New York Primaries
National Democrats had a huge night in New York on Tuesday, fortifying their sense that a brutal midterm environment has softened, if not turned around, writes Steve Israel for the Hill. The big news was the victory of Democrat Pat Ryan over Republican Mark Molinaro in a special election in the Hudson Valley. No pundit that I know predicted a Democratic victory in that Republican-leaning district. One poll on the verge of Election Day had Molinaro up by eight points.
Five takeaways from Tuesday’s big primaries (Hill)
Excerpt from the Hill: Molinaro’s campaign echoed the conventional GOP playbook, which should be entitled B.I.G: Biden, Inflation, Gas. Ryan told me that he intended to "put choice on the ballot." He decided to spur Democratic turnout and persuade swing voters by turning the race into a referendum on the Supreme Court’s dismantling of Roe v. Wade. The strategy worked, and Ryan almost beat Molinaro in the Republican’s home county. But even in the post-election analysis, many pundits have missed another dynamic: Ryan is a West Point graduate and Iraq War combat veteran. The lesson: In purple districts, Democrats with credibility on national security issues perform well.
Dr. Fauci Plans to Retire
Earlier this week, Dr. Fauci announced he would retire as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the end of the year. For nearly four decades, Dr. Anthony Fauci has been leading the fight against infectious diseases in America - including AIDS and COVID-19. Now, he's stepping away.
Dr. Anthony Fauci Steps Away - 14-Minute Listen (NPR)
NPR's Consider This: In this episode, we'll talk with Dr. Fauci about his decision to leave, and take a look at the twists and turns of his long - and sometimes controversial - career.
Convictions in Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot
According to the Associated Press, the conviction of two men for conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shows that jurors in a deeply divided nation can still reach agreement in politically charged cases, according to experts. But it leaves unanswered questions about the potential for violence by extremists with a vendetta against government and law enforcement, they say.
"I hope it will be a deterrent in the future, but we need to see some softening of the rhetoric before we can accurately predict that," said Michael Edison Hayden, spokesman for the nonprofit Southern Policy Law Center, which monitors hate groups.
Whitmer kidnap plot convictions unlikely to curb extremism (Associated Press)
Excerpt from the Associated Press: A jury on Tuesday convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, delivering swift verdicts in a plot that was broken up by the FBI and described as a rallying cry for a U.S. civil war by anti-government extremists. The result was a big victory for the U.S. Justice Department. A different jury just four months ago couldn’t reach unanimous decisions on Adam Fox or Barry Croft Jr. but acquitted two other men, a stunning conclusion that led to a second trial. Their arrests nearly two years ago came at an extremely tense time: the volatile homestretch of the election between Joe Biden and then-President Donald Trump playing out against a backdrop of armed protests over COVID-19 restrictions, especially in Michigan.
Guilty Plea in Fatal Breonna Taylor Raid
A former Louisville police detective who helped write the warrant that led to the deadly police raid at Breonna Taylor's apartment has pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge, writes NPR.
A former cop pleads guilty to falsifying warrant that led to Breonna Taylor's death (NPR)
Excerpt from NPR: Federal investigators said Kelly Goodlett added a false line to the warrant and later conspired with another detective to create a cover story when Taylor's March 13, 2020, shooting death by police began gaining national attention. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot to death by officers who knocked down her door while executing a drug search warrant. Taylor's boyfriend fired a shot that hit one of the officers as they came through the door and they returned fire, striking Taylor multiple times. Goodlett, 35, appeared in a federal courtroom in Louisville on Tuesday afternoon and admitted to conspiring with another Louisville police officer to falsify the warrant. Goodlett briefly answered several questions from federal judge Rebecca Jennings Grady.
Uvalde School Board Fires Police Chief
According to the Texas Tribune, the Uvalde school board agreed Wednesday to fire Pete Arredondo, the school district police chief broadly criticized for his response to the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, in a vote that came shortly after he asked to be taken off of suspension and receive backpay.
Uvalde school board fires Chief Pete Arredondo over shooting response, after he calls vote a “public lynching” (Texas Tribune)
Excerpt from the Texas Tribune: Arredondo, widely blamed for law enforcement’s delayed response in confronting the gunman who killed 21 people at Robb Elementary, made the request for reinstatement through his attorney, George E. Hyde. The meeting came exactly three months after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at the school. "Chief Arredondo will not participate in his own illegal and unconstitutional public lynching and respectfully requests the Board immediately reinstate him, with all backpay and benefits and close the complaint as unfounded," Hyde said in a statement. Arredondo didn’t attend the meeting, citing death threats made against him.
Jump to this week's edition of:
World News
US News
Politics
Culture
Business
Innovation
Special Report
