After Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) blasted Democrats in a political speech over the weekend, state Senate Democrats put his proposed $2 billion development for a professional basketball and hockey arena on ice — at least for now, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
GOP Lawmaker Worried About Cannibalism
“An Idaho lawmaker wants to expand a law that bans cannibalism over fears about a rise in human composting,” the Idaho Statesman reports.
“Rep. Heather Scott (R) introduced a bill Thursday to expand the state’s cannibalism ban and told a legislative committee that she’s worried about the possibility that people are eating other people.”
Said Scott: “This is going to be normalized at some point, the way our society’s going and the direction we’re going.”
GOP Candidate Defends Having Sex with Drunk Intern
Kyle Biedermann (R), who is running to unseat a fellow Republican in a March primary, blasted the state House for expelling former Rep. Bryan Slaton (R), “who had sex with a 19-year old intern after plying her with alcohol,” the Texas Tribune reports.
Said Biedermann: “Was he convicted? What was his crime? Is it a crime to have sex with a 19-year-old woman? In your house, not at the Capitol.”
Every member of the GOP-dominated House voted to remove Slaton last year after an ethics investigation.
Kansas Lawmakers Allow Themselves 93% Pay Raise
“Kansas is set to nearly double state legislators’ pay at the start of next year, making their compensation better than it is for their counterparts in a majority of states, including more populous ones like Georgia and Texas,” the AP reports.
GOP Lawmaker Wants to Jail People for Watching Porn
Rolling Stone: “Dusty Deevers is a fundamentalist preacher. He’s also a state senator. And he insists he doesn’t see ‘any firewalls’ between his two roles — as he crusades to outlaw porn, end what he decries as the ‘abortion holocaust,’ and abolish no-fault divorce in Oklahoma. He argues that the sole purpose of government is to ‘promote what is good in accordance with the will of God…'”
“Unlike many Christian nationalists who seek to ghostwrite legislation, or covertly sway candidates, Deevers is operating in the open. He holds a position of direct political power, and he is able to shape the GOP agenda in Oklahoma and craft legislation in the Sooner State. He represents the bleeding edge of a far-right Christian movement that seeks to put the force of law behind its fundamentalist theology — and woe be to any nonbelievers…”
“The state senator has only been on the job for a few weeks, but he’s already grabbed national notice for another effort to legislate his morals: by criminalizing porn. Deevers’ anti-smut bill would subject porn creators — and even viewers — to felony prison sentences of up to 20 years. The bill would create a bounty system, similar to what Texas instituted in its infamous abortion bill, that would allow those who rat out their horny neighbors to collect civil penalties of up to $10,000.”
Texas Standoff with Feds Ignites Calls for Secession
Texas Tribune: “The calls for Texas to defend itself and defy the federal government have set fire to a long-simmering fight over states’ rights, emboldening right-wing figures small and large, from secessionists… to far-right militias and a convoy of protesters from across the country that are currently en route to the border.”
“This week, the Texas Military Department — which oversees the Texas state and national guard — also began flying the ‘Come and Take It’ flag from the Battle of Gonzales outside its Austin headquarters.”
Joyce Vance: Texas ignores the Constitution and the rule of law.
Judge Dismisses Disney Lawsuit Against Ron DeSantis
“A judge dismissed a lawsuit Disney filed against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that alleged he retaliated against the company for publicly criticizing a controversial parental rights law in the state that the governor backed,” CNBC reports.
“The judge ruled that Disney lacked legal standing to sue DeSantis.”
Trump Endorses Challenge to Texas Speaker
Donald Trump endorsed David Covey (R) in his challenge to Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) after the former president accused Phelan of overseeing a “fraudulent impeachment” of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).
He acknowledged that Phelan is a supporter, but called him an “embarrassment.”
Utah Lawmakers Pass Bill to Ignore Federal Laws
Salt Lake Tribune: “A bill creating a process to give legislators the power to order state officials and agencies to ignore federal laws and regulations was approved by the Utah House of Representatives on Friday.”
