POLITICO Nightly: What Sununu’s retirement means for the New Hampshire GOP primary

 

BY CHARLIE MAHTESIAN AND LISA KASHINSKY New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu will not be seeking reelection next year. | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo EXIT STRATEGY — In June, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu announced he would not run for president in 2024. Today, he said he won’t seek reelection next year, either. One of the nation’s most popular governors, Sununu’s decision dramatically increases the chances that Democrats can pick up the governorship. But it could also have a significant impact in the first-in-the-nation primary state’s presidential contest next year, where former President Donald Trump currently holds a comfortable lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his nearest challenger. A leading Trump critic, Sununu has quite a bit of juice with the voters who will play an outsized role in determining the eventual GOP nominee. As a result, many in the 2024 field have already sought Sununu’s counsel . For months, he’s been meeting with candidates in his office in Concord and in booths at the state’s famed diners to offer advice on how to navigate the state. The four-term governor has made clear he intends to play an active role in trying to stop Trump. He has argued that Republican contenders with “no path to victory must have the courage to get out” of the race this time around, to avoid the same scenario as in 2016, when a splintered field enabled Trump’s path to the GOP nomination. “If he is the nominee, Republicans will lose again,” Sununu wrote last month in a Washington Post op-ed . “Just as we did in 2018, 2020 and 2022. This is indisputable, and I am not willing to let it happen without a fight.” There’s a reason he placed that piece in a national publication, as opposed to a home-state paper — he envisions playing a leading national role in torpedoing Trump. But the question is whether Sununu intends to do more than just lob grenades at the former president and actually put some skin in the game by endorsing one of Trump’s rivals and campaigning aggressively for them. In recent decades, there hasn’t been much evidence that individual gubernatorial endorsements have made a huge difference in the outcomes of various primaries or caucuses. One that stands out dates back to 2008, when then-Florida Republican Gov. Charlie Crist delivered a surprise endorsement of John McCain just days before the state’s crucial GOP primary. The support from Crist, who had been heavily courted by various candidates, gave the Arizona senator a late burst of momentum that might have been enough to push McCain over the top en route to his victory over Mitt Romney in Florida. But Sununu, the scion of a politically prominent family, is uniquely positioned to leave an imprint on his home state primary. He has a political operation that is fresh off a big win in 2022. He no longer has to worry about angering the GOP base by ripping the bark off Trump. There’s also some family history — his father, former Gov. John Sununu, went to the mat for George H.W. Bush in the 1988 New Hampshire primary and played a key role in helping Bush defeat Sen. Robert Dole there. An August 2022 University of New Hampshire poll found that 35 percent of New Hampshire Republican primary voters said a Sununu endorsement would make them more likely to vote for a candidate, compared to 50 percent who said it would have no effect. (Not long after that poll was taken, Sununu weighed in with an endorsement in the state’s Republican U.S. Senate primary only to see his preferred candidate lose.) Sununu has already said he plans to endorse a candidate against Trump. But exactly when he does it, however, will matter. Is it after the August 23 debate, when the candidate field may begin to take a more solid shape? Does he wait a few months after that, to avoid making a risky early endorsement that could make him look ineffectual if his preferred candidate crashes out? Does he do it after Iowa, when he might be able to get more bang for his buck? In a brief interview with Nightly, the governor said he’s likely to “wait until November or December” to endorse in the GOP primary. “I’m going to test the waters with them. I want to see what they can do, like any other voter. So I have no favorites in it, per se. I’m going to work with all of them and see what they can do.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s authors on Twitter at @PoliticoCharlie and @Lisakashinsky .   JOIN 7/26 FOR A TALK ON THE NEW ENERGY ECONOMY:  Join POLITICO's lively discussion, "Powering a Clean Energy Economy," on July 26 at 5:15 PM ET. We'll explore the effectiveness of consumer-targeted policies to boost sustainability and create clean energy jobs. How are the Inflation Reduction Act's provisions faring? Which strategies truly sway consumer behavior? How are advances in technology shaking things up? And, what's the future for energy consumption reduction? Hear from featured speaker Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), among other experts. Don't miss this insightful event — REGISTER NOW.     