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☆ Losing candidate arrested in string of shootings at New Mexico Democrats' homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Police in Albuquerque on Monday announced the arrest of a failed candidate for state Legislature in a string of shootings at locations associated with high-profile Democratic leaders. Republican Solomon Peña is accused of conspiring with and paying four men to carry out four shootings at the homes of two Bernalillo County commissioners and two state legislators. But on Monday, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina described Peña as the initiator of the shootings. Ballistics evidence from one of the shootings connected the case to the suspect, Medina said. The Albuquerque Journal describes the suspect as unsuccessful candidate for New Mexico House District 14, which represents the Albuquerque area's South Valley.

☆ Guyana expects proposal from India for long-term crude purchases
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Neil Marks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Vessels carrying supplies for an offshore oil platform operated by Exxon Mobil are seen at the Guyana Shore Base Inc wharf on the Demerara River, south of Georgetown, Guyana January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Luc CohenGEORGETOWN, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Guyana expects to soon receive a proposal from India for long-term purchases of the South American country's oil, President Irfaan Ali said on Tuesday, a new attempt to reach a government-to-government deal potentially leading to better sale terms for Guyana. Guyana's government is entitled to a share of crude produced off the nation's coast by a consortium led by Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N). In 2022, Ali's government received a total of 13 cargoes of crude, and it expects to receive and export 17 cargoes this year, the finance minister said earlier this week. Guyana and India in 2021 failed to reach an agreement for direct sales of Guyana's sweet crude to Indian state refiners.

☆ Trump to make first 2024 campaign appearance in South Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a rally at Florence Regional Airport in Florence, South Carolina, U.S., March 12, 2022. Two well-known South Carolina Republicans - U.S. South Carolina holds outsize influence as one of the first states to hold presidential nominating contests during election years. The Republicans have chosen to maintain the traditional sequence for the first three states: Iowa, New Hampshire and then South Carolina. Two other South Carolina Republicans - former Governor Nikki Haley and U.S.

☆ Republican candidate arrested in shootings of Democrats' homes in New Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 16 (Reuters) - An unsuccessful Republican state House candidate in New Mexico was arrested on Monday and accused of orchestrating recent shootings at four local elected officials' homes, the Albuquerque Police Department said. Police said on Monday they had arrested Solomon Pena, 39, and accused him of conspiring with, and paying, four other men to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, all Democrats. Pena lost his election for the state House in November to an incumbent Democrat who garnered more than 73% of the votes. Police said at a press conference Pena had denied his election loss and had approached the commissioners and lawmakers at their homes, claiming election fraud was involved. On Jan. 3, three bullets fired into a state representative's home had gone through her 10-year-old daughter's bedroom, the paper reported.

☆ Defeated Republican charged with attacks on New Mexico Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico was charged on Tuesday with contracting four gunmen to shoot at the homes of Democratic officials after he visited them to dispute his 2022 election defeat. Pena, described as a "radical right election denier" by Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, was arrested on Monday. Pena, who has previously been convicted of felonies such as burglary, faces a 1 p.m. pre-trial detention hearing on Wednesday. Pena wrote in July in the New Mexico Audit Force Telegram group in response to a claim of fraud in Nevada. Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Additional Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Florida could soon become the 26th state to allow individuals to carry concealed loaded guns anywhere without permits — a growing trend that has alarmed gun safety groups. “Constitutional carry” and “permitless carry” laws eliminate the requirement. Permitless carry laws get rid of that requirement. “Permitless carry causes harm, and there is data to prove it,” said Shannon Watts, a board member at the gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety. She pointed to multiple studies showing that states that have implemented permitless carry have had upticks in both gun violence and police shootings.

☆ Missouri Republicans pass a rule requiring women to cover their arms in the state House chamber
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Missouri Democrats tore into their Republican colleagues over changes to the state House dress code. Republicans passed a rule requiring female lawmakers to cover their arms in the chamber. Proudie was speaking out against Republican state Rep. Ann Kelley's push to amend the House's formal rules by requiring women to wear a blazer while in the chamber. "It is absolutely ridiculous that we have to talk about it on the House floor in the House chamber. Like most statehouse chambers, the Missouri House must pass new rules once it convenes the General Assembly every two years.

