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Inspiration sometimes comes from unexpected places. In this case, it was from James Corden, on his final episode [ [link removed] ] of “The Late Late Show,” the CBS talk show he has hosted since 2015. Reflecting on the past eight years, the native Briton said, “I’ve watched America change a lot. I’ve watched divisions grow, and I’ve felt a sense of negativity boil over.” He implored his audience to “remember what America signifies to the rest of the world. My entire life it has always been a place of optimism. ... Yes, it has flaws, but show me a place that doesn’t. Show me a person that doesn’t.” He concluded by saying, “Just because somebody disagrees with you, it doesn’t make them bad or evil. We are all more the same than we are different. There are so many people who are trying to stoke those differences, and we have to try as best we can to look for the light, look for the joy. If you do, it’s out there.” Well said. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor
Releasing leak suspect Jack Teixeira a national security risk, feds say — [ [link removed] ]Boston Herald [ [link removed] ]
25 dead in Ukraine as Russian missiles hit cities — [ [link removed] ]BBC [ [link removed] ]
White House regroups after McCarthy’s debt ceiling success — [ [link removed] ]Politico [ [link removed] ]
Iranians hacked election results computer in 2020, but were blocked — [ [link removed] ]The Washington Post [ [link removed] ]
Fed report on Silicon Valley Bank collapse finds regulators failed to act — [ [link removed] ]The Wall Street Journal [ [link removed] ]
Bipartisan Senate bill would ban social media algorithms for minors — [ [link removed] ]TechCrunch [ [link removed] ]
Conservative lawmakers stop abortion limits in Nebraska, South Carolina — [ [link removed] ]The Washington Post [ [link removed] ]
Minnesota Senate sends ‘Democracy for the People Act’ to the governor — [ [link removed] ]KTTC [ [link removed] ]
North Carolina Supreme Court reverses vote in gerrymandering case — [ [link removed] ]The New York Times [ [link removed] ]
New website to monitor the global state of democracy and human rights — [ [link removed] ]AfricaNews [ [link removed] ]
‘We had a close working relationship. It did not end well’
In closed testimony in Washington, D.C., yesterday, former Vice President Mike Pence appeared before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It was a coup for the Justice Department, giving federal prosecutors a key first-person account about certain conversations and events in the weeks preceding the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Pence’s testimony was subpoenaed and came hours after a federal appeals court rejected a bid by Trump’s lawyers to block his appearance. —Associated Press [ [link removed] ]
What did he say? We don’t know, but Pence said he would tell the same story that he wrote about in his memoirs, which wasn’t particularly flattering to the ex-president. President Biden, who announced his reelection campaign this week, didn’t comment about Pence’s appearance, but had this to say about Trump: “I know him well, and I know the danger he presents to our democracy, and we’ve been down this road before.” —Spectrum News [ [link removed] ]
True to form. For his part, Trump said yesterday that if he wins the 2024 presidential election, he will order the Justice Department to investigate “radical” county and state prosecutors whom he accused, without evidence, of targeting “conservatives.” He’s likely referring to jurisdictions in New York and Georgia that have multiple credible cases against him. —Reuters [ [link removed] ]
They never learn. The GOP, meanwhile, isn’t putting up much of a fight against Trump’s 2024 candidacy, regardless of the current and pending cases against him, including an indictment in Manhattan. A Republican Party autopsy report on the 2022 midterm elections examining why the GOP failed to win the U.S. Senate and posted smaller-than-expected gains in the House does not even mention Trump or the detrimental role he played as the de facto leader of the party. Here we go again… —The Washington Post [ [link removed] ]
MORE: Peter Wehner: MAGA is eating its own — [ [link removed] ]The Atlantic [ [link removed] ]
Sargent: SCOTUS crisis merits bipartisan response 
“Chief Justice John Roberts continues to insist the court can police itself entirely, even in the wake of these revelations. Congress, then, should act, because it would constitute the people’s representatives taking steps to shore up the court’s legitimacy in a way it will not do for itself. Not acting sends a message to the people that their representatives do not have this power to act on their behalf—that the Supreme Court is beyond accountability.” —Greg Sargent in The New York Times [ [link removed] ]
Greg Sargent is a Washington Post columnist covering national politics.