WHAT'D I MISS? — Schumer offers Tuberville abortion vote amid military blockade: Chuck Schumer said Democrats will allow GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville a vote to repeal the Pentagon’s abortion policy , an attempt to unstick the Republican’s blockade of military promotions. Tuberville has blocked quick consideration of more than 200 stalled military promotions, demanding that the Pentagon overturn its policy of providing paid leave to service members seeking an abortion. It’s unclear if Schumer’s offer of an amendment vote on the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act will be enough to lift the Alabama Republican’s hold. Democrats are also open to allowing Tuberville a standalone vote apart from the NDAA, a Democratic aide said. The majority leader also didn’t rule out keeping the Senate in session into August to begin grinding through those promotions the long way. Lawmakers in both parties are antsy to find a solution to the blockade, which is prompting GOP discord and Democratic warnings about hurting national security. The chamber is scheduled to leave late next week for a five-week break. — Kerry’s trip to China yields no breakthrough on climate: The United States and China failed to reach new climate agreements despite “productive” conversations, special climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday after a four-day visit to Beijing, an outcome that underscores the tensions between the world’s two biggest carbon polluters and economies. Kerry said the hours of closed-door meetings with senior Chinese officials revealed “things we clearly agreed on,” with both sides committing to regular meetings, including one in the next few weeks. He still expressed hope of achieving breakthroughs that could keep the planet from experiencing disastrous climate change. — Biden administration lays out plan to squeeze mergers: President Joe Biden’s efforts to slow a tide of corporate mergers is getting a boost Wednesday through an elaborate plan his top antitrust enforcers say will preserve competition . In a highly detailed 51-page joint document, the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department outline 13 “guidelines” they will follow when reviewing deals — and hope the courts play along. An array of pending mergers are approaching decision points at both agencies, including Broadcom’s takeover of software company VMware, the tie-up between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons and Amazon’s purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION — Call it a red state marriage of convenience. Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott — leaders of the two most-populous Republican-led states — have become the most controversial and influential conservative governors on immigration in the country . Over the last year, reports POLITICO, they’ve transported tens of thousands of migrants to Democratic-led cities, sued the Biden administration in federal court over border policies and deployed Black Hawk helicopters, unmanned aircraft and thousands of troops to the southern border. Abbott and DeSantis assert that they’re filling the void left by the Biden administration and Congress to tackle one of America’s most intractable issues. Democrats and advocates for immigrants, however, have denounced the governors, alleging they’re using authoritarian policies against vulnerable asylum seekers for political purposes. THE PRESIDENT OF GOLF — During his time as president, Donald Trump and golf were virtually inseparable. He spent most weekends at resorts that he owned across the country, and played an estimated 240 rounds of golf, largely at his courses in Florida and New Jersey. In the years since, the sport has been an especially lucrative source of income for the former president. According to a Sportico analysis of a recent Federal Election Commission disclosure, Trump reported earning as much as $555 million from his golf portfolio between January 2022 and April 14, 2023 . That tally accounts for roughly half of the $1.2 billion in income he specified as having received during that time. By comparison, Trump claimed earning $237 million from his courses in the calendar year of 2020, and $224 million in 2018. Trump’s personal assets include ownership, management or licensing interests in 17 golf courses (one currently under construction) in five different countries. In the past few years, Trump’s courses have hosted a handful of Saudi-backed LIV Golf events, and lost opportunities to host PGA Tour events or British Opens. TRUMP DENIED — A federal judge on Wednesday denied Donald