Chicken Fried Politics: “Just one day after being forced into a primary runoff to keep his seat, Texas Republican U.S. Rep. Van Taylor, has ended his re-election campaign after admitting to an extramarital affair with the widow of an Islamic jihadist who fought for the terrorist group ISIS. The revelation of the affair appears to have…

Watauga Watch: “When I checked yesterday morning, Graham still had not filed anywhere — a let-down because he had made himself somewhat famous last October with a campaign launch (still in the 9th) that included a really smashing video biography titled “The Battle for Hayes Pond.” That video got some viral play and led to a money-raising…

Axios: “The number of Texas residents who traveled out-of-state to access abortion care increased dramatically after the most restrictive abortion ban in the U.S. went into effect in the state in September. Driving the news: Newly released data shows that Planned Parenthood health centers in Texas’ surrounding states saw a nearly 800% increase in abortion patients from Texas between Sept. 1…

Political Wire: “Florida legislators voted to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, a move that would severely restrict access to the procedure in a state that for decades has been a refuge for women from across the South,” the New York Times reports. “The bill — modeled after a similar abortion ban in…

NY Times: “Autherine Lucy had no particular desire to be a civil rights pioneer. Growing up as the youngest of 10 children in an Alabama farm family, she simply wanted to get the best education her state could offer. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in English from the historically Black Miles College in Fairfield, Ala.,…

Slate: “Last week, a couple of letters from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton started circulating. These letters, aimed at Child Protective Services, encouraged Texans to do something no other state does: view medical treatment for trans kids as abusive. These documents aren’t legally binding—in fact, after they got released, district attorneys representing five of Texas’s…

TN Star: “Live from Music Row Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed former Trump administration Department of State Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus in studio to answer questions about Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.” Questions included naming…

Political Wire: “Democratic challenger Jessica Cisneros, a 28-year-old immigration attorney running for Congress with heavy support from progressives, has forced a primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar in South Texas,” the AP reports. “Neither candidate Tuesday night got more than 50% of the vote needed to win outright.””

NC Policy Watch: “Patrick Woodie, president of the NC Rural Center, offered a robust endorsement of Medicaid expansion at a legislative committee meeting Tuesday, saying that more insured residents would lead to better physical health and improved community financial health. Rural North Carolinians are disproportionately uninsured compared to residents of the state’s suburban and urban…

ACLU TX: “The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, and Lambda Legal [yesterday] asked a Texas state court to block the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) from investigating parents who work with medical professionals to provide their adolescent children with medically necessary gender-affirming care. The lawsuit names Texas Gov. Greg Abbott,…