☆ New Mexico leaders say they won't be intimidated by shots fired at their homes and offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Deon J. Hampton | Deon J. Hampton Is A National Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A county commissioner who was among six Democratic leaders in Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose homes or offices were sprayed with gunfire said she won't let the attacks stop her from doing her job. Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa's home was the first to be targeted Dec. 4, when eight shots were fired. The shootings continued intermittently until Thursday, when shots were fired outside the downtown law offices of newly appointed state Sen. Antonio “Moe” Maestas. At least eight shots were fired at state Sen. Linda Lopez’s home on Jan 3. Neither she nor the state's newly elected attorney general, Raúl Torrez, whose former campaign office was targeted Dec. 10, could be reached for comment Tuesday.

The GOP-controlled House passes a rules package for 118th Congress with just one GOP defection, NBC’s Kyle Stewart reports. ... President Biden spends his final day in Mexico City at North American Leaders’ Summit. But first: The news that the Justice Department is reviewing Obama Era classified documents found at a think tank tied to President Biden is quite a political gift to Donald Trump. “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?” Trump posted on his Truth Social account. 6: The number of shootings recently at or near the homes of New Mexico Democratic political leaders, including the incoming state House speaker.

☆ Suspect in custody after sixth shooting reported at New Mexico officials' homes, offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A suspect was in custody Monday in a string of shootings that may have targeted Democratic leaders in Albuquerque, officials said Monday. "Those elected officials deserve to be able to do their jobs as part of American democracy without fear, and especially without fear in their homes." Last week, after the other shootings were widely reported, Martinez asked officers to investigate the incident, police said. The Democratic Party of New Mexico said in a statement it is "deeply troubled" by the shootings. "I share the anger of my fellow elected officials and all those who have been targeted by such senseless acts of violence," he said.

Obviously, this is not a story about Washington, D.C., where Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s unsuccessful — and still ongoing — attempt to become speaker will go down in history. Gregory said he was joking around with state Rep. Tim O’Neal, a member of the Republican leadership, about tapping Rozzi to be speaker. State Democrats, however, list Rozzi as a Democratic speaker on their official website. House Republicans told NBC News they are not looking to work with Democrats to elect a more center-right speaker to govern their new majority. Gregory said the Pennsylvania election was "not really apples to apples" with the ongoing battle for control of the U.S. House.

☆ First woman and LGBTQ person elected Massachusetts governor sworn in
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Maura Healey, the first woman and first open member of the LGBTQ community to be elected governor of Massachusetts, was sworn into office at the Statehouse Thursday, pledging to lead “with empathy and with equity.”Healey’s elevation to governor signals a political shift in the state’s top elected office from GOP to Democratic hands. Kim Driscoll, who served as mayor of Salem, was elected lieutenant governor with Healey and was also sworn in on Thursday. She acknowledged the soaring cost of housing in Massachusetts and vowed in her first 100 days to create a new secretary of housing. She’s only the second Democrat in the past three decades to be elected governor in Massachusetts. Nancy Lane / The Boston Herald via APThe new governor is also part of a record number of women occupying top state elected offices in Massachusetts.

☆ South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down state abortion ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a ban on abortion after six weeks, ruling the restriction enacted by the Deep South state violates a state constitutional right to privacy. With federal abortion protections gone, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic sued in July under the South Carolina constitution’s right to privacy. Currently, South Carolina bars most abortions at about 20 weeks beyond fertilization, or the gestational age of 22 weeks. In South Carolina, lawyers representing the state Legislature have argued the right to privacy should be interpreted narrowly. South Carolina Democratic House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford said any continuation of Republicans’ “war on women” is a deliberate waste of taxpayer dollars.