Trump’s bid for a new trial two months after a jury found that he sexually abused and defamed the writer E. Jean Carroll , reports POLITICO. In his motion for a new trial, Trump argued that because the jury found him liable for sexual abuse but not rape, which is what Carroll originally alleged, the jury award of $2 million in compensatory damages for the sexual abuse claim was excessive. In a 59-page decision, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote the former president’s argument “ignores the bulk of the evidence at trial, misinterprets the jury’s verdict, and mistakenly focuses on the New York Penal Law definition of ‘rape’ to the exclusion of the meaning of that word as it often is used in everyday life and of the evidence of what actually occurred between Ms. Carroll and Mr. Trump.” AROUND THE WORLD Richard Moore, the head of Britain’s secret intelligence service, sat down with POLITICO’s Anne McElvoy for a rare and exclusive interview. | Matt Dunham/AP Photo 007 THINGS — On the 55th anniversary of the Prague Spring, the head of Britain’s secret intelligence service sat down with POLITICO’s Anne McElvoy to talk about Russia, Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin, China and AI in spycraft. In the rare exclusive interview , Richard Moore issued a thinly veiled recruitment call to Russians who’ve become disillusioned with their leadership while assessing that President Vladimir Putin was “under pressure” internally after a mutiny by mercenaries exposed his weakness. Among the takeaways from the interview with the MI6 chief, who rose to lead the agency in 2020 after a career in diplomacy: Western leaders should be careful not to ‘humiliate’ Putin; China’s spying capabilities are “huge and they deploy overseas in large numbers;” Iran’s decision to supply Russia with “suicide drones that mete out random destruction to Ukraine’s cities has provoked internal quarrels at the highest level of the regime in Tehran.” WAGNER’S WARLORD — Troops from Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group, who are relocating to Belarus following last month’s aborted mutiny, will not go back to fight in Ukraine and will stay in Belarus to train local troops , their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said Wednesday, reports POLITICO. “We did a lot for Russia. What is happening at the front now is a disgrace. We want no part of it,” Prigozhin said in his first appearance since his troops marched on Moscow in a failed uprising last month. In a shaky mobile phone video shot at dusk, Prigozhin can be seen in silhouette wearing a baseball cap. He speaks to a crowd of men who appear to be Wagner fighters and break repeatedly into applause and cheers. He also hinted his troops could later go to Africa, where Wagner has been active in Mali and the Central African Republic.   UNLEASH THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE WITH POLITICO, A 7/20 INTERACTIVE EVENT: Imagine a future where rare genetic diseases are not only treatable, but potentially curable. Where our approach to chronic illness takes a monumental leap forward. That future is already taking shape in the form of next-generation health care treatments such as gene therapy. Join POLITICO on Thursday , July 20 and delve into the burgeoning field of gene therapies, which hold the power to redefine our health care landscape. Are you ready to explore this new frontier in health care? Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation. REGISTER NOW .     NIGHTLY NUMBER $400,000 The amount raised by Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown in his first week in the race . Brown, the Senate GOP campaign arm’s favored candidate, is running to take on first-term Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in a pivotal contest in the battle for control of the Senate. RADAR SWEEP THE REAL OPPENHEIMER — Since the end of World War II, historians and artists alike have been fascinated by the brilliant, enigmatic J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who led the Manhattan Project laboratory that developed the atomic bomb. In recent years, however, much of that complexity has been reduced to a single popular image: the broken genius, haunted by his own invention, reciting a line from the Bhagavad Gita in a 1965 NBC News documentary. “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds,” Oppenheimer intones. But Oppenheimer’s life was about far more than regret, writes Andy Kifer in Smithsonian magazine. Will the new film finally get Oppenheimer right ? PARTING IMAGE Massed rows of 3,500 card-bearers from the coat of arms of the Soviet Union with the hammer and sickle and a red star at the top during the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games in Lenin Stadium Saturday, July 19, 1980. | AP Photo   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Katherine Long @katherinealong   FOLLOW US

