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), on Twitter.
Why Biden Should Want to Be Like Harry Truman
Jonathan Bernstein: “All unpopular presidents look to Harry Truman. President Joe Biden has more reason than most to do so.”
“Not just because Truman won a second term (actually, a first full term), despite being unpopular. Biden should look to Truman because Truman is also the president who symbolizes the difference between contemporary public opinion and historical reputation.”
Uber Driver Turned In Capitol Rioter
“A California man who stormed the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection was arrested after his Uber driver tipped off the FBI,” Axios reports.
“Jerry Daniel Braun allegedly told the Uber driver during a trip to his hotel on Jan. 6, 2021 that he tore down a barricade at the Capitol. The encounter was recorded by the driver’s dashboard-mounted camera; the footage ultimately allowed the FBI to track him down.”
Anti-Woke Candidate Once Condemned ‘Structural Bigotry’
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick (R) has pledged to “fight the woke mob,” but not long ago he once called for “solidarity by denouncing and eradicating structural bigotry,” Vice News reports.
Wrote McCormick on LinkedIn shortly after George Floyd’s murder in May 2020: “Racism and discrimination more broadly thrive not just in overt actions but also in omissions and willful ignorance. Benefiting from a system that quietly discriminates—without acknowledging it and helping to repair it—only propagates that system.”
U.S. Keeping Constant Watch on Russia’s Nuclear Weapons
“The US military is keeping a constant watch on Russia’s nuclear arsenal as the war in Ukraine continues and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is being briefed two or three times a week by the top US general who oversees US nuclear weapons and defenses,” CNN reports.
Democratic Super PAC Launches Ads In Swing States
“The Democratic super PAC American Bridge 21st Century is starting a new $3.5 million ad buy in several battleground states in an effort to boost President Joe Biden ahead of the 2022 midterms,” Politico reports.
