Data and Research Manager , CD3 DFL

Ivanka Trump & Her Adult Siblings Say Goodbye to Secret Service Protection

Ivanka Trump and her adult siblings, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump are all waking up today with a much different reality than the last four years — no Secret Service protection. After any typical administration, the family members of the outgoing president see their security detail ended as the change of power happens, but not with the Trump family. Donald made sure that they had an extra six months — all at the American taxpayers’ expense.

The change happened on Tuesday at 12:01 p.m. ET for Donald’s adult children and their spouses, per National Zero. The next Trump family member to lose their security will be son Barron, who has it until March 2022 when he turns 16 years old. (Donald and Melania are protected for life.) Former Vice President Mike Pence and wife Karen also saw the end of their Secret Service protection, but their extra six months are par for the course for an outgoing VP — it wasn’t a Trump decision.

The costs associated with Donald’s extended family were quite extraordinary during his administration. According to Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW), the final two years of Trump’s time in office required 3,249 protected trips for the Secret Service. In comparison, the Obamas had 933 trips with security detail over seven years. So the move that the former president made to extend protection for his adult children only added to an already high tab. Continue reading.

Weapon arguments made during hearing for former Rocky Mount officer charged in Jan. 6 riot

The federal hearing for a former Rocky Mount police officer accused of violating the conditions of his bond ended Wednesday morning without a ruling from the judge.

Thomas “T.J.” Robertson and another former Rocky Mount officer, Jacob Fracker, face federal charges for participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. On June 30, prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Robertson’s bond after a search of his Ferrum home found firearms and explosive devices. Prosecutors contend Robertson violated the conditions of his release.

Wednesday’s hearing took place in Washington, D.C., with Robertson appearing in person. Robertson’s attorney, Mark Rollins, said the former police officer is being held in Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange County because he personally knows most of the police in Southwest Virginia. Continue reading.

Seventh Circuit Upholds Ruling Against Indiana’s Faulty Voter Roll Purges

Indiana’s purge law lacks safeguards to prevent removal of eligible voters; district court had issued summary judgment against the state.

Yesterday the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in League of Women Voters of Indiana v. Sullivan (previously called Indiana NAACP v. Lawson), rejecting the state of Indiana’s appeal of the lower court’s summary judgment order. The Court of Appeals found that Indiana’s purge law was inconsistent with the federal Motor Voter law, legislation that Congress passed in 1993 to increase voter registration across the country. While that federal law, the National Voter Registration Act, could be improved, it continues to block state legislation that undermines voting access.

Indiana’s purge law would have allowed the state to remove Indiana registrants from the list of eligible voters without direct communication from the voter and without following the notice and waiting period required by the National Voter Registration Act.

“We won again in this four-year-old lawsuit on behalf of Indiana’s voters,” said Barbara Bolling-Williams, president of the Indiana State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). “The laws Indiana passed in 2017 and 2020 risked improper purges of Indiana voters, particularly Black and brown voters. This decision is a win for democracy and racial justice.” Continue reading.

‘Always whispering devilish ideas in the king’s ear’: Gen. Milley had a low opinion of Stephen Miller, new book says

Gen. Mark Milley appears to not have been a fan of former Trump White House advisor Stephen Miller and thought of him as “a Rasputin character, always whispering devilish ideas in the king’s ear,” according to an excerpt from a new book documenting Trump’s last days in office.

According to Business Insider, the highlighted excerpt comes from the new book “I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year.”Authored by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Phillip Rucker, the book sheds light on some of Milley’s concerns, and based on the writers’ reporting, the top-ranking general had shared his concerns about Miller with his aides.

Per the publication:

“Milley likened Miller to the villainous Grigori Rasputin, an influential Russian political figure also called the “Mad Monk,” who held significant influence over the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. The self-professed holy man was later murdered by aristocrats.” Continue reading.

Republicans threaten to hold up debt ceiling days before deadline, raising potential for political showdown

“There really is no other way,” Sen. Marco Rubio says, but Democrats insist that they have no plans to negotiate

Senate Republicans on Wednesday threatened to vote against an increase to the debt ceiling unless Congress first agrees to new spending cuts or other measures, raising the potential for a major political showdown that could carry vast implications for both the global economy as well as President Biden’s agenda.

