A lot of things happened. Here are some of them.
Voting Rights On The Line
The long-awaited moment is here: The Senate will vote on whether to proceed with Democrats’ sweeping voting rights bill, the For The People Act/S. 1, this evening. While Republicans have vowed to block it, and they will, today’s vote will test whether all 50 Senate Democrats are unified in taking this preliminary step. Without 50 Democrats now, there’s no chance of blowing up the filibuster later.
- Music to McConnell’s ears: In case you still had any doubts, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), who co-sponsored S.1, very much stands by her refusal to blow up the filibuster. She made exactly that point in a new Washington Post op-ed last night.
Trump’s Legal Woes Are Piling Up
Another top executive at the Trump Organization has gotten roped into Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s criminal investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- Who’s entangled in this mess now? Matthew Calamari (yes that’s really his name), who serves as the company’s chief operating officer. Prosecutors are reportedly examining whether Calamari received untaxed fringe benefits.
- That’s the same thing they’re reportedly looking into with Allen Weisselberg.
- But if it makes Trump feel any better, it doesn’t seem like the prosecutors have found much success in trying to get Weisselberg to flip. The CFO still shows up for work at Trump Tower as normal, according to WaPo.
Judge Tosses Key Claims In A Lafayette Square Lawsuit
A federal judge threw out most of the claims in the ACLU, Black Lives Matters, and other activist groups’ lawsuit against the federal government and some Trump administration officials for brutally clearing peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square in D.C. last summer.
- The judge, a Trump appointee, let stand some of the lesser claims in the lawsuit.
In Case You Missed It
The FBI acknowledged in a court filing last week that there was chatter online pre-Capitol insurrection in which people made plans to start a “revolution” on Jan. 6.
New York, New York
Today is the NYC mayoral election (well technically a Democratic primary, but the city’s heavily blue makeup effectively guarantees that whoever wins the primary is headed to City Hall)!
- Here’s a particularly weird thing that Eric Adams, one of the frontrunners of the race, had to say in a Vanity Fair profile that came out yesterday:
Oh look, here’s a highly normal response from Eric Adams https://t.co/hmiOXAKEr7 pic.twitter.com/sKFj4T1uvf
— mattie kahn (@mattiekahn) June 21, 2021
- Andrew Yang, one of the other frontrunners, stands by his comment about people with mental illnesses, by the way. “We all know that public safety is top of mind for New Yorkers,” he said at a campaign event last night. “There will not be an economic recovery until people feel safe walking our streets and walking our subways.”
There’s another crucial primary today that’s somehow flown under the radar: The Democratic primary race for Manhattan district attorney, aka the top prosecutor who’ll potentially take over outgoing Manhattan D.A. Cy Vance’s investigation into the Trump Organization.
- There are eight Democratic primary candidates jockeying for the title, and similar the mayoral race, whoever wins this primary is effectively ensured to win the general election in November.
Analysis: “When It Comes to Big City Elections, Republicans Are in the Wilderness” – The New York Times
Not One But Two Major Milestones During Pride Month
Yesterday was a big day for LGBTQ+ representation in sports.
- Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out on Instagram, making him the first ever openly gay NFL player.
- An openly trans athlete was chosen to compete in the Olympics for the first time. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, a trans woman, will be competing in the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
A Lot Going On
You never know who will run into you in DC. @YVindman was promoted to Colonel today and all the Vindmans are incredibly proud ?????? It was an honor to meet @DouglasEmhoff who was out for a jog and @timkaine who administered the oath @AVindman @CindySueSci pic.twitter.com/A090g3QQKP
— Rachel Vindman (@natsechobbyist) June 21, 2021
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