Louisiana Voice: “So, Michael Flynn has never bothered to read the U.S. Constitution – at least the Bill of Rights, or at least the First Amendment. It’s pretty simple and straightforward, really: “Congress shall make no law respecting and establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…” I…

AR Times: “A new report from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland details the failure of white newspapers to tell the story of the 1919 Elaine massacre of Black people organizing to get a fair price for their cotton, coverage that fueled events. The story has been more accurately told in recent…

NC Policy Watch: “A group of transgender people and their families filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday over how North Carolina handles people receiving birth certificates that reflect their gender identity. State law currently allows North Carolinians born in the state to legally change the gender designation on their birth certificate only if they undergo gender affirming surgery….

WaPo: “The Virginia Military Institute has started to turn the corner on a record of hostility toward women and cadets of color that brought dishonor on the institution and its chief benefactor, the state of Virginia. Whether it continues that uphill climb depends partly on the state’s governor-elect, Glenn Youngkin (R). A year ago, VMI’s…

NY Times: “Beto O’Rourke entered the race for Texas governor on Monday, challenging an ultraconservative and well-financed two-term Republican incumbent in a long-shot bid to win an office Democrats last occupied in 1995. The arrival of Mr. O’Rourke immediately set the stage for a pitched political showdown next November over the future of Texas at…

Political Wire: “President Biden named former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to supervise the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, turning to a veteran of Hurricane Katrina’s recovery to coordinate the rebuilding of roads, bridges and ports,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Mr. Biden chose Mr. Landrieu, a former Louisiana lieutenant governor who led the city of New…

Watauga Watch: “Josh Remillard. That’s the Democrat willing to take it to Madison Cawthorn in his new little supposedly safe fiefdom. Remillard — if he can raise some money — could inspire excitement in the new 13th, which is supposed to be one of the most Republican districts among all the new districts, a “safe Republican…

AL Political Reporter: “Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin is set to attend President Joe Biden’s signing of the landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure package that passed Congress Nov. 5. The historic legislation pumps federal funds into roads, rails, bridges, and ports across the country, along with funding to high-speed internet…

North State Journal: “First-term U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn upended an expected campaign by N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) for Congress with his announcement he would run in the new 13th District in the 2022 election. In a video announcement on Thursday night, Cawthorn said that his district was split and he faced a…

Old North State Politics: “For those not from the South, kudzu is a vine that spreads itself far and wide, seemingly minute-by-minute, thanks to the region’s heat and humidity. And yet it contains ‘mythical’ dynamics of a plant destined to eat the entire region. Most of the ‘lore’ of the noxious vine is just that–a myth–even though most…