Month: January 2022

TX Observer: “A decade ago, in March 2012, a group of writers, artists, educators, and activists banded together to combat the deplorable actions of Arizona’s state legislature. The state’s lawmakers had recently passed a bill making the teaching of “Ethnic Studies” illegal, along with banning courses that “promote resentment toward a race or class of…

WaPo: “Last spring, four Texas newspapers asked Paxton’s office for all work-related texts and emails sent and received while he was in Washington for “Stop the Steal,” citing Texas law guaranteeing the public the right to government documents. Paxton refused, and the four newspapers took their complaint to Travis County district attorney Jose Garza. Now Garza’s office…

Political Wire: “Hundreds of Texans seeking to vote by mail in the upcoming March primary elections are seeing their applications for ballots rejected by local election offices trying to comply with stricter voting rules enacted by Texas Republicans last year,” the Texas Tribune reports.

WRAL: “Newly-released 911 calls and transcripts could shed light on the moments surrounding the death of Jason Walker, who was shot and killed by an off-duty Cumberland County deputy over the weekend. His death has sparked protests around Fayetteville…. The Fayetteville Police Department said 37-year-old Walker ran into traffic and jumped onto a truck driven by…

NPR: “The New Year’s Eve fire that destroyed a Knoxville, Tenn., Planned Parenthood building was intentionally set, investigators and officials have ruled. The fire was ruled an arson on Thursday after officials from the Knoxville Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the scene. Officials say they don’t know…

Chicken Fried Politics: “The setting was both symbolic and historic. To promote their push for federal voting rights legislation in the U.S. Senate, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris chose Atlanta, the cradle of the civil rights movement, and spoke on the campus shared by three historically black colleges with a rich legacy…

Political Wire: ““A rural sheriff near the Texas border is under criminal investigation for allegedly having his deputies illegally seize money and a truck from undocumented immigrants during traffic stops,” the Abilene Reporter News reports.””

The Hill: “Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won the special election on Tuesday to succeed the late Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) in Florida’s 20th Congressional District.  The Associated Press called the race for Cherfilus-McCormick at 7:08 p.m. ET. Florida’s 20th District, which encompasses parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties, leans heavily Democratic, and Cherfilus-McCormick was the heavy favorite heading into the…

NC Policy Watch: “Maps for new congressional and legislative districts do not violate the state constitution and can be used in the next election, a three-judge panel said in a decision Tuesday that will be appealed to the state Supreme Court. The NC League of Conservation Voters, Common Cause, the state NAACP, and voters backed…

Politico: “Fresh off a high-profile speech in which he warned that a dagger had been placed at the throat of American democracy, President Joe Biden will travel to the state that White House officials view as “ground zero” for Republican-led election suppression efforts. Biden will speak in Georgia on Tuesday. In his remarks, he is…