A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Good Thing These Guys Get To Be In Charge Of Writing Laws
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on abortion access on Wednesday, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) grilled Dr. Yashica Robinson on just how far into a patient’s pregnancy she would go to perform an abortion.
- “How about if a child is halfway out of the birth canal? Is an abortion permissible then?” Johnson asked.
- Robinson:
- How about if leprechauns flew down on unicorns and twerked to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” atop the Empire State Building? Is an abortion permissible then?
Chips A-Roy Screeches About Frozen Baby Parts
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), there to ensure that the House hearing on abortion didn’t get any less stupid, gave Robinson the third degree over “baby parts” that he claimed were being stored in freezers and Pyrex dishes.
- Robinson:
Pennsylvania Senate GOP Race Still Too Close To Call
Counting of the mail-in ballots continues in the Pennsylvania Senate GOP primary, where Trump-endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz’s razor-thin lead over former hedge fund CEO David McCormick continues to shrink.
- Trump called on Oz to just go ahead and declare himself the winner anyway on Wednesday under the same exact pretense the ex-president himself invented when he falsely claimed victory on the night of the 2020 election even though ballots were still being counted: “It makes it much harder for them to cheat with the ballots that they ‘just happened to find.'”
Stefanik Backs Dumbass Impeachment Erasure Crusade
House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the No. 3 Republican in the House, co-sponsored Rep. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) resolution to “expunge” (???) Trump’s second impeachment on Wednesday.
- 27 other House Republicans co-sponsored Mullin’s resolution with Stefanik.
- The impeachment was a “sham smear against not only President Trump’s name, but against millions of patriots across the country,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital. We’ll see if her noble effort to defend Trump’s honor pays off.
Idaho Narrowly Avoids Choosing Election Denier As SOS
One primary on Tuesday that might’ve flown under your radar was Idaho’s GOP primary for secretary of state, in which two out of the three candidates denied that Biden won the 2020 election (Biden did win the 2020 election).
- The lone candidate who did acknowledge that Biden won the 2020 election, Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane, ended up winning the race.
- Isn’t it awesome and great that we’re at the point where there’s an actual risk of a person in charge of running elections just straight-up rejecting election results they don’t like?
Biden Invokes Defense Production Act To Address Baby Formula Shortage
The President announced on Wednesday that he was invoking the Defense Production Act to order suppliers to prioritize baby formula manufacturers over others in response to the nationwide baby formula shortage.
Dr. Freud, Call Your Office
During his speech at Southern Methodist University on Wednesday, ex-President George W. Bush made arguably one of the most damning Freudian slips in modern American politics while blasting Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion. The gaffe was met with laughter. Extremely grim stuff.
Must Read
“Starring in the Conspiracies of People Who Hate You” – Atlantic writer Yair Rosenberg
Elon Musk Continues To Be Full Of It
As he’s blatantly trying to worm his way out of going through with his deal to buy Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Wednesday that he would no longer be voting Democrat, but Republican instead because Democrats have “become the party of division and hate.”
- If you’re wondering why I’m flagging Musk’s self-important declaration, here it is: His tweet ended with “Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold.” Translation: He’s at risk of landing in some deep shit with the government (oh hi, SEC) and he’s setting up a pretext for his fan club to think he’s a victim of Biden’s partisan wrath.
- Let’s take a quick look at what else is really going on here:
After we posted this video, it went viral, causing Musk to respond. He has changed his story on why he’s planning to vote for Republicans.https://t.co/TLiyeg1zLJ
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) May 18, 2022
- Also, Musk donated nearly $39,000 to a Republican fundraising committee back in 2018, so like, maybe he’s not being completely honest about how super loyal he was to the Democratic Party before he was drawn away by the unity and kindness that today’s Trump-era GOP is famous for.
Canes Win!!
The Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 2-1 in overtime last night in their first game of the second round in the NHL playoffs:
Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know!