“The House passage follows Gov. Spencer Cox’s endorsement of Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to defy the Supreme Court and supplant federal authority over the southern border.”
Probe Finds Cuomo Created ‘Sexually Hostile’ Workplace
“The Department of Justice concluded that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and his executive staff subjected female employees to a ‘sexually hostile work environment,’ and then retaliated against several who complained,” the New York Times reports.
“The findings appear to largely substantiate the investigation of the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who concluded that Mr. Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women, amid a culture of fear and intimidation. Mr. Cuomo, who denied having sexually harassed anyone, resigned in August 2021, shortly after the release of Ms. James’s report.”
GOP Lawmaker Wants to Bring Back Duels
“Bitter divisions between Republicans in the Missouri Senate culminated in a proposed rule change that would allow senators to settle their differences by challenging each other to a duel,” the Daily Beast reports.
“The proposal was drafted by state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican in the Missouri Freedom Caucus. The group’s members have been at odds with the Senate’s GOP leadership in recent weeks and have used procedural tactics to put the brakes on routine work. The caucus wants the Senate to immediately debate measures to make initiative petitions more difficult to pass, including one in support of abortion rights.”
Lawmaker Admits She Threatened to ‘Bitch-Slap’ Lobbyist
Arizona State Rep. Leezah Sun (D) denies threatening to kill a lobbyist by throwing her off a balcony in a Tucson Marriott, but admitted Thursday morning before the Arizona House Ethics Committee that “I said I would bitch-slap her,” Courthouse News reports.
GOP Lawmaker Wants to Reopen Paxton Impeachment
“Texas state Sen. Drew Springer (R) wrote a letter to his Senate colleagues Thursday night, calling to reopen the Senate’s impeachment trial into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton,” NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reports.
“Springer voted to acquit Paxton in his impeachment trial last September but now feels misled after a recent court filing by the Attorney General.”
Josh Shapiro Wants to ‘Get Shit Done’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) “has a new slogan for how he wants to run Pennsylvania — and it’s not fit for kids’ ears,” the AP reports.
Said Shapiro: “We’ve got a GSD attitude in the Shapiro administration that means we focus on getting, you know, stuff done. There’s children here, so we’ll just say ‘stuff.’”
DeWine’s Veto of Gender-Affirming Care Ban Overturned
“The Ohio Senate overruled Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on Wednesday, paving the way for a dual transgender ban against minors seeking health care and playing girls’ and women’s sports in K-12 schools and college,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Top Colorado House Republican Resigns from Leadership
Colorado House Minority Leader Mike Lynch (R) “resigned from his leadership post Wednesday morning as his ouster appeared imminent a week after revelations that he was arrested in 2022 on suspicion of drunken driving,” the Colorado Sun reports.
“Lynch is also running this year to represent Colorado’s 4th Congressional District and it’s unclear how his decision to step down from leadership will affect that bid.”
GOP Lawmaker Can’t Show Evidence of Forcing Diversity
Echoing critical race theory panic of years past, Utah state Rep. Tim Jimenez (R) says the state “should prevent private companies from requiring employees to embrace diversity and inclusion practices,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
But he “would not provide evidence that businesses were forcing employees to participate in DEI programs.”
“It used to be orthodoxy among Utah Republicans that government should not interfere with private businesses. Over the past few years, the GOP-controlled legislature has embraced a newfound zeal for using the power of the state to stop the private sector from implementing programs, real and imagined, that have become a flashpoint for the Republican base.”
Florida Insiders Fear Vengeful DeSantis
“Ron DeSantis is out of the Republican presidential race. But in Florida, his second term as governor has only just gotten started,” Politico reports.
“As DeSantis returns to Tallahassee, the state capital is ablaze with speculation — and anxiety — about how the governor will wield power in the remaining almost-three years of his term. How will he seek to rebuild his stature in Florida after washing out at the national level? Will he lay the groundwork to run for president again?”
“And, most of all: Will he take political retribution against Republicans who he sees as having betrayed him in the presidential race?”
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