The new ultimatum marked a reversal for Republicans, who agreed to address the debt ceiling — the statutory amount the government can borrow to pay its bills — multiple times to advance policies under President Donald Trump that helped add $7 trillion to the federal debt during his term.

“We had a pandemic that drove a lot of [spending], but what’s been added on top of it, and what [Democrats] plan to spend moving forward on top of that, I think it calls for some level of sanity,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said. Continue reading.

Jim Jordan actually tries to blame Democrats for the Jan. 6 attack

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) attacked nearly half of American adults Wednesday, falsely claiming Democrats “normalized anarchy,” after Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to allow him on the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

Jordan suggested because Democrats supported the Black Lives Matter protests against police killing of unarmed Black people, Trump supporters had every right to break federal laws, damage federal property, attempt to overturn an election, and threaten the lives of duly-elected House and Senate representatives, and the vice president of the United States.

Jordan insisted the “fundamental question” the January 6 Select Committee should investigate is not who lied to the American people, who incited the insurrection, and the attempted coup — but “why wasn’t there a proper, proper security presence at the capitol that day.” Continue reading.

‘Helmet boy’ Capitol insurrectionist demands plea deal in ‘off the rails’ hearing: ‘Can I get an offer?’

The Capitol insurrectionist who became known as “helmet boy” — after being captured on video using a riot helmet to smash a window to the Speaker’s Lobby during the Jan. 6 riot — demanded a plea bargain from prosecutors during an “off the rails” court appearance on Wednesday.

Zach AZach Alam, who remains in jail, spoke over his attorney and demanded to represent himself, at one point directly asking a federal prosecutor assigned to the case, “Can I get a deal?” according to a live report from Scott MacFarlane, an investigative reporter for Washington, D.C.’s NBC affiliate.

Alam said he was making an “offer” — for prosecutors to drop all charges — before demanding, “Make me a counteroffer.” Continue reading.

McCarthy yanks all GOP picks from Jan. 6 committee

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has decided not to participate in the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol, yanking all of his GOP picks in protest of Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s (D-Calif.) decision to reject two top Republicans.

“Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republican nominees, Republicans will not be party to their sham process and will instead pursue our own investigation of the facts,” he said in a statement.

A Pelosi spokesman quickly shot down the possibility that Pelosi might reverse course. Continue reading.

Doctor reveals what she tells dying COVID patients who beg for a vaccine after thinking the pandemic was a hoax

An Alabama doctor has revealed heartbreaking details about her recent conversations with patients dying from COVID-19, amid a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant in the state with the lowest vaccination rate in the nation.

“I’m admitting young healthy people to the hospital with very serious COVID,” Dr. Brytney Cobia wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. “One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late.

“A few days later when I call time of death, I hug their family members and I tell them the best way to honor their loved one is to go get vaccinated and encourage everyone they know to do the same,” Cobia added. “They cry. And they tell me they didn’t know. They thought it was a hoax. They thought it was political. They thought because they had a certain blood type or a certain skin color they wouldn’t get as sick. They thought it was ‘just the flu’. But they were wrong. And they wish they could go back. But they can’t. So they thank me and they go get the vaccine. And I go back to my office, write their death note, and say a small prayer that this loss will save more lives.” Continue reading.

Rep. Phillips Leads Resolution Supporting Establishment of Gold Star Children’s Day

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution expressing support for the designation of August 1, 2021, as Gold Star Children’s Day to recognize the sacrifices of the children of fallen servicemembers. The initiative is co-led by Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), with Reps. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Trent Kelly (R-MS) joining as original cosponsors. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) have introduced the companion resolution in the Senate.

To date, there has been no nationally recognized day to honor Gold Star Children. The thousands of sons and daughters of military families that have lost mothers or fathers serving in the Armed Forces deserve national recognition for the unique burden and legacy they carry. This resolution will designate August 1, 2021, as Gold Star Children’s Day and encourage the people of the United States to join in observation of this day.

“As a Gold Star son, I understand firsthand the sacrifices made by some so that ALL may enjoy the freedoms we hold dear as Americans – and so that we may continue to be blessed to live in the oldest and most successful continuous democracy in the world,” said Rep. Phillips. “Up until now, the unimaginable sacrifices of Gold Star Children have not been recognized with a special day, and that ends here.”

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