I woke up this morning to the sad news from several readers that beloved longtime JMG community member Safari has passed away unexpectedly, apparently only a few days after his final posting here. As many of you know, Safari was a cheerful guy who enjoyed funny wordplay, sharing his cooking, photos of his cat, and his adventures with his students …

The DCist reports: Three D.C. residents and one Virginia resident are suing D.C. over its prohibition on carrying concealed handguns on Metrorail and Metrobuses within the city, kicking off a legal battle spurred by last week’s Supreme Court ruling that raised constitutional questions about an array of limits on carrying guns outside the home. In the lawsuit, the four plaintiffs …

The Hill reports: Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Thursday said former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified before the House Jan. 6 select committee this week, has “more courage than most” in the Republican Party. During an appearance on CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Wednesday night, Kinzinger, a frequent critic of his GOP colleagues and the …

The Washington Post reports: Several national antiabortion groups and their allies in Republican-led state legislatures are advancing plans to stop people in states where abortion is banned from seeking the procedure elsewhere, according to people involved in the discussions. The idea has gained momentum in some corners of the antiabortion movement in the days since the Supreme Court struck down …

The Texas Tribune reports: A group of Texas educators have proposed to the Texas State Board of Education that slavery should be taught as “involuntary relocation” during second grade social studies instruction. The group of nine educators, including a professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, is one of many such groups advising the state education board to …

From the Justice Department: A South Carolina man pleaded guilty today to two felony charges for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His and others’ actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election. George Amos Tenney III, 35, of …

From the editorial board of the Washington Examiner: Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s Tuesday testimony ought to ring the death knell for former President Donald Trump’s political career. Trump is unfit to be anywhere near power ever again. Hutchinson’s testimony confirmed a damning portrayal of Trump as unstable, unmoored, and absolutely heedless of his sworn duty to effectuate a …

“Trump was clearly aware just moments before he took the podium that you had a mob of heavily armed people. The critical thing he says is ‘they’re not here to hurt me,’ which implies that in his mind, he knows they’re here to hurt someone. “And the second thing he says, which I don’t think has gotten enough attention, ‘they …

CNN reports: Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide, told the House January 6 committee that she was contacted by someone attempting to influence her testimony, three sources familiar with the hearing presentation told CNN. The committee’s vice chairwoman, GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, said at Tuesday’s hearing that two witnesses — whom she did not name — …

Via press release from the FDA: As we move into the fall and winter, it is critical that we have safe and effective vaccine boosters that can provide protection against circulating and emerging variants to prevent the most severe consequences of COVID-19. Following a thorough discussion on June 28, 2022, an overwhelming majority of the advisory committee voted in favor …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Florida’s new ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy was blocked Thursday by a judge — a day before it was to go into effect. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled that the restriction would clash with earlier state Supreme Court rulings which concluded that abortion is protected by the Florida constitution’s right …

The South Bend Tribune reports: Minutes before a scheduled “Rainbow Storytime” program, about a half a dozen men walked into a reading room at the Tutt Branch of the St. Joseph County Public Library and demanded the event be shut down. The men mostly wore black shirts and hats with yellow trim. At one point during the confrontation, one member …

Mediaite reports: As Newmax host Robb Finnerty asked if Trump was referring to Dinesh D’Souza’s widely–mocked documentary 2000 Mules, Trump plowed on by predicting Newsmax would censor him. “They’ll probably cut what I’m saying out,” he said, to which Finnerty repeatedly insisted “Of course not.” “Don’t let it happen,” Trump told Finnerty, who responded, “Absolutely not. I will not allow …

NBC News reports: The Supreme Court declined Thursday to take up a legal challenge brought by health care workers in New York who oppose the state’s vaccine mandate on religious grounds. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch said the court should have taken the case. When the requirement was first imposed last August as a way to help …

NPR reports: Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn in Thursday at noon as the 116th Supreme Court justice and the first Black woman to serve on the high court. Biden nominated Jackson in February, fulfilling a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Jackson will take two oaths during the livestreamed event: a constitutional oath, …

CBS News reports: Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office is asking a federal judge to toss out a challenge to a controversial new law that restricts instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in Florida public schools. Lawyers for the state filed a 60-page motion Monday arguing that U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor should dismiss the case filed by the LGBTQ-advocacy …

Courthouse News reports: A jury on Wednesday found four of the five Navy officials accused of trading military secrets for sex parties with prostitutes, luxurious dinners and travel paid for by defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis guilty of bribery and wire fraud. Following a four-month trial, 12 jurors unanimously found Capts. David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman, and …

USA Today reports: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against an Environmental Protection Agency effort to regulate power plant emissions, dealing a blow to the Biden administration in one of the most significant climate cases decided by the high court in more than a decade. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for a 6-3 majority. The court’s three liberal …

The Hill reports: President Biden on Thursday said the Senate should carve out an exception to the 60-vote filibuster to codify abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. “The most important thing to be clear about is I believe we have to codify Roe v. Wade in the law, and the way to …

Newsweek reports: The January 6 Committee has tweeted a video of Donald Trump’s presidential limo following testimony that he allegedly tried to grab the steering wheel to drive it to the Capitol Building. In it, behind a group of Trump supporters, a person can be seen moving their hands frantically inside the Chevy Suburban limo. It is not clear whether …