Headlines for Thursday, May 18, 2023
đ˝There is no greater power than a community discovering the truth and working together to make sure an injustice is not repeated
đ˝A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny. - Thomas Jefferson
đ˝There is no greater power than a community discovering the truth and working together to make sure an injustice is not repeated
NEWS HEADLINES FOR MAY 18, 2023
ABC News:Â Disney cancels planned Florida campus in Lake Nona: Disney announced on Thursday that it canceled plans for a new campus near Orlando, Florida. The development was planned for the Lake Nona region. "Given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with construction of the campus," Disney said in a statement.
NBC News: DeSantis criticized for mandating Asian American history while banning courses on 'systemic racism': A new law in Florida mandates the teaching of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in public schools. But many Asian Americans are not celebrating, pointing to how other marginalized communities are being impacted by the state heavily limiting the instruction of systemic racism and gender identity in the classroom. Asian American academics and civil rights organizations are speaking out after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill last week, requiring that Asian American and Pacific Islander history to be included in the K-12 curriculum. The measure coincides with another bill signed into law on Monday to no longer permit public colleges to spend money on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. It also limits the way race and gender will be taught in the stateâs higher education institutions. Gregg Orton, national director of National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a coalition of 38 AAPI organizations, said the history law is far from a âwinâ for the Asian American community, adding that âracial justice canât be a zero-sum game for communities of color.â
Fox News:Â Marjorie Taylor Greene announces impeachment articles against President Biden: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is introducing articles of impeachment against President Biden. "It is with the highest amount of solemnity that I announce my intention to introduce articles of impeachment today on the head of this America-at-last Executive Branch that has been working since January 20th, 2021, to systematically destroy this country: the President of the United States, Joseph Robinette Biden," Greene said at a press conference Thursday. The firebrand congresswoman said Biden should be removed from office because he has failed to secure the border and has "deliberately compromised our national security by refusing to enforce immigration laws and secure our border."Â
Slate:Â North Carolinaâs Devastating New Abortion Ban and the Fight Ahead: On Tuesday night, over the cries of hundreds of protesters, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina overrode the Democratic governorâs veto to enact an unpopular 12-week abortion ban, a bill that they refused to debate in a public hearing. Republicans now enjoy more power in the state capitol than theyâve had in years, after a Democratic lawmaker switched parties to give the GOP a veto-proof majority in both chambers. And it could get only worse after they gerrymander election districts later this year, enabled by a conservative-controlled state Supreme Court. That new GOP majority on the court recently reversed course on democracy to sanction gerrymandering and voter suppression. This could lead to more new laws that hurt schools, trans people, workers, and so many more, in addition to giving Republicans near-total control over government in a state that has split evenly and twice elected a Democratic governor in recent years.
The Hill:Â Florida Republican moves to expel Schiff from Congress: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has filed a motion to have Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) expelled from Congress in the aftermath of the Durham report, which she claims proves Schiff pushed lies about former President Trumpâs ties to Russia. Schiff, who was the top lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats had the House majority, has claimed in the past that Trump and his campaign colluded with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. But the report by Trump-era Special Counsel John Durham released this week concluded the FBI did not have sufficient information to open an investigation into Trumpâs ties to Russia. Schiff, who is running for Senate in California, pushed back against Lunaâs move to expel him, saying Republicans were attacking him for having the courage to stand up to Trump.
POLITICO:Â Biden admin expected to withdraw controversial judicial pick: The Biden administration is expected to withdraw the appellate court nomination of Michael Delaney, according to a person familiar with the matter â a rare failure of a judicial nominee with Democrats controlling the Senate and White House. Several Democrats on the Judiciary Committee were resisting supporting Delaney to serve on the First Circuit Court of Appeals, in part because of of his past work defending a school in a civil lawsuit over sexual assault. While it had become evident in recent weeks that Delaney did not have strong support to win confirmation, New Hampshire Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen continued pushing for his confirmation.Â
Washington Post:Â School librarians face a new penalty in the banned-book wars: Prison: Librarians could face years of imprisonment and tens of thousands in fines for providing sexually explicit, obscene or âharmfulâ books to children under new state laws that permit criminal prosecution of school and library personnel. At least seven states have passed such laws in the last two years, according to a Washington Post analysis, six of them in the past two months â although governors of Idaho and North Dakota vetoed the legislation. Another dozen states considered more than 20 similar bills this year, half of which are likely to come up again in 2024, The Post found. Some of the laws impose severe penalties on librarians, who until now were exempted in almost every state from prosecution over obscene material â a carve-out meant to permit accurate lessons in topics such as sex education. All but one of the new laws target schools, while some also target the staff of public libraries and one affects book vendors.
