The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2023-05-05

Domestic

Regulators seized First Republic Bank early Monday, making it the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history. Its deposits and most of its assets were sold to JPMorgan. The sale again raises questions about the health of the U.S. banking system.

Also on Monday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told lawmakers that the federal government could run out of money to pay its debts as soon as June 1 if the debt ceiling isn’t raised. The Biden administration and Congress are scrambling to avoid the economic catastrophe that could arise if the government runs out of cash.

This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing surrounding Supreme Court ethics. Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly accepted more luxury gifts from a billionaire Republican donor that he failed to disclose. Democrats present said their goal was to get the Supreme Court to write itself a code of conduct.

Interview: 
https://the1a.org/segments/clarence-thomas-republican-gifts/

International

On Thursday, Russia claimed that Ukraine tried to assassinate its president, Vladimir Putin, by attacking the Kremlin with a drone. According to Russian officials, no one was harmed. Ukraine has denied the allegations.

This week, the United Nations called upon Sudan’s rival military leaders to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered safely within the country’s borders. The pressure comes after the warring factions looted six aid trucks as air strikes rained down in the capital city of Khartoum amid what was supposed to be a weeklong ceasefire.

It will be a weekend of pomp and pageantry in the United Kingdom as Charles is officially crowned King on Saturday. The country has been gearing up all this week.

Interview: 

https://the1a.org/segments/ukraine-drone-coronation-sudan/

Bernie Sanders unveils plan for $17-an-hour US minimum wage | Bernie Sanders | The Guardian

'In the richest country in the history of the world, nobody should be forced to work for starvation wages,' Vermont senator says…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/04/bernie-sanders-federal-minimum-wage-17-dollars-an-hour

Republican’s highly-anticipated scheme BLOWS UP in their faces

... as they can find no evidence to support their allegations against Biden, and it becomes clear they are making much ado about nothing...

https://youtu.be/T0dzwq4xvHs

Payments made to Justice Thomas' wife raise more ethical questions about...

For the fourth time in a month, a report raises questions about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his rich friends. This time it’s money going to Ginni Thomas, the justice's wife. According to the Washington Post, Leonard Leo directed pollster Kellyanne Conway to give Ginni Thomas “another $25k” and bill it to a nonprofit that Leo advised. John Yang discussed the report with Emma Brown.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/c5ocmJXKfD8

Republicans reject abortion bans as ‘campaign-enders’ in warning to party

Those tensions are certainly becoming clear on the national stage, with growing numbers of Republicans sounding the alarm that the party should not lean too far right on abortion, especially since last year's midterms showed a string of victories for abortion rights that seem to suggest the party's stance on the issue is out of sync with the general public...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/04/republican-lawmakers-reject-abortion-bans

Clarence Thomas Raised Him. Harlan Crow Paid His Tuition. — ProPublica

Crow paid for private school for a relative Thomas said he was raising "as a son." "This is way outside the norm," said a former White House ethics lawyer...

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tuition-scotus

Florida legislature passes anti-trans bathroom bill - The Washington Post

It is not clear how such a law — which defines sex using characteristics such as "chromosomes, naturally occurring sex hormones, and internal and external genitalia present at birth" — would be enforced. Kaleb Hobson-Garcia, a transgender man, said at a hearing that despite his beard and deep voice, the bill would require him to use the women's restroom, potentially alarming those around him and putting him in danger...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/05/04/florida-transgender-bathroom-ban-bill/

Durbin Reflects on Senate Judiciary Hearing on the Devastating Fallout Since SCOTUS Overruled Roe

In Oklahoma there is a 100% ban, no exceptions. Because of this law, all IVF programs had to close. Doctors treating infertility must have the ability to perform abortions on their high risk patients. Oklahoma has lost a lot of good doctors because of these new laws. The laws were draughted and passed by the Republican state governor and officials. Not a single Oklahoman had a say in it.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/lpFSt2T3_tM

What the GOP doesn’t understand about Biden’s debt ceiling position

If Republicans' confusion about the White House's position on the debt ceiling is sincere, there's probably value in helping clarify matters for them...

