Demand Arizona repeal its near-total abortion ban from 1864!

Daily Dose of Democracy:

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Matt Gaetz thrown to the wolves by one-time ally over underage sex probe
Former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy aired his dysfunctional party's incredibly dirty laundry, revealing in starkly plain language precisely why Rep. Matt Gaetz led the charge to take away his gavel late last year: "I'll give you the truth as to why I'm not speaker. Because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old, an ethics complaint that started before I ever became speaker. And that's illegal and I'm not going to get in the middle. Did he do it or not? I don't know. But [the House Committee on Ethics] is looking at it, and there's other people in jail because of it." Shots fired.

Take Action: Tell the Senate: Don’t ban TikTok!

Trump campaign official threatened to rape boss' wife, then kill him
Johnathan Stone, one of the MAGA cult leader's county campaign chairs in New Hampshire, lost his job as a police officer after threatening to kill his colleagues in a shooting spree, murder the department chief, and rape the chief’s wife — in retaliation for his suspension over his relationship with a high school girl, according to a newly released report from an internal affairs investigation. Trump first came to know Stone during his 2016 presidential run, when Stone gave the serially indicted con man an inscribed AR-15 assault rifle at a campaign stop. Naturally, he was welcomed into the fold. Just another one of Trump's "best people" making America great again, folks.

Trump delivers FATAL blow to his OWN campaign
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Brutal.

Arizona Republicans double down, shoot down Democrats' attempt to repeal 1864 abortion ban
Arizona Democrats tried to repeal the state's ancient, draconian abortion ban but were shut down by right-wing radicals in both chambers of the legislature on Wednesday, who refused to even recognize legislators to speak on the floor or make motions to repeal. Despite overwhelming opposition to the horrific 1864 ban among Democrats and Republican voters alike, GOP leaders held their incredibly dangerous and oppressive line. Democratic Sen. Anna Hernandez summed it up best on Twitter, writing, "By their actions, the message from this chamber is that they are so pro-life they will kill you."

Take Action: Reject Trump's national abortion ban!

Donald Trump loses third attempt — this week — to delay New York criminal trial
For a guy who proclaimed we'd all grow tired from all the winning he would usher in, Trump sure does a helluva lot of losing.

Take Action: Tell Congress to act NOW to stop climate change!

Lara Trump’s RNC robocalls push claims of "massive fraud" in 2020 election
The Republican National Committee last week bombarded voters with a pre-recorded message on behalf of new co-chair Lara Trump pushing repeatedly debunked, horseshit claims of "massive fraud" in the 2020 presidential election in an awful sign of what's to come. The call on behalf of the disgraced ex-president's daughter-in-law was estimated to have been made 145,000 times in the first week of April alone. We'd call their tactics Orwellian, but that would imply they've actually read a book. Regardless, the tidal wave of Republican disinformation will only grow larger as we near the November election.

Take Action: Stop tax breaks for Republican dark money corruption!

White-sounding names get called back for jobs more than Black ones, a new study finds
But... but... but... D-E-I!!!

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis privately tells donors he plans to fundraise for Trump
Kiss that ring, guvnah. If you need any pointers on how best to grovel at the feet of your tormentor, this guy might be abe to help.

Biden administration to close "gun show loophole" in major win for gun safety advocates
In a rare win for advocates of people not being killed by the tens of thousands every year by guns, the Biden administration announced they are closing what is often known as the "gun show loophole," by tightening up the definition of what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling firearms. The rule now explicitly lists the types of commercial activities that indicate whether a person should become a federally licensed dealer and thus be required to run a background check; prevents people from evading the licensing and background check requirements by claiming that they are just selling a few guns, according to the White House; and prevents people from falsely claiming that guns are part of a personal collection and exempt a seller from running a background check on a buyer. Folks, it's a start. There is so much more to do, but let's recognize these victories and build upon them, elect lasting Democratic majorities, and end the scourge of gun violence in America. We have no choice but to try.

Deadly Chicago traffic stop where police fired 96 shots in 41 seconds raises serious questions about use of force
Videos and documents released this week by the Chicago Office of Police Accountability paint a harrowing picture of what happened during the March 21 traffic stop of 26-year-old Dexter Reed, prompting a letter from the agency's leader expressing "grave concerns" about the officers’ actions in a letter to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. Officers in an unmarked police car stopped Reed for reportedly not wearing a seatbelt, according to COPA. But things devolved quickly as he appeared to refuse officers’ commands and didn't immediately leave his SUV, according to video. Police say Reed fired first, leaving an officer with a wrist injury. Then four officers fired 96 shots in a span of 41 seconds, including after Reed exited the vehicle, fell to the ground and lay motionless. One officer alone fired 50 shots. "Based on the totality of the available evidence, COPA has grave concerns about the officers’ ability to assess what is a necessary, reasonable, and proportional use of deadly force," COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten wrote in an April 1 letter. The American Civil Liberties Union also criticized the officers’ actions, including for immediately drawing guns and making profanity-laced commands. "From the moment they all jump into the vehicle to chase the car, you can feel the adrenaline rush," said ACLU of Illinois spokesman Ed Yonka. "There were no efforts at de-escalation."

Judge in Trump's election interference case rejects "hostages" label for jailed Jan. 6 defendants
Tanya Chutkan, the federal judge overseeing the disgraced ex-president's election interference case flatly rejected the preposterous notion that jailed and convicted defendants charged with some of the most violent crimes of the US Capitol riot are “hostages” — a ridiculous label Trump and his allies have frequently used to describe the prisoners and whitewash their crimes. "They're being kept there because they are dangerous people," Chutkan said during a sentencing hearing for Antony Vo, a man convicted of storming the Capitol with his mother. Exactly. Now do Trump.