Democracy Now!: “In Texas, members of the Chinese community are organizing against a racist bill currently being debated in the Senate that would bar citizens from China, North Korea, Iran and Russia from purchasing property or land in the state. Republican Governor Greg Abbott has already signaled his support for the bill. Asian Americans say…
“Tennessee Gov. Says He Will Sign Bill Criminalizing Drag as Old Photo of Him in Drag Circulates”
Democracy Now!: “In Tennessee, Republican Governor Bill Lee is facing backlash after a high school photo of him dressed in drag went viral just days after he said he plans to sign a bill that criminalizes drag performances. The measure bans drag shows from being performed in public or in front of children. Nationwide, at…
“Louisville police engaged in pattern of misconduct, Justice Dept. finds”
WaPo: “The Louisville Metro Police Department engaged in systemic civil rights abuses and excessive-force misconduct in the years leading up to the 2020 police killing of Breonna Taylor, according to the findings of a federal investigation released Wednesday that is likely to require the department to undergo sweeping changes. The Justice Department’s probe found that officers carried…
“Five Women Sue Texas Over the State’s Abortion Ban”
NY Times: “Five women who say they were denied abortions despite grave risks to their lives or their fetuses sued the State of Texas on Monday, apparently the first time that pregnant women themselves have taken legal action against the bans that have shut down access to abortion across the country since the U.S. Supreme…
“Plunge in border crossings could blunt GOP attack on Biden”
AP: “A sharp drop in illegal border crossings since December could blunt a Republican point of attack against President Joe Biden as the Democratic leader moves to reshape a broken asylum system that has dogged him and his predecessors. A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows some support for changing the…
“Texas Republican Seeks Vote on Secession”
Political Wire: “Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton (R) has introduced a bill that would place a referendum for Texas’ secession from the United States on the 2024 ballot.”
“Atlanta’s future police training facility ‘Cop City’ set ablaze”
Fox News: “Smoke and flames shot and poured from equipment at the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center dubbed “Cop City” on Sunday evening in Georgia. FOX 5 Atlanta posted video on its website of construction equipment on fire as well as a section of grass. … The facility is in the southeast section of Atlanta on Key…
“Bill to criminalize librarians a bridge too far for Arkansas legislators”
AR Times: “Arkansas librarians can breathe a sigh of relief. After more than three hours of discussion Tuesday that included plenty of racy language, a House committee voted down Sen. Dan Sullivan’s bill to create a process for elected officials to declare library materials inappropriate and to establish penalties for librarians that furnish obscene materials to minors. …
“First prominent Democrat enters race for Louisiana governor”
AP: “With just seven months until Louisiana’s election for governor, Shawn Wilson officially entered the gubernatorial race Monday, becoming the first prominent Democrat to seek the seat later this year. The former head of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, who appears to be the only high-profile Democrat that will run for the state’s…
“In Selma, Biden says right to vote remains under assault”
AP: “President Joe Biden used the searing memories of Selma’s “Bloody Sunday” to recommit to a cornerstone of democracy, lionizing a seminal moment from the civil rights movement at a time when he has been unable to push enhanced voting protections through Congress and a conservative Supreme Court has undermined a landmark voting law. “Selma is a reckoning. The right to vote…