Charge Greg Abbott for blocking rescuers from saving drowning migrants!

Daily Dose of Democracy:

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Truth Social dealt huge blow in stock market, hemorrhages more than a billion dollars
As of market close on Monday, the media company behind Trump's flailing Truth Social was down more than 21% in a single session wiping away all gains since the DJT ticker went live a few days ago. The reason for the massive dive? The company released its finances and, well, they aren't good. Turns out generating just $4 million in revenue while racking up $58 MILLION in losses in a single year isn't very sound business.

Take Action: Tell the GOP to repeal the laws keeping pregnant women from getting divorced!

Trump posts $175 million bond to avert asset seizure as he appeals massive New York fraud penalty
The serially indicted Bible huckster posted a $175 million bond on Monday in his massive New York civil fraud case, halting collection of the more than $454 million he owes and preventing the state from seizing his assets — for now — to satisfy the debt while he appeals. The bond Trump posted with the court is essentially a placeholder, meant to guarantee payment if the judgment is upheld. If and when that happens, the Republican cult leader will be on the hook for the whole sum, which grows by more than $111,000 a day with interest. Ouch.

Take Action: Eliminate the filibuster!

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?

Iran points finger at Israel, vows deadly airstrike on its consulate that killed two top generals in Damascus "will not go unanswered"
Iran vowed Tuesday to respond to a strike widely attributed to Israel that demolished Iran's consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus and killed seven, including two Iranian generals. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on his official website that "Israel will be punished" for the attack. Israel has repeatedly targeted military officials from Iran, which supports militant groups fighting Israel in Gaza, and along its border with Lebanon. Monday's strike in Damascus signaled a significant escalation because it struck an Iranian diplomatic mission.

Take Action: Find a cure for Parkinson's!

Judge expands partial gag order after Trump's attacks on his daughter in porn-star hush money case
New York State Judge Juan Merchan expanded a partial gag order Monday night following the disgraced ex-president's incessant online attacks against his daughter, among other targets. Trump's "pattern of attacking family members of presiding jurists and attorneys assigned to his cases serves no legitimate purpose. It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings, that not only they, but their family members as well, are 'fair game' for Defendant's vitriol," Merchan said Monday. "It is no longer just a mere possibility or a reasonable likelihood that there exists a threat to the integrity of the judicial proceedings. The threat is very real." Oh, the threat has been very real for a very long time. Accountability on the other hand...

Take Action: Hold Big Oil accountable for LYING about climate change!

Florida Supreme Court clears way for both abortion ballot measure and six-week ban
Despite radical, right-wing Republicans' best efforts to ban abortion care altogether and turn the Sunshine State into a Christofascist hellscape, Florida residents will get the chance to vote on a statewide ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, the Florida State Supreme court ruled on Monday. The decision is a clear victory for abortion rights activists — but one that was significantly tempered by a second decision also issued by the conservative-packed court, which unfortunately clears the way for Gov. DeSantis' incredibly dangerous six-week abortion ban to take effect within 30 days. Should voters step up and do the right thing in November, the six-week ban would only be in effect for a matter of months. Let's do this, Florida.

Trump-appointed judge's stalling tactics dashing prosecutors' hopes of a July trial in stolen documents case
The prospects of the serially indicted con man and presumptive Republican nominee for president going to trial in July for stealing national security documents and storing them in a frickin' bathroom are rapidly diminishing, thanks to the Trump-appointed judge overseeing the case, Aileen Cannon, failing to issue a trial schedule. Cannon received proposed trial start dates from Trump and special counsel Jack Smith more than a month ago, but she has still not decided when the proceeding will begin. As a result, Trump has been able to avoid filing certain pre-trial motions that have to be completed before the case can proceed, playing into his strategy of delaying his assortment of criminal trials as long as possible, essentially running out the clock leading up to the general election in November. Should he somehow weasel his way back into the White House, Trump will then simply appoint a two-bit loyalist attorney general to effectively wipe his incredibly dirty slate clean. Funny how that works.

Biden finally gets the good news he's been waiting for
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: About time.

Judge tosses election-challenge lawsuit by Arizona Republican sore loser
Arizona Republican Abe Hamadeh, who challenged the results of the 2022 election for state attorney general after he lost by 280 votes, was dealt a double blow on Monday: A judge tossed his lawsuit and paved the way for officials to seek sanctions against him. Hamadeh, who is now running for Congress, wanted the court to decertify the attorney general race and order a recount, some 18 months after the fact. Maricopa County Judge Susanna Pineda said Hamadeh was trying to “overturn the will of the people” and shot down all his demands. Pineda also gave Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and — in a poetic twist — current Attorney General Kris Mayes permission to seek sanctions against Hamadeh and his lawyer, Ryan Heath.

UK and US sign landmark agreement on testing advanced artificial intelligence
Representatives from the United Kingdom and United States signed a bilateral agreement on Monday pledging to work together on developing "robust" methods for evaluating the safety of AI tools and the systems that underpin them. UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan called AI "the defining technology challenge of our generation" and stressed that "only by working together can we address the technology's risks head on and harness its enormous potential to help us all live easier and healthier lives." Uh, yeah, that seems like a good idea. We've all seen the Terminator movies, and, frankly, the alternative doesn't look all that appealing.

Video shows California police fatally shooting teenager who was reported kidnapped
Newly released law enforcement footage captures the moment California police fatally shot Savannah Graziano, an unarmed 15-year-old girl who was a reported kidnapping victim. On September 27, 2022, Graziano, who was abducted by her father Anthony Graziano after he fatally shot her mother the day before, was herself shot by sheriff's deputies — while following instructions to move toward them after officers cornered Anthony Graziano’s vehicle on the side of a freeway. Sheriff’s officials claimed it was unclear whether the 15-year-old child was shot by deputies or her father, and they said deputies didn't realize it was her when she got out of the car. For nearly two years, they refused to release footage of the shooting, which clearly shows who was responsible for her death. Sharon Brunner, a civil rights lawyer in San Bernardino County, reviewed the footage and said it appeared no one was in charge of coordinating the officers’ strategy. She said it was possible there was “contagious” fire, with deputies’ own shots encouraging others to fire. “San Bernardino County does not train law enforcement to handle these high-stress situations appropriately. They have a very brutal approach of shoot first, ask questions later,” she said.

Iowa Republican sentenced to four months in jail in ballot box-stuffing scheme that supported husband's campaign
Hey, look! Actual voter fraud! Perpetrated by...yet another Republican. Kim Taylor, who was convicted in November on 52 counts related to voter fraud, will spend the next four months in jail after she approached numerous voters of Vietnamese heritage with limited English comprehension and filled out and signed election forms and ballots on behalf of them and their English-speaking children. Adding insult to injury, Taylor's husband, who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, ultimately placed a distant third in the GOP primary for Iowa's 4th District congressional seat.