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/gop-doesnt-understand-bidens-debt-ceiling-position-rcna82844

Chairman Whitehouse: MAGA Republican Hostage Taking Is the Definition of Extremism

May 4 | Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, delivers opening remarks at a Budget Committee hearing entitled, "The Default on America Act: Blackmail, Brinkmanship, and Billionaire Backroom Deals."

MAGA Republicans’ dangerous bill proposes a terrible choice: default on our financial obligations, cause widespread pain and wreck our economy, or gut basic federal programs essential to our economic strength, cause widespread pain, and wreck our economy.
Interview: 

https://youtu.be/nG43W0z9WzY

Proud Boys

Even though the rule of law was preserved in today's ruling, the threat still looms large. Trump encouraged the Proud Boys to commit seditious conspiracy before, and, if given the opportunity, he'd gladly do it again.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/OIiqRRNUNVQ

Sen. Whitehouse Bashes Fossil-Fuel-Funded GOP Attacks on Solar Energy and American Workers

May 3 | Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, delivers remarks on the Senate floor after House Republicans passed a measure to repeal President Biden’s pause on tariffs for solar panels from four Southeast Asian countries.

Across the United States, the solar industry employs 250,000 workers. These are well-paying jobs in an industry that saves families money on their electric bills and decreases our carbon footprint.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/i7NLd5Bjdss

Pointing to seized fentanyl, GOP’s Stefanik picks the wrong fight

Elise Stefanik didn't just push a weird complaint in response to drug seizures at the border, she did so in the midst of her party's debt ceiling crisis…

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/pointing-seized-fentanyl-gops-stefanik-picks-wrong-fight-rcna82829

WATCH LIVE: Garland makes remarks on former Proud Boys leader's conviction in Jan. 6 case

https://www.youtube.com/live/n6Zoyp-9kbY

Top U.S. & World News — May 3, 2023

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/ST_w4qZPF6I

US states opposing student loan forgiveness made false claims, files reveal

Republican states fighting Joe Biden's plan falsely said they'd be financially impacted by the scheme, debt forgiveness group claims…

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/may/02/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-us-states-false-claims

WATCH: Durbin says Roberts’ refusal to testify in ethics hearing is ‘defense of the status quo’

May 2, 2023 In opening remarks during a committee hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said that the high court does not consider itself bound by the same ethics laws and standards that govern Congress and other parts of the judicial branch of the federal government.

The hearing came a few weeks after reporting from ProPublica revealed Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas’ personal relationship with billionaire Harlan Crow, which has involved luxury trips paid for by Crow and high-value real estate deals.

Durbin added that he had invited Chief Justice John Roberts to testify at the committee’s hearing, but Roberts declined, citing “separation of powers concerns” and “the importance of preserving the judicial independence” in a letter he sent to Durbin.

“Answering legitimate questions from the people's elected representatives is one of the checks and balances that helps preserve the separation of powers,” Durbin said, taking issue with Roberts’ argument.

Durbin noted that Roberts attached a document to his letter that details the ethics, principles and practices that govern the Supreme Court, which Durbin said lays out why justices believe they should not be treated the same as other federal judges when it comes to ethics.
Interview: 

https://youtu.be/LUpfc0gxv9Q

Katie Porter Takes The Gloves Off In EPIC Moment

Rep. Katie Porter condemns the GOP's nonsense in regards to the opioid crisis and immigration. She does not hold back with them trying to place blame on "Biden's border crisis," and she leaves the Republicans in pieces.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/bjU0SWMbtLQ

Michigan clerk who denies election results faces recall in divided county

Elected in Adams Township in 2020, Stephanie Scott, who ran unopposed, has spent her years as a clerk – a position that would typically oversee township elections – mostly removed from the electoral process. After she refused to turn over a voting machine for regular maintenance in 2021, allegedly shared confidential voter data with a third-party IT analyst, and spread lies about election rigging, the Michigan Bureau of Elections removed Scott's power to administer elections.

