Politics

Politico reports: Former Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.) was on a trip several weeks ago to Belarus when a D.C. lobbyist, with whom he was sharing an Airbnb in Minsk, woke him up with alarming news: Russia was invading the country next door. The lobbyist with whom Taylor was rooming, Robert Stryk, described what happened next as something out of a …

CNBC reports: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., told NBC that Justice Thomas should recuse himself from any cases related to the Jan. 6 riot that come before the high court. Durbin said it would be “the ultimate conflict of interest” for Thomas to participate in a case “where his wife is frequently contacting the chief of staff for …

Politico reports: A new $1.4 billion stadium for the Buffalo Bills will receive a record public subsidy of $850 million between state and county funding, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday. The combined $850 million would set a record for the most public money ever spent on an NFL stadium, topping the $750 million recently spent in Las Vegas. Hochul said …

The Baton Rouge Advocate reports: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is seriously considering a run for governor next year, according to sources who have spoken to him, a move that would dramatically shake up the race to replace Gov. John Bel Edwards. Cassidy’s potential candidacy has been spurred by his break with former President Donald Trump after the 2020 presidential election, …

ABC News reports: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from certain cases after it emerged his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, sent text messages to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging him to help overturn the 2020 election results. Klobuchar said it was “a …

USA Today reports: Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to “voluntarily” appear before Congress to answer questions about his wife’s communications with the White House regarding efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Blumenthal, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told CBS that Justice Thomas should “voluntarily appear” before the House Select Committee investigating the …

Baltimore’s NBC News affiliate reports: A Maryland judge on Friday rejected the General Assembly’s newly drawn Congressional district map. After a four-day trial, Maryland Court of Appeals Judge Lynne A. Battaglia on Friday ruled the 2021 plan violates Maryland’s Free Election Clause of the Maryland Declaration of Rights. As such, the judge ruled the 2021 plan is in violation of …

The Hill reports: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Friday said Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from any cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and, if former President Trump runs again, cases related to the 2024 election. Wyden said Clarence Thomas’s “conduct on the Supreme Court looks increasingly corrupt” in the wake of …

CNN reports: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was discharged from a Washington, DC, hospital Friday morning a week after he was admitted for what a court spokesperson described as an infection. Thomas, 73, entered Sibley Memorial Hospital last Friday after experiencing flu-like symptoms. The court’s public information officer did not say anything about Thomas’ condition when he was released and …

The Kansas City Star reports: The Missouri Senate approved a congressional map on Thursday, ending weeks of Republican infighting over how far to go in drawing GOP-leaning districts for partisan advantage. The map — approved in a 22-10 vote — was the result of a compromise among Republicans, including between GOP leaders and some members of the Conservative Caucus, a …

Axios reports: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Friday that he will vote in support of confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson to be a Supreme Court justice. Manchin’s support essentially guarantees Jackson’s confirmation to the court. What he’s saying: “After meeting with [Jackson], considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have …

Reuters reports: Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney was taken off stage by officials during a speech in Belfast on Friday after the event organiser said a suspicious device had been discovered in a hijacked van in the car park of the venue. The van driver was ordered at gunpoint to drive to the venue in north Belfast, one of the …

CNBC reports: The Supreme Court has remained silent on the condition of 73-year-old Justice Clarence Thomas since it announced his hospitalization earlier this week and said he was on the mend. Thomas was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. Friday night, where he was being treated for an infection, the court said in a statement released Sunday. The …

The Associated Press reports: Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that he will vote against confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson, saying he “cannot and will not” support the groundbreaking nominee for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. While McConnell’s opposition was not unexpected and Jackson’s confirmation is still on track, his declaration coming only hours after the Senate Judiciary …

Common Dreams reports: The Arizona Senate on Wednesday passed a Republican-authored bill that advocates warn could prompt “the most extreme voter purge in the country” by requiring state residents to provide proof of citizenship to stay on the rolls. Just one of a slew of voter suppression measures that the GOP-controlled Arizona legislature is currently working to advance—including a bill …

ABC News reports: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, has completed two full days of questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee: 13 hours on Tuesday and 10.5 hours on Wednesday. Thursday will mark the final day of the four-day confirmation hearing as the committee hears from outside legal experts, civil rights leaders …

Axios reports: North Korea tested a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday for the first time since 2017, raising new alarms about its ability to strike the United States, according to South Korean and Japanese officials. The banned long-range missile, which Japan says flew to an altitude of 3,728 miles and covered a distance of 596 miles, threatens to destabilize …

The Associated Press reports: Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Prince William and Kate on Wednesday that the British commonwealth intends to become fully independent in an unexpected announcement that comes as other countries consider cutting ties with the monarchy. Holness also noted that there are “unresolved” issues as he greeted Prince William and Kate in front of a media …

The Associated Press reports: Lawyers for two men on South Carolina’s death row have asked the state’s Supreme Court to hold off on setting execution dates while they challenge a new law allowing executions by firing squad. The Monday request by attorneys for Brad Keith Sigmon and Freddie Eugene Owens comes after the state Corrections Department said last week that …

Reuters reports: Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $275 million to women’s healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, the largest gift from a single donor in the organization’s more than 100-year history, Planned Parenthood said on Wednesday. The donation, which is part of Scott’s pledge to give away the majority of her wealth, was made to Planned Parenthood’s national office and 21 regional …