House GOP leaps headlong into divisive Mayorkas impeachment debate
Source: Politico
The new House GOP majority is taking its first step Wednesday toward a goal that’s openly dividing its members: booting DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from office.
Republicans will start laying the groundwork on two tracks this week to potentially impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the border — a historically rare step that hasn’t been used against a Cabinet member since 1876. Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who would lead any impeachment inquiry, is holding what he promises will be the first in a series of hearings on the border on Wednesday, while Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) plans to launch his own opening salvo next week.
And while one group of Republicans prepares to make their case, another is ready to start impeachment immediately. The House GOP’s right flank has already filed an impeachment resolution and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) is now circulating his own proposal. Meanwhile, centrists are warning they aren’t on board and recent polls have suggested the public is wary of an excessive focus on investigations.
It marks another test for House GOP leaders, as they try to balance the demands of more moderate members and a base that’s eager to go scorched-earth against President Joe Biden and other administration officials. Not to mention that Republicans will have to navigate a barrage of criticism from Democrats and their allies, who accuse the GOP of using the border as a wedge issue to enact political revenge over policy differences.
Minnesota governor signs broad abortion rights bill into law
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz enshrined the right to abortion and other reproductive health care into Minnesota statutes Tuesday, signing a bill meant to ensure that the state's existing protections remain in place no matter who sits on future courts.
Democratic leaders took advantage of their new control of both houses of the Legislature to rush the bill through in the first month of the 2023 legislative session. They credit the backlash against the U.S. Supreme Court decision last summer to reverse Roe v. Wade for their takeover of the state Senate and for keeping their House majority in a year when Republicans expected to make gains.
Man who carried a Confederate flag in the Capitol on Jan. 6 is sentenced to 3 years
Source: NBC News
Feb. 9, 2023, 5:08 AM PST / Updated Feb. 9, 2023, 11:47 AM PST
By Daniel Barnes
WASHINGTON — A Delaware man who carried a Confederate flag through the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday.
Kevin Seefried, 53, was convicted on five charges stemming from his participation in the riot, including obstruction of an official proceeding — the joint session of Congress that was working to certify the Electoral College vote that day.
The government had sought a 70-month sentence for Seefried, while his lawyers asked for one year in prison.
Seefried addressed the court before the sentence was handed down and said he knew entering the Capitol was wrong.
South Carolina Senate passes new abortion ban after ruling
Source: AP
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Senate passed an abortion ban on Thursday in the Republican-led chamber's latest quest to craft a law that passes constitutional muster, but differences with a stricter proposal from the House could derail the effort once again.
Republicans have faced several setbacks in their efforts to further restrict abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal protections this summer, allowing the conservative state's previous ban to take effect.
First, a special session spanning a dozen meetings throughout the summer and fall resulted in no new ban when neither chamber budged from their respective proposals. Then, just days before lawmakers convened this January, the state's highest court narrowly struck down a 2021 law banning abortion after cardiac activity is detected around six weeks of pregnancy.
With Thursday's 28-12 vote, Senate Republicans insist they have found their solution in a ban on abortions after cardiac activity is detected around six weeks of pregnancy. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey emphasized that several clarifications of the bill’s language and repeals of conflicting laws will satisfy a majority on the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Experts Condemn Biden Admin's Proposed 'Gag Rule' for Federal Scientists by Julia Conley
February 10 , 2023
Introduction:
(Common Dreams) Scientists and government oversight watchdogs are expressing alarm over new language in the White House's "scientific integrity" framework, which one group said amounts to a "gag rule" that would harm federal researchers' ability to study issues including the climate emergency and public health threats.
As The Guardian reported Friday, a new draft of the revised Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice was released by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) last month, but went largely unreported by the press.
The policy reads:
[Agency] scientists shall refrain from making or publishing statements that could be construed as being judgments of, or recommendations on, [an agency] or any other federal government policy, unless they have secured appropriate prior approval to do so. Such communications shall remain within the bounds of their scientific or technological findings, unless specifically otherwise authorized.
Jeff Ruch, Pacific director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), said in a statement after the framework was released that the policy is "unconstitutional" and "serves no discernible purpose" other than muzzling federal scientists whose research pertains to issues that the scientific community has criticized President Joe Biden and previous administrations for, such as allowing planet-heating fossil fuel extraction to continue.
weatheriscool wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:19 pm
Why would Biden do something this republican?
Biden/Obama would have been moderate republican's in the 1970's.
America has drifted so far to the right since the 1980's its crazy.
Put it this way Richard Nixon's health plan was far more progressive than Obamacare.
Georgia judge to release parts of report on Trump's efforts to overturn election
Source: Reuters
Feb 13 (Reuters) - Portions of a Georgia special grand jury's report on Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the state's 2020 election should be publicly released, but any recommendations on criminal charges will remain sealed for now, a state judge ruled on Monday.
The panel's findings, which have remained sealed since the final report's existence was disclosed in January, could potentially serve as the basis for a prosecution of Trump or his associates who attempted to reverse Democratic President Joe Biden's statewide victory.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said three parts of the report will be released on Thursday: the introduction, the conclusion and a section in which the grand jury "discusses its concern that some witnesses may have lied under oath."
The report also includes "a roster of who should (or should not) be indicted, and for what, in relation to the conduct (and aftermath) of the 2020 general election in Georgia," the judge said.