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Outraged mom crashes live Fox school shooting report *****WISCONSIN APRIL 4, 2023 ELECT JUDGE Janet Protasiewicz *****

 

OD Action is now atAdvocacy!

Today’s Action: Call voters for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election NEXT WEEK!

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Daily Dose of Democracy:

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Mother hijacks Fox News feed after Nashville massacre
The right-wing "news" network regularly pushes gun fetishist propaganda, but their viewers were given a rare dose of raw truth about gun violence when an outraged woman stepped in front of their cameras and unleashed a blockbuster speech in the wake of the horrifying mass shooting at a private Christian school in Tennessee.

Take Action: Tell prosecutors to charge parents who give kids unsupervised access to guns BEFORE they hurt someone!

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Biden renews push to ban assault weapons in wake of Nashville shooting
Six people are dead — including three children — after yet another shooter opened fire with assault-style rifles inside an elementary school in Nashville. Republicans are already working to spin up narratives to distract from the obvious and undeniable role that guns play in these tragedies, but President Biden is looking the problem right in the face. He is once again calling for a ban on assault weapons, one thing we KNOW would save lives — and one thing gun-obsessed Republicans will fight tooth and nail to oppose.

Take Action: Restore the banking rules that Trump got rid of!

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Trump's last-ditch effort to avoid prosecution BLOWS UP in his face
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: This did not turn out well for Trump...

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Former National Enquirer publisher testifies before Trump grand jury
Last week, many predicted that Donald Trump would be arrested for his illicit hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election. When the indictment failed to materialize, MAGA fans rejoiced, thinking their Dear Leader was out of the woods. Now, it appears that prosecutors were simply biding their time so they could present more evidence to the grand jury. On Monday, the former publisher of the National Enquirer gossip rag that almost purchased Daniels' story appeared before the jury to share what he knows about the sordid affair.

Take Action: Tell Congress to pass the PRO Act and protect workers' rights!

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Supreme Court won’t review bullshit contempt conviction of environmental lawyer in Chevron case
The Supreme Court lent serious support to the notion that it's a fundamentally illegitimate institution after deciding to leave in place the conviction of attorney Steven Donziger — a long-time foe of Chevron Corp. — who sought to challenge the appointment of private attorneys to prosecute his alleged criminal contempt of court. The prosecution of Donziger is obviously a corporate hit job. He's "guilty" first and foremost of representing farmers and indigenous people hurt by oil companies, and those companies are trying to make an example of him. The fact that they're able to so easily exploit our judicial system to achieve those ends just demonstrates how deeply embedded the corrupt roots of big money are in our judicial system.

Take Action: Tell President Biden to free Native activist Leonard Peltier!

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"I live near the East Palestine chemical spill. Officials who say we're safe are lying"
A firsthand account from someone directly affected by the toxic train derailment in Ohio has shredded the narrative that things are perfectly fine in East Palestine. Greg Mascher describes experiencing headaches and coughing fits, while his granddaughters have suffered red skin splotches and burning eyes. He's also lost weight from the stress, and his family is now split apart. Like so many environmental disasters, we won't know the full impact for decades, but action must be taken immediately to ensure that victims in East Palestine and beyond are taken care of now — and in the future — and that preventable catastrophes caused by negligent corporations never happen again.

Take Action: Pledge to boycott Fox News!

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Netanyahu temporarily suspends judicial overhaul after mass protests across Israel
Israel's radical-right prime minister attempted a naked power grab that some predicted would result in an outright dictatorship or possibly civil war, but Israelis took to the streets en masse to protest the brazen overreach. Netanyahu has now blinked in the face of unprecedented backlash and halted his heinous assault on his country's democracy — for one month. In exchange, the openly racist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says he will be allowed to form his own private armed militia — a "National Guard" — that would exist outside the authority of the police and would be staffed entirely with violent extremists. What could possibly go wrong?

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Top Fed official: Silicon Valley Bank mismanagement led to failure
Shocker! Once again, an American financial institution has failed because the people grossly overpaid to run it screwed up. The same reckless ethos and rank incompetence that caused the 2008 crash is still blithely steering this country's economy, and, unless serious structural changes are made, we are destined — if not now, then not too far down the road — for another cataclysmic disaster.

