brooklynite
brooklynite's JournalLiz Cheney, January 6 Hearings Star, Is Bombing Back Home
New York MagazineYou could argue that Cheney’s reelection goose was cooked January 13, 2021, the day she voted for Trump’s second impeachment. But her descent from the House Republican leadership to almost certain defeat in an August 16 primary in Wyoming has had a number of dramatic moments. Despite her impeachment heresy, Cheney easily defeated an effort to remove her as House Republican Conference chair (the No. 3 GOP leadership position in the chamber) in February 2021. Just over three months later, after much agitation from Trump and his supporters, an unrepentant Cheney lost her leadership position by an even more lopsided vote.
But while it took some time for Cheney to lose her lofty status in Washington, Republicans back in Wyoming, Trump’s best state in 2020 (he won nearly 70 percent of the vote there against Joe Biden), struck at her right away. A few days after she survived the first purge effort in the House Republican Conference, the Wyoming GOP central committee formally censured her for her impeachment vote and her harsh criticism of Trump’s stolen-election lies and his conduct on January 6, 2021. In November 2021, the same body more narrowly voted to no longer recognize Cheney, the state’s sole representative in the House, as a Republican. This was after her decision in July of that year to join the January 6 committee that her erstwhile friends in the House GOP leadership had chosen to boycott after Nancy Pelosi refused to place a cadre of MAGA extremists on the panel.
July 28: Holder/Elias SCOTUS Call + Recent Redistricting News
Good Afternoon!
On Thursday, July 28th at 1:00pm ET, please join the National Democratic Redistricting Committee's Chairman Eric Holder + Democracy Docket and Elias Law Group Founder Marc Elias for a Zoom meeting to discuss the Independent State Legislature Theory - a fringe theory that is being used to challenge fair maps in North Carolina in the case Moore v. Harper. Moore, a lawsuit supported by the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF - the NDRC's 501c3 affiliate), will be taken up by the Supreme Court in its next term and the ruling could have the effect of giving state legislatures almost unchecked power to control congressional redistricting and federal election administration. This case is arguably the most consequential case for our democracy that will be before the Supreme Court next term.
You can register for the Zoom here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-6QXAiYMS52Ayi8EsCwzkQ
Please read on below for some additional redistricting updates. As always, if you have any questions about any aspect of our work, please let me know.
Missy
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MERRILL V. CASTER - NRF-SUPPORTED CASE OUT OF ALABAMA
Another consequential case for our democracy will also be before the Supreme Court next term: Merrill v. Caster. Last week, plaintiffs supported by the NRF submitted their merits brief to the Supreme Court in the case, asking the Court to affirm a previous ruling from a federal district court that found that Alabama’s new congressional map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The NRF is proud to be supporting Alabama voters in this crucial legal challenge to bring electoral fairness to the state.
AG HOLDER TRAVELS TO MICHIGAN
This fall, the NDRC will be aggressively supporting candidates who are critical defenders of our democracy, including those who have helped us make great strides in the fight for fair maps. With all the attacks on our democracy, they need our support more than ever. AG Holder, who will be supporting key candidates on the campaign trail, kicked off our midterm election travel with a trip to Michigan last week to support Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The AG participated in a voter protection round table, and fired up volunteers in Ann Arbor. You can read more about it here.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
-Alabama: Plaintiffs urge U.S. Supreme Court to reject Alabama’s congressional map
Highlights:
“The justices have scheduled oral arguments for Oct. 4 on the question of whether the state’s map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting procedures that discriminate on the basis of race.”
In a statement, Marina Jenkins, Director of Litigation and Policy for the NRF said, “The state’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court arises not out of a genuine belief that the judges below got it wrong, but from a crass desire to simply change the law because Alabama’s political leaders don’t like the outcome of its application. Black voters in Alabama deserve a congressional map that provides them an equal opportunity to exercise their voting power.”
UPDATE: Hoover Dam explosion was a transformer
BOULDER CITY, Nev. — No one was injured when a transformer at Hoover Dam briefly caught fire Tuesday morning, officials said.
"There is no risk to the power grid and power is still being generated," according to Jacklynn L. Gould, the Bureau of Reclamation's regional director for the Lower Colorado Region.
The fire ignited around 10 a.m. and was extinguished about half an hour later, she said.
Videos posted on social media showed what appeared to be a fire or explosion in a building near the base of the dam.
https://www.kawc.org/npr-news/2022-07-19/a-transformer-fire-at-hoover-dam-was-quickly-extinguished
Apparently the Senate is too busy...
https://twitter.com/igorbobic/status/1549473220427976706Rivera, Niou, Goldman form top tier in new 10th Congressional District poll
City & StateThe poll was shared exclusively with City & State. Data for Progress polled 533 likely Democratic primary voters in the district between July 7-10. It was a web poll with voters reached by text message and online ads, and Data for Progress said the margin of error was 4%. Data for Progress conducted the poll independently, and Executive Director Sean McElwee said the firm has never done paid polling for any of the candidates in the race.
Respondents were given the names of eight candidates running in the crowded 13-person race for the open seat in lower Manhattan and northern Brooklyn. Following Rivera, Niou and Goldman, former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman had 9%, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon 8%, Rep. Mondaire Jones 7% and de Blasio 5%. Former New York City Council candidate Maud Maron came in last, with 1%.
“This is a race in flux,” McElwee told City & State. “There’s a lot more public communications to be happening, but I think there's a clear set of front-runners … Carlina, Yuh-Line, Goldman, all have credible paths there.” McElwee didn’t rule out Jones though, who recently moved to Brooklyn from the district he represents in the city’s northern suburbs: “Mondaire has $3 million. He could still change things up. He’s got a lot of money.”
