July 29, 2021

Booker, Trumpism, and neo-Confederate Rand Paul

Today's Trumplican party is a throwback to the 1860s, with Rand Paul as example. Can Charles Booker overcome both Trumpism and Paul to win in 2022?


The Civil War's outcome was still in doubt in July, 1864. But President Abraham Lincoln got some welcome news from the battlefield.

Gen. William T. Sherman's army had twice whipped Confederate forces on the outskirts of strategic Atlanta (which Sherman would capture in early September).

The Republican Party of "Lincoln and Liberty" led the Union to victory over the Confederacy, which had been founded on the twin pillars of slavery and white supremacy. The Republicans also championed constitutional amendments that ended slavery, made African Americans citizens, and extended the vote to Black men.

But 100 Julys after Sherman’s twin triumphs, the GOP started turning Confederate gray. That's according to Heather Cox Richardson’s book, How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America.

Read more: https://forwardky.com/booker-trumpism-and-neo-confederate-rand-paul/

July 29, 2021

Physician Martin mulls Democratic bid for governor

Physician Jason Martin of Nashville has formed an exploratory committee for a Democratic gubernatorial bid next year, the Nashville Scene’s Stephen Elliott reports.

Martin is a pulmonary and critical care specialist at Sumner Regional Medical Center and a former Meharry Medical College professor. While he has never previously sought public office, he has become an outspoken critic of Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s pandemic response.

Martin chronicled his experience in treating patients early in the pandemic in a Tennessean feature in April 2020.

Elliott reports Martin has hired Amplified Public Strategies, a new firm founded by former Tennessee Democratic Party communications director Emily Cupples and state Rep. Torrey Harris. Martin is appearing with Harris, fellow Memphis Democratic Rep. London Lamar, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer and Michelle Fiscus, the state’s former vaccination chief who was fired earlier this month, at an event in Memphis this weekend.

Read more: https://onthehill.tnjournal.net/physician-martin-mulls-dem-bid-for-governor/

July 29, 2021

As COVID-19 Surges Back to Winter Levels, Gov. Reeves Visits Aspen and Orlando

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves grinned in front of a maskless crowd in Orlando, Fla., yesterday evening. Orange County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Charles Hart had just introduced him as “a guy who told the Democrats in his state to go stuff it” when it comes to voting rights.

The governor’s Orlando visit came exactly one month after Mississippi hit its lowest seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases since April 2020. But the Delta variant, coupled with low vaccination numbers, has since caused the pandemic to surge to levels not seen in the Magnolia State since January. The seven-day average for new cases is now up 752% since June 22, 2021.

In a month, the number of Mississippians hospitalized for COVID-19 has climbed 403%, while the number of patients on ventilators on ventilators is up 550%. But even as Mississippi’s weary public health officials and health care workers were busy fighting the pandemic’s latest wave back home, Gov. Tate Reeves was 700 miles away, regaling a partisan group with tales of his political triumphs.

‘This Is An Emergency’

In Florida, which now accounts for about a quarter of all new cases nationwide, the governor grinned Thursday as the maskless crowd whooped and cheered. Orange County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Charles Hart had just introduced him as “a guy who told the Democrats in his state to go stuff it” when they called for making voting easier in the Magnolia State.

Read more: https://www.mississippifreepress.org/14010/as-covid-19-surges-back-to-winter-levels-gov-reeves-visits-aspen-and-orlando/

July 29, 2021

Black 'New Deal,' Reparations Vital after Slavery, Discrimination, National Bar Leader Says

Newly sworn in National Bar Association President Carlos Moore said yesterday that he will champion the passage of various laws relating to voting rights, police reform and reparations. Moore will lead the 106-year-old organization of more than 65,000 predominantly African American lawyers, judges, law professors and law students for a one-year term.

Hinds County Circuit Judge Winston L. Kidd swore Moore in as the 79th president yesterday at a hybrid ceremony held at the Capital Club on Congress Street in Jackson surrounded by his family, associates and friends.

Moore said that the theme for his tenure is, “Stand Up NBA—Strong, Tenacious Advocates for a New Deal, Uplifting Our People.” He named three policy and legislative goals: passage of the the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, constituting a “new deal” for African Americans in the United States.

"After 401 years of being brought over here as slaves, I just don't believe Black and Brown people, especially Black people, have progressed as much as we should," Moore told the Jackson Free Press after the event. "And I believe the laws that I mentioned will level the playing field. It would actually give us a shot of having an equitable playing field in America."

Read more: https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2021/jul/28/black-new-deal-reparations-vital-after-slavery-dis/

The National Bar Association is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges.

July 29, 2021

Judge allows challenge to Alabama Democratic Party rules changes to proceed

A federal judge in Montgomery ruled today that former Alabama Democratic Party officials can intervene in a lawsuit settled 30 years ago to pursue their claims challenging new bylaws adopted by the party in 2019.

The lawsuit is the most recent development in a Democratic Party split that surfaced in 2018 and led to changes in the party’s leadership.

Today, U.S. District Judge Austin Huffaker Jr., ruled that former party officials Randy Kelley and Janet May can proceed with their claims that the 2019 bylaws violated a 1991 federal court consent decree. The consent decree was intended to make Black representation in the party’s leadership proportional to the Black share of Alabama’s Democratic voters.