☆ South Carolina congressional map deliberately hurt Black voters, judges rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - South Carolina's Republican-created congressional map deliberately split up Black neighborhoods in Charleston to diminish their voting power and must be redrawn, a three-judge federal panel ruled on Friday. The Republican-controlled legislature adopted the map last year after the 2020 U.S. Census as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process that all states complete. Friday's decision focused on the state's 1st congressional district, which has long been anchored in Charleston County. The judges – all three appointed by Democratic presidents – gave the state legislature until the end of March to submit a new map. No elections can take place in the 1st district until it has been redrawn, the panel said.

☆ Democratic Sen. Stabenow of Michigan won't run again in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a member of the Democratic leadership, announced Thursday that she will not run for a fifth term in 2024, opening up a seat in the key battleground state. The announcement is expected to make Michigan's 2024 Senate race one of the most competitive in the country. Only one Michigan Republican has held a seat in the Senate in the past 40 years. If the full DNC approves the plan, as expected, Michigan would be the fifth state to vote in the primary process on Feb. 27. The Republican National Committee has already set their primary schedule and Michigan is not in the first five states.

WASHINGTON — The 2022 midterm elections were full of surprises. Republicans began the year favored to notch big victories, yet they fell short and barely captured control of the House. Lake was widely seen as the election-denying candidate with the best chance to win a statewide race in a key battleground in the 2022 elections. Secretary of state contenders who echoed Trump’s fabricated claims of a stolen election lost, including Mark Finchem in Arizona, Kristina Karamo in Michigan and Jim Marchant in Nevada. Their wins led Democrats to win every competitive House race and gain control of the state House for the first time in more than a decade — although recent vacancies have called that majority into question.

☆ Six battleground states will hold the key to the White House in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

AP Photo/Andrew HarnikGeorgia2012 margin: Romney +7.8%2016 margin: Trump +5.1%2020 margin: Biden +0.2%For decades, Republicans could easily depend on the Peach State's electoral votes falling into their column. Two years later, Biden won the state by roughly 12,000 votes over Trump, followed by the dual 2021 runoff victories of Sens. AP Photo/Matt RourkePennsylvania2012 margin: Obama +5.4%2016 margin: Trump +0.7%2020 margin: Biden +1.2%Biden's hometown of Scranton is dear to his heart so Pennsylvania was always going to be a key state for the party in 2024. AP Photo/Andy Manis, FileWisconsin2012 margin: Obama +6.9%2016 margin: Trump +0.8%2020 margin: Biden +0.6%Wisconsin is one of the most politically-divided states in the country. But Trump flipped Wisconsin to the GOP in 2016, the first time it had supported a Republican presidential nominee since 1984.

☆ Virginia on track to send first Black woman to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan is on track to become the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress after she won the Democratic primary Thursday to fill the seat of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin, who died last month from cancer. Lamont Bagby, the chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, in the primary. Morrissey resigned from his state House seat in 2014, but he then ran for that same seat as an independent and won in 2015 — while serving time in jail. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia also threw his support behind her. McClellan had also won the support of other Black leaders in the district, including Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.

☆ DeSantis' latest education plan targets teachers' unions by ending automatic dues in favor of monthly mailed-in checks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

DeSantis' latest so-called "Freedom Blueprint" proposal appears similar to a measure the Florida legislature considered in 2021 and 2022 that the state's largest teachers' union, the Florida Education Association, called "anti-freedom" and "anti-educator." Even Charlie Crist, a former congressman and DeSantis' failed 2022 challenger, picked Miami-Dade's teachers' union boss, Karla Hernández-Mats, as his running mate. State lawmakers and the governor gave teachers bonuses this past year and increased pay — though largely among new teachers, according to the Florida Education Association. DeSantis acknowledged during his speech that changes to union dues might emaciate the labor groups, but said if teachers aren't paying dues then they should be decertified. The last two versions of the anti-union died in committee under opposition from Florida AFL-CIO and the Florida Education Association.

