NY Times: “Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-born cardinal selected on Thursday as the new pope, is descended from Creole people of color from New Orleans. The pope’s maternal grandparents, both of whom are described as Black or “mulatto” in various historical records, lived in the city’s Seventh Ward, an area that is traditionally Catholic and…
“Why Sen. Thom Tillis was willing to tank Trump’s D.C. prosecutor pick”
WaPo: “Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) is a big outlier when it comes to his fellow Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee is stocked with senators from conservative states, such as Tennessee and Alabama, both of which President Donald Trump won by 30 percentage points last year. A couple of Republican members come…
Triumph: Republican Ends Effort to Steal NC Judicial Election, Justice Riggs Will Be Certified as Winner
Politico: “The Republican challenger for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat conceded last November’s election on Wednesday to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs, two days after a federal judge ruled that potentially thousands of disputed ballots challenged by Jefferson Griffin must remain in the final tally. In a statement provided by his campaign to The Associated…
Tragedy: Former Memphis police officers found not guilty in killing of Tyre Nichols
WaPo: “A state jury found three former Memphis police officers not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols that helped galvanize a movement to reform police conduct. The jurors deliberated for more than eight hours after listening to days of testimony that delved into the minutes after police pulled over…
“Buddy Carter Kicks Off Senate Bid in Georgia”
Political Wire: ““Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) became the first prominent Republican to jump into the race against Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), launching his campaign Thursday with a TV ad that casts him as a pro-Donald Trump “MAGA warrior,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. “Carter, a six-term Savannah-area incumbent, announced his campaign just days after Gov. Brian Kemp…
“Marjorie Taylor Greene for Senate? Why the GOP should be scared.”
WaPo: “Republicans confronted a familiar story on Monday: A highly popular governor whom the party badly wanted to run for Senate — but who has clashed with President Donald Trump — decided not to run. …Kemp’s decision both deprives the GOP of its strongest-possible nominee and could tee things up for probably its weakest-possible nominee….
“Detained Georgetown scholar must have his case heard in Virginia, judge rules”
WaPo: “A Georgetown University researcher who says he has been illegally targeted for deportation amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on campus activism must have his case heard in Virginia as he fights to stay in the United States, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles is likely to order immigration officials…
“Andy Beshear is making serious moves toward a 2028 presidential run”
Politico: “Andy Beshear isn’t just saying he “would consider” running for president. He’s actively laying the tracks for a potential 2028 campaign. He’s meeting privately with donors, recording a podcast and regularly popping up at national events. A former Kamala Harris communications staffer is consulting for him, and he’s speaking at the Future Forward donor summit this weekend in…
“Florida Democrats are falling apart”
Politico: “Florida Democrats, still reeling from a brutal electoral defeat in 2024, should be regrouping for next year’s midterms. Instead, the party is imploding — consumed by infighting, power plays and a deepening sense of irrelevance in a state dominated by the GOP. The latest rupture came in a single day in late April: David…
“Lawmaker Calls for Probe into Whether Haitian Woman Died of Medical Neglect in Florida ICE Jail”
Democracy Now!: “In Florida, another ICE detainee, a 44-year-old Haitian woman, died last week after spending over two months in an immigration jail. Florida Congressmember Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the only Haitian American in Congress, called for an investigation into the death of Marie Ange Blaise from the House floor on Wednesday. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick: “Marie had been complaining…