Michigan's election security issues are not limited to the small township. Similar alleged security breaches surfaced across the politically competitive state following the 2020 elections as some poll workers and clerks, convinced by Donald Trump's baseless claims of election fraud, attempted to access tabulators. A special prosecutor in Michigan has reportedly convened a secret grand jury to investigate…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/02/michigan-clerk-election-denier-faces-recall

Thomas' Citizens United Vote Enabled Billionaire Benefactor to Boost Political Power

Since Thomas provided a deciding vote in the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case, the Crow family's ability to influence federal elections has increased by a factor of almost nine, according to an Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) analysis of campaign finance data...

https://www.commondreams.org/news/clarence-thomas-citizens-united-harlan-crow-political-spending

GOP Lawmaker's Wild Claim About Those Who 'Hate Homosexuals' Causes Literal Jaw-Drop | HuffPost Latest News

"Our terrorist enemies hate homosexuals more than we do."

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/florida-state-rep-hate-homosexuals_n_6451e375e4b062de079b778f

Sen. Whitehouse Opens Budget Hearing on Air Pollution, Public Health & the True Cost of Fossil Fuels

May 3, 2023

May 3 | Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, delivers his opening statement at a Budget Committee hearing entitled, "Who Pays the Price: The Real Cost of Fossil Fuels."

Scientists and economists warn that the United States is failing to reckon with the true costs of fossil fuels.

The International Monetary Fund estimates US fossil fuel subsidies amount to more than $660 billion each year when factoring in industry tax breaks and the harmful effects of fossil fuel combustion: global warming, air pollutants, and road accidents or congestion. Yet this does not include the harmful effects of local pollutants from oil and gas extraction, which cause serious health problems, like lower birth weights, elevated risk of leukemia, and higher asthma rates.

While President Biden has proposed repealing direct oil and gas subsidies in his FY 2024 budget request, House Republicans have doubled down on fossil fuel giveaways with their Default on America Act, which would leave American taxpayers footing the bill for climate change.
Interview: 

https://youtu.be/WNoURJFa_5w

Former Prosecutor Elie Honig discusses the chances of a Trump conviction. (Anthony Davis: The Weekend Show podcast)

Former Prosecutor Elie Honig joins Anthony Davis to discuss the chances of a Trump conviction and how US justice favors the rich, white and powerful.

Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-qrxvg-1801a29e

Allred set to launch Texas Senate run against Cruz - POLITICO

Democratic Rep. Colin Allred is planning to announce a run against Sen. Ted Cruz as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with his plans...

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/01/allred-texas-senate-cruz-00094674

Top U.S. & World Headlines — May 1, 2023

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/bcSKGO2JGZE

Another Video Surfaces Of Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Bigoted Bit

In yet another turn in the story of Rep. Lauren Boebert's bigotry, it appears that Boebert's made-up tale about Rep. Ilhan Omar is not an isolated incident.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/ZAxcvr9zzTI

Predator Priest Profile: Romano Ferraro (New York)

-A short history of the crimes, cover-ups and reassignments surrounding Father Romano Ferraro, one of New York’s most notorious predator priests.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/Kiy0I_BeHz0

Visibly Disturbed Trump tells MOST DESPICABLE LIE yet in DERANGED new video

In his most vile and disgusting lie to date, Donald Trump claims that he will stand up against Democrats who want to execute babies after they are born, despite no evidence of this occurring anywhere. Meidas contributor Troy breaks down the evolution of the lie that access to safe and legal abortion means that parents want to murder their children.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/Vtqtfk5Fx4M

US rail companies grant paid sick days after public pressure in win for unions

After being roundly criticized for not offering paid sick days, the leading rail companies – BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific – have granted many of their 93,000 workers four paid sick days a year through labor negotiations, with an option of taking three more paid sick days from personal days...

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/01/railroad-workers-union-win-sick-leave

New Orleans high schooler’s $9.7m in scholarship offers surpasses record

His academic excellence helped him earn promotion out of the sophomore and junior grades at International high, and he is preparing to graduate on 24 May despite being just 16 years old, which is younger than the typical senior, according to officials.

