The New "N" Word 😱 ✡️🌻😱 💣🚀🚢 

Gerrymandering Chaos:  As expected, last week’s Supreme Court decision eviscerating the Voting Right Act is reverberating. Jeff Landry, the Republican Governor of Louisiana has taken the unprecedented step of suspending his state’s already in process primary to rejigger his map in a way intended to deprive Black Louisianians of Congressional representation.  Now, a few other states including Tennessee and Alabama where primaries were set for May 19 are expected to immediately follow Louisiana’s lead.  The SCOTUS Justices had to know that their decision would be disruptive to already in process elections; they could and should have said that it was too late for Louisiana and other impacted states to change their maps for this year’s elections, they’ve done that in the past,  but they didn’t do it this time. In addition, Florida’s termed out Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the redistricting map that he recently pushed through his state’s legislature. Not so surprisingly, an appreciative Trump who fears what a big blue wave midterms could bring is already talking about rewarding DeSantis with a cabinet seat, perhaps Hegseth’s Defense post. Though he’s about as conservative as they come, Georgia’s termed out Governor Brian Kemp, who has crossed Trump in the past, is showing a little restraint.  He applauded the Court’s decision, saying that his state should adopt a new map before 2028, but has no plans to do so now given that early voting in Georgia began on April 27.  It’s fair to assume that if Republicans retain the Georgia governorship his predecessor will do his best to cut a few Democratic seats by then.  The bottom line is that even with all this last-minute redistricting Democrats are still more likely than not to win control of the House in the midterms but if they do their majority will be smaller than it would have been without all the upheaval and these mulligans. However, going forward, the cards will be stacked against Democrats, making it harder for Democrats to retain House control in years without large blue waves.  And just in case you don’t think that overt racism, the thing that the Voting Rights Act was supposed to ameliorate, is still a thing, consider Trump’s speech and Truth Social posts. He regularly calls his Black opponents, including Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and even Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, “low IQ persons,” a slam that many of his social media adherents and like-minded obsequious defenders quickly applaud.  Trump’s shrewd enough to know that saying the “N” word in public is unacceptable but we and they all know that’s what he and they are thinking.  

Abortion Again:  Abortion drug Mifepristone is back in the news, and the news is not good.  On Friday, in response to a request in a percolating lawsuit by Louisiana, the very conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a severe nationwide restriction on the mailing of Mifepristone, the safe and effective medication used in nearly two-thirds of US abortions as well as for early miscarriage care. The ruling reinstated a nationwide requirement, lifted by FDA in 2021, that women obtain Mifepristone in person at a health center, rather than by mail or at a pharmacy after receiving care through telemedicine, while the Louisiana case proceeds. Two manufacturers of Mifepristone almost immediately appealed to the Supreme Court, requesting that the mailing restriction be put on hold. Despite all the states that have made it difficult, if not impossible for women to obtain abortions, the number of abortions in the US has increased since the Court’s abortion restricting Dobbs decision largely because of the availability of Mifepristone but restricting access to the drug, especially to women in states where abortion has been effectively outlawed would change that, which is the whole point of the Louisiana lawsuit.  It looks like abortion will be on the ballot again in 2026.  Just another reason that Trump and the Republicans are so desperate to restrict voter access, not just for minorities but also for women because if Trump’s SAVE Act is passed, married women who’ve changed their names will have to scramble to get new voter IDs that prove they are who they say they are in order to cast their ballots.       

More 💩: After saying last week that there was no need for Congress to take a War Powers act vote because the Iran war was either over or on pause, last night Trump announced that the US would “help” stranded ships transit through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that interference by Iran would be dealt with forcefully.  A cargo ship was attacked overnight in the Strait so we should know what that help will really entail shortly.  Maybe.  In the category of news that should make Putin pop a few champagne corks, Trump announced that he’ll be reducing US troops in Germany by 5000.  He’s long talked about doing that but didn’t because of pushback from his generals and some in Congress including both Republicans and Democrats but that was before War/Beer Hegseth fired lots of competent generals so this time he’ll probably proceed.  Also, Trump announced via social media that disbarred former NYC Mayor Rudy Guliani is in a Florida hospital in critical condition.  Trump being Trump, his announcement slammed radical left lunatic Democrats, “ALL because Rudy was RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!  They cheated on the elections, fabricated hundreds of stories, did everything to destroy our Nation, and now look at Rudy, So sad!  At least, he didn’t blame Biden who his crowd, blamed this weekend for the demise of the long struggling Spirit Airlines, because as everyone knows, everything including inflation, airplane fuel,  gas and grocery prices, the Iran war, hangnails, warts,  you name it, is Biden’s fault and always will be.