Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Tuesday pushed a debunked conspiracy theory to try to absolve Donald Trump and his supporters of guilt in the violent and deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — going as far as to blame the law enforcement officers who were brutally beaten by the pro-Trump mob. Johnson’s attempt to whitewash the Jan. 6 riot, which left five people dead and more than 100...
Interesting math: Tom Cotton’s minimum wage increase would be less than his own state’s
A Republican senator’s bill to gradually raise the minimum wage could bring it to $10 an hour by 2025. Meanwhile, his own state’s hourly minimum wage is already $11. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas unveiled the “Higher Wages for American Workers Act” on Tuesday with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). The bill includes a stepped increase in the federal minimum wage, which has remained at...
Ex-Capitol Police chief says pro-Trump mob ‘came prepared for war’
Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund on Tuesday described in harrowing detail the weapons law enforcement officers were beaten with on Jan. 6, when a pro-Donald Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop President Joe Biden’s electoral victory from being certified, saying the attack was the “worst attack on law enforcement” he had ever experienced...
CPAC cancels speaker over ‘reprehensible views’ — but keeps rest of hateful lineup
The Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual conference featuring conservative activists and politicians, has canceled an appearance by a panelist after his antisemitic tweets were publicized — while maintaining an entire roster of other right-wing speakers with a history of bigoted remarks. Hip-hop performer Young Pharaoh, originally slated to speak at the event, was disinvited after...
Intersex advocates call Equality Act a ‘tremendous step forward’
The Equality Act, a bill that provides nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, was reintroduced in the House of Representatives last week. The bill, introduced by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) and co-sponsored by 224 members of Congress, prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing, education, employment, health care, credit, public accommodations, and jury service. The bill...
Ted Cruz brags about Texas’ low energy prices as residents get hit with huge bills
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) claimed that people are “fleeing” to Texas from blue states because of the cheap energy prices, days after his state’s energy grid failed. He said this even though, as a result of that failure, many of his constituents saw gargantuan electricity bills last week. On Fox News, Cruz was asked about Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s warning that...
Florida officials defy Gov. Ron Desantis’ order to lower flags in honor of Limbaugh
Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat, is defying a state order to fly flags at half-staff after the death of racist, sexist radio show host Rush Limbaugh, who died last week after of lung cancer. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, ordered the flags to be lowered after Limbaugh’s funeral, praising Limbaugh’s ability to “connect with his listeners across...
Experts urge immigration reform — even if Congress has to do it bit by bit
Democratic lawmakers are considering a “piecemeal” strategy to pass a comprehensive immigration bill — something experts say may help get it “across the finish line,” even if the process is slower. On Feb. 18, Democrats, spurred on by President Joe Biden’s proposals, unveiled the sweeping U.S. Citizenship Act, which would pave a path to citizenship for approximately...
Blue states tackle criminal justice reform by legalizing marijuana and ending cash bail
Criminal justice reform advocates notched three major victories on Monday, as New Jersey legalized marijuana, Virginia abolished the death penalty, and Illinois eliminated cash bail in a sweeping police accountability bill. All three policies get to the heart of progressives’ goals of fixing the broken justice system in the United States — which has incarcerated Black and brown people at...
House GOP is very upset that states might get help from COVID relief bill
House Republicans claimed on Monday that just 9% of the funds in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan actually go to combat the coronavirus. This figure is way off. The Republican minority staff on the House Budget Committee shared a misleading pie graph on social media, claiming, “Democrats are pushing a bill that will destroy jobs, harm America’s working...