A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
You Know, So The Kids Don’t Get Indoctrinated
An advisory group of nine educators in Texas has submitted a proposal to the Texas State Board of Education for the state’s second grade curriculum that would teach kids that slavery was actually just “involuntary relocation.”
- The group’s jaw-dropping suggestion is a direct result of Texas Republicans’ efforts to whitewash the country’s history of racism in their war on so-called “critical race theory”: The state board is looking at updates to the state’s social studies curriculum after Texas passed a ban on teaching things that make students “feel discomfort,” and the group of educators had been given a copy of the law before it submitted the proposal, a board member told the Texas Tribune.
- At least the state board isn’t having it. The chair of the board said on Thursday that the proposal was rejected and that educators were told to “revisit that specific language.”
Feds Subpoena Arizona GOP Leader Who Led Fake Election Audit
More federal subpoenas are popping up in Arizona that appear to be part of the investigation into the Trump effort to subvert the 2020 election.
- Arizona state Senate President Karen Fann (R), who spearheaded her state’s bogus 2020 election audit that went absolutely nowhere, was served a subpoena by the FBI requesting certain records in the federal investigation. Fann said she’ll comply with the subpoena.
- State Sen. Kelly Townsend (R) was also subpoenaed and says she’ll comply.
- Here’s a list of the Trump lackeys who were contacted by the feds in the investigation last Wednesday alone.
Biden Plans To Give Speech After Jan. 6 Panel Wraps Up Probe
The President is planning to deliver official remarks on the House Jan. 6 Committee’s findings once the panel finishes its work, according to NBC News. Biden would reportedly point to the committee’s damning revelations as a warning against voting for Trump and his cronies.
Sinemanchin Dumps Ice Cold Water On Biden’s Filibuster Carveout Push
Awww, did Biden really think calling for a filibuster carveout to protect abortion rights yesterday would in any way convince Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) to loosen their grip on the filibuster? That’s adorable.
- Sinema’s office on Thursday pointed the Washington Post to the Arizona senator’s response to the Roe opinion leak in May in which she insisted that the filibuster was, in fact, “more important now than ever.”
- Manchin’s spokesperson just said in plain words that the West Virginia Democrat’s position “hasn’t changed” (and he doesn’t support the Women’s Health Protection Act anyway).
Ketanji Brown Jackson Makes SCOTUS History
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the high court’s first Black woman justice yesterday afternoon, shortly after her predecessor, Stephen Breyer, officially retired from the bench.
- Jackson’s already got at least one major case on the docket for the next term: Moore v. Harper, a case that’ll determine how much power state courts have over election law– and will have major consequences for the courts’ ability to rein in state lawmakers’ attacks on voting rights.
SCOTUS Strikes A Blow To EPA Power
By a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority slashed the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate power plants’ greenhouse emissions on Thursday.
- It was a good day for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who surely did his EPA-gutting momma (who served as Ronald Reagan’s EPA administrator) proud with his vote.
- Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, one of the three dissenting liberal justices, called out her conservative colleagues for using their power on the high court to “prevent agencies from doing important work, even though that is what Congress directed.”
Sen. Leahy Undergoes Surgery
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is “comfortably recovering” from his surgery to treat a broken hip on Thursday after suffering a fall the day before, according to the Vermont Democrat’s spokesperson. A previous statement from Leahy’s office said the 82-year-old senator is expected to make a full recovery from the procedure.
Garland To Undergo Surgery
The Justice Department announced yesterday that Attorney General Merrick Garland has been diagnosed with benign enlargement of the prostate and will undergo a “routine surgical procedure” to treat it on July 7. He’s expected to be back at the office the week of July 11, according to the DOJ.
Trump No Longer Held Under Civil Contempt
After a long, long court battle, a New York judge has lifted his civil contempt order against Trump in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) investigation into the Trump Organization.
- James agreed that the ex-president, who was found in contempt more than two months ago, had met the conditions to be released from the order, the judge said on Wednesday.
- Trump ended up paying a $110,000 fine as part of the contempt order, but per the judge’s new order, that money will be held in an escrow account pending the ex-president’s appeal.
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