NY Times: “A former police detective admitted on Tuesday that she had helped mislead a judge into wrongly authorizing a raid of Breonna Taylor’s apartment in Louisville, Ky., setting in motion the nighttime operation in which the police fatally shot Ms. Taylor. The former detective, Kelly Goodlett, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count…
“Mitch McConnell Says Voter Fraud Is Rare”
Political Wire: “Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said there is “very little election fraud” but that it “happens occasionally,” comments that clashed with ongoing claims from former President Donald Trump’s wing of the party, which has insisted that voter fraud is rampant and the 2020 election was stolen, NBC News reports.”
NC Lt Gov, Republican Mark Robinson, Wants to Ban Teaching of Science and History in Elementary Schools
WRAL: “Education is perhaps the top policy priority for Robinson. Robinson said he’d work to keep history, science and a number of other subjects out of first through fifth grade curricula and instead prioritize reading, writing and math. “In those grades, we don’t need to be teaching social studies,” he writes. “We don’t need to…
“Beto O’Rourke’s risky quest for votes in deep-red Texas”
WaPo: “Everyone in this 3,087-person Panhandle city knows that Beto O’Rourke is coming to campaign for governor today. It’s a major event, a big-time politician coming all the way out here, deep into rural oil country, where the landscape is dotted with pump jacks and cattle and grain elevators, and the worst drought in 10…
“[Former NC Chief Justice] Mark Martin’s Involvement in Election Denialism Targeted by Carolina Forward”
Watauga Watch: “It was very recently announced that former NC Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin was returning to North Carolina to become the founding dean of the brand new High Point School of Law. When Martin resigned his seat on the NC Supremes, he went to become dean of the law school at Regent University, the…
“2 Arkansas deputies suspended and 1 officer on administrative leave after video posted of violent encounter with man outside store”
CNN: “Three Arkansas law enforcement officers have been removed from duty and are facing state and federal investigations, officials confirmed Monday, after bystander video captured at least two of them punching and kneeing a suspect during an arrest. At one point in the 34-second video recorded Sunday, one of the officers also appears to lift the…
Race for US Senate Seat for NC Tied in Latest Poll
NC Policy Watch: “A new Civitas poll that shows Cheri Beasley and Ted Budd tied is the latest in a string of indications that North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race has reached toss-up status. The poll was released Thursday at a briefing by the conservative John Locke Foundation. It showed Beasley and Budd with 42.3% with 12.6% undecided. Libertarian candidate Shannon…
“The TVA is dumping a mountain of coal ash in Black south Memphis”
WaPo: “It’s rare for a Black community to notch a win against a large industrial polluter, but that’s what happened on this city’s south side. Residents stood up to a proposal by two oil and gas industry giants to build a pipeline under their properties and forced them to back down. When the news broke…
“DeSantis’ election police unit announces voter fraud cases”
AP: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced criminal charges against 20 people for illegally voting in 2020, the first major public move from the Republican’s controversial new election police unit. The charges mark the opening salvo from the Office of Election Crimes and Security, which from its conception drew widespread criticism from Democrats and voting…
“Book Ban Backfire: Texas School District Forced to Pull the Bible”
The Daily Beast: “A Texas school district has pulled dozens of challenged books from its library shelves—including the Bible—just before the start of the academic year under a new policy introduced by conservative leaders. “Attached is a list of all books that were challenged last year. By the end of today, I need all books…