Month: February 2023

Politico: “Republicans have had a lock on the Mississippi governorship for decades. But Democrats hope that a candidate with one of the most famous last names in America can change that. Democrats are coalescing around Brandon Presley, a public service commissioner and a distant cousin of Elvis Presley to challenge Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. Reeves…

Snopes: “On Jan. 30, 2023, a number of tweets and memes went viral, claiming that Haley and Nichols were connected prior to the assault, and allegedly through Haley’s ex-girlfriend or ex-wife. These rumors were reportedly refuted by Nichols’ stepfather, and, so far, none of the claims have been substantiated by an independent investigation, or any other parties…

TX Observer: “Hunger strikes remain one of the primary ways people can call attention to conditions inside prisons, short of a federal lawsuit (which, after 1990s legislation, became much more difficult).  Robert Perkinson, author of Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, said multiple factors can lead prisoners to engage in what we might call extreme…

AR Times: “U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker on Friday sentenced Jeremy Hutchinson, the former Republican senator, to 46 months in prison. Hutchinson, son of former U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson and nephew of former Gov. Asa Hutchinson, has been all over the news in recent years for charges of bribery, submitting false income taxes and being a deadbeat dad who doesn’t pay child support….

MS Free Press: “Standing inside a shuttered hospital’s abandoned emergency room in Newton County, Miss., on Monday night, Democratic candidate for governor Brandon Presley blamed Gov. Tate Reeves for the fact that more than half of the state’s rural hospitals are in danger of closing. “This is the reality that Tate Reeves has chosen to…

NY Times: “The two emergency medical technicians who first arrived to treat Tyre Nichols after he was severely beaten by Memphis police officers did not provide any care for 19 minutes after getting to the scene, a regulatory agency concluded on Friday as it voted to suspend their licenses. Members of the Tennessee Emergency Medical…

Political Wire: “Southern Democrats are banding together to urge President Joe Biden to select Atlanta for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, arguing the choice would solidify the party’s gains in Georgia and demonstrate commitment to the entire region,” NBC News reports. “Atlanta is one of the three finalists to host the convention, along with New York City…

NBC News: “The decision by prosecutors to pursue domestic terrorism charges against opponents of a police training center outside Atlanta is drawing criticism, with some legal experts saying it’s a potentially dangerous overreach that could be viewed as politically motivated…. One man was fatally shot by police in the confrontation after he opened fire and wounded a state…

HuffPo: “Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he plans to defund diversity, equity and inclusion programs in every Florida university, another move in his push to upend higher education in the state. The governor and potential 2024 presidential hopeful laid out a list of higher education “reforms” his administration aims to carry out, including banning DEI programs that…

WaPo: “Students arrived in some Florida public school classrooms this month to find their teachers’ bookshelves wrapped in paper — or entirely barren of books — after district officials launched a review of the texts’ appropriateness under a new state law. School officials in at least two counties, Manatee and Duval, have directed teachers this…