President Biden’s administration “unveiled a rule extending mandatory overtime pay to an estimated 4 million salaried workers, going even further than an Obama-era rule that was struck down in court,” Reuters reports.
Chip Roy Blasts Johnson for Hosting Gonzales Fundraiser
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said he is “beside himself” over Speaker Mike Johnson fundraising for Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) ahead of his primary runoff next month, Punchbowl News reports.
Said Roy: “I’m being attacked. Conservatives are being attacked. Bob Good, the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, is being attacked by Tony. He said he was a Klansman. I cannot tolerate what’s happening to the people that I think are standing up for this country.”
How Mike Johnson Came Around on Ukraine
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) talks to Politico: “It was the intelligence, it was the Europe generals who are in charge of the freedom of the world and of course it was the developments as well, everything has escalated.”
“It may seem hard to square the congressman who, only in September, opposed $300 million in Ukraine aid with the one who put his career on the line to deliver $95 billion to the battered country. It’s easier to grasp when you realize Johnson grew up in the shadow of B-52s at Barksdale Air Force Base during the 1980s. He’s a Republican of the ‘Red Dawn’ generation. It only took a higher level of intelligence briefings, granted to congressional leaders, for him to pick up that old Cold War hymnal… Just days after his October election to the post, Johnson told Senate Republicans he supported Ukraine funding, so long as aid to Israel received a separate vote.”
Said one senior House GOP aide: “Amazing what some intel briefs will do.”
U.S. Takes Aim at Chinese Banks Helping Russia
“The U.S. is drafting sanctions that threaten to cut some Chinese banks off from the global financial system, arming Washington’s top envoy with diplomatic leverage that officials hope will stop Beijing’s commercial support of Russia’s military production,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Four Germans Arrested for Celebrating Hitler’s Birthday
“Four Germans were caught laying white roses in memory of Adolf Hitler at the house where the Nazi dictator was born in western Austria on the anniversary of his birth, and one gave a Hitler salute as they posed for photos,” the AP reports.
Modi Called Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ at Indian Election Rally
“India’s main opposition party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using hate speech after he called Muslims ‘infiltrators’ — some of his most incendiary rhetoric about the minority faith, days after the country began its weekslong general election,” ABC News reports.
“Critics of the prime minister — an avowed Hindu nationalist — say India’s tradition of diversity and secularism has come under attack since his Bharatiya Janata Party won power a decade ago. They accuse the party of fostering religious intolerance and sometimes even violence.”
Lawmaker Broke Into Home for Her Father’s Ashes
Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell (D) “told police that she broke into her stepmother’s home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes,” the AP reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Mr. Blanche, you’re losing all credibility with this court.”
— Judge Juan Merchan, quoted by NBC News, to Donald Trump’s lawyer in the “hush money” criminal trial.
Judge Torches Team Trump’s Gag Order Defense
Rolling Stone: “During a tense hearing, Judge Juan Merchan heard arguments from Manhattan prosecutors requesting that Trump be sanctioned for “willful” violations of the gag order — and sparred with Trump’s attorneys over claims of ignorance by the president. No decision was handed down Tuesday, but prosecutors have requested that Trump be fined $1,000 for each violation, and reminded that future violations of the order ‘can be punished not only with additional fines but also with a term of incarceration of up to 30 days.'”
“Judge Merchan did not seem very sympathetic to Trump’s defense.”
New York Times: “This hearing, ostensibly about violations of a gag order, doubled as a complete onslaught on the Trump ethos. Justice Merchan clarified that politics infused everything that the former president does and insisted on hearing good faith arguments, and the truth, wherever possible. We knew this was going to be a big moment; it was even more revealing than expected.”
Cash-Strapped Elections Offices Have Fewer Resources
“This month, Wisconsin joined 27 other states that have banned or restricted local governments’ use of private donations to run cash-strapped election offices, buy voting equipment or hire poll workers for Election Day,” Stateline reports.
“All of the state laws came in the past four years, pushed by conservative lawmakers and activists who claim that Democratic voters disproportionately benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars in grants primarily funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, during the 2020 presidential election.”
“Courts and federal regulators have rejected those claims, but the debate over the role of outside money reveals a broader worry among election experts, who say there are significant shortcomings in local government funding of election offices. That includes not just Election Day duties and vote counting, but also the year-round administrative work of maintaining voter rolls and taking care of and updating voting equipment.”
Quote of the Day
“January 6th was no less than an intent and an effort to replace by force who our country had voted for. The mob was there because it hadn’t achieved what it wanted to at the ballot box.”
— U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, quoted by the AP, in sentencing a Capitol rioter.
Supreme Court Turns to Emergency Abortions
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will consider “one of the most pressing questions to emerge since they eliminated the federal constitutional right to an abortion two years ago: Under what circumstances can women with serious pregnancy complications obtain abortions in states where the procedure is banned?,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The case centers on a Biden administration lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department in 2022, that argues Idaho’s ban failed to provide adequate legal cover to doctors who provide abortions in medical emergencies. With the Supreme Court now giving states the power to restrict abortion, the administration has few legal options as it seeks to promote abortion rights.”
Trump Bets Jury Will Believe He Was Set Up
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Newsom to Make It Easier for Arizonans to Get Abortions
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to propose legislation to make it easier for Arizonans to seek abortions in his state,” the Arizona Republic reports.
“Health care providers in Arizona can provide abortion care for up to 15 weeks, but on June 8 the state’s 1864 abortion ban goes back into effect. The change will prompt many Arizonans to travel out of state to access abortion care, perhaps to the neighboring state of California.”
Biden Heads to Florida for Abortion Speech
“President Joe Biden is wading deeper into the fight over abortion rights that has energized Democrats since the fall of Roe v. Wade, traveling to Florida to assail the state’s upcoming ban and similar restrictions that have imperiled access to care for pregnant women nationwide,” the AP reports.
“Tuesday’s campaign visit to Tampa takes Biden to the epicenter of the latest battle over abortion restrictions. The state’s six-week abortion ban is poised to go into effect May 1 at the same time that Florida voters are gearing up for a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.”
Flashback Quote of the Day
“What have we done?”
— Stormy Daniels’ then-attorney Keith Davidson in a text message to National Enquirer editor in chief Dylan Howard, as it became apparent on Election Night 2016 that Donald Trump would win.
Trump’s Company Sought Visa He Once Denounced
“The social media company founded by Donald Trump applied for a business visa program that he sought to restrict during his administration and which many of his allies want him to curtail in a potential second term,” the AP reports.
Biden’s New Chopper Demoted After Scorching Lawn
“The new presidential helicopter has been demoted to backup duty because Lockheed Martin Corp. still can’t figure out how to keep it from scorching the White House’s South Lawn,” Bloomberg reports.