Barnes has already started accumulating college credits through a dual enrollment program offered by Southern University at New Orleans…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/01/dennis-barnes-new-orleans-high-school-scholarship-record

The pro-Trump pastors embracing ‘overt white Christian nationalism’

"This kind of overt embrace of white Christian nationalism continues to pose a growing threat to the witness of the church and the health of our democracy," said Adam Russell Taylor, the president of the Christian social justice group Sojourners.

"This pastor and this effort are trying to impose a Christian theocracy. It's imperative that Christian leaders of all backgrounds including conservative ones speak out about this effort as a threat to our democracy and to the church."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/01/far-right-pastors-embracing-trump-white-christian-nationalism

The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2023-04-29

Domestic

It was a big week at the White House. President Joe Biden announced his plans to run for reelection in 2024. And Vice President Kamala Harris visited her alma mater, Howard University in Washington DC, where she gave a speech in support of reproductive rights.

Washington became the 10th state to ban the sale of semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15. “These weapons of war of assault weapons have no reason other than mass murder. Their only purpose is to kill humans as rapidly as possible in large numbers,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

And in financial news, shares for First Republic Bank fell 30 percent this week and closed at a new record low. The tumble is prompting fears that the bank could fail.
Interview: 

https://the1a.org/segments/president-biden-assault-rifle/

International

Supply shortages are impacting the citizens of Sudan as the fighting in its capital Khartoum continues, despite the agreement of a three-day truce. Thousands of people are fleeing as foreign governments are working to get visitors and diplomats out of the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since his country was invaded by Russia. However, during the phone call, Chinese officials reportedly never spoke the words “Russia” or “war.”

President Joe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol this week. The U.S. agreed to send nuclear submarines to Korean waters in an attempt to deter North Korean aggression. In exchange, South Korea agreed not develop its own nuclear weapons.

Interview: 

https://the1a.org/segments/sudan-violence-north-korea/

BREAKING: North Carolina Republicans pull DEMOCRACY-ENDING move

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/22rL3YTgkO4

New Democratic star utterly DESTROYS GOP Member to his face during hearing

Watch a new Democratic star Justin Jones utterly destroys a Tennessee Republican Representative Jason Zachary to his face during a hearing on implicit bias. Meidas Contributor Francis Maxwell reacts.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/7LfVa9Gt_kc

Watch highlights from 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/73tLs6adGkE

‘We need to read the room’: GOP divided on abortion as Democrats unite for 2024

Republicans are divided over how to counter the attacks. Some Republicans have argued that abortion is a matter best left to the states, a position recently endorsed by Donald Trump. Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA), one of the most powerful anti-abortion groups, fired back with a warning to the party's 2024 hopefuls: any candidate who does not endorse a national ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy will not receive their support.

The rift between Trump and the movement leaders who once anointed him the "most pro-life" president in history for his role delivering the conservative supreme court majority that struck down Roe underscores the challenge for Republican candidates as they seek to appeal to their party's socially conservative base in the primary without alienating independents and swing voters in a general election.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/republicans-divided-abortion-democrats-united-2024-election

‘Fearful and trigger happy’: flooded with guns and paranoia, the US reels from shootings

"A lot of people who shouldn't have guns, who don't need them, who don't know how to use them safely … are fearful and trigger happy," said the president of Global Action on Gun Violence, Jonathan Lowy. "And it's inevitable that that will lead to tragedies like we're seeing." 