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American mega-landlord Blackstone Group is gobbling up affordable housing in San Diego, hiking rent prices
A damning new report reveals that Blackstone Group purchased thousands of affordable housing units in San Diego County in 2021 and almost immediately began jacking up rental prices. As renters moved out, the company raised rents in some units as much as 64% in just two years. Left unchecked, this predatory and frankly evil behavior will exacerbate America's already horrendous housing crisis to the breaking point. Housing is a human right, folks. It's time we started treating it as such.

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Fox News producer who sued network over her Dominion testimony says she was fired, calls ex-coworkers "activists, not journalists"
So...you're telling us that the blowhard teleprompter readers who regularly melt down over books with big words in them, Black history, the gender of M&Ms, Hunter Biden's genitals, and Starbucks' "War on Christmas" aren't serious reporters?

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Florida school removes "Ruby Bridges" movie from classes after parent complaint
The Republican Party's war on the very concept of history itself is amping up even further in Florida as Ron DeSantis' decision to empower parents to gut school curriculums spirals out of control. One parent in particular had an issue with her child watching a Disney movie about Ruby Bridges, the brave little Black girl who integrated American schools in the 1960s, so now none of the children at her school can watch it. Sounds about white.

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The USA, today

Sen. Rand Paul staffer stabbed multiple times in DC

Chipotle agrees to pay after closing store that sought union

Disney layoffs will begin this week, CEO Bob Iger says in memo

Family of US couple kidnapped in Haiti pleads for release

Proud Boy claims that talk of "stacking bodies" was just knucklehead locker-room banter

Mass school shootings kill 175 from Columbine to Nashville

The daily planet

At least 39 dead after fire at migrant facility in Mexico’s Ciudad Juárez

Germany at a standstill as huge strike halts planes and trains

China reports human case of H3N8 bird flu

Hundreds in Kenya storm farm of ex-president

More than a dozen killed in Ecuador landslide

Kamala Harris begins Africa tour, announces security aid in Ghana

Hope...

Dusty painting hidden behind door turns out to be Brueghel masterpiece

Removable solar panels might soon be rolled out on railway tracks

Inventive solution saves swimming pools and data centers

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Today’s Action: Call voters for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election NEXT WEEK!

We are exactly one week out from the crucial state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin where abortion rights are taking center stage once again. Progressive voters have a chance to flip control of the state Supreme Court and help restore equitable access to reproductive healthcare. Securing Democratic seats on the state’s high court could spell the end of the current, near-total abortion ban that’s been on the books since 1849. And since Republican gerrymandering in Wisconsin is some of the most egregious in the country, this may be our best chance at restoring reproductive rights for marginalized people currently being denied equitable access to care.

While progressives have managed to deliver a string of recent statewide abortion-rights victories in the wake of last summer’s disastrous SCOTUS ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, we must be steadfast in our pursuit to restore and preserve access to abortion care to the millions of folks living in Republican-dominated red states. The battle for reproductive healthcare is raging, and we must stand ready to fight.

Sign up to call voters for Wisconsin’s upcoming Supreme Court election! You don’t have to be in Wisconsin to join the fight, just be ready to put in the work to help get Wisconsinites to the polls!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell to do something about guns, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

@advocacy | 1002 Hull St., Louisville, KY 4020

Rupert Murdoch rats out Kushner on Trump collusion ***WISCONSIN APRIL 4****

 

OD Action is now atAdvocacy!

Today’s Action: Tell The New York Times to stop their right-wing, anti-trans bias!

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Daily Dose of Democracy:

Rupert Murdoch gave Jared Kushner "confidential information" about Biden's 2020 ads before they were public
The Fox News magnate allegedly delivered secret information to Jared Kushner about Joe Biden's political ads and debate strategy in an effort to tip the scales in Trump's favor. What else did Murdoch and Fox funnel to the Trump team behind the scenes? It's time for a full federal investigation.

