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As state legislatures move to restrict freedoms across the board regarding abortion, drag performances, and transgender rights, some are loosening gun rights—despite the fact that gun violence is on the rise, and public dissatisfaction with existing gun laws is at an all-time high. It’s clear that partisans are putting their own interests above those of their constituents, and failing to listen to or act on their real concerns—even when they involve something as critical as public safety. What happened in the Tennessee House last week is a prime example of politics superseding the public good. State Republicans expelled two state Democratic House members for participating in a gun violence march at the state Capitol—instead of directing their power and urgency toward addressing the actual issue of gun violence. Democratic norms are important, but weaponizing them strictly to weaken political competition betrays the spirit of these rules. It is partisan gamesmanship at its worst. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor
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240 Democrats ask appeals court to block Texas judge’s abortion pill ruling —The Hill
Biden travels to Ireland and UK to celebrate 25 years of peace —ABC News
China military ‘ready to fight’ after drills near Taiwan —Associated Press
Virginia mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher charged —Reuters
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Travesty in Tennessee
It’s exceedingly rare for any legislative body in the U.S. to expel a member—for example, no one in the current U.S. House and Senate has been expelled, despite supporting the Jan. 6. insurrection, calling for violence against fellow members, or suggesting that the country be split in two (Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has single-handedly accomplished all three). Yet, Tennessee state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson—both Black men and Democrats—were ousted last week by a Republican supermajority for breaching rules of decorum. Specifically, they used a bullhorn on the House floor, speaking without being recognized, and leading protests calling for gun restrictions following the mass shooting in a Nashville school on March 27. A third House Democrat, Rep. Gloria Johnson, narrowly escaped being expelled.
“An exercise of power used to send a political message.” According to state constitutional law expert Miriam Seifter, “Most expulsions have involved criminal conduct or abusive behavior, not suppression of dissent or targeting of political opponents. The Tennessee expulsions are therefore an extremely concerning outlier.” —NPR
Reinstated. Jones was sworn back into office on the Tennessee Capitol steps on Monday after the Nashville Metro Council unanimously voted 36-0 to override the expulsion and give him his job back. “Our voters were silenced,” Councilwoman Delishia Porterfield said. “With this vote, we are restoring the political voice of 70,000 people of District 52.” The Shelby County Commission is expected to vote on whether to reappoint Pearson on Wednesday. —The Washington Post
"He is an enemy of democracy.” Upon reinstatement, Jones said House Speaker Cameron Sexton “doesn’t deserve to be in [the] office of a speaker of the House any longer.” Sexton has denied accusations of racism, insisting that Jones and Pearson were removed merely to set a precedent that disrupting House proceedings would not be tolerated. If that were the case, however, there were far less extreme punitive options available to him. —Fox News
MORE: Glenn Altschuler: The threat to Democracy behind the farce in Tennessee —The Hill
Ed Board: Mourning mass shootings and legislative stubbornness
“Kentucky just voted to become a Second Amendment Sanctuary State. Instead of spending legislative time codifying background checks and gun restrictions, making sure only responsible gun owners have guns in their possession, our state legislature voted to prohibit local law enforcement agencies in Kentucky from enforcing federal firearm regulations. That’s what it means to be a city in a sanctuary state. How do these lawmakers respond to victims and the families that have lost loved ones now? How do they manage to double-down and prevent municipalities from doing what’s best for their own communities?” —The Courier-Journal
MORE: Tennessee governor calls for law removing guns from dangerous people —Politico
‘We don’t know who is behind this. We don’t know what the motive is’
The Biden Administration is scrambling to limit the damage from a massive Pentagon intelligence leak, which includes national security secrets concerning a range of U.S. adversaries, including Russia and China, as well as allies like Ukraine and South Korea. As officials search for the source of the leak, an online community of a few thousand young subscribers on the social media platform Discord has drawn international attention. A volunteer moderator of the group, followers of a YouTuber called “wow_mao,” posted images of the leaked documents. The collision of internet youth culture and national security may seem unusual, but it has become increasingly common in recent years, with the digital world impacting real life in sometimes dangerous ways. An investigation—and the diplomatic cleanup—is ongoing. —The New York Times
MORE PENTAGON LEAK NEWS:
DOJ opens investigation into apparent U.S. intelligence leak —Axios
Biden Administration still assessing extent of damage —CBS News
South Korea, U.S. claim leaked Pentagon documents ‘altered’ —Al Jazeera
Leaked document: U.S. doubts Ukraine offensive will yield big gains —The Washington Post
David Ignatius: The leaked intelligence on Ukraine tells a chilling story —The Washington Post
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More trouble for Thomas
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have announced plans to hold a hearing “regarding the need to restore confidence in the Supreme Court’s ethical standards,” prompted by a report on more than 20 years’ worth of luxury travel accepted by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from a Republican megadonor. When the report emerged last week, 22 Democratic lawmakers separately called on Chief Justice John Roberts to launch an investigation as well. Thomas allegedly accepted trips from Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow, including international cruises on Crow’s superyacht, flights on Crow’s private jet, and summer getaways at Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks, without disclosing them. Thomas says he believed “personal hospitality from close personal friends” was “not reportable.” —ProPublica
MORE: Justice Thomas says he was advised lavish gifts did not need to be reported —The New York Times
‘An unconstitutional attempt’
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the New York prosecutor pursuing criminal charges against Donald Trump, is punching back at Congressman Jim Jordan. He’s suing Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, accusing him of interfering in an active New York state prosecution. Jordan had already demanded confidential documents from Bragg’s office, and two days after Trump's arraignment, Jordan and the House committee subpoenaed a former attorney in the office, Mark Pomerantz, who wrote a book critical of Bragg's legal judgments. In his filing, Bragg says it goes against Supreme Court precedent for a member of Congress to demand the documents. He also claims the subpoena violates state sovereignty and is politically motivated. Stay tuned. —NPR
MORE: Trump says he’ll still run for president if convicted: ‘I’d never drop out’ —Forbes
Bydlak: Could RCV fix the GOP?
“The [Republican] party has piled up many losses in recent years, from the House in 2018 to the Senate and presidency in 2020 to the disappointing 2022 midterms, as well as a handful of state houses along the way. So long as Republicans continue down the same old path, their electoral prospects are unlikely to look much different. The party needs to shake up how it picks its candidates and change who is attracted to run under the banner of the GOP. Only then will Republicans reclaim viability in the places where they are losing. In this sense, ranked-choice voting just might be the silver bullet they are looking for.” —Jonathan Bydlak in The UnPopulist
Jonathan Bydlak is director of the Governance Program at the R Street Institute. He is the creator of SpendingTracker.org and the founder of the Institute for Spending Reform.
MORE: More ranked-choice voting bans, largely sponsored by Republicans, considered in 2023 legislative sessions than previous years —Ballotpedia News
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Now that Donald Trump has been arraigned, let's not forget he is entitled to his day in court. The question on my mind is, will justice be served? Let the games begin. —John C., Florida
As Dominion's defamation lawsuit against Fox News goes to trial, the possibility of Fox seeking to settle out of court may arise, if the evidence presented appears overwhelming. The question of punitive damages should become relevant to deciding whether to withdraw the suit, for fomenting an insurrection against the constitutional transfer of power cannot qualify as protected speech. The severest punitive damages would thus be in order and would justify not dismissing the defamation lawsuit. —Steve J., Pennsylvania
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The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Renew America Foundation.
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