Republican leaders are demanding that Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) resign after she voted to impeach Donald Trump and vowed to find a replacement for her in 2022 if she doesn’t, the Longview Daily News reports.
The goal, say party leaders, is “anybody but Jaime.”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “No longer is the state’s political gravity squarely in sparsely populated South Georgia, as it was throughout decades of Democratic rule in the 20th century, or centered in the conservative bastions of North Georgia that dominated the state GOP through most of the 2010s.”
“Now, Atlanta and its suburbs have increasingly become the center of state politics, home to a burgeoning left-leaning electorate that fueled Democratic wins in November and January and the rise of homegrown politicians such as Stacey Abrams, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Jon Ossoff while also harboring a growing number of influential Republicans.”
“There is nothing more dangerous than a reckless asshole who thinks he is smarter than everyone else.”
— Former House Speaker John Boehner, describing Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in his new book, On the House.
Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers (R) “is under fire after a damning report confirmed she harassed a former aide by fat-shaming him, making comments about his lesbian sister, and demanding he work while sick with Covid-19,” the Daily Beast reports.
The report “included text messages and an eyewitness account” to corroborate the claims that Rogers “cultivated a hostile work environment.”
South Bend Tribune: “Buttigieg said he considered trying to hold onto the house on West North Shore Drive, near downtown South Bend, after his confirmation last month to President Biden’s cabinet but ultimately decided it wouldn’t be feasible.”
“He said he and Chasten recently bought a vacation home near Chasten’s hometown of Traverse City, Mich.”
“When a team of outside investigators begins to examine sexual harassment allegations lodged against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, its scope may be far broader than first anticipated,” the New York Times reports.
“The team, which will be hired by Letitia James, the New York State attorney general, will have far-reaching subpoena powers to request troves of documents and compel witnesses, including the governor, to testify under oath.”
Insider: Impeachment is “almost unprecedented” in New York, but calls for Cuomo to resign are growing among Democrats.
Vox looks at a Supreme Court case which could “end all race-conscious admissions programs altogether.”
“The Harvard case is the first major affirmative action suit to reach the Supreme Court since Republicans gained a 6-3 majority on that Court, and it’s the first such case to reach the justices since Anthony Kennedy’s retirement in 2018. Kennedy had unexpectedly cast the key vote to uphold an affirmative action program in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin in 2016.”
“A Republican attorney defending Arizona’s voting restrictions in front of the Supreme Court told justices Tuesday that the GOP was defending the measures because they disadvantage Democrats,” NBC News reports.
“The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over Arizona voting restrictions in a pair of consolidated cases challenging a state law banning ballot collection and a policy that tosses ballots cast in the wrong precinct. Democrats have sued, saying the rules discriminate against minorities and violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”
The Washington Post and the New York Times report that justices “seemed inclined” to allow the voting restrictions.
“The Tennessee Senate voted 27-6 Monday night to approve a bill that would effectively ban transgender student athletes from participating in middle and high school sports under their gender identity,” the Tennessean reports.
Emily Ekins: “But why are some Republican voters more reluctant to take surveys? As the director of polling at the Cato Institute, I, as well as other pollsters, am studying this and currently have two working theories for why this is happening.”
“First, Republicans are becoming more distrustful of institutions and society, and that may be extending to how they feel about pollsters. Second, suburban Republican college graduates are more likely to fear professional sanction for their views and are therefore self-censoring more, including in surveys.”
“Neera Tanden’s been in Senate purgatory for a week now as she and the Biden administration fight to convince Sen. Lisa Murkowski to back her bid to be White House budget chief. And Murkowski isn’t making any sudden moves,” Politico reports.
“The moderate Alaska Republican’s vote is ‘fluid’ at the moment, said Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-SD). Murkowski met with Tanden on Monday and said she has more follow-up questions, and Thune said Murkowski also has bigger concerns about her home state of Alaska.”
Although Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) says he doesn’t support a federal minimum wage hike to $15 an hour, a new poll suggests that 63% of West Virginians support raising the minimum wage to that level by 2025.
Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany will officially join Fox News, NBC News reports.
“The news comes after weeks during which the network had equivocated about McEnany’s role at the network. It was not immediately clear what her role will be at the company.”
Daily Beast: Fox News insiders rage against hiring ‘mini Goebbels’ Kayleigh McEnany.
Wall Street Journal: “The oil industry’s top lobbying group is preparing to endorse setting a price on carbon emissions in what would be the strongest signal yet that oil and gas producers are ready to accept government efforts to confront climate change.”
Jerusalem Post: “Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have discussed expanding cooperation in facing common enemies.”
“All four believe a nuclear Iran would be a major threat and have been eyeing the Biden administration’s plan to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal with concern.”
Associated Press: “With the U.S. vaccination drive picking up speed and a third formula on the way, states eager to reopen for business are easing coronavirus restrictions despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over and that moving too quickly could prolong the misery.”
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.
