Political Wire: “What did Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) do with tens of thousands of dollars meant for a children’s burial garden?,” WTVF reports. “It’s a story that goes far beyond questions about Ogles’ inflated resume. It’s a story that stems from a personal tragedy — the stillborn death of a child whose photo Ogles sometimes posts on…
Month: March 2023
“This Man Could Steer Evangelicals From Trump to DeSantis. Will He?”
Slate: “On Jan. 3, almost two months after Donald Trump first started to attack Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as “Ron DeSanctimonious”—acknowledging the ascendance of a new political rival—the pastor Tom Ascol took to a stage in Tallahassee, Florida, to thank God…. White evangelicals will vote as a powerful bloc in the upcoming presidential general election….
NC Homes Falling Into Sea as Coastal Communities Face Changing Seas
WaPo: “Early last year, a house crumbled into the sea in this small Outer Banks community, home to some of the most rapid rates of erosion and sea level rise on the East Coast. Not long after, another house fell. And then another. Wave after wave, the ocean had clawed away at the beach until the stilted homes…
“Texas state agency takes over Houston schools in move decried as ‘political’”
WaPo: “In a controversial and aggressive move, the Texas Education Agency will take over management of the Houston Independent School District, the state’s largest, following poor ratings for at least 50 schools in the system and a four-year legal battle. Agency Commissioner Mike Morath wrote a letter to the Houston district’s board of trustees Wednesday…
“Ron DeSantis has a Florida problem”
Politico: “In the run-up to the primary, DeSantis solidified his place as Trump’s chief rival for the nomination largely based on an electability argument. He was MAGA, like Trump, but without the former president’s baggage or toxicity to moderate Republicans and independents — the kind of voters Republicans will need to run Joe Biden from…
“21 South Carolina GOP Lawmakers Propose Death Penalty for Women Who Have Abortions”
Rolling Stone: “Members of the South Carolina State House are considering a bill that would make a woman who has an abortion in the state eligible for the death penalty. The “South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023” would amend the state’s code of laws, redefining “person” to include a fertilized egg at the point of conception, affording…
“New Leandro judge sets hearing to determine what’s owed [NC]’s school children”
NC Policy Watch: “The judge overseeing the long running Leandro school funding lawsuit has given attorneys in the case until March 15 to file briefs on proposed funding amounts before deciding next steps in the case. Superior Court Judge James Ammons of Cumberland County was appointed to the nearly three-decades old case by Chief Justice Paul…
“Gulfport [MS] Man Who Burned Cross to ‘Terrorize’ Black Neighbors Sentenced to 42 Months”
MS Free Press: “Axel Cox’s Black next-door neighbors moved away from their Gulfport home after the white 24-year-old burned a cross in his front yard while hurling racial slurs at them in December 2020. On March 9, a judge sentenced him to three-and-a-half years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $7,810 in restitution…
“N.C. high court mulls throwing out rulings on redistricting, voter ID”
WaPo: “North Carolina’s highest court, now controlled by Republicans following the November midterms, on Tuesday weighed reversing a three-month-old decision aimed at ensuring election maps are drawn fairly. The court has not yet reached a decision and offered no clues on when it would. Ahead of Tuesday’s arguments, critics excoriated the justices for reexamining the redistricting case and…
“Abortion Pill Challenge Goes Before Judge in Texas”
Political Wire: ““A federal judge will hear arguments Wednesday in a high-stakes court case that could threaten access to medication abortion and blunt the authority of U.S. drug regulators,” the AP reports.”