MORE: In bipartisan bill, senators urge Supreme Court to adopt ethics code — [ [link removed] ]The New York Times [ [link removed] ]
The mouse strikes back
On Wednesday, Disney filed a lawsuit [ [link removed] ] against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, alleging the governor’s takeover of the company’s theme park district is a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” after it opposed a Florida law known as “Don’t Say Gay.” Disney has a legitimate 1st Amendment case, according to many Constitutional scholars, and some Republicans agree. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has joined a growing list urging DeSantis to reel in his crusade against the company. “This is a big employer inside Florida,” McCarthy said. “I think the governor should sit down with them. I don’t think the idea of building a prison next to a place that you bring your family is the best idea. I think it’d be much better if you sat down and solved the problems.” Indeed. —Newsweek [ [link removed] ]
MORE: DeSantis hates the media—but not this one outlet — [ [link removed] ]Politico [ [link removed] ]
‘The people sent me here to do the work’
Montana’s Republican-majority House voted on Wednesday to ban Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr [ [link removed] ] from the House chamber for the remainder of this year’s legislative session. She had said GOP lawmakers would have “blood” on their hands for passing bills restricting transgender rights [ [link removed] ] and rallied protesters on Monday after Speaker Matt Regier blocked her from being recognized to speak. Her colleagues argued that Zephyr was inciting “violence” and showing “flagrant disregard for the safety and well-being” of those at the House, according to a statement from the Montana Freedom Caucus. Zephyr, the first openly trans lawmaker in the state, has said that transitioning has played a pivotal role in her life, and that denying gender-affirming care to trans children is tantamount to “torture.” —ABC News [ [link removed] ]
RELATED NEWS:
Montana Gov. Gianforte lobbied by his son to veto trans bills — [ [link removed] ]Montana Free Press [ [link removed] ]
Drag performers march in Tallahassee, protest anti-LGBTQ+ bills — [ [link removed] ]Tampa Bay Times [ [link removed] ]
Kansas legislators impose sweeping anti-trans bathroom law — [ [link removed] ]Associated Press [ [link removed] ]
San Francisco to repeal boycott of anti-LGBTQ+ states — [ [link removed] ]Associated Press [ [link removed] ]
Jim Geraghty: Everything is the culture war now — [ [link removed] ]National Review [ [link removed] ]
Clark: Ohio proposal would be a stain on democracy
“For generations, Americans of faith and conscience have used the tools of citizen-led democracy when elected officials could not or would not pay attention to issues of deep importance. I, along with many other Ohio faith leaders, am a part of the millions of faithful Ohioans and everyday people who will continue to fight back against unjust propositions like these.” —Rev. Dan Clark in The Columbus Dispatch [ [link removed] ]
Rev. Dan Clark is Faith in Public Life Action’s Ohio director.
MORE: Ohio Senate passes measure to require 60% vote requirement to approve constitutional amendments — [ [link removed] ]Ballotpedia News [ [link removed] ]
Marshall: Want inspiration? Look to Australia
“Political parties down under compete fiercely but don’t regard each other as mortal enemies from whom their country must be ‘saved.’ Aussie voters have little patience with polarizing ideologues who want to draft them into culture wars or cancel them for speaking their minds. In fact, theirs is one of the few democracies that has not been convulsed by the tremors of cultural resentment and illiberal nationalism that have rolled across the United States and Europe over the past decade.” —Will Marshall in The Hill [ [link removed] ]
Will Marshall is president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute.
MORE: Nonpartisan ‘therapy cat’ makes rounds in the North Dakota Senate chamber — [ [link removed] ]The Bismarck Tribune [ [link removed] ]
Uncle Joe vs. The Donald? Heckle vs. Jeckle would be better.
How about Amy vs. Chris? —Jim S., Texas
A lot going on between Disney and Governor DeSantis in Florida. DeSantis may be shooting himself in the foot, for lack of a better description. I realize no one at Disney will take my advice, but just for fun and what the heck, I suggest Disney should shut down for a month, or even a week. See how things go for DeSantis. Or even more fun, they should announce they will be searching for a new home. Sure, it wouldn’t happen overnight, and yes, it would cost big bucks. But why not play some offense?
DeSantis is on the path of killing the goose that lays some of the state’s golden eggs. Those 58 million or so visitors each year to Disney World spend a lot of money in the state; a lot of jobs depend on them, and a lot of tax revenue, too. So, in my humble opinion, Disney should roll out “It’s A Wonderful Life” and show DeSantis and the state what things would be like if he stays on his “path of petulance.” —Bill T., Arizona
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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