Take Action: Demand the Justice Department investigate Jared Kushner for shady investments from the Saudis!

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Fox News' Rupert Murdoch sinks his own network in bombshell deposition
The arch-villain of global news media admitted under oath that hosts on his right-wing network explicitly endorsed false claims about the 2020 election being stolen — proving once again that Fox News is a direct threat to American democracy.

Take Action: Tell the Senate to confirm Biden's judges ASAP!

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The next presidential election could be at stake
Wisconsin Democrats: With the balance of the state's Supreme Court on the line, progressive champion Judge Janet Protasiewicz and radical MAGA extremist Dan Kelly have emerged as the nominees for the vacated all-important swing seat. This April 4th election is an absolute MUST-WIN for everything we hold dear — abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, the right to vote, and potentially even a free and fair election for the next President of the United States. Can you chip in to make sure Janet has the resources she needs to win and flip Supreme Court of the most important swing state to a progressive majority?

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John Fetterman "on path to recovery," will be out for more weeks
The Democratic senator recently checked himself into a hospital to seek help for clinical depression — an incredibly brave move that was immediately exploited and criticized by craven right-wingers. Fetterman's spokesperson has now revealed that the freshman senator is improving, is constantly speaking with his family and staff, and will be back in action in a few weeks.

Take Action: Tell Congress: Pass the DREAM Act of 2023!

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Marjorie Taylor Greene casts heartless vote in pathetic display of apathy towards Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims
In a stunning display of immoral apathy, the QAnon congresswoman was just one of two House members to vote against a bipartisan resolution to mourn the 50,000 lives lost during the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey. Given her rank and outspoken Islamophobia, it's not hard to put the pieces together here.

Take Action: Tell Congress to give free lunches for EVERY student!

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DeSantis signs bill that gives him more control of Disney’s special district
Meatball Ron is once again exploiting his gubernatorial powers to escalate his stupid war against the Mouse House. As payback for Disney's opposition to his deeply dangerous, homophobic "Don't Say Gay" bill, DeSantis signed a new bill that directs the state to take control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the government body that has given Disney unique powers in Central Florida for more than half a century. This is pure partisan hackery of the lowest form and is clearly engineered to send a signal to other companies: take a stand against the far-right MAGA agenda and the targeting of marginalized groups at your own financial peril.

Take Action: Tell Congress to ban partisan gerrymandering!

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Chip makers will have to provide child care to tap President Biden’s huge $39 billion semiconductor industry fund
In a huge win for working Americans, the Biden administration announced it will require companies that tap $39 billion in funding for domestic semiconductor manufacturing to provide affordable child care for their workers. Biden's new regulations will mandate that firms receiving incentives under last year's Chips and Science Act build daycare facilities near new manufacturing sites or give workers money to pay the costs through existing local options. Elections matter, folks.

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Republicans caught pulling DISGUSTING stunt over train derailment
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen Unbelievable. Brian Tyler Cohen's videos are now in Spanish! If you have friends or family who speak Spanish and want to keep up with politics, please send them this link to subscribe to my channel. And if you want to help support the Spanish effort, you can also watch and subscribe just to get things moving in the algorithm. Every bit helps!

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Documents from JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon sought in Jeffrey Epstein lawsuits
JPMorgan is facing renewed pressure to hand over documents from longstanding chief executive Jamie Dimon in litigation accusing the bank of keeping the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates as customers despite numerous red flags. The dead pedophile's victims deserve justice, and justice won't be served until everyone who helped Epstein carry out his despicable crimes is outed and held accountable.

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College debt relief program rests in the hands of nine wealthy and elite people
The Biden administration will go before the conservative-packed Supreme Court this week to argue in favor of the president's historic student debt relief program in what could prove to be one of the defining legal battles of the Biden years. In addition to the right-wing stranglehold over the court, the administration will face another daunting challenge — the justices simply aren't representative of the tens of millions of borrowers who could benefit from the relief. They are wealthy, powerful jurists and practitioners of law with little sense of the financial problems that plague average Americans on a daily basis. Some baseline pessimism would be understandable here.