Huffaker made no decision on the merits of the claims by Kelley and May, who alleged that the 2019 changes reduced the voting power of the Black members of the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC). Kelley and May claim the bylaws violated the 1991 consent decree, the Voting Rights Act, and the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution.

Read more: https://www.al.com/news/2021/07/judge-allows-challenge-to-alabama-democratic-party-rules-changes-to-proceed.html

July 29, 2021

Selma Police Officer Marquis Moorer "ambushed," murdered in his home

Selma Police Office Marquis Moorer was killed by a gunman while on duty. According to Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson, Moorer was approached outside his apartment in the Selma Square Apartments and ambushed. A suspect is in custody and has been charged in the murder.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall mourned the tragic loss:

“Once again, one of Alabama’s law enforcement heroes has been tragically struck down,” Marshall said in a statement. “Early this morning, Officer Marquis Moorer was on duty with the Selma Police Department and had stopped by his home for a lunch break when shots were fired from outside. Officer Moorer was killed, and another person inside the residence at Selma Square Apartments was injured and has been hospitalized.”

“Every day, officers routinely risk their lives simply by putting on their uniforms and performing their duties to protect their fellow citizens,” Marshall said. “We must honor them and never take for granted the sacrifices they make on our behalf. I ask you to join me in prayerful gratitude for Officer Moorer as we hold his loved ones in our hearts.”

Marshall concluded: “Please pray for his family, friends, and fellow officers.”

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said on Twitter: “I extend my prayers for the family of Officer Marquis Moorer. A memo to lower the flag will be distributed to honor this hero as soon as his funeral is announced.”

Read more: https://www.alreporter.com/2021/07/28/selma-police-officer-marquis-moorer-ambushed-murdered-in-his-home/

July 29, 2021

Texas chemical plant leak in La Porte eaves 2 dead, 30 hospitalized

LA PORTE, Texas (AP) — Two people are dead and 30 were hospitalized after a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant, officials said.

LyondellBasell said that about 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) of a mixture that included acetic acid was released in the leak that started Tuesday evening at its La Porte Complex. The company said that the “all clear” was given early Wednesday, and that the leak had been isolated and contained.

The company said air monitoring was ongoing and hasn’t shown “actionable levels."

Two contractors were killed and 30 workers were taken to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment, the company said. Of those, it said 24 were treated and released. The names of the contractors who died were not immediately released.

Read more: https://theeagle.com/news/business/texas-chemical-plant-leak-leaves-2-dead-30-hospitalized/article_009b306f-bd5f-5698-af04-163457a053b6.html

July 29, 2021

Angelo State University student sues Texas Tech University System over COVID-19 response

An Angelo State University student filed a class action lawsuit against the Texas Tech University System to reclaim portions of tuition and fees paid by students in the 2020 Spring semester that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lawsuit was filed on July 20 on behalf of students of the Texas Tech University System who enrolled in the Spring 2020 semester and seeks more than $1 million in damages.

In her lawsuit, Peggy Bryan says school officials failed to provide the university experience promised to her and other students when they drastically changed the school's operation to curb the spread of the virus, which has so far killed more than 600,000 people in the United States.

"In short, as to tuition, Plaintiff and the members of the Class have paid tuition for a first-rate education and educational experience, with all the appurtenant benefits offered by a first-rate university, and were provided a materially different product, which constitutes a breach of the contracts entered into by Plaintiff and the Class with the Universities," the lawsuit states.

Read more: https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/2021/07/26/student-sues-texas-tech-university-system-over-covid-19-response/5376152001/

July 29, 2021

'They were manipulated': Pharr produce workers protest unpaid wages, terminations

PHARR — Nearly three dozen people gathered outside the Premier Produce warehouse Wednesday morning to protest the termination and unpaid wages of nearly two dozen former employees.

The protest was organized by La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), a nonprofit that the former employees reached out to in order to consult with attorneys from the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.

“We’re here to stand by workers that have been exploited,” Elizabeth Rodriguez, Farmworker Justice Advocate for LUPE, said as protesters marched on the sidewalk just outside the warehouse on South Sugar Road in Pharr.

“They were lied to about their rights,” she continued. “They were worked 60 to 80 hours a week without overtime pay, and then abruptly they were let go. They were worked days without the intention of being paid those final days.”

Read more: https://myrgv.com/local-news/2021/07/28/they-were-manipulated-pharr-produce-workers-protest-unpaid-wages-terminations/

July 29, 2021

Uncertainty follows governor's order to pull over vehicles transporting migrants

McALLEN — Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety were instructed Wednesday to stop, even impound, civilian vehicles used to transport migrants via a ‘vague’ executive order that stakeholders — including attorneys, congressmen, city leaders, nongovernmental organizations, and even commercial entities — do not yet know how to interpret or how it will be enforced.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s order gives DPS the authority to restrict the ground transportation of migrants who have crossed illegally into the country or those who would have been subject to expulsion under the federal public health code known as Title 42 by anyone other than federal, state or local law enforcement officials.

Under his orders, troopers would be able to reroute the driver to their point of origin, like a shelter or a port of entry, and have the ability to impound the vehicle.

“We’re going to start getting into legal issues that are going to be hard to enforce, and how do you do that,” McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos asked Wednesday. “I understand the sentiment. I understand the intent. I just don’t see how we’re going to do it.”

Read more: https://myrgv.com/local-news/2021/07/28/uncertainty-follows-governors-order-to-pull-over-vehicles-transporting-migrants/