MS Free Press: “On May 15, 1970, Jackson State University senior Mabel Beecham, 21, was staying with her sister-in-law at her apartment on Montgomery Street, close to Jackson State’s campus. Suddenly, she could hear a barrage of shots fire off. She took cover and stayed inside all night with no idea of the tragedy that…

Political Wire: “Katie Boyd Britt, the president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, is expected to jump into the Alabama Senate race next month as some Republicans in the state seek an alternative to Rep. Mo Brooks, who has already earned former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.”

Political Wire: ““Nashville’s top prosecutor said Monday that he will not enforce a newly enacted law that requires businesses and government facilities open to the public to post a sign if they let transgender people use multiperson bathrooms and other facilities associated with their gender identity,” the AP reports. Said Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk: “I…

TX Observer: “On May 1, though, Austin voters approved a ballot proposition, spurred by conservatives and Texas Republicans and aided by sensationalist local TV news coverage, to reinstate the city’s old camping ban, along with two other policies that restrict panhandling and sitting or lying down in Central Austin. Between 2000 and 2019, tens of thousands of tickets were issued under those policies,…

Off the Kuff: “Now, a DPS investigation has concluded that a legislative staffer fabricated the story of the date rape drug to cover up embarrassing personal behavior. “No evidence or facts obtained during the investigation support the allegation,” the 50-page report said. In a separate audio recording obtained by Hearst Newspapers, the investigator went even…

Politico: “Before federal investigators were looking into Gaetz in an ongoing sex scandal, he was a top campaign adviser to DeSantis, who he met while both served in Congress. DeSantis at the time was a little-known GOP congressman in 2018 and needed help navigating Florida’s political landscape as he weighed whether to run for governor….

The Progressive Pulse: “An array of prominent athletes, artists, entertainers, journalists and academics penned an open letter Tuesday, saying UNC-Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees has “failed to uphold the first order values of academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas” in its inaction on the tenure of acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones…. The letter, published at The…

Catalist: “The 2020 election was historic and uniquely challenging. Not only was it conducted in the middle of a global pandemic, but it was one of the most intensely partisan elections in recent history. Despite these immense challenges, America’s democratic process survived. Election administrators, poll workers and voters themselves rallied to deliver the highest voter turnout…

SPLC: “Gertrude “Trude” Lamb is a star athlete on her track team at Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas. A native of Ghana who came to the U.S. seven years ago, the 16-year-old didn’t know much about the Civil War – or about the Confederate general for whom her school was named. But…

TX Tribune: “The number of Election Day polling places in largely Democratic parts of major Texas counties would fall dramatically under a Republican proposal to change how Texas polling sites are distributed, a Texas Tribune analysis shows. Voting options would be curtailed most in areas with higher shares of voters of color. Relocating polling sites…