Political Heat

The headlines following the debate SHOULD be about how much disinformation Trump spread. They SHOULD be about how he refused to take accountability for January 6. They SHOULD be about how he was convicted of 34 felony crimes…so far. And for any other candidate running for president, this debate SHOULD have been a "gimme." Trump did what he always does: he lied, he pushed an authoritarian agenda, he avoided answering questions he should been made to answer...and he smirked through all of it. But Joe Biden isn't just any other candidate. And he's certainly not the same Joe Biden that ran for president four years ago.  These are not the words I want to write. I wish I could say that it's clear and obvious for whom anyone should give their vote to in November. And honestly? It's still clear to me whom I'm going to vote for. But I really wish I had another viable choice. Joe Biden's performance on Thursday night didn't just leave more to be desired for ...

Transcript of video appears below... Louisiana Students Don't Need 10 Commandments Lurking Behind Them in Classrooms #10Commandments #churchandstate #FirstAmendment #religiousfreedom #politics #uspolitics #Louisiana #JeffLandry #TenCommandments pic.twitter.com/medz4jq1h6 — Chris Walker (@thatchriswalker) June 23, 2024 Louisiana has become the first state in the country to mandate the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom . This is a clear infringement on First Amendment religious freedom rights. Now, I consider myself a Christian, but I don't believe that my faith or anybody else's for that matter should be endorsed by government in this way. By the way, the Bible feels this way, too ( Matthew 6:5-7 , Luke 20:20-26 ). The state's governor, Republican Jeff Landry, justified the new law by stating the Commandments were a part of this country's history. That may be, to some extent, but so is Voodoo or Vodou in his home state. Somehow, I...

TWO FORMER U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICERS who helped to defend Congress during the January 6, 2021, Trump-inspired attack were invited guests to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives earlier this week. Although they were meant to be honored guests, that's not exactly what happened... From The Associated Press : Witnesses said the appearance Wednesday by former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and his ex-boss, former Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, triggered a distinctly negative response from some Republicans, with someone even shouting that they were cowards. ... "The GOP members’ shameful behavior was unbecoming of our institution for any guest, let alone two of the men responsible for defending our democracy during a dark day in our nation’s history," [Democratic House Speaker Joanna McClinton] said. "The Republicans’ disrespect, lack of patriotism and even common decency, epitomizes the poor behavior that so many in the MAGA movement have adopted." And from T...

A BOSTON GLOBE REPORTER noted something peculiar about the Republican National Committee's (RNC) website, featuring its convention set to occur in Milwaukee this July. Up until today, the skyline the organization decided to use on its page for the convention didn't even depict Milwaukee , but rather Ho Chi Minh City, the capital of Vietnam. "Was on the 2024 GOP convention website and saw it used a background image that... does not look like Milwaukee. Which makes sense because it's actually a photo of Ho Chi Minh City," national political reporter Sam Brodey said on X . Upon Brodey's catch of this error, the RNC changed its banner image to show the actual city on its website. But apparently, Republicans had the image up since as far back as February . Quick advice for any political party out there listening: If you're trying to impress the host city of your nominating convention — and if you're trying to win the Electoral College votes of the swing s...

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has reportedly filed criminal charges against two former lawyers for Donald Trump as well as an aide for the former president for their involvement in the 2020 fake elector scheme in the state.  The two lawyers, Kenneth Chesebro and Michael Dean, along with Trump aide, Robert Oswell, are accused of orchestrating and executing the fake elector scheme, which aimed to manipulate and interfere with the electoral process in Wisconsin. Chesebro, who is from Wisconsin, was the architect of the scheme in this state and several others where the Trump campaign attempted to overturn the election results. Notably, the former president was not among those charged by Kaul on Tuesday. Read more at JSOnline Paywall free option at HuffPost Featured image credit: Susan Ruggles/Flickr

This Friday is "Wear Orange Day," a nationwide event dedicated to raising awareness about gun violence through rallies and other calls to action.  Coinciding with National Gun Violence Awareness Day, there are hundreds of "Wear Orange Days" happening across the country. Participants are encouraged to wear orange to show their solidarity and support for reforms to gun laws, to reduce gun violence across the U.S. In Madison, the event and rally will take place at Galaxy Park , located at 132 Milky Way on the city's east side. Scheduled from 5 pm to 7 pm on Friday evening, the event is hosted by Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) and co-hosted by Moms Demand Action, Focused Interruption, and Dane County Human Services. The rally will offer a range of activities, including food, music, and speeches from various community leaders.  Join the Madison community at Galaxy Park this Friday evening to support this important cause. Your presence and participat...

ON HIS FLEDGLING TRUTH SOCIAL WEBSITE , former President Donald Trump demanded that the United States Supreme Court intervene to overturn his recent conviction in New York state, alleging various conspiracy theories and questioning the impartiality of Judge Juan Merchan, who is set to determine his sentencing on July 11.  Last week, Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers of 34 counts relating to his making hush-money payments to women he had affairs with, then using his personal business to hide the payments, concealing them from American voters in the run-up to the 2016 election.  Trump made several false assertions, including calling Merchan "HIGHLY CONFLICTED" (the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics had determined Merchan was not ). Such notions are part of a broader (and obvious) plot by him to undermine the judicial process and to escape being held to any accountability. Trump's plea to the Supreme Court is not only highly unusual but also l...

SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO'S refusal to recuse himself from cases relating to former President Donald Trump and the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack is deeply troubling, indicative of the right-wing bloc of justices' continued problems with a basic understanding of ethics and proof-positive of the need for more regulation and real changes at the High Court. Featured image credit: Italy in US/Flickr The flags flown over two of Alito’s residences over the past few years — an upside-down U.S. flag that flew just days after the deadly Capitol riot and Trump's second impeachment; and an "Appeal to Heaven" flag that flew as recently as last summer outside his vacation home — signal support for Trump and Christian nationalism , raising serious questions about the associate justice's impartiality. Alito’s defense that “My wife is fond of flying flags — I am not,” fails to address the core issue here: the standard that applies (or is supposed to apply) is...

FOLLOWING DONALD TRUMP'S RECENT CONVICTION in his Manhattan-based hush-money and election interference trial, new polling data from a  Reuters /Ipsos survey reveals a shift in attitudes among registered voters, including a small but significant portion of Republicans who now may not back the former president in his upcoming rematch with President Joe Biden.  Trump was found guilty on 34 charges related to making hush-money payments to women he had extramarital affairs with, and using his business to cover them up, thus concealing their existence from voters during the 2016 election.  Trump has long suggested that a guilty conviction would actually help him in the 2024 presidential race. But while the immediate reaction might demonstrate some Republicans are hardening their support of him, a deeper look into the numbers tells a more nuanced story. Looking at Republican voters alone, the majority, 56 percent, indicate that the trial's outcome will not affect their voti...