Politics

SCOTUS Clerks Ordered To Hand Over Phone Records

CNN reports: Supreme Court officials are escalating their search for the source of the leaked draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, taking steps to require law clerks to provide cell phone records and sign affidavits, three sources with knowledge of the efforts have told CNN. Some clerks are apparently so alarmed over the moves, particularly the sudden requests …

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City Of Austin Seeks To Circumvent Texas Abortion Law

Politico reports: The city of Austin is attempting to shield its residents from prosecution under a Texas law that would criminalize almost all abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned — the first push by a major city in a red state to try to circumvent state abortion policy. Councilmember Chito Velav [photo] is proposing a resolution that would direct …

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Russia Denies Reports That Vladimir Putin Has Cancer

Politico Europe reports: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has denied that Vladimir Putin is seriously ill in the wake of numerous reports suggesting that the Russian leader has cancer. “You know, President Putin appears in public every day. You can see him on the screens, read his speeches, listen to his speeches,” Lavrov said,. “I don’t think sane people can …

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Pope Snubs Archbishop Who Denied Communion To Pelosi, Elevates Lower-Ranked Archbishop To Cardinal

The Los Angeles Times reports: Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, one of Pope Francis’ ideological allies who has often sparred with more conservative U.S. bishops, was named by the pope on Sunday as one of 21 new cardinals. Among his notable stances, McElroy, 68, has been one of a minority of U.S. bishops harshly criticizing the campaign to exclude …

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Warnock Challenges Herschel Walker To Three Debates

Politico reports: It’s a standard political ploy, straight out of a challenger’s playbook: demand a series of debates the moment the primaries are over. Only in Georgia, it was incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock who issued the call for three televised debates, as soon as his fall Senate election match-up with Herschel Walker was set. Warnock’s move made sense in light …

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TMZ: Pelosi’s Husband Charged With DUI In California

TMZ reports: Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was arrested this weekend for DUI … TMZ has learned. The House Speaker’s spouse was arrested just before midnight Saturday night in Napa County, and then booked hours later into jail on two counts — driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content level of 0.08 or higher … both …

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New Jersey’s Weed Shops Gross $24M In First Month

The New Jersey Advance reports: New Jersey legal weed sales topped $24 million in the first month of the roll out at a dozen locations, according to the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Actual receipts reported to the CRC showed $24,201,875.38 million in recreational weed sales from April 21 to May 21. Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed $48.9 billion budget for the …

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Maloney +10 Over Nadler In NY Dem Primary Poll

The Hill reports: Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) is leading fellow New York Democrat, Rep. Jared Nadler, by double digits in the primary to represent the state’s newly drawn 12th congressional district, according to a new WPIX/Emerson College/The Hill poll. Maloney and Nadler are both longtime heavyweights in New York City politics, having represented neighboring districts in Manhattan for decades. But …

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Questions Arise About Uvalde Police Response [VIDEO]

Reuters reports: Desperate parents gathered outside Robb Elementary School and implored police to storm the Texas school as Tuesday’s massacre was unfolding, with some fathers having to be restrained, videos that surfaced on Thursday showed. The videos – along with initial accounts of the shooting timeline from authorities – suggest up to an hour passed between the beginning of the …

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Georgia Secretary Of State Survives Trump’s Attacks

The Guardian reports: Brad Raffensperger defeated congressman Jody Hice on Tuesday in a closely watched Republican primary for Georgia secretary of state, a significant victory for a politician who has been scorned by his own party for refusing Donald Trump’s request to overturn the 2020 election. In a surprise, Raffensperger avoided a runoff and won an outright victory over Hice, …

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Mo Brooks Barely Makes Runoff In AL Senate Primary

The Associated Press reports: Alabama’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate is going to a June runoff between Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who overcame losing former President Donald Trump’s endorsement to remain a contender for the GOP nomination. The candidates are seeking the Senate seat now held by U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, who is retiring. Britt is Shelby’s …

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RNC Sides With Mehmet Oz On Undated PA Mail Ballots

The Week reports: Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel is siding with Mehmet Oz, saying that “the RNC very much supports that ballots should not be counted without a date.” The Republican Party of Pennsylvania also backed Oz’s position Monday evening. The RNC and state GOP “are intervening against McCormick in his suit over undated ballots,” New York Times reporter …

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NYC Will Bid To Host 2024 Democratic Convention

Yahoo News reports: Eight years after New York City’s failed attempt to host the Democratic National Convention, Mayor Eric Adams is giving it another shot. The Democratic mayor is entering a national contest with his counterparts from Chicago, Atlanta and other cities to host the presidential nominating convention in 2024. The mayor’s team is finalizing its application ahead of a …

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Michigan Elections Board Rules Two GOP Candidates For Governor Ineligible: “Fraudulent Petition Circulators”

The Detroit News reports: Former Detroit police Chief James Craig and businessman Perry Johnson [photo], two of the top candidates for the Republican nomination for governor, didn’t submit enough valid petition signatures to make the ballot, according to findings from the Michigan Bureau of Elections. The bureau found that Craig’s campaign had turned in 11,113 invalid signatures, including 9,879 signatures …

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McCormick Sues To Have Undated Mail Ballots Counted

NBC News reports: Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick filed a lawsuit Monday in a bid to ensure certain mail-in ballots aren’t disqualified from last week’s Pennsylvania primary, in which his fight against Mehmet Oz remains too close to call. McCormick, in papers filed in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, said a number of county boards of election are refusing to …

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Massachusetts GOP Backs Big Lie Cultist For Governor

Boston.com reports: Former state Rep. Geoff Diehl was endorsed by the MassGOP at the party’s convention on Saturday, where other candidates and party officials vowed to fight “evil” Democrats and chart a new course for Republicans in Massachusetts. Diehl, an ardent Trump supporter who has supported the former president’s false claims the 2020 presidential election was rigged, received 71 percent …

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Jeb Bush Hails DeSantis: People Who Didn’t Stay Home During The COVID Pandemic Probably Moved To Florida

Former Florida governor and failed presidential candidate Jeb Bush hails DeSantis for Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People Of 2022” list. During the pandemic, most people stayed home, and those who didn’t probably moved to Florida. Despite relentless criticism, Governor Ron DeSantis kept schools open, ensured Florida’s economy remained open for business, and allowed individuals to determine their own risk …

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Texas Republicans Want To Ban Companies From The State If They Help Employees Get Abortions Elsewhere

The Texas Tribune reports: With Texas poised to automatically ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, some Republicans are already setting their sights on the next target to fight the procedure: businesses that say they’ll help employees get abortions outside the state. Fourteen Republican members of the state House of Representatives have pledged to introduce bills …

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Finnish Brewery Launches NATO-Themed Beer [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: A small brewery in Finland has launched a NATO-themed beer to mark the Nordic country’s bid to join the Western military alliance. Olaf Brewing’s OTAN lager features a blue label with a cartoon version of a beer-drinking medieval knight in metal armor emblazoned with NATO’s compass symbol. The beer’s name is a play on the Finnish …

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Crist Vows “Day One” Order Protecting Abortion Rights

Florida Politics reports: Democratic gubernatorial candidate and current U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist on Friday staked a strong pro-abortion rights stand, pledging an executive order banning state agencies from interfering with abortion access. The proposed order, which Crist said he would sign on his first day as Governor, would prohibit state agencies from doing anything to prevent abortions that would meet …

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