The Hill:Â Garcia vows to demand timeline on Santos Ethics probe âevery single dayâ: Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) is demanding that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) provide the public with a timeline of the Ethics Committee investigation into Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), one day after the House voted to refer a resolution to expel Santos to the notoriously slow-moving panel. In a letter to McCarthy on Thursday, Garcia quoted the Speaker, who told reporters earlier this week that he wants the Ethics Committee to âmove rapidlyâ in its investigation of Santos. âGiven your promises of swift action by the Ethics Committee, I hope that you will clarify the timeline by which we can expect the Ethics Committee to âmove rapidlyâ so that the House can take a transparent vote on whether Mr. Santos deserves to continue to serve as a member of this body,â Garcia, who introduced the expulsion resolution, wrote.
Semafor:Â George Santos survives yet another chaotic day: Republicans shielded Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. from expulsion with a procedural vote that referred the embattled lawmaker to the House Ethics Committee thatâs already investigating him. Following the various rules and customs involved in Wednesdayâs proceedings required a scorecard. In February, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. introduced H.R. 114, a privileged resolution to expel Santos from. the House of Representatives, which can bypass Republican leadership, then forced it to the House floor this week. But Republicans offered a motion to refer the resolution to the House Ethics Committee, effectively killing a vote on actual expulsion, which would require a two-thirds majority. âWe've never expelled anyone in the history of the Congress without due process of either the courts or ethics,â Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y. told Semafor. âWe all know where this ends. George Santos won't be in Congress for long.âDemocrats complained that the vote was a ploy to run out the clock until after the Congress ends in the guise of accountability. The ethics committee typically defers to law enforcement investigations first before launching their own, which in the case of Santos â who faces 13 federal charges from prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, alleging fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements, as well as other potential investigations â could be a long time.
New York Times:Â Supreme Court Sidesteps Ruling on Scope of Internet Liability Shield: The Supreme Court handed twin victories to technology platforms on Thursday, sidestepping an effort to limit a powerful liability shield for user posts and ruling that a law allowing suits for aiding terrorism did not apply to the ordinary activities of social media companies. The courtâs unanimous decision in one of the cases, Twitter v. Taamneh, No. 21-1496, effectively resolved both cases and allowed the justices to duck difficult questions about the scope of a 1996 law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. In a brief, unsigned opinion in the case concerning the liability shield, Gonzalez v. Google, No. 21-1333, the court said it would not âaddress the application of Section 230 to a complaint that appears to state little, if any, plausible claim for relief.â The court instead returned the case to the appeals court âto consider plaintiffsâ complaint in light of our decision in Twitter.â
Wall Street Journal:Â Antiabortion Group Used Cellphone Data to Target Ads to Planned Parenthood Visitors:Â A Midwest antiabortion group used cellphone location data to target online content to visitors of certain Planned Parenthood clinics, according to people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. âTook the first pill at the clinic? It may not be too late to save your pregnancy,â reads one ad such visitors were served on social-media sites including Facebook. Veritas Society, a nonprofit fund established by the organization Wisconsin Right to Life, was using precise geolocation data to target those ads from as early as November 2019 through late last year, according to a Veritas Society website, several former employees of an advertising-technology company it used to target the ads, and other people familiar with the matter. The ad company told Veritas Society it had to stop because it was violating the companyâs rules about targeting sensitive locations, the former employees said.
