The Florida Legislature unexpectedly passed a bill banning transgender student-athletes last night, Axios reports
After her original bill stalled, Rep. Kaylee Tuck (R) slid the proposed ban into a Senate bill dealing with charter schools that passed largely along party lines.
Kris Kobach (R) has filed paperwork to campaign for Kansas attorney general, marking his latest comeback attempt after losing bids for governor and U.S. Senate, the Kansas City Star reports.
Louisiana state Rep. Ray Garofalo Jr. (R) suggested there was some “good” about slavery when explaining legislation he introduced to prohibit the teaching of so-called “divisive concepts” in schools in the state, including the idea that the country is “systematically racist.”
He later backpedaled and said he “didn’t mean to imply that.”
The Baton Rouge Advocate reports Garofalo has since pulled his legislation.
First Read: “That brings us to the GOP response from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) who criticized Biden for not uniting America, for spending and taxing too much, and over the situation at the border.”
“But what his speech didn’t do was present an alternative, forward-looking political future — other than praise what happened during Trump’s presidency.”
Donald Trump last month “was pitched on launching a multi-billion dollar media and technology company built around his personal brand,” Axios reports.
“It was to be comprised of three divisions: Trump+ (a subscription-based content business that gets compared to Netflix and Disney+), Trump Social Media (which would take a stake in existing companies or build its own), and Trump Technologies (which would provide alternatives to internet services like AWS and Stripe, and promise not to censor customers).”
Former President Donald Trump told Fox Business that he would “certainly” consider Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as a potential running mate if he runs for president again in 2024.
Said Trump: “He’s a friend of mine. I endorsed Ron, and after I endorsed him, he took off like a rocket ship.”
He added: “A lot of people like that — you know, I’m just saying what I read and what you read — they love that ticket. But certainly, Ron would be considered. He’s a great guy.”
Politico asked Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) about her vote to deny certification of the Electoral College and she responded: “When 40% of the American people think an election was massively fraudulent, we’ve got a problem.”
However, when pressed that Donald Trump’s false claims of mass voter fraud were why his supporters believed that, Lummis admitted: “Well, it probably was an overreaction. I do not believe that the fraud, that did occur, would have changed the election.”
Politico: “Recall proponents have made a simple pitch: The Democratic governor’s pandemic mismanagement has devastated California’s economy and failed schoolchildren.”
“But a new statewide poll suggests those two pillars of anti-Newsom sentiment aren’t as sturdy as his foes think. The Public Policy Institute of California found 59 percent of likely voters approve of how Newsom has managed school reopening — and 59 percent approve how he has handled jobs and the economy.
“That figure is a few points higher than the share of likely voters who told PPIC in March they would vote to keep Newsom in office.”
A CBS News/YouGov instant poll found that 85% of Americans who watched approved of President Joe Biden’s prime time address, with 78% of all watchers saying the speech made them feel more optimistic about America.
“Hawaii was poised to become the 49th state to recognize Juneteenth after the House and Senate on Tuesday passed legislation designating June 19 as a day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports.
“If Hawaii’s governor signs the bill, South Dakota would be the only remaining state that doesn’t recognize the day as either a state holiday or a day of observance.”
“Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed a bill to immediately outlaw abortion in Oklahoma if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the 1973 case that legalized abortion,” the AP reports.
“The law would become effective once the attorney general determines the U.S. Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that legalized abortion.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced that New York City plans to “fully reopen” on July 1, with no restrictions on restaurants, retail, or any other business, Axios reports.
“Rudy Giuliani is a great patriot, he does these things, he just loves this country, and they raid his apartment. It’s like, so unfair, and such a double standard… like I don’t think anybody’s ever seen before… I don’t know what they’re looking for.”
— Former President Donald Trump, on Fox News, on federal investigators raising Giuliani’s apartment and office yesterday.
Former Vice President Mike Pence will give his first major speech in front of hundreds of South Carolina conservatives in Columbia next month in what could be his first potential 2024 Republican presidential primary test, the Columbia State reports.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was caught sleeping during President Biden’s speech to Congress last night.
“Vaccines appear to be starting to curb new Covid-19 infections in the U.S., a breakthrough that could help people return to more normal activities as infection worries fade,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“By Tuesday, 37.3% of U.S. adults were fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with about 2.7 million shots each day. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows the seven-day average for new U.S. cases has fallen below the 14-day average for more than a week, which epidemiologists said is a strong signal that cases are starting to slide again after a recent upswing.”
Dr. Amash Adalja to Science News: “These vaccines will change your life. These vaccines were made to defang or tame the virus, and they’re doing an excellent job at that.”
“Jay Powell signalled that the Federal Reserve was still far away from withdrawing support for the US economy, even after the central bank upgraded its view of the recovery,” the Financial Times reports.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.