Political Wire: “Tennessee state Rep. Paul Sherrell (R), who said he supported bringing back lynching as a form of capital punishment, is no longer on the House Criminal Justice Committee, WTVF reports.”
Louisville Mass Shooter Used AR Style Rifle
NY Times: “The 25-year-old man who opened fire on Monday at a bank in downtown Louisville, killing five people, told at least one person that he was suicidal before the rampage and legally purchased the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting at a local dealership last week, officials said on Tuesday. “We know he left…
Justin Jones of TN Three Reappointed to Seat, Justin Pearson May Also Be
NBC News: “The Nashville Metropolitan Council voted Monday to return Justin Jones to the state Legislature after he was removed last week by Republicans for protesting gun violence on the House floor. The 36 council members at Monday’s meeting unanimously supported reinstating Jones. The council had suspended its rules to allow an immediate vote instead of holding…
“No One Should Be That Shocked by What’s Happening in Tennessee”
Politico: “But for those who have closely watched the chamber in recent years, the events were of little surprise. The place has been defined by partisan vitriol, pique, scandal, racism and Olympic-level pettiness for years. I know. I covered it. The protest and subsequent expulsion over decorum rules took place in a chamber where a…
TX Governor Seeks to Pardon Murderer Who Drove Into Protest Then Shot Armed Protestor
Political Wire: “Gov. Greg Abbott (R) directed the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider recommending a pardon for Daniel Perry on Saturday, one day after a Travis County jury convicted the U.S. Army sergeant in the 2020 murder of Austin protester Garrett Foster,” the Texas Tribune reports. “After 17 hours of deliberations and an eight-day…
“How redistricting brought Tennessee to this moment”
NBC News: ““Over the past few years, too many in the Republican Party have employed a series of strategies to suppress the voice of the people, from partisan and racial gerrymandering to voter suppression to outright intimidation,” former Attorney General Eric Holder, who now leads the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a statement. “Now, without…
“Trump Wanted to Hire Laura Loomer, Anti-Muslim Activist”
NY Times: “Former President Donald J. Trump recently told aides to hire Laura Loomer, a far-right and anti-Muslim activist with a history of expressing bigoted views, for a campaign role, according to four people familiar with the plans. Mr. Trump met with Ms. Loomer recently and directed advisers to give her a role in support…
TX Judge Who Worked as Conservative Legal Activist Invalidates Abortion Pill for Nation, Competing Ruling Issued to Protect the Medicine
Political Wire: “A federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary ruling invalidating the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, an unprecedented order that — if it stands through court challenges — could make it harder for patients to get abortions in states where abortion is legal, not just in those…
As Young People March for Their Lives, Tennessee Crushes Dissent and Overrides Democracy
NY Times: “Expulsion is extremely rare in Tennessee history. As the Politico reporter Natalie Allison pointed out on Twitter, the Tennessee House didn’t even vote to expel a Republican legislator who had been accused of sexually assaulting three teenage girls. The resolutions against Mr. Jones, Ms. Johnson and Mr. Pearson were filed against a backdrop that highlights the absurdity of…
“Friends, fellow activists mourn loss of [AL] abortion access advocate Mia Raven”
AL Political Reporter: “Mia Raven, the founder of the P.O.W.E.R. House in Montgomery and operations manager at the Yellowhammer Fund, died Thursday following a stroke late last month. “Alabama has lost a beloved leader for reproductive justice in the Deep South,” the Yellowhammer Fund said in a statement on Facebook Thursday. “Mia rallied and fought…