LA Voice: “Yet, with all the mass killings elsewhere, Louisiana has the SECOND-HIGHEST gun death rate in the US, according to a story in the Louisiana Illuminator, the only publication I’ve seen that published the grim statistics. Let that sink in. We’re killing each other at an alarming rate, in random acts of one-on-one slaughter. Enough that our…

Off the Kuff: “As the race for governor tightens, a new CBS News poll shows Gov. Greg Abbott regaining support against Democratic candidate and former congressman Beto O’Rourke. The matchup between Abbott and O’Rourke is the marquee race and the new poll shows Republicans could retain power in November. “The economy, war and I think the court’s…

NY Times: “Seven advisers and allies of Donald J. Trump, including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Senator Lindsey Graham, were subpoenaed on Tuesday in the ongoing criminal investigation in Georgia of election interference by Mr. Trump and his associates. The move was the latest sign that the inquiry has entangled a number of prominent members of…

WaPo: “The Supreme Court agreed last week to hear a case that could fundamentally change this country’s democracy — by making it less of one. The decision to hear Moore v. Harpercould lead to an erosion of voting rights and an increasing likelihood of election interference. At issue is a North Carolina Supreme Court case holding that the state’s constitution…

NY Times: “For years, Texas Republicans tried to win the Hispanic vote using a Bush-era brand of compassionate conservatism. The idea was that a moderate’s touch and a softer rhetoric on immigration were key to making inroads with Hispanic voters, particularly in Democratic strongholds along the southern border. Such was the Texas of old. The…

Political Wire: “Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin told CNN he’s lost faith in Texas leaders investigating how law enforcement responded to the shooting at his town’s elementary school that killed 19 children and two adults. Said McLaughlin: “I’m not confident… I think it’s a cover-up.””

Charlotte Observer: “The significance of last week’s Congressional Jan. 6 committee hearings cannot be overstated. For the first time, evidence was presented that former President Trump knew some of the protesters were armed before encouraging them to go the Capitol, that right-wing extremist rioters communicated directly with the White House, that key Presidential advisers requested…

NY Times: “The Texas Supreme Court allowed a 1925 law banning abortion to take effect late on Friday night, overturning a lower court ruling that had temporarily blocked it. The decision was the latest in a series of legal battles across the country following the Supreme Court’s decision on June 24 to overturn Roe v. Wade,…

Political Wire: “‘Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) used campaign money to cover legal expenses for a lawsuit relating to his time as a church minister — transactions that raise questions about whether the spending runs afoul of federal rules governing personal use of campaign funds,’ Politico reports.”

WaPo: “On the day that Roe v. Wade was struck down, Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn (R) was asked whether the state’s restrictive law banning almost all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy would apply to 12-year-old girls who are victims of incest. The Republican leader said Friday that while he was unaware “what the legislature’s appetite”…