DOJ Adviser Seen Urging Violence in Jan. 6 Capitol Video
Written By Lexx Thornton Video footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol shows a man who now works as an adviser at the Justice Department shouting at rioters to “kill” law enforcement officers responding to the attack and calling them “the Gestapo.” The footage, from a body camera worn by a Metropolitan Police Department officer, was first published Thursday by NPR. The network joined CBS News and other news organizations in suing to obtain thousands of hours of surveillance footage and court exhibits from the more than 1,000 criminal cases brought by the Justice Department against
Trump Allies Press GOP Clerks for Election Machine Access
A few weeks ago, Republican election officials in Colorado began receiving unsolicited calls and texts from a GOP consultant who said he was working with the Trump administration on “election integrity.” In a text to one of the officials, the consultant, Jeff Small, indicated he was acting on a request from Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff. In a phone call with another clerk, Small said he was coordinating with the White House and the Justice Department to “implement” an elections executive order signed by President Donald Trump, recalled Justin Grantham, the top election official in Fremont
Texas Democrats Face Fines, Funding Battle Over Quorum Break
By Ben Kamisar, Natasha Korecki and Adam Edelman As dozens of Texas state House Democrats near the one-week mark of their quorum break, fleeing the state indefinitely to prevent state GOP leaders from redrawing congressional lines, it’s not just politics that loom over the strategy. It’s money, too. The Democrats face a $500 fine for each day they’re “absent without leave,” a rule put into place after Democratic legislators mounted a similar effort to deny the Legislature a quorum in 2021, plus a “pro rata share” of what the state House Sergeant at Arms spends in their efforts to compel them to return to
Texas Gerrymander Push Sparks National Redistricting Fight
By Lawrence Hurley In June 2019, the Supreme Court swept aside the idea that federal courts could rein in state lawmakers’ power to draw legislative maps designed primarily to entrench their own party’s power. The ruling, a 5-4 split along ideological lines with conservative justices in the majority, made it clear that partisan gerrymandering was here to stay, absent states taking matters into their own hands or the unlikely scenario of Congress’ stepping in to impose some sort of national ban. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said simply that federal courts had no authority to intervene on the
California, New York Plan Gerrymander Counter to Texas
By Sahil Kapur and Adam Edelman Democrats in America’s two biggest blue states are hatching plans to respond in kind to a mid-decade move by Texas to draw a friendlier House map for Republicans. Retaliation threats have come from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who lead states where Democrats control large legislative majorities. Two can play at this game, they say, vowing to similarly eliminate GOP-held seats in their states. But that’s easier said than done. Democrats have legal hurdles to clear in California and New York, which have restricted partisan gerrymandering, which liberal advocates pushed in previous years in
Senate Adjourns Without Deal on Trump Nominees After Clash
The Senate left Washington Saturday night for its monthlong August recess without a deal to advance dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees, calling it quits after days of contentious bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer can “GO TO HELL!” Without a deal in hand, Republicans say they may try to change Senate rules when they return in September to speed up the pace of confirmations. Trump has been pressuring senators to move quickly as Democrats blocked more nominees than usual this year, denying any fast unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls
GOP Split as Texas Redistricting Push Sparks Retaliation Threats
By Sahil Kapur and Scott Wong Some Republicans representing competitive districts in blue states are speaking out against their party’s push to redraw congressional lines in Texas in an attempt give the GOP up to five more House seats. Reps. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., have called to impose nationwide limits on partisan gerrymandering, a rare move for Republicans in Washington who have thwarted proposed bans for years. Democratic governors like California’s Gavin Newsom and New York’s Kathy Hochul have threatened to retaliate against Texas by pursuing their own redistricting plans that could knock out GOP-held swing districts, like those Lawler and
Trump Admin Orders Grand Jury on 2016 Election Probe
By Michael Kosnar, Dan De Luce, David Rohde and Vaughn Hillyard Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed Justice Department prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation of whether Obama administration officials committed federal crimes when they assessed Russia’s actions during the 2016 election, a senior Trump administration official said. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard claimed at a White House news conference last month that top Obama administration officials carried out a “treasonous conspiracy” against Donald Trump. Gabbard said she was sending criminal referrals to the Justice Department. A former senior Justice Department official condemned the move as “a dangerous political stunt.” And a former senior
Kayla White Shines Over Sha’Carri Richardson in 100m Heat
Sha’Carri Richardson ran a season’s best in the USATF 100m on Friday — but a former HBCU star outshined her in the heat. Kayla White, a national champion at North Carolina A&T, ran a personal-best 10.89 to win her heat. She topped Sha’Carri Richardson’s time of 11.07 in the process. Kayla White dominates at HBCU For her career, White won 17 MEAC indoor and outdoor sprint and hurdle titles at HBCU track factory North Carolina A&T from 2016 to 2019. The Miami, Florida native secured her first career win at the 2016 MEAC Indoor Championships. She claimed the 60-meter hurdles title in 8.39 seconds. That
Texas Democrats Flee State to Block GOP Redistricting Plan
By Natasha Korecki and Ryan Chandler A showdown over redistricting in Texas played out here on Sunday as dozens of state Democrats took refuge roughly 1,000 miles away from home, saying they fled Texas to deny quorum to Republican efforts to add as many as five congressional seats to their map. It culminated with Texas’ Republican governor threatening to expel the Democrats from the Texas state House and potentially extradite them, saying they may be “felons.” The Texas state House Democrats filed off of buses and Ubers into a crammed county party headquarters at a strip mall Sunday night, standing alongside Illinois Gov.
