Author: Patrick Houck

A state legislature has delivered a sweeping victory to one of America’s most conservative governors today. The Republican-dominated Oklahoma Legislature passed HB 4327. The bill bans almost all abortions starting at fertilization. Exceptions include cases of rape, incest or to save the mother’s life. The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk, where all indications are he will sign it. Oklahoma lawmakers have clarified that the morning-after pill and other birth control methods, such as IUDs, will remain legal. They added that in vitro fertilization hasn’t been outlawed either. Like Texas’ “heartbeat bill,” the bill incentivizes citizens to…

Even though the Disinformation Governance Board is officially on “pause,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains committed to its vision. DHS has announced that two officials have been assigned to find out how the board became “grossly and intentionally mischaracterized.” The two people chosen to get the ball rolling again are President Bush’s DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and President Clinton’s U.S. Deputy Secretary General Jamie Gorelick. Chertoff co-authored the USA PATRIOT Act. The Daily Caller reports: The review of the Disinformation Governance Board will determine how the board can monitor disinformation while “protecting free speech, civil rights, civil liberties…

The highest court in Kansas has upheld the state legislature’s controversial congressional map. https://twitter.com/JacobRubashkin/status/1526954711517110272 Today’s decision overturns the findings of a Wyandotte County judge who ruled on April 25 that the Republican-passed map diluted the voting power of Democrats and minorities. Before redistricting, Kansas had three solidly Republican and one highly competitive congressional district, the 3rd, currently represented by Democrat Sharice Davids. Davids’ victory over then-Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder in 2018 showed that the suburban Kansas City seat was trending Democratic, at least in the short term. To deal with this ideological shift, Republicans in Topeka redrew the state’s four…

Controversial freshman Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) has lost his primary election to state Sen. Chuck Edwards. https://twitter.com/Redistrict/status/1526741238803836928 Many of the top Republicans in the state had endorsed Edwards. Cawthorn’s numerous scandals appear to have played a major factor in his defeat, as has his vacant district office. A crucial component of being an elected official is advocating for your constituents, which, it appears, a majority of tonight’s voters in North Carolina’s 11th District feel the 26-year-old didn’t do. Edwards only beat Cawthorn in three of the district’s 15 counties. However, they are the district’s most populous and happen to…

A court-appointed special master has unveiled the latest proposed congressional map for New York. The state’s initial proposal, which Democrats rammed through without a single Republican vote would have halved the number of GOP-leaning seats statewide and guaranteed an overwhelming Democratic majority in the state’s congressional delegation for the next decade. It was so egregious that New York’s highest court — with seven judges all appointed by Democratic governors — ruled that it violated the state’s constitution. The stunning reversal instantly erased Democratic gains in the nationwide redistricting process and made it less likely Nancy Pelosi would retain the Speaker’s…

Former Vice President Mike Pence will headline a last-minute get-out-the-vote rally for Gov. Brian Kemp hours before Georgia’s May 24 primary. Though undeniably conservative, Kemp committed an unforgivable sin in Trump’s eye by refusing to overturn Georgia’s presidential election results based on unproven claims of voter fraud. (RELATED: Trump Invests in First Midterm Race – Against This Republican) Mediaite further reports: “Brian Kemp is one of the most successful conservative governors in America,” Pence said in a Friday. “Brian Kemp is my friend, a man dedicated to faith, family and the people of Georgia. I am proud to offer my…

Kathy Barnette has risen dramatically in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in recent weeks. With five days until the primary, polls show a three-way race between Barnette, Dave McCormick, the former CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund, and Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and TV host. Oz currently leads the pack, but McCormick — and Barnette — are nipping at his heels. The latter’s rise coincided with the Supreme Court’s draft opinion leak concerning Roe v. Wade. Barnette had a transformative moment at a debate when she told the audience how her mother gave birth…

Police have questioned a suspect who threatened a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress with their 3,000-pound vehicle. The incident happened Tuesday evening in the Southern Minnesota city of Faribault, in a residential neighborhood where Republican Jennifer Carnahan had begun door knocking. Faribault Police confirmed Wednesday they had identified Carnahan’s alleged attacker. Authorities have not made the suspect’s name public, but they are reportedly a white male aged 18-20. Faribault Police Chief John Sherwin called the frightening encounter “unacceptable.” (RELATED: Gunshot Fired at Republican Attorney General’s Office) Fox News has more on Carnahan’s immediate reaction and the ongoing investigation: “Today’s events remind…

A circuit court judge has deemed Florida’s new congressional map unconstitutional. Judge Layne Smith agreed with complaints brought by Democrats who argued the map underrepresented minority voters. Smith said the law violated the Florida Constitution’s Fair Districts amendment and cited a bipartisan map passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature that DeSantis vetoed. That map would have added one Republican-leaning seat in Congress. DeSantis’s map created four new GOP-leaning seats. The map would have erased a heavily Democratic district in North Florida represented by a black Democrat. https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1483450040148504584 For now, Florida’s redistricting process is in doubt. The case will head to…

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has let the world know where he stands on his party’s bill to expand abortion rights nationwide ahead of today’s vote. The West Virginia Democrat told reporters that while he would vote for a bill that codified Roe v. Wade, the alternative proposed by his colleagues goes too far. As The Hill’s Jordain Carney reports: Manchin’s decision, which he had kept a tight lid on all week, means the bill will fall short of even getting 50 votes in the Senate, where it will be opposed by all Republicans. It would need 60 votes to advance. While…