The Guardian:Â Conspiracy theorists to address US House subcommittee, watchdog warns: Witnesses set to testify to Congress about the âweaponisationâ of the US government on Thursday have links to far-right groups and a history of supporting conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccines and the January 6 insurrection, a congressional watchdog has warned. In February, Republicans in the House of Representatives created a panel on what they say is the politicisation of the FBI and justice department against conservatives. Critics saw it as an attempt to entangle Joe Biden in spurious investigations ahead of next yearâs election. On Thursday the judiciary subcommittee, chaired by Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, an ally of former US president Donald Trump, will hold its latest hearing on Capitol Hill. Research by the Congressional Integrity Project, a group that monitors the Republican investigations, suggests that its witnesses will come armed with political grudges.
ABC News:Â On eve of hearing, FBI says it revoked security clearances of 3 agents over Jan. 6 attack: The FBI has revoked the security clearances of three agents for issues related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a letter from the bureau to congressional investigators obtained by ABC News. One of the agents was among the pro-Trump mob at the U.S. Capitol, according to the FBI, and the two others are alleged to have hindered investigative efforts. At least two of the agents -- Steve Friend and Marcus Allen -- are expected to testify Thursday before the Republican-led House select subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government as part of its probe into the federal government's purported wrongdoings against conservatives.
CBS News:Â House Republicans block Democratic effort to expel George Santos from Congress: House Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic resolution that would expel GOP Rep. George Santos from Congress, instead voting to refer the matter to a committee while several investigations into his conduct continue. Santos faces 13 federal charges of fraud, money laundering and other crimes, with prosecutors alleging he pocketed thousands of dollars of campaign contributions and fraudulently collected unemployment benefits. The New York Republican, who lied about numerous aspects of his background in his pursuit of his congressional seat, pleaded not guilty and recently announced he will run for reelection next year. On Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California introduced a measure to expel Santos from the House as a "privileged" resolution, fast-tracking its consideration under House rules. Republicans moved Wednesday to refer the bill to the House Ethics Committee, which opened a formal probe into Santos in March. That vote, which required a simple majority, succeeded along party lines by a margin of 221 to 204. Seven Democrats voted present.
USA Today:Â Shouting match on Capitol steps: Reps. Bowman, Ocasio-Cortez slam Santos, Greene yells to impeach Biden: In the latest political scrum facing Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., the offense came from fellow New Yorkers in Congress and the defense came from Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The shouting match broke out Wednesday evening on the Capitol steps, with Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling on Santos to resign after his recent indictment on federal charges for fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. Santos pleaded not guilty to the charges and vowed to "fight the witch hunt" and clear his name, but his fellow House representatives aren't making that easy.
Scripps News:Â Communications director for Rep. George Santos resigns: Naysa Woomer, the communications director for embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), has resigned, Scripps News has learned. The departure of Woomer, a prominent Republican communications adviser, is the latest in a string of bad news for Santos, who was indicted on 13 counts, including fraud and money laundering, last week by Department of Justice officials. Woomer previously worked for GOP Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Reps. Ryan Costello, Thomas Massie, and Tim Huelskamp. Woomer said of the departure â appearing to direct the comment toward Santos â "Unfortunately, you never took one point of professional advice given."
The Hill:Â Texas, Florida laws have Latinos rethinking where they live: Legislation in Florida and Texas to crack down on undocumented immigrants is prompting some Hispanics to reconsider where they live and work. In Florida, videos of empty workplaces began to go viral after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill that ratchets up sanctions for employing undocumented workers. Those videos have caused a stir and energized some Hispanic communities, but they also reflect real fears, say advocates. âI think there is a form of protest to it. Iâm sure there is, âWell youâre gonna regret it because you need us,â which is absolutely true. But also, Iâm sure thereâs a palpable sense of fear among the immigrant community,â said Mario Carrillo, campaigns manager for Americaâs Voice, a progressive immigration advocacy group. The Florida law goes into effect July 1, stacked with provisions that will make daily life harder for undocumented immigrants and their communities.
