Texas Tribune: “When it came to elections, Abbott also said there is a “keen focus on mail-in ballots” and how elections were conducted last year in Harris County. Ahead of the November election, Abbott and other state GOP leaders clashed with the county’s clerk at the time, Chris Hollins, over his plan to send a…

NY Times: “In the weeks following the attack on the Capitol, many Americans have argued over whether the violence was a singular event or an outcome of deeper forces. Voters, Congress and a former president are clashing over who is to blame. To Kelly J. Baker, a writer and public scholar of religion and racial…

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ““The way patriots are now being hunted down and arrested by fellow men and women who have taken the same oath has disheartened any faith I had in the redemption or reformation of the USA as one entity,” Justin Thayer, head of the Georgia III% Martyrs, said in a text exchange with The…

The Guardian: “A push to unionize workers at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama is running into tough opposition as the retail giant, whose profits have boomed during the coronavirus pandemic despite concerns over worker safety, has launched an aggressive anti-union drive. If workers at the BHM1 warehouse in Bessemer, near Birmingham, succeed in their efforts they would…

The Hill: “Virginia legislators appear poised to abolish the death penalty in the coming days, a step that would make it the first Southern state to end the practice of capital punishment. A bill to end capital punishment passed the state Senate on Wednesday by a 21-17 margin. The state House of Delegates is set to…

The Atlantic: “Figuring out why Cooper keeps winning could have potentially huge implications for determining whether he’s a fluke or a model for Democrats across the South and in other red states. Cooper’s races never became national Democratic causes. He has set no major fundraising records. He’s not an otherworldly political talent. And yet his…

The Intellectualist: “Texas Republican Party Chairman Allen West this week voiced support for allowing Texans to vote on whether the state should secede from the union, journalist Judd Legum reported on Friday….Asked what he thinks about the notion of “Texit,” already introduced as HB 1359, the Texas Independence Referendum Act, West commented that he has “always said [he]…

Watauga Watch: “Dallas Woodhouse — yes, that Dallas Woodhouse — is now director of strategic operations at the Civitas Institute, and he has his name on something of a political scoop about the potential Democratic primary in 2022 for the US Senate seat currently occupied by Richard Burr. Woodhouse reports that former NC Chief Justice Cheri Beasley “has hired a new…

AP: “U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the Senate’s fourth most senior member, has told confidantes that he does not intend to run for reelection next year — prompting some Republicans to urge the powerful, establishment politician to reconsider, even as potential replacements prepare to run for his seat. The senator in recent weeks…

THV-11: “A controversial Stand Your Ground bill that passed the Arkansas Senate was voted down in the House Committee Tuesday, effectively stopping the bill from becoming law. The Senate panel previously voted in favor of loosening restrictions on the use of deadly force in self-defense last month before it was sent to the House. The…