In a speech on the legislative floor, the Democratic Connecticut US senator Chris Murphy added: "Gun murders are now just the way in which we work out our frustrations. This is a dystopia … that we've chosen for ourselves."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/usa-gun-crime-paranoia-self-defense-gun-laws

Republican attacks on trans people smack of fascism

Bigotry against minority groups based on sexual orientation or gender identity is a way fascism takes root…

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/30/republican-attacks-trans-people-fascism

Roy Wood, Jr. COMPLETE REMARKS at 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner (C-SPAN)

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/C5m5dIiJMD0

Far-right California county’s bid to hand count votes will cost millions

The move to a costly and experimental hand-count system comes as half the workforce is readying to strike over wages…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/29/california-shasta-county-voting-machine

President Biden complete remarks at 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner

https://youtu.be/bDZ1H4ABmiU

Ron DeSantis's Vision of Freedom Is Unconstitutional - The Atlantic

Neither my freedom nor yours requires the state to protect us from an entertainment company urging the state legislature to repeal a bill, or a beer company putting a trans influencer on a can, or whatever else DeSantis regards as a pathology. Indeed, we remain free in part because the First Amendment prevents the state from engaging in that sort of viewpoint discrimination...

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/04/desantis-disney-lawsuit-free-speech-florida/673903/

3,000 guns surrendered in New York in exchange for gift cards - ABC News

Describing it as a "landmark event," New York State Attorney General Letitia James, whose office hosted and coordinated Saturday's program, said more than 3,000 guns were surrendered at nine buyback locations throughout the state, including two in New York City...

https://abcnews.go.com/US/3000-guns-surrendered-new-york-day-exchange-gift/story?id=98967589

Witness STRIKES BACK against Marjorie Taylor Greene’s VILE Stunt

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the response from the Randi Weingarten to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s reprehensible examination during a committee hearing.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/YJYv8a7SAgE

Two Firms and a Former VP (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Jack: A Special Counsel podcast, Episode #22)

This week: Pence testifies before the Federal Grand Jury; Trump’s lawyers send a letter to Congress pleading for them to shut down the documents investigation; a second firm that was paid by Trump’s campaign to find evidence of fraud in the 2020 election gets a subpoena; Jack Smith’s office reached out to Abby Grossberg’s lawyers for her audio tapes; plus listener questions.

Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-hprj4-17fe51c9

Weekly Roundup: Protecting Kids to Death (Daniel Miller and Bradley Onishi; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

1. Ten Commandments in Schools = religious freedom? In this economy?
2. Brad and Dan discuss Tucker Carlson’s ouster at Fox News – and what it means in the short and long terms.
3. Dan takes us through the situation in Montana, where Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the only trans legislator in the state, has been locked out of the legislative session for no reason.
4. The battle to repeal no-fault divorce – and how it relates to trans rights, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, and so many other issues around the country.

Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-protecting-kids-to-death/

Predator Priest Profile: Father Francis Stinner (New York)

A short history of the crimes of and cover-ups surrounding Father Francis Stinner, a predator priest whose legacy of child sexual abuse was defended, deflected, and protected for decades by the Catholic hierarchs of the Archdiocese of New York.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/KxpB_e0sC40

Chief Justice John Roberts’ Wife Made Millions From Top Law Firms: Whistleblower

At least one of the firms reportedly had a case before Chief Justice Roberts.  

Chief Justice John Roberts' Wife Made Millions From Top Law Firms: Whistleblower thedailybeast.com

“Rising Tide of Fascism”: Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones Warns of GOP’s Embrace of authoritarianism

"Rising Tide of Fascism": Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones Warns of GOP's Embrace of Authoritarianism youtu.be

Cryptocurrencies II: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Cryptocurrencies II: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) youtu.be

A Predator Blessed With Charm – Hartford Courant

For Tony Cardone, an experienced altar boy, the bad times usually came in the sacristy, right after private Masses performed by Brett. From the altar, the two went to the sacristy to change from their vestments into street clothes. There, amid the priests' robes, the chalice and the faint smell of incense, Cardone recalled, Brett explained that performing fellatio on each other was "the way Christian men receive communion."

"He would unzip himself and then unzip me," Cardone said. "I remember him telling me one time I had the body of a Greek god."…

A Predator Blessed With Charm courant.com

The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2023-04-28

Domestic

It was a big week at the White House. President Joe Biden announced his plans to run for reelection in 2024. And Vice President Kamala Harris visited her alma mater, Howard University in Washington DC, where she gave a speech in support of reproductive rights.