☆ Flood of recount requests delays election certification in Pennsylvania
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“I think if people are able to come to the courts and delay certification results without any real evidence, that’s a problem, and I see some abuse of that process here,” Deluzio said. Judges authorized at least 19 precinct recounts in six counties. An AP survey of the Pennsylvania precinct recounts found the recount challenges altered vote tallies barely or not at all. Rep. Leanne Krueger, who leads the state House Democratic Campaign Committee, said those who deny the results of the 2020 presidential election have been trying to stop election certification for several years. Lycoming County elections chief Forrest Lehman said defending a single recount petition required making copies of poll books and collecting a variety of records.

The bill already passed the Senate and now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. “In removing Taney’s bust, I’m not asking that we would hold Taney to today’s moral standards,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Wednesday while advocating for the statue’s removal. Figures like Taney belong in history textbooks and classroom discussions, not in marbled bronze on public display of honor.”A similar effort in 2020 that passed the House aimed to remove Taney’s bust from the Capitol along with monuments honoring Confederates. That bill, however, was eventually stalled by Senate Republicans who argued that states should decide which statues they’d like to display in the Capitol. A statue of Taney was previously removed in 2017 from the grounds of the Maryland State House.

☆ Congress approves removing statue of Supreme Court chief justice who wrote Dred Scott decision
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The House passed a bill Wednesday that would remove from public display at the U.S. Capitol a statue of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision that defended slavery and denied the citizenship of Black Americans. Roger B. Taney (1777-1864), former chief justice of the Supreme Court. The House overwhelmingly passed the measure a few months later in a 305-113 vote, but it did not advance in the Senate. A statue of Taney, who lived in Maryland, was removed from Maryland's State House grounds in 2017. Congress in recent years has taken similar actions to remove other statues from the Civil War era.

The proposals have alarmed voting rights activists and state Democrats, who tried and failed last year to block a GOP-backed overhaul of election laws — a priority of Gov. The 62 voting rights-related bills Texas lawmakers have already prefiled represent nearly all prefiled voting rights legislation across the country, according to a review of prefiled bills by Voting Rights Lab and NBC News. An election police forceRepublican-authored Texas bills, such as HB 549 and SB 220, propose creating a system of state “election marshals,” who would investigate allegations of violations of election and voting laws, and file criminal charges when warranted. Harsher penaltiesLegislation such as HB 39, HB 52, HB 222, HB 397 and SB 166 aims to raise the penalty for election and voting rights crimes to a felony from a misdemeanor. “All my bill does is restore the felony punishment for illegal voting,” Texas Rep. David Spiller, the author of HB 52, said in an interview.

☆ Former Rep. David Rivera of Florida is arrested in Venezuela probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

David Rivera, a Republican who served from 2011 to 2013, was arrested at Atlanta’s airport, said Marlene Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami. To justify the large payments, PDV USA allegedly created “phony contracts” backdated to March 20, 2017 — the day before the consulting agreement took effect. Rivera’s consulting contract had all the hallmarks of a sham, according to PDV USA, which since 2019 has been run by directors appointed by the U.S.-backed opposition. Rivera never met in person with anyone from Citgo or PDV USA while supposedly working on its behalf. “The written record is bereft of any evidence that Interamerican performed any of the contracted services,” PDV USA argues in the new filings.

☆ Warnock gains early voting edge as both candidates barnstorm Georgia in final day before Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

An early vote that topped 1.85 million showed other positive signs for Warnock, with Democrats enjoying a 13-point edge — larger than the party’s 8-point lead in November’s early vote, according to TargetSmart’s model. But Walker is widely expected to win more of the votes cast on Election Day. Residents wait in line to vote early outside a polling station on Nov. 29 in Atlanta. Walker “needs to win Election Day by double digits,” said Cody Hall, an adviser to Kemp, who said the Republican candidate will have to outperform his advantage from November's Election Day. “But I would just caution everyone that base Republican voters in the last couple of cycles have liked turning out on Election Day.

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