Lincoln Journal Star:Â Nebraska Legislature combines transgender, abortion bills following chaotic debate: State lawmakers on Tuesday successfully combined two of the most controversial measures introduced this legislative session into a single bill. As chants from opponents of a bill (LB574) from Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth echoed in the legislative chamber, the Legislature amended a 12-week abortion ban into the measure and advanced it to final reading. The bill will now get two more hours of debate before it is likely to be sent to Gov. Jim Pillen for his signature. Tuesday's vote, which came on Day 78 of the 90-day session, marked a successful gamble by supporters of both measures after a six-week abortion ban (LB626) failed earlier this year and support for LB574 appeared to be wavering.
TIME:Â What's Happening in the Supreme Court's Shadows Is Shaping America: The biggest headlines about the Supreme Court typically involve one of two subjects: the major substantive rulings the Justices hand down each spring (like the decisions to eliminate a federal constitutional right to abortions and expanding a federal constitutional right to keep and bear arms in June 2022); and the confirmation process for new Justices (like the successful nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to succeed Stephen Breyer in February 2022). Indeed, a casual observer might draw the impression that these are the two contexts in which the Court plays its biggest role. The reality is far more complicated. By volume, each yearâs substantive rulings make up only a tiny sliverâroughly 1%âof the Supreme Courtâs overall docket. Most of the Courtâs work comes through unsigned, unexplained, and opaque orders that, in 2015, a University of Chicago law professor William Baude dubbed âthe shadow docket.â And although such orders are as old as the Supreme Court, for most of the Courtâs history, its effects were limited. Americans could reasonably ignore itâand we did. Until now.
Wall Street Journal:Â Federal Judge Says Judicial Body Gave 2011 Complaints About Clarence Thomas Short Shrift:Â A federal judge said Wednesday that the federal judiciaryâs governing body, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, blocked internal debate about 2011 ethics complaints against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and wasnât transparent about the allegations with either the public or other judges who serve on the panel. Testifying before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf, a Reagan appointee who at the time served on the Judicial Conference of the U.S., described his concerns that complaints filed by two advocacy groups and more than 50 members of Congress werenât taken seriously enough by Roberts and other federal judges with policy-making roles in the federal court system. Wolf said he had followed news reports in 2011 that Thomas had failed to disclose his wife Ginni Thomasâs income while working for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and travel paid for by Harlan Crow, a real-estate billionaire.
Washington Post:Â Senate Republicans blast judge during hearing over Clarence Thomasâs 2011 ethics review: Senate Republicans clashed Wednesday with a federal judge who voiced concerns about the transparency of a 2011 ethics review of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during a judiciary subcommittee hearing. Sen. John Kennedy (La.), the subcommitteeâs top Republican, slammed the hearing as being part of a âperpetual political carouselâ that makes him âwant to gagâ and questioned Judge Mark L. Wolfâs credibility as a witness. âFor the last dozen years, a lone federal judge, who is with us today, has been obsessed with complaining that the judicial conference got it wrong,â Kennedy said in his opening remarks. âJudge Wolf wasnât getting his way from the head of the judicial conference or from Chief Justice Roberts himself.â Several Democrats, including Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee who sat in for Wednesdayâs hearing, came to Wolfâs defense, arguing that the hearing is not a âwitch huntâ but an attempt to ârescue the reputation of the court.â
POLITICO:Â Trump 2020 lawyer indicated he may be target of Fulton County probe, court docs say: Ray Smith III, a lawyer who represented President Donald Trump in litigation aimed at reversing Georgiaâs 2020 election results, has indicated he may be a target of Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willisâ criminal probe. Smithâs attorney, Bruce Morris, characterized Smith as âsomething between a target and witnessâ in Willisâ nearly completed investigation, according to documents filed Wednesday in a federal civil lawsuit in Washington D.C. That characterization was revealed by lawyers for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit â two former Georgia election workers who are suing Rudy Giuliani for defamation. According to the newly filed documents, the former election workers â Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss â want to subpoena and depose Smith as part of their lawsuit against Giuliani. But on May 1, a lawyer for Smith told Freeman and Mossâ attorneys that he would seek to block the subpoena.
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