Politics

The Guardian reports: It is Donald Trump, not Democrats, who deserves credit for wresting the coronavirus pandemic under control, Tim Scott argued on Wednesday night as the Republican senator gave his party’s official response to Joe Biden’s first address to Congress. As the only Black Republican in the US Senate, Scott had been expected to address the issue of racial …

Gothamist reports: A woman who worked as an unpaid intern for Scott Stringer two decades ago plans to publicly accuse the city comptroller and mayoral candidate of sexual abuse and harassment, including repeated acts of unwanted kissing and touching, according to a statement provided by her attorney. The woman, Jean Kim, who has worked in city politics as a lobbyist, …

Roll Call reports: Within hours after the Census Bureau’s release of census apportionment results, the first wave of redistricting lawsuits hit federal courthouses in what is likely to be a flood of legal battles leading up to the 2022 congressional elections. A national Democratic redistricting group backed three voter lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Louisiana, the “first of many steps” …

The Associated Press reports: An American warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday. The Navy released black-and-white footage of the encounter in international waters of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident. The Navy …

Axios reports: An Israeli cabinet meeting exploded into a shouting match today after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to install a loyalist as justice minister despite the attorney general’s determination that such a move was illegal. The Israeli supreme court issued an injunction to block Netanyahu’s move on Tuesday night. The court will convene on Wednesday for a hearing on …

Los Angeles’s ABC News affiliate reports: Organizers of the recall effort against California Gov. Gavin Newsom collected enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. The California secretary of state’s office announced Monday that more than 1.6 million signatures had been verified, about 100,000 more than needed to force a vote on the first-term Democrat. An election is likely in …

The Associated Press reports: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed three anti-abortion bills into law on Monday, including ones to criminalize the procedure in certain cases and cost providers their medical licenses for performing them. The Republican-controlled Senate passed measures requiring physicians who perform abortions to be certified in obstetrics and gynecology, adding performing an abortion to the list of unprofessional …

Bloomberg News reports: Texas will gain the most new seats in the U.S. House of Representatives under new Census numbers released Monday, while states in the Northeast and Midwest will lose seven seats, shifting some political clout to Republican strongholds before the 2022 midterms. The U.S. Census Bureau released its every 10 year count of state populations Monday, reshuffling the …

Via press release from Friends of the Earth: The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) and Oxitec, a British biotech company, will begin the first-ever U.S. release of genetically engineered (GE) Aedes aegypti mosquitoes this week. Despite scientific concerns and public outcry over the human health and environment risks, the field trial’s first phase will release up to 144,000 GE …

NPR reports: First time gun owners, young and old from across the country, are helping to push record levels of gun sales for what looks like the second year in a row. Gun sellers across the country said the pandemic and civil unrest over the last year has pushed customers to feel they must take control of their family’s protection. …

USA Today reports: The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a challenge to New York’s gun licensing requirements that could expand protections for carrying concealed weapons in public, putting a major Second Amendment dispute on the docket for the first time in years. The nation’s highest court overruled handgun bans in Washington and Chicago in 2008 and 2010 in two …

Via press release from the US Census Bureau: The U.S. Census Bureau has completed data processing for the first 2020 Census results — state population counts used to apportion the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. The Census Bureau will hold a virtual news conference to release these results on Monday, April 26, 2021. The …

Axios reports: Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) announced Monday that he’s officially running for U.S. Senate in Ohio, becoming the first Democrat to join the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Ryan, a former 2020 presidential candidate, will bring strong name recognition and blue-collar roots to a high-profile race in Ohio, a state that has been trending Republican in …

Gothamist reports: Days after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of the murder of George Floyd, city and state officials plan to introduce a similar bills that would prevent police officers who’ve been fired or disciplined from joining any other department in the state. New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson made the announcement at the National …

CBS News reports: Three in four Americans think the jury reached the right verdict in which former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd, a majority view that spans across all racial, age and partisan groups. Reaction to the verdict among White Americans is largely related to partisanship. White Democrats overwhelmingly think …

“I’m not a roadblock at all. The best politics is good government. I can’t believe that people believe that if you just do it my way, that will give us the momentum to get through the next election.” “We won’t give this system a chance to work. I am not going to be part of blowing up this senate of …

NBC News reports: Democrat Troy Carter won Saturday’s special election for Louisiana’s vacant U.S. House seat, defeating his state Senate colleague and ending an acrimonious, intraparty clash. Carter easily defeated Karen Carter Peterson in the race for Louisiana’s only Democrat-held seat in Congress, handing a victory to the more moderate side of the party after Peterson planted herself firmly in …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to visit Pennsylvania and speak to the Allegheny County Republican Party next month, a visit likely to further fuel speculation around a figure already seen as a potential presidential candidate. The May 20 appearance was confirmed by three Pennsylvania Republicans familiar with the plans. Word of DeSantis’ visit spread as …

Via email from California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office: Earlier this morning, Caitlyn Jenner announced she was running for Governor of California as part of this Republican recall attempt. What’s more, she is working closely with Donald Trump’s former presidential campaign manager and the person behind his small-dollar fundraising success. We’re going to need help keeping up with Caitlyn’s personal wealth …

Politico reports: Florida Rep. Val Demings said she’s “seriously considering” a statewide bid against Sen. Marco Rubio or Gov. Ron DeSantis, boosting Democratic hopes in a battleground state that’s growing increasingly red. “I’ve received so many calls and texts and emails, and have been stopped when I’m out and about by people who are asking me that very same question. …