Trump must pay $110,000 to New York AG for contempt in fraud probe, appellate court rules
Source: Law & Crime
A New York appellate court has upheld a $110,000 contempt order against former President Donald Trump for flouting discovery orders in the state attorney general’s fraud investigation.
“Once again, the courts have ruled that Donald Trump is not above the law. For years, he tried to stall and thwart our lawful investigation into his financial dealings, but today’s decision sends a clear message that there are consequences for abusing the legal system. We will not be bullied or dissuaded from pursuing justice,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement applauding the decision.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron imposed the contempt order before James formally filed her lawsuit. The judge eventually purged the order and capped the fine after Trump’s lawyers filed affidavits attesting that they performed a complete search.
A five-judge panel of New York’s Appellate Division, First Department, unanimously upheld the ruling.
Biden's 100th confirmed judge is LGBTQ+ first for Puerto Rico
Feb 14 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Tuesday secured its 100th federal court appointment, as the U.S. Senate approved Gina Méndez-Miró as the first openly LGBTQ+ American judge to serve on the federal district court in Puerto Rico.
Méndez-Miró, previously a Puerto Rico appeals court judge, was approved in the Senate on a 54 to 45 vote.
Senate Democrats and the Biden administration have vowed to continue to fast-track efforts in the new year to reshape the federal judiciary, choosing demographically diverse candidates and nominees with varied legal experiences. Of Biden's 100 judges, 76 thus far have been women and 68 have been people of color, according to Senate Democrats.
Parts of Georgia grand jury report on Trump election investigation released
Source: Washington Post
A Georgia judge on Thursday released parts of a report produced by an Atlanta-area special grand jury investigating efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia — though the panel’s recommendations on potential charges will remain secret.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney on Monday ordered the release of the report’s introduction and conclusion as well as a section where the grand jury expressed concern that “some witnesses may have lied under oath during their testimony.”
In ordering the report’s partial release, McBurney said grand jurors did not identify any of those witnesses, allowing for that section of the report to be released publicly. The rest of the panel’s findings will remain sealed — including what McBurney described as “a roster of who should (or should not) be indicted, and for what, in relation to the conduct (and aftermath) of the 2020 general election in Georgia.”
McBurney said releasing the full report at this time would violate due process of “potential future defendants” because what was presented to the grand jury was a “one-sided exploration” of what happened. He noted there were no lawyers “advocating for the targets of the investigation” and those who testified were not allowed to “present evidence” or “rebut” other testimony.
Special counsel is locked in at least 8 secret court battles in Trump investigations
Source: CNN Politics
CNN — Special counsel Jack Smith is locked in at least eight secret court battles that aim to unearth some of the most closely held details about Donald Trump’s actions after the 2020 election and handling of classified material, according to sources and court records reviewed by CNN.
The outcome of these disputes could have far-reaching implications, as they revolve around a 2024 presidential candidate and could lead courts to shape the law around the presidency, separation of powers and attorney-client confidentiality in ways they’ve never done before. Yet almost all of the proceedings are sealed, and filings and decisions aren’t public.
The sheer number of grand jury challenges from potential witnesses is both a reflection of the scope of the special counsel’s investigation and a hallmark of Trump’s ultra-combative style in the face of investigations. By comparison, Robert Mueller’s grand jury investigation into Trump had a smattering of sealed proceedings where investigators used the court to pry for more answers, and independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s Whitewater investigation ultimately totaled seven similar sealed cases.
A key sealed case revealed Wednesday is an attempt to force more answers about direct conversations between Trump and his defense attorney Evan Corcoran, where the Justice Department is arguing the investigation found evidence the conversations may be part of furthering or covering up a crime related to the Mar-a-Lago document boxes. A spokesman for Smith’s office declined to comment.
A special grand jury that investigated election interference by former President Donald J. Trump and his allies in Georgia recommended indictments of multiple people on a range of charges in its report, most of which remains sealed, the forewoman of the jury said in an interview today.
“It is not a short list,” the forewoman, Emily Kohrs, said, adding that the jury had appended eight pages of legal code “that we cited at various points in the report.”
NM: Bill to protect reproductive, gender-affirming healthcare passes House
A bill that would prohibit discrimination in reproductive healthcare and gender
-affirming healthcare passed the House by a 38 to 31 vote on Tuesday evening.
HB 7, Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Healthcare, will, if enacted, prohibit municipalities and counties from passing ordinances that directly or indirectly discriminate against either reproductive and gender-affirming care. The bill is sponsored by state Rep. Linda Serrato, D-Santa Fe.
The bill seeks to enable the attorney general or district attorneys to sue an entity responsible for a violation. The court could apply remedies, including monetary damages. The court can also apply a $5,000 civil penalty or actual damages against the entity responsible for the discrimination.
The cities of Clovis and Hobbs and Lea and Roosevelt counties have passed anti-abortion ordinances that impact abortion clinics’ ability to apply for licenses in those political subdivisions and also place restrictions on medication abortion.
Serrato said in her opening remarks that “our state remains a place where we can make complex decisions with doctors.”
State Rep. Kristina Ortez, D-Taos, a bill cosponsor, said 80 percent of transgender individuals consider suicide because of the stigma and shame.
