Welcome to Thursday, May 13th, deer and does...

The House Republican conference Wednesday voted to remove Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) from her post as conference chair, the third-highest ranking leadership position among GOP lawmakers.

Cheney has been highly critical of former President Donald Trump for his efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election and his role in the January 6 Capitol riot.

She was one of 10 House Republicans to vote for Trump's impeachment on January 13th.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) held private discussions with Cheney about toning down her public criticism of Trump. But by late April, McCarthy was openly critical of Cheney for continuing to make public statements against Trump despite concerns raised by rank-and-file GOP lawmakers:

“There’s a responsibility, if you’re gonna be in leadership, leaders eat last. And when leaders try to go out, and not work as one team, it creates difficulties," McCarthy told Politico.

Do you agree or disagree with Cheney's ouster?

Biden & Lawmakers Condemn Rocket Attacks on Israel

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have weighed in on the violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories that escalated in recent days: a broad swath of bipartisan lawmakers are urging de-escalation and affirming Israel’s right to self-defense while some progressive Democrats are criticizing Israel.

The latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict kicked off last week after violent clashes broke out over access to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism and third holiest site in Islam.

Hamas militants have launched dozens of rockets at Israel after Israeli airstrikes killed senior commanders and demolished a multi-story building in Gaza.

At a press event Wednesday, President Biden said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

"[M]y expectation and hope is this will be closing down sooner than later, but Israel has a right to defend itself.”

Meanwhile, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairman Emeritus Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WV) tweeted:

“We cannot just condemn rockets fired by Hamas and ignore Israel’s state-sanctioned violence against Palestinians ― including unlawful evictions, violent attacks on protestors & the murder of Palestinian children. U.S. aid should not be funding this violence.”

Do you agree with the U.S. affirming Israel’s right to self-defense and urging de-escalation?

Pipeline Resumes Operations After Ransomware Attack

Colonial Pipeline announced that pipeline operations resumed Wednesday evening.

But the company noted that "it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal."

"Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period. Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal."

The FBI on Monday confirmed that Darkside ransomware was responsible for a cyberattack that prompted the shutdown of the 5,500-mile pipeline that runs from Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

Are you concerned about cyberattacks on critical infrastructure?

All The Memes Fit To Post
 

And, In The End...

Any way you slice it, today is National Apple Pie Day.

Here’s hoping your day is "easy as pie,"

—Josh Herman

Talk to us via email at editorial [at] causes.com. And don’t forget to keep in touch @Causes.