Perhaps why De Blasio bailed.
Bill de Blasio ends congressional campaign for NY-10
City & StateThe race for the 10th Congressional District has quickly become one of the most high-profile in the state. It’s an open seat spanning lower Manhattan and much of brownstone Brooklyn, and 13 candidates are on the ballot, including Rep. Mondaire Jones, City Council Member Carlina Rivera, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou and former House impeachment counsel Dan Goldman.
Thank god.
Judge orders October trial for lawsuit between Elon Musk and Twitter
Source: CNN
The decision came at the end of the first hearing in the case over whether to expedite the proceedings. When it filed the suit last week, days after Musk moved to terminate the deal, Twitter (TWTR) filed a motion to expedite the proceedings and requested a four-day trial in September. Musk's legal team opposed the motion.
Twitter's lead counsel William Savitt came out swinging against Musk at the start of the hearing as he argued in favor of a speedy trial. Savitt said the continued uncertainty hanging over the company from the outstanding deal and litigation "inflicts harm on Twitter everyday, every hour and every day." He also pointed to what he described as Musk's continued disparagement of Twitter, including on its own platform.
"Musk has been and remains contractually obligated to use his best efforts to close this deal," Savitt said. "What he's doing is the exact opposite; it's sabotage."
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/19/tech/twitter-elon-musk-lawsuit-first-hearing/index.html
Ohio Supreme Court rejects congressional map used in May, orders new one
Source: Columbus Dispatch
In a 4-3 decision, the Supreme Court rejected Ohio's 15-district congressional map and ordered Ohio lawmakers to redraw a new one for the 2024 elections within 30 days. If they can't, the Ohio Redistricting Commission will have 30 days to adopt a congressional map.
The map struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court will be used in the November elections because candidates were already selected in the May primary using these districts.
That map guarantees Democrats two victories – Columbus' 3rd Congressional District represented by Rep. Joyce Beatty and Cleveland's 11th Congressional District represented by Rep. Shontel Brown. But Republicans are either assured wins or have a shot in the remaining 13.
Read more: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/07/19/ohio-supreme-court-strikes-down-congressional-map-used-may-primary/9359835002/
Today's Maryland Primary
(summary from Gabe Fleischer's WAKE UP TO POLITICS)
Maryland Governor (D): It may be a deep-blue state in presidential years, but the governor’s mansion in Maryland has been occupied by a Republican — the popular, moderate Larry Hogan — for the past seven years. Hogan is now term-limited, and Democrats are hungry to retake the governorship for themselves: a crowded field has emerged, all seeking to replace him.
The limited polling available shows a split race between four interesting candidates, including two onetime members of the Obama Cabinet: former Education Secretary John King Jr. and former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who also served as chairman of the national Democratic Party during the Trump years.
Rounding out the field are State Comptroller Peter Franchot and Wes Moore, the best-selling author of “The Other Wes Moore,” a 2010 tome describing the divergent life paths taken by him and an imprisoned drug dealer with his name who grew up not far away. Moore has notched the endorsement of Oprah Winfrey, but he’s also faced allegations of exaggerating his biography.
Maryland Governor (R): Meanwhile, the Republican race to succeed Hogan has — like many GOP contests this year — turned into a proxy battle revolving around former President Donald Trump.
Hogan’s choice is Kelly Schulz, who served both as the state’s Labor Secretary and then as Commerce Secretary earlier in the Hogan administration. If elected, she would be Maryland’s first female governor.
Trump, meanwhile, is promoting Daniel Cox, a member of the state House of Delegates who has backed the former president’s false election fraud theories and chartered three buses to take Trump supporters to Washington on January 6, 2021.
The race is seen as an early test of strength between Trump and Hogan, who could find themselves competing for the Republican presidential nod in 2024. One added component: Democrats have poured $1.2 million in the race to try to boost Cox, continuing their risky strategy of promoting far-right GOP primary candidates. Democrats view Schulz, a candidate in Hogan’s mold, as a more formidable general election opponent.
Former Democratic Party chairman Tom Perez is seeking the Maryland governorship.
Maryland’s 4th congressional district (D): Democratic Rep. Anthony Brown is retiring to run for state Attorney General, creating a competitive campaign to replace him. The Democratic primary, between former Rep. Donna Edwards — who held the seat until 2017 — and former state’s attorney Glenn Ivey has grown into an unexpectedly expensive battle over Israel policy.
A super PAC tied to AIPAC, a prominent pro-Israel organization, has spent $5.9 million to promote Ivey, its largest sum in any race this year. The group opposes Edwards due to stances she took while in Congress the first time, including a 2009 vote abstaining on a resolution “recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza.”
Edwards boats the support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as an Israel advocacy group of her own: the more liberal J Street. The primary is one of several Democratic contests this year where groups like AIPAC have spent heavily to try to push the party in a more pro-Israel direction, as some left-wing Democrats have grown more vocal in criticizing the Jewish state.
Maryland’s 6th congressional district (R): This is the only House race in Maryland seen as remotely competitive in November, after redistricting made the seat — held by Democratic Rep. David Trone, a wealthy businessman who has spent millions on his own races — more comfortable territory for Republicans.
Attention in the GOP primary to face Trone has revolved around Matthew Foldi, a 25-year-old former conservative journalist who has united both Trump and Hogan behind him.
But Trone’s national chops might not be enough for him to win: per Politico, many local Republican leaders are sticking with a more seasoned alternative, state legislator Neil Parrott, Trone’s 2020 rival.
Someone's going to get a nasty Truthing to.....
https://twitter.com/NikkiHaley/status/1549201146325213185(the interesting point is that there are now TWO Republican candidates who aren't afraid of Trump.)
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Name: Chris BastianGender: Male
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
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