Washington became the 10th state to ban the sale of semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15. “These weapons of war of assault weapons have no reason other than mass murder. Their only purpose is to kill humans as rapidly as possible in large numbers,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

And in financial news, shares for First Republic Bank fell 30 percent this week and closed at a new record low. The tumble is prompting fears that the bank could fail.

Interview: 

https://the1a.org/segments/president-biden-assault-rifle/

 

International

Supply shortages are impacting the citizens of Sudan as the fighting in its capital Khartoum continues, despite the agreement of a three-day truce. Thousands of people are fleeing as foreign governments are working to get visitors and diplomats out of the country.zzz

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since his country was invaded by Russia. However, during the phone call, Chinese officials reportedly never spoke the words “Russia” or “war.”

President Joe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol this week. The U.S. agreed to send nuclear submarines to Korean waters in an attempt to deter North Korean aggression. In exchange, South Korea agreed not develop its own nuclear weapons.

Interview:

https://the1a.org/segments/sudan-violence-north-korea/

Predator Priest Profile: Dennis Riter (New York)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAGFiWJ5_KY

‘Endless record heat’ in Asia as highest April temperatures recorded | Climate crisis | The Guardian

On Tuesday, four weather stations in Myanmar hit or matched record monthly temperatures, with Theinzayet, in eastern Mon state, reaching the highest, at 43C (109.4F)… 

There had been "endless record heat in south-east Asia, with weeks of records falling every day," said Herrera…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/27/endless-record-heat-asia-highest-april-temperatures

Climate change: Spain breaks record temperature for April - BBC News

Many farmers are experiencing difficulties due to the ongoing lack of rain, with the government in Madrid asking the European Union for financial help. 

Some landowners say they won't plant crops due to the dry conditions, which could have implications for food supplies across Europe. 

This heatwave in Spain is not an isolated event - all across the world high temperatures in the first few months of this year have shattered records…

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65403381

Revealed: Senate investigation into Brett Kavanaugh assault claims contained serious omissions | Brett Kavanaugh | The Guardian

The FBI was at the time involved in its own review of sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. The investigation, conducted under FBI director Christopher Wray, another Yale graduate, has widely been derided as a "sham" by Democrats led by the Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate judiciary committee. 

Whitehouse's office is expected to release a report into the FBI's handling of the Kavanaugh investigation by the end of this year...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/28/brett-kavanaugh-investigation-omissions-senate-sexual-assault-claims

Democrats are the party of job creation and lower deficits; republicans the part of tax cuts for the rich and exploding deficits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSUyhEpNd1c

The US supreme court’s alleged ethics issues are worse than you probably realize | Moira Donegan | The Guardian

Both have claimed that they are such intelligent and gifted legal minds that they should be given lifelong appointments of unparalleled power, and also that they have made innocent mistakes on legal forms that they are too dumb to understand. 

The claim strains credulity. What it looks like, to the American people who have to live under the laws that the supreme court shapes, is that Thomas has long been living lavishly on the dime of a rightwing billionaire who wants rightwing rulings, and that Gorsuch conveniently managed to sell a house he didn't want at the precise moment when he became important enough to be worth bribing…

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/28/supreme-court-ethics-issues-worse-than-you-realize

'Disappointing Day for Women': Senate GOP Filibuster Blocks Equal Rights Amendment

"Today is a disappointing day for women," declared League of Women Voters of the United States CEO Virginia Kase Solomón. "Our nation's elected leaders have failed yet again to see us as equal members of this democracy." 

https://www.commondreams.org/news/senate-equal-rights-amendment

As GOP Targets Food Aid, House Dems Remind McCarthy of $1.9 Trillion in Trump Tax Cuts

"In tax cuts in 2017 passed by the other side of the aisle, we see wonderful tax cuts for yacht owners and private jets," said Ocasio-Cortez. "But in order to balance our budget now, we're talking about cuts to SNAP, to food out of babies' mouths, instead of actually reexamining the inequities within our tax system."… 

