3/4/23 - Newsletter
GOP News
Walgreens will stop providing abortion pills in 20 states, including some states where abortion is legal—after facing tremendous intimidation and legal threats from 20 Republican Attorney Generals and anti-abortion advocates. The widely used medications mifepristone (approved by FDA in 2000) and misoprostol are also used to manage early miscarriages.
Trump-appointed judge Matthew Kacsmaryk for the Amarillo division of the Northern District of Texas will soon be ruling on a case that could restrict access to the two-step regimen process. The lawsuit against the FDA was brought forward by a conservative legal group, Alliance Defending Freedom, representing anti-choice groups and four doctors. In January, the FDA allowed all retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills through mail-in shipping, noting it does not violate the Comstock Act of 1873. Who is Matthew Kacsmaryk? "Kacsmaryk, who ascended to the federal bench from the conservative legal group First Liberty Institute, has defended his ability to be impartial in his work as a judge. Nonetheless, many of his recent decisions have been wins for the right."
The Biden administration and Democrats are waiting for a decision before taking action. And according to NARAL, using U.S. Census data, "24.5 million women of reproductive age are living in states with abortion bans. If FDA approval of mifepristone is revoked, 64.5 million women of reproductive age in the U.S." would lose access to medication abortion.
Former President Donald Trump is trying to block Mike Pence from cooperating with a grand jury by asserting executive privilege. Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, oversees the investigations into Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election and failure to turn over classified documents to the National Archives and Records Administration and Department of Justice.
*Last month, federal prosecutors quickly filed a motion to a chief federal judge to compel former VP Mike Pence into testifying in front of the grand jury about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.*
Florida state Senator Jason Brodeur (R-Lakemary) introduced SB 1316: Information Dissemination. The measure defines a blog as any "website or webpage that hosts any blogger and is frequently updated with opinion, commentary, or business content," excluding newspapers' online outlets. The bill would require bloggers to register with the Office of Legislative Services or the Commission on Ethics if they're writing about an "Elected state officer, which means the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the 155 Legislature." Paid bloggers will also have to report their earnings, making it easy for writers to be tracked by the state government.
The Texas state GOP introduced HB 2889, which would only provide property tax relief to "qualifying married couples." The bill says a legitimate couple "means a man and a woman who are legally married to each other, neither of whom have ever been divorced." Their property taxes would be slashed, depending on the household size. For example, a married couple with four children would receive a 40% tax break. LGBTQ married couples and divorced individuals will not receive tax relief if it passes the state legislature.
Today, U.S. House Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) was censured by the state GOP by a vote of 57-5. Gonzales voted with House Democrats during the 117th Congress for federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages and a bipartisan gun reform law. The state party might fund an opponent to primary him next year and is actively “discouraging him from running as a Republican.” Read more on the drama here.
At CPAC this evening, Trump told Newsmax’s Chief White House Correspondent James Rosen that he would not drop out of the race if he is indicted:
Dem News
Many House Democrats are fuming after President Joe Biden unexpectedly announced that he would be signing a House GOP-backed resolution (31 House Democrats voted in favor) repealing the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2021, which was voted for and approved by the D.C. Council last November. The bill "updates the definitions of criminal offenses, creates new grades of sentences based on the severity of the crime, eliminates most mandatory minimum sentences, and broadly expands the right to a jury trial for people charged with misdemeanors." Democrats have always supported D.C. statehood and D.C. autonomy, leaving legislation affairs to the city's local government and respecting D.C.'s Home Rule Act. Democrats other than Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) will most likely vote in favor of the measure, too. However, the majority of D.C. voters approve of the revised criminal code.
“The White House f***** this up royally,” one Democratic lawmaker texted The Hill. “So a lot of us who are allies voted no in order to support what the White House wanted. And now we are being hung out to dry. F****** AMATEUR HOUR. HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVER THIS.”
The House Ethics Committee released a report by the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent and non-partisan entity in charge of overseeing misconduct concerning House members and staff, citing concerns that Rep. Alexandria Cortez (D-NY) "may have accepted impermissible gifts associated with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021. If Rep. Ocasio-Cortez accepted impermissible gifts, then she may have violated House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law." AOC's office rebuked the claims. The report indicates that the Board requires further review. Read AOC's office letter.