In an amazing decision, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated Louisiana’s legislative-approved majority-Black district in the congressional map. A 5th Circuit Court panel of three judges appointed by former Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) had changed the map to only one minority congressional district of six in the state, calling the GOP map “racial gerrymandering.” The decision creates two majority-Black districts in a state with over 40 percent minority race. Last year, the high court blocked Alabama from its dilution of Black voters.
Tuesday’s primaries in three states—Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia—showed Nikki Haley, not even in the presidential race, receiving continued support. DDT picked up 88 percent of the vote in deep-red West Virginia, but pockets in other states such as 23 percent in Douglas County (NE), hub of an electoral vote, should concern DDT, who has done nothing to win over Haley voters. Nebraska and Maryland each gave DDT 80 percent, and his weakness in the suburbs was a contrast to President Joe Biden’s waning problem with the Israel/Palestine protest vote.
Taken over by MAGAites, Nebraska’s GOP refused to endorse any of the five Republican congressional incumbents, three House members and two senators. All five incumbents won their primaries over farther-right candidates. Biden won over 90 percent of the primary against Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) who dropped out of the race.
In two Maryland primaries, money didn’t count. Democratic Rep. David Trone used much of his money from Total Wine running for the U.S. Senate but lost to Angela Alsobrooks after outspending her 10-1. State Sen. Sarah Elfred also defeated Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who outspend her 3-1. Much of her money came from AIPAC’s (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) PAC.
In West Virginia, Derrick Evans became another January 6 insurrectionist to lose an election. He campaigned on his storming the U.S. Capitol, taunting police officers, and writing texts assuring people he thought his actions were illegal. At his trial, he pled guilty to a felony count of obstructing or impeding officers during a civil disorder before he became a Republican congressional candidate. His campaign argued his role in the attack should defeat the incumbent in the primary and send him back to the Capitol. HuffPo described candidates in six other states attacking the Capitol who lost their elections in 2022 although Wisconsin elected Derrick Van Orden.
A slowing inflation rate for April drove the stock market to a record high as the consumer price index rose only 0.3 percent, 3.4 percent for the past 12 months. Rents and gas prices provided over 70 percent of the increase. The Federal Reserve delayed plans to cut interest rates this month; the first rate cut may be in September. With a record number of jobs under President Joe Biden, unemployment rate stayed under 4 percent and avoided a recession.
After Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson (R-LA) took yesterday off to pontificate outside the New York courthouse his support for DDT’s adultery and criminal behavior, the House passed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization for five years by 387-26. The Senate passed its version by 88-4 last Friday after the House extended the deadline for a week and left Washington for a four-day weekend. With the budget and the national security package passed—almost eight months late—the next deadline for must-pass bills is October 1 when the next budget is due. This hiatus gives the House a few months to fight the culture war with bills that won’t pass the Senate until its August vacation.
The day after Johnson supported DDT’s crimes, he spoke about making “crimes criminal again” and promoted the Riverside County (CA) sheriff once belonging to the Oath Keepers, an ultra-right extremist antigovernment group called “instrumental” in the January 6 insurrection.
DDT repeatedly begged President Joe Biden for presidential debates, and Biden finally consented to two: the first one at CNN in Atlanta on June 27 and the second one on ABC the day before the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 on September 10. . Both events forgo the Commission on Presidential Debate’s schedule. Details need to be worked out, but Biden has stipulated that CNN will have no audience. When DDT agreed to the first debate, he posted on Truth Social that Biden is “the WORST debater I have ever faced — He can’t put two sentences together!” Four years ago, DDT promised to “DESTROY” Biden, raising expectations for an addled old man, but after the debate most polling agreed that Biden won. Four years later, DDT is becoming the addled old man, according to the many mistakes in his rallies.
A vice-presidential debate will probably be scheduled in July.
According to a Bloomberg News editorial, DDT’s plans would endanger the economy if he is elected. The board argued that DDT’s “economic agenda seems to be dedicated to raising prices.” They cited “tariffs of 60 percent on Chinese-made products and 10 percent on other imports” as well as “devaluing” the U.S. dollar and a hands-on policy with the U.S. Federal Reserve. The editorial summarized:
In a meeting of the House Homeland Security Committee, Robert Garcia (D-CA) ridiculed his conservative colleagues for their support of police officers while literally hugging insurrectionists at the D.C. jail who they “treated like heroes.” He gave some statistics about the group of rioters they visited: 17 of the 20 charged were arrested for assaulting police and six of them “already pleaded guilty.” In a report, “some of the most disturbing acts of violence at the US Capitol” were carried out by DC jail inmates. It cited how “one convicted felon helped lead the assault on police guarding the Capitol’s external security perimeter [that] paved the way for thousands of rioters to storm the Capitol grounds.”
House Republicans haven’t stopped investigating the insurrection, searching for different answers than the Democratic-dominated House found almost two years ago. The GOP leader, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA), had led a tour of the Capitol on January 5, 2021, supposedly not permitted, in which participants photographed hallways, tunnels, door, and other forms of entrance and egress. After a year, the report couldn’t even undermine the former investigative results, but Loudermilk won’t quit. The special committee is now demanding Cassidy Hutchinson to give them communications with key January 6 figures, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), and those with her book deal—“potential publication … or related compensation.” The letter also wants communications “on employment after the White House; the 25th Amendment, which covers removing a president from power; and her itinerary for a trip to the Florida’s Gulf Coast in early 2021.” Republicans may not understand that the more she tells, the more problems they have.
DDT Trial: On the Wednesday one-day break, DDT’s first criminal trial has reached the end of its first month with 16 days. The group of DDT’s surrogates marching into the proceedings in the middle of Michael Cohen’s testimony on Tuesday to sit in the front of the courtroom may not have benefited the defendant. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported that Judge Juan Merchan “looked visibly annoyed.” She said she had not “seen a large group of people come in and sit at the front of the courtroom while the witness is on the stand testifying” in this trial. They may not succeed in their goal, which Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) described “to overcome this gag order.”
At least four far-right GOP senators who played surrogates and supported DDT’s illegal activities wore red ties in solidarity, perhaps not noticing that DDT sometimes changes his tie color to yellow and blue. Other Republicans senators expressed disgust, and Lisa Murkowski (AK) asked:
“Do we have something to do around here other than watch a stupid porn trial? I mean, this is ridiculous.”
Another annoyance during Tuesday’s trial was Fox’s host Laura Ingraham’s use of binoculars in her attempt to view evidence shown to legal counsel before it was presented to the jury. Several times, she ignored court officers telling her not to use them, and they kept repeating the request:
“Ma’am! You can’t use binoculars. No binoculars, ma’am. Ma’am. Hello!'”
Daily Beast reported that Ingraham “let out a surprised huff and threw the binoculars down.” Earlier in the trial last month, she told her viewers that Stormy Daniels was trying “to extract some money” from DDT who “was apparently trying to get that episode behind him.” Legal analyst Bradley Moss shared her remarks on X and asked whether she was “admitting that Trump had the affair? Because Trump certainly hasn’t admitted that.”
For the past two days, DDT has tried to look like he doesn’t care what Cohen has to say. Tomorrow, he has another day to face Cohen before he has Friday off, ostensibly to attend the high school graduation ceremony of his son. Will he sit with Barron’s mother, Melania? How long will he stay before he flies off to his fundraiser in Minnesota? And will he whine again to the press about not having time to campaign when he uses all his free days searching for donations—like the one on Wednesday in Lexington (KY)?
DDT also filed another appeal to have his gag order removed, this one to the New York Court of Appeals after the mid-level appellate court turned him down.
Nel's New Day 