Democrats

From the Justice Department: The Justice Department announced today the establishment of the Reproductive Rights Task Force. The Task Force formalizes an existing working group and efforts by the Department over the last several months to identify ways to protect access to reproductive health care in anticipation of the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned …

The Hill reports: Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke knocked Gov. Greg Abbott (R) after the state’s grid operator appealed to Texans to “voluntarily conserve electricity” during a statewide heat wave on Monday. ERCOT cited “record high electric demand” during the heat wave and low wind to power turbines as “driving the need for this important action by customers.” ERCOT urged …

The Independent reports: Joe Biden was interrupted by Parkland father Manuel Oliver during a White House event celebrating the passage of a bipartisan gun safety bill. Mr Oliver, who lost his son Joaquin during the 2018 Florida shooting at Marjory Stone Douglas High School, stood up during the president’s speech on the White House lawn on Monday. “Despite the naysayers, …

The Washington Post reports: Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has tested positive for the coronavirus, his spokesman said in a statement late Sunday. The positive result came “as a part of his regular testing regimen,” said the spokesman, Justin Goodman. Schumer is fully vaccinated and “double boosted” and is experiencing very mild symptoms, Goodman said. “Anyone who knows …

The Washington Post reports: Stacey Abrams’ fundraising continues to accelerate, swamping Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and pushing close to $50 million raised in the seven months since the Georgia Democrat announced her campaign in December. Abrams announced Friday that her direct campaign and its associated One Georgia committee raised $21.8 million during the two months ended June 30 and together …

NBC News reports: President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Friday to protect access to abortion as part of his administration’s response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last month overturning the constitutional right to the procedure. The order aims to safeguard access to reproductive health care services, including abortion and contraception; protect patients’ privacy and access to accurate …

The Hill reports: A group of Pennsylvania Republicans threw their support behind Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial bid on Wednesday, going against their party’s gubernatorial nominee and state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R). The list of Republicans supporting Shapiro includes eight former GOP officials and the sitting chairman of the Lawrence County Board of Commissioners, Morgan Boyd. The former Republican …

The Associated Press reports: Maine will not cooperate with other states’ investigations into people who seek abortions or health care providers that perform them, the state’s governor said Tuesday. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order that she said will protect access to abortion in her state. She said she made the order as a response to the Supreme …

Via press release from the White House: Jill and I are shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day. As always, we are grateful for the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. I have spoken to Governor Pritzker and Mayor Rotering, and have offered the full …

CNN reports: Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis aren’t just avatars for the different futures of their parties, but also for the separate realities blue and red Americans are living in — two people of opposing viewpoints looking at the exact same set of facts and coming to vastly different conclusions. They’re both governors, rising stars and speculated soon-to-be presidential candidates, …

The Associated Press reports: In the first week after the Supreme Court stripped away a woman’s constitutional right to have an abortion, Democrats and aligned groups raised more than $80 million, a tangible early sign that the ruling may energize voters. The massive $80 million fundraising haul was recorded by ActBlue, the Democrats’ online fundraising platform, which has a ticker …

Politico reports: New York legislators on Friday approved a long-stalled proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, making New York the latest state to pursue long-term protections in wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade reversal. The Assembly passed the broad state equal rights amendment, which would add explicit protections for New Yorkers to access abortion …

The Associated Press reports: New York would require people applying for a handgun license to turn over a list of their social media accounts so officials could verify their “character and conduct” under a bill headed toward passage Friday in the state Legislature. The provision was part of a proposed redesign of the state’s firearms licensing laws hammered out by …

The New York Times reports: New York City suddenly removed its color-coded coronavirus alert system this week just as newer Omicron subvariants are fueling another rise in cases and hospitalizations. Mayor Eric Adams and health officials quietly took down the city’s high profile alert system that warned New Yorkers when they were at a greater risk of catching the virus …

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 …

The Hill reports: In the highly watched Georgia gubernatorial race, incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R) finds himself tied with Democrat Stacey Abrams, a new Quinnipiac University poll finds. With both candidates pulling in 48 percent of voters’ support, Abrams gained a point and Kemp lost one since the last Quinnipiac poll in January. In this year’s Senate race, incumbent Sen. …

NPR reports: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and received Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, witnesses said, despite her position in support of abortion rights. Pelosi attended the morning Mass marking the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul, during which Francis bestowed the woolen pallium stole on newly consecrated archbishops. …

The New York Times reports: Antonio Delgado, the lieutenant governor of New York, won the Democratic primary on Tuesday, scoring a convincing victory over his nearest challenger, Ana María Archila, a longtime activist who had emerged as the left wing’s best chance of winning statewide office this election cycle. Mr. Delgado prevailed despite his late entry into the race just …

From the Democratic National Committee: DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, DNC Secretary Jason Rae, and LGBTQ Caucus Chair Earl Fowlkes issued the following joint statement marking the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall uprising: Fifty-three years ago, queer and trans people, led by trans and lesbian women of color, took to the streets to protest years of oppression and injustice against the …

Axios reports: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday said she’s preparing votes on a number of bills protecting abortion as well as codifying landmark Supreme Court decisions as a response to the court overturning Roe v. Wade. In a “Dear Colleague” letter to her caucus, Pelosi hinted at bills to respond to Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion in Dobbs …