WUNC: “On a recent, sunny morning, Brian Williams stood on the banks of the Dan River in Eden, North Carolina. Water flowed down the river quickly and calmly. Ten years ago, scenes along this same spot were anything but calm. For decades, Duke Energy’s Dan River Steam Station burned coal to produce power. The toxic…
“I was a teen in Virginia prison. Books were my lifeline.”
WaPo: “No prison sentence begins the same, but they all become the same relentless struggle against disappearing. Almost 20 years after my release, prison still has not let me go. I return to prisons now with the organization I founded, Freedom Reads, to let people inside know that they haven’t disappeared. But as a friend wrote:…
“Georgia Lt. Governor Probed in Fake Elector Scheme”
Political Wire: “State prosecutor Pete Skandalakis said Thursday that he will lead the investigation into Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ (R) alleged role in trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. New York Times: “Fani Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., has already brought…
“New statewide coalition seeks changes to Alabama’s school funding policy”
AL Political Reporter: “Alabama is one of only six states that utilize a funding formula based on student enrollment rather than the challenges that students might face, such as poverty or special education needs. School systems are also unable to adjust how they spend the funds they are allocated to better address their students’ needs….
Kevin McCarthy Says He’s Not Speaker b/c “[Matt Gaetz] slept with a 17 year old.”
Political Wire: “Former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he’s not Speaker anymore because “one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17 year old,” CBS News reports.”
“‘Donald Trump did this’: New Biden abortion ad features a woman who says she almost died because of the Texas ban”
NBC: “President Joe Biden’s campaign released its latest abortion ad of the election hours after former President Donald Trump said he believes abortion laws should be left to the states, sidestepping the national ban that some of his supporters want. The 60-second ad, which first aired Monday on MSNBC, focuses on Amanda Zurawski, a Texas woman who sued the state after, she…
“Alabama Hospital Is Ending IVF Services”
Political Wire: “A Mobile, Ala., hospital at the center of a State Supreme Court ruling that found that frozen embryos could be considered children said on Wednesday that it would no longer provide in vitro fertilization lab services after this year,” the New York Times reports.”
“Virginia militia member raised suspicion, then alarm with talk of bombs”
WaPo: “Even before he started talking about assassinations and homemade bombs a couple of months ago, “Duke” had weirded out his fellow members in an anti-government militia group. … Vane, 42, was a former Marine reservist with an intelligence background whose loose talk about explosives and Russian government connections unnerved his fellow militia members. The…
“Audit of [AR] governor’s mysterious $19,000 lectern expected to be released within 10 days”
AR Times: “Andrew DeMillo of the AP breaks the news that the long-awaited audit of a $19,000 lectern purchased for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is slated to be released to the public within the next 10 days. …. The Arkansas-Democrat Gazette reported Sunday that Republican legislative leaders said they expected the audit report to be released at some point during…
“Florida Supreme Court approves abortion restriction — and ballot measure that would overturn it”
The 19th: “The Florida Supreme Court struck down its state abortion protection — paving the way for a six-week ban passed in 2023 to take effect — but will allow voters to weigh in on whether they can amend the state’s constitution to explicitly enshrine abortion rights. The court issued two separate rulings Monday: one upholding…