"The McCarthy proposal," they wrote, "also resurfaces a completely inaccurate but alarmingly persistent conservative claim: the idea that government anti-poverty programs are unnecessarily generous, bloated, and are keeping people out of the workforce who should otherwise be supporting themselves entirely through income earned in the labor market."…

https://www.commondreams.org/news/house-dems-remind-gop-mccarthy-1-9-trillion-trump-tax-cuts

Oklahoma Woman Told to Wait in Hospital Parking Lot Until 'Crashing' for Abortion

At the last hospital she went to before deciding to get care three hours away at an abortion clinic in Kansas, Statton was told to wait in the parking lot until her symptoms became worse than the heavy bleeding and illness she had already experienced. "They were very sincere; they weren't trying to be mean," Statton told NPR. "They said, 'The best we can tell you to do is sit in the parking lot, and if anything else happens, we will be ready to help you. But we cannot touch you unless you are crashing in front of us or your blood pressure goes so high that you are fixing to have a heart attack.'" Statton's experience illustrates "what 'pro-life' laws look like on the ground," said MSNBC news anchor Chris Hayes...

https://www.commondreams.org/news/oklahoma-woman-molar-pregnancy

Michigan GOP faces existential crisis: 'The state party is dead'

Michigan's Republican Party is grappling with disunity and disarray as it looks to regain lost political ground ahead of 2024…

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3970792-michigan-gop-crisis-karamo-kristina/

Mifepristone is under scrutiny in the courts, but it has been used safely and effectively around the world for decades

The Conversation asked Grace Shih, a family physician practicing in Washington state, to explain the science behind mifepristone as well as its safety and efficacy in medication abortions...

https://theconversation.com/mifepristone-is-under-scrutiny-in-the-courts-but-it-has-been-used-safely-and-effectively-around-the-world-for-decades-204163

Disney sues Florida Gov Ron DeSantis

Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, alleging the Republican governor has waged a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power" over the company...

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/26/disney-sues-florida-gov-ron-desantis-alleges-political-effort-to-hurt-its-business.html

Yes, the climate crisis is raising your grocery bills

Last year, the United States incurred over $2bn in costs due to 20 climate-related extreme weather events, from Hurricane Ian to heatwaves and drought. Lumber, cotton, tomatoes, wheat, and energy – and the products they generate, from denim jeans to your Italian takeout dinner – were all affected by these events and are now more expensive than this time last year. Climate-driven extreme weather and disasters are now more frequently responsible for production shortages, supply chain disruptions, and labor issues that lead to higher costs of living...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/27/climate-crisis-grocery-bills-food-environment

When Russia is defeated in Ukraine, look to Chechnya – POLITICO

"Russia is like a drunk neighbor. One day he comes to your home and wants to burn it. You catch him, he runs away. Another day he comes back sober and begs for forgiveness. And then he returns drunk with a pistol and kills your wife and kids," he says...

https://www.politico.eu/article/when-russia-defeated-ukraine-look-chechnya-war/

Iowa legislature passes bill restricting state auditor’s access to records - The Washington Post

"If you let a state agency decide what the auditor's office can look at, how often are they going to let [the auditor] find waste, fraud and abuse?"…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/27/iowa-state-legislator-auditor-republicans/

A second firm hired by Trump campaign found no evidence of election fraud - The Washington Post

The founder of the company has been interviewed by federal prosecutors investigating the former president's efforts to overturn the 2020 results…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/04/27/trump-false-election-fraud-claims/

Four key flaws in Trump’s classified-document defense - The Washington Post

"A legislative solution by Congress is required to prevent the [Justice Department] from continuing to conduct ham-handed criminal investigations of matters that are inherently not criminal," the legal team wrote near the start of the letter. Over the course of the next eight pages, they presented their case, both for the improper nature of the probe and of Trump's innocence. 

But on at least four key points, the letter is deeply flawed as a defense…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/27/trump-classified-documents-congress/

Time to Wake Up 288: Republicans’ Oily Wish List

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcp7rIJQXyM