3CD DFL

In secret recording, Florida Republican threatens to send Russian-Ukrainian ‘hit squad’ after rival

“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America. … But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done,” William Braddock says in the clip.

MIAMI — A little-known GOP candidate in one of Florida’s most competitive congressional seats was secretly recorded threatening to send “a Russian and Ukrainian hit squad” to a fellow Republican opponent to make her “disappear.”

During a 30-minute call with a conservative activist that was recorded before he became a candidate, William Braddock repeatedly warned the activist to not support GOP candidate Anna Paulina Luna in the Republican primary for a Tampa Bay-area congressional seat because he had access to assassins. The seat is being vacated by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), who is running for governor.

“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” Braddock said at one point in the conversation last week, according to the recording exclusively obtained by POLITICO. “That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f—ing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.” Continue reading.

Trump supporter pleads guilty after firing his gun into car full of Black girls

A supporter of former President Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to intimidation with a dangerous weapon and willful injury after he fired multiple shots into a car filled with Black girls last year.

Local news station KCCI reports that 26-year-old Michael McKinney is now admitting to “causing the occupants to fear serious injury from my action” and also seriously injuring a 15-year-old girl whom he shot in the leg.

McKinney shot into the car while attending a pro-Trump rally at the Iowa Capitol building in December, exactly one month before the deadly January 6th pro-Trump riot that took place at the United States Capitol building. Continue reading.

McConnell shoots down Manchin’s voting compromise

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Thursday that Republicans will oppose a compromise election reform proposal put forward by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

“I would make this observation about the revised version … all Republicans I think will oppose that as well if that were to be what surfaced on the floor,” McConnell told reporters, referring to Manchin’s proposal.

McConnell’s comments, which came during a press conference with GOP senators railing against the For the People Act, are the latest signal that the election bill will fail during a procedural vote next week due to a GOP filibuster. Continue reading.

Mike Pompeo was annoyed that efforts to save a kidnapped American were interfering with his bedtime: report

Journalist Ronan Farrow has uncovered a lot of horrifying things that reportedly happened at the U.S. State Department during former President Donald Trump’s time in office.

In a new article published in The New Yorker, Farrow revealed how frustrated career diplomats and staffers at the State Department have been from the leadership of Secretaries Rex Tillerson and Mike Pompeo. But it was the stories about Pompeo, in particular, that are the most shocking.

Pompeo has been among those suspected of a presidential run after visiting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, but the stories from State Department staff aren’t promising for Pompeo’s future career. Continue reading.

Earth is now trapping an ‘unprecedented’ amount of heat, NASA says

New research shows that the amount of heat the planet traps has roughly doubled since 2005, contributing to more rapidly warming oceans, air and land

The amount of heat Earth traps has roughly doubled since 2005, contributing to more rapidly warming oceans, air and land, according to new research from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“The magnitude of the increase is unprecedented,” said Norman Loeb, a NASA scientist and lead author of the study, which was published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. “The Earth is warming faster than expected.”

Using satellite data, researchers measured what is known as Earth’s energy imbalance — the difference between how much energy the planet absorbs from the sun, and how much it’s able to shed, or radiate back out into space. Continue reading.

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: June 18, 2021

June 18, 2021

Finishing Up the Budget

Rep. Pryor, Sen. Cwodzinski, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn

The legislature convened for a special session on Monday, as we continue to work out the details of Minnesota’s budget. It was great to see so many of my colleagues’ faces after over a year of masked gatherings and zoom meetings. Rep. Laurie Pryor, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn, and I posed for a photo in front of the capitol to commemorate the occasion. Now it’s time to wrap this session up with a budget that works for all Minnesotans.

A Reopened and Reinvigorated State Capitol

The state capitol is officially reopened to the public! We’ve already seen several groups make use of this amazing space to exercise their civic duty. On Monday, VFW advocates were here to make their voices heard, along with a couple of large demonstrations as well.

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: June 17, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

This Monday, we gaveled into special session to pass our state budget. Since the regular session ended we have continued to work hard to find common ground on outstanding issues so that we can pass our state budget for the coming two years. To that end, as I send this e-update, I am on the House floor to take up our Commerce and Energy omnibus bill. We hope to also take our Higher Education, Legacy and Agriculture budget bills as well. As we debate these final bills, I will provide updates on key provisions and welcome your input and questions.

While there are still contentious issues to be hashed out in areas like police accountability and public safety, I’m confident we’ll be able to come together and pass a budget that will help Minnesota bounce back from the past year.

Higher Education

All Minnesota families deserve a world-class education, no matter where they live or what they look like. Our Higher Education bill makes investments to ensure Minnesota students can recover from the unprecedented challenges they’ve faced over the past year, and that they are also ready to thrive as they move forward in the post-pandemic workforce, including key funding for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State systems, as well as an increase to the State Grant program that will positively impact more than 75,000 students.

MAGA-rioting granny now says she’s ‘horrified’ by violence at Capitol as she pleads for leniency

A grandmother who broke into the United States Capitol building on January 6th now says she’s “horrified” by the violence that took place there as she pleads for a lenient sentence.

Via NBC 4 Washington investigative reporter Scott MacFarlane, an attorney representing 49-year-old Florida resident Anna Morgan-Lloyd says that she now regrets her decision to go into the Capitol building during the riot in a letter sent to a judge.

Additionally, Morgan-Lloyd also did something former President Donald Trump has not done and admitted that President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election. Continue reading.

Phillips Wins Chamber of Commerce Jefferson-Hamilton Bipartisanship Award for Second Straight Year

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce honored Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) with the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship for the second year in a row. The Chamber gives Phillips high marks for working across the aisle and leading on legislation to support entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, the non-partisan Lugar Center named Phillips the 12th most bipartisan member in the House of Representatives.

“I’m on a mission to inspire a new era of collaboration in Congress,” Phillips said. “As other political leaders focus on division, my staff and I will always prioritize unifying over common ground for the common good. I thank the Chamber for once again recognizing this important work.”

“These awards recognize members of Congress who demonstrated a commitment to advancing bipartisan solutions that address our nation’s problems and move our economy forward,” said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark. “In a time of intense polarization and gridlock, Rep. Phillips’s record of working across the aisle is to be commended.”

House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq war powers

The House on Thursday voted to repeal the 2002 authorization for the Iraq War in what lawmakers are framing as a first step in a broader effort to claw back presidential war powers.

The House voted largely along party lines, 268-161, to scrap the 2002 authorization for the use of military force (AUMF), with supporters of the repeal arguing the nearly 20-year-old law is outdated and no longer necessary.

Only one Democrat, Rep. Elaine Luria (Va.), voted against scrapping the authorization, while 49 GOP lawmakers did vote to repeal it. Continue reading.https://thehill.com/policy/defense/558930-house-votes-to-repeal-2002-iraq-war-powers

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