WVLT8: “Before lawmakers walk back into the State Capitol building, there will be new House rules to follow after three Tennessee lawmakers protested on the House floor. Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis and Knox Co. Rep. Gloria Johnson were involved in the protest advocating for more gun laws after the Covenant School…
“Asa Hutchinson Drops Presidential Bid”
Political Wire: “Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), who entered the presidential race as an outspoken critic of Donald Trump but never gained traction, suspended his bid for the Republican nomination on Tuesday, the New York Times reports.”
“North Carolina Guv Frontrunner Had Secret Meeting With Ginni Thomas After Jan. 6”
The Daily Beast: “Publicly, the Trump-loving lieutenant governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, has embraced the role of a zealous 2020 election denier. In April 2021, for instance, Robinson told a crowd that President Joe Biden “stole the election.” “Yeah, I said that,” Robinson added for effect. Days before making that declaration, however, Robinson was privately meeting with one…
Many Southern Governors Reject Summer Food Aid for Children
WaPo: “Republican governors in 15 states are rejecting a new federally funded program to give food assistance to hungry children during the summer months, denying benefits to 8 million children across the country. The program is expected to serve 21 million youngstersstarting around June, providing $2.5 billion in relief across the country. The governors have…
“Kentucky backs away from plan to fund opioid treatment research with settlement money”
NPR: “Fifty billion dollars is on its way to state and local governments over the coming years. The pool of funding comes from multiple legal settlements with pharmaceutical companies that profited from manufacturing or selling opioid painkillers. As that money continues to be dispersed, officials are trying to figure out how to spend it best…
“Florida Republicans Oust Chair”
Political Wire: “The Republican Party of Florida ousted its chairman on Monday, more than a month after the police in Sarasota confirmed that he was under criminal investigation for sexual assault,” the New York Times reports. “For weeks, Christian Ziegler, the chairman, resisted calls for him to step down, keeping the scandal in the headlines and exasperating…
“Fani Willis Accused of Hiring Romantic Partner”
Political Wire: ““District Attorney Fani Willis improperly hired an alleged romantic partner to prosecute Donald Trump and financially benefited from their relationship, according to a court motion filed Monday which argued the criminal charges in the case were unconstitutional,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.”
Biden Rallys Voters in SC
NY Times: “President Biden sought to rally disaffected Black supporters on Monday with a fiery condemnation of former President Donald J. Trump, linking his predecessor’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election to the nation’s history of white supremacy in what he called “the old ghost in new garments.” Speaking from the pulpit of the South’s oldest…
“Trump Is Connecting With a Different Type of Evangelical Voter”
NY Times: “White evangelical Christian voters have lined up behind Republican candidates for decades, driving conservative cultural issues into the heart of the party’s politics and making nominees and presidents of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. But no Republican has had a closer — or more counterintuitive — relationship with evangelicals than Mr. Trump…….
“Mitch Landrieu to Join Biden’s Campaign”
Political Wire: “Mitch Landrieu, the former New Orleans mayor who has been helping President Biden implement his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, is leaving the White House to be a national co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign,” Axios reports.”