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Biden will back Ukraine for "as long as it takes," Sec. Yellen says in Kyiv
During her trip to the Ukrainian capital, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen dispelled any possibility that President Biden might bow to Republicans and their increasingly pro-Russia rhetoric by cutting off aid to Ukraine. Stating that she brought the message directly from Biden himself, Yellen stated: "We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."

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Elon Musk becomes the richest person in the world again
It appears that not even ruining Twitter by flooding it with neo-Nazi bullshit and defending a shockingly racist, washed-up cartoonist can get in the way of Elon Musk accumulating vast sums of unearned wealth. The billionaire tech bozo has once again claimed top spot as the world's richest person — a title that should carry with it more shame than pride given the widespread suffering that could be alleviated if that money were put to better use. Billionaire tax when?

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The USA, today

Biden administration knocked on the doors of 530 East Palestine, Ohio, residents last weekend

Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke

Air Force axes 6 leaders at nuclear base for unknown reasons

White House sets deadline for purging TikTok from federal devices

US military signs contract to put facial recognition tech on drones

Washington Post editorial board has zero people of color

Democratic attorneys general sue the FDA to drop “onerous” abortion pill restrictions

The daily planet

"We need burning villages": Israeli National Security Committee chairman cheers unprecedented settler rampage

Putin gives Steven Seagal Russia's top state award

Romanian court: Andrew Tate to be held for 3rd month

Zelenskyy says situation in Bakhmut worsening

Japan ad giant Dentsu named in Olympics bid-rigging complaint

India temple replaces elephant with robot for rituals

Mexican president posts photo of what he claims is a mythical woodland Mayan elf

Hope...

EU bans new gas or diesel vehicle production by the year 2035

Navy ship to be renamed after former slave who captured Confederate ship

From White House, Biden says "Black history matters"

New Moai statue found on Easter Island

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Today’s Action: Tell The New York Times to stop their right-wing, anti-trans bias!

Editorial giant The New York Times has a clear prejudice when reporting on trans issues, one that’s unfortunately helping normalize transphobia in mainstream society. Make no mistake, rampant transphobia is killing trans people — they’re being murdered, they’re ending their lives, and they’re living in fear. We are witnessing what is increasingly being viewed as a transgender genocide, and instead of protecting this vulnerable community, major media outlets are signaling to red-state legislatures that further isolating and ostracizing trans people through extreme legislation will be tacitly or outright permitted. Donald Trump, the standard bearer of the morally bankrupt Republican Party, has promised to “punish” hospitals who offer life-saving gender-affirming care to trans children, should he somehow be reelected in 2024. The multifaceted war being waged on trans people is in full swing with fatal consequences. Why is The New York Times — an absolute titan of the industry — amplifying intolerance and allowing contributors to stoke anti-trans hate under its famed banner? It’s unconscionable.

More than 180 Times contributors have signed a letter demanding the company stop their clear editorial bias toward the trans community, and readers can join the call as well. The signatories state that the Times has “treated gender diversity with an eerily familiar mix of pseudoscience and euphemistic, charged language, while publishing reporting on trans children that omits relevant information about its sources” despite their editorial guidelines demanding all pieces be “free of any whiff of bias.” It’s a slap in the face to the LGBTQ+ community, and telling of the company’s place in the fight for true gender equality — that is, the wrong side of history.

Instead of publishing trans-exclusionary and misleading hate speech, The New York Times should use its massive platform to amplify the names and stories of every trans person murdered in America the past two months alone — Jasmine “Star” Mack, KC Johnson, Unique Banks, Zachee Imanitwitaho, and others we may never know about. Join the more than 180 Times contributors and demand The New York Times stop their hostile, anti-trans bias immediately!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition demanding Fox News suspend Tucker Carlson for calling for violence against teachers and LBGTQ+ people, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 @advocacy | 1002 Hull St., Louisville, KY 40204