Stop Georgia from removing hate crime protections for trans people!

Saturday Dose of Democracy:

Michigan GOP describes Baltimore’s Black mayor as "colored communism" in wake of tragic bridge collapse
It's 2024, and white folks can't just go around casually saying the N word, so the mouthbreathers running the official GOP nüTwitter account opted for the only slightly less offensive term "colored" to describe Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. Oh, also, he's clearly a communist. Following the tragic collapse of the Key Bridge earlier this week, radical right wingers leaped into action. Rather than wait for an investigation into the incident to uncover the actual cause, Republican goons immediately suggested the blame should be placed on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which have become a go-to conservative culprit to explain everything from the bridge collapse to Boeing’s spate of harrowing incidents aboard its airplanes. Mayor Scott naturally took exception, and, well, Michigan GOP officials weren't going to let that slide, calling his response "Another shining example of 'colored communism' in America." Cool.

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Trump attorneys get career-upending news in court
Former Trump lackeys John Eastman and Jeffrey Clark played the stupidest game — namely conspiring with the disgraced ex-president to overthrow American democracy — and are poised to win at least one stupid, albeit not necessarily commensurate prize: disbarment.

Take Action: Reject Trump's national abortion ban!

Trump goes full Putin with terrifying day-one vow
Action for Democracy: Donald Trump has been waging an all-out assault on our democracy ever since he lost the 2020 election and launched an insurrection to overthrow the government — and if he wins in November, he’s promised to be a dictator “on day one.” He’s going to spread misinformation, weaponize fear and hate, silence dissent, hijack the media, rig the courts, and undermine the rule of law if we let him get away with it. Will you chip in to support the fight against Trump and other dictators like him?

Flyin' Ted Cruz seeks police escorts for lawmakers at airports
Texas Republican and amateur escape artist Ted Cruz, who famously skipped town for a balmy weekend getaway in Cancún in 2021 during an historic winter storm that brought the state's abysmal energy grid to its proverbial knees and killed hundreds of Texans, moved a step closer to securing police escorts for lawmakers at airports. Under an amendment to the Federal Aviation Authority Reauthorization bill introduced by Cruz, members of Congress and other prominent officials, and some family and staff members, will be offered security escorts if they are deemed "currently … or previously … the subject of a threat, as determined by such applicable federal protective agency." Here's an idea — do your job, don't skip out on your residents during statewide emergencies, and generally just don't be a dick and maybe you want have cause to worry about being harassed at the airport on your next vacation, Ted.

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Texas Republicans attended meeting with group that suggested violence and jail for women who have abortions or use IVF
No big deal. Just some leaked video footage showing Hood County Republican officials attending a meeting held by Abolish Abortion Texas (AATX), an extremist group that supports the death penalty for women who seek abortions or use IVF, including pregnant minors. Hood County Constable Scott London and Hood County GOP Chair candidate Greg Harrell took things a step further and signed onto a pledge from the same group vowing to abolish all circumstances of abortion care in Texas. No exceptions. None. This is the dystopian hellscape version of America radical, right-wing Republicans are fighting for, and we must remember in November.

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Virginia GOP governor vetoes marijuana market bill
A push to establish a legal marijuana market in Virginia is officially dead after Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin — ignoring the clear will of most Virginians — vetoed legislation on Thursday. Virginia has allowed adults over 21 to possess and cultivate cannabis at home since the Legislature passed legalization legislation in 2021. But the law required another vote to implement commercial sales, which failed after Republicans won the House of Delegates later that year. Pro-legalization advocates were hopeful that a marijuana regulation bill could make it to the finish line this year after Democrats won back the House of Delegates last November. Democratic Del. Paul Krizek, the lead sponsor of the weed marketplace bill, blasted the governor’s veto. “Governor Youngkin’s failure to act allows an already thriving illegal cannabis market to persist, fueling criminal activity and endangering our communities,” Krizek said.

Georgia GOP passes bill rewriting election law — just in time for 2024
Georgia Republican lawmakers, in the dead of night, passed a bill that will make it easier to challenge a voter’s registration, dealing a huge blow to voting rights just months before the 2024 election. The measure, which has already passed the Senate, also passed the House along party lines early Friday, despite opposition from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. If GOP Gov. Brian Kemp signs the bill into law, it will go into effect on July 1. The bill increases the number of reasons that a person’s voter registration can be challenged, such as registering in another state or jurisdiction, using a different residence to obtain a homestead tax exemption, or registering at a nonresidential address. In smaller Georgia towns, where there aren't enough residents in the zip code for the post office to deliver mail to home addresses, many residents use their post office box as their voter registration address. This would also be banned. Voting rights advocates have slammed both the bill and Republicans for seeking to create more barriers to voting. Andrea Young, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, warned the bill would encourage “anti-democratic vigilantes to come in and challenge your right to be on the voting list.”

Trump's financial situation suddenly PLUMMETS
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Bad to worse for Trump.